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cordeliasdarling · 10 months

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Birthday (Larissa Weems x Reader)

Notes: This is a random piece about Larissa and reader both being students at nevermore. Reader is popular, Larissa not so. (I know I’m so sorry it’s a bit sad.) I saw a prompt ages ago that inspired this so creds to them idk who.

Let me know if you want a part two! And pls don’t let this flop haha :0

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To say I was popular.. well yes, you'd be right. I'd worked hard for it, looking perfect, getting high grades. Of course my natural personality was a winner amongst my peers at Nevermore academy. It made me feel good, more than just for my ego. I liked to know that people liked me for me. I wasn't fake, I said things as they were, and luckily it wasn't rejected.

"Hello, earth to (Y/N)!" I jolted out of my personal monologue by my best friend, Cleo. When we'd met for the first time, we clicked instantly. She knew me better than anyone else, and I loved it. And I knew her the same way.

"Sorry, just daydreaming." I chuckled quietly and glanced around at the surroundings. We were sat on the freshly cut green grass in the courtyard. It was a warm day with a refreshing breeze. Perfect for lounging around. Just beyond me and Cleo were the rest of my friend group, who were all talking, laughing. I enjoyed the company.

Then something caught my eye, actually someone.

She had silvery blonde hair, and was much taller than any girl in the school, and not just because we were the oldest in the school (we were all in our last year). The school uniform brought out her deep crystal eyes, in a way that made me smile automatically. Larissa Weems was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Cleo nudged me, a grin on her face.

"I don't know why you don't just ask her out. What's the worst that can happen?"

I rolled my eyes, a sigh escaping my lips. My eyes were still on Larissa, watching as she walked along the open corridor on the side of the grass. Her eyes were on the ground, probably watching where she was going because due to her height, she often bumped into the shorter students, forgetting her stride was bigger than others.

"She most likely will be straight. Then turn me down, laugh in my face, and leave me all alone forever." Groaning, I leaned back, laying down properly on the grass.

"You should invite her to your birthday party." Cleo suggested, taking a sip of her water bottle, which she'd slid in a few ice cubes to keep her cool in the summer heat.

"She doesn't go to parties." Well, that's just what I'd gathered from all the parties I'd been to, she'd never been there, much to my disappointment. Having drinks in our systems may have given me more courage to talk to her.

Before Cleo could reply, one of my friends approached us, causing my eyes to leave Larissa just as she disappeared through a door.

"Hi, Mary." A welcoming smile on my face, as usual. She smiled back, sitting closer, in front of Cleo.

"I was wondering if you could help me with the Math homework? It's totally okay if not." People often asked me for such favours, as it was no secret that I got top grades, and I was always happy to help.

"Yes, of course!"

"Alright everyone, today we're moving to the greenhouse for the lesson." Mrs Faye called out to everyone before they could sit down. A faint groan was heard, because we all knew how hot it would be in there. But we didn't protest, mainly because we all loved Mrs Faye, and she always made our lessons fun.

There were desks already set up in front of tables with a plant pot on all of them. All of the students grouped together in twos, though I hung back, deciding which table I would go to with Cleo. But she nudged me, secretly gesturing to Larissa who hadn't partnered up yet. My eyes widened, knowing what she was suggesting.

"No!" I whispered, but Cleo had walked off with someone else, sending a wink my way. Internally I groaned, knowing I'd have to woman-up. So I approached Larissa, a faint smile on my lips, almost grinning as her eyes met with mine. I was lost for a moment, looking up at the girl I had the biggest crush on. And she had no idea, because I was secretly an awkward lesbian.

"Hey, wanna partner up?" I asked, cursing to myself because my tone didn't sound confident enough. She nodded, her expression softening. I felt a pang of sadness for her, because she was always the last one to be picked. It shouldn't be that way.

We walked to the last available bench and sat down, facing the front.

Mrs Faye talked us through the project, and soon we were left to our own devices, having to dissect a flower to see the roots and whatnot. At the same time, we grabbed the scalpel to start. A blush appeared on my cheeks, whereas Larissa just smiled that beautiful smile.

"Sorry." Mumbling, letting her take it and begin the work. My eyes watched her movements, wondering what her larger hands would feel like linked with mine. I was short, well not short in the grand scheme of things, but just smaller than the average nineteen year old. Did that make me and Larissa Weems less compatible? I hoped not.

The lesson went by in a blur, mostly me letting Larissa do all the work, something that was unlike me, but I was just very busy. By busy, I meant building up the courage to ask Larissa to my birthday party. It couldn't be that hard, just a few simple words. But the feeling of rejection was something I never wanted to feel. I'd always had an easy time when it came to dating. All boys though, much to my distaste, but that was the consequence of not coming out.

"Larissa?" My tone was even, not holding confidence or nervousness. She tilted her head to the side, making eye contact with me. I nearly ran out of oxygen, looking into those deep ocean blue eyes.

"Yes?" Her voice was smooth, velvety even.

"Would you.. would you like to come to my birthday party tomorrow?" Urgh, I hated the way my pathetic voice sounded so hopeful. I hoped she didn't detect it.

She didn't say anything for a full minute, seemingly lost in thought. Eventually she shook her head slowly. "Sorry, I'm busy tomorrow."

My heart sunk, hanging my head in despair. So this is what rejection felt like, a crushing feeling in my gut.

"Oh, that's totally okay." I forced a smile, staring at the now dissected plant as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Damn this. Of course the prettiest girl in school wouldn't want to come to my party. Literally almost everyone in my year would be there, except for her.

Mrs Faye then called out to the class, dismissing us all as the hour was up. Time flew fast, it seemed.

Larissa left the class before me, grabbing her bag and exiting quickly. I tried not to stare, but I didn't really relax until she'd gone completely. Not in a negative way, but because I was so awkward and down.

"So how did it go?" Cleo grinned, her arm slung around my shoulders as we left the greenhouse. I didn't reply, just groaning in a way that I hoped verbalised the rejected feeling.

"Ah. Playing hard to get. Well, there are plenty more fish in the sea." She slapped my back in what seemed to be a comforting way, but it just added to the pain. Yes, I know I was just a nineteen year old student with a silly little crush, but Larissa seemed like so much more.

As we walked along the corridor, I spotted the very girl I was mooning over, talking to a small group of people. They all seemed to shake their head in response to something she said. Larissa seemed to smile, though it looked superficial, like something had upset her but she was trying to cover it up. They all dispersed, leaving me in a state of curiousness. I was tempted to go over to the people who were naturally my friends, to ask what that was all about, but we needed to get to our lesson.

And by the end of the day, it had slipped my mind.

The next day rolled around, and I was walking out of the changing rooms, having just had track. I was alone, which was unusual, because I had decided to do a couple more laps, insisting my friends should go. They all wanted to get ready for my party anyway.

I slipped on my uniform, not bothering to tuck my shirt into my skirt. Bag on my shoulder, I moved towards the door, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard a muffled sound coming from the toilets. Frowning, I inspected further, walking into joining restroom. The sound happened again, and this time I figured out it was stifled crying. The sound tugged on my heartstrings, because the pain was clear in the tone.

"Hello?" I knocked on the cubicle door softly, and the crying abruptly stopped. The was a long silence before the door opened slowly. It revealed none other than Larissa Weems. My heart sunk further, who hurt my precious girl?

"Oh.. it's you." She mumbled, walking to the tissue dispenser, grabbing a few sheets to dab at her smudged mascara. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine." I followed her, about to place a hand on her arm, but stopped myself, in case she didn't like physical contact. She stared into the mirror, at herself, until her gaze shifted to my reflection.

"Don't you have friends to run off with?" She muttered, eyes now lowering to look at her hands.

"They're not important right now. Can you tell me what's wrong?" I tried my best to make my words as gentle as possible, and it seemed to work because fresh tears filled her eyes as she turned around to face me.

"We have the same birthday but everyone goes to your party, not mine." Her voice cracked, looking away in some type of shame.

It all clicked, the reason why she was 'busy', the reason those people were shaking their heads, as they weren't going to her celebration, they were going to mine. I didn't even know her birthday was on the same day as mine.

"Oh, Larissa.." I whispered, my arms opening to embrace her. She didn't move away, instead stiffening up. "I'm sorry." Though those two words didn't do much comfort.

"It's fine." She sounded cold, and suddenly pushed me away gently. Tears were in my eyes now, just like hers, except she had fiercely wiped them away.

"Have fun." She then left, her footsteps quick against the lino flooring, leaving me speechless. I wiped away one tear. I had caused her pain, and that I would never forgive myself for.

I had to make this right, I had to make her feel better, in whatever way possible.

So I furrowed my eyebrows to come up with some sort of plan.

****

#larissa weems #princple weems #larissa weems x reader #gwendoline christie #wednesday the show #lgbt #lesbian #gay longing #gwendolineuniverse #wlw

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tuttiwrites · 23 days

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A very late fic entry for Dipplinshipping Week 2024 (damn you migraines).

Day 6: Festival

“Fireworks”

CW: fluffy fluff, Ogerpon regrets nothing, some smoochin’, Carmine and Kieran bicker a little

The Festival of Masks was in full swing. The crowd was abuzz with excitement as the minutes ticked down to the fireworks show. The scent of fried food wafted through the air, enticing many a visitor to pick up a treat on their way to the festival plaza. Children ran between the sweets stalls and the games, holding their treasures aloft for their parents to see. The mask sellers were hawking their wares the loudest – it was the last night of the festival, after all, and for five bucks you too could attend the big finale in style. Nothing said reverence to the village’s masked protector quite like a cheap plastic copy of her mask.

Kieran flipped the toy mask around in his hand. Its mediocrity was slightly less offensive in the dim lighting of the overlook. “They really skimped on the paint job this year.”

Julie nodded in agreement. “For real. You’d think they’d at least try to get the colors right.” The copy they were studying was more green than teal, and the orange used for the mouth was bright enough to see from space. There had been an attempt to replicate the Tera jewels’ shine with glitter on white paint. Half of said glitter currently resided on Julie and Kieran’s hands.

It was, as their friend Drayton said about many things in life, mid.

“I’d have happily let Ponpon model for them if they wanted to.” Julie tried to brush off the stubborn glitter on the pants of her jinbei. “I’m sure she wouldn’t have minded.”

“True.” Kieran sat the offending mask on the bench and tried to rid himself of the glitter as well. “As long as she has a candy apple to munch on, she’d be happy doin’ anything.”

Julie laughed softly. “Too true.”

In the year since they first met the tiny ogre, Julie and Kieran had observed Ogerpon – lovingly nicknamed Ponpon by Julie – come out of her shell. Where she’d been too afraid to leave Julie’s side amongst the townspeople last year, she now mingled happily in the crowd. Children adored her; she’d made many new friends playing in the plaza. Curious adults asked Julie and Kieran about her, and they were happy to share her story.

Ogerpon also acquired a new hobby: sampling festival foods. The shaved ice had been her least favorite, causing her to shiver and hide her face. That made sense; grass Pokemon weren’t exactly fond of ice moves in battle, so icy snacks were low on her list. The fried noodles sat at a comfortable second place. Julie had managed to serve her about three bites of the meal before the little Pokemon dozed off in her arms.

At the top of the list sat the king of sweet treats, at least in Kieran’s mind: candied apples. Ogerpon had fallen in love at first bite with the treat on the first day of the festival. He estimated that since then, he and Julie had bought her at least 5 apples apiece. It was a good thing they were cheap, he mused.

Ogrepon had gotten into some mischief earlier in the day by sneaking two apples from the snack stand while the seller wasn’t looking. Julie had smoothed that over by paying double for the stolen goods while Kieran ran after the wayward Pokemon. He’d scooped her up before she could make off with a skewer of candied Rawst berries. He’d dropped a handful of cash on the counter to purchase the treat properly, and walked away from the line of food stalls before she committed another heist.

“Honestly, Ponpon,” he sighed, “an’ I thought I had a sweet tooth.”

The little Pokemon smiled at him serenely, belly full and heart content. Red candy coating and bits of berry clung to the fur around her mouth. That’d be a sticky mess for him and Julie to clean up later. But for now, they’d let her have her fun.

He couldn’t help but smile at her content little face. “Y’know, you don’t have to steal stuff anymore.”

“Pon?” Ogerpon’s eyes were wide with curiosity. And perhaps a little bit of sugar rush.

“You’re the guest of honor here now. Everybody here knows the truth now, an’ they love you. If you want somethin’, you can just ask for it.”

She seemed to consider this option silently, and solemnly took a bite out of the candy apple in each hand. (Paw? Sleeve, maybe? Kieran wasn’t sure exactly what to call them. Hand would do, for now.)

“But,” he said with a note of sternness in his voice, “you can’t just walk off with stuff that isn’t yours. You gotta let me or Julie pay for it first, ok?”

Ogerpon nodded, a sticky smile spreading on her orange fuzzy face. “Pon!”

“Good.” He patted her head gently. Ogerpon trilled happily, enjoying all the attention. She went in for another bite of each candy apple. As far as she was concerned, life was good.

If he could go back and tell his past self that in a year’s time, he’d be holding the ogre in his arms and feeding her snacks, the old him would have probably freaked out. It felt like an impossible dream back then, but here he was now, holding the now drowsy mythical creature in his arms like a child.

Julie ran up to them, holding a candied apple in each hand.

“There you are!” She held out an apple to Kieran, a small smile on her lips. “I got some apples for us. I figured you were getting hungry too.”

He took the apple gratefully. Warmth crept into his cheeks as his hand brushed hers. “Thank ya. I appreciate it.

“I made sure to pay for these, unlike a certain someone.” Julie scratched Ogerpon’s chin lovingly. The little ogre purred, regretting none of her previous actions.

“Was Mr. Fuji ok? He sounded kinda mad.”

“Yeah, he’s fine now. I think he has a new sales pitch now.” Julie swung out her arm dramatically. “Fuji’s Finest Apples, Ogerpon’s favorite snack! Get yours before they’re all gone!”

Kieran laughed. “Glad it all worked out.”

“Me too.” She smiled warmly at him. “Thanks for watching over Ponpon.”

“A-ah, yeah, of course!” He felt the Butterfree stirring in his stomach. “She’s no trouble. Well, not too much trouble anyway.

“Yeah.” Julie took another bite of her apple. Kieran followed suit, savoring the sweetness.

A comfortable silence fell between them as they looked back at the crowded food stands. It was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle for a moment.

Kieran glanced back at the girl beside him. The light from the lanterns sparkled in her eyes. She wore a contented smile, lips lined in a red lipstick he’d not seen her wear before today. His eyes lingered on her lips, then darted away.

If he could go back and tell his past self he was spending time alone with Julie like this, his old self would definitely freak out.

And if he could tell him what he had planned later that night, he’d probably faint.

Which leads us to the current moment.

Kieran was keenly aware of how close they were sitting on the bench. And how nice the view would be when the fireworks began. And how they were alone on the overlook. And how dry his mouth was at the thought of saying what he needed to say tonight.

He rubbed his sweaty palms on the pants of his jinbei once more. If there had been any glitter left on his hands, it was gone now.

Alright. It was now or never.

“H-hey Julie.” His voice wavered ever so slightly.

“Yeah?” Her smile was as radiant as ever. He couldn’t meet her gaze.

“Uhm, s-so…I wanted to t-talk to you about somethin’.”

“Oh yeah? What’s up?”

“Uh, well… I was thinkin’…that…um…”

This was not going how he’d hoped. The words he’d practiced over and over were failing him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t say it. Not out loud. But he wanted to, so badly.

He felt tears sting his eyes. This was just another failure in a long line of failures. This was nothing new for him, of course. He was just going to make a fool of himself and make Julie hate him. Or embarrass her. And himself. And-

Kieran forced himself to take a long slow breath.

No. That wasn’t true.

Julie had reminded him time and again in the past year how thoughts like that weren’t worth listening to. It wasn’t easy to tune them out, but he’d gotten better at it with time and practice. When he couldn’t do it alone, Julie had been a patient listener while he talked out his spiraling thoughts.

Right now, he needed to be as patient with himself as she had been all those times before.

All this panic was just him getting in his head again, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to-

Julie placed her hand atop his.

That was enough to snap him out of it.

“Kieran, are you ok?”

He looked up at her, finally meeting her gaze. For a moment, time stopped. He wasn’t sure if it was the lantern lights or his overheated imagination, but she looked more beautiful than ever. Her eyes sparkled in the lantern light, her hair was lightly blowing in the breeze, her lips – oh wowzers, he wanted to kiss them. Right here, right now.

He wanted to tell her he loved her, he wanted to hold her, he wanted to kiss her, and Arceus willing he wanted to be with her from now until he was old and gray.

But first, he had to tell her how he felt.

“Julie, I’ve been thinkin’ about this awhile, an’…well, I really have enjoyed gettin’ to know you and spendin’ time with you and all this week. And all this past year, really. And I got to thinkin’, I…I really like you. I didn’t want to come on too strong and scare you off, but I’m serious when I say I want to be with you, if you’ll have me. And, well, I know we traded Applins and all awhile ago, but… I want to ask you out properly.”

He took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes.

“Julie, will you be my girl?”

And there it was, out in the open.

His mind was racing. Did that sound too corny? Was it too much? How gently was she going to let him down?

His heartbeat thudded in his ears as he waited for her response.

He didn’t have to wait long.

She was grinning ear to ear.

“I’d love that.”

All his doubts floated away in an instant. He felt lighter than air.

“R-really?”

“Yes, really.” She squeezed his hand. “I mean it.”

“Oh wowzers.” He felt a little lightheaded, but in a good way. “I’m-“

Suddenly, a loud shriek pierced the air. Julie screamed in fright. Kieran pulled her close against him with one hand and reached for his Hydrapple’s Pokeball with the other. He scanned the area around him for where the sound had come from. There was nothing obvious: no people, no Pokemon, no nothing. Then what had that been all about?

A loud boom rang out, and an explosion of color filled the sky above the plaza. Red, blue, and yellow sparks of color hissed and crackled, then slowly melted away into the night sky.

Oh. Right. In all his excitement, he’d completely forgotten about the fireworks show tonight.

Julie sighed in relief. “Well, that’s one way to get the show started.”

“Yeah,” Kieran laughed shakily. His words were failing him again, but this time he didn’t mind so much. He was keenly aware of how tightly she was holding him and how warm she was against him. Her head rested on his chest, and he was sure she could hear his heart thudding away beneath her ear.

He thanked his lucky stars he’d hit a growth spurt in the past few months; she fit neatly in his arms like she belonged there. And in his mind, she did.

They fell into a comfortable silence once more, watching the fireworks fill the night sky before them with light. The light show meant the end of a week of celebration, and soon they’d have to part. Julie would be leaving for Paldea in the morning, and Kieran and Carmine would be heading back to Unova the week after. The summer had gone by way too fast.

But for now, they were together. That’s all that mattered.

But there was one more thing Kieran had to do before the night ended. He waited for a lull in the show to ask one last question.

“Hey Julie?”

“Mhm?” She sounded drowsy. It was nearly midnight, so it made sense why she would be getting sleepy. The thought of her falling asleep in his arms was a delicious one. But that was getting ahead of himself.

“You awake? Sounds like you’re dozin’ off a little.”

“Mhm, yup, totally…” Here she paused to yawn. “Totally fine.”

Kieran laughed softly. “Right. Um so, I wanna ask you somethin’ real quick.”

“Go ahead.”

“…May I kiss you?”

What he expected was for her to jump back in shock at his boldness, maybe even stammer out an excuse to run back towards the community center and out of his life forever.

What he didn’t expect was for her to drape her arms around his neck. She gave him a cheeky smile that only made him want to kiss her more.

“Go right ahead.”

Before he could overthink it, he leaned forward and his lips met hers.

Warmth bloomed in his chest as he savored the moment he’d been dreaming of for months. She tasted sweet like candied apples, with a hint of mint lip balm. The faint scent of roses wafted up from her hair and skin. Without exaggeration, this was the closest to heaven he’d ever felt. He held her close and deepened the kiss, not wanting to let go just yet.

As if on cue, the fireworks finale began. This time, the shrieking of the rockets launching in the air didn’t make them flinch. A rainbow of color filled the sky as dozens of fireworks exploded all at once, silhouetting the young lovers in a wall of light.

Kieran gently pulled away from Julie, lightheaded once again from pure joy.

“Was that ok?”

She looked up at him, a sparkle in her eyes and a dazed smile on her lips. “Oh yeah.”

He felt her hand touch the back of his head. The feeling of her hands in his hair sent a pleasant shiver down his spine. Suddenly, his hair flopped down against his neck and face, and noticed his yellow scrunchie was now wrapped around her wrist. She gave him a look that stirred up the Butterfree in his stomach once more.

“My turn.”

—— Some time later…———

Carmine glanced at her phone once more, feeling more annoyed by the second. It was 12:45, and her brother was still not home. The fireworks show ended thirty minutes ago, and it took all of five minutes to walk to their house from Festival Plaza. She tapped her foot as she peeked out of her bedroom towards the front door. Where on earth was he?

She leaned against her doorframe, debating whether or not to go out looking for him. Surely he wouldn’t be going up to the Dreaded Den anymore, now that Ogerpon was with Julie. The cleanup crew would tidy up the plaza in the morning, so that wasn’t it either.

A thought occurred to her, one that raised her eyebrows, but she brushed it away quickly.

Nah, she thought. He’s not that bold.

A soft squeak of hinges and the click of the lock told her that Kieran was finally home. There was a slight clatter of wooden sandals against the floor as he took his shoes off.

Finally, she thought, took you long enough. She opened her mouth to tease her brother for dillydallying, but then she paused. She listened, wondering if she could believe her ears.

He was singing to himself. It was a happy tune, and one she recognized as he walked closer. A love song.

It had been a long time since she’d heard him sing like that. Years maybe, she thought sadly. Years of teasing and bullying at school had robbed him of his joy, and…yes, she admitted she had been part of the problem, too. Being a better sister was something she was actively working on now. She was doing her best to be supportive and kinder to her little brother, even when the temptation was real to tease him. Like right now.

Instead, she settled for spooking him as he walked by.

“Hey,” she said quietly. It was enough to make Kieran jump.

“Whoa, you scared me!” He paused to collect himself. “Thought you’d be asleep by now.”

“Yeah, me too, but someone had to wait up for you. Where the heck were you?”

“Uh, well, y’see, Julie and I went for a walk after the fireworks show, an’ uh…we just lost track of time.” He grinned nervously. “I walked her home too. Er, well, to the community center that is. No way I’d let her walk back in the dark alone. That wouldn’t be very gentleman-like, would it?”

Carmine narrowed her eyes. He was rambling, and she knew he rambled when he lied. She flicked the light on in her room, curious if her hunch was correct.

Kieran blinked against the sudden flash of light. “Good grief, sis, warn me first before ya blind me.”

Carmine’s mouth dropped open. The first surprise was that his hair was down for the first time in ages. His scrunchie was nowhere in sight, and somehow his hair was covered in glitter. The second surprise was that his face was covered in red lipstick. The vast majority of it was on his lips, smeared here, there, and everywhere. Lighter kiss marks covered his cheeks and forehead, and one sneaky trail went down his neck to his collarbone. The faintest sent of rosy perfume hung in the air, and she knew it wasn’t her signature scent.

Maybe he had been bold enough to go for it, after all.

Kieran squinted against the light. “What’s wrong? Looks like you saw a ghost.”

“Nope, just you. Ya finally got enough sun this year to not look like one.”

Kieran stuck his tongue out at his sister. Even at sixteen years old, he wasn’t above acting childish if the moment called for it.

“Say, uh, random question,” Carmine began. “Did you ever get around to askin’ Julie out?”

His face lit up, grin broad and eyes sparkling. “Yeah! And guess what, she said yes!”

Carmine couldn’t help but smile. It was good to see her brother happy again. “I figured you did.”

“Wait, how did you guess?”

Carmine bit her lip to hold back her laughter. “Just a guess.” She waved him away. “Alright, it’s nearly one in the morning. Go wash up and go to bed. You’re smelly.”

Kieran sniffed the front of his jinbei, suddenly self-conscious. A soft smile graced his face for a moment. He then remembered where he was and who he was with. He cleared his throat. “S’not that bad, just a little sweaty.”

Aha, Carmine thought. So it was Julie’s perfume.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s bad enough for me, I could smell you at the front door.” She ruffled his hair, just like she had done when he was small. The only difference was that now he was nearly eye-to-eye with her. “Go on and shower before Grandma wakes up and gets nosy.”

Kieran nodded and turned to leave.

“Oh yeah, one more thing.”

“Mhm?”

“Makeup wipes are in the blue bag in the right-hand drawer.”

Kieran stared at her in confusion. Carmine gave him a serene, if smug, smile.

Then slowly, it dawned on him. His ears and cheeks flushed to match the shade of the lipstick all over his face.

He mumbled a thank you and rushed down the hall towards the bathroom. Carmine listened as he fumbled with the lock, and laughed to herself as he gasped at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

She laughed, then shut the door to her bedroom. He’d be there awhile.

#dipplinshipping #dipplinshippingweek2024 #kieran x juliana #kieran pokemon #juliana pokemon #kay writes

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acourtofthought · 8 months

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Regarding Elain

"The quiet dreamer and she's got a different sort of strength than Nesta and Feyre"

D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T

Not only does the author address it in a interview but since book 1, SJM has made it extremely obvious that Elain is not like Feyre and Nesta.

She had looked at that cottage with hope; I had looked at it with nothing but hatred. And I knew which one of us had been stronger. (and we know the way Nesta viewed the cabin was much more in line with the way Feyre viewed it)

Two in the morning, and yet the party was showing no signs of slowing. My father held court with several other merchants and aristo men to whom I had been introduced but whose names I’d instantly forgotten. Elain was laughing among a circle of beautiful friends, flushed and brilliant. Nesta had silently left at midnight, and I didn’t bother to say good-bye as I finally slipped upstairs (Elain is living her best life while both Feyre and Nesta were over the ball, they barely tolerated it from the start).

She was a rose bloom in a mud field. Filled with galloping horses. “Don’t be afraid of them,” Nesta said beneath lowered brows. If Elain was a blooming flower in this army camp, then Nesta … she was a freshly forged sword, waiting to draw blood. (Feyre belongs in the NC among the warriors. Of the remaining sisters, who also is foreshadowed to fit in?)

Nesta and I climbed inside one of the supply caravan’s covered wagons to change into Illyrian fighting leathers. When we emerged, Nesta even buckled a knife at her side. / Elain … She’d taken one look at us in the swaying grasses outside that wagon, the legs and assets on display, and turned crimson. / She refused the knife Cassian handed her, though. Went white as death at the sight of it. / “I—I don’t know how to use it—” “I’ll make sure you don’t have to,” I said, grass crunching as I stepped closer. Elain weighed my words … and slowly closed her fingers around the blade. / But Elain had given it back—had pressed it into Azriel’s hands after the battle, just as he had pressed it into hers before. And then walked away without looking back. (SJM could not be any more direct with how different Elain approached the war compared to her sisters especially when you add in how Elain stabbed the King then backed away while Nesta marched on over and cut his head off, how Nesta takes credit for killing the King and Elain downplays her part).

Nesta had only stared at me in that unblinking, cold way. Elain had blushed, muttering about the impropriety of such things.

I laid my hand flat on the table. “I can eat, drink, fuck, and fight just as well as I did before. Better, even.” / “Fucking strangers?” Elain flinched again, her face coloring. Nesta snorted. “You’re living amongst beings who have none of our human primness, you know.”

“No, I don’t. Elain is Elain,” he repeated. “Nesta is … she’s Illyrian. I mean that as a compliment, but she’s an Illyrian at heart. (NESTA IS ILLYRIAN AT HEART AND ELAIN IS NOT, I mean seriously, that tells us all we need to know. End of story, Nesta belongs in the NC and Elain does not).

Where the hell was Elain?

Elain in black was ridiculous.

And he knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her.

but wearing black, no matter how much she claimed to be part of this court … It sucked the life from her. Nesta in Night Court black threatened to bring him to his knees.

Elain wasn't part of IC business in ACOWAR or Silver Flames yet Nesta and Feyre were. Feyre and Nesta were present for meeting Bryce and Elain was not. Nesta embraced the Illyrian leathers and a weapon in ACOWAR even though in ACOWAR she claimed to have no interest in being a warrior. That last one was 100% foreshadowing people!

SJM is not laying these clues to make Elain the sole peacemaker and gentle nurturer of the IC. She's laying these clues to show us that Elain is different than her sisters and belongs with people who are more like-minded. How sad would it be for Elain to remain in the IC, always the odd man out? The different one?

It is absurd for someone who claims to like Elain to look back over the series and think she's valued in the NC as anything more than a cook and gardener. Those hobbies are all well and good but not FMC energy and not anything the members of the IC really care much about aside from a pat on Elain's head for the things that keep her busy. That fact that she doesn't belong is so clear, it's glass and SF was Feyre trying to bridge the gap with the sister who pushes her away while coming right out and admitting the sister who is willing to have a relationship with her is someone she only considers a pleasant companion.

It's fine that Feyre and Nesta don't connect on a certain level with Elain or view her differently than they view one another, relationships shouldn't be forced and not all siblings are going to be extremely close (though they can still get along). With that said, Elain deserves to find a group of people who see her as a valuable, contributing member. Who don't see her as a last resort and who regularly include her in important Court business. People claim Elain was pushed to the side for Nesta and that's why she was absent in SF but Az got to do important things in SF as a side character. SJM always leaves room for side characters to play an important role in things even if it's not time for their own book.

Elain also deserves to find people who don't choose violence as a means to an end (no shade on the IC for their methods but that's not who Elain is).

Quiet dreamers don't wear daggers that they returned "and didn't look back" strapped to their legs. Quiet dreamers don't wear black when it sucks the life from them. Quiet dreamers don't sneak around in the shadows when they prefer the light.

There's already two sisters and Valkyrie who live that kind of life in this series and when the author tells us Elain is DIFFERENT, I'm not sure why people try to copy and paste Feyre / Nesta / Gwyn / Emerie over her personality.

#elucien #pro elucien #pro elain archeron #anti e/riel

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fioreofthemarch · 8 months

Text

Finding Her - Chapter 16

Link makes notes, takes photos and keeps time on his quest across Hyrule, in the hopes of finding Zelda and staying sane until he does. [ Previous | Next | First | AO3 ]

Log Date: 15:30. 8th month, 21st day 104AC Location: Minshi Woods, North Hyrule Weather: Foggy

I can’t believe it. It’s finally happened: I’ve found her!

I wish I realised it sooner. There's a reason I haven’t seen her anywhere: I’ve been looking in the wrong places.

Been thinking while I walk. Open air helps with the clarity. She wasn’t in any of the towns or the Temples. That cruel ghost in Hyrule Castle wasn’t her. She isn’t up on the sky islands (have explored most of them now) and I hope to Hylia she’s not stuck down in the Depths, but I think the Yiga would’ve let me know if she was. If they’d captured her, they wouldn’t bother trying to impersonate her.

So what is left. Not much. But, it’s always the last place you look, right?

I thought, you know, good time to go see the Deku Tree and get the Master Sword back (again). That’s when it hit me. What better place to shelter Hyrule’s Princess than the Korok Forest?

The Lost Woods are completely sealed so it looks like I’ll have to go through the Depths to get into the forest. All the Koroks here are talking about it but they don’t seem worried, so neither am I.

It’s nearly over. We’re so close. By this time tomorrow, she’ll be home.

A photograph of the dense woodland of North Hyrule, and the korok diaspora hanging out amongst the trees. They look at the camera with blank but inquisitive expressions, somehow.

Caption: They're just friendly little guys.

---

Log date: 15:30. 8th month, 22nd day 104AC Location: Korok Forest, Great Hyrule Forest Weather: Clear.

I don’t know what to say.

No, I do: Link, you fool. You idiot. Getting your hopes up, for nothing. Stop lying face down in the grass and get back on the trail.

The Koroks are side-eyeing me, I can feel it. And they don’t even have eyes. Mr. Hero seems upset, they whisper. Yeah, I am!

Zelda’s not here. The Master Sword is not here. I can’t fight the Demon King without the sword that seals the darkness. No one is being sealed anywhere by a Bokoblin Horn.

I guess it was good that I came here. Ganondorf’s blight reached even this sacred place. Found and fought some Gloom Hands within the Deku Tree. Didn’t take any chances. Rained bomb arrows down on that thing until it shrivelled up and then cut down the Phantom Ganon that followed afterwards. Didn’t take long. Have fought worse.

I can sense the presence of the Master Sword, the Deku Tree told me, and then a new map marker appeared on the Purah Pad. But … the marker is moving. And fast. It doesn’t make sense — I’d have noticed a sword hurtling across the countryside by now.

I asked the Deku Tree if he had any more clues, but all he talked about was the time Zelda and I came here to retrieve the Sword, nearly half a year ago now. He said something about the Sword’s strength growing with time, along with my connection to it. The truth is within you, he said, you just need to listen for it. But I don’t hear or feel anything.

I need to think. And I need help. Maybe more answers will come on the road…

A photograph of the towering Deku Tree, his stern expression unreadable and inscrutable. Koroks hover at the edge of the frame, eternally persistent and unphased by the ebbs and flows of fate.

Caption: This place should be a haven, and yet..

---

Log date: 09:30. 8th month, 24th day, 104AC Location: Kakariko Village, Necluda Weather: Rain. Light snow overnight.

Back in the familiar embrace of Kakariko. Coming here was the right choice.

Needed advice. Rode south from the Korok Forest and sought out Paya as soon as I arrived. Caught her up over some green tea and pickled swift carrots. Let her know that, surprise, ‘Zelda’ was a ghost the whole time. Paya took it surprisingly well. Only children fear ghosts, she said, and I swore it was Impa’s voice speaking. Those who are gone cannot hurt us.

Anyway. I told her I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have any clues about Zelda or the fifth Sage. I tracked the Master Sword to Eldin using the new map marker, but I couldn’t see anything. Nothing but rocks all around and a cloudy sky above. There are more geoglyphs I could find, but… I need to make more progress in the present before revisiting the past.

Paya knew just what to do. Trust the Sheikah to have all the answers. Change comes not through contemplation, but action. She pointed me towards the floating Ring Ruins and all but commanded that I investigate. Act then, Master Link!

Found some ancient writing inside the ruins that the researchers Tauro and Calip deciphered, with Paya’s help. Seems like they point to someone named Mineru, in the Zonai Ruins to the south. We leave in the morning. Tauro is beside himself with excitement. I’m sitting in his camp, watching him pace back and forth trying to write Paya a ‘going away’ letter. Can see him blushing under his bangs — he’s smitten.

Feeling optimistic. It would make sense for the fifth Sage, maybe an ancient Zonai, to take Zelda into protective custody. Maybe hidden in the ruins and cut off from the world, Zelda doesn’t know that we’re looking for her. It would make sense, for her to be there. It would make perfect sense.

A photograph of the floating Ring Ruins in Kakariko Village. In the foreground are Paya and Tauro in private conversation. Paya whispers something in Tauro’s ear, as he crouches down to listen with intense focus. Paya has her hands clasped in front of her waist and stands with a calm confidence.

Caption: Good for them.

---

Log date: 20:13. 8th month, 26th day 104AC Location: Jo-ku Usin Shrine, Thunderhead Isles Weather: Thunderstorm

Need a break. Sheltering in an ancient Zonai cavern. All go, go, go since leaving Kakariko. Waded through marsh and swamp at the Zonai Ruins with Tauro for a whole day, examining murals and fighting off lizalfos. Hate those guys.

We found some Zonai armour, completed an ancient ritual (Tauro enjoyed that), unveiled a whole new archipelago — but no sign of Zelda, or the fifth Sage.

Getting frustrated. Might just be this storm. All my gear is completely soaked. It’s just… the more places I look, the more I fear it — the thought that I buried months ago to stay sane. The thought that answers a terrible question – when someone goes missing and doesn’t come back, what does everyone assume happened to them?

I thought I could sense her, and sense the Sword. But maybe they’re just echoes. Just ghosts. Apparently the Master Sword is nearby, moving past the SkyView Tower on the Popla Foothills. If it is, I can’t see it through the clouds…

Pressing on. Will find this fifth Sage if it kills me. What else to do? I’m a hollow machine, the only thing real about me is the air I breathe.

If I stop moving, I’m gone.

A photograph taken from the Thunderhead Isles of the Popla Foothills to the north. The Light Dragon is seen flying just below the clouds. There's a sense that, no matter where someone is in the world, the dragon’s light would shine upon them. It's a familiar feeling, like the light that shone from Hyrule Castle when its Princess called out to— wait. No, stop that. That’s— what are you talking about? The feelings aren't familiar at all. It’s just a dragon. Nothing more. This isn't even a good photo. It’s blurry, and dark, and should just be deleted.

---

Log date: 07:45. 8th month, 27th day 104AC Location: Construct Factory, The Depths Weather: Not applicable.

Finally good news. The fifth Sage is here, in the Depths.

Barely made it to the end of the Thunderhead Isles. Didn’t sleep. Heart’s been in my throat all night. I had braced to find a tomb, but found instead a Zonai mask that led me to this Construct Factory. Then I heard the voice in my mind – Link, Zelda’s Chosen Protector. I am Mineru, the Sage of Spirit.

She couldn’t say much, except that she had been hidden in the Purah Pad all this time. Since it wasn’t designed to hold a living spirit, she had to lay low. Remembering now that Purah told me the Purah Pad was the key to the final Sage. I guess she figured it out, somehow.

Mineru’s little more than a poe, so we’re building her a new body. She says she’ll explain everything when we get to the Spirit Temple, and that we have to hurry. Zelda’s Chosen Protector is going as fast as he can, because I think it all makes sense now. Zelda IS down here in the Depths, safe in the final Temple. I thought… something worse had happened to her. Something that couldn’t or shouldn’t even be possible. But, it wasn’t true, in the end. Thank the Goddess.

I’m so tired, Zelda. I just want you home with me. Surely, this time, I’m right?

Surely, this time, you really are here?

A photograph of a large construct, half-built and still ensconced in its protective shell at the entrance to the Construct Factory. Though its eyes are open, the Construct is not yet awake.

Caption: We’re close, I know it.

---

~ Welcome to the Purah Pad ~

Today's Purah Pointer: Always make sure to che###%%% mon[][]rs%% in--

[Mineru.exe initiating...] [Initiation complete]

Message Medallion activated.

Connection established.

MNR | 11:00 Link? Are you there? I’ve routed my comms through the Purah Pad, it’s easier to communicate this way. Telepathy is a strain, after a while.

LNK | 11:02 I don’t want to talk.

MNR | 11:02 I know what I showed you at the Spirit Temple was a lot to take in. Zelda told me you would be upset, but she was sure her plan would work, and that the Master Sword would be–

LNK | 11:02 There’s nothing to be upset about.

MNR | 11:02 Link.

LNK | 11:03 We don’t have any proof she went through with it.

MNR | 11:03 Yes we do. You have met her.

LNK | 11:03 No.

MNR | 11:03 Link, she was guarding the Great Sky Island. She saved you from a Gleeok in Hebra. In Hateno, she guided you to Lanayru. And I saw the photo you took of her on the Thunderhead Isles.

LNK | 11:04 That wasn’t her. That dragon isn’t her.

MNR | 11:04 Denial serves no one. The dragon is a dragon of light. It would make perfect sense for it to be her.

LNK | 11:04 Don’t say that.

MNR | 11:04 Say what?

LNK | 11:04 Nothing makes sense.

MNR | 11:04 Link. Go to her. You will see what I see.

LNK | 11:05 I don’t want to talk about this.

MNR | 11:05 You cannot ignore the truth.

LNK | 11:05 Leave me alone.

MNR | 11:05 Do this for her, Link. She missed you so much.

LNK | 11:05 LEAVE. ME. ALONE.

MNR | 11:05 Link, wait—

Purah Pad power down initiated.

Powering down in 3,2 — *blip*

#totk #tears of the kingdom #zelink #link #mineru #my writing #tloz #tloz fanfic #link knows that mineru knows that link knows that mineru knows WHAT HAPPENED OH GOD

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omg-im-such-a-masochist · 1 year

Text

Dawn

Pairings: Professor!Matt x Student!Reader

Word Count: 934 words

A/N: A few months ago I was searching for different prompts and came across this: *The last words of your story are, “As night became day, he started to understand the truth.” Now, go write the rest*. I thought it was very interesting and different so I’d like to give it a shot along with the theme: Forbidden Love. So this is the end result. (This also has been saved in my drafts forever so I thought I should post it idk 🤷‍♀️)

Tags: @theworldofotps , @writtingrose , @letsgivethisonemoreshot , @aerynscrichton , @daddyhausen , @damnnhausen , @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin , @sophiewolfheart-blog , @sultryfandoms , @new-zealand-chic , @crowleysqueenofhell , @thealliasylum , @legit9thlunaticwarrior , @baysexuality , @josiewrites , @seeingstarks , @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch , @whenimakeitshine1234 , @blaquekittycat , @tahiri-veyla, @moxkindagirl

Behind the big tree hills, they hid. The sun shone fearless and bright upon the San Bernardino National Forest's clear blue sky, and near the lake Matt sat, staring at her as she danced barefoot on the grass near the lakefront. He couldn’t have picked a better day to bring her here, the summer break dragged all the locals and students straight to the beaches, leaving the forests almost inhabited and free from curious eyes.

Her white crepe sundress flowed around her thighs as she spun around, before laughing when the dizziness made her fall on the grass. The sky spun like a wheel before her eyes, making the fluffy white clouds quickly change shapes from a dog to a man, and then they turned into him.

“Are you ok?” Matt chuckled. His face shielded her from the harsh sunbeams and his dark soft hair fell like a curtain around her face. He always let his hair down whenever he was with her, knowing how much she loved the long, dark mane.

“Why wouldn’t I?” She asked back with a giggle, her own fingers twirled around the fluffy locks as she admired the gleam of devotion on his warm chocolate eyes.

The wind blew softly between the branches before it slowly caressed the water on the lake, crashing oh so gently against the calm water as it brought up the familiar song to their ears.

…Pars avant l'aube

Quand la lumière veut nous voir

Quelque part dans le monde…

“I don’t want you to go back to the dorm. Come home with me tonight, please” Matt whispered against her lips, his warm breath caressed her skin like a safety blanket, making all of her worries suddenly disappear. “As a matter of fact, why don’t you spend the summer break with me? You’ll save the dorm rent money and we can be together” His lips covered hers in a sweet kiss as if to make it impossible for her to bargain against his request.

“That’d definitely be a money saver” She chuckled, and her arms circled around his waist, pushing him closer to her body. “But I never pictured you as the playing house type though” Her eyebrow raised in surprise when he smiled back “I’d love to play house if you’re gonna be the one playing with me. Plus, why postpone the inevitable? We already know that the minute you graduate we’ll be finally free to get married”

“Oh is that so?!” She chuckled and smirked with a tease. “And what makes you sure that I’ll want to marry you, huh? Maybe my destiny is to marry the handsome but dumb quarterback, not the sexy anthropology professor. Have you ever thought about that?”

“No, and I won’t!” Matt laughed before blowing a raspberry on her neck. Her loud laugh echoed through the deserted forest. “Because you’re mine, dovey. And I’m the one you’ll get married to, I’m the one you have the hots for and most importantly: I’m the one you love”

“So full of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Did I lie though?” He smirked

“No, but you definitely love to overexaggerate things”

Matt let out a fake shocked gasp “How dare you?! I’m the equivalent of humbleness!”

“That amongst other things” She giggled before her fingers pulled his white tank top up so she could softly scratch his tanned back.

Matt hummed in pleasure as goosebumps rose on his skin despite the burning summer sun “And what other things could I be?” He smirked against her lips, his hands traveling down her body, stopping at her warm exposed thigh and curling his fingers around the soft meat to pull it up his hip.

“I can show you what those are back at your place” She whispered

“What if I want a sample now?” Matt teased while letting his fingers trace the outline of her cotton panties.

“We’ll have to make it quick though”

“You know I love it quick, dove”...

The large multicolored roses bouquet decorated his bedroom nightstand, that’s where she chose to place it after he bought it for her on his way back from the grocery store. “I want it to be the first and last thing I look at” Was her response to the generous bouquet.

Her bags flopped around the bedroom floor, none of them wanted to waste any time unpacking her things the night before. The loud silence of the early hours of the morning was enough to get him to think.

The military green mug fumed with the freshly poured coffee as he sat beside her on the bed. She was still asleep, sprawled on the mattress like a starfish, her hair fell like an untamed mane around her features and her lips pouted as her cheek pressed against the fluffy pillow.

Matt watched her sleep for what felt like hours, mesmerized by her natural beauty that got occasionally blocked by the sight of the green mug whenever he took a sip of the hot, black liquid. She mumbled something in her sleep, which made him instantly hear the same song they heard at the lake again.

…Toi et moi, dans la nuit on trouvera

Quelque part où déposer les fleurs qu'on a cueillies…

She shifted in her sleep before her eyes opened to stare at him. Matt felt a wide smile taking over his lips as he pushed her hair away from her face to get a better look at her features. That familiar feeling surrounded his heart, and the same thoughts roamed his mind. And as night became day, he started to understand the truth.

#matt jackson x reader #matt jackson fanfiction #matt jackson imagine #matt jackson #young bucks imagine #the young bucks #young bucks #masochist writes

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oh-myluckystars · 6 months

Text

Persiens Week: Day Six: Nasiens Day | read on ao3

Nasiens awoke slowly, the scent of eggs and pancakes lingering in the air. He opened his eyes, blinking at Percival who stood in their bedroom, holding a tray of breakfast.

“Morning, Nasiens!” Percival chirped, placing the tray of food on Nasiens’ lap. He leaned forward, kissing his cheek. “And happy birthday to you.”

“That’s right, I almost forgot…”Nasiens whispered underneath his breath.

Nasiens usually wasn’t so forgetful about this kind of thing, especially being married to Percival. Every year when his birthday rolled around Percival talked about it constantly, which made it hard to forget. But this year he hadn’t.

“What are we doing today?” Nasiens asked as Percival got into bed with him.

“I don’t really have anything special planned, sorry.”Percival smiled apologetically. “What do you wanna do?”

“Let’s just spend the day together, that’s all I ask.” Nasiens said, grabbing Percival’s hand.

“Sounds like a plan.”

But Nasiens didn’t believe Percival for a second.

Did he expect him to believe that after years of making a fuss over his birthday he just happened to forget this year? Sure, Percival could be forgetful but not that forgetful.

He was definitely planning something.

But he would play along for Percival��s sake.

—

Every morning Percival and Nasiens washed dishes together and today was no different. While chatting amongst each other, Nasiens would wash the dishes and Percival would dry.

Nasiens liked being the one to wash the dishes because from where he stood he had a clear view outside. There, he could look out the window and see the animals and fairies of Echo Gorge living together in harmony.

After the war for Britannia ended Nasiens and Percival returned to Echo Gorge to live together in peace. And so they did, along with all the other races. It was nice to be able to wash the dishes without worrying about the fate of the Gorge or anything really. They could just exist together without a care in the world.

“What a beautiful day,” Nasiens said, handing Percival a plate.

“Should we have a picnic?” Percival suggested.

“That sounds nice.”

Nasiens figured it was part of Percival’s plan to get them away from the house while their friends set up whatever surprise he had in mind. But Nasiens didn’t mind at all. It had been a while since they’d had a picnic and it sounded like a good way to spend his birthday.

“You wanna come hunting with me?” Percival asked, drying the last piece of silverware.

“I think I’ll leave the hunting to the hunters.” Nasiens chuckled, hopping on the kitchen counter.

“But I wanted us to do it together.” Percival wrapped his arms around Nasiens, leaning his head against his chest.

“You go ahead, I’d just slow you down,” Nasiens said, patting Percival’s head. “It’s fine, come on. Go have fun.”

“Oh, I have an idea!” Percival lifted his head, eyes sparkling with excitement. “Let’s go fishing together by the lake! Doesn’t that sound fun?”

”Sure, why not?”

—

The walk to the lake was long and hard, for Nasiens that is. Percival hunted for food everyday in the gorge so this was nothing for him. But for Nasiens it was a different story.

”Nasiens, we’re here!” Percival exclaimed, running to the edge of the lake.

“That’s a relief…” Nasiens huffed, trying to catch his breath.

It was a good thing fishing didn’t require any physical activity or Nasiens would be in trouble. He definitely wasn’t looking forward to the walk back home.

“You tired, Nasiens?” Percival asked, taking note of the exhausted look on his face. “Don’t worry, I’ll carry you on the way back.”

”I wish you carried me on the way here.” Nasiens chuckled.

Percival sat down on the grass, patting the spot next to him for Nasiens to sit. “Anyway, you’re going to have plenty of time to rest because we’re not leaving here until we catch a big one!”

“We’ll see about that.”

Nasiens opened the box of bait they brought with them. They had worms, leeches, and crabs. He picked up a worm and attached it to the fish hook.

“Here you go.” Nasiens said, handing Percival the fishing pole.

”Here goes nothing!” Percival shouted, casting the line into the lake.

“And now we wait.”

But they didn’t have to wait long because soon after the bait fell into the water there was a tug on the line.

“That was fast! Today must be our lucky day!”

Percival stood up slowly, reeling the line back with careful precision. Nasiens watched in anticipation as the water bubbled up, revealing an enormously small fish.

Percival looked at the fish then back at Nasiens.

“You wanna give it a try?” Percival asked.

Nasiens shook his head. “I prefer to watch.”

“Suit yourself,” Percival said with a shrug. He hurled the baby fish back into the water.

“I don’t mind fishing like this but I wish we had a boat that we could take out onto the water. We wouldn’t just use it for fishing either, you could ride in it while I push so you wouldn’t have to walk all the way over here.”

Nasiens laughed. “I actually like the sound of that.”

“It’s a good idea, right?”

“I think you should go for it.” Nasiens said, watching Percival’s eyes light up with joy at the prospect.

When Percival said he would be joining him in Echo Gorge Nasiens he was a little worried at first. He always knew how much Percival loved adventure and was afraid he’d get bored of it one day. Or bored of him.

But that wasn’t the case. Everyday they spent together Percival was as joyous as the day they met and that was all Nasiens needed to be happy.

—

As promised, Nasiens had plenty of time to rest before they caught a big fish. Five hours, in fact.

Also as promised, Percival carried Nasiens home, along with their haul and fishing gear. If it were anyone else Nasiens would’ve felt bad about that but with Percival he didn’t have to worry about tiring him out.

“And… we’re here.” Percival said, putting Nasiens back on the ground.

I’m guessing this is where the surprise comes in Nasiens thought, spotting Donny hiding behind the bushes.

“Surprise!” All their friends jumped out from their hiding spots with gifts and a cake.

“Aw, you guys shouldn’t have,” Nasiens said, doing his best to feign surprise.

“Then why don’t you look surprised at all?” Donny raised an eyebrow at him.

“Percival, you said you’d keep it a secret!” Anne growled at him.

“I did! Or at least I thought I did.”

“He tried.” Nasiens said, planting a kiss on his cheek. “But thank you guys, really.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon eating together, while catching each other up about how they’ve been since they’ve last seen each other.

“Time for the cake!” Anne announced, setting it down on the table in front of Nasiens.

“Make a wish!”

Nasiens usually didn’t wish for anything on his birthday because he felt like he didn’t have anything to wish for. He had the things he wanted; the gorge was safe, his family was happy and healthy, his friends were doing well, and he was living together with Percival.

What else could he possibly want?

“Got it.” Nasiens said with a nod. He blew out the candles and his friends cheered.

“What’d you wish for?” Donny asked.

“I can’t tell you or else it won’t come true.” Nasiens said, earning an annoyed look from Donny.

Percival looked at him expectantly and Nasiens leaned forward whispering in his ear, “I wished for everything to stay the same. I want to spend everyday together, having fun even while doing trivial things. Because that’s when I have the most fun with you.”

Percival smiled, squeezing his hand underneath the table. “Me too.”

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yelena-bellova · 1 year

Text

Freedom to Last: A Don’t Be Afraid Miniseries - Chapter One

Chapter One: Interruption

Plot: It’s a perfectly normal day for the Solo-Damerons. Y/n trains her Padawans, gathers her children and comes home, Poe walks through the door after a long day as General. All is as it should be. Monsters always wait for the concealment of night to prey…

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: canon-typical violence, death, blood, one sex joke

A/N: WE’RE BACK!!! I’m so excited to jump into this series and it warms my heart that people are still interested in the DBA universe. I hope this story is just as fun to read as the last one. Unlike DBA, this series will cover more mature themes (violence, kidnapping, imprisonment, etc.) so it’s a more mature teen rating. Small changes have bene made, this now takes place three years after the epilogue of DBA, so a total of 6 years since TROS. I had to go back and read some of the old chapter sto makes ure I got my history right. Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think!

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Peace had come and peace had stayed.

It felt like a over-simplification to say that peace had just come. Peace had been fought for, willingly and unwillingly. Peace was scarred and bloodstained. But peace shone like a thousand suns and warmed everything in its reach. Peace was worth it, all of it.

I considered peace as I walked amongst my Padawans, who were floating two feet above the ground. Their legs were crossed, their small hands curled against their knees. How they could go from fireballs to perfectly tranquil still amazed me.

The only sounds around us were the soft Naboo winds brushing the high blades of grass, and the occasional fish leaping in and out of the nearby pond. As soon as I ended their exercises, the littlest ones would scurry over to the water and giggle endlessly as they watched his show.

“Alright, students,” I announced, “Return to your starting positions.”

Slowly, and a little rockily, they floated back to the ground. They dusted off their pants and stood to attention.

“That was very good,” I smiled, “Lots of improvement. Remember that to sustain your altitude, you have to fully give yourself over to the Force. It’s not so much forgetting what you’re doing as it is having peace about it.”

“Yes, Master Y/n,” their voices piped up.

“Alright,” I grinned, “Training’s done for the day. I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.”

Excited conversations broke out in pairs, a few walked back to the temple, and the youngest took off hand in hand for the pond.

“They’re getting better,” Rey called from behind me, leading her own group of Padawans back from their trek.

I walked in her direction, “Aren’t they? How was the hike?”

“You’re all done for the day,” Rey announced to her class, “Remember to hydrate,” she turned back to me, “Very freeing. We’re close to getting to the top of the mountain.”

When Rey and I first established our training center, we thought we might be able to recruit a few younglings and grow over the years. What we got was an influx of young Force-wielders. The First Order’s reign had caused many to conceal their abilities. As they disappeared, so did the fear of being discovered. There were so many students enrolled that we had to split them up between us; Rey took those aged 8-14 and I took 3-7.

“Are you going to see Finn tonight?” Rey asked as we walked back to the temple.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I said, “Why?”

“I want to lend him one of the texts,” she explained, “He blew through the last one so fast, I thought I’d have more time before he needed this one.”

Finn, the best man of us all, was flourishing. Not only was he co-leading the Resistance, but he was nearing the end of his Jedi training. I had retired from active military service for the purpose of working more with the Force, but he balanced it all perfectly. I was both impressed and slightly envious.

There was also the small case of Finn and Rey and their…whatever it was.

“Give it to me and I’ll have Poe bring it in to him tomorrow,” I shrugged, my expressionless face curling a smirk, “Or you could go and give it to him yourself.”

Rey gave a healthy dose of side eye, “Don’t.”

“What?” I faked innocence.

“That.”

“What ‘that?’”

“That.”

“I just suggested that you go and give our friend the book you’re lending him for his training,” I threw my hands up in surrender, “Though if you were to stay, the sunset’s supposed to be beautiful toni- ow!”

A firm whack of her satchel silenced me. For all of my trying, I’d never get her to own the way her eyes lit up when she was with Finn.

“I’ll bring it right down,” she called, running ahead into the main building.

I took it as an opportunity to appreciate what we’d built. The temple and its grounds were modest, mixing different architectural stlyes to create something uniquely us. The main building was styled after the old temple on Coruscant in the days of the New Republic, when my grandfather would have been a master. But the huts and the stone ground outside were less modern. Rey and I had taken inspiration from Ach-To, the place where both of our Force journeys had taken shape. The whole place felt like home and I was happy our Padawans shared in that feeling.

Judging by the sun’s position, it was time for me to head out for the evening. I started down the stone path that led to the open field, already excited for what awaited me. The closer I got, the more sounds became prominent. High pitched giggles, quick beeps, grass rustling underneath two pairs of feet…each one set my heart alight.

Finally, I got close enough to see the scene. Through the high plains, my two children chased BB-8, with R2 watching from close by.

My babies, their heads covered in dark mops of curls like their father, bounced and toddled through the grass. They shrieked in happiness as BB-8 reversed course and began chasing them. R2 watched them like a nervous mother, ready to intervene at any moment if one of them needed anything. This was exactly how I wanted them growing up; free and full of joy.

“Room for one more?” I called, walking through the field to come join them.

“Mama!” They screamed, runnning at top speed to me. When they reached me, I knelt down and let them topple me over.

“I missed you,” Lyra, my daughter, exclaimed.

“I missed you too,” Jax followed up, never one to be outdone by his sister.

Kisses were pressed to their heads, “I missed you both so much. Ready to go home?”

A resounding chorus of ‘yes’ came.

“R2 and BB come too?” Lyra asked.

“R2’s going to stay here with Aunt Rey,” I explained, R2 hopped between living at our home and the temple, “But Daddy needs BB, so we’ll bring him with.”

They cheered, while I chuckled quietly to myself, “Daddy would fall into a bottomless pit of sadness.”

Rey caught up to us, holding out the Jedi text. “Off you go, without another word,” she ordered me, sweetly changing her tone to address her niece and nephew, “Here’s a game to play on the way home; if Mommy says anything about me or Uncle Finn, scream really loud until she stops.”

Jax and Lyra excitedly bounced up and down before taking off with Bee.

I shot Rey a sarcastic smile, “You’re a gem.”

“And you’re annoying,” she replied with the same smile.

“See you tomorrow,” I called, strolling behind the twins.

“See you then.”

Jax and Lyra chased Bee the whole way back to the Falcon. While my starfighter was precious, it hadn’t been very practical once I started bringing the twins along with me. The Falcon, when not in use by the Resistance, was what I used to fly us the short ten minutes from the temple to our home.

“Can I fly the ship, Mama?” Jax asked as we boarded.

A spitting image of his father, he was the one Dameron whose appetite for adrenaline I had a shot at curbing.

“Not till you’re older, bud,” I said as we made our way to the cockpit.

My body relaxed as soon as I entered the Falcon. Up until Naboo, it was the place I’d lived longest in my life. The twins were growing up in the co-pilot seat, watching both their parents fly the beast.

“Where are our seatbelts?” I began our checklist, a silly little routine I’d come up with to make flying more fun.

“Around our waist,” they answered in unison. We’d also installed seatbelts.

I adjusted a few switches, “Where are our hands?”

“At our sides.”

“Where are our heads?”

“In the sky!”

Smiling proudly, I powered up the ship.“Then let’s gooooo!”

With a round of cheers and hand claps, we lifted off the ground and headed home.

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Upon getting back to our modest homestead, I changed out of my Jedi robes and into my mom clothes. The only piece of the ensemble that always remained with me was my lightsaber, clipped to my belt.

I watched the twins play in the backyard through the floor to ceiling glass windows in the dining room. Poe and I had taken our time taking the house from a bare bones to something beautiful. We finished about half way through my pregnancy, when we got a curveball thrown at us.

Jax.

During the first scan, the doctor was confidant that there was one child and one child only. It was at the seecond one, with Poe anxiously gripping my hand and studying the screen, that the doctor made an announcment. There was a second heartbeat.

There was a moment of panic, we’d have been crazy not to. Two babies. Two cribs. Two sets of screaming 2AM wake up calls. Two bottles. Two of everything. But by the time we got back home, we were overjoyed.

“It’s a good thing, right?” Poe had smiled, “Two little yous.”

“Or two little yous,” I grinned, imagining what our babies may look like.

Poe took my hands, rubbing his thumbs across the skin, “We waited so long for this. I’m not gonna complain that we’re getting more of it than expected.”

It was true. We had waited to start our future until we were in the best possible place. I couldn’t have found true problems with it if I tried…

I shook my head with a smile, “You don’t do anything by half, Dameron.”

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment,” he winked, pulling me into this chest.

My husband had, indeed, won the genetic lottery. The kids, from their hair to their personalitties, were just like their father. It only mattered to me that they were hapy and healthy, but there was a small part of me that hoped they might take on some of my traits as they got older.

I gave birth on the rare rainy Naboo day, the queen having loaned me the royal birthing suite at the hospital. We already had their first names picked out, but made a judgement call as we held them in our arms that night. Poe was squeezed beside me in bed, an arm around my back.

“We gonna do middle names?” Poe asked softly, Lyra dozing against his chest.

“I hadn’t even thought of it,” I never looked up from Jax, admiring the creases in the corners of his eyes, “I mean, I don’t have one. Neither do you.”

Poe inched one shoulder up into a shrug, not wanting to disturb his daughter, “Could be nice to start a tradition.”

“What’d you have in mind?”

He thought for a moment, “What about for Jaxon…Kes and Han?”

“Jaxon Kes Han Solo-Dameron?” I tested the name, “That’s a mouthful.”

“And Lyra Leia Shara Solo-Dameron?”

I tried to laugh quietly, “Poe, that’s five names. And listen to all the ‘a’s.’ She’ll never forgive us.”

“She’s got you as a mom, she’s got Rey as an aunt…I want her to have a piece of our moms to carry with her through life,” Poe whispered, “A’s be darned.”

Smiling and shaking my head, I looked from my husband to my kids. I already knew they was force sensitive, they were already carrying three legacies for three different lineages, the Damerons, the Solos and the Kenobis…

Then I thought about how much I’d have loved to be named after Sola. Perhaps I was named after some relative long passed. Lyra and Jax would never know all their grandparents, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be connected to them.

“Lyra Leia Shara Solo-Dameron,” I looked back down to Jax, “Jaxon Kes Han Solo-Dameron. Don’t hate us for how we love you.”

Poe snorted, prompting me to join him in a hushed fit of laughter.

Now my overly named children were on their feet every hour of the day, demanding Bee be at their constant beck and call, already asking to fly ships and wield lightsabers. They were everything Poe and I had expected them to be. They were truly Solos and Damerons.

The security system to the house beeped, announcing an incoming ship. I picked up my tablet, though there was no need to. I knew exactly who it was. I just liked seeing the familiar X-Wing fly in every night.

A moment later, the front door opened, and my body was once again put at perfect ease.

“I’m home.”

Nearly seven years together and a decade of knowing one another, and the sound of Poe’s voice still set me on a lovely edge. I looked forward to him coming home each night just as much as I did when we were young commanders, expecting him back from a mission.

And the sight of him…forget about it.

He strolled in, handsome as ever, in his general’s uniform. He’d shaved the beard a while back, when the twins were babies and it became a pain-inflicting form of entertainment to tug on it. The stubble retook its place. There were some grays still coming in on his head, though Poe would never admit it. He wore it all so well, it was almost annoying how perfect he could look without trying.

He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. “Hi,” he whispered huskily.

“Hi,” I smiled against the lips that were already coming in hot.

The kiss was sweet and eager, like the ten hours we were apart were just enough to bring him to the line between gentle longing and agony. I took all of it, bracing myself by gripping his collar and melting into his body.

Once we pulled apart, a loopy grin appeared on his face. “How was your day?”

“Good,” I smiled like a lovestruck teenager, “You?”

“Long,” he answered, rubbing his hand up and down my back, “Had a meeting with a couple of the Mon Calamari royalty.”

“Ah, that explains the uniform,” I smoothed out the collar.

Poe tugged at the neck, “It’s suffocating.”

I looked from his lips and back up to his eyes, “It’s hot.”

The signature Poe Dameron smirk made its way across his lips, “Then it’s worth suffering for.”

Without another word, the air changed from electric to soothing. One peck to my lips, a squeeze of my waist and he walked off to the kitchen.

“Did the funding come through?” I asked as I followed him through the house.

“Yeah,” Poe reached into a cabinet and grabbed a glass, “It’s not like we’re launching a full-scale attack or anything. We just need to cover some ship repairs, maybe nab a few from a yard somewhere.”

“If you need me to come throw some weight around, I can,” I came and leaned agaisnt the counter, “My grandfather had good relations with the Mon Calamari, so did Mom.”

Poe drank, his Adam’s apple bobbing with each swallow, before setting the glass down. “I think we got it in the bag, but thank you for reminding me that my wife could do my job in her sleep.”

“Not true,” I shook my head, “You and Finn are doing a great job. Three would just crowd the place up at this point.”

Poe gave a half smile as he leaned over the sink, his mind visibly drifting elsewhere. I could sense his unease.

“What is it?” I asked, getting silence in return. That was serious. “I can already feel there’s something you’re not telling me, so there’s no point in hiding.”

Poe scrunched his face up, “But I’m getting better at it?”

I spared a fake laugh and scooted closer, our shoulders brushing. “Come on...”

“There’s been a few…” he sighed, “I don’t even know what to call them. Attacks, I guess, working their way through the systems.”

It wasn’t totally shocking, I’d seen on the Holonet that in the Outer Rim, a few Imperial and First Order disciples had attacked local businesses. Theft, arson, while awful, were still classified as minor compared to what crimes had been committed during the war.

“I read about the Rattatak one earlier today. And Felucia.”

“That’s the thing,” Poe sighed, “They seem to be working their way through the systems, starting with the Outer Rim and working their way in. They just attacked Kashyyyk today. Chewie’s there now checking things out and offering help.”

“Wait, so why is this being kept quiet?” I asked, “I didn’t read anything about Kashyyyk.”

Poe rubbed his hands over his face, “Because technically it’s not something to worry about yet. It’s not an uprising, it’s a bunch of kids thinking they know how to run a galaxy. In an ideal world, it just wouldn’t be happening. I don’t have jurisdiction anywhere where they’re happening, the Resistance barely has any pull on those planets. They’re tying my hands.”

It was then I realized I couldn’t remember a time where I didn’t think like a military strategist. Maybe when I was young, but as soon as Mom had started taking me to senate hearings, I was long gone.

“Are we sending relief?” I continued.

“Of course,” Poe answered, “I sent Chewie with orders to give them whatever they need.”

I shrugged, “Then I guess that’s all we do at this point. We did clean up for so long, there’s always a group who thinks they can do it better than the last guys. Nothing ever comes from it.”

“Yeah,” Poe quietly said, “I know.”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and leaned into his back, he held onto my wrists.

“It’s a waste of time thinking about it, but,” Poe paused turning his head towards me, “I wish there’d never been a war.”

It was a thought I’d had nearly every day since the fight had begun. Had there been no war, I’d have never lost precious years with my brother, I’d have never lost my parents, my uncle, hood friends…I’d have become a completely different person.

Jax’s scream of his sister’s name, followed by a round of laughter broke me out of my head.

Had there been no war, Poe and I would have never crossed paths. I’d have never been stranded on Jakku and met Rey and Finn. I’d have never been led to Ach-To and learned my heritage. I’d have never married Poe. I’d have never given birth to Jax and Lyra.

“I do too,” I replied, getting to my tiptoes and pressing my lips to his ear, “But something beautiful was born from it.”

I kissed his temple softly and Poe stroked his hand across my arm. We watched through the windows as our kids played in the grass. Soon, they’d realize that it was long past the time their father came home and run inside to greet him. Dinner would be had, leftovers tonight, and the table would be filled with laughter. Poe and I would tuck them in, give plenty of hugs and kisses, before retiring to our own room. We’d fall asleep in each other’s arms as we always had, and life would continue on just how it had for the past three years…

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*BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEP*

The emergency communication signal through our bedroom. I woke first, looking to Poe’s nightstand but realizing the noise was coming from both of ours. That never happened.

“Poe,” I slurred, shaking my husband’s arm, “Poe, wake up.”

“What,” he exclaimed, clearing his throat after.

“Comms,” I rolled over and picked up my device, “This is Y/n.”

“Y/n,” Rose Tico called, “The base is under attack. We need you and Poe here now.”

My heart came to a grinding halt, “What?”

“We’re being invaded, we need help.”

Without another thought, I jumped out of bed, “We’re on our way.”

Poe was just finishing his conversation as well, throwing the covers off and grabbing his pants from the floor.

“What the hell?” He mumbled as he threw his clothes on.

I frantically ran to throw a tunic on over my camisole. I threw my hand out and used the Force to retrieve my lightsaber. Though my mind was inflamed with worry, my thinking were still clear.

“3PO!” I yelled, rushing out the bedroom and into the hall, “3PO!”

“Yes, Mistress Y/n,” the protocol droid came waddling in, “How may I-“

“Protect the kids,” I ordered, “The base is under attack.

“Oh, my goodness-“

Any other comments went unheard, I was already out the front door with Poe skidding behind.

“Take the fighters,” he called.

We sprinted around the edge of our house to where the ships were parked. Poe’s X-Wing and my starfighter sat next to one another, waiting for their next call to action.

I unlatched the cockpit and hopped in, not even bothering to fasten my seatbelt but making a point of putting on my headset to communicate with Poe.

“All set?” He rang in my ear.

“Ready,” I reported, the hum of the ship’s innards coming to life. I don’t think I’d ever gotten it in the air quicker.

The ten minute flight seemed to take hours. The closer we got, the clearer the smoke trails were. The base was ablaze.

“You seeing this?” I asked, it was an obvious question but I was dumbstruck.

“I see it,” Poe answered.

We finally neared base, miniature sized bodies scattering in and out of the building. Poe and I landed in the outer part of the hanger, the one area that didn’t seem to be under attack yet.

As soon as I leapt out of my cockpit, smoke hit my nostrils. Blasterfire and screams rang through the air. It took me straight back to the war.

“Let’s go,” Poe yelled, pulling me back to the present.

Extending my lightsaber, the two of us ran towards the back entrance through the hanger. The hallways were pure chaos. Resistance personnel ran hunched over, dodging blaster fire from the invaders. As one woman ran past us, her attacker came chasing after her a second later. Poe, wielding a blaster, landed a shot to his chest.

“Get to the med bay,” I ordered the woman, turning to Poe, “We have to find Finn.”

We took off down the next hall, the various ones around it bringing a stream of cries for help. They’d attacked the halls of the non-combat personnel first, it seemed. It made sense, wipe out all the easy targets first.

Poe and I began to return their attack one by one, my lightsaber slashing through blasters and sticking itself in the chests of the opposing team. Poe and I went back to back at one of the hubs, wiping our separate halls out. It didn’t matter how long it had been since we’d fought together, we were a perfectly oiled machine.

Eventually, we got to the main hall where the offices were. In the distance, I spotted a dark figure landing punches and taking shots.

“Finn!” I called out.

His head perked up, “Y/n!”

Poe and I sprinted down the hall, taking out a few of the invaders on our way.

“What the hell happened?” I asked while dodging a blast.

“They came out of nowhere,” Finn replied, twisting a man’s arm and pulling, causing a sick crack, “Security didn’t even catch them.”

Poe pushed me down to the ground, saving me from a near fatal shot, and fired back. While on my knees, I used the Force to pull a few men to the ground, landing roundhosue kicks once I was back on my feet. I swung my lightsaber around to stab though the shoulder of one who was aiming at Poe.

“Coming at you!” Finn yelled in my direction.

I whipped around and he Force launched his attacker toward me. Spinning, I slashed my lightsaber through his abdomen and shoved him to the ground.

Once we’d eliminated everyone in our hall, we took off toward the center of the base. Inside the war room, there were several Resistance member clutching their wounds and trying to help one another.

“We gotta get out front,” Poe said, “See where they’re coming from.”

We made a beeline for the main entrance where the majority of the blasterfire was coming from. Our soldiers were holding a defensive line to try and keep anyone else from getting in. Poe took up position with them while Finn and I slipped out the side. I dodged blaster fire with my lightsaber and used the Force to knock over one half of the offensive. It gave our team the opportunity to ground most of them. Once the rest of our attackers realized that they had greatly underestimated our numbers, they began to retreat back to their ships.

There was a moment of shocked silence after they left. The noise inside had died down, it seemed like a collective call had been made to leave. In the distance, I could see the Naboo fire and rescue team flying in, ready to take down the flames.

Poe got up from his spot and came to me and Finn, throwing his arms around me. The power of fear that came with fighting was something I’d forgotten.

“Let’s get inside,” he led, “Assess the damage.”

The three of us grabbed three gas masks to help with smoke inhalation and walked the halls. We helped the injured get to the med bay and checked to make sure the bodies strewn weren’t wearing Resistance colors. Sadly, we’d lost at least a dozen.

“You notice anything about these guys?” I asked, looking at one with a lightsaber hole through his chest.

“What do you mean?” Finn asked.

I looked down the rest of the hall, all the intruders wore matching grey uniforms. Similar to what Imperials used to wear during Palpatine’s reign.

“They’re all uniformed,” I answered, nudging the man’s boot with mine.

Poe and Finn looked around them, confirming what I’d said.

“This wasn’t random like Felucia or Kashyyyk,” I continued, “This was coordinated.”

“Guys,” Rose called breathlessly from the end of the hall, “You gotta come see this.”

The three of us followed her to the growing crowd of personnel all staring at something. Getting closer, I could see they were surrounding a body. I couldn’t have imagined what I’d see when the people parted for us.

A woman in a lieutenant’s uniform with her chest slashed open, blood pooling in her lap. A crimson stained paper was tagged to her shoulder. I had to kneel down, the mask barely shielding me from the smell, to read what it said.

‘DEATH TO THE RESISTANCE. LONG LIVE THE NEW EMPIRE.’

I unpinned the note from the dead woman’s jacket, the only dignity I could give her. My eyes didn’t leave her lifeless face as I handed the paper up to Poe and Finn. Their stunned silence matched mine.

The communicator in the pocket of my sweatpants went off, I blindly pulled it out and switched it on.

“Yeah?” I said, the syllable barely leaving my lips.

“Y/n,” Rey called over, “What’s going on? I can see the smoke from here.”

I took the first breath I could actually feel since waking up. “There was an attack,” I stated, my eyes still staring at the woman’s soulless eyes, “We’re okay.”

“What happened? Who was it?”

I pivoted to look up at Poe and Finn, who were just as confused as I was. Yet even with so little information, it all made perfect sense. None of the attacks had been random. They were part of something much bigger. Something that was heading straight towards us.

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Freedom to Last Taglist: @mads-weasley

Poe Dameron Taglist: @lostinwonderland314 @theliterarymess @maybeimart @x-judyjude-x @dindjarinsspouse @generousrunawaydonut @sugarpunch-princess @morganlefaye13 @pancakefancake

#poe dameron x f!reader #poe dameron x solo!reader #poe dameron x female reader #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron x reader #freedom to last

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suzuki-violin-school · 1 year

Text

Staring at the Campfire

More trauma dumping! Yay!

Masterlist <<Previous chapter

Content: lots of talk about fire and burning, reader trauma dumping, death mention, kirishima having a revelation, implications of bakugo also having trauma

Somehow, Bakugo and the dragon boy had managed to convince the nymphs to let them light a campfire. Eijiro had caught some fish with his bare hands while Bakugo had set up a makeshift campsite, and the two nymphs had been sitting at the edge of the stream talking amongst themselves for hours.

The stars had already come out by the time the nymphs joined the other two, barely making it in time before the last two fried fish were gone.

“You could’ve eaten more if you’d’ve shut up earlier,” Bakugo grumbled, watching the campfire spit at Fumikage, who stared at the flames, hardly blinking as he ate. Eijiro was already curled up in the grass, eyes closed and breathing even.

“We’ll be fine,” Y/n assured him. “Fumi, don’t be like that. Bakugo’ll keep the fire from touching us. Right?”

“Yeah,” Bakugo said lamely. “Somethin’ like that.”

“That is not reassuring,” Fumikage stated plainly. He finished eating quickly, eager to move farther away from the fire, now the only source of light. “Y/n.”

“Yes, Fumi?”

Fumi leaned in close so only Y/n could hear, but Bakugo ignored them, knowing their business didn’t overlap with his own.

“You are feeling something very strong and very painful,” Fumikage said worriedly. “It’s too complicated- Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Y/n said, not caring to lower her voice. “These are old feelings. They don’t pain me anymore. It’s not something for you to be concerned about.”

“But Y/n-”

“Fumi,” Y/n interrupted, her voice gentle. Fumikage shut his mouth instantly, body going tense at such a kind scolding. “I’m fine. Get some sleep.”

Fumikage nodded silently, walking over to where Bakugo had spread a blanket on the ground for him. He sat down, watching Y/n carefully, but then laid back and closed his eyes. Y/n watched him, lost in her thoughts as Bakugo stood, going to the stream to wash his hands and fill a cup with water to extinguish the fire.

He returned to find Y/n staring into the fire unblinkingly, expression blank as she watched the dancing flames.

“You okay?”

“Fire can be so beautiful,” Y/n said quietly. “It’s a shame it’s so deadly. Why are pretty things so painful?”

She looked up at Bakugo from her place on the ground. They stared at each other in silence for a moment, really seeing each other for the first time. Bakugo, still stern but quiet, wary of the dark of night but accustomed to it, aware of their vulnerability alone in the wilderness, but calm. Y/n, lost in an unfamiliar world, fearful of the dragon despite her hatred, worried for her friend and already homesick.

“Gotta balance things out,” Bakugo answered, shrugging. He tossed the water onto the fire, both of them looking back to the small pile of tinder, attention torn from each other. “‘There’s no light without dark’. Forget who it was that said that, but he was right. Never would’ve thought you’d think fire is pretty. Isn’t fire the thing that killed you?”

Y/n shifted, gently patting the ground beside her. Bakugo sat slowly, unsure of what Y/n’s next move would be.

“My village was on fire,” she began. “I barely escaped with my life, ran to a nearby forest, cleaned my wounds, ate, and rested, then died from the smoke in my lungs. That’s the story you know. My home was burned.”

“‘The story I know’?” Bakugo repeated. “Is that a lie? Is there more or something?”

“Not the whole village was on fire,” Y/n explained, pursing her lips. Her gaze still lingered on the wet wood before her. “It was just a few houses at first, but it was spreading quickly. My house burned from the inside out, though. It was winter, so I’d lit a fire inside to keep us warm. My mother saw the dragon overhead from indoors, through the window, and she knocked over our little fireplace on accident while she was panicking.”

“I thought it was dragonfire that killed you,” Bakugo said.

“Well, I definitely got burned by dragonfire, too,” Y/n said. “My father told us to run while he helped my mother try to save the essentials from our house, but they never made it out.”

“‘Us’?” Bakugo repeated.

“My husband let me lead us out of the house,” Y/n continued, her eyes growing duller with every word she spoke. “I was quicker anyway, but then his hand slipped from mine while we were running. He told me not to look back, so I didn’t. I was already out of the village when I realized he hadn’t followed me. When I realized he couldn’t have. I went to the forest. I was going to take care of my daughter before washing my wounds, but she was already gone. I replanted the fruits I ate in the forest around her body. It was the one good thing I could’ve done.”

“How old was she?” Bakugo asked quietly. Y/n smiled wistfully.

“She didn’t even have a name yet,” she answered. “Ten hours at most, I think.”

“I’m so sorry,” Bakugo said. He grimaced. “Yeah. Fire’s pretty graceful sometimes. Ironic, huh?”

“Ironic,” Y/n agreed. She sighed. “I’m going to get some rest.”

“Okay,” Bakugo said, nodding. “I’m gonna keep watch for a bit, then it’s Eiji’s turn, unless you trust Fumikage more- Well, unless you think it’s smarter to have Fumikage do it. I already know you trust him more.”

“The dragon can do it,” Y/n said, standing up. “Fumi needs his rest. Remembering the world outside the forest is painful, and he can feel my sorrow.”

She walked over to the blanket Bakugo had spread out for her. She looked like she was gliding again, her steps so soft against the ground that the ethereality of her not being human made itself known.

“Hey.”

Y/n just hummed in acknowledgement as she laid down.

“You’re pretty damn brave to tell me all that.”

Y/n didn’t reply, simply turning on her side to face away from him. He stared at the wet wood for a bit before speaking again.

“I know you’re awake, Eijiro.”

Eijiro sat up slowly.

“I didn’t know she had a family,” he said simply, a sympathetic twang in his voice.

“Hah? Everyone has a family, idiot,” Bakugo grumbled quietly. “People live complicated lives. Even if you don’t always realize it, everyone’s got stuff goin’ on. Strangers are just as real as friends.”

“I… I never realized,” Eijiro admitted. “I did worse things than burn villages or kill people, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Bakugo said simply. “Go to sleep, I’ll wake you up in a few hours to switch watch with me.”

“What do you think she would’ve named her daughter?”

“I don’t fucking know, go to sleep.”

“…Katsuki, do you hate fire too?”

“No,” Bakugo answered, far too quickly. Eijiro eyed him up suspiciously. “Fire’s dangerous and you’re a reckless bastard, as both a legendary evil dragon and as your stupid self. You know I don’t hate fire.”

“Well, it’s been sounding an awful lot like you hate me,” Eijiro said. “Ever since you learned that I’m-”

“That you’re the most dangerous, heartless, beastly dragon in history?” Bakugo finished. “I know from experience, you can’t escape your past. Forgive me if I stop trusting you, but you thought you could lie to me. You’re not who you said you are.”

“You’re upset that I’ve killed people?” Eijiro asked incredulously. “You, the murderer among murderers?”

“At least I’m not a liar.”

<<Previous chapter

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#xineohp's fics #bakugo x reader #xin's nymph au #katsuki bakugo #x reader #bnha #my hero academia #my hero academia fanfiction #x female reader #x fem!reader #bnha fantasy au #fantasy au #dragon!kirishima #barbarian bakugo #series #fanfiction #fanfic

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laneaconite · 1 month

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Dandelions

On tiny hands and knees I would clamber through the grass, Sent questing for a bounty of coins to carry. Their blossoms open at daybreak to make Golden offerings to the bees Who bumble amongst them, Pollen clinging to their knees.

I’d pick them a handful at a time, Gracelessly, bringing grasses and insects interlopers. Momma said let them grow. Let them grow, but rip them out Before they can go to seed, sending Fragile floating messengers to billow Gently through the air.

My hands were sticky, tips of my Fingers stained bright orange-yellow. Time passed over me like bath water: The day was hot, until it wasn’t, Bright, until it wasn’t. One glowing green moment separated from the next, And dusk called the sun to bed. Any hidden blossom closed for its protection, nycinastically.

At last I made my offering at the doorstep, Two big bright orange buckets—full to the brim— No, overflowing. The dandelions wept white ichor into my hands, A defense mechanism, Fruitless against a zealous child. At the doorstep, she glared in misunderstanding, She said, I picked too many, I picked Too many.

An argument is irresistible even to my swindler, but The door pulled closed with a slam. And I wondered how to have rollicked Correctly, how to have picked the Right number, some sweet spot between Two and three thousand, a perfect tithe. How else could I deserve that recompense? How to be a good child? How to fill that niche? I stared at nothing but my eyes Swam with ants, spiders, and bees.

-Lane Aconite, April 15th, 2023

#poetry #my work #lane archives #at the beginning my mom said she'd give us a quarter per dandelion picked but she walked it back to a penny real quick #because we were too good at it #I was mad about only getting a $20 for my 3000 dandelions for so long lmao #spoilers: she paid for my nice new slippers last wk because I said the hardwood here was hurting my feet really badly #the tithe's been paid in full over and over and over again by this point but it's so funny the moments that stick in your head #also 'nyacanastic' is the word for the circadian rhythm of flowers opening & closing :)#I have a ton of fun reading about plant science for poetry

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herecirmsims · 1 year

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15 Questions Tag Game

Thank you @alpine-lapine for the tag! I’ll put the questions and answers below a cut so as not to clog the timeline. Random story screenshot above, just because.

Are you named after anyone? Yeah, a person my mum met while backpacking during her gap year.

When was the last time you cried? I stabbed myself in the eye a few weeks ago on some rush grass, I cried then. It left an ulceration across my cornea (which apparently has the most nerves in the eye?) and was UNBELIEVABLY painful. I spent a couple days unable to see because moving the damaged eye (which I couldn’t open anyway) meant it rubbed against my eyelid and hurt like hell, and I had to keep my good eye closed to avoid the temptation to move my eyes to look at things. I don’t recommend, tbh.

Do you have kids? Absolutely not. 😅

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Not really. I s’pose I might be peak British and say “Oh yeah it was fucking amazing” if someone asks how a bad situation went. 🤔 I enjoy sarcasm when I understand it/know the person using it, but otherwise it stresses me out when people say things they don’t mean.

What sports do you play/have you played? None competitively, I don’t really enjoy them.

What’s the first thing you notice about other people? Their energy, which is the most hippyish response I could’ve said. 🤣

Eye colour? Blue-grey, somewhere in between.

Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings! I enjoy a lot of angst on the way there, though. The angst makes the happy ending sweeter, I think, but I like to know that it will end well. Nothing worse than investing myself in a story only to be left feeling sad and empty at the end of it.

Any special talents? Hmm... no. I’m quite good at finding things - noticing small insects or interesting things amongst the stones at the beach, stuff like that.

Where were you born? In the UK.

What are your hobbies? The vast majority of my hobbies are Sims related - storytelling, posemaking, playing. I also enjoy looking for old bottles in Victorian dumps (a lot of farms have them round here), looking for cool things on the beach, bug-hunting, growing vegetables, archery, writing fantasy, hiking.

Do you have any pets? Yes! I have a cat (an ex feral kitten) called Belleraphon or Bel for short, two ponies called Cash and Joey (though they’re really my partners. One was bought because he was going through sales, and with his issues my partner knew he’d have a bad outcome - he’s not ridden and lives in retirement with us. The other was given to us for free by a roofer we had in, and we took him because he’d been living on his own for four years - equines absolutely need company), and two mules called Marty and Xato who are mine (my own! My precious! I bought one for £1 and the other was given to me. I don’t talk about them much in my Sims community circles but I’m obsessed with them... mules are absolutely my number one special interest).

How tall are you? 5′3″

Fave subject in school? English and Media Studies

Dream job? I'd still say author, though whether I’ll ever get over my perfectionist trait and publish anything is another issue. I enjoy writing drabbles for myself, and I enjoy my Sims story which is god-awful but I embrace that - it’s been really freeing just to put down whatever I want to read, and share without overthinking anything. It would be nice to earn money from things I enjoy, but that then puts pressure on them.

I’m not tagging anyone because I tarried and I think everyone who I would’ve tagged has done this already, so if you see this then it’s an open invitation.

And because I think people might ask, and I can’t resist talking about them a teeny tiny bit... here are my mules. Marty, on the left, was photographed here on his way to the shops; Xato, on the right, was helping me carry sacks of pulled hemlock up to the bonfire. Marty is my going out and about mule (he also does litter-picking, takes bottles to the recycling centre, carries food and luggage on long hikes), and Xato is the work-on-the-farm mule. Though neither have done much at all for a while because sometimes I’m not very good at walking. 😅

#tag game

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shitpostingiris · 2 years

Text

The last time-Part 3

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When y/n walked towards the pearly gates of heaven she couldn’t help the tears that fell. The realization that finally hit her. She was truly dead…….she’d never see her lover again. She knew deep down that she should hate even loath dream for his words and actions. Yet she could not bring herself to do sow.

As the gates opened she was greeted by the deity. Her eyes widening as she set sights on the glowing being in front of her. Extending a hand towards her. Silently asking her to follow and y/n did without a word spoken between the two. As the two walked alongside each other y/n spoke first a quiet hush voice almost a whisper “should I….hate him?” The deity seemed to speak through her mind y/n not once seeing them open their mouth “….do you think you should my child?” Y/n could only stare at her feet as the two entered the gardens and sat on the soft grass. “I think I should.. For all his actions were to hurt me. Dream knew what his words…his actions would do to me….and yet he held no hesitation in his words.” Tears began to swell in y/n's eyes as she relived the many memories “and yet I can not bring myself to have any other feelings towards him but….love. Pure adoration for the man who single handedly ended my life.” Y/n smiled as she wiped the stray tears from her cheeks. “I was never one to really understand human emotions. Even as I am human. But yet as the days I spent with Morpheus I knew I truly loved him.”

The deity sat quietly as y/n spoke of morpheus. Of his actions and her love for the god. Finally as the pair's eyes connected the deity spoke “I may be a god my child. But yet even I do not know the complexities of emotions. Even as I have been around since time started they are a mystery to me. But yet I see nothing wrong with still loving the man who killed you.” The deity reached a hand out to caress y/ns cheek “nothing wrong at all.”

Y/n couldn’t help but smile as a sigh of relief passed her lips. Finally feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Y/n closed her eyes tears pushing through her lashes as they cascaded down her face “do you think he knows……will he come for me?” Y/ns voice broke as she spoke those last words. The deity let a small smile paint their lips “I am sure he will y/n but until then I’d like to give you a present” y/ns eyes furrowed at their words opening her eyes to look up at the deity “a present? What else could you give me that you haven’t already?” As y/n opened her mouth to speak again her skin began to heat up. Not so much to be uncomfortable but…a comfortable heat.

On that day in the gardens y/n was gifted a set of wings. Large pure white wings, feathers as if every tip had been dipped in liquid gold. They shone with glittering light, almost blindingly. Y/n was enjoying her life in the heaven as much as she could. Yet the sorrow and want for her lover still filled her. The emotion she felt for dream never quieting. Only one man could save her from the despair she felt.

The man who hurt her, the man who caused her so much despair, and sorrow. The man who was the cause of her untimely end. The man she still loved more than anything in this universe, her forever lover…… Morpheus. She waited every day for him hoping he’d come for her, never letting up hope in him.

Y/n thought to herself quite often. If people were to hear of their story. It would be considered a Greek tragedy. One filled with so much love, lust, sorrow, hate, despair.…and endless hope. A story written amongst the shining stars.

Dream bound himself in long blackened fabric that flowed beautifully around him and to the floor, leather casted over his chest and forearms. Lucienne watched her master quietly. She could see the glint of tears pooled in his eyes. Yet she stayed quiet knowing nothing she could say would bring ease to his mind.

Everyone Knew the dangers of entering another’s realm uninvited. Yet dream would let nothing stop him from this journey. Dream stood in the throne room looking to Lucienne “I hope you don’t mind watching over the realm one last time?” She only shook her head with a small smile “not at all master. Go get y/n back” Dream nodded as he let the sand spill over his hand. Quietly setting his mind and sights on his destination as the sand billowed around him unforgivingly. As if it itself had known dreams actions and was…..upset even.

When dreamed opened his eyes to the blinding light. Having to take a moment to get used to the white lights. His nerves were already shot. Nervous for the sights that would behold him. Taking a deep breath he started up the stairs. He would not let his nerves get in his way. His hands clenched into fists at his side.

To be greeted with open gates as he reached the top of the stairs. A sight that perplexed him. He wasn’t prepared to be welcomed with open arms….opened gates even. Stepping into the threshold he looked up to see the glowing deity. He half Bowed quickly in front of the deity. Rising after a few seconds dream took a deep breath. Looking up to the being in front of him. He finally spoke “I’m sure you know why I am here, my lord.” The deity glowered at dream. Yet stayed quiet as it turned around and started to walk. Dream followed the deity not sure what was going to happen to him. Walking side by side with the powerful being dream seemed almost uncomfortable. The stoic endless would be unrecognizable to most if seen.

Never another word was spoken between the two as they walked. Dream looked very out of place. Dressed in pitch black but surrounded by the glowing lights. Other beings stared at the pair as they walked farther into the realm. Dream paying no mind to them. He only thought of one thing ‘y/n’.

They emerged into a beautiful garden. One that could even rival fiddlers green. Wildlife seemed to thrived here, along with the endless wiles of mother nature. The sun shining brightly framed by fluffy white clouds. The light illuminating everything around. Dream wondered what other parts of the haven looked like. Finally his eyes landed on a beautiful being. Their large wings shining along with the sunlight. The being itself seemed to put off light. So bright it could rival the sun. As the angel turned to look at the pair. Dream finally saw their face. He couldn’t help himself as his eyes widened out of surprise and shock. Tears brimmed his eyes threatening to fall. He let out a quiet breathy name “Y/n”.

Y/n sat in the garden plays with the animals. She quickly grew attached to the garden. One that reminded her of the fiddlers green. She sat on a small marble bench fiddling with the flowers in her hands. Y/n could feel the deity enter the garden along with another presence entering the garden right alongside. Taking a minute to finish the flower crown she was making before she turned to greet them. Her eyes immediately fell to the smaller black clad figure beside the deity. Her eyes widened in surprise as their eyes locked.

Y/n couldn't help the feeling of relief that filled her as tears fell unapologetically. Yet she stood still letting her eyes fall to the ground beneath her, not taking a step closer to the endless. Y/n had grown to understand her emotions more the longer she stayed in the haven. Letting a deep sigh escape her lips she finally spoke. “My lord, could me and Morpheus speak alone please?” She glanced up towards the deity smiling as it walked from the garden. She sat back down onto the cold marble patting the space next to her. “Come, sit down my love.” Dream walked towards her with a slight hesitation in his steps. Yet when he finally sat beside her y/n couldn’t help but wrap her arms tightly around his form “I’ve missed you morpheus.”

Dream couldn’t regulate his emotions as so many flooded his entire being as he felt y/ns arms around his body once again. He felt her wings blanket his form only seconds after. A warmth spreading through his being, a warmth he had never felt before. The feeling of complete comfort and peacefulness. He could feel just how tightly y/n hugged him, how much she had truly missed him. He wrapped an arm around her waist as the other found its way into her hair “as I’ve missed you too y/n” one emotion pressed deeper into dream ‘regret’. He took the moment to speak first as he pulled away from the hug. He held onto y/ns hands tightly as he looked into her shining eyes “I…I’m sorry. I am truly sorry for what I’ve done y/n. I was…scared. Scared of the emotions that ran rampant between us. I pushed you away in hopes of not hurting you…..yet i've done the exact opposite. I’m so sorry y/n. I never wanted to lose you. To take my anger and frustration out on you. Every time you would cry due to my actions it’d break me. I love you y/n. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything” Dream couldn’t help the few tears that escaped his eyes but did not care to wipe it away quickly. As he spoke the emotions that pooled into him for years finally flooded out lacing his words with so much emotion it’d overwhelm anyone.

Y/ns smiled never faltered as dream spoke. She knew why dream did what he did. Yet as he spoke and the pure unfiltered emotion that laced his words she wouldn’t tell him that. A rare sight she was seeing. Morpheus, dream of the endless, was crying. Opening his heart up to her fully for the first time. Y/n let a hand travel to cup dreams face “I know dream, and I do not resent you for what you did. I don’t think I could ever truly hate you no matter what you could say or do. You need not apologize to me for I have already forgiven you.” Y/n leaned into dream. Their lips finally connecting again after months. Electricity seemed to flow between the two, a flood of emotion filled the kiss. Enough to leave both breathless.

The two held their foreheads together, silence embracing the two again for a moment before y/n spoke “so what now? Am I stuck here for eternity. To only see you when you have time to visit me?” Y/n was interrupted by the deity’s voice; it seemed as if the deity was laughing.

The pair broke apart quickly as their eyes went directly to the god. “Y/n My child do you think of me so mean to separate this kind of love?” The deity walked to y/n softly picking her up and placing her in his palm. Lifting his hand so they could look face to face. With a kind smile it nodded “To separate love. The love and bond you two share is far beyond the range of my power. It’s as if the universe itself has connected the two of you.” The deity smiled “I'm not a cruel god.I give you both permission to leave and I give a gift to you y/n.”

Y/ns eyes never left it’s eyes “a gift my lord? What else could you give me that you haven’t already.” Words that mirrored their first encounter. A smile rose to the deity’s lips reaching its eyes “you may keep your wings. They are yours now forever and always y/n. You have blessed my realm in the short time you’ve been here, and for that I am thankful.” The deity’s eyes cut down to dreams narrowing as he placed y/n back into her feet beside dream. “Morpheus, dream of the endless, the sandman. I say this only once. As y/n is now a child of mine you do anything to harm her. I’ll spare you no kindness” Dream nodded towards the deity silently. Y/n walked back to dream as the deity softly placed her back on the ground. As the two clasped their hands together. Sand began to swirl around the pair softer than what dream had felt before. Y/b frantically waved goodbye to the deity who blessed her before the pair vanished for the haven.

The residents of the dreaming welcomed y/n back home with open arms. All joyed to have her back in the realm they all called home. Some brought to tears at the sight of y/n and her new form. Lucienne being the first to greet them outside of the palace gates.

Dream promised y/n from that day on he’d walk through fire for her, call her his queen, love her till the end of time, and he meant it since that day dream never brought tears to y/ns eyes again.

Y/n knew she’d never stopped loving morpheus. Even when he had hurt her. That bond stayed unbreakably strong. Even as she still carried dreams harsh words with her. She would never change anything that had happened. So much love, and good came from the hurt, and hate.

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Tag list- @marvelsmylife @lilithskywalker @laraackerman @abstractbeauty1 @asexualaromosafezone @layla2-49 @chatoicboy @jesllianaquilesrolon

#sandnamn fic #sandman #The sandman #sandman netflix #morpheus x reader #morpheous #dream #dream fic #dream x reader #dream of the endless #tom sturridge

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mothicalspoken · 2 years

Text

There’s burning where her lungs should be.

Gasping doesn’t help much. Not in this state- her eyes are all blurry and she closes them hard against the onslaught of smoke.

It’s hard to tell what’s up and what’s down, whether this fire under her palms was connected to a wall or the floor, whether she’s still on her bed or how long she has been laying here. She thinks she can hear sirens in the distance. Along with the crackling of wood, it’s getting closer.

Breathe, she tells herself. It’s a silly thought, honestly. Breathe.

This air isn’t right for her.

There are a lot of things flashing right now. She wonders where Sasha and Marcy are, whether they’ve been sleeping as soundly as she has. If it didn’t hurt to move, if she could move at all, maybe she could crawl out of here. Somewhere. There are heavy footsteps on the stairs. Probably. Maybe it’s her parents.

She’s got time.

It’s the last thing that crosses her mind before her candle is snuffed out by lack of oxygen.

—

She opens her eyes to a brilliant kaleidoscope of colors.

It’s just as calming as it was the first time. She could train her eyes on it forever, relax in the cool grass with the stars gently spiraling across the night sky.

Unfortunately however, there’s a familiar cat blocking her way.

I didn’t expect you to come back so soon. The deity murmurs, putting a paw on her face. She mumbles, and gently pushes it off. It’s not your fault though. You were asleep when the fire engulfed the room.

“I thought I still had time,” Anne answers back, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. She looks over the edge of the island. It’s nothing but abyss, and somehow that doesn’t scare her. “You said 78 more years. I should have had 68 to go.”

That was more of a wish on my part, Not-Domino says, calmly sitting next to Anne and yawning. 91 is an ideal age to die. 23, not so much. I didn’t expect this. Thought I’d give you a fulfilling life before taking over this job. It’s stressful.

“...So can I go back?” Anne asks, and she almost feels bad for leaving so soon.

She puts a hand to her chest and inhales. It doesn’t feel any different. Just like last time. The pins and needles weren’t there at all when she first woke up in this place. She wonders if this is a blessing on the deity’s part, or if it’s simply a part of this space.

You will. You’d be surprised at what medical technology can do these days. The deity almost seems sad. Anne can’t help but feel bad for it- it must be pretty lonely up here. She’s always been a social person. Being away from others for this long must be unbearable. Amongst other things. Any moment now.

“Not looking forwards to the health problems,” Anne says, and she laughs a little to stave off the anxiety over future medical bills. “You can’t make another copy of me, right?”

You still have your body that I gave you last time. It will be a little dysfunctional for a time, but I trust that it will work smoothly given human technology.

“Right. Well,” Anne murmurs, looking over the edge once again, her legs swinging mindlessly as a bright light opens up underneath them. She’s seen how this goes. “Guess this is goodbye.”

Fur brushes its way past her arm. You could stay. I could make you stay, if you wanted. Are you sure you want to go back?...

“Sorry dude,” Anne says, as the white void rises up. She avoids looking at the deity. She’ll keep justifying it with her own development, until the time comes. “Got lessons I need to learn. Like how to fireproof my house.”

Right. Well. I wish you luck.

“Good luck to you as well,” she says, and she lets the void swallow her whole.

–

She awakes to the sound of monitors.

Her entire body aches. Which is to be expected, given the amount of scratchy white bandages she can make out on her body, even without moving her head. Right. Lessons. Fireproofing her house.

She didn’t ask the deity about the stones.

Damn it.

“Holy shit, Mars- she’s awake! She’s actually awake! Oh thank frog-”

Right. She’s got people looking after her too. She didn’t mean to die, but it must have been stressful for Sasha and Marcy to have their best friend dragged out of her apartment.

She closes her eyes again. The lights are too bright, nothing like the faded hues of the afterlife.

Hopefully, she’ll have enough time between lives to forget again.

#this is very barebones but it's only because i wanted to try out the idea #okay so. deity is in the form of a cat. cats have nine lives. you see what i'm getting at #like i think anne getting the chance to have conversations with the deity about various things over and over would be pretty interesting #but i wanna know what poeple think #because. i don't enjoy killing off characters over and over it's ick #my writing #like maybe it's more of a anne almost dies sort of thing #idk but have this anyways #tw character death #tw death #tw fire #amphibia #amphibia spoilers

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boombambaby · 6 months

Text

Drabble; The stars dance, and Kuzco reflects.

His fingers curl against the grass beneath them as a breeze passes over him, gentle enough to brush his hair away from his eyes, but not to disturb much else.

It’s balmy tonight, with a sky clear enough to trace the bright constellations that he had been taught are a direct effect of his lineage across the inky sky.

He’d only taken to noticing how peaceful it had felt recently. When his thoughts threatened to consume him, or when his emperor duties that he was finally taking seriously took over his every waking moment, and he needed an escape.

More often than not lately, he’s found himself here. An unmoving mass against the calm, dew covered grass of the hillside, staring up at the wide expanse of the sky while a solitary candle burns in the window of his vacation hut.

Sometimes, Pacha will join him.

If he notices the candle burning in the window after the kids are put to sleep, he’ll join him on the hillside— a silent, but comforting sentry that reminds him that there are people who care about him in this world.

‘Nobody really seems to care that he’s gone, do they?’

For as long as he can remember, Kuzco has been presented with everything and anything he could ever want on a golden platter. His parents, from what he could remember showered him in gifts of toys, fine jewelry and respondent clothing.

As a baby, all he had to do was cry and gifts were thrust at him from every angle— each one more entertaining than the last.

When his parents disappeared, that never changed. Yzma took over as a caregiver of sorts, and as long as he didn’t bother her too much, she gave him everything.

He tried to remember the songs his mother used to sing him to sleep with. The holiday traditions they celebrated as a family— and when he attempted to recreate it with Yzma, he was snubbed.

‘What need does the future emperor have for such immature behavior? You should be learning and remembering far more important things.’

Kuzco made a point to teach some of the songs to the palace servants, but would become furious with them when they would misremember a lyric, or get something wrong.

. . . He grew up a spoiled brat, surrounded by opulence and uncaring of how others saw him because he had never learned to behave any other way.

The soft caw of a bird on a nearby branch breaks his train of thought, and he tips his head backwards to try and place it amongst the trees. In his searching, he noticed Pacha’s darkened home, the candles blown out and the entry way door closed.

He wouldn’t be good company tonight, anyways. There’s too much on his mind.

Who knew righting your past wrongs and completely changing your groove— I.e. pattern of behavior— would be so difficult and time consuming?

This morning, he nearly snapped at one of the palace servants for bringing him cold atole. Everything else on his gold plated platter was warm with enough steam coming off of it to replicate a facial treatment.

“Hey! How hard actually is your job, huh? Less chat-ty and more following your duties to the Emperor, and maybe I’d be able to get to my first torture sea— I mean, meeting— on time!” He shouted at the startled woman. Nearly upending the tray onto the bed with the force he used to shove it off of his lap.

She stared at him unblinking, hands clenching and unclenching against her robes as she bowed her head and struggled to come up with a proper excuse.

It only took a moment, and the look in her eye for Kuzco to realize what he was doing, and he visibly recoiled, grimacing at his own lack of manners,

She was still babbling, struggling through her apology when Kuzco held up his hands to try and calm her.

“Hey— hey, woah. Slowly-o down.” A pause, and then. “What’s your name?”

The trembling female stopped, glancing up at him in surprise and muttered a very quiet “Inez, your highness.” In response.

“Inez. Listen— I’m sorry. I’m having a bad morning, didn’t mean to take my frustration out on you.” He tried, lowering his hands and shooting her his best conspiratorial grin. “Anyone would be mad if they woke up knowing they were going to be bored to death in back to back council meetings all day. Am I right?”

Inez just stared back at him blankly, before offering him a weary smile. “Of course, sir.”

After apologizing again and asking her to take the tray back to be remade and to bring it to the throne room next, Kuzco dismissed her and laid himself back against his silken pillows.

For as long as he could remember, that brash, arrogant persona he put on was all that he knew. It was a shield for him, against the world and those who saw him as a spoiled little child instead of the man in charge of their empire.

. . . He certainly wasn’t going to change in a days time, that was for certain. As he was certain it would take some time for the people of the empire to change their view of him.

It was just a matter of deciding what, exactly, that view should be. And if he would deserve it.

#kuzco #roleplayer #Drabble #fanfiction #disneyrp #The Emperors New Groove #MENTIONS:#Pacha

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lilpunkrock · 1 year

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Lou, you magical, lyrical genius, I've just re-read WYGIWG and I'm tearing up. The hints were there- I screamed when I realized Dream had entered her unconscious and took away her nightmare before painting a dreamscape- and rereading the development between Love and Dream? Godsssss my heart! Suffice to say that this week has been rough is an understatement, but my god this fic sustained me and I just keep going back to the last couple of chapters because they're so beautifully written. From the whiplash of Love closing herself off to her balancing the scales and the Interlude (😭😭😭👏) to the final part. All of it had been a joy to read and re-read so thank you for being a bright spot 😊 I can't wait for the epilogue, but I also hope you are doing ok with work and school!

As for bonus content, 👀👀👀! What were some scenes that you may have envisioned that didn't make it into the series? Will these be one shots or potential different POV parts? And I gotta know, how did you get into the groove of writing for Love? Was it music or different elements combining? Was it hard to keep her anonymous to fit for any reader's perception?

Ahhh, Ice!! Friend!! 🤍 You’re gonna make me cry! I am so sorry to hear that you had a difficult week. I’m glad that WYGIWG was a bright spot, and I hope that the weekend and upcoming week bring you much brighter days. ☀️

I’m so thrilled to hear that you re-read!! And caught some of my hints!! I was wondering if anyone was catching them! Maybe outlining all of my hints/Easter eggs should be one of my bonus content posts? 👀

As for your question about scenes that didn’t make it into the story, I don’t think there were too many of those… I did have LOTS of scene ideas when I was first outlining the story. I basically wrote down all my thoughts, put them all out in front of me, and asked, “What’s the best way to make this a coherent story? What’s going to propel the story forward?” In the end, some stuff got scrapped because it didn’t fit the narrative, or was too filler-y. On the flip side, many scenes got added along the way! For example, when I first started WYGIWG, I didn’t know if I would incorporate Hob into the story. I didn’t even decide to incorporate Destiny in until around the time I was writing chapters 10-13 (I totally re-wrote the ending of the story around that time, lol).

In the end, there were only two scenes that didn’t get included in the story. I considered writing a scene where Love learned of Dream’s past imprisonment and lamented that she wasn’t able to help him. Very, “I would have come to help you if I’d known.” The other scene scrap, I’ll copy and paste below…

. . .

As you step into the grove, the lush fauna of Fiddler’s Green seems to stretch toward you. The grass whispers sweet welcomes beneath your feet. Dandelions crane to brush your ankles in glee.

I missed you, too, you long to say. But before you can, you find their creator standing before you, a different type of beauty amongst the flora and fauna. As your eyes settle on his face, the words jump to leave your lips. You swallow them quickly.

. . .

As for writing for Love/Reader, the hardest thing was giving her a personality while keeping her anonymous. I tried to make her someone anyone could see a piece of themselves in. When I drafted her character, I outlined various motivations, influences, and personality traits, and I would often re-read these or re-read old parts of the story to remind myself of her characterization prior to writing. I’d also listen to certain songs/artists to get in the headspace for her depending on the chapter (music will be a piece of bonus content coming out very soon!) It was probably hardest to keep her anonymous when writing from Dream’s third-person-esque POV, but his POV ended up being one of my favorite things to write in this story. I like how his sections sound different than any other part of WYGIWG.

On the topic of extra scenes, are there any scenes from WYGIWG that anyone would like to see written from another character’s POV? 👀 Dream’s? Someone else’s? I’m dying to know. 👀

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naoehalara · 1 year

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A new era

Imagem: Ricardo Stuckert.

It was the first day of 2023 when Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, widely known for short name Lula, walked up the ramp of Palácio do Planalto, the most powerful building in Brazil, for the third time.

It had rained a lot throughout December in my home city, Brasilia. The last days of 2022 kept the grass soaked and the heavy air was constantly surrounded by thunderous melodies and the unending soundtrack of water meeting the ground.

The general advice was for Lula not to do the traditional ride in the convertible Rolls-Royce that carried Brazilian presidents to their inauguration for 70 years. But it wasn’t because of the weather.

Over the last four years, Brazil had suffered from a terrible fate in its history. Discrimination, lies and violence became ordinary since they emanated from the highest chair in Palácio do Planalto from 2019 to 2022. Hate became the rule and people felt comfortable on distilling it against political opponents, once the most important person of the country did it constantly and no serious consequences were directed to him.

That is why, on January 1st, most of the people recommended Lula to not ride on the open car amongst the citizens who were technically celebrating his victory over Jair Bolsonaro on the presidential elections. Along with the possibility of terrible storms, just like the previous days, there was sadly, but truly, a much worst danger than the threats coming from the sky: the hate atmosphere was dimmer than the dark clouds. Lula could be shot while heading to his destination – just like Brazilian activist and politician Marielle Franco, English The Guardian/Washington Post journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira had government-related murders on Bolsonaro’s term.

But, on the first day of the year, just as if it was a miracle, the skies were of the clearest light blue. Clouds were as white as a peace flag and the hottest sun rays were warming the avenues of the city where I was born. On the first day of the year, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva got up on the 1950’s Rolls-Royce next to the first lady, Janja, the vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin, and his wife.

I was there. Just less than two months before I moved to the other side of the world to study, I was able to see history happening right in front of my eyes.

Growing up in an open-minded family and studying Journalism, it was natural for me to actively participate in political events and debates, since my early teenage years, when I discovered how important it was to get my voice heard and to speak for me and for the others who couldn’t. But never in my 23 years had I seen so closely and so concretely how essential it was for a whole nation, especially for the minorities, to get their needs attended and themselves represented by a respectable and caring leader – even more after four years of neglect and disregard.

I saw with my eyes the excitement, the joyfulness, the union among those who watched the new president go up the ramp and start his term. Above all, I felt with my other four senses the hope of a new age coming through.

Back in Brazil, I study in a public university, which, among other public high education institutions, is leader in research, education and extension, and is one of the best of the country. Just before I came to South Korea, through a university partnership, Brazilian education was receiving the worst budget cuts it has ever experienced. It was Bolsonaro’s notorious plan to break up public universities.

This way, I clearly remember how fearful I was of having my exchange intention turned into an unachievable dream. Even when it was all set, and I had already been accepted to study one semester abroad, I had to pray and cross my fingers that Bolsonaro wouldn’t be reelected, because, if he did, I had decided I wouldn’t come – specifically, for two main reasons: it was possible that, when I’d go back, one semester later, public universities would be so wasted I wouldn’t be able to finish my degree; and, since I was at the end of the graduation, it would be preferable for me to finish it the faster possible so I could definitely get out of the country instead of living under the power of a government that stimulated hate and violence.

I remember going out to vote with my family on both rounds, in October 2022, afraid, insecure. I remember seeing the vote counting live through the whole day. I remember receiving the news that Lula had already been elected by Brazilians who were abroad in Asian countries – except for Japan, where Bolsonaro won –, in which the election was held 12 hours before. I remember having hope, and I remember when the reporter finally announced that Lula was elected the 39th president of Brazil.

It was a collective relief. It was almost like Brazilians could finally fully breathe again, after four years holding our breaths.

So, on the first day of the year, I remember the sun burning my back whilst I was walking with my family towards the president inauguration. I saw it with my own eyes when the presidential sash was passed to Lula not by Bolsonaro – who was at this time cowardly hiding at the U.S. and expressly broke the Brazilian democratic tradition of handing over the sash to next president as a symbol of a peaceful transition –, but by the people.

It was The New York Times’ cover the next day. “On Sunday, Mr. Lula ascended the ramp to the presidential offices with a diverse group of Brazilians, including a Black woman, a disabled man, a 10-year-old boy, an Indigenous man and a factory worker. A voice then announced that Mr. Lula would accept the green-and-yellow sash from ‘the Brazilian people,’ and Aline Sousa, a 33-year-old garbage collector, played the role of Mr. Bolsonaro and placed the sash on the new president.”

It was it. Lula won. And, just like that, the whole world was talking about him once again. After being the most approved Brazilian president during his first terms, from 2003 to 2010, being called “the most popular politician on Earth” by Barack Obama, raising the name of Brazil in and outside the country, and being unfairly chased and arrested for political reasons, he was back at the game and in the sight of leaders from all around the globe. “From now on,” said Lula once, when his political chase was at its peak, “if they arrest me, I’m a hero. If they kill me, I become a martyr. And if they let me go, I’ll become president again.” And that’s what happened. He didn’t become a martyr, since he was fortunately not killed, but the Brazilian hero Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva became president of this continental country for the second time.

With not even four complete months of government on this third term, he is constantly showing what he came for – again –, already figuring in Time’s 100 most influential people of 2023.

Last week, he officially visited Asia as Brazil president for the first time after almost 20 years. Just while me, myself, visited Asia for the first time in my life, for a one-semester exchange in South Korea, thanks to his election.

In the United Arab Emirates, the cloudy Middle East sky was painted blue, white, yellow and green, Brazil flag colors, by airplanes that crossed Abu Dhabi’s presidential palace, where Lula got his way leaded by a cavalry holding Brazilian and UAB flags. He was well-received by sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the sound of the Brazilian national anthem played by a guard band. Lula invited him to visit Brazil, after discussing economy, commerce, infrastructure, energy and climate changes, and signing agreements that amount about U$ 2,5 billion.

In China, the president was received with a wave of Chinese and Brazilian flags held together by kids who greeted him happily to the sound of a Brazilian song called Novo tempo – which could be literally translated as New era, famous for being a resistance symbol against the military dictatorship that ruled the country between 1964 and 1985 and left a heritage of authoritarianism and excessive violence, that was resembled in the period of 2019 to 2022.

The message was clear. 2023 is the start of a new era not only for Brazil and its international relations, but for Brazilians’ culture and dreams. “In the new era, despite the punishments, we’re grown up, we’re watchful, we’re more alive to help ourselves out,” says the lyrics of the song.

Shanghai Old Jazz Band also played the instrumental of a Brazilian lullaby, widely known for all generations of Brazilians who used to sing it as a child. “If this street was mine,” says the ballad, “I would have it tiled with shiny little pebbles just for my love to pass by.”

Lula is known for his peaceful position towards wars and conflicts, honoring the mediator peace tradition Brazil was so known for, since the First World War. In Asia, he talked to China’s Xi Jinping and UAB’s Al Nahyan about creating a group with countries interested in peace issues, in solving conflicts and trying to make the world more united, after so much disrespect and hate. “Brazil is back,” he said, just when he arrived on the other side of the world from the country we came from, “and willing to make a difference. To help the world see through new eyes. And we have a task we didn’t have 10 years ago: to dispel a hate we thought didn’t exist anymore.”

“We need humanism to react. We can’t have a society without heart, without feelings. Beyond politics, we need to take care of our souls. We’ll have to learn how to reach out to each other one more time. We need to defeat the individualism that is taking over humanity.”

The agreements with China summed up to almost U$ 10 billion, the highest amount with the Asian country until now. They embrace areas such as renewable energy, automotive industry, agribusiness, green lines of credit, information technology, health and infrastructure.

“I return to Brazil today,” he said, a week ago, “with the certainty that we’re coming back to civilization. And, more importantly, that we reopened the doors of the world to more progresses to take part in our country.”

Seeing the videos that covered the welcome ceremonies in Asian countries made me especially emotional. As a citizen from Brazil not because of the city I was born in – which happens to be the capital and the center of power of the country –, but because of the green and yellow blood that runs proudly through my veins and the rich culture that exhales from my Brazilian soul, I lacked the commitment of a real representant for my people. As a cultural journalist and someone who pursues singularities of cultures from all around the world, I was tired of watching my own country, which has an unmeasurable culture itself, being disrespected and getting its reputation lowered each time more. We were nothing like the hate previous president was disseminating through ignorant speeches. We were so much more, as compatriots and as individuals, and we could show so much more of our love to the world.

That’s what I expected I could bring to South Korea, on this exchange adventure I’ve been into: all the warmness my home country taught me to hand out. By helping others. By holding dialogues with different cultures. By promoting peace. By loving Brazil and by wanting the world to be a better place.

Skies were clear blue and sun rays were shining bright when President Lula was received in Asia, just like they were on the first day of his term, back in Brazil. For me, back in February, it was the start of the most important journey of my life, until now. For my country, it is the start of a new journey back to the heart of the world.

“In the new era, despite the punishments, we’re on the stage, we’re on the streets, breaking handcuffs to help ourselves out. In the new era, despite the dangers, we find ourselves singing on the town square.”

References:

Gore, A. (2023, April 13). Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is on the 2023 Time 100 list. Time. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269853/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva/

Lins, I., & Martins, V. (1980). Novo tempo. On Novo tempo [Album]. EMI-Odeon Records.

Lula [@LulaOficial]. (2023, April 13). É preciso que o humanismo reaja. Não podemos ter uma sociedade sem coração, sem sentimentos. Além da política, precisamos cuidar da nossa alma. Vamos ter que aprender a estender a mão para o outro mais uma vez. Precisamos derrotar o individualismo que toma conta da humanidade. [Tweet]. Twitter. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://twitter.com/LulaOficial/status/1646372383953920001?s=20

Lula [@LulaOficial]. (2023, April 13). O Brasil voltou. E com vontade de fazer a diferença. De ajudar o mundo a ter um olhar diferente. E temos uma tarefa que não tínhamos há 10 anos: dispersar um ódio que achávamos que não existia mais. [Tweet]. Twitter. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://twitter.com/LulaOficial/status/1647455561510797313?s=20

Lula [@LulaOficial]. (2023, April 16). Bom dia! Retorno ao Brasil hoje com a certeza de que estamos voltando à civilização. Nos Emirados Árabes, fechamos acordos que somam R$ 12,5 bilhões. Na China foram 50 bilhões. E, mais importante, reabrimos as portas do mundo para mais avanços para o nosso país. [Tweet]. Twitter. Retrieved April 22, 2023, from https://twitter.com/LulaOficial/status/1647550016071024650?s=20

Nicas, J., & Spigariol, A. (2023, January 1). Lula becomes Brazil's president, with Bolsonaro in Florida. The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/01/world/americas/bolsonaro-florida-brazil.html

Saxena, S. (2010, April 9). Why Lula is the Man - Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved April 22, 2023, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/edit-page/why-lula-is-the-man/articleshow/5775158.cms

The Brazilian Report [@BrazilianReport]. (2022, November 4). #CARTOON: Lula da Silva issued a prophecy that this week has come true. “From now on,” he said, “if they arrest me, I’m a hero. If they kill me, I become a martyr. And if they let me go, I’ll become president again.” [Tweet]. Twitter. Retrieved April 22, 2023, from https://twitter.com/BrazilianReport/status/1588281176526946304

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