#to the point that my sister asked if the screaming was necessary (she did not know the game yet she could just hear it) and we said yesh

[a-chaotically-small-lunta]

Me and my older brother played Cult of the Lamb together, cause we were celebrating my moms b-day and we were waiting for the food to get ready. Anyway, food gets done and my sister and mom walk in and see the game and we’ll this is how it went:

“WHY ARE YOU PLAYING A SATANIC GAME?!?!”

*disappoint and astonished sigh like noise with a click*

“What do you mean?”

“ITS SATANIC!!!! THERES THE STAR!!!! And that little 8 symbol with the arrows is satanic!”

“He’s just a lil guy”

“YEAH A SACRIFICIAL LAMB FOR SATAN!!!”

“Whaaaaaa?”

“ITS CALLED CULT OF THE LAMB!!!!!”

“Yeah you make a lil cult”

“I think she’s wondering why you’re playing a game like that”

“Its fun”

“Very fun”

Then we got the “I’m concerned for your souls and what you are into” looks from them and that “how could you think it was a good idea to play that game* sigh. Which I find very funny tbh.

[raincoatpng]

nobody asked but here is my take on Yona because I need to get it out somehow.

This is a pro-Yona rant from a sidlink fan, addressed to people who enjoy media analysis. Because I don't think it's necessary to pretend a whole character doesn't exist in order to enjoy a ship, if you can learn to look deeper. I am not claiming to know the universal truth, this is just my opinion and my read on things.

I don't want to spend too much time on this first point, but a lot of people seem to be of the opinion that Yona's existence in Tears of the Kingdom was a ploy from Nintendo to bury sidlink. I personally don't think that's the case, firstly because I think it's overestimating the reach of sidlink to assume that Big Nintendo would care to go out of their way to sink the ship, and secondly, a lot of things just do not make sense if that indeed was their intention.

Now, I can't claim to know what every writer and game dev involved in TOTK was thinking, but from a purely logical standpoint, why would they include so many gay ass scenes if their intention was to destroy the ship? I'm thinking first and foremost about the scene where Sidon gets on one knee and gives Link a ring as "proof of his vow." There's just no way that not a single person in the writers room saw the implication there, let's be honest. Why on earth would they put this scene in there if they cared at all about killing off sidlink? It's like using oil to put out a fire. Like I said, it simply makes no sense.

Onto the topic of Yona herself, and the reason I'm posting this in the first place, I don't think I'm the only one who noticed the lack of chemistry between her and Sidon. We know the TOTK writers were capable of writing good chemistry because they did it with Rauru and Sonia, and through just a couple cutscenes at that. So I don't think it's a coincidence that Sidon and Yona don't have that between them.

If you've not read the new zora stone tablets written by Sidon scattered around Lanayru, there is one where Sidon describes how he had once seen Yona as a sister and how he admired her just as he did Mipha. Yes, granted, it is written in the past tense, but why on earth would they include this in the first place? why not say they were merely childhood friends, why precise that they viewed each other as siblings (or that Sidon did at least)? As for the part where he says his feelings have grown harder to describe with time, that is such a vague line it could literally be interpreted any way you like. I have no clue if this is unique to the english translation, so if anybody reads japanese and has read the tablets, please let me know if this was originally intended.

Regardless, Sidon also mentions that Dorephan informed him that Yona would be his bride, implying in no uncertain terms that this was an arranged marriage. The lack of agency in this relationship doesn't exactly scream romance, now, does it?

LASTLY!! the most significant on screen interaction between Sidon and Yona by far is the scene where Yona scolds him (rather sisterly behaviour I might add) for refusing to go to the Water Temple with Link and let her help with the sludge. She accuses him of projecting his grief over losing Mipha onto her and letting himself be paralysed with the fear of losing a loved one again. Similarly, the most significant interaction Yona has with Link is when she fixes his Zora armour up for him – the very armour that Mipha had made for him. I'm gonna say this straight up, it is odd how much the game directs our attention to the parallel between Sidon's supposed love interest and his sister. That is, unless, there is in fact no romance between him and Yona.

So. Rather than writing off Yona entirely as many people are quick to do, I invite you to think deeper on her role in the game. Yes she's very underdeveloped as Sidon's love interest, but ask yourself if that even is the most interesting way to view her. I know a lot of people don't care to think about sibling relationships, even less so chosen family, but for those of you who do, I'm asking you to try to revisit Yona and Sidon's relationship in that light.

Consider the tragedy of losing one sister to war and another to politics, of growing apart from someone you considered family and be robbed of the opportunity to rekindle that bond because you are now betrothed to them. Imagine suddenly being nobody's brother, nobody's sister.

Even if that interpretation isn't as compelling to you as it is to me, at the very least, I'm tired of seeing unwarranted hate for a character that is nothing but helpful and kind. You are perfectly allowed to like or dislike any character, you are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to misogyny. If your only reason for hating a female character is that she "gets in the way" of a ship, you are being sexist. Full stop.

[meanbossart]

Sorry if you answered this, I did go through your asks a bit but didn't find an answer and I was just curious if you have any lore regarding the drow and Orin? Does he have, like, any thoughts regarding her as a pseudo-sister or she is just a henchmen that stabbed him in the back? Or like, regarding the fact it was her betrayal that got him out from the cult and eventually meeting Astarion and the gang? I feel a lot of people sanitize the Durge a little too much (which fair reaction, they are very fucked up in the game 😂) so I love hearing about people who have their durge lean on their violent weirdness

Huh! I guess it's been a minute since we've talked about Orin. Yes, their relationship was very significant and you should be able to find all that I've written and drawn with/about her here (save for anything I forgot to tag, which happens sometimes, lol.)

Also as a side note to everyone, please abstain from making comments about how other people choose to write their Durges (and Astarion for that matter) in my askbox, it is rarely (If ever) necessary.

Anyways, I guess this is a good opportunity to try and put it all down cohesively, so here we go:

DU drow came into the Bhaal temple at ages 17-19, he had lived a profoundly isolated life up until that point where his only constant companion would have been the lackey Sceleritas and, for a time, a horse. He had no friends, no companions, and killed the one woman he lost his virginity to the day after he met her. Sarevok and the rest of the Bhaalists taking him might have been a mockery of a family unit, but it was the closest he ever had to it nonetheless - and by far the one person in it that he felt the closest to was Orin, who was close to him in age and in that moment in time occupied a similar place in the temple's hierarchy as himself.

It's important to note here that when I say they were close, I'm talking about a closeness befitting of Bhaalspawn. They didn't share any good times; they had bad times together. And they enjoyed it to the extent that two profoundly dysfunctional young adults groomed to become murderous deities can. There was no tenderness here, feeling was expressed through violence and vulnerability wasn't only discouraged, it straight up wasn't practiced or even conceptualized in either of their heads. They killed together, mocked one-another, and hurt each other on the regular, and it's through those actions that they saw each other.

And yet, DU drow felt a burning limerence towards her from the moment he laid eyes on Orin, and this feeling never faltered, only grew. Orin cut off his matted hair in a careless, uneven slice of a blade, she pulled out his rotting molars with rusty pliers, she mocked his stink and resented his arrival (dare I say she was afraid, because she knew what it meant) but they had much more in common than they had in difference. This was a silent understanding, a screaming fact of life that led to them often gravitating towards each other in both packed and empty rooms, but never once discussed aloud.

I have no doubt that what would eventually become this Rabid, burning crush and later obsession of the drow's towards Orin is a result of their continous Isolation. The rest of the world was beneath them and temporary, and above was only Sarevok and Bhaal. Because of this, DU drow never once thought or desired to search for companionship and love anywhere besides for her, and so he started to see her not only as the vague concept of a sister, but also as his only option for a mate and wife, one which he embraced wholeheartedly (and that's putting it lightly).

Orin, on the other hand, had no such desires. Not to mention that her fear of being replaced and the implied consequences of it always spoke louder than any genuine feelings of comradery.

As DU drow ascended in the ranks and became head of the cult, those fears solidified in several ways. Not only did Sarevok favor him and she could feel herself being pushed aside, but DU drow's ego grew tenfold. What was once a quiet young man who saw himself as an equal to her became a self-righteous bhaalspawn who lavished in his role and all the boons that came with it. DU drow took everything he had acquired for granted, including her, whom he assumed would eventually succumb and become his romantic partner.

It didn't help that Sarevok subtly encouraged this partnership, thinking that through their children they could continue to produce bhaalspawn of a purer and more efficient pedigree.

Ironically, DU drow's disillusions went so far that he never once in his life thought Orin would turn against him, and as much of an egomaniac as he became, his love for her was always genuine - misguided, but genuine, and he never once wished for her death until she betrayed him. Realizing this, as well as that Bhaal would only accept one chosen, she struck, putting the tadpole in his head and sending him off to Kressa.

[woantohae]

hey friend you should do a bob reynold x witch!reader like she has the same powers as wanda but like not??like a headcanon or them meeting through the thunderbolts idk just something fr fr

thank youuuu for stepping up

Thunderbolts || (Bob Reynolds x Polaris! reader)

Summary: They're not supes. They're not heroes. The don't give up.

What happens when a group of "bad people" needs to assemble to fight something bigger than them?

Author's note: Hello! So this is a series of Bob Reynolds, the other parts can be found in my masterlist <3333

Y/N had arrived at the place where Valentina had summoned her. The girl didn't entirely trust her word, but the woman had information that was valuable to her. For months she wanted to know where her sister Wanda Maximoff was. After the battle against Thanos, Wanda had completely disappeared. The black-haired woman tried to call her whenever she could, but her cell phone was always busy or she simply didn't answer.

Y/N knew she was still grieving Vision's death. But she let her know that if Wanda needs something, or a sister.... she would be there in an instant.

The darkness of the corridors did not give her a good feeling, she kept her eyes fixed on each corner to make sure she was prepared to fight if necessary. She turned the corner and found a room with various furniture and objects scattered around the space. There was a light illuminating the room but it didn't calm her down completely. She heard someone else enter the room, so she quickly hides in a dark corner. The girl doesn't want to start a fight so soon.

The new person is a man wearing a suit similar to Captain America's and wearing a shield with pride and confidence. It's John Walker. She had heard of him.

Y/N frowns when she sees that he is also hiding when she hears another person enter the room. Why on earth had Valentina summoned her here if more people were arriving?

She remains in her place until she sees how a new girl with short blonde hair enters the place at a slow but sure pace. She looks at some papers and her face expresses distrust. She knew she was not alone, especially when John decides to come out of hiding and start shooting her, to which the blonde dodges him. There are two more people who enter the scene and start fighting. Y/N lets out a sigh and takes off her coat, letting it fall to the floor. She comes out of hiding and stands in front of the rest.

"Who are you?" John asks. He proceeds to throw his shield, but the girl raises her hands and lets the energy flow from her fingers to stop the vibranium in mid-air and throw it across the room.

"Bad move" Y/N observes her opponents.

"How did you do that?" the blonde asks, without moving from the spot.

"What? This?" She lifts a metal box and throws it at the soldier. The shor-haired blonde girl throws a knife through the air, which Y/N catches and throws away, being caught by a masked person. The fight continues with bullets fired by another black-haired woman.

Suddenly, the short blonde haired girl stops the fight with a scream.

"Enough!" She exclaims "We're not going to gain anything if we keep trying to kill each other."

The masked person stops next to the black-haired person in the black suit. John looks at Y/N suspiciously and she raises her hands in surrender to hear what the blonde has to say. Everyone watches each other carefully to see their movements and not let their guard down.

"It's obvious that someone wants us gone," she points out with a gesture. "We've all done bad things here."

Y/N looks at her with a frown.

"Shadow op. Contract kills" she raises an eyebrow.

"Why would anyone want that?" John questions picking up his shield. He shrugs. "And you former Red Room assassin. Why should I trust you? God only knows the blood in your hands"

"That's pretty ludicrous coming from the dime store Captain America." the other black haired woman says.

"I'll have you know the official Captain America, so..." he defends.

"Yeah. For like, two seconds" Y/N jokes.

They both laugh with sarcasm.

"It getting so tense in here" a new voice says.

Everyone turns to where the voice is heard and sees a man dressed in scrubs. Y/N is ready to use her powers if he tries to attack them. The man immediately throws his hands in the air.

"Wow, easy"

"Who are you?" Ghost asks.

"I-I- I'm Bob" he says pointing to himself.

"Great. Another one we need to fight with" John says.

"Wait. Weren't you sent together?" Bob asks pointing at them, still raising his hands. It seems harmless, Y/N thinks.

"If that were the case, believe me, I wouldn't have thrown the shield at her," John points out Y/N.

"Yeah, sure," she says.

Before they can fight again, a clock starts counting down and the lights of the room turns off.

"Shit," Yelena says. He turns to Bob "Why are you here?"

"I-I don't know." he seems nervous.

The clock continues counting until there are only seconds left to find out what it is.

"We must go. Now!" Ghost says.

Everyone starts running as soon as they hear the clock beeping at zero. Y/N runs to Bob's side by chance and upon hearing an explosion, Y/N pulls his hand to fall to the ground with her.

The smell of smoke fills Y/N's nostrils and she coughs at the sensation. He looks to his side and sees everyone lying on the ground, trying to catch their breath as best they can. Bob looks at her fearful of what just happened and nods his head.

"Thank you" he thanks. Y/N just watches him and shakes her head, having only one thought in her head at the moment.

Valentina was behind all this.

........

Part II

Hi! I know it's short and nothing is happening between Bob and Y/N..... yet.

But I'm thinking about how to continue the story and I would like to complement it when "Thunderbolts" is released. However, I'm going to let my creative process take care of the continuation between both characters for now.

Hope you enjoyed it <333

[niobiumao3]

So @nightskyfoxyy and I have been discussing the Inquisitor/CX AU some and ofc there is the moment of meeting the child they can't give up, and she is a little bit. Sharp.

He rounded the tight corner, found himself pointing his blaster at a small child. She was only four, possibly five rotations old, her coily hair a wild tangle from lack of care, her clothes filthy yet sturdy and carefully mended. In the dim light provided by the lamp on his helmet he could see her wide eyes were dark, her skin a deep brown not unlike Fifth Sister's. And like his Inquisitor, she did not seem the least bit afraid of him.

He flipped the blaster to stun, went to pull the trigger, and found it yanked out of his hands. She made a harsh little sound when she did it, hands reaching, but the weapon was far too big and heavy for her, and she had to let it fall to the ground in front of her. He wasted no time, lunged for her before she could get her hands on it and fire off a round, even randomly.

Another angry little noise came from her and he felt himself shoved to one side into the rough stone walls, armor impacting with a sharp crack.

"You okay?" Fifth Sister asked in his helmet. He shook his head, climbed to his feet.

"Yes. Target acquired." That was all he had time for, because he could feel the little girl grabbing at him again, closing the Force around him and trying to push him further. Her hold was tenuous, though; she was young, and tiring herself out, as they'd seen before. He fought back, sliding his boots along the loose, dirt ground, edged closer to her. She made a frustrated noise, pushed at him hard enough to move him about a meter. Then her arms fell and she sagged, to her knees.

He surged forward and grabbed her, as much to stop her from doing anything which might bring her to acute injury as prevent her from attacking him further. But he didn't expect her to make use of the one weapon still available to her. As he brought his arm around her chest to pin her and place a set of binders on her wrists she made a furious noise and sank her teeth into his hand with the ferocity of a Nexu, screaming around it.

The pain was sudden and intense; she'd managed to find the gap in his gauntlets where polyweave attached the plates at the thumb and index finger joint. But more than the bite itself was the wave of anger that flowed off of her towards him, an abject fury that radiated around her in waves. She wasn't the least bit scared of him, of any of them. Maybe not of anyone. She was merely angry.

"Please stop," he said. Her eyes flicked up at him, bright and hard. The same anger burned there too. No, she would not be letting go.

His comm crackled. "Hey, you good?"

As the child seemed disinclined to release his hand, he used the other to activate his commlink. "Yes. I have acquired the target. Moving up now."

"Did you have to stun her?"

At this point the girl had a firm grip on his hand with her teeth and his arm with her hands, almost out of spite more than anything else. Like an ocean creature angry at having been man-handled and seeking revenge in the only manner left to it.

He sighed, leaned over to fetch the blaster. "It was not necessary."

"Binders?"

"No."

There was a pause, then Fifth Sister asked him, "Is she alright?"

"Her teeth are firmly embedded in my hand. She is unharmed." He winced as the child gave an irritated shake of her head, possibly to contradict him. "And lively."

Fifth Sister sighed. "I'll get out the medkit."

[fangirlfrom-hell]

Jay and Will Halstead x Halstead sister

Request: Hey! Could u do some sort of imagine of when halstead sister (becca or not:) sees pat halstead die. Obviously they’re relationship was a lil Distnat but he had a soft spot for her..blah blah blah. Basically just like Jay having to literally force her out of the room while she’s sobbing and screaming etc. lots of fluff and whatever!

*re-posting this because I'm stupid and accidentaly delated my blog 🫠

There was a siren, and soon the sound of two car engines parking in the garden indicated that her brothers had arrived.

-"He's in the living room, he can't stand up!" Becca whined going outside of the house, approaching to Jay and Will.

-"Ok, what happened?" She was so stressed she didn't even know who asked. She was now following her brothers inside of the house. Everything was happening so fast.

-"He--uh--he had a pain in the chest and fall down the stairs".

-"I told you not to call anyone!" Pat's angry accusation was heard from inside the house.

-"I know dad, but--He didn't want me to call 911, but he looked so bad that at the end I did anyway. But he yelled to the paramedics, made them go".

-"I'm fine!" Their father insisted with annoyance when his two sons and daughter got to the living room, where he was laying on the couch. Immediatly, Will ran towards the man to check on him. It was obvious that he was having trouble breathing and he was sweating a lot.

-"No, you're not!" Becca raised her voice: "They said he should be taken to the hospital as soon as possib--".

But her father raged before she could finish: "That's enough! Shut up now, Becca".

In a sudden movement, Jay positioned himself protectively in front of Becca and pointed at Pat with his finger, his voice stern: "Hey, you shut up! She's your daughter and she's just trying to help you".

-"Jay!" Will scolded him, it was not the moment.

Scared and crying, she lowered her voice: "He--he refused to be attended and made them go away".

-"Yes! I refused to go and you shouldn't have call your brothers!" He coughed and his doctor son made a sign to calm him down.

-"I didn't know what to do!" Becca cried out to her siblings, mostly explaining herself to Jay.

-"You did good in calling us, Becc". Will reassured her. -"And you are comming to The Med with me". He turned to threaten his father.

Will and Jay carried Pat to one of the poorly parked cars outside the house. "I'll take him. I can turn on the siren and get there faster", Jay ordered. Both brothers placed their father inside the truck, all the while he cursed his kids for what they were doing.

-"Hey! Take care of her". The detective nodded towards his sister, who was freezed in the framedoor of the house entrance.

-"Becca, come on! We gotta go!" Will called her at the same time that the siren sounded, and the truck sped away.

The road to The Med was silent. Will was frowning in concern while driving, thinking on what to say to make Becca feel better. There were tears welling up in her eyes, though she never let them truly escape; she wiped them away with the sleeve of her sweater, trying to keep her brother from noticing. He understood how she was feeling. Dealing with Pat was hard and emotionally draining, especially for Becca, who was just a teenager and had to face his insults and neglect all on her own. No words were necessary; he simply reached over to give her hand a reassuring squeeze before refocusing on the road.

By the time they arrived to The Med, Pat had already been admitted and Jay was standing up in the waiting room. Will wasted no time and immediately entered the ED to inquire about his father's condition. Jay and Becca just stared at each other and he gave her a sad smirk before hugging her. "You were so brave back there", he said.

-"Will hasn't sent you any text yet? It's taking too long" Becca faltered after an hour.

-"He'll be out as soon as he has news". He wished to reassure her that everything would be fine, but his certainty wavered.

Those were the only words they exchanged while waiting. A few minutes later, the head nurse arrived and ushered Jay to his older brother's side. Maggie, with a warm smile, ensured that Becca wasn't left alone and sat down beside her.

-"All I can tell you is that he's in stable condition. Delicated, but alive". Maggie grumbled noticing the teen's anxiety growing.

-"Good". She answered curtly. -"Or whatever". She tried to appear indifferent, but she couldn't completely hide her concern. Pat had been neglectful and offensive to her throughout all those years of upbringing, but he was still her father, the only parent she had left.

Maggie was about to say something when a beep on her phone interrupted her. She clicked her teeth as she read the text. "Come on, I'll take you to your brothers, sweetie".

The Halstead brothers were inside a tiny, empty room, both pale with expressions that were hard to read, but it was obviously nothing good. Jay frowned and pressed his lips together as soon as he saw his little sister coming in; there was this pinkness under his eyes noticeable whenever his eyes were watery. Will sighed and invited her to sit, but she refused.

--"Alright, I'll get straight to the point," the redhead exhaled. - "Dad had a heart attack..."

-"That's what I suspected," the girl interrupted, emotionless.

-"Becc...his heart stopped; he was gone, but Dr. Archer brought him back. This is worse than the last time. Much worse."

-"Oh. Ok, but he is alive". That came out sounding as a question.

-"He's stable for now, yes." He gazed deep into her eyes, and it felt as though he had pierced her soul.

-"What does that mean, Will? Is he going to be okay?" She shuddered.

Silence.

-"Will..."

-"It's uncertain, Becca." Jay joined the conversation to help. "Doctors are still working on him, conducting tests. We still don't know how serious this is. Anything could happen..."

She finally sat down, sniffing.

-"I know this is hard, but there's nothing we can do, but wait and pray". The doctor concluded.

Neither of the siblings moved from their spots; it was as if they had become frozen in place, as if time itself had stopped. Will's phone disrupted the solemn atmosphere: "He's awake".

Jay walked alongside Becca, following Will to the section of the ED where their father had been admitted. Pat lay on the hospital bed with oxygen to assist his breathing, surrounded by numerous cables and machines. He raised his hand when he spotted his sons and daughter entering, but Will hurried to signal him not to make any effort. Becca stopped abruptly, and Jay had to give her a gentle nudge to encourage her to enter. He squeezed her shoulder to let her know he was right there with her.

She felt confused, her emotions all jumbled together. Was she feeling this way because, not so deep down, she was worried and scared for her father? Or was she afraid of how he would react after being brought to the hospital on her account?

-"You wouldn't believe me, but I'm glad you three are here," Pat interrupted Becca's thoughts.

-"You shouldn't be talking--" Will rushed to his side.

-"I don't think it matters at this point, son," their father struggled to reply. Will shivered upon hearing how he was addressed.

-"I know I--I've been an idiot," he groaned in an attempt to sit up but failed.

-"Dad, don't--"

-"Will, please... just let me--" He sighed. "I've been an idiot. And I need to apologize to you before--."

At that moment, Becca started to cry uncontrollably, and Pat noticed her precense as if no one else was in the room: "...specially you". He conffessed looking at her right straight to the eyes. She had never heard such sweet tone on his voice before. After a few seconds of contemplating her, he smiled with teary eyes.

-"Come here, Becca."

The girl turned her head back to look at Jay, as asking for his permission and he nodded encouragingly. She slowly walked to the bedside but didn't dare to approach too closely.

"Look at you, my beautiful baby girl", he sighed. -"You resemble your mother so much. Oh, she will never forgive me. I think I will never forgive myself. But I hope you do... for your own sake". He struggled to catch his breath with each word he pronounced. "I know I've got no excuse. I was so hurt when your mom died, I couldn't even take care of myself, and you were so little and reminded me so much of her that I couldn't---I couldn't even look at you. It was too late when I tried to compensate for it with you, I couldn't even try". Pat confessed, his voice filled with sadness. "I regret it so much, to have seen you grow and become who you are from the distance, uninvolved. I wanted to be for you, but I didn't know how to go back to you...".

Will got distracted with one of the machines and focused on reading the signs from it.

-"I'm sorry, Becca. I am so sorry, sweetheart. For everything. I'm proud of you, know that. And even if you don't believe my words: I love you".

Becca was weeping as she got closer to take his hand.

-"Alright". The doctor said with a lump in his throat. "Enough emotions for today. Dad, you really need to rest now".

But he didn't listen: "Keep taking care of her, Jay. Promise me that".

-"Always". The detective answered simply, taking a step forward, his arms crosses.

-"I'm proud of you both too. Despite me, you've grown into fine men."He turned to his sons: "My boys". A violent coughing fit overcame him and all the machines started to make a sound, indicating that something was wrong. After a hard pain in his chest, Pat loose consciousness. Everything happened so fast.

-"Dad!" Becca yelled, still by his side.

-"What's going on, Will?" His brother jumped.

-"You have to clear the room!" He gently tugged at Becca, trying to pull her away from the bed, but she hesitated. Jay hurriedly joined her side, attempting to separate her from the scene. Suddenly, they found themselves encircled by a team of nurses, led by Dr. Archer, who were speaking rapidly in a whirlwind of medical terminology that Becca and Jay couldn't quite comprehend.

Jay persistently pulled his sister, but it seemed futile; she clung to the bed, sobbing and screaming for her dad, refusing to leave his side. Her distress was palpable, and Jay's efforts to move her proved challenging in the face of her deep emotional turmoil.

-"Jay, take her out of here!" Will pressured.

Jay knew he had to take drastic action to get her out. With tears in his own eyes, he firmly hugged her from the back and started pulling her harder, as he would do with any other victim at work. Her resistance made the process challenging, the girl's sobs and screams reverberated in the room. Come on, come on, Becc, he kept repeating.

The vitals monitor indicated that the patience heart had stopped, the sound it made as an announcement was like a dagger in the Halstead siblings. Doctors kept working, trying to resucitate him, and Becca gave up fighting her brother.

-"No!" She screamed long. If it wasn't for Jay, she would had fall to the floor. "I love you too, dad. I love you". She cried out.

Jay lifted Becca firmly into his arms and managed to pull her out. She clung to him, her cries muffled against his shoulder. Her grip was tight, and her protests were heart-wrenching, but Jay remained unwavering. She couldn't even hold herself up, so they both sank to the floor and settled in the hallway, where he cradled her even closer. She buried her red and tear-streaked face in his shoulder. He began to sway gently back and forth, as if he were soothing a baby.

-"It's all right, it's all right. Take it out" his voice was both comforting and broken. -"I'm here by your side, I'm not going anywhere," he whispered softly as she kept bawling.

-"I should have called you earlier," Becca blubbered, her voice filled with guilt. "Or somehow made him go in the ambulance."

Jay gently separated her from him, noticing the wet patch she had left on his t-shirt. He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze: "Hey, this is not on you. Don't you even think about it."

Defeated, Will emerged from the trauma room and spotted his siblings in the heart-wrenching position they were in. Jay glanced at him with questioning eyes, and the doctor simply shook his head in response, conveying the grim news without words.

Jay kissed Becca's hair and took his head back to close his eyes finding his own solace. Quietly, Will sat down beside his brother and sister, sharing the grief.

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Resting on Your Shoulder

Masterlist

Summary: Your sisters decide that a trip to Iowa is exactly what you need to help you work through the effects of Daniel’s interrogation but they didn’t know you were battling with an angel and a devil on your shoulder. 

Warning: mention of past torture, past guilt, the Bartons are my favorite people to write, love confession, self-hatred. 

Word count: 3.5 

You caught the sandbag as it swung back towards you, resting your head on it. Every one of your muscles was screaming for you to take a break; to rest and recover. But you needed your mind to turn off. You needed your mind to stop reliving your interrogation with Daniel. It was a constant battle with the angel and devil on your shoulder as you knew getting him to talk was necessary to save Natasha but did you need to do it? You could have let Steve or Sam handle it and stayed far away from that mindset. However, there was a part of you that craved that power, that control. Oh, how you missed it and that scared you more. “There you are,” you looked over your shoulder to see Natasha walking towards you. You frowned. 

“Cho will have a fit if she sees you in here,” your sister rolled her eyes. She was banned from active missions until she was fully healed but you knew she was hitching to get back out there. 

“I’m not here to work out,” she said. “I’m here for you.” You raised an eyebrow at her as you bent down to pick up your water bottle. 

“What’s up?” 

“Since I’m benched I’m thinking about going to Iowa,” you cocked your head to the side. “Clint and his family live there.” That made more sense. “Do you want to come with us?”

“Is that a good idea?” You asked. It was her turn to tilt her head in confusion. 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” That was a fair follow-up question. “They’ve been pretty eager to meet you,” you sat down, leaning against the wall. She sighed, sitting in front of you. “Look, it will be good for you to get out of the compound.”

“Nat, I’m fine,” you said, taking another sip of water. She gave you a pointed look but you remained silent. 

“I know interrogating Daniel wasn’t easy for you and you don’t have to talk to me but you need to talk to someone about it. I’ve learned that Bartons have a healing presence,” you chuckled, shaking your head. 

“Sure I could use a vacation,” you stood up, holding out your hand to help Natasha. “Besides, it will be nice to meet the man who was tasked with killing my sister.” She rolled her eyes, punching you lightly on the shoulder. “When are we leaving?”

“As soon as you shower, you stink,” you pulled Natasha into your arms, hugging her tight. Her laughter filled the quiet gum as she tried to push you away from her. Since the interrogation, Dainel’s screams were no longer in your mind, only the sound of your sister’s laughter. 

*

“Why did they pick Iowa?” You asked as Natasha landed the Quinjet near the wooded area of Barton’s land. “Is it because it’s the Hawkeye state?” You knew it came from the Native American warrior named Black Hawk but it was too much of a conscience to not bring it up. Yelena giggled at your joke. 

“I bet he’d love to hear that joke,” Natasha deadpanned. “But Fury set this up for him when he decided to join the team,” she explained. “Only myself, Yelena, and Maria knew about it.” You nodded, you’ve yet to meet Nick Fury. You knew of him. He was a high target for the Red Room and HYDRA. 

The Quinjet landed and you met your sisters by the ramp as they collected their stuff and turned off the jet. You were hit with a wave of anxiety. 

“Are you ready?” Yelena asked, standing next to you as the ramp descended. 

“Yeah,” you told her. “I'm a little nervous.”

“Don’t be,” she said, pumping her shoulder against yours. “They are some of the best people.” 

*

The house was beautiful, painted white with green shutters and a wrapped-around porch. It was a split image of the American dream. Before you could comment the front door of the house swung open and a little boy came running out towards you. “Brace yourself,” you heard Natasha mumble as the boy yelled, “Auntie Nat,” and threw himself into her arms. You caught your sister before she went tumbling to the ground. 

“Woah little hawk,” Yelena said. “We have to be careful,” he looked at Yelena with a shy family on his face. 

“Sorry Aunt Lena,” Hearing this little boy call your sister's aunts was tugging at your heartstrings. 

“It’s okay,” Natasha set him down on the ground. “I'm very excited to see you,” she tapped him on the nose. “I want you to meet someone really important to Yelena and I. Nathaniel, this is our oldest sister.” He hid behind Natasha’s legs but he did give you a small wave. 

“Hi, Nate. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you,” you said, kneeling so you were level with him. He still didn’t come out behind Natasha. “I got you something.” You noticed he wasn’t hiding anymore at the mention of a gift but you didn’t draw attention to it. Instead, you took a Lego set out of your duffle bag. “A little birdie told me you like building legos,” he gasped, taking the box from you. “Do you think we can build it together?” He excitedly nodded. 

“I don’t have this one,” his eyes were glued to the box. “I have to show you the other ones I have.” You smiled. 

“Sounds like a plan, bud.”

“Spoiling my kids already,” you looked at the porch and saw Clint with his wife and two other kids. You stood up, following Nate and your sisters to the house. Nate was already showing his new toy to his siblings. 

“I have to make up for the lost time,” you said, handing Lila and Cooper a box. You got Cooper a drone and Lila a new bow and arrow set. 

“Why don’t you bring us anything?” Cooper asked Yelena and Natasha. Yelena rolled her eyes, punching him on the shoulder. 

“Because I don’t like you anymore,” your youngest sister deadpanned. Cooper smiled. “Meet the other Bartons. Clint, Laura, Cooper, and Lila.” Yelena introduced. 

“Welcome to the Family,” Laura said, pulling you into a quick hug. You were shocked by the action, not expecting it from the mother of three but you hugged her back not to make it weird. It was odd how welcoming they were. They knew nothing about you and the darkness you put into the world. The devil on your shoulder began to talk - hurt them, kill them, you’ll enjoy it. The angel was nowhere in sight. 

*

Natasha was right. It was impossible to be so deep inside your head when you were around the Bartons. Nate showed you his Lego collection and explained in great detail each. You enjoyed listening to the stories that Clint told and the banter between Yelena and Cooper. At night when everyone was asleep, you found yourself sitting on the porch with a 6 pack of beer. The stars were beautiful out here, it made you realize how small you were in the universe. You heard the front door open and Laura stood next to you. “Mind if I join you?”

“Your house,” you said as she sat down. 

“My beer too,” she smiled, taking one. You chuckled. 

“I made a mental note to buy you guys some more,” it was Laura’s turn to laugh. You both sat in silence, drinking beer and looking up at the stars. “You have a beautiful family,” you said, breaking the silence. “Thank you for opening it up to me.”

“It’s your home too,” she smiled. 

“Not sure how smart it is to offer your home to a stranger,” you joked. “I could be a killer and endanger your entire family.” She smiled. 

“Do you think you're a danger to my family?” She questioned. “Or your sisters?” ‘We have the same level of darkness inside of us,’ Daniel taunted. ‘You could conquer the world, burn it down, and rebuild it. If you just embraced it.’ You could never hurt your sisters or anyone innocent. But the devil on your shoulder wasn’t going away. It was so loud.

“I’d never hurt them,” you finally said. “Them or your family.” Laura nodded. Another beat of silence passed. “Sometimes I worry,” you told her and took a sip of your beer. “That they broke something inside me. It scares me.” 

“What did he say to you?” She asked. You weren’t surprised that she knew what happened. Finally, you looked at her. 

“He said that he and I were the same,” you said. “We have the same level of darkness. I could set the world on fire and rebuild it from the ashes,” you looked away. “He was right in a way, you know? Drekyov trained us to bring down empires. Maybe that’s all I’m good for.” Laura was quiet. Both her hands wrapped around her beer bottle as she stared ahead. 

“Have you seen the Harry Potter movies?” She asked. You shook your head. You knew they were on Yelena’s list to show you. “There is a quote that describes you and the other Widows - ‘You’re a very good person, who had bad things happen to you. Besides, the world isn’t split between good people and Death Eaters. We’ve all got both light and dark inside us.” You frowned, letting what she said to sit with you. 

“Which one do I listen to? The angel or the devil?” Laura smiled. 

“You’ve already beaten one devil,” she said, standing up. She stifled a yawn and you felt a little guilty for keeping her up. “Another one can’t be that hard, right?” You smiled, nodding your head. “From what Yelena and Natasha have told us, that angel is a lot louder than you think.” 

“Thank you, Laura.”

“Get some sleep and come get me if you need anything,” she squeezed your shoulder as she walked back into the house. You sighed, finishing the rest of your beer and placing it in the holder. You looked up at the stairs. It was so easy to see them. Were they always this bright or were you too busy to look up? 

*

“Has anyone seen my sister?” Natasha asked, walking into the kitchen. The kids were already eating breakfast and Yelena was working on a mission report for Maria that Natasha told her to get done before they came. She wasn’t surprised that it wasn’t done. Natasha knocked on your door for breakfast but the room was empty. 

“She was up early,” Clint said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “She went on one of the trail runs.” The two sisters looked at each other. It was like at the compound. They’ve had to drag you out of the training room most days to eat or sleep. 

“Not sure how much sleep she got,” Laura said, passing by Natasha with a gentle hand on her back. “We were up late talking.” Before Natasha could question what they talked about, she heard the front door open. You walked into the kitchen with a smile and sneaked a sausage link from Cooper’s plate. 

“I thought you were never going to wake up,” you teased, filling up a glass of water and downing it quickly. 

“You know some people like to sleep in when they go away.” Natasha countered. You laughed. 

“Breakfast is ready,” Laura said. “Help yourself.” You smiled. 

“Let me shower and I’ll be back down.” You said. Before you headed upstairs, Natasha grabbed onto your arm. 

“If you aren’t back in 10 minutes I’m dragging you back down here,” she threatened. You smiled. 

“I would expect nothing less, Natalie, but I’m okay,” that was up for some debate but Natasha let go of your room. She watched you go upstairs, suppressing a sigh. 

“Sestra,” she turned to face Yelena. “She’ll be okay, we’ll make sure of it.” 

*

You sat on the edge of the bed, freshly showered, and with a new set of clothes on. You were taking care of some cuts on your knuckles. On your run, you got so lost in a memory that you punched a tree. You were a little surprised your sisters didn’t see it. Dreyokv brought you into a room where a Red Room guard and a fellow Widow were handcuffed to the ground. Her name was Anastasia and she was a few years younger than you. The man’s name was a mystery but you’ve seen him around. Dreyokv told you that the pair were in love and were plotting to escape, your job was to get them to talk and tell them the details of their plan. So you tortured them. You could see the blood on your hands. Their screams made your heart pound and you felt the adrenaline rush through your veins. When they gave in and told you everything, Dreyokv still made you kill them.  

“Hey sestra, are you with us?” You glanced up, getting pulled out of your thoughts, and saw your sisters kneeling in front of you. God, how many times have they been in this position? You needed to get your shit together. You nodded, pressing the palm of your hands to your eyes. 

“I lied,” you said, bringing your hands down to look at them. “I don’t think I’m okay.” Yelena smiled. 

“Yeah,” she whispered. “We know.” You chuckled. Of course, they knew. Your sisters were so much smarter than you. 

“Come with us,” Natasha said, holding out her hand. “We want to show you something.” And you took your hand without hesitation. 

*

They brought you to a secluded part of the Barton’s property where they had a small swimming pond. Yelena laid out a picnic blanket and you sat down looking at the water. “Can you imagine having a place like this?” You asked as they sat down. 

“I’ve thought about it,” Natasha admitted. “Leaving the team and getting a house big enough for all of us.” Yelena leaned back on her hands and looked at the view. 

“I couldn’t live out in the country,” she said. “But a house of my own does sound nice.” You let the silence fall between you and your sisters. It was peaceful as a nice breeze blew through. 

“Did you watch it?” You asked Natasha. “Did you watch me torture him?” The redhead nodded, pulling one of her knees to her chest. You knew the entire thing was recorded and it wasn’t a surprise Natasha watched it. “Originally, Steve and Sam were going to talk to him but I said it should be me to do it. I convinced them that he wouldn’t talk under normal circumstances but I could break him.” 

“And you did,” you nodded. “You did it to save me, that doesn’t make you a monster.” She was right. 

“But the thoughts I’ve been having after do,” you said. “A dark part of me missed it, you know? That control, the power, and that adrenaline rush,” you shook your head. “I wasn’t lying when I told him that my bite kills. No matter who Dreykov sat in front of me I could break - men, women, or another Willow.” You sighed, running your hand through the grass. 

“You did what you had to do to survive,” Yelena said as if it was the simplest answer behind everything you did. 

“And what about now?” You questioned. “What’s the reasoning for these thoughts? I have an angel and devil resting on my shoulder and I don’t know who to listen to. I’m afraid they broke something that can’t be fixed,” you admitted. You sighed, picking up a nearby rock. It was smooth against your fingers as you twirled it around. “I wonder if they were always there.” You looked back at your sisters. Yelena had her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. She was looking at the swimming hole. But Natasha was looking right at you. 

“Nothing about you is broken,” she finally said. You scuffed, looking away. “I’m telling you the truth. I have those same thoughts,” Natasha sighed. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched her run her hands through her hair. “When Loki kidnapped and brainwashed Clint I was ready to kill everyone in my sight and when you were kidnapped I was ready to burn the compound to the ground if they got in my way.” you chuckled. “We go back to that mindset when things get out of control. It’s how we cope.”

“Fucked up way to cope,” you mumbled, leaning back on your hands. 

“We had a pretty fucked up childhood,” Yelena smiled. “But I think we turned out okay.” You smiled. 

“Yeah, we did.” 

*

“How’s Iowa?” Carol asked. Once again you found yourself sitting outside the Barton’s house but you felt different, lighter almost. You were video-calling Carol, who was laying in her bed at the compound. You smiled. 

“It’s nice,” you said. “And quiet. I needed this more than I realized.” She smiled. 

“Good, I’m glad you are enjoying yourself.” You looked past your phone into the vast darkness. Your mind couldn’t help but wonder and dream of owning a place like this. “What’s got you thinking so hard, pretty girl?” You blushed, biting your lip. 

“I was just thinking,” she gave you a look for you to continue as she sat up in bed. She was wearing a tank top and you were slightly distracted by her muscles. She smirked. 

“See something you like, baby girl,” she teased. 

“Shut up,” you mumbled, cheeks feeling hot from embarrassment. Carol chuckled. “Anyways, I was thinking about the life Clint built out here. One day I want to have something like this,” you looked into the vast darkness. “A place to call my own away from all the fighting.” 

“You know,” she said slowly, causing you to look back at her. “No one would be upset with you if you walked away from the fight. You’ve spent your entire life following orders. You can live for yourself.” You smiled, it wasn’t happy. 

“I can’t,” you whispered. “Not yet at least,” you looked down at the steps you were sitting on. “I’ve done a lot of bad stuff. There is so much red on my ledger. I can’t stop.”

“Sweetheart, can you look at me?” It took a minute for you to look at her. There was a look in her eyes that you couldn’t pinpoint the emotion. You saw it when Maria looked at Natasha when Alexei looked at Melina, and now when Clint looked at Laura. Love. Did she love you? “Why are you being the judge, jury, and executioner of your fate?” You didn’t answer. “The way I see it you paid your dues and if you want to stop, you can be done.” You chuckled. 

“What gives you the right to be my judge?” You asked. You didn’t ask it to be mean or rude but you were curious. She looked shy all of a sudden, scratching the back of your head. 

“Because I love you,” you felt your stomach drop at her admission. It was different hearing those three words coming from someone that wasn’t your family. It wasn’t a bad difference, just different. “And all I want for you is to be happy and safe. So if that means tomorrow you hand up your suit and get a 9 to 5,” you laughed, throwing your head back. “Then I’ll support you and I will always remind you that you deserve a chance to walk away from all of this.” You were stunned into a shocked silence at everything she said. But there was a part of you that felt the same, somewhere deep inside you knew that you loved Carol. ‘Tell her. Be happy and tell her.’ for once the angel was louder than the devil. 

“I love you too,” you whispered like it was a secret for only you, her, and the stars could know about. “Thank you.” 

“Why are you thanking me?” She asked. 

“For loving me and all of my scars.” She chuckled, shaking her head slightly. 

“You do not need to thank me,” she said. “I should be thanking you.” You looked at her confused. “You opened yourself up to me and made yourself vulnerable. Loving you is a gift I’ll treasure forever.” You smiled. 

“You are a sap.” 

“Only for you,” you tried to cover your mouth as you yawned. “Go get some sleep, baby girl.” You stood up. 

“Will you stay on the phone till I fall asleep?” You asked, gently walking back into the farmhouse. You saw her nod her head. You opened the door to the guest room you were staying in and immediately climbed underneath the covers, placing your phone on your nightstand. “I love you,” you said again. Oh, how good it felt to say. 

“I love you too. Goodnight, sweetheart,” you closed your eyes. The devil on your shoulder was silent and you no longer heard Daniel’s screams. You smiled as you weren’t afraid to fall asleep.  

__

Tag list: @ cd-4848

I have such an idea for a longer work for this AU where something happens to the Reader and she becomes the next villain the Avengers have to fight. Idk if I have time to write it so send me asks and I would love to talk about it more. 

Like my writing support the author and buy a kofi 

[agendabymooner]

goodnight n go ! max v. x ofc (hearth sister!ofc)

“it’s bad enough we get along so well.”

summary: there’s a way to make a graduation celebration better than to have her photos taken by the paparazzi, and max verstappen makes sure she remembers that. OR the dutch driver is making it hard for sylvie to dislike him. (1) (2)

content warning: use of explicit language

note: i wrote too much blurbs yesterday of max verstappen.

masterlist

liked by max33verstappen, lewishamilton, tillymarie

comments have been limited

lando.norris proud of you best friend!!!

charles_leclerc congrats sylvie!! (the master debater part isn’t that necessary)

tillymarie so so so proud of you lovie ! keep it up !

Photos were taken left and right by the time her family stepped out of the Sheldonian Theatre. Her black grad gown, she couldn’t wait to take it off. There’s three or five paparazzi that were by the gates, asking to get her photos taken— but she didn’t want to look in their direction, wanting to celebrate her accomplishments with her sisters and her mother after the grueling four years of school. Was she ever thankful that her private school had offered the advancement program. 

She was a graduate at 18– all thanks to the program and the money that her mother had invested into her education. Sylvie was so much like her sisters, but she had gotten into her post secondary education earlier because of her intelligence. Tilly had moved a year up after having herself assessed, but Sylvie… She's the only one who’s managed to get to college early due to the practically perfect marks that she had gotten throughout the years.

“Sylvie, can you just pose with your sisters for a moment?” Her mother begged as she held the digital camera, lens pointing at Sylvie, Stevie and Aimee. “We need a photo to put up in my study.”

“Maman, there’s a lot of paparazzi,” Sylvie whined, stomping her feet lightly. “I’m sure they got something for us.”

“They’ve been told to stay within a certain distance,” Stevie nudged Sylvie. She smiled and murmured, “Now smile. I need some photos to post.”

“I don’t like you,” Sylvie grumbled before her mouth quirked, hearing her mother’s camera clicking. That… and the many clicks of the cameras from the gate did too. It was meant to be a celebration for her family and friends only. It turns out, her life was everyone else’s too. 

Posing for a few more pictures, Blanche Ford finally put the camera down and grinned. “Well, do you want to get your photos taken with your friends?” 

“Already had enough taken earlier, Maman,” Sylvie sighed, “I want to go home and see Soren now.”

She didn’t want to celebrate. The past few weeks were rough. The Spanish GP had taken a toll on her energy and mental wellbeing; the last thing she had wanted to do was host parties or call for celebration. Whatever they had planned for today, that wasn’t her doing.

All she wanted was to see her two week old nephew and retire to bed after. 

But her family had a different plan. She only found out when they made the drive back to Brackley. 

Their home there had been built long before anyone was even born. It was only purchased by Blanche by the time her divorce papers were filed and signed, making it a home for her three daughters. They grew up there, and they didn’t even know that a few minutes from their place was the Mercedes AMG Petronas headquarters. It was funny how that worked because Tilly never really met Toto despite visiting the town. Sylvie still laughed about that. 

The estate was something of a peaceful place. Sylvie loved it there. She made it a goal to spend her Christmas breaks at home seeing as university was only 27 minutes away. Now, not only was she staying there again, but Tilly and Toto moved to another neighborhood that’s only 10 minutes away from their estate. It was an easier commute for Sylvie if she wanted to visit Soren. 

But her thoughts washed away when she opened the front door and heard the screams of, “SURPRISE!”

Sylvie caught the graduation cap that she nearly dropped. What the hell is going on, she asked herself. 

The foyer wasn’t fully decorated but anyone who had never seen the full estate would say otherwise. Balloons that spelled out ‘Congratulations’ were hung up and reflecting due to their metallic appearance. The marble columns by the two spiral staircases were fully wrapped in artificially made hydrangeas and other perennials that made the muted foyer colourful. As if those weren’t enough, the arch leading to the halls were decorated with garlands and flowers, string lights putting a wedding reception to shame because of how warm it made the house’s appearance. 

“You are not supposed to be here,” she finally found her words as she pointed at Toto, who was merely laughing at her bluntness as he approached her with a smile, hugging her as she wrapped her arms as much as she could around him. 

“Congratulations, maus,” Toto grinned, “I’m so proud of you.” 

That party that Tilly and Blanche held for her started there, but the discomfort that she was feeling while she wore her university uniform was unbecoming. So while she was having a conversation with Lando and George, she excused herself for a second to head upstairs and change her clothes. 

Life really was full of surprises, Sylvie told herself hours after she opened the door to her bedroom and found her vanity area cluttered with shopping bags and piles of books. She could have sworn that she hadn’t purchased any books lately, too stressed out to even look at a back synopsis. She also knew that there were some things sent to her by designer houses and brands that were trying to hire her — graduation gifts, her agent told her a day ago. But those gifts were downstairs according to Tilly. So she wasn’t exactly sure where this came from. 

Looking at the corner of her bedroom, however, she moved quickly as she grabbed the blue envelope from the foot tall teddy bear that she swore she never had either. The envelope was addressed to her. Well… it’s addressed to a “B. Mustang” making it easily known to her who had written the content inside. Regardless, she opened the envelope and read the message. 

“Mustang, 

Congratulations on surviving university. I heard it sucks there. I hope you like this bear— I called him McLaren. At least we have something to not argue about, no?

Also I hope you like the gifts I got you. It’s the least I can do. Enjoy your celebration! Wish me luck for the next race.

Love,

O. Cadillac.”

She had never been so frustrated over a man before. She swore. She hated having to see his face at the paddock or the garage but she had never been so angry about appreciating him or liking him. He made it difficult for her to dislike him, she hated that. 

She wanted to toss out the Dior, Cartier and whatever the fuck were dropped off at her bedroom. Everything that came from him, she wanted to throw out. Even McLaren the Teddy Bear. She wanted to despise him so much because of how shitty their history had turned out to become. But it’s not going to work like that anytime soon, she told herself. She was going to work with him one way or another and she’d have to work with him professionally. Clearly hatred didn’t work out for her— she was so grateful for the gifts he had gotten her and she was slowly returning the same feeling that he had.

She told herself that she could stay in her room for another fifteen minutes and looked down at the letter in her hand. With a sigh, she pulled out her phone and began typing. Her right hand typed and searched for his name and the other began to open the little bags first. 

[bluesylveon2]

If you still have spots open could I get Idia + Kiss the girl? Your writings are so cute I adore them 😭💙 and please take your time with this!

I immediately saw this and thought Book 7 😂. Also, I'm in the EN server, so idk how exactly Book 7 goes and this is my interpretation of it. TO THOSE IN THE JP SERVER, DO NOT SAY ANY SPOILERS! I WANT TO BE SURPRISED WHEN IT COMES OUT.

I hope you enjoy, anon! 😂

Notes: mentions the Ghost Bride event, Idia has pink hair again, Ortho is a supportive brother, Yuu is bold, Idia doubting himself, true love's kiss, and me blanking out on how to write internet slang

Word Count: 1042 (yall these are getting longer lol)

Warnings: slightly suggestive ending (Yuu and Idia are basically making out), possible ooc characters, and not beta read.

Night Raven College was mostly fixed after the Malleus' overblot. The only thing left could be found in Ramshackle dorm, where the Prefect was asleep. She fell under that condition after getting hit by Malleus' magic, and, according to Sebek, there was a chance she could sleep for eternity. The staff, Grim, and the first-year group stood around her bed when some fireflies appeared. 

Crowley greeted the fae prince,  "Did you find anything?" 

Malleus nodded, and Crowley sighed in relief, "I am willing to try anything as long as it doesn't hurt Yuu. Besides, who is going to do my taxes?!" he exclaimed. The other staff members shook their heads. 

Crewel rolled his eyes and slapped Crowley's head, "Snap out of it! My pup's life is in danger!"

Annoyed by the headmaster, Malleus cleared his throat, "The only way to cure Yuu is for true love's kiss."

“True…love’s…kiss…” Everyone said and stayed silent to process everything. 

Crewel frowned, "I will not allow a random slimy mutt's lips to touch my pup's. She needs someone that she is close to."

"How about one of the first years?" Trein asked, but Ace (the self-declared leader of the group) shook his head.

"Not a chance. We got brother zoned by her."

The rest of the first years nodded in agreement, "And that would be weird to kiss your sister," Deuce added.

Crewel sighed, "Does anyone know who she was the closest to? Any suggestions?"

Slowly, Ortho raised one robotic arm, "I have an idea." 

---

"WHY DO I HAVE TO DO IT??"

"Because you are close to the Prefect, Big Brother, and you like her!" Ortho exclaimed, causing everyone to question what was going on. The group could hear a lot of ruckus downstairs, and Idia screamed, "I want to live!" at one point. 

Finally, the duo appeared at the Prefect's door. Well, it was Ortho carrying a flailing Idia until he dumped him on the floor at the end of the bed.

Crowley squatted to Idia's level, "Now, I'm sure that Ortho filled you in on the details, but we need you to kiss Yuu so she can wake up?"

"Can't you try to shake her, pour a bucket of cold water on her, or use Sebek's loud voice?"

"MY VOICE IS NOT LOUD!" The half-fae shouted into poor Epel's ears. 

Sam sighed and turned to Idia, "This is getting nowhere. Maybe my friends from the other side can convince you?" He smiled, and some eerie shadows appeared behind him, causing shivers to run down Idia's spine. 

Trein sighed, and Lucius let out an annoyed meow, "This is getting us nowhere."

"I agree! Is the audience necessary?" Idia asked, and Crowley stood up. 

"Fine. We will compromise. We will all leave you alone so you can kiss Yuu," He gestured for everyone to leave, and everyone followed. 

"Wait!" Idia called out, "I want Ortho to stay."

"If you insist," Crowley said and closed the door, leaving the two brothers alone. 

Ortho floated to Idia, sitting beside him, "What's wrong, Big Brother?"

Idia sighed and looked down at his hands, "Remember that time I got kidnapped by Eliza?" Ortho nodded, "This is the same level as that. Instead of me being in the afterlife, I am possibly Yuu's true love. Do you know how frightening that is?"

Ortho sighed and looked at his brother with big yellow eyes, "I do. I was the one who asked Yuu and the others to rescue you, but now it is the opposite. You can save Yuu!"

Idia turned to his brother with doubt on his face. "But what if it doesn't work? Then what? Even if it did, Yuu would be stuck with a loser like me."

Ortho frowned, "You might think that way, but you are also a genius! Plus, unlike Eliza, Yuu actually likes you, so the feeling is mutual!" he exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes. 

Idia smiled, now with determination, "You're right! I got this!" He marched over to where Yuu peacefully slept, unaware of everything around her. 

Ortho floated to the green armchair to give his brother some space, "Yeah! And you don't even have to kiss her on the lips. Malleus said true love's kiss could break the curse, but he never said where."

Idia's hair turned slightly pink at the thought. He would be down to kiss Yuu (preferably a short kiss and not a full-on makeout session) if she was awake and not cursed. He looked down at Yuu's sleeping form. If there was one thing the otaku could admit was that she looked adorable, but he would never let anyone hear that out loud. 

Idia slowly leaned down toward Yuu's face. Ortho watched as his brother's hair turned even pinker the closer he got. Idia stopped momentarily when his face was a few inches away to admire Yuu. "Please wake up," he whispered, pressing his blue lips on Yuu's forehead. 

Idia quickly jumped away but remained at Yuu's side and held his breath. A minute had passed, and there was no movement from the Prefect. Idia turned to Ortho with a defeated look. "It looks like I lost, Ortho. Let's try to find someone else."

"You missed," a voice called out, causing Idia to freeze. He looked down at Yuu, who was wide awake but had a blank expression.

"W-what??"

"I said, you missed my lips. You kissed me on the forehead instead," Yuu smirked, causing Idia's hair to turn pink.

"I mean, you were asleep, and then there's consent-"

Yuu rolled her eyes, "Well, I consent to it now," she grabbed Idia's collar and pulled him down, causing him to fall on top of her on the bed and for his lips to meet hers. 

Ortho stood up and cheered, his eyes closed with glee. "Yay! It worked, Big Brother! You are Yuu's true love, after all," The boy opened his eyes to see that the two were enjoying their second kiss a bit too much. Despite the boy getting human characteristics recently, he was still learning. He knew some things about love thanks to being in the Film Research Club.

Ortho immediately flew out the door. "Let me get the others before it gets out of hand!"

400 event is still open!! (only one spot left!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twisted Wonderland and its characters. Those belong to Aniplex, Walt Disney Japan, and Yana Toboso.

©: This story belongs to bluesylveon2 2020-23. DO NOT modify, republish, or plagiarize my work.

[mfscout]

sorry to vent again but ive had the worst night im actually dyinf

tw for harassment and fatphobia and anti-therian sentiments ig?

so i have paws drawn on my boots bc it makes me feel rlly happy as a therian. i was walking home from the store, on the phone with my dad, and this group of girls started to bark at me? so obv i turned around and i was like "????excuse me????" and they started yelling at me abt how they weren't talkin to me and telling me to go away, and since i was in a mood, i said "ok, but like, do you think people can't hear you?" and she asked me how old i was, and my stupid ass was rounding up, so i said "17" since i turn 17 next week. she threatened to call her sister and have her sister beat me up, and i said "alright, madam, that won't be necessary" and tried to walk away. but she called me a fatass. I'm recovering from an ED, so i rlly don't take comments on my weight rlly well, so i turned around and said "EXCUSE ME??" and she kept fuckin going and acting like i was all in her face and whatever so i just walked off as they kept barking and making fun of me and calling me fat. i started crying and i know they could tell, i went to my stepmom's house to cool off a minute and then went to go get myself and my dad dinner. and then they were at the restaurant i was gonna order at.... so ofc i called my dad and i was trying to walk off and they pulled up to me w their car and i tried to run but their mom got out of the car and started demanding to see my parents, saying i "ASSAULTED" her 14 YEAR OLD. I HAD NO IDEA HOW OLD THESE KIDS WERE AND I DIDNT TOUCH THEM???? i didn't even make any threats back either, but i was so scared, i was sobbing and shaking and screaming that i didnt do anything and i just wanted to go home, until my dad came, and by this point i was on the fucking ground bc my legs were shaking so bad that i couldn't stand, and there were people around trying to defend me, until my dad pulled me up and helped me walk away.... i don't think anybody believed that i had done anything, i was just begging for them to leave me alone already, i just wanted to go home.... im still reeling so hard bc what did i even do?? and they claimed to have a video, and they said they were gonna post it, theysaid something about pressing charges and im just. so. fucking. scared. im so scared and tired and i feel so worthless and awful and i hate myself... i might have to take the paws off my boots now too bc i dont feel safe and im just. so. done...

[iam-a-weirdio]

A little bit of the Harry Potter Oc I wrote.

In 1987, Rhiannon was seven and was very aware of the Wizarding world. Her older sister, Simone, was already in her second year and wasn’t shy about telling her or their parents about the magic or letting Rhiannon hold her wand. Rhiannon would always sneak to look and read her sister’s schoolbooks, her favorites being Magical Draughts and Potions and Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them, she would read them for days and not get bored and it got to the point where she could recite any passage from the books and Simone would always remind her that the potion professor never used the book in his classes. Of course, her older sister would also remind her how rare it was for there to even be muggleborns, so she was not expecting to be a witch until her eighth birthday. 

Rhiannon was struggling with her math homework, she took a deep breath and whispered “I know this... I just need to remember the formula was again” She tapped her pencil against the desk and the more she stared at the paper and the numbers the more stressed she became. “Why can I remember potion recipes and what unicorns' hair is used for, on the top of my head, but not remember a simple math formula!?”  She complained as she threw the pencil down on the desk, she felt her face and hands warming up as she stared at the paper, her eyes getting watery. She kept staring and as soon as the tears finally dripped down on her face, her hands lit up and with a panicked scream she fell, staring at the fire on her hands; it didn’t burn, it felt nice... like she was putting her hands near a fire and that her hands weren’t literally on fire and as her parents and sister rushed overlooking in awe. Her mother came over and tried to stop the fire, as her sister hugged her the fire died down only to her finger like it was a candle and her sister looked at her smiling... “You’re like me!” and hugged her tighter, Rhiannon stared at the fire feeling the comfort of the warmth “I'm a witch!” Rhiannon shouted as the fire grew more before snuffing out leaving no burn marks.

They all calmed down and her father smiled a bit “Couldn’t you have just made the cold water turn into hot water like Simone?” He joked hugging her while checking her hand just to be safe, “Do you know how rare it is for TWO muggleborns to be in the same family?”  Simone asked wanting to show off “Now wait, why did your hand even do that?” their mother asked in a stern voice “I.. I couldn’t figure out my homework and.. I got angry that I couldn’t figure it out, I wanted to know, and I knew that I could do it, I just forgot how..” Rhiannon whimpered out turning red in her cheeks and her father rubbed her back “That’s okay, you got stressed but that just shows you wanted to know, let’s take a break and I’ll make you some jasmine tea then we can try to figure it out together.” he said, and she nodded getting up. 

After that, Rhiannon couldn’t wait to turn eleven and get to Hogwarts, she reread all of Simone’s books as the years went by, and though her accidental magic was more work and chaos she knew that meant she would learn how to control it with her wand. She would spend every day daydreaming in her class about what it would be like her wand, her house, how she would do in class. All of it felt like a dream but as soon as 1990 february the eleventh rolled around and a barn owl flew by dropping a letter on the doorstep, she rushed over to her mother almost sliding against the wood as she took the letter ripping it open and read the letter and it said:

“Dear Miss. Roth

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwart of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely, 

Minerva McGonagall” 

Rhiannon was practically vibrating as she read over the letter and equipment “I can use Simone’s old first year books so we just have to get the uniform, cauldron, glass phials, telescope, brass scales, and most importantly my wand!” Rhiannon smiled, “Good thinking.” her father smiled ruffling her head as Simone went down the hallways to bring her books to Rhiannon’s room though she looked a bit upset to be giving up her things. 

That same night, Rhiannon snuck into her sister’s room and whispered “Hey... What house do you think I’ll be in?” Simone rolled over trying to fall asleep, but Rhiannon kept talking “Hm.. I know you’re in Gryffindor; it would be cool but at the same time not cool if we got in the same house, oh maybe I’ll be in Slytherin... But I’m not really a leader but can be if I have to.. But I don’t think so.” She whispered while sitting on the bed “Hufflepuff sounds cool, but I can lose my loyalty pretty fast if someone does the wrong thing, which I think is a good thing in certain situations.” her sister finally turned around and stared at her “I would say Ravenclaw but.. You’re the smartest person I know and if you’re not in Ravenclaw then I can’t be…” Rhiannon looked down at the ground and wiped her eyes “I think you’d be great in any house, but you’re probably right you most likely not be in Ravenclaw.” Her sister whispered, and Rhiannon eyes went wide “I.. Thanks..” Rhiannon whispered out, almost stumbling over her words “I should go to bed now, good night loser.” She smiles a bit “Good night, demon spawn.” Simone calls out as Rhiannon snuck back to her room.       

[glebxoc]

Chapter 10

Gleb POV

I woke up before Matrona, It hurts me to do this to her, her reassuring words yesterday were heartwarming, but I can't just wait to see if she becomes a threat to the revolution.

I put on my suit and went on my way to the palace. Anastasia needs to die. I'm sorry Matrona. At the palace I could already see the press stuck together in a big Mess, ready to see the long-lost princess. Slowly walking inside, waiting in the shadows till the press and the empress were gone, I closed the window doors. And step inside. There she stood in that beautiful red dress, looking like the Princess that she is. Her Back turned to me, staring into nothingness til she turned around.

"Gleb?!" She looked surprised.

"An underhanded girl, an act of desperation, and to my consternation I let you go" I say looking at the ground.

"Well not this time" I told her now looking into her eyes, her so telling eyes.

"Paris is no place for a good and loyal Russian" I say

"We are both good and loyal Russians" Anya says with pride in her eyes.

"I've come to take you home" I say, walking up to her. She steps away

"My home is here now" She says and tries to walk away, but I stop her in her track.

"Stop playing this game, Anya" I beg her. "I beg you "

" We both know it's not a game Gleb" She said looking me dead in the eyes. I sigh. Letting my hand fall to the sides.

"If you are really Anastasia, do you think History wants you to have lived ?" I ask her, waiting for just one answer.

"Yes!" wrong one, She said that like a queen.

"Why don't you ?" she asks, why ? Because I want you to be with me not fear me, love me like I love you.

"The Romanov's were given everything and gave back nothing until the Russian people rose up and destroyed them." I explain in hopes she would understand.

"All but one" she said confident. I step away, looking if anybody is in the halls.

"Finish it" she says.

 "I am my fathers' daughter" she says standing proud.

"And I am my fathers' son" I say, pulling my father's gun. Anya stepped away.

"Finish it I must". There were a minute of silence between us.

"My father shook his head and told me not to ask, My Mother said he died of shame." I tell her, pointing the gun at her. She looked frightened, holding her hand out in protection.

"Look at their faces, In mine" she told me. Stepping further.

"Hear their screams" She told me, I lowered the gun looking at the ground. Stop over thinking you need to do this 

"Imagine their terrors," she said, we walked in circles, I don't want to remember, stop it. 

"See their blood" I look at her again.

"But I believe he did a proud and vital task" I say, more to myself than to her. DO IT

We stood across from another.

"And in my father's name"

"Do it !" she says. "And I will be with my parents and my brother and Sisters" she tells. God stop it, do it, do your job. I rubbed my eyes.

"In that cellar in Yekaterinburg all over again." she says, stepping forward

"The children, Their voices, A man makes painful choices, He does what's necessary, Anya" I say we stepped away from one another. I don't want to remember, Just kill her 

I closed my eyes For Russia, my beauty I think to my self.

I turned my head to Anya siting on the throne. "What choice but simple duty"

"We have a past to bury, Anya"

"For the last time, who are you ? " I ask, please don't make me do this, Anya !

She stood up. "I am" a pause

"the Grand Duchess"She says, coming closer. No, please

"Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova" No standing still

Why ?! I charge the gun

"Be careful what a dream may bring !"

"A revolution is a simple thing !" I say, looking at the gun of my father. Stepping to Anastasia, holding the gun first at her throat and then at her head. NOW Shoot, for Russia, for Father, be better She stood there still, eyes closed, taking it prepared to die. I couldn't look at her right now, the gun still pointed at her head. Come on, do it you Coward, 

I put down the gun, "I can't" I whisper. Breathing out. I'm a failure, father would be ashamed. NO,

I close the gun and loosen my tie, it chocks me, I break down to my knee, the gun at my feet. "I can't" I repeat. I look down at the ground. You are a shame to the family, to the revolution, to Russia.

A hand at my head stops my thought, Anya

"I mean you no harm, Gleb" she said with a soft voice and her hand glides of my head, but before she could leave I took it in mine. She stopped. A few seconds of silence.

"I believe you are Anastasia" I say looking up at her. She takes my hand in her two, and kneel down. We look each other in the face and she asks

"What will you tell them ?" Now standing up, her hand still in mine, I wait a second before I let go and pick up my father's gun. Looking at her, I say

"That I was not my fathers' son after all" I put the gun back into my jacked and stretch out my hand. Not really thinking she would take it. She did.

"Long live Comrade." I say, letting her hand fall out of mine as I walk away, and before leaving I take one last look at her.

Matrona POV

After waking up alone in the room, I panicked and put on so fast like I never did before. I ran to the palace. Please let her be alive, please.

After arriving at the palace, Gleb came out of it. I was too late.

"Gleb, did you-" I couldn't finish the sentence since Gleb interrupted me

"No, I couldn't do It" he said looking at the ground, I breathe out. She is alive, Anya is alive.

I smiled, and I don't really know why, but I hugged him. It took him a while till he laid his hands on my waist, not hugging back.

"You did the right thing," I whisper.

" You just say that because Anya was like your daughter." he said with a tone I couldn't point.

I broke the hug and put my hands on his cheeks, he leaned into it.

"No, I say that because it's true, the revolution doesn't need blood it needs you, a guidance with the right mind, we can't change Russia with violence" I say. He opened his eyes, his sad eyes.

"You think so," he says.

" I know so, now come on, as beautiful as Paris is I miss Russia, don't you ?" I say with a chuckle. Putting my hand on his arm.

"Yea" he said with a sad smile.

We took our luggage and went to the train station. We waited for our train in silence, till I saw the same young man that was with Anya at the ballet.

Why was he here and not with Anya ? But my question got answered when I saw a bright red dress. Anya. She looked beautiful. I didn't hear what they talked about, but what I could see, was their kiss. He is the right one, he will take care of her, I just know it. Ignoring the pair once the train announcement came, and we went into the train. I left with quite a mind and one deputy.

<-Preview Next->

[progwords]

I'm gonna lay all of this out right now so it is on the record, and I probably should have done this last week when I actually saw that Ch115 of Black Lagoon was out (and that apparently all of the previously untranslated ones had been translated officially on Viz in like March??? Is the series ending or are they just doing this for everything?) but hear me out:

Majeur is Yukio's older sister.

Okay. I'll explain. I know, "just because they are both from Japan doesn't mean they're related!" and I agree. This would not have crossed my mind if not for the GIANT KABUKI TATTOO on her upper body.

We're gonna circle back to this. Keep it in your brain. Also, I can't believe it but Rei Hiroe actually crafted a scenario where swimsuits were entirely necessary to the story.

That is not a joke. We're gonna get there. Need to set some things up for you.

Majeur apparently had a younger sister according to her former comrades, and the previous Auriculaire (the blonde that kept screaming Majeur was a lesbian) was someone she was so protective of she is still not okay about her death in "L'homme Sombre".

I do not have Vol 12 digitally, so trust me on this one.

I must've read 114 and 115 about fifteen times at this point because I kept finding little things that are so damned interesting (that's a different discussion but no surprise I love it) and at first I'm thinking "well this is the calm before the storm" because that's a no brainer. The comparisons between Revy and Majeur, and the little jokes about "it'll be confusing if one of us dies because we both have tattoos, are Asian women, and you want to ALSO have two guns?" and just a ton of other small and large things would, in any other story, be giant death flags for Revy.

I don't think that's where we're going. I think it's somewhere WAY more interesting considering we already know Majeur's #1 priority is survival and has no real loyalty to Balalaika.

Because all of these little pieces (the diving, teaching her to tie the rope, how the city works; basically everything she ever taught Rock and a few things she learned from Rock...) start to add up about Revy's growth as a person, and how many callbacks and connections are being made to the entirety of the story, combined with Revy breaking up a barfight before it starts between Majeur and Eda (holy shit???) and it paints a picture that is screaming right in our face.

Classic Hitchcock suspense. The bomb under the dinner table that the guests don't know about, but we do. We don't know when it will go off. Only that it will.

Gonna hit you with some stuff.

I don't think it is an accident that Revy's "dream" is wanting people to shoot her in the face and not the back, because she sure as hell lives by it.

I don't think it is an accident that Revy explicitly mentions she has been to Japan in front of Majeur and recognizes the word kabuki (remember!!!) I don't think it is an accident that Majeur is about to say her name at the end of 113 and Rock stops her, trying to be a "cool guy" because on the one hand he is correct, you can be someone else.

Start over. He did. Revy did. Dutch totally did. Balalaika did. Feng did. On the other hand, narratively, what is the one name that exists for a Japanese person to have that would carry any significance?

The one name that the only two people in existence would hear and have a visceral reaction to, as they are the only ones who know what actually happened?

Washimine.

Yukio Washimine.

It gets better, though. Remember that kabuki tattoo? I could go into what each one represents, and they're pretty neat, but more importantly...

He's quoting the play "Sukeroku". Listen, you don't do this TWICE. You don't show us this super specific thing TWICE and not have it be a giant neon sign. This is no damned accident, and it makes sense.

Jane came back. Roberta came back. Why not Tokyo? Throw in Takenaka (this would be INSANE and I am so here for it) and you've got the full set.

Majeur asking about honor when she's taken hostage by Rock, Revy, and Shenua and Rock's response being "That's a mafia thing" suddenly has quite a bit more weight to it.

We know the Washimine group were without a proper leader for a long time, which is what lead to their desperation in calling in Hotel Moscow to deal with the Kosa Kai. A teensy bit of conjecture, but "things happened" is probably about "my dad, the Yakuza boss, was murdered and I fled the country"

Why did Yukio stay behind? Could be that they're half-sisters. Same dad, different moms. Could be a lot of things.

Yukio took up the mantle, Chaka got his hands chopped off, Balalaika holds Rock at gunpoint in a parking garage, etc. We know that story; it's absolutely amazing and needs no reiteration even this many years later.

What does this mean? Why does this matter? Well, Majeur and Ginji both went up against Balalaika and Revy. The latter is dead because he had a reason to live; he wasn't focused on survival.

Majeur? She lost her Yukio. The first time was literal. The second time was in Nigeria. She stopped trying to go after Balalaika and Revy because there wasn't any point to it. She had no one to protect. No one to fight for.

And there's one more thing...

Yeah, man. I think this is essentially Yukio back from hell itself to take revenge on Balalaika. Revy's just the one who shot Ginji. She isn't responsible for the complete eradication of the Washimine group, and she has been trying to help Majeur because she obviously sees way too much of who she used to be in her.

Rock helped Garcia with Roberta, and they told him to fuck off...and rightfully so. It got dark. What dragged him out of the funk? Helping himself, Feng, in a way that was far less destructive and much more productive. What I imagine some have forgotten is that Revy also had an expy (this whole series is just parallel and intersecting character arcs and foils with the strangers who come to down I love it so so much) that told her to fuck off just as much, if not much more effectively and painfully: Fabiola.

Fabiola never needed her help. She just thought she did. Majeur actually does benefit from Revy's advice because, shockingly enough, she isn't filled with nearly as much hate or bitterness as she used to be.

Feng and Majeur were basically the 'second chances' for Rock and Revy respectively, after "The Dance of Death". Take it back further, and this whole thing really could have been trying to make up for how things went down in Tokyo, as Yukio and Ginji were far more explicit and direct foils than Roberta, Garcia, and Fabiola ever were.

And this isn't even getting into the Balalaika side of things. That's a whole other conversation. God, I love this series so damned much!

Revy making a bet with Balalaika with Majeur as the---oh, shit, right, I don't have Vol 12 digitally, but you just have to trust me that Hiroe did bring the "people are like dice" concept again, but it was REVY who did it. It was when they're driving Majeur after she starts talking, and Revy responds with something like "Why do you care? You already threw your dice."

Majeur has direct access to Balalaika at some point in the future. She has the perfect ticking time bomb of a motive to want her dead, and Revy's gamble might make Majeur too well connected and too skilled to be stopped before it is way too late.

No idea how this will pan out, but I fucking love this series.

[kaaragen]

YES IM SO GLAD YOU REBLOGGED THE ASK GAME! 😍 I’d like to know ❤️💕🦋🦈💘🚦📚🎨

❤️ Argh! this is the one I was hoping I wouldn't be asked because I remember having a line I was very proud of but I can't remember what the damn thing was now! XD

Of the lines I remember liking, I'd say this one is one I'm very pleased with looking back, as sentimental as it is. Ignore the fact that I'm cheating because there's more than one, but the context of the previous line is necessary:

"Because you, and millions of others, have fought and suffered through a war that’s killed billions, wrought by the most sophisticated minds of the age.

"So maybe childish, naïve and idealistic is worth a try."

💕 It has to be And if we Fell Together, which I think is also the best thing I've written. It honestly still boggles my mind how popular that became, and especially when I think about how close I was to never actually writing or posting it. But I'm very glad I did, and reading it back gives me so much joy. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank the people who read it enough, or convey how much it meant to me, not least for the confidence boost it gave me when I was at a really low point.

🦋Oof, that's actually a tough one...I like writing Ahsoka and Barriss for different reasons; mainly because they are interesting foils in how they hide their insecurities. Barriss presents with a lot of poise and decorum, but internally she's a hot screaming mess; whereas Ahsoka outwardly projects confidence, but is very insecure and almost uses 'running headfirst at things' to stop herself from thinking and being paralysed.

But lately, I'm really enjoying teenage Tatooine Leia and pre-fuck-up-with-the-Duchess Sabine. Both are quite fun to unpick and work backwards from their canon characters and think 'okay, but if they were in this environment and didn't have that what would they be like?' without removing their essential natures as characters.

🦈 It used to be Luminara, as I really struggled to get a handle on her. After her confrontation with Barriss, where she loses her poise, it became a lot easier as it clicked that she's devoutly committed to the Jedi Order and the spiritual ideals of the Force, but is also using them to mask her uncertainties about what to do in situations.

As of now, it's probably Seventh Sister - who is fun to write, but also needs care as she is a mess and it's easy for her characterisation to split too far too soon and there's less in canon to anchor with.

(The Spectres as a whole are tricky, because you have to give each of them something to do, and also have them react in ways that fit each character, without that becoming a litany of reciting. God knows how Tamsyn Muir manages to do it so effortlessly in The Locked Tomb...)

💘It will surprise no one when I say angst XD My brain just seems to be wired for it (and I like to think I do it pretty well). But I maintain that angst makes the fluff worth it/better when it comes. So there!

🚦I've changed on this one. I used to think I was more of a 'bad' ending person, but perhaps years of reading Grim Dark stuff has worn me down. Or, writing has made me realise I'm more sentimental than I thought. Either way, I like plausible happily ever afters or ambiguity tinged with hope.

📚Ooo, that's a good question. I couldn't narrow down to just one, so I'll say that The Padawans (by someone you may not have heard of, called JediMasterBailey :P) and The Erosion of the Spirit by @425599167 are different, brilliant, takes on canon-compliant Barriss redemption arcs; Down to my Knees (Up en Pointe) by @cafffine is the best Inquisitor Barriss fic I've ever read, with Tomorrow, She'll see the Sky Again by @thevalaxy being the best post-Inquisitor Barriss fic I've read. Then there's Where I've Always Been and Coming Home to You by Gabby (Kirahsoka), which are amazing and made a sceptic of modern-world AUs and fantasy-world AUs like me rethink my scepticism.

Special shout-out goes to Pity and Reforging by @mylordshesacactus, which were the first Barrisoka fics I read and Jesus Christ, I think they fundamentally altered my brain chemistry and will haunt me until my dying day.

🎨Well, someone (not naming because I don't know if they want to be) very nicely asked if they could do fanart inspired by And if we Fell Together, which was about the happiest day of my life! I've seen some drafts and it looks incredible and I'm incredibly excited to see the finished version!

If there were to be a specific scene, I'd go for Ahsoka and Anakin's starfighter duel as I really like the imagery in that one! Oh, and also the first kiss!

[evita-shelby]

Tie your heart to mine

Chapter 9

No warnings, i think.

Gif by @sibirr

“Will you tell me what you saw?” He asks as he walks her home from one of Lois’ performances. She is getting more gigs and has yet to know Diane may or may not have been behind it.

Especially now that she played at a club who’s owner is an associate of her dad’s.

He’d be climbing up the side and up her balcony later, but for now they are to pretend nothing improper is going on.

It’s August now.

Well, it was as of an hour ago.

In two weeks it will be her twentieth birthday, something she’s alluded to plenty of times.

Diane knows what he means, and yet she plays dumb as she keeps walking even when he stops. “What haven’t I’ve seen; do you want the name for the winning dogs at the track again?”

That had worked to distract him from it in the previous times.

She knows she promised to be honest about this, but this will change things.

For fucks sake, how do you go about telling someone he is going to be shipped away to fight in a war worse than the one their fathers fought in a decade ago?

“Diane.” He doesn’t let go of her hand even when it hangs awkwardly in the distance between them, insisting on knowing what she saw in those brief seconds that come at random since that evening.

When she left last weekend to visit her family for Gabriel’s fourteenth birthday, the uniform appeared as did some fading bruises at the train station.

He was leaning on the wall outside this morning, and she saw him wearing a coat over his uniform and holding a canary in a birdcage.

Somehow, she knew the canary’s name was Vera and he was hiding a slight tremor in his hand.

Letting go of his hand she turns on her heel and looks at him as she pronounced his doom. “Seaman, third class air gunner. Or at least that was what the badge your uniform meant.”

Something terrible is going to happen to him during the war, she knows it in her bones like a chill that never leaves.

“Mum did always like dressing me up in sailor suits when I was little.” Tom comments pretending he is fine and hoping his quip makes her forget this is a bad thing.

Of course, she tells him he might die and he makes a fucking joke about it.

The witch gives him a look that sets him off.

“What do you want me to say, Diane?” Tom’s demeanour changes, he is so much more than the cheeky arsehole she can’t help but love and yet she had never seen this side of him since the night they got arrested.

“Anything, a sign that you fucking understand how serious it is!” she finds herself answering. “Tom---"

Not once after had they had a fight like this.

This time she knows he won’t be coming in through her window.

He stands straighter, squares up to her as he gives in and voices all that he pushes away and pretends doesn’t make him afraid.

“Do you want me to cry and scream because I know I won’t be me when I come back, if I come back at all?

That I will end up like my old man and be an even bigger burden to my sister?

Is that what you wanted, Diane?”

He doesn’t raise his voice and yet he doesn’t need to get his point across.

“And somehow you want me to be alright with you keeping shit like this because you think I need you to protect me.

I’ve never lied to you, and fuck me for thinking you were done with the lying.”

Diane is left speechless and can’t make noise leave her mouth as he looms over her angry at the world for damning him and her for dishonesty after promising to never lie to him again.

When he walks away she knows its over.

For the first time in months, Diane wakes up to find her bed cold and empty without him.

Everything is set for when the factories switch from cars to tanks.

The personnel has been given the necessary training and sworn to secrecy to keep it from public knowledge.

They’ll still be woefully underprepared, but the select few who are starting wartime production tomorrow will be the ones giving the allies a chance to have enough to tide them over.

This is the first time Diane is at the table with the rest of board.

Her father stands at the head of the table, mother beside him and Diane sitting between her mama and Aunt Linda who has been the treasurer since Aunt Polly died ten years ago.

Uncle Arthur is here for show and to support his wife who’s stopped trying to run the company through him.

Uncle Finn sits behind him, with his wife Deborah and her brother, Isiah.

Lizzie Stark, dad’s former secretary and wife of her mother’s cousin, Santiago Rosales, runs the London offices and handles all business regarding Europe sits at the right of her husband.

Tiago takes the other end of the table and represents Riley International, the company owned and operated by their family for more than a century.

Officially.

Unofficially, he is an agent of the Crown who helps them get as many refugees out of Europe as possible while

There were many missing.

After Aunt Polly’s murder and that of his wife, Michael Gray gave up his place as the family’s accountant and head of the American offices, Aunt Ada had picked up the slack.

“Before we start this extraordinary general meeting of the board of the Shelby Company Limited, I would like for us to welcome, Diane Elizabeth Shelby to the board.”

Her dad has always been very formal about these meetings, well, the official ones anyways.

Here he addresses her as merely another employee, another gear in the great machine and not his ---soon to be--- twenty year old daughter.

She is not the youngest member of the board, Finn and Michael had been.

Both had been eighteen when they were brought on.

She is ,however, the first of the children to take an active roll in it.

“I am merely here to observe and provide input about the Manchester branch.” She says when prompted and feels very proud of herself even though Diane won’t be doing anything of substance here.

And sure enough, with the exception of reporting that the factories under her dominion are ready to start producing tanks and other military equipment tomorrow, Diane does absolutely nothing else beside observing her family run the business they built from scratch.

Even the

“Right. I declare this extraordinary general meeting over.” Thomas Shelby removes his glasses, wipes them clean and the formality is gone.

Those not part of the beast hiding underneath the polished wood are effectively thrown out.

“Sorry, sweetheart, you too.” He adds when Diane does not realize that her place in the board comes with conditions.

The young witch knows she should feel relieved that she is not part of her family’s true business, but she isn’t.

“Now we can talk about the real business.”

[summercreolefanfictioner]

Can you write about Estelle × Shuu please ?

I miss writing abt DL x GoT au

fleeting, wandering, leaving (diabolik lovers x game of thrones au)

pairing: shuu sakamaki x estelle (this is @yourlocaltea's OC btw) feat. yuma

tw: mentions of violence and nsfw

STORY MASTERLIST

Shuu watched the first fall of snow in the North, faster at its own pace, melting in his fingertips the moment they made contact. It was gone too soon, like a memory of yesterday, of a woman who caught the first snow and gave him a genuine smile, wide toothy grin, beaming eyes, and laughter that echoed like church bells.

"Estelle..."

"Huh? Who's that?"

Shuu was out of his trance, blinking in surprise to see Yuma standing beside him, carrying piles of wood for their fireplace. "The children and the women of Castle Black should be able to maintain their health," he explained. "They can't survive the future days if they die because of something shitty like winter."

Shuu hummed in agreement. In just a few minutes, they'll struggle to keep up with the cold, and while the women of the castle have already prepared all the necessary blankets and food for everyone, the men must ensure these women and children will live to see it all. After all, they're the backbone of their operations.

"By the way, who's that person you mentioned again?" Yuma reverted back to the topic at hand. "Esther? Ella?"

"Estelle," Shuu corrected, his tone a bit harsh, making Yuma think this 'Estelle' person is so special the blonde prince got annoyed when he got her name wrong.

"Okay, so who's she?" the bigger man asked. "A friend of yours? Your sister?"

"No."

Shuu walked back to the castle, avoiding the topic of Estelle further. Whenever he was reminded of her, he would feel a void inside him, like someone ate a piece of his heart and left a hole so he would be trapped there forever and drown. That's why he got rid of everything that screamed of 'Estelle,' from flowers, handkerchiefs, blankets, gloves, pillows—basically everything.

Or so he did—

"Oi, lazyass!" Yuma called his attention, running up to him after dropping off the wood he chopped. He was still frustrated at Shuu for evading his questions about this Estelle woman and the mystery she holds. "I just wanna talk about that Estelle lady, you know. You've never mentioned anything about yourself here, then you go talking to melted snow about her."

Shuu sighed in frustration. This fucker can't get a hint. "Forget about it. It's stupid anyway."

Yuma snorted at that. Like please, what stupid? All men are stupid anyway, going to wars to fight and have money when they can just farm with their wives and children. That's why he went to the Wall and served along with Shuu so he can protect people instead of waging wars against noble houses.

"Look, I know our duty comes first before your romance, but you know we're in the Wall now," Yuma pointed out. "Maybe we can... uh... you know... find that Estelle or send her a letter and tell her to go here. That way, she's alive and well."

Shuu sighed again. But this time, it was more like he was tired than frustrated. "I appreciate the concern, but there's no need."

"Huh? Why?" And then Yuma realized something. "I-Is she dead?" He gasped a bit in horror, scratching the back of his head. "If that's the case, I'm so—"

"No." Shuu was hesitant. He has never told anyone about Estelle. Maybe this was the best time. "Estelle's not dead... or... at least according to my last memory."

"Huh? What the heck are you talking about?"

"Estelle..." A memory of the said woman flashed in his mind, her brave facade as she held the straps of her bag tightly. She smiled at him for the last time and said her last words. "She went somewhere far away before I went here."

Upon seeing Shuu's distant and confused expression, Yuma got a hint about Estelle and her effect on the blonde prince. He remembered countless rumors about one of Karlheinz's spawns being caught bedding a lowly whore, and the said whore was publicly shamed because of the forbidden act. At the time, Yuma thought of it as nothing but old women gossip since it can be quite common for nobles to sleep with whores. He just did not expect to find out it was Shuu, though.

"Is she your woman or something?" Yuma asked, possibly for clarification since it looked to him that Shuu still had feelings for her.

"Yes. Estelle is my woman," he responded. There was an eerie sense of longing in his words. "However..."

"Hm?"

"... I am not her man."

The snow kept falling from the sky as silence filled the air. And there was a distant memory of the first snow, of Estelle, who ran outside the castle to catch it with her tongue, and how she wrapped her poorly knitted scarf around Shuu to protect him from the cold. The cloth was practically garbage, but Shuu kept it as a memento. An ode to something that is never meant to last. An affection he wasn't able to pursue.