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shootingstarwritings · 8 months

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"How Does Managing a Team Work?"

Back at it again! It’s James. Quick recap, managed to recruit another friend of mine to join our crew battle that my roommate, Kor, wrangled us into. Now we were three for the crew battle, myself, Kor, and Jason.

I just needed one more guy to help round out the crew and all we would need after that was just to practice. Luckily, I think I had a good idea.

The guy’s name? Ronaldo. I hadn’t seen him in any sort of e-sports or gaming clubs, but I did hang out with him one time at a barcade. He was more Kor’s friend than mine, which made it clear that he was a pretty hetero guy with little time to worry about nerdy hobbies. However, one thing I did notice about him was how much of a killer he was at rhythm games.

“I’ve never even played this game before, but I like dancing. I was even in a band back in high school. And I like to DJ on the side,” Ronaldo had told me during that night. In all honesty, I hardly remember his exact words. He was far too busy throwing out just about every crowning achievement he’d ever had since birth to pay attention to my reactions. But I became a believer once I saw what he could do.

Ronaldo was a master of rhythm. To my utter amazement, he never missed a single note. No matter how much he cranked up the difficulty nor how sweaty his toned body got, Ronaldo kept dancing with a serene grin on his face. His feet were like magic.

The game threw torrents of notes at Ronaldo, but he didn’t slow down. Not only that, but he had also performed patterns and movements I had no idea one could do with his arms. The night had ended with his shirt completely soaked and me completely in awe. “What did I tell you?” he asked as soon as he saw my expression.

Ronaldo was amazing and exactly what we would need for the crew battle.

“Ronaldo?” Kor said, face scrunching up once I mentioned him. The two of us were eating dinner together. As had become tradition, Kor didn’t wear a shirt. “You wanna bring that guy in? Why?” If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought he looked rather crestfallen. Or maybe concerned? However, I didn’t put too much thought into it.

Kor continued with, “C’mon, we’ve already got a good team with you, me, and Jason. We don’t even need anyone that skilled, just some schmuck benchwarmer.” He smirked and flexed his arm.

“You saw him at the barcade,” I said. Jason frowned and his arm slumped down. Was he disappointed?

Ignoring that, I continued talking. “We could use everyone we can get. So just let me convince him. Y’know I’ve got a silver tongue.” Kor tensed up at my words, but he didn’t say anything. However, he made sure to tenderly stroke my thigh with his hand under the table. I blushed and told him, “Relax. You’re still the best player I’ve ever known.”

To be honest, I wasn’t sure exactly what Kor and I were. I had completely and utterly messed with his mind. Before, he was a straight man who just wanted to get into my hobby because it looked fun. Now he had a homosexual fighting game genius with what I could only assume was a crush on me. Whether we were behind closed doors or as public as we could be, Kor always made sure to slip in tender touches and kisses whenever he could. It was as if he was showing off to everyone that, “Yes, here he is. And here we are. And he is mine.”

I didn’t mind it. No, more than that. I loved it. I had never received attention like this before. However, there was a lingering feeling of guilt that began to take root in my chest the more Kor flirted and teased me. These emotions weren’t completely authentic, they were thoughts I had infected him with while possessing him. So was this infatuation fake? Should I try to turn him back?

‘Questions for another day,’ I thought as I shut the door to my room behind me. I couldn’t allow myself to start hesitating now. If I did, then Kor and I would be sleeping on the streets next month. Not for the first time, I wondered if I should take over some rich bastards and drain some of their bank accounts, but doing something like that needed levels of planning I didn’t have time for just yet. I would give it more thought later.

I spread myself on my bed and took a deep breath. My body once more morphed into gray smoke and took the skies once more. Again, that feeling of flight was addicting, almost more so than the feeling of possession.

“Yeah, Sophie, y’know I love you…” Ronaldo lay on his bed, chuckling as he spoke into his phone. Next to him was his laptop. I peered closer to see who he was messaging and noticed the name of another girl with several… lewd emojis.

“Aight, I’ll see ya soon, then. Love you.” He audibly smooched before hanging up. With a practiced hand, he peeled his boxers down and revealed his erect cock just as the woman he was messaging sent her a nude. He licked his lips and then got to work pumping his dick.

‘Disgusting,’ I thought to myself. Any amount of regret or reservations I had about possessing Ronaldo went out the window. I took a deep breath and made my way inside of him. The most way I figured would be through that big, juicy cock of his.

Ronaldo let out a gasp as his pecker suddenly became erect. “Wh-Whoah, what the—oooOOOHH!” He grit his teeth as a sudden stream of energy started pumping into his cock. He could do nothing but lie on the bed, his whole body convulsing as I ruthlessly surged into him tight and toned core.

First I felt the soft sheets rubbing against my skin. Then I felt bloating sensation, as though I would burst with the force of two people within me. After that was the pleasure that coursed throughout every pore of Ronaldo’s body—two souls becoming enraptured in a fight for dominance. However, he was far more submissive than I. My soul stomped his, forcing it to “kneel” to my whims as he lost consciousness.

‘Let’s make this fun for you and I…’ I whispered to Ronaldo’s struggling soul.

“What the fuck—OH!”

Simply possessing Ronaldo wasn’t gonna cut it. I wanted to make sure that this little trip inside of him taught him a reason about fidelity. To do that, I made the experience as slow as possible.

I ran Ronaldo’s trembling hands down his thighs before massaging his pecs, making sure to pinch and play with his nipples. I got a massive rush out of doing that, and so did he. I could feel his legs tremble and his teeth suddenly bite down on his lower lip to prevent any embarrassing noises from getting out. However, I wasn’t gonna let him spoil my fun like this.

Seizing control for a brief second, I opened Ronaldo’s mouth and let out an enormous, lustful moan that would make a whore proud. He immediately covered his mouth, turning red from the shame.

“F-Fuck...I’m… I’m gonna…!” Ronaldo’s pleasured moans echoed throughout the room as his hips buckled beneath the force of my soul taking him him. His eyes shot wide open as cum burst from his engorged launched wave after wave of semen high into the air, landing all over his sweaty chest and core. Ronaldo, covered in a sheen of sweat, could only gasp and writhe as he passed out and allowed me full control over him.

I awoke soon afterward. His whole was sore, but I didn’t mind. I rubbed his hips against the sheets a few more times, letting out cute little noises the whole time, before stretching in bed. “Welcome to the team, Ronaldo,” I said as I got to work.

Of course I played with barely anything on. It’s practically tradition at this point! I made sure to snap a quick selfie and send it to myself as material for later on.

I had my crew. Now we just needed to practice.

#male possession #astral projection possession #male body possession #how does it work

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sailor-aviator · 4 months

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Fool's Fare: Chapter Five

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: Captain Jake "Hangman" Seresin had come close to swinging from the gallows more times than he would care to admit. He's stolen, cheated, even killed. The worst thing he's ever done? Broken the heart of a woman. Having broken the heart of the woman whom Davy Jones himself had fallen for six years ago, Jake is now cursed to live as something not dead, but not alive. He's doomed to live a half-life for the rest of his existence unless he manages to obtain the treasure Davy Jones deems most valuable. The problem? He has no idea what it is, and he only had seven years to obtain it.

Trigger Warning: Language, Big brother Bradley, Secrets, Feelings of betrayal, Abandonment issues from the reader, Reader says something she'll regret later, Allusions to prostitution and violent men, Magic, Curses, Supernatural is real, Reader cries, Feelings of helplessness, Pirate!Jake. I think that's it, but let me know if I missed anything!

Word Count: 4k

Series Masterlist || Moodboards || Playlist || Jake "Hangman" Seresin Tag List

“What do you mean you still haven’t eaten?”

Bradley winced at your tone, running a hand through his brown locks as he eyed you wearily. You had meant to drag him to the physician at the last port you had docked at, but the excitement from the day prior had wiped the issue completely from your brain. Who knew falling overboard could do that to a person?

Now here you were a week later, and it had finally dawned on you that you hadn’t seen your brother eat much more than an apple here and there. You had kept quiet the past two days, silently observing him, and here you sat in the galley, Bradley to your right with Mickey and Nat sat across from you. The rest of the crew milled about, and it wouldn’t be long before Bob and Reuben joined your little group for breakfast.

“It’s not that serious, Guppy,” he murmured, casting a weary look at the two sitting across from you. “I feel fine.”

“Bradley, you aren’t eating,” you scowled, turning your own gaze to your new friends. “Tell him he needs to go see a physician.”

The two shared a look before Mickey shook his head, putting his hands up in surrender while Nat sighed.

“Yeah, I’m definitely not getting in the middle of a sibling squabble,” she drawled, taking a bite of her apple. You rolled your eyes, turning back to look at the brunette beside you.

“As soon as we dock, I’m going to go find a physician,” you told him, pressing your lips into a firm line as you stared him down. Your father had always said that you get your temper and attitude from your mother.

“It’s like a miniature you running around everywhere, Pen!” He’d laugh, throwing his head back as you gave him the best scowl your six year old self could come up with. Your mother would roll her eyes, biting back a smile as she watched you glare at the older man.

“She’s going to strike fear into the heart of everyone who crosses her, mark my words!” He grinned, reaching out to gather you in his arms.

“Don’t give me that look,” you scowled as Bradley gave you a dubious look. “I mean it! We’re finding a physician the next time we dock.”

“Alright, fine,” he grumbled, moving to stand, holding up his hand when you made to say something else. “By all means, go find a physician, Guppy. In the meantime, I’m going to go get some work done on deck before we dock.”

“Javy said we should make landfall within the hour,” Nat provided, watching as the brunette rounded the table towards the stairs. You watched after him, chewing on your bottom lip in worry. Were you really in the wrong for worrying after him so? Surely not. Bradley had always been stubborn, ever since the two of you were children. If anything, he wasn’t worrying nearly enough about his current condition.

“He’s going to be okay, you know,” Nat said, reaching out to hold your hand in hers. She offered you a gentle smile as she squeezed it lightly. “Maybe you should give him some time?”

“I’ve given him plenty of time,” you mumbled, glaring half-heartedly at the stairs where Bradley had just disappeared. “He needs to see a physician if he’s not eating. It could be illness.”

“He seems fine to me,” Mickey offered with a shrug. “A physician would be a waste of time, anyway.”

“Why’s that?” You asked, brow furrowing at his words. Nat shot him a pointed look, and Mickey straightened up as if just realizing what it was that he said.

“Oh, I just mean,” he trailed off, looking at Nat for help. All she offered was an unimpressed glare as he fumbled for how to continue.

“I just mean,” he stammered, “that physicians never really know what they’re doing, right? I mean, they’ll prescribe plants and leeches and-”

“Mickey?” Nat interrupted, raising an eyebrow and resting her chin on her fist.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

“Oh thank God,” Mickey mumbled, looking away and catching sight of Bob and Reuben making their way towards your table. Bob sat down next to you, bumping your shoulder with his in greeting as Mickey and Nat made room for Reuben on the other side.

“What are we talking about?” Bob asked, taking a bite of his oats.

“I’m going to go and find a physician for Bradley once we dock,” you told him. He paused, stiffening next to you for a moment before continuing with his food.

“What?” You asked, a tinge of annoyance evident in your town. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just chewing before swallowing.

“Is a physician really what he needs?” He asked carefully, glancing up at your friends on the other side of the table. You rolled your eyes fixing the bespectacled man with an annoyed look.

“Is there some sailor superstition about physicians being bad luck that I don’t know about?” You questioned, glancing around the table. Everyone refused to meet your eyes, and you felt another twinge of aggravation in your chest.

“No,” Bob replied, shaking his head, spoon clacking against the side of his bowl as he moved the oats around. “It’s just that they’re costly, you know? I’d hate for you to waste all that money only for there to be nothing wrong with him.”

“He’s not eating,” you replied dryly. “I think that’s plenty of cause to go and see a physician. I’ll deal with the cost when we get there.”

Shouting could be heard from on deck, and all of you glanced up at the sudden outcry.

“Sounds like we’ve reached land,” Reuben commented, focusing back on his plate.

“Perfect timing,” you chirped, already moving to stand. You cast a final smile to your friends, giving a small wave as you made your way towards the stairs. “I’ll see you all up there!”

It was still a few hours before anyone was allowed to leave the ship, Jake and Javy making sure that everyone had been inspected for signs of illness per the harbormaster’s orders. You kept silent about Bradley’s lack of appetite, certain that if it were contagious, then the others would be showing signs as well. Once the ship had been cleared and deemed healthy, you all set about preparing the ship to settle.

It was the late afternoon by the time you finished your tasks, and you set about trying to pin down Bradley.

“Have you seen him?” You asked Nat as you hung in the doorway to your shared cabin, having ran from the galley to the private quarters. She glanced up at you in the mirror, a quizzical look on her face as you fought to catch your breath.

“Who?”

“Bradley, of course,” you chuckled, straightening up and stepping further into the room. “Who else would I be talking about?”

She hummed noncommittally, turning her focus back towards her bun.

“I haven’t seen him,” she responded finally. “But I haven’t seen the others either. Perhaps they’ve already gone ahead and gone out?”

Your lips pulled into a frown as you realized that, save for Bob just moments before, you hadn’t seen Mickey or Reuben either.

“He wouldn’t,” you growled, earning another look from the woman in front of you. Your jaw dropped in indignation. “That rat!”

“He’s your brother,” she shrugged, once again turning back to the mirror. You let out another growl, turning to stomp your way back onto the deck. The oaf you called a brother would have to come back to the ship at some point, and it was then that you would corner him.

Meanwhile, your boots stomped across the deck and towards the gangway, mind bound and determined to find a physician at this small port. The docks were already crowded in the late afternoon, and you found yourself having to push through throngs of people just to get into the streets themselves. You weren’t sure where you should be looking, but you were sure that a port town of this size had to have some kind of physician. All around you, merchants of all kind hollered to the passing travelers, some selling food, others selling trinkets.

“Fine wares for your misses, sir!”

“Fish for sale!”

“How’s about a shilling for an hour of your pleasure, mister?”

You shied away from the last one, not wishing to be caught up in that business. People did what they needed to survive, but you were weary of the men who tended to hang around those parts.

“Interested in apples, miss?”

You turned to find an older woman staring directly at you, knobbed fingers outstretched to offer you a bright, red apple. She was missing a few teeth, that you could see as she smiled up at you, her silver hair falling out of her bun in wisps.

“They’re just a three for a shilling,” she continued, waving it up at you. “Tha’s quite the bargain.”

“No,” you shook your head. “No, thank you. Would you happen to know where I can find a physician?”

“A physician?” She parroted, her arm dropping back to her side as she studied you. “Doesn’t look like anythin’s wrong with you.”

“It’s not for me,” you corrected her. “It’s for my brother. I think he might be sick since he hasn’t been eating.”

“Not eatin’, you say?” She hummed thoughtfully. “Was a boy back when I was a girl meself who stopped eatin’ one day, there was. Was fit as a fiddle and then just dropped dead one day, the poor lad.”

“Yes, well,” you swallowed thickly, feeling ice run up your spine at her words, “I’d like to keep that from happening to my brother, if you don’t mind. So, do you know of any physicians here in town?”

“Oh, aye, aye,” she nodded, her wayward strands of hair flying all over the place. “Physician’s just a few streets over, love. A fine man he is, too. Helped me sister when she was puking buckets a few years back. Set her right as rain he did.”

“You said he’s a few streets down?” You prodded.

“Aye, just three streets down and to the right from here. There’s a big ole sign out front, you can’t miss it,” she said, waving in the general direction of where you needed to head. You followed the gesture, looking back and nodding.

“Thank you,” you smiled, turning and making your way through the crowd once more. It took you all of fifteen minutes to find the building the old woman was talking about, a bright blue sign with the word “physician” painted in white letters hanging above the streets as you approached. Worming your way through, you finally managed to trudge your way through the door, slamming it closed behind you with a wince at the loud sound in the unusually quiet room.

It was your standard physician’s office, the wood floors creaking as you wandered further into the dimly lit room. The walls behind the counter were filled to the brim with different herbs and potions meant for treating different ailments. It wasn’t long before an older man walked out from the backroom, peering at you curiously from over the rim of his glasses.

“Might I help you with something, young lady?” he inquired, rubbing his hands clean with a cloth towel.

“Yes, actually,” you smiled, crossing the rest of the distance to stand just in front of him, only the counter separating the two of you. “I came because of my brother. He hasn’t been eating the last few weeks, and it has me worried.”

“Hasn’t been eating, hm?” He hummed, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. “Does he have any other symptoms?”

“Now that you mention it, no,” you frowned, suddenly finding it odd that the only thing physically wrong with Bradley was his apparent lack of an appetite. “He sleeps just fine, and he looks healthy as he usually does.”

“No fever?” He continued.

“No, nothing like that,” you assured him.

“Vomiting?”

You shook your head, earning another hum from the older man.

“And, uh,” he smiled, a gesture you were sure was meant to be comforting, “what is it your brother does for a living?”

“He’s a sailor.”

“A sailor,” he nodded, cocking his head to the side. “And why isn’t he here with you now?”

“He thinks he doesn’t need a physician,” you scowled, crossing your arms. “He was supposed to come with me, but snuck off before I could grab him.”

The physician chuckled at that, tossing the cloth onto the counter as he leaned against it.

“Well, unfortunately, there’s not much I can do about his situation without seeing him in person, miss. How long is he in town for?”

“We’re here for at least another day,” you told him, earning another nod.

“Bring him by tomorrow,” he instructed. “I’ll take a look at him before you two leave town.”

“Thank you,” you sighed, relief washing over you in waves. “I really appreciate this, you have no idea.”

“I’ll keep the shop open until sundown. After that, I make no promises.”

“We’ll be here!” You assured him, turning to leave, weary of the setting sun shining through the window. You waved at him from over your shoulder, offering one last smile as you exited the shop.

“Bradley,” you huffed, arms crossed and eyes narrowed at the taller brunette. The two of you were currently in another argument about going to the physician, your window before the shop closed rapidly waning as the sun sank lower and lower towards the horizon. You had tried to stay awake the night before, waiting for Bradley on deck before falling asleep on one of the dozen barrels scattered about. You had inexplicably woken up in your bed that morning, still dressed in the clothes from the day before. When you had entered the galley, he was still absent, the rest of your little friend group remaining tight lipped about where he might be. The rest of your day was spent meal prepping and taking inventory with Bob until finally, the man had run out of chores for you two to do. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was keeping you busy on purpose.

You had sat perched in the same spot as the night before, eyes trained on the gangway until a familiar head of brown hair peeked over the deck. He spotted you right away, freezing in his tracks before making a beeline for the stairs leading below deck. You were hot on his heels, your temper surfacing as you finally cornered him.

“Guppy,” he replied cooly, refusing to meet your eye as he scanned the galley for help.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” you accused him, earning a scoff.

“Have not.”

“Have to.”

“Have not.”

“You have to, and don’t even try to deny it again,” you snapped, poking him in the chest. “We have precious little time to get to the physician before he closes up shop for the day. He was kind enough to keep it open as long as he is, now let’s go.”

“I’m not going,” he muttered. You froze, balking at his tone.

“What?”

“I’m not going, Guppy,” he repeated, still not meeting your gaze, golden eyes locked on something just past your shoulder. You let out a humorless chuckle, shaking your head in exasperation.

“Bradley-”

“I’m not going, and that’s final,” he growled. “Drop it.”

You stared at him for a long moment, your anger and sadness welling up all at once inside of you.

“You really want to leave me alone, don’t you?” You whispered. Bradley’s eyes snapped to you, still firm, but now with an edge of uncertainty to them. “First it was Papa, then Mama. I only had you, and now you’re determined to leave me too. You’d rather see me alone than go see the stupid physician, is that it?”

His face dropped into a look of horror, regret swirling in his eyes as he reached for you. “Guppy-”

You took a step back, feeling the hot, angry tears sting at your eyes. You fixed him with your meanest glare, cursing yourself when you felt your bottom lip begin to tremble.

“If you want to die so bad,” you sniffled, “then by all means, go ahead. Just leave me out of it.”

And with that, you turned on your heals and practically sprinted towards the stairs, the eyes of the rest of the crew fixed on you the entire way. You were vaguely aware of Bob’s concerned face peering at you from the kitchen, Mickey and Reuben seated not too far away. You passed Nat, ignoring her outstretched hands as you thundered past her and Javy up the stairs. The wind sent a chill down your heated face, only made worse when the tears finally began to fall. The sun was just above the horizon now, the sky painted in an array of pinks and oranges as it beckoned the night.

“Rough time?”

You jumped, spinning around to find Jake leaning against the railing on the far side of the ship. His golden blonde hair shimmered in the evening light. The sun kissed the horizon just passed his shoulder, creating a halo that glowed around him. If you didn’t already know him, you’d think he was an angel. He stares at you as if he could see into the very depths of your soul, his olive green eyes never wavering.

“What do you care?” You snapped, furiously rubbing at your eyes to rid them of any tears. Jake watched you intently, as if knowing that you would continue. “Bradley’s not eating.”

“Of course he’s not,” Jake replied, no hint of malice or sarcasm in his voice. Just a simple statement, but it made you tense up nonetheless.

“He hasn’t eaten in weeks,” you clarified, unsure if maybe he misunderstood you. He nodded, face unchanging.

“I know.”

“You know?” You asked incredulously. “You know, and you’ve done nothing about it?”

“There’s nothing to be done about it,” he shrugged, and you felt your whole body stiffen in anger.

“He needs a physician,” you snapped, fists clenched so hard at your sides, you thought you might draw blood with how your nails dug into your palms.

“A physician can’t cure what’s wrong with him, darlin’,” he drawled, as if explaining something so obvious. Your jaw ticked in annoyance.

“And what, pray tell, is wrong with my brother, captain?” You spat, the title earning a twitch from the blond’s lips.

“Do you believe in Davy Jones, Guppy?” he asked. That was unexpected. The change in conversation had your head jerking back, confusion stifling the anger momentarily.

“I believe he’s a scary story that parents tell their children to scare them into being good,” you responded, thinking back to the stories your own father would tell you. “He’s not real.”

Jake gave a humorless chuckle, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. He ran a hand through his golden locks, looking out over the side of the ship and to the sea. The sound of the gulls and the creak of the ship as it rocked in the waves were the only things to be heard before he spoke. “I can assure you, he’s real.”

“Stop teasing,” you snapped, crossing your arms and fixing him with a glare. He gave you a wry smile, a look of sadness barely discernable in his eyes as they swept over you.

“If only it were that,” he started. “I didn’t believe in curses until six years ago, if you can believe that.”

“And what happened six years ago to make you a believer?” you asked, rolling your eyes. You were in no mood to be mocked or played with, and this man was wasting your time with his nonsense. You glanced over his shoulder. If you could wrap this conversation up, perhaps you could somehow convince Bradley to go with you to get the care he needed.

Jake paused. “Six years ago, I met a woman. She was beautiful, sweet, caring. The kinds of things most men want in a woman.”

“And you don’t?” you questioned.

“Those are nice things to have,” he hummed thoughtfully, then he gave you a small smirk. “But I’ve always wanted a little more.”

You ignored the shiver that smirk sent through you. “So, I’m guessing you took this woman to bed?”

“I did,” Jake admitted, pursing his lips. “And then I left her. Only, I didn’t know that there was another man in love with her at the time.”

“And he beat you senseless?” You guessed, letting out a snort of derision.

“Haven’t you been paying attention, darlin’?” He chuckled. “That man was none other than Davy Jones himself. Risen from the deep to exact vengeance on little, old me.”

“Right,” you scoffed. Surely he couldn’t be expecting you to believe him? He was speaking of fairytales. “And what, pray tell, does this curse involve exactly?”

“I, and everyone in my crew, are destined to exist on this earth in limbo. Not alive, but not dead either. A half-life. We eat, but we are never full. Our food tasting like ash.” He stood up, walking slowly towards you as he continued talking. “We drink, but our thirst is never quenched. The finest wines leave our throat dry like the desert.”

He cupped your cheek, stroking it before resting his thumb on your bottom lip, and you willed yourself to stay focused on the conversation at hand, despite the warmth the seemingly innocent action sparked in you. “We can feel, but no touch leaves us satisfied. I and every other member of this crew have taken many women to bed, only to crave more and more as this insatiable need for contact drives us mad. I’ve not known relief from another person’s touch in over six years.”

“Must be lonely,” you said softly. A look of unadulterated despair ran across Jake’s face, and it was then that you knew in your heart that he was telling the truth. It was the look of a man with ghosts that followed him, taunting him into submission, and you sucked in a harsh breath as he stared at you. His eyes shone with unshed tears, his breaths coming in ragged for a moment before he was able to compose himself.

“It’s agony,” he admitted quietly, dropping his hand back to his side, almost reluctantly.

“Did Davy Jones give you a way to lift the curse?” you asked, a sense of urgency in your tone. If there was a way you could help Bradley and your new friends, you had to try.

Jake didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he sighed, “I have to find what he considers to be the greatest treasure of all.”

“And what is that?”

“He didn’t say,” Jake muttered, head hanging low.

Your brow furrowed. “But, how are you supposed to find it if you don’t even know what it is you’re looking for?”

“Isn’t that the point?” he snorted, a humorless smile etched onto his face as he looked back at you. A sense of dread filled you, and you did your best to push it to the side. Giving up was not an option, it never had been for you.

“Well, you have all the time in the world to find what it is you’re looking for,” you offered, giving him a soft smile. He shook his head, the wry smile finding a home on his face once more.

“Old Jonesy only gave me seven years to find it before the curse becomes permanent.”

“Seven years?” you exclaimed, ice drenching your bones. “But you said this happened six years ago!”

“I did,” he said softly, watching you put the pieces together.

“But, that means…” you trailed off, horror overtaking your senses. Jake nodded.

“I have less than one year left to find the treasure.”

A/N: This one goes out to all my Fool's Fare girlies who have been waiting patiently for two months now for an update and haven't complained once! Y'all are the real MVPs. If you haven't heard, I'm redoing my tag lists, so please be sure to sign up for this new one! As always, reblogs and comments are appreciated and encouraged! And don't ever hesitate to pop into my inbox to talk about my fics or anything else! You can also find my works on AO3 under the username sailor_aviator!

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infinitywrites · 8 months

Text

I Didn't Expect You Part 2 ~ Conrad Fisher

(Part 1) (Masterlist) (Part 3)

gif credit @madscline

synopsis: Y/N never expected it to be the summer that everything changed. Conrad, Belly and Steven were all dealing with the consequences of recent break ups whiles Jeremiah's wasn't acting like himself. Susannah was undergoing treatment that provided unpredictable health results and kept her loved ones on the edge of tragedy. Had they drained the well of the magic of Cousin's beach? Or could something new fulfil it again?

warnings: multichapter slow burn, warnings will update with every chapter, timeline is both POST S2 and a retelling of S2 with changes, everyone swears, Laurel/Cleveland, Susannah is sick, otherwise lots of fluff in this one

word count: 4,434

___________________________________________

I just wanna know you better,

know you better, know you better now

All I know since yesterday is

Everything has changed

After I snuck in a power nap after unpacking with Belly, I headed down to the kitchen to check on the plan for dinner. I'd always looked forward to visiting Cousin's to taste Susannah's Pinterest recipe of the month. I shouldn't have been surprised to see Jeremiah at the stove stirring something aromatic, warming the kitchen up. "Well, look who's taken up the mantle of vacation cook." I teased and patted his back lightly after a quick peek over his shoulder at the sauce simmering.

"Not just vacation cook, either. Just wait, I've gotten a lot better in a year." Jere smiled through his intense focus and turned his head towards Laurel sitting at the island. "I'm ready for the carrots now, Laur."

As she dumped the shredded carrots into the sauce, she assured me when I sent a raised brow her way, "Don't worry, I'm just helping with prep. Cleveland is actually looking forward to impressing you all with his culinary skills so Jeremiah can actually enjoy his summer."

Jeremiah never took his eyes off the pot, "I told you, I'm into this now. Maybe I'm destined to be a famous chef!"

"You just had to add 'famous' in there, didn't you." Conrad turned the corner into the kitchen and flicked his brother in the ear. Jeremiah smacked his hand away as they both snorted a laugh.

"What can I say? I dream big!"

My hands found my hips without even noticing, "I'm really proud of you, Jere. It smells incredible. No thanks to Conrad." I shot my glare directly at him when his name left my lips.

He'd lifted two grocery bags onto the counter by the sink and was starting to unload vegetables when he scoffed. "Hey! I went all the way to the farmer's market to get stuff for the salad, if you must know. Actually make yourself useful and chop these." He tossed me a cucumber and a pepper before I could tell him that's the exact reason I came down in the first place. I got distracted by my own thoughts when he threw a big tomato that should have splattered all over the floor if not for sheer dumb luck. Conrad paused and mimicked throwing a radish bunch before I stared him down mouthing 'don't you dare'. When he finished washing the lettuce, he slid next to me at the island and pulled out the salad spinner.

Luckily there weren't any more shenanigans as we all worked together to finish the pasta, salad and fresh garlic baguette that Jeremiah swore was an elevated form of garlic bread he'd learned about from Top Chef. Conrad pointed out that he was surprised he picked anything useful up while watching Padma Lakshmi. Eventually Belly and Steven joined as a clean up crew, while Laurel set the table just like Susannah used to have it done up. Cleveland complimented Jeremiah's hard work and thanked Conrad for the quick surfing lesson before he'd tested his limits that afternoon. When everything was ready, Laurel went to get Susannah and the room was in a standstill. The anticipation was suffocating. It wasn't until Belly reached out and grabbed my hand that I realized I was holding my breath.

Susannah walked slowly, supported gently by her elbows by Laurel, with her signature bright grin for everyone in the room. She looked both better and worse than I'd seen her last. It was incredible what a sunny disposition could do and Susannah was the best at it seconded only by Jeremiah, with her sparkling blue eyes. The build up released into an awkward tension for exactly three seconds before Susannah sighed, "I can't believe you guys let me sleep all the way until dinner. Who's sneaky idea was that?" Her eyes scanned the room while Laurel chuckled by her side.

"That was all big brother over here, Mom. We wanted to surprise you!" Jeremiah smacked his brother in the chest as Conrad hung his head waiting for his mother's reaction.

"We had everything under control, Mom." He said and I glanced his way, taking in the new information until Conrad caught my eye and I looked back at Susannah in a flash. I kinda felt bad for giving him shit after hearing that.

"Of course you did, sweet boy, but I'm feeling good and next time I want a chance to order everyone around the kitchen." Laurel sat Susannah down at the head of the table while Jeremiah got to work fixing her a plate.

Cleveland, Conrad and Steven grabbed the various serving dishes and took their seats while I heard Steven yell back, "You got it, Susannah. I'm not going the whole summer without your jambalaya."

Dinner went smoothly after that. Susannah's spirit was as full as her energy when she focused on catching up with everyone around the table. Everyone complimented Jeremiah's culinary progress and Cleveland joined him in plans to treat everyone to a weekend feast before we all parted ways. Steven even talked a little bit about his breakup with Shayla and I reached over to give his hand a quick squeeze when his mouth turned down at the corners. Laurel got quiet before she admitted she couldn't believe how grown up Steven had gotten all of a sudden. The mood lightened a bit when he rolled his eyes and teased her for making his breakup about her empty nest syndrome.

Steven had been my best friend as long as I'd been staying at Cousin's over the past eight summers or so. Mom said it gave me a necessary break from the monotony of her condition and when Auntie Laur split from Uncle John, she said they needed me more than she did. Steven's breakup with Shayla happened before Prom at least and he seemed more angry than hurt after he talked to her the last time. Long distance was hard and she wasn't planning on coming back before Steven was headed to Princeton anyway. It was what was best for both of them and he knew it too. I tried to lift his mood after he got his Princeton acceptance a few weeks later by reminding him that he would have hated being tied down freshman year. Now he could charm his way around campus all he wanted without feeling a lick of guilt. This got the first smile out of him I'd seen since his Prom photos. He'd made the most of that night at least.

Jeremiah seemed to have the same idea and said, "This is exactly what you want though, Steve-O. No strings. No commitments. Focus on school…and Jersey girls." He really wasn't as slick as he thought when he put a hand up to direct the last part away from the parents. Conrad and Steven still shrugged and chuckled amongst themselves like he'd had a point.

"All right. New topic. I know you're dying to ask Y/N about Stanford and this is your moment." Laurel waved her hand to both shut Jeremiah up and encourage Susannah at the same time.

She put her hands down on the table for emphasis as her gaze narrowed in on me, "I can't believe you're going to Stanford in the fall. It's so exciting!"

"I'm glad you approve." I couldn't help but let the smile stretch my face at her joy.

"Approval, are you kidding? My little California twin." Susannah winked in my direction and I could have sworn I saw Conrad watching the scene play out.

"You can take the girl out of Cali but you can't take the Cali out of the girl." Laurel sing-songed as she finished her glass of wine.

"Why you gotta be so lame about it, Laur?" Susannah's shoulders dropped and she sent an exasperated look to her lifelong friend.

When Susannah got like this it always made us laugh and this time it was no different. Sometimes the only adult in the room was Laurel so at least she had Cleveland around, who was just listening attentively and taking in the group dynamics.

Laurel looked shocked for a second and cut back, "You're the one who–All right," and huffed in defeat before she turned back to me. "I'm excited for you too, Y/N. Beck's right, a change of scenery and a fresh start is an incredible opportunity at your age wherever you go."

Jeremiah was looking at Conrad when he said, "Summer everyday sounds pretty good to me," and punched his brother's arm which made me furrow my brow in confusion.

Susannah glanced their way with a mischievous look, "You know, I always told Conrad he'd find himself in the West coast."

Conrad looked at them both,"Subtle, mom."

"Well, if you aren't going to tell them–"

My jaw must have been on the floor as I gaped at him. "Wait, you're–"

"I'm waiting on late admission offers. Mom convinced me to apply over Christmas break." He shrugged it off like it wasn't a big deal but everyone knew the meltdown I'd had at the end of last summer trying to perfect my Stanford application.

Belly added with a teasing tone, "He made me proofread his essay like five times."

"Yeah, me too," Cleveland pointed at him and shook his head.

"OhmiGod, did everyone know but me? The person already going?" Steven looked scared as he swore he didn't so I looked around the table in disbelief and finally landed on Belly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Don't look at me! I told him to tell you." Belly raised her palms in surrender.

My eyes went back to Conrad who's smile just grew, "It's a big campus. We don't have to see each other." He shrugged again and dove into his second helping of pasta.

My face dropped as I rolled my eyes and swore to ignore him for the rest of the night. Susannah sighed and caught my eye, "Don't listen to him, Y/N. He's terrified of moving so far away from his mommy–"

"Hey!" Conrad tried to interrupt but he was laughing almost immediately when he heard Steven and Jeremiah break.

Susannah continued despite his protest and the howling in the background, "so I'm putting you in charge of him. I wanna see you both back at Christmas with the best tans of your life."

Jeremiah was dying and hitting his brother in the chest, "Okay, but is she wrong though?"

"Fuck you, bro. You still live with her!"

Jeremiah sobered long enough to utter, "And I cherish every second." He blew his mother a kiss like the charmer he always was and Susannah smiled stretched a little further.

When the boys finally settled down, it was time for dessert that Conrad had picked up from the market and snuck into the fridge without my knowledge at least. Strawberry shortcake; one of Susannah's favourites and we all assured her that while it was decadent, it still wasn't as good as her recipe. After the cake was polished off, I ran upstairs to slip into my swimsuit and coverup dress in case I felt like a dip in the pool once the food settled. A few of us tried to offer our help to Cleveland but he insisted that he had a clean up ritual he really enjoyed as long as we gave him the space to do so. He said it was a thank you to everyone for the meal and the invitation.

Conrad came up behind him and patted him on the chest, "I was just an errand boy and didn't know you were coming so have at it, boss!" And exited quickly out the backdoor, already pulling a joint out of his pocket.

Steven's eyes followed him even as Jeremiah was trying to make plans to head down to the beach for the bonfire. "Uh, yeah man. I'm down. Gimme a second to change and I'll meet you out front." Steven nodded in his direction as Jeremiah agreed and headed for the door.

"Yeah, thanks for the invite and everything but I no longer have the energy or the patience for bonfire party bullshit." I teased in Steven's direction, who was still staring out the backdoor.

When he finally looked my way again, he looked sheepish, "Yeah, yeah. I was gonna invite you but I figured as much. It was never really your scene."

"You know me well. Have fun though, seriously." I was about to walk away when Steven asked me to wait.

"Hey, do you think you could talk to Conrad?"

There's nothing he could have said that would have shocked me less. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I know. It's weird but…he's been off since we got here and Jere said longer. I don't know if it's Belly or just Susannah stuff but…"

"Did you hear him at dinner? What makes you think he wants to talk to me?"

Steven gives me a look like it's the stupidest thing I could have asked him so I concede. "Okay, whatever. Other than my family shit."

"You've always been the person who makes me feel better when…-like with Shayla. I think, no, I know he needs some of that right now." Steven always had the most effective puppy dog eyes. I was too weak to resist.

"I guess…I can try." I moved my gaze to a dark figure sat by the pool and started mentally preparing myself.

He started to back away but wouldn't take his eyes off me until he saw me heading outside. "Yes! You're amazing. I owe you, for sure."

I spat over my shoulder, "You think?"

"Okay, now. Before Jere leaves without me."

"Jeez, I'm going." Steven watched as I opened the sliding door and mouthed his thank you before jogging back upstairs to get ready for the bonfire.

The sun was almost down and the pool lights lit up the yard as the smoke wafted from the shadowed figure sitting on the edge. I rolled my eyes at my own apprehension and took a seat beside him before I lost my nerve entirely. The water was just cool enough to make the summer heat bearable for more than a few minutes.

"What's up?" He didn't look my way, occupied with his ritual.

I decided to start casually and try to work up to the kind of talk Steven was expecting. I still wasn't convinced that Conrad would be open to talking at all let alone to me. "Steven and Jere are headed to the bonfire soon. I wasn't sure if they told you."

He nodded. "You're not going?"

"No, the day was long enough. I came out here to stop myself from falling asleep on the couch." I kicked my feet in the water and debated splashing him.

"So much for Belly's power naps." He chuckled and finally glanced in my direction.

"Whatever, they work for her but I'm the one who drove us here." I shrugged.

There was a beat of silence before I pressed again. "What about you? Why aren't you going?"

"Same as you. Tired."

I tried not to let myself get too frustrated by his lack of response. It was weird behaviour from him though, "Hm."

That caught his attention again, "What?"

"Nothing. It's just, we know the bonfire was never my scene but you always went."

"And now I've accepted that it's not my scene either." There was an edge to his voice that told me to drop it.

"Fair enough… I was uh, I was gonna swim." I probably should have jumped in and splashed the shit out of him but there was an uneasiness that got to me.

"Okay. Don't mind me."

I stripped down to my one piece and kicked my dress and sandals a few feet away before driving in. The water really was the perfect temperature to be refreshing after the heat and stress of a long day. It felt good to stretch my limbs and work the muscles that no doubt were starting to cramp from driving for hours and falling asleep in an awkward position. Everytime I looked up, Conrad's eyes were on me and I struggled between meeting them for a few seconds before I realized he wouldn't be the first to look away. Belly had told me once that Conrad was confident in a way she'd never seen before. Shameless even, when he looked at her sometimes and she worried she'd never feel butterflies like that again. That same look intimidated other guys and coined him 'the mysterious type' around the Cousin's beach crowd. Belly said as she grew up, she'd hold his gaze longer and longer to test her theory and never saw him break concentration before her heart felt like it would beat right out of her chest. I had no intention of testing said theory and redirected my breaststroke in the opposite direction.

His joint getting smaller was the only real indicator that time was passing at all. The smell was annoying, of course, but it seemed to be wafting above me so I could admire the look of it dissipating into nothing instead. It was probably half an hour later, Conrad still perched on the pool's edge, when I climbed up the ladder, towelled off and sat back down beside him.

I looked at him, blowing smoke out over the pool water again, "Okay seriously, why didn't you tell me?"

He wouldn't look at me now, like he was sick of the sight but he still knew what I meant. "Do you own the school now?"

It didn't take much to deadpan my response. "You're funny."

He tried again. "So what? We tell each other things now?"

"When they directly impact each other's lives? Sure we do." I decided to let him get out whatever snark he needed before I got a real answer. This wouldn't turn into another stupid fight; we were too old for that shit now.

He narrowed his eyes in my direction. "You know I don't owe you anything just because we could be at the same school and living in the same state, right?"

And all of a sudden the plan went out the window and Steven would just have to accept that I tried and failed. "Okay, Conrad…" I got up to leave and went to bring my things inside.

"No, wait! I'm sorry. I–I dunno why I'm being such a dick."

I paused with an armful and hadn't decided yet if I wanted to listen to him. "Probably because you're so good at it."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Honestly. Belly was right, I should have told you when I applied. I just…I thought it might piss you off."

That made me turn to look his way, his head hung between his shoulders and his face lit up light blue and sullen as ever. "Since when do you care if you piss me off?"

"Now! Now, I do. With this. I didn't want you to think I was encroaching on your thing or following you or something. My mom's been talking to me about going to Cali since the beginning of high school but I never really thought–not with everything that happened."

The mask seemed to be gone now and that was the only reason I sighed and sat back down. Maybe Steven was right; maybe Conrad wanted to talk in his Conrad way. "I didn't think you were following me. Or encroaching. I just didn't expect you to wanna leave right now so I was even more surprised to hear it at all."

"I don't but…" It was like he was losing his words or thoughts halfway into getting them out. Maybe it was the weed going to his head. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Of course we would see each other at school. You know, if you want to. It's nice to know we wouldn't have to figure everything out alone there, right? It's exciting." He sounded sincere until he mocked the excitement.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah…and Jere's right too. I'm worried about being so far away from Mom."

"She seems really excited for you. You're giving her what she wants, you know."

"I know, I'm just used to being an hour away at Brown and that was bad enough. Let alone six and that's just the flight." He got worked up by the thought alone and my heart clenched in my chest for him. I knew that feeling. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Conrad took a moment to collect his thoughts before he let out a deep breath. "You've come here every summer for years and you're away from your mom for so long. How do you…?"

I audibly sighed and started chuckling at myself before I could stop it, "Is it a cop out if I say practice? No, that's partly true. It gets easier and it helps that I know my dad is dedicated to taking care of her. And when I'm there there's nothing I can really do to help. I think that's the worst part actually. Sorry, I–"

"No, I asked."

I looked at him then and it was one of the few times I knew he was really listening to me. "A few years ago, I think I was 13, I begged my mom to let me stay home that summer. It was really bad for a little bit before and I just thought, what if I miss it? What if I'm not there? She said I was grasping for control I never really had. I was trying to pause my life for something inevitable. And not only was that not fair to myself but it wasn't fair to her either."

His eyes fell as he nodded and then flashed a small smile, "The moms must be conspiring behind our backs because that sounds suspiciously like what Mama Beck Fisher said about Stanford. Do the thing that scares you. That's how you really live."

I laughed a little at the sentiment. "Sounds like you got a cooler version at least."

"It's not like I didn't know about your mom but…I don't think I ever realized–"

"It's okay, Conrad." I shook my head, wanting to avoid that line of thought.

"You just seem so together all the time." I could feel his direct gaze when he said it even when I wanted to laugh in his face.

"I'm not, I just…when it comes to Susannah I feel like I've done this before. Been here. The worst fucking kind of familiarity. I don't even know what that has to do with anything, I just think I don't feel it yet. Not really. God, does that make me horrible?"

Conrad immediately shook his head in reassurance as I took a steading breath. "No. I don't think so, anyway. I think it'll catch up to you but…would you promise you'll tell me if– if you wanna to talk about it ever? You know if Steve-O or Belly aren't around. I dunno, maybe it'd help me to be there for someone else, you know?"

I turned my head to gape at him for the second time that night but he wasn't looking back at me this time. He was inhaling the smoke and blowing it over the pool again like he'd been doing for over an hour now. "Yeah sure."

He nodded once and put it out on the concrete and then away in his pocket before he lifted himself up.

I had to ask before he walked away, "Hey, Con?" I didn't continue until he turned a bit to acknowledge me. "Stanford is what you want too, right? It's not just for Susannah?"

A smile grew across his face, "You think I would've put myself through that brutal application process if I didn't?"

I coughed a laugh at his quick mood change, "That's right. I forgot about those ten proofreads."

He shook his head in amusement, "Exaggeration. Besides, I might as well follow my built-in babysitter."

"Fucking hell…" I winced as my head hung between my shoulders this time.

"Can't take it back now! Mama's boy like me, I'll never make it on my own!"

"I never agreed to that!" I said louder than I meant to in my frustration. It had been dark for a while even though I had no idea what time it was. "Would you keep it down?!?"

Conrad opened the sliding door and scolded, "Shh Y/N, the neighbours!"

I was left with the usual exasperation that was signature oldest Fisher and everything felt right in the world again. Well kinda. It should satisfy Steven anyway and I could mark it off as my good deed of the week. I looked out over the view and thought about the strange connection you had with the Fishers now. My mom had had MS for as long as I could remember and the constant state of grief in my house growing up was as normal as anything else in my life. Everyday was clouded with some difficulty, old or new, and the only real reprieve was summer with my cousins at Susannah's beach house. I could be a different person there who no one really knew outside my family, Fishers included. I'd even heard the whispers of my quiet, closed off nature and it always put a smirk on my face. It was like a fresh start at the end of every school year even if I didn't change at all. I could pretend for a few months that I was a normal girl who's biggest problem was my baby cousin's unrequited crush on an unattainable older jock, my sad lack of crush to obsess over instead and my best friend's tendency to get himself into trouble without ever trying.

A yawn pulled me from my thoughts and I gathered my things and climbed the stairs towards the quiet upstairs. I heard the shower running but didn't think anything of it as I passed the bathroom until the door swung open and the yellow light hit my peripheral vision. I looked right at Conrad walking across the hall to his room. He was noticeably wet-skinned and sauntering in a pair of boxers. The moment lasted a second before my eyes caught his trailing down and then back up to my eyes as he ruffled his wet hair with a towel. And then the door was shut and I turned away and shook my head to rattle my brain awake enough to make it to my bed in one piece. There was no counting for the ways in which the first night at Cousin's beach could mess with my head.

___________________________________________

author's note: I'm blown away by the response and hope this next chapter lived up to expectations! Thank you so much for the support 🩵💙💚💛. I meant to get into the 4th of July party in this part but it got away from me so that's up next! Do the changes make sense? Y/N's backstory? More explanation is coming but please let me know if anything is too confusing to follow. Reply with comments and let me know if you wanna be added to my taglist. If you'd like to ask me about any upcoming chapter warnings you wanna be warned of ahead of time (angst? 18+ smut?) then come visit my blog with any questions and I'll be happy to answer!

taglist: @c4rpediem-s @jackierose902109 @lcvecstiel @h0t-as-h3ll @fandom-addict404

#conrad fisher #conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher x y/n #conrad fisher x you #tsitp conrad #the summer i turned pretty #team conrad #conrad fisher fanfic #conrad fisher au #conrad fisher x fem!reader #conrad fish imagine #tsitp imagine #the summer i turned pretty fanfic #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty au #Spotify

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matthewkniesys · 9 months

Text

LA - trevor zegras x famous singer!reader au

a/n: so every time gracie plays a new show at the eras tour i'm making an edit for it (since shes the face claim) so here you go!! we are here!! it's the last leg of the usa eras tour and that means y/n's last show!

trevor zegras x famous singer!reader

yourusernameofficial

Liked by @/ taylorswift, radvxz, abbyweiser and 704 304 others

yourusernameofficial - okay so where to start... i don't even know. this has been the most amazing summer and the best experience of my life. i'm so grateful to have gotten this opportunity and i cannot begin express how i'm feeling.

thank you to @/taylorswift for your friendship, your guidance, and for letting me be a part of your amazing tour. getting to see you preform every night was the most magical thing in the world.

thank you to all the amazing crew who helped run this show because it could never have been possible without you.

thank you to everyone who supported me, especially my mom, my dad, my best friend bea @/radvxz, and to you guys who were there with me every step of the way.

thank you. i will forever be thinking about this.

Tagged: @/ taylorswift

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taylorswift - 💙💙💙💙💙

↳ fan17 - 5 BLUE HEARTS WHAT ARE YOU UP TO TAYLOR

↳ y/n#1fan - 👀

*view 16 457 other replies*

trevorzegras - so very proud of you and so extremely happy to have been beside you for this journey 💙

↳ yourusernameofficial - 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

↳ fan283 - WAIT trevor was travelling with y/n???

↳ y/nfan3 - probably not cause we probably would've seen him at more than just the 4 shows he was spotted at

↳ fan17 - trevor with a blue heart too??? and y/n with 5 hearts??? you guys are killing me

radvxz - bestie i love you, you are stunning, you are amazing, you deserve the world and i am so proud of you 💙

↳ yourusernameofficial - bestie i love YOU, YOU are stunning, YOU are amazing, YOU deserve the world and i am so proud of YOU 🤍

↳ fan17 - NO MORE BLUE HEARTS I CAN'T

fan1989 - i love you y/n i'm so happy i got to see you on the best night of my life

*yourusernameofficial liked this comment*

jamie.drysdale - my best friend

↳ trevorzegras - nope y/n is my best friend

↳ yourusernameofficial - nope jamie's my best friend not you trevor

↳ radvxz - what about me??

↳ yourusernameofficial - you are my ride or die forever, my sister

↳ radvxz - i won

jack.hughes - honestly seeing y/n and taylor live in one night was the best experience of my life

*yourusernameofficial liked this comment*

trevorzegras

Liked by @/ yourusernameofficial, jamie.drysdale, jack.hughes and 403 945 others

trevorzegras - recharging after the best experience of y/n's life

Tagged: @/ yourusernameofficial

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fan17 - awww they're together

fan3 - can't be convinced they aren't dating like people usually recharge by themselves but they want to spend time together so badly they are doing it together

jamie.drysdale - me not being there is honestly the biggest loss

↳ yourusernameofficial - agreed

↳ trevorzegras - disagreed

↳ jamie.drysdale - honestly y/n should just ditch trev and come to canada

↳ yourusernameofficial - looking at tickets rn

↳ trevorzegras - uh no you're not... i'm trapping you here with me

↳ yourusernameofficial - jamie save me

fanaccount8 - coffee date perhaps??

*trevorzegras liked this comment*

jack.hughes - i love y/n so much, like literally the coolest person in the world

↳ yourusernameofficial - factsss

y/nfan6 - they are gonna hard launch in the next month mark my words

thanks for reading🫶requests are always open for fics, blurbs, ig edits and just thoughts!!

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theangrycomet-art · 4 months

Text

Sonic Underground Reprise: Hedgehog Family Tree Hedge

Here- the parents, the aunts, the uncles, the grandpa and grandma's and even some cousins.

Now, are most of these characters relevant to the main plot? No. But if you have followed me for any amount of time you should know of my love of expanding character's family trees.

COMMISSIONS OPENED

Kofi

Family Notes: (this gets kinda long)

Parlouzer Lore (paternal side)

Charlotte was a sailor who split her time exploring and fishing with her crew

she may or may not have been a pirate

Maurice was a skilled carpenter who worked from his home workshop in Port Mobius

he was just a humble, if a bit on the quiet side,

the two met by chance when Charlotte was exploring the area while Maurice was trying to get groceries

instantly charmed with one another, they kept in touch and she made it a point to always come back to see him every chance she could

after about 5 years of this she proposed to him and the two were married the next day

Chuck was born shortly after (honeymoon baby)

he mostly stayed on the mainland with his father while Charlotte continued working on the high seas

Julius was born when Charles was 12, and Pauline Pauli when he was 19

Chuck left for college early at 16, so he wasn’t particularly close with his younger brothers until they were practically adults

Jules ran away when he was 13 to join the circus, completely cutting off contact for nearly 5 years

At 17, he and several other members of the circus (including Argus) were arrested in Casino City after being framed for treason by a rival performance troupe. Due to their age however, the two were given an alternative to jail time: enlistment, which they begrudgingly accepted (this was HIGHLY illegal btw, as both were underage and therefore not qualified to be enlisted)

around 3 years into service, Chuck got wind of the bullshit charges placed on his brother and threatened to raise hell if the two were not brought back home immediately

Jules and Argus were then hired as a part of the Royal guard where they were charged initially with guarding King Max’s son, Crown Prince Nigel

Pauli avoided trouble growing up, having taken more after his father than his lovely, impulsive older brothers

Ihe developed a passion for piloting and decided to start his own delivery business, which would be how he would meet his future wife Bernie

Bernie

Nadim Lore

ditch the royal family part and exchange it for a powerful magic fam

Hatshe is the matriarch of a powerful magic guild, the Rising Sun, though she has retired from any official position

the Rising Sun was formed by Aman-Rapi long ago

Hatshe met Olgilvie when traveling through the Kingdom of Mercia when the then King requested the aid of the Rising Sun’s strangest magician (they had meant to request “strongest” but their had been a slight typo, luckily for them Hatshe was both)

Bastard son of a a duke, Olgilvie was knight renound for his skills with a blade as well as the strings

he was assigned to aide Hatshe in her assignment

the two did not get along initially, as both were headstrong individuals who had their own way of doing things, but eventually became friends, and later lovers

He ran off after her once her assignment had been completed and continued courting her back home

Layla is Aleena’s older sister, as well as the current leader of the Rising Sun

Though she may appear calm, collected, and regal, outside of official appearances she is a very much a dork who is not above a little mischief

she met Terios when the were children during the family’s travels

more specifically, she found his half dead body lie partway out of a river bank

he was taken in to the guild, where he showed strong promise in healing magic

childhood friends-> lovers, slowburn 160k words basically

everyone knew that they liked eachother except themselves

despite some initial mishaps, the guild has been thriving under her leadership

despite Robotnik’s efforts, their guild halls have remained hidden to him, as well as serving a safe havens for those trying to escape his reign

they work loosely with the Resistance, though Layla leaves it up to the individuals to come forwards and offer aid

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itsagirlwithglasses · 1 year

Text

A Shadow’s Tale — Chapter Three

Azriel x Pirate!FReader

CHAPTER THREE

Summary: Y/N tries to make amends with the inner circle, but some things don't go exactly as plan as some secrets see the light of day

Word Count: +2,400

a/n: It's insane to me the support I've been getting here, thank you!!

Warnings: none

As you walked into the kitchen the next morning you smiled finding breakfast appearing on the table, clearly for you as no one else seemed to be up yet. As Nesta had explained to you briefly, as she showed you your rooms, the story behind the house you were not as surprised, but still thankful.

You sat down and started eating the eggs, bacon and veggies. You let out an appreciative moan as you ate.

“You’re a great fucking cook, House.” You laughed to yourself and continued eating and drinking some of the orange juice the house had given you.

You had found some Night Court attires inside the closet and you decided on a silky tunic and loose pants. The heat from outside could be felt on the inside because of the open windows. You still put your old and worked out boots and your jacket on, as if to give yourself some feeling of normalcy. You were glad to be alone for once since your arrival. Maybe you would try the ten thousand steps and go to your crew. You couldn’t help worry for them.

You were taken out of your thoughts as a bowl of porridge and a glass of milk appeared seconds before the general entered the kitchen stomping his feet. You exchange glances and he sat down across from you starting on his food.

You weighted your options while playing with the remains of your breakfast. You would never be able to leave this place if they didn’t trust you, so you looked at him mumbling a ‘good morning’. He took a look at you and said nothing as he continued eating.

“I’m… sorry, okay?” You blurted and he looked you over, waiting. “I was very on edge yesterday and… I shouldn’t have called you bats…” You saw the corners of his mouth quirking up.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve been called worse.” He smiled finally breaking and you smiled a little.

“What about a restart?” You held out your hand, “Hi, I’m Y/N, nice to meet you…”

He looked at your hand, accessing, then took it with a strong grip, and lifted his chin giving you a smile.

“Cassian,” You nodded giving him a smile back and breaking contact.

“So… Cassian,” You tested his name on your lips, “Why are you up at the crack of dawn?”

“Because that’s when his torture, also called training, starts,” Nesta appeared at the kitchen smiling at you, “You should join us.” She offered with a smiling and sitting next to the general.

“My days of torture and training are behind me I guess…” You chuckled, “But I was wondering if I could go down to the city…” You said tentatively and they exchanged a look.

“How about this, come to training and then I’ll accompany you to the city, I need to check some stores out anyway.” Nesta smiled brightly and you bit your lip thinking on it.

“Sure,” you end up agreeing and they both nodded as they finished their breakfast.

—

Training, you weren’t aware, was more than your bargained for. You had to ditch your jacket and boots and were thankful for the loose clothes. Sweat was beading in your brow already and you had just started with some "basics".

As soon as you reached the ring you met some priestesses very briefly for they didn’t really speak much. Cassian had given them some instructions and they were on it while you joined Nesta and her friends, Gwyn and Emerie, who were very curious about your long ebony hair and the roundness of your ears. You had stopped for a water break when Gwyn made point.

“You look positively human, yet, there’s something about you… Almost…”

“Magical?” Azriel interrupted making us all stare at him as he strode in. He was late, you realized, clearly he was supposed to be the one training the priestesses, as you had heard Cassian mumbling complaints earlier.

“Yeah…” She replied in almost a whisper taking in he Illyrian who towered over her.

It occurred to you that he was a spymaster for a reason, however... He couldn’t know… Could he?

“That’s silly though… Pirates don’t have any magic.” Gwyn said looking directly at him with a confident smile. No one looked at him like that, defiant.

He didn’t answer, looking from Gwyn big blue eyes to you with a tilt of his head almost as if asking, "Is it?" but you didn't return his look, instead focusing on the sand under your feet.

“Y/N is training with us Az, because you’re late, again, the priestesses were given instructions already,” Cassian chimed in and you looked between the two males.

“I’ll check on them then,” Azriel spoke to Cassian and Cassian gave him a dark smile. Trouble.

“Actually, I was thinking we do some work in pairs,” He looked at Gwyn and Emerie, “Eight pointed star,” He looked at Nesta, “Sparring one on one with me,” He finally turned to you, “Sparring with Az, and I expect a full report on how well trained she is.” He spoke to the spymaster and you tried to keep your cool.

“I just came as a courtesy, I don’t have any intention to join your… army?” Cassian let out a low laugh as you spoke.

“Our deal was you train, you go shopping.” He spoke, laughter gone. “Or are you scared little shark?” You snorted at the nickname.

“Of your homeboy?” You looked over Azriel. “Not really.”

“Alright, then you’re in.” He said amused and you narrowed your eyes at him.

“I’m in.”

—

He had knocked you on your ass for the third time already. You breaths were harsh as you got back on your feet.

“Yield.” He purred and you scoffed.

“Never.” You took your stance once more and went for his ribs but he was inhumanely fast as he grabbed your wrist and turned you flush back against his chest. You snarled as you tried to call on your air magic to knock him out.

If careful he wouldn’t even notice it hitting him. A gust of wind came strong from behind him and knocked him on his knees, you hit him in the ribs with your elbow and your right foot behind his right one. He fell on his ass as you turned to see his eyes slightly wide. Your legs were around his waist pinning him down and your hands grabbed his wrists as he went to move you.

“Yield.” You mimicked his word panting heavily as you tried to hold him back from getting a hold of you.

He smiled making you frown.

That’s when you felt it, he thrusted his hips hard making you gasp in surprise as you jumped slightly, you lost your grip on him and he took that opportunity to turn you over and be the one pinning you down.

“No magic allowed in sparring.” He whispered in your ear and you could smell the cherries in his breath again.

“If you wanted to see me naked you could’ve just knocked on my door.” You whispered back and his gaze locked on yours. You saw the flush of his cheeks before he got up and turned away from you.

You smiled to yourself as you got on your elbows crossing your legs. He knows. You thought taking in the information. You waited for the others to finish as you got yourself together. You wondered if he had told anyone yet, Rhysand perhaps... And if did, you were probably in big trouble.

“I’m going to take a shower, I’ll meet you guys up here when you’re done.” You announced to Nesta and Cassian and they both nodded still focused on their sparing.

You left but not before seeing Nesta getting Cassian on the floor. You wondered if he had let her win or if she was that good. The proud look on the general’s eyes gave you the answer you were looking for.

—

After getting ready you met with the mates up on the roof, they were also already showered and changed. You had taken your sweet time. After all your muscles were sore or you hadn't trained in a while and definitely underestimated Illyrians and their intense training.

“So… How do we get there?” You asked looking over the edge.

“We fly of course.” Cassian said happily and you gave him a look.

“You can fly with two people?” You eyed Nesta, “Or… Where are your wings?” She laughed.

“I don’t have wings, I’m just fae.” She put her hand on your arm and smiled widely. “And two people is quite a lot even for my strong boy here.”

“So we will take turns?”

“Azriel will take you.” Cassian said simply and you swallowed shaking your hand.

“I rather not…”

“I know he looks scary but I promise he won’t drop you.” You were about to complain but he grabbed Nesta who yelped happily and jumped from the roof making you gasp and stumble back.

Your back hit a hard muscle chest and you took a deep breath turning slowly. Realizing that you had been played. They had no intention of bringing you, and the spymaster distaste for you was pretty apparent. He was not taking you anywhere.

“I get it… I’ll just go to my room.” You talked clearly disappointed and rounded him to go inside.

“I thought you wanted to see your crew in the city.” He said and you turned looking at him scoffing.

“Don’t need to mock me Azriel, I know you won’t take me.” Something crossed his face when you said his name but he quickly concealed it.

“I’m not mocking you, now are you coming or what?” He crossed his arms and you smiled a little trying to contain your grin.

“Really?” You approached him slowly and he did not react, just picked you up bridal style like last time and jumped off the roof.

—

You really loved flying. This time the flight had been shorter. Nesta was waiting for you already and huffing.

“Mother above, I thought something had happen and you weren’t coming after all” she said exasperated and you smiled a little as she held your hand and started showing you the city.

Azriel had told you where your crew would be waiting for you and when you told Nesta she got all excited. After was seemed like hours of walking you reach the bar.

A huge smile spread across your face when you spotted Bonny. As soon as she saw you she ran to you almost knocking you with a hug.

“I’m okay, I’m okay!” You swore laughing as she started asking all kind of questions.

“Little Captain,” Sebastian bowed as he came closer to the three of you and you smile giving him a big hug.

“Big bro,” emotions started flowing through you really fast and you had to inhale deeply to hold back your tears. “Is everyone okay? Did Rhysand talk to any of you?”

“We are okay! His general came and he told us we were welcome to the city, but at the first mistake we would be sailing away.” Bonny laughed, “Like we would ever… but anyway, turns out you did convince him after all! I was scared he would find out the truth but you’re in one piece so…” Bonny cut herself out as your eyes were open wide and she noticed Nesta next to you.

You looked at her and she had an eyebrow cocked at you.

“I can explain everything…” you started and she shook her head.

“I don’t care what your business with Rhysand is, just promise me you will be careful…” She said catching you off guard and you simply nodded.

You took a look at your closest mates and noticed how Sebastian hadn’t stopped eyeing Nesta. You chuckled gaining their attentions.

“So you’re all pirates?” Nesta laughed putting her arms through yours and walking you inside the bar.

Gosh, you needed a pint of ale. It had been an intense couple of days.

—

“Is there any bakery close by?” You asked Nesta after you left the bar where your crew was all reunited.

You crew was made of only eight people including Bonny and Sebastian and yourself. Mr Filch, who had been in your father’s crew as well and he was so old you did not want to stop him from sailing with you, for this could be his last opportunity to do so. The twins, Lobo and Ledo, trouble makers but excellent crew members, extremely smart and great with maps. Theodore, who has as much muscle as brains and also a romantic. And finally Tina, also known as scary Tina, great with a sword and as quick as a rabbit.

“Actually yes! Morrigan loves to go there, although I’m not sure if it’s because of the pastries or the female behind the counter.” She winked and you snorted.

“Let’s go then.”

—

When you were ready to go back, you walked towards a town house that, that Nesta informed you, was where you were to have dinner with the “inner circle”. So the same people you had dinner the night before.

You were clutching the small paper bag in your hands and you took a deep breath before going in. You put your hand on Nesta’s arm stopping her.

“Can you promise me you won’t tell them anything of what you heard?”

She smiled at you, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

You smiled at that and you both walked in. You immediately heard laughter noticing Mor and the female with the brown doe eyes playing with a little boy with little wings on the floor. No one paid a lot of attention to your entrance and you just took in the people in. Everyone was there. Including another female you hadn’t seen before. Short black hair and grey piercing and assessing eyes. She was short and her neck and wrists were adorned with very expensive jewelry. But you noticed the red hair male was not in their midst.

“Y/N,” Feyre approached you with a wide smile and you gave her a little one.

“Hi,” you said timidly and she looked at your hands.

“What do you have there?”

“Oh… it’s… nothing special, just… a gift…” you felt foolish just as the words left your mouth. For Azriel. You didn’t say.

“Ah! For who?” She was beaming now and you felt more pairs of eyes on you now making your cheeks flush.

“Uh… you of course!” You said giving her the bag. “A thank you… for.. uh… letting me stay…”

“You didn’t have to!” She said opening and seeing the pastry inside. “Cherries? I’m not a huge fan but I’m sure I’ll love it!” You simply nodded and she left you empty handed.

You excused yourself to use the restroom and closed yourself in it. It was supposed to be an apology pastry. However you didn’t want to admit it to the whole room. Humiliate yourself in front of these people who you didn’t even know right.

As you got your shit together you left the small room and you were overwhelmed by the familiar scent of mint and cherries.

“Cherry pastry?” His voice was a rumble in the dark and you took him in as he came closer caging you in against the wall.

Your breaths became shallow.

“I wanted to apologize…”

“For what? Not telling the truth? For using us?”

“Is not like that…”

“And with a pastry?” He purred

“It was the only thing I could think of…” You licked your lips, he followed the movement with his eyes, “if you let me explain…”

“What do you want from us? From me?”

“Nothing, I—“

“Because you’re making me fucking crazy and I’m so close to throw the towel on this.” You gaped like the fish taking in his hazel eyes. Your chest heaving and you feeling hot all over because of the proximity.

Someone cleared their throat making him instantly get away from you.

“Elain…” you heard him say, his voice full of regret as the female only nodded and left. He went after her.

Now that makes sense… You thought.

Oh Az... Let me know all your thoughts!! xx

Next Chapter

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kazoosandfannypacks · 11 months

Text

"Wishing it Wasn't" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 16/18: Waiting Room Confessions Pairing: CaptainSwan Rating: Teen (for gun violence in earlier chapters) Word Count: (1.1K/19.5K) Summary: Season 2 Canon Divergence: When Neal tells Emma he has a fiancée, she claims to have a new boyfriend of her own, and blurts out the first fairytale name she can think of: Captain Hook. Killian agrees to this ruse, but when feelings grow between the two, will the con be more than they can handle? Chapter Summary: Emma talks with her family and Neal, leading to her coming clean about the fake relationship. Tags: season 2, canon divergence, gun violence in later chapters, angst with a happy ending, fake dating, mild character death, mildly anti neal Author's notes: >:} Taglist: @zahara @kmomof4 @jonesfandomfanatic @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @teamhook @undercaffinatednightmare @gingerchangeling @lonelyspectator @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @cs-rylie @pirateprincessofpizza @pawshapedheart [if you'd like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!]

Also on Ao3!

Maybe the only reason Emma had gone along with Killian in the "big car with the noisy lights on top" was so that she could fill out paperwork or give a detailed report on what happened. Maybe she wanted her due accolades at how well her magic had saved him- how well she'd saved him. Or maybe she just took pity on him- he had almost died, after all.

Either way, Killian was glad for her company. She had a light about her that almost felt warm, like sitting around a campfire with your crew after a long day's hunt. He tried not to stare at her too much, tried to tell himself he was just looking at her to take heart against all the things that felt so different. The ride was a rough one, and so fast, and he lay on a stretcher. The car was filled with all manner of shiny and modern and beeping equipment, most of it Killian couldn't begin to understand the purpose of- and he knew the hospital would be even brighter, and scarier- certainly not scary to such an infamous pirate as himself, but certainly much more disorienting.

He looked up at Emma, the Savior- his savior- as she finished speaking with a nurse and took a seat next to him.

He couldn't think of anything to say to her besides the "thank you" he'd already given her, but he felt like he didn't need to, didn't need to say anything at all. Instead, he simply held out his hand to her, almost by instinct, like letting out an anchor- an anchor that snagged itself, as it should, in her hand.

She took his hand and gently squeezed it, not once, not twice, but three times- and something in that gesture felt warm, felt safe- like somehow he wasn't alone.

Emma sat in the waiting room, filling out as much as she could of the papers she was handed, meanwhile looking over her shoulder through his room's window every few moments to see if he'd be alright.

She'd gotten a text from her dad a little bit ago, one that said he and Neal had gotten Tamara, and had gone back for Greg, and now both were safely in custody in the Storybrooke jail- and now her family was on their way to check in.

She tried to make sure all the details of Hook's injury, as well as what she'd done to heal him were documented as best as she knew- which wasn't great, since she knew nothing of magic or medicine- but the doctors could figure out the technical jargon themselves.

She glanced back again at Killian's room- he almost seemed like he was laughing at something Doctor Whale had said- then looked back down at the papers in front of her.

"Emma!"

She looked up to see Mary Margaret and Henry, David and Neal close behind, and she got up to talk to them. Mary Margaret threw her arms around Emma, and Henry joined in.

"Is he gonna be okay?" David asked.

Emma let go of her mom and looked back at the room- the same room David had been in when she first came to Storybrooke. As she did, Whale walked out its door, looking at some clipboards. He looked up at Emma and her family.

"He's gonna be just fine." Whale said, "Thanks to you."

"Emma?" Mary Margaret asked.

"If hospitals across the country had people like Emma, they'd be in much better shape." Whale shook Emma's hand, then moved on to make his rounds.

"Emma, what did you do?" Mary Margaret asked.

"It's nothing." Emma said. "I just. I figured out how to use magic."

"Magic?" Neal and Mary Margaret asked in unison.

"I'm the Savior." Emma said. "Product of True Love. It's all in a day's work."

"That's amazing!" Henry said. "What was it like?"

Emma half laughed as she knelt in front of him so she could look right at him. "It felt like lightning and rainbows all at once, like I was holding fireworks- but quieter."

"That's so cool!"

Emma ruffled his hair. "You're right it was."

David tapped Emma on the shoulder. "May I have a word, Emma?"

"Yeah?" She stepped off to the other side of the room with him, expecting some kind of "okay now that you have magic you need to be careful it comes with a price" speech.

Instead he said, "I'm so sorry. I should've believed in you."

"It's alright." Emma said.

"No it isn't." David said. "I should've listened to what you said, should've seen things for how they were- how you said they were- instead of how I thought they looked. I should've believed in my daughter."

"I forgive you." Emma said, then gave David a hug. "And I understand. Once upon a time, it took me a while to believe in my kid too."

She glanced over at Neal and Henry, and Neal walked over to her.

"I'm proud of you." David told Emma, and gave her a hug.

"Thanks." she said softly.

David let go and walked away, giving Neal a pat on the shoulder as he walked by.

"Can I talk to you too?" Neal asked.

"Why?" Emma crossed her arms. "Gonna say sorry for not believing me too? I understand. You're forgiven."

"That's not the only thing I need forgiveness for." Neal said. "I should've believed you about Tamara, but I also should've waited for you when I found out you were in Storybrooke. I never should've landed you in jail in the first place. I should've held out for Tallahassee, because it doesn't sound nearly as nice without you. I'm so sorry for everything I've ever done to you. Will you please forgive me?"

He didn't deserve forgiveness, sure, but no one ever does.

"I'll try my best to forgive you." Emma said.

"And I hope you and Killian are really happy in your life together."

Emma figured that if ever there was a time to come clean, it was now.

"We're not together."

"What?"

"Killian and I," Emma said, "we're not dating, never were."

"But you said…"

"I said what I said because I was jealous. I told you I found someone else, because you found someone else, and I couldn't let you know that I cared." She bit her lip. "But I did care for you. I hadn't stopped loving you, even after all those years."

"You know, I never stopped loving you either." Neal said. "I only told myself I did."

"Really?"

"I thought every day about how I never should've let you go."

Even though he had abandoned her, he hadn't abandoned the thought of her. She did something she thought she'd never want to do again- she looked into his eyes, even just for a moment. Then he pulled her into a hug.

"Tallahassee?" He whispered.

But Emma didn't know what to say.

#once upon a time fanficton #cs fanfic #captain swan #killian jones #emma swan #once upon a time #ouat #season 2 #canon divergence #kazzy writes

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zyalahdoodles · 2 years

Note

i would love to hear your companion rankings!

Okie dokey, I'm just gonna stick to Tens companions here just so I don't write a full dissertation (this is still going to be hella long).

So we have Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble and finally Wilfred Mott. So let's get to it;

Last Place: Rose Tyler. Now here me out, as a child I ADORED Rose. She could do no wrong in my eyes. I wanted to grow up to be her, and was absolutely devastated when she was trapped in Pete's world. HOWEVER now as a 28 year old, out of all of Ten's companions she is my least favourite. Why? Her possession over the Doctor just really rubs me the wrong way. Rose when she's with Nine is great (minus how she acts with Mickey in Boom Town) but as soon as the Doctor got 'hot' and she realised she was in love with him, suddenly he is hers and hers alone, and damn any other woman who even breathes in the Doctor's direction. And my justification for saying that she got possessive only after the Doctor got 'hot' is her reaction to his possible regeneration in season 4. Yelling "You can't!" to someone who is dying and therefore needs to regenerate to survive is a bit ew for me. Then there's the little things like her wanting to get her own way and knowing she can get away with it because she's Rose (S2 Ep5-6), her being mean to Sarah-Jane, violently yelling and shaking a possessed victim of abuse (Fear Her) ect. Her fashion still bangs though imo. I have her New Earth outfit, tooth and claw outfit and Season 4 outfit.

5th Place: Jack Harkness. Controversial opinion I know. I just don't vibe with Jack after season 1, I'm sorry. And in Season 3 he just doesn't really have a purpose after Utopia (unless I'm forgetting something important). I like the set up of him being pissed the Doctor ran away from him, but I don't feel like the pay off was as strong as it could have been. And in the Season 4 finale, I honestly forgot he was in that until just now, I remember everyone else, hell I remember Ianto and Gwen but Jack...Finding out he's the Face of Boe is great though, and in my opinion his character should have been retired then.

4th Place: Mickey Smith. WHAAT! Yeah I'm surprised too. Mickey probably has one of the best boyfriend to hero arcs out there (Rory wins that category though). Ten's Mickey is a friend, and less the butt of the joke. I love his progression in School Reunion, and when he finally gets the courage to ask to join the TARDIS crew. Surprisingly I don't mind his gloating towards Rose's jealousy, he's spent two seasons watching someone who is supposed to love him fawn after this alien and finally she is a little humbled, I dunno, I just don't take it as egregiously as others. Then his character finally becomes his own person in age of steel and he chooses to stay behind to help a world that doesn't have a Doctor but needs heroes. And once again in season 4 he makes the best decision for him to leave Rose and continue his own life after he sees the writing on the wall, and then he finds true partnership when he marries Martha.

3rd Place: Martha Jones. I personally want to apologise for every butt hurt response twelve year old me made when they revealed that Martha was Rose's successor. I was fully on the THEREISONLYONECOMPANIONANDITISROSSSEEEETRULUV4EVA!!!!!!! train at the time, but like with my opinion on Rose, the benefit of adulthood makes me see Martha completely different, and I love Martha Jones. She deserved the whole damn world, and still does. Martha is the friend I wish I had, her journey from wide eyed medical student to hardened soldier is beautifully devastating. All she wanted to do was help people, and in the end she saved the entire fricking world all on her own, with nothing but her determination, faith and words. Without Martha there would be no magical tinkerbell Doctor in the series 3 finale. Not to mention she single headedly supported the Doctor TWICE when they were trapped in the 1960's and 1910's respectively. I hate having to see Martha trapped with John Smith and the racist assholes of Human Nature and Family of Blood, but once again it just shows how strong and loving she is. Martha could have stayed in the TARDIS, she could have told the Doctor to get his own bloody job in Blink but she didn't, she chose to help him, and she will always choose to help those who need her (eg the Fish alien in the doctors daughter). Plus who doesn't love a red leather jacket.

2nd Place: Wilfred Mott. I sobbed when Bernard Cribbins passed, because of just how much I loved Wilf growing up. I wanted him to be my grandad so much. Wilf is kind, funny, loving and so so understanding, Donna is the luckiest woman in the world to have Wilf. Plus he's just so damn resilient, the man stayed in London during Christmas just because he wasn't going to bow down to those darn aliens. His joy and excitement for all things space and alien is so infectious and wholesome. Wilf is such a spectacular emotional supporter not just for Donna but for the Doctor too. Wilf has seen some shit and refuses to let it get to him, even in the Christmas and new years specials. Wilf is the personification of why the Doctor keeps saving the Earth and humanity, because yeah there are fucking assholes out there, but the world is worth saving if there is just one person like Wilf. Truly I think the only way to stop the Time Lord Victorious (aka temper tantrum ten) in The End of Time was to juxtapose him with Wilf.

FIRST PLACE: Donna Noble. Season 4 is a tragedy in slow motion because of how GOOD Donna's character arc and progression is. As a character who started off as a one of comedy guest star and blossomed into the most important human in all of creation, I can't even begin to describe how much I love Donna. She is the Doctor's heart and conscious. We've seen who 10 is without her, and he's even worse when he loses her. When Rose is trapped he refuses to break open the walls between universes even when Rose jokingly says "So?" but after the Doctor loses Donna, his true best friend? Less than 3 adventures later and the laws of time and space are HIS TO COMMAND!!!! He fucks with a fixed point in time because he's just lost too much. Donna was the final piece of the Tenth Doctors 'humanity' if you will. All of that and she's just fucking funny and clever (despite what she might think). She is the companion I'd most want to travel with, and I can't wait to see her, Wilf and 10 again.

#doctor who #10th doctor #tenth doctor #rose tyler #martha jones #donna noble #jack harkness #mickey smith #wilfred mott #dw companions #opinon #the doctor

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istumpysk · 2 years

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Operation Stumpy Re-Read

AFFC: The Iron Captain (Victarion I) [Chapter 18]

My little dunce cap! 😍

Victarion joined Nute the Barber at her prow. Ahead loomed the sacred shore of Old Wyk and the grassy hill above it, where the ribs of Nagga rose from the earth like the trunks of great white trees, as wide around as a dromond's mast and twice as tall.

The bones of the Grey King's Hall. Victarion could feel the magic of this place.

My mind is full of weirwood.

+.+.+

"Balon's sons are dead," Red Ralf Stonehouse had argued, "and Asha is a woman. You were your brother's strong right arm, you must pick up the sword that he let fall." When Victarion reminded them that Balon had commanded him to hold the Moat against the northmen, Ralf Kenning said, "The wolves are broken, lord. What good to win this swamp and lose the isles?" And Ralf the Limper added, "The Crow's Eye has been too long away. He knows us not."

What.

+.+.+

Euron Greyjoy, King of the Isles and the North. The thought woke an old rage in his heart, but still . . .

"Words are wind," Victarion told them, "and the only good wind is that which fills our sails. Would you have me fight the Crow's Eye? Brother against brother, ironborn against ironborn?" Euron was still his elder, no matter how much bad blood might be between them. No man is as accursed as the kinslayer.

Let's count how many times Victarion thinks about kinslaying.

One.

+.+.+

And then he saw her: a single-masted galley, lean and low, with a dark red hull. Her sails, now furled, were black as a starless sky. Even at anchor Silence looked both cruel and fast. On her prow was a black iron maiden with one arm outstretched. Her waist was slender, her breasts high and proud, her legs long and shapely. A windblown mane of black iron hair streamed from her head, and her eyes were mother-of-pearl, but she had no mouth.

But not from Silence. On her decks a motley crew of mutes and mongrels spoke no word as the Iron Victory drew nigh.

ha HA, get it?? heavy metal.

+.+.+

Victarion's hands closed into fists. He had beaten four men to death with those hands, and one wife as well. Though his hair was flecked with hoarfrost, he was as strong as he had ever been, with a bull's broad chest and a boy's flat belly. The kinslayer is accursed in the eyes of gods and men, Balon had reminded him on the day he sent the Crow's Eye off to sea.

Two.

+.+.+

"Drop sail. We proceed on oars alone. Command Grief and Iron Vengeance to stand between Silence and the sea. The rest of the fleet to seal the bay. None is to leave save at my command, neither man nor crow."

That feels like it's going to be a problem for someone.

+.+.+

But not from Silence. On her decks a motley crew of mutes and mongrels spoke no word as the Iron Victory drew nigh. Men black as tar stared out at him, and others squat and hairy as the apes of Sothoros. Monsters, Victarion thought.

Sorry, guys. Please excuse the racism. He means well.

+.+.+

Beneath he wore heavy grey chainmail over boiled black leather. In Moat Cailin he had taken to wearing mail day and night. Sore shoulders and an aching back were easier to bear than bloody bowels. The poisoned arrows of the bog devils need only scratch a man, and a few hours later he would be squirting and screaming as his life ran down his legs in gouts of red and brown.

Victarion wearing heavy armour while at sea will come up a few times. It's definitely something we should keep an eye on.

A gust of wind tugged at his old green cloak. A jerkin of boiled leather and a pothelm at his feet were his only armor. At sea, heavy steel was as like to cost a man his life as to save it, he believed. - Davos III, ACOK

+.+.+

Victarion would not speak of kinslaying, here in this godly place beneath the bones of Nagga and the Grey King's Hall, but many a night he dreamed of driving a mailed fist into Euron's smiling face, until the flesh split and his bad blood ran red and free. I must not. I pledged my word to Balon.

Three.

+.+.+

Many promised him their voices: Fralegg the Strong, clever Alvyn Sharp, humpbacked Hotho Harlaw. Hotho offered him a daughter for his queen.

[...]

"A king must have an heir," Hotho insisted. "The Crow's Eye brings three sons to show before the kingsmoot."

He had not touched another woman since he gave her to the crabs. I will need to take a wife when I am king. A true wife, to be my queen and bear me sons. A king must have an heir.

A king must have an heir!

I had no wish to marry after Lyanna was taken from me, but Jon said the realm needed an heir. - Eddard VII, AGOT

A king must have an heir!

"Jeyne," she called after, "there's one more thing Robb needs from you, though he may not know it yet himself. A king must have an heir." - Catelyn III, ASOS

A king must have an heir!

"Young, and a king," he said. "A king must have an heir. If I should die in my next battle, the kingdom must not die with me. - Catelyn V, ASOS

A KING MUST HAVE AN HEIR!

Victarion was turning to go when the Crow's Eye said, "A king must have a wife, to give him heirs. - The Reaver, AFFC

~a king must have an heir!~

Robert -> no heir!

Stannis -> no heir! (soon. rip.)

Renly -> no heir!

Joffrey -> no heir!

Tommen -> no heir!

Robb -> no heir!

Daenerys -> no heir!

👏 a 👏 king 👏 must 👏 have 👏 an 👏 heir 👏

+.+.+

"Bastards and mongrels. How old is this daughter?"

"Twelve," said Hotho. "Fair and fertile, newly flowered, with hair the color of honey. Her breasts are small as yet, but she has good hips. She takes after her mother, more than me."

Great, more fair and fertile, newly flowered, honey-haired 12-year-old girls wedding and bedding.

Remember when this was horrifying?

+.+.+

"I will gladly look at the girl once I am crowned," he said. That was as much as Hotho dared hope for, and he shambled off, content.

Sorry, guys. Please excuse the pedophilia. He means well.

+.+.+

"Balon was mad, Aeron is madder, and Euron is maddest of them all," Lord Baelor said. "What of you, Lord Captain? If I shout your name, will you make an end of this mad war?"

Victarion frowned. "Would you have me bend the knee?"

"If need be. We cannot stand alone against all Westeros. King Robert proved that, to our grief. Balon would pay the iron price for freedom, he said, but our women bought Balon's crowns with empty beds. My mother was one such. The Old Way is dead."

"What is dead can never die, but rises harder and stronger. In a hundred years men will sing of Balon the Bold."

"Balon the Widowmaker, call him. I will gladly trade his freedom for a father. Have you one to give me?" When Victarion did not answer, Blacktyde snorted and moved off.

Who is this Baelor Blacktyde!? I like him! Hopefully he sticks around for a long time.

+.+.+

A woman was amongst those laughing. Victarion rose and saw her by the tent flap, whispering something in the ear of Qarl the Maid that made him laugh as well. He had hoped she would not be fool enough to come here, yet the sight of her made him smile all the same. "Asha," he called in a commanding voice. "Niece."

Is that an uncle/aunt being warm towards his/her niece/nephew? What book am I reading?

+.+.+

"Queensmoot?" Victarion laughed. "Are you drunk, niece? Sit. I did not spy your Black Wind on the strand."

"I beached her beneath Norne Goodbrother's castle and rode across the island."

Clever girl.

+.+.+

"Would you lesson me in warfare? I was fighting battles when you were sucking mother's milk."

"And losing battles too." Asha took a drink of wine.

Victarion did not like to be reminded of Fair Isle. "Every man should lose a battle in his youth, so he does not lose a war when he is old. You have not come to make a claim, I hope."

Is this foreshadowing?

+.+.+

"There are men who remember when you were a little girl, swimming naked in the sea and playing with your doll."

At the Pyke Water Gardens.

+.+.+

But then a sudden silence fell. The singing died, Little Lenwood Tawney lowered his fiddle, men turned their heads. Even the clatter of plates and knives was hushed.

I adore this introduction.

+.+.+

A dozen newcomers had entered the feast tent. Victarion saw Pinchface Jon Myre, Torwold Browntooth, Left-Hand Lucas Codd. Germund Botley crossed his arms against the gilded breastplate he had taken off a Lannister captain during Balon's first rebellion. Orkwood of Orkmont stood beside him. Behind them were Stonehand, Quellon Humble, and the Red Oarsman with his fiery hair in braids. Ralf the Shepherd too, and Ralf of Lordsport, and Qarl the Thrall.

What.

+.+.+

And the Crow's Eye, Euron Greyjoy.

He looks unchanged, Victarion thought. He looks the same as he did the day he laughed at me and left. Euron was the most comely of Lord Quellon's sons, and three years of exile had not changed that. His hair was still black as a midnight sea, with never a whitecap to be seen, and his face was still smooth and pale beneath his neat dark beard. A black leather patch covered Euron's left eye, but his right was blue as a summer sky.

A dreamboat!

She's so fucked.

+.+.+

"We shall have no king but from the kingsmoot." The Damphair stood. "No godless man—"

"—may sit the Seastone Chair, aye." Euron glanced about the tent. "As it happens I have oft sat upon the Seastone Chair of late. It raises no objections." His smiling eye was glittering. "Who knows more of gods than I? Horse gods and fire gods, gods made of gold with gemstone eyes, gods carved of cedar wood, gods chiseled into mountains, gods of empty air . . . I know them all. I have seen their peoples garland them with flowers, and shed the blood of goats and bulls and children in their names. And I have heard the prayers, in half a hundred tongues. Cure my withered leg, make the maiden love me, grant me a healthy son. Save me, succor me, make me wealthy . . . protect me! Protect me from mine enemies, protect me from the darkness, protect me from the crabs inside my belly, from the horselords, from the slavers, from the sellswords at my door. Protect me from the Silence." He laughed. "Godless? Why, Aeron, I am the godliest man ever to raise sail! You serve one god, Damphair, but I have served ten thousand. From Ib to Asshai, when men see my sails, they pray."

This is what Darkstar and so many others wish they could be.

+.+.+

The priest raised a bony finger. "They pray to trees and golden idols and goat-headed abominations. False gods . . ."

"Just so," said Euron, "and for that sin I kill them all. I spill their blood upon the sea and sow their screaming women with my seed.

Euron Greyjoy plants trees!

+.+.+

When he was gone, the Crow's Eye turned his smiling eye upon Victarion. "Lord Captain, have you no greeting for a brother long away? Nor you, Asha? How fares your lady mother?"

"Poorly," Asha said. "Some man made her a widow."

Euron shrugged. "I had heard the Storm God swept Balon to his death. Who is this man who slew him? Tell me his name, niece, so I might revenge myself on him."

Lol. What an asshole. ❤️

+.+.+

"Do I command the winds?" the Crow's Eye asked his pets.

"No, Your Grace," said Orkwood of Orkmont.

"No man commands the winds," said Germund Botley.

I was going to make a Bran joke, but I think making fun of Melisandre is more appropriate in this moment.

Melisandre had given Alester Florent to her god on Dragonstone, to conjure up the wind that bore them north. - Davos I, ADWD

+.+.+

"No man commands the winds," said Germund Botley.

"Would that you did," the Red Oarsman said. "You would sail wherever you liked and never be becalmed."

"There you have it, from the mouths of three brave men," Euron said.

Wait, can he actually command the winds?

+.+.+

"Give her to me, Euron," suggested the Red Oarsman. "I'll spank her till her arse is as red as my hair."

"Come try," said Asha, "and hereafter we can call you the Red Eunuch." A throwing axe was in her hand. She tossed it in the air and caught it deftly. "Here is my husband, Nuncle. Any man who wants me should take it up with him."

More people marrying inanimate objects or classical elements.

+.+.+

"On that we can agree." Euron lifted two fingers to the patch that covered his left eye, and took his leave.

What is this?

+.+.+

"Nuncle." Asha put a hand upon his shoulder. "Walk with me, if you would."

[...]

"I saw the Reader's longship."

"It took all my charm to winkle him out of his Book Tower."

She has the Harlaws, then.

Last time we saw the Reader he was refusing to attend the kingsmoot.

I guess stopping Euron is that important. Smart man.

+.+.+

"I am of a mind to shout my nuncle's name."

"Which uncle?" he demanded. "You have three."

"Four. Nuncle, hear me. I will place the driftwood crown upon your brow myself . . . if you will agree to share the rule."

"Share the rule? How could that be?" The woman was not making sense. Does she want to be my queen? Victarion found himself looking at Asha in a way he had never looked at her before. He could feel his manhood beginning to stiffen. She is Balon's daughter, he reminded himself.

Sorry, guys. Please excuse the incest. He means well.

+.+.+

"Then let my nuncle sit," Asha said. "I will stand behind you, to guard your back and whisper in your ear. No king can rule alone. Even when the dragons sat the Iron Throne, they had men to help them. The King's Hands. Let me be your Hand, Nuncle."

No King of the Isles had ever needed a Hand, much less one who was a woman. The captains and the kings would mock me in their cups.

Take the deal, you idiot!

Great sign for Asha that she's willing to relinquish power for the greater good.

+.+.+

"To end this war before this war ends us. We have won all that we are like to win . . . and stand to lose all just as quick, unless we make a peace. I have shown Lady Glover every courtesy, and she swears her lord will treat with me. If we hand back Deepwood Motte, Torrhen's Square, and Moat Cailin, she says, the northmen will cede us Sea Dragon Point and all the Stony Shore. Those lands are thinly peopled, yet ten times larger than all the isles put together. An exchange of hostages will seal the pact, and each side will agree to make common cause with the other should the Iron Throne—"

Asha, what the hell are you going to plant on a stony shore? Use your brain! Think!

+.+.+

Victarion chuckled. "This Lady Glover plays you for a fool, niece. Sea Dragon Point and the Stony Shore are ours. Why hand back anything? Winterfell is burnt and broken, and the Young Wolf rots headless in the earth. We will have all the north, as your lord father dreamed."

[Narrator's voice] In actual fact, they did not have Sea Dragon Point, the Stony Shore, or all the north.

+.+.+

"The Crow's Eye hatched the scheme." Asha put her hand upon his arm. "And killed your wife as well . . . did he not?"

Balon had commanded them not to speak of it, but Balon was dead. "He put a baby in her belly and made me do the killing. I would have killed him too, but Balon would have no kinslaying in his hall. He sent Euron into exile, never to return . . ."

Sorry, guys. Please excuse the domestic homicide. He means well.

Four.

+.+.+

Victarion looked at his fists. "She gave me horns. I had no choice." Had it been known, men would have laughed at me, as the Crow's Eye laughed when I confronted him. "She came to me wet and willing," he had boasted. "It seems Victarion is big everywhere but where it matters." But he could not tell her that.

I love their dynamic. It's clear that Victarion could rip Euron to pieces with his bare hands if he wanted, but he feels so emasculated by him.

+.+.+

"I am sorry for you," said Asha, "and sorrier for her . . . but you leave me small choice but to claim the Seastone Chair myself."

You cannot. "Your breath is yours to waste, woman."

"It is," she said, and left him.

This is fine. We're fine. The obvious outcome will somehow not happen. Everything is fine.

Final thoughts:

I don't think it's a given that it's Daenerys who kills Euron.

-> return to menu <-

#operation stumpy re-read #affc #the iron captain #victarion i

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theresthesnitch · 2 years

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Today's pirate update takes a pretty dark turn on the @wolfstarmicrofic prompt: burn. Some violence and death below. Please be kind to yourself and skip if this will upset you.

The rest can be read here on AO3.

The burned out ship takes them by surprise and casts a deep pall over the ship.

They see it first in the late morning, seemingly small through the lens of the telescope. They thought it was just a ship sailing near them, but it never moved–neither toward them nor away from them.

Remus was the first to call it a tragedy, saying he could see the still lingering flames in the early afternoon. The rest of them couldn’t tell, but no one doubted the captain’s uncanny ability to see it. By late afternoon, as the ship was growing larger on the horizon, they all knew he was right.

Sirius wasn’t sure when Remus recognized the ship, though he suspected it was mid-afternoon, just before Remus disappeared into his cabin for some time. Sirius considered following him, but James’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. Instead, they all watched the ship come closer.

When they pulled up next to it, it was decided that a contingent should go to look for survivors or for some final message from the crew. Sirius went because Remus went, and no one questioned it. Three others joined them as they climbed over to the charred husk of the ship.

In the center of the main deck was a singular unburned portion, as though protected by magic. The body of a man was strung up to the mast in the middle arms pulled behind him and sagging to his knees. His shirt was pulled wide, and carved into his chest was the symbol of a wolf.

Remus knelt in front of the body while the rest of them quickly searched the ship. There were no survivors and nothing worth taking. Sirius came to kneel next to Remus.

“I knew him.” Remus spoke without prompting, almost like the words were ripped out of him. “Frank. He was my friend. I’ve known him since we were children.”

“The Sea Wolf got him.” It wasn’t a question. The symbol on his chest made that clear. Sirius had captained his own ship long enough to recognize the work of the most notorious villain of the sea.

“His name is Greyback. That was personal too.” Remus swallowed hard. “He wants me.”

“Why?”

Remus turned to Sirius, and before that moment, he hadn’t realized that his golden eyes could burn. “Because I’m going to kill him if I ever see him.”

Sirius asked no further questions.

They untied Frank, granting him a final burial at sea. They scuttled the ship and returned to their own. Dinner that evening was a far more reserved affair.

That night, when they climbed back into the bed in Remus’s cabin, Sirius made no overtures or advances, but merely allowed Remus to curl into his chest and seek comfort.

#wolfstar #wolfstar microfic #burn #pirate au #oh no it got dark #tw: death #tw: gore #tw: violence #I promise there's a point to this #snitchwrites

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lsdunesarchive · 10 months

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In conversation with Frank Iero of L.S. Dunes

Photo by Kevin Estrada Words by Em Moore June 30, 2023

In 2022 L.S. Dunes, made up of Frank Iero, Travis Stever, Anthony Green, Tim Payne, and Tucker Rule, introduced themselves to the world on their outstanding debut album Past Lives. Recently, the band headed into the desert to record a couple of new tracks at the legendary Rancho De La Luna studio in Joshua Tree, California. Filmmakers Nick and Pat Demarais joined them in the studio to document the recording process and their documentary Limitless Sky will be released in several parts on YouTube in the coming weeks. The first song from this session, “Benadryl Subreddit” was released last week along with a music video that answers the question, “What if Anthony Green was an ice cream man?”. L.S. Dunes will be putting out their 7-inch featuring "Benadryl Subreddit" and "Old Wounds" on September 1 via Fantasy Records and will be touring North America starting in July, including dates on the Sad Summer touring festival.

Punknews editor Em Moore caught up with guitarist Frank Iero over Zoom to talk about recording new songs, getting out of your comfort zone, the importance of creativity, the magic of monster movies, and so much more. Read the interview below!

youtube

You recorded two new L.S. Dunes songs - “Benadryl Subreddit” and “Old Wounds” - at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California. How did you decide where to record?

I think that the first thing that came into frame for us was where we wanted to record. It had been something that Tucker and I had talked about a lot for a long time. It was always a studio that held such mystique. We loved some of the albums and projects that came out of there and we'd seen the documentaries online. I think our paths had maybe crossed here and there with Dave, who owns it, but never in a working environment. We were able to give him a call and be like, “Hey, this is the time frame when we’re gonna be free. Do you happen to have an opening?” It just so happened that Rancho was free and were like, “Oh my god, that’s amazing!” Someone at our label had mentioned that Alex Newport was also building a studio out in Joshua Tree and if we wanted this could be a one-stop shop for us if we also wanted to work with Alex. Alex has been on my radar for a while too, he’s someone I had wanted to work with for years. So we gave him a call and he happened to be free the same weekend. It felt like lightning was striking at that moment. [laughs] Sometimes the Universe tells you, “This is what you should be doing” and sometimes the Universe tells you, “That’s not happening”. This was one of those instances where I felt like the stars were aligning and it happened to work out. Then we started to write. For me, it was like, “What do I imagine this setting sounding like? What do I wanna play in this setting?” That’s how “Benadryl Subreddit” came about.

The desert vibes.

Yeah! The desert at night I feel like is fast-moving and semi-dangerous and colder than you would think it would be. [laughs]

And full of scorpions.

[laughs] Of course, yes. That goes without saying.

You are also releasing a documentary about your time recording at the studio called Limitless Sky. How did that come about?

Since it was a place we wanted to record at and be a part of for so long it was one of those things where we were like, “We need to capture this memory in case it never happens again”. We were introduced to Pat and Nick Demarais who are amazing artists and filmmakers. They’re super, super talented. We saw some of their reels and stuff like that and ended up hitting it off perfectly when they got there. So much so that we ended up doing the video for “Benadryl” with them as well. [laughs] I feel like that kind of thing is you either love the documentarians and film crew who are with you or you hate them and never want to do it again. This was one of those times where we were like, “Oh man, we really like having them around”. They were seen when they needed to be seen and not seen when they don’t need to be seen and they capture great stuff. I feel like they did such a wonderful job encapsulating the experience.

Part one of the documentary is actually out now and I’m so excited for people to see it because it’s just so beautiful. I feel like somehow they made us seem interesting, which is weird. [laughs] I feel like if you love music and you love the process then it’s a great documentary for you. If you don’t really give a shit about that and you just want to see something beautiful and be a fly on the wall for something and hear a bit of a story, it works in that way too. It came out way better than I ever thought it was going to be honest because I’m a little trepidatious about that kind of stuff like, “Do people really want to see behind that curtain?” People will say yes but sometimes they don’t. Like, “I thought this was fun but it’s really boring”. [laughs] You have to make it interesting without manufacturing drama or anything like that and I think they did a really great job.

It’s so good when it is what it is and you’re not trying to make stuff happen.

I feel like we’re in this world right now where everybody is trying to manufacture content and that can be a bit daunting and make you feel really weird. But when it happens naturally and you capture this lightning in a bottle, that’s the best-case scenario. It just so happens that everyone in this band really likes hanging out with each other so there’s a lot of that on camera. We have a group Zoom call every week with Brigitte, our manager, to go over what’s happening or things that we need to do, and half the call is her going like, “Alright, alright! Can you stop laughing and joking around for a minute? I have to get to this one thing”. We can’t, it’s really fun. I like being in this band a lot.

youtube

You’ve mentioned how L.S. Dunes has an energy to it that’s different from anything you’ve ever worked on or bands you’ve been in. How would you describe this energy?

I guess the best way to describe it is creative energy. I’m not trying to discount other bands that I’ve been in but this is by far the most creative band. With other projects and with other bands you’ll tend to run into this thing like, “Alright, that’s cool but let’s table that and we’ll come back to it. We’ll see. I don’t know if that’s the right vibe or if that’s the song we want to work on right now”. Sometimes that works for other bands. For our band, everything gets chased and everything gets worked on. It’s one of those things where everybody loves playing so much. I love the craft of coming in and writing a song with people and seeing where it goes. You can’t be great all the time but you can make something. Sometimes that’ll lead you to something great and sometimes that leads you to a lesson. I just love playing and everybody in this band loves playing. I think the life force that runs through this band is creativity and we’re always making something new, whether that’s recording a demo or writing a new riff or going over old stuff or reimagining old stuff. It doesn’t stop. I love doing that so much and sometimes I feel like I tire out other bands that I’ve been in by doing that but this band doesn’t ever get tired. It’s like the Puppy Bowl! [laughs] It’s kinda like that but with a lot less shit on the floor.

I’m glad there’s less shit on the floor. I’d be concerned if there was more. [laughs]

Me too. [laughs]

For the first album, Past Lives, you recorded remotely but you recorded these two songs in person. What was it like to go from recording separately to recording in person?

It was great! There are some studios you go into and it’s almost like a hospital. It’s very sterile and everything has a place. Rancho is like if you took a studio and kinda exploded it in a house. The control is here, there’s amps and guitars everywhere, Dave’s cooking for you and you’re tracking, someone’s coming out of the house, and Chunk the dog is jumping up on your lap. It’s very much a family vibe and you feel like you’re a part of that family. I think it’s one of those situations where you go in and you fucking love it or you fucking hate it. It’s like sensory overload. So with that, it was perfect for us because we don’t give a fuck. [laughs] We’re just there to have fun and make something cool. I think if you’re in that vibe without the outside stressors of, “It’s gotta be perfect! It’s gotta be great” it works really well. It’s never going to be perfect but it can be great if you relax a little bit and have fun and that’s really what it was for us. It was awesome. It was really nice to all be in the same room. It was hard for us to focus and not just be fucking around 27/4. It was like, “We actually have work we have to do!” [laughs] Not just to play with the dog and touch every guitar in the room. If I had to describe my heaven, that would probably be it. [laughs]

Bring Chunk on tour.

I don’t know if Dave would be cool with that. I have quite a few of my own that if they wanted to come, that would be sick. He’s just the perfect size, he fits into a bunk nicely. [laughs]

That’s how you decide what dog to adopt.

Yes! I did bring a chihuahua on tour once and she had a good time. She’s still alive. She’s almost 15, it’s crazy. I think that’s because of tour. I think the longevity gets in there. [laughs]

Do you have a preference between recording remotely or recording in person?

I was with Will Yip the other day and I told him that Past Lives is probably my favourite sounding record that I’ve ever done in any band as far as sonics are concerned. I didn’t just say this to make him feel good because I really, truly mean this. Listening all the way through I think he did a fantastic job. It’s my favourite sounding record and that was a remote record. I didn’t know going in if I was going to have such a good time doing that because it felt weird. Getting to record with this band with everybody in the same room was great. That’s what I’m used to so I enjoy that as well. I gotta say there was a lot less stress doing it remotely though. Each have their benefits and it just depends. There’s so many factors that go into making a record or any kind of recording. It depends on who’s in the room at the time, what amp you’re using, if it’s on the fritz, what about the power - is it clean? There’s so many factors involved. We could do another remote record and it could sound like shit, I have no idea.

I think that they both have their place and I think especially in a band like this where everybody has such crazy schedules. Everybody is so busy doing things and I love that! When you’re in such a creative band like this and you’re out doing other creative things, you’re bringing that creativity back and forth. It’s like a conduit, it just keeps going and going and going. It makes me inspired. I wouldn’t change it even though it can get frustrating.

How would you describe your songwriting process?

Varied. [laughs] It’s funny, I feel like you’ll get asked that question a lot because people wanna know what the formula is when you write a song and there is none, really. There’s a demo that we just finished where Tucker recorded a drumbeat and I ended up getting inspired by that and I wrote a song to that. There’s no wrong way and there’s no right way. It could start with one person sending a riff through. “Benadryl” started with a guitar riff that I sent through and that verse-chorus thing, that big chunk. The b-section came a little bit later. But once you get inspired, you send that over. If Tucker is home he can put something together really quick and send it your way. We still write pretty much all remotely. I’m at rehearsal right now. So today when we have breaks, I’m sure we’re going to jam on stuff and something will come out. That’s happened before but that’s more rare because we’re never around each other, unfortunately.

You’ve mentioned that doing things that scare you and that get you out of your comfort zone is very important to you musically and otherwise. What helps you get out of your comfort zone?

That’s easy, I’m always uncomfortable. [laughs] Sometimes a song will come through and it’s like, “Alright, I know I can do this. This works. It’s something I’ve done before”. Sometimes a song will tell you where you wanna go. I think the hard part is trying to forget about that like, “This is the easy way. Throw that out and see where you can go if you had to do something different”. There’s different exercises that I like to use where you try to take an instrument like a guitar and be like, “How would I play this if I never played it before? What if I wanted to play it as if it were a percussion instrument? What if I wanted to try to make a new song out of it?” That helps sometimes.

Sometimes if I have writer’s block and I want to write a song I’ll be like, “I have to write a song but it has to have two chords for a verse and it has to have six chords for a chorus. How do I solve that puzzle?” If I put myself in a box and I start to figure out ways to problem solve, that can help me crack through. It’s like trying to stand on one foot, it leaves you uneasy and you don’t know how to solve that problem just yet but it gets your brain working. I love doing shit like that. There’s a recording process I want to try where you get three or four friends and you go into a room and record in a very specific way for a weekend. That kind of stuff to me is scary and uncomfortable but at the same time is so inspiring. You can’t get mad at what comes out of it because you’re putting these constraints around it like fighting a kangaroo with one arm tied behind your back. That’s crazy! Why would you do that? But at the same time why the fuck not!? Just do that.

There’s a way!

There’s always a way! I never want to hear the word ‘no’ when it comes to creativity, it pisses me off. If I have an idea don’t tell me ‘no’ right off the bat without trying it or figuring it out first. Let’s try to figure it out! At the end it of it, it might be impossible but at least we’ve exhausted every possibility. Then you’ve already been creative and you’ve figured something else out so there might be something new to jump to.

What would you say to somebody who’s having trouble getting out of their comfort zone?

You’re not trying hard enough! [laughs] I think in a creative mind, it’s not that hard to get out of that zone. I’ve been on this earth for quite a while and I’ve done a lot of things but there’s still so many things that I haven’t done or tried or exhausted. When you feel like you’ve done it all or you know everything, that’s probably when the learning process should really start. There’s so much out there! So much to learn and so much to try. You don’t know everything no matter what.

My friend Ray Toro was in town and he came to my house the other day and we were hanging out and talking about different picking techniques. Normally I’ll hold it this way where’s there very little of the pick still sticking out but if you’re trying to get your picking quicker if you turn it on its side and only use this part of your knuckle. It forces your wrist into this really unnatural, very strange position. He’s learning “Cliffs of Dover”. That’s something that he’s always wanted to try and he’s been working on it for months to really try to play it properly like the way a jazz musician would play it. No hammer-ons, no slides, just picking every note and trying to up the BPMs at which you can pick. He’s one of the greatest players that I’ve ever met and that I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with. He’s an incredible, incredible player and he was like, “I think I want to take some lessons soon” and I was like, “That’s so cool!” There’s such a wealth of knowledge out there. If you want to become enlightened in your craft and you really love your craft there’s so much more you can do. There’s so much out there, man.

Sometimes people get lost and overlook all the possibilities.

Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies with that kind of stuff. We really say, “It has to be this way because this is what I do” and it’s like, “No, man, no. You gotta open your mind a little bit”.

The poppies from the cover of Past Lives play critical roles in your videos for “Benadryl Subreddit” and “Grey Veins”. How would you describe the power of the poppies?

As a power source, an energy source. It can be used in good ways and in bad ways, a lot like anything. If you think of something as positive as love, that concept and that feeling can be really good if done and if used in a good way but it can also be negative if used in a bad way. That line between love and hate is so fine. The poppies are representative of the members of the band. They’re representative of the creativity and the energy and power behind our creativity and our minds.

Both of the videos also contain a lot of Easter eggs. In the “Grey Veins” video, you have the “Ghost of You” combat helmet in there. Which Easter egg are you the most proud of?

[laughs] That video was really fun to make. It took a very long time. We made the city and a very talented young lady named Kelly Harris made the costumes. Coming up with the concept and the different vignettes that we could film to make this world feel believable was quite the undertaking. We filmed it in this old VFW hall and you would never know because it’s all in miniature. We were moving the little Lego pieces with string and trying to get them to seem like they were moving on their own. My Good Eye did such an amazing job. Me and Tucker were there for fucking 36 hours straight just moving shit and building shit. It was really, really awesome. It was really, really fun to make.

As far as Easter eggs, there’s so many! There’s the keytar from “Medicine Square Garden” which is the final summoning of the rock ‘n’ roll power that comes down and destroys Blobby. There’s a couple of my son’s toys that made it into the world of the Lego people. My dog tags that my wife and I made when we first started dating are in there. The “Ghost of You” helmet is in there. It’s one of those things where it started from this crazy idea of, “I wanna make a Japanese monster movie”. I’ve always wanted to do it and I’ve pitched that idea probably 30 times. [laughs] This was the first time where I was told, “Yeah, you can make that”. So it was pretty awesome.

You’ve mentioned that monster movies were a big part of you and your dad bonding when you were younger. What did it mean to you to have your kids involved in the video?

It’s awesome! I think they’re getting to the age now where they’re more interested in that stuff. Back in the day, I made a video with them for “Best Friends Forever” which was a song my daughters wrote and they were in the video. It was more like, “Hey, listen, I’m going to make a video for the song that we did” and they were like, “Ok” and I was like, “You’re going to be in it!” and they were like, “Ok”. [laughs] I don’t know if they were conscious of what was happening. This was more like they knew. In the video for “Benadryl” my daughter Cherry and my son Miles were in it. Lily is very studious so she told me, “Dude, I can’t not go to school that day. I have a test coming up. I have two Spanish tests coming up and I can’t miss it” so I was like, “Alright, I get it”. She turned me down but Cherry and Miles were more than happy to skip school to be in the video and eat ice cream all day. [laughs] I think Lily got 108 in four of her classes, in every class she’s in she has A+s. She got her sense of humour and her stomach from me and she gets all her smarts and good looks from her mom.

What do you feel like the connection between music and monster movies is?

For me, it’s just the two things that I grew up loving so much and both of the things that I connected with my dad about. I think early on if you were to ask me, “What do you wanna be when you grow up?” the first answer was always, “I wanna be in a band”. Then people would be like, “You probably won’t succeed in that, you need a real job. What else do you wanna do?” and I would say, “I wanna make monster movies!” That’s what I was always interested in. On the weekends, I would go hang out with my dad and we would bee-line it to Palmer Video and he would let me rent whatever I wanted so we’d have a stack of monster movies. Then I would go see his band play and watch monster movies all night. That’s how we spent our weekends. If we didn’t go to rent the movies then we would go to the library and get books on the movies. I actually have one of those now. There was a series of books that told the story of Frankenstein or any of the old Universal Monsters and had stills from the actual film in it. Books about monsters, movies about monsters, and then I’d go see his band play. It was rad! That’s how I grew up. I had little to no interest or aspirations for anything else. Maybe skateboarding later on but I broke my ankles doing that and I realized that wasn’t for me. [laughs] I couldn’t play guitar if I broke my wrists so I put that to the side, I would just mall grab, I think.

You gotta have priorities.

Yeah! That’s the thing. If you’re a handsome actor then you can’t get hit in the face. If you’re a musician like I am, a clumsy musician, then you can’t skate and play.

L.S. Dunes will be playing on the Sad Summer touring festival and will be playing headlining shows in the US and Canada starting in July. What are you looking forward to the most about these shows?

Oh man, if you think about it, this is kind of our first US headline tour after Sad Summer. We’ve done limited runs on the East Coast and the West Coast but this is the first time we’re actually getting to do a full loop. I’m looking forward to playing the record and playing new songs. I’m looking forward to playing with Pinkshift and Teen Mortgage and PONY. I’m just looking forward to hanging out with my friends and making music. Honestly, that’s what it’s all about for me.

The band recently put a Pride-themed poppy T-shirt up for pre-order with all of the proceeds going towards The Trevor Project. What does this organization mean to you?

I think they’re a great organization. I think they’re helping kids and they have their priorities straight. It’s always hard when picking charities and making sure they’re vetted and are doing the right thing. The Pride shirt is something I don’t want to take full credit for because that was really a passion project from Tucker. He kept saying, “I really wanna do this for Pride” and I thought it was a great idea. The design came out fantastic and if you can make something cool and help people then it’s a win-win. I’m really happy it all came together.

What are you listening to now?

I like that Sweet Pill record that just came out a lot. There’s a grindcore band from New Jersey called Come Mierda which is basically “eat shit” in Spanish who I think are fucking great. The new Gel record is fantastic! I like that band a lot. Militarie Gun has put out a new great record. The new MSPAINT is great too. I really like Teen Mortgage and I’m digging the new stuff by Pinkshift. There’s a band from Texas called Glare that I think is really, really cool. I’m always looking for new stuff!

I think sometimes we fall into this ditch of only listening to the same shit that we listened to when we were teenagers and I know a lot of people do that. I think it’s cool. There’s a comforting thing about that. I’ll never turn off a Nirvana record or a Smashing Pumpkins record and Bouncing Souls and Black Flag will always be on. But it’s nice to hear newer bands and to see what else is coming down the pipe. I really do enjoy finding new artists. I think it’s inspiring and there’s so much cool music out there.

Gotta keep up with it.

Much to my wife’s chagrin about my record collection. It keeps growing. [laughs] There’s a lot of really cool, really interesting underground newer black metal that’s going on that’s fucking amazing. I think Vide is amazing, Spectral Wound is doing great stuff. Sun’s Journey Through The Night is fantastic. There’s so many great bands. Lamp Of Murmuur is unreal.

Are you still involved in the punk scene in New Jersey?

I don’t know if I’m involved, no one’s coming to me like I’m on the board of anything. [laughs]I was actually doing a session on Sunday otherwise I would’ve been at the Emperor show in Brooklyn. I love going to shows. It’s hard sometimes when you tour as much as I do and when you’re in the studio and stuff like that, sometimes on your night off you just want to chill. t’s funny because when you’re on tour the first things you look around for are music stores, record shops, and shows in town if you have a night off. I’m always down to see something. I think the older I get I’m more at the bigger shows as opposed to the VFW halls and things of that nature. I’ve been lucky enough to catch bands like Incendiary at festivals that we’re playing which is awesome. I feel very fortunate to be able to catch bands like that but I’m always a big proponent of if you like a band you have to see them in their natural habitat and go see the show. I wish I was able to catch Drug Church the last time they were around here but schedules are fucked. Their new single is great.

What does the future hold for L.S. Dunes?

I have no idea! [laughs] It definitely holds new recordings and new music. It’s just a matter of finding time to do it and I can’t wait because I fucking love being in this band. It’s so much fun. It’s one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. I’ll do this until the day I die. It’s so much fun.

youtube

#ls dunes #l.s. dunes #m: frank iero #lsd: 2023 #in: jun/23 #t: photo #t: video #t: text #misc: interview #ph: kevin estrada #p: punknews #archive[ane]#such a great interview!!

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sailor-aviator · 7 months

Note

What’s Jake’s internal reaction and how does the magic work the first time he meets Guppy in the bar?

I GOT you.

It was a small village along the coast. A “blink and you might miss it” type of place, but there were surprisingly several large ships docked at its harbor.

The chatter from the quaint pub could be heard out on the cobblestone streets, and Jake was eager to bolster his crew. That was the thing about curses; when they affected the whole crew, very few wanted to stay.

Jake swing the door to the pub open and he felt every pair of eyes in the room land on him and his crew. He heard several giggles from the ladies as he scanned the room, and the prickle underneath his skin began to itch for the company that would only serve to dull the sensation, not end it.

His eyes landed on the pretty, little thing behind the bar who watched him curiously instead of batting her eyelashes at him. He liked that, and the prickle grew stronger.

Jake began to walk towards you, and he watched as you casted a weary glance to the older man at the end of the bar before offering him a polite smile.

“Evenin’,” you greeted him. “What can I get you?”

Jake licked his lips in anticipation as he looked you over.

“An ale, and your company if you’re offerin’ that too.”

He watched your cheeks flush, and Jake decided then and there that he couldn’t wait to see you do it again as you bounced on his co-

“The ale, I can get you, but I’m not in the habit of entertaining sailors.”

Jake grinned. He always liked a challenge.

“Shame,” he hums as he watched you pour his ale. “Would have been nice to have someone as pretty as you in my bed tonight.”

His fingers brushed yours as he took the mug from your outstretched hand, and he nearly dropped the damn thing. That was new. The slight touch had brought him just a brief moment of…nothing. He hadn’t felt the prickle that had been a constant thorn in his side for six years when he touched you. He felt…relief?

Brushing it off as a trick of his imagination, he caught the irritated jaw clench of the man next to him. He saw you give the man a warning glance before turning back to him.

"I believe there are more than a couple of girls over there who would be willing to warm your bed tonight, Mr...?"

"Seresin," he said with a cheeky grin. You should know it now that he was determined to have you. "Jake Seresin. And I'm not interested in having anyone but you, pretty girl."

"Well, then it looks like your bed will go cold tonight after all," you said to him. The man next to him snorted in clear amusement, trying to cover his blunder with a cough. Jake ignored him, attention focused solely on you. It had been a long time since he had a challenge.

The old man down the bar flared at him.

“Seresin,” he grunted. “I’ve heard of you. You’re a pirate.”

All conversation in the pub died at the word, and Jake felt a wave of irritation flood over him. He saw the way you looked wearily at him, and he felt angry at the realization that you wouldn’t be swayed now, no matter how hard he tried to convince you.

"Pirate is such a nasty word," he drawled, taking a sip of his ale. "I prefer the term... liberator.”

"Whatever you call it, you have no business here,” the old man snapped.

"I beg to differ, my friend," Jake countered, moving to stand. He fought to keep his temper at bay. Turning to the rest of the room, he stated, "I'm looking for men to join my crew. You keep what you can carry with you. If you're interested, come see me."

And with one final glance at you, he sauntered off towards the back of the room where his crew had taken up purchase. He watched you for the remainder of the evening, his thoughts straying to you long after you had left.

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ijuswannacry · 3 months

Text

Sick Brain Cult

Once me and Sickdog got to know one another he finally decided to bring me in as a member of his group. They called themselves the Sick Brain Cult- being clear they weren't actually a cult, it was just a moniker they used. It was closer to a hacktivist collective, with all the members having supernatural skills given by their patrons.

I don't know if there's a correct word for it, but within the group me and everyone else is mentally joined with a....Ghost? Demon? Angel? Aliens? I've had mine as long as I can remember, but others obtained them at various points in their lives and once you have one you're stuck with it.

Sickdog told me a lot of people go off the edge fighting theirs, but sometimes someone has a good head on them and manages to work with theirs instead of against it. A lot of them just want to exist, and in exchange for the continued mostly sane housing they give up some of their mojo for us. Some are stronger, some not so much.

Everyone on the crew contributed, all it took to be a member was having a patron and being able to work with it. Sickdog didn't care if someone was useful for operations, if you wanted to help he would find a way to let you.

Its hard to explain what our goal as a group was. We had some simple ideas, such extremes as "The government should be a public service" and "being alive is a basic right" I mean we also liked to get involved in things when we needed to, but Sickdog wanted us to use our skills to make the world better for people, even if it was exposing creeps and posing politicians financial records on liveleak.

Most of us had backgounds in tech or otherwise provided something for the overall operation. Hellokitty was into the occult and her patron let her use her magic stuff for us, she kept watch over star charts and everything because if you're about to put on a headset and hack secrets from somewhere you want to do it when mercury isn't on it's gatorade. Blackice liked to work specifically on creeps, they'd get jacked up on monster and spend hours luring these fucks in and then sending the screenshots to their family.

Sickdog did the programming side. I handled gear, like weapons, my VR project that worked to create functional cyberspace headsets with Sickdogs help. Gracie was once in medical engineering before they got a patron and she helped us create all of our bio gear and kept us from frying ourselves.

Sick Brain was the only thing in my life then, it's members were my family.

#recollect #slenderman #slenderseries #slenderverse

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xansmenagerie · 6 months

Text

Spirited

Not dead, just brain full between work and autumn and non-Tumblr writing. In the meantime, here's one of the rare bits of background writing I did for my other tabletop game; I play a kandra (a corpse-eating shapeshifting spy) in a Mistborn game, and this was a 5+1 I wrote for them for fun after they hit the point where they can legitimately get Preservation to roll for them occasionally.

If you've read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series then this crew is out and causing trouble a couple of centuries before Vin's born; if you haven't, and you like dark-but-hopeful fantasy with solid magic systems, you might want to give the books a go.

RanVeer's pronouns are deliberately Yes, before anyone asks.

The mistwraith doesn't think as such; it can feel though, and those feelings could almost be thoughts at times. This is one of those times; something is nudging it, softening the fear of being out in daylight, making it want to crawl to a specific place.

"You're a brave one, aren't you?" The noises make no sense, mere vibration on the mistwraith's skin, but it can feel the footsteps coming closer through its contact with the floor. "You'll do nicely."

Sudden sharp pressure on its skin, two points digging in; the urge to recoil and flee damped down as something close to a thought shows it how to draw the metal in, to wrap around it like that-

The kandra called RanVeer wakes up, disorientated but very much capable of thought; so busy thinking, in fact, they don't feel the other presence withdraw.

---

"Why are you in there?" NolToun asks the barely open chest exasperatedly, hands on hips. The lid bucks a little in mute response.

"RanVeer, I mean it. Come out of there at once, child."

The chest is only big enough for a full-grown person if the person in question isn't concerned with little things like joints; RanVeer pops them back into place as she unfolds, her skin turning a warm brown to hide the shimmering purple bones of her True Body as she does so.

NolToun passes her the soft wrap she had managed to drag over the chest for extra cover on her way in with a fond if still exasperated smile. "You're getting better at that RanVeer. Faster, more accurate. Now, explain to me why you were hiding in there in the first place."

"I was practising stealth," RanVeer mutters as she ties the wrap in place.

NolToun raises an eyebrow, waiting patiently.

RanVeer deflates, fight already burnt up. "EleDaar was teasing me again. I just…I don't see why we have to go out on Contract, given what the nobles ask us to do." She sounds close to tears. "I hate knowing you're going to go out there as soon as they decide I don't need you to teach me any more, and I never want to go."

NolToun hands her out of the chest solemnly; once she's clear, he closes the lid and sits on it, patting the space next to him and inviting her to join him. RanVeer perches, primly and sullenly; NolToun puts his arm around her shoulders and she leans into him.

"They're not all so bad, little bit," he says softly. "Some of them are, never doubt that, but…the ones I'm not supposed to tell you about, like the man who hired me purely to make sure that no other kandra was in his household to keep his family safe? Those ones can be kinder than people here in the Homeland, rare though they are."

"So why can't Father only allow the kind ones to hire us? Or better yet, not make us have to go on Contract at all?"

NolToun smiles sadly at the hitch in her voice. "Because he needs us to watch the bad ones more than he needs us to watch the kind ones. But that doesn't mean, for all the Seconds will tell you otherwise, that the kind ones don't exist."

You should listen urges the voice at the back of RanVeer's soul, the soundless words soothing away the scepticism of the young. Don't hate them all

"I'll see if there's space for you in the Archives, alright?" NolToun asks her gently. "You won't have to go out on Contract, and I know you enjoy reading the histories."

RanVeer drops her head down to his shoulder. "Okay," she replies, not entirely sure who she's replying to, feeling approval both within and without.

---

TaarPell spreads their hands, a carefully neutral expression of sympathy on their face. "I don't know what to tell you, RanVeer," they say, maintaining the polite façade, "The Seconds have made the wishes of the First known, and part of that is that you are no longer being considered as a potential parent."

"It is…unexpected, certainly," RanVeer replies, placing the words carefully. She's learnt that same polite neutrality through long practice, applying the skill in watching and learning behaviours to her own people instead of those she would replace if on Contract. "Are there any other messages that might concern me?"

TaarPell shakes their head. "No, only that you are to remain in service to the Archives until further notice."

"Thank you," RanVeer says, courteous even in her disappointment. "I shan't take any more of your time."

It should be a comfort, being told to stay in the Archives. It's safe, it's quiet, even with the turnaround of Contracts it's not all that much work to keep on top of, and yet.

Either she knows more than TaarPell or else the older kandra was being reserved as a kandra should be. She's heard the murmurs, and she knows what some of the older generations think of NolToun; a maverick who speaks of peace between the kandra and the surface, even friendship, and while she feels that might be going a bit too far she can see the appeal in his idealism.

Which would explain why she's no longer allowed to nurture and teach the next generation, in case she passes along the taint to which she has succumbed.

She would complain to NolToun - politely - but there's a problem; NolToun has dropped out of contact, even allowing for his notoriously poor report sending skills, to the point that some of those murmurs are suggesting that he's betrayed Father somehow, or even been taken by Ruin.

RanVeer just knows that whatever has happened, she misses him horribly.

Her route to the Histories happens to take her past the branching for Reports and Contracts. It's truly quiet for once; she can't feel anyone else moving around in this part of the Archives.

You could look, tickles a feeling at the back of her mind.

RanVeer pauses. She knows that as the most junior Archivist by some way she's not meant to enter Reports and Contracts without someone more senior keeping an eye on her - they are meant to be sealed after all, not for any eyes to see - but she could, if she was willing to take a risk, find NolToun's last Contract fairly easily. It's the same organisational system after all and she does have a reputation for very fast look-ups.

If you knew where he went, you could find him

Of course, it would mean having to arrange to be on Contract wherever he last was, and then…hoping she could somehow find a kandra who was older and far more experienced than her who was currently so well hidden no one else knew where he was.

Still.

NolToun is her parent, after all. She owes him the trying, at the very least.

She walks into Reports and Contracts with the measured walk of someone meant to be in there, the feeling of being urged forwards strengthening her resolve.

---

Rust and Ruin, he hates days like today.

Strictly speaking, Jedal has done nothing that breaks the Contract. And, strictly speaking, it makes sense for the gang boss, after a job gone wrong, to take out that considerable anger on the one person in his crew that he can't easily kill.

That doesn't mean that RanVeer appreciates being beaten to a bloody pulp on the flimsiest excuse. Jedal was in a fine enough temper on this occasion to borrow a heavy staff when fists and feet weren't enough; RanVeer had enough bones broken that being thrown at a fresh corpse and being told to 'get on with it' was its own peculiar form of agony, working around splinters and bruising until he could shed the old shape and start on the new.

He will heal fully, of course, is already in far better shape than any other member of the gang would be in a mere day later. But right now, holding himself upright and together on sheer willpower alone, he's struggling not to admit defeat and find a barrel to hide in until his Contract is up.

So, of course, Jedal wants him at this meeting, scoping out the potential competition. Not to replace them, not yet, but to get a feel for their strengths and weaknesses. Jedal isn't here - he's too important for mere business, or so he thinks, but RanVeer knows that his lieutenant will tell tales if a certain gang member isn't present to serve drinks.

He keeps his head down, keeps as much of an eye as he can on the room around his jostled bruises, keeps up the mannerisms of the locals while still erring on the side of politeness.

Look harder

In a room mostly of men, the scattering of women stand out - and this one stands out even more by virtue of looking completely harmless. Smaller, older, dressed conservatively but cleanly, she's dealing with the hulking brutes around her through wit, direct talking, and playing the matron card when it looks like it will work. RanVeer marks her as both the most interesting person in the room and the most dangerous to his current employer on principle.

He continues his circuit of the room, not settling on any person in particular for longer than necessary to dispense drinks or answer the occasional question. When his route takes him to the group the woman is currently part of, he's distracted trying to get the measure of her; one of her companions decides to be 'funny' and deliberately trips him up.

To RanVeer's surprise and embarrassment it's the woman who helps him up while the others laugh; he catches her eye by accident and sees the carefully banked anger that flares slightly as the collar of his shirt slips long enough for a bruise he hadn't had the energy to hide to peek out.

Remember

---

Ash and rain falling at the same time is fairly high on the list of reasons he wants to go back to the Homeland, RanVeer decides as he makes his way back to where he left his current 'gang member' set of bones. Rain had sounded so romantic in some of the histories from before the Deepness, but combined with ash…ugh. He's going to have to have to clean the house guard's uniform before it stains; Klem might be a raggy sort who wouldn't notice the smudge and smut, but Artur certainly would and more importantly so would his employers in House Wardwick.

He walks into the tavern boldly, just another punter on a night out, and wastes some time on an uncomfortable stool at a sticky table drinking some admittedly not terrible ale while waiting to see if anyone's followed him. He's pretty sure he's in the clear; all he's doing at Wardwick is observing, nothing exciting as of yet, nothing to arouse suspicion that a fourth cousin sent up from the south might not be exactly what they seem. After a suitable interval he goes to exercise some perfectly normal behaviours against a convenient alley wall, then slips unobserved through a little-used door to the dusty storeroom where he left his bones. He's perhaps a little less cautious than he should be, but he's been using this storeroom for weeks now and in all that time there's been no sign of use.

"I'm not sure if I should be concerned or pleased that I apparently think something like a legend."

RanVeer starts violently, stepping back into the closed door.

It's the woman from the business meeting some months back, perched primly on one of the crates - the only place in the room where the dust has been obviously disturbed so she's not sitting in it, although now he's looking he can see the route where someone less agile than him has cleaned their traces up behind them.

"I, I don't know what you mean, ma'am," he stammers, inwardly cursing himself for not having done his research and thus not knowing whether the woman before him would qualify for a ma'am from someone of his station. On the plus side, Artur would have no excuse to know either. "I just thought I heard something in here, and thought I'd check-"

"Please don't lie to me." The tone is polite and pleasant, but RanVeer shrinks away from it all the same, too close to some of the elders to be comfortable. Something around the woman's eyes softens, just a little. "You're not in trouble with me, and I have no reason to get you in trouble with your current employer even assuming I could find them. I simply wish to talk, that's all."

RanVeer forces himself to nod, then slides down the door until he's sitting leant against it. At the very least he might be able to feel or hear anyone who gets too close through the thin wood.

Once he's settled, the woman leans forward and continues. "When one of my occasional employees said that she'd smelt something off - something like vomit, in her words - when checking the rooms here for business reasons, it would have meant nothing to me if I hadn't also heard a couple of young," a brief pause, "gentlemen boasting about how easily they would find out if a kandra had entered their households."

RanVeer winces. "I'm not certain if I should apologise for proving them right, ma'am," he ventures; this earns him a fraction of a widening of the serene smile, and he hopes it counts as approval.

"Now, I'm also aware from their chatter that you and yours are for hire, correct?" the woman asks lightly, although the way she's pinning him to the door with her eyes suggests she has rather more interest than that. "What I'm not sure of is how one goes about organising the hire, especially if one…well. If one does not have the backing of a noble House, shall we say?"

It would be so easy for RanVeer to say anything, just to get her to go away and leave him to his work - and yet…

Trust her

It's not that long until his current Contract is up, and he has been trying to work out what future opportunities might lie in Urteau. And it's not as if the skaa can't hire a kandra, it's just made prohibitively difficult in both means and cost.

Trust

Her

If nothing else, she doesn't look like she can administer much of a beating - and, when it comes down to it, she's already shown more small kindnesses in two brief meetings than RanVeer has experienced in his entire time outside of the Homeland, and isn't that a depressing thought?

He clears his throat. "It will cost, ma'am, but I think I can help to make the arrangements on your behalf, if that would be amenable?"

It feels like an Age before the woman nods back, the movement small and quick. RanVeer feels a smile rise to his lips and lets it. "Now, you're going to need a bead of Atium…"

---

It feels like forever, but they did it. RanVeer leans down, gives their sleeping parent a chaste kiss on the forehead - something they'd seen parents do to their children amongst the local skaa - and tucks in the blankets around NolToun. NolToun, quiet and not raving for the moment, shifts a little in her sleep, but that's all.

RanVeer retreats back quietly to the chair in the corner where they can keep watch over her during the night. They have a little grace period, for now - Jan won't allow them to mope or to shirk for too long, but they feel their owner understands how important this is to them.

They're not the sort to pray. They never have been, for all that they know about the powerful forces that govern Scadriel and their own existence. Tonight though…

'I don't know how much of this is your doing, Preservation', RanVeer thinks, solemnity and gratitude entwined, 'But thank you'.

There's no answering nudge, no response at all that they can detect. It's okay. All that matters is that NolToun is physically safe, and that RanVeer knows where to look to fix her soul.

They doze off in the chair, feeling safe for the first time in a long time; on the very edge of sleep they feel more than hear, You're welcome

#writeblr #writblr #short fic #mistborn tabletop

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sohannabarberaesque · 10 months

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"The family that dives together ..."

If you thought Peter Potamus seems to devote so much of his diving energies to the Magic Divers, you may probably be wrong on several counts: He's actually been fond of finding time to join several nephews and nieces of his in diving experiences and adventures bound to rival anything he and So-So have encountered in the Magic Balloon.

For sake of illustration, we'll take one diving expedition some months back in the Caribbean where he brought along nieces Pamela, Peggy and Penelope and nephews Patrick and Perry II for a few days of diving instruction and experience incorporating SCUBA and breathhold dives in such tropical waters bound to be amazing. Not to mention a preference for freshly-caught seafood more than likely speared underwater varied on occasion with a decent criollo (that's a Puerto Rican peasant stew) and breakfast, for the most part, being Grape-Nuts, granola or muesli.

And eschewing the local rum for sun tea, sometimes blended into sangria of a non-alcoholic sort, yet at any rate the tea would be brewed by letting the gallon jug sit on some beach while the company were out diving.

And make no doubt about the fact of Peter Potamus, himself something of an old hand at diving, himself finding such nephews and nieces of his also finding diving an interesting experience and yet not getting too bored over it. Particularly considering where the island our crew was camping at was somewhat isolated to the extent of allowing for serious diving wearing but themselves, and sensing no embarrassment considering the warm and humid conditions endemic to the Caribbean and the seas well into the 70's for water temperature.

Should it be that one wanted a particularly interesting episode out of this dive vacation, consider the one afternoon where Peter invited Penelope ("Penny" being the affectionate term), herself somewhere in the mid-teens and something of a sexpot underwater who still devotes mental attention to the occasional dive instruction session (more than likely By Referral Only), into some SCUBA on a reef some 30 feet down as included quite the coral cavern that Peter had picked up word about back in Ft. Lauderdale.

"Uncle Peter," Penny exclaimed, "has anyone ever explained to you just how dexterious this hippo gets to be underwater ... just how fascinating my underwater moves can get?"

To which Peter responded, "Yes, Penny ... in a good way, as it turns out." (Pause) "In fact, Penny, several students of yours acknowledge where your sheer gracefulness is actually quite a motivator!"

"Taken as a complement."

"At any rate ... let's get DIVING!"

And guided with a Zodiac inflatable of the sort made notorious by Greenpeace types in disrupting whaling crews to the dive spot, Peter and Penny made their preparations and, with Peter leading the way, dived right in. (The generous bulk hippos are known to have is such that makes them eschew weight belts while diving.) And what a sense of fascination awaited Peter and Penny on the descent, even with a rather friendly dolphin (and frisky, it turned out) greeting the hippo divers, as if Peter's charm offensive had such a way among dolphins.

Once reaching the coral cave, situated as it was some 40 feet below the surface in what amounted to a coral reef primeval, Peter guided Penny to his side and shone his underwater flashlight into the opening, which was pretty much enough to accomodate his hippo-sized frane. Guiding Penny along, the sheer suspense of a coral cavern perhaps unexplored heretofore must have brought out much in the way of most unlikely arousals for some reason or another; however, considering the dimensions and size, not to mention the sheer fragility of what's basically a simple underwater life form like coral is, care certainly had to be shown.

Though it must have seemed like eternity, especially realising the cavern barely accomodating the frames of both uncle and niece at times, the pair managed to pass through the cavern and find another section of reef which, as it happened, contained something of a bed most spectacular of pearl shells which, for all we know, may have been left untouched since the decimation of early native peoples in those regions by the forces of "Civilisation," such peoples themselves being dependent on pearling for their (howbeit primitive) livelihood. Out of which the pair managed to find some irregular-shaped pieces of pearl, one of which was sized to about the same dimensions as Peter's nose--perhaps souvenirs most memorable of a dive turning out most memorable.

And at any rate, the pearls held a share of awe and fascination for all in the party when all was said and done over sangria later that afternoon--an afternoon which saw Pam and Peg being attracted by an overly lovesick male dolphin to quite the show on the ocean floor some 20 feet down and Perry also stumbling upon some pearls himself.

What an interesting show of family bonding through diving, if but by illustration as here.

Just so you know, the likes of Pamela, Peggy, Penelope, Patrick and Perry II are from my own imagination under influence and inspiration of Peter Potamus, himself the Hanna-Barbera creation in all this. At least such enhances and expands the backstory some, giving Peter Potamus further fresh and fascinating experiences.

@warnerbrosentertainment @joey-gatorman @jellystone-enjoyer @xdiver71 @archive-archives @themineralyoucrave @thebigdingle @princessgalaxy505 @thylordshipofbutts @screamingtoosoftly @warnerbros-blog1 @iheartgod175 @theweekenddigest @haiyis-dark-void @warnerbrosent-blog

#hanna barbera #fanfic friday #fanfiction #peter potamus #family vacation #diving vacation #nephews and nieces #diving adventures #diving the caribbean #underwater exploration #underwater cavern #coral reef #coral tube #pearl diving #finding pearls #pearl beds #discover diving #the family that plays together #hannabarberaforever

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