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xreaderbooks · 4 years ago

Text

Part of us

Request: Could I request a Sirius x reader where the reader is maybe a year younger and his or regulus childhood best friend and she gets sorted to gryffindor so she becomes a target for bullies so Sirius and the marauders takes her under their wing....a few years later she gets hurt and Sirius gets super protective and confess his feelings....angst and fluff??

Pair: Sirius Black x reader, Platonic! Marauders x reader, Platonic! Regulus Black x reader

Word count: 4.2k

Warnings: Language

A/N: So this is my first request... I don’t know if I did what you imagined justice but this is what I came up with and I really hope you enjoy.

Masterlist

When you were placed into Gryffindor you thought it was a mistake. There was no way with your long line of Slytherin pureblood, that you'd be a Gryffindor. Not that you thought there was anything wrong with that. You never cared to live up to people's expectations or what people thought of you, even though your parents did. And despite your family's attempts at making you see their way, you never could. There was no superior bloodline, you were all equal. But you played your part so you wouldn't hear the lectures or deal with all the drama. You didn't partake in the bullying or the maltreatment of muggle-borns or half-bloods like every other pureblood; you didn't see the need. You kind of just stood by or left whenever your friends would tantalize others.

However, when you got sorted you weren't the silent one while others bullied and tortured others who weren't deemed worthy in the eyes; you were the one getting bullied. The first few years you wanted to fight back but eventually, there were too many for you to handle. So you just dealt with it. At the parties that the pureblood families had thrown-- which your family was invited to-- your parents had advised you to try to blend in and not draw attention to yourself. For the most part, you did.

Regulus, your best friend tried to get you out of your shell. You tried to convince him that it wasn't you but your parents. You would've love to enjoy yourself at the parties, being dressed up and all that. But with your situation, you couldn't afford to make a fool out of yourself, and drinking firewhiskey in different rooms or sneaking off to where your parents couldn't keep an eye on you, wasn't a good idea. When you and Regulus were older your parents had set an arranged marriage between you two. Uniting rich and powerful families and all that. But You and Regulus were just the best of friends, always together. And just like everything else, that had to change. You now had to find ways to see each other in hidden places. Never to be seen together in front of students or staff in case it would get back to your parents. In Hogwarts you ignored each other, magically passing notes to update each other on your well-being. It was tough but you managed. Regulus was your only friend after all.

~~~

It was just another day at Hogwarts, You were avoiding Bellatrix Lestrange. Your main terrorizer. She had a group of Slytherins trailing her. Ever since you got sorted into Gryffindor every pureblood who was in Slytherin, taunted and teased you to no end. They jinxed you and called you weak. Saying things about how you weren't one of them. You knew that much but you didn't need the constant reminder.

Bellatrix and her group were right behind you as you were walking to the Gryffindor common room. You cursed in your mind, they saw you.

"Going somewhere L/N?" You ignored her. "You know it's rude to not answer your superiors."

"I'm not trying to bother anyone Bellatrix." You sighed but kept walking.

"Your presence alone bothers me." She sent a spell your way to catch your attention.

"Are you crazy?" You turned to face her, Your voice raising a bit. An amused smile played on her lips, she tilted her head to the side.

"You have no idea what crazy looks like Y/N/N." She stalked towards you in a predatory way.

"We grew up together Bellatrix," You slowly backed away from her so as to not set her off. "Name-calling and pranks are one thing but curses..."

You didn't know what you did to cause the special attention that others like first years or Muggle-borns got from Bellatrix. Sure you were never that close, you always got along better with Andromeda than Narcissa and the former, but never would you have thought that you'd be on the receiving end of her fury over blood status. This was outrageous you thought to yourself. How could anyone be this upset over what house people are in?

"Don't worry, after a while, they won't hurt." Your blood started to rush through your veins and a shiver ran down your spine. You stopped walking backward when you bumped into something behind you. A pair of arms held you to keep you steady. You turned around expecting another one of Bellatrix's "friends" only to be met with a tall, shaggy-haired boy.

Sirius Black, your best friend's older brother, who just so happened to be in your house. Relief washed over you. You were no longer outnumbered. Sirius and his group of Marauders were there. Surely they wouldn't just walk away from a fellow Gryffindor in trouble. Of course you never really had an affiliation with them besides the same color robes but they were good people, weren't they?

"We heard something about pranks?" James spoke.

Bellatrix scoffed, "This is none of your business Potter."

"Well Bellatrix considering how Y/N is a member of our house, it does make this our business," Remus replied. She cackled, "How fitting the two blood-traitors in one pitiful little group." She signaled the others to follow her and walked away.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, not letting go of your shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"C'mon we were just going back to the common room." He let go of your shoulders but tugged on the sleeve of your robe to follow them.

"What did you do to cause the wrath of crazy over there?" James questioned. He led the way to the common room, you kept your distance not really trusting any of them. Their reputation for being the school's signature pranksters didn't ease your mind as you walked with them. You never held a conversation with any of them before today, maybe a few with Remus but he was the only sane one out of all of them, it made sense that you were wary of their presence. Who knows what they had planned.

"Does anyone have to do anything at all to provoke her?" Sirius snorted, you gave him a questioning look and he just shrugged.

"No, I suppose not."

"Well Y/N I guess you could call yourself lucky your knight in shining armors were there to save the day." James' cocky smile written on his face assuming he was right.

"Although I appreciate the help, I could've handled myself." You stepped into the portrait hole, anxious to get back into your dorm room and take a nap.

"Not against all of them, you know sometimes you need to run in a pack L/N, you could get killed without one."

"You make it sound like we're wolves," you stated, each attempt to get back to your room was failed by every comment James made. What was his point?

"Some of us aren't," Sirius commented. You noticed Remus got tense and slightly shook his head.

"Point is Bellatrix and her groupies aren't going to quit bothering you and we want to help." James offered.

"What's the catch?"

"Why does there have to be catch? We want to be your friends." Sirius answered and plopped down on the chair across from the couch where you were sitting. You gave him a dead look. "Just think about it, hm?"

"Whatever." You got up from your seat and went to your dorm to take your well-needed nap.

Later that night you went down to the common room to read by the fire until you fell asleep. You felt like you'd only closed your eyes for 2 seconds when you were rudely awakened by Sirius.

"What?" You hissed. His mischievous grin made you want to slap him.

"You're coming with me." He took the blanket that you had wrapped around you, off.

"No." You said simply, reaching for the blanket again. Just as your eyes were beginning to close again you heard him say, "Yes."

He lifted you in his arms and you dramatically fell limp. "What the hell." You groaned loudly.

"Shh you're going to people up," You glared at him.

"Maybe they should wake up since I'm being kidnapped!" He rolled his eyes. You jumped from his arms so you could stand on your own.

"Where are we going?" You asked, Slowly recovering from being awoken.

"You'll see." That was all he responded as he continued to guide you out of the portrait hole and through the halls. You were anxious, in all the years of Hogwarts you never went out past curfew so you didn't know the chances of being caught and getting in trouble.

"Sirius, Filch may be out here." You warned.

"We'll be fine Y/N/N just trust me."

"I don't trust you that's my problem." You muttered. He turned around and looked at you. His piercing grey eyes shining in the darkness. He pulled out a long cloak from who knows where and wrapped it around the both of you, causing you to be closer together.

"This will keep us hidden so Filch won't catch us." The weight in your chest lifted and now replaced by butterflies. You inhaled sharply at the close proximity.

"You alright?"

You nodded, which gave him the confirmation he needed to continue, "Let's go."

When you made it to your destination you gasped. The astronomy tower, "Wow" you whispered, shedding yourself from the cloak. The night sky hadn't looked as beautiful as it did at that very moment. You've been here for class but you've never seen the stars so bright, you wondered what special cosmic event it must've been for the night sky to look the way it did.

You whipped around remembering who you were here with, you crossed your arms, "Why did you bring me here?"

"I can't take you sight-seeing now?"

"I had this class yesterday, this is hardly what I'd call sight-seeing." You arched a brow upwards. "Besides we're not exactly friends..." He gasped and feigned hurt by putting a hand over his heart.

"After all we've been through?" You rolled your eyes. He continued, "I was hoping we could change that. The boys and I have noticed you've been struggling socially and don't really play well with others, but I've seen the way you interacted with my brother before Hogwarts and you enjoy the company. I had to wonder why is it that you don't have that many friends?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but since I got sorted into Gryffindor my old "friends" and family haven't been that accepting considering the fact that they're all Slytherins, I mean you should know how it is." You sighed and took a seat resting your back against a wall facing the night sky. "The people I used to get along with, well, their parents don't want them to spend time with me. As for not having friends in our house, nobody has tried to get to know me, they just assume I'm like the other Slytherins even though I was placed here for a reason." You scoffed, people truly were ridiculous. "It sucks cause every side thinks I've chosen to be apart of what they go against when in reality I'm not apart of anything."

He stared at you, you then realized that you went on a full-on rant and nervously looked down, picking at your nails. He'd been silent the entire time listening. It was nice, "You could be apart of us."

You were skeptical, "Sirius this isn't funny." You moved to get up.

"It's not a joke Y/N." He chuckled.

"You're not being very convincing right now."

"Why would I lie to you?"

"We've barely spoken to each other in all these years of Hogwarts, even before Hogwarts!" you threw your hands in the hair. "I went over your house for playdates with Reg and never had one conversation. You and your friends have a reputation for pranks, How do I know this isn't one of them?"

"Because I'm not trying to prank you Y/n, in fact, I'm trying to help you. We all are." He put his hands on your shoulders to get you to look at him. "I know how it feels to be all alone in a world like that. To be in an environment where you feel uncomfortable with those people. Knowing all the wrong things they say and not being able to say anything because they'll disown you."

"The difference between you and me is that you got out." You shoved his hands off your shoulders. "Not all of us have a James."

"Y/n-"

"I'll think about it." With that, you left, not caring if you were to get caught.

If you were being honest the reason why you didn't want to be friends with the marauders was that they had 3 years to be friends with you, you knew Sirius from years prior. Why didn't he come to you sooner? Knowing you had been friends with his little brother. He just sat there and watched while you spent the first 3 and a half years of what should've been the most fun years of your life at Hogwarts, lonely and sad. If his defense was that he could sympathize with your situation and that he wanted to help; why didn't he approach you sooner? Also, you might've been a little bitter about him having a place to go to while you still had to stay with your parents.

~~~

You did think about after that Night with Sirius, you decided you give them a chance. You wouldn't be cornered alone anymore or hopefully cornered at all. You would have a group now. You also thought it was great that you had someone you could relate to in the group and someone that you somewhat knew. You never thought that you'd be actual friends with your childhood crush, even if that was your best friend's older brother and you'd spend more time in his house than your own most days; but here you were.

Being a part of the Marauders was fun, you were practically family now. They let you in on their little secret; with Remus' permission of course. They informed you of his full moon situation. They offered to help you become an animagus, which you denied, you didn't want to deal with all of that. You helped James with Lily, it wasn't easy but it worked somehow. You would help them with their pranks. They pulled pranks on the people who used to bully you all the time which you appreciated greatly. It was nice knowing they had your back and they knew you had theirs.

Nobody messed with you now and you gained a few more friends now. Lily, Alice, Dorcas, and Mary. It was all great. Except for your growing crush on a certain Marauder. With every moment you spent with him your heart swelled, it wasn't a great idea to get involved with him in that way. You were his brothers best friend, he'd seen you grow up, and took you under his wing when you were in need (you always thought even if he truly wanted to be your friend, it was a sort of favor for Regulus since he couldn't be there) there was no way he would be interested in you. But you had always hoped.

You remembered one Christmas that your parents had forced you to go to a party that the Malfoys would throw annually. It was terrible. You didn't have your friends there with you and Regulus couldn't talk to you with his parents watching. The blacks were suspicious of you spending more time with their son, who they disowned and like every other parent at that party, they didn't want Regulus to associate with you. So you were alone again. The only perk of this entire thing was you didn't have to completely show your face since it was a masquerade ball theme.

Evan Rosier came up to you, your eyes narrowed and you tilted your head in question. "Shame you spend your time with those blood traitors Y/N, I would have asked you out."

"I think I lucked out on that one Rosier." You took a sip from your drink shifting your gaze to somewhere else.

"You filthy little-"

"Careful what your next words are, my friend, I don't think Mummy and Daddy would appreciate it much." A voice that came from behind you said.

"You are not even supposed to be here, Black."

"Sirius!" You threw your arms around his neck, he wrapped his around your waist. You heard Evan scoff and leave.

"Y/N darling, have I told you that you attract way too much trouble."

"No, but I'm starting to think you're right." You pulled away from him, realizing that you were in the eyesight of your parents. "What are you doing here? Your parents will kill you if they see you here."

"I couldn't let you come here alone, with all these people." He looked around with distaste.

"Alright well, we have to find a more private place so you won't get caught." You grabbed his hand in yours and led the way to the maze garden.

"Y/N if you wanted to get into my pants, all you had to do was ask." He wiggled his eyebrows, You shoved him away. "Gross."

"Okay so I didn't tell you this but James and I are breaking you out of here."

"How the hell are you planning on doing that?"

"Easy, a distraction." You were about to ask what the distraction was when you saw a stag through the windows. Screams of the people were coming from the inside. You put a hand over your mouth to cover your smile. You did not expect that at all. Sirius retook your hand and pulled you deeper into the maze when the guests were filing out.

You stopped when you were finally in the middle, there was an enchanted fountain spewing water. you had a rush of energy and laughed. Sirius was looking down at you.

"Where'd James go?"

"He should be coming soon." He replied. It was quiet for a while before Sirius scooped up water from the fountain and threw it at you. You gasped, "You asshole!"

You dipped your hand in the water and flicked it at him. This started a war between the two of you. You ducked behind the fountain and threw water at him whenever you got the chance and he did the same. It wasn't until you heard footsteps coming that you stopped.

"Y/N?" You remembered that voice, you whipped around quickly and almost fell into the water if it wasn't for Sirius who had put a hand on your back to catch you.

"Reg?" He ran to you and wrapped his arms around you, picking you up and twirling you around. Once he put you down he pulled you away at arm's length to observe you.

"You're wet." He stated, confused.

"Water fight." you smile into the response. He laughed and threw his head back.

"Only you." Sirius coughed, you almost forgot he was there.

"Hello, brother." Regulus nodded to him. "It's been a while, I've missed you."

"Have you?" You gave Sirius a look, now was not the time. This was the first time you've seen Regulus in months, years even. You didn't need them to argue.

"We should talk." He suggested, You agreed and strolled along the maze with Regulus, noticing that the guests have all returned inside.

"So you escaped your parents." You started talking.

"So I did." he glanced at you. "But only for a bit, they'll start to wonder where I've gone. I just needed to see you."

"Yeah me too."

"I just wanted to let you know that I can't write to you anymore." Your brows furrowed in confusion. "Why not?"

"It's not safe."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just know things are about to get serious and dangerous and I have to do things that I know you won't agree with to keep you safe."

"Reg, I-I don't know what you're saying."

"Soon enough you will." He stopped walking. "I needed you to know before I cut ties with you, that I love you. You're my best friend and I never want you to get hurt." You felt the tears forming.

"I love you too." He caresses your cheek and kisses them both before saying his final Goodbye. You were left standing there trying to decipher his words.

Eventually, you found yourself back where you and Sirius were playing with water. He was sitting on the edge of the fountain. He stood up when he saw you and your tearstained cheeks. He wrapped you in a hug.

"I'm glad you came." You whispered, hugging him back. He kissed the top of your head and told you that it was time to go. You went to James' house, you spent Christmas and summers there from then on. You never returned home. You slept in the guest bedroom and Sirius stayed with James in his room. Your parents sent you a letter telling you that you were no longer welcome at their house since you chose to associate yourself with bad company that was ruining their reputation. You didn't care much about it, knowing you had a better family now.

It wasn't until you graduated from Hogwarts that you figured out what Regulus was talking about. The war was getting more serious, Lily and James had to go into hiding, you and Sirius had joined the order, you became partners on missions, your bond growing more and more every day.

~~~

"There's too many of them Y/N we need to go back to headquarters!" Sirius yelled over the sounds of fighting. This was supposed to be a quick mission to find out where Voldemort was going to attack next. Hopefully saving a family and your best friends. But as always nothing went according to plan, you didn't drink enough poly juice potion that let you take the face of a death eater that you and Sirius had captured. You didn't bring the flask with you so in the middle of asking questions you transformed back into your true form, which then brought on the fighting.

"No! You go and get the others," A curse was sent your way, you blocked it. "I can fight them off in the meantime!"

"There's no way I'm leaving you with all of these death eaters!"

"Well I'm not going, we just need to catch one and get the information we need!" You continued to duel with Evan Rosier who was easily blocking all of your offensive spells. 'Shit' was all you thought. Six against two were not great odds and you were getting tired. Sirius made a point of retreating. If you were to leave now, you lost the element of surprise and they would be expecting you next time. That or they would retaliate. Great just great, all because you forgot to bring extra poly juice potion.

"Now is not the time to play hero, we can try another day." He took your hand and apparated you to a random alley in another part of London, but not before you were struck with a stinging spell.

"Fuck-" Tears stung in your eyes, Sirius was rushing towards you screaming your name.

The next thing you know you were waking up in a bright room. You assumed you were at St. Mungos. Memories of the moments before you were brought her played in your head. You slowly opened your eyes you turned your head to the sound of snoring. Sirius was sitting in a chair beside your bed. Despite feeling like shit you decided to throw a pillow at his head to wake him up. He sat up quickly, eyes wide staring at you.

"What the fuck?"

"Even when you're asleep you are annoying."

"I'm sorry I was up all night taking care of your dumb-ass."

"Apology accepted." You broke into a smile when you saw his face. He was so...serious. You could never let go of that joke.

"I'm not joking around, you were bad like so bad I thought I lost you."

"Siri-" You sat up in your bed.

"No Y/N I don't think you understand how serious this situation was. You had seizures and might've slipped into a coma. You've been in and out for days now." Your smile faded. "I-I thought I was going to lose you and I can't, not you." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"Sirius, we all get injured, it happens. It's apart of the job."

"Yes but you're different."

"How? How is it any different than if this were to happen to Remus or James or any of the others?"

"Because I love you!" You tried to process his words. He searched your eyes for any response but you were in shock. He spoke softly, "It's different from the others because I am in love with you. I have been for a while.

"You don't have to say it back, you probably don't-" You grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket and kissed him.

"You're an idiot." You kiss him once more and looked him in the eyes and said "I'm in love with you too."

Tags: @divergirl99

#Sirius Black #sirius black x reader #sirius black imagines #sirius black imagine #sirius x you #Remus Lupin #James Potter #marauders era #marauders x reader #marauders imagine #sirius black x y/n #Lily Potter #Lily Evans #regulus x reader #regulus imagine #sirius and regulus

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apocalypseornaw · 4 years ago

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Never Doubt Us

For @girl-next-door-writes make me feel bingo square "fairytale AU"

Sometimes the man isn't the knight in shining armor

How had you allowed your life to come to the point it had? With your commoner bloodline you never should have even known the Princes beyond their names. Thanks to the fact that your parents had been killed and left you in the care of their closest friend Sir Robert you’d been raised in the castle.

As children you’d played with Dean’s younger brother Sam. Dean didn’t play as much. He was stoic even at a young age especially when King John was around. It confused you as to why he would care if his son was to be allowed the simple privilege of being a child before he would have a kingdom placed on his shoulders but when you’d questioned it you’d been told to stay in a child’s place. Your friendship with both boys grew throughout your younger years.

As all of you grew and the Princes started to learn their own responsibilities you started to train with the other knights' sons despite being the other female in the bunch. Your prowess with a sword matched or outshone them by far, even gaining the attention of King John when he’d observe the training. You had no admiration for the king like the boys you trained with, you’d seen how cold he was towards his sons and knew that a measure of a king was how he was as a simple man as well.

When he one day approached during training to question if you really thought a woman would be welcomed onto the royal guard you’d squared your shoulders and met his questioning gaze head on “King John would you rather someone on your guard who can deflect an arrow with her sword or would you prefer getting shot because you had a man at your side?” He’d laughed and had offered you a spot on Dean’s guard. You’d told him respectfully that you would only accept the offer if Dean was in agreement as well. You’d known he would you were friends with him as well as Sam even if you could never admit that to the king.

------

When you’d first been appointed on Dean’s guard there was of course some fallout. Men doubted a woman naturally. The first time King John had ordered Dean to go to a neighboring kingdom as an ambassador in an attempt to gain an ally he’d suggested leaving you behind. Dean had told him he would do no such thing.

On that trip you’d saved the princess of the neighboring kingdom from an assasitantion attempt, getting wounded in the process. It was also the first time you’d realized your feelings for your prince went so much deeper than friendship or even that of being his guard. Your only thought had been his safety even when the healers were patching your skin you’d asked of him. The moment the question fell from your lips it was as if those words summoned him.

The doors leading into the room you were in burst open and Dean walked through followed by your fellow guardsmen Benjamin and Steven. When he saw you sitting up the anger in his bright green eyes quickly faded to concern “Are you well?” he asked and the healers quickly went over your injury then excused themselves Benjamin and Steven following suit.

You stood to dress considering you’d been forced to strip down to your underthings for your injuries to be treated. “The sword didn’t go very deep thankfully” you replied turning your back to him so you could slip your shirt over your head but when you flinched trying to get it on his hands had come to cover yours “We swam together as children. You’ve stood guard outside my baths I think it wouldn’t be indecent for me to help you dress”

You turned to face him holding the shirt out. He took it but not before he let his fingertips trace the bandages on your side. “You secured the allyship single handedly” You forced a smile trying to look anywhere besides directly into his eyes. They were a shade of green that outshined any gem you’d even seen “At least my death would have held meaning had I met that fate” his hand moved from your side to cup your face forcing you to look him in the eye as he spoke “You being alive holds more meaning than any allyship ever would” you swallowed hard trying to push the feelings you’d developed for him down.

“Thank you” you whispered and he nodded then slowly moved his hand from your face “Let’s get you dressed then you’re off guard duty for the journey home” “Dean..” you started but he silenced you with a look “Are you arguing with your Prince?” the slight smirk that graced his face pulled a smile onto yours “Of course not” he nodded then gently slipped the shirt over your head tying it where it needed to be.

The night after you were cleared by the healers to go back on full guard duty you were preparing to go to bed when a knock at your chamber door drew your attention.

You crossed over to it and were surprised when Dean was standing on the other side. "Dean..I know you can out fight most of the royal guard but for my peace of mind I'd prefer you not wander the grounds alone especially after one of your guards thwarted an assassination attempt so recently" he smiled gently and looked almost sheepish which was by far not his usual demeanour "then would it be appropriate to ask that guard to accompany me for a walk under the moonlight?"

You quickly schooled your features so your surprise wouldn't be as apparent "Of course. Let me pull my boots back on and we'll go" he stood just inside your chambers watching as you retrieved your boots and jacket. When you slid your arms into the sleeves of the coat he smiled "I see you are healing well" you laughed "Ask Benjamin. I flipped him onto his back multiple times while we were sparring today" a flash of some emotion went through his eyes but it was gone as fast as it had appeared.

He motioned to the door so you walked out first and waited until he closed the door behind himself to ask "Is there a reason for this walk or did you simply crave some fresh air?" He shrugged one shoulder "I think I craved the company more than anything" you tried to push down the flush of heat spreading through your face at his words.

You walked in silence next to him until the two of you were far out side the castle listening to the sound of a lone whippoorwill cutting through the night.

"You seem to favor training with Benjamin" Dean spoke finally breaking the silence as the two of you neared the pond at the edge of the property. It was here Robert had taught the two of you and Sam how to swim.

You walked over to sit at the base of the large tree that overlooked the water and Dean joined you his shoulder brushing against yours. Normally you would squabble over anyone being that close to you but this proximity with Dean was familiar enough to make your heart ache when you were reminded it would always simply be friendship. After a moment of thinking you replied "I suppose I do yes. I prefer being on duty with him as well. He's easy to talk to and was one of the first on the guard to welcome me instead of questioning me due to my being a woman"

"He seems to favor you as well" you turned to look at Dean in the dim light of the moon and was shocked when you saw the twinge of jealousy his eyes held "Dean what are you saying?" "Do you have feelings for him?"

You laughed more self deprecatingly than anything before responding "He's my friend and I trust him at my side in a fight but beyond friendship no I have no romantic feelings for him" Dean turned to look at you and you almost looked away due to the fact that this close a mere movement would have your lips touching "When you were hurt. I had no concern for the assassin or the princess. I wanted to be at your side. Steven and Benjamin both had to stop me and I still very nearly laid down pretenses of being a prince to get to you" you swallowed the emotions threatening to spill out so that you could ask "What do you mean?"

You had a feeling but needed to hear the words for yourself, to know the way you felt about Dean was reciprocated. "I've fallen in love with you. Is there a chance you could feel the same" you were unaware you were crying until Dean gently wiped the tears from your cheeks as you spoke "I've loved you for years but you're destined to be king.." Your words were cut short by his lips finding yours. You gave into the kiss immediately melting against him. His hands moved to your waist pulling you into his lap as the two of you attempted to put every emotion you were feeling and had hidden into that one kiss.

When you finally broke away he rested his forehead against your neck "I have years before I have to become king. We can change things before then. If you want me, if you want this I would move the heavens for you" you laughed and gently touched his face pulling back so he'd be forced to look you in your eyes "I do not need the heavens and while I don't want to think about the future I do know that I've never felt as complete as I do right now"

That first night you spent in Dean’s arms as he told you and showed you the love he had for you felt like heaven itself or the closest you’d ever get. Months passed and you were so close to being happy but then King John had taken ill.

You’d known the day of King John's funeral that no matter how you felt about Dean that you couldn’t continue being with him. You stood at attention with Benjamin and Steven watching Dean welcome other royalty and noblemen and women. He was born for this, to be an extraordinary leader. You were born to be anything but. Had your parents survived you would've been married off in your teen years to whatever man asked your father first.

Dean would need to take a wife, a queen to rule by his side and you could never fill that. You’d break your own heart before you’d risk him being hurt by loving you in any way.

------

That night Dean had come to your chamber. You knew he expected to be welcomed with open arms. You wanted nothing more than to spend the night wrapped up in him but knew it was up to you. He'd never accept you pulling away all at once but if you started slowly pulling away perhaps he'd lose some of the love he held for you then when the princesses from neighboring kingdoms started to come he'd give one of them an actual chance then your kingdom would have a ruler better than it had seen in years with him as king.

You answered the door in your dressing gown and saw the way his eyes ran across your body. It wasn't merely sexual. He looked relieved to see you and his eyes held so much love in them you nearly started crying from the task at hand. "I'm sorry Dean I just don't think it's proper for you to not be in your own chambers at this time. We have guests here in the castle and what if one of them comes looking for you?"

“Then come with me, please? It’s been a long day and I’d much rather fall asleep with you in my arms” “I am too tired to dress Dean and there’s too many prying eyes for you to be escorted to your chambers by one of your guards in a mere dressing gown” “I am not concerned what they see, I love you and I want to be with you tonight” you closed your eyes and took a deep breath feeling your resolve waver but knowing it was for the best.

“I promise to join you tomorrow night my love” at your words a small smile slipped onto his face “I love you” you could feel yourself threatening to break even as you said in nearly a whisper “I love you” then watched him turn and walk away before shutting the door. You slid down it and it wasn’t until your legs hit the cool hard floor that reality hit you.

The man you’d grown up alongside, one of your best friends, the man you were in love with and wanted a future with was no longer yours to have. You allowed yourself a few moments to fall apart before pushing yourself to your feet. You needed rest and to plan how to get through the following weeks with your mental state intact.

You could feel eyes on you even as you spun out of Benjamin’s reach. Even when you sidestepped to dodge his next blow you knew he was watching. Dean had a way of making your body feel like it was on fire with just a look. You glanced up and spotted him standing with Sam, Robert and Queen Adelia who was no doubt visiting in an attempt to secure Dean choosing her daughter Princess Lysa.

You felt your feet go out from under you as Benjamin swept your legs out and when your back hit the dirt you flipped to catch him bringing him down as well. When you and Benjamin helped each other to your feet you realized Robert and Adelia were walking over with Dean and Sam trailing not too far behind.

Robert introduced you and Benjamin by your name and rank you both held. You didn’t miss the look in Adelia’s eyes when she realized you held the same rank as the man standing next to you. “I heard about your woman guard, seems she made quite the impression amongst our allies” you smiled “Saving Princess Joanna from an assasination attempt did help” you saw a slight smirk grace both Dean and Sam’s faces as Adelia tried to rephrase her wording

“Oh dear that’s what I meant of course. Though why a girl as pretty as you would choose such a trade is beyond me” you brushed your legs off then shrugged one shoulder “It’s noble work. I’m protecting people I care about and my kingdom. Is that not much different than your position as a queen?”

“I suppose not dear” she smiled then winked at Benjamin “Who knows perhaps one of your fellow guardsmen will decide they want to make an honest woman of you” you had to remind yourself of your standing so instead of saying what you wanted you simply replied “I am quite honest enough all on my own. Now if you’ll excuse me Benjamin and I are due to the archery range to continue our training for the day”

You walked past Dean and saw the way his eyes tracked your movement. It had been a few weeks since King John’s passing and the pressure was getting more intense daily on him to choose a wife. You’d kept your word and had gone to him the night after John’s funeral but since then had nearly exhausted your list of reasons as to why you had gone from sharing a bed nightly with him to perhaps once a week if that.

You knew he was getting suspicious as to why and that it would eventually lead to him questioning you. You only hoped he had chosen a suitable wife by then.

------

Another week passed and you were walking with Benjamin and Steven across the grounds when you heard a noise that made your heart fall to your feet. It was Dean laughing.

Normally that would bring you joy but when you looked towards the sound to see him walking with Sam and Princess Lysa you felt sick. You knew she’d arrived the day before but this was your first time seeing her. She was beautiful. Her dress was made of the finest material,her dark hair styled perfectly. You watched the way she looked at Dean and had to suppress your anger. He belonged with someone like her, not you.

Unfortunately while Steven was oblivious to your actions Benjamin leaned closer and whispered “She’s not the type of queen he needs” you raised an eyebrow in question as to what he meant.

He waved a hand around himself ignoring the fact that Steven had continued walking while the two of you were stopped “This kingdom needs a queen that matches Dean. Someone who will fight for the people, someone who is capable and has strength and warmth. Someone who can spill blood but comfort within moments of the other"

“And who might you have in mind because I’ve yet to meet a noblewoman like that” you questioned and he shook his head and continued walking leaving you to ponder if you were that obvious or if Benjamin was just that attuned to you and Dean.

------

You were headed to your chambers after a tiring day. You’d hear from too many of the castle staff that Lysa was extending her stay. There would be only one reason for that, a betrothal. You wanted to cry, scream or fight someone but this was what you’d wanted wasn’t it?

You were stuck inside your own head; you did not hear Benjamin calling your name until he touched your shoulder. You flinched despite yourself and he smiled warmly “Dean asked if you could come to his chambers, something of the journey to the northern isles?” That journey was still months away but instead of questioning it further you simply nodded “Yes I’ll stop by him”

Benjamin walked away so you took a shortcut that would get you across the castle without going by the guest area where Lysa would be staying. You doubted your ability to hold your tongue this late.

When you finally made it to Dean’s chambers you hesitated before knocking. The moment your knuckles hit the hard wood he opened the door and his smile made your heart skip. “If only I knew all it took was getting Benjamin to ask you here I would’ve done that two weeks ago” he stepped back to let you in so you took a few steps forward not going all the way into the room purposely giving a wide berth to the four poster bed that took up over half the room. You’d spent countless nights in it and now would be the last time your eyes graced it.

He stepped closer and despite knowing you shouldn’t you allowed him to pull you into his arms. You’d give yourself the memory of being held by him this last time. “I have to announce who I am choosing as queen within the week” you felt tears sting your eyes threatening to spill but you swallowed them down.

“Just know I hold no hard feelings Dean and I will cherish the time we had together” he pulled back from you and his face fell the moment he looked you in the eyes “What?” You smiled sadly “Dean we both know you have to choose a princess” “Says who?” “Tradition” your voice cracked on the word but you knew it was true, felt it to your core.

“I do not care about tradition, I care about you” he spoke, pulling you back into his arms. His mouth was warm on your neck when he spoke your name just above a whisper. His rough hands smoothing across your back sliding under the shirt you wore begging for access to more skin. “Please we will figure this out. I refuse to marry another when I know where my heart belongs” you closed your eyes to stow the flow of tears.

You owed it to him and to your kingdom to be strong. You loved him beyond anything that was why you had to stop this now he deserved a noblewoman, someone who came from a pure bloodline. Not someone like you who’d grown from a child being more familiar with a sword or a bow than a dress. “I will always love and I will protect you with my final breath but I’m not suited to be a queen. I’d never be accepted” you pulled away from him despite everything in you screaming to fall into his arms, into his bed.

You turned and quickly crossed the floor not looking back even as he called your name. As soon as you shut the heavy door to his chambers behind you that was when the tears started.

You stood at attention with the rest of the royal guard. You had not spoken a single word to anyone since the night in Dean’s chambers. You felt as if you had no words left within you. Today Dean would be announcing who he’d chosen as a wife. Princess Lysa was still staying in the castle so it appeared his decision was made.

When the bell sounded to gather all in attendance’s attention you looked up to see Robert standing at the raised part of the room which held the thrones during ceremonies. He met your eyes and his held nothing but sorrow. He knew your true heart and knew it was breaking but he also knew your strength. You would stand stoic while the man you loved announced his betrothal to another because it needed to happen.

You watched as Dean and Sam joined Robert. Dean held your eyes for several moments before saying “I am expected to choose a wife, a queen for this kingdom. I am of two minds. One is the way my father raised me. He told me to put my duties first. My father would have chosen Princess Lysa for my bride” you swallowed hard when she stepped onto the platform next to him.

Benjamin looked towards you and you knew that was his silent way of asking if you would be alright. You gave a tight nod refusing to break even as Lysa moved to kiss Dean. He stepped away from her after whispering something that made her shoot a deadly glare your direction.

He cleared his throat to settle the room when everyone started to speculate as to what was going on. “My father would have chosen Lysa for my bride but his father Henry my grandfather would have told me to listen to my heart. Sir Robert who’s watched me and my brother grow from small boys has always advised me that a strong king is a strong man. A strong man needs a strong woman in his life. I have long since given my heart to another and I do not intend to ever ask for it to be returned” he looked over at you and held his hand out. You took a deep breath but felt Benjamin's hand on your shoulder giving a gentle push.

Sam stepped off the platform to meet you halfway and held his arm out. You slipped your arm through it and allowed him to escort you despite the near deafening whispers being tossed about. Once you made it to the platform he gently put your hand into Dean’s who pulled you up next to him.

You watched Lysa storm off before turning your attention to Dean. He looked around the room then back at you “Tradition says I pick a noblewoman or princess. Before you, tradition says only men served the royal guard yet Princess Joanna is alive because of you. You came to live here at the castle when Sam and I were mere children, I’ve seen you stand your ground with my father. I’ve seen you go against enemies and do anything to protect those lucky enough to be loved by you. Over the years we formed a friendship and from there something so much more. I’m here today to ask will you do me the honor of being my queen?”

The entire room faded away. In that moment it was only you and him “Are you certain I’m who you want?” you asked and he nodded, taking the ring from Robert who held it out. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life” “Then yes” he slipped the ring onto your finger and pulled you into a kiss. Most of the room voiced their approval at his choice and when he pulled back he whispered “Never doubt us again please” “Never” you whispered then pulled him back for another kiss.

@girl-next-door-writes

#spn fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x female!reader #girl next doors make me feel bingo

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victorluvsalice · 3 years ago

Photo

And we complete Ship Meme February with this “Understand My Ship In 5 Minutes” meme, made by GibSlyThe -- this one’s actually from twitter, and you can find the original tweet here! As usual, some stuff has been covered in previous memes (height and age seem to be constants, and this one also has “gender” and “sexuality” like the previous one -- though you’ll see here for “sexuality” I went “okay, for readability Alice’s is just going outside the box” XD), but the newer stuff is explained in more detail under the “read more!”

The “Mark On The Line” Bars: This was a bit tricky, as I always wonder about the placement of my Xs on these kinds of lines and graphs, but I’m pretty happy with these. To take them one-by-one:

Big/Little Spoon: Despite Victor being the taller one, he prefers being the little spoon, as he likes to be held and snuggled like that. Similarly, Alice likes being the big spoon as she likes feeling like the “protector” of the little spoon. They can and do switch, but that’s their preferred set-up.

Lends/Borrows Clothes: I put these close to the middle as I don’t think there’s much clothes-sharing just on the basis of “I’m not sure they’d FIT each other’s clothes” -- though in a more modern setting, I can see Alice occasionally stealing a baggy hoodie from Victor’s closet, so she gets closer to the Borrows Clothes side.

Doesn’t Use/Uses Pet Names: Again, close to the middle as it isn’t too common with them, but they’re not opposed. I feel like Victor would be prone to it more often than Alice (usually “darling” or “love”).

Introverted/Extroverted: They are both introverts who don’t like being around lots of people if they can help it. XD Victor scores higher than Alice thanks to being generally socially anxious too.

Affection Through Words/Affection Through Actions: I put Alice a little closer to the “words” side, as she’s fairly open about saying how much she loves Victor, while Victor’s a little closer to the “actions” side thanks to the whole “his two main love languages are ‘acts of service’ and ‘gifts’“ thing I established in the very first ship meme. Obviously Victor can use his words and Alice can do things for Victor (”acts of service” is one of her love languages too), but this felt like their usual dynamic.

Confesses First/Waits For Confession: This one was a little tricky, because there’s not a lot of traditional confessions in my Valice stuff. . .but looking at the evidence, Victor is both generally the one to figure out his feelings first, and the one to express them first, however accidentally. While Alice, who has less experience with love and is demiromantic anyway. . .yeah. Victor gets the “blurted out without meaning to” confession, Alice the “holy shit so THAT’S how I feel about you” moment. XD

Screams About The Bugs/Squashes Bugs w/a Shoe: Victor only screams about bugs in an enthusiastic sense 99% of the time, so he goes closer to the middle -- Alice goes closer to the squashing side as she is not really a bug fan, and besides, she’s killed a LOT of Army Ants, Mechanical Ladybugs, Nightmare Spiders, and Samurai Wasps in Wonderland. (Yes, I know spiders are arachnids, but they can still be lumped in under the “bug” label.)

Drives The Car/Can’t Drive lol: Victor goes in the middle simply because I imagine he learns to drive in modern settings (hell, he’s Victoria’s ride to the Giovanni Mansion in “Londerland Bloodlines”). Alice, meanwhile, is generally out of commission during the time most people normally learn how to drive, and I’ve yet to picture her learning. Honestly, she probably doesn’t because she does NOT want to risk a Wonderland episode behind the wheel. Too much risk!

Can’t Cook For Shit/Makes Dinner: As I have stated previously, Alice does much of the regular cooking (when applicable -- aka when she eats and they’re not living with June), but Victor likes to bake. And he does help out in the kitchen with regular meals, so they’re kind of a dinner-making team. :)

Dislikes PDA/Loves PDA: They don’t torture people with it, but they have indulged (notably in “Fixing You” where Alice scandalized some ladies by daring to kiss Victor on the sidewalk), so closer to the “yes” side. Victor I imagine is generally somewhat more open than Alice about it (hell, him suddenly NOT being okay with it is basically a plot point early in “Fixing You”).

Overprotective/Chill Going: While they’re both independent people, they also both have some abandonment issues, along with those they love being threatened in front of them, so they tend toward overprotective. Alice more than Victor, as -- well, I believe I’ve mentioned what the Liddell fire did to her head. She’s NOT losing someone she loves again if she can help it.

Has more relationship experience/Has NO relationship experience: Alice has been in an asylum most of her life, and generally found the people who tried to hit on her in Whitechapel pretty repulsive. Romance to her is a foreign land! Victor generally isn’t much better, but he at least has the short amount of time he spent with Victoria and Emily (and sometimes more, like “Fallout of Darkness’s” Victor being married and in a secret poly relationship with them). It’s something!

[Blank] Levels: By contrast, these were pretty easy to fill in --

Horny Level: Yeah, neither of them are the horniest people. Alice gets a tiny bit because she’s grey asexual and thus under the exact right circumstances can want to get it on; Victor gets a little more as he’s allosexual, but he’s not a very horny guy by nature -- and growing up in Burtonsville with his parents and the looming presence of Pastor Galswells probably didn’t help!

Awkwardness Level: Okay, yeah, I think we can all agree that Victor, being socially anxious and not good with words, is pretty much made of awkward. XD Alice also gets a pretty high awkwardness level because spending most of your life in supervised hospitalization doesn’t give you that much in the way of social skills. She’s better than Victor, but she finds it hard to socialize with others, and her snarky sense of humor isn’t often appreciated.

Jealousy Level: And right back to low, as neither of them tend to be the jealous type (hell, they’re both poly if given the chance). Alice gets a higher level than Victor thanks to the green-eyed monster rearing its head a couple of times around Victoria in the Forgotten Vows Verse, while Victor never really gets jealous of anyone -- he’s more prone to slipping into self-loathing. Aw.

#valice #shipping #ship meme #victor van dort #alice liddell #yay one where I don't have to do mouse-drawn doodles XD #but yeah you're getting the gist of things here I imagine #I actually had to shift those Xs on the 'cooks' line because I wasn't happy with the original placement #too much toward the middle when they can and do cook for themselves #at least in more modern settings #honestly the only problem with filling out these ship memes is #there's some stuff that is generally true with an asterisk for the AU where it isn't #hence why I spend some time explaining my choices #and giving examples of the AUs that differ #good way to make me think about my ship though #and my AUs #queued

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melanoradrood · 4 years ago

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wip wednesday

For something a little different today, I offer you the prologue to what will be a much longer fic. I likely won’t start posting it for some time, and in fact, I have something I plan on posting later today, but for now, I offer you a sneak peak to my Slytherin Hermione fic...

..........

Standing in the middle of the Slytherin Common Room, Hermione Granger was unable to take her eyes off the portrait of Salazar Slytherin, the founder of Hogwarts and her new house. The portrait, which was able to move, was staring back at her. He said nothing, and she knew that portraits could talk, as she had heard a few speak on the way from the Great Hall to the common room. It was strange, then, that he simply stared back at her… almost as though he knew her.

He looked older, mature, with wrinkles around his temples. He was slightly balding, but he still looked strong in his robes, with a beard that was beginning to lengthen, and a locket sitting on his chest. He was the reason why blood purity seemed to still matter. He had only wanted those pure of blood to study at Hogwarts, as he believed that muggles and muggleborns were dangerous to the wizarding world.

Given the era in which he was born, it made sense that he held such beliefs… but the idea that, as the world progressed, the wizarding world had not? It made Hermione sad. So many things in the muggle world had changed, particularly since the turn of the century and after two world wars, one in particular which was centered on the idea of purity and race, but it was nearing a new millenia…

And yet, there was a house within Hogwarts that only allowed those with wizarding blood admittance… until now.

“She has to have at least one pureblood parent,” one of the girls behind her whispered. Greengrass, Hermione thought.

She had not paid too much attention, before or after her name was called. She had been too busy worrying about her own sorting, scared she might somehow screw it up. She was destined for Ravenclaw, knew that she was not kind enough for Hufflepuff, nor foolhardy for Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw… Pursuit of knowledge had always been forefront in Hermione’s mind.

And yet, she had been named to the house of Slytherin before the hat had even been placed upon her head. No, it had been hovering, not even fully over top, when it was announcing to the room that she was to be a Slytherin. The hat had dropped almost immediately onto her head, likely due to the shock to the Professor that had been holding it, particularly when Hermione had let out a squeak and asked the hat to repeat itself.

No muggleborn had ever been in Slytherin. It simply was not done. And yet, she, a muggleborn, had been sent there.

“You, my Lady, are a Slytherin,” the Hat said in response to her outcry, and then went utterly silent.

The Great Hall was silent as well. No one moved. There were no hisses coming from the Gryffindor table. The Ravenclaws looked around confused. The Hufflepuff table looked at her sadly. She looked towards the head table to see a professor dressed in all black standing, his brow raised as he looked at her, and then the table. And the table in Green, where she was to go…

It was silent. Absolutely silent.

She tried to be brave as she approached, sitting down at an empty spot on the bench. An older student leaned towards her, and she saw what looked to be a Prefect badge on their chest.

“Dagworth-Granger?” he asked, and she saw a bit of tenseness hit a few shoulders around her.

“Ah, no,” she said, shaking her head. She did not recognize the first part of the name. “Just Granger. I’m a… I’m a muggleborn.”

Everyone still looked at her in shock; the Prefect leaned back slowly, then gave a small nod.

“Welcome to Slytherin,” he said politely, and rose from the table, moving to sit near a few older students. They were all looking her way as they began whispering, leaving Hermione to sit in solitude.

No other first years sat around her, leaving her relatively isolated until the end of the meal. When everyone had then filed out, following the prefects towards the new common room, Hermione had been the very last one, knowing already that she would be excluded. She had barely heard a word anyone said, until finally, the first years were left in the common room for the First Night tradition of staying up and talking.

It looked as though they all knew one another, which made sense - if they were all Purebloods, then they would have grown up together, while Hermione knew no one, nothing. While they all sat around the fire, Hermione had instead started looking around, until her attention was caught by the portrait of the founder.

“Maybe her parents are squibs,” one of the boys offered, and she could practically feel the entire group shudder behind her. She had no idea what squibs were, but they must be something terrible.

“Think about what was happening when we were all born… who was in power…”

It was one of the girls that said it, and a hush settled over the group. She knew about what had happened when they were born. That, too, was in one of the books. Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord. The Wizarding War. She knew Voldemort had been captured in a portrait, how he had tried to attack the Potter family, but Dumbledore, the Headmaster, had trapped the Dark Lord. There had been attacks, attacks by Death Eaters on muggles and muggleborns and…

That had nothing to do with her, though. Why would that change her parentage?

“I’ll write my father,” one of the boys said, and it sounded like something final, a final decision. “And we do as he advises. Until then, she’s a Slytherin. She was placed here for a reason. Remember, muggleborns cannot be Slytherins.”

She wanted to argue with him, argue with all of them. She was a muggleborn. There was no doubt about it. It wasn’t a question, wasn’t something up for discussion.

And yet… the rational and logical part of her brain told her to keep silent. She was scared, scared that one of them might act against her, hurt her, if they thought she was a muggleborn. What was the worst that could happen, if she just… didn’t say anything against it.

“That’s Salazar Slytherin,” a voice said beside her, and Hermione turned towards the boy, raising her eyebrow. He was short and thin, with dark hair, and had been quiet while the other Slytherins talked about her. “He was our Founder.”

Hermione gave a nod, wanting to tell the boy that she knew, that she knew all sorts of things, knew all sorts of spells, knew all about the founders… but something told her to remain as quiet as the portrait, and to that inner voice, she listened.

“I’m Theodore Nott. Theo,” he said, offering his hand towards her.

Looking down at his hand, Hermione paused for a moment, then reached out and took it, shaking once. “Hermione Granger. I know the name is a mouthful, but I don’t really like nicknames.”

The boy, Theo, gave a shrug. “It’s a name. Just wait until you hear some of the names for plants in herbology. Those are a real mouthful.”

Hermione gave him a smile, pleased that, well, maybe she wasn’t going to be excluded entirely.

“Why don’t you come join us?” he offered, and he turned towards the rest of the First Years, all sitting there looking at her. “None of us have been out of the muggle world before, but I’m sure we can find something to talk about?”

She looked towards the group, all quiet, just looking back at her. They did not look too welcoming, but they were also not shunning her, and no one was hexing her. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

“Of course,” she said with a smile, and she gave a glance back towards the portrait to see Salazar Slytherin still staring at her quietly, before turning to join the others.

Welcome she heard behind her, and she froze.

It had come from the portrait, of that she was certain.

“Did you hear that?” she asked Theo, and she turned again to see Slytherin smirking at her, a look in his eyes that told her he knew something, a secret.

“Hmm?” Theo asked, turning to look with her. “Oh, Lord Slytherin. He rarely speaks, but sometimes he… well, he’ll speak in Parseltongue. It’s something only he and his line could do. It’s gone now, I think. The Bloodline died out. Sounds like a snake, or so I’ve heard.”

She didn’t know what Parseltongue meant, but it looked as though her first stop was the library. A snake? She knew that was the emblem of Slytherin, but… what she had heard was not a hiss. She had heard words.

Her hand went to her chest, where her locket was hidden under her chest. Her eyes were locked on the portrait, staring at what Salazar Slytherin was wearing… There were green stones, organized to look nearly serpentine, all in the shape of an S. Although they did not shine in the portrait, Hermione knew that they were gems. Emeralds. She knew because she had seen that locket before. She knew, because she was wearing it.

#dramione #dramionefic #unfinished fic alert #wip wednesday #[ title : tbd ]

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anjanettexcordonia · 4 years ago

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Bloodlines

**Trigger Warnings**

DARK DARK DARK

-NSFW/Mental Health/Violence/Rape Minimal fluff if any at all tbh.

***If you are sensitive to any of these please do not read.

Pairing: Liam x Celeste, Liam x Madeleine, Drake, Bastien

Word Count: 4,874 (I know its forever long but its worth it in my biased opinion)

This is my first time writing any kind of fiction. I was inspired by all of you amazing writers! I received positive feedback on this chapter so I’m hoping you all like it too! Its very dark and very very twisted. I can not emphasize it enough.

**READ WITH CAUTION**

Excuse any grammatical errors or misspellings.

This will be a six part series. I do not have a timeline for when I will post. (I’m a mom & work full time)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry

Tags:

@gkittylove99 @kingliam2019 @yourmajesty09 @cordonia-gothqueen @mom2000aggie @texaskitten30 @hopefulmoonobject

Part Two

Two weeks after his mother Queen Eleanor’s death, Prince Liam stood on the dais of the cathedral. looking up at his older brother Leo. “It’s a monumental day for Cordonia, Liam, you best behave yourself and no tears. Our people from all over will be watching your new mother become Queen” Constantantine’s lecture was on repeat in his mind. Leo looked down at Liam and offered him a reassuring squeeze of his hand. Their lives changed after that day. And they would never be the same.

Ten years had gone by since Regina began her reign beside their father. They had learned they had a sister long before the death of their mother but she had been a secret. Celeste. And she was the apple of their father and step-mothers eye.

“Drake, after our lessons today we should go down to the beach . I hear Max has found a cove with killer waves we can ride.” Liam asked Drake. They were on their way down to the classroom in the palace when they ran into Constantine. “Where have you been? I’ve had the guards searching for you Drake. Come with me, now.” Drake kept pace with Constantine, he looked back at Liam with a worried look etched across his pubescent face.

Hours went by and Liam paced around his room waiting to hear from Drake. He had been texting him for hours with no response. He had gone to his father's study only to find it empty. Where the fuck is Drake? Leo had been in America for the last few years, Drake had become like his brother and now he was just ignoring him.

Late that night unable to sleep, Liam tossed and turned in his bed. He texted Olivia. She had lived at the palace since her parents death under the watchful eye of the King.

“Liv, have you heard from Drake?”

“You haven’t heard? Liv responded.

“Heard what?”

“Drake's dad is dead, some accident apparently”

Liam was stunned. No wonder he wasn’t answering him.

“Fuck what happened?”

“I don’t know Li, they said there was a car accident.”

Liam heard the doors to the royal quarters open and voices trailing down the hallway.

“Constantine no one will ever find out. If Jackson had just minded his own business and stopped looking for Leo, none of this would have had to happen. He became a loose end.” Liam heard Regina snap at Constantine.

What the fuck? Looking for Leo? Doesn’t make sense. Liam thought.

Liam slowly opened his door to hear their conversation a little better.

“If we had ended Leonardo like I had suggested, there would have been nothing for Jackson to find. This is your fault Constantine. He found his dossier he had on you too. He planned to turn you over for you sick perversions you have with that Nevrakis traitors daughter.”

Olivia and my father? End Leo? What’s going on? I have to talk to Drake and Olivia. Where is Leo? I have to find out.

Their quarters went quiet.

Liam has been busy with studies for a few days. In his spare time he had tried to reach out to his friends. He searched for clues as to Leo’s whereabouts to no avail.

He was at a dead-end.

A year had gone by. Drake was gone. Olivia had denied Regina's accusation. He had seen Drake at Jackson’s funeral. He said he would be going to Texas with his mother and sister for a while. Olivia had moved back to the Nevrakis castle in Lythikos. At 17 she was able to regain her title as Duchess and rule her own Duchy. Max spent most of his time in Ramsford. Bertrand never let him stray too far these days.

Time had passed as time typically does. Constantine had announced his abdication from the throne and announced Liam was now the crown prince and the heir to the throne. Celeste was pissed as usual. “The crown will never be yours Liam. You're a commoner like your whore of a mother. You're unfit to rule. You will bow to me in 3 weeks at MY coronation.”

“Shut the fuck up Celeste. The sound of your voice makes me want to vomit.” Liam hissed. They were not siblings. Simply bound by half blood and they both knew it. Leo was his only sibling. If only he could find him.

BOOM!

Liam woke with a jerk. He groaned. He could barely open his eyes. Why is it so bright? Why can’t I move? Everything hurts. He heard a loud pop and a laugh. He recognized that laugh. He despised that laugh. Madeline. Liam tried to speak but nothing would come out.

“Celeste, he's awake. It’s time my dear.” Madeline “Finally I thought he would never wake up.” Celeste mumbled.

Liam heard the click of Regina's heels enter the room.

“Celeste, first things first we need to secure your throne. Have you prepared yourself?”

“Yes Mother”

Regina walked over to the bedside of the bed he was strapped to. He fought against his restraints but they were bound too tight around his wrists and ankles. Regina peered down at him with a grin he didn’t recognize. He and Regina we’re never close. He was all too familiar with her adversity to his presence in the royal family, she didn't attempt to hide it.

“Liam, you’re a disgrace to this family. Your mere existence brings shame to the Rhys line. Your mother was a whore. And she deserved her death. Your brother was never meant to be King nor are you. You will meet the same fate as he.”

“Now Celeste” Regina commanded. Regina and Madeline retreated to carefully placed chairs. They were far enough way but still able to view everything about to take place in the torture chamber. Liams hell was about to begin.

Celeste walked over to Liam and climbed on top of him. Liam did not realize he was completely naked until that moment. Celeste hiked her dress over her head revealing her completely nude body. She grabbed Liams flaccid manhood and began pumping. Liam screamed and faught.

“THIS IS SICK! GET OFF OF ME STOP TOUCHING ME REGINA MAKE HER STOP MADELINE PLEASE HELP” Liam screamed out. Tears were stinging his eyes. “Please stop, I'll do whatever you want” Celeste continues pumping his manhood until it was firmly erect against Liam’s will.

“This is only the beginning Liam, if we let you go now you’ll become King. We can’t have you spreading lies about our sweet Celeste. Can we?” Liam was sobbing. Celeste mounted Liam and her core slid down taking all of him. She rode him with no emotion. Liam begging for her to stop willing his body to stop her. He realized her intentions while his body betrayed him and he released his seed into her. Liam let out a blood curdling scream when Celeste dismounted him.

“You're excused Celeste. Go immediately and lay down. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She turned to Liam as Celeste left the chamber. “You’ve planted the heir and fulfilled your duty as King.” she sneered.

Regina mumbles something to Madeline and she left the room.

“My Liam, My King, it’s my turn to do with you as I please. I will revel in your torture and fall from grace. You were always oblivious to my affections just like Leo. Greeting me as formal as any other lady at court. Truly sickening. So if you won’t choose me. I’ll take what I please.”

Liam laid in silence staring up at the dimly lit lights overhead. He recognized this room. It was below the castle in a secret passageway he and Drake discovered as children. It was blocked off years ago he thought. Now he knew why. They were planning this for years. Had Leo been in this room? What had they done to him?

“Madeline wait, I’ll give you what you want. Let me go. Untie me. Please. I won’t let any harm come to you. I can protect you.” He pleaded with her.

“No you’re lying just shut up.”

A tear fell from the corner of his eye as once again she took him in the same fashion as Celeste had.

Liam saw this as an advantage. He started to participate in his assault. He pumped into her as fast and hard as he could while restrained. “There we go Liam I knew you couldn’t resist this pussy.” She moaned. “Fuck you’re so tight Maddie” he grunted. “Untie me so I can fuck you right, I need you.” Madeline complied and untied his wrist restraints. He flew up still pumping into her and twisted her hair in his hand and pulled her head back. He bit her neck hard drawing blood. “I want you from behind” he groaned in her ear. She reached his ankle restraints and untied them. As soon as he was free he slammed her down on the table. He fucked her hard and fast mutilating her womanhood. “Who’s your King?” Liam roared feeling her walls tighten around his cock. “You’re my King” she screamed as she reached climax.

“What happened to my brother Madeline?” Liam asked, breathing heavy still thrusting inside her as she came down from her climax. He realized this was his chance to get the information that he needed out of Madeline. She would give him anything at that moment.

“I..I..” Madeline stammered.

“Please Madeline” Liam begged. “Help me.” Thrusting harder.

“He’s alive. He’s been admitted into Fydelia psychiatric hospital. He’s been there for 3 years since his mental break.” Madeline moaned.

“Mental break?” Liam thrusted harder. “Tell me or I won’t give you another release My Queen.” He felt her walls tighten around his cock at his false words.

“Drake's father had been searching for him. And they found him. Leo was able to tell him everything. He told the truth of Regina and Constantine. So Walker was silenced. I will receive the same fate if anyone finds out I told you. Call me your Queen again.”

“I have to get out over here. I have to find him and expose what’s been going in the palace. I have to stop them.” Liam said through gritted teeth. A sudden fire coursing through his body. Anger and vengeance filling his veins. He wrapped his hand around Madeleine’s throat and squeezed bringing her to the brink of blacking out, her eyes wide as he continued pounding into her with angry force. He pulled himself out of her and spilled his seed on the table.

“No you can’t. I can’t let you. I’m sorry Liam.” Madeline sighed. She knew she made a mistake and Regina will have her head on a pike. They heard a knock on the door. Madeline’s face drained of color. Shit.

“Lady Madeline, are you finished yet?” Regina called through the door. Liam stood ready for a fight.

“You have to put the restraints back on Liam.” Madeline whispered. “Just a minute, Your Majesty” she called out.

“Fuck You Maddie.” Liam snarled.

“REGINA!” Madeline screamed. She threw her dress back on as Regina slammed the door open.

“I see you found my dear nieces weakness, William. You.” Regina laughed.

“I will destroy you Regina. You will be charged with the highest of treason against the crown. I will have you drawn and quartered in front of all Cordonia! Liam roared at her.

“Kneel to your Queen or I will make you kneel.”

“Fuck you and my father.” Liam started to lunge at her. Before his feet left the ground he felt a a cloth cover his face and everything went black.

“You will kneel to your Queen Bastard.” Regina pulled a dagger from the pocket of her freshly pressed pant suit. She sliced the back of both of Liam’s knees. “The blood of the bastards have littered this place for far too long. Get out Madeline. Tend to Celeste. She will soon be carrying the heir to my throne.” Madeline left the room.

When Liam woke, he was back on the table restrained with a gag in his mouth. “Now Crown Prince William Constantine Rhys of Cordonia. You're awake. What shall I do to you?” Shall I slice your chest open and rip out your heart? “How can I inflict the worst pain possible for you to give up a country Liam? Ya know your brother was fairly easy. A few days of intense pain and anguish destroyed him. He never really wanted to be King you know. Forcing his abdication was quite easy. The resistance came when he realized you would meet the same fate as he.” Regina circles slowly around wielding the dagger in her hand. “All it takes is the smallest cuts in the most sensitive of places to break a person entirely.” She kneeled down and sliced the bottom of each of his feet from toes to heel. “You aren’t King, you will never be King. Celeste will produce your heir. She will take her rightful place on the throne and you will become a footnote in history. Her child will bleed Rhys from both sides. The child’s blood will no longer be tainted by the blood of whores.” She stabbed the knife between his ribs. Blood covered her hands and the floor around Liam.

Liam was tortured for three weeks in the same fashion. Madeline never returned again. Celeste coming in beforehand to claim his seed & Regina following behind with brutal measures of torture. She electrocuted him with cattle prods. Beat him until he could no longer feel pain with whips and chains. He was numb. Small and large cuts, bruises and broken bones littered his body. He no longer had his golden blonde hair. She had shaved it completely to make him feel lesser than she. He was awarded one meal a day and 2 glasses of water. Regina said only to maintain his strength to give Celeste his heir. He was losing his hope and resolve. He knew no one was coming. He wasn’t King yet. The coronation was swiftly approaching.

Liam lost all sense of time since being held in captivity. He no longer cared. He was ready to die.

“Hello Bastard.” Regina spoke softly. “It’s time to prepare your abdication speech. I will bring a doctor in today. It’s time for you to rejoin the rest of the world. Your father would like to visit today.”

Liam sat up. No longer willing to fight. The restraints no longer needed.

“Yes my Queen.” She had won.

“Get dressed and clean yourself up. He will be down after dinner. He would like to speak with you about the coronation ball and what it means for you after. I don’t care much what happens to you, but your father and his soft heart for some reason… does.” She stomped out the door slamming it shut.

Liam heard the lock click. He let out a long sigh. Suddenly the dams in eyes broke free and the tears flowed. Liam convulsed on the bed unable to control the sobs and screams coming from him. What had he done so wrong to receive this treatment? Why did his father not love him? Why couldn’t they just kill him?

What seemed like hours later Constantine came blinding into the room. “My son” he said softly as he saw his youngest son perched on the side of his small cot. Constantine barely recognized him.

Liam looked up at him not speaking a word. He opened his mouth but the words wouldn’t come out. “As you know Princess Celeste will be taking the throne. What I’ve come to discuss with you is your position in the royal family after the fact. You know you will not be allowed access to the...child. How would Duke of Valtoria sound? It’s quite generous and Regina has agreed. The conditions of silence still apply. I will even allow Leo to reside with you.” Constantine started matter of fact.

“Where the fuck is he?” Liam and Constantine snapped their heads as they heard Drake’s booming voice outside the chamber door. The door crashed open and Drake charged through straight for Constantine not even noticing Liam.

“You evil bastard. I will kill you, treason be damned. You deserve to die for what you did to her! What you did to Olivia! Raping and beating her into submission? Why because you were afraid of what she would do to you when she found out the truth? You’re a sick bastard” Drake screamed so loud Liams ears began to ring. His heart started to pound.

“Drake what…” Drake didn’t give the King time to finish before he heard a loud pop. The bullet pierced Constantine’s heart and he staggered back and fell to the floor. “Now the cancer won’t take you out. Burn in hell Constantine Rhys Disgrace to Cordonia.”

Drake looked up “Li” he whispered. “How, where….. I..I’m sorry.. He.. he hurt Olivia...oh my God..Li what have I done? Where have you been?”

“Drake get me out of here before Regina comes back. HURRY! Constantine deserved it. I only regret it wasn’t me who pulled the trigger” Liam cried.

Drake scooped Liam in his arms and ran out the door. He ran straight for Bastiens room carefully avoiding any possibility of anyone seeing them. He kicked Bastiens door open. Bastien sprung from his bed at the sight of Drake carrying a severely battered Liam.

“Prince Liam, What happened?” He looked at Drake” We need to get him out of here.” Bastien yelled. Bastien called down and procured a SUV to get them away from the palace. “Bastien I shot constantine. He’s dead. We need to get in touch with Olivia.” Drake whispered.

They reached the garage and got in the SUV. “We’re flying out of the country tonight. We have a few days before the coronation to figure out our next move.” Bastien said. Liam laid his against the window feeling exhausted. He felt like he hadn’t slept in days. A few minutes later they boarded a private jet headed to New York. On board was a doctor Duke Rashad had sent to join them. “Rashad will be our eyes and ears while we’re away. We will figure out a plan while you’re healing Li. What happened to you? I know I’ve been away but you could have called me.” Drake said with a hint of guilt in his tone.

“Thank you Drake for everything. Have you heard anything from Olivia? I want eyes on her immediately. She should be in Lythikos.” Liam whispered. Drake noticed a change in his best friend. His eyes were hollow and empty. Emptiness he had never seen in anyone before. There was no emotion behind his eyes. His movements fluid and muscle memory. He was a shell. What had they done to him? Drake wondered.

“Li what happened?”

“Rrrr..Regina and Constantine hurt Leo. He’s in a psychiatric hospital in Fydelia. He was never in America. Constantine abused Olivia relentlessly and no one ever knew. They covered it up.”

Liam looked away. He didn’t want Drake to see the tears threatening to escape his eyes. The lump in his throat tightened. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. His chest was getting heavier. His vision blurred and then black. He could faintly hear Drake yelling for the doctor onboard.

“Li.. Li… wake up we’re getting ready to land.” Drake said as he gently shook Liam's shoulder. Liam sat up with a jerk. His eyes darted around the cabin. He didn’t know where he was yet. “It’s okay Li. We’re still on the jet. We will be landing at JFK in 20 minutes. Then you’re going straight to the hotel. The onboard doctor has already set up home healthcare at the hotel. They are fully equipped and we won’t have to worry about your location getting out.”

Liam relaxed. “Thanks Drake. Sorry for passing out. Guess I was just exhausted.” He looked down to see an iv taped to his hand. “Fluids and antibiotics. Doc says you’re severely dehydrated and slightly malnourished. You have 3 broken ribs. They will heal on their own. Your stab wound needed stitches but it was in the healing stages already . It’s going to leave a gnarly scar.” Drake informed him. You must’ve been held for awhile.”

Once they were in the suite in the hotel the doctors came in to check Liam’s wounds and set up his IV medications, Liam looked over at Drake, “thanks for finding me Drake. You saved my life.” Liam mumbled drifting off to sleep. “Get some rest Liam. I’m going to talk to Bastien.”

After Liam drifted off into a deep sleep Drake went to find Bastien.

“Bas, what are we going to do? How could this have happened?”

“Before Jackson was killed, he had some intel that he shared with me. This was an ongoing plan to remove Leo & Liam from the throne. King Constantine and Queen Regina were planning this long before the late Queen Eleanor’s. We have intel that they were behind her death. Regina and Constantine had a traditional Cordonian Arrangement prior. No one could have foreseen she would orchestrate this outcome.” Bastien said.

“We have to take them down and restore Liams rightful place as King. We can not let them get away with what they have done to Liam. What do you know about Leo and Celeste?” Drake asked. He was trying to figure out how to approach Liam when we woke up. He knew whatever Liam had gone through was extreme and he didn’t know who Liam would be when he woke up.

“Celeste was part of the plan the whole time. I don’t know how deep her loyalty to the King and Queen run. But it’s evident she won't be in support of Liam. And Leo will be no help. He’s become a paranoid recluse inside Fydelia Psychiatric Hospital.”

“I shouldn’t have left. I should have stayed to help Liam. I had no idea. FUCK!” Drake screamed. He slammed his fist through the wall of the living room of the presidential suite.

“We need to talk to Liam. Find out what he knows. Then we will proceed with a course of action. We follow Liams lead on this Drake.” Bastien’s eyes meet Drakes and he gives him a sad half smile.

Twelve hours later Liam woke. Best sleep I’ve had in a month. Maybe that’s due to the sleep aides. I need to talk to Bastien and Drake. Have they spoken to Liv yet? Liam thought to himself. Liam slowly got out of bed wincing in pain from the broken ribs. His feet are bandaged from the cuts Regina had given him.

“Liam?”

Liam whipped his around and spotted Drake. He was just waking up from the couch in Liam's room. “Drake, we need to get back home. Have you spoken to Olivia?” “Yea, Li she’s okay. She told me what Constantine did. She prefers to stay in Lythikos but will come here if we need her. We are heading back tomorrow but first we have to figure things out.” Bastien came in with a huge breakfast spread. “Your Majesty,” he bowed. “It’s good to see you awake and feeling better. You’ll need your strength so eat.” “Bastien,” Liam nodded his head, “I want to thank you for helping me and not betraying the crown. The traitors will be dealt with. I will see it to myself.” Liam said no emotion behind. Bastien noticed a change in the young prince. The spark of life seemingly snuffed out.

A couple hours later everyone chatted and got ready for the day, Drake eyes Liam staring at his phone. “What’s up Li?”

“When this is over I’m bringing Leo home. But not until it’s over. What Regina, Celeste, and Constantine did broke him and nearly broke me. Maybe they did break me. Celeste..and Madeline.. Leo probably thinks I had something to do with it. I should have known.” Liam drifted off. “Madeline? What happened Li?”

He told Drake everything. Drake hung his head in sadness for his friend. Liam whispered. “In the name of the crown, in the name of an heir. Regina tortured me. I will kill them all. Constantine did nothing. When you came in that was the first time…”Liam choked, “that he came in. To offer me and Leo Valtoria in exchange for my abdication and silence.” “I will kill them all.” Liam whispered. Drake sat unable to speak. Not sure what to say, what could he say? His best friend was gone. They had stolen pieces of him. Drake could see the parts that were missing.

“I’m so sorry Li, I shouldn’t have left. I should have stayed. Had I known….” Drake trailed off.

“Stop Drake. It’s not your fault. I will take my crown and will show no mercy on anyone standing in my way.”

“We’re heading back tomorrow, what’s the plan?”

“Constantine is dead. The mourning period will last a month or so. I will take my rightful place. As soon as we’re back I want them brought before me.” Liam demanded.

The next afternoon they landed in Cordonia. The press was waiting at the tarmac ready to scream questions about the King's death and Liam’s coronation. As they made their way back to the Palace to prepare for tonight’s coronation, Drake was on the phone with the rest of the Kings Guard. “Li, they’ve all fled the country. They are in England, Duke Godfrey’s duchy to be exact.”

“Leave them. I will deal with them when they return. I do not want formal charges brought and I will need to do that to have them extradited. This is personal.” Liam sneered. Drake sensed a venomous tone. “Celeste and the… heir, if there is a child to speak of, will not be harmed until I find out if she’s pregnant.”

They knew Liam re-emerging was the end of their sinister plan for him. The coronation went off without a hitch. His Majesty, King William Constantine Rhys was crowned King of all Cordonia.

“Long Live the King”

8 months later

“It’s a boy, your majesty” the doctor spoke to the King. “He may suffer..” the doctor continued. “STOP” Liam shouted. “I don’t want to know. The child is not the heir and whatever affliction he suffers will be properly taken care of. The child will have the best medical attention. You will see to that Doctor. And Bastien?”

“Your Majesty?” Bastien bowed and walked into the King's study, eyeing the doctor seated in front of Liams desk.

“Hire a staff to care for the boy, we have designated quarters for him in the palace. Celeste may stay with the boy while he is nursing. Armed guards are to be with her around the clock. Regina is not to be anywhere near the child. I am this child’s father. Unwillingly albeit but not matter. He will not ascend the throne and I will have papers drawn up immediately binding his future. He is ward of the Crown.” Liam dismissed Bastien and the doctor.

Six years had gone by. Liam became fond of the child. The child was the best kept secret in the palace. Celeste had remained living with the young boy in his quarters in the South Wing of the palace. She and Liam avoided each other. Liam fought the urge to wrap his hand around her throat and squeeze the life out of her every time he saw her. Leo was back living at the palace. He wasn’t the Leo Liam remembered. But he was getting better.

Regina and Madeline had remained with Godfrey in England. Madeline was heartbroken when she was not the one to conceive Liam’s child.

“Ready to go back to New York Li? I’m ready to partaayy before you get locked down for life? You’ll have to give up all the ladies you’ve been getting!” Maxwell squealed as they boarded the jet to Cordonia. One last hurrah before the social season began.

Six years. Six years of fighting this hunger inside me. Maybe this trip I will give in. Maybe I can finally feel. He tried to satiate his needs with meaningless sex with hundreds of meaningless women. With these women he couldn’t let himself fully go. He had to control his need to rip the silky flesh from their bones every time they climaxed on him. Even multiple women at a time couldn’t bring him satisfaction. He needed a release. Six years of no release, it was becoming unbearable. Willing women weren’t enough. He needed to hear her scream. Her need for him. He needed to smell the coppery scent of her blood covering him. I can hear the demons inside, they’re telling me to let them out. They deserve to feel too.

“I’m sorry I’m late, miss?….”

“Riley. Riley Brooks.”

Who is this beautiful blue eyed American? His cock twitched as he stared deep into the empty abyss of her eyes. Her eyes were identical to his. In that moment they both knew they would never let each other go.

She would be his release. He would be her escape.

#trr kingliam mentalangst regina drake bastien madeliene constantine king Prince leo abuse dark Twisted theroyalromance

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gwenore · 4 years ago

Text

The Trollslayer. Chapter 9

Chapter 26: Strickler and Barbara finally talk about the situation and have plenty of drinks, which has never ended well for them.

Note: I have really appreciated all the comments on this so I decided to add another chapter. I doubt I will come back to this regularly, but I might to a chapter here and there.

“So… how is drinking as a troll?” Strickler questioned as Barbara was slamming back another shot of the bourbon which they had found buried back in a cabinet.

“Makes me wonder how you got so stupidly drunk back in university,” she said as she wiped her lips. Strickler chuckled softly before he nodded his head slowly.

Strickler cocked his head slowly before he made a slow nod.

“They snuck up on me,” he said with a soft laugh in his voice. Barbara raised a brow towards him before she shook her head.

“If you say so…” she said before her head slammed into the kitchen counter that they were seated around. Despite himself, Stickler had to wince ever so slightly.

“You alright?” he had to ask. Barbara simply let out a groan.

“Horns are heavy…” she simply muttered.

“Mhm… they are indeed…” Strickler simply agreed with her as he poured himself another drink. Barbara lifted her head slightly.

“I want to fight…” she then stated with a furrowed brow.

“That is a very common troll emotion… it happens often,” he said with a soft laugh in his voice.

“Never seen you be like that…” she muttered.

“Well… I am old… and I have learned to repress that side of me. If you want to pass as a human you cannot make such outbursts. In fact… it takes a changeling long to learn how to balance their two opposing natures. It has cost many their lives,” he sipped his drink deeply.

Barbara looked at him for a long time.

“I am sorry…” she swallowed.

“That was what the Janus order was supposed to prevent to some degree. But as changelings first and foremost look after themselves… you can imagine that there is limited success with this…” he shrugged his shoulders. “Still… something that a changeling has to learn.”

Barbara ran her hand through her hair, twitching a bit at the feeling of horns under her fingers.

“I… I can see how that has been a challenge… how about Jim then… since he is part changeling…?” she had to ask.

“I do not know… but I think that boy has far greater worry about besides his bloodline,” Strickler sighed as he poured himself another drink.

“Yes… the whole trollhunter thing… I have to confess… I really do not like it, but…” Barbara’s voice faded out.

“No… it is good reason for that. At least Bular is gone, but Gunmar is always going to be a threat. There will also always be other dangers…” Strickler glanced over towards her.

Barbara swallowed, looking down rather nervously, clenching her hand.

“You could have lied to me to make me feel better,” she took another swig of her drink.

“I have done that too much already… and it ruined everything good in my life…” he let out a defeated sigh. “Suppose lies always do catch up with you in the end…”

Barbara swallowed… brushing a bit of her hair behind her horn… which was odd in itself as she sipped her drink.

“Suppose you have plenty to regret…” she whispered. Strickler let out an amused chuckle.

“Suppose so…�� he murmured, but he then cocked his head. “Or… well… there is not much I actually regret believe it or not… I always just… did what I felt I had to in order to survive… what changelings do I suppose… but hurting you. Lying to you… that I do truly regret.”

Barbara swallowed, before she nodded her head.

“So… James… what are we going to do with him…?” she then asked. Strickler simply pounded back another drink, as he let out a soft hum…

“James…” he shrugged his shoulders. “I doubt nothing good is going to come of it. Hate to say it… but… he is who he has always been…”

That was everything which needed to be said really.

“I just worry what well… what if Jim finds out that I have been lying to him… I don’t think that he could handle that I have been lying to him… and… doesn’t he deserve to know that his father is back… I mean, he must have so many questions! Fuck! I have so many questions!” she growled slightly.

Strickler sighed.

“That is something you have to decide about what is best for your son… and you. I already can tell you that he left you two… and he didn’t look back. I do not know if that is something Jim needs to hear… or you need to hear from him…” Strickler then said, keeping his voice low.

Barbara swallowed.

“It just… feels so strange… that he could walk away from everything… and never once look back…” Barbara furrowed her brows. “Have you done that?”

“I have left several lives behind… what you have to do when you are as long lived as we are… we really have no other choice in the matter…” he then let out a soft sigh. “But… before… I kept my distance really. Put myself in situations where the humans might wonder what had happen to me, but only as a passing thought. I always said that, we shouldn’t get involved. Get too close…” he let out a soft chuckle. “Before you… I was good at sticking to it too. Suppose I figured that the changeling bit was so difficult to get over… but… ignored all the awful things that I did…”

“That sounds lonely…” Barbara was now leaning on her chin, feeling that her horns made it a bit too hard to keep her head up. However… she feared that if her head hit the kitchen counter it would crack the tiles with how heavy it felt.

“I suppose…” Strickler muttered. “But… I am used to it… and it is nothing more than what I deserve…”

Barbara looked at him again, narrowing her eyes, before reaching out her hand and delivering a punch directly into his arm.

“BARBARA!” Strickler exclaimed as he rubbed his arm.

“You piss me off…” Barbara grumbled.

“Well, that still hurt!” he grumbled as he moved a bit away from her.

“You just… annoy me endlessly,” she grumbled.

“From what I have heard that is not an uncommon reaction regarding me,” he muttered.

“I should do far more than just hit you,” Barbara’s stare was enough to make the changeling move slightly away.

“Again… a very troll like emotion, but I would rather you take it out on the punching bag in the basement,” not that he particularly minded a spirited fight with Barbara now that she was able too… but between trolls, friendly… or even not so friendly fighting had a… connotation which he was certain she was not intending at all.

Besides… he was not certain how happy Jim would be to find the house entirely trashed.

“Sounds boring,” Barbara grumbled as she looked at the shot glass. “Why do I want to eat this?”

“As you saw when Jim ate his phone… trolls have a… different appetite from humans. I would advise against eating it though… especially as we don’t know how long this will last-”

Strickler was interrupted by the sound of crunching glass. He could not keep from letting out a slightly exhausted sigh.

“Were you even listening?” he had to sigh.

“I… I meant to…” she simply said.

“Well, let us hope that your troll form lasts long enough for you to actually digest that!” Strickler huffed himself up a bit. “Or else you might have to go to your own hospital!”

Barbara simply stared at him. “I mean… that would be bad…”

“Lucky for you troll digestion is quite efficient, just… next time stick to things that won’t destroy your human stomach when you get it back,” he rolled his eyes.

His tone was making it very tempting to punch him again.

“I understand why Jim would get so annoyed with you, you are not the best teacher when it comes to these things!” Barbara crossed her arms.

“As I told him, this is not exactly my subject!” Strickler retorted. “Which… he really needs to learn how to control his changing… It will be a disaster waiting to happen if he doesn’t.”

“From my recollection, you weren’t that eager about changing your form either,” Barbara stated. Strickler simply shrugged.

“Suppose it was part of me who still was not ready for you to see me like that…” he then murmured.

“I never cared…”

“I know… I know…” he simply said. “It was me who… it was just…”

He was struggling to find the words.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter. This is ending… I am leaving which… is for the best. But… I did love you, Barbara. For the first time in my life… I loved someone. But… I knew I didn’t deserve it… didn’t deserve any of it… so that was why I still felt the need to hide. I am better at lying with this face,” he mentioned towards his own face. “As well… it is nothing more than a lie.”

“Walt…”

“No need to say anything… I…”

Before he could say anything he was pulled practically over the kitchen counter and he felt those protruding tusks press against his lips as Barbara had dragged him into a kiss.

“Barbara…” he gasped softly. “What…?”

“I don’t care, just…” she grasped before she kissed him again, his large hands wrapping around her now stone form as she pulled him closer.

This was a mistake.

They both knew it.

And neither cared.

#the trollslayer #trollhunters fic #stricklake fic #walter strickler #Barbara Lake

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atomicse · 5 years ago

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juliantina au 3 + trope 2 + prompt 34

i didn’t think i would get any of these… but let’s go!

spy!au + enemies to lovers + “i don’t even know why we’re doing this.”

(idk if this is any good [or coherent] but i wrote it at 3am so pls be kind. also i don’t think this is what u wanted anon, but…)

“god, this is so boring, this dude hasn’t done anything all day. i don’t even know why we’re doing this.”

juliana rolls her eyes. of all the people they could’ve paired her with, they had to put her with the obnoxious, trust fund baby. “because it’s our job?” she snarks.

the other girl sends juliana what she probably thinks is a murderous glare, but her bright blue eyes and disney princess aura make her look as intimidating as baby yoda. “i’ve worked with this organization for years, i don’t do stakeouts, i do real, important, shit.”

juliana doesn’t say anything, she won’t even try to fight this petulant little girl.

“whatever.” carvajal huffs. minutes pass without her externalizing her displeasure of the situation, and juliana dares to think that maybe, just maybe, she won’t have to deal with her attitude for the rest of their shared stakeout when, “i can’t believe mr. g put me with you.”

“what is that supposed to mean?” juliana asks with a raised eyebrow.

“we’re like, the worst possible combination he could’ve come up with.“ the brunette shrugs nonchalantly. juliana just stares at her. “you’re like, this angsty loner type, and i’m… i don’t know, the kind of agent that has a sense of humor and isn’t brooding 24/7”, she explains.

juliana can’t help but snort, that’s rich coming from her. she’s never worked side by side with the other agent before, -they’ve actually only ever conversed twice, once when she first joined the organization, and right now-, but it is common knowledge that carvajal has this sort of hero complex, people say she’s always hell bent on saving the day. “aren’t you the one that’s always putting herself at risk just to be the hero or whatever?” she sneers. “i would appreciate it if you dropped your preconceived incorrect ideas about me. you don’t know me.” juliana frowns.

“and i don’t want to” carvajal shakes her head, turning to look at their mark.

“well, i don’t either.”

“fine.”

they both stare out the window, silently waiting for the man on the other side of the street to get into his vehicle. once he does, carvajal turns on the engine and drives off without saying a word.

juliana sighs in the passenger’s seat, she doesn’t understand why the other girl hates her so much.

after following their mark for hours and trying to gather as much information about him as possible, they decide to approach him on his last stop of the day, a stupidly exclusive casino on the most expensive side of town.

they get out of the car and juliana thanks whatever entity is looking out for them because they let them in, no questions asked.

“okay so, i’m going to go explore the place,” juliana says, already seeing lots of people she thinks might be useful to their mission. “you should go with aguayo, maybe you can get some info directly from him.”

carvajal gives her a weird look “why me?”

“because i’m too much of a broody loner, no?” juliana reminds her “and you’re a lot easier on the eyes” she adds after a beat.

“did you just call me pretty?” the brunette smirks.

juliana blushes an embarrassing shade of pink, “shut up, just go.” she throws over her shoulder as she makes what she hopes is a smooth exit.

an hour and a half after their separation, juliana has already scooped out the area in search for any suspicious activity (and downed three shots of tequila). she’s sitting at the bar, half-heartedly conversing with the friendly bartender while waiting for her partner to finish whatever she’s doing to subtly interrogate their mark.

“hello, gorgeous, you havin’ fun?” she hears a voice say to her. when she turns, she finds a disheveled man eyeing her lustfully.

juliana’s stomach churns, the way he’s staring at her is painfully reminiscent of the many times man just like this one would look and treat her and her mom like they only existed for their twisted enjoyment when she was young.

she’s since stopped being afraid, she is the company’s best asset, but for some reason, she finds herself paralyzed while the unknown man reaches to grab at her.

juliana’s alcohol dazed brain is just catching up, coming up with a half-baked plan to simply kick this man’s balls off when a sickenly sweet voice captures their attention. “hey, sir, i think you should go find someone more age appropriate.” her partner smiles at her over the man’s shoulder and juliana has never been more relieved to see that annoying little dimple on the brunette’s cheek. “besides, this one’s spoken for.” carvajal adds cheekily.

juliana feels the blood rush to her cheeks and curses herself for falling victim to the brunette’s charm.

the man smirks as he looks between them, surely imagining a whole lot of disgusting things that make juliana want to go back to her plan of just ending his bloodline. “can i join?” he leers at them.

her partner scowls at him and takes juliana’s hand, swiftly removing them from the situation before it escalates.

“can’t leave you alone for a second, can i, agent valdés?” ugh, of course she has to ruin it just when juliana’s starting to like her.

“whatever.” juliana crosses her arms over her chest. “did you get anything out of him?” she inquires, hoping that the other woman’s charm had worked with aguayo just as much as it seemed to work with her.

carvajal nods happily, “yeah, dude’s a total lightweight!” she laughs, “a couple of shots of mezcal and he was ready to spill all his secrets to me.” juliana snorts, she guesses that carvajal must’ve had her fair share of drinking too, since she’s being so buddy-buddy with her. “i thought narco leaders were… different.” the brunette says pensively.

the woman’s attitude is giving juliana whiplash, before she’d treated her like shit, and now she’d being almost nice. “um, right. did you get any relevant stuff for our investigation?” juliana doesn’t want to be here any longer than necessary.

“yeah, i recorded our entire chat. there’s some juicy shit there.” carvajal shows juliana her phone, a forty-minute audio recording sits on her recently saved files.

“good job.” she awkwardly pats her partner on the back.

carvajal scoffs. “it was better than good and you know it.” she leans down so her and juliana’s faces are dangerously close, “c’mon, v, tell me i was amazing.” she pouts.

damn her and her stupid wide blue eyes and her perfectly shaped lips and- woah, juliana is more than a little buzzed too. “no, ya vámonos, carvajal. we gotta attend the briefing tom-” she starts to ramble when surprisingly strong arms wrap around her waist and soft lips crash into hers.

juliana has kissed people before, of course she has, she’s kissed her fair share of girls, even a few boys during games like spin the bottle or truth or dare when she was in middle school, but no one has ever made her stomach flip like this infuriating woman right here. the way carvajal gently sucks on juliana’s bottom lip makes her brain malfunction.

they kiss for what seems like an eternity, only separating when their lungs demand air.

juliana blinks dazedly at carvajal when she calms herself down enough to hold the other woman’s gaze without jumping her. “what was that?” she asks.

“the creepy dude from before was pissing me off, looked at you like you were a piece of meat” carvajal explains without letting go of juliana “also, you were talking too much” she winks.

juliana process the information for a second. “so…” she trails off “… are we done here?” she asks as casually as she can. the kiss left her a little shaken, she can’t wait until she gets home for a nice hot bath -or a cold shower.

“yeah, just let me go grab a bottle of water. i need to sober up a little in case we bump into el alcoholímetro.” the brunette finally lets go of juliana.

juliana nods dumbly before going after her, she really needs to sober up too.

“thank you for the ride.” juliana says quietly. carvajal had taken her home instead of just dropping her off at the subway station like she had suggested, claiming that she would never let someone take the subway at that hour, even if they annoyed her as much as juliana. (hero complex)

carvajal gives her a dorky thumbs up as she gets out of the car. “night, valdés, don’t let the bed bugs bite!” juliana can’t help but smile back.

this day was so weird; first, being paired with carvajal had been unexpected, second, the other agent had been hostile towards her for no apparent reason, then treated her obnoxiously nicely, and third, she actually kind of liked carvajal, a little bit.

“do you want to… stay the night?” she asks with an amount of courage she didn’t know she was capable of mustering.

carvajal smirks, “are you propositioning me?”

“it’s late, you shouldn’t be out” juliana explains. “and i have a spare room.”

the brunette seems to think it through and juliana scolds herself for offering, you idiot this is none of you business. “sure, yeah.” oh.

“cool. c’mon i- i’ll show you” juliana stutters a half assed explanation of her home’s layout to her partner while said partner just looks at her amusedly.

“relax, valdés” carvajal chuckles. “i’m not going to bite you …unless you want to.”

juliana scoffs, why is she suddenly flirting with her? “didn’t you hate me this morning?”

“i don’t hate anyone, though i did dislike you a little, but i’ve always been a sucker for pretty girls.” she steps into juliana’s personal space.

“i-”

carvajal cuts her off “shut up, valdés, you know exactly why you invited me over.”

then, she joins their lips together, sucking on juliana’s bottom lip like she had an hour ago, and it is just as glorious.

#prompt game #anonymous #asks #juliantina #juliantina fic #yo idk what this is so don't even ask #long post #this is a mess luv

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thecorteztwins · 5 years ago

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Okay, but here’s another unappreciated thing about Madelyne Pryor, so unappreciated that I’ve never even seen any fellow Maddy fan talk about it--- Her walking out on Sebastian Shaw, despite him treating her well, because he was going to do things that were potentially going to hurt other people. So, after Maddy got resurrected in the 90s by Nate, she was in this very liminal space between hero and villain, often oscillating back and forth between them. She was also amnesiac for awhile too, and it was during this vulnerable state that Selene, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, recruited her as her new Black Rook, and Trevor Fitzroy as her new White Rook. She brought them to the Hellfire Club and it’s pretty plain that she intended to use them against Shaw, but Madelyne and Shaw hit it off immediately. And here’s the crazy thing--Sebastian instantly recognized her as NOT Jean. And Shaw has a little past with Jean (or the Phoenix Force masquerading as her, more precisely) to say the least, given the DARK PHOENIX SAGA. But he looks right at Maddy and calls her an “unknown being”. And when Tessa/Sage telepathically relays to him who she is---since according to her, every telepath felt the Gobyln Queen’s passing---Sebastian makes reference to Inferno, something MADDY did. Under demonic influence, yes, when not herself, yes, but still something that was her accomplishment. He never ever refers to Jean at all in relation to her, at ANY point. Now, how the FUCK Sebastian knew it wasn’t Jean he was looking at, that’s never explained, but looking at Maddy as a wholly separate entity does make sense for Sebastian’s strong individualist philosophies. Most people don’t know Sebastian Shaw well besides “evil rich guy” (or, more recently, Emma’s evil ex) but he does indeed have a very individualist outlook. He says things like “the common herd means nothing, the individual is all”, he never identifies as a mutant unless it’s convenient for him (ex: Krakoa) and in fact will turn on other mutants and participate in their oppression if it profits him (building Sentinels) and was ready to die rather than have Sinister take over his body (”I’m an egoist. I’d rather die as myself than live as someone else.”) So it does make sense that he of all people would actually see Maddy as her own being, regardless of her origins, and thus only pay attention to her accomplishments (especially since he’s a guy who is all about power) and not who she looks like. Now, Maddy is still amnesiac at this point, but I think the fact he did recognize her as her own being probably charmed her subconsciously, and I think she also probably was subconsciously NOT kind to the idea of being manipulated once again like Selene was trying to do with her, because she starts liking Sebastian a lot more than Selene. But after Tessa probes her mind, it brings back her memories, so she zooms back to Nate. She finds him with Jean, and learns that he only brought her back to life because his mind was subconsciously seeking Jean, and grabbed poor Maddy’s ghost from the astral plane instead. Upon learning this, NATE TRIES TO KILL HER. Maddy, understandably, books it back to the Hellfire Club. She then comes into Shaw’s room, wakes him up, strips, and tells him no talking til morning. Maddy initiates their relationship entirely, and it’s a pattern that persists throughout it---from what we see, Sebastian pretty much does what she wants. He puts her up in a nice place in Hong Kong where she’ll be safe from the anti-mutant shit currently going down, he throws a party at her request that’s just about announcing they’re an official couple (holy shit, ROMANTIC COMMITMENT from SEBASTIAN SHAW?!), and, bizarrely, he never tries to use or manipulate her or even asks at all her with her help in any scheme, despite her great power. Now, Sebastian Shaw is a bona fide bastard, like he has no redeeming factors and I say that as a big fan of his (it’s one of the reasons I like him, I love total trash). But he actually was good to Maddy. He wasn’t yet the “abusive boyfriend” type bastard at this point in canon; his background with Emma was not added til the 2010s, and this was the 90s, so while he was established as an abusive father to Shinobi, there actually wasn’t any evidence to suggest he’d be an abusive partner, as those are two different dynamics, and he was shown to be deeply in love with his fiancee Lourdes before her death (though he was quoted as not being in love with Maddy) So his being a good boyfriend to Maddy despite being an awful person in general actually tracks fairly well for his characterization at this point in canon. But still, I am sure that if Maddy had stayed with him, he would have used her in some way, or done something awful, he’s just...he’s Sebastian Shaw. But for the time she was with him, he never did anything bad at all, certainly not to her. And whether Maddy loved him or not (which I don’t think she did, I think he was just all she had to turn to at the time) he was the first, and thus far, still the ONLY man that she was with that WASN’T of the Summers bloodline, and thus he’s the only man who was truly her own CHOICE to be with, rather than influenced by Sinister’s programming like with Scott, Alex, and Nate. So, what happened? Madelyne found out that Sebastian was waking up the Harbinger, a servant of Apocalypse, as part of yet another scheme of power and wealth for himself (YOU’RE A MULTIBILLIONAIRE ALREADY, SHAW, STOP) And while this wouldn’t affect her at all, nor likely anyone she knew or cared about, it was likely to result in the deaths of many other people. And she said fuck that, and she abandoned Shaw, and she reconnected with Cable, her son, with whom there was more than a little bad blood, in order to urge him to stop this thing. So, let’s break this down. Madelyne has been rejected by everyone else for what she ISN’T, but now she has a man who sees her for what she is, and he wants to be with her. And not, apparently, for her power, nor for who she looks like (Shaw NEVER had any interest in Jean besides for the Phoenix) but for HER. He’s not in love with her, but he does seem to have affection for her (ex: putting a blanket over her shoulders on the yacht in case she’s cold in her little black costume) which is more than he gives anyone else, and what’s more, she OWNS his dick and he gives her anything she wants. She could easily live the rest of her life in comfort and safety, and never deal with the X-Men or her past again, and be comfortable with the fact that for once SHE had complete agency in choosing the person she was with. But it’s over the moment he’s going to hurt people. It doesn’t matter if they’re far away, if it’s simply a by-product rather than something he’s doing directly, it doesn’t matter that they’re nameless faces she’ll never know, it doesn’t matter if she never has to see it or deal with it, MADDY WON’T STAND FOR IT. Madelyne Pryor, the REAL Madelyne Pryor, cares for people, and not just the people in her life, not just the people she’s CLOSE to, no, Madelyne Pryor cares for the WORLD, she understands EVERY life has value, not just the ones she knows and likes. This is the REAL Maddy, this is the Maddy I remember who sacrificed her LIFE alongside the X-Men to stop The Adversary even though she hadn’t found her son yet, because she knew that the countless lives of others was worth even more than that. And damn well she knows it’s worth more than her getting some good dick and nice things, and more even being seen as herself (which is all she’s ever really wanted) And I just...*clenches fist* I love it so much. I love HER so much. It actually makes me LIKE the Shaw/Maddy ship not just because I am glad she got a good thing for awhile, but also because it DIDN’T last, because she made this CHOICE to leave when she had everything, not for herself but for other people, and showed that she is still a HERO and I LOVE HER... ...and then ofc the 2000s since have shit all over that with bringing her back as a dominatrix crazy ex but I’M NOT EVER FORGETTING IT!!

#madelyne pryor #sebastian shaw #goblyn queen #goblin queen #xmen #out of cortez #maddie feels

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spaceskam · 5 years ago

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I Never Quite Let You Go

For @michaelguerinweek day 3: favorite michael dynamic (yes i stole this from the edit prompt, idk if this fits the fic prompt)

Summary: Everyone is struggling to deal with Michael and Rosa being friends.

ao3

Maria had no idea what she was going to find when she followed Michael’s hysterical directions.

It was all fine whenever he was playing the guitar and then he lost it. Something in him just snapped and he started freaking out, struggling to find his keys through his tears. Maria thought it was insane that he wanted to drive like that, but he insisted he had to go, so she offered to drive. Now, as they drove into the desert, she was regretting the offer.

She regretted it even more when he made her skid to a stop in a random place and jumped out while the car was still moving. She put the truck in park and ran after him, hoping to make sure he didn’t do anything too stupid.

A cave came into sight that he was barrelling towards and was able to catch up just as they stumbled inside. Maria froze as she saw a giant purple-blue glow with none other than Max Evans inside. What the hell?

“Papi?” The voice was unmistakable and Maria was again thrust into shock as she turned towards it. Rosa stood alive and breathing with a blanket in lieu of clothing. Before she could make a move, Michael ran to her. Rosa seemed to have no caution for modesty as she wrapped him in her arms, pulling him down to tuck his head under her chin. “You’re so old and scruffy, what the fuck.”

“How are you alive?” Maria whispered and Rosa just smiled, opening an arm for her. Maria easily molded into the hug, not even bothering that Michael was just a blubbering mess as he clutched onto her. She gave him an arm around him as well.

None of the made any sense but she was willing to accept it if it meant Rosa was here and hugging her.

“I can’t believe you.”

“Excuse me?”

Isobel shook her head as she watched Michael sip his coffee, going back and forth between giving her full attention and texting Rosa. It was so strange seeing him actually having a normal friendship with someone. They’d both insisted they were close in high school, but just no one noticed. Isobel feels like she would’ve noticed and that now they were just being more open about it rather than sneaking around.

“For a decade, you thought I killed your friend and you never said anything,” Isobel scoffed, shaking her head. She tried not to focus on how bad it hurt that he never mentioned it and was never allowed to grieve properly because of it.

Michael shrugged as if it didn’t matter. It mattered. “Look, there was nothing I could do. I knew you weren’t in your right mind and since she was dead, you and Max were all I had left. I needed to protect you, I couldn’t put my own feelings first.”

Her chest felt a sharp pang and she looked down at her own coffee. She hated that she never noticed. God, how had she never noticed?

“Rosa, seriously?”

Liz couldn’t help but be confused as Rosa watched Michael bend over the hood of the old car he’d found for her.

“What?” she laughed, “He got hot.”

“I can’t believe I never knew you two were even friends, much less close enough that you let a white boy call you 'Mami’,” Liz scoffed, shaking her head. Rosa shrugged and tilted her head as if it would give her a better view of his ass in his faded jeans.

“I keep good company,” she said and a smile broke out on her face, “Besides, it’s really funny when he says it.”

“Mami!” Michael called as if on cue, coming closer with sweat dripping down his bare chest. Liz couldn’t help but cringe as she heard Rosa sigh happily. “I forgot to tell you, I heard some old lady talkin’ about you.”

The two women raised their eyebrows in intrigue. “Do tell.”

“Apparently, the similarity between Elena Valenti and Rosa Ortecho has not gone unnoticed,” he grinned, leaning over her chair. Liz scrunched up her nose as they got close without a thought. She hated when they did that. She felt like she was intruding even though they insisted it was nothing more than friendship. “Heard that there’s a big theory that there’s some affair in the Valenti bloodline. No one even thinks it’s fishy.”

“Then it looks like Alex’s idea is working,” Rosa mused. Michael smiled wider at the name.

“Are we surprised?” he asked before dropping a kiss to her head which caused a smile. “Gonna go shower.”

“Are you sure it’s platonic? You know you can tell me,” Liz said seriously once he disappeared into the airstream. Rosa groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Yes, Liz, it’s nothing,” she insisted, “Michael is extremely into Alex and I have my eye on someone a little shorter and a little more woman. I think it’s bullshit that two people can’t be affectionate without it having to be something other than friendship.”

“I guess,” Liz said, though she still had her suspicions. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of the weird relationship between them. Still, Rosa shook her head.

“It’s not really a guess situation, Liz. That’s how it was when he was 16 and had never had anyone touch him that wasn’t violent. He deserves someone who doesn’t have ulterior motives and I don’t,” Rosa insisted, “Besides, I don’t have to defend my friendship.” Liz nodded despite remaining skeptical.

“Okay, you’re right.”

“Get out!”

“I am too fucking old to be thrown out of a girl’s bed by her dad, Valenti! Fuck off!”

Kyle was fuming as he watched Rosa laugh and Guerin hold a pillow over his head. All he was doing was trying to do his brotherly duties and wake her up so she wouldn’t be late for work, but he instead found her in bed with Guerin which was absolutely not okay. Rosa had no pants on and Guerin had no shirt or pants on and he did not approve.

“She is too young for you! She is 19! Get out!” Kyle yelled again, snatching the pillow away from him. Guerin made a face, rolling over.

“He literally stays over all the time, Kyle, calm down,” Rosa laughed. That did not calm him down.

“She is nineteen, Guerin!”

“We’re not fucking, holy shit.”

“You’re half-naked in her bed!”

“It’s 102 degrees outside!”

“I don’t care! Doesn’t give you the right to be in bed with a teenage girl!”

“I didn’t do anything! And if I did, multiple people, including my boyfriend, would probably skin me alive so leave me alone!” Guerin shouted, crossing his arms over his head. “And, by the way, no one said anything when she was 18 and I was barely 16 and sleeping half-naked in her bed, so I feel like there’s some double standards here!” Rosa pouted in adoration, reaching out to rub his back.

“You alright, Papi? Bad wake up call?” she cooed. Guerin simply whined in response. Kyle was about to lose it. “Also I’m technically 30, so…” Rosa said, giving him a wild smile. Kyle huffed and turned to storm out.

He was going to tell Alex about this.

“They’re friends, Kyle.”

“I’m annoyed by how calm you are.”

Alex chuckled, closing his laptop and sliding it into his backpack. He and Michael were going very slow and working their way to being solid friends before they did anything too crazy. They had had a long in-depth talk about how they wanted to go about things after Rosa and Maria had pressured Michael into making them actually talk. After that, it was super easy for Alex to stop feeling like either of them were a threat. Not that he liked that he felt that way in the first place, but he will admit that he did.

“They’re both consenting adults on top of it. Even without her literally dying, she’s almost 20 and she’s been through a lot. I think they’re good for each other,” Alex decided. At first, their relationship was a little uncomfortable, but Alex was probably the first one to realize that they related on a level Michael was lacking. It was good for him.

“I don’t like it, she’s my sister and he’s… Guerin,” Kyle said, looking disgusted. Alex smiled, shaking his head.

“He’s not that bad.”

“I don’t trust your judgment when it comes to him,” Kyle said. Alex shook his head, but let him continue to ramble. “He called you his boyfriend by the way.”

“Yeah?” Alex asked, a small smile pulling at his lips. They hadn’t really given anything a title, but they had agreed not to see anyone else while they tried to work with each other. The fact that he was considering a boyfriend made him feel a bit better.

“See, this is why I don’t trust your judgment!”

When Alex got home that night, he found both Michael and Rosa on his couch which had become pretty common these days. Alex had missed Rosa a lot, she was the first person to make him feel like he could be himself and say fuck it to whatever other people thought. He found it funny that while she was being that person for him, she was also that person for Michael. They could’ve so very easily been together earlier if Rosa’s two worlds had collided for a moment.

“I heard Kyle tried to throw you out this morning,” Alex chuckled, easily falling onto the couch between them.

“Which is why we’re on your couch and not his,” Michael noted. Alex smiled, shaking his head as Rosa tucked herself into his side.

“You’re just in time, though, ‘cause Papi made popcorn and it’s spooky movie season,” Rosa stated. Alex relaxed deeper into the couch with a nod, hearing his front door lock itself with the assistance of Michael’s brain. When Alex looked to him, his eyes went from Alex’s shoulder and back to his eyes. Alex threw his arm around the back of the couch and Michael took it as a go-ahead.

Alex ended up smashed in between the two of them, feeling each of them jump when lame scares would come on the screen. It was oddly comforting and he decided that this could become his normal and he didn’t think he’d mind.

Actually, he believed he loved it.

#mgweek19 #guerinweek19 #michael & rosa #michael & rosa fic #michael guerin #michael guerin fic #rosa ortecho #rosa ortecho fic #roswell new mexico #roswell new mexico fic #rnm #rnm fic

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derangedhyena-zoids · 5 years ago

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You know what there doesn't seem to be a preponderance of on Zi?

Kids.

fair warning: this is a goddamn mess of a horseshitpost about history, population and reproduction dynamics, and chucklefucking about character genetics that I have unfortunately have actually spent time thinking about because my brain literally doesn't accept "idle" as a state.

this probably gets a little weird and also contains mention of sensitive topic (tagged) so please be aware of that

Ok so

Compared to say, the society pictured in Fuzors (which doesn't comply with the xCentury-verse sufficiently and thus gets ignored by me), NC0 seems equally prosperous but a lot more resource-strained. Not "at that time" but simply as a way of life.

Nobody thinks of themselves as resource-poor, but nothing is terribly robust except in the largest cities (eg the modern day rebuilds of the old capitals, Guygalos and New (Helic) City.)

This isn't a secret. It's more or less been the case for the entirety of humans' colonization of the planet. That's why locale self-sufficiency is so important and why there's huge stretches of nothing everywhere. You simply cannot live wherever you want. The environment is fucking hostile and You Will Die.

So first off, let's be real: when you first colonize a planet and want to establish yourselves there, there's going to be rules/procedures in place regarding reproduction to make sure nobody ends up genetically representing too much of the population. It'd take a bit to get to the point of non-directed (and/or non test-tube) reproduction even being allowed.

Basically, space humans colonizing alien planets gonna have hella birth control tech available. There are no "oops" offspring. I'm inclined to think it's actually something that's been modified on a very base level (read: likely genetic modification, is heritable) level, that would require outside intervention of some kind (eg chemical) to make reproduction possible.

The point of "safe to naturally mingle" would likely correspond with the eventual, initial tech-dip as the stores of things from initial arrival were finally depleted (because it was probably planned out that way), and tech that was arrived with started to go offline permanently.

They'd have to be settling into what they could do and make with the resources available on Zi, meaning that avoiding uncontrolled population growth was still a huge priority, because the let's-successfully-establish-civilization mindset would still be thoroughly ingrained at that point.

There'd be hundreds of years of "danger zone" population levels where large adverse events could've easily wiped them all out if they weren't mindful. But, they were, and humans colonized Zi successfully (...again), good job, hooray

The overarching society-level birth control was well-codified in the various cultural groups that arose. But these inclinations did change over time as larger and more friction-prone groups formed (read: the Empire, over time, became large and in charge, discontent developed and huge chunks of people kept trying to detach. Eventually the Republic cropped up. You need more people to be a bigger thing.)

Any desire to handle the population with kid-gloves all but went out the window as the first conflicts started and people were killed. These conflicts eventually escalated into the long-standing wars between the Empire and Republic, and restrictions on reproduction basically went away. (+depending on who was in charge things may have even Yikes'd in the other direction)

(just a canon-fyi I'm not following the Battle Story in the slightest, I'm only trying to make the xCentury anime(s) function. Zoids' various canons are like Transformers' canons - A MESS)

Before these wars started happening, not much besides the occasional natural disaster, accident, or simply old age killed anyone. People can live a long time on Zi! Much longer than usual.

Why? Because a lot of human common human pathogens from Earth simply *wouldn't exist* there (space humans are gonna be really careful to not tote that shit around), so there's only really lifestyle-related issues, latent or new-mutation genetic problems, and any micro-organisms on Zi that mutated sufficiently to be able to affect people. (which is not really a stretch if we're going by the thought that Zoidians were long-evolved humans. The Zoidians were there a LOT longer than humans have been)

so. modern day. I have NC0 a few hundred years after CC/GF. As a whole I think the human race on Zi is relatively young, but a lot of the oldest information (like "exactly when we fucking got here") was lost in Imperial/Republican wars.

Those went on for hundreds of years themselves, enough to establish mass Zoid manufacture as The Way Of Things(tm) and otherwise entrench what became the norms for human society there. (I STRONGLY suspect there's still a lot of residual Imperial/Republican tension in places/families and that Backdraft was founded by, for lack of a better word, Imperial sympathizers with a longstanding grudge against a unified GF-run government *coughhh Alteil cough* but... I digress)

Humans are at a perfectly serviceable population. I actually hesitate to put a number on it because I don't know what # value would properly represent "a sustainable amount of people on a barren planet with very limited resources" but it'd be a sizable population (I'd guesstimate tens of millions). I imagine the GF, being the unquestionably-global governing body*, is relatively authoritarian as far as the core population and major cities go. They obviously can't tightly police the whole planet, but they can certainly keep an eye on it.

This doesn't mean it's a dystopia or that the GF is evil or that it's anything bad, really. I sort of picture it being run by Committee, likely made up of various descendants of powerful families ([insert 10 tons of political intrigue here that I'm picturing, it's amazing, ANYWAYS]) Zi's government is definitively a plutocracy.

There were plenty of people on the planet who were ambivalent towards the Empire and the Republic's nonsense and just carried on what social norms and culture that had been established by the early colonists. Many didn't LIKE that all the fighting was happening because innocent, uninvolved people kept getting killed, and that sucked because they just wanted to live quiet lives in secure towns and be left alone.

There was also a desire for more law enforcement in general, since gangs, bandits, and the Zi equivalents of sovereign citizens kept causing problems. So when the Guardian Force was established initially to wrestle peace into place, it was largely welcomed and people were very, very glad to get rid of hundreds of years of war.

This also meant a lot of people had kids because things became markedly more stable. In fact what led up *to* New Century was probably several solid centuries of strong population growth, establishing additional stable strongholds in habitable areas (new cities were established and built up), modernization and other general signs of prosperity.

So, all this blah blah blah leads up to several key realities for New Century:

-There isn't a strangehold on population growth, nor are there formal limits. However, the chemical-whatever that causes the inbuilt birth-control to fuck off is under the purview of - or at least monitored by - the government. So... there's that. It's also overwhelmingly likely that people have figured out other sources for this over time, if for some reason they're distrustful.

-This inbuilt bc is in effect for everyone. Both folks involved have to be on board. I mean, it'd technically be possible to surreptitiously slip some of the chemical-whatever to an unwilling partner? But it's not like that would be difficult to figure out.

-Family units range from what we'd recognize as a 'family' to entire towns sharing children/parenting responsibilities. Monogamy is the norm but polygamy isn't weird. People can be pretty sexually loose and it's not frowned upon at all - because let's be real, NC0-society is at full-on bread-and-circus levels of operation. There seems to be a moderate anti-intellectual bent and Zoid battles are the height of achievement. People are chasing highs as a way of life.

Topically relevant individuals' headcanon:

I think Steve's wife died in childbirth (having Leena.) It neatly explains what happened to her and Layon's unhealthy obsession with Leena.

Feel like Bit and Brad both were raised in the more "communal" type of settings.

Harry's family comes from old Republican money.

Stoller came from a family that's the equivalent of a house in the south that has confederate flags everywhere. Except they're Imperial.

ARE YOU STILL HERE? GOOD LORD WHY. WELL NOW THIS IS A SHITPOST ABOUT ZOIDIAN HYBRIDS AND OTHER ANCESTRY FUCKERY

Remember in some other post I wrote I said that when you start to hybridize Zoidians in, reproduction becomes more difficult? That's IN PART because of the bc thing, and in part because general genetics fuckery. But once you *had* a hybrid you had very robust individuals, who initially lacked a fully functional version of the inbuilt bc. Over time that was mixed back in, but there were at least a couple janky generations.

Literally every hybridized line in existence is either from Hiltz or Ryss. Fiona didn't reproduce (wasn't for lack of trying. Both her and Van being bonded to the same Organoid caused problems in that department.)

Ryss had two kids with Raven. The reality of Raven aging and dying sucked. The reality of her kids, grandkids, etc aging and dying sucked. Though her immediate offspring lived a lot longer than progressive generations did, as the bloodline became more diluted, a slightly-improved human lifespan became the norm. This was incredibly depressing to Ryss and is a large part of why she fucked off to the middle of nowhere to live with things that wouldn't age out and die on her. It's also why she didn't continue to have children.

Hiltz... Hiltz fucked (and well, raped) a lot of people (50% as a power/hate thing and 50% because he's from the Feed-Fuck-Fight club) and some of the people that lived to talk about it had offspring. The same aging issues were in effect for these offspring, but unlike Ryss's family they didn't have the benefit of anyone explaining what the fuck was going on. So they had a strange time.

Remember that these direct hybrids would've been of age squarely in the aforementioned, post-GF "everyone is having kids" time, so a fair number of distinct new lines were created and persisted. There was also a weird range of ages involved, because the direct hybrids lived A WHILE and could have offspring for most of that time.

Now, in the context of "many years later", this means a fair number of people carry these genes in varying dilutions. It's not a large amount in the context of the entire human population. It's a handful of family lines with increasingly baffled histories. But family groups frittered a lot in the aftermath of GF, so a lot of that knowledge was functionally lost.

Basically no one has any idea anymore, what little idea that they had in the first place. The only families with distinct and traceable genealogies are the rich/old-money ones.

So, in the NC0 cast I officially headcanon 5 folks as these dilute-hybrids. You know most of them; Sara, Vega, and Brad, but I'm impolitely adding Stoller and Iyaga (Ehga?) to that mix because reasons.

Brad and Iyaga are from Hiltz's line. Sara and Stoller are from Ryss's. Vega is unique in that he draws from BOTH; Ryss from his mother's side and Hiltz from his father's. Sara had a *really* hard time actually having a kid as a result of that particular genetic fuckery. IMO this explains some of her behavior towards Vega - by the time she had him she was so emotionally estranged by both the loss of Vega's father and the loss of numerous pregnancies (and by that time was more involved with her 'backdraft career'), she struggled with BASIC AFFECTION.

anyways, thanks for coming to the world's most useless ted talk

*ZBGF is like world-police, GF is world-gov, ZBC is a branch of ZBGF that keeps battles in line (and monitors usage of things). The GF is "background", in that it's using the more-friendly-seeming ZBC as its eyes and ears while keeping track of things on a higher level.

p.s. the bc thing is actually adapted from another story of mine's background, so don't worry I didn't spend ALLLLLL this time thinking about that for this only sdhgfjdfdf

#headcanon #tw rape

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diveronarpg · 5 years ago

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Congratulations, VICTORIA! You’ve been accepted for the role of BERTRAM. Admin Julie: Ring ring, Vic, it’s me, the bringer of good news -- albeit, a little late! Your application for Beau was literally everything I wanted and more. From the not-so-subtle allusions to pop culture and media which Beau would likely be obsessed with, to how Beau’s world revolves around Beau, you hit the nail on the head. I’m especially interested to see how he will grow, change, fail, and adjust to the world around him as it spins on its axis, especially with the Capulets and Montagues ready to go at each others’ throats. I was overjoyed to see your app in the inbox, and I’m just as overjoyed to have this fool of a man on the dashboard. Thank you! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Victoria

Age | 24

Preferred Pronouns | she/her

Activity Level | I’m always available on mobile, and I try to knock out a few replies every other day unless I manage to queue.

Timezone | EST

Triggers | none that aren’t already listed

How did you find the rp? | Rosey

Current/Past RP Accounts | I currently write Katarina Du Pont !

IN CHARACTER

Character | Your desired character’s alias -

Beau Renaud, Bertram. // with a faceclaim change to Zane Holtz and if I could age him up to 32, I’d appreciate it! It gives me the time to have Beau attend university in Paris and ‘build’ a career that would make it plausible for him to have bought his way to the top, ruined it for himself, and then crawled back to his mothers to have ‘earned’ his position at L’Arena.

What drew you to this character? | We’d love to hear what about this character’s bio caught your attention! Make this as long or as short as you desire!

On Beau Renaud–

What drew me to Beau Renaud the most was how fun he is– how shallow, and perfectly flawed this dastardly human being is who jumps out from his biography and reeks of Creed Aventus during the week and Bleu de Chanel on the weekends with a voice as sickly sweet as a macaron. Quite frankly, he’s the type of person I’d want to punch in the face, but my god after reading his biography I was dumbfounded by how much I adored him. Maybe it’s because of how light he feels, in comparison to some of the other characters here in DiVerona. Maybe it’s his blissful ignorance towards his own flaws while he attempts to navigate the flawed lives within Verona. Maybe I just love the idea of writing someone so garishly grand and loves themselves for it. Or, maybe it’s because there’s something terribly alluring about writing a man who really is in it for himself: without the violence, with only a love for the beautiful things in life.

Beau Renaud is a man adored, but not a man loved. And there’s something terribly lonely about this. There’s something haunting in the lack of genuine connection he has with people. There is something… Lonely about being an only child, but one that is seen not as himself, but as the living failed embodiment of his parents ambitions. It’s about the glitter and gold, it’s all about an opulent party and the adrenaline rush of the interactions. But, it’s not about heart. Strangely enough, terribly enough, it’s not about Beau’s heart. He’s not nearly ruined enough to be hailed a Dorian Gray for his sins, but… It’s quite something to realise that he’s as clueless as Dorian was at the beginning of Oscar Wilde’s novel.

At the end of the day, he is simply a man born in the wrong era. Beau Renaud would not have been found at fault if he’d been born in the Edwardian era or sooner. And it’s almost laughable, that his engagement to Daphne Allard is nearly exactly that of every American millionaire’s daughter who had gone to Europe in hopes to marry a man who had what they lacked: lineage and rank. It’s a call back to Downton Abbey, it’s Consuelo Vanderbilt marrying the 9th Duke of Marlborough, it’s the Gilded Age of British aristocracy (who were quietly growing too poor to maintain their grand estates) marrying commoners for their considerable dowries. Beau Renaud would have fit right in. He comes from a sumptuous bloodline after all, and the man does need his funding to fit the lifestyle he loves.

I almost hate admitting it, how alluring this man is. But, that’s Beau for you. You adore him, but you don’t love him. There’s something terribly ugly about how beautiful this man is, how handsomely grotesque he manages to be in his vanity and near blindness. You love the parties, the escapism, the way he is accessible and a self-proclaimed neutral. Yet, you hate him for the same exact reasons. Friend or foe is a game to be played in Verona. Is he bright enough, at least, to play it to survival? Animals do whatever it takes to survive, and Beau will do whatever it takes to make sure he does. But, will he survive in Verona? I want to write him because I’d like to be the first to find out.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? | Where do you see this character developing, and what kind of actions would you have them take to get there? 3 future plot ideas would be preferable.

Everywhere and nowhere, down the rabbit hole and to Hadestown we go. This is where we find Beau Renaud. This is where we find parts of his story and where his life might lead– but you won’t find his ending written anywhere. At least, not yet.

Dorian Gray – a moment in literature

It’s almost laughable how comparable Beau Renaud is to the Dorian Gray we are introduced to at the beginning of Oscar Wilde’s only novel. They both know nothing but of the grandeur their lifestyles have afforded them, they know their childish selfishness– they have some grasp at the desire to please others and fit in. But while Dorian’s greatest catalysts are, arguably, an unnamed book and Lord Henry Wotton, our dear Bertram has spent a year in Verona remaining the same neutral, same untainted and self-centered man that had arrived from Paris. He’s a modern Dorian, who knows the spoils of narcotics and what money can buy. But in the case of Dorian’s descent into debauchery and extremes of unforgivable sin, Beau has yet to descend from his harmless (though blind) perch beside his beautiful fiancee. I won’t define the catalyst, because this is dependent on many factors in Beau’s life: who he makes friends or enemies with, the decisions he makes in terms of his position at L’Arena, the information he may or may not learn. But it is a precarious place where he sits. He is determined to survive, determined to live in his lighthearted merriment as a socialite. This greed for himself was known to him in France, but Verona has a way of bringing out the darkest and most wretched desires of its occupants. His priority is himself– How far down into sin is he willing to go to ensure it? Can he be brought to violence? He’s already sinful enough, witty enough to buy people off to secure his safety– to one extreme, can his sly tongue and position at L’Arena buy his safety within a mob? If his descent to Hell is to follow that of Dorian Gray, Beau is destined to utter doom. Years and years of debauchery and unholy acts are to follow him, plague him. Anything to survive, anything to enjoy still his beauty and his life. Whatever it takes to win. At least, until his guilt eventually catches up to him. But, will it?

Scarlett O’Hara, Prince Charming – a moment in film

His own survival is his greatest priority. His marriage guarantees him this– just like Scarlett O’Hara’s second marriage to Frank Kennedy and following marriage to Rhett Butler, and not unlike Shrek 2’s Prince Charming and his betrothal to the unfortunately, unknowingly already married Princess Fiona. Beau, Scarlett, and Prince Charming are all characterized by their greed and ignorance. Scarlett wants to survive and is willing to marry whoever it might be that will allow her to continue to live in comfort. However, as she pines for another, she is ignorant to the love that has been in front of her since before the Civil War. In the end, she’s too late to realise it. Prince Charming, on the other hand, had been promised the hand of Princess Fiona and the kingdom to follow. He shows that he’s willing to resort to manipulation and violence to achieve what he so ardently desires, having grown up promised he would have it all. Beau is engaged to the beautiful Daphne Allard: he’s been promised riches and the lifetime of a socialite as her husband. But, is that all this is? Is he Scarlett, marrying only for money? Prince Charming had wanted love, but what does Beau want? The chill to the air when the two are alone in a room is practically suffocating, freezing him from the inside out, unnerving the charming, rogue-ish grin that dances along his expression. Though this is certainly a business arrangement, Beau cannot help but wish for, at least, friendship between himself with his soon to be wife. His charm, his grace had failed him with her in the months that had followed his arrival in Verona. And though as of late he’s not thought much of his fiancee, there is still some deeper part of him (whether or not he would be open to admitting it, or Daphne would be receptive enough to hear it and believe him is certainly a question) that wishes to try. She sees him as Hades. But, wasn’t Hades the most loyal, most benevolent of his brothers?

The Confession, Sir Francis Dicksee – a moment in art

Would he be the confessor one day? Or, would she? Daphne, he wishes to know as his future wife, Lillian he wishes to know as… What? Both women are brilliant and sparkling jewels in Verona, revered as they are for their money and poise. But, what would it take for him to open up? What would he have to do, or say, to make one, or both of them allow their truths to tumble from their lips? Words, beautiful words can and do shine as luminously as they do on their own. Truth can be uncovered no matter how prettily laced they can be, and he is no stranger to the wit and charm required to undo such beautiful wrappings. Or, would their truths dim their light? Would it marr their facades of utter perfection? He’s so very curious about Lillian. How is it possible for one to be so good? He can practically feel Daphne slipping further and further away from him. But, when it comes to both women, could their truths hurt him, damage him in some way? When it comes to his fears and deepest desires, and even his unaddressed shame at having his mothers both so cuttingly tell him he was never meant for greatness and lacked the proper ambition and intelligence that they’d wished for him, when will it come to light? Who would he ever confess it to? It’s true, he’s shrouded in darkness, in a mystery of ignorance and laughter, but there is a hollowness to it. A year in Verona has brought a sense of desperation to the frenzy of weekly galas and parties that offer an escape from the harsh realities of each day, each week spent in this city. Perhaps, one day he will confess. Maybe, one day he will uncover a darker world of hurt and pain and truth within himself. But, after confession comes repentance. Does he have it in himself to ever do such a thing?

Versailles, Gossip Girl – a moment in television

As far as story arcs go, no matter how much he might try to remain neutral, Beau Renaud is a socialite that’s had his hands in ruin of his own name in the past. Was this ruin nearly anything as terrible as what goes on in Verona? No. In the glimmering world of being of a good name and household, being the son of the right parents is everything. He is their legacy, their smiles and laughter, their triumphs. The upper class would be nothing without a healthy dose of nepotism. For Beau, Verona is nothing like Paris. In fact, it’s nearly as though he’s been thrown into some bizarre amalgamation of Gossip Girl meets Versailles. There is intrigue and drama, there is murder and poison, there are vile things lurking beneath the surface of every sparkling thing that Verona has to offer and violence at every turn, paranoia running rampant as he looks over his shoulder every day. In the past months it’s finally sunk in that he’s in the middle of a mob war, with one side choking him and the other with a dagger in his side daring him to publish anything that leans more to one side or another. He’s privy to many secrets, yes, but he is nowhere near powerful nor as connected here in Verona. Either he develops towards a path where he stakes his claim and stands his ground as a keeper of secrets to harness his own power, he remains a neutral puppet dancing merrily on strings like a marionette doll, or he joins a mob. Whichever direction he goes in, however he develops as a character has yet to be seen. But, it will not be without struggle. It will be filled with anguish and strife, hardship that he has never known: because this is Verona, and he is not immune to his environment; because in order to survive, he must choose and he will suffer no matter which path he should set himself onto. Versailles’ court would have been simpler to navigate. Perhaps, though, Beau Renaud would end up in a ditch before he can decide. Maybe, he’ll be responsible for a death or two– either by his own hand, or as a result of news published to L’Arena. The possibilities are endless for this pretty bird with clipped wings. And, to think: he only thought he’d be moving to Verona to marry a rich, pretty girl and a new career that he could slack off on easily.

Welcome to year 2 in Verona, darling. Xoxo Gossip Girl

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | End him. But make it pretty.

IN DEPTH

Please choose between the interview or the para sample (or both, if you like!)

In-Character Interview: The following questions must be answered in-character, and in para form (quotations, actions written out if applicable, etc). There is no minimum or maximum limit for your response - simply answer as you would if you were playing the character.

What is your favorite place in Verona?

“How could I ever choose?” He leans back in his seat, eyes dancing with merriment as he grins. “This place–” Beau’s hand comes up to gesture towards the view beyond the patio where they sit, fingers sweeping towards the view of Verona before it resettles again in his lap. “Is so beautiful.” His chin turns next, blue eyes focusing on the city in the distance, chiseled jaw emphasized by the light as the curve of his mouth softens to the practiced look of fondness. “Verona is no Paris,” This, he admits as though it were a secret, louder than a murmur so that the other can hear him, but soft enough that he nearly seems embarrassed to admit it. “But, it is something else.” His brow quirks slightly at the interviewer’s direction, ever so dynamic, ever so engaging. “But, I suppose if I have to pick a place, it would have to be The Twelfth Night.” The artwork reminds him of the museums he used to stroll around, and The Tempest reminds him of the nightlife he had been so accustomed to in Paris. This isn’t home, but it needs to be. It will be, after he marries Daphne in November. “There’s a certain charm to this city, and it is… Beautiful. There’s nothing quite like it.”

What does your typical day look like?

“–Well, I take Quaaludes 10-15 times a day for my “back pain”, Adderall to stay focused, Xanax to take the edge off, pot to mellow me out, cocaine to wake me back up again, and morphine… Well, because it’s awesome.” He’s since turned his face back to the interviewer in full, quoting The Wolf of Wall Street without so much a blink in hesitation. But then he snorts, and a playful expression comes over his handsome features. “I’m kidding. I saw it in a movie once, and I thought it was funny.” A chuckle tumbles from Beau’s lips as he crosses his legs in easy elegance. Though as burly as he is, it’s almost surprising someone like him is so smooth. He attributes this to the ballroom dancing lessons he’d begun as a child, and none of it to the swimming and boxing he does to stay fit now. “My typical day is like anyone’s that works an office job. Wake up to an alarm that’s too early for comfort, check my phone, have an espresso shot or two to get going before I get ready and am out the door. My work at L’Arena is blessedly streamlined by my personal assistant Sophie as I also have a hand in planning a few charity events a month.” When the interviewer looks surprised, Beau shrugs good-naturedly. “I was not so lucky to be in such a position in Paris. After all, I am my mother’s son, and she is quite the philanthropist herself.”

What has been your biggest mistake thus far?

His brows furrow, mouth falling open before it partially shuts in an exhale of contemplative breath. This is a question he had not expected and later he’d have Sophie send a damning email to the head of this magazine for not sticking to the approved questions. The subtle pout to his lips makes it evident that he is less than pleased. “I suppose…” A blink, then another. Then a laugh as he shakes his head at the interviewer, bringing that charming smile back to his features. “Not learning Italian more quickly? I’d say I am quite passable now, but, perhaps if I had not studied English throughout my education, I could have learned Italian instead.” Reaching for the mimosa before him, Beau takes a sip before he continues. “No,” He teases with a faux contemplative look into his half-empty flute. “I think my biggest mistake was not proposing to Daphne in Paris. I think it would have been more picturesque, more romantic that way. But, she accepted, despite the location. That’s all that matters to me.”

What has been the most difficult task asked of you?

This is both a question and answer he knows, and with a softening look in his eyes that he smiles once more, absentmindedly rolling the stem of his glass as he speaks. “Finalising the design of Daphne’s ring. I wanted it to be unique to her, to the jeweler and design house, and I wanted it to be like nothing anyone had ever seen before. So, we’d pulled from archives, looking for a way to better conceptualise what I was looking to create. And, in the end, we were able to accomplish it.” Beau nearly seems fond of the memory, but when the ring itself is a testament to him, why wouldn’t he be? His pride glows like something glimmering and warm, but deep down the most difficult task was abandoning Paris– abandoning the beautiful city he knew every inch of for the grotesque little city of Verona.

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

He has half a mind to throw this interviewer out of his home. What sort of interview was this? But before his displeasure makes itself known, it is covered up by his sitting up and expression changing to one of surprise, brows raising once more as remnants of his smile still curve at his lips. “I’m not here to make a political statement, my friend. And– I do run a news outlet here in Verona that’s unbiased.” He nods towards today’s edition of L’Arena that sits artfully amongst the breakfast spread on the table between them, voice taking on a more wistful, more passionate tone than before: just like his mothers had taught him. Beau appears vulnerable, but only just so as a man that wants not to focus on what festers in Verona– one that clearly still clings to the beauty of the day to day. “There is so much violence and decay in the world–” He pauses to shake his head as if he can cast out the past few months from his head. “–So much darkness. But, I don’t think we should let ourselves be consumed by the ugliness of it in our day to day lives.” His hand gestures towards the food, then he grins wider as he raises his hand to gesture towards the view. “We should enjoy it: the beauty of the day. Now, please. Let’s not put this food to waste, hm?”

Extras: If you have anything else you’d like to include (further headcanons, an inspo tag, a mock blog, etc), feel free to share it here! This is OPTIONAL.

Pinterest: here

Playlist: here

#accepted #accepted: bertram #thank u for being patient my loves :*

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that-buckley-gal · 5 years ago

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Gifts and Small Talk [Stronger #3]

May 9, 2011

The next morning, this “Fury” character didn’t arrive until after I’d finished my breakfast – scrambled eggs, 2 strips of bacon, and 2 pancakes along with some coffee.

We started off with introductions before he invited me to tell my story in depth since I was brief when explaining my absence to Peggy just yesterday. So I told him what happened the day in Howard’s lab, and how I woke up in Asgard and was saved by Frigga and her sons. When he didn’t prod for information, I asked if I needed to but was surprised when he instead told me about Thor’s time spent here in exile.

After that I told him about how when Thor returned and destroyed the rainbow bridge, how I was simply standing on the wrong side when it broke. I told him Loki was coming through the black hole as well though there hasn’t been any sign of him, which worried and relieved Fury. When I asked why the relief, he explained how Loki sent The Destroyer to take out Thor, which surprised me. When did Loki have time to come here without my knowing?

“So what do I do now?” I asked. “I don’t have a home. I don’t have a family. I don’t have…anything.”

“You have your powers, don’t you?” He asked.

I didn’t tell him about them. I didn’t even go into detail about them when speaking to Peggy yesterday, as she already knew about my powers. All I said was I became a shield-maiden for Asgard.

“Yours and Captain America’s files were seized and reviewed by the SSR after Howard alerted them to your disappearance. They also found some of your letters; one in particular was very telling. The one from your father?”

“Those were personal,” I said.

Fury shrugged. “I didn’t go through them. I only read your file while you were on your way here.”

“So what?” I asked. “I use my powers for the good of mankind? I don’t even know what the world is like.”

“It may disappoint you. A lot has changed since 1945.”

I nodded, chewing my lip. “Well, I don’t have anything to lose. There’s only a few people in the universe that I love, and only one of them is here on Earth.”

“Welcome to SHIELD then, Agent Barnes.”

On a private jet to Washington D.C., I properly registered as a field agent for SHIELD. I was given a new ID. Clint Barton, Hawkeye, and Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow, were assigned to train me in and test my abilities seeing as they were two of the greatest SHIELD agents they had.

I was slightly doubtful of that though as Clint kept asking me questions about “space” and what my life was like in the 1940’s. Natasha put an end to the questions by giving me a laptop and told me to start getting caught up with the present before retreating back to her corner, quietly keeping an eye on me.

She didn’t trust me, but I didn’t trust her either. Not yet.

Once the plane landed, I was escorted into a truck that Clint identified as an SUV before he drove us to SHIELD’s headquarters: the Triskelion. It was dark outside so I couldn’t really see anything but streetlamps and city lights.

“The world’s definitely brighter,” I said to no one in particular. “At night.”

“I hope you’re not expecting to sleep anytime soon,” Natasha said. “We got some tests for you.”

“Tests?” I asked. “What kind of tests?”

“Just physical tests and intelligence tests. We wanna know what you’re good at and what we need to teach you to be a certified agent of SHIELD,” Clint explained.

“Okay,” I said though I was nervous. The Asgardian palace had an impressive library; Loki and I spent a lot of time in there, though I doubted knowledge on foreign space creatures and the customs of other planets would be helpful for SHIELD. “I haven’t been to high school since I was 16,” I confessed. “Oh, my god! I’m 86 years old!”

“Hey, calm down,” Natasha said. “The tests have nothing to do with…education. They’re more focused on testing your common knowledge, common sense and your survival skills. The education part is basic math and reading that I’m sure you can remember.”

“Okay, yeah. That makes sense.”

“Besides, it’s not like they really count.”

“Clint!”

“What? It’s true. They’re more of a formality; the reading’s probably more weighted since you’ll need to fill out mission logs and reports when they’re finished regardless of the outcome.”

That sounded difficult. Was it too late to change my mind? Can I just be a citizen as I was during the war?

“So, Agent Barnes,” Natasha started. Her green eyes met my blue ones in the rearview mirror. “What kind of abilities do you have?”

“And how’d you get them?” Clint asked.

I sighed. “I got my powers around my twentieth birthday. My dad left a letter for me explaining what he was and where he was from, and what I should be expecting. Apparently they were called Oer’s Gifts where he was from and they develop when the people reach 20 years of age.”

“Oer’s Gifts?”

“Yeah. My dad was from this planet called Oerlin. Thor told me about it after I told him and his buddies about my powers. He said it was a lot like Midgard…like Earth, sorry. I guess once you’re gifted, that’s it. You and your children, and children’s children and so one would have the Gifts as well. Like, it becomes part of your bloodline.”

“Does everyone get the same gifts?” Natasha asked.

I thought about Stefan and how our powers were alike and different. “No. I mean, kind of. I don’t know really. Stefan and I both have enhanced strength, speed, senses, reflexes and endurance, but that’s about it. We share some other powers but they’re not exactly the same, if that makes sense.”

“Who’s Stefan?” Clint asked.

“My son,” I said. “He was born here, five days after I turned 21.”

“Is he the friend you were referring too earlier? The one who was coming towards the black hole?”

“No, I was talking about Loki. Thor kept Stefan anchored to the bridge, and I know that he’ll keep him safe.”

“I can use my hands as flashlights, as dumb as that sounds. But I’m also kinda fireproof, and can be a good heater in the cold,” I said after a tense silence. “I can heal people. Um, I can turn myself into the things I touch, like my shield for example. I scared Thor one time by pretending to be a vibranium statue,” I chuckled remembering how much Thor laughed after discovering my new power.

“Um, I don’t know if you saw my little ball of electric energy yesterday but I can do that too. Didn’t realize that one until we got an unexpected visitor one day; his ship was electric and I disabled it without thinking about it. I only agreed to fix it if he left Asgard alone.”

There were a couple of more Gifts that I supposed I should disclose but I felt like I’d done enough talking for the moment. Talking to animals was one thing, but teleporting was another. I wanted to make sure SHIELD was as these people kept telling me it was before telling them about those ones. Also, the time control thing was still something that I didn’t have much control over and I didn’t want to set myself up for failure before I even started. So I kept these to myself while Clint and Natasha processed the information I gave them.

Not long after that, Clint announced our arrival at the Triskelion. He pulled me in one direction to do some paperwork while Natasha walked off in another direction.

“Where’s she going?” I asked.

“Going to go clear out a training room for when we finish,” he shrugged before motioning me to take a seat before laying out some papers. “Just fill these out to the best of your ability.” I did.

After I finished my hand was cramped and there were some ink stains from the pen, but Clint didn’t seem to care or mind as he packed up my papers in a large envelope before leading me to another room.

Natasha had me change out of my civilian clothes and into some workout clothes before guiding me to stand in the center of the room. She advised me to not think too much of her and Clint as my audience before alerting me that I was going into a simulator and to do whatever it took to survive, and to not worry about repercussions.

When I gave her a worried look, she said, “You didn’t bring up the fact you were fireproof for no reason, did you?” My reason was that besides flashlights, my hands could also make fire.

“Okay,” I said simply and Natasha nodded before walking off. I turned away from her and shook my hands out and did a few stretches. After a few minutes, Natasha’s voice came over a loudspeaker as she asked me if I was ready for the simulation to begin.

“I am.”

#stronger #the avengers #natasha romanoff #clint barton #nick fury

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