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gffa · 1 year

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There’s a thing in Star Wars where installations of the canon tend to fall into one of three categories:

Foundational canon that everything else revolves around

Supportive canon that helps reinforce the structure of the foundation

Connective tissue and knick-knack collections

The movies are the foundation, the TV shows are generally supportive canon, and the novels/comics/games are the connective tissue and window dressing. And I’m frustrated that I don’t think The Mandalorian knows what it wants to be, because I don’t think Star Wars has any good foundational canon since the prequels movies. The sequels are technically foundational canon, other books and comics refer to them as the unmovable points in history in this world, it was what established where the supportive stories are going, etc. The problem is that they were so unfocused and actively eschewed worldbuilding that the supportive shows and connective tissue are left to do the heavy lifting and that puts The Mandalorian in a bad place. Because I think it should be allowed to be supportive canon, it should allowed to be like Rebels or The Clone Wars, which were supporting the strong foundations of the movies and thus absolutely flourished, which were stories that knew what themes they wanted to tell, they set the structure of the worlds they lived in, and so the animated shows could build up from there. The Mandalorian flounders for me because it’s Disney+’s flagship show, so everything else gets spun off from it (except Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor, which is probably why I liked those shows so much better, because they were coming off much stronger foundations), and thus treated like it’s foundational canon. But it’s not. This episode really struck that for me all over again, because we don’t even see Moff Gideon’s escape, that should be a crucial moment in the story that we should see instead of it happening off-screen! In the past, we barely even see the destruction of Mandalore, a key moment in the show that they’re building! Whether this is Din and Grogu’s story of the story of Mandalore as a whole, we’re seeing a smaller scale story than what we should if this is going to be the flagship foundational story. “Yeah, but The Mandalorian isn’t meant to be a foundational canon, it’s about a dude traveling around with his Foundling and figuring out life on the way.” Agreed, it should be allowed to be supportive canon, but because the sequels did almost no establishing of the galaxy’s setting, now the supportive shows have to do it, which means we have to get multiple episodes that do the work of establishing what’s going on with the New Republic that have little to do with Din or Grogu’s story. The problem is further exacerbated by how those scenes are genuinely good! Those tend to be the scenes that I focus on the most, like I loved seeing everything happening with Pershing on Coruscant, but the problem is that it contributed to this feeling that The Mandalorian was telling a foundational story, because those scenes had nothing to do with our main characters’ journey, they were establishing the bigger world that’s not really directly related to our characters. To be fair, I might feel differently if the show had spread those scenes out better, kept them as side info more than stopping the entire show to go into them--like this episode balanced it well, Teva’s trip to Coruscant worked for me! And last episode’s flashbacks were perfectly relevant to Grogu’s story and his emotional journey, I have no problem with seeing Coruscant and the Jedi Temple again in that context! But the question looms in my mind with every episode: What is this show about? Is it about trying to be an anthology series that tells little stories from all across the time period in this era? Is it about the bigger story of Mandalore? Is is about a more back alley level story about a single Mandalorian and the journey he and his Foundling go on? I don’t think The Mandalorian itself knows. Or else it can’t help straying from what it should be--supportive canon too often either trying to establish too much or get away with focusing on something too small despite the extremely limited run time because it thinks this detour is Rule of Cool--and so it’s not really even about anything, other than being about cameos. I don’t see that changing, either, because those cameos are fun. They’re amazingly cool to get sneak peaks of what those characters are up to, they’re lighting the internet on fire with getting to see these things in live action, I am absolutely going to continue screaming about these same things myself! It’s fun! And Star Wars should be fun! But I think it ultimately means that, once the fun is done, that I’m not sure The Mandalorian is a strong story. It’s a very cool story and extremely fun, but I don’t think it can carry a franchise like the originals or the prequels did and that it shouldn’t have to, but it’s dipping into those waters (sometimes by choice, sometimes by force, I suspect) and then trying to dip back out of them, and it’s just. The story of the fall of the Republic had its story directly told, you know? The story of destroying the Empire had its story directly told, you know? That hasn’t happened for Mandalore, its spread out in too many pieces and half of it isn’t even directly shown to us. The sequels refused to tell the story of the New Republic, so that onus is put on The Mandalorian and it shouldn’t be, and I wish the show could be allowed to pick a lane and stick to it.

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #meta #sw negativity

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mrs-illyrian-baby · 6 months

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The Old Gods and The New - Chapter 8

A Prayer in the Fog | Loki x Reader

A furious Loki requests Val's help in searching for you, but with Asgard's guards so recently depleated he is forced to turn to the Avengers for support. Meanwhile you contend with you captors, all of your captors.

Warnings: 18+, reader has been kidnapped and imprisoned, flashbacks, Loki throwing things around (only sort of a warning), Avenger arguments.

Divider by @firefly-graphics

Series Masterlist | Loki Masterlist | Masterlist

“What do you mean there’s no sign of her,” Loki shouted, body bending inward with anger, a protection against the burst of magic he released sending a table flying across the room, behind him Brunnhilde’s books were swept from the shelves, swirling in a whirlwind of green magic that consumed its master.

Loki’s first burst of anger had been calculated and controlled, an effort to ease the pressure that was mounting inside of him, screaming at him. But his patience was gone. Objects crashed from the shelves, Brunhilde’s glass trinkets and picture frames smashed into shards on the hardwood floor and cut into the soles of Loki’s shoes as he paced like a caged animal. In one hand his magic shimmered, gold and green, aching to be set free. In the other he grasped his dagger, fingers curling around the handle for comfort.

“Loki, calm down.” Brunhilde put her hands out in front of her, gesturing for Loki to sit again, she moved him backwards until his knees hit the armchair and he fell, slumped and defeated.

He would be sorry in the morning. Loki liked Brunhilde, a simple emotion reserved for so few of his acquaintances. He respected her and he knew he would regret taking out his fury on her home.A curl of ink black hair fell across his forehead and he tipped his head back in exasperation.

“How can I calm down when she is lost? My ásynja was supposed to come back to me, she wouldn’t just leave. She has to be here, she has nowhere else to go!” Loki ran a hand through his hair, already messy from the week he’d spent searching up and down the coastline. “She wouldn’t go anywhere else, she only knows us and those idiotic superfriends.” He fell back again, closing his eyes against the horrible idea that you might have returned to them.

It was an unbearable thought, but one that had crossed his mind, that you had run away to escape him and return to the almost hermetically sealed world of the Avenger’s Compound. He had been so sure you’d hated it there as much as he did, so sure he was doing the right thing by bringing you to the fresh air and freedom of Tonsberg.

When you hadn’t come back to his cottage that night, Loki had gone out looking for you. He’d planned to take you for dinner, perhaps walk along the harbour again and discuss what you’d been able to discover with Brunnhilde. And then he’d imagined taking you back to his home in Tonsberg to show you the spare room he kept, that even if you didn’t want to be with him there’d always be a safe space for you there if you wanted it. He’d imagined you’d be happy there, together, however you wanted. But that was the unbearable thought wasn’t it. That he could ever be happy, ever have something, someone, for himself to hold and cherish and dote upon.

He had even found your bracelet by the harbour, still glinting even without light, magically imbued to always shine for you. But there was no other trace that you’d even existed outside of his desperate, lonely, imagination.

Brunnhilde called in help from the village to search for you, but they had been badly depleted on their journey to Midgard and there were few guards or soldiers left who were skilled enough to help. Those that did join the hunt were mostly the very young or the very old, those that had been protected by the fierce warriors of Asgard.

The only lead Loki had found was that two older members of the village had also disappeared, no one knew them well, only that they were at least as old as Odin himself and twice as reclusive as the volatile king had been. The grouchy men kept to themselves, mumbling in the pub about Asgard’s protection and Odin’s orders, much to the quiet amusement of the younger patrons or, more often, hiding in the small fisherman’s cottage on the wharf. No one had seen their lights on since the night of your disappearance and they were the only villagers to be unaccounted for.

Brunnhilde had sent two of the newer guards to track them in the vain hope that being young and eager would help them. But she’d insisted that Loki remained in the village, you might return at any moment and, more than that, he was volatile in his current state.

Loki had paced the living room, certain he’d wear a hole in the carpet before he dared to rest for a moment. And the two guards had returned, their leads as empty and hollow as Loki’s heart.

“I’ll ask Thor to speak to them, okay?” Brunhilde let her hand fall slowly to Loki’s slumped shoulder and patted him gently, unsure whether his temper was controlled or merely simmering below the surface.

Loki slumped from the chain onto the floor, leaning back against the armchair, his energy drained. Somehow he could feel you still, and it was these sensations that he clung to as he waited for news knowing that if he could feel you, you were alive, even if you weren’t safe.

The sensation had changed that morning, triggering his new bout of fury. You were awake, for the first time since he'd lost you, and there was a fire burning inside of you. He could feel its warmth, but also its rage, white hot and powerful, and he told himself you were fighting back. Soothed himself on the prospect of your anger carrying you through whatever ordeal was being thrown at you. Proud that you were harnessing your magic to escape.

Suddenly the feeling vanished, as if it'd been ripped from him and you were gone. No lucid dreams, not even nightmares. Just darkness.

If you had returned to the Avengers and his reading of your emotions were correct, they would pay dearly.

In the darkness you felt a tiara, nestled on the top of your head, it's intricate, itching weight familiar in your dreams. Your dresses were clean, decorative, but not practical as they were on Asgard. A doll, on display for the court, just as had been ordered. And as you touched your hand to your face, feeling the soft skin beneath, the jewels that encrusted your fingers scratching the sensitive skin, you allowed yourself a tear.

“Stop crying for that pathetic boy” a harsh voice snapped next to you.

“He’s not a boy, he’s a Prince,” images swirled in your mind as you tried to claw back your consciousness. Childish play, stolen kisses, your last week in Asgard and the secret, forbidden acts that you'd indulged in, revelled in, with Loki. Loki. Loki…

You woke up in the dark, hazy slumber grasping around your consciousness and dragging you back. Sleep, wake, dream, suffer. Your hands bound behind your back, ankles bound to your chair legs. You could smell the sea still and see light coming through a high window, it cast a small shadow around you but not quite enough for you to study the details of the room.

You had seen enough documentaries when you were cooped up in the little flat to know that any sensible person wouldn't have allowed you a window at all, even without the powers you had been honing.

There would be a way to send a message though the window and then Loki would save you. You were sure of it. You just had to get free.

“Are you awake Princess?” A croaky voice asked from the darkness. You tested your bonds for the first time. Rope, that was it, simple rope, all you had to do was create enough heat to singe the fibres and pull them off.

They didn’t know what you were capable of now, but then, you thought, you weren’t overly confident either. Playing with fire was not a skill you'd worked on properly, perhaps you could burn the ropes. Perhaps the flames would take you too. The risk was high.

“Yes.” You answered, sharply, shifting imperceptibly so you could attempt to make your hands smaller, slipping them against the ropes in the hope you could break free.

“Good. You know you’re not meant to run Princess.” The old man bowed painfully, his back creaking at the movement, “His Majesty, the Allfather, The King of Asgard, the God of War and Wisdom-” the man coughed and began to straighten, “the God of the Heavens, behold-” he opened his arms towards the door as if expecting Odin to step into the room before looking blankly at the empty space and turning his bleary eyes back to you.

“You know they're all dead, don’t you?” You tipped your head to the side looking for a light source around the crooked figure of the man. A small lantern flickered in the hall outside, you could see the light through the glass at the top of the door. Focusing on the thought of it, warm under your touch, taking in the salty air, eating the oxygen, consuming the wick, it flared giving you a good look at the room.

The man was old, as many of the Asgardians were, but he truly looked it. Wrinkled face half wrapped in cloth, back bent by time and feet hobbled by his dutiful pacing. A gold helmet slipped about on his head, his sunken cheeks no longer supporting the plates, his white hair sticking comically from the edges.

“Pardon, Princess?”

“They're all dead, you fucking idiot. Who gave you these orders, who told you to take me?” You tried to muster as much regal courage and venom as you could, thinking of Loki in his Asgardian leathers, how they made him look impossibly taller, and you channelled that feeling of divine importance into your expression, eyes narrowed at the old man and lips tight.

“His Majesty.” The man insisted.

You rolled your eyes, but if he wanted to play by courtly rules, surely you could too? You thought back to the scant memories you had of the Asgardian palace and the time you spent there. Most of your memories seemed to centre on the gardens, rather than the halls and rooms, perhaps the old man could be persuaded to simply let you leave.

“Would his Majesty mind if I took some air in the gardens?” You offered, fluttering your eyelashes in the most royal way you could muster.

“Come, Princess,” he sighed as if this was a daily discussion, “you know you must stay here-” But he didn’t seem sure. Perfect, you thought, he can be manipulated.

“Ah, as you say - uhm - noble guard of….”

“I have the honour - the honour,” he coughed again, doubled over with the effort, “of being Odin’s personal guard, he has sent me here to collect you, Princess, for protection of course.”

You slipped your hands one last time and felt the rope go slack, blood rushing back to your pinched fingers. You hooked the rope around your fingers, hiding your freedom behind your back.

“For protection? I don’t feel very protected?” You looked pointedly at the ramshackle room.

The old man wagged his finger, “it is not for your protection that we must keep you, Princess. The Allfather says we must protect Asgard.”

The man must be deep in his memories, you thought, to still talk of Asgard in this way. Even you knew that Ragnarok had consumed Asgard months before.

“And what does Prince Loki say?” You needled, hoping he’d slip back into this former version of the world and at least indulge you with some tales of Loki.

“You must not speak to Loki!” The man was angry suddenly, throwing himself forwards into your space, the change in his demeanour frightening. He smelt like musty old blankets and you hated it, wrinkling your nose in disgust and turning your face away.

A few short months ago you might not have noticed, too used to the trapped air of your apartment. But you had become accustomed to a new way of life, not just because of the lavish surroundings of the compound, but also because you knew that Loki would never had allowed this man to get so close to you. The thought of his protection thrummed inside of you, shoring up the knowledge that he would come and rescue you from this awful place.

Your pity waned and bile rose in its place, your nose wrinkled.

Channelling your deepest memories you took a deep breath, “how dare you tell a Princess what to do!” You thundered, the flame in the hall flared again, licking up the wall and sending eerie patches of dark and light flying up the walls.

“I, Your Highness, my apologies.”

The man threw himself at your feet, grovelling and snivelling on the filthy floor and you looked down for the first time. Ignoring the disgusting spectacle before you, you turned your attention to your bare wrist. The bracelet was gone. It felt light as air when you were wearing it, but the loss of it was heavy, your heart sank. What if Loki found it and thought you’d abandoned him?

You contemplated your next move, trying to ignore the continued snivelling of the man at your feet, when the door swung open again.

The man who entered was as old as his friend, hunched and twisted with age and war, his sword dragged along the floor where his scabbard had become lose and his joints compacted.

“What are you doing?” He wheezed, “get up you idiot.”

Instead of climbing to his feet, the man instead crawled to the corner of the room and appeared to fall asleep, slumping forwards into the wall.

“Here, child, food.” A bowl was unceremoniously tossed onto the table, the gruel inside making a sludgy trail up one side of the chipped ceramic before falling back into the bowl.

“How am I meant to eat that? Who’s the idiot now.” You scoffed, keeping your chin up at the haughty angle Loki favoured. Perhaps if you acted the part they would treat you better.

Your second captor gave a sigh and moved behind the chair to loosen your hands, but instead of allowing him you tossed your body back into the chair and knocked him into the solid wall behind you. He made a wet thump as his head connected with the stone and then fell to the floor.

Pushing the ropes from your arms and legs, you freed yourself from the broken chair. Hazy, unseeing eyes attempted to focus on you as you stood, brushing dust and debris from your clothes, but you ignored them, attempting to summon any magic you could to clean your clothes and light your way to freedom.

The old man looked up from his prone position on the floor and gasped in shock, scrambling away from you. His fear, the belief in his eyes that you could hurt him now sparked inside and your magic flooded you.

“Goodbye.” You waved at the two men, confidently striding towards the door playing with the magic between your fingers, flames climbing the walls in the corridor outside as your concealed rage took over, knocking the door from its hinges before you even touched it.

“Not so fast,” a voice growled in the gloom.

From the shadows a young man appeared, his hair was tied back in the newer style favoured by Loki and Thor, and his clothes were similar too, draped and colourful where her other captors wore blacks and greys, the patterns were different though, as too was his accent.

You stopped mid stride, mind reeling.

“Estrid. You must stop using your magic. You’ll draw attention to yourself.” He barked, but it wasn’t unkind. For a moment you were entirely confused, clawing back at your memories to try and find why this person made your mind itch and your eyes burn.

A carriage ride through lush green land, a secret meeting, your mother and another man, so bright you could barely see him, and this guard, watching and waiting, holding the carriage door for you.

Although the memory filled you with warmth, you couldn’t trust him. Hadn’t you experience many memories of Asgard, just for Odin’s men themselves to take you and bind you in that forgotten room.

Your trust was too precious to waste.

“I think you’ll find I do whatever the hell I want these days. If you want to drug me you’ll have to do better than that,” you pointed at the porridge splattering the tiles. Instead you conjured an ice cream, with a chocolate wafer and sprinkles. “I’m going to look at the sea, we are near the sea aren’t we? Enjoy the view for a while until Loki finds me.” You started to the door, licking the strawberry drips as the made there way over the cone and tried your best to ignore the boring eyes of the new guard.

“Stop. Using. Magic. Do you want to draw attention to yourself?” The man followed you, his leather boots thumping along the stone flagged floor and echoing in the dark hallway.

“Yes, obviously. I want to be found.” You rolled your eyes, calling to Loki in your mind.

“You’re a fool. We’ll have to move you again.” He grabbed at your arm but you pulled it back.

“No, you won’t, I’m not being caged anymore, get out of my way,” you fluttered your hands. A fork in the corridor appeared as you strode around the corner, stairs on both sides. “Now which way is out. I’ll make you an ice cream if you tell me?” You offered an attempt at a smile playing on your lips. Once this man had been kind to you, and although you didn’t trust him entirely, he had at least two daggers and a sword at his hip that he hadn’t used. Even when he’d touched your arm he hadn’t hurt you.

“I warned you to stop. Follow me.” The man made a grab for your hand again, but you dodged out of the way and picked a route, but it was blocked. You could see through but couldn’t get further than the first step without coming up against another stone wall. You huffed and your ice cream vanished back into the ether while you tried to figure out a way through.

The man looked at you, snapping sharply, “you’re the one who brought magic into this, let’s go.”

With your escape blocked, you were compelled to follow him, keeping a step behind at first to try and gauge his path.

“Hey, hey, wait!” You jogged to keep up with the man, his strides long and the heels on your boots clicking against the stone. “Why the hell should I trust you, anyway?!”

He turned to face you, his eyes flaring as he reached up and grabbed your arm again, scanning your face, “how do you not remember?” He sighed, you had expected anger but he was disappointed, despondent, when he spoke again, “put the cloak on. Quickly.”

“I don’t have a cloak,” you stopped in the corridor, taking the opportunity to absorb the details of your surroundings. It was still dark and the smell of the sea still permeated the thick stone walls, but there was a fresher smell as well, like wet grass after the rain.

“You can’t walk around like this,” he gestured at your outfit, black jeans and boots, a thick aran jumper.

“What’s wrong with my outfit? It’s cold out there.”

“We can’t use magic here. When we can, I'll find attire suitable for your station.”

“My station. As a Prisoner? No way. Let me go shopping,” you twirled and batted your long lashes teasingly, hoping to distract or annoy him enough that you could make an escape. Although you couldn’t use your magic consistently, you had been learning, very quickly, that some of your talents, like Loki's, were just innate. You didn’t require a spell to irritate a man.

“As a Princess, a Queen in waiting.” The man was furious now, he took your arm and dragged you along until you squealed dramatically and tried to make yourself as heavy as possible until he was forced to slow his pace.

“Do Princesses normally get dragged about? If you don’t like my outfit I can change.”

Mentally you started flicking through all the clothes you could remember. Dresses, skirts, jeans, suits, pyjamas.

“Stop!” The man shook her shoulders “Do not use your magic!” And then there was a flash of light and you fell to the floor.

Thor was fairing no better than his brother. He’d been expecting to crash their romantic dinner with both stories of war and anything he could remember to embarrass his little brother in front of the lady he was so obviously pining for. But there was no mirth in his heart when Loki revealed you’d never returned from Valkyrie’s cottage and he’d joined the search immediately.

When nothing was revealed he offered to return to the Avengers compound in an effort to secure their help, much to Loki’s chagrin.

Now, with his head in his hands, he sat in the living room of the Avengers compound and appealed to them again.

“There must be some system you possess, Stark, to track her? She has magic now and will be using it. Can’t you track that?” He asked.

“And what does magic use or emit that I could track? Radiation? Pollution?” Tony answered, waving a screwdriver in the air before returning to the small circuit board he was tinkering with.

Thor looked thoroughly confused. “It’s just magic. Loki’s is green, Estrid appears to have a blue and silver sedir, track the colour.”

Tony sighed, exasperated, and didn’t answer, keeping his eyes focussed on his work.

“Are we going to address that you and Loki have been keeping all of this from us?” Steve interrupted, arms crossed.

Natasha nodded her agreement, “I knew she could shift, what else can she do that you’ve been keeping secret?!” Natasha asked.

“Oh Romanoff, you know, girl magic like Loki, silly things. She changes her hair and clothes.” Natasha narrowed her eyes at ‘girl magic’, but kept quiet. Thor shrugged, he’d never been that enamoured with Loki’s magic, it seemed frivolous to him to spend hours making little potions and writing runes. He was more interested in the armoury and his personal assortment of weapons.

“We know that, what else?” Natasha grit her teeth, frustrated.

“She makes little trinkets, jewellery and gems and such. Like I said, girly things.”

“She can manifest things? How?” Banner sat forwards, his elbows on his knees, fascinated. “Can she teach us?” He turned to Tony and nudged him to rejoin the conversation.

“What? No. I don’t know. Loki taught her. Anyway, she can control flames and I think I saw her grow a plant once.” Thor was bored of this part of the conversation and went back to sipping his mead to steady his nerves. He thought back to Loki’s face as he left, his sunken eyes, devoid of mischief. Time to change tactic, courtly ways were never Thor’s strong point, but he knew enough not to labour a point too much. “Anyway, I brought some new things for you to try Steve, should you be interested in -”

“No not anyway we needed to know these things and you kept it from us. Why the hell should we help you now?” Tony waved the tiny screwdriver again, a magnetic screw dangling precariously from the end.

Bargaining. Thor could do bargaining, he’d seen his father and Loki use it to various effect enough times. “What if… I got them to help you. Natasha said she needed someone inconspicuous for your next mission, what about someone who can shift?”

The assassin mulled over the prospect for a moment, “it would help me a lot, it's a simple B&E really but they know all our covers. Loki would be perfect.” Natasha looked at Thor, hopeful.

“Perfect! You come to Tonsberg and find Loki’s beau and I will ensure Loki is most helpful on your mission.” Thor held his hand out to Natasha to shake, but Tony poked it away with the sharp end of his screwdriver.

“Not so fast. I want Loki and the girl and I want her to stay behind afterwards.” He levelled his stare at Thor.

“Loki and the girl, it’s a deal.”

“Fine, fine. We can send two agents. I’m done with this. You can’t keep things from us and then expect our help.” Tony groused.

“Loki won’t be happy with two agents.” Thor shook his head.

“I honestly don’t give a fuck what Loki wants,” Steve stood, uncharacteristically angry amidst the growing tensions, “he isn’t on our team. We brought her here and owe her some safety. But after this mission she needs to make a real choice. Is she in or is she out?” Steve stalked off to the gym slamming the door behind him.

There was silence as the other members slowly dispersed until only Tony and Thor were left. Thor followed Tony to the bar set into the wall of the living space, pouring another round of mead into his large cut crystal glass.

“Candidly, Stark, she has the ability to be quite annoying. My hope is whoever has her let’s her go. But we will need more than two agents.” Thor tipped his head back, swallowing loudly.

Tony smiled into his drink, he could understand annoying, he didn’t mind annoying. “What makes you so sure she was taken and that she didn’t just run away.”

“Oh, that’s easy, she is in love with my brother.” Thor smiled at the thought of Loki’s dopey, lovelorn expression, “I’m not sure they realise they are in love with each other so deeply, but,” he shrugged, “such is love.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. So he had been right, Loki had been flirting with you and you did seem to prefer the Trickster God’s company, spending a good deal of your time together. But love? Loki?

“I’ll go with you. If she loves Loki she’s a strong woman, we could use some of that.” Tony tipped his head to the side and nodded as he spoke. “But it also means she’s an idiot and can’t be trusted. You understand that, right?”

“Oh yes,” Thor didn’t even look offended. “My brother is terrible and the two of them together? Incredibly vexing. But we must find her. I do not wish to discover the breadth of his wrath and vengeance should she be missing indefinitely.”

“And they’ll work the mission?”

“I’ll endeavour to keep them in line.”

Tony sighed he supposed that was the best he could hope for, dealing with actual gods.

“Wake up,” a new voice echoed in your sore head, waking you from your dreamless sleep. This room was different to the last, rather than rope your hands were now bound with heavy iron shackles etched with runes.

Your gaze was cloudy, confused, but you still tried to channel your magic into altering the weighty shackles. Maybe you could make a bracelet like the one Loki gave you and simply slip away. But your magic fizzled before it could manifest. Not even a spark, though your head throbbed terribly at the attempt.

“No magic when you behave like a brat." Your captor spat.

“You’ll regret calling me that.” You bit back, yanking at your chains.

His mocking laugh echoed in the early morning gloom, the door slamming shut in the dark and then you were alone again with your thoughts.

Manoeuvring your heavy hands you sat at the foot of the bed, tucking your feet underneath you and away from the cold floor. With a deep intake of breath you tried to clear your mind and then exhaled, searching for him, for Loki. You prayed, attempting to send a vision of not just your thoughts, but your whole self to him, what you could see and hear, the smell of the sea and the call of the birds outside. You thought of Loki, implored him to save you, sent your thoughts floating into the air as you breathed your plea to him.

In your prayers you reached out to him through the fog and touched your fingertips to the stone and in return, you were sure you heard him calling your name.

<<Part 7

Part 9>>

#Loki #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki/reader #Loki x Reader #Loki fanfic #Loki series #loki marvel #Loki x you #Loki/You #loki fanfiction #Loki smut #The Old Gods and the New #Loki fluff #loki x female reader

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kaeyachi · 20 days

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So...I finished the Arlecchino story quest...

Spoilers below!

TW: Mentions of Suicide, Child Experimentation, Child Abuse, and Murder/Death

This is, by far, the best story quest I have ever done!

First of all, CHILDE?! CHILDE ESCAPING HIS PERSONAL AMBULANCE TO SNEZHNAYA JUST TO COME BACK TO FONTAINE TO ASK SKIRK A QUESTION? Bro is so funny, please-

please save him.

Wait, actually, yeah please do save him. Pulcinella and Pantalone are both plotting in the background, and they got Childe involved...

I also loved the children! Look at how terrifying they are! They're my absolute faves!!

Lyney cementing the reason as to why Arlecchino chose him as the next King is wonderful to see as well. For some time, I thought Freminet and Lynette had a shot, even with reading their lore. What I have failed to realize is that Lyney really is the inspiration for all of the people in the House of the Hearth. His frustrated and disappointed spiel about Freminet not trusting him with Clervie struck me to the heart. This is an older brother at work here people!

Also if I had a nickel every time a cryo younger brother hid a dangerous secret from his pyro older brother which got them into an argument once the truth came out, I'd have 2 nickels ✌️ (somehow gave me war flashbacks to a scene that doesn't even exist lmao)

LYNETTE IS THE FUNNIEST SIBLING BTW. SHE'S MY QUEEN FOR THIS.

Clervie! Our dearest! I'm not fully sure what part in her design did it, but she barely looks like an NPC somehow. Like, yes, this is still an NPC base model, but... is it perhaps the hair? And the extra lashes??

Also, her calling Arlecchino "Perrie" made me sob. I wasn't ready to hear nicknames!!

The mention of Snezhnayan auroras also made me sob again as well. You know what? This entire thing made me sob.

Clervie's dread and horror at the thought of her own mother, her unrelenting spirit that kept her going in her fight for her fellow peers freedom despite the abuse that she will receive, and her unfulfilled dreams repeatedly being mentioned throughout this quest was heartbreaking.

I do have to say- the animations they released for Arlecchino helped a lot with the emotions we are supposed to feel for this quest. Not only was that good Advertising and promotion for the Arlecchino banner, it also set up the plot that would have not been well presented ingame had they chose to do that instead.

Crucabena and Clervie part of this quest were not the only ones mentioned in this quest, but also that damn dude that she killed with her heels! I personally like the way they released all those animations because the quest feels more emotional and alive now, and we could follow with the story better than before (and it effectively increased the hype)

Speaking of more alive, the facial expressions have definitely improved! This quest had them utilizing various expressions well, specifically for the playable characters, so, again, this really helped with the feel of the quest.

Additionally, adding a picture to scenes also set the tone really well. It's not that pictures have never been included in quests before, but the way these were framed(?) made it look way better than the ones before.

By the way...is it just me? Or did Paimon's voice somewhat mellow out for this quest? I had recently played some other story and world quests, and Paimon's EN voice is admittedly high-pitched and painful to hear in those, but for this quest, it's as if her voice was toned down (like Mondstadt Paimon, but with current Paimon energy). I'm hoping this was them taking the criticism from past and adjusting their instructions to Paimon's VA accordingly, because I loved Paimon's voice in this quest (that or I'm delulu)

Quick lore tidbits before I go back to gushing about this quest:

1. Arlecchino confirmed not from Fontaine (like I legit thought she may be Khaenri'ahn due to the blood moon thing she has going for her, but it's nice to confirm her non-Fontainian status)

2. Crucabena was the one who had a deal with Dottore on sending members of the HotH to him for experimentation. Anyone who was physically impaired or left alive after a duel to death are automatically sent to him. Clervie has described this as a fate worse than death... Peruere rejected Dottore's partnership offer once she became the next knave. Also, Crucabena used Clervie as an "example" for those who wish to escape, meaning Clervie received the most abuse (which apparently worsened as the years went by). Clervie lost hope sometime along the way and was basically suicidal as well by the time she and Arlecchino had their duel... Her mindset by that time is that the only hope for freedom to her is death. The popular theory of Clervie letting Arlecchino kill her is proven in a horrifying way with this discovery... (yes, she wanted Arlecchino to be the king, but at the same time, she took this situation as a chance to hit 2 birds with 1 stone)

3. Project Stuzha is apparently something highly dangerous, and Pulcinella and Pantalone are trying to get Childe and Arlecchino involved (Childe was told to aide the project by Pulcinella, while Arlecchino says she doesnt want the HotH to be involved in it)

4. Here is me reannouncing that I am in fact taking the L on the Freminet and Crucabena situation. Basically, the timeline is that at age 16, Clervie dies, and we are left with a 1 year time period for a 6 year old Freminet to enter under Crucabena (I'm guessing this is either a retcon or a means to hide the Arlecchino plot by not having them directly say mother in Freminet's character story 4). After that said 1 year, Peruere kills Crucabena and has spent several months in Snezhnaya before reviving the House of the Hearth and adopting Lyney and Lynette (perhaps the children of Crucabena's HotH simply stuck together during that time)

Basically, yes, Arlecchino is in her mid-20s. Not my personal cup of tea, but hey, genshin ages are confusing most days (Ayato is older than her, and Ayaka may actually be older than her as well... ugh I need a moment please... I MAY BE THE SAME AGE AS HER. NO-)

5. Freminet used to also call Lyney "brother". What changed that, I'm not sure (and if I had a nickel...), but the thought of baby Freminet following around big bro Lyney and big sis Lynette makes my heart melt. Freminet actually cried after Lyney basically told him how important Fremi is to him, so whoever made Freminet think otherwise... 😡 they better square up because we ride at dawn

ok back to me gushing

THE BOSS FIGHT? IT WAS SO COOL! It was beautifully animated, and the fact that they added this at the end?

The fear on the traveler's eyes upon realization of what true power Arlecchino held was amazing imo. We canonically cannot defeat Arlecchino in her boss fight! She will be a weekly boss that we can defeat, but in actuality, we really cannot beat the number 4 of the Fatui Harbringers.

We now have actual proof that harbringers 1-4 are not within our capabilities to challenge, and to add to that horror, this is us fighting Arlecchino with Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet. This is also actual proof that we, the traveler, cannot defeat a ton of other characters as well! (were cooked if we never get a power boost and plot armor✌️)

Also let me sneak in this picture:

Cunty as fck. Powerpuff girls energy. They're the Heathers, and we, the traveler, are Veronica.

And finally, the last part of my commentary that cemented this quest as my top 1:

Everything Arlecchino has done for the House of the Hearth, it was all thanks to Clervie and her dreams.

Arlecchino has shaped the HotH into a more honest relationship between her as the father and them as her children. Everything Clervie hated about the old HotH is now nonexistent in this version.

The children could be set free.

Duels are not to death.

They will not be sent to their doom if they lose.

This is everything that Clervie dreamed of, and this is everything Clervie tragically never got to see and experience because she lost all hope.

Clervie's story ended in tragedy, but Peruere lived and breathed Clervie's dreams for her anyway. Seeing the aurora was the start of Peruere finding the goal of living Clervie's dream, and now, Arlecchino strives to do her best to see those dreams come to fruition.

And the qualities that Peruere admired in Clervie are the same qualities that made her want Lyney to become the next king. Hopeful, caring, protective, passionate, and full of conviction. Lyney will take the mantle and live and breathe for Clervie's and Peruere's dreams someday.

Honestly, I have more to say, but I think this is a good place to stop for now. The dynamics of all these characters have made this experience worthwhile, and I hope that genshin continues with this sort of style in the future. Here's to more amazing stories from genshin!

Bonus screenshot while we are still here:

#genshin spoilers #arlecchino #lyney #lynette #freminet #genshin 4.6 spoilers #tw: suicide mention #tw: abuse mention #tw: experimentation #tw: mentions of death #tw: mentions of abuse #you know what #I'll say it here in the tags #clervie wouldve loved mondstadt #she wanted to be a bard! her reaction to mond was so cute!

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nottoonedin · 2 months

Text

An ALNST Theory/Hypothesis/Over-analysis/Interpretation of events

AKA: Me slowly descending into madness over an animated web series-

(Btw this is mostly just for fun, don't take it too seriously lol)

(TW: Death, Blood)

Long post warning:

I assume we've all seen the newest posts that Vivinos has put out on their YT community tab (or wherever you get your ALNST updates), and the one that everyone is obviously talking about is the post titled <CURE>

And.. yeah, of course, just goes to show that Round 6 is just around the corner (I am screaming internally) and the attention is going to be focused on Ivan and Till, and how their story will progress (or end, depending on if someone's gonna die, which seems likely, unfortunately).

But the post that really caught my attention.. was this fucking post:

When I first saw it, in my mind I thought ''Haha, how cute and goofy! This is exactly how I saw their dynamic!'' and went on with my day.

But after thinking about it for a while, my brain decided to think up this wonderfully awful thought:

''What if Hyuna (unintentionally) had a hand in what happened to Hyun-woo?''

Now, at first, this sounds fucking crazy. The general consensus (from what I've seen) is that Luka killed Hyun-woo. But I do see some parallels between this post and the incident in Round 5 which might help explain what actually happened, but first:

Why I don't think Luka would have been able to kill Hyun-woo:

Luka is DEFINETELY not known for his muscles or strength, I mean look at him:

He's like a sickly Victorian child, not to mention his asthma, chronic migraines and heart disease. I don't believe Hyun-woo has any health problems (not that I know of anyways), so I feel Luka would have a hard time trying to push Hyun-woo over so he'd fall onto a rock. To put it simply, Hyun-woo could most likely beat Luka in a fight, unless someone interfered in some way...👀

Luka's ''fighting'' tactic:

With the parallels between The Trio doodle and Round 5, I've noticed there's a pattern with how Luka gets rids of his ''opponents'', be it on stage or outside of it (*cough* Hyun-woo *cough cough*).

He initiates the attack, it being mentally or physically depending on his opponent. He's subtle about it however, the only one being aware of his antagonism being the one he's antagonising, preserving his perfect, can-do-no-wrong persona.

2. Obviously, the opponent retaliates. But, of course, Luka expects this, it's what he wants, after all. He knows he'll be seen as the victim by onlookers. How could anyone hurt such a precious, weak, defenseless little guy??🥺🥺He doesn't even bother to fight back at all (may be too weak to).

3. A stronger force, seeing Luka in ''distress'', steps in and takes care of the attacker (the opponent), avenging Luka, who they see as the victim. He isn't the type to do it himself, letting others do his dirty work.

Now, let's apply this to the flashback in the All-In MV..

What may have happened to Hyun-woo:

Luka may have said something to Hyun-woo that deeply distressed/angered him, or perhaps Hyun-woo knew about what Luka did to Hyuna.

2. Angry, Hyun-woo attacks Luka.

(I'd also like to note that in this frame, Luka looks more like he's just had someone pulled off him, rather than he's just attacked and pushed someone over onto a rock.)

3. Hyuna finds Hyun-woo attacking Luka and, naturally seeing Luka as the victim, tries to break them apart (which would have been hard if Hyun-woo was super pissed). There's a struggle, and.. well...

Hyuna accidentally kills Hyun-woo, which doesn't bother Luka. Just means his opponent has been eliminated. As far as he's concerned, Luka wins.

Final Thoughts:

Does this theory leave a lot of questions? 100%. For example, if this theory was true, why would Hyuna be so angry at Luka? Does she later find out about his manipulative nature? How? On the stage perhaps? I find this unlikely, however, since I don't believe Hyuna ever went on stage and escaped beforehand, due to a post Vivinos made a while back:

Can this theory be easily debunked? Oh, ABSOLUTELY (I hope it is debunked in canon, to be honest lol). But it does give ideas for some angsty fanfics, I believe hehehe-

For real though, Alien Stage is all up to interpretation. Some questions may never be answered. It leaves room for different ideas, which is one thing I love about the series. <3

Thank you for reading my batshit little ramble/theory!! Hope ya'll have an awesome day/night!

#now back to my art #i don't usually do these types of posts/essays/whatever but twas fun #alien stage #alnst #alnst hyuna #alien stage hyuna #hyuna alnst #hyuna alien stage #luka alnst #alnst luka #alien stage luka #luka alien stage #alien stage hyun-woo #hyun-woo alnst #alnst hyun-woo #hyun-woo alien stage #toon talks

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sleepytwilight · 2 months

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I have a fun idea lmao

Imagine arcana twilight cast react to mc who's is an aggressive fighter lmao.

This remind me of that request about Bakugou Katsuki as Summoner.

𝔸𝕣𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕦𝕤

He did not expect for you to actual manage to kill the lizard monster with your bare hand.

Summoning him was a pure mistake because you already killed the monster-

You mistook Arcturus for a kidnapper and almost hit him but Arcturus knocked you out of self defense

Self defense is important kids-

Good thing he managed to calm you down when you arrived at academy

Trust me Arcturus supervised you almost everyday, please don't get into any fights-

And you got into fights.

At least you get rid of monsters-

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕒

My guy was disappointed in 69 languages-

Well at least he put a good use on your strength by letting you go to missions.

Please stop getting into fights though, Spica is considering his life decisions.

At least you get along with Queen Tet- Okay you need to stop kidnap Pollux just because he's look like he needed to he protected.

He get concern why you fight so aggressively so he put you into fighting lessons by Vega.

It works but it doesn't stop that habit of yours on biting people's ears.

Seriously why?

ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕦𝕩

He wonders why the hell you keep on kidnapping him everytime you lay your eyes on him then snuggled with him.

He's not complaining- he actually like being like this.

Okay he should complain when you bit off some students ears that made fun of him.

Jk he didn't complain and cheering you on until Arcturus came then he pretended he was about to stop you

Pollux wonder if he put you and Alpheratz in the same room, what will happen.

He did put you and Alpheratz in the same room to see what happens 💀

𝔸𝕝𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕫

Alpheratz didn't get pay enough for this, he was planning to live like a slacker because Spica seems don't assign him to babysit you.

Of course Pollux was the one who did it-

You keep on challenging Alpheratz into a fight, he doesn't want to and keep on ignoring you.

Well you get tired from yelling at him for a fight, he pulled you closed to him and you both take a nap

Pollux got detention from Spica for locking Alpheratz in a room

Alpheratz could easily escape though, he chose not too-

𝕊𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕦𝕤

He said something that instantly stop you from fighting.

The committee guide members are grateful but curious what the hell Sirius said to you.

We will never know-

Jk he promised to turn into your favorite animal, you really could use an animal support-

Anyway Sirius enjoy your unpredictable decision, seriously why did you punch a student nose then throw them out of window.

how???

He doesn't really care if the student die, less student, less problem they say

𝕍𝕖𝕘𝕒

He got Vietnam flashbacks

You guys were childhood friends, of course he know how to tame you.

Okay but he used to tried to copy you when he was little because he thought you're cool. You still cool but you need to stop fight people like boar.

He asked you what does it taste when you bit off someone ear, you never answer him-

Well he didn't like the way you fight, you need to learn more. You can't always depend on your fist and teeth.

He sometimes asked himself whether it's a good decision to let you use a sword.

At least you make missions easier and both of you can enjoy your little date.

#arcana twilight #arcana twilight sirius #arcana twilight mc #arcana twilight arcturus #arcana twilight alpheratz #arcana twilight pollux #arcana twilight vega #arcana twilight spica #artwi text #artw ask

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nexysworld · 1 year

Text

Guardian Angel 🖤 Part 3 🖤

Read on AO3 - Requests are Open - Masterlist

Read Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 4.1 | 4.2| 4.3

Chapter Summary: Reader gets put in time out for bad behavior while Leon teaches her the rules of what things are going to be like from now on.

🖤Pairing: Yandere!Leon/Fem!Reader

🖤Tags (not all apply to all chapters): NSFW, Masturbation, Dubcon, Sex, Gaslighting, canon typical horror and gore descriptions, probably eventual kidnapping or kidnapping like behavior, use of pet names like bunny. Leon induces some PTSD like flashbacks on purpose, general things of that nature. Unwanted creampie, etc. Probably treat as dead dove. Inappropriate use of animal collar.

As always this was inspired by @hxllfiredoll 's story Something Permanent. If you like Yandere!Leon please go give that a read along with @dollrxst's story Lovesick and @gigabyte-flare's story There's no Escape. Also wanted to add @lipglossanon because I love their work and you should too. While not explicitly yandere! it's adjacent and their works are awesome.

~♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡~

You fought hard. You really did, you scratched at his back, kicked, struggled. When the basement door was flung open you even grabbed hold of the doorway with all your strength, but your hands lost their purchase as he continued the descent down the stairs. In a last ditch effort to free yourself from him, you tried to swing your body to knock him off his balance, it didn’t work. Leon didn’t budge an inch and his hold on your didn’t ease up. Your eyes stung when you heard the flick of a switch and you were greeted with a terribly bright fluorescent lighting. You were dropped into a chair. You struggled again but he held your arm in place like nothing while he clamped something cold over it. He did the same to your other arm and leg until you were stuck in the chair by all four limbs. Leon stroked your cheek softly while you trembled against the cold chair. “This isn’t how I wanted this to go, Bunny. Really it’s not, you forced my hand, left me no choice. All you had to do was be a good girl.” “F-fuck you!” The words not coming out as harshly as you intended through your trembling, you at least chalked up the nerve to spit at him. Smack. Your vision became disoriented and your head flung to the side, a searing pain in your cheek. A bit of blood formed in your mouth where the skin of your cheek was cut on your teeth. That was the first time you saw true anger flashover Leon’s face for a brief moment. You watched him wipe the spit from his cheek before he disappeared somewhere. When he came back your heart sank and the giant syringe in his hand. It looked like nothing you’d ever seen before, even the needle was giant. You wiggled around in the chair as much as you could as he placed the needle against your neck. “Don’t fight it, it’ll hurt more if you’re wriggling around. If you sit still it’ll only hurt for a moment.” He held you by your hair and sunk the needle in your skin, it felt like being pierced by a pole, it hurt bad. You expected to feel the additional sting of medicine, but you didn’t, less than a few seconds later Leon pulled it out of your neck, he dabbed at the spot with a tissue and then rubbed the sore spot a little. “Wh-what was that?” You asked nervously. “A little tracker for my special girl. Brand new design too, gotta bring doughnuts to those lab geeks next time I’m at work.” He finished inspecting the injection spot before backing away. “Alright. Let’s start with lesson one; respect. And to help you with that, I brought a little toy.” He pulled something black out of his pocket, you couldn’t quite make out what it was until he began to place it around your neck. You heard an audible click. A collar? He moved for a moment to bring a chair to sit in front of you and plopped down. “Now, from now on you’re going to refer to me as Daddy or Sir. Though I’m partial to the first one, as long as you’re addressing me with respect, we’ll be okay. Are we understood?” You glared at him with all you could muster. “C’mon baby, I asked you a question. It’s not very respectful to leave me hanging is it?” Your lips remained sealed. If talking was what he wanted, you weren’t going to give it to him willingly, it was the only way you had to rebel now. You watched him let out a disappointed sigh. “I guess you are a slow learner. That’s okay, we have plenty of time.” He fished a small remote out of his pocket. “One last chance sweetheart.”

Silence. The scream you let out was feral. The pain radiated from your neck and shot tingling sensations throughout your entire body. You flopped within the constraints of the chair, if you had been standing it would’ve knocked you on your ass immediately. The sensation only lasted a second at most, but it was awful. A fucking shock collar?

“Do we feel like speaking now?” “Y-yes.” “Yes what?” “Yes Sir.” “That’s a good girl.” He said leaning forward to press his lips to yours gently. “See? Just gotta be a good girl f’me, alright?” “Why are you doing this to me?” You sobbed against his kisses. “Aww, my poor little Bunny. I’m not doing this to you, I’m doing this for you.” He said peppering your face with kisses, stroking the back of your head softly. “You need this. You need me. I’ll keep you safe sweetheart, you just gotta learn your lessons and be good.”

“Wh-what . . . what are you talking about you fucking psycho!” You watched him raise an eyebrow and lift the remote again. “Wait! Wait! No! I��m sorry - I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry Daddy.” You pleaded with him. “I just meant I don’t understand. Please explain to me, I’ll be good.” You watched him smile with approval.

~♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡~

You were trying his patience, you really were. His plan not going exactly how he imagined? That’s fine, stuff happens. But your defiance of him, spitting on him. He wasn’t thrilled with how he handled that. His hands were supposed to be for your love and comfort, but hey he’s human. If it had been anyone else he may have done worse, but he knew his little bunny wasn’t smart, didn’t think things through. It wasn’t your fault.

Leon leaned back in his chair and ran his eyes over you. “First, why don’t we get you out of that chair, hmm? I’m sure it’s not very comfy. Besides, look at you, naked, dirty, my cum drying on your thighs. Poor girl.” He hated how frightened you looked at him right now. Didn’t you understand? You didn’t need to fear him. He was here to protect you. You were his world. No worries, you’d understand soon. Leon got up and exited the basement gathering a bucket of warm soapy water, a washrag, and a towel before making his way back down. He gently scrubbed your body free of dirt and dried cum as best he could before dabbing you dry with a plush towel. He walked over to the other side of the large basement and flicked the light on. This was a very special project of his just for you. He made it using the metal parts from a broken down jail, the metal cage was in perfect condition. He’d set it up in the basement, except he padded the entire area including the poles. He wanted to make sure it could contain you, but that there’d be no way for you to hurt yourself, accidentally, or as a form of rebellion. Leon undid the locks from the chair and lifted you, holding you bridal style as he pressed a few kisses to your forehead softly. He carried you over to the cell and set you down before closing the cell door and locking it. “Consider this the Bad Girl Room.” He said with a smile. He saw you pout as a look of confusion formed on your face. “B-but I said I’d be a good girl.” “And that’s how you earn your place out of the Bad Girl Room. But right now? Right now you’ve been a very bad girl, trying to run away, spitting at me. That’s not very nice Bunny, especially after all I’ve done for you the past few days.” And there it was, a small look of guilt on your face. It made his heart soar. There’s his little Bunny, despite everything you were still in there, so sweet.

“P-please Leon, Sir . . . why are you doing this? If it’s because I asked to go home I’m sorry. I’ll stay the rest of the trip, just please let me out.” “Oh sweetheart, this is for your own good. Look at you, you’re a complete mess. You blabber about a man who doesn’t exist. You can’t remember simple things like packing pajamas or your phone. You even agreed to go on a last minute trip to the middle of nowhere with a man all alone. That doesn’t even include the million ways you leave yourself open for harm at home.” He sighed. “You simply cannot take care of yourself. That’s what I’m here for, baby. It’s okay to be crazy, I won’t let anything bad happen to you ever again.“

“Wait - no!” He watched you yank and grasp at the bars in a pathetically desperate attempt to escape as he began walking around the basement flicking off the lights, preparing to leave. “I want you to sit in there and think about your bad behavior and we’ll talk when I think you’ve earned it. Goodnight Bunny.” He said, flicking the last switch off, leaving you in total darkness.

Leon made his way back up the staircase and closed the basement door behind him. He stretched and rotated the shoulder he’d flung you over, it was his shooting arm after all and after years of recoil it definitely ached sometimes. Once he was satisfied with his joints popping, he ventured back upstairs and sifted through your bags. He collected all of the hygiene items, but everything else was tossed into the trash.

He took a moment to look at the messy sheets. His cock twitched in his pants when he remembered the look of ecstasy on your face while he was between your legs. The desperate whimpers. He wished more in this moment that you didn’t make him have to punish you, he would’ve loved round two, maybe some sweet morning love making. He groaned – that would have to wait for another time.

~♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡~

You had never been scared of the dark, at least not since you were a child, but there was a calm eeriness being in total darkness right now. Even when your eyes adjusted the area was pitch black. You found yourself backing up until you hit the plush wall of the cell and slid to the ground shivering in the corner.

You scratched at the collar around your neck, you spun it around until your hands felt the metal of what felt like a padlock. It wasn’t coming off. You adjusted it back to its original position and pulled your knees to your chest, wrapping your arms around them. Now all you were left with was your own thoughts. Leon had called you crazy. That’s what you’d assumed this whole time, but somehow hearing it come from his voice was like an arrow through the chest. He’d locked you down here, prevented you from leaving. He fucking shocked you. But, he had done a lot for you the past few days. . . maybe he was right?

No. No. No. Even if you are crazy, he’s a fucking psycho. You didn’t deserve this. This wasn’t normal behavior. This was scary. What did he even mean by ‘all the ways you left yourself open to harm at home?’

But what if this IS what you needed? You could barely keep your head on straight the last few days. If you hadn’t tried to make a daring run for it in his Jeep maybe you’d still be upstairs curled up in his strong arms, safe. Maybe if you hadn't spit on him –

What the hell is wrong with you for even considering that?

Your internal debate was interrupted by the scratching of a tree branch outside. The sound made you jump out of your skin. The moaning of the wind whirling by sounded awfully a lot like….he didn’t exist. That never happened. Stop thinking about it.

Your thoughts were going nowhere productive. You decided to close your eyes instead. Please, please just let me sleep. I don't want to be alone with my thoughts anymore.

You weren’t sure how long it took before your brain finally settled into unconsciousness, but it didn’t last long. The first image your brain conjured was of that awful night again. Derek bent over in the alleyway, the tentacles. This time the dream ended with Leon holding the gun, backing you up against the brick wall. “Baby what did I tell you about going out at night? You’ve been a very naughty girl.” He held the gun up to your head and pulled the trigger. You woke up with a scream, darkness still surrounding you. You couldn’t sleep. You couldn’t allow yourself to think. Instead, you sat there staring into nothing with unfocused eyes, disassociating from everything. Even the awful hunger pangs in your stomach were ignored in favor of the sweet nothingness. Sit in the corner. Lay on your stomach. Lay on your back. Sit in the corner. You repeated this for who knows how long.

Your eyes stung and your head swam. How long have you been down here? Lack of food, water, and sleep was slowly destroying your psyche if it was even intact to begin with. It started with seeing things flitting across your vision, things walking out of the corner of your eyes. You’d rub them and would be greeted with regular darkness again. As your body continued to weaken, so too did your mind. Lying on your back you swear you felt something tickle your cheeks. Whiskers. “Jasper?” You whispered. Jasper was your childhood cat, long since passed away. You’d recognize that orange tabby pattern anywhere, the white and orange fur making a heart on his forehead. You giggled and lifted your hand up to pet the soft fur. The cat rubbed against you and purred before seemingly disappearing under your touch.

That was the first time you cried since being in the cell. You missed Jasper.

Every now and then you’d feel soft fur brush against you, meowing in the distance, purring in your ears. You weren’t sure if you wanted it to go away or if it was comforting. Next came the man in the corner. His voice sounded a lot like Derek’s, but you couldn’t make out his face besides the glowing red eyes. He’d spit nasty words at you. “You already forgot about me? Whore.” You couldn’t reply as grief and guilt washed over you. You felt so weak. Were you going to die? At this point you hoped so. You didn’t want to feel anything anymore.

The first time you got a dose of reality was when the door clicked open. You thought that too was your imagination, until one of the basement lowlights flickered on. “Oh baby girl. You look terrible, did you even sleep these past few days?” Leon unlocked the padded cell doors and knelt in front of you, he tilted your chin so you would look up at him. He was scanning your face for a moment with a small look of concern before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Hey sweetheart. Did you think about your bad behavior?” He asked, voice so soft you almost couldn’t believe it came from the person who’d locked you down here. “Yes Daddy, I’m so sorry for being a bad girl.” Your voice was flat, and you wore a neutral expression. Speaking felt strange again, your throat was dry, lips cracked.

He kissed you again on the lips this time, you couldn’t help but press back into the affection softly. “Lift your arms up for me.” You did as you were told and he tugged a warm black sweatshirt over your arms and head. Then he helped you stand a little so you could get into the underwear and sweatpants he’d brought too. Clothing felt so good. So warm. He helped lead you from the cell, your legs wobbling like a newborn deer. He stopped for a moment. “Do you want daddy to carry you princess?” You nodded weakly as he lifted you up off the ground bridal style as he walked you up the stairs and out the basement door. You watched as those red eyes disappeared into the distance behind the both of you. You could swear you heard a soft meow before the door closed as well. You rubbed your eyes at the blast of sunlight coming through the windows. He sat down on the couch with you first, sitting on his lap and resting your head on his chest and shoulder. “Gonna brush your hair now, mkay? Then we’ll get you something to eat.” He brought the soft brush to your hair and started at the bottom, gently working the knots out as he went up. It felt relaxing, the bristles against your scalp, the sound of his breathing. It was nice to feel something soothing and real. Even Leon’s scent was familiar and comforting, even though it shouldn’t be. “I imagine you’re hungry? What do you want for breakfast hmm?” He asked, setting the brush down and continuing to massage your scalp with his fingers. It was such a normal question it felt so strange to hear. When was the last time you ate breakfast? You couldn’t remember. “Bunny, is it respectful to ignore me when I’m talking to you?” “Sorry.” “Sorry what?” “Sorry daddy.” “Good girl, now tell me what you want for breakfast, ok?” His hand moved from your scalp down to rub circles on your lower back. “Pancakes and eggs?” You dared to look up and meet his gaze. “I can manage some pancakes and eggs. Wait right here, okay?” He gently moved you off of his lap onto the couch. You hadn’t the energy to run, not that it mattered if you did. He returned quickly with what could only be described as an oversized sippy cup. “Gotta drink up princess, 3 days without water isn’t good for you.” You shakily brought it up to your lips and drank while he disappeared into the kitchen again. Water felt so good on the back of your throat, it was nearly euphoric, you downed the entirety of it as fast as the cup’s lid would allow.

Leon returned a while later lifting you up to carry you into the kitchen and plopping you down in a chair. He refilled the cup and set it in front of you before plating your food. He’d taken the liberty of pre-cutting your pancakes and had left you with a toddler’s spork. It was hard plastic, the kind that couldn’t easily be broken into something sharp.

~♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡🖤♡~

Leon watched you inspect the utensil with confusion. He reached over to tuck some hair behind your ear. “Gotta make sure you’re not going to hurt yourself. Eat up, I know you must be starving.” Despite your hollowed eyes and cracked lips, you still managed to be the most beautiful thing Leon had ever laid his eyes on, his beautiful girl. He’d missed you so much the past three days, but sometimes caring for someone meant tough love even if it was hard for yourself too, ya know? He began to eat his own food while he observed you. You brought the spork to your mouth and took a large bite of the pancake. He watched your eyes close with pleasure as you savored the first real bite of food in days. “Mmm. ‘S delicious Sir.” You said scarfing down the next bite, and the next. His heart swooned that you loved his cooking so much. “Hey, hey slow down now. Don’t want my little Bunny choking.” He said with a stern tone. He watched you freeze for a moment before slowly chewing the rest of your bite and swallowing. He could tell it was an internal battle to scarf the rest of it down or follow his instructions. “Rule number 2; always listen to me. Understand? I know what’s best for you. Now slow down when you eat, the food isn’t going anywhere.” He was pleased when you did as you were told, slowing down and continuing to eat until the plate was empty. Leon held your cup to your lips again to make sure you got more water. That’s right, silly bunny. Just listen to me. Once breakfast was over he helped you back up to the bedroom. “Now, I know you didn’t sleep much. I think it’s best if you take a nap alright?” He’d made some alterations to the room while you’d been in time out. Call it adult-baby proofing. All the corners were fitted with rubber, the window safety locked. The bed had one of those safety blankets on it, the kind that zipped to the bed so it couldn’t be taken off only adjusted slightly, like a sleeping bag. He didn’t know what your exact state of mind would be after time out, and he wasn’t going to take any chances with you hurting yourself. Leon ensured you were tucked neatly into the bed before he kissed your cheek. “Get some rest.”

“W-wait.” He saw your arm weakly reach out for him. He took your hand in his and kissed it.

“What is it?”

“I don’t wanna sleep. Bad dreams when I close my eyes. Monsters in the room.” Your eyes kept flicking behind him to the darkness of the open closet. He thought for a moment before turning and looking to where you were looking.

“There’s nothing over there baby.”

“There is, I can see it. The eyes, the red eyes. He was in the basement too.” He felt your hand tighten around his as your voice trembled.

Leon gave your hand a small squeeze in return before walking over to the closet door. He turned the light on and stepped into it. “Look, no monsters.” He waved his hand around inside the closet before stepping back out and closing the door. “Promise baby, I’ll protect you from anything, you just gotta get some sleep.”

He sighed when you shook your head again. He could tell it wasn’t defiance, but pure fear, so he’d let it slide this time. He heard you whimper as he left the room, going into the bathroom and unlocking the medicine cabinet. He pulled a small syringe from it and flicked the glass vial to make sure there were no air bubbles and held it behind his back as he walked over to you and sat on the side of the bed.

“You have to get some sleep.”

“But–”

“What’s rule number 2?”

“Always listen to you.”

“That’s right, such a good girl.” He leaned down to kiss you and when he did he stuck the needle into your arm before pulling away. You winced and slapped your hand over the mark. “It’s okay, shhh. Shhhh.” He brushed his hand against your forehead and peppered your face with kisses. “Sleep sweetheart, I’ll be right here. You’re safe. You’re safe with me.” He said while your heavy eyelids lost their fight to stay open. Soon your breathing evened out and he knew you were asleep.

#Leon Kennedy x Reader #yandere! leon kennedy #yandere leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #resident evil #re4r #re4r leon #leon s kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x you #leon kennedy x y/n #resident evil 4 #fanfiction #reader insert #female reader

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caramel1mochi · 5 months

Text

One Hazy Winter [Iso x F! Reader] [1]

[ Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 ]

Genre: Angst, fluff ‎

TW: Depression and implied suicidal thoughts (I swear it’s not all sad haha) ‎ ‎

Words: 4k ‎

Synopsis: One winter before his disappearance, you told your boyfriend Yu about a question you’ve had for so long; one even he could hardly respond to. It took many more hopeless winters for you to finally have your answer. ‎ ‎

NOTES: 'Tis the season! Ha, I rushed to get this out before Christmas was over. Christmas is still going, right? Happy holidays!! ‎ Anyway, this story is HEAVILY reliant on flashbacks and the past in general, so keep that in mind. Have a good read! ‎ ‎

。+❤ฺ·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ· +❤·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ·

Winter, one year ago.

‎

If there was one thing you loathed with every inch of your being, it would be the winter season. It was a season that was associated with only despair and heavily encouraged death. Both physically and mentally. The death of plants, the death of animals, the death of people, just death in general.

And you hated it. You hated the overwhelming feeling of melancholy that would loom over you whenever snow would fall.

Your arms rested on the ice cold metal railing that overlooked a mystifying lake, one that had gotten frozen over the past week. The thick sleeves of your hoodie blocked the freezing temperatures like dutiful guards surrounding a castle. This comfort, however, felt like a miniscule droplet in the ocean of despondency you felt.

A tired sigh escaped you. And like a furious dragon, a vapour of pure white billowed from your lips.

‎

“Disgusting.”

‎

You muttered under your breath whilst you looked at the ice. In the distance, you heard something crack, and it took you only a few seconds to spot where it was on the icy surface of the lake.

‎

“Look on the bright side, at least.”

‎

Yu, your boyfriend, piped up from your right. He rested on the railing just as you did, with his jacket protecting him. But his upright posture and bright purple eyes conveyed something you didn’t: joy.

‎

“Like what?”

‎

“Look around you, observe the snow.”

‎

He pointed to the blankets of snow that surrounded the forest around the bridge, each snowflake collectively gathered to envelop every tree your eyes laid on. Like a mother huddled with her children on a cold night. To him, the landscape looked like a stunning painting, one meticulously slaved over by an artist who desired perfection over all else.

‎

“Isn’t it breathtaking?”

‎

Maybe to him. But to you? All you saw were dead trees, shells of the beautiful bearers of fruit and life they once were. That wasn’t to mention the corpses of animals buried under the feet of snow he was so enamoured by.

You rested your head on your arms in silence.

‎

“It’s winter.”

‎

Two words. Curt, but enough to summarise the maelstrom of thoughts that roamed your mind.

And it’s not like he didn’t know, either. He did, which was why, despite his optimism, he also started dreading this season once you both started dating nearly five winters ago. Yu placed one hand on your shoulder, the wooden planks under him loudly creaking as he stepped closer to you. Then, he wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer, the warmth from his body counteracting the one from the railings.

‎

“I understand.”

‎

For a moment, that was all he could say.

‎

“But… Y/N, you shouldn’t think about them every single day.”

‎

You shut your eyes and took in a deep, slow breath, allowing the cold air to be warmed on the way to your lungs.

As much as he denied it, and as stiff as his face was, Yu was incredibly expressive. Whenever he’d try to conceal how he felt, his body language simply betrayed him at every turn. He meant well, both of you knew that. Especially you. But Yu wasn’t exactly the best when it came to dealing with things like… this.

‎

“It’s difficult to get over them, Yu. It feels impossible.”

‎

Since Yu’s hands were gloved the whole way here, the slightly cold temperature of it didn’t bother you as much once his fingers intertwined with yours. Add on to the fact your hands were in your pockets, the warmth immediately cooled him down as he began gently outlining the lines on your palm with his thumb.

You lost your parents in one hazy winter. And every one after that would be a depressing reminder of that fact.

‎

“Every winter, I ask myself why I should keep going.”

‎

He paused.

‎

“What’s waiting for us at the end? Some silly award for putting up with this?”

‎

“Don’t say that. There’s more to life than baseless questions like that.”

‎

The white tint of the snow was bright. So bright, it began piercing your eyes, and you were forced to close them for a hint of relief.

‎

“What do you think?”

‎

You flipped the question on him, your words cutting through his benevolence like acid through a rotting cadaver.

Silence settled for a moment. Between it and the blankets of snow that surrounded you, you could hear Yu’s very pulse echo with each passing second. That, and how his lips parted. But for a moment, no words left his mouth, and he stayed quiet.

‎

“I… I don’t know.” He turned away. “I’m sorry. I don’t think about things like this.”

‎

It figures, you thought. Nevertheless, he began outlining the lines on your palm all over again, and the sound of the shuffling in your pocket as he did this started to stick out to you.

A few rapid clicks caught your attention. And once you lifted your head, you noticed a peculiar sight.

A bird had landed on the lake’s icy surface. Though it was a few dozen feet away from you, somehow, It felt as if all the sound waves were channelled in one direction just to reach you, and you could see it with clarity that would rival a telescope. With each step, you heard a loud click. And each time it pecked at the ice under it, you heard a little pick that accompanied it.

You wanted to ask why there was a bird here. Around this time, they’d usually disappear and leave the grey sky more dreary and lifeless than it ever could be. So… why?

You diligently watched it stretch its stunning wings, shades of blue reflecting off of the sunlight and complementing each other. Somehow, it spawned various new shades on its wings. Like ballet dancers, the colours played off each other's movements gracefully.

You lifted a hand and pointed at the bird.

‎

“It looks just like you.”

‎

Yu stopped to get a glance at what you were looking at. Then, he chuckled.

‎

“You think every bird looks like me, Y/N.”

‎

“I...”

‎

Your words were interrupted once the bird’s feathers reached outwards. For a moment, it puffed and formed a fluffy ball of white, blue and black, before it rapidly shook its head and relaxed all over again.

‎

“There. Did you see that?”

‎

“See what?”

‎

“It puffed up.” You met his gaze. “It looked just like you whenever you’d wake up.”

‎

Even on the hottest days of summer, Yu would have at least three blankets wrapped around him whilst he slept. That wasn’t to mention how messy his hair would be whenever you had the pleasure of catching him in this way. Yu grinned, pulling you closer as you both watched the bird for a few seconds.

A few short-lived seconds, until it flew away and disappeared into the clouds, cutting the enjoyable moment short.

But before melancholy would dare set in once more, Yu immediately turned to meet your gaze, his purple eyes glimmering under the bright winter sky. Just like the bird’s wings, the colours mixed with each other in a captivating manner.

‎

“How about we go home and watch a movie? I’ll even make you hot chocolate. What do you say?”

‎

“Movie?”

‎

A moment of silence settled.

But just as Yu thought he failed in his endeavour to cheer you up, all of his doubts evaporate once he saw a smile form. The sensation of such a move, though weak, still felt foreign to your face.

‎

“Can we take the movie out of the equation?”

‎

…

‎

“Definitely.”

‎

Before another word could be uttered, he suddenly pulled you much closer, trapping you in a warm embrace. And you couldn’t help but grin at such an unexpected yet sweet move.

‎

“Yu, we’re in public.”

‎

“You don’t know how much I missed your smile, Y/N.”

‎

“Be reasonable. It couldn’t have been that long.”

‎

You said, your words muffled as he had your face pressed up against the inside of his jacket. Your arms were wrapped around him to allow the heat to pass on over to you.

‎

“It has.” He muttered. “Longer than you think.”

‎

The pleasant fragrance of lemons entered your nostrils. Familiar, especially since it was the only type of musk Yu ever sought after. Other than yours, of course.

‎

❤ฺ·。

Winter, present day.

‎

You hadn’t seen or spoken to Yu once the week after that conversation. He didn’t answer his phone, and, like you, none of his acquaintances knew where he went. Even with the police alerted, he was still legally considered missing.

On your way to work that dreadful morning, you’ve had your eyes stuck on your phone the whole time you walked down that repetitive path. You were calling Yu for the umpteenth time in hopes that he’d miraculously answer. But just as expected, your call was sent to voicemail again.

He was gone.

And you didn’t shed a tear. Not that you didn’t care, quite the contrary, in fact. You lost a ton of people. He was just another added to the list.

With a deep sigh, you pocketed your phone and looked up at the sky, a group of clouds concealing its previously blue colour thanks to the season. White and pale, just like bones.

‎

Your fingers wrapped around the cold golden handle. And with one swift push accompanied by a cheerful ding of the bell above you, you’d entered the café you worked at. The warmth hit you like a slap in the face once you’d fully entered the café. The boring music inside, and not to mention the decor you were borderline sick of seeing every day.

Your boss, Ying, and another one of your co-workers were chatting behind the counter. But your entrance immediately halted the conversation and shifted their attention towards you.

‎

“There you are! I was getting worried.”

‎

“Hi.”

‎

Ying earned a boring greeting from you. Just like every other day. And just as you turned back to the counter, you were suddenly pulled into a tight hug.

‎

“Y/N, how have you been? Here– would you like me to make you something?”

‎

She pulled away and held your shoulders in hopes of catching a change in your expression this time, but there was naught.

Ying, despite being your boss, had been treating you like her daughter for the longest time. And with Yu’s disappearance, her treatment was laced with worry and an overwhelming desire to tend to your needs. But every time, she’d earn the same response accompanied by the same vacant look on your face.

‎

“I’d like to clock in.”

‎

“Would you like to take the day off instead? Take a moment to catch yourself?”

‎

Though you had no circles under your eyes or any other noticeable blotches, she still noted the subtle gaunt look on your face. Pale, lifeless skin, and that wasn’t to mention the dull heaviness in your pitch black irises. A massive contrast to Yu, whose very presence brought life to any location lucky enough to bear his presence.

You shook your head.

A sigh escaped her and her gaze turned to the ground for a moment. Then, an idea popped up.

‎

“How about some passion fruit juice? We still have some in stock from yesterday.”

‎

Ying said with that kind smile as she looked back up at you. It almost widened to a full-blown grin once your lids slightly lifted at this random offer. Passion fruit was your favourite. And she remembered, even though you mentioned it offhandedly many winters ago.

You still shook your head.

‎

“I’m not too fond of the artificial flavour.” You held her wrists and put her hands down. “Thank you, nonetheless.”

‎

It took you only two seconds to walk away from Ying’s benevolent aura and move behind the counter where the sickening one lay. The very creaks of the floorboards and the ticking of the machines churned your stomach.

‎ ‎

“I’m leaving. You need any help in here?”

‎

Your co-worker exclaimed, earning the same response you gave Ying twice. And with that, he immediately tossed the towel on the counter and walked out, leaving your boss in the awkward position of asking the same question.

‎

“Y/N?”

‎

“I’ll be okay.”

‎

Juxtaposed to the loud slam emitted from the door once your co-worker left, as if to announce his departure, for Ying, it was a gentle woosh of the wind, followed by a click once she’d closed the wooden door. You didn’t even realise she left until you lazily glanced at the exit for a moment, then turned to the task at hand.

‎

You grabbed the towel and began wiping the counters. The hum of the refrigerators around you remained as the only thing that broke the heavy silence that encapsulated the small café.

Everyday was the same routine. Wake up, go to work, go home and wait for sleep. At this point, the only thing amiss today was Ying’s offer to make you passion fruit juice. A delightful offer, but the juice here was artificial sugar. If anyone would know that, it was you.

You jumped once you felt a hand on your shoulder, looking over to see Ying.

‎

“Oh, Ying, I– I assumed you left.”

‎

“No, I merely closed the door.”

‎

Your pupils dilated as you took in her soft features once more. But before you could allow this conversation to blossom, you turned away and continued wiping the counters.

‎

“Y/N, are you okay?”

‎

“What makes you think otherwise?”

‎

“Every day, you look more and more like a zombie. I… I cannot help but worry every second you’re not with me.”

‎

With a loud clunk, you set down one of the cups on the marble counter and stared at the wet towel in your hand, its temperature combining with the one around you to freeze your bare hand. But that didn’t matter to you. There was only one thing that caught your eye; its colour.

Purple.

A deep sigh escaped you, but you didn’t dare lift your chin to look at your boss.

‎

“When are we opening?”

‎

Ying held herself and watched you continue working.

‎

“Please, just speak to me. I fear the day you won’t walk through that door, and I feel as though it’s coming very soon.”

‎

“Enough with the fear mongering. I just don’t want to talk, okay? I don’t even want to look at you.”

‎

She opened her mouth, but the words were lodged in her throat. Clearly, though those words escaped you without second thought, Ying was still taken by surprise.

You needed to act fast.

‎

“Everything reminds me of them, Ying. And you remind me of him now. More than ever.”

‎

“I… I understand. What you’re going through is horrible, nobody deserves to experience anything like this. But, Y/N, please,” she cupped your cheeks in her hands, “I don’t want to lose you, too.”

‎

You were forced to look up at the tall woman to even meet her gaze. And that, you hated. You hated how her features somewhat matched Yu’s. The more you scrutinised her, the more similarities you found. Their nose, lips, their height, and the way their silky black hair framed their face. Hell, even their soft voices matched.

‎

“You haven’t eaten breakfast today, have you?”

‎

Her amiable voice suddenly took on an incredibly stern tone, one alien to someone like her. And to say you were caught off-guard would be a massive understatement.

‎

“Pardon?”

‎

“You’re pale. Your blood pressure is low.”

‎

“Pressure…?”

‎

You watched Ying immediately pull away and rush towards the fridge, a gust of cold air hitting you like a whip. On another note, it was winter. Why the hell was the fridge still on?

‎

“Ah, I meant sugar, Your blood sugar. We need to get you something to drink!”

‎

You eyed the passion fruit juice she took out of the fridge, golden fluid swirling inside in a hypnotising manner. And with a slam of the fridge’s door, its movements grew more rapid and dramatic. Then, you met her gaze with a vacant expression.

‎

“Ying, I’m fine.”

‎

"For the love of God, please accept some help and get your sugar back up. Just this once, at least!"

‎

She desperately held out the juice for you. And, although you were incredibly reluctant, you gave in and grabbed it from her.

‎

“Fine, but if I’m going to drink juice, I might as well make it myself.”

‎

Ying’s eyes bore into yours whilst you twisted the green plastic cap. Then, a particularly contagious smile lifted her pink lips. That statement must’ve evoked something within her.

‎

“Do you still remember how?”

‎

“What? Of course I do–”

‎

“Wonderful! Then I’ll take out everything you need.”

‎

She lit up and trotted over to a nearby counter, her large black ponytail swaying with each step. Ying immediately bent down and took out a few dusty slick grey boxes from inside, but your eyes were only focused on the dust that fell to the ground with every box she took out.

A mess you’d have to mop up.

Nevertheless, you took a sip and immediately grimaced at the unnatural flavour.

‎

“I bought a container of passion fruit yesterday, but I was afraid you’d be offended had I asked you to make some again.”

‎

"Why would I be offended by that?"

‎

With a huff and a loud thud, she slid out the blender’s box onto the ground. Then, she fixed her posture and grabbed it on both sides, ready to lift it.

‎

“I did not wish to pressure you into making this again. I understand your circumstances, however…” she lifted the box and set it on the counter, meeting your gaze with a smile, “your products are very addictive!”

‎

You took another sip in silence and set the drink next to the cash register, before moving to the fridge to take out the container of passion fruit.

‎

“Do you need any help with those?”

‎

You shook your head and took out a spoon and a bowl. It didn’t take long for her to catch on to what you were trying to do, clasping her hands together nervously.

‎

“Are you going to wash and scoop all those seeds? Alone?”

‎

“Are there people outside?”

‎

She glanced at the wooden double doors. If the massive windows on the walls weren’t enough, the doors allowed an even wider view of the sidewalk outside. Thankfully, the snow didn’t obscure much of her vision, either.

‎

“Ah… No, not quite. This morning is as idle as the others.”

‎

“Then I’ll do it.”

‎

She smiled and nodded.

‎

“I admire your patience.”

‎

That was all she said before she turned to unbox the blender. Thankfully, she let the silence in the air settle and allowed you to work alone. At this point, the conversation already grew exhausting enough. You couldn’t be bothered to say another word.

‎

❤ฺ·。

‎

Winter, three years ago.

‎

At first, it started out a chivalrous act.

One day, Yu, your co-worker at the time, randomly offered to escort you to and back from work with a peculiarly red set of cheeks. You said yes. Not that you needed the protection. And quite frankly, looking back, it was clearly a thin veiled attempt for him to get close to you; but you still entertained the offer and walked with him. It quickly became a day to day thing.

First, you’d see him by the gates every morning and head to the café.

Afterwards, once you both went back, you’d part ways at said gate. He’d go to the bus to return to his house, and you’d go up to your apartment. But after you started dating, he started sleeping over. Then, he began spending more time in your cramped home instead of his lavish abode.

Then… Well, to say he simply ‘took over’ would be an understatement.

‎

Once the both of you had arrived at the entrance that would lead to your dwelling, you took off the earbud and handed it back to Yu, promptly pushing the thick door to your apartment open. Back then, whenever you’d enter, the gust of air that enfolded you used to have a… melancholic feel to it.

Now, it was anything but.

‎

“Every day you visit, this place looks less and less like the house I live in.”

‎

You randomly commented, not bothering to glance at him as you spoke. An audible creak echoed through the small area. Then, with a loud flick, the lights switched open and allowed the comfort of familiarity to finally envelope each of you.

‎

“How do you mean?”

‎

“Look around. Look at what you’ve done to my home.”

‎

You haphazardly gestured around you whilst turning on more lights. And it was only after a moment of confused silence did he finally respond to your comment.

‎

“I’m not following.”

‎

You turned around, and both of your eyes bore into each others’. Judging by the blank expression he carried, he truly looked lost. So… you’d show him.

You held his hand and guided him down the entrance hall towards the living room, and pointed at the couch that faced the television mounted on the wall. Just looking at it proved your point, seeing how it was covered with blankets.

‎

“Two blankets,” you then pointed at the armchair on the corner where another one sat, “three,” the other armchair, “four,” the heaters, “and five.”

‎

You turned to face him with crossed arms.

‎

“And the three on my bed.”

‎

By the time you finished pointing everything out, both of you had stopped at the doorway that led to the corridor. He knew by the way you pursed your lips; you definitely weren’t done yet.

You took a deep inhale, finally taking in the air that lingered around you like a lovesick ex.

‎

“It smells like the inside of a lemon, as well.”

‎

Yu smiled politely once you had finalised your sentiment. Sure, your tone was dry, but he wasn’t insulted. In fact, judging by his upright posture, he seemed quite proud of how he unwittingly changed up the place.

‎

“I... hear you. On another note, it's been three years and I still haven’t gotten to the balcony yet.”

You raised an eyebrow. He just couldn’t be subtle even if his life depended on it.

‎

“I’m not giving you the keys to the balcony, Yu.”

‎

“Just a peek?”

‎

You turned away and began taking off the heavy jacket you wore, earning a particularly endearing huff from him. The shadows on the ground let you know he crossed his arms and turned his gaze away to the living room. Probably eyeing the blankets on the couch you pointed out just a few minutes ago.

He muttered something under his breath. But before you could ask him what it was, he immediately moved over to the couch. Huh. Your hypothesis was correct.

‎

Not paying him any mind, you began slipping off your boots and taking off the hair tie that started to give you a headache.

Then, your eyes widened once you heard a distant spray. You immediately turned around.

“Yu, we don’t need anymore–”

‎

The words were lodged in your throat once you realised he wasn’t spraying the room with his lemon mister again. He wasn’t doing that at all, no. Instead, he was misting the potted plant set in the corner of the living room. Holes lay in the edges of its dull leaves. And thanks to the weak sunlight that bled through the windows, you could see that the soil was dangerously dry, as well.

You stepped up solemnly, watching him mist it.

‎

“How long has it been since you last watered this?”

‎

Judging by the curious tone, you knew that he wasn’t mocking you. He just wasn’t as knowledgeable as you were when it came to plants. You nervously clenched your fists and turned your gaze away, eyes landing on the dark vinyl flooring.

‎

“I… must have forgotten about it.”

‎

Of course you did. It was a miracle you even slipped out of bed every morning, let alone take care of something like this.

A gentle pat on your shoulder snapped you out of your maelstrom of thoughts, and you hesitantly looked up to meet his gentle gaze.

“That’s okay. You were busy.” He chuckled. “It’s probably why the smell of lemons is so strong, right?”

‎

You playfully flicked his forehead with a vacant expression, before grabbing the mister from his hands and aiming it at the plant. That’s one incentive for you to take care of the plant, that’s for sure. Oh, but you’d never tell him that.

Nevertheless, you continued misting. And spraying water on it felt so… weird.

But also relieving.

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sarnai4 · 12 days

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Tai Lung Analysis

For the longest time, 3 animated villains remained my absolute favorites and among them was Tai Lung. Years later, he still impresses me. I feel like villains normally fall into certain categories. Two of these are dangerous and sympathetic villains. Of course, these can cross and that's why I enjoy him so much. Tai Lung is constantly acknowledged as a threat and for good reason. The movie sets up Shifu and Oogway as the best of the best, so how can the audience feel anything other than concern when even these two kung fu masters are dreading Tai Lung's escape? It's the first time when Shifu even seems almost scared. As soon as we see Tai Lung, we continue to get this sense of how dangerous he is. The guy has a prison of 1000 rhino guards for only himself. He has a shell trap on so that he can't even move a muscle (outside of his tail). We're not only shown how the characters feel about him but how they try to keep him from being any more of a danger. It perfectly complements the flashback where Tigress is telling Po what happened when Tai Lung went on a rampage. Then as soon as he does break out, we see it's all true. Despite spending 20 years completely immobilized, Tai Lung probably killed all 1000 guards effortlessly. Strategically, he left the goose alive so that he could have a messenger. He doesn't even need the element of surprise.

That escape was beautiful on its own, but then Tai Lung continues to prove how dangerous he is by taking out the Furious Five, making it painfully clear that he could have killed them if he wanted. Again, he wants to send a message to Shifu. These are his new pupils? They're the best he has? Let him remind his old master of the quality he used to breed.

It all leads to the fight with Shifu which ties into why Tai Lung is also a sympathetic villain. He's not just some final boss for Po to fight. He's got a troubled past as well. I don't condone what he did, but it makes sense. Tai Lung was abandoned as a baby and raised with one objective-becoming the dragon warrior. This was what Shifu wanted from him. This was the one way he knew he could make his father proud. It became Tai Lung's life mission to the point of it no longer just being something that Shifu wanted for him. Now, it's the only future he can see for himself. When he finds out he can't have it, where does that leave him? He's spent his entire life working for this. Why would his only family, Shifu, think he was worth the effort of caring for him if it's all been a waste of time? Clearly, Shifu doesn't think he matters anymore because he said nothing when Oogway crushed his dreams. Even though Shifu never stopped being proud and caring for him, through the eyes of a child towards a parent, that's what Tai Lung saw: abandonment again. Another family deemed him unworthy.

The love between Tai Lung and Shifu never really ended. When Shifu finally apologized for training him so hard to reach the goal he wanted Tai Lung to have, we can see that it touched his heart. He's gone down the point of no return now, but it meant something to him. That's why he pointed out how he only ever wanted to make Shifu proud of him. These wounds never healed. If they had, he would have gone in, killed Shifu, and taken the scroll. There would have been no need to admit his past desires of being someone Shifu could be proud of and there certainly would have been no need to delay the attack after the apology. Yet, those twenty years were spent making his body and pain stronger. It's why he loses the fight with Po.

I absolutely adore how they did the fight at the end. They didn't try to make it seem like Po could actually defeat Tai Lung. He lost. Plain and simple. Tai Lung knocked him deep into the ground and read the scroll like he wanted. He won...but he also lost. Tai Lung lost because he didn't have a Mr. Ping in his life who could offer that love to say that he was special with or without the world confirming this. When Po saw the scroll was empty, his dad helped him by pointing out the power we all have just by believing. He always wanted Po to feel special even if other people didn't think that. Po didn't need to earn his love, but Tai Lung thought he needed to earn it from Shifu. So, when the scroll is empty, it's a second blow to his life being wasted. Not only did he work so hard only to be passed up, his goal in life was getting to read a blank scroll. This is when Tai Lung breaks. He can't take it anymore. Nothing in his life has amounted to anything but pain and he's got nothing to show for it but enemies. He lashes out in rage and hurt, easily being defeated. As a poetically depressing moment, it's the move that Po indirectly learned from Shifu that defeats Tai Lung. Shifu was the main reason Tai Lung turned into the villain he became and he was practically the one to destroy him too. Sadly, I don't think this could have ended any other way. Tai Lung has been hurting for too long for him to consider forgiveness now. He doesn't want the apology, he wants what he's worked for and that just became meaningless to him. There's nothing left for him but to reap the consequences of having the legendary battle. The only question is, who is his worthy opponent? Po for using the finger hold? Shifu for building him up and breaking him down? Or himself for being so consumed by his pain that he allowed himself to become a monster? We can each answer that for ourselves and these questions are why I love Tai Lung as a villain and character so much.

#kung fu panda #Tai Lung #master shifu #Kung fu panda Shifu #Kung fu panda analysis #character analysis

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reesespeanutbutterfuck · 11 months

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imperfectionist (vinny hong x jo!reader)

jay jo's imperfectionist sister meets the flawful vinny hong.

part 3

part 2 | part 4

pairing: vinny hong x jo!fem!reader

part warnings: fem!reader, cursing, mentions of blood, descriptions of graphic violence, jo!reader, intelligent!reader, implications of academic pressure, second person's pov (you, you're, your), SPOILERS

___

It was Friday afternoon, you were free from your academic responsibilities—at least temporarily.

Jay was sitting on the dinner table while reading his textbooks again, and Kay was in front of the TV smothering Jack, the injured black cat he and Minu found astray, and decided to take in. He's watching a show about weird cat animations with a comical, eye-sorely bright art style again. You left Kay's bungeoppang at the countertop and dropped your keys on the table.

“Kay, stop watching that crap and come eat. It's dinner time.”

“It's not crap! It's art!” Your younger brother, Kay, peered at you from behind the sofa backrest.

You put your closed fist against the side your waist and frowned. “I'm surprised you haven't puked cats and rainbows yet. You always watch that show, why don't you watch horror films instead? Give me that remote, let's watch 'Saw'.”

“No! Weird-noona!" Kay withheld the remote behind him when you pretended to reach for it.

You displayed a sinister grin. “What? Gore films are educational.”

“Unbelievable! Jay's obsessed with bikes while you're obsessed with… everything!”

“And you're obsessed with watching weird shows!”

“Says the one who's not weird!”

Jay ignored your sibling banter and resumed studying, his eyes blaring at the words on the textbook under his glasses. You're sure he's not going to rest anytime soon. You sighed in hopelessness. You admit how you're quite a studyholic yourself, but you try to give yourself a short break every now and then—discreetly. That's part of the reason you chose to stay in an apartment rather than your family home.

You get flashbacks of those nights. After a long, draining day in school, you just want to do anything that doesn't involve having to bombard your head with information and reviewers. But then your mother enters your dim-lit room and catches you resting. That's when the constant “Why aren't you studying?”, “I don't want you slacking off”, “Make us proud, [Y/N].” ring in your ear.

At home, it felt as if taking a break was a crime. You hated how it felt to be watched. It was exhausting how you only matter when you're a high-achiever. It didn't feel like home. It felt like hell. Sometimes you only come home to make sure your brothers are still alive.

“It's the weekend. Shouldn't you at least take a break?” You lightly put your hand against the table and leaned down at Jay.

“I'm good. Thanks for worrying, but you're the one who should rest. You're left with Student Council work. And you tend to overwork yourself too.” Right. Jay got stripped off of his position of being the Student Council President. You shrugged it off.

Jay shot you a glance, until he remembered a question he's been wanting to ask you an hour ago. “So, why did you suggest Vinny?” He opened up the topic. “You've met him?”

You were a slightly taken aback by his question. Yes, but also no. “No. I don't even know him personally.”

Jay looked at you for a few seconds. He knows you're not telling him something, but he doesn't intend to be intrusive, you can tell him some other time. “...Okay. But why him?”

”I just can't think of another escape so my mouth moved by itself. And judging from Dom's protests, surely you won't really recruit him, right?”

Besides, from the way Vinny Hong was ready to meet his death and unremorsefully uttered the words "I'd rather die than pay a hospital bill" that was still fresh in your memory as the picture in your head of the pool of blood from the concrete he sat on that night, months ago, he needs help. But you weren't a savior—you wouldn't just cross the line and pretend you know everything about what he's going through in his life.

You checked your phone's inbox. You clicked the most recent unread message from a group chat made by Dom. Was it Dom? Or was it Minu? You backread the recent few messages. It's from Minu.

(Sent to Group Chat: Dom Kang, Yuna, Mia, Shelly…+others)

Minu Yoon: Guys, someone came to our school. He's Vinny's friend and he's asking for our help. I'll fill you in with the details later. brb walking with him rn

A friend of Vinny's? Speaking of the devil.

You were going to disregard the messages until Minu's name once again flashed on your most recent inboxes. This time it was a private message.

Minu Yoon: Hello, [Y/N]! Are you currently at your family home? If you are, please tell Jay I'll be out just for a moment. As we both know, your brother doesn't have a message app on his jurassic phone lol

[Y/N] Jo: i am at home right now, sure.

[Y/N] Jo: why are you with vinny's friend by the way?

Minu Yoon: We're trying to call him from outside of his house. I think no one's home. Sung's trying to contact him right now but his number's out of reach. We're here to talk to him to convince him to join the crew.

Then he sent a selfie of him with Vinny's bespectacled friend. He looked like a student about the same age as you, which was confirmed when you looked down on his chest pocket and saw Gunn High's logo. They're in front of a gate.

You purse your lips together, not knowing what to reply.

[Y/N] Jo: you considered it?

[Y/N] Jo: vinny joining your crew, i mean.

Minu Yoon: Yeah, no. Not really. Me and Vinny aren't exactly on good terms so as I've reacted earlier when you mentioned him, I wouldn't really have given it a thought. But as it turns out, Vinny needs us, too. His friend came all the way here just to ask us to help him. He needs to join the tournament along with a group. It's only a coincidence how you mentioned him earlier.

You asked him more about Vinny Hong, and apparently, the bespectacled guy, who you found out was called Sung, told him about Vinny's situation. Minu filled you in with the details. So Vinny needs the prize money… to aid his mother's immediate need of a liver surgery?

When you were done with your questions, you reminded him once again to come home.

[Y/N] Jo: come home immediately after.

Minu Yoon: Yes, ma'am :D

[Y/N] Jo: jay wouldn't lock the door. my parents are coming home tonight–

Your fingers halted from typing. Your parents are coming home tonight? Tonight… Aren't they on duty? You checked their schedule on the cork board.

Shit.

You didn't have the time to even send the message before you briskly ran inside your long untouched bedroom to bring Suki—your apartment roommate, your notes from the hospital training, and a change of clothes from your closet to pack inside of your bag. You didn't even bother changing from your school uniform anymore. You'll just change when you get back to the apartment. All that matters to you right now is to get out of there immediately.

“What's going on?” Jay curiously queried as he heard the sounds of your shuffling and rushed footsteps.

“It's getting dark outside. I gotta go back to the apartment. Suki's coming back from her hometown vacation tonight, too.”

You gathered your things and got your keys from the table.

Kay turned his head to you and aired a quick "goodbye" while also lightly waving Jack's paw to you.

"I’ll see you again, Jack. Make sure to be fully healed by then.” you petted the black cat's head before walking past the sofa.

Jay's eyes followed you as you marched your way to exit the front door. "You're not going to stay for the night?"

“No. Mom and Dad are coming home tonight.” You put your hand against the door-frame while looking down at your feet to put on your slip-on shoes. Jay immediately got what you meant.

“So what, if we're coming home tonight?” you halted your movements when you heard that arrogant, authoritative female voice.

It's as if the universe was testing you that the very person you're avoiding came to you. It's almost as if you were an animal for the wilderness that triggered their fight-or-flight instincts. You don't want to lie to people, but why is escaping them getting difficult?

"Mom." you cautiously stepped towards her and went in for a cheek-to-cheek kiss. “You're here.”

“My shift finished earlier than expected. Your dad's on his way home too. Where are you off to?” She held one of your arms and leaned back a little to look at you from head down.

You exhaled shakily. “Suki's coming home from Japan, but I have the key to the apartment so she can't enter unless I unlock the door.”

Suki actually has a spare key for your apartment door, you only lied—again, to your mom about it to run off as fast as you can. Suki can handle herself and come straight home after her plane lands. Besides, you already texted her earlier.

Her lip twitched, looking very unconvinced—hell were you not good with keeping up a lie, but instead of trying to pry, she blinked and averted her eyes inside the house, passively accepting your lie as a response.

“Very well. Send my regards to her.” Came her curt reply when she walked past you to come inside, clutching her chanel purse.

“Kids, where's Minu?” She looked ahead to Jay and Kay while taking her shoes off. Minu's living with your family after he ran away from his own home.

"He's left at school with the others.” Jay replied, before he glanced past Dr. Jo and simply waved goodbye to you.

You turned your back from the door to make your way out. The only thing that mattered to you is escaping, but it looks like your mother had something more to say.

“[Y/N].” You stopped your tracks without facing her, and side-eyed her from the front while your body was still facing ahead on the gate, “Mind your grades. I don't want you and your brothers falling behind anyone in all of your semesters this school year.”

You didn't reply, but you can feel her sharp stare drilling the back of your head. Your brothers inside the house can't hear what she's saying, because she only intended for only you to hear. She quieted down for a while, possibly waiting for your reply but getting nothing in return. Just when you thought she's done talking and you were about to continue walking, her last remark made your blood turmoil.

“One of these days, I'll introduce you to one of my work partners' also medicine practitioner sons. You'll marry to continue our family's line of Doctors of Medicine. You'll honor and represent our family. Set up a good impression on them from now on. Make me proud."

You gritted your teeth and clenched your fist as your eyes darkened in anger. With all of your might, you faced her and returned her sharp glare.

“I will never agree to what you want for my life, mother. You'll have to kill me before that happens. I'll even go against you, if I have to.”

With that, you ran off and loudly slammed the gate shut purposefully without giving her a chance to retort. You know you pissed her off and she'll be yelling at you anytime soon, so you left as soon as possible, not bothering to give her time to respond. Your blood boiled as you harshly adjusted your bag on your shoulder. Marriage? "Continue our family's line of Doctors of Medicine"? That's just bullshit, she didn't even ask my opinion!

You don't know where your feet are taking you anymore. You just wanted to go as far as you can from your house. The sky was already dark and the bustling atmosphere was still present, but now toned-down. Your eyes blurred in anger as you harshly stomped and accelerated the pace of your walking. Marriage… Marriage… I will never be ready for something like that. During your walk to god-knows-where, you find yourself in a deserted alley. And because of your preoccupation, you didn't even notice how a man found his way and crept behind you. His presence made you shudder.

“Hey, pretty girl. Are you from near here somewhere?” The male whispered to your left ear. “Drop your belongings and I won't hurt 'ya.” he wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

You immediately checked if he's armed. No weapons? That's suspicious.

“On second thought, you're kinda hot," he scanned you from head down. "...and your legs are long. How about… I let you go if you compensate with your body?”

Something inside you snapped, and the anger you felt earlier doubled. Fucking men and the way their fucking brain works.

You glared and looked down on him. “Get the fuck out of my way, hideous motherfucker.”

The man's sinister smile quickly vanishes as he takes offense at your words. “You sharp-tongued bitch!”

He raised his hand to smack you, but you expected his offense so you went in first and swung him a jaw-breaking punch.

“How dare you fucking touch me. I just came from a fucking stress room. You're raising my blood pressure and stress levels even more.”

You kicked his face continuously with the edge of your heel. You made sure the sharp edge hit his face hard. At that moment, your mind was out of the gutter, and you didn't intend to stop anytime.

“Agh! Whore! Crazy bitch!” he let out another muffled groan when you stepped on his face and put your weight on your feet. When he attempted to get up, you hit his face with your knee.

But little did you know that you missed the hooded man meticulously emerging from the dark, carrying a knife whose blade shone under the moonlight sneaking up behind you.

“Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?” You sadistically smirked down at the helpless man once again under your heel.

You looked around and saw a broken glass shard near his head. You bent down and scanned it, before you aimed at his neck. As you pull your hand back, recoiling slightly to charge before stabbing, you felt something sharp pierce your lower back. You didn't see what it was, but you felt how it drilled in your flesh and you didn't have time to react.

Fuck.

Now that, that hurts like a bitch.

***

#vinny hong #jay jo x reader #vinny hong x reader #jay jo #windbreaker

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adora-sword · 2 months

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I just finished watching the Avatar netflix adaptation and I have to say that all of you lied to me.

It was AMAZING

Spoilers ahead and yes, this is a long post. To summarize it: the scenarios, costumes and the cgi makes watching it worth it!

Yes, they changed a lot of things from the original but the substance was there and the important things were kept and don't evem make me start with how it felt like a cartoon and how Sokka is still the funiest guy ever written and how Aang is a compassionate child and how I love the fact that Katara not only talk about how the fire nation killed his mother and instead is a woman who chose to fight for their culture and family and friends and not just for rage (gotta love that change in her character)

Also she's a self taught but she also doesn't stop pointing the sexism in the north water tribe and that was just great! Also loved the fact that the scroll was a family heirloom and not something she found somewhere

I REALLY liked the little changes they made in Katara character. But still the substance from the original Katara is still there.

The only thing I found a little weird was that they made Suki an stalker lol I hope the girl can escape that island and meet the world soon.

And the other weird thing was that thing they made with June and the thing she had with Iroh lol but I was GLAD to see that Iroh wasn't a disgusting old man that like to touch women. Thank for that!

Overall I felt like they changed the characters a little to show them more like they are in the last book of atla, more mature in some ways but still children. And I really liked it.

Sokka wasn't a little sexist brat but still makes fun of her sister because she is a girl and mess with girls. But not because he has bad intentions but instead because he doesn’t know how to talk to girls his age! He's just a teenager who is learning to interact in a healthy way with the opposite gender.

And I'm not gonna talk about Zuko and Azula because they were PERFECT! I loved how they built Azula character as a villain and how they merged Zuko's personality from rage to compassion. LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THE FIRE NATION SIBLINGS!

I really hope that they make a season 2 because I loved to see how they added little hints and facts and part of the story of the others Avatars! A nice detail.

Ans also how they started with the past-past and not showed it by flashback. Loved the lineal narrative in the adaptation, because old fans can be patient ultil they eventually explain it, but people who never saw the original might not be interested if they don't understand the story and the implications of Aang's disappearance from the beginning.

AND DON'T MAKE ME START WITH KYOSHI TELLING THE INTRO! I LOVED THAT! I LOVED how they made the other Avatars have more protagonism!

AND THE FREAKING SOUNDTRACK?????? THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK???????

Honestly it kinda felt like the Book Fourth we never had. Like if it was the same show but with a little more fun facts added and I loved it.

Yes, they merged episodes and all that (but we still got the Tunel of love song!) But they make it work and it was a great job!

And the scenarios and costumes???? The designers were on FIRE. How they managed to make it JUST THE SAME as the original??? Only because of their work watching the show is SO WORTHY

AND THE CGI??? THE BENDING LOOKED SO REAL! The animators did an AMAZING job! Super great and natural! I loved every part of it!

#atla #atla netflix #atla live action #avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #avatar #avatar aang #katara #sokka #aang #zuko #azula #suki #long post

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kodaiki · 2 years

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the broken hearts club.

summary: who knew a mere crush on your high school best friend could be so destructive in the end?

pairing: iwaizumi hajime x fem!reader

wc: 3.6k

genre/cw: pining (seriously, severe one side pining), best friend!iwa, angst (no fluff), naive!reader, reader who doesn’t set boundaries, memory-style fic (lots of flashbacks n past tense), college!au, (mentioned)high school!au, ft. oikawa, mentions of makki & mattsun.

a/n: dedicated to bby @apricunts bc this has been in my drafts forever </3333

knock, knock, knock.

you rub at your eyes, whether it was to push the fatigue or still festering sadness, it’s not clear, as you tread from your bedroom in the direction of your apartment's front door. your feet pad quietly against the hardwood floors as your arms wrap around yourself from the chill summer night air coming in from the open window of your living room that you forgot to shut before heading to bed.

approaching the door with a perplexed expression, you raise slightly on your tiptoes to look through the peephole but it's too dark in the hall – you really need to talk to your landlord about that broken automatic light – to see who's there.

you pray it's not some sort of stalker or murderer knocking on your door, and decide to pull it open with a tired, “hello?”

it's after midnight, though, so who the hell is knocking on my door at this time?

maybe it's ms. kim from the apartment above yours who lost her cat again and she's wondering if she'd snuck into your place through the fire escape, an event that never actually happened but she claims to have.

it was an annoying instance at best, having the woman appear at the strangest hours of the day, whether it be midnight or at the crack of dawn, worrying about her cat. although, you did understand on a certain level, caring for an animal companion and being worried of their safety, ultimately you were usually bothered.

“y/n.” the deep, gravelly, familiar voice is what makes your eyes spring open and you snap your neck up to meet the eyes of the subject on the other side of the doorframe.

“what’re you doing here?” you ask coldly, demeanor immediately shifting as you bring your hand up to clasp the door and begin shutting it. “go home.”

“wait, no, y/n.” the man on the other side of the door, iwaizumi hajime, easily braces the impact of the door shutting on him by holding out his arm, one much stronger than yours, and preventing it from closing. “will you please hear me out?”

curse his strength, really, you can't help but think with an eye roll.

“what on earth makes you think i should?” your eyebrows furrow in frustration and the tiredness your mind and body feel don’t help your mood as you stare daggers at the frowning man.

you’re broken, you believe.

and you blame the man in front of you for it.

“i... i-” he’s at a loss for words, evident by his stammering. the flush of his cheeks – wait, did he run here? nevermind, that doesn’t matter– deepens as he struggles to find the words.

but you don’t let him.

“how many times are you going to put me through this, huh?” you ask, humorless chuckle bubbling in your throat. “you want me one day, the next i’m a friend and and until now, i’m a stranger you couldn’t care less about. pick a damn dynamic and stop playing with me, iwaizumi.”

you’re exhausted at this point. tired of the game iwaizumi has you playing. though, it not very fair when he’s the one playing you.

it's a cat and wand game, you think. iwaizumi’s the one holding wand, dangling the fun colored stick with feather and beads hanging off it in front of you as you try to grasp at it; but you’re never able to, since iwaizumi pulls the wand out of sight before you have the chance.

that’s how your … relationship? friendship? that’s how whatever the hell you had was.

it wasn’t a secret that you had a thing for the guy — your mutual friend, oikawa liked to call it a lot more than a thing, sometimes chanting that you were indeed in love with his best friend to which you'd quickly yelp for him to shut up in case he heard him.

but the truth is, you could never have iwaizumi.

that much he made obvious.

you started off as friends, you recall, meeting in high school and living on the same block. when your mother met his, as embarrassing as it is to say, he was coerced into walking to you home in fear for your safety when you had after school clubs that ended rather late.

and iwaizumi always obliged. because he was a good guy.

fast forward to your last year of high school, and meanwhile your friendship developed into a best friendship, you’d also developed quite the crush on the guy. and ... well, it was sorta obvious; your cheeks were always flushed around him and you smiled more than anyone ever saw at school.

he never voiced it if he noticed, though. sometimes during high school, you wondered if iwaizumi himself were so oblivious to your feelings but where you stand now, you believe he simply ignored your feelings.

that didn’t stop him from indulging it though, did it?

he bought you lunch, invited you over to his house with oikawa or his other friends from the volleyball team that were in your year. he made you part of his group; it was out of mere convenience: the formation of a friendship solely because it was so easy to.

"hey doofus," he'd greeted, approaching you at lunch, while you picked at the jello cup you'd bought from a vending machine since you inconveniently forgot your bento at home. "have some of mine."

he plops half a sandwich onto a napkin in front of you before sliding into the cafeteria seat across from yours.

"thanks," you'd murmured, hiding the flush of your cheeks as you stared down at his offering.

"do i need to start packing an extra bento for you now?" iwaizumi asked, amused tone filling his voice, and he leaned forward to ruffle the hair atop your head. "i think this is the second time this month."

"shut up!" you fired back as he laughed at your forgetfulness. still, the gesture warmed your heart, evident by the darkness of your cheeks.

it meant much more to you than it meant to him, you conclude, looking back at the smiles you shared in those hangouts with a bitter taste in your mouth.

things started to change when your friends, other girls from your class or clubs, became involved. iwaizumi – and oikawa, since he was sort of a celebrity at your school – were suddenly in your own personal friendships. you believed it was for the latter’s sake and your friends, who had an utter crush on the man as every other girl at your school did. but now thinking back at it, the former had a hand in that, too.

iwaizumi dated your closest friend at the time. funnily enough, she was the only friend you'd blatantly told about your crush on iwaizumi, something she claimed to have supported and shipped with her whole heart.

so to hear about their relationship maybe a month later? stung to say the least.

she'd said he confessed to her, something iwaizumi later confirmed, and admitted that amidst your own rambling about the spiker, she'd developed a crush as well and couldn't say no.

you think that was the first time iwaizumi unknowingly broke your heart. of course, your close friend did, too, and you chose to break off the friendship, something which she unsurprisingly didn't mind since she got what she wanted in the end. so why couldn't you let go of iwaizumi? well, it wasn't his fault he had feelings for someone else.

you blamed yourself for your own sadness, however, scolding yourself that you never came clean about your feelings for him so how was he supposed to know? additionally, you were the one who didn't want to tell him in the first place in fear of ruining your friendship if your feelings weren't reciprocated.

when they began dating, you were no longer prominent in his mind. to put it bluntly, he forgot about you. you were left at the school doors receiving texts that he’d already left to walk your friend home, apologizing with some sad emoticon as if he truly cared. no longer were you invited to hang out like you used to, maybe seeing him in passing in the hallways at school and greeting each other with distant waves.

when he did see you in school for more than a few seconds though, maybe in between classes on a break that he wasn't spending with her or when she was busy, all he could do was talk about her.

"y/n, you don't even get it, she's like, the best," he'd gushed one day as he scribbled down notes for your upcoming anatomy exam.

"yeah?" you muse rather dryly, attempting to zone out during these sorts of comments. it's not exactly easy hearing the guy you like talk about the girl he's dating, so ignoring it was the next best option.

"definitely, she made me brownies last week? i think i finished them in a day. god, she's a great baker. did i mention her parents own a bakery? we go there after school all the time and ..."

and he went on and on, unaware of the frown on your face when he's not looking, nor the forced smile when he happened to meet your gaze with his.

but they eventually broke up ... and dynamics changed again.

suddenly, iwaizumi was back in your life, sitting next to you at lunch, exchanging words as if no time had passed.

and stupidly, you forgave whatever feelings he’d caused you. because he was a good guy! he didn’t actually mean to hurt you, he probably didn’t even know!

he was more forward than ever before, even breaching the line of flirting with you. your hangouts weren’t explicitly called dates but they sure as hell felt like it: the charming smiles your way, the smooth words about how pretty you were, the brushing of hands when walking beside each other, it was too much to debate…

"your hair is up today," iwaizumi'd observed, looking over at you for more than a glance as you walked down the familiar streets leading to your neighborhood.

"yeah, the weather's too warm to keep it down."

"it's nice, i like it."

five simple words, just five words, and they made your stomach do somersaults. you started wearing your hair up more often, with the mere hope that your friend may have commented (maybe complimented) again about it.

soon enough, he was initiating the skinship with you, tucking hair behind your ear when it fell while you did homework together. he grasped your hand when you were walking too slow for him on your way to or back from school. it became so normal that before you knew it, you didn't realize it was almost couple behavior. well, not until that talk.

"you haven't kissed anyone?" iwaizumi had gaped, sitting up from his relaxed position on your bed as he scrolled on his phone.

you'd been sitting at your desk, working on a project while iwaizumi kept you company, throwing off ideas for suggestions.

"nope," you answered embarrassedly, cheeks flaring at the fact. you were in your last year of high school, surely it should've happened by now. well, it's tough when the guy you want to kiss is only your closest guy friend and you're too afraid to ruin the friendship. "you must know that, what other guys do i hang out with?"

"my teammates," he said bluntly with a shrug.

"you think i'm snogging with oikawa or something?" you couldn't help but laugh at the disgusted expression of his face.

"no! i dunno ... maybe makki or mattsun."

"no way." your laughter fell to a giggle. "it is sorta embarrassing though."

"not really."

"is, too!" you spun on your chair to face him. "imagine how embarrassing it'll be in college and someone asks me about my first kiss and i'll have to say it hasn't happened yet!"

"doesn't matter," iwaizumi shakes his head. "first kisses don't really mean much."

"really?" you murmur, frown forming on your face. "i want my first kiss to mean something."

"you're so sappy." he rolls his eyes. "but i mean nobody cares about first kisses. you can lie if anything and just say you kissed someone in high school.

"haji, you know i'm a bad liar."

"fair enough." he takes a long sigh and glances around your room. "kiss me then."

you did a double-take at that, first instinct saying you misheard him and you sputter, "w-what did you say?"

he shrugs, ignoring your horrified expression. "kiss me then, get it over with so you can tell your future boyfriend that you did have your first kiss and it won't be so embarrassing."

"that's not funny," you huff, looking away from him as a pout forms on your face.

"i'm not joking!" he laughs. "it's just an offer, you can reject it if you want."

you pause at that, peeking over at him through your periphery, and noticing his truthful, yet all the same nonchalant expression, you seriously think about it.

oh, how wrong of a choice this was.

having your first kiss be your best friend friend you have feelings for meanwhile he believes he'd just do you a favor saving you from embarrassment.

"you'd do that?"

"i'm your best friend, ain't i?"

you should've say no, you really should've.

"okay."

you remember his lips were soft, melding against yours and guiding you through most of it due to your lack of experience. and damn, was he a good kisser. you expected a mere peck, something that lasted maybe a few seconds, not the make out session it turned out to be that lasted minutes. by the time you separated, you'd both had flushed cheeks and swollen lips, laughing afterward about the bizarreness of it all.

alas, you fell harder than before. the crush grew into a deeper emotion, maybe grazing the concept of love, but you never got to explore that feeling further with him.

iwaizumi got another girlfriend.

the second heartbreak, all by the doing from the same man as the first. surely, you looked too deeply into things? you were reaching for signs that he liked you back and it was actually truly platonic everything he was doing and saying before?

you felt like an idiot.

once more, your lunch table was left with you at it, maybe some friends from your classes, but no iwaizumi. your walks were lonely again as were the shared chat messages with him, having days or weeks pass before a new text chain.

you remember calling yourself stupid while hot, angry tears rolled down your cheeks. yourself! you blamed yourself for the heartache you felt.

you barely remember their relationship, facing iwaizumi's avoidance once again, but this time ten-fold. maybe you also played a role in avoiding him, too, far too afraid to face him while he looked so lovesick; too afraid you'd simply burst into tears.

you all soon graduate. iwaizumi decided to go abroad to the united states, a decision not agreed with by his girlfriend, leading to their inevitable breakup.

a few days into the first semester of your college experiences, iwaizumi texted you.

9:12 A.M. [hajime :3] hey y/n 9:12 A.M. [you] why aren't u asleep? isn't it like 1am there? 9:14 A.M. [hajime :3] couldn't sleep 9:15 A.M. [hajime :3] i miss u :(

here we go again …

you struggle with the long distance friendship only slightly, your biggest enemy being the time difference. but voice memos and scheduled texts are a best friend in those times of need. you wake to sweet morning messages from your former friend, recalling his day and wishing you a better one.

you don’t remember how you were so willingly open to begin a friendship with iwaizumi again, let alone while he’s in another country.

maybe he’d come to his senses?

no.

iwaizumi hajime was afraid of being alone. he’d keep anyone around to just to keep that from happening. so when he went abroad to a new place with no one he knew, it’s only obvious he’d reach out to you, the girl too naive to say no to him.

in november, he ghosts you.

you receive no messages, no facetime calls, nothing. it was as if he disappeared. you were worried for him at first, unsure if he lost or broke his phone. until you see his instagram story as see he’s been hanging out with a new group of people.

oh, so once again, he found his new home of a friend group, becoming comfortable in the new country he was a adjusting to.

it was that moment when you realized you were a filler person. the buffer between his phases, his friends, his girlfriends. his team was his core, he couldn't take them for granted and return when he wanted to, he simply couldn't do that. you though, someone who looked at him like he hand placed all the stars in the galaxy, he could.

during his times of loneliness, needing any distraction, you were it. the distraction; the temporary fix while he healed or was in search for someone new.

no tears spill over your cheeks when you come to the realization. your eyes, brimmed with tears as you stare in fury at that damn group picture with him and strangers you decide you loathe for no good reason, redden as you suck it up and refuse to let them fall.

iwaizumi returns to japan for summer break, expecting to reunite with his old best friends and have the summer of his life before returning back to school for the fall semester.

just a few weeks earlier, oikawa had texted you about a group dinner they (they being him with the addition of matsukawa and hanamaki) were going to in reuniting with their old teammate and friend.

given all that’s happened, you pass on the offer.

“huh?” oikawa had sounded into the phone when he calls you in confusion at your response. if anything, he’d think you’d be the most excited for iwaizumi to come home.

“tell him welcome home from me,” you mumbled out, promptly ending the call with no explanation. no 'i'm busy,' no 'aw i'm sorry i can't make it!'

just 'no thanks.'

oikawa isn’t stupid, though. he quickly pieced your past the best he could from being a third person party looking in on you and iwaizumi's friendship, in addition to your tired tone. you’d gone through enough, so he really doesn't blame you. therefore, he doesn't beg or try to talk you into going, that'd just be unfair to you.

that dinner was tonight, the night you had no plans filling your evening, deciding to stay home at your college apartment, enjoying your own independence away from your family's home.

you saw the posts your friends, his fellow old teammates, had made, welcoming iwaizumi back home on their instagram stories, so the reminder just made you sad all over again; so sad that a man, a boy, could throw your heart for such a whirlwind, shredding your idea of love in your own mind.

iwaizumi, who's staring at his shoes quietly, finally breaks the silence with a small, "i'm sorry."

you can't help but scoff at that. "sorry? you're sorry?" you laugh again. "iwaizumi, go home." the name still feels foreign on your tongue, having been used to calling him by his first name for most of your friendship.

he looks up, panicked eyes boring into yours. "i didn't mean to hurt you! i swear, i was dumb and stupid a-and-"

"but you did," you cut him off and your tone has dropped considerably. you're exhausted. "goodbye, now. enjoy your summer."

"y/n, please!" he pleads exasperatedly, lurching forward in attempt to enter your apartment but your hand across the doorframe gives him a sign he's better off not.

you've never confronted him like this about your feelings. and maybe that was your fault for allowing yourself to be strung along this far. but at least you're holding your ground now.

"i tried going home, but god, the feeling of not seeing you at dinner. i just, i need you to-"

"to what?" your brows furrow deeper, anger seeping back into your body. "you need me to what? forgive you? call you hajime and pretend like you didn't break my heart countless times? get over it, iwaizumi. it's over. whatever this is, it's done."

"y/n," he trails off, shoulders falling into a slouch as his eyes widen in fear.

"you hurt me." your words cut through him like a knife, nothing but defensiveness and hurt lacing your tone. you ignore the wobble of your lower lip as you speak and push back the burning behind your eyes. "i loved you and you hurt me."

iwaizumi's face pales and he opened his mouth, though nothing comes out. you nod to yourself, reading his guilty expression.

"so go home and forget about me. it shouldn't be so hard since you've done it a few times already. good night." you take advantage of iwaizumi's frozen state, caught up in his own mind as he wracks his head for something to say, closing the door in front of him with a satisfying the thud. it'd be more satisfying if you were to slam it, but given you're a respectful tenant, aware of your neighbors and what time it is, a polite door shut is enough.

and as you walk back to your bedroom, shoulders shaking from the sobs you've kept in all night, all you can think is:

you wish it were ms. kim nagging about her damn cat that was at the other side of the door.

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blackwolfstabs · 6 months

Text

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 27

ATTACKED

Continuation of day 17: THE CATCH → for greysandmarvelfan & mlgx on AO3

WARNING!!! contains rape/non-consensual elements. (yes, i live for angst and venting what fucks with me through my writing, this isn't new, and we should shut up and move on ok? k great)

“Holy shit, it’s that psycho girl!”

“That’s her?”

Overlapping comments and laughter burned Sam’s ears as she led the way out of the frat party. Her heart still thumped like it never broke from its adrenaline-induced fit that had come with beating the ever-loving shit out of Frankie. She could feel the eyes of the partygoers studying her like she was a feral, stray dog being walked out of civilization by Animal Control. No matter how close the voices to her were or how deep each word was, Tara’s desperate voice overpowered them all. It was her voice blending in and out of another voice that was even more familiar… her own.

And the thought of what could’ve been with one and what was with the other made her entire being run hot. Very hot, the touch on her back letting her know she was backed by the Meeks-Martin twins actually feeling cool.

She broke out of orange and purple lighting into the crisp outdoors. Moonlight was considered fraud amongst the lively streets of New York, but she didn’t need any source of it to find her way to her baby sister.

She should’ve known better. She should’ve known that Tara would go to the OKB party anyway. She was impulsive and sick of being chained to the apartment, outside of going to her college classes. Sam had begged her—begged her—not to go.

And Sam never begged. Only for Tara, did she ever.

This was why. She couldn’t trust anyone, especially after Richie’s betrayal and her secret about being Billy Loomis’ daughter getting out. Either she was the wolf in sheep’s clothing or someone else was. She thought Tara would feel the same, having her own best friend for years betraying her over the orchestration of a fucking requel. If that didn’t destroy Tara’s trust, what would?

But it didn’t matter. Tara was nearly raped at that party, and as much as it was her own fault for getting herself into that situation, Sam took just as much blame. Had she not been in therapy, Tara would’ve never had the chance to make it out the door of their apartment.

There wasn’t much of a breeze to tame the invisible fire burning beneath her skin as she followed Chad, who’d passed her and his sister up with his longer strides. It was then that she started running.

She couldn’t get Tara’s voice out of her head, and every time she replayed it, her vision turned everything in sight into a more distinct shade of red. Until it was blood red. Like the blood that painted Frankie’s face. Like the blood left on her hands. Like the blood still smeared on her lips. Like the blood lingering at the back of her throat.

Like the blood that was once shed in a similar situation, at a similar time, but with an opposite outcome.

Having Tara scream her name, be trapped beneath a repulsive human being, and barely escaping what would’ve become another tragedy she’d have to recover from was only half of the battle that nearly had Samantha losing it all.

She should’ve known better.

Because when she was 20, she had been exactly where Tara had been…

—

(flashback / Sam's past inspired by Tanto Amor: Chapter 62 (14:58 - 17:16))

She hadn’t wanted to get caught up in any of this. She’d been a rebel, on the run, and so good at getting herself in and out of suspicious situations, anyone could code her Houdini. But she did not favor Halloween in the slightest. She didn’t like the idea of people hiding themselves behind masks, costumes, and hours of make-up, so no one knew who they were. They all became characters rather than real-life identities, and with that advantage, came a thousand things they could get away with.

All it took were 2 girls who’d befriended her for a few days. They’d begged her to come to this stupid party. They told her she didn’t have to dress up, just come for a good time that would allow her to cut loose. She cut loose more than she let on but always did it on her own terms. No one was going to bark orders at her like her mother had done. No one was going to pin her down and handle her however they pleased.

Until someone did…

And those 2 girls she thought would look out for her didn’t. They didn’t care. They just knew her standoffish personality and impressive beauty would model a perfect bone for a dog to go chase.

She wound up in the garage, encouraged to go fetch more drinks. And she did it for the sole reason that she could get away from the noise and crowd for a moment. What she didn’t know was that doing so would curse this night into becoming the 2nd worst night of her life, after the night her father walked out on everything their family once had all because of what she did.

She leaned against a long, wooden shelf that was bolted against the wall, holding her head with her fingertips on either side of her temples. Having a drink on a mostly-empty stomach was a stupid mistake, even if she had only taken a few sips. She applied pressure, trying to ease the throbbing pain if she could.

She just wanted to go home, wherever the hell home was going to be for the night.

Behind her, the door opened, making her pick up her head to look over her shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat. She knew it was a man. He was in all black with the exception of a clown mask covering his entire face. It was white, a tri-brid of yellow, blue, and red paint distinguishing different designs as facial features. Complimenting that were three red horns coming out either side of his face and one at the top of his head.

He stared at her the whole time, keeping her eyes that did the same. He shut the door and locked it, leaving her to drop her gaze to confirm before looking back up.

Sam instantly felt sick to her stomach, the worst feeling imaginable flooding through her just by laying eyes on him. And it wasn’t because he was in a haunting clown mask. It screamed at her to run, even though there was nowhere to run. As much as she wanted to look away in order to find some form of defense, she couldn’t. Her heart seemed to thump her chest hollow as he began to slowly walk towards her.

She bit back a whimper and replaced it with, “What are you doing?”

He didn’t say a word, just kept coming towards her. That was all she needed to know to figure if she was going to get out, she wasn’t giving him a second chance to speak. He looked hungry for lust. She was young, but she’d been around long enough to know that look anywhere.

She tried to move aside to walk around him, but he did the same and blocked her. She moved the other way, and so did he. So, she did what her instincts were telling her to do. She tried to run.

But he caught her, grabbing her arms and pulling her in, earning a yelp.

Sam felt one arm wrap around her waist, while the other lassoed her shoulder blades, making her grab onto him to get a grip on her stability. But that only lasted for a fleeting second, for he was trying to knock her off balance.

This was when full-blown panic set in, and her rationality was no longer her own. “No! Stop!” She retreated her arm that gripped his shoulder to push away from him. But it was to no avail.

And still, he said nothing, just fought with her.

“Stop it!” She felt his hold grow stronger around her thrashing. “No-ho!”

Yet, no matter what she did, he handled it better, leaving her struggling whines and whimpers echoing off the walls of the garage.

“No, no!” She began to cry without even realizing it, gripping onto his clothes to avoid falling but still resisting him, nonetheless.

He caught her around the waist, low enough to tilt her at an angle she had to submit to. The grip he held on her arm was promised to leave a bruise as he lowered her to the ground.

Carpenter tried to brace herself in protest, but she couldn’t, which left her spitting out the only words that she could even process. “Please! No, noooo!” her voice pitched into a squeal as he got her pinned on the floor.

He straddled her churning legs in the process, leaving him battling for control of her arms.

The burning in her chest and inescapable hurricane running her auto-pilot a million miles per second kept her from putting up the fight she might’ve been able to with a leveled head. She tried to push against him, realizing he was trying to get her wrists above her head. Tears fell from her eyes as she begged him, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, please…” Her muscles burned out, leaving him to have his way, yet again. “Ple-hease! Don’t do this!”

But he couldn’t care less. He just wanted what he wanted, still refusing to say a word or spare any hint of vocalization. With her wrists secured in one hand, he began to feel down her flank, squeezing at the curve in her hips and filing his fingers to her beltline, where he found the button to her jeans.

“No, no— No-hoo! Nooo!” She tried to buck, to kick, to twist. Nothing worked. “Let me go-hoo!” There was only one other hope she had left. “Heeelp! Help me, pleee-hease!” She knew they were people by the garage door and outside too. Someone had to hear her…

Right?

The man had gotten her jeans undone and moved to clutch the collar of her shirt, trying to tug it down, but not missing the chance to rub his hand against her breast in the process.

This just made her panic even more. “Somebody, please!” she cried, “He-heelp!” She pulled her knee up to make another attempt at kneeing him off. “Get o-hoff of me— Nooo!” By now, she was beginning to sob, which made her words struggle to come out clearly. Her next attempt to shout was replaced by a desperate cry. Even with her arms pinned, she still tried to pull them down.

But then he stopped feeling up and down her body and raised his fist.

She knew what that meant, and as much as she didn’t want to live what would happen next, she couldn’t let herself lose consciousness. “No, no, please! Please, don’t!”

It came down hard and fast.

Pain blasted through the side of her head, and then her whole world went black.

The next morning, she woke up and couldn’t remember a thing… She could smell blood dripping out of her nose. She sat up, confused on where she was or how she’d gotten there. But then she saw her pants down to her knees and her underwear in an awkward straddle around her thighs. Then, the pain hit her head and privates all at once.

And then she knew. She remembered it all… And she broke down into tears of disbelief, shock, and horror.

The worst thing about it was… they heard her. The people at the party the night before… they knew.

It was just that no one cared.

—

All of the rage and merciless sanctions that had fueled her for the last however-many minutes vanished the second she caught sight of her baby sister hugging her knees and crying on a bench. It was like they were back in the ages of 6 and 11, Sam about to be scolded by her mother for not watching Tara and keeping her out of danger, like she was supposed to.

It was her responsibility.

She had a responsibility to Tara, to love her and protect her, the same as she’s always had. She didn’t ask to be an older sister, but she didn’t have to. It was built-in. It had been since the dawn of Tara’s time—to watch over her throughout her life, to bark when she was in danger or lunge when she couldn’t outrun that danger, to run and play with her when she was happy, to hold her close when she was lonely, to wipe her tears when she cried or make her laugh when she was about to cry.

That’s why she was called a big sister. That’s why Tara had called her Sammy. That’s why she was still a Carpenter rather than a Loomis.

She knelt down next to Tara, wanting to place a comforting hand on her leg or touch her in some way, like she always used to do. But she knew she couldn’t… Not right now anyway. “Tara?”

Before Tara could respond, Anika interjected, “We got her asthma under control. She’s just still really shaken up.”

Both, Mindy and Chad, gave the sisters space as they moved over to where Anika was standing with Ethan, who had ditched the party when they were trying to get Tara out of the house.

Sam didn’t look away from her little sister. “Tara…” Her voice had lost all of its darkness and animalistic traces, leaving nothing but concern and softness.

She was shaking. Her baby girl was trembling uncontrollably, and it wasn’t because of the crying. She slowly lifted her face from being buried in her knees to reveal glossy eyes that held regret, hurt, and fear. There was no resentment, annoyance, or rebellion. Just a longing that pleaded for comfort. For rescue. “S-Sam…” Her voice was quiet and delicate, close to breaking with the quivering of her lips.

“I’m here,” she assured her, reaching her hand up to gently caress her shoulder. “I’m here, Tara.” She could feel her own emotions start to get the best of her, but until she certified her sister’s safety, she’d hold them all at bay.

“Sam,” Tara choked out, “You were right…” She had to take a moment to keep herself from drowning in more tears, her breath hitching as she sucked in some air. “I-I never should’ve g-gone…” Then her face creased, and she broke down. “I-hi’m so so-horry!”

But her big sister shook her head, “No, no, no, love, it’s not your fault.” She moved up onto the bench as Tara dropped her legs, showing that she wanted to be held. And Sam did, pulling her in against her chest and feeling her trembling arms wrap around her waist. She shushed her quietly as the younger began to whimper in between small sobs. “It’s not your fault. I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry for not getting there sooner. I’m sorry for choosing therapy over making sure to keep you home tonight. Don’t you ever apologize for what someone else did to you. You did nothing wrong, Tara.” She promised her all of this through a blurry lens of her own tears. Her voice dropped to a whisper after placing a loving kiss on Tara's head, “Nothing wrong at all…”

Tara clung to Sam’s waist, holding her tight as if someone was going to try to take her away. Maybe in another world, she’d have been stopped by Mindy, Anika, or Chad from following Frankie up those stairs. Maybe in another world, Sam would’ve showed up, and she would’ve been completely embarrassed. Maybe in another world, instead of sitting on this bench, they’d be standing-off in the street, shouting about where they’ve been and where they planned to go—how one was able to move on and the other was still stuck.

Maybe in another world, she’d have told Sam that she had to let her go…

Not tonight, though. Tonight, she wanted Sam to hold onto her forever.

“Thank you for coming, Sammy,” she whispered, hugging her tighter. And she felt her head be kissed again, while a comforting hand rubbed her back, the bowing of her guardian angel’s head leaving her long, black hair to shield her face from the rest of the world. She was safe in Sammy’s embrace.

And Sammy replied.

“Always.”

i don't know whether to apologize for writing this THIS way or not, but i'm sorry??

special thx to @doctorwhoarchive for chatting with me about Tanto Amor (yes, u told me i had a while to go before reaching this part in the show, but there were 3 problems: 1) i'm too curious for my own good 2) i piss myself off for no fucking reason, and 3) i have access to YouTube so I WENT TO FUCKING FIND IT BC STUPID FUCKING ME and so here we are) i don't blame u tho, dw! much love 🩶

All my best ♡ - parker

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scatterbrainedbot · 5 months

Text

Rat Sons AU: Character Introductions

Hamato Tang Shen

(aka the love of my life)

more ramblings & doodles:

(so do yall remember how in the 03 series Tang Shen was kinda just like a passing thought with no like actual characterization besides 'is pretty' and 'dies'?? and that both the boys she grew up with fell in love with her despite being raised as siblings?

yeah we're ditching that)

meet Hamato Tang Shen, official adopted daughter of Hamato Sho (and notably his only child.) Shes an absolute mountain of a woman, buff as all get out, stubborn and quick with a comeback, and a fully trained master of ninjutsu and the mystic arts.

Despite the death of her biological father when she was five, Tang Shen's childhood was largely a happy one. Hamato Sho, being a friend of her fathers, brought her to his ancestral home in the mountains after the tragedy. Sho did his best to nurture and encourage her, in all the ways he felt his own childhood lacked— with kindness and humor, free of any burdens of destiny or namesakes.

Of course, being raised by a the snarkiest old man alive who also had a major problem with authority, Tang Shen was perhaps a bit too bullheaded a child for most of her peers growing up. She didnt mind much — the Hamato farm was home to so many loud and opinionated critters, she rarely felt lonely at all. She loved spending time with the animals, and spoke to them constantly. Especially Yoshi, the family's pet Spurred African Tortoise, who they nicknamed "Splinter" after Tang Shen made a friend at school with the same name and the confusion of it all got old. She also took to calling the tortoise Jiji, as he was even more an ancient old man than her father.

By the time Tang Shen was approaching twenty, she had settled quite happily into the life she had on the farm, content with the company of her father, their animals, and, on more days than not, Yoshi, her cute best friend (/boyfriend??).

Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, the Hamato family never could escape destiny for very long.

lol this is way too much for a character that is mostly ever gonna be seen in sporadic flashbacks but yall i love her sm u dont understand

did u notice its all past tense :(

[rat sons masterpost] [more Hamato family lore]

(easier to read/separated contents below the cut! (super long))

HAMATO TANG SHEN

Page 1:

Pronouns: she/her

color motif: forrest green

Born in China, moved to Japan ~age 5, moved to New York State ~age 28

Daughter of a badass mystic warrior (a Guardian?) who was a close friend of Sho

Taken in by Sho after her bio father was killed in some major important mystic conflict (Sho later formally adopted her)

She grew up on the Hamato's familial land on the outskirts of a small mountain village (Gifu Prefecture??) which Sho was partially using as a small dysfunctional farm, and partially letting become overrun by nature

This overrun area became a sort of training grounds for a young Tang Shen, where Sho taught her first basic self defense, then later all forms of ninjutsu and even the mystic arts.

When she was young, she enjoyed helping Sho raise their assortment of animals: chickens (her favorites), two pigs (Sho's favorites), an old steer, a horrible peacock (Sho's sworn enemy), and, of course, the Hamato's ancient pet African Spurred Tortoise, Yoshi

As a child, she befriended a boy, also named Yoshi, whom she immediately teased for having the same name as her family pet. They became inseparable.

She was rather ostracized by other children her age growing up, both because she was a foreigner, and because she was considered too outspoken/opinionated and known to stir up trouble when she felt something wasn't fair

Other young girls, in particular, would also bully her for her appearance, since she was taller, more muscular and broad-shouldered than most of her peers. (Sho never wanted to throw hands with eleven year olds before, but here we are)

Later on, she and Yoshi (the human, that is) fell in love

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When she was small, Tang Shen loved learning to care for all the different types of animals living on the farm— even ones that weren't necessarily meant to be there, like the occasional rat, trying to establish a nest in a quiet corner of the barn.

Sho would help her catch any such critters she found, and they'd journey together into the woods or up the mountain to find a good place to release them, since they couldn't be allowed to stay on the farm.

(It was during one of these journeys that a newly-fathered Sho finally began to find his footing and connect to the young girl he took in. He had brought along some extra feed and an unneeded towel to give the rat a decent chance at settling in wherever they brought it to (and hopefully prevent it from finding its way back to the farm). But Tang Shen, five years old and only abstractly aware of why her life had recently changed so much, insisted there was a lot more the rat would need. She spoke of how lost and frightened it must be, having been just scooped up and taken to some place new so suddenly. Sho listened.)

Tang Shen developed a love of rats in part because of these little adventures she shared with her adoptive father.

As an adult, Tang Shen (having discussed it previously lol) was gifted a pet fancy rat by Yoshi.

She named the rat Miko and carried her everywhere.

#YALL WANNA MEET MY WIFE #LOOK AT MY WIFE #my art #rat sons #rat sons lore #tmnt au #also her ages are a lil iffy still #like she mightve moved to the usa a lil earlier than i said

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