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chaoxfix · 2 years

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couple of posts have me thinking about characterization details for my usual kiddos.

gonna go ahead and share my grab bag / expectations of characterization / action items / tics that i use for sonic n tails while writing them.

happy

tails: when overjoyed or surprised by something happy, will sometimes start flying without thinking about it. other overjoyed tics: extremely expressive with his hands. fist pumps. a little bit bouncing off the walls. very energetic when happy. when he's less over the top, just content, he might hum or chatter about everything he's working on. and he generally tends to be a pretty happy kid so this is pretty common.

sonic: when overjoyed, shows it with his whole body, and its very over the top. i just keep thinking of that scene in sonic x when he finds the field of flowers he's been looking for -- where he smiles with his whole face, leaps into the air, and then jumps into the void with a whoop. when he's really happy he's simply :D ... when hes mildly content he tends to be less energetic about it. prone to smiling while trying to nap when he's in a good mood. mellow, leans back and relaxes. remember: chronic napper

proud/confident:

tails: when he's extremely proud, he shows it with his whole body. hands on hips, chest puffed out. sassy. when he's only a little proud and still prone to a little insecurity and what-ifs, he tends to start off strong then get more shy about it. very much enjoys hair ruffles during this time. when hes younger hes more prone to insecurity and self doubt and he needs reassured -- sonic & other close friends are usually pretty good about reinforcing his confidence and giving him a boost if he loses confidence. and when he's older -- the nose thumb smirk combo is a tic he picks up. he's gotta figure out how to do it right and uses it much more sparingly than his big brother.

sonic: the nose thumb smirk combo. he feels very cool while doing it. chest puffs out sometimes if he's really bragging. enjoys showing off more than almost anything in the world and will do it at no charge any time he can possibly do it. tends to be very loud while showing off, unapologetically. tends to raise his voice and shout quips; insults enemies, shouts jokes to friends, and gives instructions to teammates when needed. this is his default when he's in a fight. the 15 year old jock really shows when he's excited. but he tends to be less "did you see what i did?? :D" and more so "heh. can't believe you thought you'd beat me" -- frankly just imagine a "heh" + the smirk/nose rub any time he beats something, and youve got him down.

anger

tails: slow burn anger tends to be more common. that one's associated with him clenching his fists, muttering about others' stupid ideas. scheming to get his way. i see him as holding grudges longer than sonic. when hes really mad in the moment and actually loses his temper, he tends to shout and speak his mind with some very cutting remarks. he has 'im always right' syndrome and he can say some very mean things when he doesn't get his way. accidentally (or on purpose if he’s mad enough) shows his very sharp carnivore teeth.

sonic: tenses up ready for a fight, clench fists, puff out his quills if he’s really mad, get close and personal with the object of his anger and really get in their face, bare his teeth. if he’s extremely angry he tends to get quieter and intensely focused, whereas if he’s only very angry he has been known to shout. if he’s just slightly mad he’ll pick a fight and try to solve it physically, and say some passive aggressive but hurtful things. he’s great at figuring out peoples insecurities or giving them new ones if need be. he doesn’t often get extremely angry, usually just annoyed. he’s not hot tempered, just impatient. when hes pissed he looks kind of terrifying; his quills are puffed out, his teeth are bared, and he looks like he's getting ready to claw your face out at high speeds. (and tbh he will)

nervous:

tails: he's got a lot of tics for this. fidgeting with his tails, looking up anxiously for sources of support (usually sonic) to figure out what to do or for comfort -- especially when hes younger. he will tinker a little more obsessively because he needs to be helping (but he gets a bit clumsier the worse his nervousness gets). he denies being nervous though, all big eyes and ‘no no no it’s ok!!! i’m ok! look at what i’m making, it’ll help us!’. when nervousness blooms into full anxiety he wrings his tails and starts borrowing from his scared tics as well. he’d be a nail / claw biter without gloves (and tbh he might remove them if he's anxious enough). he’s not great about talking about his feelings but if some asks just the right questions he’ll hug them and talk just a little, though tends to give nonverbal answers, lots of mmhms and nn-nns or head nodding or shaking when hes anxious enough. he likes to be reassured and told things will be alright even if he’s still scared they won’t be.

sonic: tapping. endless fucking tapping. mainly fingers and feet. when he feels any emotion strongly there’s always an urge to run, but nervousness especially. he’s not kidding about ‘if you have time to worry, then run’ - if he’s nervous, he wants to be running to figure out exactly what he can do to stop worrying about it. so if he’s not running, he wants to be. if he cant run ... well, he still needs to move more than he currently is, and that means tapping. if given something to fidget with he will also use that, such as card shuffling, rubix cubes, etc, or taking things apart and putting them back together. when nervousness turns to full anxiety — he runs regardless of whether hes supposed to or not. he doesn’t want people seeing him legitimately anxious/worried if it’s something within his control (and hed never get anxious about a bot; his instinct there is to fight, even to the death -- he legitimately cant get anxious here, its just not what he would do). but if its something outside his control such as a friend being hurt already, and he can’t run/leave, he paces. he moves, no matter how annoying it’ll be to others. he’s prone to either going totally silent and freezing people out, or going to the other extreme if someone asks what’s wrong — he’ll ramble and give 50 reasons why everything is fine actually or explain why actually hes not worried about the obvious thing and instead worried about [anything else] to deflect. if a friend is hurt and it’s inappropriate to lighten the mood, he tends to shift his anxiety into anger and picks a fight with someone. if he can’t do that... well, he's out of moves. he won't ever cry in front of another person if he can help it. but the anxiety might affect him physically with a stomach ache or lashing out inappropriately.

scared

tails: very jumpy when scared. prone to yelling from fear. seeks comfort wherever he can find it. he will jump into your lap during a thunderstorm and he will not apologize. hes embarrassed but can't overcome instinct, not til he's significantly older. when scared of non-phobia things, it tends to be because he's afraid for his friends. hes pretty good about trusting his friends to get out of bad situations. but sometimes the odds are intense even for them -- tics for this include: wringing his tails, fidgeting, shaking hands, tiny pupils and big eyes (the trauma look, you know the one), etc. when he's scared for himself, his fur sometimes puffs up to make him look bigger/scarier than he is -- has terrible side effect of making him look even cuter when he's under 11. when he grows up it might work though, especially if paired with bared teeth/anger tics in an attempt to defend himself.

sonic: on low levels, he can occasionally be startled but usually tries to be too cool to shout. something's got to really freak him out for him to react to being snuck up on. his fight/flight/freeze response is almost always fight though. in higher levels though, fear isn't really a common emotion for him; nervousness, or anxiety sometimes, but outright fear lasting longer than a second or two, no. when he feels it, it's almost exclusively on behalf of his friends -- and only if there is genuinely nothing he can do for them. and even then, it overlaps with anger. tends to puff out his quills to look more intimidating. regarding his waterphobia ... it's something he tends to manipulate his way out of before he can actually face it -- by any means possible. he'll lie cheat steal end friendships etc if it means not having to face it which i think says something about his ability to relate to strong, uncomfortable emotions. he's got an extreme aversion to it, and will do his best to find any way out when forced in. i imagine any time he actually has to be underwater he's got a hard time rationalizing being afraid. racing heart and shaking hands and helplessness be damned, he's not 'afraid'. he convinces himself he's annoyed with it and anyone who had anything to do with it.

bored/calm

tails: calmest when he's gotten into the groove of making/fixing something. he can go for hours and get into such a groove that he doesn't notice anything around him. his longest stretch was 20 hours in a row -- and tbh he only stopped because sonic got back from a few days' trip and realized tails was still up at 5am. when he's bored, he gets a little pouty. he likes helping and doing things. it's not torture to be bored the way it is for sonic, but he does itch for something to do. if he has paper in front of him he'll doodle designs for future projects, but would much prefer to have gear to actually do something with.

sonic: napping. he's got 2 speeds: stop and go. /jk (but not really). when he's calm, he's lounging, w/e. he's storing up his energy for nefarious purposes and planning new property damage as he naps. but if he's bored, he wants something to do -- starts tapping hands/feet, pacing, looking around the room he's in for something to do, or just goes for a run. true boredom is torture for him but he's pretty good at entertaining himself as long as he's not like, trapped somewhere. then it really is torture.

affectionate:

tails: still pretty young so tends to want to receive affection more than give it (and his guardian doesnt really want physical affection, so if he did just want to give it to show affection, it wouldnt be all that wanted, and he picks up on that). when he gets older, he'll be a bit more affectionate to others on occasion though (amy and cream have been his friends for long enough that he learns to do more than just fist-bump to show affection). sometimes will hair-ruffle other kids when he gets older. but as a kid, he likes to be hugged, picked up, hair-ruffled, fist-bumped, etc. has to be in the mood for it though, or seeking comfort in some way. not a big fan of being grabbed/hugged/touched etc if he's not in the mood, as it makes him feel like a kid. (7/8 is the age he starts getting annoyed being treated like a kid, while also still wanting all the benefits of being a kid such as hiding in his big brother's chest/lap/under his bed when hes scared) expresses a lot of love thru imitation when he's really little. biggest way to show love though, is gift-giving -- much more than words or physical affection. if he really loves someone he'll build them something they can use.

sonic: shows love thru action first and foremost. if he cares about someone he'll show them by showing up/finding things they like/saving them from killer robots etc. only occasionally physically affectionate, and only on the giving end of affection. simply does not know what to do with affection when on the receiving end (except when others are being affectionate to him in an attempt to seek comfort, then hes fine with it - to an extent. even he has his limits/boundaries). when he's feeling affectionate to others though, he tends to show it more so verbally. with actions to show he cares, or in small gestures like fist-bumps etc. small note: he doesn't see carrying people as affection, just as a way to take people from one place to another -- if someone gets too cuddly while he's carrying them he gets very :/ about it (with one obvious exception bc thats his kid brother and tails only cuddles when he needs to). in sleep, sometimes will wake up hugging someone. tends to hug pillows when solo sleeping. very well-adjusted to the idea that he'll never be the little spoon (quills). ...for him, the solution to being touch starved is to pick a fight with someone who can physically throw him. (this is why so many of his rivalries seem like being more-than-friends imo, this is the most touch he ever receives willingly lol and they still have to work for it to land a hit)

#selfref

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artzee-bee · 3 years

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Vanilla and strawberries| Mazikeen x cottagecore!Reader

Fandom: Lucifer

Summary: Maze and cottagecore!reader have breakfast together

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

~~~

Sure, Maze had never been to your house before and sure, you were a big softie in your floral mini dressed and puff sleeved blouses but a cottage in the middle of nowhere? You chose to live here? Of all places? It seemed inconvenient to say the least, the closest town being a 30 minute car ride away .

The house in itself was an old, rustic cottage. The brick walls were ornate with white trims for the windows and wallflowers that Maze didn’t know the name of but could already hear you in her head, picking up every individual one between your little fingers and telling her all about them. She smiled at the thought. A little pathway led her to your front door, which looked like something out of a fantasy novel: circular at the top, with a flower crown for decoration. Somewhat unsure, she knocked on your door and soon enough, you answered. Dressed in a light pink summer dress, flowy, but tight in the waist, you were as beautiful as ever, if not more beautiful in the morning light.

“Maze! You came!” you said, wrapping your arms around her waist and pulling her into a hug

“Of course. What else could I have possibly been doing if not breakfast with my favorite girl?” you giggled. It wasn’t often that your girlfriend allowed herself to be soft and cutesy, so cheesy things like that meant more to you than they would have any other time, coming from anyone else.

“Come on in! I have almost everything set up.”

Your excitement was intoxicating and even though Maze felt out of place a minute ago, in her tight leather pants and black top, she forgot all about it when she saw your smile and heard the joy in your voice. It just reminded her again of why she loved you so much: you were the kindest, most positive person she knew and you helped her change for the better too.

“Take your shoes off please, I’ll bring you a different pair” you said, already searching frantically around the house. By the time Maza finished unzipping both her boots, you came back with a pair of bunny slippers, white and fluffy, looking brand new. A cheeky smile on your face suggested you knew that Maze would never normally wear anything like that but you still tried. To your surprise, she took them from your hands carefully and slipped them on

“How are they?” Maze made a few steps, looking down at them, examining everything from the pearly eyes of the bunnies to the puff ball at the back, imitating a tail

“Cozy?” she said unsure, making you laugh

“Come!” you grabbed her hand and led her down the hall and through the kitchen.

The kitchen was a mess, the counter was full of egg shells and spilled milk. An opened bag of sugar was sitting way too close to the edge and a gold spoon with pink details was peeking from the top.

You let go of Maze’s hand, going to grab two mugs from the cabinet, except when you turned around, you catch her playing with the dead rose petals that had fallen from the bouquet you had on the table

“Oh, yes.” you say “Should have cleaned those up a while ago” Maze laugh

“Is this the one I gave you?” she said, pointing at the few roses still alive in your vase

“Yeah. From our last date”

“In that case I can’t believe they survived this long”

“I take good care of them” Maze gave you a sweet smile . She was looking at you with love and compassion and you felt yourself melt under her gaze

“I know you do” Maze wrapped her arm around your waist and brought you closer to her, wrapping you in a tight hug. Your arms linked around her waist and your head rested on her shoulder. You inhaled her strong perfume, which reminded you of Lux. Of the dark and the people and the booze. It had never been your scene, until you found Maze. Now you felt a certain thrill when you thought about that place

“You know” you said “If we don’t go now the bees might get to our breakfast first” Maze giggled and nodded, allowing you to take her hand and lead the way. You wrapped your fingers around hers and pulled her up the stairs and through your bedroom.

Your bedroom looked just as Maze imagined it. The peach colored walls were covered in drawings and prints of flowers and artwork. Vines were spread out across the ceiling, little paper butterflies peeking from in between. Almost every corner, desk and chair in the room held a little potted plant. Right in front of her was your little balcony. You had two chairs and a little table there. As she approached, she couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the endless field that was (partly) your back yard.

“It’s so pretty” she said, without even thinking much about it

“I know” you replied “You should see the sunset”

“I want to”

“You could stay tonight?” you replied nervously, praying to God she will say yes because you could not think of a better way to spend your night

“I will'' Maze replied enthusiastically. You couldn’t help the smile on your face, but you needed to focus back on setting up the table.

For the first time, Maze looked at the table you had prepared for them. It was filled to the brim with all sorts of food. Maze saw eggs and bacon and pancakes and a whole platter of cheeses. You prepared tea and fruits and all kinds of jams. Maze was amazed at how many things you were able to fit on there, but she was excited. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate anything other than take out and knowing you put so much work and effort into this breakfast, just because she was coming over, made Maze want to cry on the spot. She’s never felt this welcome anywhere before!

You two dug into everything. Maze loved hearing the excitement in your voice talking about the process of cooking everything on the table. She loved hearing about your painting and the interesting new book you were reading, by some philosopher with a funny name that you were really interested in. She didn’t exactly care for philosophy, she knew everything she needed to know, about life and death, but hearing you talk and watching all your exaggerated hand gestures was a kind of heaven she was never used to. She loved you. She’d told you that before but everytime felt like the first for her. The same nervous gitter and the anxious pit in her stomach, making her wonder if you were going to say it back. You always did. She watched the wind play with your hair and the bows on your sleeves, and felt the need to jump into your arms and kiss you softly. Feel the heat of your body and taste your coconut chapstick but instead, she scooted her chair closer to yours, just enough to reach out to hold your hand. It was warm and soft and Maze thought that if she wasn’t careful enough she might cut you with one of her rings.

You asked her about Lux and Lucifer and she told you everything there was to know. About Lucifer and Decker’s new relationship drama and about Linda and her baby and how much Maze wanted to hang out with the little baby more but she was afraid

“Afraid of what?” “That I will hurt him. Or that he might hate me and cry. I’ll scare him and we’ll never grow up to be friends”

“Maze, what are you even talking about?” your giggle was soft and full of good intentions “You are not as horrible with kids as you think you are, ok? Take Trixie for example”

“Trix is much older”

“Still a kid though. And she loves you” Maze couldn’t argue with you on that

“Look” you said, seeing that your girlfriend was still lost in thoughts, “ How about I give you some tips?”

How many of those tips actually stuck to Maze was up to debate but the sound of your voice was engraved in her head and in her heart and if she could listen to it everyday for the rest of her life, she would. She couldn’t help herself from reaching out every once in a while to kiss your lips. You tasted like vanilla and strawberries and your palm was cold against the back of Maze’s neck. When it got windy out, you brought a big knitted blanket from inside, and wrapped it around the both of you. Maze rested her head on your shoulder and tried to take in every little detail about that moment. She’ll need it when she replays this whole scene in her head, once she gets home.

#lucifer netflix #mazikeen #mazikeen x reader #mazikeen fluff #mazikeen imagine #maze x reader #maze fluff #maze imagine #lucifer

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lord-westley · 3 years

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Hi hun, I don't know if your requests are open right now, but I could really use some sort of comfort Imagine right now and I was hoping I could come and ask you. It doesn't even have to be a full set of Headcanons, just a short blurb about some Characters will do if that's fine with you.

I've been really struggling with my chronic illnesses lately, and I keep imagining the Fellowship taking care of me, so I thought I'd ask for an Imagine about that. I have a really weird condition where my right leg is physically longer than my left, which causes really intense pain in my hip and leg and also difficulty walking, so I've been really struggling with that lately. There's also the chronic fatigue from my sleep apnea, I'm absolutely covered in bruises that I don't remember getting, the classic anxiety and depression and executive dysfunction.. it's just been a difficult week tbh.

I'd appreciate any kind words right now. Thanks for being so kind and supportive to me, it means more than you could ever know. I hope it's alright that I ask this of you. Godspeed, hun 💕

Comfort HC’s

Platonic!Fellowship x Reader

Post LOTR; Comfort

Warnings: Mentions chronic pain, anxiety, depression, PTSD

A/N: Hello Ro! I’m sorry this took a while, I hope the pain eases soon and that these headcanons help. If you ever need to talk, my DM's are open anytime!

You’ve known the Fellowship ever since you were a little girl. You met them when your parents sent you off to Imladris to seek the aid of Lord Elrond, one of the greatest healers in Middle-Earth. For you had an unusual physical condition, where your right leg grew longer than your left. It made walking difficult and a burning pain to spiderweb from your hip down.

Lord Elrond tried everything he could in his power to help you, and yet there was little he could do except ease the pain. No amount of magic can prevent physical growth.

The tears that welled up in your eyes that day pained him more than any wound can. A child, barely twelve years old, experiencing such excruciating pain right in front of him, and yet he can’t do anything about it. And from that moment on, he promised to you that he’d do anything he can to help you, and care for you.

So with the permission of your worried parents, Lord Elrond gave you an offer to stay in Imladris for as long as you wish. To heal and receive the care you need. Which you kindly accepted.

For years up to adulthood, you lived in Imladris; drinking Athleas tea every morning and night for the pain and sleep apnea. While it wasn’t a cure, it helped make life much more bearable. Allowing you to enjoy certain activities and walk around with only half the pain.

During those years you became great friends with the Fellowship. For they travelled often to Imladris to visit and rest between trips. They became your family, always joking and telling stories of their travels; teaching you new tricks and how to defend yourself. And in return you’d tell them stories of the elves around you. How the Ellon in the smithy loves to tease the Elleth in the bakery. Or how the children would braid flower crowns for you.

The boys know of your difficulties with your leg and illnesses. They’re constantly worried for you; asking how you are, helping when the pain begins to spike and holding you when you begin to cry. Everytime it starts getting bad again, they tell you it's okay to feel weak and to cry. That you don’t have to be strong all the time.

Aragorn

Aragorn is surprisingly soft despite his tough exterior

He believes that crying and venting about your frustrations is the most healthy way to deal

So on days you are having a rough time he’ll sit down with you in his lap, holding you tightly into his chest. One arm around your body and one hand in your hair

Aragorn will let you cry and yell into him, all while pressing small kisses into your hair

He’s not a very wordy person, so it’s not often he will whisper sweet things, but when he does. It’s always so soft and helps relax you

“Deep breaths Hun, It’ll be okay”

Legolas

A soft baby- an absolute angel when it comes to comforting you

Legolas is very big on grounding yourself and staying focused on your surroundings

So when he notices you’re beginning to have a rough time, nearing a panic attack, He preps a cup of Athleas tea and brings you to a private area

He’ll have you sit between his legs, and his arms gently wrapped around you torso

Legolas will have you ground yourself by telling him 3 things you smell, feel, hear and see

“Close your eyes, little one and listen… Listen to the birds sing”

As you begin to relax, he whispers praises, proud of how strong you are

“You’re doing so well, I’m proud of you”

Boromir

I love this man oml

If you’re bedridden due to the pain he’d 100% do whatever you ask of him

Need more pillows? Steals them from every. Single. Bedroom.

“Boro- holy crap how many did you take!?”

“Uh.. all?”

There is now a national shortage of pillows

Need more warmth? Will make a nest of blankets and wrap you up in his cloak

Comfort?? CUDDLES FOR DAYS

Boromir is there for you every step of the way

If you start crying, He might cry with you- absolutely hates seeing you in such pain

“I’m sorry- Im so sorry Darling. I wish there was more I could do for you”

Gimli

In true Gimli fashion, when he notices your anxiety he 100% wants to fight whoever triggered it

He gets a bit aggressive in the beginning, insisting to fist fight your problems away

but when you tell him that it’s something that can't be fought off, that its a constant thing, he calms down and just

“Oh”

“Oh oh wait Im so sorry”

Cue soft Gimli

Will rub your back affectionately while speaking softly

Asking if there is anything he could do to help

Another babe who will do anything you ask of him

If the panic attack happens in public, Gimli will bring you somewhere more private

He’ll shield you with his body from the eyes of the public and glare at anyone who dares stare

Not very good with soft comfort but if you ever need to feel safe and protected go to him

“Dont worry Lassie” (head pats) “I’ll protect you, You’re safe now”

Frodo

Sweet darling baby angel bean

He completely understands your anxieties and pain

Frodo did carry the one ring across middle earth after all

He absolutely has PTSD from it, so there have been many times the two of you would stay up late together when you can’t sleep, drinking tea

You find comfort in the fact that he’s quite similar to you, and vice versa

Most often, you guys will talk about what's going on and comfort each other

On the nights the two of you don’t wish to talk, Frodo will read stories to you

His voice is so soft and comforting, It never fails to lull you to sleep

“None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window” He reads aloud, peaking up at you and notices the way your lips part, a soft snore emitting. He hums, “Goodnight Y/N, sleep well”

Sam

This hobbit is such a softie

He understands that with mental disorders, you may forget to eat or care for yourself

So he always watches you, making sure you’re eating and you aren’t

Oh boy

Will cook your favorite meals and make you sit with him to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner

“Ah, I hope you enjoy the meal. I made your favorite!”

“Thank you, Sam..”

Ensuring you drink your water

Or if you don’t like plain water, make some tea. Anything really to make sure you get your fluids

As a gardener, Sam is busy quite often, tending to, well, gardens

He’ll set up a picnic nearby for you with finger sandwiches, drinks, and fruit that way you had company and can relax fully in the peacefulness of nature

Definitely will give you a bouquet of flowers at the end of the day

“I picked these for you Y/N!”

Merry and Pippin

Okay so these two are together cause well. They’re always together

Except that one scene

Absolute kings of distraction when you’re feeling depressed

You might want to just sleep it off- but we all know that never really helps

They’ll make so many jokes and sing and dance around just to make you laugh

Which often leads to them singing even louder and cruder, annoying every elf in the area

“Lucky Annie was a lady who’d been pleased by many men- They all would sail away but then they’d come right back again”

Yes they sing sea shanties

Oops

On days that you don’t have the energy to deal with such shenanigans, they’ll tone it down

The three of you will often be found in the field during these days, Tossing a ball back n forth

Or giggling amongst yourself, gossiping about the rest of the fellowship

“I don’t know Merry, Gandalf is kinda hot in an old man way”

“Pippin what the hell”

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ushiwakatrash · 3 years

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Payback is a bad bitch

Pairing: Ushijima x f!reader, Tendou x f!reader

Warnings: Making out, Cheating, cursing, slight angst

Word count: 1.7k

So I came across this idea when I was scrolling through my fyp on Tiktok and I wanted to write about it so bad. The idea belongs to rand0m.p0vz_anime on Tiktok! I hope you all enjoy reading ♥

School was going pretty normally and (Y/n) was striding down the halls of the glorious Shiratorizawa to go pick up her best friend from his class.

She spotted the crazy red head and called for him. Tendou immediately grabbed his things and said his farewells to his classmates. Since their first year, they had always been together but this year’s class ranking separated them.

Tendou couldn’t keep up his balance of sports and school which resulted to his grades dropping just a wee bit. (Y/n), despite being the strategist of the girl’s volleyball team had no hard time in excelling in both the academic and athletic field.

Her dedication to the sport and her talent managed to get her a boyfriend, who by the way, was the captain of her best friend’s team. And because even the demon coach Washijo himself had acknowledged her smarts, she had often paid trips to the men’s gym-- where Ushijima had laid eyes on her.

Wakatoshi and (Y/n) got together during their second year. The stoic and intimidating captain had a blush on his face when he asked the girl out. The proposal had a bouquet of flowers and small pricey chocolate to add to the romance.

People who saw the cooed at how a girl could melt the captain’s coldness and things went uphill from there. Tendou was of course happy for both of his best friends but he couldn’t help but feel a small tingle in his chest every time he’s reminded of it all.

Speaking of Ushijima, they were on the way to his class when (Y/n)’s phone vibrated. The captain just sent a message saying that he had a meeting with the captain of the girl’s volleyball club and he couldn’t eat with them.

(Y/n) did not like the sound of a meeting with that smug faced bitch but what could she do, right? The duo went to the cafeteria to grab food and sat at their usual table. The seats around them slowly got occupied by other members of the men’s vball team and only the captain was missing.

You had gotten close to the team having spent time with the others during practice as well. At first the members were just curious what kind of genius you are to add to their curiosity, what kind of girl could easily catch the captain’s heart?

Their curiosity then bloomed into an unexpected friendship where you all became one heck of a family. “Oh right (Y/n), where’s the captain?” (Y/n) frowned a little before answering. “He said he had a meeting with the girl’s volleyball team’s captain, Semi-Semi.”

The setter’s face scrunched as he sent an accusing glare towards a smirking Tendou. “Stop teaching her shit you jackass!” “But Semi-Semi is fun to tease!” The others laughed but a few noticed your stiff mood.

“You alright, (Y/n)? Looks like something’s ticking you off” “No I’m good. Thanks for asking, Yamagata-san” A small smile was sent to the libero’s way and he shrugged it off and kept on with his meal.

Of course being the bestest best friend he is, Tendou already knew what was wrong and it only took a glance from him to tell her that he knew. (Y/n) just shook her head slightly to acknowledge that what he thought was right.

(Y/n) stood up from her seat and said her goodbyes to the team as break period was almost over. Tendou followed and walked her to her class. “You know Satori, being a guess monster must be quite the reputation, huh? You can even read me” you giggle at your statement and he follows suit. “I think I’ve known you for long enough to figure out how your mind works”

“Yeah yeah. See you later at practice Satori. I’ll come pick you up again.” “See ya (Y/n)-chan! I’ll be waiting!” with your last waves, you both went to your respective classes.

The last bell finally rung and it was about time for everyone to release the sighs they’ve been keeping in the past hours. You took your time in stretching before getting up and packing your stuff.

“Any longer and weeds might start growing from where I stand, (Y/n)-chan!” Oh you knew that voice all too well. “Satori, I thought I told you I’ll come pick you up instead?” Tendou entered your classroom, took your bag and swung it over his shoulder. “Let’s go shorty, Coach Washijo might make me run laps again if we’re late”

“Oh, I forgot how strict the old man was with you, he’s so nice and gentle with me” You stuck out a tongue at him and he made faces in return. “Have you talked to Toshi today? He wasn’t answering my texts.” That’s when Tendou began to think. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t heard from him either.”

As they made their way to the men’s gym, a familiar back could be seen from where they were standing. Even if she only saw a glimpse, (Y/n) knew well that it was her lover’s back. What she didn’t expect was another pair of feet just a few inches away from Ushijima’s.

With trembling hands (Y/n) quietly went near with Tendou trailing not far behind. With the right view of the angle, it was clear as a day that the captains of the girl and boy’s volleyball team were locking lips.

Tendou could feel the rage seeping from his best friend and for once, he was scared of her. The guess monster couldn’t tell what his captain was thinking and why would he waste the girl he’s always wanted? He was all for supporting the captain whenever he could but things may start to change today.

(Y/n) calmed herself and took deep breaths. Making a scene would do nothing but harm her reputation. So instead of throwing a fit, she let out a loud chuckle. “Oh hey, ‘sup?”

The two captains were caught by surprised but Ushijima was quick to recover. Before (Y/n) or Tendou could say anything, Ushijima spoke first. “It was just a kiss, (Y/n), no need to be dramatic.”

If Tendou could beat the shit out of the olive haired man in front of him, he would but it wasn’t his call to make. A nonchalant expression painted (Y/n)’s face before she swiftly placed her arms around Satori’s neck to pull him down for a kiss.

“(Y/n), what the FUCK do you think you’re doing?!” The captain’s voice had a mix of jealousy, anger and nervousness in his tone. Tendou had wide eyes but quickly melted into the kiss he has been dreaming for so long, even if it was in a situation like this.

To fuel the fire, (Y/n) reached to tug on the red head’s roots and deepened the kiss by sliding her tongue to explore Tendou’s mouth. Small grunts were made by both parties and by the time their lips parted, a small string of saliva could be seen.

Ushijima did not take his eyes off his girl. She used to do that with him, she would give the best kisses, be it soft or heated ones just like what he witnessed in front of him. Everything he had slipped out of his grasp because of his own stupidness.

“Calm down Ushijima, it was just a kiss, no need to be dramatic.” His words backfired on him and now his mind was a complete mess. “Damn Wakatoshi-kun, I didn’t know your girl could kiss that good. If I knew, then I would have snagged her a long time ago” Tendou didn’t mean what he said, or maybe that’s what he wanted himself to believe.

“I gotta admit Satori, you’re kinda tasty, I couldn’t resist myself. I mean after all, it’s just a kiss. Nothing to get worked up about” She walked towards Ushijima with her head held high. She tilted her head and inched it towards his as if she was going to indulge him with a kiss.

A few inches before their lips could meet, she let out a small sarcastic smile “Oh sorry I almost forgot how dirty your lips became!” (Y/n) cocked her head to the side to take a good look at the captain of the girl’s volleyball team who was quiet all through out the encounter. “Oh and you, enjoy my sloppy seconds! Enjoy him all you want ‘cause he’s all yours now!” She smiled sweetly before turning around.

Wakatoshi couldn’t bear but grab her hand to stop her from leaving. She just gave a confused look “Huh, are you dense or are you just fucking dumb? We’re over fuckface. Oh sorry, I meant Ushijima”.

The captain cringed at the word and for once hated his family name. “It’s Wakatoshi. Please wait, let me explain!” His hand gripped hers even tighter and for Tendou, it was the last straw.

“Hey cap, hands off. She’s not your girl anymore” “Wow, you really want me to spell it out for you, huh Ushijima-san? We’re done. I’m breaking up with you. I’m not your girlfriend anymore. There, what else should I say? God, you’re so fucking dumb!”

Tendou slung an arm around your shoulder and you gave a last glance to your now ex, back still facing him. “I quit being the strategist for both teams. Thet’s final. We gotta go. I hope I don’t see your faces around!” (Y/n) fully turned around and held up a hand to sign a goodbye.

“Thanks Satori, sorry about kissing you without asking you first. It was nice though” Tendou smiled at this, his friend was far stronger than he had ever imagined.

It was not a good time but he still had to shoot his shot. “S-say (Y/n), wanna hang in my place. We can maybe uh... continue where we left off a while ago, or somethin” It was rare to see Tendou flustered and the look on his face right now was priceless.

A genuine hearty chuckle sang from (Y/n)’s mouth. “You sure you can handle me, big boy?” She teasingly traced his jaw with her finger. They linked pinkies and headed towards the Tendou household.

A bitter taste was left in Ushijima’s mouth. It was real, he really lost everything. His team would also be greatly affected by it. The worst part of it all, your pained, hurt face was sure to haunt him. He was the biggest idiot indeed.

After losing their best strategist, they lost to Karasuno. On a brighter note, Tendou won something far better than anyone ever could.

He found his paradise.

𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥

#haikyuu!!#hq #haikyu #haikyuu #Haikyu!!#haikyuu!#Ushijima Wakatoshi #haikyuu ushijima #ushijima x reader #ushijima headcanons #hq ushijima #haikyuu wakatoshi #wakatoshi x reader #haikyuu tendou #tendou x reader #satori tendo x reader #tendou headcanon #tendou satori #ushijima angst

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wherearemyglassesbro · 3 years

Note

i saw that you play genshin impact, so i’m kind of curious... what’d be the axis and allies’ vision and weapons?

Uh oh...now you got me started. Be warned, it’s a long one cause I have no self control

Some key terms for those who don’t play genshin impact and want to be included!!

Cryo -> ice, Hydro -> water, Dendro -> nature, Geo -> rock, Pyro -> fire, Electro -> lightning

Hilichurls: a common enemy found in the wild. Despite looking like hairy trolls, they have a district language as well as texts, art and song that they share together making them an advanced species!

Ruin guards: another enemy. Giant, scary robot...they scare me...

Knights of Favonious: an organization of knights within Mondstat that keep order and peace :) very nice guys and gals over there!!

Mondstat: modeled after Germany

Liyue: modeled after China

Alfred: pyro, claymore, Springvale Mondstat

Alfred would be a super heavy hitter in battle but his drawbacks are that despite his energetic nature, he’s slower because of the weight of his weapon

He blows stuff up a lot and sets all of the grass around you on fire so if you fight with him...His teammates will take damage from him Jeez Louise!!!

Since we don’t have all of the nations of Teyvay unlocked, I don’t know where he’d be from! I’d have to explore to get a sense for it so for characters that don’t have a place on the map yet, I’ll mark them with an asterisk from now on! :)

Idk where he lives but I do know that he’d be a devoted member of the adventurers guild! He’s always willing to offer a helping hand to anyone in need! Wether it be helping Granny Ann make hash browns or taking comissions to go kill a huge ruin guard who’s terrorizing the town!! He’s always leaping into new jobs! He isn’t even in it for the money or rewards! He just loves helping out!

Arthur: Dendro, archer, Mondstat

Artie is a beast in battle! Shooting vine Aries at enemies to tie them up or temporarily blind them??? Sick as fuck. Keep in mind, Genshin doesn’t have any Dendro characters that are playable yet so idk how they’d fight but I think I can guess :)

Artie is technically part of the knights of favonious because he works in their library. He translates books written in ancient texts into the standard language so historians and others can read what the old civilizations had to say

Instead of having normal eyes, they’re slit like snake eyes. And he has leaves instead of hair :)

He has a little seelie that floats around at his side. He talks to it but it doesn’t really do anything but provide company to a lonely guy :’) he needs more friends

Matthew: Anemo, catalyst, *

It’s always good to have a catalyst on your team! Ningguang is a great example of an underestimated catalyst cause she can do INSANE damage man!! So I think Mattie would be the same way

Matt isn’t violent and doesn’t enjoy fighting so his in-game voice lines would say that lol

Mattie is an alchemist! Well...A student alchemist. He didn’t take up an interest in alchemy until like, 3 years ago so he’s got a lot to catch up on still! He’s doing his best!

He gets very annoyed with Alfred since Mattie is detail oriented and gentle...Alfred is not any of those things. But he still loves his brother and on rare occasions, he’ll assist him with his commissions

Ivan: Cryo, catalyst, Liyue(temporary)

Ivan would be a support character for sure but he’d do a damn good job of doing it

He’s buff but he doesn’t do hand to hand combat, he’s mastered magic for a reason

Ivan spends most of his time studying hilichurls. He writes books about them, translates their texts and acts as a peace keeper when he can. He gets information from them about the Abyss Order in return for free reign of small portions of protected land where they can live without fear of being killed

Because he’s from Schneznya(spelling?) he’s kinda expected to be a bad guy but he left a long time ago. But he still sounds like he’s from there and...He’s super pale too so there really is no mistaking where he’s from

Ivan can’t stand how ignorant humans are towards hilichurls so he does everything he can to advocate for them. He’s covered in scars from when he first started engaging with the beasts. A huge scar runs down his face but he doesn’t mind it

He’s got big, sharp teeth!! So he doesn’t often smile cause he thinks he looks weird

Francis: Hyrdo, long sword, *

Fran is underestimated when it comes to combat (like Kaeya...I see you slandering this man) but he has so much potential!

Since he’s a hydro, he is so useful for elemental reactions! If he’s paired with a cryo or pyro user, he’d totally boost them!!

Fran is a traveling entertainer, he goes between the 7 nations as a singer and actor for small stage plays. He has a crew of friends who travel with him, they’re one jolly bunch!

He always acts all nonchalant and stuff but once he’s in a battle, he’s wild. Especially if the abyss order holds up his crew on their way to their next tour destination “We need to be in Liyue Harbor in four hours you are NOT holding us back!” *tidal wave*

He’s a regular tavern hopper! A very recognizable face since he’s been banned from a handful for getting too rowdy

He can make not one, but 2 special dishes :0

Yao: Dendro, polearm, Liyue

I just imagine him as a shorter, richer and cooler version of Zhongli

He’d do that kick move that Zhongli does with his polearm oh man that looks SICK dude!!!

Yao would shoot vines out and they’d strangle enemies for a few seconds before disintegrating but if he’s leveled up enough, they’ll totally strangle those stupid hillichurls lol

Yao sells rare gems and other miscellaneous items for very high prices in Liyue where he grew up. His shop is upstairs by the Fatui bank. Rich people enjoy looking at what his shop has to fifer and will argue prices with him. They’re getting scammed for sure. He’ll list a set of cor lapis earrings as $50,000 and the rich will be like ‘I’ll pay $25,000, no more than that’ and he’ll take it!!....Cause thise earrings are worth $5000 at most >:)

Hes close with a lot of the higher ups in Liyue and is often invited to fancy lunches or dinners where they discuss policy, contracts and vendor permits. He doesn’t really get a say in any of that but he benefits from listening

Kiku: Electro, claymore, *

Kiku would be SUCH an awesome electo user are you KIDDING me??? I can see it now, him swinging that huge sword around, purple lightning bolts flying all around and he looks like a total badass? Amazing vibes

When paired with cryos???? He’d do an insane amount of damage fr

Kiku runs a small restaurant where he...runs the place...but doesn’t cook. His restaurant is extremely exclusive and people often throw fits when they can’t get in cause the wait list is over 5 years long. He’ll rest his hand on their shoulder and smile ‘is something wrong? I’d love to take a complaint if you have one’...No one has even dared to complain to his face lol

Behind the restaurant front he deals with the Fatui, buying and selling minerals or artifacts. That’s where his knowledge is at, not with food. He pays his staff to ignore what goes on behind the scenes and the locals are too busy enjoying the restaurant to question what goes on after dark

Gilbert: Pyro, long sword, Mondstat

Gil would be one of the free characters given to you at the beginning of the game but hey, I’m not complaining

He’s highly destructive and very chaotic in battle, he can do that spin move even though that’s meant for claymore users

He’s Mondstat’s biggest trouble maker. He runs an underground gambling room that sits underneath a tavern. He isn’t really into gambling but he makes a lot of money by running it

The only knight who knows is Ludwig which is not good cause...Gil pretty much bribes his brother into not telling the knights of favonious (peace keepers of Mondstat)

Gil never got his gliding certificate cause he kept flying into buildings. He broke his nose doing that lol

Lovino: Pyro, catalyst, *

I can’t add anymore images so imagine a floating, red and black orb. Lovi doesn’t get a book catalyst cause he doesn’t read :) That’s the catalyst thing I’m talking about 😅😅

My guy has the angriest in game voice lines, he’s inconvenienced by every battle, every enemy is ugly and a fuckin disaster. He’s just. Angry.

He’d be a super weak character if he needed to rely on hand to hand combat but he learned magic for a reason babey

He owns a flower stand in his country and makes all kinds of beautiful flower arrangements. He even picks his own flowers in the fields when he can (but usually pays the town’s children to do it for him to ‘teach them the value of hard work’).

Everyone knows he’s a total hothead and will piss him off on purpose just cause it’s funny lmao. But then somehow...Their hair or clothes will just...catch on fire. So is it really worth it to tease him? :/

Feliciano: Hydro, archer, Mondstat(temporary)

I feel like Feli would also be a free character, not cause he isn’t good or anything! But you always need an archer on your team!

Feli has healing properties for his team and doesn’t do an insane amount of damage but when given the right resources, he’d be a pretty sick healer

He moved to Mondstat to join the church there. He leads prayers in front of the church and sings in the choir inside.

He is the sweetest and has never committed a crime in his LIFE but he’s afraid of the knights lol he’s terrified that he’ll get in trouble and be kicked out of Mondstat forever! That would never happen but he’s a worry wart cause of his brother

Ludwig: Geo, long sword, Mondstat

Lud is the only one that I could really think of as a Geo but Geos are awesome :)

He’s a hard hitter but has like...No shield so he’ll take damage fast if you don’t give him those artifacts with shield in them or whatever lol uhhhh I wouldn’t know anything about that cause I suck at building my teams ;-;

He’d totally be in with the knights of favonious! (I think that’s spelled right lol) but he’d take his duty as a knight very seriously!! He’s a familiar face around Mondstat, the elderly absolutely adore him and the local teenage girls swoon over him which he finds super embarrassing lol

He has to work hard to keep Gilbert in check cause even though Gil isn’t a knight, his actions reflect negatively back on Lud very often... :(

Please ignore the spelling errors and terrible photo cropping on my part lol this was so fun!!

By the time you’re seeing this, ive already made full outfit red sheets for everyone mentioned above!!!! :D

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creativeskullcreations · 3 years

Text

Here’s a one shot that’s crossing over @floofy-grumpuses human OC Nikki, with my own OC Kim from my not-yet-written fic Secret of the Snax.

INFO ABOUT KIM:

Spent the last two years in a hospital after a very traumatic incident.

Was found by the side of the road by Floofty.

Does not have amnesia like Nikki.

Is ten years old.

Is an orphan(parents died in previously mentioned incident).

In the original concept Kim couldn’t understand the Grumpus language, but that’s been changed here for obvious reasons.

Any other info is technically spoilers, but I am willing to share if asked. I also have a few other one-shots/scene snippets/concepts I can post if there’s any interest.

Kim was excited, as Floofty never really took her anywhere. She loved the little lab area in Floofty's basement, but it was hard when you weren't allowed out of the house very often. Luckily, she was used to being confined, and it made going out that much more exciting.

"Where are we going? Are we gonna go see Snorpy and Chandlo? Chandlo said he'd show me how to make a basket from anywhere on the court next time I was over there!" She rambled, bouncing in her seat as Floofty got into the driver's side of their little car. They checked that she had actually buckled up before starting the car.

"Not this time, no. Instead we're going to visit a friend of mine, Professor Triffany Lottablog, and her husband. They adopted a child a while ago, and I feel like you two would be... companions."

"Oh. Like friends?" The ten year old asked excitedly, and Floofty cleared their throat.

"It's a possibility." In truth, Floofty just wanted to know how the two aliens would react to each other. They seemed close in age, at least, and that usually meant a good chance at children becoming friends, at least for Grumpuses. Neither they nor Triffany knew enough about humans to know if it would work the same for them, however. There was always the possibility there would be an immediate fight.

But, the scientist felt guilty that they couldn't let Kim roam like she obviously wanted to. Their home was just too close to civilization for that. But the Troubleham farm was far outside of town, yet closer than their brother's home. It was the perfect place for Kim to run around at.

Luckily, the drive didn't take too long, and they soon spotted the fields Wambus had been planting his pilfered sauce in. Another couple of minutes of driving and the small little farmhouse came into view, with it's faded green paint and flowers under the windows. It was quaint, and Floofty hated the sight of it.

Floofty parked next to Wambus' truck, and the two got out as Triffany came out to greet them. To Floofty's relief, Kim seemed to be in a more outgoing mood today and didn't hide behind them at the approaching Grumpus.

"Well hey there you two. I was wondering when ya would show up." The green Grumpus, Triffany Kim deduced, greeted them.

"We are exactly when I told you we'd be here, Professor Lottablog." Floofty coolly informed her, but was waved off as she turned to lead them to the house.

"So ya are." Was all she said as they walked up the gravel path. Kim followed close, but kept her eyes on the ground in case she spotted a cool rock. She had grabbed a fanny pack before they'd left the house, and needed stuff to put in it, like rocks. Floofty didn't have a lot of pretty things in their house, and Kim intended to fix that.

"Oh, Nikki's been so excited for this visit since we told her." Triffany was telling them. "It even got her to clean her room."

"Fascinating." Floofty sounded anything but fascinated. "Where is she, by the way? I expected her to be here greet us as well."

"Oh well, she may have gotten a little too excited, ya know? So Wambus took her out back to help in the garden and work some energy off."

"Ah. Understandable. Though Kim doesn't have that problem." Floofty told her, a smug tinge to their voice. Triffany frowned, but didn't answer.

'Ya just keep on believing that, Dr. Fizzlebean.' She kept her opinions to herself though as she took them around the house, however. Floofty would find out soon enough that every child had that problem.

They got to the back of the house, where they spotted the large, blue Grumpus leaning against the fence, looking up into a tree. The sight of Wambus turning to greet them cause did Kim to duck behind Floofty, peering out around them suspiciously.

Wambus fixed Floofty with an equally suspicious glare, barely giving the human girl a glance. "You'd better not be plannin' somethin'." He growled out.

"Oh please, I wouldn't do anything I thought would endanger them." Floofty replied, voice carefully even. "But if you're that against this, I can take Kim, and we can leave right now."

A brief staring match ensued before Wambus turned back to the tree. "Nikki! Come on down here!" He called loudly, startling Kim back behind Floofty. The scientist reached back and gave her head a quick pat as Nikki dropped out of the tree.

"You let her climb that?!" Triffany exclaimed quietly as the girl made her way over.

"What? She likes climbing." Wambus whispered back. "She didn't want to do anything else."

The human ran over, slowing when she spotted Floofty, and stopping so she was slightly behind Wambus and Triffany. Kim peeked out just enough that Nikki caught sight of her. But, it wasn't enough for Floofty, who picked the girl up by the back of her oversized shirt and dropped her down in full view of everyone. When Kim made to try and hide again, they put their paws on her shoulders, keeping her in place.

"Nikki," They started. "this is Kim. My... ward." There, that was a safe enough word for it. "We believe that she is the same species you are."

"Hmmm." Nikki walked closer, now assured that Floofty wasn't here for her. "She does look like it, I guess."

"Excellent." Floofty shoved Kim at Nikki. "Go have fun. I have to talk with your parents."

"Uh, okay then." Nikki grabbed the smaller girl's hand and tugged her towards the house. "Come on, I'll show you my room."

Kim followed, but not without several glances back at the Grumpuses, who were slowly making their way after the children as they talked. She lost sight of them when they entered the house

Nikki led her through the house and to a bedroom. It was definitely smaller than Kim's old room in Floofty's lab, but a fairly good sized one besides that. It had a very comfortable looking bed, and several bookshelves, along with a chest. A few toys, and books were scattered around the floor, like Nikki had been called away from playing.

While Nikki gathered a few of the toys up, Kim stood by the door and looked around the room. "So," she started, quietly, "what do you usually do around here?"

"Oh, just... stuff. I like to help Dad out in the garden, and climb trees, and Dad promised he'd show me how the tractor works when I'm old enough." She explained, using some of the books to set up a house-like shape.

"Dad...?" The big blue one, maybe? Kim couldn't imagine him being anything but scary. "That's... neat."

"What do you do? You came here with Floofty, right? I bet they do all sorts of weird things."

"I mean... Not really? They gave me food, and a place to sleep. Sometimes I take notes for them, but mostly they give me puzzles and books to read."

Nikki stared at her. "That's weird." She said bluntly. "Dad never makes me do puzzles, but Mom is making me go through school, but it's home-school and I get to go outside when all my work's done, so that's okay." She made another "building" out of some nearby blocks

"Oh..." Kim kneeled next to the older girl as she laid out a scene with the dolls. Most of them were Grumpus shaped, but one was a fairly accurate replica of what Nikki looked like. She chose a deep purple Grumpus doll, while Nikki grabbed one of the blue ones, in order to start the story.

The played that scene for long enough that it turned from a simple trip to the mall, to an epic fight with a dragon(represented by a model Nikki cobbled together from a book and tinfoil). They played together until Triffany came to get them for dinner. The girls followed her to the dining room, where Wambus and Floofty were already seated. Kim climbed into the chair next to Floofty, staring suspiciously at the dishes already full of food.

"Is that cooked all the way?" She asked as Floofty served her some of the casserole. She hadn't seen it get made, which meant anything could be in there. She did not trust that casserole.

"Oh of course! Wouldn't be a casserole without spending a long time in the oven." Triffany told her, but Kim kept her suspicious glower. Wambus meanwhile looked almost pained at his wife's words, and was quick to correct her on casserole making.

While the others got caught up in conversation about cooking, they missed Kim standing in her chair and lifting her fork over her head. Without a sound, she stabbed the casserole, hard enough that it splattered against the table cloth. Nikki watched, shocked, as she did it a second and a third time, but the adults were all unsurprised.

Floofty just sighed and finally took the fork away, leaving Kim to eat the now mutilated casserole with a spoon. When she tried to stab it again anyways, the scientist caught her wrist and forced her to sit down. "Stop trying to murder your meal. Just eat it, it's fine." And Kim finally settled down, digging into the "casserole" with her spoon.

Not that she ate a lot, however. Everyone else finished their food, but she left a lot on her plate. Nikki felt jealous, as her parents always made her to clear her plate before dessert, but Floofty just asked if they could borrow a Tupperware to take it home with them. Clearly, they were used to this sort of thing, and so was Kim as she didn't seem upset at not having dessert. She seemed completely uninterested in it, in fact, which Nikki found really weird.

She didn't say anything about it, though, and dinner finished without anymore incidents. While Nikki got up to help her mom gather up the dishes, Kim stayed seated beside Floofty, writing something down on a notepad the scientist had produced.

"Mom, can we go play outside?" Nikki asked when all the plates had been deposited in the sink. Triffany didn't even hesitate before patting the girl on the head with a smile.

"Oh, of course, dear. Just don't leave the yard, okay?" She instructed. "And come right back inside when it starts gettin' dark."

"Okay Mom. Kim, come on! We're gonna go play outside!" She led Kim out the backdoor to the yard where they were before. The sun was getting low, but it wasn't quite sunset yet, giving them plenty of time to play.

Nikki took her to where there was a ball and makeshift basket to throw it in, and they took turns throwing it in. This was followed by seeing how high each of them could throw the ball, and then how far from the basket they could still get it in.

The adults watched them through the window as they cleaned the dishes, Floofty packing Kim's food into a container for later. She may be good at faking it, but Floofty could tell she was hungry. She just... didn't like eating unless she'd heated the food up herself, first.

Or watched it be made from start to finish. Every meal Floofty made for them involved trying to work around the tiny human. Even when it was just a microwave meal or leftovers, Kim could be found with her face almost pressed against tiny window, watching the food cook poorly.

"Oh, well, the girls seem to be getting along real nice." Triffany observed. "I knew this would be a good idea, ey Wamby?" She elbowed her husband, who just gave a grunt in response.

"Indeed, this outing proved fruitful." Floofty agreed. "Perhaps we should schedule another such day, so they can play together again."

"Well, I don't see why not." Triffany shot her friend a smile. "Maybe some time next week?"

"Perhaps. I shouldn't have any particularly time sensitive experiments going then." They paused to think, running through a mental list to make sure. "I'll probably be leaving her with you a lot more often, either way. Summer break is almost over, and I'll be starting my new position at the local school."

"Oh, Floofty, congratulations. Isn't that nice, Wamby?" Another uninterested grunt, but mostly cause he was watching the girls rather than paying attention to the conversation. Triffany just sighed. "Don't mind him. He's been worried about Nikki since she started climbing the trees again. Not like we can stop her once she gets up far enough, of course."

"Indeed." Floofty watched out the window for a moment, as the girls took turns throwing the ball upwards. "Hopefully Kim won't learn such things from your daughter."

"Oh honey, don't count on it." Triffany warned them half with sympathy. Such dangerous acts spread like a disease through children, and she had no doubt that Floofty would be finding Kim climbing things soon enough.

The conversation turned to more adult topics as they finished cleaning up and the sun set outside. Wambus turned on the porch light as the shadows started to grow, so Nikki would know it was almost time to come inside.

They did after a few minutes, Nikki chattering excitedly while Kim went over to Floofty, dragging their old fanny pack behind her. When the scientist lifted it, they found it surprisingly heavy.

"What did you put in here?" They asked bluntly, though honestly curious. Perhaps it was a dead animal the girls had found? They did need a few more subjects for their experiments...

"Rocks." Kim answered just as bluntly. Triffany hid an amused snort as Floofty unzipped the bag and, yep, rocks. Gravel from the driveway, to be precise. Nikki popped over and dumped a few more in to Floofty's shock.

"I see." Was their only answer. Kim just took the bag back and slung it over a shoulder, then climbed up on the couch and leaned tiredly against the purple Grumpus. Triffany saw them pat her head, smoothing out the short, dark hair. They noticed her watching and snatched their paw back like they'd been burned.

She thought about saying something, but instead politely ignored the action. She turned back to Nikki, who was telling them about the rock castle they'd built in the driveway.

"We'll have to get a picture in the morning." Wambus told her, ruffling her hair.

"More than one! Kim wants a picture of it too." She told him seriously, and he glanced at Floofty, who stared back stoically.

"Eh, sure. We can do that." He ignored the scientist's eyes boring into him and turned to his wife. "Any idea where the camera is?"

"I'll dig it out tomorrow." Triffany told him. Nikki bounced in place excitedly.

"I can help with that!" She said, and Wambus chuckled at her enthusiasm.

Floofty cleared their throat suddenly, standing up from their spot on the couch. "It is high time that Kim and I left for home." They announced, picking up the smaller girl. She jolted sleepily, briefly waking from where she'd been dozing, but otherwise didn't protest the sudden movement.

"Bye Kim!" Nikki waved from where she stood next to Wambus. Kim had, sadly, already dozed back off by then but Nikki didn't really mind. She turned to her Dad. "She's gonna come back, right?"

"Of course we'll return." Floofty almost scoffed at the childish question. "It won't be tomorrow, but you will eventually see Kim again."

"Okay." Nikki waved again, and Floofty sighed, but didn't wave back. Instead they followed Triffany as she walked them to the door, chatting as the two of them tried to figure out another play-date.

Nikki turned to her Dad. "Why didn't Kim eat? She just told me that she "couldn't trust the food"."

Wambus hesitated. They all knew why Kim had... issues with food, but it didn't feel like his place to explain why. Especially with Floofty's growing theories on just where, or maybe when, Kim and Nikki had come from. So he just ruffled the girl's hair. "She'll explain it when she's ready to. Now, it's almost time for bed, so why don't you go get ready?"

"Aaaww, can't I stay up tonight? I feel too excited to sleep!" She was bouncing in place, and though she looked wide awake he could tell she was holding back a yawn.

"Yeah. I wasn't born yesterday kid. Go brush yer teeth." With a heavy sigh the human bounced off towards the bathroom, and Wambus stood as Triffany came back in.

"Well, I think that went well. Don't you?" She asked, hands on her hips. She looked rather pleased at how things turned out, though Wambus didn't share the sentiment.

"I still don't trust them." He admitted, watching out the window as the small car made it's way down the drive. "It feels like they're planning something."

Triffany sighed. "Just give them a chance, Wamby. Kim's a sweet kid, and Floofty's really tryin'. Besides, Nikki seemed to like her."

Wambus didn't answer, just stoically stared out the window. Just because Nikki liked someone, didn't mean he had to trust them. She liked Gramble, after all, though he ended up not being so bad. Triffany just sighed after a minute of this.

"Well, either way, she's coming back next week. So I suggest gettin' used to it." He grunted, and she just patted his arm sympathetically. "Now, let's go make sure Nikki actually brushed her teeth just time."

#bugsnax #floofy-grumpuses #fanfiction #kim #nikki #floofty fizzlebean #wambus troubleham #Triffany lottablog

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nad-zeta · 4 years

Note

hey, so your requests are open. I loved your foreign mc and latina mc headcanons! 💗 just wondering if you could do something based on the latina one. Mc is like a strict latina mom. When they get angry at someone, they take off their sandals and start hitting/threatening the person with it in angry Spanish. Or, they just grab anything really. Even the ronins are scared of them but they’re surprisingly good with kids. Sorry if this is too long, love 💕

◉_◉Anon; (Masamune, Hideyoshi, Nobu, Ieyasu and Yuki) and one for the IkeVamp boys (Comte, Leo, Arthur, Theo, and Napo) in which the femMC gets involved in a girl fight and she goes 21st c on them? ❤️

Hi, hi dears! 🦋🌻Thank you so so much for the requests! ❤🥰Also, soooorrrryyyy for taking super long getting to this! I think I might make this headcanon week, and catch up on all the HC piling up in my box lol! 😂🦋Anyways hope yall don’t mind that I combined the two asks! I found they were somewhat similar!❤❤🥰🌻🦋

Headcanon: Angry Latina MC feat; Masamune, Hideyoshi, Nobu, Ieyasu and Yuki

Masamune

Masamune is a pretty playful guy so its no surprise that he gets into trouble with his Latina girlfriend now and again (¬‿¬)

He lives for those moments where he pushes you over the edge ever so slightly, where you start swearing at him in Spanish (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

Honestly he absolutely loves it, he finds it super sexy (¬‿¬)

One day you were out in the markets, buying some fresh ingredients for dinner you planned to surprise Masamune with

Your hands were full of fresh produce when you accidentally bumped into a soldier (╯°□°）╯

He stared down at you, “Hey watch where you are going you, filthy maid,” he said with a snarl ノಠ_ಠノ

You had honestly had it, with disrespectful men and your angry strict lantana mom mode was activated （♯▼皿▼）

You legit threw the man against his head with an apple, ranting at him in Spanish (╯=▃=)╯︵┻━┻

Masamune had been on the hunt for his kitten ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )

He strolled through the markets, as the maids had told him that you were out shopping

And that’s when he spotted you

You were going 21st century on the disrespectful man’s ass, giving him a true Latina smackdown ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

When you were done with him he was bowing down low to you, in an apology, promising that he would treat people better in the future

That’s when Masamune strode to your side and put an arm around your shoulders, “Having fun kitten,” he asked with a broad smile ~(˘▾˘~)

He looked down with pity at the soldier now fearing for his life, as he has had one too many sandal smacks to the head (｡◕‿‿◕｡)

Masamune simply smiled, as he helped you pick up your fallen ingredients from the floor and helped you carry the stash back home

He was low key thankful that it was not him on the receiving end of the sandal for once (｡◕‿◕｡)

Hideyoshi

You and Hideyoshi had been dating for a while now (｡◕‿◕｡)

Often the two of you would walk around the markets together on the hunt for the best tea house to have some tea and lunch at

One day as you were peacefully sipping on some tea and enjoying Hideyoshi’s company (◠‿◠✿)

Something caught your attention ⚆ _ ⚆

You turned to see a woman abusing some poor street child, for messing a drop of water on her fancy kimono

You Latina mom mode was activated

ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

Hideyoshi looked over at you and saw the fires being lit in your eyes, he followed your gaze to see the woman hitting the poor child ◉_◉

Before he even had a chance to react, he saw you stomping your way to place yourself between the child and the woman

You glared angrily at the woman who then started attacking you for interrupting her

(　･ω･)っ≡つ

You legit went all out, pulling her hair and punching her in the gut

At some point Hideyoshi even saw you take off your sandal and hit her with it

（╯°□°）╯︵( .o.)

He ran to your side trying his hardest to break up the fight

Hideyoshi was pulling you away from the woman by your waist as you continued to curse at her angrily in Spanish

“I’m calm, I’m calm put me down Hideyoshi,” his caramel eyes looked into your to see all traces of anger had disappeared, and he let you go ಠ⌣ಠ

Before the mama bear could even scold you, you crouched down in front of the little girl and in the most tender of voices asked if she was alright

You then asked her if she would like to join you and Hideyoshi for some tea and lunch (｡◕‿◕｡)

Her little eyes lit up in delight, you walked back to the teahouse holding the little girl’s hand leaving a very shook and confused Hideyoshi staring at you (°ロ°)☝

For a scary fighter, you certainly were good with children (ʘ‿ʘ)

Nobunaga

You and your boyfriend had snuck out of the castle to go on a fun trip together ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪

The plan was to spend the day in a flower field away from the business of the castle

Finally the two of you had reached your destination(◕‿◕✿)

You set up the blankie and picnic under the shade of a big tree

Your eyes gleamed in delight when you had noticed that Nobunaga even managed to sneak some sugar candies for the two of you to share

Your relaxing picnic, however, was soon interrupted but a group of ronin appearing from the treeline (；一_一)

“Well, what do we have here, a sweet romantic getaway for two.” They looked at you with a dangerous glint in their eyes (¬‿¬)

Nobunaga drew his sword and glared angrily at the people for interrupting his quiet time with his beloved fireball (／‵Д′)／~ ╧╧

You started swearing and threatening them in Spanish, which causes Nobunaga to smirk smugly (ง'̀-'́)ง

He loved how feisty you were, never backing down from any opponent or challenge, you always stood your ground and even though he didn’t have a clue what you were saying, he always found it incredibly sexy (¬‿¬)

However his smug smile soon turned into a small frown as he spotted a woman ronin among the men ⚆ _ ⚆

You followed his gaze to the woman and grabbed his hand giving it a slight squeeze, “Leave that one to me, this ain’t my first rodeo.” (｡◕‿◕｡)

He looked down at you and smiled, “Well then fireball lets finish this quickly so we can get back to our picnic.” (◠‿◠✿)

Nobunaga charged at the men, as you now calmly walked towards the woman, “surrender now and no one will get hurt.”

The woman simply scoffed and charged at you

The two of you went hand to hand as you fought (ง ͠° ͟ل͜ ͡°)ง

To say you gave her a true 21st-century smackdown would be an understatement (*＇Д＇)ﾉｼ)ﾟﾛﾟ)

By the end of the fight you had her tied up and started scolding her in Spanish

Nobunaga couldn’t hold back that proud smirk as he watched his beloved fireball in her element (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

Ieyasu

After a long boring council meeting you and Ieyasu decided to take a pleasant, relaxing stroll through the forest (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

You were gathering some flowers to make the grumpy porcupine a flower crown when you heard a shuffling coming from one of the bushes (◕‿◕✿)

You were on high alert as you approached the bush, sandal in hand, ready to smack any potential attacker ಠ_ಠ

Ieyasu had to stifle a laugh at the scene of you slowly approaching the bush with your sandal held high above your head

“You silly girl its probably just a rabbit” he said trying to hold back his laughter （≧ｙ≦＊）

You made your way closer and crouched down, to meet big blue eyes

Your eyes widened when you saw a scared little boy hiding in the bush

You carefully reached out and wrapped the child in your arms as you gently lifted him out of the bush ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

Ieyasu’s eyes widened as he rushed towards you, shrugging off his haori to wrap it around the little boy to keep warm

The boy wore a well known family clans crest

The two of you took the boy back home with you and after cleaning him up, asked him what had happened (◕‿◕✿)

He revealed that he was from one of the clans that allide with Nobunaga and that some assassins had kidnapped him and his mother to use to gain an advantage against Nobunaga (ಥ_ʖಥ)

That night the kidnappers came to Ieyasu’s palace to kidnap the child and finish the job, but when they saw you, an Oda princess they simply couldn’t resist and kidnapped you as well

Ieyasu had gone to report the news of the discovered boy to Nobunaga

You woke up, bound in a dark shed ಠ╭╮ಠ

You gazed around the room and spotted the boy and his mother, fearful and crying

｡ﾟ･（>﹏<）･ﾟ｡

The kidnappers filed into the room and smiled when they saw that you were awake, “you will serve us well in the downfall of the Oda forces.”

You lost your temper at that and started swearing at them in Spanish, to buy yourself some time to work on your bounds, to free yourself ( ￣＾￣)

Once you got your hands-free you legit threw the kidnapper’s with any object you could get your hands on, yelling angrily at them in Spanish

(┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻

Imagine Ieyasu’s shock when he burst into the shack to see you on top of the attacker hitting one him over the head with your sandal.

He was even more sister shook when he looked around the room to see that all the other kidnappers had already been bound and taught a lesson they would never forget (=ﾟωﾟ)つ)ﾟ∀ﾟ)

Never mess with a woman from the 21 st century

A shiver went down Yasu’s spine, as he watched you continuing to swear at and hit the man

For someone so good with children, you were definitely terrifying

Yukimura

You were happily married with the aloof dufus, and lived together with your four beautiful children (◕‿◕✿)

You were a rather a strict Latina mom, thanks to your own mother being a heavily spirited woman

You were feared far and wide by ronin and thugs and no one dared mess with you or your children lest they wanted to face your wrath

A lesson which Yukimura had not yet learned (¬‿¬)

He had taken your kids out to play in a nearby forest, to give you some well-derived rest from the little gremlins

You honestly loved your children and would dote on them 24/7, they could honestly do nothing wrong in your eyes (◕ᴗ◕✿)

Suddenly missing your small trouble makers, you slowly made your way to the flower field that they were playing

As you got closer you could hear one of your children crying

.·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.

You instantly went into mother must protect mode

̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\з=( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)=ε/̵͇̿̿/'̿̿ ̿ ̿ ̿ ̿ ̿

You ran up to your cute little child and overheard the conversation he was having with your dearest husband

“Your okay, little dummy, here look I’ve patched your leg all up, good as new,” Yukimura said in a cheerful tone ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

“Just don’t tell your mother okay, she will kill me if she found out I let you play with Sasuke’s ground spikes” he said as he scratched the back of his head and chuckled ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Just then a shadow fell over Yukimura, he didn’t need to turn around to know that you had obviously overheard the conversation and that you were furious ʘ‿ʘ

He braced himself for impact as you whacked him over the head with your sandal, yelling at him in Spanish ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

Being married to you for so long and having faced your wrath many a time he was able to pick up the meaning of a few words

He also knew there was only one way to get you to calm down, “Hey you little squirt help me,” your child stared up at his dad, “Nope papa, it’s not my fault you didn’t listen,” he then giggled and ran to play with his siblings

Leaving poor Yukimura to deal with your angry Spanish ranting ¬_¬

I hope you enjoyed this dear and thanks again for the request! ❤🌻🦋

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marveloussupernerd · 4 years

Text

mirrorball - Saeran Choi

I did SO MUCH research because I didn’t want to represent Saeran or his DID incorrectly, but I’m still learning! I haven’t done Another Story yet so this is likely not accurate to the plot. Also my sister is a huge Saeran fan, so if you’re here Hi :) I’ve been thinking of this one since I started this one shot series so I’m v excited to write it

Summary: you plan an over-the-top movie night to celebrate you and Saeran’s six month anniversary. However, the movie he picks out ends out having some dark scenes. You get to comfort him though

You had planned a very exciting night in for Saeran and you, so long as he was feeling up to it. He had seemed to be excited enough over text, so you were feeling good about it. He was still struggling to adjust; sometimes he had dark thoughts... but you tried your best to help him through it. Since distancing from Mint Eye, though, and moving in with his brother, he seemed to be feeling a lot better lately.

You wanted to plan the best date night ever. You had been dating for six months already and wanted to celebrate it in an extra special way. You had strung fairy lights all around your living room, making a fort out of as many pillows and blankets you could find. You made chocolate chip cookies, fresh (they had just gotten out of the oven fifteen minutes ago) so that your apartment smelled cozy (and so you could eat them; Saeran really liked them).

There was a knock on your door. He was ten minutes early; he was always early. You opened the door for him, a bright smile on your face. He was wearing an oversized sweater and holding a giant hand-tired bouquet of flowers. “Happy six months,” he greeted, walking in and placing a kiss on your cheek, handing you the flowers.

You couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off your face, leaning in to smell them, enjoying the wonderful aroma they gave off. You turned to the cupboards to grab a vase to stick them in, filling it with water, your back still turned to Saeran.

“These are absolutely beautiful. Thank you!” You gently put the flowers in the vase then turned back to face him. He took the opportunity to pull you into a hug. You wrapped your arms around him tighter in return.

“Smells like cookies,” he murmured in your ear.

“Mhm, I made your favorite,” you smiled proudly. You liked doing these sorts of things for him. “What do you want me to call you tonight?” You asked gently, leaving kisses across his cheek.

After particularly bad nightmares he liked to be called Ray. He didn’t want to acknowledge that other part of him, the dark and twisted part of his mind. More often than not, though, he wished to be called Saeran. You had played a large role in helping him accept himself, and he no longer felt such a distinct shift between his personalities. He didn’t resent the dark part of him as much as he had in the past.

“Hmmm...” he murmured. He was most certainly feeling playful today. No nightmares last night; he was okay with being called Saeran. “I’d like if you called me ‘My Love’.”

“Agh,” you giggled, faking disdain. “Too cute. Too cheesy. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it.” You pulled out of his embrace and he whined, missing the contact with you. You laughed again, grabbing his wrist gently and pulling him towards the living room. “I didn’t really know what to get you for our anniversary, so I hope this’ll do.” You motioned towards the giant pillow fort, the fairy lights wrapped around the room, and the glow in the dark star stickers pressed onto the ceiling. “Happy six months My Love.”

He walked carefully around the room, committing each part of it to memory: this fallen blanket, the stuffed bear he had gotten you at Target, the plate of chocolate chip cookies in the middle of the pile of blankets. “Did you... did you take your mattress off your bed to put in here?” He asked. He was too observant.

“And boy was it tough to move on my own,” you sighed, putting your hands on your hips, proud of such an achievement. It was a slow process but you were sure it would help with the overall coziness of the setting.

He tackled you in another hug, but this time you almost lost your balance, stepping back until the mattress saved you from your fall, pulling him down with you. He chuckled and you joined him soon after, pulling him in for a gentle kiss on the lips.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He asked, taking your hand and kissing each of your knuckles.

“Nope. This fort is extremely well made if I do say so myself.”

You let him pick what movie you’d watch. He picked the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Admittedly, you hadn’t seen it in a very long time, and he hadn’t ever seen it before. He just liked the art style and felt like maybe he could relate to the story.

You propped up some pillows and pulled a few dozen blankets over the two of you until your nice and warm. You pulled Saeran into your arms gently, wrapping your arms around his middle and letting him lay back against you, his head somewhere between your shoulder and your neck. He liked when you held him like this; it made him feel safe and loved. The first few times you had held him he was frightened. Nobody had ever treated him like this, but the more you did it the more he liked it.

And then the song Hellfire came on. Uh... you didn’t remember this scene from when you watched as a kid. His nose scrunched up in distaste at the dark (visually and metaphorically) scene. He turned towards you, hiding his face in your shoulder. “What the hell,” he groaned. “I thought this was a Disney movie.”

“Older Disney movies are kind of dark sometimes, My Love,” you teased. But then you realized he wasn’t just playing around with you. You could tell by the way he balled the hem of your shirt up in his hands, his mouth moving against your shoulder, saying some sort of silent prayer you couldn’t here.

“Oh!” You blurted out in shock. You cupped his cheek very lightly in your hand. “Honey, look at me.” He was still focused on mouthing the same mantra. “Saeran. Look at me.” Surprised from you breaking your vow and calling him by his name, he looked up. His eyes were clouded and stormy. You couldn’t tell what was going on behind them. You just knew you needed to help ground him in this moment.

“Saeran, I’m right here with you,” you focused on stroking his cheek. You could see now. He was whispering the word ‘no’ over and over again. “Hey hey,” you whispered again, causing his eyes to lock with yours. “We’ve been dating for six months now. Six months. You and I.”

He nodded carefully. That was helping. “You know where we are right now?” You asked, not expecting an answer. “I made us a pillow fort. And look. I made constellations in the sky with these little glow in the dark star stickers. Cool huh?”

He nodded again. “I remember you said you liked looking at the sky. Do you know any constellations?” You asked, hoping he was ready to give an answer.

He was silent at first. He was shaking in your arms. Finally he spoke: “I only know the Big Dipper.”

“Do you see it in the sky?”

“Mhmm,” he leaned his head next to yours, closing one of his eyes to make sure he pointed at it just perfect. “Right there.”

“You’re so smart,” you complimented, reaching up to stroke his hair gently. “Are you okay?”

He sighed. He shook his head very very slightly.

“That’s okay,” you reassured him. “We’re getting there. Look back up at me again.” He did immediately, his gaze softening.

“See! It’s just me,” you stuck you tongue out at him, trying to make him laugh. He was able to let out a small giggle, the crinkling around his eyes proving to you that he wasn’t faking it just to make you feel better.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You shouldn’t have to do this. This should be a fun night.” He was still shaking slightly, focusing on his breath to calm down and clear his mind.

“It is a fun night. I’m with you, silly.” You turned off the movie, slumping down onto the mattress and pulling Saeran with you, his head now resting on your chest. “Let me show you where the Little Dipper is now.”

This probably would have been a more entertaining activity if either of you could make out any constellations other than the Dippers in the cheap little glow in the dark stickers, but you found your own way to have fun. You spent your time making up your own constellations, seeing who could come up with a more ridiculous one. You were fueled by Saeran’s laughs, until he laughed no longer.

His chest was rising up and down evenly. He had fallen asleep just from the sound of your voice. It made you feel so soft and warm and fuzzy. You took a small breath, not wanting to disturb his sleep. One hand running through his hair slowly, pulling him deeper and deeper into sleep, the other holding him tight against you. You wanted every night to end like this one, sleeping with him in your arms, his gentle breathing lulling you to sleep as well. Of course you didn’t want the earlier part of the night to happen again, but you would be with him when it did... because it would. Still, you were so proud of the progress he had made. You had only been together six months, but you couldn’t imagine the rest of your lifetime without him by your side. Now all you had to do was hope you’d meet in the field of dreams.

#mystic messenger #mysme #saeran choi #folklore

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finstermond · 3 years

Text

Witcher Ranch AU

Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer of Vengerberg

Ciri, Vesemir, Eskel, Lambert, Jaskier

---

Geralt gazed upon the vast grassland that belonged to him - or the horses, as he would say. It had belonged to his father before he gifted him his inheritance early as a wedding gift.

Almost hidden by the bushes grazed some of the horses. He could see two heads of adult ones and one of a foal but only one of the adult heads was discernible. A white mare - Endrega, he was sure of it. What a beautiful one. Her fur glistered in the sun as fresh snow. Riding her canter felt as if riding a breeze.

The Morhen Ranch bred horses for some generations now. It was his life, the only one he knew. The only one he ever wanted to know.

“Hey,” his brother Eskel disturbed his thoughts, “think you can actually hold the post or do you want to keep looking at the horses and make your wife jealous?”

Geralt grunted and readjusted his grip. Eskel sighed and struck the hammer on the post.

“Thank you, Eskel.” said Geralt.

“No problem, it’s my job after all. If your son can’t even hold a post up I need to chime in!” teased Eskel his older brother. “Ah fuck you,” answered Geralt, “you know his mother wanted to show him something today.” They walked back to their horses and put the hammer, the old posts they had renewed now, planks and the nails back in the cart Eskel’s pinto was strapped to. Eskel’s wolfdog Bann waddled his tail, ready to run back to the farm.

“She did?” asked Eskel while mounting. Geralt went up to his riding horse Roach. Originally he wanted to name all horses Roach - followed by numbers. Several people intervened. The brown mare greeted him with a soft snort.

“Yeah, she took all of the kids with her after school. They’re riding to see a plant that only blooms for a few days a year.”

“Flowers?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t understand your wife.” Geralt squinted towards Eskel.

“Rarely anyone does.”

---

“Daddy!” a wall of shouts arrived Geralt as he came back from the field. Eskel had taken a turn to look for the chicken fence. Geralt almost didn’t manage to climb down from Roach before a wall of children hugged him. Well, apart from his oldest son, Eric, who had a phase of being too cool for his dad. He had his arms crossed, smiled nonetheless and stood close. It was understandable behaviour being 13 and all but Geralt couldn’t stop being a tad bit sad about it. At the same time he mirrored his mother so much. A gaze that could kill, hair as black as the night, his smile. Apart from that his stature was more like his. He’d grow up to be broad and tall, Geralt was sure of it. The second eldest, Leo was 11 and like a younger twin to his brother. It seemed like he’d grow even taller for he was about the height Eric had been a year ago. Casimir - their third son - just turned eight and currently wants to grow long hair which keeps getting into his face. Geralt kneeled down to pick up Roger, their youngest son at five who was born hunched and tried not to groan. Gwyn, their only daughter at age seven - and a mirror to her mother in all but character - took the chance of her dad kneeling and gave Geralt a peck on his cheek. She had made her brothers flower crowns which all of them - except Eric who had it bound to his belt - proudly wore. Gwyn handed her father one sheepishly. “I made you one too!” she exclaimed. Geralt happily tried to put it on but his daughter had over measured his head and it was more of a necklace. He beamed nonetheless and walked towards the main house, children following him. Eric ran behind after he finished unsaddling Roach and let her into the paddock.

Nearing the house, Geralt smelled stew and got excited. With his free hand he opened the door, put out his boots and walked towards the kitchen. “I’m home!” he exclaimed.

Two of the kids detached from him and ran towards the stew and the raven haired woman standing before the pot.

Yennefer turned around and greeted Geralt with a fleeting smile and a kiss. The kids all let an exasperated “Ew” be known.

She looked him up and down, noted his necklace and grinned wickedly, “Your daughter thinks you’re bigheaded.” she said. The kids took off around the kitchen and Roger wanted to be let down so Geralt kneeled again to put him back on his feet. Yennefer turned towards the stew. Geralt hugged her from behind.

“Wonder if her mother keeps telling her that.” he said. She let herself loose in his arms.

“Might be.” she closed her eyes for a second.

“How was the flower?” Geralt asked.

Yennefer chuckled. “The auraris scenoloptis? Beautiful. Our kids got distracted by wolfbanes, moleyarrows, blowballs and ginatias though.” she told him. Geralt looked down on his necklace, made up of those flowers. “Yeah, right.” he said.

“I’m drying some petals and hope I can use them for a salve soon. The fishmonger's daughter needs some help getting pregnant.” she explained.

“What’s so different to using white myrtle?” he asked.

“Well it’s more potent in its aphrodisiac agency and acts as a booster to the female cycle by activating-” she realised Geralt was more interested in sniffing her hair than letting her explain in detail, “- in other words you have a couple more fertile days.”

“We didn’t need that.” he added. She turned towards him.

“Be glad, could have been different in another life!”

---

Lambert had returned from the city. His carriage was full of groceries, metals, fabric and leather. Eskel helped him unpack. Eric and Leo joined while Casimir, Gwyn and Roger had disappeared in the stables. “Everyone’s buying stuff as if a plague’s coming.” Lambert exclaimed. “Well maybe some are blessed with prophetic dreams or just like to prepare for winter early, like we do.” Eskel answered. Eric and Leo carried a big package to their storage house. Lambert’s two wolfdogs and Eskel’s greeted each other and proceeded to run around the cart and ranch.

Vesemir joined the unpackers, “Like we do? Those kids would eat those horses up in two weeks if we won’t buy food!” and kneeled down to pick something up which stopped both Eskel and Lambert to shout “Stop it!” and basically rip what he tried to pick up from his hands.

“Stop it, old man, you know it’s not good for your back!” Lambert shouted again.

Geralt and Yennefer, hearing commotion, walked out and soon were greeted by this scene. Vesemir put himself back up and made a sour face.

Yennefer called out to him, “Come on and help me inside, Vesemir.” after that she greeted Lambert with a quick “Hello!” which he answered with a “Hey, Yennefer.” She turned to got back inside.

In passing Geralt who sped to help unload he murmured, “My own sons don’t think I can do anything anymore and my daughter-in-law just gives me one command after another. I am not inept, I’m just getting a bit old!” Geralt patted him on the back. Vesemir had not been as quiet as he thought since Lambert quickly added a “I’ll be damned if there is a person one day she doesn’t order around. So don’t feel bad about that part.” which handed him a grunt and a sour look from Geralt.

Lambert shrugged. “Don’t tell me it’s not true!”

Without a word, Eskel threw something heavy at their youngest brother for him to shut up. There was silence for a few seconds. The boys returned and began carrying another package towards the storage hut.

“How was the town?” asked Eskel.

“Good, hectic. People are going a bit crazy. Emreis bought the Cintraen Stables. Ran ‘em out of business I say. I mean, crazy coincidences - Calanthe and Eist died a few weeks ago. Pertussis they say. Their granddaughter is missing. I mean she has nowhere to go, no family left anyways. Wolves probably got her. Hm. Old hag apparantly died. Can’t say I miss ‘er, had a few debts. Ah, I managed to have two of our foals of next year reserved. An Craite wants one of Alps and Foltest wants either one of Kayran or Eredin - maybe even both he’s not sure. Ugh Friday, finally!” Lambert told his brothers.

“Calanthe and Eist died?” Geralt asked.

“Yeah, pertussis apparently. Emreis already had a signed contract weeks before but I still get why people are thinking it might have been on purpose. Even more so that Cirenella or whatever her name was ‘s missing. You’d think they’d have prepared for it.”

They hadn’t been friends but lived in silent respect as almost neighbours and hearing about the tragic story around Calanthe’s daughter and her young grandchild had been the topic of many conversations with Yennefer. She had often remarked whether or not Pavetta was actually Vesemir’s daughter as a joke since Geralt and Pavetta had shared the same white-colored hair. Since Pavetta’s daughter was born a bastard with no known father it had led to some distressing silence.

“Hm.”

---

After having everything from Lambert’s shopping trip stored and packed where it belonged, they ate. Having ten mouths to feed was not something Yennefer ever imagined to do but she did it with glee - and she didn’t have to do it daily since both Lambert and Vesemir loved to cook. Geralt was good at it but he would rather feed the horses daily than his children, to put it briefly. “Horses don’t play with their food.” he’d say to Yennefer as an excuse not to cook. “Well then I won’t play with your meat!” was the whispered reply that usually took great effect.

Lambert told tales of the city with his nephews and his niece hung on his lips while eating.

Geralt only scooped a few spoons in, his mind occupied with the child of Pavetta. Only Roger who had snuck in the pantry and stolen some sweet pie and therefore wasn’t quite as hungry as his siblings noted his father being absent and tried to smile at him. Yenenfer who kept an extra eye on her criminal son to check whether he was eating anything healthy at all thus noticed Geralt being absent minded. He felt her gaze and looked up towards her. They exchanged a few facial expressions as married folk tend to do and Yennefer understood he would come up to her with it in time but later.

Yennefer returned to give Roger a stern gaze and he hastily put another spoon full of stew into his mouth, then smiled, mouth full of stew at her.

---

Beer in hand, children in bed, freshly bathed Geralt stood next to the fireplace. Vesemir was dozing off in his rocking chair. His ale stood beside him on the ledge.

Roger had a phase of direly needing his mom to sleep and while Geralt had read them all a story it was Yennefer who was needed to hold Rogers hand until he slept right now. Sometimes she dozed off too and then came up later to the parlor.

Eskel and Lambert washed up, he could hear their voices softly getting to his ear. They would drink a quick beer together, then go to their houses. Eskel as the ranch’s smith above his furnace and Lambert next to the storage hut. Vesemir took turns sleeping at Eskel’s or in his house which was way smaller and originally planned as a guest house. On colder nights he stayed at Eskel’s.

Originally they had all slept in the main house but with one child after another place grew scarce soon. And then again Geralt and Yennefer were grateful for every bit of privacy.

Geralt was still recovering from a leg injury he got when taming last year's horses. He had taken the children with him. Leo and Casimir almost got in harm's way when they groomed an already tamed horse of theirs, Morvudd, and his wild horse almost crashed into the other one. Morvudd jumped and left space for the wild one to crash into Leo and Casimir so Geralt got it to turn again and crash into a splintered fence, causing his leg to cut open.

The children had been horrified of course. Eric and Leo quickly ran back home to get help from their mother. It was resolved rather fast but since then his leg wasn’t healed completely and his duties on the ranch got split and taken over by his family.

After a while Eskel and Lambert came into the parlor and laughed at their sleeping father “No, I am not getting old.” Lambert mimicked his tone of speech and they all chuckled. They drank their beer and then wished each other good night. Eskel woke Vesemir and they left together. Geralt sat down into the rocking chair when he heard steps coming downstairs.

“Look who’s still awake.” he said with a low voice.

“Ha-ha.” Yennefer fake laughed. “Your son was scared you’re still hurting and cannot eat because of this.” she explained and then yawned.

She sat on his lap, carefully avoiding his hurt leg and began stroking his beard. No words were needed, no further inquiring.

“Lambert told us about Calanthe and Eist dying.” he began. He began caressing her back.

“Cintrean Stables?” she asked while closing her eyes. He nodded. “Yes, he said Emreis bought it. Didn’t mention they died though. What about -” he cut her off.

“Went missing, he said. She has no family left. She’s probably just a thorn in Emreis’ eyes.” Geralt added. Yennefer turned to look at him. “You...?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know do you…?”

She smiled, “What’s one mouth more to feed?”

One moment in silence then they started giggling. “Oh, Eric’s not gonna like this.”

Geralt looked towards the fire, sad about this prospect. Yennefer turned her body more towards him. “Hey. He’s having a phase. Just like Roger who needs me to sleep right now because he thinks if I am not there monsters will come. Eric is in a phase where he thinks he doesn’t need his dad and can protect himself from all the monsters in the world. The boys in school teased him because he told so much about you in school and then you got hurt even though being immortal according to Eric, the teacher told me.”

“Oh.” Geralt’s eyes widened.

“Geralt, it’s not your fault.” Yennefer tried to reassure him. “It’s a phase. He will get over it soon enough and then it’ll be me he hates. He’s starting puberty. It’s gonna be - fun.”

“Fun.” Geralt repeated.

“I need to convince myself or else I am gonna get crazy. We really had five children in eight years which means that they’re gonna be pubescent at the same time at one point.”

They both stared into the fire.

“It’s gonna be six children, Yen.” Geralt remarked. Yennefer smiled, then her gaze saddened. “We’re gonna have to find her first.”

---

They were awoken by a loud stomps on the stairways and shrieks of playing fetch. Yennefer went from sleeping to a commanding tone in mere seconds. “No running on the stairs!” she shouted, silence followed, quickly to be exchanged with a trail of steps running towards the two of them who had slept on the rocking chair, covered in fur and a quilt.

“Mommy! Daddy! Good morning!” they exclaimed and threw a ball between them. A game Geralt didn’t get the rules of. “We don’t have to get the rules,” Yennefer once explained to him, “what’s important is a) that they’re playing at all b) they are playing together and c) they’re letting us be for five minutes”.

They got forehead kisses from their parents - even Eric who Geralt just grabbed and pulled towards him. Yennefer saw Eric smile afterwards and was reassured he just had a phase.

Breakfast was bread with cold meat and jam. And telling their children about the plan of adopting another child.

“She doesn’t have a family anymore - do you guys think we could be that for her?” Yennefer asked the children.

“But who is gonna protect her if Daddy’s away? I already have to protect all of them. And you!” Eric got worked up.

“First of all, I am perfectly capable of protecting myself and you,” Yennefer got serious, “second of all, your father has a job that means he has to stay with the herds several nights in a row. It’s not as if he’s gone forever or will leave forever. He’s never going alone and won’t ever go alone. And third of all, we are fine. I know you hear a lot of the jokes Lambert makes about you guys eating everything up one day but no it’s not the truth. We have enough for all. Hell, we would have enough if Lambert and Eskel finally got a -”

Geralt stopped Yennefer. “I think it’s okay now, Yen.”

Eric looked a bit beat down and angry at the same time, Geralt wondered why he hadn’t left yet but he guessed Eric was too proud for that.

“Hey buddy,” Geralt started, “I know you’re feeling a bit like I am not your friend anymore these days but I am. I don’t know what I did to make you feel this way but this is between us and shouldn’t -”

“Yeah yeah I know. Just keep on getting more children like I am not enough!” Eric stormed off, closing the door behind him by smashing it. Yennefer looked as shocked as rarely ever before.

Eskel peeked into the parlor. “Your son just crashed into me and then ran off? Are you alright -” he saw Yennefer's expression, Geralt being quite unhappy and the other children mildly confused. “Okay. I guess not. Uh. I will look for Lambert.” he left again.

Leo, after holding a “conference” with his siblings and being the eldest with Eric’s vanishing, told his parents that they were alright with another sister, should she “wish to join, be okay to make flower crowns, race towards the forest and back, accept the rules of ball-throw-game” and, most importantly the task they all hated but someone had to do “help folding bed sheets” which had Yennefer and Geralt fall out of their moment of shock and return to smiling. “Sure. We will present her with your demands.” Geralt told his son.

---

“Are you sure you won’t rather take the carriage?” Yennefer asked as Geralt mounted Roach. Vesemir already sat on his horse, a white gelding.

“Yes, Yen. We will be faster that way. She is alone out there and every minute might count.”

“I just worry-” Yennefer got interrupted by Vesemir: “His leg won’t fall off and I may be older than you all but I can ride a horse faster than you all can. Now stop being cheesy and give him a goodbye kiss.”

Yennefer did, presented Vesemir with a stern gaze and then waved them goodbye with the children, up until they got bored doing so.

Geralt and Vesemir took on a quick trot and reached the town soon after high noon. The town hall delivered a quick message in the form of Julian Alfred Pankratz alias Jaskier, one of the council members. “Geralt! Vesemir!” he exclaimed , “it is nice seeing you here!”. He came closer, leaving a waiting and now angry couple waiting for their meeting behind. “How is your leg? How are your children? How is… the witch doing?” Vesemir laughed at that last remark. “How are you, old man?” he asked Vesemir who visibly didn’t like being called ‘old man’. Geralt smirked at that, had he been okay with his wife getting insulted seconds before.

“Getting better each day, getting bigger each day, getting more beautiful each day.” Geralt answered. Jaskier shrugged. “Wow I really need to visit again.” he said.

“Yes, they miss their uncle.” said Vesemir. “And to be frank we could use a day of singing again.” Jaskier beamed.

“We’re here because of Pavetta’s child though.” Geralt chimed in.

“Who?” asked Jaskier.

“You know the child of surprise.”

“Ah. Sure. What a tragic story, isn’t it? I really need to make it a song. ‘Last flower of Cintra’, maybe? Hm. Sounds too floral. Lion? They had lion decor. But they still were a ranch. Rose? Yeah yeah sounds better. What are the odds of both grandparents dying mere days from each other?”

“Jaskier.” Geralt cut his evasions short.

“Right. Cirilla. What about her?”

“Lambert said she went missing and doesn’t have a family.” Geralt explained.

“Well at least the family part is true.” Jaskier said.

“What do you mean?”

“She doesn’t have any further family. Well except - surprisingly - a father should surface,” he noticed Geralt's stern look, “but no she doesn’t have any living family and no one willing or possible to take her. Alas she is not missing - okay yes she went missing for a quick moment but was quickly found and lives with the teacher for now.”

“Oh.” Vesemir and Geralt shared a look. They both were glad she was sfe for now.

“We spoke about maybe taking her in,” Geralt stated, “can I meet her?”

“Sure,” said Jaskier, “just maybe bring Yennefer next time. The council decided we would only let someone take her in after both had met them. You know it didn’t go well with the Jaromir boy last time and now he’s living on Emrais Ranch getting fed lies about how inept we are. And Emrais hasn’t even adopted him. I think it’s a bunch of kids just living off the ranch’s supplies.” Geralt wasn’t so sure that was the whole truth but he didn’t care.

“I think it’s best we ride back, Geralt. You and Yennefer can still ride back here today and meet her then. It’s no use going there alone. You shouldn’t make the decision yourself anyways. Would have been different if she still ran around in the forest.” Vesemir opined. Jaskier nodded consensual. “Yes I won’t be here for long anymore but you know where to meet me. I will have the papers ready should you decide to take her in.”

---

Yennefer and Geralt rode as fast as the wind. Her black stallion was called Aretuza and one of the fastest in the bunch. Roach had been tired out so he took Plotka, another brown mare.

“Remember when we got married in the town?” Yennefer smiled.

“Barely.” Geralt answered. Yennefer's smile vanished.

“You’re teasing me!” she turned sour. Geralt’s eyes widened in glee.

“Yen, I am just reminding you of the time you told me you were pregnant.”

“Oh,” she laughed, “I remember, you didn’t recall our wedding at first. To be fair they had you quite… drunk at the end of the night.”

The conversation had been barely a week after their wedding. Istredd, a study friend of Yennefer who didn’t make it to the wedding, congratulated them and then, after winking at both of them for seeing Yennefer's situation, asked whether they had chosen a name already. After he left Geralt asked her for what he congratulated. She had told him that they had wed which got Geralt confused.

“I wore white and had flowers? All our friends and family were there? You wore a dress shirt? You said ‘I do!’?”

His answer back then didn’t stem from being reluctant rather than actually not knowing what had been going on. “How was I even supposed to know? You always smell of lilac, wear white, black or black and white - also I still can’t believe any day I wear those horrible fancy clothes is a chance you take? I honestly thought it was a normal sunday. I mean okay, the drinking got out of hand but it happens, right?”

“Please tell me you at least remember what we need a name for?” Yennefer had asked, getting aggravated. His eyes had grown even more panicked.

“A horse?” Geralt had asked, confused.

“I’m seven months pregnant, Geralt.”

“Fuck.” Anxiety over having an unwanted child had now grabbed Yennefer. “We don’t have a name,” He took her into a deep hug and then started kissing her, “But well we have about two months, still.” Between her tears, Yennefer still had managed to laugh.

“I still can’t believe I forgot most of our wedding. It sucks to be honest.”

“At least you feel bad about it,” Yennefer said, “and I am so glad you didn’t suggest ‘Roach’ as a name in that moment. We wouldn’t have made a week of marriage.”

“I know.” he answered.

It was late afternoon when they rode into the town. Jaskier told Geralt he would alert the teacher of the situation and he would expect them at their home. The teachers house was small by comparison to the ranch but right next to the school which had its own advantages. They knocked on the door and were greeted by the teacher's wife and one of their children.

“Ah, Geralt and Yennefer. Come in!” she said and made room. As they walked in she asked a lot of questions about the room size for the children, how old they were, whether they were healthy. Geralt made some remarks about the size of the ranch to make known that some worth lied there. The teacher’s wife openend the door to the parlor where the teacher sat with Cirilla and one of their children. Cirilla looked about eight, was dressed in a blue dress and had white hair. Yennefer and Geralt exchanged a look and almost began to laugh. At first sight she looked more like his child than any of his did. Cirilla locked eyes with them and after everyone greeted each other and Geralt and Yennefer told her who they were she greeted them with: “I am Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon but you can call me Ciri. Will you take me with you now?”

She stood before them smiling sheepishly. “We could if you want to? We have a ranch with horses.” Geralt told her.

“And we have five children.” Yennefer added, asking herself why he always had to mention the horses before his children.

Ciri nodded.“Yes Jaskier has already told me about all that. Mr. Teacher has already explained to me that I cannot stay here.” she told them.

“I think we’re settled then? I am sure you will love our home.” Yennefer said, beaming while doing so. Ciri seemed to warm up quickly and they hoped it wouldn’t stop once meeting the wall of children they had at home. Her bag was packed quickly since she didn’t have a lot of stuff. Most important was the stuffed lion her grandmother gifted her which she held firmly.

“Can I ride with you?” she asked Geralt.

“Sure.” he smiled as he answered and promptly placed her on Roach who whinnied.

They talked about some basic stuff on the way back home. Her favorite food, color, animal. Stuff to get to know her and ease her into a situation she seemed to accept rather quickly.

---

Back on the Ranch they were greeted by all of them including the dogs standing together and waving. Geralt and Yennefer stopped their horses and got down. The children came nearer but were pretty shy. Eric stood before his siblings and greeted Ciri first. “Hey Ciri, I am Eric.” he said. Lambert and Eskel fist bumped which meant they prepared him for this moment. Geralt gave them a quick thumbs up. Everyone greeted Ciri who stood next to a squatting Yennefer. Ciri whispered in her ear “How am I supposed to remember all of those names?” Yennefer giggled once, then said “Don’t worry you can always ask, we won’t bite.”

Ciri nodded, still a bit unsure of the situation.

Lambert exclaimed: “Who’s hungry? I cooked.”

Geralt then noticed he hadn't eaten all day. His stomach growled, “I am hungry.” he said just as Ciri bravely expressed her hunger as well.

“Follow me!” said Lambert and the whole bunch followed him put.

Vesemir walked up to Geralt. “Sure it wasn’t you that got Pavetta pregnant?”

In another life, Yennefer's anger could kill people as easily as a storm. We’re glad it’s not this.

#witcher #the witcher #no beta we die like calanthe #geralt x yennefer #geralt of rivia #yennefer of vengerberg #geralt #yennefer

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shamefullymadethis · 4 years

Photo

Chapter 9 - Just two lonely people

Writing below the cut! You don’t gotta read it to understand future chapters, but I think it’s really cute.

MASTER LIST

Pairing: Shinsou x Reader [BNHA]

Chapter Warnings: Alcohol reference (Slurred texting), angst (depression/trauma implied)

Summary: Y/n is a semi-well known artist online, and also a big fan of gaming youtuber, Shinsou. Shinsou has decided to start a new series of one of y/n's favorite games, so they decide to make fanart. Chaos ensues.

A/N: I had a l o t of fun writing this little bit. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

Words: 1.1k

After sending the text “sure :)” you sit there watching your phone with restless eyes. It starts to settle in that being on call with Shinsou might make it more difficult to sleep. You hear your pulse in your ears and decide to lock your phone and throw it onto your bed as you put on some pajamas. You note to yourself that getting dressed for bed shouldn’t be this hard, but for some reason choosing what to wear was a difficult task. You hear your phone start buzzing as you are putting on your pants. You rush to pull up some soft christmas themed pants you have and practically lurch to grab your phone. You press the green button while tripping over the bottom of your pants. With a thud your phone is now on the floor facing the ceiling as you gather your bearings.

“Hello?” With a questioning tone, a familiar deep and rough around the edges voice comes from your phone.

You groan as you sit up and rub your head, and grab your phone.

On your screen is Shinsou wearing a black shirt that looks a bit too big for him. This whole situation is strangely familiar, but also very new and different. You’ve seen this man’s face so much that you could draw it without reference. You’ve heard his voice so often over the years that you could pick him out of a line up of faceless people. But this time there’s no gameplay, and there’s no script.

“Helloooo,” you say as you sit on your bed.

You prop your phone up on the lamp next to your alarm on the bedside table. You sit criss cross applesauce with your hands in your lap fidgeting with the loose string at the end of your pants. You still haven’t noticed the red mark on your forehead from your collision with the ground.

“How are you, is your head alright,” asks Shinsou as the corner of his mouth turns up into a smirk.

“Ahhhh, yeah it’s alright. I just tripped trying to get to my phone,” you say tapping your forehead.

He lets out a laugh, and you feel every muscle in your body relax. It starts to settle in that this isn’t just some Y/N fanfic, and that the real (and you mean REAL) Shinsou is on the phone with you right now. The way he laughs reminds you of his videos, but something feels a bit different. It feels so much more genuine now that you could see him react without video cuts between parts. Seeing him in real time is making you realize how human he is. Not to say that you didn’t know that before, afterall you have several other friends with large followings and they are human. But this time it really hits you, because you knew your friends before the fame. You feel a bit awkward as you start to realize how much you idolized him leading up to this.

“What can I say! I’m a bit of a klutz,” you say with a smile.

“Mhm. I do have to say, for someone who wants to go to sleep I don’t think that sitting straight up like that is doing you any good,” he remarks while grinning and resting his head on his hand.

“What time is it where you are,” you ask.

“Hmm, about 10:30 at night…”

“We’re in the same timezone then!”

“I assumed we were in the same area given we have the same area code in our numbers,” he replies with a small laugh.

You feel your face warm up as you realize that he paid attention to little details like that.

“Well for someone who should get more sleep I don’t think a desk is the best place to do that,” you retort while raising one brow.

He shrugs and replies, “Got me there.” He grabs his phone and turns off his lights. For a moment the whole screen is black and then you see him plop onto his pillow. The only thing illuminating his face is a dim light that you can’t see in the frame. He places his phone somewhere beside his bed and brings his arm under his head. You notice that his hair looks a bit looser now, with pieces falling out of place and in front of his face. A stark contrast to his wild, untamable, and stiff hair you’ve seen on screen. It looks almost as relaxed as he is right now.

You follow suit and turn your phone so it’s now in landscape mode. You slip under your blanket and mimic him unconsciously by putting your arm under your head. Soon after realizing that you did that, you readjust and settle on hugging your arms to your chest. You reach over briefly to turn off your light, when it turns off you start glowing under the blue LED lights you’ve placed around the perimeter of the ceiling in your room.

“You have LED lights,” Shinsou inquires.

You reach over to grab the small color remote, and wave it at your phone.

“Yup! I have trouble sleeping in the dark, so having at least a little bit of light helps me sleep,” you answer.

He responds with a quiet “ooo” that rumbles in his chest. You smile and press the green button at the top.

“The green is cool, but this is my favorite one,” you say as you look for the red button and press it, “eviiiiiil.”

Shinsou gives you a breathy laugh as he watches you fiddle with the buttons on the remote. You give him a tour through the different colors and settings as he responds with more “ooo”s and “ahh”s. You go into detail on how each one makes you feel, the color theory behind it, and what kind of scene you picture with it. The two of you both go back and forth bouncing ideas off each other and building little worlds and stories for each color.

“I imagine a big,” you yawn, “field… with this one.”

“What else do you see,” he asks.

You close your eyes.

“Mmmm… flowers, and… a black cat… there’s a radio… playing,” a fog starts to settle into your mind as you picture this world.

“That sounds like Kiki’s Delivery Service,” he replies.

“Yeah… just… like that,” you say as your hand goes loose and the remote falls beside your bed.

You start to drift into sleep as Shinsou quietly says, “Good night, y/n.”

That night you dream of laying in that field with the flowers and radio playing. Out of the corner of your eye you see the tall grass give way to someone who lays next to you. You feel warm as you turn your head to see Shinsou laying next to you. You spend the day gazing at clouds and telling each other stories about the things you see in them.

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kairi-chan · 4 years

Text

Muse - SasuSaku

Pairing: SasuSaku

AU: Designer/Model AU

Rating: T

Genre: fluffy fluff fluff!

A/N: happy birthday, @borusawa / @idlusm this is really late, but I hope you like it!

…

Ino stood outside the building, wearing an impeccably white jumpsuit with a halter strap. Her long, blond hair flowed freely down her back, with a pair of dangling gold and diamond earring on each ear. She looked as fabulous as always, and Sakura immediately regretted coming to this art gallery. She felt so underdressed.

“Forehead, over here!” Ino waved, a large smile on her face. Sakura made it up the steps and waved back. “Oh my god, I thought you were going to flake on me!”

The pinkette laughed nervously. “It’s hard to when you kept calling every ten minutes. Hard to get any studying done like that, you know?”

“You can study later!” Ino grinned. “Besides, I would have picked you up myself to help you get ready but,” her blue eyes scanned Sakura from head to toe. Her pink hair was up in a loose bun, and she wore a silky black spaghetti strap top and matching square pants with high heels. Her ears dripped with a string of diamonds. Simple, but sophisticated. “I guess I didn’t need to. I love that we unconsciously matched, too!”

Sakura’s eyes widened and took in their outfits again. She was right, they did match. And it made Sakura relax a bit, easing her worry of being underdressed. This wasn’t the first art exhibition that she attended, but it was definitely her first with all these big names going.

Ino’s boyfriend, Sai, was in the running for becoming a national artist, and he arranged an art exhibit with various artists from different fields to create art pieces with the theme “Muse” to celebrate unity amongst artists and to show off various multimedia and mixed media art. But that wasn’t even what made Sakura nervous. It was the fact that Sasuke Uchiha would be part of the exhibit and presenting his art, as well.

She had spoken to the designer before, at a gala wherein Ino made Sakura her plus one. The pinkette was a new face in the fashion and modeling scene. Everything amazed and overwhelmed Sakura. Her best friend had been in the industry since she was a child, practically at home with this crowd and scene, but it was all different for Sakura.

She was studying medicine when Ino called her to accompany her to a go-see nearby. Little did she know, Ino signed her up, too. And the agency loved her. It took a little more convincing but the pay was good, and Sakura told herself she would only accept projects if it fits in with her schedule.

Everything was going well, everyone she met was nice, fabulous, and downright rich and famous. Everyone was a somebody, and she often had to stop herself from fangirling whenever she would meet someone she followed on Ninstagram.

That included Sasuke Uchiha.

Sakura followed him because other than posting photos of his clothes on models, he also posted photos of his sketches and concept pieces from time to time, and Sakura adored his style. He was also really handsome—that was more than a plus. She thought she would faint once she met him, but his aura was really calm yet strong. He was a man of little words, but every conversation they’d had so far, she found herself more and more interested in him.

To say she had developed a crush was a bit of an understatement, but in the course of a few months, they would occasionally text and send each other photos, bump into each other during events and runway shows, and she even met his brother during a charity gala.

But never did they go out alone, or him as her out on a date. It saddened her, but she understood. They were both busy people, and Sasuke lives on a whole other world, as did Sakura.

He was still nice to look at, though. And fun to be with. Thinking about him made Sakura smile, and excited her to see what pieces he made for the exhibit. This had been in the works for six months, giving the artists roughly four months to create.

The two girls walked into the building and were greeted by staff who ushered them into the main hall as they offered them champagne and wine. Sakura took a flute filled with champagne and walked into the gallery arm in arm with Ino. They chatted as they looked around and bumped into people.

It wasn’t long until they found Sai. Ino immediately let go of Sakura and ran to him, engulfing him in a big hug, and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Sakura stood there, feeling a little awkward but was also happy to see them together again.

“It’s been so long,” Ino gushed. “Everything looks amazing!”

Sai slipped an arm around her waist and thanked her. He then turned his gaze towards Sakura. “Glad you could make it. Have you looked around already?”

“Just a bit,” Sakura smiled. “I haven’t seen all the pieces yet.”

Sai’s smile widened. It was a little creepy, but Sakura learned to get used to it. “You have to see the East Wing. The pieces there are… interesting.”

“Oh really?” Ino asked. “Then maybe we should have a look. Wait, where’s your area?”

“It’s over on the North Side, beautiful. Do you want to see it?”

“Of course!” Ino’s eyes were practically sparkling.

Once Sakura saw Sai’s exhibit, she wanted to cringe. To say his sketch, oil painting, and pastel work were… explicit was an understatement. No one needed to guess who his muse was. Sakura thought Ino would be embarrassed but oh no, quite the opposite. She was ecstatic. Despite the erotic looks on her faces, on in bed, the other by a dresser, and the sketches showed various… positions. It left very little to the imagination.

Once the guests noticed Ino and Sai’s presence, they were swarmed, and Sakura took steps back until she slipped away from the crowd. She was thankful for the escape, looking at art, she thought, was better alone.

For now, at least.

Chatting was seldom, and she wandered into another hall, taking a sip from her champagne from time to time until it was only half full.

The next ball was a little livelier, and She noticed it was because there were a handful of well-known artists and a group of reporters had just left the scene. There was one particular set of sketches that caught her eye from afar, and she gravitated to it. It looked so… familiar.

The three sketches were of the same outfit. A woman wearing a short, white dress with a simple cut. The movement was dynamic and Sakura could feel the model’s delight wearing the dress, despite having no face drawn on.

The next piece was of a mannequin, dressed in a beautiful, long, moss-colored gown. The details were intricate, filled with flowers and lace that dripped down the skirt.

“Sakura. Nice to see you here.”

She whipped around and grinned. “Itachi!”

He leaned in to kiss both her cheeks and he gave her a soft smile. “I didn’t think I would see you here.” Itachi turned, and called out, “Sasuke, look who it is.”

A tall man with jet-black hair stopped mid-conversation with someone and excused himself before approaching the two of them. Unlike Itachi, he didn’t kiss both of Sakura’s cheeks.

“Sakura.” He gave her a slight bow and gave his brother a nervous look. “Itachi, could you—“

Itachi pretended not to hear him. “Sakura, have you seen all the art in this hall yet?”

“Oh, no,” Sakura felt quite embarrassed having to admit. “I’ve been taking my time.”

Itachi nodded. “They have such a lovely collection. I’m so glad I came to support my little brother.”

Sasuke glared at him, his lower lip jutting out.

“Yeah, I agree.” Sakura grinned. “Sasuke, your sketches and this dress are beautiful.”

“Ah. You already saw?” His eyes slightly widened, and his cheeks colored by the slightest bit.

“How can I not?” She laughed. “Your sketches caught my eye and this dress is remarkable.”

Sasuke looked behind her, and then at his brother, but refused to meet her eye. “Aa. Thank you…”

Itachi’s dark eyes glittered. “This invitation is probably the best thing to happen to him,” he turned to face Sasuke. “Don’t you think so?”

“... Hn.”

Sakura tilted her head, observing Sasuke a little more. He never said much to begin with, but he was so reserved this time and looked a little… shy. The shit-eating grin on Itachi’s face made her realize that Itachi was teasing his little brother, and decided to steer the conversation elsewhere. “I heard each exhibitor gets to showcase three pieces, where’s your third on, Sasuke-kun?”

“Right behind you,” Itachi smirked, taking the flute of champagne from her hand.

Her brows scrunched together but when she turned around and came face to face with Sasuke’s final piece, both of her hands came up to her mouth, to muffle a gasp. It was a large portrait of her, sitting by a window with a cherry blossom tree outside. Her hand cheek was resting on her hand, a soft smile on her face.

She recognized it, it was the time she had coffee with Sasuke back in Japan, when she was showing him around the city after a shoot. It had only been a brief encounter, but thinking about how much it might have meant to him made her cheeks redden. The detail on the canvas was amazing, as well as the strong and precise strokes. Sakura was completely at a loss for words.

“Sasuke hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years,” Sakura could hear Itachi’s grin, as well as Sasuke’s strangled protests. “I’m just glad he found the inspiration to do so again.”

Finally, she turned around to face them, Itachi excused himself and left her with his brother. Sakura suddenly felt so shy but also honored that Sasuke would pick her, out of all of the models, to paint. “It’s beautiful, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura blushed and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “The best one I’ve seen so far.”

Sasuke gave her a warm smile. “Thank you.”

For a moment, they just stood there, looking at each other’s eyes, and small smiles on their faces, until Sasuke offered his arm to her. “Would you care to join me to see the other exhibits?”

Her green eyes glittered, and she eagerly took his arm. “Yes, of course. I would love to.”

Just as Sasuke was leading her out of the hall, Sakura took one more look at the portrait, and the sketches and the dress, and noticed the cohesiveness of the look. Her eyes darted to the name of the exhibit, MUSE, before turning her gaze back ahead, heart pounding at the realization why Sasuke chose spring and earthy colors, why he painted a portrait of her…

Her heart was pounding and her hold on him tightened by a little bit.

“Have you figured it out yet, Sakura?” Sasuke asked quietly, a smug smile on his face. When she didn’t speak, he leaned down and whispered close to her ear. “Because you’re my muse.”

---

A/N: I hope you liked this, bb!

Thank you for reading my fic, darling. If you like my stories, please check out my profile and check out the link to my masterpost. I also have links to my FFnet, Ao3, Twitter and Ko-Fi.

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gothiccbts-blog · 5 years

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My Darling, Chapter 2

Genre: Murder Mystery, Horror, Angst (in this chapter)

Pairing: BTS x Reader

Summary: Working as a detective constable for 5 years definitely had you seeing some horrific scenes in your career. However, nothing would prepare you for the string of murders around the city which all had one intention; getting your attention.

Words: 4.4k

Author’s note: Hello! Sorry, this took so long to write, I was in London at the Wembley concerts (which were AMAZING btw) and also doing some shit in real life but here is chapter 2 finally!! Let me know what you think, thank you!! - Lisa

Chapter 1◀ ▶Next Chapter

‘Dear My Darling, Y/n Y/l/n,

Finally, my words meet your beautiful sparkling eyes, I can only imagine how they widen and still in shock as you take in each one of my words on this very piece of paper. Even writing this knowing that you’ll be holding it one day is getting me all excited here, detective~ haha.

You’re finally getting to notice something of me. Finally, I’m getting your attention. If only I could see your doe eyes in real life staring back into mine. You’re so beautiful, detective. I don’t think you get told that enough. You’re just surrounded by dogs who can’t see the true flower that’s right in front of their eyes, they don’t deserve to be in your presence. They don’t deserve you.

Anyway! You’re probably wondering; ‘why is all of this happening?’ ‘do I know this person?’ ‘am I being stalked?’ and as much as I would love to give you answers, I won’t. It would spoil the game, silly! A little game of ‘who did it?’ to keep you on your toes, detective, doesn’t that sound fun?~

I must leave now, places to go, people to see, people to kill… I’ll see you soon, detective <3,

But you won’t see me~

L.32’

7:28pm

“L.32’? What the fuck does that mean? Is this guy talking in code or something?” A frustrated and obviously anxious voice booms from beside me as he runs his hands over his pale face for the 10th time since he got into the lab, not that I was really listening at this point.

After seeing that letter on the ground of the night club’s freezer and having to open it with cold stiff hands, processing every word, process what was actually happening; You’ve been in a state of pure shock ever since. Apparently, it’s been almost 12 hours since you found the letter, for 12 hours you’ve been in this lab with forensics and other officers, but it all feels like 12 minutes at the most, your mind right now is in a dream-like state. You always see victims at crime scenes, ones who discovered or witnessed vile and outright evil acts that have been committed or even in TV shows, they’re sitting there like an empty shell of a human with a blanket wrapped around them just staring into nothing as though their whole entire being has been shut down within them. You never actually know how shock feels until you experience it yourself.

It’s trauma. Your body goes numb and suddenly everything around you is just in a state of blur, voices aren’t even reaching your ears, air isn’t reaching your lungs, your muscles tense up like they’ve turned to stone, unable to move from the ground you’re stood on, your brain is working at hyper speed trying to process and make sense of the events that have just occurred. That’s a shock. That’s what you’re having to deal with.

“I can’t say anything right now as we don’t have any results or answers back… we’re working as fast as we can on this, Officer.”

You’re very thankful for that voice, the deep and honey-rich voice that belongs to no other than your roommate and long-time best friend, Kim Namjoon. You both met back at University, you both having a keen interest in crime and forensics so you both instantly clicked. It all began with you being forced to work with him and a few other people on a group project, needless to say, you both bonded over how the other students weren’t helping with the project leading to endless nights of bitching. Oh, what a simple time that was.

You’re so happy and thankful to have him within this field with you working as a Forensic Scientist, he’s always been there from terrible boyfriends and break-ups to when you’re having a mental breakdown over a homicide case. He’s your rock and you couldn’t be more thankful for meeting the big tree of a man, plus he has a good taste in plants for your shared apartment so that’s always a plus.

“Hey, Y/n… you still with us?”

You’re quickly snapped out of your daydream when Namjoon waves his glove covered hand in front of your face, a small smile appearing on his lips, not in amusement but more in sympathy.

“I’m fine, Joon… Just a little… shocked, that’s all.” You say honestly if there’s anyone who can read you like a book it’s him so there’s no point in putting on a fake mask of being okay when you’re totally not.

“Maybe you should call it a day, y/n. You look really tired; a good night’s rest will do you some good,” He suggests, looking like he’s just witnessed a crying puppy in an alleyway as he looks down at you, your eyes must be revealing how drained you are to him as you look up at him,

“Plus, analysis on the paper, pen, and handwriting used on the letter will take a good day to come back with results, that and trying to pinpoint any clues or indications within the writing itself… you should use this time to rest, please.”

A hand comes in contact with your other shoulder, rubbing the numb skin a little as the body comes closer, making you break eye-contact with Namjoon to turn to face the person.

“He’s right, Miss y/l/n, you should call it a day… do you need me to give you a ride home?” Officer Min softly asks as he peers down at you, a look of sympathy on his face, mirroring Namjoon’s. It’s not often Officer Min changes his expression from his neutral ‘cold’ one, that’s another reason why he’s always picked to lead the homicide cases around the city, he’s got that threatening look to him which gets people to talk. You know he isn’t just a stone cold officer, you’ve noticed the little things he does to show he actually cares; getting you coffee when you’ve got a long night, making sure you eat and get home safely, making sure you’re not cold or not too warm. It’s the little things that you appreciate.

You shake your head, too drained from all of this to even bring yourself to say no, all you can let out is; “I need a walk, don’t worry…” before pushing yourself away from both of the men, grabbing your jacket and putting it over your vulnerable and stiff body, the weight of the jacket feels like it’s increased as though someone’s put boulders into your pockets, or maybe it’s your body that’s grown weak.

“be careful, Miss y/l/n, give me a call if you need anything…” Officer Min says, sympathy laced throughout his words before the man next to him speaks up,

“There are some leftovers in the fridge, heat them up then call it a night, you always forget to eat…” Namjoon states more than he suggests, he’s always looking out for you especially during big cases like this, although all of those cases seem pretty little now.

With a nod and a forced smile, you make your way to exit the building, just trying to keep whatever Namjoon has left in the fridge for you in mind rather than the nauseating letter that’s sat in that very lab.

8:00pm

The cold piercing air brushes against your exhausted and discoloured skin as you make your way down the damp pavement, the streetlights being your only source of sight as well as some car’s headlights which would pass now and then. It’s weird, you thought, how your mind isn’t bursting at the seams with possibilities and questions into the events that occurred tonight but rather it’s quiet. Not a single thought or idea is running its way through your mind and developing into worries and ‘what if’s, instead you’re just enjoying the silence of the world around you. The silence of the street. The silence in your head.

As if your body was being controlled by someone else, you’re stopped dead in your tracks, right in front of a pathway coming off of the pavement, only lit by a single orange street light in the middle of it. You head slowly turning as your eyes scan the concrete of the ground trying to figure out why your body had the sudden urge to stop as you made your way home.

Your eyes widen as realisation dawns on you as to where this other path leads to; The Stigma Nightclub. You should’ve guessed since the faint noise of the club’s bass travels through the air to where you’re standing, cold in the middle of a dimly lit pavement.

The murder all seems different now, it isn’t just something you can detach yourself from and solve through an outsider’s perspective, this time you’re entangled in this mess. This involves you now, that what makes this murder so much different. You were on this person’s mind as he was slaughtering this poor boy, you were on this person’s mind when he stained his fingers with the person’s blood and smeared it on the cold brick wall of the club. You.

Without any thought, you’re moving in the direction of the bass and laughter, seems like Mr. Jung hasn’t decided to keep the club closed for even a few days after the murder happened. Not that you’re surprised in the slightest, he is money hungry after all and he doesn’t hide it. All you have to do is take one look at what he’s wearing and you’ll know that he’s proud of his bank account. Always the latest designer watches, rings, personally designed suits and shoes, his outfits alone are easily over a million dollars.

Your eyes burn at the sight of the vibrant pink neon sign at the club’s entrance piercing through the darkness of the night. It’s pretty packed outside already with girl’s shivering in their tight and short bodycon dresses and men who are obviously trying to look impressive and appealing to whoever they can get their hands on. They’re all waiting like caged animals behind a red rope waiting for the club to open at 9pm.

Just shows how popular this club really is, even with murder right outside its doorstep there’s still people coming here waiting to fill their stomachs with alcohol. You can’t blame them really I mean, you used to be one of them.

You move before you catch the stern eyes of one of the bouncers, who seem to be occupied by an already very drunk and touchy girl trying to get in early, heading to the side of the club which is still covered in police tape and markings of where the boy’s body was. From the looks of things, the crime scene cleaners have already come since all is left of the murder is the faint red stains on the concrete of the ground and the brick wall.

You duck under the police tape with shaky legs, your wide eyes focused on the brick wall of the club, the faint stain of the embedded message still slightly visible.

‘My Darling..’ you mumble to yourself, your stiff fingers moving out to touch the cold wall like a puppet being controlled by some string, your brain congested with the question of who the hell would write this message specifically for you? And why? What did they want from You?

A bright flash of white light had you snap out of your trance, your glossed over eyes rapidly blinking in order to get your eyes back in focus as you turn to the direction of the sound of movement.

A figure. You can’t identify who it is as you squint, the person seems to have their hood up and… is that a camera?

Whoever this seems not to have noticed you yet, you are pretty far back in the alley since you were looking at the writing, plus this person clearly is focused on something else rather than you.

Maybe they’re forensics? Weird, I thought Officer Min’s team was finished here, especially since everything’s been cleaned up... You thought, staying as still as you can so you can try and take in as much of this person’s appearance before getting noticed, luckily the sound of people’s laughter and shouting from the front of the club are drowning out the noise of your rapid breathing from fright.

They’re lean... tall... maybe 5’9”? 5’10”? Pale from what I can see from their hands around the camera lens... looks male from their build…

The bright flash of light illuminates the alleyway, giving me a millisecond of the appearance of the stranger. Obviously, this boy appears to have noticed me too by the way his brown doe-like eyes widened as his shutter went off. He’s wearing an oversized black hoodie with the hood up, the peak of his dark brown fringe coming out from underneath, pale glowing skin.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

Trying to sound as stern and intimidating as I can, I take a few steps towards the boy who is obviously in a panicked state by the way his shoulders are tensed up and his fingers tighten around the camera.

“What are you doing at a crime scene, you know I could have you arr- hey!”

Before I could even reach him or finish my sentence, he makes a run for it, his head quickly ducking underneath the tape as he sprints over the wet pavement, as far away from the club as he can. My natural instinct is to sprint after him, my own fitness level only allowing me to run so fast. This boy is obviously quite fit if he can this fast! Must be an athlete or something! Your thighs and calves are already on fire and you’re not even going at half the speed he is.

“Stop running! Hey!”

Your loud and strained shout, obviously not going to the gym for a while has worn you out easily, must have startled him as the next thing you hear is a smash of what sounds like glass, his camera.

Quickly scrambling to pick it up, leaving pieces of his shattered camera on the wet pavement as he makes a run for it again before he’s out of sight, jumping over a nearby fence into god knows where, probably some poor family’s garden.

With painful breaths you slowly make your way to where he dropped his camera, looking down to see broken glass and some plastic. Deserves him right for creeping on a crime scene.

‘Shit…’

As you’re about to walk away, pissed now that you have to call Officer Min and tell him exactly what just happened in detail, something else on the ground catches your eye where the smashed camera parts are laying. Squatting down, you pick it up from the murky ground, rubbing off some of the dirt with your thumb. It’s a little small black piece of plastic in the square-like shape, but you know exactly what it is; an SD card. A proud smirk takes over your dried-out lips. Let’s go see what other photos you take, creep.

8:45pm

Your exhausted body finally relaxes as you flop onto the soft comfort of your sofa, not bothering to take off your jacket or your shoes, it’s too much effort to do right now. The last thing you needed tonight was to do a 100-meter dash in the most uncomfortable shoes in the world but who knows what this job will throw at you, all you know is: you’re in dire need of a massage and some wine.

Finally dragging your deflated body off of the couch, you drag your feet into the kitchen, immediately going to the wine rack that you and Namjoon keep stocked up and grab one of the cheapest bottles of red wine. Grabbing a glass from the top shelf of your cupboard with a drawn-out groan and pouring yourself a well-deserved drink, not before grabbing the bottle and taking it back to the couch with you. You already know the whole bottle is going to be empty by the end of the night.

A loud moan escapes your lips as you take off your torturous shoes, if the neighbours had heard they’d think you were finally hooking up with someone. Truth is, after Taehyung you were never with anyone else, not even one-night stands sounded appealing to you. In your mind, if it wasn’t Taehyung then why bother? He was the one you wanted, why settle for anyone else?

Now you’re too busy to look for anyone else after your heart was broken, you didn’t see a point in trying to build a relationship again, truth is you never got over him. How could you? You had your whole future planned with him from your wedding, honeymoon, future house, future kids, and then for it all to be shattered by his hands and thrown away was just too much for you. How could you move on after something like that?

The piercing taste of the cheap wine hitting your taste buds takes you away from those thoughts, I can’t be thinking of that now!

Suddenly remember what you picked up tonight, you reach into your jacket pocket and take out the still dirty SD card. Wiping away some of the dirt from the small golden plates, you grab my laptop and carefully put in into the correct slot, your chipped fingernails drumming on the surface of the laptop in the anxiety of what I might find.

If this guy is weird enough to take photos of a crime scene, who knows what else I’ll find on this thing…maybe I should call Officer Min first…

Glancing at your phone on the table, you shake your head, he’ll probably be passed out or too busy with Forensics right now to bother with this. Plus, that means calling him and you’re really not in the mood for any more human interaction for the night, today has been too rough.

Finally, your laptop is able to read the damaged SD card, multiple files appearing on your screen. This guy must use this SD card a lot seeing as there are multiple folders on here. Looking at his first glance you’d think that this was a normal person’s memory card, files such as ‘Holiday 2017’, ‘Photography’ and ‘Other’ are all carefully organised.

Moving your cursor, you click on the file titled ‘Photography’ and before you know it your screen is filled with various photos; photos of anything you could imagine. Plants, buildings, the sea, architecture, clouds, people, this is everything you would see in the portfolio of a professional photographer. If you didn’t think this guy was such a creep you’d be impressed with his work, doesn’t look like he’s going to be taking any more professional photos like these for a while considering he smashed his lens running.

Going back, you try to find some of the photos he took tonight, he couldn’t have deleted them while he was running. Biting the skin of your lip as you move onto the ‘Other’ folder, the grey blank squares slowly loading to reveal what you were looking for.

These aren’t just photos of this crime scene; these are photos from so many crimes scenes. You click on one, a small gasp coming from you as you take it in in all its glory. He took these while police were there, while forensics themselves were taking photos! How did he even manage to sneak there without anyone noticing?

Skipping to the next photo, your heart is frozen stiff when your brain finally picks apart what it is that’s staring at you from the screen. It’s you. This photo must have been from like last year from what you can tell from the length of your hair, plus you don’t wear that jacket anymore.

In the photo you’re facing a body on the floor, you remember; It was a robbery gone wrong. Poor guy was making his way home from work from a car insurance company in town, some young boys decided it was a good idea to try and rob the guy, needless to say, they got what they wanted. Your eyebrows are furrowed as you look as though mid-conversation, probably with Officer Min who is usually always by your side, even back then.

The photo is just focused on you, this guy is obviously using his professional photography skills in order to capture you. You try to steady your breathing, trying not to jump to the conclusion that you’re already thinking; is this man linked with the murder?

With a sudden harsh press to the ‘esc’ button, the photo is quickly removed from your screen, your shaking fingers coming up to rub your tired eyes. As if this day couldn’t get any worse.

As you’re about to pull the SD card out of its slot in your laptop, a sick feeling washing over your exhausted body unable to look at anymore, sudden realisation dawn over you. There’s still another folder on this memory card. It’s innocently titled ‘Holiday 2017’.

Swallowing, your fingers find the touchpad and move the cursor over to the file, closing your eyes as you double click, god knows what this sick fuck will have hidden in her- huh?

It’s… it’s literally holiday photos.

Photos of the beach, family members, group photos, drinks and food, lots of happy smiles. Thank god, no more photos of dead bodies or even you. You sigh out in relief, grabbing your wine glass again as you skim through all the photos, seeing if anyone matches the physic of the boy you saw tonight.

Downing the remainder of your glass, you sigh out, looks like this guy was taking more photos of his friends and family rather than have him in them. Well, it’s a start I guess, I could always take these to Officer Min and look through some databases for any identification of any of these people. Hopefully, some are family members, that would just be grand.

Pausing at one photo you notice that it isn’t older people anymore, it appears to be young men, look around the age of the boy tonight. Leaning in towards the screen, you scan the bodies before you reach one face in particular, your intoxicated brain taking a moment to identify who the person in this photo is.

‘No… it can’t be…’

Moving your fingers on the touchpad, you zoom in on the man’s face, a sharp intake in breath fills your lungs. It’s him.

It’s Jimin. Taehyung’s roommate. Smiling on the beach with some other guys you don’t recognise.

Oh, what a night this is.

Friday 7:38am

After seeing that image of Jimin on that man’s SD card, you already knew exactly what you were doing today. Let’s just hope Jimin still lives in the same place as before and hopefully he isn’t home. The last thing you need is to be faced to face with the man that broke your heart again.

“Baby? You awake?” a deep and husky voice said into your ear, the feeling of a hand rubbing the side of your thigh also pulls you out of your slumber.

“Mmm, well now I am…” you smile sleepily, keeping your eyes closed as you move your hand on top of his, your fingertips brushing over the smooth skin of his hand.

“You know… Jimin’s out right now, he got called into work early…” the feeling of wet pecks being placed against your neck has a giggle escape from your lips, your eyes fluttering open slightly.

“And? What are you suggesting, Tae?” you innocently ask, feeling his hand turn to intertwine his long slender fingers with yours, his leg managing to make its way in-between yours.

“Well… It involves a lot of this…” he says as he places more and more kisses all over your neck, his teeth grazing against the skin of your neck.

“This…” his hand is now released from your fingers, slowly making its way up your stomach just below your breasts, a teasing laugh escaping his lips as he runs his fingers between the valley of your breasts till it reaches under your chin, where he tilts your head towards his.

“and maybe just some of this…” he grins, leaning in to place his plump lips onto yours, both of you smiling into the kiss as my moves his body on top of yours.

You stop your car with a loud sigh, just staring at your steering wheel before slowly tearing it away to look at the apartment complex in front of you. Oh, how it’s been so long since you’ve been here. You practically lived here with Taehyung when you were dating, you both were inseparable. The last time you were here was when your heart was broken.

Shaking that memory from your head, it’s too early to be thinking back to that, you think. This is for business, for work, there are people’s lives in danger here you shouldn’t let your past come in the way of this. Who knows what will happen if you don’t catch this creepy bastard.

The clicking of your shoes echoes through the hallway of the apartment, making your way up the cold concrete stairs up to the 3rd floor, you know now never to take the lift, the amount of times you got stuck in that metal death trap is unbelievable! Although you and Taehyung always made most of your time alone in there.

The familiar sight of the discoloured wooden door with the number ‘36’ displayed in silver is now in front of you, a breathy laugh comes from your lips; looks like they never did get round to painting the door again, no matter how many times you told them.

You look at your watch, it’s almost 8am, Jimin doesn’t usually leave to work in his family’s butchers till 9am which means he should be up. That is if he still even works there. Let’s just hope Taehyung is passed out or moved out, you pray.

Your knuckles bang against the wood before stepping back, your jaw clenching with nerves as you hear shuffling from behind the door, keeping your head down as you hear the fumbling of keys and the lock turning.

You bring your head up when the door is swiftly brought open, the lump in your throat now getting even bigger when you see who’s answered the door.

“Y-y/n? Baby?”

Oh no.

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captainstrekkinlog · 4 years

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Star Trek: Picard - 1x01 “Remembrance” In-Depth Analysis

Let me start this off by saying, I think this is the strongest series premiere of any of the live-action Star Trek shows to date.

There is a confidence in this episode that none of the other shows had. It’s no secret that every single Trek show has sometimes struggled in finding its footing in the beginning, it’s not easy to make these shows after all. But it seems that from the onset Star Trek: Picard was a show that knew what it wanted to be and what it needed to be. What struck me the most watching this episode is how very deliberate each action is taken. This story was crafted with meaning and intention, they knew what they wanted to convey and they’re going to take their time walking down the path they set.

If the rest of this season are at the level of this premiere, then this might just become one of the best first seasons of any Trek show.

Now with that out of the way, let’s get to breaking down the episode in all its delicious details. This will be a long one as I break down scene by scene.

SPOILERS AHEAD

So we begin with a dream sequence as Blue Skies (sung by Bing Crosby, grandfather of Tasha Yar’s actress Denise Crosby) plays. A wonderful shot of the Enterprise D with Picard and Data playing poker. Picard looks to be in civilian attire, while Data is seemingly in his Nemesis era uniform. The way this scene is set up immediately feels dream-like, especially with the song, which we heard Data last singing it at Riker and Troi’s wedding.

There is a feeling of melancholy in the scene, almost as if Picard’s own consciousness knows this is not real but he wants to keep pretending that it is. As he even says, he doesn’t want the game to end. He much rather wanting to cling onto the past than be awake in a present-day that he isn’t enjoying. As he even says later, it’s the waking up that he’s beginning to resent, and as we find out later on in the story, this dream world is probably a happier place for him than what life is like for him in the years since Data died.

Here in Picard’s dream, he gets to keep holding onto the past - more time with Data, more time playing the poker game that he never got to enjoy until the end, more time for all the things he was in many ways, robbed of doing.

One funny note, Picard offers Data milk, but we did see in one of the TNG episodes where Data comments that he hates milk.

Data is also holding 5 Queen of Hearts, which Picard frowns at. I’m not sure exactly yet what this may represent, it is possible that this could be a foreshadowing to something else down the line. As I said before, the writers and director were very deliberate with every single detail, so I would imagine this Queen of Hearts thing to have a meaning, we just may not know it yet.

This scene ends with the Mars attack that we saw in the Children of Mars Short Trek and leads to Picard awaking rather violently from his dream. Now if this is how all his dreams end, I can definitely see why he wouldn’t want to wake up because that’s rather horrifying.

Now one thing I have to mention, simply because it’s being made such a big fuss over, the whole thing with how Ten Forward isn’t in the right location. First of all, it’s a dream. Dreams never make sense. I dreamed once that my house had wings and was full of plants and my bathroom was outside. Dreams are weird because they are suppose to be. Secondly, this sort of fuss over technicalities, and rather pointless ones at that, are what I would like to call “missing the forest for the trees”, because what is mattering in this scene isn’t the location of Ten Forward, but rather the scene of Picard and Data and what this means for Picard’s state of mind. THAT is the story, THAT is the substance. The location of a place in a dream sequence really is not what should be the take away of the scene, nor should it somehow ruin a scene. Honestly, people need to realize that the STORY is what is important, any small technical things are not the point. We don’t watch Star Trek because we want to point out all the inconsistent and illogical and wrong continuity details. We watch Star Trek because of the stories and the characters. If I was to let every single of those technical details bother me so much that it ruined the story, I would never be able to watch any Star Trek because quite frankly, there’s a whole lot of it in Star Trek, and acting like that one detail is what ruins a perfectly written and acted scene that sets up Picard’s state of mind for his character development is quite frankly very disingenuous.

Now, moving onto the rest of our story. We have Picard waking up to Number One running to him. I imagine Number One is in many ways a service dog, especially given how he was immediately there noticing Picard’s disturbance. The most interesting part of this scene with Picard waking up and looking out into the vineyard where people are working is that he keeps saying to Number One “it’s alright”, but really, he’s not saying it to the dog, I think he’s trying to convince himself that everything is alright, even though he knows it isn’t, and we know he certainly doesn’t feel it.

Then we move locations to Greater Boston, where in the night time skyline, we notice some glowing light ads with the Federation News Network symbol, some Ferengi Alliance and ad products, a London Kings banner, and it looks like Kasidy Yates is still somewhere in the galaxy with a booming interstellar freights business. Good for her!

We finally meet Dahj with her boyfriend who is a Xahean, a nice link to our beloved Queen Po, whom we met in Discovery. I am now curious who is the ruler on Xahea at this time, after all, we don’t really know how Xaheans age. But it looks like Xahea is a part of the Federation, which also makes me curious if Po did eventually reveal her innovation for recrystalizing dilithium crystals. Oh and the eagle eyed folks at Trekcore noted from Dahj’s call logs later that her boyfriend’s name looks to be “Caler”.

So they’re having a great time, Dahj reveals she got into the Daystrom Institute and that she’s a fellow in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Consciousness, which is an interesting field for her to go into given how she reacts later on to Picard calling them “soulless murder machines”, which seems to reveal her bias. Which also makes me wonder why she wanted to study something that would only be theoretical and she already had judgement against.

Oh and we also see in Dahj’s apartment is the flower, Orchidaceae Dahj Oncidium, that her father made.

This nice moment with the couple gets ruined, as usual, by Romulans. Always out there spoiling people’s fun. They immediately kill Dahj’s boyfriend and capture her. They put some devices on her head, likely to scan her and commenting on the fact that she’s not been activated yet. Somewhat hilariously, one of them gets admonished for speaking in their native alien language and to speak English. I guess it’s still called English? Or is it Federation Standard? Or is it both?

They ask her “where’s the rest of you” and where she’s from. She says Seattle. I guess if you’re from Seattle these days, you should check if you’re either an Android or a Klingon spy.

And just as she put a bag over her head and try to knock her out, she finally “activates” and kills them all. This was a very well choreographed fight scene where we got to see a good amount of the action. Now I’ve heard some people out there complaining about shaky cam, but that’s not what we have here. The camera didn’t shake, and it only does a minor tilt in one scene. Otherwise, this is one of the calmest camera movements in a fight scene. In fact, the directing for this whole episode is very steady and calm. Honestly, it’s a bad faith take to say this show is just all action crazy shaky cam, because it’s not true. In both of the fight scenes we get, there is considerable restraint on the camera work to make sure that we as the audience can still see what is going on and know what’s happening in the scenes at all times. The rest of the show is all steady cam work. I know that people often like to label “New Trek” to be all action and weird camera angles and “not real Star Trek”, but Picard’s camera work is much more in tune with TNG’s steady cam work than it is to anything else. Other than the two big fight scenes with Dahj, every scene is very steady.

So as Dahj is leaning over her boyfriend and mourning him (note that he is bleeding the same orange color that Po did in the Runaway Short Trek), and then she gets a vision of Picard. The interesting thing about this vision is that it looks to be the same shot from one of the very early teasers. I am curious why she keeps seeing this specific scene and if there is any meaning to it.

Now there is one issue I’ve seen pointed out that the first character to be killed on Picard is a character played by a black man. And this is a very valid thing to be concerned about considering the treatment of characters of color, particularly TV’s issues with black men that both Agents of SHIELD and The Walking Dead had gotten flack for before (the rotating door of black characters), and certainly horror movie tropes have been criticized extensively. So I definitely understand if someone saw this and was worried about this sort of thing becoming an issue. I can’t speak for how black people may feel about this, as I am not black and I do not know all the nuances of this problem, but I wanted to bring to attention what director Hanelle Culpepper commented on in a twitter conversation with someone who had brought up this very concern.

I think this is the thing that could sometimes feel like a double-edged sword. In our current entertainment and media, we are still not there in terms of fair and equal representation, and thus when female characters, characters of color, or LGBTQ+, and other minority group characters die or are treated badly in a story, we pick up on it. But I think with the Star Trek shows, both Discovery and Picard, they are trying to show vast array of characters and treating characters from various minority groups in a normalized way. They can be heroes, they can be villains, they can live and they can die. This kind of normalization in treatment of characters is what we hope for, but I just think the rest of TV have not caught up yet, so when characters of color in this case, do die, we notice.

But hopefully, as Hanelle Culpepper states, we will see more characters of color show up. And as we do know, we will be having more characters of color in lead roles joining us soon.

Now, onto this opening credit sequence. There is a lot of unravel here and I could probably talk for hours about what this opening makes me feel. Let’s first talk about the music. Jeff Russo deserves an award. Seriously. He does. If you guys have not seen the Ready Room aftershow where Jeff Russo talks about the choices made for this theme, you really need to. Because you see the care and attention to detail that he brings into even just choosing what instruments to add to the music and what chords used to call back to the past. The flute at the beginning alluding to Picard’s time in The Inner Light, representing his past. And then the cello and the occasional chords of the TNG theme, just slowed down and slightly in a different tone, all building up to what feels like a triumphant rebirth. The flute sneaks back in showing the past and present coming together for Picard. The use of the cello and strings is just perfect. It really gives a melodic and somber feel to it. And as a violin player myself, any time I hear the strings, it’s like coming home. I’ll be very excited to get back on my violin at some point and play this.

The imagery of the opening credit sequence also tells a story. We see a piece of the sky breaks off like glass, it floats down to the vines in the vineyard, then to the quantum archive, which forms into a borg cube, and the broken piece falls through the cube and forms into fractals, and the pieces float around seemingly becoming like a neuro-pathways which becomes like the iris of an eye, and then it becomes a borg eye maybe, and then the planet Romulus, and finally the cracks form back into Picard’s face. It’s all very beautiful imagery and clearly very deliberate as no doubt all these elements will somehow come into the story that we are seeing.

And also interesting to note that only Patrick Stewart, Allison Pill, Isa Briones, Harry Treadaway from the main cast are credited, with Brent Spiner as “special guest star”, which means that I guess actors will only appear in the credits if they actually appear in the episode, much like how Discovery season 2 did the same with Shazad Latif and Wilson Cruz, and how Game of Thrones used to do this with their cast members too. So this should make it easy for us to notice which characters will appear in an episode or not.

Now back to the Chateau in France, Picard is walking through the vineyard with Number One and joking with him in French. I’m pretty sure this scene existed to poke fun at the people always saying why is Picard so British if he’s French. So LOL, now he speaks French finally!

We get to meet Laris and Zhaban, two Romulans who seem to live with Picard and basically be his attendants. Some people may not know, but Laris and Zhaban both appear in the Picard Countdown Comics, the three issue comic series shows us their relationship to Picard. Long story short, they are former Tal Shiar agents who broke the rules falling in love and wanted to leave because they wanted to help people instead. They feel indebted to Picard for helping them and sees him as their rescuer/savior. I also thought it was funny that Laris jokes about Number One being “our little assassin”, given what she and Zhaban used to do for a living with the Tal Shiar.

It is also interesting to note that Laris doesn’t have ridges on her forehead but we do see a slight bit of ridges on Zhaban, making this the first time we see both types of Romulans on screen together. Usually, it’s either one or the other. But it’s nice to see finally some variety even within one species.

Zhaban comments that Laris heard Picard talking in his sleep, Laris notes that he’s not sleeping and wonders if it’s bad dreams, which leads Picard to comment that his dreams are lovely but it’s the waking up that he’s beginning to resent, connecting back to the moment at the beginning of the episode with Data where he says he doesn’t want the game to end. His dreams are happier than his present.

So it seems that Picard has to get ready for an interview, and as he enters, Zhaban says that Number One still won’t take breakfast from him with Picard joking “old dogs”, to which Zhaban replies “which one?”

The relationship between Laris, Zhaban, and Picard is very well established even in these early scenes. There is an unspoken bond, camaraderie, and care. Even if Picard says sometimes Zhaban treats him as if he was “a benign old codger”. They act like a family, a family that’s found each other since Picard no longer has his old Enterprise crew family anymore. Also Picard is drinking decaf Earl Grey tea.

Now as all three of them are talking though, the news report plays on in the background. I couldn’t make out all the words because of the dialogue on top of it, but it looks like something about disturbances continue across the Alpha and Beta Quadrant due to the commemoration of the destruction of Romulus, so there seems to be some unrest still even to this day about what’s happened. And there is also something about a new Romulan capital, and maybe some three state council or something like it that declared it an interplanetary day of mourning for all citizens. I thought this interesting because we do not really know yet what the state of the rest of the galaxy is feeling about all of this, or how Romulan politics may have changed since then, so this news report is giving a tiny glimpse of the status of the galaxy. It’s good background world building, which is always a good thing, and sometimes Star Trek tends to falter at doing things like this beyond just details about Starfleet and its ships. It’s nice to get a look at the civilian part of life, which is the majority of the galaxy after all.

As the first of the visiting news crew arrives, Laris reminds Picard to not forget to wash his hands, and that ten years and she still has to remind him. She also jokingly calls him “your highness”, which I think it’s a funny nod to both the Romulan culture and also her being aware of herself being a “butler/housekeeper” for Picard as if this was a royalty sort of thing. The ten years mention though seems to point to Laris and Zhaban having stayed with Picard from at least 2389 to current day 2399.

Among the news crew doing set ups is a Tellarite, the first we see on screen in the 24th century outside of just archival footage. There is also a Trill among them as well. It also looks like there is some screen projection thing that does make up touch-ups? Oh man I would love to use one of those instead of having to put on real make-up. I really hate make-up, well, I should clarify that my skin hates make-up, SO MUCH. Someone please invent these screen projection make up things! I need it!

Picard is all dressed up and insisting that he’s not nervous, and asks Zhaban if he went over the terms with the news people and Zhaban says “three times, sir” that they wouldn’t inquire about his separation from Starfleet. Laris says that she thinks sometime he’s forgotten who he is and what he did but they haven’t, and Zhaban reminds him to “be the captain they remember.” These two clearly care about Picard a lot, genuinely. And it’s a really lovely moment as they send him off to this interview.

It’s kinda of fun to see the intro to his interview is showing off a bunch of TNG promo photos and episode screencaps. I always find this funny because I’m like, wait, there were no cameras there in those moments, how did they get those pictures!

So we learn in this scene that Picard has never agreed to an interview before until now, and that he’s been writing books on various historical analysis, and that he’s very passionate about working on raising awareness of the lingering impacts of the supernova. It’s clear from the beginning of this scene that the interviewer is looking for something else, that all this stuff they agreed to talk about is not what she actually wants to hear, she very deliberately steers the conversation to things about the Mars attack and why Picard left Starfleet.

Through her, we also start to see the view point of perhaps people who aren’t a part of Starfleet, the civilian side of the galaxy, which she noted that many felt there were better uses for their resources than aiding the Federation’s oldest enemy. And I have no doubt that there were people who did think that. This plays to exactly the sort of sentiment we saw in ENT, when after the Xindi attack, humanity shrank back and started to be xenophobic towards all alien life, not just Xindi. Terra Prime and that whole “Earth First” mentality are all playing again with what we see from this interviewer and her implications. She deliberately pokes at Picard calling for the massive relocation of Romulans. She points to Romulans as an enemy, and she points to the mass number of 900 million Romulan citizens they had to relocate, and how 10,000 warp-capable ferries had to be constructed for the rescue fleet. All of this is clearly a roundabout way of saying that it was a waste of resources, that those resources shouldn’t have been used, and the implication that if they hadn’t build the rescue fleet, then maybe Mars wouldn’t have been targeted and thousands of people wouldn’t have died.

Now, I’ve seen many bad faith takes saying “oh they are making the Federation behave like Nazis!!” or “they are making the Federation into xenophobic racists!!!!” but all of that is disingenuous and ignores what the story actually says. Picard was able to persuade the Federation to help the Romulans, and we know clearly that Spock was also working on the matter to help. The Federation intended to help but only stopped after the rescue fleet was destroyed and thousands upon thousands of people died. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between outright refusing to aid and stopping aid after you’re attacked and your rescue fleet got destroyed. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between maliciously deciding you don’t want to help someone and just watch them drown, and trying to help but you got injured and you are tired and you gave up.

Of course we all want the Federation to keep going and never give up. Of course we want the Federation to always stand up to its ideals of hope and justice. But giving up when you’re hurt is not the same as outright xenophobia, and it certainly doesn’t make you a Nazi. We KNOW from previous Trek shows AND films that the Federation isn’t perfect, that sometimes the Federation makes mistakes, and even has a hard time letting go of grudges and prejudices. I’ve said it many times before, utopias are pretty to look like but they don’t just magically grow out of a vacuum, a perfect world needs work. The moment you become complacent and you don’t put in the effort, a utopia can easily fail. Hell, in this very moment, we are seeing exactly how democracy CAN fail if we don’t work hard to maintain it. And I get it, some people are mad about political allegories, some people are mad that the perfect utopia of escapism isn’t happening. But Star Trek has always held up a mirror to our own world, it has always pointed out our own failings and how we can be better. And THIS is no different. The Federation gave up and shrunk from its duties, yes. They gave into grief, pain, and fear. But it does not mean they are evil. It is telling us that very same thing. We are not evil if we give into fear, but we can also be better, and do better. The world isn’t just magically built, democracy didn’t just happen one day out of the blue, we worked at it, even if it’s sometimes one step forward and two steps back.

Anyways, as we go on with this interview, there’s the bit where the interviewer says it’s only “Romulan lives” at stake and Picard counters her with “No. Lives.” Picard’s very powerful statement that we are all lives, doesn’t matter Romulan or not, is something that is necessary to say not just in the context of the plot, but also in the context of our current society. Right now in this very world we live in, people of color, people from minority groups, are all being dehumanized and otherized, and a populace is basically being fed propaganda hating on people not like them, dismissing people not like them, and somehow forgetting that we are all living breathing beings. So what if our skin pigmentation are different? So what if we speak different languages or have different cultures or beliefs or love different people? We are all still breathing, still living. And this continued otherization has only caused more harm to not only the groups being oppressed, but also to all of us as a species. And yes, I know some people don’t want to hear it, they don’t want “leftist politics” in their Star Trek, but this message has been the same message that Star Trek has been sending out for over half a century. You understood it as kids, you took all that in, so where along the way in your growth did you forget that message?

As Picard stated, lives were at stake and the Federation and Starfleet understood that, they had all those ships out there in the shipyards because they had every intention to help. And if not for the attack on Mars, it would have happened. If 92,143 lives weren’t lost, and 10,000 warp capable ferries weren’t gone, they would have been ready to help. Instead the galaxy mourned, and Starfleet and the Federation withdrew because they too were licking their wounds.

The interviewer compared this logistical feat to the Pyramids, which Picard calls vanity. He points out Dunkirk, the rescue of 400,000 troops on the beaches done through calling in civilian boats. And it’s a more than apt comparison.

We learn that the planetary defense shields were dropped, and Mars’ defense net was hacked, all of this indicates that I think something more than just the synths themselves were involved. Picard says they still don’t know why the synths went rogue. So I think that the synths were nothing more than someone’s means to an end. Either someone in the Federation wanted a reason for the Federation to pull back from helping Romulus, or Romulans from the Tal Shiar wanted to prevent the Federation from helping because they didn’t want to be indebted to Starfleet and the Federation. Whatever it is, it’s covert, and the synths were just the scapegoats for the attack.

And as if the 9/11 analogy isn’t more complete, we know the Mars attack was the reason that synthetic life-forms are now banned. And just to give it some sort of scale that we can understand, it is said that 2,977 victims died from 9/11, the attack on Mars had casualties at least 30 times that of 9/11. Not to mention the shipyard and all the vessels. It would have shaken the Federation, and especially those on Earth, to their core. The fact that the interviewer points out that Mars is still on fire to this day is another thing to note of the effect that is still lingering, much like how 9/11 still is a collective trauma for those who lived through it, even to this day.

Now we see the interview becoming more and more heated, in many ways, the interviewer bringing up Data and asking if Picard lost faith in him, to which Picard says “never”. And we also know that Picard thinks that banning synthetic life-forms was a mistake. The interviewer finally gets to what she clearly wants to ask, why he left Starfleet and what was it that he lost faith in. And Picard answers that he left because “it was no longer Starfleet”, he angrily states that Starfleet had slunk from its duties, and that the decision to call off the rescue was not just dishonorable because they had sworn to help, but also downright criminal, and he wasn’t going to be a spectator about it.

Now, there is something interesting in this moment that I don’t see mentioned much, and it’s that you see Zhaban and Laris watching the interview, and they hold hands. This is clearly something that hurts them too. You can see the emotions on their faces. And while this interview is focused on Picard, we should not forget that this matters to them too. This was Laris and Zhaban’s home that was destroyed, probably people they knew too that died, their families and friends. They are watching an interview that is not just disparaging their race but also discounting the meaning of their lives. And this moment will speak to anyone who has been part of any oppressed groups seeing themselves dehumanized by their lives being an “other”. Picard is standing up not just for Romulans or synthetics, but he is also standing up directly for the two of them, two refugees who have lost everything except each other. It’s a small moment, but it really meant a lot to me watching it, because I understood those feelings. And it made me connect to Laris and Zhaban so much more as characters.

Picard at this point is ready to tear into the interviewer, stating that she has no idea what Dunkirk is, because she’s a stranger to history and stranger to war. And how it isn’t easy for those who died and those who were left behind. Now this moment is very powerful, and clearly the meaning of this scene is meant to be also calling us as viewers to realize how much of our own history that we are a stranger to, and how forgetting that history is the reason we get into the sort of messes that we have today. And I am sure that the writers and director didn’t intend for this to be viewed as anything other than Picard giving all of us a lesson. However, as is with the case of the Xahean boyfriend who died, it is noticeable that it is a white man lecturing a black woman about history. Of course, in universe this isn’t an issue, and as with the issue from before, this is no doubt them wanting to cast actors of color in as many roles as possible, and this is a big scene to have with Picard so of course they cast a brilliant actress for it. But nonetheless it is something noticed, and I think if people make a criticism of that, I would understand, even if I understand also that this is clearly not the intention of the writers or the director.

By the way, the interviewer’s name is credited as Richter, which is a german word meaning “judge”, though I was reminded of the richter scale for earthquakes, and giving she looked to be causing her own little earthquakes during this interview, and being a judge in many ways, both meanings are appropriate.

Finally, Picard walks away from the interview, and this interview is going down, we see Dahj walking in the rain, seeing Picard on the screens nearby doing the interview and recognizing him.

There is also a sign in that scene that says “behold the future, preview next year’s padd tech today” so I guess even in the future, we still get new tech updates like those Apple iPhone conferences and whatnot.

We get a “commercial break” and we’re back at the Chateau. Picard is sitting with Number One quoting "there is no legacy as rich as honesty” from Shakespeare's All’s Well That Ends Well. Number One barks at Dahj approaching, runs over, but seems okay with her. Picard wants to know what she’s doing here and Dahj says she saw his interview and wants to know if he knows her. He does a “what????” expression that kind of made me chuckle because I can just see the question marks in his head. He’s just so confused.

Now there is an interesting thing to note here, Dahj immediately comments “you’re not sure, how do I know that?”, as if she is reading his mind somehow. So could this mean she has some sort of mind reading abilities too? Or is it just that she can read people really well?

Dahj describes all the things that’s happened, saying that her abilities came to her like “lightning seeking the ground” and she’s clearly very upset. Picard, who has every reason to turn away someone who could be rather alarming, instead takes her hands and tries to calm her down. I’ll expand on this later in another scene, but the kindness that he immediately has towards Dahj’s situation is just such a good thing. Compassion is something so lacking right now in the world, and having him being kind to her and not push her away even though he doesn’t know her, is so important. And when Dahj says “everything inside of me says that I’m safe with you”, we the audience certainly believes that.

We cut to Laris healing up Dahj’s cut, and Zhaban puts a blanket on her. Again, showing how kind these two people are, and the caring and kindness that surrounds Picard. No wonder Dahj feels safe. Picard gives her Earl Grey tea and says it “never fails”. The whole scene that follows is just a really sweet and lovely scene of two people connecting. Picard never treating her as if she isn’t to be believed. She asks him if he’s been a stranger to himself, and he answers “many, many times”, which we have seen throughout TNG. If anyone knows how Dahj is feeling, it is Picard. And I love that he connects with her, never dismissing her feelings.

Picard also comments on Dahj’s necklace, saying it was unusual. Dahj said that her father gave it to her. Now some have wondered why it would be an unusual necklace as it doesn’t look unusual, but I don’t know, I guess it looked kinda strange to me. Or maybe Picard recognized the symbol from somewhere and thought it was strange. Dahj says she doesn’t just know Picard because he’s famous, but she knows him from something older and deeper, and Picard says she may be right, clearly feeling like maybe he does know her from somewhere. He again reiterates that he believes her, joking that if she were dangerous, Number One would let him know.

Laris takes Dahj to her room, and she thanks Picard before she goes, clearly very grateful for someone believing in her. Dahj does leave the necklace behind on the table, which Picard looks at.

Next day, he opens up the window and nobody is working. I realized at this point immediately it must be another dream sequence and sure enough Data is in the fields painting. Both him and Picard are in their TNG era uniforms, and Data asks if Picard wants to finish the painting which has no face and is a hooded figure standing overlooking an ocean. Picard says he doesn’t know how, but Data says that’s not true. The moment Picard takes the brush, he’s awoken by the clock, and he immediately turns around to look at the painting behind him hanging up on the wall, which is almost exactly the painting from the dream, only the head is turned away. Obviously his dreams are a way for him to work out things he’s busy thinking about when he’s awake. God if only my dreams work out life’s problems for me. It would be so useful!

Laris comes in to say that Dahj is gone. Now this scene is logistically a little bit oddly placed. I don’t know when Picard wakes up from his dream, but it doesn’t look like 5am. And Laris comes in rather calmly to tell Picard that Dahj is gone, so did Laris just get up at 5am, saw Dahj gone, and went about her day until Picard woke up? Now Picard could have woken up just minutes before too. They just didn’t exactly make it explicitly clear. She did note that Dahj’s door was open, Number One was on her bed but she was gone, and they checked the feeds and she’s not on the property.

Picard, who now has an idea of what to look for, says he has to go but for them to contact him if Dahj returns.

We then change locations to Starfleet Archives, which uses the same museum symbol that the Star Trek Tour folks have. So that’s a nice little touch, nodding to the fans. It’s really sweet. Star Trek Tour is canon now! :D

Now at this moment when we see Picard approaching the archives, the Jerry Goldsmith theme from the Motion Picture plays a little in the background. Again, a beautiful addition from Jeff Russo knowing exactly where to add in the music to make everything feel perfect.

Picard is with a program called Index, who seems to keep an eye on the quantum archive. Picard wants to be sure that his archive is locked in stasis and no one has access, Index makes a joke about selling tickets with Picard noting the humor and saying “don’t give up your day job”. I love funny snarky holograms.

We then see Picard going into his archive and this is certainly a room full of easter eggs, so I’ll just note the items I saw and double checked with Memory Alpha to make sure I had the correct names:

USS Stargazer model

USS Enterprise D and E models

Captain’s yacht from Enterprise E model

Kurlan naiskos – ceramic figurine statue made by Kurlan civilization – gift from former mentor Richard Galen?

TNG era Bat’leth and D’k tahg

Captain Picard Day banner

Picard’s edition of The Globe Illustrated Shakespeare: The Complete Works, usually seen in his ready room/quarters – book is opened to first two pages of Act III of All’s Well That Ends Well – quote from earlier

It was noted from the Ready Room aftershow with Hanelle Culpepper and Michael Chabon (the showrunner), that the Captain Picard Day banner is an interesting way to tell the story of Picard’s change. He used to not like that day at all, and now he keeps that memento as if to remind himself that he maybe should have had more of those moments, showing a bit of his regret.

We get some updated LCARS, which the Picard production crew did give a shoutout to Mike Okuda on twitter. It’s always great to see these original designs get a little update with the times. It’s got more muted colors, which I quite like. And also, the object that covers the painting and retracts back is similar to the mechanical hood device that they used in the Ask Not Short Trek that Pike wore.

Index notes that this painting, which we see has Dahj’s face, is item 227.67, painted by Data in 2369, one of a set of two, gifted to Picard on the Enterprise, and the other is hanging on the wall at the Chateau. And the title of the painting is called Daughter. This confirming that Dahj somehow is Data’s daughter, which makes sense given her resemblance to Lal.

Picard asks Index to be sure that no one has been in the archive, not even for servicing. This means that no one else could have known Dahj’s face unless they were someone who actually knew Data or somehow had access to Data.

Back in France, Dahj seems to be hiding in an alleyway. She contacts her mom who tells her to get somewhere safe. Dahj notes that she did tried but she couldn’t stay because she didn’t want to put anyone else in danger. Her mom says she has to go back to Picard, Dahj frowns because her mom couldn’t have known. We see the image of the Mom glitching somehow? At this moment we don’t know if she’s a hologram or a memory or maybe a person who is being used or coerced? Her mom insists for her to find Picard and that he can and will help her. I can’t be sure if the mom is good or not, but her insisting that she goes to Picard does seem like she wants Dahj to be safe. So maybe the mom is also Dahj’s own defense mechanism? A program that makes sure she stays on course and doesn’t stray? The mom tells Dahj to close her eyes and focus, as if giving her directions on what to do. Next we see that the transmission has terminated and Dahj pulls up new information to find Picard’s location.

We also note that in her call list of favorites, there’s Soji’s name too, which connects to the later scene we see.

Back at the Starfleet Archives again, Picard sees Dahj and is clearly relieved that she’s okay. Dahj points out that she knew how to track him here, “I know stuff now, I can hear conversations a block away.” She then tries to insist that she did research and that she must have schizophrenia or something. Picard says she doesn’t have that and tries to assure her that she isn’t a freak, and instead that she may be very special. He starts telling her about Data, and you can hear the emotions in his voice about what Data meant. Dahj doesn’t know why Picard is telling her that and Picard gently tries to let Dahj know that she may be like Data and that the attack may have acted like a positronic alarm bell. But Dahj doesn’t react well to that, comparing synthetics to the ones who attacked Mars, even at one point calling synths “soulless murder machines”. We can see from Dahj’s comments that resent and fear still exists in the Federation towards android/synthetic life-forms, which from what we know, the attack was only about 10 years ago, so it would still be rather fresh on everyone’s minds.

Picard tells Dahj that Data painted her over 30 years ago, she still tries to resist, stating that she’s from Seattle and that her dad was a xenobotanist who spliced two genuses and named the offspring after her. Dahj clearly feels like she’s losing her sense of self if she is not real, but Picard tells her that her beautiful memories are hers and that no one can touch it or take it away. Picard’s insistent kindness and compassion are just SO VERY IMPORTANT. It is not always in entertainment media that we get these unabashedly kind characters, especially with male characters. And sometimes I think Star Trek is the only kind of show where truly kind and loving male characters are allowed to thrive because that’s the world we expect it to be. But even so, having characters like Picard, an older white male in a place of authority, still being so kind and caring and willing to help people instead of judging them, is important. Because this allows younger generations watching this to have someone good to be their role model, to teach and instill in them that kindness is what you need to have more of in this world. I am especially thankful that new Trek has been able to bring forth these kinds of kind characters, and especially white male characters. We see it with Picard, and we saw it with Christopher Pike in Discovery season 2. Both of these characters’ kindness is what allows others to not only feel safe, but allow people a place to grow and learn, and to have people standing in their corner even when they feel alone. That sense of safety and love, like having a safety blanket over you, is so essential to characters that are eschewing the toxic masculinity that is often very prevalent in entertainment media these days. In many ways, Star Trek, through Picard and Pike, are pointedly stating that men, especially white men, being kind and understanding, is not something to be belittled or dismissed, but rather important things because kindness is its own super power, and it’s with that kindness and love that they can stand up to institutions’ whose ideals have gone astray. Picard standing up to Starfleet is really no different than the scene of Pike calling out Starfleet’s use of drones and stating that “giving up our values in the name of security is to lose the battle in advance.”

Principled and kind lead white male characters are what we need more of these days.

Picard insists to Dahj that she was “lovingly and deliberately created” and that “You are dear to me in ways that you can’t understand, I will never leave you.” And adding that they will go to Okinawa to the Daystrom Institute and get this all figured out. He brightens up when Dahj mentions her having been accepted into the institute, happy for her even if Dahj is no longer happy anymore after all that’s happened. Picard reminds her “You are the daughter of a man who was all meaning, all courage, be like him”

This whole thing of him talking about Data to Dahj is just really emotional, you can see how much he wants to protect her, and how he genuinely means it that he will not leave her. And you can sense the guilt that still clings to him about Data dying for him.

Of course, nice moment again gets interrupted by Romulan assassins, because Romulans just love to ruin your nice moments. Dahj notices someone coming after them and runs with Picard, who can’t really keep up with her. They get to the roof and the assassins start shooting. Dahj tells Picard to stay down and gets on with some serious ass kicking. Again, as I said earlier, this whole fight scene is just so well done. The action is steady that you know exactly what is happening at all time and what she is doing and who she is fighting. You’re not lost, it’s not shaky and blurry.

One of the assassins gets his helmet taken off and as he falls down the stairs, Picard notices that they are Romulan. Another assassin gets knocked over a railing but seems to beam away. Dahj is about to shoot another one when this assassin bites down on a capsule and spews out some kind of liquid acid which gets on the gun and on Dahj’s face and her clothing. She and Picard exchanged a horrified look, she screams and Picard tries to reach for her as the energy gun blows up and Picard is knocked back and blacks out.

Now this moment was certainly a surprise. Through all the marketing, they kept talking about Dahj being the mysterious girl, they never mentioned someone else, so we just always thought it was one character. And I remember looking at the trailers and thinking, did Dahj get out of the cube and run to Picard and then gets taken back to the cube somehow and Picard has to go get her again? But it looks like they were just hiding the surprise of the twins in plain sight and we just didn’t have the information to realize it until now. Dahj’s death is certainly very tragic. Though I don’t know you could call it fridging a female character given that she was always meant to be a catalyst role so they could get to saving her sister? I’m not sure, simply because the story is set up in this way and I’m not sure it would work as well if they told it another way simply just to avoid character death. But perhaps someone would disagree.

But we get back to the Chateau where Picard wakes up after having numerous flashes of previous scenes that’s happened. We see Laris and Zhaban worriedly leaning over him as he’s laid up on the couch. He’s got a bad knock but other than that he’s okay. Picard reveals that Dahj is dead and Zhaban and Laris are surprised because the police didn’t mention her. They only said that Picard was alone when they found him on the roof. There was no one else on the security but him running. Zhaban suggests Dahj could have had a cloaking device and that’s why she wasn’t seen on their property feed either, and Picard thinks it may have activated automatically. So this explains why Dahj couldn’t be seen. But this doesn’t necessarily explain why even the Romulan assassins weren’t seen either or why the police said he was found alone. Which means that between the time the police found him, someone, possibly Romulans, could have wiped all the traces of what happened, and maybe even administered some healing stuff on Picard. OR as some have suggested, it could be that the Federation police could be involved in it, maybe it is some massive cover up. Maybe the Federation is infiltrated somehow by Romulan agents. This certainly wouldn’t be unusual tactics for the Tal Shiar, and we know even back in Discovery, the Klingons made one of them look like a human just so he could be a sleeper agent. So there’s no reason to not think that Romulans couldn’t do the same.

Picard tells Zhaban and Laris that Dahj was a synthetic and that the assassins were Romulans, which surprises both of them, given that they are Romulans, can’t be easy to hear their people are up to something shady. Of course Laris and Zhaban wants him to rest and that he’s done a lot for everyone. But Picard delivers a really powerful and brilliant line that really explains a lot of things.

He says: “Sitting here, after all these years, nursing my offended dignity, writing books of history people prefer to forget, I never asked anything of myself at all. I haven’t been living, I’ve been waiting to die.”

If you look back to the interview when the interviewer asks him why he left Starfleet, that he left in protest, and how angry he got. I think Picard left Starfleet to try to force their hand to help, essentially doing a last desperate bid of if you want me then you better go help these people. And Starfleet basically called his bluff and let him go. That is the “offended dignity” that he’s been nursing. That he tried to do something, using his reputation and importance, and Starfleet basically said, yeah okay, you can go then. I think, more than just Starfleet and the Federation deciding to withdraw, he felt a personal betrayal. The organization that he had given everything to didn’t even bother to fight for its ideals or fight to hold onto him, they gave up on their ideals and they gave up on him, so therefore, he lost faith in them as well. And all this time he’s been wallowing in anger, guilt, and essentially being the spectator that he said he didn’t want to be. He’s been wallowing in self pity, and in that moment, he’s realized that’s not what he wants to do, he’s not going to just slink away from his duties like Starfleet did, he’s now going to do something about it.

We then go to a new location, finally the Daystrom Institute on screen for the first time, in Okinawa. There is this little orbital station in the sky, it looked like one of those stations from The Girl Who Made The Stars Short Trek that young Michael and her dad were on.

Picard meets up with Dr. Agnes Jurati, and asks if it’s possible to make a sentient android out of flesh and blood, she laughs. I find her to be very adorable, a quirky scientist type but not entirely socially awkward, so it’s not the full on nerd girl trope. Once she realizes that he’s serious, she tells him that “even before the ban, a flesh and blood android was in our sights, but a sentient one, not for a thousand years”. She also notes that a sentient synthetic inside and out was the grand slam they were hoping for.

She leads Picard into the Federation’s Division of Advanced Synthetic Research – now a ghost town - because the Androids that attacked Mars came from this very lab - so now they can only operate theoretically – study, publish, run simulations, but they can’t make anything because it would be a violation of galactic treaty.

Jurati shows the drawer containing B-4 to Picard, says he was an inferior copy of Data, but noting that Data tried to download the contents of his neural net into B-4 before his death, almost all of it was lost. Note that she said ALMOST all of it. Which means that they did have some pieces of Data to create things from him. She also brings up Bruce Maddox, whom we saw in the TNG episode “The Measure of a Man”, and despite him trying to get Data to be declared property, we know that he and Data did keep in contact afterwards. Jurati says that Maddox recruited her out of Starfleet, and apparently they came close to create other synths like Data before Data died, and then when they got shut down, it crushed Maddox and he disappeared after the ban.

Now, I suspect that someone may have taken Maddox, and maybe used him to somehow get the synths to go rogue and attack Mars. Maybe even got him to somehow bring down the defense nets. And maybe Maddox could have even created Dahj and her sister Soji for whoever is controlling him as well? Agnes does say that if they had Data’s neural net, then making a flesh and blood body is relative simple, but Picard says Data’s neurons died with him, and thus Jurati says that’s why she kept telling Picard it wasn’t possible to create any other synths. Picard then shows Jurati the necklace from Dahj, and Jurati recognizes that the symbol is for fractal neuronic cloning, an idea of Maddox’s where the theory was that Data’s entire code, even his memories, could be reconstituted from a single positronic neuron.

So given that Jurati said they almost lost all of Data, I assume Maddox took that bit of Data they still had from B-4 and somehow got his theory to work to make Dahj and her sister, modeled from Data’s painting.

Picard learns that the cloning would be created in pairs, twins, realizing that there is another one. And showing us who were surprised at Dahj’s death that the rest of the season must be with the sister instead.

I’m still not entirely sure if Jurati knows something more about what’s going or not. I also don’t know if maybe she helped Maddox create the twins? It’s possible but maybe she is also just a good person and I’m being way too suspicious. But who knows. Anything is possible. TV is making it hard for me to trust people.

Then we get this beautiful transition shot from Dahj’s necklace symbol to a similar shaped rings of light in space as a new looking Romulan warbird flies through space and reaches the Romulan Reclamation Site.

We get the first shot of Narek walking through some smoke with purpose as the Romulan theme from TOS episode “Balance of Terror” plays on in the background like the Imperial March every time with Darth Vader. I LOVE this newly updated rendition. Honestly, someone please give Jeff Russo some awards because his music in this episode is just SO SPOT ON!

Narek is clearly the president of the Romulan division of the Emo Spock Fashion Fan Club? I’m just waiting for him to actually be Spock’s secret son with some Romulan, I mean, we know Spock was on Romulus for a time. And Narek sound close to Sarek. (I’m secretly hoping for this because it would just be hilarious to me!)

He meets with Doctor Soji Asha, Dahj’s twin. I noted that Dahj sounds like an Indian name perhaps? And Soji is a Japanese name. Which seem to be appropriate given that actress Isa Briones is also Asian, being part Filipino, and having spoken about Asian representation in entertainment.

Narek comments on her necklace, which Soji says her father made it, one for her and one for her sister. There was some confusion as to if only Soji knew about her having a sister, but as the earlier call list from Dahj shows, she knew about Soji too. They clearly just held it back from showing it for this reveal. Narek says he had a brother and they were really close but that he lost him last year very unexpectedly. I have a feeling we will get to see what went on with that, or maybe we even know who his brother may be? I originally thought it was Elnor, but I don’t think it works with what we know about both characters, as Elnor was said to have been raised by female warrior monks? So the “last year” comment wouldn’t work for timeline purposes. So the brother is likely someone else who died in 2398, again I don’t know this may be a character we know from any other of the older Trek shows.

He’s clearly trying to flirt with her and get close to her. He also notes that she spends her day fixing “broken people”, so is she fixing Borg survivors or androids or maybe both? We do see in the this season promo of her with Hugh somehow, and other people who look like they got implants, so are the Romulans kidnapping Borg survivors and trying to use them to make androids or something?

Anyways, Narek seem to succeed in ingratiating himself to Soji, looking like they’ll be spending some time together. And the camera then pulls back to reveal the site is in a Borg cube. Meanwhile, that beautiful Romulan theme comes back and plays til the end of the episode.

There’s a “this season on” promo that I’ll probably talk about maybe in a separate post. But YAY we have reached the end of this LONG analysis. If you’ve managed to get through all of it. I commend you and thank you for reading my ramblings.

This episode was a really solid start, setting up great characters and mystery, and reminding us why we love Jean-Luc Picard.

I can’t wait to see where the story will take us next and meet the rest of the cast!!!!!!!!

#star trek picard #star trek picard spoilers #in depth analysis

2 notes · View notes

therkalexander · 5 years

Note

Hey Rachel! Are you doing the director's cut thing still? If so, can you the scene with Aidon, Hecate, and Nyx in the garden in RoM? Right before Aidon and Persephone make up? Thank you so very much!

OK! Here we go…

I really wanted to have Hecate have a moment to shine instead of waltzing on screen to be effusive and mysterious and then disappear the next. I also wanted to introduce Nyx in a big way and hint that there is a lot of prophecy at work and a line of succession and esoteric knowledge that has been passed along since Mother Chaos created the Universe.

This was her last day as the Maiden. She stood taller, nearly flowered. Hecate could feel the impending shift to the Woman as surely as she had for a hundred aeons. She walked through the garden in her white peplos, her adolescent feet padding over the earth. She sensed the bursts of colorful blossoms at the garden’s edge before she could even see them, felt the warmth of breathing life radiating from the six trees. They had taken a little less than a moon’s cycle to bloom, their flowers vibrant red against the rich green leaves. Their brilliance stood like a beacon against the pallid grays and midnight-darkened evergreen of the Underworld.

Ducking under the branches, she stood in the middle of the small grove. Hecate walked to one of the flowers and peered at its petals, soft and translucent red, glowing as if the sun shone through them. She reached out and touched the waxy leaves, then drew her hand back in surprise. They were warm, as if they were basking in the daylight of the living world above. The red blossom would be unremarkable if it were growing above ground. But this was Chthonia. This sun didn’t shine here. Hecate pulled a single petal from a low hanging flower, examining it in her hand. As she did, the one beside it shook loose and floated to the barren ground below. She rolled the petal in her hand and smelled it, tasted it, closed her eyes and moved the energy of the ether through it, trying to find something, anything, unusual about it. She could find nothing that made these trees any different from those growing in the world above, other than how quickly they grew. Perhaps that was their only miracle.

In case anyone had forgotten that the flowers had started blooming on the trees after Aidon and Persephone really had started communicating with each other, and the following morning when everything had broken down. I wanted to showcase it through her point of view, because she has seen so many visions about them and views them as a prophecy. I also wanted to hint at the creation of Elysion without actually saying “and this was a portent for the Elysian Fields to be created.

Hecate tucked the single petal into the neckline of her peplos, and reached for the one that had fallen to the ground. When she picked it up, she cupped her hand to her mouth in shock and stumbled back, falling hard on her rump. She stood again, feeling her heart beating out of her chest, and dusted off the back of her peplos, staring closely at the place from where she’d picked up the fallen blossom. Hecate’s fingers feathered over a small tuft of light green grass. It grew in the exact shape, in the exact place of the flower that had fallen to the infertile ground. She leaned over, her breath teasing the fragile blades. “It can’t be…”

She stood up again and looked at the trees all around her, breathing shallowly. “It can’t be!”

Hecate turned her eyes upward and called out to the mists above. “Nyx!! Mother Nyx, you must see this!”

She waited.

“Nyx?”

“Your mother was Asteria— daughter of Phiobe, daughter of Gaia— who pledged you as my acolyte, young one,” a lilting voice said behind her. Hecate turned to meet the silver rimmed eyes of her mentor, the Goddess of Night, aged as many centuries as Hecate could count years. Darkness wrapped around the curves of her body like an unbound, thin himation, clinging to her and flowing around her as though she were underwater. Her jet-black hair waved about her weightlessly, and her bare white feet stuck out below the cover of darkness, hovering above the ground. She smiled at Hecate. “And after all these millennia, Hecate, we are more friends now than teacher and student, no?”

Again with the trying to show without telling here. I wanted to allude to a chain that stretched back to the creation of the universe itself, with one woman teaching the next about the dance of creation. I also wanted to give a real sense to just how ancient Nyx really is.

“Yes, my lady,” she smiled.

“What troubles you, young one?” Nyx looked around at the red flowers and answered her own question. “Is it the trees? They are no doubt the work of your student.”

“His hands couldn’t grow this orchard. Not his two alone,” Hecate said, walking over to the tree and brushing her fingers over the leaves.

“Which is why I first hesitated when you told me you had chosen Aidoneus,” she said. “The line of our sacred knowledge has always been passed from goddess to goddess— never to a male.”

So everyone takes the hieros gamos and puts their own spin on it. It’s a rite that speaks to creation, but as it goes forward it’s like a book into which everyone writes their own interpretation. I’m sure that Nyx did it differently than Mother Chaos, and Hecate does things differently than Nyx.

“And that sacred stream had never flowed to an avowed virgin before me. The world has its seasons, and sometimes we have to change with them. True, there is still much for him to learn. But please trust me, as I have asked and you have done before. Your favorite proved herself unworthy, after all,” Hecate replied. “Simple passions ruled her, not the call of wisdom. Her decisions may undo us all one day.”

The her is Demeter in case anyone wasn’t clear on that.

“Sooner than you think, young one. My dear son Thanatos walks the earth above too often. The Fates will cut too many threads from the Cloth of Life before this ends. Perhaps it’s best for all if we send the little queen back…”

“We cannot, Nyx,” Hecate said, returning to where the flower had fallen on the barren ground. “The soil itself tells us why. Look…”

When I wrote the story I wanted to make damn sure to create a situation in which Persephone was in the Underworld but that she wasn’t trapped in the Underworld. Nyx thought of sending her back and could have easily convinced Aidoneus that that was the right things to do. Of course, we see later in this scene that he had the same idea but for different reasons.

Ok and coming up, I kind of love the idea of Nyx being bound not only to her husband and consort eternally, but that he actually is her very clothing. My inspiration for this was thinking about a woman wound up in yards of black georgette or silk and moving underwater. Nyx isn’t affected by gravity. She is older than gravity.

The Goddess of Night tipped forward as though she were swimming through the air, her hair gently waving behind her. The shroud of darkness followed after, falling away from one breast before it rushed up on its own to cover her once more. Nyx leaned down and looked at the tuft of grass. She listened intently to a silent voice above her and moved her hand along the darkness shrouding her body, caressing it and looking lovingly up to where it swept up and faded away from her form. A slow smile spread across her face. “I knew there was a reason my husband liked her so much.”

Hecate looked at her, perplexed, before it dawned on her. “I knew they first coupled before they reached the lands below, but I hadn’t imagined it could have been while they were—”

“Erebus said he was honored. He told me he bore witness to the Goddess mating with her thrice-chosen Consort in the ancient manner, the way it was done before the Tyrant.” Nyx spat the last word, refusing to say Kronos’s name. She rose, righting herself. “Chaos mated with the Void in kind to create the cosmos. It was the original hieros gamos, before my generation perfected it. The true Sacred Marriage of the gods— not the pantomime your Lampades engage in with the mortals.”

Ok, so I had some fun with this idea. I mean, Erebus is a person and a place, and he became the shadow way before the Titanomachy for reasons I will get into when I write the prologue for that particular book. But I kind of had an inward laugh at how Erebus would have reacted, seeing his prophesied queen and his wife’s adopted heir gettin’ it on in a rapidly descending chariot. Also, Nyx has more than a bit of snark about the spread of the hieros gamos to more than just one person at a time.

“Aidoneus’s eyes saw their union differently,” Hecate said, ignoring her teacher’s slight against her nymph acolytes. “And a mere moon’s cycle learning her thoughts gives me much doubt that Persephone would see it your way either.”

“You know better than most that things are not always what they seem,” Nyx said as she moved back to the trees. “The narcissus I had Gaia plant in the center of Persephone’s sacred grove was what drew her here. When she plucked it, she laid aside her old life and chose us and our ways. She chose him as her mate in that moment, whether she knew or not.”

“The divine purpose of that flower is unlikely to bring peace to either of their hearts.”

“Our ways are not the ways of the world above. Aidoneus has only begun to realize that. And she will see that one day as well.”

“They have not yet performed the Rite. Perhaps then—”

“All in due time. Be patient with them, young one.”

“My lady,” Hecate said, pointing at the small tuft of grass, “if these blades carry the meaning we suspect, and the true purpose of their union comes to pass— will you join your consort, and become the night as he became the shadow?”

Erebus had not always been the encompassing darkness that separated Chthonia from the world above. Before Kronos enslaved the entire House of Nyx and imprisoned them in the Underworld, all the Protogenoi walked the earth in forms made flesh. Erebus was a tall man with silver hair and midnight blue eyes. Every shadow cast in the daylight stretched forth from his raven black wings— the Lord of Shadows was a fitting consort for his wife, the Goddess of Night. After the war, one by one, they had chosen to fade from their tangible forms into their respective domains. Hemera grew more luminous until she was the daylight itself, Gaia took root and melded with the earth, and Erebus faded into the darkness. Slowly, others among the old gods followed in their stead, including Hecate’s beloved mother. Of the Protogenoi, Nyx was the last to retain her original form.

I love the idea of old gods, of generations of gods with the Olympians just being the latest iteration. And I think that the grandparents of the gods decided that maybe millions of years was enough time to oversee everything and decided to become the things they watched over, or the stars in the sky like Asteria did, etc. Also is it clear that I have lots of feelings about Erebus?

The goddess of night smiled as Hecate ruminated on their fate, what would someday be the fate of all the immortals. “Truth be told, Erebus likes holding me this way,” she said, brushing her hand over the wavering shroud of darkness surrounding her. “He says it makes him feel young when he touches me. I’ll keep this form for now. If our ambitions are realized— then we’ll see. I’m allowed to change my mind.”

Hecate sighed. “I thought to sow the seed of our future when we sealed the betrothal of Hades and Persephone at the river so many ages ago,” she said, running her fingers along the sun-warmed leaves. “Now, infinitely more hangs in the balance, and their sapling already twists in a storm.”

“They will find a way to weather it.”

“The aeons have passed us by, and only this and the next remain.”

I would tell you what I mean by this but I can’t. Like I still can’t. This isn’t a Chekov’s gun here. It’s a Chekov’s cannon.

“Patience.”

Hecate and Nyx turned simultaneously to see Aidoneus step out through the palace portico, walking slowly toward the grove. His arms were folded across his chest.

“Do they know?” Nyx asked.

“That these are their creation? Perhaps not. They have both seen how they flourish here. Persephone carried her husband to the grove’s heart when she found her own path through the ether, and both are led here in dreams. Aidoneus knows as well as I that creating them is beyond his wisdom, and Persephone is thwarted when she tries to grow even asphodel in the fields of its namesake, much less leaves soaked in sunlight.”

“How long since they spoke to each other?”

“Three days,” Hecate said, lowering her voice as Aidon approached.

“Have faith in them,” Nyx returned.

Enter Mr. Mopey.

They silently watched Aidoneus walk into the grove, the gravel crunching under his leather sandals. He touched the warm leaves, and then thinned his lips once he realized he was not alone.

“Hecate. Lady Nyx.” He nodded grimly to them in acknowledgement.

Nyx floated toward him. “What troubles you, little one?”

It was his least favorite sobriquet, and one she always managed to use when his frustration was greatest. Aidoneus said nothing; the Goddess of Night was a thousand aeons older than he, and with Erebus, had once ruled both the Underworld and the night sky. He was too tired to challenge her anyway, his body and soul weary from lack of sleep.

“You dislike it,” Nyx said, effortlessly reading him, “but our other name for you, Liberator, seems to fit poorly right now.”

He was the one who freed Nyx and her family from Tartarus, killing Kampe to do so. ‘Liberator’ is the highest title that Nyx has for him, and I got to use the word sobriquet in that paragraph too. Liberator is also a name for another character that has yet to appear and I debated using it an an epithet since it’s more associated with that character, but I think that both applications are appropriate here, especially considering what’s to come in the series.

Aidoneus merely circled the grove, his arms crossed behind his back.

“Ever as taciturn as you were before. Before her, at least. This isn’t about your new queen, is it?”

He clenched his teeth and looked away from her.

Hecate followed closely behind Nyx, who tried again to draw an answer from him. “Aidoneus, you can greet the rest of your subjects behind a mask of solemnity—”

“—but you can see through it, my lady; I know. I don’t wish to talk about it,” he paused, glancing at their expectant faces, and scowled before dryly continuing. “But clearly I’m to be pestered by both of you until I say something. I’ll be brief: I’m taking Persephone back to Demeter.”

Hecate shook her head. “Tilling the shoots under so soon?”

“Soon?!” he flared. “She has been here nearly a month! And as soon as there was a glimmer of hope that this could work, I destroyed it. I’ve ruined everything, Hecate. She will never find it in her heart to love me after what we did— after what I said. I’ve agonized over this for three days and I’m just going to do what is best for all.”

“And what does she have to say about this?” Nyx said.

“I cannot bring myself to speak to her, nor would she want me to. Not after we—” he walked away from Nyx and looked out above the twined branches of the trees, the waterfall in the distance cascading upward to the world above. “The mortals are suffering in her absence, thanks to her mother. After what happened between us, Persephone cannot possibly still wish to remain with me. We will still be married in name and title. She will live in the world above where she belongs, where she’s happiest, and my life can go back to the way it was.”

Here we see him returning to the comfort of who he once was. Before Persephone awakened him to emotions and love, he would of course have sent her back. The world above was dying and it would have been hypocritical of him not to. But that’s obviously not what he wants.

“There is no going back, Aidoneus,” Hecate replied, “And neither can she. What was done cannot be undone. You cannot build a new tree with those boards.”

“This is my marriage!” he said, turning back to them. “It’s my decision to make.”

“So,” Nyx said, “you will leave this realm without a Queen? Or do you have plans to take a concubine? Many of the nymphs who reside here would be willing…”

“No.” He felt bile well up in his throat as he contemplated any kind of intimacy with anyone but her.

“Would you stop her if she took a lover?”

His jaw and fingers clenched shut and he closed his eyes so Nyx could not see the fire that lit them. For all the nausea he felt at the idea of laying with another woman, the thought of his wife being touched by another man filled him with a rage so potent it could lay waste to the earth. The Olympian men had no qualms about seducing a woman once she was unbound from her vows of chastity. Unbidden images of Persephone’s body being dragged underneath Apollo or Ares tore at him until he thought he would scream.

Yeah, for all the progressive that Hades is, there isn’t anything that would cause him to become completely irrational like anyone else touching his wife.

“Did you think you could push her away so easily,” Hecate chided with a smirk, her eyes narrowed at him, “when you hold so tight?”

Aidoneus slammed his fist into the trunk of a tree next to him, feeling his skin break open on its rough bark. His wrist smarted at the impact. He looked at his abraded knuckles, then flexed his fingers outward and felt the wounds knit back together. The branches above dropped delicate red petals to the ground all around them.

“Do not presume that I came to this decision lightly.” His voice rasped and he forced his anger to subside. He wouldn’t let any of them— not Hecate or Nyx, nor his wife— destroy his hard-won peace of mind ever again. It had taken him aeons after the war to bury anything that could touch him. Now the wounds were open again. She needed to go back; he saw no reason why she wouldn’t want to go back. It was the right thing to do for both of them. Once she was with her mother, he would pay a visit to Olympus with a stern warning for each of the male gods. Their fear of him would keep her safe.

“Look around you, Hades. Our world is dark and deep and hidden— an eternal tangle of flowing rivers that surrounds and protects the souls waiting to be reborn to the world above. This is a realm that needs a Queen. We have been without one for too long.” The Goddess of Night moved toward him. “Setting me and my children free, drawing the shortest twig when Lachesis held out those three fateful lots for you and your brothers… Those pale beside the real reason the Fates chose you. The gifts and curses of ruling Chthonia were never meant to be your sole burden.”

“I have judiciously ruled this kingdom alone for thousands of years. Three and a half weeks are not—”

“And for those thousands of years we waited. We waited for the Queen to find you. To seek you out. And seek you out she did, beckoning you, before you were thrice chosen by her. First when you appeared in her dreams, second when she entered your sacred grove wearing a wreath of laurel and olive, and lastly when she plucked the flower that drew you to her from the depths.”

He shook his head. “That’s not how it happened, Nyx. I went to her father for permission to take Persephone as my bride, as it is done in the world above. I invaded her dreams; I chased her from her home, I rapt her away in my chariot and took her maidenhead in the dark.”

“Thousands of years, and still you think like an Olympian.” Hecate said. “Theirs is a different world, and ours are different ways.”

“Hecate, if I never hear you say that again, it will be too soon.” He turned to leave the grove again. “Please— both of you— just leave me in peace with my decision.”

“Hades…” Nyx breathed.

He turned, slowly and deliberately, to her once more. Aidoneus watched as she raised her hand and looked at the ground. Nyx splayed out her fingers and turned her palm upward. The red flowers lifted, hovering in midair as languidly as she did. They circled her and spiraled into a tight ball hovering weightless above her outstretched palm before bursting into flames, the embers shining like stars before vanishing into the darkness that shrouded her.

Ok I admit, this was a bit superfluous, but oh shit was it fun to imagine and write. Besides. One little tuft of grass is one thing, but when all of a sudden there are things growing in a place that’s supposed to be dead and still and unchanging... I had to herald it with something fun.

“Tell me, little one…” she said to him, “at what point should these be factored into your decision?”

Aidon looked down to where Nyx pointed her long fingers. On the gray, lifeless soil were scattered tufts of vibrant green, lying in the exact places the petals had been knocked to the ground. Making sure not to step on any of them, he walked carefully over to one, and crouched low to examine it. Aidon squinted at it and gingerly brushed his fingers along the soft blades of grass. “What in Tartarus…?” he whispered under his breath.

Hecate met his confusion with her placid gaze. “You are not the first lovers to quarrel, Aidoneus. But you are the first to create anything like this.”

“I did not… I cannot—”

Foreshadow, foreshadow...

“No, you cannot,” Hecate said. “Not you alone.”

“How are Persephone and I able to do this?” he said, his eyes wide with confusion.

Nyx and Hecate looked at each other. The Goddess of Night spoke. “My son said you came to him seeking an answer— that you’ve seen these in your dreams, and she as well…”

“Morpheus knew nothing about these,” he said. “They don’t appear in the dream world.”

“When you first went to Persephone, my son brought you together,” Nyx said. “To dream of another or ask that another dream of you is one thing…”

Aidoneus thought about their first meeting. How full of confusion he had been when he discovered himself pressed against her skin. How natural it felt to be with her.

“…But to bring two together in the same dream, to unite them— has only ever been asked of my son once.”

“Remember how you appeared to each other in the dream,” Hecate said. “And consider that it was her dream.”

He looked at Hecate, dumbfounded.

I love how all this time, Aidon thought that he was the one who subconsciously decided that they would meet each other for the first time in the nude and mid make out, but Hecate is all ‘guess what dum dum...’

“Is it so hard to believe, Aidoneus?” she continued. “You dreamed you met her in her own shrine, and so did she. She dreamed of her future husband that night, the night you walked into her dream to announce your betrothal. How you appeared to her was her idea. Your name a mystery, your realm unknown to her, she still grew your sacred bloom from the earth where she slept and dreamed of you.”

“You are her chosen Consort. And just as was done in that first dream, you, Aidoneus, provided the seed to create these. Together you have dreamed the pomegranate trees into existence, little one,” Nyx said, softly motioning to the leaves and flowers hanging above them.

“But what does it mean?”

“That is knowledge I cannot pass to you,” Hecate said.

“Of course it isn’t!” he said sarcastically. “Because the day I get a straight answer out of either of you, the Styx will flow backwards!”

In more news of drawing parallels with Persephone and Hades, I figured that of course he would get annoyed as all hell if they’re not telling him everything. And I’m sure this isn’t the first time this has happened. I’m pretty sure that Hades thinks that Nyx and Hecate knew how his “courtship” would go all along and gave him zero information about it since he was convinced it would be a well orchestrated, planned out, very simple thing.

Hecate and Nyx stared back at him. Aidoneus turned once more to leave.

“I don’t think you understand Hecate’s meaning,” Nyx began, stopping him. “We cannot pass this knowledge onto you because we don’t know what these mean. There are possibilities, but that is all they are.”

He looked at them somberly. “A shame they will remain just that, then.”

“Aidon,” Hecate said, “do you love her?”

“You know that I do,” he said softly.

I just felt so bad for him here. Because here he is, he’s quietly loved this woman for thousands of years, got a taste of what love was, and then thought he had completely fucked it all up to the moon and back. This is sort of the middle interlude for him, between that kind of ‘white light’ realization moment during their fight and when he says to Persephone in complete terms exactly how long he has loved her and will love her.

“You fought each other with hard words— and you both chose how to end that fight,” she said, folding her arms. “Neither could have happened unless she loved you just as fiercely. You believe your love compels you to send her back, and you are willing to sacrifice your every desire for her happiness, Aidoneus. But one more offering is required— your pride. Go to her.”

He loved her. Throughout all this, he loved her terribly, achingly— his passion undiminished. Since their argument he’d barely slept, not even spending time in his own bedroom, instead electing to nod off in the evening for an hour or so, slumped on his throne between the increasing number of judgments. He swiped a hand over his unshaven face. It was a marvelous contradiction. Thoughts of her tormented his waking moments relentlessly, yet he couldn’t be at peace unless she was with him. His knew his needs, but what of her? Nyx, as she was wont to do, spoke of the metaphysical, the unsubstantiated. Her revelations were about a kind of love that Persephone wouldn’t understand— Aidon could barely wrap his mind around the imagery Nyx used, most of its meaning lost to the ages.

But he knew from the moment Persephone started tracing the scars of his past, healing him far deeper than the shallow marks on his skin, that she loved him as well. For that one sublime act, Aidon was eager to spend eternity returning that affection to her. How much would they miss, how many more perfect moments would lie cold and dormant if he released her back to Demeter? He stood at the precipice, fear flooding back into him once more. What if his wife wanted to leave him, and this was all for naught? Could he convince her to stay?

And here begins the second act of the book. And once he decides to get his shit together and face Persephone, that’s when Nyx calls him Liberator again.

Aidoneus plucked a single red flower, cradling it in his hand. It was bright and warm. He nodded and carefully tucked its red petals into the folds of his himation. Pointing at solemn Nyx and a wide-grinning Hecate, he said, “I’m not doing this for either of you,” and purposefully turned on his heels to leave the grove. “Or whatever you think may come of these.”

“We should be the least of your concerns. All you see here is mutable and inconsequential,” Nyx said, sweeping her hands out at the trees. She spoke quietly to herself as Aidon walked back toward the palace. “But your beloved queen is not, Liberator. Nearly anything can be forgiven, if one is willing to open their heart completely.”

#hades and persephone #hades #Persephone #receiver of many #directors cut

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