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johnnycranes · 2 years

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Through the Cracks: a Silco x Original Female Character fanfic

chapter 2: Bright Lights

words: 5.4k

Read on AO3

chapter 1

warnings: smoking, alcohol, language, sevika banter, mentions of sexual acts and favors

a/n: pumped this chapter out so fast while silco brainrot is still active.

The gate between heaven and hell.

That was what the kids at school used to call the bridge connecting Piltover to the undercity. It wasn’t exactly the most clever title, Anita would admit, but it frightened her all the same when she was a little girl.

She never had a need to venture so close to it before. The only time she remembered seeing it in person was from up in an airship with her mother, and it seemed so insignificant and small back then.

And now here she was, staring up at it instead of down. She clutched her black coat tighter around her absent-mindedly as she took in the sight.

Obviously it was at its heart, still a bridge. But just knowing what it connected, what it separated, it held so much weight.

The well-guarded border was, well, even more well-guarded, especially in the recent months. A precaution, the Council had said in one of their general appearances to the public. They explained how the HexTech projects in development were sensitive and they didn’t want anyone interrupting them or getting hurt.

A fancy way of saying they thought all undercity citizens were thieves.

Yet even with the stricter protocols, strolling ever so casually towards Anita, like a typical walk in the park, was Sevika.

The guards paid her no mind, she even nodded at a few here and there. Anita wasn’t even surprised. Silco was obviously bribing someone in the Enforcer ranks.

Many times she wanted to ask Adam about who he thought would be a dirty cop among his fellow officers, just to know who else in Piltover was thriving on Silco’s payroll. But she stopped herself every time.

Maybe it was best not to know whoever this fellow… kindred spirit was.

Sevika didn’t seem to notice Anita until the taller and more muscular woman was closer, crossing over to the side of Piltover. Her eyes widened as she seemed to realize just who she would be escorting to Silco.

Anita bit back a grin. Surprising the stoic bodyguard was always a win in her book.

Sevika blinked as she shook her head, taking slow steps until she was right in front of Anita. “I didn’t know you princesses had tea parties way out here.” Sevika said smugly.

Anita bit back a grin.

Really? Tea parties?

Maybe she surprised Sevika a little too well. That was a weak burn as compared to so many she’d heard the bodyguard say before.

But she’d humor her. “Yes, yours actually. Thanks again for the invite.” Anita said as she smiled brightly up at Sevika.

The bodyguard’s brows furrowed before she rolled her eyes. “I’m serious. What the fuck are you doing here? I’m supposed to meet your father, not his spawn.”

Spawn? Much better. She recovered quickly at least.

Anita crossed her arms over her chest and proudly declared, “It’s been decided that I’ll be the one going to any meetings held in the undercity.”

Sevika, to her credit, didn’t exactly burst into laughter like Anita thought she would, when she played out this encounter in her head over and over again while making her way to the border.

Hey in one scenario she even thought Sevika would straight out ignore her, push her out of the way and head towards her father’s home to forcefully drag the man all the way to the Lanes.

So hopefully that wasn’t what was going to happen next.

The bodyguard simply shrugged. “Ok, s’long as one of you meets with Silco, that’s my job done for the day.” was all she said, already turning around to cross the bridge.

Huh, to be fair, that was one of the scenarios that played out in her head too. Anita just thought there’d be more banter and a shouting match beforehand.

Anita blinked before she took one step to follow the other woman.

Then she realized something that was obvious from the very start.

She’d really be setting foot into the undercity.

It wasn’t just something in her head, wasn’t just an imagined event her anxiety-ridden brain played over and over since she volunteered to do this in the first place.

The reality of the whole thing was suddenly too much to bear and Anita froze. In front of her were buildings that looked nothing like the pretty penthouses that sat just across them, dirty streets piled with trash and muddy puddles nothing like the clean stones she was still standing on.

A few short steps and worlds apart at the same time.

Yet for all her anxiety, Anita was ecstatic.

For the first time in her life, she’d be stepping into a whole new environment, one that she only heard of in stories or saw in pictures from Adam.

Granted a lot of those pictures were from crime scenes but still, pictures nonetheless.

It was thrilling, the thought that in just a few steps, she’d no longer be in Piltover, no longer be in the haven she’d always known.

Sevika didn’t seem to mind, or care about her little self-reflection as the bodyguard called out over her shoulder, “Now, princess. Or you’re walking there yourself.”

Anita was excited, but she also wasn’t afraid to admit that she still needed to hold someone’s hand for her first trip to the undercity.

So, like ripping off a bandaid, she quickly took steps to follow Sevika, feeling a slight shiver down her spine as she crossed the imaginary line from Piltover to the undercity.

Aside from the smell and the architecture, there wasn’t much else that was different. The air wasn’t that bad either.

Huh, maybe all those horror stories really were just exaggerations.

And with Sevika by her side, not many stood in their way, even making themselves scarce along the narrow streets as the bodyguard stomped her way through.

Anita turned her gaze from building to building, from alleyway to alleyway.

Sevika scoffed beside her. “What the fuck are you doing? Trying to snap your own damn neck?”

Anita glared at the other woman but it was hard to be convincing when her chestnut brown hair got in her face after whipping her head around.

Point to Sevika.

Anita moved the strands of hair away from her face. “I’m just looking around.” she said, and she knew she must have sounded like an annoyed tourist. “It’s actually not that bad here. Where is the office anyway?”

Sevika chuckled darkly as she led them inside a building, one that looked abandoned too.

“You think this is the whole of undercity? What did they teach you in that fancy private school, Miss Priss?” Sevika asked incredulously, and Anita’s cheeks burned.

She didn’t have a comeback for that, they didn’t exactly have a class on the architecture and geography of the undercity.

The bodyguard walked into a small alcove, too small to be an actual room, and Anita followed her in. Even in the darkness, Anita could see Sevika’s grin and the glint from her metal arm as she held onto something on the wall. “Hands and feet inside the car at all times.” Sevika mocked.

And before Anita could say anything, Sevika pulled a lever and suddenly they were moving.

Anita could feel Sevika’s smug expression as the elevator brought them down and they were suddenly bathed in a green light.

“Welcome to the Lanes, princess.”

----------------------------------------

Bright.

That was the only word Anita could think of as she continued to stare like a wide-eyed child at her surroundings while she trailed behind Sevika, following her deeper into the Lanes. They may be away from the sun but the streets were filled with various vibrantly colored lights, each one unique and eye-catching.

It was still amazing to see how different the undercity was compared to its counterpart above, considering how close they were to each other. It really was like she stepped into a whole other realm once she and Sevika descended down into the Lanes.

The streets were buzzing, people shouting loudly or roaring with laughter. It was never that rowdy in the city above.

Even in the shopping district in Piltover, citizens there were so polite. If there happened to be the occasional drunkard or other such commotion, enforcers made sure they didn’t ‘stain the community with their filth’.

But here, people were just… being.

There was a grill in one of the market stalls along the way and Anita could practically smell all the greasy goodness of-

She blinked.

“I can breathe.” she said in some sort of epiphany moment.

Sevika snorted beside her, confirming just how ridiculous she sounded. “Yes, that’s how one typically knows they’re still alive.”

Ok, she had that one coming.

“Adam told me Enforcers are mandated to wear masks whenever they go here.” Anita added, ignoring Sevika’s mocking as she was still amazed by this little discovery of hers.

She actually did bring a mask with her, just in case. But she was too busy gawking at the sight before her that she completely forgot to put it on.

And there was absolutely no need for it anyway. Sure, the air felt a little thick every now and then, but it wasn’t as horrible as her fiancé’s stories made it out to be.

Sevika cackled as she high-fived someone along the way. “Those soft assholes think getting a cut on the forehead is the end of the world. They walk around here like they’re tough shit but still need all that armor plus a posse to back them up.”

Adam aside, Sevika did have a point.

The air was thick, the streets were dangerous if she didn’t have the muscular woman with her, and she still wouldn’t have allowed her father to go, but all of this was surely something a trained enforcer could handle.

Her fiancé wasn’t that great of a point of reference for enforcers in undercity either, he was almost always assigned to guard the Council offices or the Academy, and the handful of times he did cross the bridge, she was pretty sure he never made it down to the Lanes.

Anita would’ve been a captive audience if Adam told her the tale of the magic elevator that transported you to an entirely different world.

She actually felt kind of smug at that. He was the one fighting and stopping crime everyday, yet here she was now, the first of the two of them to make it to the Lanes, typically stereotyped as the most dangerous place in both Piltover and the undercity.

“We’re here.” Sevika said, shaking Anita out of her thoughts.

She looked up and expected to see a grand sign for a tall office building, maybe Silco Industries, maybe SilCorp.

Oh please let it be SilCorp.

But she was actually more intrigued when the huge neon sign that said The Last Drop glared at her instead, and she could hear the thudding of club music inside.

She didn’t know why she expected Silco to have a tall and grand building so he could tower above the rest of the Lanes.

It fit him, fit the Lanes more. The complete opposite of Piltover, even in how their biggest players lived.

As soon as Sevika opened the door to the club, sure enough the music blared even louder and the inside was packed with people. Dancing, drinking, smoking, playing cards, a few people making out here and there.

Nothing like the parties in Piltover where they played classical music on violins and cellos and had to say “How do you do?” every time someone new walked your way.

Anita was in awe.

Like it was conjured out of thin air, Sevika’s nonmetal hand now had a huge bottle of alcohol in it and the bodyguard immediately took her first swig.

It was a full house and Anita was extra careful in making sure she didn’t trip over anyone as she continued to follow Sevika.

“Sevika! You’re back!” Someone yelled, wrapping an arm around the bodyguard. It was a small man with green hair and a jacket that looked like it was begging to be washed.

The man then turned his gaze towards Anita, eyeing her up and down with a leer. “You got yourself a pretty Piltie tonight, eh? Mind sharin’?” he teased as he moved Sevika to face Anita.

Anita had half a mind to grab the nearest drink and throw it towards the son of a bitch when Sevika cackled over the loud music and clapped the green-haired man on the back.

“Like anyone would want that little thing between your legs inside of ‘em.” she teased, and the man’s lips twitched downwards. Good. “Nah, I’m still on duty. Plus the boss already called dibs on this one.”

They were really going to talk about her like that while she was standing right there? Fucking shouting it even with how loud the music was.

Anita’s cheeks flared red and she wanted to yell out how she heard their entire conversation, but the green-haired man was already laughing, apparently already recovered from Sevika rightfully insulting him, as he gave a tiny salute before he walked back into the ocean of dancers.

So she redirected her rage towards Sevika. She glared at the bodyguard, the latter still grinning wide. “What the fuck!?” was all Anita said.

And she was even more pissed off when Sevika simply laughed again, raising her glass before taking another swig.

Anita waited, eyes wide with fury, as the other woman finished drinking. Sevika waved her off. “Damn, I didn’t even know you knew how to use that word. Good for you, princess!”

Sevika raised her glass again but Anita continued on, “I am not in the mood.”

“Don’t be so uptight.” Sevika said. “Relax, no one’s gonna bother ya here, trust me on that.”

Still pissed, Anita needed some way to release her pent up energy, hopefully before she had to face Silco. And she knew arguing with Sevika almost never worked out for her.

So, nodding rapidly as if she were psyching herself up, Anita took a deep breath as she took her coat off to reveal her black off shoulder dress, prompting a few hollers and wolf whistles from the patrons nearby.

She grabbed a shot that Sevika somehow magically offered to her. Seriously, the bar seemed a world away from them amongst the sea of people, how the hell was Sevika getting all these drinks?

Anita heard Sevika woop as she downed the shot of what was hopefully just the regular burning sensation of alcohol and not burning caused by anything else.

She gulped the drink down. “That… that was strong.” Anita commented, laughing and coughing. It wasn’t that bad either.

Sevika flashed her a toothy grin. “As fun as it would be to see you get wasted, Silco’s gonna make me babysit Jinx again if I get you to the meeting drunk.”

Anita was about to ask if babysitting was code for some kind of mafia-like punishment when Sevika pulled her towards her and they made their way walking up a flight of stairs. They were out in a long corridor and at the end, a blond-haired man waited by another door.

Sevika tossed her empty glass at the man, who took it without question. Not sure if that meant she should do the same before entering whatever was on the other side of the door, Anita tossed her little shot glass and coat towards the blonde as well.

The man seemed confused but accepted it all the same with a shrug.

The door clicked open and though Sevika’s hulking figure blocked most of her view still, Anita could see a glass window with a wide desk right in front of it.

She took a slow calming breath as Sevika moved to the side, and Anita was greeted by the sight of Silco sitting on his chair, his gaze cast downwards at a pile of papers he seemed to be sifting through.

“Mr. Gil, I trust that the little walk wasn’t too ba-” Silco raised his head up and Anita could have laughed at how his blue eye seemed to widen ever so slowly as the kingpin realized it was not in fact Harold, but Harold’s daughter who arrived.

Even Sevika failed to hide a smirk from where Anita could see her.

In a flash, the moment of shock on his face dissipated and a mischievous smirk appeared in its place, his blue eye sparkling.

“Ms. Anita,” the way he said her name in his rich and husky voice made her shiver and she immediately blamed it on that one shot she had earlier. It was strong, ok?

“What brings you here? Business or pleasure?” he purred.

Anita, who stood frozen by the door the whole time, finally got her legs to cooperate as she walked over to Silco. “I’ll be the one to meet with you about the airships.” Anita placed her palms on his desk and leaned down. “You didn’t honestly think I’d let my father come all the way down here until he choked on the air?” she hissed out, glaring at him.

Silco seemed unbothered by her question as his fingers fidgeted and he shrugged ever so casually. “Didn’t he used to be a soldier? I would have thought he was stronger than most.” he said lightly, obviously goading her into agreeing with him.

“He is.” Anita said immediately. “But even he has limits.”

Silco hummed. “Well, no matter. I think I much prefer this arrangement.” he said, flashing a shark-like grin at her.

She blushed furiously. Was he really going to tease her every other sentence? Here she was feeling bad that she had a drink before an important meeting, meanwhile he was having the time of his life trying to get a rise out of her.

She gave him an innocent smile before taking a seat across from him. The criminal kingpin leaned all the way back in his leather chair as he continued to stare at her with a smug and content look on his face.

“So,” Anita started, fixing her brown hair as she crossed her legs, sitting perfectly straight. “Why did you want to start meeting personally?”

Silco glanced at something behind her and nodded. Anita assumed he dismissed Sevika as she heard footsteps soon after and a door slamming shut.

The room was silent save for the thumping of the club music below them.

Silco’s playful grin was replaced by a serious expression on his face, one that intimidated and commanded. Anita had no doubt that the man could easily draw everyone’s attention towards him with just a single look.

Framed against the green light behind him, his elbows on the table and his hands clasped together, he looked more regal, imposing, and menacing, than any Piltover bigshot she knew of.

Anita found it hard to look away from him as he stared at her, like he was examining her, could see right through her, knew what she was thinking, knew how nervous she was.

Silco slid a wooden box on his desk closer to him and Anita’s brown eyes followed his movements. The kingpin picked up a cigar from the container, cutting its cap before using his lighter, the sounds of the metal clicking and the cigar burning somehow soothing to her ears.

Then she realized Silco had yet to answer her question.

And from the little glint in his mismatched eyes, the man knew it too.

He took a long drag from his cigar before finally saying, “Our usual shipping agreement will no longer suffice.” he glanced down at a piece of paper on the desk before turning towards her again. “I’m assembling a group of individuals to run the districts in my name, which means I’m in need of more funds, and quickly.”

Anita’s brows furrowed as she absorbed everything he said, making sense of how she’d be involved in him gathering a little club. “You need more than just once a week of Shimmer shipping outside of Piltover now?”

He exhaled slowly, smoke puffing out. “Oh much more, my dear..” He leaned closer and Anita could smell the tobacco and whiskey on him. “Tell me, have you heard of the HexGates yet?”

Of course she has.

That was all anyone was talking about in Piltover. Golden Boy Jayce Talis’ revolutionary new project that would boost the city’s economy even further.

Suddenly she understood what Silco meant by needing funds ‘quickly’. Using the HexGates would undoubtedly speed things up for him.

There was just one problem.

“Only the Council has authorization to use the HexGates right now.” she said, remembering Jayce’s speech about how the gates were still being tested, that the council bravely volunteered to do it.

And now they continue to profit from all the goods they’ve traded with other ports.

Noble sacrifice indeed.

Silco grinned smugly. “A little thing like that isn’t going to stop me. And that’s where I need your help.”

The kingpin leaned back in his chair. “Find a way to get your airships through the HexGates. I’ll handle bribing the guards when they make their inspections.”

That was easy for him to say, he just had to hand money over while she had to not only secure clearance for the airships, but also assure that they could go through the gates regularly.

She shifted in her chair. “It’s a brilliant plan, but a high ask.”

“With high rewards.” He said confidently, cigar still in hand. “I’m sure you can think of some way to do it.”

He said that, yet Anita’s mind was plagued with doubts.

If Silco was asking for her help, that meant even whoever he was bribing in the enforcers wouldn’t be enough to give them the proper clearance. And the council themselves? They were all rich enough to buy their own airships and import their own goods.

They had no need of a partner for that. Even that frivolous Councilor Salo-

Anita jumped in her seat and Silco watched her in both confusion and amusement. “Something you wish to share with the rest of the class?” he teased as he stubbed out his cigar.

Anita was in too good of a mood and didn’t mind playing along. She flashed him a toothy grin. “I do, actually. Councilor Salo, he’s our way in.”

Silco rested one arm on his chair’s armrest, waiting for Anita to elaborate.

She continued to smile as her confidence picked up. How could she have forgotten about him? “He uses the HexGates almost daily to export his goods. He has his own ships but I’m sure we can persuade him to use ours instead.”

Silco raised an eyebrow and smirked. “How so?” he asked, his tone encouraging and curious.

Anita leaned closer towards him, palms on the desk, eyes sparkling mischievously as she was excited to explain it to him.

She didn’t miss how Silco’s mismatched eyes wandered over her body as she cut the distance between them. She was sure she was also giving him a more generous eyeful of her cleavage.

She tried to fight back the blush that was probably prominent on her face as Silco’s gaze turned just a bit lustful. Again, that was a strong shot of liquor earlier.

She put that thought in the back of her head, telling herself to stay focused.

Salo. Right.

“Councilor Salo is a bit promiscuous.” she started. “I heard he takes multiple partners into his bed, male, female, doesn’t matter. Harmless at first sure, but there are rumors that some of these cases are sexual favors.”

She smirked, thinking back to the time she and her father visited Salo’s office recently. “Most of his staff are… a little inexperienced when it comes to working with the Council.”

She remembered how chaotic they were in just trying to find a single document she needed. Amazing how one desk could catch on fire like that.

She broke out of her thoughts when Silco scoffed, suddenly looking unamused and a bit annoyed too.

“So what? You’re going to fuck him every time we need to use the damn gates?” he spat out, glaring at her.

Anita ignored the jolt that went through her when she thought about how disgusted he sounded, a bit of rage underneath his cool and calm expression.

Thankfully the jolt was also overshadowed by how extremely pissed she was that he immediately assumed she would do something like that.

She was flying high, eager to explain her plan to him and it was like he cut her wings off mid-flight.

She narrowed her brown eyes at him.

There was so much she wanted to scream at him, that how dare he say that, that she was a woman about to be married, that not all deals had to be done through fucking your way there.

But she simply went with, “I’d sooner cut his dick off than let him anywhere near me.” She hissed out and considered it a victory when Silco’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

She stood up straight, away from the desk and crossed her arms. If Silco wasn’t going to interrupt again, might as well continue explaining. “Adam told me there’s evidence from one of the people Salo slept with. But all Salo needed to do was buy them a new penthouse and pay off the enforcers handling the case. The evidence has been in storage ever since.”

“You want to blackmail him.” Silco simply said.

If he hadn’t made that little comment earlier, Anita might’ve been more inclined to flash him a smile. So instead she nodded and said, “I can try asking Adam if he can access those files, but I’m not sure he-”

“No need.” Silco interrupted before standing up from his chair. He smirked smugly. “You’re not the only one with friends on the force. Give me a few days and the files will be dropped off at your father’s house.”

He moved around the desk to stand beside Anita, lips still curled up into a smirk. “Impressive plan.” he said, and Anita felt her ego inflate a little, she had to admit.

How many could say they impressed a kingpin/drug lord/club owner? She was allowed to have that moment, thank you very much.

“It’ll work.” Anita said, feeling the need to assure him. “Salo’s on thin ice as it is just trying to prove himself to the other councilors.” She doubted the frivolous man even contributed anything worthwhile anymore, mostly there for show, for his title and privilege.

“This Adam you mentioned, I assume this is the same man as your fiancé?” Silco asked, tone curious mixed with a slight edge Anita wasn’t sure what to call.

But her mood brightened up at Silco’s question. She did love gushing about her future husband. “Yes. Even when he doesn’t mean to, he’s helping me out.” Her smile widened. “He’s my knight in shining armor.”

Silco huffed out a laugh as he stepped closer to her, close enough that she almost felt his chuckle vibrate against her. “I find it hard to imagine a spitfire like you with someone so…” he flexed his wrist and titled his head. “Traditional.”

Anita scoffed, raising an eyebrow up at him. “Spitfire? You’ve known me for what, two hours tops?”

Silco smirked down at her and from how close they were, Anita could see how bright his mismatched eyes really were, no longer shrouded in an eerie light. “Experience has taught me to get a better read on people. And it didn’t take me long to figure out you’re actually quite ferocious, kitten.”

Anita stood dumbfounded, not quite sure how to respond to all of that. Her brain was trying to figure out the best thing to say first. Defend Adam? Accuse him of judging her too quickly?

Granted ferocious wasn’t exactly an insult to her but what did it mean if a ruthless drug lord called you that?

A part of her, a really silly and crazy part of her, thought she had nothing to bite back at him with because she didn’t mind that he called her ferocious, liked it even.

Obviously it wasn’t just the shot, but maybe the fumes from the undercity were getting to her as well.

It was about time to leave.

“I’ll be back after my talk with Councilor Salo then.” she said as she turned away from Silco’s intense gaze, but from the corner of her eye she could see the shark-like grin on his face.

“And I eagerly await your next visit.” he said huskily.

Like a proper gentleman, Silco walked over to open the door for her. Anita wasted no time as she followed after him, spotting the blonde out in the corridor who still had her coat with him.

“One of my men will escort you home.” Silco said, and she turned to face him. “You’ll be safe.”

Anita nodded at him and gave him a soft smile. That sounded surprisingly sweet of him after their whole back and forth earlier. “Thank you. I’ll see you again with good news, don’t worry.”

Silco’s lips curled into a smirk and she was beginning to think that was a trademark look on him. “I have no doubt. Can’t wait to hear how you pull it off.”

She couldn’t help but grin. She was actually excited too.

----------------------------------------

As her father told her every five minutes before she left for the undercity, Anita went straight to his house after her meeting.

It was already late by the time she got back, and she wondered if he had fallen asleep already and simply left the lights on for her for when she’d return.

But as she entered the house, she saw her father in the living room, sitting on his couch.

And he wasn’t alone.

Sitting beside Harold, still in his blue uniform, was Adam. His green eyes brightened considerably as soon as he spotted her, while Harold looked all too relieved that she was back.

“Hey, honey.” Adam said with a wide grin as he walked over to her and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Anita breathed in the scent of him, and it felt like a familiar warmth enveloping her. “I didn’t know you had the night off.” she said, rubbing his cheek.

Adam grabbed her hand to kiss the inside of her wrist. “Sheriff gave my shift to one of the rookies, you know how he is sometimes. So I stopped by to check on Harold.” Adam said.

Before she could thank Adam for being so sweet in looking out for her father, Harold went to stand beside her, an obviously worried look on his face.

“Annie, how…” he paused, as if considering his words carefully, glancing at Adam.

No one outside her, her father, and just a handful of their employees knew of their business with the undercity, with Silco.

“How was the meeting?” he finally asked.

Anita smiled. “It went well. Client will be dropping off files for us in a few days then I’ll be meeting with Councilor Salo.”

Her father, understandably, seemed very confused, but she couldn’t say much while Adam was around.

Adam whistled. “A meeting with a councilor? Must be a big project.” he teased.

Anita simply grinned. “You have no idea.”

She knew at some point she’d probably have to tell the man she was marrying about the sketchier aspects of their airship business, but she still held hope that maybe soon, they wouldn’t need to rely on Silco’s money to keep them afloat.

But today was not that day.

Anita let out a deep breath. “Well, I haven’t eaten in a while so…” she pointed to the kitchen. “Do you mind, dad?”

Harold, who still seemed to be thinking about the meeting with Salo, blinked rapidly as he gestured to the fridge. “No, no, help yourself, sweetheart. I have a few leftovers.”

She thanked him before turning around to walk to the kitchen.

But she stopped when Adam said, “Uhm, honey, you have something on your coat.”

Anita’s first reaction was to quickly shake her coat off and drop it onto the wooden floorboard without looking back, her mind instantly thinking there was a spider or some other creature on it.

“You’re fine, honey, you’re fine. It’s just a drawing.” Adam said reassuringly.

That got Anita to pause.

A what?

Wait.

Oh she swore if Sevika stuck a crude drawing or maybe wrote something like Prissy Bitch on the back of her coat…

She turned to look down at the piece of clothing and it wasn’t irritation she felt, but curiosity.

In vibrant blue and pink colors, someone drew a little grinning monkey onto her coat.

Huh…

#silco/original female character #silco x original female character #oc: anita gil #silco #arcane #in this house we love a bantering sevika #fic: through the cracks #silco x anita

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bettyxinez · 4 years

Text

Nothing Left To Give

chapter 1 • obligations

Malcolm Bright x DID!Original Female Reader

_________________________________________

Malcolm Bright knew something was off about her the moment Gil introduced her.

He had watched Gil show her around, her platinum hair cascading in gentle waves, falling to her mid-back. She was Asian, clearly, and she wore a leather jacket, a red shirt and skinny jeans. Her combat boots fell heavy to the ground. She smiled politely, and didn't seem to talk much. He saw her occasionally nod, her eyes following everything that Gil gestured to.

He watched her intently and came to the conclusion that her and Dani would get along well.

As if on cue, the woman in question opened the glass door seperating them, and joined him at his side.

"Kaitlyn Sun-Mae" Dani said, noticing his eyes on her.

"Shes a new detective. Gil wouldn't tell me anything other then that she was 'over qualified' for the job."

Malcolm glanced at her.

"So we should expect a lot then." He says, returning his stare to the new woman.

Dani nodded and sat on a desk behind him, watching as Gil brought the woman, Kaitlyn, towards them. Malcolm opened the door and smiled warmly, nodding at her.

Gil had clapped him on the back and gestured to the woman as she walked in from behind him

"Malcolm, this is Kat. Kat, Malcolm."

Kat, he thought, was much better then Kaitlyn.

"Nice to see a new face around here. The others were getting kind of boring." He heard Dani scoff after he said it, but when she got up to shake the womans hand, she shoulder-checked him, smiling playfully. Kat took her hand gently, but shook it firmly.

"I'm Dani. Ignore pretty much every word that comes out of his mouth."

Kat let's out a breathy laugh at that, but doesn't react any further.

"Its nice to meet you all. I'm the new detective."

Her voice was lower then he expected, but also a tiny bit more nasally, a weird combination, but not unpleasant.

"I work mainly with sex-crimes, but I dip my toes into a little bit of everything." She put her hair behind her hair. It looked soft, despite the harsh bleaching process her hair had to have gone through, Malcolm noted.

"We can always use more people in that division. I'm a profiler, I primarily work to catch serial killers."

She blinks hard at that, he notices.

"I could say the same about yours." She smiles warmly at him, but he catches how her eyes linger a bit on his face. Her eyes are gray, dark gray, with a bit of dark blue as well. She has long eyelashes too.

She turned away first.

JT walked in and introduced himself to her as well, and he watched as she laughed at something he said.

He couldn't figure out what it was though. His preoccupied with trying to figure out what was so off about her. She seemed well enough, but she also had a certain air around her. Tense and secretive, he was sure she was hiding something. He wasn't one to question Gils judgement, however, it had never failed him before, but still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was different.

"Okay. Greetings are out of the way, let me show you to your desk." Gil gestured for Kat to follow him, and she nodded and gave a small wave.

He turned to Dani.

"So what do you think?"

"Of what? Kat?"

"Yes. Obviously."

Dani rolled her eyes.

"I think shes fine, nothing to be weary of, at least." She looks down at him, knowing he's about to refute her.

After a few seconds of silence, she starts to doubt whether or not he actually will.

"Shes hiding something."

There we go.

"Yeah? And so are you. So am I. We all are. I noticed it too. I think it will be okay." She wants to shut him down before he can even start to spiral.

"Gil wouldn't hire her otherwise."

He nods at that. She was right, he supposed.

Malcolm watched as Gil showed her her station, and pointed to different things. Probably giving her the WiFi password and telling her the right way to use her computer. He could tell by looking at the way she nodded that she already knew how, and that she was just humoring him. He watched as Gil gave her a thumbs up and walked back to his desk, closing the door behind him.

He could get up and go talk to him about his suspicions, and risk getting lectured. Or he could go directly to her, and risk giving her the wrong impression. He contemplates his options. He did feel a slight obligation to say something about it, but somehow he was able to reason with himself and simply sit down, thinking of everything he knew about her so far.

Bleached hair. Asian. Tense. Polite. Quiet. Skinny.

He looks over at her.

Really skinny, actually. Dark gray-blue eyes.

The more he looked at her, the more confused he got. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary, so why did he feel like things were?

He pushed his chair back and stood up, noting how she jumped at the sound of metal against linoleum. He watches as Dani says something to her, causing her to let out a laugh. He watches as they both fall into an easy conversation.

So he was right, then.

He walks over to Gils office, but before his hand touched the handle, the man himself yanked open the door.

"Body on 35th. Female." He walks in Dani's direction, opening up the glass door.

"Dani?"

Dani stands up, wiping her hands on her thighs.

"On it."

Gil looked at Kat, and as if she felt his stare, she looked up at him.

He gestured for her to come over, and she did almost immediately.

She walked over with a grace Malcolm didn't expect.

"Yes?" The woman responded, voice soft.

Gil looked at her.

"I know its your first day, but somebody called in a murder. You down?"

Kat, without skipping a beat, nodded.

"Of course. Its my job, isn't it?"

"Well you aren't obligated, it is your first day."

"Well if not today, when? There's a first for everything."

That, Malcolm thought, was true. Gil nodded, on the same page as him.

And then a voice played through Gils HT, panicked and shaking.

"Sir, we've gotten word of a man running past the scene, carrying what looks to be a camera."

Gil stared for a second, contemplating.

"Is there anything else you know about him?"

"Hes wearing a black hoodie, and uh- wait there he is agai- wait he's walking towards u- he's- sir this is a crime scene." The person on the line then went on to ask the man to leave, saying things along the lines of "put the camera down" and "stop taking pictures."

Then there was a gun shot.

Kat reacted first, she jumped up and horror crossed her face. Her brows furrowed, and she looked up at Gil, waiting for direction. A second of silence passed.

"Move out!" He yelled, and Dani ran out, Kat and Malcolm not far behind. JT started running too, catching up to Dani. They got into a car together, and before either of them could have gotten their seat belts on, Dani gassed it, hard.

Kat got into a car, and Malcolm got in the passenger side. She floored it almost immediately, before the door was even closed.

"Malcolm was your name, right?"

Malcolm nodded.

"Yep. The profiler."

She nods, locking it in her head, turning on the sirens. She follows Dani and in approximately three minutes, they arrive.

An ambulance can be seen, a person being led onto it in a stretcher. The officer, presumably. Kat gets out, and while everyone has hands on their guns, she doesn't even touch hers.

Its confusing, he thinks.

They walk into an apartment, the space between them heavy with silence. When they open the door Dani looks at them

"Her name is Colette Britchman. 23. She worked for a local strip club."

The body of a woman can be seen, eyes open, her head shaved, and fully nude. A sheet had been placed on her private areas, but otherwise, everything was visible.

Kat stared, putting on gloves and stalking forward. She kneeled down and looked at the dead womans milky eyes. She had scars all over her body, as well as fresh cuts. She carefully lifted up the sheet covering the womans breasts and gasps.

By this time, Malcolm had joined her, and saw the source of her gasp just as she did. He sucked in a breath, and had to look away.

There, carved gorily into both of the womans breasts, was the word "mine."

Kat squeezed her eyes shut before covering her back up. Malcolm examined her body, and the more he stared, the more strategic the cuts on her body seemed.

Kat had left, however. She went to the kitchen and looked at the fridge, and a piece of paper hanging on a magnet could be seen.

Next shoot- 3756 Pierre Ave.

"Dani?" The man called. The woman looked up at him.

"On it."

With that, she pulled out a computer and started typing away.

"Its about 7 miles away from here. Just a regular house."

She tells Gil about her discovery.

"I would imagine he went back there, or in the very least there's more evidence." Malcolm says, giving Kat a nod.

Kats eyes widen for an infinitesimal second. Gil offers a hand. She takes it and squeezes his two fingers until her a knuckles turn white, before letting go. Malcolm guesses that he's the only one who noticed. Gil looks at all of them.

"We should wait, find more info on our vic."

JT says something, but Malcolm doesn't listen, instead he looks to Kat, who's entire form is shaking.

"We don't know whats there. We need to be more prepared."

A twitch of her fingers. Her eyes dart to the left, right, and left again. Unnatural given the current situation. She looks up, and confusion crosses her face for half a millisecond, but he doesn't miss it.

"I say we go out. Try and find him." Its strange, he thinks, how her voice is just a tiny touch lower. Anyone else wouldn't notice it.

But he's Malcolm Bright, and he notices everything.

_______________________________________

Hey yall. I saw an Anthony Padilla video a while ago about people dissociative identity disorder, and I immediately threw myself into research. I watched various youtubers with the disorder and read many essays on it, and i quickly learned how stigmatized this disorder was and made it a goal of mine to educate the people around me, because all information people get are from unrealistic movies and TV shows.

For example, the term "multiple personality disorder" is 35 years outdated. It's actually called dissociative identity disorder.

I also really like Prodigal Son and the shows take on different mental health disorders, and I often found myself wondering how Malcolm Bright would react to a person with DID, so I decided to write about it. I plan on this story being at least 20 chapters, if not more.

DID is going to be portrayed realistically and accurately, hope you enjoy!!!

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gilbirda · 4 years

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Eternal. Chapter 3

Elizabeth was a very old vampire, used to changes and tragedies, used to adapt to the evolving world. When one night she searches for a distraction she finds someone as lost as she is, a human man that sparks an interest in her. But will that be enough? Would she risk involving him in her ageless world?

Go to First || << Previous chapter || Next chapter >>

Chapter 3: Don’t make lemonade

Elizabeth rushed through the streets at full speed, barely realising that she had left her coat in the human’s house, not caring anymore about appearances and looking human anymore. Her mind was full with thoughts about the mistake she had just made, her heart beating a mile per hour in her chest, thinking that she shouldn’t have let her emotions guide her actions.

“Fuck,” she cursed while slowing down. She was really hungry now and nothing was helping her in containing her inner beast. Slowly, her mind focused on the hunger and only the hunger, the urge to sink her fangs on anything with blood on their veins, and she felt her body revert back to the state all vampires go under high pressure, guided by their lowest and more basic instincts.

Her nose caught a delicious scent in the air. Human. Right now she didn’t care about seductions or looking human or even talking. She wanted blood and wanted it now. And this poor human was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“What the-!” she heard the scream of the cold homeless person sitting by a burning trash can, probably trying to sleep at this late hour, in a filthy lonely dark alley where even in the bright daylight no one would dare to look inside.

A part of her mind wondered what she looked like to the man. A demon, maybe? Her reflection on his wide eyes as she grabbed his cold arm only gave her information she already knew, bright red eyes and very visible fangs poking out of her lips. Was the man religious? Was he able to understand what was happening as his blood calmed her primal state? Did he have someone who missed him at all?

She breathed some of the cold air when she dropped the now empty body at her feet. Her consciousness slowly came back like turning up the volume on a radio, and Elizabeth realized that she had killed the man.

She sighed. The world already had so much death and killing people was simply not her style; but it was her fault by not feeding properly and the vampire felt guilty for it.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured at the empty alley. No one answered.

***

“You did what!?”

“Let him leave without erasing his memories,” Elizabeth sighed for the tenth time, her voice muffled by the palm of the hand she was leaning on. She tried to look away from the eyes of her friend seated on the other chair of her kitchen table, afraid to face her wrath.

“Yeah yeah, I heard that the first damn time. Oh damn, Elizabeth, you really fucked it up bad now,” the other vampire in front of her puffed some smoke from her mouth, telling her that Lucy was really angry.

“I didn’t know what to do, ok? He said something unnerving and I… snapped. I didn’t want to erase his memories, Lucibelle, and it seemed like the best course of action.”

“‘Best course of action’ my ass, Eli.” The tiny vampire groaned and leaned back on her seat, careful not to touch the very flammable delicate wood of the ancient chair, “And don’t call me Lucibelle.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Don’t worry. You are one of the few that know it anyways,” the vampire sighed. “There are less and less ancients on the active lately.”

“I heard about that,” Elizabeth was grateful by the change of topic. “I wonder what is happening for them to go out of reach.”

“Dunno. At least Jonathan keeps his phone on this time. But the others, not a beep.”

A comfortable silence established between the two friends, each one on their own thoughts. The older vampire’s red eyes coursed through the spitfire in front of her, grateful to be able to call her a friend. Lucy, as she liked to be called now, has been living with her for a few years now and was there with the whole ordeal of Suzie.

The vampire looked no older than a kid, around fifteen, but in her own time she was considered almost an adult, already promised to an abusive much older man, sold by her own family for money. She had told Elizabeth that she didn’t resent them, as she could see now the logical decision in that exchange; but still, when she found out many years after the incident that they died in the Great Fire of London, she just smirked at the irony of the situation.

Their friendship was a strange one, their personalities so different and coming from very different worlds, but somehow they connected through dark humor and valued the opinion of the other’s. Lucy’s snarky comments had saved her from more than one dangerous and probably fatal situation, and her advice during the worst break up of her life helped her go on.

Something she respected about Lucy was her ability to adapt to the changing world. She was even jealous of it. Being forever a teenager wasn’t easy, and she knew of really nasty experiences her friend had decided to share, but the golden eyed vampire surpassed every hardship and got out of them stronger and more powerful. She wasn’t known as the ‘Fire demon’ for anything, after all, and it wasn’t only because of her one-of-a-kind fire powers.

“What do you think he might be feeling right now?” said vampire asked, bringing her out of her musings.

“Probably angry. And betrayed. And kind of spooked.”

“Well, yeah, no one disappears like that. No one human, at least” she gave her a disappointed look.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry,” Elizabeth put her hands in the air in defeat, looking back at the golden intensity of her friend’s eyes. “I’ll fix that.”

“You’d better.”

***

A whole week had passed and Elizabeth was burning with regrets. Being inside everyday didn’t help at all, reading wasn’t working for her right now, and when she tried to play any game of any kind, her attention dispersed to her very brief encounter with the strange human. His words when he talked about his obsession with vampires still burned in her brain like coals, consuming her until the need to know more about what he thought about her kind grew almost as big as hunger.

It was a cruel flaw of hers, that insatiable curiosity. She always wanted to know more, to know why, how, when of everything; and while it helped her find some valuable people on her life (she tried not to think about Suzie, as it was her damn curiosity what attracted her to the human at that time), it had led her to almost get killed a few times.

So that’s why she found herself once more on the queue of “Midnight Blood” with her corset and gothic-like makeup, trying to choke down the blood she just had from a random hooker on the street on her way to the club. She had just the bare minimum and the woman was okay after she wiped her memories, only a little winded. Nonetheless, she bought her dinner.

“Your ID, lady” said the big man watching the door, his hand open and waiting for her. The vampire blinked and handed him the card, barely listening to the angry whispers behind her. It seemed that she was slowing the line. “Go.”

She thanked him in a low whisper and got in the club, her ears already hurting from the loud music playing in the enormous speakers by the stage. Tonight, a group was playing some kind of grunge-ish rock, big mohawks and shiny outfits accompanied with white makeup and thick eyeliner. The lady that was singing was really into the song, eyes closed, murmuring the words of the lyrics to the microphone and making gestures with the hands as if trying to touch something that wasn’t there. It wasn’t her style at all, but she could see the sentiment in the woman’s face as she sang about a lost love and despair. She respected that.

The vampire shook her head and focused on finding one human in the sea of human flesh dancing and moving at the rhythm of the music. She looked at the veranda on the second floor, maybe hoping that he was there waiting for her. It was silly, but she really wanted to make an impression on him like William did on her. Maybe he wasn’t as curious as she was? Maybe he was really angry and didn’t want anything to do with her?

Oh my God, she thought, panicking. She thought she saw him for a moment, her sharp eyes catching a glimpse of dark blonde hair in the distance. What am I going to say?

A second look confirmed that it was him indeed, and to the utmost horror of the vampire, he was looking back at her and seemed really angry. She gulped.

Slowly, mostly because of the mass of humans bouncing around in the dance floor that didn't let her pass easily, Elizabeth walked to the glaring human leaning on the wall, arms crossed. He looked disappointed, almost like he already knew what she wanted to say and was sad about it. She wondered what kind of betrayal had happened in his life to be like this.

“You,” he said when she managed to reach him, “have some explaining to do.”

#original fiction #gil writes #writeblr #writing #exophilia #exophilia fiction #vampire #vampire fiction #urban fantasy #bisexual main character #female vampire x human #queer characters

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monstersandmaw · 3 years

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Monsters & Maw Masterlist - Part Two

Since I appear to have maxed out the number of links in a single post, here is the continuation of my Masterlist.

I’ll format it in the same way, that being chronologically, rather than by monster or reader ‘type’, and the rating (sfw/nsfw) will be added to each part/story.

Newer stories at the bottom. Be sure to check the original post (not just reblogs) for updates!

Masterlist Part One here.

Masterlist of Shorter Stories and Drabbles here.

Male werewolf x female character (Gabe & Odessa) Part One (sfw), Part Two (sfw), Part Three (sfw), Part Four (sfw), Part Five (sfw), Part Six (sfw) Part Seven (sfw), Part Eight (sfw), Part Nine (sfw), Part Ten (sfw), Part Eleven (nsfw), Part Twelve (sfw), Part Thirteen (sfw), Part Fourteen (nsfw), Part Fifteen (nsfw), Part Sixteen (nsfw), Part Seventeen (sfw), Part Eighteen (v. light nsfw), Part Nineteen (nsfw), Part Twenty (nsfw), Part Twenty-One (nsfw), Part Twenty-Two (season finale, sfw). Gabe’s POV between seasons (sfw)

Male orc x male character (Victorian era fantasy) Part One (WIP, posted on Ko-fi)

Male merman x reader (nsfw)

Male mothfolk (Elis) x male reader (very light nsfw at the end)

Female selkie (Meg) x female reader (sfw)

Male each-uisge/sea kelpie (Rhion) x reader (sfw) *Mermay*, Part Two (changed to cis female reader) (nsfw)

Male wyvern (Askaen) x male reader (nsfw)

Male dragonborn (Yrdan) x trans female reader (nsfw)

Male dremora (demon) x female character Part One (sfw), Part Two (sfw), Part Three (sfw), Part Four (sfw), Part Five (sfw), Part Six (sfw), Part Seven (sfw), Part Eight (sfw), Part Nine (nsfw)

Male yeti-shifter dad x reader Part One (sfw), Part Two (v. light nsfw), Part Three (nsfw)

Male goblin (Gil) x gn reader (nsfw)

More below the cut

(old) WIP Male vampire x female character - Part One (sfw)

Male goblin x gn reader (nsfw)

Male witch x male goth (non-monster romance story) ‘Like Moon and Tide’: Part One, Part Two, Part Three (v. light nsfw), Part Four (nsfw), Part Five (Final, nsfw)

Male cerberus boyfriends x gn reader Part Two (nsfw)

Male scarred werewolf (Rhett) x female reader Part Five (nsfw)

Male ‘yautja/feral predator’ inspired alien x gn reader: Part One (sfw), Part Two (sfw), Part Three (sfw), Part Four (sfw), Part Five (sfw), Part Six (nsfw), Part Seven (nsfw), Part Eight (sfw), Part Nine (sfw), Part Ten (sfw), Part Eleven - final (nsfw)

Male yautja x gn reader (implied poly) (sfw)

Female ghost x gn reader (sfw)

Male scarecrow x gn reader (sfw)

Dragon Heart (non romance, dragon & human story, sfw)

Male drider pirate captain x gn reader (mild nsfw)

Male orc (Guthlak) x gn reader (light/fluffy nsfw)

Male sharkman (Titus) x male reader (nsfw, light D/s undertones)

Male fox spirit (Rowe) x female reader (nsfw)

Male werewolf (Beorn) x trans male reader (nsfw)

Male werewolf x male human (3rd person POV) (nsfw)

Male uruk hai x gn human (sfw)

‘Protector’ - short story featuring a male gargoyle and a female witch (sfw)

Female vampire x nb/gn reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Male naga x nb/gn reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Male swamp monster x female reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Male dragon x trans male reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Female drider x female reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Male vampire x male reader (sfw) (drabble)

Male swamp monster x nb/gn reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Female vampire x female reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Male bugbear x male reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Non binary tiefling x plus sized female reader (nsfw) (drabble)

Female knight (Vika) x lady (Elayne) - Part One of an abandoned WIP (sfw)

Werewolf farmer (Rowan) - Stardew fic, WIP extract (sfw)

Laces for a Lady - poly shifter romance story set in 18th century smuggling Cornwall, with a male bucca (eel monster) and a male selkie and a female human. Part One (sfw), Part Two (sfw), Part Three (sfw), (bonus Locryn & Ned chapter post Chpt3, sfw), Part Four (sfw), Part Five (sfw), Part Six (sfw), Part Seven (sfw)

Snowfall - m/m/m poly story (elf, vampire, lich). Part One

Male gnoll (Cade) x gn reader (nsfw)

Male orc (Rhuarc) x female character - Part One (sfw)

Male dullahan (Pumpkin) x gn reader (sfw) (commission)

Male orc (Rhokann) x gn reader (light nsfw) (commission)

Male drider (Feluän) x trans male reader (nsfw) (commission)

Male dragon x male knight (3rd person, nsfw) (commission)

Male centipede alien x transmasc nonbinary reader (nsfw) (commission)

‘Changing Tides’ - male human ‘cursed’ into merfolk body (no romance, sfw)

___

Date updated: 04.11.2023 - UK date order: Day, Month, Year

#masterlist #exophilia masterlist #ghosti's masterlist #ghosti's stories #monster boyfriend #monster girlfriend #werewolf

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glambitions-a · 4 years

Text

couldn't take you home to mother in a skirt that short.

prompt : none! i made this post a while ago and finally i have made true on my promise!!! moodboards for this fic can be found here and here.

tags (open): @cherry-bxtch, @cosmosstarstudio

when uma gets to auradon, she is quick to learn that not everybody is as happy to meet pirates as they were when the barrier was first opened. none of the royalty and heroes she danced with weeks ago will even look her in the eye, it’s like it just dawned on them that she’s uma triskelion, cotillion ruiner. so when she walks into her dorm room for the first time and nobodies there to greet her, she’s not even fucking surprised.

it’s lived in, barely, but she’s sure she has a roommate at least. evie apologizes and apologizes through the phone because she was so sure the other girl would be there, but uma can’t even blame her missing roommate, if she was a prissy princess, she wouldn’t want to meet her either.

it’s bad enough that uma can’t be with her friends, the school had done a fantastic fucking job of making sure she couldn’t be with harry or gil, or any person from her crew from that matter. the teachers had told her it was because they had to keep the boys and girls separate, but they wouldn't let her stay with desiree or bonnie or harriet for god’s sake, which even though they had thoroughly proven to have different crews, uma was allowed no familiar face.

harry was going fucking mental, he pretty much threatened fairy godmother when she told them that gil and her couldn’t be in the same dorm as him. at first, harry and gil had been put in the same room together, because uma was the real villain, they didn’t ruin cotillion, she did. but then it came to their attention that the two of them had broken out of the barrier when audrey had control of the scepter, so that had made them separate as well.

and at first, they wanted to put audrey with uma, but since they were both villains now, they had to be separated as well. it was a shame, they both had something in common at least.

but no, instead she was living in this suffocatingly neat room, and everything on the occupied surfaces on the other side of the room seemed so delicate and soft that if the sea witch looked at it for too long she might break it.

the whole room had white french inspired furniture and the walls were a pale blue so light it was almost not there. after the barrier was opened, the castle decorator came back from her long break in italy. she had left as soon as the barrier was put up, wanting no part of a world like that. but within her travels she had met a man, and apparently she had a baby girl. uma didn’t really care, but she respected the woman, as diva as she was, she still fought for the villain kids over and over.

so now, she had redecorated the dorms to match the personalities of the inhabitants. uma’s side had seashells and little pirate-y decorations. uma had already unloaded her things in the room, her clothes dumped on the bed, she had little knickknacks her boys had given her scattered on the crisp white desk.

the floor had two pairs kicked off shoes, since those were all that she had on the isle. the jewelry that she had was stashed underneath her mattress in a ratty cloth. she didn’t have very many ‘beauty’ products, and those that she did have were from audrey and evie, but those that she did have were haphazardly strewn in a desk drawer.

in comparison to her roommate's side, uma’s seemed messier than the isle of the lost. the other girl’s side was pristine and the surfaces were devoid of anything considered dirty. the white furniture had gold detailing on both sides, but with what the other girl had decorating the surfaces, the gold seemed to shine brighter. a fresh vase of flowers seemed to laugh at uma, who had never seen flowers before coming to auradon. the blue and white bedding looked straight out of a magazine with the layers and several pillows adorning the bed.

the first time uma saw it, she sneered. it looked like a dollhouse, nothing was out of place, whereas uma’s side looked bare. (and now it looked out of place against the pastel dream, every time she went over there it felt like she was being suffocated in sugary sweet frosting.)

now, she was sitting on her bed, having just thrown her things wherever she damn pleased (that’ll show them what she thinks of their prissy princess ruffles). her side is actually quite plain, save for the sea shells and a painting of the sea hung above the wired frame of her bed. neither of them have canopies, but her roommate has an angel painting above her bed instead. it’s quite pretty, if she thinks about it. (but she doesn’t because she doesn’t care at all about what some princess has on her side of the room)

it sort of feels like the girl is never going to come, which makes uma think that the girl is scared of her. (which she fucking should be, i mean, she’s a pirate captain and a sea witch) nobody else seems to like them that much, and that makes harry glow, and gil pout a little (which makes harry threaten to kiss him if he doesn’t stop, and that makes uma laugh because she knows gil really wouldn’t mind being kissed by the older boy.)

uma falls back on the bed with a sigh, eyes boring into the ceiling, the bed was super fucking comfortable, like holy shit. she could feel herself sinking in, but she would not let her eyes close. she was tired, but she was always tired. she had always convinced herself that really she wasn’t really tired (harry had always sat next to her in bed until she fell asleep, and if she didn’t he’d wake gil up so he could hold her, and the three of them fell asleep like that.) she and the boys at stayed in evie’s castle for the first few days, but now school had started and they needed to move into the dorms.

next to her, the phone carlos had given her buzzed with a call notification. it didn’t startle her, but she groaned and flipped over, grabbing a pillow and whining into it. she really didn’t want to text anyone, she had only been here for a week and already evie had blown up her phone about a million times.

she remembers when evie came to uma and telling her that they put her in a room with this other girl because they were both new to auradon. and originally this had caused uma to think this girl was from the isle (which made her think all hope is not fucking lost, get your shit together uma, you’re in for a long ride but at least it’ll be someone you know), but the blue-haired girl had told her her roommate wasn’t from there. (fuck)

her phone eventually died down, before a shorter buzz emitted from where she had tried to muffle it. she knew this one too, it sounded like a text, she groaned and crawled over to where it lay buried underneath the pillows from where she tossed it away. unlocking it with her fingerprint (something she didn’t quite understand yet) she saw a missed call from (you guessed it) evie and a text also from her saying, ‘mark my words, i’m going to track down your roomie, i’m so sorry she ditched, ugh.’

uma carefully typed back, ‘okay’ before powering it off, tossing it back to it’s pillow buried state. she didn’t even want a roommate, she really didn’t. uma could go without a stuffy girl who watches her with caution. it would be better if she was all alone to worry about gil and harry and their respective nightmares. (she was their anchor, after all.) harry’s scared him more, but gil’s were longer, so that was almost worse. her stomach knots at the thought of them being alone, which she will never ever admit to them. (even though they already know)

her phone buzzes again, and this time it confuses her. furrowing her eyebrows she sits on her knees to pick it up. and, in fact, it’s not evie. from what she can tell, it’s an unknown number with a message that is misspelled in so many ways, that she knows it just has to be from gil. it says something about ‘haz’ which is a name that only gil is allowed to call harry, and it includes many of those stupid smiley faces carlos showed her. but basically, the message tells her that harry and gil are coming over tonight.

her mood is lifted as she imagines that everything will be almost normal, the three of them will be together, just in a more comfortable bed. but, someone else will be there, unless maybe she’ll be able to scare off this roommate of hers. it should be pretty simple, since she couldn’t even come and meet her in the first place.

she could always send harry to find her, which is so dramatic and totally unnecessary it makes her laugh a little. but she didn’t want to kill her experience here, and terrorizing her roommate without being here for even a day (or even meeting said roommate) will probably ruin her dutiful and redeemed first impression. (not that it could get any worse, she turned into a giant octopus and almost killed them all, and she kidnapped the king to hold him hostage. so really scaring her roommate is probably considered tame compared to everything else.)

and now, everybody’s safe and healthy, away from their parents. harry’s going to learn how to count and gil will learn how to read. and even as much as she wants to stay with them tonight, she’s not going to risk them getting themselves kicked out. she retrieves her phone and opens the message, mentally telling herself to ask carlos how to make a contact. (whatever the hell that was) she types back, ‘you can’t, i have a roommate remember?’

closing her eyes, her phone is dropped on her stomach as she lays back, its quiet, which unnerves her in a way she hadn’t thought about yet. even the breathing of someone else would calm her nerves in the slightest. she thinks about this ‘roommate’. maybe she’s home schooled and has never even been to school before. it’s likely she just went to a different school before this, uma’s not stupid, she’s sort of even the most logical person out of her crew. (which makes sense because she’s the fucking captain)

her phone buzzes within ten seconds of her laying down, she carefully takes it in her hands like she’d scared it would fucking shatter. ‘but i wanna come see you :( i miss you.’ a smile worms it’s way onto her face as she looks at the message. it surprises her as it buzzes again, the little chat bubble pops up saying, ‘harry says he misses you too :)’

her brow furrows, ‘harry’s with you?’ the teachers had seemed hellbent on keeping them apart (not that it would work) but harry always found his way around things. he climbed through uma’s window when ursula used to keep her locked up in her (very bare) room, he dragged gil to the ship when his dad was being especially dumb. he cares about all of the crew even if he doesn’t show it.

‘yeah, he climbed through the window and locked jay out :)’ she laughs, that sounds like a the kind of thing harry would do. they haven’t even been in these dorms for two hours and yet he’s already found a way out of the ‘punishment’. she hadn’t imagined him taking a long time though, they were family.

‘i miss you too, both of you. but i’m not going to risk getting kicked out of here on our first night.’ she sets down her phone and gets up, stretching. ‘tell harry to bring you to the commons, he knows where it is. they can’t punish us for socializing.’ she figures that if they act like they’re at least trying to fit in, they’ll stop trying to separate them.

‘okay uma :)’ the message buzzes in the pocket of her jeans, a newly acquired item audrey had thrown at her this morning when she went over to evie’s to get the trio awake. she had told them that after this week of school, she’s taking them to the mall to find, her words, ‘less spikey’ clothes.

uma points her gaze at her phone briefly before leaving the sugary sweet looking room, tucking her phone back in her pocket and shutting the door. evie had given her a key to the dorm, and so she attempted to lock back up again. a satisfying click was heard before she put the key away, finding her way to the commons.

she pretended not to notice the stares and whispers, but she expected them so it was hard to ignore it. things were so much easier on the isle, if people had something to say, they would say it to your face instead of being bitches about it. the more uma stayed, the more she could tell that auradon was just a bigger prison, like a refinement center or some shit like that.

she neared the chatter of students and comfy sofas, eyes caught onto her with a fearful twinge, and then the whispers started again. she only heard ‘that’s the girl that turned into her mother and tried to kill us.’ her heart clenches with the anger rising in her chest. she was not her mother, she almost succeeded where her mother failed miserably. she had fooled everyone, and she knows it’s wrong to still be so angry at mal, but that girl terrorized her, basically her entire life. it’s hard to forget that shit.

“uma!” she barely even turned around before she felt strong arms encircling her waist and a smile pressed into her shoulder. she ignores the way her heart warms and reminds herself that she doesn’t have to hide here, they can be happy.

ʚĭɞ | if you want to be on my taglist, all you have to do is like this post. i hope you enjoyed the lil bits of sea three fluff i threw in here :) this chapter is sponsored by jupi because she puts up w my random descendants related ramblings ♡♡ requests are open so please feel free to shoot me an ask! please don’t let this flop! evangeline will be introduced in the next chapter, so consider this a prologue almost. - rory

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derelictsouls-ar · 3 years

Photo

W E L C O M E !

independent multimuse from various dramas and indefinite original characters. females over males but gently taking care of them. trigger warning applies for violence, gore, depression and other nsfw topics.

the muses are lovingly neglected by me: k, she/her, 26+, gmt timezone.

RULES x MUSES x INTEREST TRACKER INTEREST CHECK x GOOGLE DOC

PARK JOONG GIL @parkeesa - sideblog!

PERSONALS DNI! → FORMERLY KNOWN AS TALEOFWOMEN!

credit for header, banners, promos, icons made by me unless otherwise stated.

#mobile #mobile n.#mobile m.

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sunnyie-eve · 2 months

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9 | The Same

Series: No Prince Charming

Paring: Harry Hook x Original female character Princess!

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: none

| MASTERLIST |

"Honey, we thought in order to get more VK's to sign up for the program that it would be great if you went over to pass out and hang up the four's posters. Volunteer to show we want to give more a chance as well." Belle tells Bella as she walks into their office.

"You of course would have someone with you for protection just in case something goes wrong with certain VK's." Adam adds.

"Why me and not Ben? It's his thing." She says confused.

"Because you still need to do your duties as the Princess." Belle gives her a look.

"Fine, I'll do it for my brother because I'm a good sister." Bella gives them a fake smile.

"Great, the limo is outside waiting for you."

"Oh, now?" Bella rushes for the door to leave not wanting to make her parents mad.

Arriving at the Isle people watch her get out of the limo. She explains she's there to help spread word about the VK program and passes out flyers and posters to those who wanted to help.

"Princess Isabella." Dizzy goes over to her.

"Dizzy, right? And just call me Bella." Bella gives her a smile.

"Yes, I can't believe King Ben is giving more VK's a chance at living in Auradon." She jumps in joy.

"Well, after seeing how it is here for you guys he wanted to change that for some of you guys." Bella tells her with a smile.

"It's nice you came over to help to get more people to join. It's showing progress of Auradon." Dizzy says so Bella just looks at her for a few seconds.

"It really is thanks to Ben. And me... I'll take a little credit since I put the thought in his head in the very beginning." Bella laughs.

"Well, thank you." Dizzy hugs her so Bella hugs her back.

The two of them work together putting up posters till Dizzy stops, "I don't have any money." Bella looks back confused only to see Harry.

"You steal from younger kids, really?"

"I haven't done it since Uma left. But I hear the Princess was here so I finally found her." He smiles walking closer to them.

"And why are you looking for me? That's a little creepy."

"I was just curious what the Princess was doing here again, but I see this time it's one of her duties and not for fun like last time." He smiles eyeing her head to toe. She was a beauty in his eyes and he loved what he saw. Since he met her, his mind has only been able to think about her wanting to see her again.

"Exactly, I'm here for my Princess duties and not for fun like last time. So excuse me, I'm quite busy." Bella lets him know, "Dizzy, where's another good spot to put up posters?" Bella turns to her.

"Oh, follow me!" Dizzy takes off so Bella nods her head at Harry leaving to follow Dizzy.

Just like Harry, Bella hasn't been able to get him out of her mind too. Never once back home has a guy ever caught her eye until she ran into him. He was breath taking and what really reeled her in was those gorgeous blue eyes of his.

"How do you know Harry?" Dizzy asks as they put up Evie posters together.

"When I was here last he kidnapped my brother and the whole time we chatted. Not to mention, I kept stealing from him for fun to pass time." Bella tells her and that was it.

"Just be careful with him." Dizzy lets her know, "He's a big flirt with anyone he finds attractive." She adds.

"Get that junk off my pub!" They look over to see a guy tearing down some posters that other kids put. The man turns and points at Bella, "Princess Isabella." He smiles walking over to her.

"Umm," Bella looks at the man then it hits her, "Gaston." She forces a smile, "My mother says hello." She lies to him.

"She does?" He says surprised.

"She does. She wishes you are doing well. Oh, hey Gil." She feels some relief seeing him.

"Oh, Bebe! Dad, you met Bella. She's just like her mother, huh?" Gil joins them.

"Looks exactly like her. You have her eyes."

"Yes, I'm sorry but I have to get back to putting up posters then I have to get going. I promise not to put any on your building. Have a good day." Bella grabs Dizzy's arm to leave.

"the was awkward." Dizzy tells her.

"No, kidding."

After a few more hours for working it was time for Bella to head back home. She tells dizzy goodbye and can't wait to see her again. As she was getting into limo a hand grabs her wrist making her two guards move Harry away from her.

"I just wanted to give the Princess a gift, gentlemen." He chuckles looking at them.

"It's okay." Bella tells them so Harry walks towards.

"For you." He shows her a red stone ring, "It was my father's. He gave it to me but I want to give it to you. To remember me while you're stuck at home wishing for an adventure." He smiles sliding it on her finger.

"Harry, I can't take you're father's ring as a gift." She tries to give it back to him.

"Yes, you can Princess. He gave me permission to. Till next time." He kisses the top of her hand before walking off. Bella just gets in the limo to head home so confused about how she felt about Harry.

Meanwhile back in Auradon, Ben was searching everywhere for his sister, "Father have you seen Bella?" He passes his father passing him in the hall.

"She should be coming back from visiting the Isle to promote your VK program." His father tells him.

"Bella went to the Isle alone?"

"She had two guards with her incase anything happened. Why are you so worried?" Adam asks confused.

"I just don't exactly trust Hook's son around her. Not to mention he's part of Uma's crew." Ben sighs as Bella shows up.

"How was the visit, dear?" Adam gives her a smile.

"It was great. Spent the whole time with Dizzy. Just one awkward moment running into Gaston having to talk to him." She laughs a bit.

"You see Harry?" Ben asks.

"No, I didn't see him. Just Gil with his father." She lies to him. "I'm gonna go tell Evie how much I adore Dizzy." She leaves the two to go see Evie at her place. "Evie, guess what I did today?" Bella walks inside.

"Go on a great adventure?" Evie says working on a dress.

"Sorta, I was sent to the Isle by my parents to help get kids to sign up so I spent the whole day working with Dizzy."

"Dizzy? She's so sweet isn't she?" Evie stops working.

"She is. I love her so much."

"Anything else happen?" Evie takes a seat.

"Awkward conversion with Gaston. I lied saying that my mom says hello." Bella takes a seat too.

"Did you happen to run into a certain pirate who carries around a hook he doesn't need?" Evie smiles at her.

"Maybe but to Ben, I didn't." She makes clear so she doesn't tell Ben.

"And?"

"And what?" Bella laughs.

"Come on, Ben said you two seemed close playing around. And when he came to deliver the message for Mal, the looks between you two..." Evie tries to get something out of her.

"That was nothing. There's nothing there. I was just doing that to annoy him and I don't even know him. And he kidnaped my brother, Evie." Bella explains to her.

"Your father held your mother as a prisoner for awhile when she traded spots with your grandfather. Look now they're married with two kids." Evie makes a point.

"It's not the same."

"Isabella." Evie says her name in a tone, "The Beast let Belle go about the castle instead of locked in the dungeon. Harry let you wonder around the ship instead of tied up like Ben. Belle gets along with the nice household objects. You got along with Gil. Despite the Beast being a little rude after saving Belle, she starts to fall for him. Despite Harry being a VK and wanting to hook Ben, you play around with him in a flirty way and open up to him a bit. I say it's the same."

"Are you done?" Bella gives her a look.

"If you admit it, yes." Evie smiles.

"Okay, it's kinda the same. I am my mother." Bella whines, "But this is Harry Hook, it's never going to happen. He's there, I'm here and there's constantly a barrier up."

"And you're the Princess, who has access to go over there anytime you want. Heck, if you want to see what could happen go get to know him. And as a VK who grew up on the Isle with him and knew him... He has his moments but he's also very loyal and protective." Evie lets her know, "Our secret from Ben. As you told me, you don't need a prince."

#thomas doherty #harry hook #descendants 2 #descendants #descendants 3 #descendants oc #descendants au #harry hook descendants #descendants mal #descendants evie #descendants carlos #descendants jay #descendants uma #descendants gil #dcom #vks #disney #villains

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floralcyanide · 3 years

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Double-Crossed

Chapter Three - Holly Berries

rating: 17+; description of self-inflicted harm, blood, brief mention of hanging

word count: 1290

pairing: benjamin tallmadge x original female character

A/N: my deepest apologies for the super late update! I've been going through a lot this year, so has everyone, but it's been keeping me occupied. now that my semester has ended and my life has slowed down, I'll have more time to write. this chapter is half the word count I usually put out, but I decided that maybe if I make the chapters shorter I'll be more up for writing them and not picking over them like a perfectionist vulture! anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving if you celebrate ♥ please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading! if you want to follow this story, I can add you to a taglist! (: - ana x

p.s. thank you all so much for 500+ reads on wattpad, the lovely comments on here and 130+ hits on AO3! x

»»————-　★　————-««

"The first revolution is when you change your mind." - Gil Scott Heron

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"We have to make it believable!"

"We can do that without slicing ourselves open, Abe."

My arms are crossed over my chest as I stand beside Abe's small rowboat, rolling my eyes at his idea of faking injuries. We were given our stuff back, including Abe's goods he traded for and my quiver. We spent the day rowing back home across the sound, and now we are on the shore debating what our next move was.

"Fine, just mess up your dress a little," Abe suggests, motioning towards my already scuffed and dirtied dress.

I tilt my head, raising a puzzled eyebrow as I pull the skirts outward to show him it was already fairly ruined. He stands there looking defeated, holding a knife he had stowed in his boat that the army didn't find in his hands nervously. I look away as he presses the blade into his flesh, a hideous cry coming from beside me a moment later.

"We good, then?" I quip, focusing my gaze on Abe's eyes instead of the blood trickling down his temple.

Panting with an unwavering glare, he tosses the knife back into the boat and begins to walk into the woods with me trailing behind.

"We have about half an hour's walk back to town, what's the plan?" I wonder aloud. The tree limbs and twigs that Abe previously pushed out of his way only slap back into place after he steps off, leaving me to shove them back. Every now and then one snaps in my face and scratches me and I inwardly curse.

"If anyone is along the road, we'll ask for help and say we were mugged. If no one is there, we walk into town carefully, so act injured," Abe says, not looking back at me as he trudges forward.

"What do we tell them? Where were we?"

"Uh, well," Abe sighs, "We shouldn't lie. We were arrested by the Continental Army for illegal trade. Nothing else. Got it?"

"Yeah," I huff out as another switch pops me in the back of my arm.

---

After a long trek in the woods and several more scratches and scrapes later, we finally make it to the road that stretches into the heart of town. I'm not too far behind Abe when he spots Robeson. Abe feigns a rib injury and bends over slightly, calling him for help. I hobble, half falsely, up to where my brother stands as Robeson runs off into the square, no less to snitch rather than get us help. So we slowly limp our way into Setauket, bloodied and caked with day-old mud, sporting limps. After hurrying down the hill where no one could see us, we pick up our pretend injury act once we are in the peripheral of the square. Abe and I grimace at a few people, who stare at us and scurry away in hushed tones. Before I can ask Abe why everyone was staring, a clamor of voices heads our way.

"There!" Robeson points us out to a group of British soldiers, who begin running towards us.

Fear floods through my veins as they begin pulling me away from Abe and a soldier who couldn't be much older than me pulls my hands behind my back, keeping me from doing anything as they slam my brother against a nearby building.

"I've been mugged," he huffs, soldiers pinning his wrists against the wooden wall.

"Now you'll be hanged," a tall soldier says in a hauntingly soft voice, his eyes cold as he walks past. We maintain eye contact for a moment and I break it quickly; a feeling of dread consumes me every second I stare into his dead, emotionless eyes.

"Let the missus go," the man says immediately after he passes my line of sight. I quietly watch the soldiers take Abe away as I bite sores into my tongue so I don't cry out, it'd only complicate things further and I'd probably be arrested too. I manage to pull my wrists out of the soldier behind me's grip, him letting me go a little too slowly for my liking.

I'm escorted home where, thankfully, father isn't yet. I pull off my muddied boots and hurry upstairs before any of the help spots me. I grab a wash bucket that's full of cold, forgotten water, and use it to scrub dirt from my face and neck. I didn't feel up for full bathing after the tiring day I've had. I peel my dress and skirts off along with my corset, scrubbing off remaining dirt everywhere else before slipping on a nightgown. After doing so, I pull parchment and ink vector with a clean quill from a drawer in my desk and sit down to draft a letter to my best friend.

Dearest Ophelia,

I am writing to you to express my deepest regrets for not writing to you in the last few days. I have gotten caught up in some things that I cannot discuss freely. Please meet me at our spot on Thursday. Do not tell anyone where you are going and be discreet as possible, the holly berries are everywhere.

Sincerely, Vinny.

I retrieve my wax seal to seal the letter shut in the envelope, and leave it on the desk for tomorrow morning when the courier comes by. I put away my writing materials and climb into bed for a nap, exhausted from the events of the week.

---

"Virginia, wake up."

My eyes fly open as someone shoves my shoulder, and I suddenly sit up, yanking my covers off of me and defensively throw up my fists.

"Calm down, it's me," Abe puts his hands over my fists, lowering them as I steady my breathing.

"Goodness, don't wake me like that, Abraham!" I push my hair out of my face, "What's wrong? They let you go? That odd tall man didn't hurt you, did he?"

Abe's face remains pensive as he takes a seat on my bed by my knees, "We're having dinner downstairs with Major Hewlett and father to discuss our whereabouts and what my punishment is going to be. They didn't do anything, don't worry."

I let out a sigh of relief, only to go over his words in my head again and panic. I sit up straighter and widen my eyes in fear, "Major Hewlett? Our whereabouts? Your punishment? I was there too, Abe. I can't let you take the fall for this-"

"They suspect I killed Captain Joyce, the man who had Selah and I arrested at the tavern," Abe says quietly, and I give him a confused look.

"The redcoats found him with his throat slit this morning while we were missing," Abe clears his throat.

"Oh," I whisper. "But you didn't, did you?"

Abe shakes his head vigorously, scrunching his eyebrows together, "Of course not! I was across the sound with you, remember?"

"Well," I shrug, climbing out of bed, "It seems I don't know much about your capabilities like I thought, anyway. You've done things this week that I never would have expected from you."

Abe side-eyes me as he gets up from my bed, walking towards my bedroom door, "I could say the same for you. Hurry and get cleaned up and dressed, dinner is in an hour. Just follow my lead, okay?"

"What are you going to say?" I ask, searching through my wardrobe. I hold back a giggle at the fact Abe thinks he's leading anything in any way.

When I don't receive an answer I look over at the door to see Abraham gone.

I sigh, rolling my eyes. We are definitely going to be caught.

#ben tallmadge #benjamin tallmadge x oc #benjamin tallmadge fanfic #turn washington's spies #turn amc #turn amc fanfic #turn fanfiction #american revolution #period drama #historical fiction #historical fanfiction #abraham woodhull #john graves simcoe #richard woodhull #major hewlett #edmund hewlett #shades of blue ff #royal-avengers writes

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wickedscribbles · 3 years

Text

Come What May, Chapter Four

Masterlist

Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi x Original Female Character (Second Person Perspective)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: brief description of panic attack -- there is a warning in the body of the chapter as well! Don’t worry.

Tags: main character has social anxiety, teaching a class with Obi-Wan, sexual tension, lightsaber fights, Obi-Wan continues with the cute pet names, some teacher/student fantasizing, Obi-Wan is still a massive tease, fucking in a supply closet

Word Count: 6.9 K

It's infuriating to know that Obi-Wan is back in the Temple, but that he's too busy to see you. Between Council meetings that drag for hours, more private gatherings with members of the Senate to discuss what the next move in the war should be, and allowing the poor man time to rest, Obi-Wan has been home for more than a week. You've barely caught more than a glimpse of him. Still, it's nice to have him present in your mind.

You know he's still in the Temple every day you wake up to a glowing good morning, love, his happiness to be near you radiating like sunshine even if you haven't had the time to see one another. It’s not safe to talk back and forth, but sometimes if one of you is particularly bored, you’ll trade a few sentences.

Master Yoda is on a roll today. Send help. Starting to think backwards I am.

Pity you I do.

Very funny, petal.

Then he’d be gone again, fading out before anyone got suspicious. The sudden absence hurts, but not as much as having him gone from the Temple entirely. At least here, you can feel him. You know he's safe.

In contrast to Obi-Wan's breakneck schedule, you've had almost nothing to do. It's full-on spring on Coruscant now, the warmth driving cold and flu season away. You have no colicky little ones in the creche to fuss over, no sick Padawans. The most you might see are some old Masters who need their aching bones tended to, or a quick training accident that needs mended. You haven't shipped out to a war-stricken planet in a while, either. It's strange to have downtime. Strange and frustrating, knowing Obi-Wan is nearby but still not close enough. Having a spare moment between all the illness and injuries is a good thing, and you're grateful. If only you weren't so restless.

-----

It’s rare -- almost impossible -- that you get to take the entire day off, but that’s exactly what you’ve been told to do. The medbay sits empty except for a couple of droids, instructed to deep clean while there are no patients. Even Master Allie appears to be taking it easy; her Force is calm as she bids you goodbye. She insists that if anyone turns up in need of healing, she and Barriss Offee would be on call to take care of it. You bow to her and leave, excited about what possibilities this could open up.

The first thing you do is check for Obi-Wan. Of course, he’s preoccupied. You duck out after feeling the level of concentration he’s exerting at something-or-other; it’s mixed with frustration and you don’t want to distract him. Like you, he’s getting more and more impatient with how busy the Council has kept him. You try not to let yourself be disappointed; it would be too lucky for both of you to be free at the same time, on the same day. All you can do is hope that you can find the time to be together before he has to leave again.

With your schedule more open than ever, you head to your favorite courtyard. The least you can do is soak up some Coruscanti sunshine. But only a quarter of an hour passes before you’re interrupted by the sound of footsteps on cobblestones, headed fast in your direction. Around the corner, scattering the kiros birds, comes a youngling you recognize. It's Gil Graven, a spitfire of a youngling you see in the medbay far more than others his age. He drives his minders crazy with his recklessness, but he’s a sweetheart. Even if you swear you have him admitted once a month for sprains and cuts.

Even now he trips and topples, would have earned the Halls of Healing their first visitor of the day, if you hadn't righted him with a quick pull of the Force.

"Easy, Gil. Where's the fire?" You smile, watching the kid tug his too-large tunic back onto his shoulder.

"Fire? There's no fire, miss. I was looking for you!"

His eyes go round with confusion, cheeks red from running. You forgot how literal younglings could be.

"I meant -- wait, looking for me? What's wrong? Who's hurt?"

Kriff. You should've known taking a day off would backfire. Something had happened in the fifteen minutes you’d had your butt parked in the grass. You get to your feet, gripping the pouch of emergency bacta on your belt.

"Oh! It's not a healer thing." Gil bounces in place, thinking. "But you're needed in the training halls! And they told me to find you quick!"

"Gil, calm down for a minute, okay?" The training halls? Why on Ryloth were you wanted there? "Who told you?"

He shrugs, unhelpful. “I dunno. I’ve never met ‘im before. But he told me to go get the Knight from the Healing Halls ‘cause no one’s been admitted today, and you’d be able to help him.”

You’re still not sure if this is a healer problem, or a matter of simple confusion. Gil’s got a touch of what healers like to call bouncy brain. Sweet as he is, he talks at lightspeed and can’t seem to concentrate if he isn’t moving. There’s a real possibility that he’s got something mixed up here. Still, it’s not as if you’re doing anything else. The Force must have decided that you need to keep busy.

You decide to see what he’s going on about. “Okay, Gil. Lead the way.”

-----

Lingering outside one of the larger training rooms is Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, who smiles when he spots Gil leading you over by the hand.

“There you are!” He crouches down to greet your youngling escort, clapping him on the shoulder. “Thank you, Gil, I am so glad you found our friend. You may go now.”

Gil bows to him, his Force blooming under the praise. “Yes, Master.” You both watch as he takes off the way he came, speeding back up to a run.

“No running!” You scold after him. He barely slows before he’s out of sight.

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi chuckles. “That one reminds me of our own Anakin Skywalker.”

You nod, seeing the resemblance. Anakin is five years your junior, but he was still notorious when you were Padawans. Always turning up where he shouldn’t have been, Obi-Wan always three steps behind. Nothing’s changed, Obi-Wan often tells you.

“Master,” you say, hearing the low buzz of voices coming from the room you’re standing in front of. “Gil said you needed me? Is someone injured?”

“Hm? Oh! Oh stars, no.” Master Ki-Adi shakes his head, looking sheepish. “But I was rather hoping you’d be able to help me with a little problem I’ve run into.”

“Of course.” Okay, now I'm suspicious.

Ki-Adi tugs the end of his beard. “My squadron is being called out to fight on very short notice, I’m afraid. I was meant to teach today’s lesson, and was lucky enough to find a substitute for myself on short notice. But my instruction partner is leaving as well, and I haven’t yet found them a suitable replacement.”

“O-oh,” you hear yourself squeak.

Karabast. He wants you to teach? Your stomach drops somewhere near your ankles. This is so far from what you were expecting when Gil led you here. You can’t do this. You can’t.

Ki-Adi must feel your panic, because he continues quickly. “Don’t fret, my dear! My substitute is a very capable instructor. Follow his lead, and everything will be fine.” He claps a hand on your shoulder, turning away.

“Thank you again -- and now I really must be off.” And with that, he’s gone, walking at a brisk pace down the corridor.

CW starts here!

You’re so anxious that you feel like you’re about to be sick. You’ve done many things on behalf of the Council, often without knowing what they even were, but this? You can’t do this. There’s too many people. You lean against the doorframe, struggling for breath.

What’s the matter? Obi-Wan’s concern comes rushing in, and you’re grateful you have him to latch onto, to focus on.

Someone's asked a favor of me -- and I don’t think I can do it. You’re gripping your saber hilt too tight, the metal biting into your hand.

Please try to calm down. Find somewhere to sit and meditate, collect yourself --

Your anxiety is affecting him, making his own thoughts race even if he doesn’t know the cause. This sometimes happens. You’ve jolted awake in the middle of the night more than once with nightmares that weren’t your own, or had thoughts that didn’t make sense ‘til you realized they weren’t yours.

I can’t.

Why not?

You don’t reply. You have to go in there. Master Ki-Adi said that he was already late. Remembering your breathing, you focus on a count of four in through your nose, then hold the breath for a count of seven. When you exhale, you count to eight. After repeating the exercise several times, you can think straight. It’s not the more in-depth meditation Obi-Wan would have preferred, but it helps. All you can do is hope that the instructor carries much of the class, as Master Ki-Adi said he would.

When it feels like you’ve released much of your fear and uncertainty to the Force, you open the door and step in.

CW ends here!

Immediately, twenty pairs of curious Padawan eyes move to follow you, and you cringe. They all sit cross-legged on the padded floor. Three of the walls are lined with mirrors, the better for students to see fighting forms and sparring matches from every angle. On a side wall, a flimsi depicting each form of saber combat stretches the length of the room, cut off only by the supply closet where training accessories are stored. You’ve been in this room and its adjacent siblings dozens of times. But all that isn’t as important to you as the instructor, who’s turned to see why the room’s gone quiet.

It’s Obi-Wan.

Standing bare-foot on one of room-length training mats, in the middle of handing out sparring sticks to the class, he freezes when you lock eyes.

Oh, he says, equal parts shock and happiness.

Yeah.

I say this with the greatest respect, darling -- why did Master Ki-Adi send you?

Because the Healing Halls are completely empty. Also to torture me. You grimace, joining him at the front of the room. He nods to you in greeting, as if you aren’t having a mental conversation.

“Knight Courtee. Glad to see you could join us.”

“I apologize, Master. It was short notice for me, as well.” You bow to him.

Is this what you were so worked up about? They’re only Padawans. They don’t bite -- much.

Once the group realizes that you’re the other instructor that Obi-Wan’s been waiting for, the chatter resumes. They stop ogling you. From the looks of the group, they’re all in the late teens, and bubbling over with energy. Right in the middle of Padawan and Knight, but with all the arrogance to think they’re already the latter. Away from their Masters in a group like this, they tend to get far rowdier than they would otherwise. Each has a lightsaber strapped to their belt.

“Run me through the lesson?” you say, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Quiet!” Obi-Wan demands over his shoulder, and you jump. The loudest cluster of Padawans instantly falls silent behind you.

Sorry, he thinks at you. I’m starting to see why Ki-Adi jumped on the first ship leaving the system.

“Amina, lose the gum. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Yes, now. Navo, do I have to move you to the other side of the room? Don’t think I won’t.”

Mumbles of yes, Master, break out before he turns back to you, satisfied. You don’t smile but know he feels your amusement.

“We’ll be running through some more advanced katas,” Obi-Wan says. “Then we’ll break them into pairs and focus on the saber technique of each pair. At the end of the lesson, you and I will give a demonstration on a chosen form. Perhaps more than one, if the class requests it.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad,” you admit, thinking back to your own group Padawan lessons. You’d dreaded the paired sparring sessions, having your own form broken down and scrutinized. In the end, though, it had improved your skills. Being able to do the same for this group would be an honor. This is a big piece of being a Jedi, after all; skills passed down from Master to Knight to Padawan.

“It isn’t. Just don’t let them smell your fear,” he grins. “Let’s get started.”

As noisy as the group is, you can tell they’re genuinely excited to be in a session led by Master Kenobi. And Obi-Wan really knows how to lead the room. While you stand stiffly off to the side, nodding whenever he finishes saying something and hoping you don’t look like an idiot, he uses the space. He explains the lesson to them as he explained it to you, then asks if anyone has any questions.

The girl who’d been caught with gum earlier, Amina, raises her hand. Her other hand is busy twirling her long Padawan braid, like she can’t help but fidget with it. “Um, Master Kenobi, why are we using sparring sticks? We’ve had lightsabers for a while now.”

A murmur of agreement washes through the crowd, and Obi-Wan smirks.

“Good question, Padawan. Everyone, close your eyes and reach through the Force. Do you feel how tumultuous the energy in this room is? How excitable? If any one of you lit your saber in this room, I fear someone would lose a limb. And that’s something that Knight Courtee can’t fix for you. So we play it safe.”

Another hand punctuates the air, from the very front of the crowd. This Padawan seems younger than the rest, with hair that sticks up everywhere and eyes focused only on Obi-Wan. He starts speaking before he can be called on.

“All due respect, Master,” he says, in a way that makes you think that he’s used to sharing unorthodox opinions. The corner of Obi-Wan’s mouth quirks up as he fights a smile, and you feel him think of Anakin.

“Why are we here? We’re fighting a war. Many of us have already seen combat alongside our Masters.” He lowers his eyes to the mat, afraid he’s gone too far. When his fellow Padawans start nodding and whispering, he tugs on the end of his nerf-tail, as if unsure of what to do.

Obi-Wan takes a moment to consider this question, hand going to his beard as it often does when he’s thinking.

“I appreciate your honesty, Caleb. And you’re correct. It might seem...redundant to spend your time here when even now fellow Jedi are fighting real battles.”

He pauses, thinking of how to continue. The Padawans are hanging onto his every word, the room silent. “But that’s why it’s so important to refine your technique when we can spare the time, in a secure environment. It will make you stronger when you face a real opponent. It might even save your life. Does that make sense?”

Wow, you think to yourself. He’d handled that beautifully. Even though Caleb had spoken out of turn, Obi-Wan hadn’t belittled him or made the teen feel bad about what was an honest and important question. He’d taken the time to consider the Padawan’s feelings, and had given him an equally honest answer, not something to pacify him. It takes you back to your own Padawan training, when Obi-Wan had been your instructor.

“Yes, Master,” Caleb ducks his head, looking relieved. “thank you.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes search the room. “Anything else?”

After a pause, another hand goes up, toward the back.

“Millu?” You love that he knows everyone by name. Some Padawans turn around to reveal a burly Mon Calamari boy.

“Yeah.” His bright yellow eyes dart over to you. “Uh, speaking of Knight Courtee. Why are you teaching us? I thought you were just, like, a healer.” There’s no real malice in his tone, more like an off-handed curiosity, but Obi-wan stiffens.

Luckily you think of something to say before he can open his mouth. It wouldn’t look good for him to get upset defending you.

“That’s an excellent question, Millu, thank you.” You shoot him a smile, and you swear his scales darken with a blush.

“Being a Jedi with healing abilities does not mean that you get to neglect other aspects of your training. On the contrary, your connection with the Force must be powerful at all times. Healing will swamp you physically and emotionally, so you must keep both body and mind strong to withstand it.”

Your smile widens. “Of course, if you’re asking if you can best me in a fight, we’ll see how you match up during paired spars. Sound good?”

Laughter breaks out, and Millu blushes even darker before muttering, “Sure,” and looking away. Even if it seemed like he was questioning your ability to teach them (as you yourself are), you’re grateful the interaction’s lightened the mood.

Nicely done, says Obi-Wan.

“Very good,” he says aloud, clapping his hands together. “Now if we’re done heckling Knight Courtee, let’s begin with some stretches, please.”

------

Obi-Wan was right, you think, walking around the room. This...isn’t bad at all. You walk from pair to pair, taking in the angle of their weapon, how they hold their bodies, making minor corrections and leaving comments as you go. They look up when you come by, eager to see what you’re going to say to them. It’s much easier to interact with the Padawans on this smaller scale, and you find yourself joking with them, smiling. After a while, they even start asking for you, looking to see if you can demonstrate a move or if they’re holding the training stick the correct way. They aren’t scary at all -- just excitable kids who want to learn.

I’m sorry, Obi-Wan was what?

Looking up, you see Obi-Wan grinning across the room, demonstrating his own correction. In the middle of all this excitable teen Force energy, it’s easy for you to have a conversation and go unnoticed.

You were right. I like this.

And you’re good at it; they adore you. You’re going to make a wonderful Master. He shows you a brief image of a happy Padawan trailing behind you, eager to follow wherever you lead. It’s the best feeling, love.

Unexpected emotion rises in your chest at his pure sincerity. He knows how insecure you are about the fact that you’ll soon have your own Padawan to look after, but he doesn’t have a single doubt that you can do it. For the first time, you let yourself think of the situation in a hopeful light. It was a path you never pictured for yourself, but one that you know you have to follow. Obi-Wan makes it look so easy. Anakin, and even Anakin’s Padawan Ahsoka, look at him like he hung the stars. Of course, so do you.

“Last twenty minutes!” Obi-Wan calls over the noise of sparring sticks clacking together. “Take a seat, class.”

The Padawans rush to do as they’re told, everyone clamoring for the best spot to view your spar with Master Kenobi. They go completely silent, waiting for you to join him. A hush even falls over the Force energy in the room, like they’re all holding their breath.

Obi-Wan sinks into a bow when you’re opposite him, one hand on his saber. When you glance down in confusion, he sends a wave of amusement.

I said I didn’t trust the Padawans, darling. Not you.

Not sure if that’s wise. You bow in return, unclipping your saber also. He ignites his blade, the blue glow casting light over all the reflections of the mirrors. Taking a deep breath, trusting the familiar feeling of your own weapon, you ignite your lightsaber. The bright green light shimmers over your hands, crackling with your energy.

You’re surprised at how nervous you are. It’s one thing to watch him from across the room, to be taught by him as a Padawan yourself, but to spar with Obi-Wan as an equal? He’s going to wipe the floor with you.

“What form does Knight Courtee use?” You hear somebody whisper.

“Form five -- she told me.”

“Oooh, really? That’ll be fun to see against Master Kenobi.”

“Shhh!”

Obi-Wan waits until the group is quiet again to ask if you’re ready to start. Your saber hums hot in your hand, a little less controlled than you’d like it.

“Ready as I can be, Master.”

“Then let’s begin.”

No sooner are the words out of his mouth than he’s in your space, much closer than you want him with a lightsaber in hand. You strike out instinctively and he expected that, anticipated it. He was baiting you. Your blade bounces off of his far more harshly than you like, the zyoom echoing through the room. You take a step back, try to calculate an opening. He mirrors you, waiting to react. It takes you longer than it should to realize that he’s shielded the bond up tight, not giving anything away. The only thing you can hear is your heartbeat and the crackling of the sabers, each one fueled by its master’s adrenaline.

He keeps his blade held at eye level, and you lunge in for a mid-range attack. Obi-Wan blocks but you keep it coming, getting back into the groove of Djem So after spending so long out of combat. It feels good to have the saber be a part of you, to have it grow lighter as it remembers your touch.

Strike, block, strike, block. You’re working at a breakneck rhythm trying to get through his defenses, but Obi-Wan won’t give an inch. Sweat pours down your temple but still you press, using the Force to try and search for a weak point but finding none. He’s too kriffing fast.

There’s a reason they call him Master of this form. It’s infuriating, the almost lazy way he flicks your lightsaber aside every time, using your energy against you. There’s not a hair out of place on him. Every time you lower your blade, wondering what to do, he simply resets, content to wait again. You can tell from the look in his eyes that he knows you’re getting tired.

The Padawans are anything but quiet now -- some shouting Get her, Master Kenobi! while others insist that you can hold your own. Your eyes flick over to them once. Some lean forward towards the fight as far as they dare, a few are even on their feet in support.

When Obi-Wan finally tips his saber in retaliation, you barely manage to block, caught off guard at the change from defense to offense. He strikes again, again, again -- each blow more brutal than the last, each one so close to your skin that you can feel his blue saber’s sizzling heat. He’s driving you back against the wall. Despite your best effort, you’re losing ground where you’d previously held it. When you feel your back slam against the wall he was driving you toward, you gasp and fumble a block -- your last move. The blade of Obi-Wan’s saber hovers near your throat, a win.

“And that’s your head,” he says easily. You lower your saber and extinguish the blade, holding your hands up in a show of defeat.

The room erupts.

“Master Kenobi, that was so wizard --”

“Knight Courtee was letting him have it! Did you see --?”

“I wish I could have recorded that for the holo!”

“Settle down,” Obi-Wan says, but he’s smiling. “I’m glad that you all have found this lesson so illuminating.” He bows to you, signalling the end of the match, and you follow suit.

“You’re dismissed,” he says to the room. The declaration is met with mixed reactions; half are glad to be free, half don’t want the lesson to be over yet.

“No need to hang around and help tidy this time. You were such a good group that Knight Courtee and I are glad to take care of it.” It’s traditional for students to stick around after the lesson is done and help roll up the training mats, collect the sparring sticks, and clean the room in any other way that needs it.

That statement really gets them out the door, though several of them whine about him being far cooler than their regular teacher and why can't he teach them all the time?

Once everyone’s filed out, Obi-Wan locks the door behind them. He turns to you with a long sigh, relieved that the loudness of all those teenagers in one place has dispersed.

“Well,” you say. “That’s not how I expected my morning to go.”

“I’m glad,” Obi-Wan replies. “I was beginning to think that I wouldn’t see you at all in my time home, yet here we are.”

“Like the Force willed it.”

He beams at that, drawing you tight against him. “C’mere. My bright little instructor.”

You grumble, cheek pressed against his chest. “You flayed me within an inch of my life, Obi-Wan.”

All he does in response to your grumpiness is chuckle, placing warm kisses everywhere he can reach on your face. “Yes. I did.”

“It was embarrassing.”

“I couldn’t exactly go easy on you, could I?”

No, he couldn’t. Everyone knows the extent of Obi-Wan’s skill, and while you aren't untalented with a saber, winning or even overcoming him would be unlikely. You’d fought honestly, and so had he. Anything else would have invoked suspicion.

He takes your silence for the correct answer, then gently pries your cheek from his body.

“Would it help if you got kisses as a consolation prize?” He’s looking at you so fondly, like you’re his favorite thing in the galaxy. You nod, already leaning on your tiptoes to reach.

Obi-Wan hums against your lips, sinking against you like he’s been waiting for this -- because you both have. The kisses stay close-mouthed, but he’s pressing them onto you fast, his hands roaming you urgently. Your bond tells you that he wants to take his time with you, would have each moment stretch out for as long as possible, if he could. He wants to savor you. But arousal is winning out.

“Sweetheart,” he murmurs, pulling back to brush his nose against yours. “Do you know how much restraint it took not to pin you against the wall and have you, at the end of our fight? To resist sending all the little Padawans away right then?”

You gasp, feeling heat stirring deep in your stomach. The honey-sweetness of his tone contrasts with his words, but he’s just getting started.

“There was such fire in your eyes when we sparred, kitten." Kitten. Yet another pet name to add to your already large collection. This one makes you blush, and you don't miss Obi-Wan's pleased grin. "I had to shut you out so that you wouldn’t get distracted by my, er, distraction.”

His distraction presses up against your leg now, thick and hot. Obi-Wan tugs the end of your braid hard, tilting your head back to expose your neck. You whimper against him, all but letting him hold you up at this point. He loves it -- going to work at once nipping and kissing everywhere he can get to. His breath is heavy on your skin as he ruts against your thigh, trying and failing to bite back his own ecstatic moans.

“We’re alone now,” you choke out, hardly aware enough to string the sentence together. “s-so you can -- do whatever you want with me.”

This makes him pause. “Is that so?” Obi-Wan’s tone is still so light, like you’re having a conversation about what they’re serving in the refectory today, not how badly you want him to fuck you.

“Yes,” you say, embarrassed at how desperate you sound, how easily you melt for him. You can see yourself over his shoulder in the mirrors, and you blush, burying your face.

He laughs a little at your reaction. “What if I want to take you into that supply closet and bend you over?” His hand roams down your body, landing on your crotch. Two fingers rub a strong circle through the material, and you lean into it. “What if I want to take you from behind, make up for all the time we haven’t been together?”

“I’d ask why -- aren’t we already there,” you huff, blinking up at him.

That’s all the answer he needs. In one motion, he grabs you round the middle and hauls you over his shoulder like a sack of meilooruns. Your breath whooshes out, surprise and a lack of air keeping you from forming a sentence as he marches you to the closet as promised. The ground bounces and sways in your vision as you’re jostled -- it’s a strange sensation, being carried. Thankfully, it only lasts a few seconds.

Obi-Wan opens the door and closes it just as quickly once you’re both inside, making you aware of how small, how dark, the space is. You find yourself deposited on the storage bin that the mats are kept in, your legs dangling high in the air. He leans in to kiss you, nothing but hot breath and hungry hands, and you fist your own in the front of his tunic. It spurs him on, and soon his tongue is pressing into your open mouth, exploring every corner.

You moan into him, your fingers going beyond clothes to scratch against his chest. Obi-Wan picks you up again and you lift your legs around his waist, rubbing tight against his cock. He bears your entire weight like it’s nothing, continuing to kiss you as if your legs are planted on the ground. Stars, the strength, the eagerness of him, is overwhelming. His arms are pillars, holding you steady, crossed firm around your back.

"I thought you said," you gasp out, shivering when his tongue flicks out to catch your earlobe, "something about -- bending me over --"

“So eager today,” he says, his voice a tantalizing purr.

“Can you blame me?” you blurt.

"And what does that mean, dearest?"

He already knows what you mean. It’s everywhere in your mind. You can’t hide how you feel when you’ve been this close to him for so long, forbidden to touch him, to even think about it until you’ve reached your breaking point.

Obi-Wan, hands behind his back, patiently watching the Padawans demonstrate their forms. Nodding and sometimes stepping in to correct, placing his hand casually on an arm or leg to shift the balance of their weight. Then the Padawan he’s correcting becomes you, and his touch is no longer innocent. The group is melting away, and his mouth is trailing down your neck, whispering things that have little to do with the kata you’re struggling through.

“Oh,” he chuckles. “I see.”

You bump your head into his shoulder, too embarrassed to answer. As if to reassure you, Obi-Wan sends you an image back.

Both of you in the same training room, but you stand among your fellow Padawans, now all Knights, shuffling anxiously from foot to foot. You don't look that much different from the way you do now, but for the traditional Padawan's hairstyle.

Though you're seeing things from his perspective, the mirrors give him away; Obi-Wan looks younger, too. There are no lines around his eyes here, he holds himself more loosely. Like there isn't a galaxy-wide war. And he's less certain as he flits from student to student, new at this.

"You were always a pleasure to speak to, you know," Obi-Wan tells you, low voice right in your ear. He knows that he's teasing you, knows exactly the effect it's having on your body. You squirm in his tight grip, unable to go anywhere to get away from the softness of his voice.

"Polite and passionate. Made your Master very proud. But…" he trails off, and you shiver, anticipating his next words.

"So anxious whenever you saw me, weren't you?" He muses, fingers flexing on the curve of your ass. "And now I finally understand why."

"Obi-Wan…" you protest, unsure of what you're going to say next but just knowing that you need the teasing to stop. Both mental and physical -- he's hard against your abdomen, almost painful with how tight you're wedged against him.

"Down, love," he says. With effort, you extract your legs from around his waist and plant your feet on the floor, with his hands to guide you. "Turn around."

For a moment, you get excited, thinking that he's done teasing you. Obi-Wan makes quick work of your belt, dropping it to the floor seconds before your pants and underwear. You step out of them, breathing heavily, feeling his chest against your back. There's a clink, and you realize that he's dropped his belt as well, one hand bracing on your shoulder as he fumbles out of his own bottoms.

There's nothing between you now. Obi-Wan's bare dick rubs against your tailbone, leaving a warm dribble of pre-come.

"Now bend forward for me, darling -- that's it --"

You lean on the storage bin, heart thumping a tattoo in your throat. Obi-Wan lines himself up behind you, breath ragged, and sinks inside you in one long push.

"Obi-Wan, oh," you cry out, not expecting how full you'd feel from this angle.

"I know, sweetheart, I know," he says, taking a moment to adjust to the sensation. His mind is a high buzz of pleasure, looking forward to taking you apart in this new, delicious way.

Then he moves. So, so deep and slow. You let out a broken whine, toes curling. He pauses, holds his breath. Then thrusts again, just as unhurried as the first time, and your fingers scrabble for purchase on the smooth material of the bin in front of you.

“Hmm,” Obi-Wan sighs. “Do you know, this reminds me of something.”

You groan, not out of pleasure, but because he’s stopped. How? Where and how did he find the restraint to torment you like this? You’re not sure which part of today’s interaction set him off, but you sorely wish that he’d get down to business and fuck you.

“What does it remind you of?” you ask tightly, figuring that playing along will get you where you want to be faster. As if rewarding you, Obi-Wan’s hands come around to find your breasts, teasing your nipples with the barest of touches. Gods if he doesn’t go faster --

He can hear your mind loud and clear, but says nothing, only sending a feeling of amusement back before answering your question.

"Watching you go through katas in this very room. Or, well, the room outside." Obi-Wan presses into your back, finally starting to push into you in a slow but satiating rhythm.

"Mmm," you manage, pressing your lips together hard to avoid reaching an inappropriate volume.

“Do you remember the criticism I had for you, little Padawan? You were so tense. Why was that?” All the while he’s languidly thrusting into you from behind. As if he expects you to form a coherent response.

“I l-liked you,” you stammer out, bracing yourself on the edge of the storage bin.

"Oh? Well, I liked you too. You were a wonderful student."

"That's not what I --" Thank the Maker that it's pitch black in this closet, because your face is burning.

"But for some reason," he continues, enjoying himself, "you always needed correction in solo practice. The other Masters told me, several times, that that was not an issue in their own lessons."

You can only whimper as he bears into you deeper. He knows exactly what he's doing to you. When you place a hand on your stomach, just above your belly button, you can feel him inside you.

"Tell me, sweetheart. Did you need my hands on your body, as desperately as you do now?"

"Yes, Master," you all but sob. "I need, I n-need --"

"Need me to fuck you?" Obi-Wan supplies, voice going rough and breathy. "Need me to wreck you, the way your mind is screaming for it?"

You slam the palm of your hand on the top of the bin, and it makes a hollow thud, sending pain shooting up your arm.

"Obi-Wan, yes! Please, please fuck me, I need it!" You're aware that your words border on incoherence, but not enough to care.

And he doesn't either.

Just as you've reached your limit, so does Obi-Wan. One of his hands grabs your wrist and pins it, hard, while the other squeezes your hip.

"Are you ready?" He pants in your ear, pausing only to nip at your shoulder blade. Already he's fucking you deeper, so good so thick inside you, that you're writhing under his every touch.

"Wanted to do this -- for s-so long --" Obi-Wan gasps out and so do you, the heat of orgasm reaching a crescendo in your thighs as you feel him come apart in your mind.

"Want to come so deep inside you, darling, oh please, please --"

You know that he's barely hanging on, waiting for your permission.

"Gods, Master, yes --" Like you could deny him this, when you want it so desperately too.

His forehead drops to your shoulder as he rams into you, shoving you against the bin. It takes everything you have not to scream his name when you come, gripping his arm -- the only part of him you can reach from this angle.

Obi-Wan isn't far behind, moaning loud behind you as your orgasm makes your pussy clamp down even tighter on him.

"Yes, yes, oh my Gods --"

The bond flares up sudden and white-hot between you, carrying the sensation of Obi-Wan's pleasure just as it had that night on Odryn.

"Kriff," you say weakly, clutching his arm like it's the only thing connecting you to the planet.

Sweetheart, I'm there, I'm right there

I know, and I'm -- me too --

Again?

Yes

Oh fuck, fuck -- I'm coming, stars, I'm coming, oh --

You come a second time when Obi-Wan starts to spurt inside you, tears spilling from the intensity of it all. With him this tight against your body, you swear you can feel every hot spurt of come shoot up inside you. Obi-Wan's teeth are caught in the material of your tunic, muffling his shout. It feels like you stand there, taking his come for minutes, as he shudders against you.

When it's over you whimper, leaning against his chest on aftershock-weak legs. Slowly, as if his head is one step behind, Obi-Wan puts his arms around you.

"Stars above, Obi-Wan," you mutter, every coherent thought fucked out of your head. Your brain feels like static, but your body's floating. Pulling out and turning you gently to face him again, Obi-Wan plants a line of soft kisses from your forehead to your mouth. His release runs heavy down your thighs, but there's not much you can do about it here.

"Not tense now, are you?" he says, tracing slow, wet circles over your sensitive clit.

You laugh. "You're unbelievable."

"No, I'm committed to a scene," Obi-Wan corrects, as if this was all an elaborate game.

You consider saying something along the lines of, I'm going to commit my boot to your rear end if you don't quit it, but think better of it.

Instead you re-dress, wincing at the mess you'll have to tolerate down your crotch and legs until you can get to the nearest fresher. This is the downfall of spontaneous sex. No easy cleanup.

"Next time, would you like to come with me?" Obi-Wan's asking. You snort, buckling your belt back into place.

"Pretty sure I just did. You didn't notice?"

He pauses, then opens the closet door, letting in a blinding slice of light. Though he's dressed, Obi-Wan looks disheveled and wide-eyed still in a way that you always adore.

"That's...no. That's not what I'm talking about, love," he says, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"I mean, the next time I have to leave. Come with me. I think we've both come to realize that being apart is painful. And that being together isn't just a physical concept anymore."

His voice has dropped to a near-whisper, but you're hanging on to every word. Though you'd never admit it aloud, this is exactly what you want. To follow him instead of lying awake every night, worrying he won't come back from the last distant system he's shipped away to. You want to be beside him, no matter how rough things are.

You are a Jedi, not a housewife. And frankly, being kept in the Temple while he's away risking his neck, the bond blocked for days or weeks at a time, is torture.

Obi-Wan listens to all this, your outpouring of emotion through the bond you never meant to forge with him. He shows his understanding, his respect, his compassion for you, in return.

"Okay. Okay," he says, more to himself than you. "I'll speak to the Council. Knowing them, it may take some time to get an answer, but --"

You cut him off with a kiss. It doesn't matter. As long as you're together.

#come what may ao3 #wickedscribbles #obi wan smut #ziva courtee #obi wan x you #obi-wan series #obi wan kenobi #obi wan x oc #obi-wan x oc

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arofili · 3 years

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Worldbuilding Exchange Letter 2021

Hello lovely creator, thanks for creating for me in the Worldbuilding Exchange! I’m very excited and grateful for whatever you create for me <3

This letter will restate my DNWs, list my likes, give you a brief rundown of my canon preferences, and then dive into specific prompts for each of my requests.

I’ll warn you upfront that I tend to ramble, so feel free to skip prompts that don’t interest you and/or use ctrl+F to search for whatever it is you want to write for.

My requests are divided by fandom, and in the case of the Silm + Middle-earth Legendarium, by topic too, so hopefully that will be helpful for you! Also, my TAZ request is waaay down at the bottom, so if that’s what you’re here for, just go to the bottom of the page.

Housekeeping:

DNWs:

Non-con

Unrequested dub-con

Abusive/Neglectful parenting (especially wrt Fëanor)

Sibling incest, parent-child incest (cousin pairings are fine)

Unhappy/Unhopeful endings (unless otherwise specified)

Jealousy/Possessiveness

Cheating

Character or ship bashing

Hanahaki/any scenario where unrequited love is physically damaging

Soulmates, especially soulmate AUs (soul bonds are OK, if there is choice involved)

Porn without plot (Porn with plot is fine!)

Food involved in sex

Unrequested Modern AU

Non-trans mpreg

If you’re writing a slash ship where the characters are/were married to/involved with someone outside the ship, please don’t have the character(s) hate their spouse or not have been actually in love with them (the one exception is Finrod; I’m fine with him and Amarië not having been actually in love, but please don’t do this for anyone else, especially not Fëanor)

Hobbit/LOTR-specific DNWs:

The concept of a dwarven “One”

Any Fíli pairing

Alfrid

Legolas or Gimli paired with anyone other than each other

no smut for these fandoms, please

Silm-specific DNWs:

Evil/irredeemable/incel Maeglin

Elwing bashing

Fëanorian bashing

Over the top Fëanorian apologism (they did bad stuff; it was at least partially their fault. you don’t have to address that, necessarily, but don’t rewrite the story to claim they were blameless)

Fingon with a wife

Fingon or Maedhros ships that don’t take Russingon into account (polyamory, an open relationship, Mae with someone after Finno dies or vice versa for an AU, them with other people while they’re separated on the Ice/in Angband - all of these scenarios are fine, but in the end I need them to be with each other first and foremost)

Dark!Maedhros

Elvish re-embodiment after death being an actual, literal rebirth that requires the characters to have a second childhood; I much prefer them being granted a new hröa in their prime (feel free to explore what “in their prime” means, though, especially wrt scarred and disabled elves)

~~~

Likes:

(these might not all apply to worldbuilding, but they might give you a place to start from!)

Gen fic

Found family

Family dynamics

Loving families, even when things get complicated

Friendship, intense/important platonic relationships

Relationships that defy categorization

Queerplatonic relationships

Polyamory

Queer headcanons (especially aromantic-spectrum headcanons)

Trans/nonbinary headcanons (genderbending is also fine, but I prefer trans/nb hcs)

Angst with a happy ending

Gray morality

Explorations of magic

Most tropes

Fanon and fandom tropes

Deconstruction/Inversion of fanon and fandom tropes

Interspecies relationships

Peredhil

Secret relationships

Secret relationships coming to light

Secret kids (especially secret peredhil!)

Giving ships OC kids

OCs interacting with canon characters

Confessions of love

First times

Hurt/comfort

Redemption, forgiveness, mercy

Ironic foreshadowing

Canon divergence AUs/X Lives AUs

Politics and scheming

Resolving conflicting canonical details

Historical/Narrative bias affecting what is and isn’t “canon” (to an extent; changing motivations, consequences, etc is great, but please don’t ignore canon entirely)

Elrond & Elros having complicated relationships with both their bio and adoptive parents

Names fitting the time period (Quenya names in Valinor, please; if this is difficult for you, that’s okay, no pressure, but I do strongly prefer it)

Names having a lot of thought put behind them (does the character go back to their original Quenya name upon rebirth? or do they keep their Sindarin name? or come up with something else entirely? do they hate their new Sindarin name and resent having to use it, or do they embrace it? As long as you put some thought into it, I’m sure I’ll like whatever you decide!)

Author’s notes where you explain your thought process, if you want; I love hearing how the story took shape!

~~~

Preferences re: Canon:

LaCE compliance is always completely optional (except if you’re choosing a prompt that is specifically about LaCE, lol). If you do want to include it, that’s great, but if you just want the characters to fuck without having that be an issue, go for it. I love explorations of LaCE that take into account the exceptions, boundaries, definitions, etc; I also love takes that emphasize that they are Laws and Customs, not biological imperatives.

I’m not picky about my Amrod deaths. He can die at either Losgar or Sirion (or, hell, some other time/place if you make it interesting enough!), whatever works best for the story. I do like Lightly Toasted Amrod, aka he almost burns to death at Losgar but survives/gets rescued at the last minute.

Gil-galad theories are all very fun. Please don’t make him the son of Fingon and a wife; if he’s Fingon’s son, I want Maedhros to be involved at least a little bit (adoption or trans mpreg are both fine in this scenario). Otherwise, I don’t have a particular preference, though if it’s not really relevant I usually default to the son of Orodreth (who is in turn the son of Angrod). Also, I’ve requested “Origins of Gil-galad”; there’s more information on him in that section.

Honestly, when it comes to theories and headcanons, my rule of thumb is “convince me”! I’m down for whatever, for the most part, as long as you can justify it :)

~~~

For all of these, “suggested characters” pulls from the list of characters I requested with that signup, but if you’ve got an idea involving other characters then go for it! And in the end, all characters are just suggestions, this exchange is more about the worldbuilding :)

~~~

The Hobbit (Book)

Adventuring Hobbits Before Bilbo: Who were they? Did they ever come back, or was Bilbo assumed dead because of precedent? Were they all Tooks, or did some other hobbits tag along on adventures, too? Suggested Character(s): Belladonna Took

Dragon Magic & Dragon-hunting: Talk to me about dragons! I’m interested in dragons & dwarves, especially in relation to the first time dwarves were driven from Erebor and into the North and the War of the Dwarves and Dragons. What kinds of dragons set their sights on the mountain? How old was Smaug when all that was happening; did he learn anything from the failures of his kin? Who were the dragon-hunting dwarves who fought in that war? Suggested Character(s): Smaug, Original Dwarf Character

Dwarven Craft and Magic: Enchanted weapons, enchanted armor, runes and spells...all so interesting! Borrowing from the movies a bit, did Kíli’s runestone from Dís have any magic power? What’s the deal with the Arkenstone’s thrall? How do elf and dwarf magics intersect when it comes to objects like Bilbo’s mithril coat? Suggested Character(s): Dís, Frerin, Thorin, Original Dwarf Character (perhaps a craftsdwarf?)

Dwarves and Gender: We need more dwarf women! And I’d love any takes on nonbinary dwarves and/or dwarf-specific genders. Were there female dwarves in the Company that Bilbo mistook for male dwarves? Are dwarven women really only a third of the population? If dwarf men and women are very similar in appearance, how do they differentiate between them, or do they differentiate at all? If you included something about dwarvish braiding styles indicating gender, class, marital status, I would be delighted. Suggested Character(s): Dís, Frerin, Thorin, Original Dwarf Character; in this case I’d prefer a focus on canon characters, but OCs interacting with them would be marvelous, especially people like Dís’ spouse.

The Black Arrow: Bard’s little pep talk to his arrow has always intrigued me. I’d love to see your take on the origins of the Black Arrow. Does it really come from Erebor, and if so, who made it? How did Bard and his forefathers come to acquire it? (I like the movie version that ties it into Girion’s attempt to kill Smaug, so feel free to incorporate that if you feel like it.) Is the arrow enchanted? (Perhaps that could be tied to the Dwarven Craft and Magic tag!) Suggested Character(s): Bard, Original Character from Dale, Original Dwarf Character

The Stone Giants & Were-worms: I don’t have many thoughts on these guys except “neat! tell me more!” I’m fascinated by the creatures Tolkien only gives us a passing mention of; if you feel like it, maybe you could combine these tags with some of the creatures in the LOTR tagset (crebain, cold drakes, Watcher in the Water, Mearas, Kine of Araw, etc...I didn’t sign up with all those tags, but it would be neat to hear about them anyway!)

~~~

The Lord of the Rings (Books)

Cold-drakes and Fire-drakes & Crebain & The Watcher in the Water: Like with the Stone Giants and the Were-worms, I just think they’re neat and I’d love to hear your take on their origins and how they affect the history of Middle-earth. Feel free to combine this with other creature-related requests. Suggested Character(s): Scatha

Ghosts and Hauntings: Barrow-wights? Nazgûl victims? Just your crotchety old hobbit neighbor who still holds a grudge about losing the biggest pumpkin contest despite having been dead for 20 years? There’s a lot of potential for stories here; maybe you could combine a ghost story with some other prompt to add a murder mystery or haunting plot to a relationship you’re exploring!

Dwarf-Elf Relations: I don’t believe All Dwarves and All Elves hated each other! We have famous elf-dwarf friendships across the ages, and really it was just the Sindar vs. the Broadbeams/Firebeards that had the feud. Still, Legolas (a Sinda) and Gimli (raised among Broadbeams and Firebeards in the Blue Mountains) are caught up in that, so their friendship is quite remarkable! I’d love interrogations of how that feud continued across centuries and discussions of what really went down in Menegroth, perhaps with one of the Durins having an elf friend at some point in the past that sheds light on how Legolas and Gimli can get along. (I am here for any and all Gimli and Legolas combinations; I love them as friends, I love them as boyfriends or husbands, I love them as queerplatonic partners, I love them as anything in between! Do whatever you’d like with them!) Suggested Character(s): Gimli, Legolas, Original Elf Character, Any of Durins 1-7

Elvish and Mannish settlements in post-Ring War Ithilien: How do Legolas and Faramir get along, both living in Ithilien after the war? What do Legolas’ people think about being neighbors with a bunch of Men? Faramir and Imrahil were Aragorn’s chief commanders after the war, and Legolas expressed admiration for Imrahil; I imagine Imrahil visited his nephew in Ithilien, so what are the interactions of those three like? I’d love to see an exploration of Silvan elves and their culture here, with Legolas leaning into his Silvan heritage and maybe some Silvan OCs who have spent their whole lives in Mirkwood up until now and have never met Men before now! Suggested Character(s): Faramir, Legolas, Imrahil, Original Elf Character

Relations between the Dúnedain and Rivendell: Talk to me about the Grey Company, or Elladan and Elrohir fighting alongside their distant kin, or Rangers taking breaks in Imladris, how the Rangers think of Aragorn who was raised among elves, etc. I’d love an outsider POV here, such as an OC observing the oddities of a canon character. Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Original Ranger of the North

The Glittering Caves of Aglarond: More Gimli and Legolas stuff - but with a focus on Gimli this time :) Gimli as a lord in his own right, Gimli who takes elves on tours of his dwarf-kingdom and weirds out his people (is it just Legolas, or does he take any Silvan elves with him, or like...his elvish in-laws??), Gimli as a craftsman... Or, alternatively, you could explore the caves before Gimli gets to work on them, what the Rohirrim thought of them and how they were created - by natural processes, or by magic, or a mixture of both? Did Aulë make them for the dwarves to find, perhaps? Suggested Character(s): Gimli, Legolas

~~~

The Hobbit (Movies)

Dragonsickness/Goldsickness: The parallel to mental illness in the movies was really interesting. I’d love to see lingering effects of the goldsickness on Thorin after the Battle (Everyone Lives AU, probably), or an AU where Fíli or Kíli inherit the throne of Erebor and are afflicted by it as well. Or, sticking to canon, how did Fíli and Kíli and the rest of the Company deal with Thorin falling into madness? Were the other dwarves affected by the thrall of the gold? Bard and Thranduil were observers of Thorin’s madness; what did they think of him? Did Thranduil remember Thrór under dragonsickness? Or, since movie!Thranduil is a far cry from book!Thranduil when it comes to going to war over jewels, was he affected by the dragonsickness even from a distance? Was Bard? Suggested Character(s): Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bard the Bowman, Thranduil

Dwarves who "choose craft"/Aromantic-Spectrum and Asexual-Spectrum Dwarves: This is pulling more from the books than the movies, but I didn’t have enough nomination slots to include any book nominations, so it went here, lol. Anyway: as I’m sure you can tell from my tumblr url, I headcanon Fíli as aromantic, and I love seeing that in fanworks! It’s really wonderful that Tolkien mentioned that many dwarves choose their craft over marriage, and I’d love to see an exploration of that aspect of dwarvish culture, and how Fíli fits into it. It seems to be fairly common/accepted, but are there different cultural pressures around marriage for the crown prince? How does Fíli figure out he’s aromantic? If aro and ace dwarves are expected to be choosing a craft over romance and sex, what’s Fíli’s craft? Or does he not have one, and people judge him for that? The “choose craft” language I use is very much inspired by this post and the Neo-Khuzdul word “bijebtorva” :) Suggested Character(s): Fíli, Original Character(s)

Governance and Politics in Mirkwood: How did Thranduil and Oropher come to power in the Greenwood? I hate the “lowly Silvan elf” line from the movie; can you somehow justify that with worldbuilding, or show how it’s not accurate? Is Legolas half-Silvan like is implied in the LOTR books? Who are Thranduil’s advisors? Is Tauriel really the only one who dislikes and defies Thranduil’s isolationist policies? Is Mirkwood very patriarchal, and is Tauriel’s appointment to Captain of the Guard something she faced opposition or competition for? Are the Sindar elite colonizers, or did they integrate into Silvan society? How does the average Silvan elf feel about their king, or do they not even think about him? Suggested Character(s): Thranduil, Tauriel, Original Character(s)

Poetry and prophecy: Bard uncovers that tapestry that turns a song from the book into a somewhat ominous prophecy; there’s a lot of discussion of fate and signs from the thrush at the door to the last light of Durin’s Day; Thranduil has seen enough in his thousands of years to have had time to brush up against a prophecy or two. What do these three believe about fate and prophecy? Are any of them prophets in their own right? How does poetry/music lend power to prophecy? (Bonus points if you tie it back into the Ainulindalë...) Suggested Character(s): Bard the Bowman, Thorin, Thranduil

Poisons and antidotes: I love Kíli/Tauriel and the scene where she heals his wound...but the worldbuilding around morgul poison and athelas is a little murky. It’s a decent parallel to Frodo’s condition in the LOTR movies, but it’s confusing lore-wise. Can you make sense of it? If Tauriel is a warrior, where did she learn healing? (In my own headcanons, her foster family are healers, which is how she learned those skills even though she’s primarily a warrior - but feel free to take it in whatever direction you’d like!) Suggested Character(s): Tauriel, Kíli, Original Character(s)

Rebuilding Erebor & Relations between Dwarves + Elves + Men: (I’d prefer an Everyone Lives AU for this situation.) How do Thorin and his Company put Erebor back together again? What are the renovation projects like? How long does it take Dís and the rest of the Longbeards to arrive in Erebor and help out? How long does Dáin stay to help his cousin? I would love to see some politics both internally within the Longbeard dwarves and externally as they relate to Mirkwood and Dale. Smaug’s corpse is just lying in the Long Lake...how do the dwarves feel about their old enemy’s body so close by? Do some Men want to re-establish Lake-town, and demand help from the dwarves who flushed the dragon out of the mountain? Do the dwarves want to harvest Smaug’s corpse for resources? (He’s probably got gold and jewels stuck in his scales, and dragon-skin/scales is probably a good raw material for crafting things.) What’s the process of Bard becoming King of Dale? Does he face any opposition? I love the idea of Hilda Bianca challenging him for leadership, or maybe insisting on some kind of democracy/representation in Dale! And if she doesn’t get her way, maybe it’s her leading some people back to Esgaroth and founding a democracy there that would make the old Master roll in his watery grave... How do Bard and Thranduil and Thorin reconcile after the battle? Does Thorin pay up like he said he would? Does Tauriel hang around, or does she go somewhere else? Are any elves inspired by her, or is she a total outcast? If you choose to explore the Kíli/Tauriel relationship, how does that affect politics between Erebor and Mirkwood? Suggested Character(s): Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bard the Bowman, Hilda Bianca, Thranduil, Tauriel, Original Character(s)

Tauriel's fate after the Battle of the Five Armies: This is for exploring what happened to Tauriel in canon. Does she wander the world and explore new places? How long does she mourn Kíli? What does she do with the runestone? Does she return to Mirkwood, and if so, how does she manage to get back into Thranduil’s good graces? There are a million different ways to take this, I’d love to see your take on her! Suggested Character(s): Tauriel, Thranduil, Original Character(s)

~~~

The Silmarillion: Magic & Spirits

Houseless Elves: Why did they refuse the call of Mandos? Do Avari even go to Mandos? Can Melkor and Sauron ensnare these spirits for their necromantic purposes? If the call of Mandos is refused once, does that bar them from listening in the future? What kinds of ghosts are haunting Middle-earth in the First Age? What kinds of ghosts haunt Aman? Suggested Character(s): Original Character(s), Melkor

Magic as a connection to the Music/the Song: Magic isn’t always the best-explained in Tolkien’s universe, but what we do know is the incredible power of the Music. How do the Maiar and Valar, who are not technically beings of Arda, interact with the world? How do elves and men (and dwarves! and orcs!) tap into the Song and manipulate it to their benefit (or detriment)? I have the headcanon that Elemmírë, the elf who sung the Aldudénië, is a priestess of Varda; what was the power of that mourning song, and how was it received by her patron Vala? Suggested Character(s): Elemmírë, Varda, Melian, Melkor, Original Character(s)

Nature Spirits: These holes in Tolkien’s worldbuilding are fascinating to me. What role do nature spirits play? How many are there? I’m thinking particularly of river spirits, like the River-woman and Goldberry, but there are probably also mountain spirits and water spirits and-and-and... Are they Maiar? Lesser beings? What do the Maiar we know of think about them? Gandalf seems the kind to listen to them and learn their stories, but perhaps Melian sees them more as servants in protecting her realm... Suggested Character(s): Melian, Original Character(s)

The Shadow-shapes in the hills above Cuiviénen: What were these shapes? Melkor’s prototypical monsters, Maiar who didn’t know how to interact with the Children, something else entirely? What did the original elves believe about them? Did they fear them, did they try to appease them, did they try to confront them? I headcanon that Elemmírë is an Unbegotten elf, so perhaps she lost friends to the Shadows, or thought she did. If the Shadows did take elves, was it out of malice or curiosity or a desire to protect them from whatever Melkor was planning? Suggested Character(s): Melkor, Elemmírë, Original Character(s)

The Void: Melkor spends a whole lot of time here. Does he have any company? Something or someone he makes to pass the time with? Do the Valar (like Manwë or Námo or Varda or Nienna) visit him there? What is the nature of the Void, is it pure emptiness or chaotic magic or a nightmare machine? Is Melkor being punished or is he being contained? And where are the boundaries of the Void? Varda rules the heavens; does her realm bleed into Melkor’s prison? Suggested Character(s): Melkor, Varda, Original Character(s)

~~~

The Silmarillion: Elven Relationships

Note: This request deals with relationships, and while I’m open to pretty much anything, please keep in mind my DNWs. Exploring these topics using canon relationships is a safe bet; I adore Maedhros/Fingon so having a look at them through this lens would be amazing; I have Aredhel as a character request here, and I see her as aromantic (“to none was her heart’s love given”) so while showing her in a relationship is fine, I’d love it if you could take her lack of romantic feelings into account; if you have a question about another ship, you can check to see what I’ve written and/or send me anon message! Additionally, a lot of these talk about soul bonds, which I’m very interested in, but one of my DNWs is soulmates. To me the concepts are very different things; it’s the destiny and inevitability and universal assumption of romance that really squick me out about soulmates. Soul bonds, on the other hand, have an aspect of choice to them that I really dig. So, please don’t make characters Fated For One Another, but please do explore what joining souls is like!

Laws & Customs of the Eldar: Boy do I have a lot of feelings about LaCE—and I’m always intrigued by other people’s feelings, too! I’d love to see an exploration of how these laws and customs came to be, which parts of the rules around marriage and children and re-embodiment are social constructs and which are innate to the fëa and hröa, and/or relationships that defy the norms. If your take on the laws is hetero/cisnormative, how does that affect queer elves? If your take is free of bigotry, what are the flexibilities around queerness, including asexuality and aromanticism? Laws and customs and rules always have loopholes and exceptions, so what do elves who don’t fit into the expected relationship mold do about these norms? Suggested Character(s): Aredhel, Maedhros, Fingon, Elrond, Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Arranged Marriages among the Eldar: Russingon arranged marriage AU?? Orrrr....Maedhros or Fingon are politically engaged to someone else, and they have to deal with the ramifications of that? (Please don’t have them actually go through with the marriage if you go that route; I’m not interested in a story with Fingon having a wife, even if she’s a beard.) If elves (usually) only love once, and by declaration of the Valar can only marry once (Finwë being the somewhat disastrous exception), how is an arranged marriage justified within the cultural emphasis on these bonds? Are they more like arranged romances, people pushing their children together in hopes that they’ll fall in love? Or is it a stricter rule about “you do what’s best for this family”? (Note: Bad/cruel parenting is one of my major DNWs, so if you’re going that route, please don’t make the parent uncaring or malicious. Stubborn and narrow-minded is fine, as is the genuine belief that this is what’s best for the child, but ideally they’ll learn from their mistakes or perhaps everything will be interrupted and derailed by Canon Events. This is especially important wrt to Fëanor.) Suggested Character(s): Maedhros, Fingon

Creation/Discovery of soul bonds: How do soul bonds work on a metaphysical level? Can they be broken? Do they have to be nurtured and maintained? What’s long-distance communication like? Heck, what’s short-distance communication like, is it like talking in your mind or sharing your feelings or more abstract than that? Can elves form soul bonds with mortals? And most importantly—how did elves figure out they could soul bond with one another?? I can imagine that would be quite a shock when they’re discovering sex and then suddenly they’re inside each other’s minds! Suggested Character(s): Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Non-romantic/sexual soul bonds: I’m good with practically any relationship here. Explore sibling bonds, twin bonds, parent-child bonds, queerplatonic bonds, found family bonds, adoption bonds, the bond between a Vala and their Maia...any kind of soul bond that is familial or platonic or chosen without regard to romance! (Feel free to take a canon romantic relationship and turn it queerplatonic, I live for that shit!) How are these bonds formed outside of sex? What are the rituals and ceremonies around forming them? Is it a public or private thing? Are non-romantic soul bonds taken seriously, or are they seen as less important than marriage bonds? Since elven parents literally give part of their soul in the creation of the child, is that parent-child bond innate? Suggested Character(s): Aredhel, Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Elven adoption: I nominated this with Kidnap Dads in mind (if you go that route I love fluff for them as well as more nuanced/complicated takes on the situation, but whatever you do don’t make M&M cruel, and please include Maedhros as a parental figure alongside Maglor)...but hey, it could work for Fingon (and Maedhros) adopting Gil-galad! What are traditions around elven adoption? Are there soul bonds created between the adoptive parents and children? Was adoption even a thing in Aman, or is it only practiced in Middle-earth? Did elves adopt mortals and vice versa? Is adoption extended to found family other than a parent-child situation? How is adoption viewed by elvish society, especially if inheritance/succession is a concern? Suggested Character(s): Maedhros, Fingon, Elros Tar-Minyatur, Elrond

~~~

The Silmarillion: Noldorin Politics

Original Fëanorian follower(s) who turned on their lords at Sirion: Okay, this is a character tag, but I’m absolutely obsessed with this line: “For the sons of Fëanor that yet lived came down suddenly upon the exiles of Gondolin and the remnant of Doriath, and destroyed them. In that battle some of their people stood aside, and some few rebelled and were slain upon the other part aiding Elwing against their own lords (for such was the sorrow and confusion in the hearts of the Eldar in those days).” Who were these people who followed the Fëanorians into exile, into a Kinslaying, through the burning of the ships, through 30 years of Maglor as a king-regent incapable of treating with the Nolofinwëans, through the scattering of their lords and the harsh conditions of the North, through the Bragollach and the Nírnaeth and a “wild and woodland life” and the Second Kinslaying (where some of them went as far as to abandon children in the winter woods to die because they thought it was what their lord/s would want), through isolation and hatred from every other elven group, through the plan to attack a refugee camp—through ALL OF THAT, and THEN they turn on their lords at Sirion??? Why betray your lords NOW? And the people who DID keep following them after that (after kidnapping children!!!), what were they thinking?? — I firmly believe that Maedhros has many escapees from Angband in his service who are ride or die for him and whose morality was somewhat warped by Angband, but what about Maglor’s followers? Caranthir’s? Ambarussa’s? Even Celegorm and Curufin’s?? There’s just SO MUCH potential for story here, I’m dying to read about them!

Noldorin lines of succession: Was It Sexist Or Was It Not: The Eternal Question aka Why Didn’t Idril Become High Queen After Turgon? Also, what does “eldest of the house of Finwë, and not the least wise” even MEAN, Maedhros?? How did Gil-galad come to power? I find it hard to believe he became king immediately after Gondolin fell; was it a wartime power grab? A battlefield promotion? How did the kingship get established in the first place? Why was Finwë chosen to go with Oromë to Aman? Was Maglor ever really king, or did he only rule as a regent for the missing Maedhros? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Gil-galad, Maglor

Origins of Gil-galad: I am always so interested in takes on Gil-galad’s parentage. My favorites are Russingon baby Gil (through trans mpreg or adoption, both are good) and secret peredhel Gil (probably an Aegnor/Andreth baby adopted by Orodreth), but I also love Finduilas Is Gil-galad and honestly, any situation is fascinating here—just convince me! A possible way to explore this is through Outsider POV; some noble or historian trying to figure out just what the heck is up with Gil-galad. His parentage being confusing in-canon is so fun!! Suggested Character(s): Gil-galad, Original Nobility of the Noldor

Maglor's Kingship between Maedhros' capture and rescue: Was Maglor ever really king? Did he give up on Maedhros early on, or did he cling to the hope that he still lived? Did his brothers turn to him for support, or did they connive to take responsibility from him? The rift between the Noldor wasn’t healed until Maedhros’ rescue; did Maglor try to cooperate with Fingolfin, or did he keep his people isolated? Was he relieved when Maedhros came back and took responsibility, or was he resentful to lose his power? How does this situation (and Maglor not going to rescue Maedhros) affect M&M’s relationship later on? Suggested Character(s): Maglor, Original Fëanorian follower(s)..., Curufin, Caranthir

Dwarf-Elf relations in the First Age & Dwarf-kingdoms: Dwarf-friends!!! Yes!!! I love elves and dwarves being buds (or partners if you’d like to go that route!) <3 IIRC, Curufin learned Khuzdul, and I’m sure Celebrimbor did too; Caranthir was supposedly rude to the dwarves, but what if that’s just his (and their!) love language? How did relations between the Sindar and the dwarves sour over time? Maedhros was friends with Azaghâl; how did that relationship begin? How did Finrod’s contract with the dwarves blossom into a real friendship? Eöl was also buddies with the dwarves; did he ever bump into Curufin or Caranthir while at a trade festival or something? And the dwarf kingdoms of the First Age are fascinating on their own, too; what was the political structure like? Did the dwarves bring items from the other side of the mountains into Beleriand? How did the petty-dwarves get exiled? What happened to Nogrod and Belegost in the War of Wrath, and were they ever re-established after the sinking of Beleriand? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Caranthir

Guilds and Noble Houses of Tirion: Give me a Tirion political drama! Finwë trying to appease his lords and craftseldar? Indis integrating into Noldorin society and making connections with the noble houses? Arranged marriage situation between Nolofinwë and Anairë? The younger princes running amok and causing chaos in their elders’ carefully-laid plans and delicately balanced alliances? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Indis, Original Nobility of the Noldor, Curufin, Caranthir, Maglor

Roles and Responsibilities in the Noldorin Royal Family: There were oodles of princes in Valinor. What did they all do? How did they get the followers who came with them to Middle-earth? Were they free to pursue their own crafts, or did they have responsibilities to the common people? How did this change in Middle-earth when suddenly everyone was in danger and had more pressing needs? What is it like being a re-embodied royal in a society that’s adapted to life without you? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Indis, Maglor, Curufin, Caranthir, Gil-galad

Fashion as Political Statement: This is an excuse to request Color Coding Politics. Fëanorian red! Nolofinwëan blue! Findis wearing Aggressively Neutral White! Lalwen in orange? Arafinwë in yellow? Finwë in an amazing technicolor dream-coat...or more likely just red, showing his bias once more? Art of this would be absolutely fantastic. I have lots of headcanons about color politics; feel free to ask me about them if you choose this option. Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Caranthir, Gil-galad, Finwë

~~~

The Silmarillion: Trauma & Religion

War of Wrath: For a war that took so long and had such wide-reaching repercussions, we really don’t have very many details about this. It’s free real estate, basically! I have my favorite characters (Maedhros, Maglor, Elrond, Elros, Gil-galad...) that you could use to explore this time period, but literally anyone who’s alive at this point is fair game. And OCs! What do the Noldor and Vanyar (and Telerin sailors) feel about the War and interacting with the war-weary exiles and Sindar and Men of late-stage Beleriand? What kind of culture shock/culture clash is there? Were re-embodied exiles permitted to return to Middle-earth, or were they barred from going to war again? Suggested Character(s): Original Noldorin Character, Original Vanyarin Character

Trauma after the War of Wrath for elves and humans & Exiles adjusting to life in the Undying Lands post War of Wrath & Dealing with psychological trauma in Valinor: Trauma was commonplace in Beleriand, but not so much in Valinor. What’s it like for exiles who sail West to be in a society that doesn’t know how to support them? Are the Valar having to learn how to deal with the trauma of living elves super quickly, or are they reticent to change? How do the exiles interact with their re-embodied kin? What do the Vanyar and other Amanyar think of these elves who have been so deeply hurt? What kinds of treatises on psychology are penned by scholars with little to no previous experience? What is therapy like in Valinor? Do the exiles get together for support groups since no one else understands them? Or did the trauma of the Darkening and the First Kinslaying wake up the Amanyar and get their act together before then; are the exiles surprised by the structures already in place to support them? And what about Avari who have been dying steadily all this time from accidents and incidents in Middle-earth? If they’ve been re-embodied, how do they engage with the Eldar who have similar traumas? Suggested Character(s): Estë, Finrod, Maeglin, Original Noldorin Character, Original Vanyarin Character, Rúmil, Any Avarin Elf Character(s)

Worship of the Valar and Religion & Avarin religious culture: Do the Vanyar really worship the Valar, or do they seem them as hyper-powerful neighbors? What are priests and priestesses like in a world where the gods walk among you? How does each kindred of the elves interact with the Valar? Are Maiar viewed as equal worshippers/servants or as deities in their own right? Do the Avari even know about or acknowledge the Valar? Do they worship the stars, or simply Eru? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil, Any Avarin Elf Character(s)

~~~

Middle-earth Legendarium: Magic & Spirits

Afterlives: This is pretty vague, but I think it’s referring to the various kinds of afterlife. What are the Halls of Mandos like? What happens to spirits who don’t go to Mandos? Do Men pass through Mandos on the way to Beyond? What happens to Men? Are they reincarnated in the more traditional understanding of the word, do they go to some other realm similar to Arda, are they just endlessly partying it up with Eru? Do dwarves really go to the Halls, or is that just a superstition? And of course, what about orcs? Suggested Character(s): Námo

Fate of orc souls after death: Yeah, really, what about orcs? If the orcs were originally elves twisted into Morgoth’s servants, are their spirits still elven? Are they reborn as they once were, elven despite their life as an orc? What about orcs who are many generations removed from their elvish ancestors? Do they have fëar? Can orcs be rehabilitated? I refuse to accept that all orcs are inherently evil; but what does everyone believe in-universe? Suggested Character(s): Námo, Original Orc Character(s)

Foresight and Prophecy and Doom: I’m honestly not sure if this fanon or canon, but Finarfin and his line having foresight through Indis is a wonderful concept and I’d love an exploration of that. How accurate is foresight? Can fate be circumvented? Are prophecies like the Doom of the Noldor self-fulfilling, or are they warnings about possible futures, or are they curses upon people? If you have a high Doom upon you, does that end with your death, or does it follow you to Mandos and beyond? Suggested Character(s): Námo, Finarfin

Songs and Words of Power: Rap battles with Sauron! ...joking aside, song as magic is just fascinating to me. How does this connect to the Ainulindalë and the Song of the World? The elves named themselves Quendi, the Speakers; how do they view the power of words and their ability to change the world around them? Can music be used as a force of destruction or a weapon (battle bard Maglor)? Can it be used to manipulate someone’s mind (Sauron)? Suggested Character(s): Maglor, Sauron

Stars and Starlight: “All light is sacred to the Eldar...but wood-elves love best the light of the stars.” Okay, sorry for being a Hobbit movie apologist on main, but I do love Tauriel! How do elves view starlight? Is it holy, or are the stars more like their friends and guides? Did the Avari choose to remain in Middle-earth partially because of their love for the stars, which were drowned out by the light of the Trees? How does Eärendil feel about being a star; does he feel blasphemous or holy? What legends and superstitions are there among Avari and Men and others who don’t know the origins of Gil-Estel about the new star in the sky? Suggested Character(s): Morwë, Eärendil

The Unseen Realm: This is the in-between world where Frodo goes when he wears the ring, the world that the Nazgûl in their half-life inhabit. Are Ainur able to slip into this realm at will? Did Gandalf walk invisible in Gondolin? How does Sauron manipulate this realm to his purposes? Is this where elves go if they fade? (I don’t usually like Maglor fading, but it could be an interesting way to explore this...) Suggested Character(s): Námo, Sauron, Nazgûl, Maglor

Magical Artefacts & Magical Communications: Palantíri! Galadriel’s mirror! Ósanwë! All sorts of cool ways to talk with magic. Do the Rings of Power enable long-distance ósanwë? Did the Silmarils contain pieces of Fëanor’s soul? What other marvelous magical creations were there that didn’t make it into the Legendarium we know? Suggested Character(s): Sauron, Maglor, Eärendil

~~~

Middle-earth Legendarium: Politics & Lore

Feudalism between Eldar and Edain: We have Edain entering into the service of Noldorin lords (Bëor and Finrod, Hador and Fingolfin, Amlach and Maedhros) and land being given to Men by elves (or not, in Haleth’s case)...how far did this feudal relationship extend? Were the Edain mostly autonomous or were they very much bound to their elven lords? Were there common elves who paid tribute to Edain lords? Can any relationship between elves and Men truly be equal if this is the way they originated? Fealty kink? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Original Elf Character

Fourth Age Tirion: What’s Tirion like with a bunch of dead people walking around living again, and a bunch of weird legends now imposing in daily life? What’s the first meeting of Rúmil and Pengolodh like—who geeks out over whom? Are the Fëanorians back yet? Is the average elf even really aware of all the nonsense that happened in Middle-earth, or are they extremely unimpressed with King So-and-So of a square of land that’s now underwater trying to cut them in line at the coffee shop? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Relationship between Noldor and Dwarves: See “Dwarf-Elf relations in the First Age & Dwarf-kingdoms” in my Silm request for a starting point...but also, was Elrond’s Last Homely House open to dwarves? How did Galadriel come to respect the dwarves, especially after her Sindar kin grew to hate them? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Timekeeping between the Death of the Two Trees and the Rise of the Sun and Moon: Tolkien’s math drives me ABSOLUTELY INSANE. His timelines are contradictory, I get headaches just thinking about the length of elf pregnancy, what does aging mean for an immortal species, WHY ARE TREE YEARS LIKE THAT and WHAT IS A YÉN? Please try and make sense of this for me, I beg of thee. I’m especially interested in the time period between the Death of the Trees and the Rise of the Sun and Moon. Did the Noldor wander the Helcaraxë for 3 years or 30? How long was Maitimo in Angband? Did the Sindar even realize something was different? How did people start calculating Sun years? When was the calendar of the First Age adopted? Who did all this math? Is there an in-universe explanation for these contradictions? Do people fight over math? Do the Ainur experience time the same way the Children do? Did some Noldo genius come up with a timekeeping system that worked with the Moon, only for the Sun to come along and muck it up? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion, Original Elf Character, Fëanor - really any scholarly character, tbh!

Treatment of Angband's Escaped Thralls: Which kinds of escapees choose to go to Himring with Maedhros the Tall, and which choose to go to Gondolin and the House of the Hammer of Wrath? Was Rôg an escapee too? Can Maedhros really tell who’s been turned by the Enemy? Does Thingol have the right of it in turning away thralls from Doriath? (If he even does that, I’m now researching this and I’m not sure it’s actually canon...) What was it like for Maedhros and Gwindor to readjust to elven society? Did Elrond grow up surrounded by Fëanorian followers who escaped Angband, and is that where he learned healing? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Elrond

In-universe authorial bias in historical texts: All of the Legendarium is a history, which means there’s bound to be unreliable narrators. Was Maeglin really as evil as the story says? What gets left out of the narrative? What gets lost in translation? Who lives, who dies, who tells your story? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion

Trade in Middle-earth: What was trade like in First Age Beleriand? What about Second Age trade between Númenor and the mainland? Was Ost-in-Edhil a trade hub? After Sauron returned and traveling became dangerous, what intrepid traders braved the wilds for the sake of goods and money? How was currency developed around the world? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Orcs Surviving the Wars: Again, I don’t believe that all orcs are irredeemably, inherently evil. Were they persecuted and stamped out after the Ring War, or did some escape and adapt to a life without a harsh overlord? What’s orc agriculture like? Would Elrond take a chance on rehabilitating an orc in Rivendell? What if orcs were more complicated all along, and it’s the histories that simplified them to cardboard-cutout villains? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Pengolodh, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

~~~

The Adventure Zone: Balance

My only non-Tolkien request, oops. Don’t think I’m not as interested in this request, though; I’m the only one who nominated for it, so I picked my very favorite concepts and I’d love to see what you do with them!

Angus McDonald’s Grandfather: This guy’s name was lost to time, and he loves silverware, and he has a grandson, and that’s pretty much all we know about him. Was he involved in the Relic Wars somehow? Did his name get eaten by the Voidfish? I imagine he’s a rather eccentric fellow; how much of that did he pass on to Angus? Is he even real, or was Angus lying to Tres Horny Boys about his destination?

Any Wonderland Adventurer(s): I’d love to see what happens to the other people who go to Wonderland before our boys. Do they all die? How many get what they want and get out? Do any of them have weaker moral compasses than THB and agree to advertise for Edward and Lydia? What if Edward or Lydia fell in love with an adventurer and trapped them there? What kinds of things do people sacrifice to the Wheel? We know about the Escape Game and the Healing Game; what about the Recovery Game? How long has Wonderland been around? How has it evolved over time? What was it like before Edward and Lydia got ahold of the Animus Bell? How did they get ahold of it? (Personally I think Barry just gave it to them...but did he have to go through the trials first?)

Differences within species between the Two-Sunned World and Faerun: I love the fanon that Two-Sun elves are juuust a little different from Faerun elves...like Taako’s echolocation, for example. But what if this applies to the other species like gnomes and dwarves and even humans? How are the Seven Birds just a liiiitle off from everyone else around them? Also, Cat Elves. This is an excuse for Two-Sun Cat Elves. GIVE TAAKO A TAIL. (I mean, or not, do what you want, but I’d love to see that, lol.) Suggested Character(s): Any Member(s) of the IPRE, Original Character(s)

Reclaimers before Tres Horny Boys: Who were the other Reclaimers? Who did Lucretia trust to carry out this dangerous mission? How did they all each, inevitably fail? What if Magic Brian was a Reclaimer gone wrong? What was the last straw for Lucretia, the last failure that made her scheme to get her boys back? And the other Reclaimers weren’t officially disbanded right away; how did they feel about the new guys in town, and losing their jobs to these doofuses? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Original Character(s)

The Relic Wars: There were wars about the Relics!!! Wars!! That everyone forgot!! Wars where people that THB knew died!! And then we never get into this in canon! It drives me nuts! I would love to see an exploration of this chaotic time period, what the IPRE did to mitigate the damage, which relics were obvious and terrifying and which were secret and terrifying, etc... I’ve written a bit about Relic War-era Hurloane, but what were the other NPCs doing? (Or Hurley and Sloane too, I’d love to see your take on them too!) When Lucretia wiped everyone’s memories, what was lost? (I suspect Angus’ Grandfather got caught up in that...) How did those missing memories lead people to the Bureau of Balance? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Any Member(s) of the IPRE, Angus McDonald’s Grandfather

The Robot World's crystal post-Story and Song: The IPRE promised to return the Robot World’s crystal if they ever managed to defeat the Hunger...and we know they can plane hop from the casino liveshow...so, did they ever return the crystal? How did that go down? How does the Robot World rebuild itself? And if we’re going into it being the (K)nights Arc’s setting, are there other characters than Troth that we might recognize? Suggested Character(s): Magnus Burnsides, Lucretia, Any Member(s) of the IPRE

Worlds that survived the Hunger: In the worlds where the IPRE found the Light of Creation before the Hunger arrived, what was it like for the people there who had to endure the Hunger’s attack? What was the scope of the destruction? How did they rebuild afterward? Does uniting against a common enemy bring the people of the world together and create more Tesseralia-like societies? How many people knew about the IPRE, and what did they think about them? When they hear the Story and Song, what’s the reaction? If they didn’t know about the IPRE what myths do they create to explain the Hunger? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Original Character(s)

~~~

Alright, that’s the end of my prompts/requests! Thanks for reading this far, and whatever you end up writing for me I am super excited to read it!! And if you have questions or ideas or something, my askbox is open and I have anon messages on, I’d love to talk! Thank you again for creating for me, you are the best! <3

#tmi anna #worldbuilding exchange #exchange letter

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johnnycranes · 2 years

Text

Through the Cracks: a Silco x Original Female Character fanfic

chapter 1: Surprise Guests

Read on AO3

words: 3.7k

summary: Anita has always known the fabulous and privileged lifestyle in Piltover. But when her mother dies, her family finds another way to keep their airship business afloat. Who knew smuggling Shimmer would be so lucrative? Silco is intrigued by his business partner. Anita finds freedom outside the picturesque, prim and proper world. Takes place between Acts 1 and 2.

rating and warning: m but will bump it up to e for eventual smut in later chapters(!?). chapter contains language and sass

a/n: i quickly fell down the arcane and silco rabbit hole, and over the weekend decided why not add another ship and another fic to my plate, hmm?

“I’ll see you at dinner? Mother said she’s having a chef prepare your favorite pasta.”

“Yes, now go on. You have reports to submit.” Anita smiled and placed a quick peck on her fiancé’s lips before he winked at her, placing his enforcer hat back on.

She watched Adam make his way towards the offices of the Council until he was but a speck in the horizon. It was a day well spent with him. They finally picked out a gorgeous venue for the wedding as well as narrowed down their choices in catering.

Anita had no idea why her future mother-in-law, Juniper, insisted that they bump up the wedding two months earlier but luckily everything still seemed to work in their favor.

Anita raised her hand to gaze at the beautiful engagement ring Adam gave her. It still awed her that soon she’d be married to her best friend, one of the greatest men in the city if she said so herself.

She smiled, staring at the ring before putting her hand back down.

Piltover during sunset was always a gorgeous sight, and Anita basked in its glow as she made her way to her father’s house. Ever since her mother died, her father seemed to be a husk of his former self, like what was left of his heart was clinging to life. But every now and then Anita would see that sparkle in his eyes when he laughed or smiled, and she knew he was still as strong as ever, just heartbroken.

She made it a habit to see him whenever she could, especially now that she spent most of her days with her fiancé, planning and preparing the wedding. She made sure she carved a few hours to check on family, it was the least she could do.

Anita fetched out the house key from her purse to open the front door, but as she clicked it into the keyhole, she was surprised to find it was already unlocked. Her father probably forgot to lock it again after coming back from his usual afternoon walk.

If he weren’t so against it, Anita would’ve already hired a guard for the house, but her father would insist it wasn’t necessary and that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

Putting the key away, she turned the door knob and her brown eyes immediately zoomed in to see a black coat hanging from the coat rack. Her father didn’t have black coats, hated them, they reminded him of death, he’d always say.

So her father was going through a phase, someone actually really just died, or that was someone else’s coat.

Anita barely took five steps down the corridor towards her father’s study when a muscular figure blocked her path.

She’d recognize that armor anywhere, dreading every time she saw the figure it belonged to. Her brown eyes narrowed as she glared up at Sevika.

“This couldn’t wait until after sunset?” Anita hissed. She was having such a wonderful day too. And now it felt like she ran right in front of a train. Almost quite literally too for how strong Sevika was.

The taller woman shrugged. “Got other important shit to do later, dunno what to tell ya.” Sevika said, bored, mocking and obviously knew it would piss Anita off.

It did.

Whenever Sevika showed up at Piltover, at her father’s house, it always put Anita in a sour mood, a reminder that the Gil family was living a lavish lifestyle precariously balanced on top of the filthy business with the undercity. It was like a dream induced by toxic.

By Shimmer.

“Where’s my father, then?” Anita asked, tone harsh and clipped.

Sevika on the other hand was the picture of serenity. “In his study.”

Anita glanced at the coat rack. She was too annoyed not to pick a fight with the woman who could crush her like a toothpick. “No offense but that coat over there looks a few sizes too small for you. Who else is here?”

Sevika leered down at Anita like a predator playing with its prey, humoring her. “I mean, you’re here. I’m here, your father’s here.” She hummed, as if pretending to be deep in thought. “Who am I missing?”

Before Anita could tell Sevika to fuck herself, a door clicked open and both women turned to see Anita’s father, Harold, step out of the study at the other end of the corridor, looking frazzled.

It broke Anita’s heart to see her father, a usually proud and confident man, turn into a nervous wreck. Like the alpha male of a pack who lost in combat, shrinking away.

He was staring at something or someone that had yet to leave the study after him. “The airships will be ready by tonight, you- you have my word.” Harold stuttered, his voice shaking and Anita wondered who aside from Sevika would make her father so anxious.

“And what exactly is your word worth, I wonder?” A rich, smooth and husky voice echoed from the study, and Anita held her breath as the seconds ticked by. If that was the man she thought it was… making a personal visit himself, then just how much trouble was her father in this time?

Even from the other end of the corridor, Anita could see her father’s breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “I promise.” Harold said, voice steadier, like he was trying to convince himself and the mystery visitor. “This is as important to me as it is to you, Silco.”

Anita’s eyes widened just a fraction.

So it was him.

Like uttering his name summoned him from the darkness, the criminal kingpin himself stepped out of the study, his ghostly pale skin and lanky body making him seem like a ghoul.

From where she was, Anita only saw one side of his face as he continued to stare down at Harold. It was hard to imagine such a cruel man would have such beautiful blue eyes, like a siren calling you in before sinking claws into you.

Anita instantly felt a chill in the air. Just seeing him, being in his presence, he commanded the entire room, the entire house. Silco wasn’t even that much taller than Harold and yet her father looked like an insect standing next to a god.

“I would hope so, Harold.” his voice was venomous as he spat out her father’s name. “I can’t imagine what Piltover’s residents would think if the Gil Airship Company suddenly lost its biggest client.”

Her father stayed quiet, brown eyes behind reading glasses staring straight into the jaws of the shark.

And said shark seemed to enjoy playing with his food. “Sevika will be waiting at the usual spot with this week’s shipment. Don’t be late and make sure tonight’s pilot doesn’t ask too many fucking questions.”

Silco straightened his back and turned...

Turned and saw Anita. Giving her a view of the other side of his face.

Her father told her stories about it, like it was a horrible disfigurement fitting of a monster like Silco.

And yet she couldn’t find herself disgusted by it. More intrigued, in awe, of it.

If his blue eye was a lure then the other one was a blackhole that wanted to pull you in.

His stare was intense and Anita stayed frozen, like the slightest movement she made would set him off. It was almost as if she couldn’t breathe, yet her heart was beating rapidly, thudding in her ears as the man continued to gaze at her with a look that seemed to burn through her entire being.

Harold turned to see what suddenly caught his guest’s interest, and the older man blinked rapidly in shock. “Anita? I thought you’d be having dinner with the Drydens.” Anita paid no mind to her father, afraid to break the little staring contest she was having with Silco.

But her father’s voice seemed to have broken Silco out of his concentration. Smoothly like he wasn’t in some sort of trance earlier, the criminal kingpin’s lips curled up into a smirk.

“So this is your daughter?” He asked, with a hint of amusement and curiosity in his tone. “Have you been waiting long, my dear?”

His voice was rich as he slowly slithered his way towards her. “I apologize for keeping your father. Meeting took a bit longer than I wanted it to.”

He was only a few steps away from her when he turned his head back towards Harold. “Very rude of you not to introduce us. Where are your manners?”

That seemed to shake Harold out of his stunned and anxious state as he took quick steps to stand beside his daughter. “Anita, this is Silco. Our family’s… most important client. Silco, this is my daughter, Anita.”

She did well staying quiet for this long, but seeing the man who intimidated her father up close made her forget all of her mother’s teachings on proper etiquette and being polite. That and she still had pent up frustration from Sevika’s mocking earlier.

”Are your lackeys so drugged up on Shimmer that you have to do the footwork now?” She spat out.

Her father whipped his head to her so quickly that his glasses almost fell off. “Anita!” he scolded, fear laced in his voice.

Sevika’s eye twitched and so did her fingers - well, the non-mechanical ones anyway - like she was just waiting for a reason to hit the privileged little Piltover girl, as the muscular woman loved to say. Anita expected Silco to react just as violently, maybe send her tumbling to the wall with the back of his hand.

So it came as a shock when the kingpin simply chuckled, a mischievous glint in his blue eye.

A smirk more intimidating than any she ever saw in her life graced Silco’s lips as he gazed at her. “Are all Piltover ladies as feisty as you are? I thought you the picture of grace and poise. You must be quite the party guest.”

It was only her father’s hand on her shoulder that stopped her from biting back.

Not here, not in his house, not in their perfect peaceful little neighborhood. No matter how pissed off Anita was that Silco and his bodyguard showed up to ruin a great day. There was also still no telling how short the criminal’s patience was, for all his teasing, and she at least wouldn’t want to test that limit around family.

So she counted to three in her head and let out a breath, and with an elegant smile on her face worthy of a proper Piltover girl, she said, “The next time we host a celebration, maybe you can see for yourself.”

Maybe meaning never.

She wasn’t sure but Silco seemed… disappointed at her reply as his lips twitched down for a fraction and his shoulders sagged, like he expected her to say something else.

Hey, he wasn’t the only one upset.

But the look soon changed and his smirk was back. “If my duties allow me, or I don’t have to do the… footwork for my people." he said, echoing her words earlier. "Then perhaps I shall make an appearance.”

Anita wanted to scoff at how he made it seem like she needed him at a party, as if she’d be so lucky to be graced by his presence.

Harold continued to hold her steady and she kept her smile in place.

She could scream her frustrations into a pillow later.

Silco tilted his head towards Sevika, who was a looming presence throughout the whole exchange. “We’re leaving.” was all he said and with a nod, his bodyguard came forward, walking past everyone and grinning smugly at Anita as she bade a See ya, princess before opening the front door and stepping outside.

Silco used that time to gather his coat and quickly placed it upon himself, rolling his shoulders as he fixed the collar. The coat made him all the more menacing and Anita was properly reminded that this man was the most dangerous criminal to walk around topside and under.

And here he was about to step out the front door after having a fucking business meeting in her father’s home like he was any other client.

Silco nodded at her father. “Good talk, Harold. Always a pleasure to converse with a fellow entrepreneur.” he said, voice too sweet and too innocent.

Then his mismatched eyes turned to Anita. She was frozen in the spot as he stared at her, his lips curled into a smirk that made her think of the snakes that used to slither in the garden.

Without warning, he took her hand in his and bent down to plant a kiss on her knuckles, his hand was rough and calloused while his lips were surprisingly soft as he pressed them upon her sunkissed skin.

He kept his eyes on hers the whole time. “It was a pleasure to see you as well, Ms. Anita. I’m surprised it took us this long to properly meet.”

She shivered as his breath ghosted on her skin. “Yes sorry, I’ve been busy.” she said, her voice dripping with honey as she feigned her apology. “I have my wedding to plan.”

Silco thumbed the diamond on her engagement ring as he hummed. “So I see. Your fiancé is very fortunate.” he said lightly, and Anita would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious about what he meant by that, his reaction catching her off guard. She thought he’d think nothing of it, dismiss it and be on his way.

But she knew what curiosity did to the cat so she dared not think more about it.

After what felt like eternity, he finally let her hand go and stood to his full height. “Stay safe, you two. It’s horrible how anyone can simply waltz up to your doorstep these days.”

Both father and daughter watched silently as the criminal kingpin walked out of Harold’s house. The Gil patriarch didn’t even wait for Silco and Sevika to leave the yard before he slammed the door shut.

“You’re lucky he didn’t hurt you.” Harold said as he walked towards the bar in the living room, already grabbing for his favorite bottle of whiskey.

Anita followed him to the next room, moving to sit on the barstool. “Why was he here? He never comes here.”

And it was true. As far as she knew, Sevika was always the one who met with her father over the airships. Silco didn’t seem like the type to suddenly concern himself with something so trivial as making sure an airship would make it on time for a little shipment of Shimmer.

Harold poured himself a glass and did the same for Anita. She waited as her father finished downing quickly downed the liquid. “Something about this batch being important.” He said, voice hoarse from the whiskey. “Securing more funds quickly, something or other.”

“And you’re okay? Everything is fine?” she asked, worried for her aging father. He was still the authoritative figure he always was, capable of delivering a stern look that would send a shiver down the spine of even the bravest enforcers.

So seeing him lose his nerve in front of someone like Silco, someone younger yet frailer-looking than him, made Anita pause to think just how terrifying the kingpin was.

Or maybe her father really was getting old and she refused to see just how much.

Harold nodded as he released a deep breath. He glanced at his daughter, brown eyes meeting brown eyes. “I handled it, Annie.” He smiled sadly as he stared at his empty glass. “But your mother would’ve done a better job.”

Mother wouldn’t have let this happen in the first place.

Anita kept quiet, knowing it was useless to say. They both already knew anyway.

Her mother was the one who kept the airship business running smoothly throughout the years, the one who made it possible to live amongst the elites of Piltover. Anita was so proud to have such a hardworking woman to look up to, aspired to learn from her and do the best she could when the time came that she would take over the business.

But when her mother suddenly died…

Anita squeezed her father’s hand. “You’re doing what you can so we can still,” she glanced around the room. “live comfortably.”

Her father barked out a humorless laugh. “And all I had to do was make a deal with the devil, help bring Shimmer to and from hell.” Then he poured himself another glass.

Harold couldn’t do what her mother did, couldn’t be as successful in gaining the favor of Piltover prissies, didn’t have as much social skills to jest and schmooze with them, so he did what he had to so they could survive.

Anita raised her glass and smiled. “To the fruits of our labor.”

Her father grinned and raised his own glass. “To the good life.” he said wryly.

They toasted and drank. Anita felt the hot liquid burn her throat, already feeling a bit lightheaded from that one sip alone. How her father could have several glasses without falling over was a skill he clearly didn’t pass down to her.

“Speaking of labor…” her father started as he kept his eyes on the remaining liquid in his glass. “The meeting I had with him earlier, it’s the first of many with the man himself.”

Anita’s brows furrowed, Silco’s intimidating figure flashing in her mind. “You mean he’ll be coming around here more often?”

Harold shook his head as he forced himself to look at his daughter. “No, I told him we can’t risk it. People will talk about… eccentric figures coming around here, even if he paid off enforcers, which I’m sure he does.”

“Then how will you be having those meetings with him?” She suspected how, but she wanted to be sure first, wanted to hear him say it himself.

Her father didn’t even pause. “I’ll be going to his office in The Lanes myself.”

“Dad!” Anita yelled as she jumped out of her seat, the barstool screeching against the wooden floor. She expected it of course, but it still came as a shock that it took him that long, like he needed the liquid courage first. Damn, and two glasses too.

Harold raised one hand up as if he meant to calm her down. “Annie, it’s ok. He assured me that I’ll have safe passage to and fro-”

“Breathing in the air there for someone your age means death! Or what if a Shimmer addict gets you or-or” Anita’s breathing turned shallow, her mind going through all the worse-case scenarios from that idiotic arrangement of theirs. It was suicide.

Of course Silco assured safe passage, but Harold’s old age and health was another damn thing. The man wouldn’t survive a second in the undercity, maybe five if Sevika was there to guard him.

For all of her father’s mistakes, for being absent for most of her life until her mother passed, he was trying so very hard to make it up to her, to keep her happy. She wasn’t about to let him die for her, and for something as insane as that.

Silco wouldn’t care if Harold died. Probably thought that once he was out of the picture, Anita would take over anyway and-

Her eyes widened as she had her a-ha moment. She flashed a grin at her father, who looked at her in confusion and concern. “Let me go instead.” was all she said.

Harold blinked at her. “You drunk already?”

Anita rolled her eyes. “Dad, I’m serious. I can go to the meetings. You were thinking about having me handle more of the business anyway, right?.”

“Yes, sweetheart but not exactly that side of the business.”

Anita almost screamed and begged for her mom to maybe show up as a ghost and tell Harold himself that she could do it. But alas, no ghost. “Dad, please,” Anita pleaded, “I want to protect you. I promised Mom that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you.”

“Well I promised her the same about you so…” he shrugged nonchalantly, like he already won.

He didn’t.

“I can’t lose you too, dad.” she said softly. “Let me do this. I get to learn more plus you get to stay here and enjoy more of that ‘good life’. And this will build character for me!”

Harold tilted her head at her and pursed his lips. “You’ve never been to undercity.”

“And neither have you!” her eyes were wild as she frantically tried to reason with her father. If he were a younger man, Anita wouldn’t have as much trouble with letting him go to The Lanes, but her father was old and nursing heart ache and tired bones. He might be going to the hospital more times than he’d go to the undercity.

Anita took another deep breath. “Trust me, dad. I’m a Gil too.”

Her father stared at her long and hard, and Anita was reminded of the time she tried to ask for permission to go on her first date back in high school. Honestly that was harder than presenting a whole ass thesis defense.

Finally her father let out a heavy sigh. “Ok fine, but you have to come here after each meeting. I need to know you’re safe.”

Anita’s eyes brightened up and she squealed at her win. “I will.”

He smiled softly as he shook his head. “You’re impossible to win an argument against, just like your mother. Now,” he said, more seriously. “You only have to go there once or twice a week, at a set time, with one of his people meeting you by the bridge to escort you.”

She nodded before pouring herself a little victory shot. “I’ll be fine. The most thrilling adventure I’ll have there is if I get to piss Sevika off first.”

When her father was done explaining more of what she’d need to do for the meetings, Anita went over to her future mother-in-law’s house for dinner, and she melded back into the Piltover lifestyle, knowing it was just a matter of time before she’d be tumbling back out again.

#silco/original female character #silco x original female character #silco x oc #silco/oc #oc: anita gil #silco #arcane #told myself this would be a mini fic #but then what if it wasn't???#fic: through the cracks

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