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daycourtofficial · 8 months

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Solstice Celebrations

Pairing: Azriel x reader

Summary: Azriel realizes you’re pregnant before you do and tries to figure out what he’s going to do.

Azriel has been off for days now. He can’t explain it, but something is off. Not necessarily bad, but off and he needs to find the source.

It all came to a head tonight when he could hear a very subtle additional heartbeat in the room. He spent ages searching the room, trying to locate the source of the heartbeat, but it’s so subtle he can barely hear it when he’s not in bed.

He scours the room, the adjoining hallway, he even takes a short flight around the perimeter, but he is coming up completely empty. Even his shadows are telling him everything appears fine. Azriel eventually admits defeat and climbs back into bed, holding you tight to him. Even though he’s accepted he can’t find a threat, he’s still suspicious.

This becomes his nightly routine for the next three nights. He’s just been telling you he hasn’t been sleeping well, and you’ve been preparing him some teas to help him relax before bed. On the third night you draw him a nice soothing bath that you hope will help him relax enough to sleep.

“Mmm” he moans, getting into the tub, “you are too kind to me, my love.”

“Not kind enough if I’m not able to soothe your worries enough for sleep.”

You leave, too tired to help him bathe. Azriel spends a long time in the bath, trying to relax and eventually unwinding enough to feel the bed beginning to draw him in.

He steps out of the bath, drying off, and he comes to meet you in bed, finding you fast asleep. He laughs, because he’s never met anyone who falls asleep as quickly as you do. He climbs into bed, holding you close to him, pressing his head to your chest, hoping your heartbeat will help lull him to sleep.

The soft rhythm of your heart slowly drifts him away, until its rhythm is disturbed by that softer heartbeat. He pulls his head away, listening intently, but the beat becomes imperceptible. He puts his ear next to your chest again, listens to the slow brag of your heart, and listens to the soft beat of a much smaller heart.

He realizes immediately what the soft symphonies of heartbeats mean, and he is almost brought to tears. He never once considered he’d fall in love, let alone have a mate, so children were never something he thought the Mother would allow him to have, but he was wrong.

The Mother has made you a mother. He has made you a mother.

You worked under Azriel, taking on random missions whenever you’re needed. And the thought of you going on a mission while with babe scared the cauldron out of him.

He slowly untangles from you, puts on some pants, and shuts the door behind him. He has a certain high lord to see immediately.

“Azriel.”

The shadowsinger continues his pacing, holding a hand up to Rhys, “I’ll explain once Cassian arrives.”

Rhys sighs dramatically, “Azriel it’s the middle of the night, no one is dying or dead, please explain to me why I’m here with you and not in bed with Feyre.”

Azriel gives Rhys a look “brother, I’ve never once brought you out of bed before, this is… very important to me. But I need both of you here.”

Rhys sighs and while not happy, he knows Azriel is serious. The male won’t stand still, silently pacing, which is very unusual for him.

“Fine”, Rhys replies.

After a few more moments of silence, Cassian’s wings announce his presence. Before Cassian can start his round of complaints, Azriel begins immediately.

“She’s pregnant.”

Cassian and Rhys still, smiles slowly stretching across their faces.

“Wow, wow, I’m so happy for the both of you. Oh, Nyx is going to have a built in best friend.”

Cassian goes to hug Azriel, and the shadowsinger grips him in a tight hold. “I’m so excited for you, brother.”

“I just figured it out when I called you two to meet with me.”

Rhys and Cassian exchange glances.

“What do you mean you figured it out? She didn’t tell you about it?” Rhys asked.

“I don’t think she actually knows.”

Rhys and Cassian still as Azriel continues.

“I heard the heartbeat, and then I could smell it in her scent. It was very subtle and hard to detect, but it was there. She’s very early into it.”

“And you told us and not the mother of your child because..?” Cassian asks.

“I just need the week to figure out how to tell her and to figure out what we’ll do from there.”

“Well, as exciting as all this is, now I have to go back to Nesta and pretend I don’t know this massive secret and that this meeting was for something bad.”

The males hug Azriel again, excited to see his future with a babe.

“Good night, brothers.”

Rhys and Cassian didn’t even try to keep it a secret, those bastards. The way Feyre is looking at him this morning, he knows that she knows. Mor came into town later in the afternoon, and she obviously knows. During lunch she kept looking at you with stars in her eyes and the biggest smile on her face. Azriel’s death glares at her did nothing to curb her happiness for the shadowsinger.

Azriel takes you to walk around Velaris during the afternoon, and unfortunately for him you’ve noticed all of the special attention coming your way.

“Mor was only gone for a week, but maybe she shouldn’t be gone for more than 3-4 days. I think she ends up missing me too much. She was so happy to see me during lunch.”

“Well she’s spent the week in the Huen City, anyone would be happy to see your lovely face after that week.” Azriel smoothly replies.

You’re walking around Velaris, searching for last minute Solstice gift ideas. You were having a hard time finding a gift for Feyre, and it was eating you alive.

“Everyone always gets Feyre some kind of paints - maybe she’d like something different for once.”

“I’ve already received her specialty paints, so it’s too late for me to change her gift,” he replies.

You were walking in and out of shops, bundled up in your winter coat and scarf, holding Azriel’s hand “to keep warm”, when Azriel sees it. He sees a shop that specializes in baby clothes, baby furniture, maybe even baby knives if he’s lucky. Seeing the shop, he looks at you, and the idea pops directly into his head.

You both go into a clothing shop, Azriel tells you he’s going to get some drinks at the shop next door, and he bolts down the street to the baby store, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Or as inconspicuous as a massive male with wings can be.

“Hello” he says, startling the clerk, who looks over this tall, muscular man with massive wings, wearing a very cozy sweater. “I need something for a solstice gift.”

Azriel paid the shopkeeper, even paying extra for her to be discreet, and ran into the coffee shop to order the two of you some hot chocolate to keep you warm in this chill.

Walking back to the store you’re in, he’s consumed by thoughts of “can she have hot chocolate while pregnant? Feyre did, and Nyx seems fine. Besides anything wrong with Nyx would just come from him being Rhys’s son.”

His inner turmoil is interrupted by you grabbing your hot chocolate from him. “Thanks, sweetheart” you say.

He notices a shopping bag, and you reply “I found a gorgeous sweater that had stars knitted into it with beautiful shiny yarn. It reminds me of Starfall, and I think Feyre would love it.��

Azriel has been dying. It’s now been 4 days since he figured out about your pregnancy and it’s been a monumental task not to tell you. Every moment of every day all he can think when he sees you is “you’re pregnant! With MY babe!” He wants to shout it from the rooftops. But that would ruin his carefully crafted plan.

It also doesn’t help that he has been watching you even more carefully than before, constantly asking Madja “are carrots safe? What about meats? Is milk safe?” Madja has officially banned him from asking her these ridiculous questions until he tells you that you’re pregnant.

He manages to keep it in until Solstice, despite the constant asking from every other member of the Inner Circle. Cassian is convinced he’ll never tell you - that Azriel will let it go until you’re going into labor.

By some luck though, the inner circle haven’t told you. He told them it would be known to you by Solstice and they are keeping him to that promise.

He wakes you up the morning of Solstice preparing to leave for his annual snowball fight.

“My hero, off to vanquish evildoers with his compacted balls of snow,” you croon at him while he’s getting dressed.

He kisses your cheek. “I have a title to defend, if I lose it’ll be bring shame to us for decades to come.” You giggle at the absurdity of it.

The brothers wouldn’t let any of you watch their snowball fight, but you and the other ladies love imagining how ridiculous they look.

He starts to head out the door when you say, “If you win I’ll have to provide you with a hero’s welcome, we’ll have to celebrate.”

“Oh yeah?” He kisses you.

“You better hope you win or the hero’s welcome goes to the victor. Would hate to have to celebrate with Rhys or Cassian.” He growls at that, rolling his eyes.

“Good thing I’ve crafted the perfect strategy this year.”

And he did. He won, beating them in the shortest time they’ve ever seen.

After his hero’s welcome, Azriel started getting nervous. The two of you exchange solstice gifts in private before seeing everyone else. You’ve talked about kids before, but what if you’ve changed your mind? What if you decided he wouldn’t be a good father?

His insecurities start eating at him, when you present him with a present.

“Open it,” you say, buzzing with excitement and nerves. He unwraps the small bundle to open a box containing a small, thin chain with your first initial on it.

“I got us matching ones, see” you say, pulling an identical chain with the letter A on it, “so even when we’re apart the world knows you’re mine and that I’m yours.”

Azriel envelops you in a bone-crushing hug. “I love it,” he mumbles into your hair, kissing your forehead a million times as you giggle.

“Sorry that my gift was so small compared to yours,” you say, peaking over at the package behind him.

Azriel pulls back, completely forgetting about his gift to you, getting nervous again to tell you.

“Please, open it.”

You open the package to find a beautiful mobile for a baby crib. It is made of twinkling stars that shine ever so softly, and as you look at it, some of Azriel’s shadows push the mobile so it spins. The shadows mix with stars, creating an absolutely stunning recreation of the night sky.

“Wow it’s gorgeous, but aren’t these usually for babies-“ the look on Azriel’s face stops you immediately.

“Am I-“

“Yes.”

“Pregnant?”

“Yes.”

He wants to give you a minute to digest it, soak it in, however you take him by surprise and tackle him to the ground in a hug so full of love it takes his breath away.

“We’re having a baby!” You say, a little louder than intended. Cassian bursts through the door, yelling “we’re having a baby!” as he comes over to you, picking you up off of Azriel and spinning you around.

“You nosey old fool!” You yell in delight at him “were you listening behind the door?”

Cassian puts you down as he says “well I had to make sure he told you otherwise none of us would have been able to keep the secret any longer.”

“Who knew?” You say, seeing the guilty look all over Azriel’s face. And with that question, everyone else pours in to congratulate the two of you. You turn to Azriel “so am I the last to know?”

Azriel reddens a bit as he says, “to be fair, I only told my brothers, they are the ones that couldn’t keep a secret.”

He turns and gives Cassian a death glare, which Cassian responds to by tackling Azriel in a hug. By this point the other members of the inner circle have come by, offering their congratulations and happiness with you. Mor envelops you in a hug while she cries that is so tight Feyre has to pry her off of you.

Looking around at your family, you think if your babe is loved even a tenth of how much you are, they will be so so so happy.

It was the best Solstice gift - spending time with your family and being excited for your new addition.

#acotar #azriel #azriel x reader #azriel x you #azriel x female!reader #I love me some inner circle dynamics :)#please be nice this is my first writing 😭#acotar writing #acotar fanfiction #azriel fluff

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scribblingapparition · 1 year

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El Dios de la Brisa (K'uk'ulkan x reader) (1)

Summary: You are a passionate Marine Biologist who has lived in the Yucatan Peninsula for some time now. An accepted and welcomed member of the local village, you've been working through the heartache of losing your mentor and friend. You were not prepared for how your life would change and the discoveries you would make.

[Word count: 5,654]

. . .

There were many aspects of your profession that you adored.

You loved the time you spent doing fieldwork, gathering information about the diverse wildlife that inhabited the oceans and letting hours pass you by while you swim among them. You loved aiding in the restoration of habitats and looking at problems from all the different perspectives brilliant minds brought to the table to find solutions. You adored rehabilitating injured animals and felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride each time you released an animal back into the water where it belonged.

All of that is your driving force behind wanting to make a difference and take responsibility for the planet we all share and have to take care of.

There were threats to that passion.

Phone calls.

“The funding that your mentor left you won’t last an eternity. Listen, I know you are grieving her loss. We all are. But you need to stop finding excuses to push aside the real work that needs to be done elsewhere. Your technique of lab grown coral has completely revived the coral reefs in Culebra. You really impressed everyone in Puerto Rico with that. We need you here.” Enrique sighed, you could hear him shuffling papers as he spoke. “You’ve taken all her things back to her family and gotten a look at what she was working on in Yucatán. It’s time to move on.”

“It’s really nice of you to call in every week to repeat the same thing. Really keeps the conversation interesting.”

“You always have to take things the wrong way.”

“I’m not taking anything any sort of way. I’ve already told you, there’s something interesting here that’s got my attention and I have no intention of leaving until I’ve understood as much as I can. Funding or not, I’ll figure it out. I always do. Like I did before her, alright? So, thank you for the call but I don’t need you worrying about me. You or anyone.”

You didn’t enjoy being the sort of person that spoke to others like that but it’s what they brought out of you. You came from nothing and you had no one. Everything you had ever earned in your life you achieved through hard work and perseverance. You put yourself through school, through college, and with no help from anyone you managed to be taken under the wing of one of the world’s most brilliant marine biologists: Altagracia Alvarez-Delgado.

Paralleled stories and a common goal had united the two of you and together a real change happened in the world of ocean conversation. Your mentor had a way of inspiring crowds with her mastery in storytelling and she could create empathy in the hearts of others that got them to care – to truly want to join the cause of being responsible, intelligent, beings that could change the planet for the better. For everyone.

You had never admired anyone more. You never took a moment for granted, you never took her advice for granted, and you never took the many lessons you learned through her grace and humility for granted. You don’t experience loss when you don’t have anyone; her unexpected death sent you through a downward spiral you could not have predicted. It was in her honor that you traveled to her village to deliver the news of her passing and the last of her belongings. Her family had welcomed you, encouraged you to take up residence in her old cabin across the bay from the pyramid and gave you advice on how to find peace and comfort when you felt like you would never have it again.

It had never been in your plans to stay.

Now you couldn’t seem to leave.

You were naturally a curious person, always were. The draw to the sea called out to you like the hypnotizing melodies of a siren song. It didn’t matter if you never truly had a home because as long as you were by the ocean and allowed to get lost underneath its waves you would feel at home. There was something about the bay that called out to a part of you that was in tune enough to listen.

The first couple of months of living among the villagers you had taken to conduct undisturbed research of the area. Multiple times a day, Ines Delgado (your mentor’s mother), would spot your pack resting in the same place it always was in the shore line while you dove to the depths with your gear to spend time around the reefs and exploring the extensive cave systems. Each time you shared your discoveries with her over coffee.

There is one thing you could not get over.

“Ines, sinceramente, he viajado por el mundo y he visto todo tipo de ecosistemas y hábitats. Con la forma que están los océanos ahora, muchos de ellos están en diferentes estados de sufrimiento, pero estos…los que veo aquí son casi perfectos.” You had told her both in a state of disbelief and admiration, knowing that whatever your mentor had started here was working incredibly well. “Lo que su hija ha comenzado aquí es brillante. Ella es brillante.”

(Ines, sincerely, I have traveled around the world and I have seen all types of ecosystems and habitats. With the way the oceans are now, a lot of the ones I have seen have been in different states of suffering, but these…the ones I have seen here are almost perfect. What your daughter started here is brilliant. She is brilliant.)

Shaking her head, her hands trembled slightly due to her age as she brought the cup to her lips to drink. “Es la protección de el que la ha guardado.”

(It is all due to his protection, that has kept it safe.)

“Quien es el?”

(Who is he?)

“K'uk'ulkan. La serpiente emplumada existe. Lo he visto. Inspiro miedo en mi, cuando lo vi. Estaba vestido en trueno y oro, plumas y perlas. Alas en sus pies y rabia en sus ojos. Espero que nunca lo tenga que ver otra vez. Mi niña, tienes que tener cuidado por dónde exploras cuando estás debajo de esas olas. Rara vez estás sola. Nada existe en el océano que la serpiente no permita.”

(K'uk'ulkan. The feathered serpent exists. I’ve seen him. He inspired fear in me, when I saw him. He was dressed in thunder and gold, feathers and pearls. With wings on his feet and rage in his eyes. I hope to never have to see him again. My girl, you must be careful where you explore when you are underneath the waves. Rarely are you alone. Nothing exists in the ocean that the serpent does not allow.)

You promised Ines you would be careful. In a world where aliens can snap their fingers and change the course of life in the universe it never hurts to be aware and respectful of the myths and the gods others believed in for you never know what you might encounter. You had smiled and taken her hand in yours when the words left your mouth and a promise to be extra careful was made.

☀

It did feel as if you were breaking that promise now as you left behind your phone, not wanting to answer any more annoying phone calls, grabbed your pack and gear and headed up the trail to the base of the pyramid.

There was no escaping the heat.

It was simply impossible.

There was little solace to find in the shade provided by the thick foliage of the trees and the ocean breeze did manage to move leaves in gentle sways enough to reach you but your prayers to Kinich Ahau sadly went unanswered as the heat of the sun did not lessen. There were guided tours around the pyramid during the busy seasons where tourists invaded the peninsula in hopes of seeing, but never truly appreciating, the history that can be found in this land. One of the guides had befriended you and had mentioned a cave opening surrounded by an arch of hieroglyphics that housed the clearest water in the area.

It was believed to be a gateway to an ancient city forged in the depths of the ocean where the sunlight could not reach and many who still believed in the ancient gods left offerings for K'uk'ulkan.

Not only that but there were said to be schools of fish that pulsed light like eye catching signals that were rumored to be found deeper within the system. It had been mentioned a while ago and you had always had it in the back of your mind to see if you could spot and observe the fish.

What better time to do it than after a call reminding you that you might have to leave this paradise behind soon because of funding, of all things?

It had taken some time to reach your destination as it was not a well traveled path. Making sure you were hydrated and ready to go, you began to suit up. Your diving ensemble was state of the art. The suit itself worked wonders for helping you camouflage to your surroundings allowing you for the best sights of the marine life that happily swam around you after they got used to your presence. You didn’t have to wear a heavy tank that limited your time in the water thanks to the mask your mentor’s genius friend had invented and the fins you swam with actually worked pretty well when you were in a hurry.

Making sure your pack was hidden away in case someone else decided to explore the area, you carefully stepped into the water. The mask you wore covered your face entirely allowing you the luxury of not having to let your eyes adjust to the water. You did close your eyes for a moment, however, to take in how amazing it felt to be completely submerged.

This was home.

You were beneath a pyramid that was built somewhere along the 3rd and 9th AD by a powerful and rich civilization, miles away from where others would consider your actual home, sinking into an unknown darkness without any fear of what might be waiting for you. So many others would not find this particular situation comforting at all but you did.

The water called to you.

Like the soothing song.

This was home.

“Mi niña, tienes que tener cuidado por dónde exploras cuando estás debajo de esas olas. Rara vez estás sola. Nada existe en el océano que la serpiente no permita.”

(My girl, you must be careful where you explore when you are underneath the waves. Rarely are you alone. Nothing exists in the ocean that the serpent does not allow.)

Detaching the flashlight strapped to your thigh, you brought it up to shine at the cavern walls. You had been swimming for some time now, alone in the darkness, and though you had encountered some animals none of them were the glowing fish the tour guide had mentioned. What you had found, however, were intricate hieroglyphics that seemed almost untouched by time. Your eyes widened as you took in the absolute artistry in front of you.

How had they not been eroded by the currents after centuries?

You touched them and allowed your fingers to trace through the creases of the smoothly carved images. Had these been above water at some point? What did they mean? You could only make out a few images. Pushing back to get a wider view and moving your hair so nothing obstructed your vision, you listened to the sound of your own breathing as you moved the light further down; eyes eagerly searching for new wonders when suddenly your breath caught in your throat.

Eyes. You had seen eyes staring up at you and the moment your light hit them, whatever it was moved out of the way quickly. They weren’t the eyes of a fish, it looked human, it looked like a person.

You immediately moved your light all around you, twisting to see if you could catch a glimpse of what had run away from you. You had felt the water move and push against you as whatever it was swam away but it was back to nothing. It was just you in the darkness and the sound of your racing heart but you were no longer fooled. You were not alone.

Years of diving experience have made you become extremely well aware of your surroundings. You had to be when you spend as much time as you do in the ocean where the animals that lived there have evolved over millions of years to perfectly exist within the places you were not fully equipped to be in. That’s why you weren’t shrugging off what you saw as a figment of your imagination or a construct of your mind adjusting to the dark.

You saw a man. The eyes of a man.

And now you were seemingly alone but there was something there, something in the quiet shadows and you could all but feel his gaze.

Movement came from underneath you and into the path of your flashlight calmly wandered a nurse shark. Large, brown, and gentle; most definitely a nurse shark. Your brain began to give you facts about how many different species of sharks are cave dwellers and how nurse sharks are most definitely one of many different kinds found in the peninsula. You tried to calm your breathing to the almost lazy movements of the animal before you who was not frightened at all. It was home, it felt safe.

Yet you could not just simply calm your mind enough not to worry.

There it was again. You could feel something beneath you. Remaining calm, you closed your eyes as tightly as you could, reminding yourself of so many different situations you had been in where the danger level had been much higher and never had you felt this much fear. Never once had you feared even the biggest ocean creature but a man, this man…

You pointed your flashlight beneath you.

Below, curling up ready to attack, was a giant serpent.

Its tongue extended past its wide open jaw and around the head sharp triangle-like spikes circled around it in layers like a lion’s mane. The light only reached so far but it was clear that it was posed in action and ready to devour you whole.

K'uk'ulkan

Fear moved you before your mind could rationalize the giant feathered serpent to be nothing but a statue. You had never complained about the quality of the swimming fins you wore but quickly kicking your feet to get away from your perceived threat, you had moved too quickly right into a protruding hieroglyph that smashed into the shield protecting your face, your mask. You didn’t think that you hit it hard enough to crack but water began leaking into your mark by your eye, causing you to move both hands quickly to try and stop it. Your flashlight drops into the darkness. You cannot believe how unprofessionally you are acting and how stupid your decisions have been when you know better. She taught you to know better.

The water was now gathering beneath your chin. Your body was pressed against the cave wall, one hand trying to cover the crack in your mask while the other maneuvered around your bags around your waist to find something to fill the crack. Your hair bunched in front of you as you moved and during that movement something that went down to the cave floor and retrieved your flashlight.

You bet it wasn’t the nurse shark as the light turned off and the darkness did what the serpent wanted to do.

It swallowed you whole.

You centered yourself as much as you could and the water stopped as it reached your lips thanks to the plaster you had which you securely placed on top of the damaged part of your mask. It was not a permanent fix and you needed to get out of the caves. Now. Your heart was racing and you could feel your hand trembling as you gripped another flashlight from where they were strapped to your thigh but before you could turn it on strong hands grabbed your own and pulled you forward.

Instinctively, you thrashed against their hold hoping to escape but it felt like trying to pull your arms away from steel. You were pulled forward again and in the darkness your hands reached out and you felt…were those beads? A necklace? A chest? There wasn’t much time to determine what anything was before you were pulled further into the darkness. Whatever had you moved with the ease of an eel and the strength of a shark. It was disorienting being pushed around in total darkness with the water inside your mask splashing around, making you cough it out when your hazardous breathing accidentally made you swallow some of it. You could do nothing but let yourself be led.

You should’ve listened more carefully to Ines.

It felt like an eternity later but eventually you saw light. This cave you did not recognize but that mattered little as you were released and you began swimming towards the surface. You must be somewhere close to the surface as it seemed to be more than an air pocket where you were in. In the center was a platform, a perfect circle made out of stone that sat above the water and you gripped onto the edge with all your might ignoring the pain as you raised yourself onto it.

Your mask was the first thing to be removed as you moved to the center of the circle, coughing up water and breathing lungfuls of air. You were greedy after almost being sure breathing air was something that would never happen again. On your back, eyes facing the stalagmites reaching down towards you from the cave’s ceiling, feet still protected by the fins, and mask discarded next to you. You counted yourself lucky to be alive.

You had said it in your call to Enrique what seemed like forever ago even though it was just that very day. There was something about this place that refused to let you leave and your need to discover it, to understand it, had almost landed you a watery grave in the place you felt most at home.

Turning yourself onto your stomach, your wrists hurt where you had been grabbed and dragged through the water. Whatever it was, whatever that humanoid was, had the strength of a killer whale. You sat up and looked into the water. There was nothing there at first but then out of the water emerged a king.

You didn’t know who he was, what he was, but instinctively deep down you knew you were in the presence of something ancient, something above a human. It was like the water both clinged to him and helped him rise; a pure display of power just right there before your eyes. His hair was darker than the shadows of the caves, his neck adorned with gold and pearls, his eyes contained the rage of a summer storm, and on his feet…wings.

Fluttering white wings.

It can’t be…

He spoke in Yucatec Maya that much you were sure of. The pronunciation and formation of the words you were familiar with as the locals had tried to teach you one several occasions. It was too fast for your less than basic knowledge to pick out any words you knew but you did not need to be fluent in his language to understand that what he was saying certainly wasn’t good.

Then he surprised you.

“You have wandered around my home as if it belonged to you.” The anger in his voice was palpable yet he remained right where he rose from the water. “For many months, you pushed past the boundaries set in place and ignored the warnings to satisfy your own greed. My people have kept a close watch on you. You have trespassed for the last time, surface-dweller. What do you say for yourself?”

“I…” You struggled to find words, any words, in the presence of his might and fury. It may have been the incredible situation that you were in that made your mind override the need for survival with boundless curiosity and amazement. It was the only explanation you could think of for the way you sat up to look directly at him while your mind went wild processing and connecting what you now had knowledge on.

“It’s you. You’re…him. She was right. They were right! They truly had seen you. But the stories span hundreds of years, that must mean you’ve been alive for quite some time! A-and the reefs, the fish, they’re in abundance here. A thriving healthy community amidst so many disasters. If your people were watching me then-it was their work! I knew it! There was no way everything could be that pristine with the level of tourism, even with the help of the locals. It’s unfortunate to say that but it-it makes sense, you-”

He roared in Maya t’aan; though you may not have understood him exactly, you did understand context and his call for silence as his patience diminished. The cavern walls amplified his distaste as he stepped onto the stone circle before you. You bowed your head in fear of looking into his eyes again and kept your hands close to you in an attempt to stop them from trembling.

“My name is (Y/N) (L/N). I am a marine biologist and I never once intended to trespass into your territory. I have dedicated myself, my life, to the betterment of the oceans.” You explained through a shaky voice as he neared you, eyes firmly placed on the stone before you. “I may have wandered too close to places I should not have been at but I swear to you I meant no harm. Not to you, your people, or any creatures I may have encountered. Meent' uts, K'uk'ulkan.”

((Please, K'uk'ulkan.))

It felt to you as if an eternity had passed in the quiet that followed.

He wasn’t unaware of the state of the surface world. To be prepared for your enemy meant keeping yourself knowledgeable on their movements, their advances, their whispers. The reports he had gotten from his Talokanil is that you had an understanding of the oceans in ways they had not seen other surface dwellers have before. The ocean creatures calmed in your presence, almost welcoming it, seeking you out when you entered their home. You did not seem hostile or aware at all of their existence yet you chose to explore many of the routes created to lead to Talokan. You could never reach it. Not with your mask and suit that would do nothing to protect you from the pressure of the deep or the frigid temperature.

Your good deeds preceded you and just as your curiosity led you, unknowingly, to them it was his curiosity to meet the one his scouts spoke of that had led him to you.

“I have many names. My people call me K'uk'ulkan, but my enemies call me Namor.” He spoke with a deadly tone, causing your eyes to close as your mind jumped to the worst. “You have caught my attention as many surface dwellers have not. You are not welcomed in these waters and it will do you well to remember my words. Nothing roams my oceans, close to my people, without my permission and you do not have it.”

☀

There were many aspects of your profession that you adored.

Phone calls serving as reminders that your funding was running out was not one of them.

Being banished from the place you most loved by an ancient feathered serpent god was not one of them.

It had been a full moon cycle since that fateful encounter and you had taken a lot of that time to think about what the future held for you. It was difficult ignoring the call of the sea but that time had been spent being more involved with the village and carefully listening to all of the parts of their culture they chose to share with you. There were those that believed and those that did not heed the tales of the elders. You did your best to remain neutral but interested.

He had disappeared into the water after forbidding you from telling anyone of his existence and of what you had now come to know. Your mask had also mysteriously vanished. You had made it back to your cabin by the time the sun dived deep beneath the waves and for the rest of that night you could not sleep.

“Estos turistas! ¡No tienen respeto por nadie ni por nada!”

((These tourists! They don't have respect for anyone or anything!))

That’s how you had been woken up by a young boy named Mateo that you had befriended during your time in the village. He told you that there had been a big boat, painted in bright colors, that had been rented by some tourists a couple of times over; the boat was filled with men disturbing the wildlife and the boy had seen them wrestling a sea turtle out of the water. Mateo had shouted at them to stop from the shore but that did nothing as they did not listen.

The wind blew your hair behind you as you steered your boat in the direction of where the boy had seen the turtle go after it had been thrown back into the water. They’re fast swimmers and with only the light of the moon it would be a miracle if you spotted the injured animal but you had to try.

You were around the area of where the boat had last been seen by Mateo and looking back at the bay, you had moved farther away than they had been by a lot. But this is where your heart had guided you and you never doubted your instincts. You prepped the boat and lowered the anchor, quickly working on lifting the heavy ramp off the side of your little vessel preparing to have to lift a decent sized sea turtle. The bay was the home to many beautiful green sea turtles and though they were stunning, they were large heavy animals. Usually a rescue like this would be done by a team but it was just you.

You in the middle of the pitch black ocean you were told you weren’t welcomed in.

You were steady as the boat rocked and you held onto the railing of the steps leading down as you looked all around you and placed your hand in the water. This world had many living in it with special abilities forced to be kept secret for their safety. You did not believe you had any. You were sure there was nothing special about you until your early days on the field proved you wrong. You couldn’t communicate with sea animals but they did seem to come to you when they needed help.

Too many things happened that had no real good explanation for you to brush them off as coincidences.

The ocean was a completely different world from the one you lived on, now more than ever you were aware of that fact. Regardless of what you believed was real or not, you knew you could not go searching for the injured one so you closed your eyes, gripping onto the side latter until your knuckles hurt, and called out to the animal.

You felt ridiculous.

You weren’t special.

It wasn’t going to work.

Moments passed with no result and you had to fight the urge to just jump in the water, knowing the search would not be fruitful without your equipment. Your eyes watered and you scoffed at yourself becoming emotional. It had not been easy spending a month away from your research, away from laughing underneath the waves as fish darted around you and intelligent little octopi tried to steal your stuff. Just as it had not been easy to lose the one person who understood your need to be in the water.

A head with large eyes and hexagonal shaped markings popped out from the dark and soon the entire body came with it. The shell had been cracked, almost cut into. It wasn’t unheard of for tourists to try to remove the shells off the turtles to keep them as souvenirs and it angered you that it had even been attempted.

Your gasp of surprise quickly became gentle words of encouragement.

“Hi, beautiful, hello. It’s okay. It’s okay. You found me and I’m going to help you, okay? You’re a big girl aren’t you? I gotcha, beautiful. You’re so smart, all turtles are. I’m going to take care of you, let me just-” You had turned to face the deck and yelled.

K'uk'ulkan stood on the deck of your boat. Water rolled off his body and the moon silhouetted his imposing figure, allowing the pearls around his neck to glow on their own. The wings on his feet shook the moisture off of themselves and in his hand he held a scepter (or was it a spear, there wasn’t much light) crafted of gold and jade.

“You scared me! I didn’t even hear you-wait, your majesty, wait! I didn’t go back on my word. I need your help. Please.” You pleaded while frozen to your spot on the stern. “She’s hurt. She came to me for help. I can’t lift her onto the ramp and then onto the boat alone but if you could help me. Not for me. For her. Meent' uts, K'uk'ulkan.”

You had said it again. You had begged the god the same way you had done in that cave.

For the second time he was inexplicably moved to spare you.

The green sea turtle was young and healthy, you estimated around 200 to 250 lbs just by her sheer size. He showed absolutely no difficulty lifting up and placing the animal in the containment tub.

“I kept my word, you know.” You said as you quickly moved to grab a flashlight to inspect the shell. “I didn’t step into the water once. But this is my job, what I’m passionate about. I can’t just sit back and stay inside my cabin knowing there’s someone out here that needs me. If this gets me killed, so be it. Just let me make sure she gets treatment, an open shell like this is dangerous. I don’t want an infection to set in.”

You lost yourself in your work. Quickly diagnosing what you could without your equipment, writing it all down, and making preparations to get back to the cabin and contact the right people before you noticed that he was still there; watching your every move as you made it, concealing whatever he felt behind the strong confident body language of a god.

“You are different.” His head tilted to the side as he allowed himself to see you, to truly see you. “Her pain is soothed by your touch and you called out to her in the water. I saw you. How?”

“No, I didn’t do that. I was just, um, trying something. It’s a coincidence.”

“How did you know where to guide your boat in the darkness?”

You didn’t know what to say.

“I’ve got good instincts. I have to take her back to land and call the closest rehab facility. Will you allow me that much?” You asked, not wanting to rush him and ask the deity that may or may not decide to end your life to leave so you could get the turtle to safety as quickly as possible.

He bowed his head in agreement and you did your best not to sigh in relief right in front of him. It was left unsaid but it was understood and this would not be your last encounter and that it would not be the last time the conversation was brought up. You didn’t think about that now, or you tried not to at least, as you started bringing in the ramp and calling up the anchor to start your return to shore.

You had a job to do.

The god’s sentencing would have to wait.

☀

You had caught the attention of a god unlike any on the surface world had before.

There were no early signs of how much your life would change in the simple refusal of leaving the place you were slowly carving out a home after a lifetime of denying yourself one. The things you wished you could change were how you had gotten there; you would do anything to bring back your mentor. The past could not be changed but the future could be forged into whatever you desired.

There were so many stories to tell of how you got to where you are and you intended to share them. It’s been a long journey to get here.

To your boat sitting alone in the middle of dark waters, welcomed, with moonlight shining overhead.

With you sitting on the stern, hand in the water, calling out to the depths to the king that had stolen your heart as if it had always been meant for him.

It always took a moment and you could not see into the inky black waves but you could feel him approaching and your heart melted when a hand took yours within the water and laced your fingers together.

“You came.” You smiled, using your other hand to move his hair away from those eyes you loved so much.

“I always will when you are the one calling. Join me. I have much to show you.”

☀

((A/N: I'm excited to be actually inspired to write for the first in so many years! This is part one of many one shots that won't be tied to each other so they can be read in any order! If you got to this point and you want to talk about the movie, I'm just one message away! L'iik'ik Talokan!))

#namor #namor x reader #namor x you #black panther wakanda forever #mcu fanfiction #marvel cinematic universe #L'iik'ik Talokan #namor x y/n #tenoch huerta #El Dios de la Brisa

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lcvernat · 2 years

Text

Doodles | Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: Natasha has a habit of drawing on your hand whenever she’s bored.

Word Count: 692

Content Warnings: fluff, so much fluff, too much fluff actually

A/N: i’ve returned. probably. hopefully. maybe. thought i’d come back with a bang aka a very very short (writing over 1k words rn is frankly impossible i’m sorry) but sickeningly sweet little fic. i got this idea from a cute gif i saw and thought it was cuteee so… enjoy! also happy international lesbian day to my fellow lesbians, we rock.

Natasha Romanoff was many things. A complex woman of many layers, and very few got to uncover all of them. Even you were still constantly finding out new things about her. A recent quirk that you had discovered was her love for doodling on your hand. She’d only started doing it recently: during meetings when she was bored, on the Quinjet to get rid of the post-mission jitters, and generally anytime you were near her.

A few months ago, the team was sat in a particularly boring mission. So boring, in fact, that you would have much rather been in your room tackling the mountain of paperwork on your desk than sat listening to Steve blabber on about God knows what (you’d stopped listening about halfway through). Someone lightly taking ahold of your hand and the tickling sensation of a pen gliding across your skin was what brought you out of your daydream and into the present.

You looked at your girlfriend, Natasha, to find her occupied with drawing a little heart on your hand. “What are you doing?” You whispered, briefly glancing up at Steve then looking back at Natasha when you were satisfied that he wasn’t looking.

“Doodling,” she said simply, the tip of her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on drawing various little stars, hearts and smiley faces all over your hand. You smiled at her, even though she couldn’t see it, before entering your daydream again, more than content to let your girlfriend busy herself with turning your hand into her own personal canvas.

That was when it had started, and it kept happening more and more frequently to the point that your hand was constantly covered in various little doodles and you had started to carry a pen around with you at all times incase Nat ever needed it. The team had started to take notice of Natasha’s little habit but no one dared question her on it. Steve had tried once, to reprimand her on not listening during a meeting, and she had sent him such a withering stare that you swore you quite literally saw the 6’1 super soldier shrink into himself in fear. She returned to drawing her cute doodles as if she hadn’t nearly just sent Captain America running as Steve awkwardly regained his composure before picking up where he left off in his speech. No one ever mentioned the newly gained habit after that.

Day after day, new drawings would appear on your hand. Old ones would get washed away, only to instantly get replaced by fresh doodles. They started to get more eccentric after time: stick figures of the two of you, funny drawings of various Avengers (she’d drawn a surprisingly good drawing of Clint sleeping once with drool at the side of his mouth. You had to try your hardest to cover that up for the rest of the day), and she’d even started to leave little messages on your hand that ranged from ‘I love you’ to ‘Tony’s hair looks weird today’.

You found it completely adorable, and you cherished the various drawings she done and the little messages she left you. Even though the redhead had already enraptured you, mind body and soul, letting her draw on you was your way of telling her that you were hers and she could do whatever she wanted with you. Natasha could draw on every inch of your skin and you’d let her.

Natasha Romanoff was many things, and you had never painted her as an artist before, but you had quickly learned to never be surprised when she unveiled another part of herself to you. You love her, everything about her, all the little quirks that only you notice because you pay just that much attention to her and all of the quirks about her that you haven’t yet discovered. Everything about her is a masterpiece that you can’t tear your eyes away from, and you find you don’t want to. You want to untangle every part of her, learn everything you can possibly learn about her, because she’s yours. Forever and always.

tags: @sheneonromanoff @olicity-boo @r4nd0mgir1 @tigerlillyruiz

dm me, send me an ask or reply to be added to my taglist!

#natasha romanoff x reader #black widow x reader #natasha romanoff imagine #black widow imagine #natasha romanoff #black widow #black widow x you #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff comfort #natalia romanova #natasha romanoff x gender neutral reader

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shadowtriovibes · 11 months

Text

before the origin of love

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2.7K

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Character Death, Blood, Major Hogwarts Legacy Spoilers, Canon Divergence, Ancient Magic Theory

Summary: request [paraphrased]: "You know the part during the game when MC visits Ollivander's alone and Rookwood Apparates her away? Can I request an angsty version of this where Sebastian is with f!MC? Rookwood is angry they killed all his men and casts Imperio on Sebastian to force him to attack her. Even though she’s expecting to die by Sebastian’s hand, he eventually fights the curse off because love is more powerful than dark magic."

a.k.a. y'all thought lily potter was the only one with ancient love magic? think again!!!

“Show your face, Rookwood!” you shout into the darkness. “Come out and fight me!” “My dear, why should I fight you?” Rookwood laughs from high above you, still unseen. “This is child’s play, after all…” You feel like time stops as you see a bright green curse rocket through the air toward Sebastian, who is powerless to do anything to stop it. The curse hits him in the chest with such force that he’s knocked backward, his head tipping forward as he lets out a sickening groan. But instead of watching your friend die while you stood by helplessly, you watch in abject horror as he tilts his head up and locks eyes with you – smoky-green, soulless eyes.

The moment you and Sebastian step outside Ollivander’s shop, you realize that the typically bustling streets of Hogsmeade are disquietingly empty. It’s nearly sundown now, and instead of seeing a friendly mix of witches and wizards doing their holiday shopping or stocking up on supplies for the winter months, you find yourselves all alone.

“Take out your wand,” you murmur to Sebastian. “Something’s not right.”

Wordlessly Sebastian draws his wand and takes a step closer to you, warily glancing up and down the empty streets.

Then in the blink of an eye, a well-dressed figure Apparates into view just across the way – Victor Rookwood, you realize, complete with that infuriating hat of his.

“Rookwood,” Sebastian boldly calls out. “So we meet again. Didn’t you get enough of a telling-off last time?”

You silently aim your wand at him, daring him to take one step closer.

“Well, well… looks like your friend Sirona isn’t here to stick up for you little menaces this time,” Rookwood says with a sneer. “I’m afraid you two are on your own. In fact, I’ve ensured that we have a moment to ourselves.”

Sebastian quickly lifts his wand and aims it squarely at the man’s face. “What do you want, Rookwood?”

“Oh, come, come, no need for such theatrics,” the man drawls, slowly creeping closer to you both. “In light of what Ranrok now knows, you must agree that our interests are aligned.”

Sparks crackle at the tip of your wand as you lift it toward Rookwood.

“Our interests will never be aligned,” you murmur.

Rookwood glances significantly at Sebastian before he challenges you.

“My dear, you would let goblins take what is rightfully ours? The final repository belongs to wizardkind. We would be fools not to work together.”

Beside you, you observe the slightest falter in Sebastian’s aim. You should have known that someone like Rookwood would immediately be able to pinpoint and exploit his biggest weakness – his resentment toward goblinkind, his uncompromising belief that only they carry the blame for his sister’s curse.

You imagine him thinking, Could he be right? Are we fools to allow Ranrok’s goblins to continue ransacking Isadora’s Repositories? Could we instead be using them to cure Anne?

But before Sebastian says a word, Rookwood’s eyes land on the long, thin box in your hands.

“What’s that you’ve got there?” he demands.

Quickly, you slip the box safely inside your robes. You shake your head only slightly, but Rookwood easily detects its significance.

Rookwood continues, “Might this sudden visit to the wandmaker have something to do with our… mutual pursuit?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you say softly.

Suddenly, you see Rookwood’s countenance shift as his true motives become clear.

“That repository is my birthright!” he shouts, stepping toward you with a hand outstretched.

Instantly Sebastian steps in front of you and points his wand at Rookwood once more. “I know one thing for certain, and that’s that Charles Rookwood wouldn’t have wanted you anywhere near it!”

Rookwood laughs darkly as he takes a step back.

“The arrogance,” he murmurs, gaze fixed on Sebastian’s determined expression. “I should have known better than to try to reason with a Sallow, after all – you’re no better than your sister, you simpering fool.”

In a frighteningly low voice, Sebastian asks, “What would you know about my sister?”

“Nothing, of course,” Rookwood sneers. “I only meant that I’ve always thought that children should be seen and not heard.”

You inhale sharply, absently lowering your wand as you process Rookwood’s words – the very same that Sebastian had told you were the last words Anne had heard before she was hit with her curse.

Sebastian understands the implication a split second before you do, and you can see bolts of green light shooting down the length of his wand before you even understand what he’s doing.

“Avada–”

Before he can finish his spell, you feel a hand on your shoulder and suddenly you’re hurtling through time and space as you’re forcibly Apparated away from Hogsmeade, landing in a crumpled heap in the snowy grass. You’re smack in the middle of a desolate bandit camp somewhere in the Highlands.

Beside you, Sebastian is catching his breath while his hands tremble with rage.

“Where did he go?” Sebastian demands. “Where did the bloody coward go?!”

“Careful, Sallow,” Rookwood’s voice calls out from the darkness. “Wouldn’t want to get yourself into a bind!”

Sebastian suddenly shouts as thick lengths of rope appear out of thin air and wrap themselves around his body, forcing him to his knees.

“Sebastian!” you yell. “Finite!”

Your spell deflects right off the enchanted ropes, and Sebastian grits his teeth.

“I’m okay,” he insists. “It’ll be alright, just – just get him, you can do this.”

Desperate, you find yourself alone while Sebastian struggles against his ropes. You’re keenly aware of the dozen or so fully-grown wizards Apparting into the camp with their wands drawn. You’ll have to take on every single one of them by yourself, you realize, with nothing but your own wand and the ancient magic coursing through your veins to defend yourself.

It feels endless. Simply deflecting their spells takes nearly all of your focus, even if you try to spare some for Sebastian while he struggles uselessly against his bindings. You toss curse after curse at Rookwood’s men and eventually you’re forced to start tossing actual barrels and crates at them as well, until finally you pare down the lot of them to the last executioner with his wand trained squarely at your heart.

“Bomarba!” you holler, and across the field, the burly executioner goes flying into a pile of rubble and melts away into smoke, the last to abandon his mission and surrender.

“Show your face, Rookwood!” you shout into the darkness. “Come out and fight me!”

“My dear, why should I fight you?” Rookwood laughs from high above you, still unseen. “This is child’s play, after all…”

You feel like time stops as you see a bright green curse rocket through the air toward Sebastian, who is powerless to do anything to stop it. The curse hits him in the chest with such force that he’s knocked backward, his head tipping forward as he lets out a sickening groan. But instead of watching your friend die while you stood by helplessly, you watch in abject horror as he tilts his head up and locks eyes with you – smoky-green, soulless eyes.

Imperio.

“So go on, then,” Rockwood demands. “Play!”

The ropes that had bound Sebastian’s arms to his side quickly fall away, and before you can even react he lifts his wand and rounds on you.

“Confringo!” he shouts, and a blaze of fire soars just past your ear.

“Sebastian,” you call out. “Can you hear me? Don’t do this, please!”

You know it’s fruitless. Sebastian himself had taught you that the Imperius curse cannot be fought off, even by the most powerful wizards who have ever been trained to resist its impenetrable influence. Despite his dueling skills and his broad knowledge of the Dark Arts, you have to assume that Sebastian doesn’t stand a chance against Rookwood’s voice in his ear.

“Levioso!” you counter, hoping to merely hold him off long enough to get to Rookwood and force him to free Sebastian.

But to your chagrin, the Sebastian you’ve known and loved since your first days at Hogwarts is indeed one of the most disciplined and talented duelers you’ve ever fought, and even though he doesn’t want to, he’ll surely give you a run for your money.

“Diffindo!” he growls, and the edge of his curse just barely nicks the side of your calf. You cry out in pain and collapse to the ground as you press a hand to the bleeding wound.

“Want me to release your little friend?” Rookwood calls out. “It’s simple, darling. Join me against Ranrok and I’ll let him live!”

You know deep down that you can’t ally yourself with Rookwood. Despite Sebastian’s initial hesitance, you have to imagine that if he were able to understand your position, he’d do the very same thing that you’re about to do.

It wasn’t the goblins after all, it was him, you can hear him say. We can never join him, not after what he did to Anne. There’s only one way out of this.

Merlin, you think. This is it.

Without your ability to wield ancient magic or the wand made of the Pensieve artifacts, Ranrok may never gain access to the final repository, you convince yourself – especially if he splinters from Rookwood. Sebastian can give the wand to Fig after you’re gone, he can hide it somewhere Ranrok will never find it…

It could all work out, you reckon, if you die.

“Never!” you call out to Rookwood. “I’ll never join you!”

“Then you’ve made your choice,” Rookwood’s voice echoes back. “I’ll let the Sallow boy show you what happens to anyone who says no to me.”

Rockwood’s twisted laughter rings out all around you as Sebastian’s opalescent eyes look you up and down. He lifts his wand and aims it at your heart, and you close your eyes with your own wand at your side.

“Avada Kedavra!”

…

…You’re still breathing.

How are you still breathing?

When you open your eyes, Sebastian is standing before you looking entirely drained, his eyelids drooping as he sways from pure exhaustion. However, just before he collapses you catch a glimpse of his eyes – his usual warm brown ones, the same magnificent eyes you’ll never tire of seeing after all this.

“Sebastian!” you shout, running over to support him as he tumbles to the ground. “Wh-what just happened?”

“Did I get him?” he asks in a whisper. “Rookwood?”

Stunned, you cast Lumos and peer across the empty field until you notice a figure lying in the snow far at the other end – Rockwood, you assume. He isn’t moving, and his legs are bent in a sick, absurd way as if he’d fallen from the watchtower that he now lays below.

“Yes,” you breathe. “You did, b-but… Sebastian, how did you–”

“I don’t know,” he sighs. He’s clinging to your arm as you help him to sit up and rest his head between his knees. “I have no idea, I just… I couldn’t do it.”

“He wanted you to kill me,” you surmise.

“I wouldn’t,” he says hollowly. “It… felt like my head was being split open right down the middle, with one half of me forcing my body to move and aim my wand and the other half knowing that I’d rather die than use that curse on you.”

“Oh, Seb,” you whisper.

You’re both quiet for several long moments while Sebastian takes deep breaths, his face still hidden between his knees. You slowly rub his back through his cloak and wait for him to sit up. He looks haunted when he finally does – even more so than he usually looks.

“I hurt you,” he mumbles. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“I know, love,” you say softly, the pet name slipping out so easily that you barely even register at first. “I’m okay, it’s just a cut. Some Wiggenweld will fix me right up when we get back to the castle.”

“Can I?” he asks hesitantly, and you reluctantly let him pull your cloak to the slide so he can see the gash on your calf.

It isn’t deep, and it isn’t even bleeding anymore, but the ripped trouser leg and drying blood stains make Sebastian curse under his breath nonetheless.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he whispers. “Why did I do that?”

“You have no choice,” you remind him desperately. “No witch or wizard has ever fought off the Imperius curse like that before, Sebastian, and you spared me my life. I don’t care about a bloody cut when I should be dead.”

“Never,” he chants mindlessly. “Never, I wouldn’t.”

That’s when a thought occurs to you.

“Sebastian…” you say softly. “It’s possible that there are… other types of ancient magic in addition to mine.”

He frowns. “What are you saying?”

“Maybe there’s something… something primeval, something elemental to our magic that you accessed,” you wonder aloud. “Professor Fig told me that his wife Miriam had spent years studying ancient magic, and it can’t only be that which I have the power to wield. Perhaps you were able to defy Rookwood’s will because you – you connected with a magic that’s more powerful than even an Unforgivable.”

“More powerful than that kind of darkness?” he asks softly. “...That type of magic exists?”

“Of course, it must,” you say simply. “Darkness can’t be more powerful than light, can it?”

He considers your supposition as if it’s the first time the thought has ever occurred to him.

“So… so what, the power of ‘friendship,’ something like that?” he asks, a corner of his mouth quirking up into the first thing resembling a smile that he’s shown since you entered Hogsmeade hours ago.

“Something like that,” you tease him. “Maybe the power of ‘love.’”

You’d meant it entirely in a platonic way, but as soon as the words are out of your mouth, Sebastian goes red and ducks his face.

“That’s – that’s ridiculous,” he mumbles. “I mean, love, that’s… Who said anything about love?”

You’re quiet while you watch Sebastian try and fail to gather his thoughts. He’s flailing, and all of a sudden you realize something clear as day that you can’t quite believe you never recognized before.

“Sebastian,” you murmur. “...Do you suppose you broke through an Imperius curse because you’re in love with me?”

“Wh-what?!” he laughs.

“Because if you did, that would be probably the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard, in all the books I’ve ever read,” you continue. “And if that were the case, I would have to tell you that I’m madly in love with you, too.”

Sebastian is stunned into silence.

“You love me?” he eventually whispers.

“I do,” you tell him. “And… and I never really thought about it before, because it doesn’t really feel all that different from being friends with you, except – except I would have let you kill me rather than kill you, even though I know what’s at stake.”

“I still think you should’ve,” Sebastian jokes quietly. “You’re much more important than I am.”

“Regardless, we couldn’t have let Rookwood find out about the last Repository, and I would have taken the Killing Curse to stop him,” you sigh. “I trusted you would have taken the Pensieve wand back to Fig.”

“I would’ve turned my wand on myself first,” Sebastian says plainly. “Without a second thought.”

Merlin, you can’t believe he actually says things like that.

Rather than continuing to dwell on what could have been, you offer him a hand up and support him by the elbow while he shakily makes his way to his feet. He still looks pale and rattled, but he’s able to start to walk toward the exit of the crumbling ruins – still clinging to your hand.

“Come on,” you murmur. “When we get back to the castle you can rest.”

“What about the Repository?” he asks weakly.

“Let me and Fig worry about that,” you murmur. “You’ve already done more than enough for me today, love. You need to recover.”

“M’not even hurt,” he protests, but he sounds utterly depleted.

“Hush,” you whisper. “Just keep holding onto me, alright?”

It’s not easy getting Sebastian back to the castle; he keeps pitching to the side on the back of your broom as he fights to stay conscious, but you manage to keep him from falling off. Despite his protests, you take him straight to Nurse Blainey so he can get some proper rest (and so someone will be forced to keep an eye on him for you).

“Be safe,” he murmurs while you squeeze his hand in his infirmary bed. “Please.”

“I promise, Seb,” you tell him, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “Just be here waiting for me when I get back.”

“You’ve made sure of that,” he grumbles, but he offers you an encouraging smile before you leave for the Map Room one final time.

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fic #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian x mc #sebastian x reader #victor rookwood #ANON I AM SO SORRY THIS IS MY OLDEST REQUEST I FINALLY DID IT #YOU ARE A REAL ONE IF YOU READ THIS #title is a reference to 'the origin of love' from hedwig and the angry inch

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findingnemosworld · 4 months

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𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 - 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐤 𝐬𝐳𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐬𝐳𝐥𝐚𝐢

• 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬.

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫.

𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲.

He'd returned home from the celebration, Liverpool had won the Premier League which had completed their quadruple dream - and he couldn't have been more elated, this was everything he could have asked for and then some, his phone had been buzzing with texts messages from old friends and family members — yet despite all of that, despite the elation coursing through his veins, he never forgot her.

Even more so, upon his phone vibrating to remind him that on this very day — both of them had went on their very first day following a lifetime of denial due to their close knit friendship.

The pair were at the local carnival enjoying the festive atmosphere when he decided to try and win her the teddy bear.

" Domi! " She giggles at his failed attempt at throwing the ball at the target. " That’s not how you do it "

He shot her a glare, " Then you try! " he grumbles.

She grabs the ball, aligning her aim to throw the ball until it perfectly hit the target, he looks at her in bewilderment. " How did you do it? "

A coy smile adorns her lips, " I had some practice "

A ponderous sigh escapes his lips, it’d been two years since their split; as much as he tried to move forward — pretend as though his ache has lessened, just the mere the thought of her was enough to send him on a rollercoaster ride of arduously moving emotions.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone vibrating, he averts his gaze downwards to see the screen flashing with a name, her name — she was calling him.

He’s quick to press the ‘answer’ button, placing the device on his ear. " Hello " he says with a shaky voice.

" Domi " Her soft familiar voice envelops him like a blanket on a cold night.

" Baba " He breathes out with a soft smile. " I can’t believe you called "

She giggles and he could have sworn his heart nearly escaped his rib cage — " How can I not call Domi? you’re a Premier League champion, I’m so proud of you "

His heart thuds rapidly at the revelation that she might have seen the match. " You … you uh .. you watched the match? " he whispers as he stood near the window, his gaze shifting towards the clear sky.

" Of course I did " She responds with a soft tone. " I couldn’t miss it for the world … I’ve seen every match you participated in — I was even " she paused before murmuring softly. " I was in the stadium when you won the Europa League "

His eyes widen, his mind drawing back to the very day, Liverpool had won the Europa League trophy. " You were there? why didn’t you …? " the question remains incomplete as he hoped she’d understood him.

A soft sigh escapes her lips as she says, " I was scared, figured you’d forgotten about me "

He chuckles softly, a hint of dejection lurking underneath. " Baba, of all my accolades in football … none of that truly mattered, when I had lost you in the process "

She’s quick to respond, " Domi, it wasn’t your fault … you had no choice "

He groans, " You’re always so fucking forgiving, if I hadn’t listened to my father " he sighs softly.

" Domi " She interjects with a soft and a deep tone. " I know that your father’s intervention wasn’t at all … the best, but hey, you got to do what you love, break free from his hold "

Tears brim in the corners of his eyes, dejection surfacing through his words as he says, " But at what cost? I lost you "

" Domi, you never lost me "

That one simple phrase was enough to silence the voices in his mind for now, " But you’re still in Paris, and I’m here "

" I have about two years left of my studies and you’re thriving in Liverpool, the holidays are coming up " She says with a soft tone full of hope. " We can meet again "

He smiles softly, watching as the stars twinkle up in the sky. " Promise not to laugh if I start crying? "

She giggles, " I can’t make any promises "

A wave of comfortable silence falls between them before he breaks it by saying, " Baba? "

" Hm? " She hums softly.

" I love you to the moon, never forget " He murmurs an all too familiar phrase.

" And I love you … see you soon " She says.

" See you soon " He says.

The moment he ends the call, a few stray tears escape, rolling down his cheeks as he looks at the stars in the sky — his mind drawing back yet another memory, a joyful memory.

She runs up to him, an excited expression decorating her features — " Guess what? "

He grins in amusement, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. " What? "

" I submitted my drawing to the contest and they accepted it it — I’m gonna participate " She squealed in pure elation.

He tugs her close for a warm embrace, pressing soft pecks on her forehead. " I’m so proud of you baba " he whispers.

She looks up to meet his soft gaze, full of pride and unconditional love. " I wouldn’t have done it without your love Domi, thank you "

He beams in response, chuckling when she buried her face in his chest. " I love you baba, never forget "

And they never forgot their love.

#dominik szoboszlai #dominik szoboszlai x reader #dominik szoboszlai one shot #dominik szoboszlai blurb #dominik szoboszlai angst #dominik szoboszlai fluff

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tuiccim · 25 days

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Wrecked (Part 3)

Pairing: Alpha Frank Castle x Omega Reader, Alpha Billy Russo x Omega Reader

Trigger Warnings: References to infertility, love triangle

Summary: When Frank Castle found his way to your small town bar, you thought you had finally found your Alpha despite being a "wrecked omega" but when his best friend, Billy Russo, blows through town, your world tilts on its axis. You thought you found your happy ending but was it just more wreckage for your life?

A/N: Thank you to my beta reader and hype princess, @whisperlullaby

Wrecked Masterlist

Billy smirks, “You clocked me the minute I sat down, didn’t you?”

“I’m sure just as quickly as you did me,” you wink.

“Damn, Frankie got lucky,” Billy continues to flirt.

“Hardly,” you roll your eyes. “Frank got held up but he’ll be here soon. Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me. As long as the drinks keep coming and your friend there keeps entertaining the crowd, I’ll be just fine.”

“That’s Cecily. She’s looking forward to meeting you,” you smile, conspiratorially.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to move on, yet. My heart was just broken by the most beautiful woman in the bar,” Billy whispers intimately.

“I have a feeling you’ll get over it quickly,” you laugh as you walk away to pour more drinks.

“Hardly,” Billy murmurs into his drink as he watches you walk away.

You can feel his eyes follow you as you take care of customers, but on most occasions that you glance back at him, he quickly slid his eyes to Cecily. His curiosity about you was completely natural, you reminded yourself. He just wanted to know about Frank's omega, but that rationalization didn't stop your heart from beating faster every time you caught his gaze. It was almost as if his eyes were drawing you in, two near black pools that seemed to beg for you to fall into them. You shook yourself when you realized you were frozen, staring at him, and his cocky smirk let you know he was well aware. He lifted his glass to salute you as you scurried back to work.

You were relieved an hour later when Frank finally made it to the bar. He immediately grabbed Billy by the shoulder and the two shared a boisterous greeting, clapping each other on the back as they hugged. It was almost sweet to see the smiles they both wore. You slid a beer in front of Frank's barstool while the two were engrossed in each other and went about working. When the two had had some time to catch up, you motioned for Cecily to join you during a lull. Frank glanced up as you approached and his lips twisted in a sardonic smile, "Bill, let me introduce you to this terror. Cecily Meyers, Billy Russo. Billy, Cecily."

You were a little surprised that Frank barely acknowledged you and hadn’t bothered to introduce you. Normally, he was sure to say hello when he came in and, more often than not, gave you a kiss. He’d barely given you a nod since he appeared. You shook it off figuring he was just distracted by his friend.

"Thanks for that endearing intro, Frank!" Cecily snarks as she holds a hand out to Billy, "It's nice to meet you.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Billy says while displaying that drop dead gorgeous smile. “You were putting on quite a show.”

“Gotta keep the tip jar full,” Cecily grins, leaning in.

Almost imperceptibly, Billy leans away saying, “You do a good job of it.” He shifts his attention back to you, asking, “Do you have the same tricks up your sleeves?”

“Oh, that and more,” you wink at Frank who only gives you a glance.

“She taught me all her bar tricks but I’ve got a few of my own,” Cecily says flirtatiously.

“I never could master dancing on the bar,” you quip as you pull another beer and quickly deliver it to the signaling customer.

Cecily laughs and puts a hand on Billy’s arm, “I’m a pretty good dancer. I’ve got plenty of moves.”

Billy gives her a brief smile and turns to Frank, “Yeah, Frankie, we were never much good at dancing.”

“We got pretty good at running for cover,” Frank says, remembering back to their days as Marines.

“You remember that bar we found outside of Kandahar?” Billy recalls.

“The one you nearly caused an international incident in? Yeah, I remember the bullets whizzing past as we ran.”

Billy laughs, “Good times.”

You can’t help the laugh that escapes you, “We have very different ideas of ‘good times’ but it sounds exactly like something you two would enjoy. ‘Always getting in and out of scrapes’ is how Frank describes your friendship.”

“Sounds about right,” Billy gives you a sly smile.

“I’d love to hear some of the stories, I bet they’re fascinating.” Cecily flips her hair with a smile, “Maybe you could tell me some over a drink after last call.”

“I’m putting these two out enough by crashing with them and I’m pretty beat. Probably best if I head home with them,” Billy declines smoothly.

“Some other time, then,” Cecily smiles but you recognize the umbrage that sparks in her eyes. She went back to tending the bar, flirting, and showing off her skills with the occasional glance directed Billy’s way. To her annoyance, he rarely seemed to take his eyes off of you unless he was directing his attention to Frank.

After last call, you closed out the last of the tabs, and cleaned up as the bar emptied. Cecily grabbed the tip jar and nodded her head for you to follow her to the back room. She dumped the contents of the jar out and you both started sorting the cash.

“I don’t like him,” Cecily snipes.

“I’m sorry,” you say for lack of anything better.

“There’s something off about him,” she continues.

“What do you mean?”

“I… he… I just get a weird vibe,” she shrugs.

“Well, he’s only here for a couple of days. You won’t-”

“He kept staring at you. Like he’s, I don’t know,” she huffs.

“Like he’s curious about his friend’s omega?” You reason.

“No. Like he’s calculating, making some kind of plans. Are you sure you want him staying with you?”

You laugh lightly, “I’m not worried. Frank will be there.” Truthfully, you were chalking most of Cecily’s feelings up to anger at being rejected.

“Maybe that’s exactly what they want,” she says.

“What?” You look at her askance.

“I’ve got a really bad feeling. What if they’re planning something?”

“Like what, Cec? You think they’re gonna rob me?” You try to laugh off her suspicions but it seems to put her even more on edge.

“I don’t know! There is something off. I wish you would take me seriously right now,” she says.

“I’m sorry. I just… I’m not getting the same vibe. I trust Frank. Don’t you?” You raise your eyebrows at her.

“I…I don’t know. I never thought he was going to stick around this long, honestly. Did you?” She asks.

“Um, I, not really but then he did. I’m happy with him. He’s a good guy.”

“I just feel like he’s going to hurt you in the end,” she shrugs.

“That’s how most relationships end, with a lot of hurt. I’ll be fine. I’m glad to have him while I do,” you reassure her.

“‘While you do?’ So, you don’t think he’s going to stick around either?” She asks.

“I think he will but you never really know, right?”

“And his friend? Billy just seems off,” she insists.

“Off? Cec, are you, maybe, put off because he wasn’t exactly receptive to you?” You ask.

“I don’t give a fuck that he didn’t flirt with me! There’s something wrong with him! And if his best friend is Frank, there must be something wrong with him, too!” She says meanly.

“Don’t say things like that, there’s nothing wrong with Frank! He’s a good man!”

“You’re so blind! Can’t you see he’s using you?” She says heatedly.

“What the hell are you on about? He’s not using me! He’s going to mate me!”

“What?” She stares, open mouthed.

“He’s going to mate me on my next heat. He’s not using me!”

“Frank’s an Alpha. His nature is to breed. He’ll never mate you! He’s using you and he probably brought his friend in to help hide your body or some shit!” Cecily seethes.

“Cecily! Are you serious right now?” You stare agape at your friend.

“Why else would he be with you? You can’t give him what he wants! He’s just using you. Why is he with you? Why did he choose you?” Cecily practically shouts.

You stare in shocked silence for a moment before saying gently, “Cecily, stop. It’s not… It’s not like that. Frank just… he’s been through a lot. He needed something uncomplicated.”

“He’s using you and you don’t even care? How pathetic can you be?” Cecily spits, the venom in her voice turning your blood cold.

“You’re… you’re jealous. You’re jealous that he turned you down and then went home with me. And now, you can’t stand the thought that Billy wasn’t interested in you and paid more attention to me? Isn’t that just like you?” You unleash your anger.

“I’m not jealous of you!” Cecily shouts.

“You are! You’re angry that someone would choose the wrecked Omega over the pedestaled princess. And you always want what you can’t have. That’s why you’ve never accepted any man that ever pursued you. If they want you, you’ll play with them and use them but you never want them. Now, one of the few men that has ever passed you over, chose me and you can’t stand it! God forbid now Billy shows some interest in me, AS HIS FRIEND’S OMEGA, and you turn psycho! What the fuck is wrong with you?” You regret the words as soon as they leave your mouth but you stand your ground. After all, everything you said was true.

“Fuck you! Your father should have put you down! No one wants you! No one will ever really love you! You don’t even deserve to be called an Omega! You’re nothing!” Cecily throws the money she held in your face before turning to storm out.

“I’m the one going home with two Alphas and you’ll be alone, as usual,” you say quietly to her back. You were surprised at your own cruelty but her words had cut deep. She was your oldest friend and you never thought she would use your worst insecurities against you. She paused for just a split second but then exited, slamming the door behind her.

You felt the tears well in your eyes. Your heart was breaking at the vicious way you had torn into each other. Slowly, you pick up the money from the floor and throw it into your safe. You took a moment, let a few tears fall and then wipe them away. You fan your eyes to help dry them and compose yourself.

“Everything okay back here?” Frank sticks his head through the door.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll be right there. Just finishing up,” you say, not turning towards him.

“Where’s Cecily?” Frank asks after glancing around.

“She had to go,” you say simply.

“Hmph,” Frank grunts, “Billy pissed her off?”

You give a breathless little laugh, “How’d you guess?”

“She’s not used to being the one turned down.”

“Ain’t that the truth. I’ll be right out,” you give a fleeting smile over your shoulder but have to hold yourself together as more tears threaten.

“Okay,” Frank backs out of the door and you hear him ask Billy if he wanted anything else before leaving.

You head to the bathroom to put some cold water on your neck and make some repairs to your face. Some eye drops help with the redness of your eyes. You stare at yourself in the mirror as emotions war through you. The barb Cecily had thrown your way about your father and not being a real Omega had come straight from her knowledge of your trauma. You hadn’t known she could be so cruel. Feeling tears begin to well again, you shake your head and grip the sink. Looking up again, you growl at yourself, “Turn it off.”

Immediately, your mask drops into place. Your face shows a calm countenance and your shoulders straighten. Frank’s best friend was here and you would hold yourself together to give him a great visit. You would fall apart after he left.

–

“This is really nice. I kinda expected you to live above the bar,” Billy says as his eyes study the inside of your cabin.

“No, I rent that apartment out,” you smile.

“You do?” Frank gives you a surprised look.

“Yeah, I wanted a little distance between myself and the bar,” you explain. “I spend so much time there I want my own space away from it. When this place came available I jumped on it.”

“Smart,” Billy says.

“Thanks. Why don’t you drop your bag in here?” You open the door to the room Billy will be sleeping in.

“Okay,” he smiles as he brushes past you. You have to stop yourself from closing your eyes as you catch his scent. Without the bar overpowering it, he smelled even more enticing.

“Who rents it?” Frank’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts.

“What?” You ask, momentarily confused.

“Who rents the apartment?” Frank says again.

“Oh, Jordan. He’s been there for six months or so now,” you look at Frank seeing a strange expression on his face. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I just didn’t realize,” Frank shrugs.

Turning back to the room, you walk through to open a door, “Um, the bathroom is through here. It’s a jack-and-jill bathroom. The other door is to our bedroom. Please make yourself at home. Would you like a drink or anything?”

“No, gorgeous, I’m good,” Billy says. The endearment sends a little thrill through you.

“Well, uh, if there are no objections, I’m going to shower and hit the hay. I’m pretty beat,” you look to Frank.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Frank shrugs as he grabs a beer from the fridge. “Want one?” He asks Billy.

“Sure,” he answers before turning to you with a smile, “Good night.”

“Good night, Billy. I hope you sleep well,” you return his smile. A final glance at Frank who is concentrating on opening the beers has your smile disappearing. Escaping to the bedroom you undress while trying to sort, your multitude of feelings, Cecily’s cruelty, Frank’s standoffishness, and this inexplicable attraction to Billy. Frank had told you that Billy went through women fairly quickly. He had never been close to settling down. You can fully understand how he managed it. There was something magnetic about him. His eyes and smile drew you in. And, my god, his scent was enough to make you want to fall into his bed alone.

You shake yourself from those thoughts and step into the spray of the shower. It was disloyal to Frank and he was good to you. His reticence tonight had hurt but you chalked it up to his friend being here and wanting his approval… And then the thought hit you, what if Frank’s remoteness is due to shame? What if he didn’t want his friend to know that you weren’t… a real Omega?

You felt the tears well again and, in the safety of the shower, you let them fall. Sobs wracked your body and you bit down on your fist to stifle any sound. The question that haunted you ran through your mind over and over again, would you ever be enough for someone?

You knew Frank cared about you but, even if he did stay and mate you, you would always feel that you had stolen something from him. He would have stolen something from you, too. You wanted to be loved. Really loved, not a settlement or convenience. That thought had your tears turning to anger. You curl your hands into fists and force yourself to calm down. Tamping down all your feelings, you turn off the water and finish getting ready for bed.Your room is empty and you can hear the low murmurs of their voices in the living room. Cocooned in the covers, you close your eyes and try to will yourself to sleep. It feels like hours before it finally claims you.

–

Waking the next morning, you’re surprised to see the empty spot next to you. It was obvious Frank had been there but the spot was cool to the touch. He’s been gone for a while. You weren’t sure how to feel. Normally, Frank would wake you for sex if you hadn’t the night before. Maybe he was just uncomfortable with his friend in the house. You attempt to shrug it off. You had to let it go for now, you were too full of emotions and you needed to be a good hostess and still had to work the bar tonight.

After getting dressed, you head to the kitchen to find Billy leaning against the kitchen counter drinking from your favorite coffee mug. His long legs crossed in front of him makes him look utterly relaxed as he stares out the window at the creek. He’s just taking another sip when you move into his peripheral.

“Mmm, morning,” Billy straightens. “Can I pour you a cup of coffee?”

A grin spreads across your face as you answer, “Good morning. Shouldn’t I be asking you that since you’re the guest?”

He smiles and your heart beats a little faster. Despite your question, he reaches for a mug and pours, “I can't pass up a chance to service a beautiful woman.”

You snicker, “Double entendre fully intended, I'm sure.” You take the coffee cup and ask, “Where’s Frank gotten off to?”

“He went to pick up some doughnuts. Said I had to try them. I begged off going with him. I was in the car all day yesterday,” he shrugs.

“Ah, Melinda's Cafe. He's obsessed,” you laugh.

Billy's eyes wander over your face, “He said he'd be back in 30 minutes. That was about ten minutes ago. Since we have time, what happened last night?”

You stare, confused, “What do you mean?”

“What happened with Cecily?”

“Nothing. I think she felt a little rejected and went home,” you say, relieved.

“Frankie went to the bathroom at one point. I walked over to check on you two in the back room and I heard Cecily say something along the lines of ‘Fuck you. Nobody loves you. You're not a real Omega.’ Why did she say that?” Billy tilts his head as he stares into you.

“Uh, she… she was angry. She didn't mean it,” you hedge, turning away.

Billy grabs your arm and pulls you back around to face him, “Why did she say that?”

“She was mad that you paid more attention to me than her. She'll get over it,” you say quickly.

“No,” Billy brackets his arms around you, grasping the counter. “Why did she say you're not a real Omega? What did she mean?”

You froze, staring wide-eyed as thoughts bombarded your mind. You couldn't tell him. What if it shamed Frank? What if Frank was angry that you told his friend? But then, the seed of anger that had formed last night began to bloom. Why did you have to be ashamed? Why were you less than because of something you had no control over? What did you have to lose by telling the truth? Despite all of your thoughts, you still squeaked out, “Noth-”

“Don't say nothing! Tell me.” The Alpha came out in his voice as he said it and the pull to give into his demand was undeniable.

“I can’t… I can't have kids. That's why I'm not a real Omega. I still go into heat but it's no use, I can't breed. No Alpha wants a wrecked Omega but Frank has offered to mate me. It sent her over the edge and she was pissed that Frank didn't choose her. She flirted with him when he first came to town but he brushed her off. I'm not a real Omega… please don't tell Frank I told you. I think he's ashamed of it and he's been so standoffish since you got here. I-”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I won't say anything,” Billy assured softly. “You're sure you can't?”

“Yeah, it's medically impossible,” you can't quite meet his eyes.

“I'm sorry,” he softly touches your cheek.

“It's fine,” you look up at him and lose yourself in his eyes. His scent envelopes you and you can feel your body respond.

“I don't know how he's resisted mating you until now,” Billy's hand trailed to your neck and his fingers played over your scent gland. You give a shuddering gasp at the caress. Your body goes into overdrive and you feel your panties flood. Billy leans in even closer, closing his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I don't know how you can say you're not a real Omega. Everything about you screams it. Especially your scent. I could stand here all day and not get enough of it.”

“You shouldn't say things like that to me,” you put a hand on his chest but fail to push him away.

He looks at you intensely, his face close to yours, “Tell me you don't feel this. Tell me it's just me feeling this pull and I'll stop. I won't say anything else.”

“We can't do this,” you whisper.

“Tell me,” he says, lips only a few scant inches from yours.

“Billy-”

The rumble of an engine and the slam of a truck door has the two of you separating quickly. When Frank walks in carrying a box, he smiles at the two of you, “Coffee ready?”

“Yeah, I'll make you a cup,” you say quickly. As you pour, you glance at Billy. He was watching you as he drank from his mug. You turn away to take a deep breath. This was going to be a long two days.

Part 4

Please follow my sideblog @tuiccimfanfiction for update notifications. All series and new stories will be reblogged to it. You will only receive notifications when a new part or story is out! Nothing else will be blogged to the page. I can’t thank you enough for your support!

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demoniccomplex · 2 months

Note

hii could request message 4 with Poe? pleaseee

4 (“i'm so glad you feel the same cause i refuse to leave you”)

personally loving the individual poe requests (even though the event is over) despite the little hard ships. sorry for my slowness im struggling here mentally but im trying!!

WC 649 // tws: average Y!poe being a tad bit creepy (nothing sexual dw)

The bookstore and library was your favorite place to visit, the quietness and overall tranquility kept bringing you back along with your preferred genre. The workers at the bookstore memorized your face, greeting you like you were one of their own. You really couldn't ask for more, everyone knew how to keep tight and not bother anyone. The bookstore was tiny and uneventful but it had all the right books you wanted and it kept drawing you back every time.

Other patrons of the bookstore were just as pleasant, your own personal wonderland. Recently a new person came in, the outfit worn was wildly different than any other usual clothing you’d seen. You only admired from afar, really it was all you could do for a man who stood out completely in a small store. It's hard not to gawk eyes at a man with a raccoon on his shoulders purring happily at his company. You don't remember how you got to talking with the man, he was pleasant as he could be. Much to your surprise you two got along fairly fast, you loved to talk about everything about the current book you were into that month. You got more out of the tiny bookstore when hanging out with the man, Poe alongside his best friend, Karl. hanging out and drinks were commonplace with the two of you, you didn't fear Poe.

Yet with all the moments you hung out with him, it was hard to fully grasp all the complexities hidden within the man you spend every second with. His beautiful eyes swirling with admiration towards every detail about your figure then to a dark glimmer when it's anyone else near you. His endless rants were genuinely nice to listen to and you’d even asked questions to some of the rambled up words and plans he’d spit out comfortably with you. Clasping his hands together with a massive smile on his face as he rambled on more excitedly the two of you sharing ideas with each other. You never knew the full extent to the insanity you led him to during the first moments of ever meeting him.

The way your hair and eyes caught his heart enough to start twisting and distorting his very reality with every soft moment of yours. The multitude of letters piling up in a hidden away drawer, never to see any light ever since the first ink drop sealed on to the soft material.

Your feelings came slowly, not yet in true love but enough to risk some of your wellbeing for him. Poe was glad you two never got interrupted often, his jealousy is an ugly beast that he couldn't let you see just yet. You’d understand no? Understand the burning love within his heart that could only burn because of you? Every late night spent feeling his mind slip away and every part of you filling the space up, every immoral thought of keeping you by his side forever. Every touch of his hands covering up his face at the mere thought of a simple kiss from your lips. It's driving him mad and there's no sign of stopping. But his question was answered when you asked him to stay just a little longer.

You confessed to him, full understanding if he wasn't interested but the barely contained whisper that left his mouth was all you wanted. “i-I’m so glad you feel the same ca-cause i refuse to leave you.”

The swirl of madness in his eyes only worsened and he took you by hand aggressively spouting nonsense in a state of flustered obsession. “I’ve wa-waited so long for this moment!” He was so happy you loved him back! Now you won't ever leave him right? Won't go out of your way to leave the world he's building just for the two of you? Afterall you feel the same.

#yandere bsd #yandere bsd x reader #bsd x reader #yandere #bsd #edgar allen poe x reader #yandere poe #bsd poe #poe x reader

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infinitebrians · 4 months

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Favorite Games of 2023 Part 4: Pseudoregalia

I knew Pseudoregalia was going to be good the minute I started the game and did the input for the Mario 64 side flip jump and the game’s main character Sybil did her own version of that satisfying jump. One of my all time favorite things to do in a Mario game (or any game) is that side flip, a jump that is as practical as it is just simply satisfying to do. Sybil being able to do that jump without needing any of the power ups found in the game told me that the developers of this game knew the importance to making character feel good jumping around in a 3D world. Her movement only gets better from there with a bunch of new platforming abilities that makes her capable of getting what feels like anywhere in that game world if desired. The pure control you have over Sybil's platforming capabilities gave me so many great moments of pure curiosity to experiment with what could work. What's better is watching friends and others play the game and figure out their own solutions to the game's open ended platforming design. There are no wrong answers in the world of Pseudoregalia, just results.

This game was a complete surprise in just about every way, just the best feeling platformer I’ve played in a long while in this small, cleaned up former game jam game. I’ve followed the main dev rittzler on twitter for a few years because the gameplay clips of their work have all looked fun and impressive and they always shared other really cool indie dev work as well. So, I was excited to finally play Pseudoregalia when it was announced to be released. It's super low price (6 dollars USD) and being something I was able to finish in the span of one day alone was a huge breath of fresh air in this current gaming environment. It’s something I’ve been personally thinking a lot about recently is the appeal of a simpler, lower priced game. It’s appeal to me coming from playing something that never needs to be some sort of omnipresent, super game. Instead, Pseudoregalia presents itself in a humble statement of, ‘here, enjoy a few hours jumping around this wacky maze like castle as a goat bunny lady!’.

I'm not a person who typically ever has a desire to replay a game right after finishing it, I usually prefer to immediately move on to another game that I've been wishing to play for for a while. Pseudoregalia is a game I've played four or so times now from start to finish, I even started another playthrough in preparation for this drawing/writing and found myself wanting to play it all the way through again. Its the first time I found myself actually physically seeing the appeal of speedrunning, a hobby I always just enjoyed as a spectator. Pseudoregalia just lends itself so neatly to that part of me that loves routing out a path for stuff. How quickly can you find all the vital movement abilities for Sybil? What's unnecessary, what can be improved, what can be gathered while on the path of gathering something else. From at least my perspective of not actually investigating the proper speedrunner's routing, the options feel immense. From these handful of times replaying the game I've gotten a good handle of finding my way around the map and a good idea of how to get a lot of the really important movement abilities almost immediately. It also made the game feel quite different from how it felt to me with my first playthrough, what was once mysterious and labyrinthine was now a familiar playground.

That is one thing I will miss when doing those repeat playthroughs is that sense of discovery that occurred with that initial run. Soon before Pseudoregalia came out, I watched a lot of Videochess and spaghoner's exploration and documentation of the incredible Mario 64 hack, B3313 ( https://youtu.be/pLKB0SG0i8c ). I found that hack incredible at creating a sense of uneasiness and wonder from simply keeping you constantly guessing what was next behind each door something even those two expressed while streaming. During my first playthrough of Pseudoregalia, I was completely lost in that castle and was constantly finding paths that led to new zones or ones circled me back to old ones from hours ago. It was a pretty incredible feeling of discovery that only wore out it's welcome at the end when I just needed one more big key necessary for progression. What helped make exploration in both of these games engaging the whole time is that aspect of having a really fun character to move around as while being lost. It was okay with being completely lost because I could still just keep doing these long jumps into wall kicks that just make Sybil go fuckin' fast in an immensely satisfying way.

I think in the time it's taken me to think about this game again, and briefly revisit it in preparation for this art/writing I've come to decide that this is probably my favorite new game of 2023. In a year full of fantastic platformers to pick from, this one was just a class above in terms of movement design and movement application.

#drawdogs #art #pixel art #favorite games of 2023 #writing #pseudoregalia #sybil pseudoregalia

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alphabetatoes · 4 months

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tennesee whiskey (n. kento x reader)

a.n.: this is basically a drawn out version of the prompt i posted earlier. fic title is in reference to the chris stapleton cover song (felt appropriate for the bar theme) (and and also also lets admire how cute the dividers i made in canva are) does this jump around in characterization? yeah maybe. go ahead, call the whimsy police on me! summary: nanami teaches you how to play pool c.w.: reader referred to using she/her pronouns, alcohol (reader is 21+), suggestive themes, smut if you squint, jealous nanami, and the ever-present risk of writing ooc. barely beta read (though what fic of mine is lmao) w.c.: 1.4k

You and Nanami were sent out to the middle of nowhere to exorcise a curse, in hopes of stopping it before it had the chance to propagate into something worse. Even though it was a Grade 3 curse, the higher ups deemed it safest for the two of you to go as a pair.. It was an in-and-out mission, the two of you making quick work to intervene. Soon enough, you were back in the car and headed back to campus. The simple pitter patter of raindrops hitting the windshield brought a strange sense of comfort. But the calm could only last for so long. A barricade of rain began to drop, bringing a swift end to the peace. He drove until the road was unnavigable, pulling off into an empty parking lot. The two of you were stranded. Your options were to either wait out the storm in the car, or attempt to find solace somewhere nearby. You chose to press your luck with the latter.

“Over there.”, he points out, pulling your attention.

Across the street, there was a dive bar still open despite the storm. The flickering neon lights were your own personal Eden. When you enter the bar, you’re immediately hit with warmth. A concoction of body heat and cigarette smoke fill the room. You can’t seem to mind it though. It draws the attention away from your clothes starting to form a second skin on your body.

“Now don’t you two look wonderful.” The bartender jokes. He bears a giant grin, and you can’t help but to feel unsettled by it. “If you got a change of clothes, restrooms are over that way.” Today was one of the days you were grateful for the spare set of clothes you kept on hand. Missions were unpredictable, and you never knew when you’d be stuck somewhere. You seize the opportunity and head to the restroom, eager to remove the soaked clothes. While you change, Nananmi orders two drinks from the bar.

“For you and your girlfriend?” “Hell, if she’s not spoken for, I’ll have to make her mine!” It’s not like he had a claim over you or anything. But as your partner, and even more so as your friend, he made your protection a top priority. It didn’t matter if they were one off comments. Nanami had lost too many to be careless.

“She’s fine.” Nanami’s tone is dry, unimpressed by the barkeep’s boldness. You return from changing, noticing the blond standing closer to you than before. It’s probably just a safety thing. Better to stay close together than apart, right?

“Drink this.” He hands you the other glass of whiskey. “It’ll help warm you up.” The liquor goes down relatively smooth, and you revel in the warmth of it. “How about a game of pool to pass the time?” You nod over at the table in the corner of the bar. The rain wasn’t letting up any time soon, and you figured it was a good way to pass the time. “You’ve played pool?”

“I’ve dabbled in it… online.” He rolls his eyes and hands you a stick. A hint of a smile crosses his face. That stoic exterior he fronts at all times slowly starting to chip away. “We could make it fun. Loser has to do something for the winner?” An opportunity for the adult of all adults to let loose. You were curious to know what was behind that rigid exterior. “If I win, you buy me a drink.”

“And what if I win?” A virtual win does not a professional pool player make, but you weren’t completely oblivious to the game. Even if the odds were stacked against you, you weren’t going down without a fight.

“Given the likelihood of that, I’ll do whatever you want.” He breaks, immediately shooting 3 balls into the pockets. Show-off. “Where’d you learn to play like that?” Of course the man of many secrets would turn out to be a semi-professional. Or he just really wanted a free drink. “Shoko and I used to play all the time when we were younger.”

It’s your time to shine. You step up to the table and ready your shot. “You’re doing it wrong.” Nanami smirks at your rigid form.You’re stiff as a board, awkwardly hovering the stick over the table. “Then show me, Mr. Professional.” Nanami moves from his spot across the table and positions himself right behind you. He places one hand on your stomach, arching your back out to him, and lets the other rest on your waist. “Now place your hands here.” He moves your right hand to grasp the pool stick; your left hand rests on the table forming a hand bridge toward the end of the stick. “Line up the shot and pull back when you’re ready.” He guides you to move, yet never adjusts his position from behind you. Hell, if you moved even an inch back, you’d ram right into him. You couldn’t say you minded though.

Just as instructed, you line up your shot and pull back. Once you release, the pool stick makes perfect contact with the cue ball. It spins for a moment, then promptly hits a striped ball into one of the six pockets. “Good shot.” His breath tickles your ear as he speaks. “Now do that about 8 more times and you’ll win.” You line up your second shot and- “Fuck.” The cue ball bounces off the side of the table and right into one of the pockets. “You’re overthinking it. Try not to be so stiff.” His tone is soft, sickly sweet almost.“Relax yourself.” He gives you a simple smirk as you relax, albeit into him. His strong hands hold on to your shoulders, kneading into them gently. Were you not in the middle of a game, you’d melt into his touch. Right here, right now.“

Easy for you to say. You’ve got like 4 balls left!” You whine, and his smirk grows wider. “Anything could happen.” Cocky. Such an easy claim for the blond to make! He was practically prodding a reaction out of you. And you would give it to him. A slap on the arm that he’d hope would linger for a second longer, but you pull away to align your next shot.

It had to be a fluke. The two of you were tied; it could’ve been anyone's game. But Nanami slipped up, knocking the 8 ball right into one of the pockets a turn early. Meaning you had won. Despite his banter with you about playing, he didn’t seem all that upset about the loss. “Alright, winner. Name your prize.”

“Kiss me?” You test the waters, careful not to scare him off. Be it the adrenaline rush from winning or the liquor, something emboldened your choice of prize. Nanami didn’t seem opposed either. His hands found their way to your waist, pulling you closer to him as you lean in. You can feel the heat radiating from his body, his touch sending shivers down your spine. Your arms wrap around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair, as you lose yourself in the intoxicating taste and feel of him. Nanami is the one to deepen the kiss, pinning you against the table with his thigh. You let your hands fall to his shirt collar, playing with it and pulling him in closer.

As he cast a pointed look towards the bartender across the room, it became clear that Nanami had no intentions of letting anyone encroach on what was rightfully his. His lips trail down your jawline, leaving a trail of wet kisses in their wake, and finally rests against the sweet spot between your neck and shoulders. Nanami nips at the skin, deep enough to leave a mark. You pull away, trying to catch your breath. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you lost on purpose.” You smile, fixing the creases in his shirt collar. Nanami’s bruised lips pull into a cocky grin as he brushes his thumb over your lips. “Don’t doubt your ability. If anything, call it a newfound talent.”

“And what if I wanted to take this celebration somewhere more private?” You raise your brows, desperate to keep going but without prying eyes. Nanami picks up on your request immediately, releasing you from the pool table. Possessive, his grasp pulls you close. It’s firm but gentle, a simple comfort as he leads you. You both shuffle into the small bathroom and lock the door. And right now, more than ever, you’re grateful for the deep drumming of the thunder and the loud pour of the rain.

#this is kind of dialogue heavy but i still hope yall enjoy 😭#x reader #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento #jjk #jujutsu kaisen

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won4ver · 7 months

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Tulips bloom in our tears

🌷 a series where you and riki love each other in every life. [inspired by nessa barrett songs]

in your first life you promised riki that you would love him the same in every life, and he promised he’d love you forever. what you didn’t know was that the gods heard your promises, and they cried for you. your fate in that life was already decided, you were born to die early, and he was born to live forever. the gods tears fell from the clouded abyss, disguised as rain. they cried for the wandering boy, the boy who couldn’t get in. they wished for a miracle, oh and what a miracle it was. the couples fate was changed, they would meet and fall in love all the same in every life. who knew all it took was a wish on the tears, the everlasting tulips bloomed in the holes of their melancholic love and created their own heaven.

but why does it seem like most of them end in tragedy

their first life

now playing : i can’t get in

↳ “what if i can’t get in? how will i see you again?”

everyone told him that he will get over it; that he will get over you. but they don’t understand, no one ever does. they say he’s wasting his life mourning over someone who won’t come back, that he needs to move on. they don’t understand that you were his life, and when you died everything he loved about himself died along with you. you were the thing he loved the most about himself, and without you everything is black and white. no matter how many times he tried to get to you, he never could.

🤍🩵

their second life

now playing : i’ve never loved you more

↳ “we can pretend that this didn’t happen”

he tried his best, he always did. but sometimes his best just wasn’t good enough for you. you knew he was busy with his career, but you didn’t sign up to have a part time boyfriend. he wanted to be there for you, it was just hard. you knew he didn’t understand, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. he never knew about the obvious hourglass, and he especially didn’t know about how it was almost completely out. he was too late, he’s always been bad at time. even the sand didn’t wait for him, how could he expect love to? all you wanted was to be loved by him, i guess we can’t hold other people to our own expectations.

🤍🩵

their third life

now playing : you’re more than beautiful, you’re mine

↳ you’re lucky that you’re pretty”

after hearing his label mates new song riki decided to show her that there’s more to her than her body. he’s heard of her, everyone has. she’s untouchable, with visuals that rival the beauty of the night sky. she’s everywhere, her face plastered on every billboard and bus alike. her voice sounds from every platform, her velvety voice attracts the ears of everyone, hypnotizing them and drawing them into the ad. and finally she’s there, crying in her practice room with her arms wrapped around her body with her new solo blasting in the room. riki’s admired her from afar, and now it’s time to show her why he loves her. and why she should love herself.

🤍🩵

their forth life

now playing : even blindfolded i’d still find you

↳ “so it’s you and me against the world”

two dancers, two blindfolds, one song. regionals were coming up and deceils academy was scrambling for something different, for something no one was expecting. nishimura riki, leader of the male dance team. and arguably the best dancer in the entire academy. well thats what everyone assumed until the dance team stumbled upon her. Ln yn, the star figure skater. and arguably the schools biggest loner. what better way to not only win regionals but to hopefully soften the cold leader then to submit them as a duo. seems pretty easy right? well not only do they have to dance as a duo, but blindfolded. two souls who’ve always had trouble trusting others now had to put complete trust in each other.

🤍🩵

their fifth life

now playing : a stars reunion

↳ “hell is right around the corner, but it’s heaven next to you”

the end of the world was approaching and like an avalanche they all fell down. it was just them left, their stairs creaked with the weight of their burdens. in the late nights of the apocalypse they only have each other and the stars, until they only have the stars. the monsters sounded from outside their hut, but when they’re together everything will be alright. even the end of the world couldn’t stop their love, until it did.

🤍🩵

their sixth life

now playing : true loves kiss is a fraud, isn’t it?

↳ “praying on a lucky star”

even though they’ve attended the same school since elementary they’ve never interacted with each other. they always got placesin different classes, and their friend groups couldn’t be anymore different. their timelines never entwined. but they doesn’t mean that it will always stay that way. sometimes the things you could grow to love the most could be right in front of you, or on the kiss cam above you.

🤍🩵

their seventh life

now playing : 4 5683 968, 4'6 76779

↳ “you think you can keep me?”

he shouldn’t be in love with his best friends brother, god it makes him sick. it makes him sick how obsessed he is, how he would do anything for the boy who makes him feel alive. he loves him so much, that’s why he has to do this. he tells himself that every morning while looking into the mirror, he tells himself that after avoiding him all day at school. he tells himself that after constantly breaking his heart. he loved him, but not enough to keep him. riki was selfish, and his reputation meant everything to him. but was his reputation worth losing the love of his life? he was too dumb, and too late. he already lost him, he was gone. riki never got to say goodbye, all that was left to prove their existence was the photos in riki’s private photo album and the voice memo left in his messages. “i love you, i’m sorry”. but riki didn’t know that love had different plans for him, he had a chance at love again.

🤍🩵

their eighth life

now playing : they couldn’t save you, but i will

↳ “i don’t want to live without you”

nishimura riki’s parents hated everyone, so why were they now sitting in a crowded venue with a video camera sat on his mother’s shoulder, and a huge bouquet of flowers clutched in his fathers arms? most importantly, why are they cheering and screaming this random girl’s name with huge, blinding, smiles on their usual stoic faces? riki grew up hearing his parents tell him to stay away from everyone who wasn’t like him, who wasn’t like them. riki kept a close friend group his whole life, only befriending the other kids in their mafia. it came to a shock to everyone when riki’s parents suddenly became extremely protective over a mysterious girl, a girl who they refuse to introduce to anyone for her safety. riki was curious about this person who his parents started talking up, about this girl who apparently was perfect for him. he was appalled, his stone cold parents trying to set him up with a girl? impossible. it was only a matter of time until their paths cross, and he too falls for her innocence.

🤍🩵

their ninth life

now playing : you’re prettiest with me

↳ “bang bang”

at first this hit was just like every other one, just another notch to add on your belt. everything was going smoothly, all you had to do was pull the trigger. as your finger tensed to prepare to pull the trigger your eyes suddenly connected, he was looking towards you. no, he was looking directly at you. and if life couldn’t get worse your soulmate mark suddenly started tingling, your vision gaining gold hues around the edges. his thoughts echoed across your head in the most pleasurable way, “what’s in your hands?”. and without a second to think you idiotically blurted out the first thing you could think of, “a gummy gun”. who would’ve though that his laughter would now be your favourite audio in the universe.

🤍🩵

their tenth life

now playing : when the world is silent you shine brighter

↳ “i’ve never felt so alive”

nishimura riki was obsessed. the way your smile gleamed brighter than the solar eclipse, your eyes pulling up in a beautiful array of stars pulled from the galaxy. everyone knew who you were, your title following you all throughout your highschool life. your title never bothered him, something he made very obvious since the beginning. he accidentally caught your eye one morning after bumping into you, and his actions that followed after. rather than spitting our a rushed feigned apology before rushing away, he confidently stood there with his hand in a fist against his chest. he watched as your eyes followed his wrist as it made a full circle, then watched as your mouth pulled up into the very smile that’s been running through his mind since he first saw you. however what you didn’t know was that everyday for the last year he’s been taking lessons to learn sign language for you, to finally talk with you.

🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵

started : ??

ended : ??

wc ~10-15k each

warnings will be listed with the fic. some will be fem reader pov and others m reader pov.

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sincerely-sofie · 4 months

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Seeing as you have finished writing the script for your AU thingy, I wanna know, how?

Like, were you motivated the whole time? Or was it a on and off writing type thing?

i'm trying to write but I don't know if I have the motivation...

How did you keep the motivation if so?

Oh man. I have so much to say about writing and creativity that I could make an entire series of posts talking about the subject, but I'll try to keep things orderly and brief.

Disclaimer: I should let you know that I have never finished a writing project before recently finishing my TPiaG AU. Keep that in mind when reading the advice I offer— the tips I give have only been put into work in my own life over the course of the last couple of months, but they’ve proven very effective in my experience!

Sofie Creativity Tips Episode 1, go!!!

Was I motivated the whole time I was writing TPiaG / How did I stay motivated?

Absolutely not. If I hadn’t provided myself a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline for TPiaG before starting the writing process, I would have given up thanks to a mix of writer’s block and absent motivation. Motivation is a fickle muse and prone to ditching me for months on end, so I’ve adapted by trying not to rely on it, but also by creating new motivation rather than clinging to past motivation. I create motivation for myself in two ways: removing friction when writing and being my own fandom.

Removing friction is pretty simple— I create very detailed chapter outlines that remove any fear of writer’s block, set up my devices in a way to make it easy to access my manuscripts and notes, download premade writing playlists that have Pomodoro session break timers built into them, and more. Anything that makes the writing process easier to get into and enjoy doing, I make sure to incorporate into my life.

Being my own fandom is less intuitive, but a thousand times more rewarding in terms of motivation. I make memes of my characters. I write self-indulgent snippets on the side. I make AUs of my own work. I make playlists and save audio clips that suit the characters. I draw comics exploring concepts that might not get into the manuscript itself but that I want to make content for regardless. Basically, I dive in deep into the story, characters, and world, and try to do so with the enthusiasm that I give other people’s projects.

(That part is extra fun, because if I have a headcanon, it automatically becomes canon to whatever AU or original project I’m working on. I have all the power in the world when working like this, and it’s very fun.)

What changed and made it so I finished my first ever written project?

This isn’t exactly what was asked, but because I have eschewed motivation as the main driving force in my writing process, I figured I’d give another insight into how TPiaG went against the pattern of half-started and swiftly abandoned projects that came before it and actually got finished. Late into October, I adopted a new method of producing first drafts. Previously, I would spend weeks polishing the same chapter and would only move on to the next chapter once the current one was perfect. My new method is the complete opposite. I’ve started calling it Writing BFF:

Write bad

Write fast

Write fun

First up, write bad. The point of this is not to waste your time writing prettily during your first draft. Don’t bother agonizing over how to reword that one sentence to be more elegant when it does the job well enough to get its point across. Don’t go off on a 30-minute research tangent in the middle of a writing session because you want to fact-check that one detail and make sure it’s perfectly accurate when you could just put a placeholder detail in brackets and CTRL+F search and plug in something accurate later on. Don’t write pretty, write bad. And be okay with it. You can’t edit an empty page, so fill the page with as much garbage as possible so that you can turn it into gold later on.

Next, write fast. This is only effective when paired with writing bad. Don’t pause, don’t hesitate, don’t deliberate. Write as much as you can and do it as fast as you can. This idea is best illustrated by Chris Fox’s book 5,000 Words Per Hour, where he talks about increasing your WPM (words per minute) and how it makes everything about your writing better. The person who creates a beautiful first draft once every three years is doing okay, but the person who cranks out a complete manuscript every three months learns leagues more about writing than the first person does by the end of three years. The second person has practiced outlining, drafting, editing, publishing, and more with every manuscript completed. The faster you write, the better you get, because practice makes perfect and quantity begets quality.

Finally, write fun. I write what I enjoy, and if I’m not enjoying it, I pivot the project so that I enjoy it again. I like writing deeply personal stories, so pretty much everything I write is heavily based on my life and experiences— TPiaG included. Grovyle’s portrayal is deeply influenced by my experience being an elder sibling who has been a bad example of self-talk, and cleaned up my act because my younger sister started echoing how I spoke to myself. Dusknoir’s portrayal is informed by my experiences with being the therapist / mom friend in different social circles as well as attending actual formal therapy. Twig is the character that my experiences have the greatest influence on in her portrayal, and I joke about her being a self-insert, but ultimately all of the characters are self-inserts to some extent. I also enjoy low-stakes and slow slice-of-life stories that are driven by character growth. If I ever stop having fun with a project, I inject more of myself and my preferences into my work to get it back into my favor.

TL;DR / Writing advice lightning round

Write as badly as possible as quickly as possible, and have fun as you do it. Momentum yields motivation and stagnancy yields doubt. Editing comes only after the first draft is complete. Be your own fandom and your project’s biggest fan. Give yourself direction and ward against writer’s block by making detailed chapter-by-chapter outlines. Make the writing process as easy and enjoyable as possible. Motivation is a lie and if you chase after it instead of making your own, you’ll be writing on hard mode for the rest of your life. Reject perfectionism, embrace flawesomeness.

If I didn’t answer your question right, let me know! I’ll do my best to correct it.

#creativity tips with sofie #sofie answers asks #sofie says stuff #writing #writing advice #writing tips #writing motivation #writer advice #writer tips #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writers of tumblr

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ilovedthestars · 8 months

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Ghosts of the Pressy

Look for the green arrows, lovingly maintained. Follow them to the emergency locker, where its supplies are still neatly packed. From our hands to yours, down the generations, our proof against the future's trouble is still as functional, as ready as the hour we put it aside for you. —the past is no forgotten promise by lunaTactics

Short image description: [ID: Two drawings with the same layout and base layers, but different overlays. Both drawings are very tall, about a 1:4 ratio. At the bottom is Murderbot in a corridor of the Pressy, reaching for a life-tender in an emergency cabinet. The background fades up to a black, starry sky. The first version of the drawing has an overlay of blue text bubbles representing the feed, containing dialogue from Fugitive Telemetry with Aylen, Ratthi and Gurathin. The second version of the drawing is overlaid with a transparent layer of misty, otherworldly blue, affecting everything but Murderbot and the life-tender. Tahe upper part of the drawing is filled with a chain of transparent and glowing blue figures, representing the ghosts of the Pressy. Each ghost has their hands on the shoulders of the one who comes after them, and the final one in the chain hands the life-tender to Murderbot. At the very top of the drawing are the words “It is hope like yours that is our future,” a line from Verso’s fic. /End short ID]

Longer, more detailed image descriptions below the cut!

Sometimes you read a fic that you can’t get out of your head and you just have to make art about it.

the past is no forgotten promise by the wonderful Verso aka lunaTactics aka @grammarpedant gives me so many emotions, and of course the best thing to do with emotions is to make more stuff out of them! It’s been an entire year since I made this art and shared it on discord, but I’ve never put it up anywhere else! So here is my labor of love, the first Murderbot fanart I ever made and probably still the most ambitious that I’ve completed so far.

In addition to Tumblr, this artwork is now posted to Ao3, with a second chapter that contains some thoughts & musings about why I made this and the choices that went into creating it. You can find it here:

Below the cut is a full image description of all the detail you’d notice from looking closely at the artworks, as well as translations of the Preservation language (written in Aurebesh script) that appears in the background.

Long image descriptions:

Canon version:

From the top down, the background fades smoothly from starry black to the yellowish walls of the Pressy, which are scuffed and textured. Murderbot stands in front of a gray emergency supplies cabinet built into the wall, facing away from the viewer. It has medium brown skin and dark brown, slightly scruffy hair. It’s wearing a dark blue hoodie with the hood down, leaving some inorganic parts at the back of its neck visible. It reaches up towards the life-tender on the shelf.

The emergency cabinet has a glowing green sign above it, with text in aurebesh (an abstract sci-fi script, not readable to English speakers, although the text will be translated below) and arrows pointing down. The life-tender sits on the top shelf. It has a metal frame with a large bulge of folded material, and is labeled with a red tag in aurebesh. Other items sit on the shelf below, including medkits with the red plus symbol. The open door of the cabinet has a sign with a large green warning triangle and some text represented with black lines. The door is slightly scuffed and three lines of aurebesh text are graffitied on it in messy blue ink.

On the wall to the left of Murderbot and the cabinet is a large green arrow pointing to the emergency supplies cabinet, as well as a shiny metal plaque with aurebesh text. To the right of the sign, a sheet of transparent material bolted to the wall covers more blue aurebesh graffiti.

Overlaying the drawing and filling in the negative space in the top 2/3 are numerous text bubbles representing feed conversations. These contain dialogue from Fugitive Telemetry, transcribed below with notes on the visual appearance.(Slightly glowy light blue text, grouped into speech bubble or text message-like rounded rectangles, filled with transparent blue) SecUnit: I’m almost there. Just give me a fucking minute. Aylen: You know, swearing during operations doesn’t meet the professional conduct standards of Station Security. SecUnit: Because Senior Indah has never told anybody to fuck off. Aylen: You have me there. SecUnit: I’m going offline now. Aylen: Understood. Good luck. Disconnected.

(A gap, followed by a different style of text bubble which cuts across the entire width of the drawing. The top outline is formed by a horizontal green line that starts with a waveform representing a short burst of static or noise, and the bottom outline is the same but with the waveform at the end. The waveforms interrupt the first and last lines of text, showing the transmission being started and cut off abruptly. The bubble is filled with green static that bleeds outside the lines. The text inside the bubble is also glowy green.)

[caps] This emergency device alerts the port authority notification network and the transponder will send your location to [end caps]

(Another gap, followed by more blue feed bubbles with a new conversation)

Connection Established. SecUnit: I need help. Ratthi: SecUnit, what’s wrong? SecUnit: Which one of these things is most like an EVAC suit? Ratthi: Uh, are you up on the Pressy? The closest thing I see to an EVAC suit in there is a life-tender. But (overlapping the previous bubble to cut off the sentence) Gurathin: There, third shelf down, with the red tags.

(A gap in the feed bubbles which is filled with the main contents of the drawing, including Murderbot, as described above. The final bubbles are tucked into the lower left corner, behind Murderbot.)

Gurathin: Wait, why do you need it? What are you doing? SecUnit: It’s a Station Security thing, I’ll tell you later. Disconnected.

End ID of canon version.

Fic version:

All the elements from the previous drawing remain, except for the feed bubble overlays, which are gone. Instead, the corridor of the Pressy is overlaid with a ghostly blue mist, giving it a much more otherworldly atmosphere. Murderbot and the life-tender are the only things unaffected by the blue overlay, appearing more solid than their surroundings.

A chain of ghostly blue human figures fill the negative space above Murderbot. The last ghost in the chain is holding out her arms so that, although the cabinet shelf is still visible through the translucent overlay, she appears to be holding the life-tender and handing it to Murderbot. She is looking down at Murderbot and smiling gently. The figure behind her rests their hands on her shoulders. Each ghost in the chain smiles down at their successor with a hand or arm around their shoulder. Their appearances vary, and wear different styles of loose-fitting clothing. At the start of the chain of figures is Captain Makeba, looking down at the other ghosts and at Murderbot. She has short hair and wears a loose robe, and her arms are spread wide in welcome. There is a four-pointed star shining in the center of her chest.

Above the ghosts, in the black and starry part of the background, is a centered column of text with one word on each line. It reads, “It is hope like yours that is our future.” (A direct quote from the past is no forgotten promise.)

End long image descriptions.

Aurebesh translations: The glowing green text above the cabinet says “Emergency.” The metal plaque on the wall says “Station Historical & Environmental Management Preserved Site.” The label on the life-tender says “life-tender.” The graffiti on the wall covered with a clear protective sheet says “Here, you are loved,” a line from the past is no forgotten promise. The graffiti on the inside of the door is three names: RoundedLoaf, lunaTactics, lovedthestars.

(A note on Aurebesh: This is a script from Star Wars, which I was not previously familiar with. It was suggested to me by Sparrow on the Murderbot discord when I asked for ideas on how to portray the old Preservation language that Murderbot didn’t have a translation for. I wanted something that looked like a language, but wasn’t immediately readable by someone looking at the art. Aurebesh is a 1:1 substitution for the characters of the English alphabet, which had the added bonus of letting me hide some messages in plain sight.)

#stars art #murderbot #murderbot fanart #the murderbot diaries #ghosts of the pressy

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be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie · 1 year

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Where is my fic where the humans never return and the Sully’s and Spider and Norm and Max and Mo’at and all the Omaticaya get to live together all happily and confront their trauma and issues in a healthy and supportive environment? It still can have plot without colonization drama okay here’s what’s happening and here is the plot:

-Neteyam is now in charge of training all the younger hunters, and he’s iconic at it. He’s very nice, but also stern and intense. He’s like Neytiri in his skills but he’s very calm and supportive, they all feel like they can trust him and come to him with issues.

-Neteyam and Jake are subtly trying to get Lo’ak to help Neteyam with this current group. They want Lo’ak to be in charge of training when Neteyam has to become Olo’eyktan. Jake has a secret ulterior motive: having his sons share the burden of being in charge of the hunters and the training, so they can both have a chiller time in the many many years (knock on wood (throwback to my sayings Jake brings to the Omaticaya post)) that they have to take charge.

-Kiri has now like, fully taken over for Neytiri as tsakarem in everything but like, official title. I’ve always had this belief that Neytiri doesn’t fit completely as tsakarem. She is a warrior more than she is a healer. She isn’t built for sitting still, staying home from the fight to heal the wounded. She has great healing skills, and she has a very strong connection to Eywa, but not as much or as strong as Mo’at and Kiri. Neytiri was never meant to be tsakarem, that was Sylwanin. The feeling of taking her sisters place has to be weird.

-Lo’ak is not a bad teacher at all. At first he struggles because he literally can’t explain how he does anything. He’s like “you draw back the bow and shoot the bow” and Neteyam is in the back facepalming like oh, my god. But, eventually he learns. He recognizes someone doing something wrong and what it is and is able to translate that into explaining how to do it right from the get go. Ironically Tuk is the most helpful in this, all of her friends are too nervous to say shit to their teachers but Tuk is just in Lo’ak’s face like “THESE DIRECTIONS MAKE NO SENSE,” and Lo’ak is deep breathing attempting not to kill her in front of Eywa and everyone. He is here to set a good example and to prove to his dad and Neteyam he can be a leader, and killing Tuk will not help with that image. Even if it would be satisfying.

-Mo’at and Spider have been testing Kiri’s Eywa connection for months. It’s a secret. Spider brought it up to Mo’at one day, and Mo’at was like “Very good observation young one, I have noticed this too. Let’s try to figure it out.” And Spider’s all pleased because she basically said she can tell he’s observant and sensitive to Eywa just like her. They clear entire days and tell anyone if it’s an emergency to find Neytiri, and then they just tell Kiri to go and they follow her into the forest and see what happens. Kiri thinks they are overreacting, but she likes a chill forest day with two of her favorite people. Sometimes they find a rare herb Mo’at was running low on, and then the next day they happen to need it for something. One time Kiri found a palulukan pup trapped under a piece of Sampson that had eroded and fallen. One time they just ended up finding some really good fruit and Kiri fell asleep surrounded by atokirina while Spider and Mo’at ate the fruit and chatted over her. One time while she was sleeping a sunbeam started to really beam right on her face, and then a tree sort of shifted and the leaves covered it. They both saw it and maybe it could’ve been the wind, but that was the best Kiri observation day.

-Jake and Lo’ak’s mission to get Neteyam to chill out has been going on since he was like seven and told on Jake to Neytiri for balancing Lo’ak on one hand, which scares Neytiri. Jake told him snitches get stitches and he didn’t know what it meant but he took it very seriously. Now, Neteyam is not a tattletale, but he is a stick in the mud. Maybe Lo’ak steals a little extra alcohol (I know they have alcohol it’s in that deleted scene but idk what it’s called okay) from the clan’s celebration one night to share with Kiri and Spider, and Neteyam isn’t tattling but he is judging. Judgmentally. Maybe Neteyam hasn’t told Jake about Spider and Lo’ak practicing Spider jumping off of cliffs for Lo’ak to catch on his ikran, but he is definitely watching with the most disapproving looks he can manage. The mission is daunting, but Jake and Lo’ak will get Neteyam to relax if it kills them. And if it does, they can always resort to Lo’ak’s final option that Jake keeps vetoing: drug him when he isn’t expecting it.

-Tuk’s band of friends are all obsessed with Spider (especially the war orphans). It’s truly the worst thing that has ever happened to the Omaticaya. Tuk brought a bracelet he made her to her friends once, it was the most delicately woven bracelet ever. Kid has small hands and an extra finger, he can weave. What else is he gonna do while he’s sitting there watching Kiri trance/sleep for hours? All of a sudden, every single child needs a Spider original. He’s the Louis Vuitton of the Omaticaya. Mo’at, who’s been wearing Spider originals since she first met him when he was three and decided he was Eywa’s child, is very smug. No one dares to call her out. In fact, every Sully has a Spider original except Neytiri. Even Jake, who got an armband when Spider was very little. He still has it but that is between him and Eywa. The parents all hate this, because it means they kind of all like him. Spider’s now been around so fucking long everyone would be really sad if he left, and now they actually know it.

-How do they know they would miss Spider if he was gone?? He got sick for a month one time when he was thirteen. He caught some human sickness from a sample in the lab and because he’s literally never sick due to his mask and generally sterile environment AND the fact that he mostly lives with a different species, he got wrecked by it. Just destroyed. Everyone got kind of worried he might not make it for a while? The first few days he wasn’t there no one really noticed, besides every once and a while a “good riddance the Sully’s and that human aren’t causing a ruckus.” But the kids miss him, because their ringleader Tuk is a mess. Lo’ak and Kiri are simply moping around. Neteyam is really trying to buck everyone up and be the leader but he’s kinda lackluster. Even Mo’at is snappier than usual. Neytiri is kinda pissed, like she knew they all liked him but god at what cost? The human child was never going to make it, right? He just doesn’t belong there. Her mother of all people should know that. They’d seen what destruction humans brought, but also how fragile they were, how easy to kill. But if she has to look at Jake’s face one more time she’ll punch something so she goes storming over to the human compound to ask to see the kid. Jake and the kids can’t go see him, they don’t know if they could catch what he has. But Neytiri knows Mo’at has been going, so she’s fine. She brings him medicine and just things she knows he likes that the kids have. She does not ask or tell anyone she is going, and when the kids question where their stuff is she pretends she had no earthly idea what they are talking about. It’s fine, how many wooden “space ikran” does Lo’ak really need for his pretend assault on Earth? Neytiri visits him daily for the rest of the time he is sick. One time, towards the middle of his quarantine, he gives her a woven bracelet. It’s not up to his usual craftsmanship but it is still beautiful. The child was obviously delirious and didn’t intend for her to have that. She keeps it but does not wear it. He needs the space and the time, there is too much between them.

-Spider was not delirious. He did intend for her to wear it. He totally noticed she isn’t. But he has also noticed she doesn’t ignore him anymore, treats him almost normally. Maybe just a little too carefully and formally.

-This is particularly dramatic for the plot, but I’m partial to Eywa blessed Spider. I want him to complete his iknimaya and uniltaron and be a full member of the clan. I am a particularly huge fan of the headcanon where he can bond lightly through the back of the neck or his wrist, I like the wrist one (Bitter changed the culture of our society). I also enjoy him finding an ikran to bond with who has a deformed or cut kuru. I don’t care how, but get my man his ikran. Ooh, maybe a forest ikran, the ones the Na’vi are too big to ride. Fun-sized, Spider-sized. Here is where the drama comes in: Spider and Lo’ak dare Norm to go through the trials with him. I’ve always thought it’s odd Norm never tried, he was so jealous of Jake and he lives in the village basically. I want the drama of Norm Spellman clowning his way through the very serious rites of passage while Jake, Spider, Lo’ak, and Norm’s band of 47 adopted orphans all try so hard not to laugh at him. He’s being so SERIOUS and trying so hard but he’s not really made for this lol. I think he’s secretly doing it for Spider, to make sure no ones looking or laughing at him for being different when Norm is right there acting a fool. I think Jake would be the most ecstatic and supportive friend while also ruthlessly bullying him.

-I think a diplomatic visit from the Metkayina and TO the Metkayina could totally happen at one point in the plot, and if we really wanted to spice it up... we could sprinkle in some locorro, but this is getting far too long already. Anyways where is this fic for me.

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