#Now I am curious and would like to read those letters and know about the alternate choice | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fatuismooches · 2 years

Note

Hello

I just saw your post with the fragile SO and honestly I loved it sooo much ❤️

Now I wanted to request kinda of a follow up. Like what if before you died you wrote them a letter, saying how much you love them and how they made your last days on earth so memorable and stuff like that. And they found it, like maybe a month or so after your death. How would they all react? (I'm specially curious of Capitano because you said you thought he would think that he killed you 😭)

I really love your writing and I plan to make more request in the future 👋

-🦎

♡𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞/𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐢𝐞𝐝 ♡

synopsis: The Harbingers are made of steel, unflinching in any possible situation. But it seems that even such strong beings falter in the face of their lover's death, especially after they find a letter you left behind. Can be read as a part 2 to this.

includes: all harbingers (platonic pulcinella) w/ gn! reader

notes: Hop on the angst train, everyone. This is the first completely angsty thing I've written, and probably one of my favorites + longest pieces. I hope you enjoy this sadness, anon...!

Pierro:

Pierro carried on. He went about his day, filing paperwork, assigning duties to new recruits. What could he do? There was no time to mourn. The entire Fatui depended on his guidance and orders. He couldn’t just drop everything to fully devote himself to grieving you. But everyone knew - in any spare moment he had, he was thinking about you. Thinking about how he used to be able to go home to you waiting for him. Thinking about the walks he took with you that were heartwarming despite the body-chilling temperature. Thinking about when you were alive.

It was another day when one of your maids came to him with a piece of paper. Of course, she was terrified at being in the presence of the Harbinger, but she presented a folded piece of paper to him, stating that she had found it while cleaning your room. Pierro hadn’t been in there for a while. He was consciously trying his best to avoid it, choosing to pick up work instead. He nodded and the maid quickly scurried out of the room. It was most likely a final memento from you. He should honor that, he thought as he took off his mask.

Dear Pierro,

Hello there, my love. I hope your day wasn’t too tiring. I know how you’re always swamped with your Fatui business and such. You’re the head Harbinger, you know! You should definitely abuse your power to get some more days off. You didn’t hear that from me though, not like I wanna keep you to myself or anything. Totally not because I’m dying to spend some more time with you before I quite literally die.

You know, sometimes I wish I was a Fatui soldier just so that I could admire you from afar some more. Those recruits are damn lucky, getting to see you more than I do. I don’t mean to complain though. I’m still tremendously grateful for everything you’ve done for me. I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying the best moments of my life with you. Yeah, even when I made jokes you still had that stoic look on your face but it was still hilarious. I loved when you would wrap me in your coat and tell me stories about Khaenri’ah. Even when you weren’t here, I loved when these random recruits would be scurrying to my room every so often to deliver your handwritten notes.

Truly, there’s no life I’d rather live than this one… minus the illness part though. I am sorry to make you shoulder another death, my dear, but I love you greatly. I will always be with you.

Quietly, Pierro put the paper down and rubbed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Ever since the fall of his nation, his heart had long gone numb. He had tried to ignore the prickling of his heart after your death, but your letter was really rubbing it on. When was the last time mere words could stir up such emotion in him? He didn’t know. But he promised you, this would not be your final resting place. Pierro knew, after fulfilling the Tsaritsa’s promise, he would see you again.

Capitano:

Capitano wasn’t very photogenic. After all, all you saw was a helmet shrouding his face in darkness along with his pitch-black armor and clothes. But you had insisted on taking a variety of pictures with him, claiming that it kept you happy. It wasn’t until later on when he stumbled across a scrapbook, with pages covered in photos of the two of you together, that he understood why. Since then, he let you do as you please. The doctors said it was good for you to keep occupied by doing things you liked. And well, it was rather cute, with all the decorations and fancy tape you added. Capitano often found himself looking at it to see what you added when you weren’t around.

But ever since your death, he hadn’t looked at it since. If he did, he didn’t think he’d be able to control the emotions boiling up inside of him. If he looked at your smiling face again, the pain and regret would be too much to bear. But as the days passed by and he continued to think about you, he couldn’t help but flip open the scrapbook, revisiting the memories he made with you so long ago. He flipped until he found a envelope in the middle, causing him to perk up. It had been sealed perfectly, even stamped with one of his seals. Now, Capitano didn’t want to invade your privacy, but what was inside called to him too much, and he very carefully unsealed it with a knife. Inside was a piece of parchment, similar to the ones he used to send you letters.

My knight,

I’m writing this after you just left for an expedition. You’ve just fed me breakfast (a/d fa//ed, but it’s f/ne b/ca/se it w/s c/te.) (The ending part of the sentence has been erased, but it’s still a bit readable.) We took an early bath together, and you helped me choose a nice outfit for today. You dutifully assisted me with my medicine and tucked me back into bed for some rest. Lastly, you’ve just tenderly kissed me with all the love in the world, my favorite part of course.

It’s too bad that I won’t be able to receive any more of your kisses soon. I think the sickness is really catching up to me, haha. (There are some doodles of the two of you randomly drawn in the middle of the paper, with lots of hearts and stars and rainbows. Maybe you stopped because you didn’t know how to continue.) To be honest, I’ve asked the doctors not to tell you, and somehow, they’ve listened to me. I just don’t want you to worry about me. Somehow, for someone as menacingly looking as you, you worry a lot more than I thought (no offense, though.)

I don’t want you to blame yourself for anything, my love. You genuinely made my life so, so much better. Even towards the end, I can only feel happiness that I was able to share some of my life with someone so incredible. You aren’t a monster. You’re the man I love dearly, the one who many people look up to all the time. You did everything and more, which really warms my heart.

I’m saying this because I know how you are and I need to knock some sense into you before you start getting any crazy ideas. Please don’t beat yourself up. If I could choose my destiny, I’d rather choose to be sick and be with you rather than being healthy. I’d choose you again and again, over and over, my dear. I love you, truly.

Carefully folding the letter, he tucked it into the envelope again and resealed it. He snugly placed it back into the scrapbook and closed it, placing it back into the drawer where he usually kept it. Capitano was used to the grief and destruction that war brought. But he wasn’t used to it when love brought these feelings upon him. His heart still hurt - terribly so - but… your letter seems to have brought him some peace. You would forever be in his heart.

Columbina:

It had been a while since your death. By now, everyone had become accustomed to hearing her songs every day. It was a constant reminder of your passing. Oftentimes, Columbina had begun to stay in your room longer than her own. You were gone, but something about your space soothed her soul a bit from all the grief she was going through. And she also liked to go through your stuff and remember different things about you.

There was a box that contained a compilation of the many songs and poems she gifted you, along with some that you created yourself with her help. Sometimes, she liked to go through the box and think about you, but she never had the time to inspect every piece. Until now, when she noticed that there was an unfamiliar piece of paper that she didn’t recognize. Columbina picked it up and began to read.

My lovely melody,

Lately, I’ve begun to sing more. I think you’ve inspired me. I hope you don’t mind me stealing that one song you like to hum the most. The only problem is that I don’t have enough stamina to sing for that long, and I think my voice is kind of off-key. But I promise I’m working on it! I’m not going to tell you yet because I want to surprise you with something nice, as a thank you for taking care of me for so long.

Actually, there’s another problem, and it’s that… (it seems that you wrote a lot of words here and then scratched them out; perhaps you were unsure how to word it) Well, I guess I don’t really know if I’ll live long enough to perform for you. It’s been kind of tough lately. But I’m going to persevere for you. Your poems have been helping a lot. We should make a book of them one day. And um, in the case that I don’t make it, I would like you to know how happy you made me.

I always got so giddy when I heard you humming down the hallway. Nothing felt better than when you would croon to me and massage my scalp and play with my hair. You are so comforting and sweet, and just - lots of things that would be too much to write. I always feel eternally fortunate that I was able to have a lover as amazing as you. You really did change my life. I love you very much, Columbina. Please don’t forget me.

Columbina’s usual smile had turned into a downward curve. Oh, how she wished she could hear you sing. Your usual voice and laugh had already been angelic to her, she knew your songs would be beautiful too. But you were no longer here. She would have really loved to hear your song. You would have been the best duet partner. But perhaps, you could hear her songs from the other world as she laid on your coffin once again.

Dottore:

Dottore hadn’t entered your room since your death. He was far too busy with his research and experimentation with resurrection. Mourn you? No, no, you weren’t going to be dead for long, after he finds the answer. You would be back in his arms soon enough. Both of you would be fine. That was, until no matter how hard he researched, he always seemed to hit a dead end. It was frustrating. He couldn’t believe it, but he was at the point where he willingly needed a couple of minutes to rest. Dottore headed to his room, but as he placed his hand on the doorknob, something stopped him and he looked over to the room next to his, yours. He silently walked over and opened your room, having not been in it for a while. The only reason you didn’t share a room was that his was very… bland, boring, not very comfortable, and not spacious enough for the medical equipment.

It was the same as he had left it, not bothering to change anything. You liked to decorate it, and he let you. Framed photos of the two of you were on the dresser, lights hung up around the room. It seemed to make you happy. But there was something he had not noticed before - a slip of paper sticking out from under the pillow. Dottore walked over and took off his mask - something he unconsciously tended to do when it was just the two of you - and opened the folded paper.

To Zandik,

I remember when you first took interest in me, looking at me up and down with your mask on, a wide smirk on your face. I knew my parents said they hired someone intelligent to cure me, but I sure didn’t expect it to be the second Harbinger. I think you already know this, but when I saw you, I was kinda scared for my life. And I was for a while, especially when you made me drink the most hellish concoctions and injected strange things into me. But long story short, I still fell in love with you somehow. Even though you were probably trying so hard just because you wanted to solve the mystery of my illness, I couldn’t help but think you were quite handsome when you focused on something so intensely. Your pointy teeth were the cutest. (The previous sentence has been erased but Dottore could still make it out. You were an idiot, he thinks.)

I don’t mean to insult your intelligence or skill… but I don’t think I’m going to make it, Dottore. I know you’ve been trying really, really hard (I was there the whole time, after all) to help cure me, but I think you know better than me about my condition. So yeah. I guess this is my goodbye… my parting letter.

I know you don’t care about anyone or anything really, but I hope you accept it when I say I genuinely enjoyed our time together. Yea, you were hella terrifying and a lot of scary stories drifted about you, but there was a lot of maniacal laughter and you rambling on about things I had no clue about, but I would always happily listen to you, Zandik. I would write more, but I don’t think you’re one for sappy words and stuff like that. So I’ll leave end it here. I love you very much.

His mouth was a straight thin line at the end of your letter. Dottore put his mask back on and tucked your letter into his coat. For once, he couldn’t blame someone for insulting his intelligence. He did fail, after all. But Dottore was no stranger to failure. Experimentation was a series of trials and errors, failures and successes. He swore to himself that you would not be a failure. Perhaps his journey to Sumeru, the land of wisdom, would grant him some more insight for your resurrection.

Pulcinella:

It was just after your funeral. Surprisingly, all the Harbingers had gathered too. It seemed like they had grown somewhat fond of you after Pulcinella introduced you to them, at least enough to attend your funeral. Pulcinella was grateful. He had spoken a few words in memory of you. He couldn’t keep everyone for long. They had other matters to attend to. But in his heart, he had a lot of dear words for you.

Pulcinella sat down at his desk, deciding to do some paperwork to distract his mind. He pulled out the drawer to retrieve some items but he noticed a piece of paper stuffed to the back of it. He certainly had not put that there. He reached for it and opened it to read the contents.

Hey Papanella,

Do you like that nickname I came up with? I haven’t said it to you yet because I’m not sure how you’ll react. But I think it’s pretty cute. I haven’t said this out loud yet either but… um, I guess you’re like my dad to me. My own parents never cared much for me after my illness proved to be too much work, but you always treated me so kindly. So yeah. Thanks for being a father figure to me. Archons, this is kind of embarrassing.

I’m admitting this because I don’t know how much longer I have. I know you’re always encouraging me to keep living on, and I really do appreciate it. I’m sincerely trying my best, but I think my sickness has been getting worse. Ah, and thanks for introducing me to the Harbingers. They’re pretty scary but they’re kind of cool when you get to know them. Some of them are cute too. Please don’t tell them I said that. But really, for the longest time, I thought my life would amount to nothing, and that no one would remember me. But you proved me wrong. I truly enjoyed spending the last of my days doing old people stuff with you (just kidding of course!)

I’m going to ask you to tell me lots of more stories when I see you again. They really make my day. I like the ones about you in your youth the best. They’re the funniest. Anyway, I love you, gramps. Don’t miss me too much.

Pulcinella was old. He had seen things be built and broken down, people come and go. But he always hated it the most when he had to see youngsters go before he did. Especially innocent ones who had done nothing wrong. He just prayed, that whichever world you were in now, treated you better than this one did.

Scaramouche:

Ever since your death, the soldiers had been on the receiving end of Scaramouche’s insults even more. No longer were you here to hastily save them from his berating, much to their dismay. They actually appreciated you for stopping Scaramouche from giving them another verbal (and sometimes even physical) beating. But now if he wasn’t yelling at someone, he was deathly silent, which was why even scarier than his words. Everyone knew they were forbidden from speaking about you in his presence.

When Scaramouche had to visit Inazuma for whatever reason, he always found himself walking towards your house. Once he had came across the Tenryou Commission moving your items out of your house, due to no one living there anymore and the want for someone else to buy it. Needless to say, he swiftly dealt with them and sent them on their way with rage. They had tried a few more times and he did not hold back, until later they stopped coming, apparently after the head shrine maiden gave an order on the behalf of the Shogun to leave the residence alone. Hmph.

He doesn’t know why he keeps coming here, the only thing that’s different is the new collection of dust on the dresser. But the want to see you again keeps calling him, only to leave Scaramouche sorely disappointed. He thinks he knows every nook and cranny of your house, that is until he walks on a floorboard that caves in and nearly makes him fall. He’s about to lose his temper until he sees a piece of paper hidden under the floor. The words die in his throat as he picks it up to inspect.

To my beloved Kunikuzushi,

As I write this, you’re probably yelling at some unfortunate Fatui soul and they’re all trembling in their boots. Haha, I wish I was there to see that. You should be nicer, you know. But it is kinda funny to see you mad. I hope you come back soon… it’s getting too quiet around here without your quips and remarks.

But I know as you read this, I’m no longer alive. Kuni, I… (There are wrinkled spots around this area, presumably from your tears.)

I love you, and I don’t want rage and hatred to consume you again. I’m sorry to make your heart bear such pain again. It may be fruitless to say this, but please don’t blame yourself… it was out of our control. Please know I enjoyed every moment with you, whether you were cursing at some guy who bumped into me, even when you teased me relentlessly, or silently crying in my arms about your fate. But my favorite part was your soft smiles which grew more frequent. You are loved very much by me too. I want to see you smile more, many more times before I- (The rest of the sentence was scribbled over with a pen, making it unreadable.)

I wish I didn’t have to depart so soon… I wish I was born someone else, someone more strong and healthier… if I was, would our story be different, Kuni? Perhaps we’ll meet again one day… hopefully, sooner rather than later, and maybe I won’t be the same as I am now, but…

Will you wait for me, Kunikuzushi?

Scaramouche hated when he cried. He felt weak, stupid, and disgusting, especially when you were there. And somehow, he couldn’t help but feel worse than that when he finished reading your letter. He was never favored by the Gods, having been betrayed by one already. It seemed as though he was always fated to be betrayed by people he cared about. But he knew deep down that you didn’t betray him, he did instead by not being able to protect and save you. In an effort to bury his despair, anger, and grief, he would wipe himself clean of foolish human emotions, ready to ascend to godhood with his creator’s Gnosis…

Arlecchino:

Arlecchino’s days had been exactly the same ever since your death. They were the same as before she had met you too. Bland. Boring. Dull. It was after your passing that she truly realized how much your presence had added some thrill and color into her life. Now they were empty. But she was used to that. She had felt that way for a long time.

Arlecchino didn’t do much in her room besides sleep. Her room wasn’t anything special, just the standard and rich master bedroom. That was, until you took it upon yourself to decorate it. She hadn’t bothered to change it despite the style being very much different from hers. Today she had come in briefly to retrieve some documents under her bed. But, there was a random piece of paper there, collected dust on top of it, most likely from being placed there a long time ago. Arlecchino opened the folded paper and was greeted with your handwriting.

To my sunshine,

I bet you’re wondering why the hell I chose “sunshine” of all names. Even I can admit that you are nothing like sunshine. But I wanted to spice things up a bit, and to be honest, you bring a lot of sunshine into my heart and dreary little life, despite your stone-cold face. So yeah! I don’t think I can call you that to your face though. It’d be too scary.

I didn’t tell you, but I’ve had some people ask me why I chose to stay with you despite my health being what it is. My answer is always very easy - I love you, Arlecchino. Plain and simple. They don’t know how you are with me (which I’m kinda glad for… I want to keep this side of you to myself; yes, I know I’m greedy.) The way your lips quirk up for a split second then always turn downwards because you don’t want anyone to see. The way your eyes soften for a bit when I tell a corny joke. Or when I do anything actually. Your facial expressions are pretty cute.

Ahem, moving on from that, I guess you can say that I’m not too scared to say these things because I might be leaving you soon. Not of my free will, of course. Rather, it seems like the time my illness is allowing me to live is limited. Hopefully, you don’t notice anything off about me. I don’t think I could explain all of this in person…

But I am really thankful to you for sticking by my side for so long. Even though you don’t tell me, I know sometimes you lament about your lack of ability to be verbally and affectionately comforting. But I hope you know that I don’t really care about that. You are more than enough for me. You’ve done a lot more than you think. I’m forever appreciative, my dear.

Arlecchino was left speechless, the usual bite in her throat died down. As someone who had few kind words to say to others, having such sweetness directed at her was not something she was used to. But of course, a part of her wasn’t surprised, because the only person who’d utter such things was you. It pained her, and even the children who cried after your death, greatly. But whenever she needed a reminder of you, she would uncharacteristically gently trace her fingertips over the words of your letter.

La Signora:

Everyone knew to stay out of La Signora’s way after your death. She was cruel before, but your passing seemed to reignite all the flames of anguish and hatred she harbored deep inside her broken heart. Once again, her walls had been put up to be unbreakable.

Rosalyne had gifted you a lot of makeup and accessories. She liked to experiment on you and liked it when you tried it yourself too. You had kept everything in a nice big box so nothing would get lost. One day she felt drawn to it again. She knew she was missing you dearly again, and although opening it would just cause her heartache, she couldn’t help but pry it open to see how you kept it. But on top was a hastily folded letter, stained a bit by the surrounding makeup, tucked into a small compartment. She flipped it open and began to scan the contents.

My dearest Rosalyne,

Hello there, pretty lady. You know, that’s the first thing I thought when I saw you. Tall pretty lady. Did you know that? Now you do. Anyway, I was wondering - how many of your flame moths can you create at a time?? Can you make them form a heart or something?

Haha, I’m sorry for beating around the bush. The truth is I don’t know how much longer I have left. No matter how much warmth your moths provide me, for some reason, I always feel the chill of death creeping up my spine…

I don’t mean to be your second heartbreak. I’m really sorry… you deserve so much better than that. But for what it’s worth, you made my life a lot better than it was before. I hadn’t had much confidence in myself because of my illness for a long time. But you, Rosalyne… you made me feel like an actual person, as strange as that sounds. I feel like, when I’m with you, you make me feel so loved and special. I’m far from it but I actually feel like royalty. And royalty is really a life worth living. I don’t even know how you did it, but thank you. My life is so, so much happier thanks to you.

Hopefully, I make it a lot longer after I’m writing this letter. Maybe the Gods could finally take pity on me and give me some kind of blessing so I can stay with you longer. But if anything happens, I really, truly love you, Rosalyne. (The end of the letter has an origami moth colored in and taped to it.)

Signora’s hand trembled as she finished your letter. Her heart had returned to being ice, but it felt like her whole body was being swallowed up in red-hot grief and anger. Signora would dedicate herself solely to the Tsaritsa’s noble dream. It was the only thing she could do now, with nothing else to do and no one left for her freezing heart to love. No one could ever hope to understand the grief and pain she’s been through. Perhaps, that was why when she stood in front of the Raiden Shogun’s sword, she did not feel much regret.

Pantalone:

Whenever Pantalone went out, he often found himself looking through the windows of many stores to view their products. It was almost an instinct to pull out a large sum of Mora to buy anything he thought you’d like. And he still did this, only that he stopped halfway every time when he remembered that you were no longer with him. And his heart felt painfully heavy once again, like how heavy his smile felt with the pressure to keep it up.

The silence of his office had become a norm once again, your joyful presence no longer around to brighten it up. Pantalone opted to drown himself in paperwork to ignore it. Actually, he never realized how much the tick of the grandfather clock bothered him until now. Usually, your voice was loud enough to hide it. He sighed and reached for the bottom drawer to get some new pens to sign the documents. But his eyes widened as he saw a paper clearly laid out there, addressed to him at the top. His heart beat quickened as he carefully picked it up and realized it was from you. It seemed like you had experimented with some fancy calligraphy pens he had gotten you a while ago. And you had also stolen every stamp you had from him and stamped all over the paper.

Darling,

Hello, my love. Sorry for all the random stamps. I wanted to see what they looked like. Why does the Fatui need so many different-shaped stamps? You should make one of us, actually. And do you see I’ve been practicing my cursive script? (Indeed, on the back on the paper, your name has been signed in different styles.) I’ve been trying to do my signature all fancy like you. Hopefully, I’m improving.

I am thinking to make you read me a bedtime story tonight. I found a new one that seemed pretty cute. It’s a commoner falling in love with a nobleman… a tale of forbidden romance. It seems to go fine, until the commoner s/cc/mbs to (It seems that you scratched off the rest of the sentence.) Actually, I won’t spoil the ending for you. But by the time you read this letter, we may have finished it already. I’m just going to abuse that pretty voice of yours as much as I can (kidding of course… but no joke. Have you tried some kind of service where you just read things to people? I think you’d make a lot of money from that. I sure would give all my life savings to you.)

I guess since I’m writing this, I should say another thing I’m thinking about. I’m not sure how much longer I can hang on. I’m trying my best because I don’t want to let you down. I know you’ve been trying your best, with all these fancy doctors and equipment, but um… yeah. But I should also say that I’m not regretful having spent my time with you. You made the last days of my life so relaxing, so stress-free, so… nice. I’m glad I don’t need to worry about anything with you. Let’s move on from this, actually.

I’m thinking of a lot of things, actually. I wonder what you made the chef prepare for us tonight. Mhm… I’m getting hungry. Will you feed me dessert again too? Hah, I’m going to miss thinking about such mundane things. Hmm, I think I can hear your voice down the hall, so I’ll wrap this up. I love you.

Pantalone gazed at your words forlornly, his mouth formed into a downwards line. He had never thought the loss of something besides Mora could squeeze his heart so painfully, but here you were, making his eyes sting once again. Blinking back any tears, he made sure to store your letter in a safe place. He made a note to visit your grave today. He’d bring your favorite snack too, and read you a story perhaps.

Sandrone:

It was almost ironic - the puppet master had become a puppet herself. She didn’t speak much to others anymore, choosing to lock herself up in her lab. A part of her debated making some kind of robot or doll replica of you. But it would never be the same. She wouldn’t feel your warmth, or your natural, free laugh. Nothing would be similar.

Sandrone had begun inspections on all of her created robots. It was a grueling process she had gotten used to, but she missed the chirping of your voice as she did so. She worked in silence, opening the compartment of one of them when she was caught off guard by a formerly white paper, caked in dust, inside. The only person who had access to her Automatons was you. So could it possibly be…?

My forever,

I’m actually writing this in the same room as you. You're too preoccupied with your robot building and engineering and all that stuff, so you don’t notice me rushing to write all of this. I’ll make this quick. Actually, it’s hard to concentrate when you look so pretty and intelligent. Ahh, I’m so lucky to have you with me.

I think you’re repairing one of your robots so it can lift us up and take us on a walk. I’m excited. Those are always so much fun. I know you aren’t a sappy person. But I want to make my feelings clear, since I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to watch you unscrew some bolts and hammer down the nails. I don’t need to say it outright, do I? We both know I’ve been getting worse. Neither of us wants to say it out loud, but it’s reality.

Before I go, let me make it clear, since I know you like being blunt. You are my everything. Seeing your cute little robots send me these cute little messages really made my day. I think you told me a long time ago that you didn’t care much about human emotions. I think that’s changed now. I love waking up to see that calm and content expression on your face and watching it become a bit more softer when you see me. You’re more human than you think, you know. Some people think that being cooped up in a lab with a Harbinger is not an ideal way to live. But I beg to differ. I would choose no other way to live as long as I’m with you, Sandrone.

I think you’re finished with your tinkering. I’m going to have one of the robots hide this paper in them. I think some of them like me better than you >:) I wonder how long it’ll be until you find it. Hopefully, you don’t find it too quickly because it’ll be awkward to explain this to you. Either way… I love you dearly, Sandrone.

Sandrone gently brushed off the dust on your letter. She wished she found it sooner. She didn’t know whether it was good or bad her heart was finally feeling some emotion again, but she was grateful to have some final parting words from you. Sandrone had a bubble of inspiration float up in her. She had a good idea of what she was going to build next.

Childe:

Childe had found it after he was cleaning out your apartment in Liyue. He wanted to bring all of your stuff to his home in Snezhnaya. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t throw any of your items away, even the random useless trinkets. Childe’s chest felt hollow as he opened the door to your residence. He expected to see your face brighten and eagerly pull yourself out of bed to hug him. He’d easily lift you off the floor and spin you around, drinking in your gleeful giggles as he pressed his lips to yours. But now it was just the creak of the floorboards as he walked in.

Childe had a memory connected to every piece of clothing that you had. That one he gifted to you for your birthday. Another he remembered twirling you around in on a picnic. One of his sweaters that he doesn't remember you stealing from him, mingled with your scent and his. Archons, his chest hurt so badly, but there was nothing he could do as he neatly placed your items in boxes, emptiness consuming him. He was finishing up the packing when a piece of paper folded in half fell out of one of your pants’ pockets. Childe picked it up and his eyes widened when he recognized your handwriting and his real name. Sitting down on your bed, he began to read.

To my one and only Ajax,

My greatest wish is that you’ll never find and read this letter because it means that we’re living our best lives. We’re happy, content, still deeply in love with each other… living in bliss.

But if you’re reading this, then we probably didn’t go and do all of the cool and exciting things you wanted us to. I didn’t move to Sneznhnaya and I didn’t meet the rest of your family. We didn’t go travel to all the nations like you wanted to…

Heh, that’s too bad. I was really looking forward to seeing the same sights you saw on your travels. The pretty bloom of Inazuma’s sakura trees, the beautiful snow-covered streets of Snezhnaya. Remember that time you asked me if I wanted to conquer the world with you? Of course, since I can’t ever say no to you, I accepted your proposition. But in my head, I couldn’t help but think that you should probably choose someone who can match your ability and someone who is act/a/ly g/i/g to b/ ali/e. (The previous words have been haphazardly erased, making it hard to make out.)

You know I… (The ink here has bled through the paper, most likely due to you stopping there for a good while.) I don’t even know what to say, I’m just sorry. I don’t wanna leave you, I wanna be by your side forever, wanna be attacked by your cuddles every day. But the only thing I can do now is to make sure you understand that I’m truly grateful for you. No one else has ever cared about me as much as you did. You never stopped believing in me and always smiled when I needed you. You made my feeble life worth living.

Please don’t be sad. Teucer and the rest of your siblings need you. I love you so very much…

He didn’t realize how hard he was digging his fingernails into his skin until he started bleeding through the paper. Childe had been through endless battles, and fought countless enemies, but no wound had ever burned as badly as his heart did right now. Even in the Abyss, he did not feel as bottomless of despair as he felt right now. He wanted to hold you again too, Childe thought. He wanted to kiss you all over and show you how much he loved you. But you were gone, and the letter just solidified it more. He laid down on your bed, hand covering his forehead as he stared blankly at your ceiling. Biting down on his lip hard, he tried to prevent tears from flowing again. He would just go back to being the Tsarista’s weapon again, drowning himself in battle and blood just to feel something after your death.

4K notes · View notes

donutz · 3 months

Text

Poppy Playtime with a twist!!

SUMMARY||So younger you meets you in the present at poopy playhouse, but like it's super cool

EVERYONE THINKS THE STAFF DISSAPPEARED 10 YEARS AGO

WE'RE STILL HERE.

FIND THE FLOWER

ꕤ

“Find the flower?” Is it a pretty flowerrr? Not really..

Playtime Co? Oh. Playtime Co. Uhm. Well everybody who worked there isn't working there, not anymore. I'm not saying they disappeared. I read the letter!!

Hey they spelt disappeared wrong.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I drive over to Playtime Co in my [any type of car] and end up seeing blocked off doors.

I mean this place is abandoned so what do you expect?

Another warning to not go in. But like, I'm wayyy too bored in life so I'm goin in.

Somebody's at the door?

I wonder who.

After 10 minutes, surprisingly not taking long, I managed to open the doors.

Getting a view of the colorful place that I once worked at, I also see a person.

“Hello! I was waiting for you! Somebody told me you got sent an envelope so I stood here, waiting.”

I stood there, looking at them with a bit of surprise. And being a little bit suspicious.

Are they not gonna talk?

They kind of look like me, as if they were my identical twin. Just born at different times.

I somehow muster the courage to speak up after a moment of awkward silence.

“... Why do you look like me, but older..” I asked with sweat slowly collecting on my face.

I take note of what they said and say, “Hm, come here for a sec”.

I walk over to them and stand there looking at them, looking away from time to time.

“Hm.” I examine the person. “Oh! Because I am you but older”!

“WH— What.” I lowered my volume, just in case something would spawn out of nowhere.

“It looks like you went to the future.” I tell the past me.

“You're me? But older? Coooll.” I drag my words with imaginary stars in my eyes.

“Follow me m'kay?” I command. Sounds kinda fancy, command.

“Kay!”

I was so gullible.

We both go to a colorful room with a few trains that have different colors per train.

“You see those trains right?” I question my younger self.

“Yea”.

“Those colors on each train are for a color code.” I stated.

“Green, pink—”

“Yellow and red”.

“Good. Now we're gonna go to that color pad thing and put in the colors”.

“Can IIIII do that..?” I ask with a smile on my face.

“Sure.”

I put in the colors and the door unlocked. I softly grabbed the handle as I slowly opened the door, observing what's inside the room.

“There's nothing spooky in the room”.

.. Stupidly, I flinched from older me talking because of how focused I was.

“Did you just flinch”?

“No”.

“I don't know what you're talking about”.

“... Sure”.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

After finishing the grabpack tutorial, we go up to the big door and I[past me] scan[scans] with my[their] blue hand.

“This might take a bit so just wait”.

“Okay”.

The door is fully open.

I see, huggy? But he's.. Oh. “Hey young me”.

“Yeeeess?” I ask with curious eyes.

“I think, I went back to the past”.

“You did”?

“Yea”.

“I'm gonna nerd out for a sec”.

“It's okay, I do that too”.

“I think that once you started coming here, maybe the factory was— restarting to the past. Like a process of it. Maybe that's why they were moving around so much. While I was at the front desk it was still happening. But when you entered it finished. Oh and y'know what? Maybe me walking around here was also me going through that time traveling process.” I explained.

I was wide-eyed. Mouth open a little bit even.

Ooo. That's.. Okay..? I mean I hate what's gonna happen but. Whatevs. “Yo, tiny baby”.

“.. Me? Are you seriously talking to me”?

“Mhm. Follow me”.

“Is that Huggy Wuggy”.

“No, it's Gojo— who do you think that is”?

“I—!” I make a click sound with my tongue and look away.

“You suck.” I claim, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Thanks. Anyways, this is my baby, Huggy. Who is going to kill us in the future. Or try to”.

“Hey, I bet you twenty bucks that once we go into a room, after like 30 seconds he'll be gone. But you gotta look away. Anddd, I bet you another 5 bucks that he can hear us, or me, talking right now”!

“That's not fair. You're in the future so you know it's going to happen”.

“Mhm, bet or no bet”?

“No bet”.

“>:/”

I go to the door with a bunch of stuff inside and try to open it.

But I end up hearing a jingle of keys..?

“Thanks Huggy.” I smiled when saying that and walked towards the electronic room. At least that's what I call it.

Unlocking it I go in—

“Don't leave me pretty please”!!!

…I expected younger me to follow but I don't need to worry right now.

Once we were in the room, the door locked. I mean that's what I heard. I'm basically going through my life, again. This is something that would be studied. Old people would kill for something like this.

“Did the door lock”?

“I don't know, try opening it”.

I wandered over to the poles and solved a puzzle while younger me was freaking out over the locked door.

“Uhmmmmm, I think Huggy's gone”!!!

“Wait weally????” I mocked, a small smile creeping up on my face.

“SHUT UP I'M SERIOUS!!!” I yelled, DO THEY.. I. Uhm. DOES OLDER ME NOT UNDERSTAND???

“I've been through this already, you baby”.

“...”

I finished the puzzle and then walked towards the kid.

“Move out the way please!!” I said, making my eyes big and sad looking, like a cartoon character.

“>:[”

The door opened, and we both walked out.

“Alright, time to move to the next area”.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

#these tags have spoilers!!#poppy playtime #gn reader #gender neutral reader #gender neutral #not really an x reader #timeline #catnap #dogday #pickypiggy #bubba bubbaphant #kickinchicken #craftycorn #hoppy hopscotch #bobby bearhug #huggy wuggy #mommy long legs #poppy playtime x reader

94 notes · View notes

fanficsat12am · 2 years

Text

telling the brothers they would look pretty with a ring I Lucifer & Mammon

Request: Hi, may i ask for a request where mc tells the demon brothers that they would look pretty with a ring?

AN: Here ya go guys!! My second request <3 Btw, the upload schedule might slow down from now onwards since I got some stuff on my hands, but don't worry!! I'll make sure to upload at least once a week! toodles ❤️❤️

NOTE: NONE OF THESE IMAGES ARE MINE, NOR AM I TRYING TO SELL THEM.

📜 𝙼𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃!! 📜 Leviathan, Satan & Asmodeus Beelzebub & Belphegor

Lucifer

It was another all nighter. He had some last minute work given to him by the Demon Prince a few hours ago and being the prideful man he was, he decided to try to finish them all in one sitting. Now here you were, quietly sitting beside him as he methodically tried to finish all his workload.

As you watched his hands maneuver around the piles of work, you suddenly found yourself drifting along a thought you had. He noticed your dazed look and was curious about what was going on in that little human head of yours.

"Is there something wrong, My Love? If need be, you can go ahead and sleep. You don't have to wait up on me. It's already very late into the night and you look like you're dozing off"

“Oh! Sorry hehe. Just noticed how pretty you’d look with a ring on you"

Though the demon was taken aback by your statement, he found it to be quite endearing. This man loves it when his ego gets even a little bit stroked, so your words were very welcomed. He found himself smirking at your little comment all night long. Even as he laid his head on his pillow, your words still filled his head.

As soon as you woke up, you were deprived of the warmth of your boyfriend. Beside you was a small velvet box and on top was a letter sealed with red wax. Delicately opening the envelope, the note inside read “I think you look good with a ring too <3”.

Little did you know he stayed up a bit longer last night to go into Incognito Mode and search Akuzon for matching rings for both of you.

You carefully place the note aside and open the box. Inside was a rose gold band with a small diamond embedded into it. Lucifer feels that less is more and that simplicity is elegant. You soon discover that he has an identical one as well, the accessory never leaving his finger from there on out. He has it underneath his glove and subconsciously fidgets with it when he’s doing work.

Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/CBXBKUkUVpVkixWcA

Mammon

You were out with Mammon who had one goal in mind, "takin ya out and spendin every last grim on whatever ya want". You didn't plan on buying anything lavish, wanting him to save more due to him drowning in debt and knowing he still hasn't paid Levi back.

While walking around, you see something in the corner of your eye. It was the new jewelry store Asmo's been talking about, the assortment of trinkets giving the place a shimmering glow compared to the stores beside it.

He noticed your gaze set on the shop cause he’s a simp, almost as if mesmerized by it.

"Ya want anything in there? Some of ‘em rich douchebags at RAD go ‘ere and say it's pretty good"

"Oh no no! Just thinking about how good you'd look with a ring on"

At first, he just hears the words "good with a ring" and starts spouting off about how you're right. He would definitely look good with a ring on each finger! Those guys in the casino would see him as tough competition.

After a few seconds though, the demon finally realizes what you meant by that. He's a blushing mess, his previous attitude almost unrecognizable with how much he's stuttering over his words.

He refuses to leave the mall without buying you both matching rings. Now Mammon’s not a newbie when it comes to haggling, but we’re in a mall for crying out loud. Everyone knows the prices here are always set, but the seller got annoyed by his persistence and lowered the price down by a couple thousand grimms.

You leave with silver rings adorned with multiple jewels around it and the biggest gemstone you’ve ever laid your eyes on placed in the middle. He knows real jewels from fake ones, he’s not the Avatar of Greed for nothing after all.

Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/EvoZuEZa6pyuDjP4A

#obey me x reader #obey me fluff #obey me headcanons #obey me hc #lucifer x reader #mammon x reader #lucifer fluff #mammon fluff #lucifer x mc #mammon x mc #obey me #obey me imagines #obey me angst #shall we date lucifer #shall we date mammon

1K notes · View notes

fernfloppercus · 6 days

Text

New fursona dropped! click/download for bettah quality. Chest censor for cowardly tumblr.

Closeup shots under the cut, as well as some elaborations.

This reference sheet has been in the makes for around 2 months or so now, it's honestly been really slow progress due to me starting my first ever job ontop of ADHD. I noticed that my ADHD symptoms have been worsening due to getting a job, and I currently do not have access to medication or anything of the sort. Regardless, this character is a love letter to myself; over the past year or so I have been trying to come to terms with who or what I am. I'm going to be honest, this really means accepting that there are some things that I cannot put a label on. I wrote Bigender on the reference because I think it comes close to describing what I experience, but I honestly could not write it down in a comprehensible way, nor could I do this with my sexuality, seeing how closely it ties to my autism, and how I navigate intimacy. Just have fun with it. The past few months I have really developed a love for bovids, and I think that has been a very big step in accepting myself as well. People kinda look at a lot of them as dumb or unassuming or even dangerous, they are a little frightened and sometimes see them as gross or unsightly or dumb. I relate to this... they're big and gentle and cute to me though. And I think that I am similar to this. I feel like a cow a lot, or maybe a deer, or goat, or sheep... I don't know too much about them just yet, but I admire them so much. Please follow @bovineblogger SO many great posts. And while you are at it...please follow my close friends... @angelkids @thathandsomeangel @dragonboness. They have been here with me for maybe 6 years now as my best friends. They have watched me explore, and they have supported me for so long. It's mentioned in the ID, but the friendship bracelets my fursona is wearing are all based off of them. They are the greatest. I'd also like to mention that my sona would always have to be a mixture of animals. I feel like a lot of animals, personally, and though I don't use labels like therian or otherkin much, I feel like understanding those experiences would help anyone understand a little more how I feel about bovids, dragons, birds, etcetera. I hope that if you took the time to read this, you understand how much this process meant to me. I have been trying my best to understand the world around me and myself in turn, and I hope that you can as well. The best way to fight fear is with your undying curiosity. It pays off so well. Please, explore the wonderful world...and explore yourself as well. Maybe some things will always remain a mystery...but when you are always curious, it becomes easier to accept the unknown, and not to discredit it.

28 notes · View notes

vickyvicarious · 1 year

Text

some scattered lucy thoughts from today...

Town is very pleasant just now, and we go a good deal to picture-galleries and for walks and rides in the park. As to the tall, curly-haired man, I suppose it was the one who was with me at the last Pop.

Aside from the 'oh this is all so boring' joke, this list of activities definitely points to Lucy being a very active person. Later on she also talks about other things she likes to do which support this. I think Lucy is a bubbly and outgoing/active person who usually has a lot of energy.

He has a curious habit of looking one straight in the face, as if trying to read one's thoughts. He tries this on very much with me, but I flatter myself he has got a tough nut to crack. I know that from my glass. Do you ever try to read your own face? I do, and I can tell you it is not a bad study, and gives you more trouble than you can well fancy if you have never tried it.

@dathen has a great more heartwrenching take on this line which I just reblogged, but in a more lighthearted direction I just love the image of Lucy making faces at herself in the mirror. I want so badly to see someone make cute art of it.

I do not, as you know, take sufficient interest in dress to be able to describe the new fashions. Dress is a bore. That is slang again, but never mind; Arthur says that every day.

Lucy doesn't care much about fashion. I kind of wonder if her mother cares more and always tries to ensure Lucy is in the latest fashions or whatever, and it's something she's lightheartedly complained about with Mina before. It feels like a familiar reference.

Also, Lucy seems like the type of person to have fun being caught up in new interests that people she likes enjoy. She finds it really fun to imitate Arthur's slang, and gets kinda proud about the idea of being an interesting psychological study, and that sort of thing. She is probably a really good listener. (And now I'm picturing Mina excitedly infodumping to Lucy as they walk along holding hands, Lucy listening with great interest. 10/10 date.)

But oh, Mina, I love him; I love him; I love him! There, that does me good. I wish I were with you, dear, sitting by the fire undressing, as we used to sit; and I would try to tell you what I feel. I do not know how I am writing this even to you. I am afraid to stop, or I should tear up the letter, and I don't want to stop, for I do so want to tell you all.

I have some thoughts about Lucy and speaking freely. I didn't notice how much emphasis is put on it, but when you're thinking about it specifically in those lines there is a lot going on here. It isn't just Mina who wants to be with Lucy where they can talk freely. Lucy feels the same. The way she starts the letter very politely avoidant about how much Arthur matters to her is probably much closer to how she speaks to most people about him, or even most things. She talks about trying to tell Mina how she felt, about not knowing how she's even saying all this, that she should stop, that she doesn't want to, she's writing this in a quick burst of emotion/courage. And sure, it could just be the overwhelming newness of her romantic feelings, but I think Lucy has a tendency to hide how she really feels if it would rock the boat or upset/worry people - regardless of the situation. You know, she acts like she is fine and happy even if she doesn't feel that way. And (vague hinted spoilers) the ability to speak freely specifically is something that has later relevance for both women, so I find it really interesting to see aspects of it in both their first letters.

I also think it's part of why she likes Arthur speaking slang (and later on another man speaking a different sort of slang) so much. It's more relaxed and individual and gives her a little thrill to deviate from more polite and proper scripts. It isn't something she does on her own, but if someone else initiates it's easier to join them. Or at the very least to enjoy listening to.

#dracula daily #lucy westenra #a few hinted spoilers but i tried to avoid them #i may have to write a more focused meta on talking freely later on. there's some interesting stuff going on #not just in regards to Plot stuff but also like. if i think about the westenra family in general.#and contributes to why i think art is really good for lucy.

80 notes · View notes

jebewonmorelike · 1 year

Text

The Baby Project (A Series)

(part two) (part three) ~ coming soon! wc: 1.2k pronouns: none used; n/a warnings: light swearing, angst, ricky is not too nice in this chapter, the premise is raising a fake baby together, i don't think it's suggestive but that is the premise so if you're uncomfy with that then you have been forewarned! this will get fluffier and funnier like my other works with some angst mixed in summary: ricky and ex-friend!reader are forced to put aside their differences in order to successfully complete their assignment of raising a baby (simulator) together; chaos ensues. ~masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ SURPRISE! it's a short series. I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS PLOT. of course, all credits of the actual concept of "the baby project" go to that popular story on the app episode from a couple years ago lmao. this will probably have about 3 parts i think and i'll keep them all short like this so its digestible-- it seems to be people prefer this. i love writing ricky in an academic setting, it just works so well for him. :) thank you as always for reading!

"Ow," you mumble, hand reaching to rub the spot on the back of your head where the sudden pain was felt. You look to your left, an eraser on the floor beside your desk that hadn't been there before. Behind you, a familiar snickering sounds and you turn around to glare at the culprit.

Ricky smiles back at you smugly, eyebrows raised as if he's challenging you to make a fuss. But you know better by now than to get into it with the tall, blonde boy-- white, collared shirt unbuttoned at the top and red, striped tie loosened fashionably around his neck.

It hadn't always been this way. You study his smile, trying to find any remnants of warmth hidden beneath the cool surface. How did someone once so familiar to you become suddenly unrecognizable?

You turn back around to face the front of the classroom, picking your pen up and doodling in the margins of your quiz that you'd completed only ten minutes into the allotted half-hour. A few months ago, Ricky would have been done with his quiz early too.

Now he doesn't even have to take it.

Carefully, you glance over your shoulder again at the boy who used to be your friend. You watch as his group of popular friends joke with him in the back of the class, a pretty cheerleader passing him a small piece of paper with a shy smile on her face. Ricky smirks at the note as he unfolds it, putting his pen to the paper and writing a response before passing it back to her.

You're watching him so intently now that you forget that you were trying to be stealthy and you're only reminded when his eyes meet yours unexpectedly. All of the air leaving your lungs, your eyes widen in shock and your cheeks heat in embarrassment. Ricky narrows his eyes at you suspiciously and you turn back around as quickly as humanly possible.

"Pens down," your teacher announces, signaling a chorus of frustrated groans from your classmates who weren't able to finish the test in time. She collects your tests-- clearing her throat disapprovingly as she passes Ricky, who undoubtedly hands in another blank paper for the umpteenth time this semester.

After Ms. Seo places all of the tests on her desk, she returns to the front of the classroom and picks up a marker from the whiteboard. In big red letters, she writes:

THE BABY PROJECT

A wave of curious whispers flows throughout the classroom as everyone turns to their friends to figure out what these words could mean. Your brow furrows as you try to work out what project you could possibly be assigned that had to do with babies...

"I have some very exciting news to share today," your teacher announces excitedly, clasping her hands together under her chin. Ms. Seo is one of those teachers that's incredibly invested in learning and desperately wants all of her students to share the same passion-- and when they don't, they're in for some serious consequences.

Though there were apparently exceptions to everything.

"This week, I received word that our class was approved to participate in The Baby Project!" Ms. Seo exclaims, waiting for the class to react. When all of her students just stare back at her blankly, she sighs. "Maybe you kids are too young to remember when our school used to participate in this several years ago. The Baby Project is an assignment in which two students will work together for two weeks to parent a newborn baby together!"

The gasps and protests that ring throughout the classroom are deafening and your overly optimistic teacher bounces on her toes jubilantly, mistaking the roars of outrage for enthusiasm.

"Yes, I know: it's all so exciting!" Ms. Seo exclaims, walking over and retrieving a large box from behind her desk. She drags it to the front of the room and opens the top to reveal:

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ms. Seo pulls what appears to be a baby doll out of the box, clad in a little teddy-bear-printed diaper and screaming bloody murder.

"Do you wanna be my partner?" You hear the pretty cheerleader from earlier ask Ricky behind you. After a long moment, you hear Ricky laugh flirtatiously in response and you have to work to keep from audibly scoffing.

"Yeah, I'll raise a baby with you if you want," he jokes and the way his friends react boisterously paints the scene for you without having to steal a glance. You roll your eyes to yourself at Ricky's newfound "rizz" (or whatever). You knew for a fact that, at least before this semester started, he hadn't even had his first kiss yet.

Of course, by the looks of it, that probably wasn't the case anymore.

"Pairs will be randomly assigned, regardless of gender, and you will receive one baby simulator that you will be responsible for parenting for the next two weeks," you teacher explains, cradling the screaming doll in her arms until it finally quiets down. "The baby is monitored carefully by an internal computer system that will record specifics such as care events, abuse, temperature, and clothing changes."

"The baby will begin to fuss at realistic intervals throughout the 24-hour period and you will need to figure out the baby's particular need in that moment in order to calm them," Ms. Seo says, reaching into the box again and pulling out a baby bottle, as well as two onesies and a little cap. "This bottle contains a sensor that the baby simulator will recognize and the thin onesie and the thick onesie and hat provided will have to be used depending on the baby's temperature."

"How does this sound to everyone?" Your teacher asks excitedly, to which she is met with another outpour of outrage. "I'm so glad you're all just as eager to start this assignment as I am! If there's no further questions, I'll announce the pairs for our project."

You look around the room nervously, not sure who you'd like to be assigned as your partner for two weeks. If you were being honest, you didn't know anyone in your class very well...

Except for Ricky.

Being assigned the boy that hadn't handed in an assignment for three months for such a time-consuming and painstaking project would be far worse than being paired up with a random peer. You nod to yourself, exhaling deeply as you try to convince yourself that working on this project with a stranger might not be so bad. Maybe you could finally make a new friend.

"Our first pair is... Elizabeth and Ally!" Ms. Seo announces happily, waving for the girls to come up to the front to receive their baby simulator. The girl named Ally holds the baby by one arm and Ms. Seo stifles a scream as she rushes to position the simulator correctly in the student's arms.

Ms. Seo laughs nervously. "You kids are gonna be in for a rude awakening! Our next pair is... Eungi and Sam."

The process continues of your teacher calling the project pairs and the students receiving their baby simulators. Your leg shakes with anxiety as you look around the room to see who hasn't been called yet. There's a girl to your left that you think is named Marissa who had smiled at you a few times before...

"The next pair is... (Y/N) and--," Ms. Seo squints, seemingly unable to make out her own handwriting as she draws the paper closer to her face. "Oh, I see now..."

Smiling, she calls:

"It's (Y/N) and Ricky!"

108 notes · View notes

marengogo · 1 year

Text

Rambling in INFJese - Part 9: Dear Future Baby Jikooker and Some Jikookers as well…

Listening to album D-DAY - by Agust D ON REPEAT

[Music is a very big part of my life and I’m MOSTLY INCAPABLE of writing without music, so I just thought I'd share what I am listening to while writing this]

🐺 — 🐺 — 🐺—

Dear Future Baby Jikooker,

Here is a letter from me to you, who have just stepped into this curious neck of the woods, but also for Jikookers, who presently might feel lost, in this neck of the woods. This is going to be a long-ass post, ops 😬. In my defence, it could have been even much longer than it is, but let’s be real, there is only so much you might be willing to read at this stage and, at the same time, only so much I can write before I stray well out of topic. BUT let’s start with a welcome, shall we? A very big welcome to those of you who have decided, for one reason or another and we will touch on that to be “Jikookers”. Welcome and congratulations: you’ve officially picked the most fear-inducing, hate-provoking, blasted-ass ship, perhaps, in history but that is just my perception, admittedly, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony might have been good contenders, by the fandom they belong to and most of all shippers within the fandom as well.

SO YES, welcome welcome welcome to the Tumblr side of Jikook things! Now, before we dive deeper into what awaits in my post, and most importantly, into Jikook-world, it’s best we get one thing straight, right off the bat:

Mmm … you might have already known this, in fact you are probably looking at me like “You ain’t gotta tell me that, bitch, like …” but truuuust me when I tell you that this is not as obvious or as known a fact as it ought to be … chiiiiiile 😩.

That being said, there are usually two main starting points for people who end up here, and by here, I don’t mean specifically Jikook-Tumblr, but Jikook-world in general:

You have been ARMY / BTS fans / JK and/or JM bias for a while and are thus familiar with all members in BTS at a level that is above avarage.

You have no clue about anything-BTS, but you heard that there is this “couple” in BTS, so the name of the other members is probably as much as you might know.

As you are ultimately here because of a possible romantic relationship between JK and JM, whether you are 1 or 2 doesn’t make you any better or worse than being 2 or 1. What it does however, is that it will 100% influence and condition the experience you might/will have. That, in addition with the answer to the following question which I highly suggest you ask yourself before you fully step in:

“Why am I here?”

… Perhaps “I believe Jikook is 100% real”, or “I wonder: is Jikook even real right now?”, or “I have reason to believe that Jikook might be, but actually …”, or “I’m not saying but I’m saying, Jikook?!”, or “IDGAF I just think they look good together”, etc etc etc. Trust me, there is a Jikook blog that aligns with any and all conscious and subconscious states of mind, beliefs and/or opinions. So as you proceed, you will or might not realise that some blogs simply want to find people who are like-minded, some blogs just want to rave, rant and talk about the boys to their heart's content, some blogs want to build a following/clout, and some blogs might be up to no good amongst these, some might not even realise that they are….

I, for one, got into the Jikook-world coming from type 1. BTS found me when I needed them the most and I just ended up loving all 7 of them, in different ways, but all 7 nonetheless AND as you might or might not know, I am indeed OT7. One day, as it happens to all of us, I stumbled on a shipping video on YT, it was a Taejin one: I clicked. To begin I was initially shocked that BTS would still have ships at the point in their career (this was around 2021) and I actually thought Taejin to be real … and then you see SOPE, Namjin, taekook, there were so many and all had their reasons etc. After a while I just found them all very cute and didn’t take them seriously at all.

Eventually, somehow, a Jikook video by Made in Busan appeared, I watched it and that was it: … I felt something. But even though I did feel something, I tried to ignore it because as a queer person pansexual I mostly walk around with my invisible hope on my sleeves ALL THE TIMES. So it felt that, once again, for the one millionth time, I would end up wanting them to be so real that the disappointment would crush me, making me feel that once again, people like me are undeserving of love, or at the very least, African and Asian countries are never going to accept this. At this very moment a great part of the USA, and certain parts of Europe, are the only places where famous people and not can live being who they are.

In many other places in this world, particularly African and Asian countries, it is still taboo, dangerous and even life threatening and I am in-between these two types of worlds. So I rejoice everytime a queer couple publically comes out, because even though I know I cannot be them the maximum I can do is go to pride in my pink, yellow and blue outfit it makes me happy to know that had I been born in a different continent, within a different culture, that perhaps, it could have been me. Basically, it feels that happiness for people like me is attainable, even if not for me, if others can safely make it, it would be enough for me for now.

I started from YT and WHAT A MESS IT TURNED OUT TO BE. I made the very big mistake of thinking that because jikook was so rare in the fandom, then people who believed in them were just like me trying to understand kindred spirits. I thought that we were in this to protect and potentially, if time ever would allow, to support what would have become a very influential gay couple. But as time passed, before I knew it, I found myself within the episode of the most toxic BL where, everyone heard voices, many betrayed each other for affection, all slept with each other to spite all, and some resorted to using fans in order to bully each other. The more accounts with this mentality started to appear, the more normal accounts started to disappear. It got to a point were I, a person whom in the meantime had forgotten was a OT7, started to believe that some members were indeed narcissist and any other non-self diagnosable trait. WHEN I REALISED I had to take a BIG-ASS breath, slap myself out of fiction and get-out-style-ran myself back into reality: LIKE … WHAT THE FUCK HAD JUST HAPPENED?!

I had completely forgotten about who BTS were, I got entirely lost in the wrong side of the woods for me, basically I completely forgot why I was even there in the first place! When I then myself in the only youtube channel I trusted at the time, who also suggested we should check a certain blog on Tumblr, when I did, I found a kindred spirit and never went back to YT (by that time wonsummernight had left, Made in Busan, like MizGator, were all gone). There was no forced narrative, the logical consideration of events, the unexplainable emotion of others, it was up the alley I had wanted to be. It brought it back to me just supporting real maybe-queer people like me, rather than fighting over fictional characters in a drama that had nothing to do with me at all.

I regained my rationality, and peacefully lurked, until I got curious about certain topics and decided to send in asks, or just wanted to send words of encouragement to other blogs I began to like and were constantly attacked. Eventually I realised my side of the woods was also thinning out, and because I felt like I had a lot to say as well I began this blog, to just talk, talk and talk. It was fun talking, revisiting Jikook moments with other people who thought alike or people who respectfully didn’t and still kept it at a healthy level. Speaking with other queer folk was also a perk. I literally had no expectations upon coming on Tumblr, I just wanted to keep up with Jikook, while keeping my sanity and rationality. Writing my thoughts about them also helped me lay out my opinions and, through educated speculation, maybe realise things about Jikook hadn’t before and so on and so forth. As things stand in this very moment, within my boundaries, I still believe there is something between them. Chapter 2 is what, surprising, turning out to be as I predicted it would be, to a T except for JK’s weverse, that I couldn’t predict not a single one, for shit it is all very interesting to be honest, and though I can know see things will only get harder from here on, it is okay.

Even though this place feels like it is about to become another, YT, twitter, etc. It is okay. I never had any expectations to begin with, but the fact that I know where I stand in my Jikook neck of the woods, makes my anger towards some bullshit very well directed towards said bullshit, and never towards jikook, BTS or any unrelated parties. I like that when I log off my life goes on. I love that even though I have times when I miss them a lot, it is just that and I am not going crazy over it. In the same way I love that there is a chance that within this global powerhouse of a band there might be somebody that loves like me. In the queer way I, and many others, do.

So my dear future Baby Jikooker, find out why you are here. Understand what it is you want. If it is being in delulu-land that is perfectly fine I also go there from time to time, I find it fun, and when things actually happen right from delulu-land it makes it even more fun! Just gotta trade carefully, that's all. If you wanna find friends, if you wanna talk, whatever it is, just be aware of your decisions, and possible consequences, and you will not be disappointed, hurt or disillusioned, in the long run. If you don’t like all the other members, at the very lease please respect them, because Jikook surely do love them.

If you find that this environment is becoming too much for you, protect yourself the best way you can, leave if you need to, you have the right to do so. As you keep exploring make sure to find the blog that is right for you, and if you feel like it is what you want, write your own. If something feels too good to be true, check sources, always, original content is always available. If you are okay for them to be too good to be true, then do you, it is your experience, just be mindful not to ruin it for others and I hope nobody ruins it for you.

So once again, WELCOME TO JIKOOK-WORLD. I hope you don’t get too lost and you find what you were looking for. I hope you come out of it alive, if at some point you decide to run away. And if you survive all the bullshit that might take place between now and their military service (MS), if you are still around, and Jikook just so happen to be who we think they might be; then I’ll see you on the other side, or if you want come holla.

Always respectfully yours,

Marengo.

#Rambling in INFJese #Baby Jikookers #Veteran Jikookers #Jikookers #Jikook

85 notes · View notes

tamurilofrivendell · 1 year

Text

Beauty and the Beast | Chapter 23

Previous Chapters [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22] Read on AO3 [x]

Pairing: Thranduil/Fem. Reader Summary: A Beauty and the Beast inspired tale with Thranduil the Elvenking and a human reader from a nearby village Taglist: @captainchrisstan, @rebleforkicks, @yjrevolution, @majahu, @honey-wine, @accio-boys, @achromaticerebus, @solomonssimp, @tired-ass-show-girl, @dreamlessnight, @daddy-long-legolas, @sleepyamygdala, @coopsgirl

Three days passed in a fairly similar, comfortable way. You divided your time between the library, your room, exploring the halls or the gardens, and enjoying the company of those around you. Your main connections were Thranduil, Myleth and Legolas. Elros, Tauriel and Galion were often not too far behind, though Galion was often so busy with the king, being his personal butler. He had a lot to keep him busy even when he was not personally attending to the king himself. Indeed, with the upcoming festival you had found out about, it seemed most everybody was suddenly very busy. The whole kingdom seemed to buzz with activity and excitement.

You found yourself intrigued as you learned what you could about this elven festival. You had learned some of the customs of the elves during your time here and found yourself increasingly curious with each passing moment. Elves were nothing like what the people of your village had always assumed, the horror stories that had been passed down through the generations. The Mirkwood elves being the only ones that your village had come close to in all its years of existence, which was still not very, imagination had easily run wild.

The truth, you had discovered, was far lovelier. You’d found yourself thinking about how you could not wait to tell everyone just how wrong they had been but, of course, it had then hit you that you would never get the chance. You were not leaving these halls. Still, you wondered if perhaps you could bring up the idea of writing your father a letter eventually. You couldn’t see why Thranduil would deny you the joy of letting your father know you were safe and happy. Happy? The word had caught you off guard but you were quick to dismiss it, distracting your mind with a book of Elvish, which you were currently attempting to learn.

You woke one morning and readied yourself for the day ahead. You had been taking most, if not all, of your meals with Thranduil and Legolas now. However many times you found Legolas suspiciously absent, though whenever you would bring it up with him, he would wave it off as having been busy with his princely duties. You accepted it but you were not entirely sure if you believed him. Still, why should he bend the truth with you? You could see no reason, especially about something so trivial.

After dressing, you turned and left your room, trailing down the corridor in the direction of the royal chambers. When you reached the door to the dining room, you slipped inside and were surprised to find nobody there. By now, Thranduil was usually already up and sitting at the table waiting. In fact, usually breakfast was sitting on the table already but today there was nothing. You lingered for a moment, listening, but there seemed to be no noise or movement coming from anywhere. Turning, you left the room again and retreated back down the corridor.

As you walked you spotted Tauriel about to turn a corner ahead of you, looking mildly concerned, and you hurried towards her. “Tauriel!”

She turned at the sound of her name and offered you a smile. “Oh, good morning.” Tauriel said, continuing on. “I am afraid I cannot stop and talk.” She seemed a little scattered.

You shook your head. “No, that’s okay, I was just... wondering if you knew where Thranduil was.” It was out of the ordinary and off schedule so you were, admittedly, a little thrown.

Tauriel’s footsteps faltered then, which you found a little strange because nobody seemed to bat an eye anymore when you referred to the king by name, and she turned to look at you. “Oh. I am afraid I cannot say, My Lady.”

Frowning, you tilted your head and regarded her curiously. “What do you mean?” Surely, as the king, Thranduil’s whereabouts would be rather well known. “Do you mean he has left the halls? Did he slip past the guards? Is he in the forest alone?” You were beginning to feel a slight panic starting to take hold of you as all sorts of scenarios filled your mind. Though you knew Thranduil was a skilled fighter, you could not help your worry.

Tauriel gave you a confused look before she caught your meaning and shook her head quickly. “Oh, no. There is no need for concern, he is quite safe. I mean I simply cannot say.”

Your frown deepened as you blinked back at her. “You cannot?”

She shook her head, turning to start walking once again, eager to get where she was heading. “I am sorry. It is the King’s orders.”

You stopped walking and watched Tauriel’s retreat as she turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Did Thranduil not want to see you? Had you done something wrong? Still frowning, you trailed away down to the dining hall, moving inside and hoping to catch sight of somebody you knew. Myleth immediately saw you from the table she sat at and waved you over. “Oh! I should have come to fetch you, how silly of me.” She shook her head as though she had made some sort of mistake and tapped her fingers against her forehead. “No matter, you are here now. Are you hungry?”

You shook your head at her. You had lost your appetite but you were also confused by what she had said. “But... you know I usually eat with Thranduil, why should you come and fetch me?”

Myleth looked at you. “Oh, dearie, did the King not tell you?”

“Tell me what?” You were beginning to get frustrated as the answers you sought continued to linger beyond your grasp.

“That he would not be able to break his fast with you today.” Myleth continued, unperturbed by your irritation. “I am sorry, I assumed he would have informed you and I suppose he probably assumed I would have come to your chamber before you left it. Miscommunications all around.”

You were still confused as Myleth turned to pour herself some tea from the pot on the table. “But... why is he unable to dine with me this morning?” You couldn’t help but ask, needing to know if something was wrong.

“He is unable to dine with you all day, My Lady.” Galion stated as he took his seat across the table, glancing at Myleth only briefly but you caught a secret sort of look pass between them that only frustrated you further.

“Will somebody please tell me exactly what they mean and stop talking in riddles.” You sighed heavily, looking from one to the other. “Have I done something to upset him? Is that it?”

“No!” Myleth was quick to jump in, hastily shaking her head. She had absolutely no desire to let you sit with the idea of the king being upset with you, especially not now she had witnessed just how much the two of you seemed to bring out this light in each other where before only darkness had lingered between you both. “Of course not, no. Oh, dear, do not worry. It is only today. Now, come on, let’s discuss the festival. I think I have found you the perfect dre--”

“Then why?” You cut her off, unable to just let it go. You felt like something was being kept from you and you wanted to know what it was. You glanced at Galion, noticing the warning look he shot Myleth when she turned to him for help.

“Come on.” You said, firmer this time. “Somebody better start talking.”

Myleth sighed and turned to look at you, ignoring Galion’s sound of disapproval. “My dear... it is a difficult day for the King... and for his son.” She murmured and you realised that you had not seen Legolas yet that morning either and it was quite a bit later now.

“In what way?” You asked carefully, looking at Galion who was engrossed in a teacup in front of him, acting like it was the most interesting thing in the world despite the slight scowl that had appeared on his face.

There was a long silence and then Myleth spoke again. “Well, it... it is the Queen’s begetting day, my dear.”

From what you could understand, a begetting day was the day on which someone was conceived which was what the elves tended to celebrate as opposed to actual birthdays. You hadn’t really understood why that would be important until Myleth had vaguely explained the conception and birth rates of the elves and it had started to form a fuller picture.

However, elves lived for so long that they often did not tend to celebrate at all, or at least not every year. However, with the queen... gone... the king had taken to truly taking this day to remember her. Or, more aptly, truly drown in his grief. He would shut himself away in the West Wing and Legolas would go into the forest with his bow, unable to stay in the palace when his father was like this.

The reason for Thranduil’s sudden disappearance on this day was only ever officially known by a select few staff members, who were under orders not to further discuss it, or his whereabouts, with others. Though, of course, rumours would have flown over the years, especially with everybody knowing that the queen was so off limits.

Your footsteps carried you in the direction of the library, intending to shut yourself away for the day as well, but your gaze fell upon that red curtain that concealed the staircase up to the West Wing and before you knew it, you had slipped behind the heavy material and were climbing the stairs.

Your last two visits to these chambers flashed through your mind. One horrible, one not so horrible. You weren’t sure which this would be but you felt as though it didn’t really matter. You were set on this course already and no amount of fighting with your own mind would get you to turn back.

You passed the portrait of the queen once more, looking up at the destroyed image of her as you did. She was so beautiful. She had such kind eyes, you thought. It was a shame that she seemed to have suffered such a horrible fate that nobody could even speak of it. Your curiosity was sky high but you turned your focus towards finding Thranduil, peeking into rooms as you passed. Moving into what was clearly a bedroom, you found an opened drawer of items had been upended, the jewellery and beautiful, intricate headwear all scattered across the floor. Images of Thranduil losing his temper to his grief and sending his wife’s jewels flying across the room in a rage flickered into your mind.

You felt sad.

Turning, you moved to the doors that led out to the balcony. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a blackened rose in the middle of a glass case. Moving over, you ghosted your fingers across the glass with a frown. As you turned your head towards the window, finally catching sight of Thranduil down in the garden, you realised this dead rose was one of the Starfire Roses. More specifically, the one your father had plucked and killed. The one that seemed to have started all of this in the first place. Thranduil had kept it, giving it something of its own little memorial display case.

The sight hurt your heart.

Carefully, you moved towards the doors and pulled them open, slipping out onto the balcony. Thranduil didn’t look up, he simply continued to caress the roses. You could see them moving. Even they seemed sad today.

Biting your lip, you turned and moved carefully down the stairs and began to cross the grass. Your heart was practically in your throat as doubt began to creep in and you started to think that this may not have been a good idea after all. Would Thranduil just be angry with you? Perhaps your coming here uninvited, sticking your nose in where it did not belong, would set the two of you back after coming this far.

“This had better be important.” Thranduil’s tone was cold and he didn’t move, not so much as turning his head at your approach. His attention remained upon the roses. “I was very clear that I wish not to be disturbed.”

You stopped walking, your heart sinking into your toes. “Oh, I... sorry.” A soft frown crossed your features and you turned to make yourself scarce once more.

Thranduil turned around then. “Wait.” He called, looking at you with a frown of his own. His voice was softer now and you turned to face him again. “I thought you were somebody else.” He admitted, having assumed Galion had come to bother him with something. He looked at you for a quiet beat before he held up his hand and gestured for you to join him.

Tentatively, you moved across the garden and took a seat beside him on the little bench that stood beside the Starfire Roses. You glanced down and reached out towards one, watching as it turned its attention to you. Smiling softly, you turned your gaze to Thranduil. He was watching the flowers again. Your smile faded away as he glanced up and met your gaze, attempting to offer you a smile of his own but it fell short and he simply looked... sad. It was the only word you kept coming back to, to describe this entire situation.

“Myleth forgot to tell me you would not be at breakfast...” You told him quietly, not sure what else to say. You didn’t want to overstep and make him feel worse.

Thranduil closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head in a way that made it look like he was feeling guilt or regret. “I am sorry.” He sighed, opening his eyes. “I must admit, it did not cross my mind to tell you.”

“There’s no need for apologies.” You assured him quickly. You understood, how could you not? “I really didn’t mean to bother you, I just... wanted to see if you were alright.”

Thranduil blinked at you for a moment, finding that it surprised him... the fact that you had thought about how he would be doing. That you would want to seek him out, especially considering the way he had acted in the past. He knew that you had both become closer, that you had even gone so far as to call him a friend a few days ago, but he still found himself surprised by it. By the changes that had occured during your time here. By the way you seemed to... care... for someone such as him.

It touched him and Thranduil found himself reaching out for your hand. “Thank you. I...” He turned back to the roses with a sigh, watching them curl towards each other. “I will admit, I find this day to be... especially difficult.”

The two of you lapsed into silence for a few moments. You did your best to ignore the butterflies that the touch of his hand gave you, swallowing down the annoyingly present feelings that you simply could not seem to shake.

“Tell me about her?” You ventured, glancing up at him. You were quick enough to see the brief flicker of surprise flash in his eyes as he turned to look at you again. He covered it fast enough, however, his face becoming the marble mask you had become so accustomed to.

Thranduil was quiet, scanning your face as if he were trying to ascertain whether or not you were being serious. When he found no insincerity in your eyes, his gaze softened slightly.

“Her name was Caleniel...”

Legolas returned from the forest early that evening and set his bow back in its place, moving towards his chamber so that he could bathe and change. He was exhausted, but it was mostly due to the emotional whirlwind his mind had been in for the entire day.

It happened every year and it never got any better. He would wake frustrated and retire in the evening the same way.

This day was always such a dark one in the kingdom, it had been for centuries. Which was saying something when he thought about how generally dark a lot of things in this kingdom had become over these years. Despite every single shred of his mother being removed and forgotten and forbidden to even be discussed, the heavy shadow of her was ever present. Legolas barely remembered her but he remembered his father’s grief. It had been a constant for practically his entire life.

He trudged through the hallways towards the royal chambers. He just wished for this day to finally be over once and for all. It would come again the next year far too quickly. One year was such a drop in the ocean to an elf, it always felt as if no time had passed at all.

Legolas was surprised to find himself waylaid in the corridor by Tauriel. She looked normal at first glance but Legolas could see a slight flush to her cheeks and she looked a little more wide eyed than she usually did. “You have to see this.” She told him, fingers clutching his arm as she pulled him back down the hallway.

Legolas allowed her to lead him but his feet stilled as they came to the staircase up to the West Wing. He shook his head. “Tauriel, I cannot, my father...”

Tauriel shook her head, practically dragging him up the stairs. “Come on.” She urged and his feet allowed him to follow. “He always retires to his own chamber after dinner, you know this... but he did not come and Galion was concerned.” Tauriel pulled him down the corridor in the direction of the large bedroom. “So he came up here to look for him, to see if he needed anything...” Huddled at the window were Galion and Myleth, both turning to look at Tauriel and Legolas with expressions he could not decipher. Legolas was frowning now, too drained for games, just wanting to retire. He could not understand what the fuss was about. If his father wanted to stay up here all night moping then he could do just that.

He came to a stop at the window, taking in the sight of you and his father down in his mother’s garden.

“She went missing during breakfast.” Myleth said to Legolas, watching him for a moment before she glanced back outside to you and the King. Thranduil was talking and you were solemnly hanging off his every word. “She was nowhere to be found but I did not imagine that would have come back up here...”

“Since breakfast?” Legolas could not hide the shock that coloured his tone as he turned his gaze on Myleth. He glanced from her to Galion, who nodded, and then looked back outside. He watched his father talking and you listening. He wondered what you were discussing and probably would have paid a troll’s body weight in gold just to be able to listen in on one single moment.

For all these years, his father had been a black hole of grief and anger. Not one soul had been allowed up here. Not one soul had been allowed to utter his mother’s name or talk about her tragic demise. Not one soul had managed to get his father to simply spare them but one moment on this day.

Until you came.

Now, here his father sat. Talking with you in his mother’s private garden, on this very difficult day, beside her beloved Starfire Roses. He did not look angry. He looked a little sorrowful but the weight that always sat so heavily and obviously on his shoulders this day almost looked, to Legolas, a little lighter than it usually did. He could hardly believe what he was looking at but the scene made his heart soar.

“Come... we should leave.” He said softly, ushering the others out of the room and back down the stairs. As big a turning point as he had just witnessed, Legolas was still fairly sure that his father would not take kindly to all of them lingering at the window like spies this time around.

#thranduil x reader #thranduil x you #thranduil fanfiction #thranduil fanfic #lotr x reader #lotr fanfic #lotr fanfiction #hobbit fanfic #hobbit x reader #beauty and the beast

134 notes · View notes

butterflydm · 1 year

Text

wot reread: towers of midnight (chapter 8-13)

spoilers for towers of midnight

1. Hmm, we open this Mat chapter with him pondering over the (still-sealed) letter that Verin left him and admiring the beauty of the female tavernkeeper (quickly slapping a “but I’m married” bandaid over his admiration). Strike two.

2. I genuinely am very curious about what notes might have been left behind about Mat (and Mat’s marriage) because... from Sanderson’s other writing, this doesn’t feel like an idea he would have necessarily come up with on his own? He admits that he’s a bit of a prude and his main go-to ‘romance’ route in his own books is “wow this arranged marriage is working out surprisingly well!”. So I’m really curious if post-marriage horndog!Mat was noted somewhere in the stuff Jordan left behind. And I’m keeping track of the moments because I want to see how much of a pattern it ends up being over the course of the ~post-marriage~ books.

I am also going to keep track of whether or not Mat notes any specific qualities about ~absent wifey~ that he likes and, if he does, if those qualities are things that we’ve witnessed her actually showing at any point.

3. Also, just to note: while Mat is trying to remind himself that he’s married, his ~wife~ is engaging in hostile combat actions against his friends, and will be enslaving forty Aes Sedai and killing an additional unknown number of Aes Sedai, Warders, and people who live and work in Tar Valon. But, you know, it’s her empire that’s his enemy, not her.

(that line really is... the sad thing is that line is actually great out of context but, wow, it makes absolutely ZERO sense in terms of Mat’s actual relationship with ~Fortuona~. It’s such a bonkers delusional line for Mat to have said at any point during their relationship as it exists in the books. It really does feel like Jordan thought up that line first and then never got around to actually writing a relationship that could live up to its sentiment but jammed it in anyway because he couldn’t let it go even though it didn’t fit with the relationship as-written. But leaving it in really makes Mat come across as extremely reality-denying in terms of his relationship. And, hey, maybe that was what Jordan was going for, idk)

4. Verin is betting here that Mat’s curiosity is stronger than his desire to stay away from Aes Sedai plans, but she doesn’t know that the narrative has spent the last few books beating his curiosity and critical thinking out of him and turning his irrational dislike of Aes Sedai up to bizarrely high levels so that he’s willing to make out with a slaver. Verin should have just ALSO shared the info in the letter with Egwene when she was with her, but it was Verin’s turn to hold the Idiot Ball of Making The Plot Happen, so she did not (honestly, either Mat reading the letter or Verin telling Egwene the contents of the letter would also have saved us a bunch of time in the story).

5. More of weird fey creature Mat here, who acts like he is bound by his Oaths in a bizarre metaphysical way, instead of him just reluctantly keeping his word because he’s a good man. Like... you haven’t sworn on the Oath Rod, Mat. If whatever Verin is telling you to do actually goes against your morals just... break your word. You were willing to do it when it came to the Seanchan Oaths, because an oath under duress is not binding, and you seemed to be aware of that back during WH. The whole “you must follow your oaths to the letter even if they lead you into immoral acts” belief is NOT honorable. But this ties back into the way that Jordan had Mat acting with Tuon in CoT & KoD -- the logic of going “because she’s ~my wife~ (by Seanchan law), I am ~legally/morally obligated~ to support and protect her, no matter what evil deeds she may choose to commit and no matter how much she might be hurting other people”.

So now keeping his promises is about Mat operating by Fey Rules of Literally Obeying His Word, rather than keeping his promises because he’s a good person despite his protests. Because a good man wouldn’t support and protect a slaver, so Jordan had to throw away the part of Mat that was a good man in order for Mat x Tuon to ‘work’. But then (this ties back to horndog!Mat), it also leads to it feeling like Mat doesn’t cheat on Tuon right now only because it might break his Mystical Fey Creature Oaths rather than him actually feeling any personal inclination towards being a faithful husband.

6. At the start of this chapter, Mat thought to himself that he wouldn’t give Melli his ~best smile~ on account of him being a married man and... well, guess what he does only two pages later? Yep, gives her his best smile that he personally believes melts women’s hearts. Two pages! Also, he thinks that he’s Not Allowed to stare at her lips (because he’s married) even as he’s calculating the precise fullness of said lips that he’s Definitely Not staring at, lol.

7. Mat notices a pretty serving girl and tips her a coin for her smile. For, um. For Thom’s sake. lol. Strike three. Technically, Mat is already out, but I will continue to count strikes.

8. lol, the bouncer at the tavern, Berg, is as dubious about Mat’s future faithfulness to ~his slaver wife~ as I am. Berg gives Mat a suspicious look despite that fact that Mat. This is hilarious. Mat SAT HIM DOWN and talked to him about how he wouldn’t be wooing away the woman that Berg is in a relationship with because Mat is MARRIED NOW. lol, no wonder the man is so suspicious of him! That just sends so many alarm bells ringing. Portrait of a Man In Denial over how unhappy he is about being married.

9. Strike four, Mat notices the golden hair, nice eyes, and full bosom of one of the women he’s gambling with at the next tavern, and tries to convince himself that he doesn’t actually find full breasts incredibly attractive anymore (he noticed Melli’s “ample bosom” only a handful of pages ago so... um, yeah, that’s a boldfaced lie to himself. Sanderson might mention breasts less often than Jordan does but when he does mention them, it’s been in Mat PoV so far). We’re several pages into Mat’s PoV at this point and we’ve mostly focused on him doing his best to pretend he feels no regret over being married and Not Being Allowed to notice all the women that he’s noticing for, um, Talmanes and Thom. He also tries to give his fellow gambler one of his heart-fluttering smiles (that he said at the start of the chapter he wouldn’t give out anymore on account of being ~a married man~) and tries to pretend that he isn’t disappointed when she doesn’t react.

10. Anyway, the plot important thing that happens here is that Mat finds out that the gholam is in Caemlyn (people found with their throats ripped out). That finally draws him out of his depressed-over-being-married funk.

11. We learn that he’s sent a letter to Elayne and gotten no reply and he’s actually QUITE worked up over it, and over the fact that Elayne has never so much as kissed him on the cheek to thank him for saving her life. And it’s an interesting change that his internal objection here doesn’t end up being “but of course I wouldn’t want Elayne to kiss me because I’m a married man” but is instead “I don’t want royalty to kiss me” which sends him down a spiral of thinking about how he’s trapped into the Seanchan nobility now. Hmm. Interesting. Anyway, that’s strike five.

12. Mat does bring up three positive qualities of Tuon here (that aren’t related to whether or not he’s capable of being attracted to her: as we’ve just been witnessing, Mat is capable of being attracted to the majority of female characters in the books, so physical attraction is fairly irrelevant here):

a. good at stones: verified true

b. keen of wit: no textual evidence that this is true

c. ‘good for talking to’: negative textual evidence that this is true; most of Mat’s conversations with her in CoT & KoD seemed to end up in frustration or unpleasantness (he even mentions here that she’s frustrating ‘most of the time’), with him thinking on at least one occasion late in KoD about how he hates that she treats him like he’s her property

So... we’re at 33% Verified True on Mat’s accuracy scale of Tuon’s Good Qualities, 33% Just Lying To Himself, and 33% is a question mark.

(though I would argue Tuon’s lack of insight or critical thinking in her own PoV chapters argues against her being ~keen of wit~, unless Mat just means she’s good at puns or something, which is also not in evidence. I suspect this is more of an Informed Attribute, where the author(s) hope that just repeating over and over that Tuon has a keen wit will make people believe she does even if she never does anything to prove it).

13. Mat feels guilt over leaving Tylin tied up for the gholam to kill back in Ebou Dar. Tylin’s relationship to Mat really does feel like it’s married so tightly to Tuon’s relationship with Mat, a transfer of ~ownership~ in a horrible gross way. Tylin’s abuse of Mat is what kept him in the situation he was in when he met Tuon, and Tylin’s abuse of Mat really does feel like it foreshadows the way that Tuon treats Mat as well, which is definitely a Bad Omen for his future.

14. Awww, for all that Mat was negatively thinking about royalty earlier, he thinks here about how the right Queen is now on the throne of Andor (with the emphasis Mat’s!).

15. Strike six. Mat sees a stately older woman in the inn where Thom is performing and thinks about how he’ll keep her in mind for later. Hastily adding ~for his men~ onto his thoughts. He tells Thom about the gholam and they leave for Mat’s camp.

16. Mat thinks with frustration about how Bayle Doman and Leilwin née Egeanin no longer have any affection for him (it’s because you’re married to a slaver and they have rejected the empire; hope this helps). We also get a reminder about the holes in his memory (foggy patches from when he picked up the dagger in Shadar Logoth until when he was healed of it in TDR).

17. Mat comes across as pretty desperate for validation & affection here (specifically from people that he already knows and respects). That’s really standing out to me -- he thought about it a lot in the last book too, about how much he wanted Joline, Teslyn, & Edesina to be grateful to him for saving their lives. He thinks the same here about Elayne, and about Doman and Leilwin née Egeanin. And he doesn’t want to think about how his own actions (being abrasive towards Elayne & co; picking the slavers over the slaves) might have made people turn away from him or think less of him. Save someone once, and it shouldn’t matter how you behave in the future, right? (wrong) It’s also interesting how the clear loyalty of his soldiers doesn’t scratch that itch for him at all. Maybe because he attributes that to the memories in his head and his luck rather than himself as a person?

18. When Mat claims to Thom that he’s a good judge of character, he gets a very doubtful raised eyebrow back. Thom’s relationship with Mat in the last few books has been... honestly, somewhat weird. I almost wonder... we haven’t gotten any Thom PoV for quite a long time, I don’t think, so I wonder if Thom is just masking his actual feelings about Mat because he knows that he needs Mat in order to rescue Moiraine. Because, for the most part, Thom has just avoided Having Opinions about the mess that is Mat’s life and choices, despite the fact that Thom is (supposedly) fond enough of an Aes Sedai that he’s desperate to rescue her from captivity, and also deeply fond of Elayne and friends with Juilin. Is Thom playing Mat the way that Mat was playing the Tairen nobles at the start of TSR? Letting himself appear to be a non-critical buddy because there’s something that he wants out of Mat? I will have to keep an eye out to see if Thom shows any affection towards/inclination to hang out with Mat AFTER Moiraine gets rescued and he doesn’t need Mat anymore. Thom is, after all, one of the best players of Daes Dae’mar in the series, we are told.

19. Mat talks to Teslyn here, internally noting that she has lost most of the “nervous skittishness” that she’d picked up when she was enslaved as damane. He likes Teslyn, he thinks, but he does not trust her. Despite Teslyn never doing a single thing to breach his trust, unlike SOME people that I could name. Ah! There are rumors in Caemlyn about the Seanchan assult on the White Tower but (just like he dismissed Tuon’s threats back in CoT/KoD), Mat has dismissed those rumors as just “stories of raken drifting up from the south” (I wonder if I should be keeping track of all of the “Mat Forces Himself Into Willful Denial Over Tuon/the Seanchan’s Evil Choices” moments). Teslyn and the others are planning to leave now to go join the reunited White Tower (which is what most of the rumors talk about).

20. Hmm, Teslyn thanks Mat here for helping her escape the Seanchan but then she talks with him about the importance of maintaining “illusions with yourself”. I actually did wonder, when I was doing my reread of CoT & KoD, if Teslyn’s patience with Mat, even when he was being a complete asshole, was due to her seeing how much he was lying to himself to try to make himself accept his fate. I think I may have been right on that. And she gives him an escape route, if he looks for it in the future -- that if he ever decides to seek out the White Tower, he has a friend there willing to help him. Considering that she knows that he’s married to a slaver (one who actively tried to re-enslave her personally), that is a HUGE offer. A way out of his trap with the Seanchan -- protection at the White Tower. And Mat, who has been desperate for validation since the start of TGS is now “feeling as unsettled as if someone had kicked his legs out from under him”. Teslyn has also, in this one conversation, shown him more kindness than Tuon has shown in their entire relationship. So... Mat has at least one place to run to now, if he runs away from ~Fortuona~ post-canon. Teslyn has seen the worst of him and extends him this offer anyway, so he knows that she won’t turn him away if he comes to her for help. This conversation is SO good. Mat is thrown so off-balance by Teslyn’s kindness and genuine care for him.

21. *sigh* I really wish that Mat were caring more about Nalesean and the Redarms being murdered by the gholam than about Tylin’s murder. I do understand why -- because Mat feels responsible for her death in a way that he doesn’t for Nalesean’s -- but... ugh, kinda sucks that his guilt over Tylin’s death is now the biggest part of how he feels about Tylin, given how much misery and pain she caused Mat when she was alive. Not necessarily... incorrect, in terms of how people’s brains can work in this sort of situation, but it does suck. Anyway, Mat is now the prime object of the gholam’s attention, having been sent to personally murder him (likely by Moridin, I would assume?). Teslyn saves his life during this fight btw, using the Power to pull him back before the gholam can kill him (she can do this because he took his medallion off to fight it). Five people were successfully killed by the gholam in this attack before it runs away (it has been ordered to try to avoid too much attention).

23. Oddly, Tuon is one of the people that the gholam threatens to kill. Honestly, I feel like it would have been smarter for the Shadow to court the Seanchan/Tuon instead of going against them, since ~Fortuona~ is already so hostile to Aes Sedai. But the Shadow cannot always make smart moves, I guess. The gholam doesn’t threaten to kill Olver but does threaten Tuon, Thom, and Noal. Given that it apparently got its information from a Redarm that it killed a few days ago or from observing Mat’s camp, you’d think that Olver would be on the list either way (and it really makes no sense that Tuon would be on the list? She hasn’t been traveling with Mat for at least a month at this point).

I suspect that the general reader is supposed to care that Tuon is under risk of assassination? But it’s baffling to me as to WHY I should care when she literally JUST had her people assault the White Tower, kidnapping and enslaving forty women and most likely also killing more people than that in total. The narrative has never given me a good reason why I should care about whether or not Tuon gets assassinated besides “vague marriage prophecy bs”. The narrative has never shown that Tuon is actually a better candidate for empress for the Westlands Seanchan than some other random High Blood would be, as long as they aren’t a Darkfriend like Suroth; it just wants us to assume that she is. Her behavior has been just as horrible as any other High Blood’s. Why should I believe she’s a better choice as empress than the next High Blood down in rank? We have never been given a reason.

Now, if Tuon had had even a single ounce of positive character development during the circus storyline, then this would be an entirely different ballgame! But she not only didn’t, she has actively doubled-down on her fear and hatred of ‘marath’damane’.

So, yeah... why on earth should I be invested in Mat wanting to save her life? The narrative never gives me a reason to believe she’s capable of becoming a worthy leader of people. She’s petty, arrogant, and cruel. Basically, a younger version of Elaida with even more power and less self-awareness than Elaida ever had.

24. Note that I do not consider Mat acknowledging Joline as pretty to be a strike against his marriage because it’s not him noticing with any kind of intent that he then tries to pretend doesn’t exist -- he genuinely does not find her an appealing temptation at this point, due to their personal history (though said negative history is pretty much entirely Mat’s fault #JolineDeservedBetter).

25. Ah, Perrin and the others have arrived by the statue that Rand told Nynaeve about back in TGS, so I’m guessing that Tam will be leaving soon to go get nearly killed by his son. Anyway, Perrin and Galad meet here face to face and agree to have their armies fight each other. So... that’s going... well?

26. ELAYNE! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

27. Trying to figure out a way to get the Andoran nobles to actually unite before the Last Battle rather than squabbling for power, Elayne decides that it’s time to claim the Sun Throne. Hmm, I do feel like Sanderson’s more casual style of narration is more pronounced here with Elayne than it’s been with the other characters. All off a sudden, it just feels like the narration is in a hurry, almost more like an outline than prose.

28. Ah, we learn that the reason that Elayne never responded to Mat’s first letter is that she never received it. Her secretary, Master Norry, dismissed Mat as just another leader of a mercenary band, which is why he was granted a space outside the city but no audience with Elayne. He does give her Mat’s second letter, telling her that the captain of this mercenary band is being particularly persistent. Elayne is keeping all these mercenary bands around because they will likely be needed for the Last Battle because, unlike Perrin, SHE isn’t a FOOL.

29. Reading the letter (which does have a lot of misspellings, etc in it, but Mat also mentions that he was planning on rewriting it to be pretty if Thom would have stopped laughing at him) gives Elayne ALL the emotions as she realizes that Mat and Thom (and maybe Olver) are alive and have escaped from Ebou Dar. Mat mentions here that he thinks Elayne’s ass is pretty but also that he barely looked because he knows that she would have kicked his ass and also he’s married w/e, which I feel like should count as strike seven even though it’s Elayne again, because Mat has an emotional attachment to Elayne that he doesn’t have to the more random women that he’s Noticing all over the place, but I’ll only count it as an additional tenth of the point and say he’s at strike six-point-one. Birgitte, upon reading the letter, mentions that Mat also has a nice ass, so I guess she was Looking in Ebou Dar.

Confirmed nice butts:

Elayne & Mat (here in ToM)

Aviendha & Rand (in TFoH)

Probably Min too, I guess

Mat being so worked up over Elayne not responding to his first letter actually makes me wonder if he deliberately put in things into this second letter to try to make her react, if only to fuss at him or tell him off -- telling her she has a nice ass, telling her that he’s married. Because he assumes that she did read his first letter and actively chose not to meet with him.

30. Elayne tells Norry to arrange a meeting with Mat immediately and to tell him to make sure to bring Thom as well. She also begins to think about how Mat and the Band could potentially be useful for bringing Cairhien to her. We get some more insight into her reasoning here as well -- after Rand dies, Andor is one of the biggest potential targets for the Seanchan empire to the south, and they cannot afford for it to merely be part of ~the Dragon’s Empire~ that will potentially fall into chaos after his death. She needs to do strong nation-building NOW, before the Last Battle, to try to make sure it will survive after the Last Battle. “The woman in her cringed to think of planning for Rand’s death, but the Queen could not be so squeamish.” She notes that, as far away from Rand as she currently is, all she ever feels from him these days is a cold anger. Don’t worry, Elayne. Min was literally right there with him and that’s all she ever seemed to be able to sense too.

But this is actually very similar to how Rand wanted to make sure that Arad Doman chose its own king to avoid falling into chaos after his death in the Last Battle, so Elayne and Rand manage to be on the same wavelength even if they are still cruelly separated by the narrative. This is one of the things that @markantonys and I strongly agree on: that a big part of the reason Elayne and Rand are separated for so long is because Elayne is the one person who could have helped Rand with his rulership struggles as an trained leader who understands the issues and understands that you NEED to be ruthless sometimes (but also understands when not to be ruthless).

31. With Elayne, we were still pre-epiphany but when we jump to Min’s PoV, it is decidedly post, as she can feel warmth in the bond and not just Rand’s cold anger.

32. “Alanna didn’t often reveal her intimate connection to the Dragon Reborn.” lol, except for all the Wise Ones, in order to wiggle out of punishments. And all the Aes Sedai, to try to establish precedence. Except for that. Anyway, she’s disappeared from her rooms in the Stone of Tear.

33. When Cadsuane and Min point out that Cadsuane cares that Alanna is missing because she’s a ~tool~ to use on Rand, Nynaeve says that Alanna is “no more helpful” to Cadsuane than Min. So... she tells Cadsuane everything and obeys her frequently? Why is the narrative trying to pretend that Min isn’t constantly helping out Cadsuane? It literally just happened again at the end of TGS! She’s been obediently telling all her viewings to Cadsuane for her to dissect! Nynaeve was IN THE ROOM when this was happening! Or is this meant to reflect Nynaeve’s own distorted view of Min?

34. oh, lol, when Min reacts to Rand arriving in the bond, her Maiden ‘guards’ promptly abandon her and race off to find Rand. So, I guess the Min-Maiden relationship is still... not great, lol.

35. Rand shows up and I really dislike that all of this new!Rand is filtered through outside PoVs. It makes it hard for me to emotionally relate with zen!Rand because I can’t see his interior world. This is also a place where the timeline fuzziness kinda hits the worst, because we’re going right from cold!Rand in Elayne’s bond to warm!Rand in Min’s bond. Moving Rand’s epiphany further back in this set of books would help with that. Min actually panics for a moment, upon seeing Rand, because his eyes look older and he doesn’t seem familiar. “Had the Rand she loved been stolen away, replaced by some ancient force of a man she could never know or understand?” Hmm.

And then he smiles and she does recognize him -- responding to her panic in the bond, maybe?

36. I will, uh, note that Rand did not go directly to Min when he arrived in Tear. Just gonna quietly note that down. He waited for her to find him.

37. He talks to Rhuarc (and the assembled Aiel, including the Maidens) and tells them that he knows that he has toh to them and that he is prepared to meet it. And Rand finally seems to have his relationship with the Maidens back (with Min still baffled at the interactions between Rand and the Aiel).

38. It actually seems clear here (even filtered through Min) that Rand is still somewhat of a boiling pot, though the wound has been lanced. But now he really FEELS the pain over Lan heading towards Tarwin’s Gap, when before he was able to numb most of his emotions through the general ice-cold/molten-hot anger that he was constantly repressing with the flame & void. Now he’s feeling again and that can be... difficult. But he’s still rush-rush-rush and talking about potentially dying soon. So it’s clear that there’s complicated stuff going on in his head and we are TRAPPED in Min’s PoV and only get hints of it second-hand through the bond! But he does promise Nynaeve that he will send Lan help.

39. Rand gives Min the mission to find out why Callandor is key to the prophecies. lol, sure, whatever. I guess we have to give Min ~something important~ to do because she doesn’t actually have a plot purpose and hasn’t had one in quite a long while. Hey, if it means she’s actually doing something and not just surgically-attaching herself to Rand at all times, then I guess it’s worth it.

40. Anyway, Rand tells Cadsuane that she succeeded by failing, lol.

41. Min bashing on the nobles for not having a purpose when she only has a job because her boyfriend gave her one, lol.

42. Anyway, Rand lines up the nobles and susses out that Weiramon and Anaiyella are Darkfriends. If I recall correctly, I’d guessed on Weiramon back during my initial read of TPoD (way back when it was first published) so it was very vindicating for me when he was finally called out as a DF lol. I remember feeling vindicated, anyway, lol. Anaiyella was one I could have gone either way on, but it makes sense for Weiramon to have an accomplice. I... don’t mind Rand’s Darkfriend-vision because, yeah, let’s move the plot along, lol. I just, again, wish that it had been pushed towards the end of this book instead. But the talent itself kinda goes along with the other stuff Rand has been saying about how he’s a bright beacon for the Shadow now and cannot avoid TDO’s eyes.

Instead of killing Weiramon and Anaiyella, he sends them off to bring a message to the Shadow that they will no longer be able to hide among his allies.

43. There’s a great moment with Rand and his dad, though I kinda roll my eyes at Min needing a ~very special~ formal introduction to Tam (who she already knows at this point because he’s been hanging around Tear for three days).

Ah, well. If I do my best to ignore Min, lol, I really liked that scene.

I really do wish that we’d had even a tiny bit of Rand PoV, though. It’s very frustrating only seeing him through other people’s eyes.

I feel like this has gotten long enough (I spent... a lot of time talking about Mat, as I’d suspected that I might, lol) so I will end this post here.

#wot reread #towers of midnight #wot #wheel of time #wot book spoilers #wot spoilers #mat cauthon #little bit of elayne and rand and perrin

75 notes · View notes

wandabear · 2 years

Note

Hello how are you? I'd like to ask for something like Y/n and Wanda in a zombie apocalypse. I'm not very good at summarizing but I hope you can write, thanks 🤗😊

WHERE ARE YOU NOW? - WANDA MAXIMOFF X F!READER Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - chapter 3

Thank you for giving me this one! It was really cool, some time ago I wrote something about this and it was good to do it again. I hope you like it or enjoy it. 🌻

The noise of the pen hitting that paper again and again, with some anxiety. The woman sighed, thinking how silly this idea was, but she still kept going town after town, city after city searching for her…Even if she wasn’t there. She was never there. ㅤㅤㅤ

She carried a list of cities that Wanda might have fled to after the 'catastrophe'. Boston Providence New Heaven New York New Jersey Pennsylvania?

ㅤㅤㅤ

The idea was to leave a letter in each place. One where only she knew where to find, a little code between them in their past. A clue to follow. A little hope.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Everytime, Wanda and Y/N always used to play a little game where they had to guess where they might be. Only that time… they were separated forever.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Are we talking about something apocalyptic like… zombies, alien invasion or a climatic catastrophe?” Y/N asked, curious as she cut up some cheese so they could enjoy while dinner was in the oven.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Zombies?” Wanda wrinkled her nose.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Okay but… ‘I am Legend’ zombie style or just dumb zombies like ‘The Walking dead’?” She frowned at Wanda, offering some pieces of cheese to her.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Well...” Wanda took a piece of cheese and ate it. Delicious. Those warm moments together, the good times. “The first ones are like mutated, they're really wild… and the second ones are zombies. So I would say more like 'the walking dead'... Slow ones but dangerous.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Okay, okay. That’s good, I have big chances to survive. Zombie outbreak, virus thing. Big deal.” Y/N nodded.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“You wake up and you’re in this big place, a big city. What’s the first thing you would do? Think about it, your life depends on it.” Wanda asked as she washed some dishes. They used to play that game every time one of them cooked or washed the dishes, it was fun.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Maybe try to get away from the city?” Y/N shrugged, staying a little thoughtful until then looking back at her beloved girlfriend. “But definitely, I would always be with you. I woudn't know what to do without you.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda looked at her for a moment, trying not to smile but it was impossible.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“You’re so whipped, detka.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh, shut up!”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed deeply at that memory and opened her eyes again, coming back to the cold reality, back to life. Picking up the pen again, she began to write on the paper.

ㅤㅤㅤ

« Wanda... It’s me again. I know, I must look really crazy writing letters to someone who will never read them. Who keeps writing letters in times like this, right? Maybe that’s the answer, you know me, I’ve always been somewhat like a pro for these cheesy dumb stuff. I’m not good at expressing myself, but at loving… well... I try.

A friend told me that maybe the way to find you it's trying something else. Anyway, there are days like today when I can’t stop thinking about you. We recently came to New York. Yelena, Kate, Jules and me.

They help me everyday… to not lose my mind, of course. You wouldn't recognize me right now. How long have we stopped talking to each other? That day, yes…

I don’t know what to say. Before, I knew what to say to you, I had so many beautiful words to say to you, until you left. You left. But that doesn’t matter now, right? Because I know you were saving yourself. I saw him. He seemed nice. It seemed like he made you happy.

All these years I have been… I’m no longer the same person I was before. I've killed people… I needed to survive, I didn't have another option. I’m not the same… but there’s something that would never change and is that I would never stop loving you.

I know we were so damn stupid, enough to let us go.

Please, I just wanna know, are you still alive? Tell me, does it make sense that I’m still looking for you? Should I give up as everyone says? Please, give me a sign. Please, be alive.

Hope to see you again. I love you.

Y/N.»

ㅤㅤㅤ

For a moment, Y/N wondered if she was doing the right thing, the reflection in the mirror showing that she was a completely different woman. Not only physically, but also inside. Was she right to look for her?

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed once more and then folded that letter slowly and carefully. She got up from her seat and looked in that house for the perfect place to hide it, she ended up doing it behind some nice painting. A beautiful beach and a purple sunset, something that made her smile slightly with melancholy and nostalgia.

ㅤㅤㅤ

After putting away the letter, Y/N took one of her paint spray cans and began to write on the wall, something that only Wanda could understand and big enough for her to see, pointing to that painting. A date.

ㅤㅤㅤ

‘JULY 8, 2022’ - Y/N.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"You're still doing it, huh?" A voice behind her made Y/N turn around. She could easily recognize Yelena's accent everywhere. The blonde finished adjusting her backpack and a machete on her waist when she approached to see that graffiti. "Do you think they'll ever see it?"

ㅤㅤㅤ

"I hope so." Y/N looked down at her, leaning down to grab her own. To one side her ax was waiting for her, with which she was in charge of freeing the path of the zombies that got in their way.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"Is Kate ready?" The taller woman asked her as they left that room, they found refuge in an old bar in Little Italy. Although Y/N had completely refused to visit Manhattan as she felt there would be too much danger, the three of them managed to avoid all the hordes of zombies surrounding that city.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"She was able to get some arrows from an old gun shop, we make others… with my amazing and skillful help. You know? I'm good at that." The blonde said with a smug smile. Yelena was finally getting into a good mood after eating something other than beans.

They found some things to eat, some rice and some cans of tuna. Sadly though, no macaroni.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"I'm ready!" Kate smiled, as always. Sometimes Y/N was surprised by that, Kate always tried to see the positive in all the chaos that surrounded her. So unlike Yelena, who was completely in love with Kate.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Beside Kate was Jules, who had red eyes for almost an entire week. Her jaw and headaches were getting worse and they couldn't find any drugstore, not even a damn painkiller. What was the point of being a doctor if she couldn't even help her best friend?

ㅤㅤㅤ

"We’re ready." Jules barely whisper, gently rubbing the side of her face.

ㅤㅤㅤ The four women left that place carefully and very quietly, somewhat sad to leave such a pleasant place, but it was too exposed. Danger was always around the corner.

They got far enough from the main streets, daylight was not the best idea to travel, but the night used to be quite dangerous in that area.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"Where are we going now?" Kate asked wincing, trying to block out the sun that was shining directly into her eyes. She put on black glasses that Yelena gave her a few weeks ago. The glasses were her favorite color, purple.

ㅤㅤㅤ

They just walked stealthily through that uninhabited part of the city. Y/N looked over Yelena's shoulder, who was sniffing around one of the maps they stole from an old newsstand.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“New Jersey.” Y/N whispered, Yelena simply nodded knowing that she was the best choice before traveling, start the road to the center of the country, maybe they could find some nice farm... maybe.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Find a nice and lonely place in the center of the country. Wooded areas, maybe. Where the land was fertile and they could harvest, try to find a quiet life after the tragedy.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Y/N... You know that it’s possible that you may not find her… after so much chaos… she may even be a Biter. Why do you keep trying?” Yelena asked, looking at Y/N, knowing that it might hurt but it was the truth. In front of them, Kate and Jules chatted about how wonderful the city was before the 'incident'. New York lights left anyone dazed.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Have you stopped looking for Natasha?” Y/N answered in the same way, noticing how the blonde was now facing forward. A quiet Yelena meant a battle won. “You can't fool me, Yelena. 'Cause, just as I leave letters everywhere, I know you don't stop trying again and again on all those radio frequencies and channels. Searching, asking, calling her. Every channel possible.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Yelena was quiet, she knew that Y/N was right.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"There you have, that's the same answer to the question you're asking me now. Now, can we go on?" The brunette swallowed hard, watching as little by little they approached the Hudson River. Some cars were abandoned, completely destroyed or burned. The girls took some time trying to remove as much fuel as possible from one of the cars and some stuff that could be useful.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"What now?" Kate asked, looking at the river, knowing that nothing good would come of them swimming across the water. They hadn't seen the Biters swim, but there were other kinds of dangers they couldn't expose themselves to.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We must cross the river.” Y/N wrinkled her nose, looking both ways. “We can find a boat, we can walk to the George Washington Bridge or we can go through the tunnels. Lincoln tunnel is the closest I think.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We don't know if there will be a boat nearby.” Yelena shook her head, trying to block the sunlight from hitting her face. She hated the weather lately, the sun was hotter and the night was colder. “The tunnels will definitely be dark and full of biters… But we don't know if it will be safe to cross the bridge, it's full of abandoned cars… there could be biters there too.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Geez.” Jules whispered.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm not going to lie to you, there probably are biters there. Less than the dark tunnels, we have a better chance of getting out alive if we go across the bridge.” The tallest brunette began to walk, noting that the bridge was about two kilometers away. Y/N turned to see one of her best friends, the one who could save them. “I trust Kate's aim and her bow. I trust you'll have our backs, but do you think you can do it?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

The gaze of the three women was fixed on the younger girl, who nodded quickly, although Kate wasn't going to deny that she was feeling quite nervous.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Perfect then. Kate will watch our backs from distant threats and we must protect her…” Y/N finally said. The four took their backpacks and walked around that river, praying that no threat would appear to them.

ㅤㅤㅤ

And yes, although several Biters appeared, none were difficult to kill. From distance, Kate managed to take down some Biters with her arrows while Yelena and Y/N finished off those caught between the cars.

ㅤㅤㅤ

They walked about seven hours, getting far enough from the city. By going through the bridge, they avoided a huge horde of biters who apparently had taken refuge in the tunnels.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Seven hours, maybe 22 miles, plus another hour, because one of the roads was destroyed. According to Kate who was reading the map, they arrived at a town called ‘Westview’ in New Jersey. Although it wasn't what Y/N expected, it wasn't too bad to be able to find a small town to spend the night away from the city.

ㅤㅤㅤ

It was a pretty quiet place, kind of nice. Those where you can hear the birds in the morning and listen to the crickets at night. Perhaps, if that terrible tragedy had not happened, it wouldn’t been bad to live in such a place. Or at least that's what Y/N thought.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda would be in love with a place like this…

ㅤㅤㅤ

Some empty buildings and abandoned houses in the suburbs. What appeared to be a huge building with a huge clock that reminded her of 'Back to the future'. A nice gazebo too.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Spent about forty minutes looking for a place to rest and make something to eat. They were about to give up when finally, the girls found some luck in their pockets.

ㅤㅤㅤ

They reached a huge abandoned supermarket, that made them feel a bit excited, but not everything was good news. To their bad luck, they found nothing but leftovers and garbage. The shelves were down and broken, a completely desolate place.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“This place really sucks!” Yelena yelled really annoyed, throwing an empty box of macaroni and cheese. Clearly someone took ALL those boxes and that made her so damn furious.

ㅤㅤㅤ “Don't worry, we'll find others boxes somewhere.” Kate said looking at her from one of the shelves. Feeling really lucky, the archer found some bottles of water and some gunpowder in the hardware store.

ㅤㅤㅤ

The Russian just kept growling under her breath some words in russian that none of them could understand. Y/N stuffed a few things into her backpack as she watched Jules, who seemed somewhat down. Really down.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Are you okay, chicken?” Y/N asked a little worried, noticing how Jules simply nodded slowly with a small friendly smile.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"Peachy."

ㅤㅤㅤ

It definitely wasn't and Y/N knew it.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I promise we'll find something, really.” She tried, but Jules just shrugged, she completely lost all hope some time ago.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“If the infection progresses, there will be no going back and you know it. We need painkillers, antibiotics right now…” Jules simply tried to say something, but her voice cracked. “I'm fine for now...”

ㅤㅤㅤ

"We'll find it and you'll be fine, I'll be able to take it off."

ㅤㅤㅤ

“What do you want me to say? That I'm fine, but I'm not, I'm just waiting for me to get sepsis and die horribly? Just because of a stupid infection!”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Jules…” Y/N whispered and reached out to pat her shoulder when Yelena's voice caught their attention.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“You have to come to see this, right now.” The blonde said, seemed quite excited and that caught the attention of both women, who looked at each other a bit confused.

ㅤㅤㅤ

They followed Yelena to one of the rear warehouses, a huge door that had previously seemed to be locked with various objects, was now open showing the amount of boxes they had stored.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Kate found it after pushing two of the fallen shelves against the door.” Yelena said with a proud smile, pointing to some boxes of macaroni and cheese, although some seemed to have broken they were in good condition. “I can't believe they left all this behind!”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s just one box of macaroni…”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“IT’S NOT JUST MACARONI! IT'S HEAVEN.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

A huge smile and a hopeful look appeared on the faces of those four women. They were soon taking it upon themselves to collect a few things like they were kids at a candy store, trying to grab as much food as possible - and find medicine for Jules - when Y/N stopped.

ㅤㅤㅤ

A huge smile and a hopeful look appeared on the faces of those women.

They were soon taking it upon themselves to collect a few things like they were kids at a candy store, trying to grab as much food as possible - and find medicine for Jules - when Y/N stopped.

ㅤㅤㅤ

She heard a strange sound that came from some hidden doors, covered by boxes in the back of the warehouse. Even some coming from what appeared to be a huge freezer.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N looked at that door for a moment, somewhat doubtful not knowing if she heard a noise or maybe it had been her mind, playing tricks on her.

She waited a few seconds but heard just hopeful silence. Yes, surely it was her mind.

The brunette smiled and shook her head, she went back to taking some cans of corned beef when she heard some knocks again, this time more insistent and perhaps more terrifying.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Girls… Who got in first?” Y/N asked, a little hesitant.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Kate.” Said the blonde one, who was busy putting things in her bag. Yelena and Kate approached Y/N, now the three of them seemed a bit hesitant to move forward.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Then I want to assume that you know what's behind that door...” the doctor murmured, but again, new knocks were heard again. This time, stronger and even more.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I didn't even know there was a door there.” Kate swallowed, a little embarrassed and scared.

ㅤㅤㅤ

The knocks became stronger, so much so that the door began to shake, ready to break, and the chains that locked it began to give up.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We have to go.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“But we have stuff...”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We must go now!” Y/N yelled taking her backpack and backing away. Her friends did the same and went out the door, as soon as they managed to do so that huge door fell hard, letting through a horde of completely hungry and outraged zombies.

ㅤㅤㅤ

The girls ran as fast as they could, avoiding some fallen furniture and jumping over it with agility. Y/N managed to grab Jules and get her out of there as fast as she could, saving her life from being eaten by the horde.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"Wait, I couldn't get medicine!"

ㅤㅤㅤ

"If you go back YOU'RE GOING TO DIE ANYWAY!" Yelena said seeing how Kate turned to shoot some arrows, making the zombies closer to fall and delay the others.

ㅤㅤㅤ

"COME OOON! I'M GONNA KILL YOU BOTH!" Y/N yelled as they ran through the uninhabited streets of that town, trying to lose the horde of zombies, but it seemed quite difficult. They seemed too hungry. How long have they been trapped? No wonder no one had dared to look for all that food.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“SORRY, I DIDN'T KNOW!” She heard Kate say, who was shooting her arrows at the fastest biters now.

They managed to kill a bunch of them, but to their bad luck, the noises they made had caught the attention of more biters in that town. The brunette looked for some explosive bottles and threw them at the horde, thanks to Kate's arrows they ended up catching fire but they didn't seem to stop. Yelena managed to spot a large building guarded by huge iron fences that could help.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"this way!" She exclaimed pointing to that building, the public library. The girls ran over and threw their bags on the other side before climb the fences, which looked pretty sharp but was much better than siding with the zombies.ㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Between the three of them they managed to help Jules through it, who seemed quite sore and tired.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“You okay?” Y/N asked looking at the girl who only nodded slowly, closing her eyes for a few seconds to hide the stabbing pain in her head. “We must hide now, these bars will not help us forever.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

They approached the huge doors that seemed completely sealed from the inside so it was best to go around the building. The windows were boarded up and covered, there was nothing but an old outside entrance to a basement. The door was locked with a chain and a huge padlock.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N searched through her stuff until she found her tools to sneak it open, when Yelena just rolled her eyes at her.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Step aside.” The blonde came over and took Y/N's axe, starting to hack the chain until it broke, just like the padlock. The door swung open, letting the women through.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I was going to do it quietly and not call another horde of hungry zombies!” Y/N complained, shaking her head and taking her axe from Yelena, ready to attack any threat that came near.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Yes, yes. No problem.” Yelena muttered wryly as they entered the huge library. The place was locked from the inside by various pieces of furniture and bookcases, the windows were sealed or at least the first and only room they reached.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Not bad, huh.” Kate said with a huge smile. They all nodded somewhat hopefully, happy to find a good place to spend the night when the sound of a gun charging alerted them.

Not just one weapon, but many. Two women were watching them from many meters away, two men from the second floor who were aiming at them too.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"Did you have to say it, Kate?"

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“You have three seconds to turn around and leave with the horde you all brought from the supermarket!” growled a redhead with a husky voice. She seemed like a badass, because everyone seemed to pay attention to her. “How stupid you can be to get into…”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

The redhead woman stopped, approaching slowly to see their faces in a better light.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Yelena Belova couldn't believe it, neither could Y/N. Natasha Romanoff was in front of them, keeping her gun behind her pants. She wasted no more time and jumped on both of them, hugging them so tight to never let them go again. She looked different, well, not as much as they expected. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"Sestra?"

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Yelena?… Y/N?” Natasha lowered her gun and took a few steps towards them, completely surprised and excited to see them again.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Yelena stammered a few words and just hugged her sister so tightly, fearing that she would disappear again.

Y/N just smiled as she walked away from that hug, letting both sisters meet again, who kept telling each other how much they had missed each other and shedding some tears of happiness.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

But her heart skipped a beat, a huge leap that she thought her heart would escape from her chest.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Y/N?” The brunette heard behind her. That voice, that angelic, soft, lovely voice. That voice that carried a certain shyness, a slight Sokovian accent that made her world shake completely. Her. Was it really her?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

As soon as Y/N turned around, she saw her… finally saw her. She looked so different, so…beautiful. Her red hair was left behind, now had her natural brown hair. Wanda.

But before they could say anything, a loud noise was heard and they all watched as Jules ended up on the ground, blacking out.

As you know, Jules is portrayed by the amazing Adelaide Kane. link

forever taglist? Yes. Here goes some amazing and lovely people tags ✨ : @wandsmxmff, @bluesimps-world, @oh-thats-cute, @sleepilysworld

If you want to be tagged, just ask! Thanks you so muuuuch to the people who leave a ❤️ , 🔁 and leave comments -even as an anon on my mystery box of questions and requests-, you make me keep writing. 🐻ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ

#Wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x f!reader

306 notes · View notes

alastairstom · 5 months

Note

for the prompts!! idk if anyone has sent this in already, but how about thomastair actually kissing under the mistletoe at a post-chot herondale christmas do? sprinkled with some alastair and lucie banter bc that's a friendship i'd love to see more of 🫶🏻 thank you so much, can't wait to read everything!!!

I have literally never written Lucie before besides like, once, so I hope this is okay ToT

"I do think that you and Thomas ought to kiss under the mistletoe," Lucie said, a small smile playing on her lips. "Just look at him. He's standing there like a ridiculously awkward statue, not even noticing his positioning in relation to the plant."

"Yes," Alastair agreed in a playfully-neutral tone. "I ought to go ambush him. I believe that you are correct. Although..." his voice trailed off, and he nearly burst out laughing at Lucie's comical look of dismay. "I do think that you are being meddlesome. And I do not feel well-inclined to reward that."

"Meddling is simply part of the job of being a writer," she said shamelessly, and for the first time Alastair noticed her spinning a pen between her fingers. "I require those around me to provide me with quality fodder for spinning tales. And my brother and... well, everyone else, really, has proven fairly awful at being entertaining."

"Oh? I do agree that they're quite unamusing, and it would be an arduous challenge to pen quality content about their antics."

"Exactly! See, Cordelia once called you an irritant, but I knew that you were one of the only members of our lot with sense."

Thomas, meeting Alastair's eyes, beckoned him over with a laughing smile.

Alastair glared pointedly at Lucie. "May it be known that I am not doing this for you," he said, "and I insist upon approving every letter that you write as a result of my private interactions with my Tom."

"I shall be on my very, very best behavior," Lucie agreed, and Alastair rolled his eyes before striding off to meet the love of his life.

"The party is quite nice," Thomas said mildly. "Ah, what was Lucie talking about? She seemed... intense."

"No, just very, very excited at how very, very amusing we are." Thomas' eyes sparkled at Alastair's horrible impression of Lucie, and he circled an arm around Alastair's waist. "I thought that she may cling to me like an overly cheerful leech in a truly hideous dress, and would need to physically shake her off for several minutes."

"That would have been very, very, rude," Thomas whispered in Alastair's ear.

"Quite. And I know you are close - I do not wish to break her heart."

"Would you break my heart?" Thomas asked, his voice low and curious.

"If you lie about me stealing all the blankets in the wee hours again, I certainly would."

"Well, we can sort that later, I think." Thomas told him. "Though you know I am correct."

"I don't even require a blanket. I have a Thomas to provide me with all the warmth I could ever want."

"Well, then, you should have no issue with me using the blanket to generate such warmth."

Alastair snorted out a laugh.

"Well, no matter, because we are under the mistletoe right now, and as you are not kissing me..." he trailed off, his voice filled with an impression of pitiful sadness. "I do believe my heart to be well and truly broken already."

"Oh, do shut up," Alastair said, grabbing Thomas' shirt collar roughly and pressing his mouth against his hamsar-am's.

And if Lucie was jotting down notes somewhere in the distance, she was forgotton; all that was left was Thomas, his warm chest and his soft lips, the taste of ginger beer and cherry cobbler as Alastair inhaled him.

"Shall we go somewhere where Lucie cannot stare?" Thomas said, sounding amused. Alastair turned, and Lucie waved. She looked completely unashamed; Alastair would need to scold her later.

"I definitely would like that," he agreed, grabbing Thomas's hand and pulling him toward the Sanctuary.

#thomastair #thomas lightwood #alastair carstairs #drabble #.... anyone want a follow-up?

18 notes · View notes

dorkasaurus-club · 1 month

Text

Elia hates flowers

sorry it took me SO long to get chapter two out! I got a lot of life right to the face :P BUUUT apparently my moots enjoy this, so y'all get some eats, and we get some SUN in this chapter :3

^ chapter 1

chapter 2 why's the world so LOUD!?

Elia woke up very confused and extremely hungry.

"where...? wha- oh right." she huffs groggily, stumbling over to her fridge, loosely braiding her long hair, only to get so frustrated after the third knot in her hair, and endlessly frustrated when she opens the fridge and remembers that it is, in fact, empty.

"y'know what?" she huffs after she finally gets her hair braided "i'mma cut my hair! ma's not here to do anything about it!"

she cackles as she grabs the kitchen scissors and cuts her hair into a messy bob, tying off the braid at the other end, and tossing it onto her bedroom floor. she'll figure out what to do with it later. now it's time to get dressed for work.

"...what do daycare workers wear???" she huffs, as she searches her wardrobe, settling on a chunky-strapped sundress that goes down to her ankles (and shorts underneath, to be safe. she may not know much about childcare, but she knows enough to be smart)

***

Elia ADORES how her hair feels when cut short. how it bounces around her head as she walks to work. the walk is practically bliss, with the warmth of the rising sun prickling her arms, and a cool breeze on her face, it's enough to lift her spirits higher then they'd been in a long time (despite the morning's fiasco)

she smiles and breaks into a run, her feet pounding on the sidewalk as she enjoys a run that isn't on a treadmill. at first Elia was worried she would somehow miss the daycare, but she knew it right when she saw it. the big bright letters declare

SUPERSTAR DAYCARE

she giggles in delight when she sees the herd of deer munching on clover in front of the daycare. Elia has adored deer for as long as she can remember, and she would have cried with joy when a fawn bleats softly and wobbles up to where she stood frozen, nuzzling her leg for a moment before the young deer's mother calls out as the herd leaves for a nearby clump of trees.

she was much too preoccupied with the deer to notice the piercing red eyes watching from the darkness inside the daycare, let along notice when the eyes shift to blue as the lights turn on, and the owner of those eyes lopes somewhere deep inside the daycare.

she gets up and dusts off her knees, and briefly wonders if the door will be locked before tugging on the door, and surprisingly, it opens smoothly.

'not locked. curious.' she thinks to herself as she walks in, and walks to the employee doors, only to be greeted by the sight of a massive 8 foot (2.44 meter) animatronic jester, who loudly proclaims.

"HELLO NEW FRIEND! are YOU the new employee?"

she covers her ears like a child, startled by the sudden noise. the animatronic stills, the rays on it's large frame retracting into it's head, quickly quieting.

"I am so so sorry, are you alright there new friend?"

elia slowly uncovers her ears, saying " 'sall good, just startled me 's all. haven't been around people like you in QUITE a while. well, anyone really"

"animatronic? wait what do you mean any-"

"loud, I meant you are a little loud, and it caught me off guard" she smiles warmly at them. "the name's Elia"

"my name is daycare attendant sun, but you can call me whatever you want! like mister sun, sunrise, sundrop-" he rambles (Elia figures he's a he by the use of mister)

"well what would you prefer?" she says softly, and he halts his ramblings

"...wut"

"what do you want me to call you?"

"...no one's asked me that before..."

"well i'll be the first" she smiles

"...whatever YOU want is perfect"

"can I call you sunny, then?"

his fans suddenly turn on with a slight wirring sound.

"i-i'd love that" he stutters "can... can I call you elly then?"

"absolutely" she smiles, as her stomach lets out an ear-splitting rumble

"elly, have you eaten breakfast" sun asks slowly, his eyes narrowing

"I have no money, how would I buy food?"

"no food?" sun asks, his eyes widening.

"yea, for the moment. why?"

"this is UNACCEPTABLE." sun picks her up deftly, and carries her to the daycare's kitchens "all little stars in the daycare MUST be properly fed at all times. ESPECIALLY my Elly"

'maybe this job won't be as bad as I was dreading' she thinks to herself 'wait did he say HIS-'

#chapter is shoort #sorry #I'm lazy sometimes #and also life is lifeing rn #hehehe #is sun going to be possesive #no #protective...#yeah #also he is totally platonic rn "cough cough* not at all *cough*

6 notes · View notes

somegirlontheinternet135 · 6 months

Text

For anyone who doesn't know what Diabolik Lovers is. . . you don't want to know, and don't need to know. . .

But if you're curious, or had watched the series, keep reading

As the opening suggests, I've recently fallen down the "Diabolik Lovers" rabbit hole, very similar to "Madoka Magica" but not in a good way. . .

I'll probably be the first to say that Diabolik Lovers is the ultimate guilty pleasure anime; it's bad, but it's good at being bad, which I entirely blame on the fact that the show was made in 2013. . .

There was a lot of issues I had with the series, but the biggest caveat I had other than the thorny vampires, was the story. Cause other than the mom coming back to life and new vamps, it was ✨Boring✨

Especially the ending!

And because I disliked the story so much, I've made a whole mental reboot in my head. What do I mean by that? Basically taking the entire series in my head and giving it ✨A complete makeover✨

I'm talking redesigns of old characters, introducing new characters, worldbuilding, and an actual story! Which all of that, I could go on and on about, but given my very messy schedule and several other projects, I don't think I'll be able to

So for now, I'll talk about what I'm most proud of: The story

(Massive spoiler warning)

(Tw: Heavy topics will be discussed, stop reading if you're uncomfortable)

Alright, let's talk about. . .

✨Diabolik Lovers: The Glass Labyrinth✨

This takes place in the modern day, roughly 5 years after season 2; things still haven't changed, and Yui is still very much stuck with the vamps. Yui is, as expected, extremely depressed; not only is she trapped with bloodthirsty vampires who constantly torment and ab*se her, but she has no family nor friends to run to. All except for one little creature she acquainted with, a peculiar dove

Ever since she started reading on the balcony alone, the same dove would always fly over to where she sat and approached her, even letting her scratch its head. Yui was surprised at first, but having no one else to be around other than her ab*sers, she lets it go and the two become good friends

But it doesn't take long for simple head scratches to turn into full blown therapy sessions, as she begins lamenting all her feelings to the creature. Talking about how alone and trapped she feels, and wishing she were a dove so she can "fly away from this horrid life. . !" Of course, all the little guy could do was sit and listen, again this was a bird, not a miracle worker. . . This routine would go on for at least a few months till one day, when she's out on the balcony reading, waiting for her little bird friend, it arrives as normal, but Yui is quick to notice that something was off, it wore a strange device. Fortunately, she was able to get a better look once the creature landed, it was one of those capsules they used for messenger pigeons

Yui takes the capsule from its back and opens it, which the dove gladly allows. Revealing the letter inside, she finds out that the letter was from the dove's owner. They asked if she wanted to talk more in the letter, to which Yui, desperate for friends, immediately accepts the offer. Quickly, she flips the paper over and begins writing, asking general questions like who they were and where they'd come from; but before she could roll up the paper again something happens. The letters begin to shift into another sentence in different yet beautiful handwriting, reading:

"Who I am isn't important, but what is right now is getting you someone to talk to, you seem like you need it." Before disappearing from the page. Yui, although shocked, response back just as fast as before, asking how it knew that, it merely said it could tell from her rather shaky writing. It's quick to change the subject, asking general questions about her, to which Yui very much responds to them. Her and the talking paper begin having a conversation, still so curious about who was really behind it, but within minutes, their subject begins to change into something far more mysterious. Witches

Being the religious girl that she was, Yui knew quite a bit on witches, how the devil would leave his marks on unexpecting women, their familiars, the trials against them, a tiny bit of everything. When writing it all down, the paper disagrees with her, saying that witches are far more complex than she lets on. It goes on to compare witches to vampires, how, unlike them, a witch and her familiar are much harder to spot. They can be anywhere. . . When Yui was about to ask how it knew, she puts two and two together extremely fast. Just before she can ask any more questions, the paper burns into ashes, startling her, and the little dove? gone without a trace. She lets the realization sink in as she watches the ashes scatter in the wind. That dove, the dove that visited her constantly, the dove she's been venting to. . . was a witch's familiar

The next day, it was all she could think about. Did a witch really try to contact her? How did they know so much about her? Why her specifically? Questions that were, understandably, messing with her head for what felt like days, the only way for her to gain closure now is to do more research, a lot more research. And unfortunately, she knew exactly where to start. . . The vampire brothers

Fortunately, Yui's interaction with the dove and paper were left under their radar, but for everything else, they could tell something was up. Something was plaguing her mind, and they knew it. Despite some bewildering and bizarre guesses they were making to what it exactly was, Yui had to pick one of the brothers to ask for information; she knew that Subaru or Reiji would be too stubborn to give a full answer and god forbid if she asked someone like Laito, Kanato, or even Ayato. Making her safest option, the eldest brother, Shu. So later that night, sneaking past snoozing vampires, makes her way to Shu's room. But before she even knocked on his door, she knew that Shu wouldn't give away that information for free. . . yeah, we can all see where this is going. . .

For the sake of everyone's sanity, let's use our imaginations and picture Shu sticking a straw in Yui's shoulder or something-

Once inside Shu's room, their interaction goes to following:

Yui: Ok, kinda an off-topic question, but what do you know about witches?

*Shu stops drinking her blood*

Shu: Witches. . ? They're old hags who fly around on broomsticks and eat small children. . .

Yui: . . .That's what you think witches are. . ?

Shu: Well, aren't they? Why are you asking?

*Yui gets a little flustered but manages to keep calm*

Yui: Oh- n-no reason! I just thought that someone like you, a vampire, would believe that witches existed-

Shu: *Heh* Obviously not, witches don't exist, and if they did, they'd be a huge threat to us, us especially

Yui: Wait, why?

*Shu realizing his mistake*

Shu: uuuuhhhhhhhhhh-. . .

*Cut to Yui being kicked out of Shu's room*

Although it wasn't much, Shu had unintentionally given her just enough information to guide her on the right path of where she needed to go next. She sneaks back to her room, not before bumping into Laito. . . yeah, the guy wanted a midnight snack. . .

In the years she spent with the vampires, not only did she get a little braver, but a little smarter too. Using the vampires' dislike for loud noise to her advantage, she plants tape recorders of various loud and repeating noises and hid them in various hard-to-spot locations, that whenever they'd turn on, it causes the brothers to go mad trying to find the source of the sound, and for extra measures, she places one of Kanato's "wax figures" in her bed to give the fake illusion that she was sleeping. And with the brothers distracted and using a homemade rope, Yui is able to sneak off the balcony and leave the mansion, all the way to her local library

She estimated the time it would take for the vampires to find the device to be roughly an hour, so she makes every visit count. There, Yui was able to learn not just more on witches, but their relationship with vampires. She learns three major things:

Vampires and Witches had been coexisting alongside each other for years, but the most talked about and cataloged were the witches (The witch trials)

The relationship between the two beings is extremely shaky, one second they're completely peaceful, another they're at full on war with one and other. Through most of history, however, they had a business-relationship; a vampire could sense a witch from miles away and would often do tasks for a witch in exchange for their help and or guidance

(This is the most important one) A single witch or any magic user can take down an army's worth of vampires, within minutes. . .

A witch can fight a vampire. . . and win

Yui gets a habit of preforming this plan often, each word of the books enticing her more and more. She was thankful to have a working library card, but even if she did bring some of the books with her, it would immediately give away what she was doing to the brothers. Besides, Yui absolutely adored the new amounts of alone time she was getting. And, as a bonus, she gained more of a resistance to dirt and bugs, due to sneaking outside so much, and being completely willing to dodge the vampires by any means possible, even if it meant crawling through the mud and jumping into bushes. But of course, all good things must come to an end. . . And on one rainy night, when in her normal study nook, she gets confronted by Reiji, who had followed her all the way to the library

The interaction goes as the following:

*Reiji places a hand on Yui from behind, startling her*

Reiji: I should've known something was off. . .

Yui: Reiji-san! I-

Reiji: Now, explain to me, why exactly have you been leaving the manor?

Yui: H-how did you?!-

Reiji: Let's just say it was a hunch, and. . .

*Reiji trails off and pulls out one of the tape recorders from his jacket*

Reiji: Judging by how many of these you've been leaving around, it was likely you've been doing this often. . . Now, if you could be so kind as to give me an answer. . .

*Reiji starts to get more irritated*

*Yui, although scared, tries to stay calm and makes up an excuse*

Yui: Well Reiji-san, you see-

*Reiji cuts her off, noticing the several open books she left carelessly*

Reiji: What exactly have you been studying here anyway?

*He instead focuses on the area surrounding them, picking up one of the books*

*Yui tries to stop him, but fails*

Yui: Uh!- Reiji-san! You don't have to do that!! Please give it back!

*After reading a few sentences, he fixes his glasses and sighs, assumingly unimpressed*

Reiji: Witches. . ? Do you really believe in such fairytales. . ?

*He looks down at a now scared Yui*

Reiji: Stories of women possessing magical powers aided by the devil, and using said powers for either malicious purposes or to help others in need. . . Just more folklore and nonsense created by mortals. . .

*Reiji shuts the book with one hand*

Normally, this would be chalked up to his constant need to judge and him wanting to play the role as the "smart one," but there was something about his body language that didn't match his tone nor what he was saying. Yui managed to notice small things, like how his eyes widened before he fixed his glasses, or how he pushed the book closer to his face, as if wanting a better look, it was almost like he was surprised she was reading about this stuff. . . And when she attempted to confront him on it, he quickly got defensive, even going as far as to grab her hand, scolding her to never question his authority, but decides he wasn't going to hurt her, saying that he didn't feel like punishing her. So, with that, the two leave, Reiji pulling Yui by the hand, all the way back to the mansion, to which a bunch of "happy vampires" were waiting for her

Despite their negative and overall cruel comments, once Yui went back to her room, she couldn't fall asleep, especially with all the information she'd gathered. She formed somewhat of a theory board in her head, taking what she knew and trying to figure out what it all meant. The books, Shu's comment, Reiji's body language, everything was or could be important. Yet out of all that was being sorted in her mind, what she found most jarring was the fact a witch was the only being strong enough to take down a vampire. She laid in bed, eyes open and unmoving for hours, till finally the morning light sent her back into reality. Once she got up, she was, as expected, very tired, clearly noticeable by her dreary eyes and messy hair, and when she made her way to the dining room, Laito humorously remarked how she "looked like she just rolled out of bed"

At the dining room table, Ayato and Subaru were talking about a popular theme park that's near their area, but all eyes are shifted to Yui once she sat down. Laito's perverted comments of how he much preferred her half-asleep state as he played with her hair without consent; Kanto's attempts of gaslighting her, saying she wouldn't be so tired if she'd just stayed put like she was supposed to; even Reiji telling them to stop; it was all routine to her at that point. After he scolds two of the brothers, he's quick to scold Yui next, telling her to fix her behavior because they had a big day planned. What was their plan? Well, the Mukami brothers had gotten tickets to the theme park Ayato and Subaru were just talking about and invited them all to go with. Of course, this got the respected amounts of excited and nonchalant reactions, but not everyone was too happy. . .

Subaru, although excited for the trip, was extremely hesitant to bring Yui along with them, given her sneaking out so much, questioning the others if she really deserved to go. And taking the opportunity for more alone time and possibly the chance to go back to the library, she accepted her punishment, telling the brothers that she deserves it. To which Reiji is quick to stop her, asking what kind of fools she mistaken them for. It was obvious that if they left, Yui would just try that little stunt again. She was going, whether she wanted to or not. . .

Fast forward to when they actually got to the theme park. The gang meets up with the Mukami brothers, who were more than happy to see Yui again. . .

*Kou yells out to the group*

Kou: There you are!

*They all turn around, seeing the Mukami brothers walking towards them*

*Azusa runs ahead, like an over excited puppy*

Azusa: Eve!

*He proceeds to run up and hug Yui, making the other vamps a bit defensive, but that drops once the other three show up*

*Laito giggles a bit*

Laito: Well Little B*tch, looks like someone's happy to see you!~

Ruki: Nice seeing you all again! Glad you've made it

Subaru: *Uh* *Duh!* This is the most popular theme park in town right now! Why wouldn't we show up?!

*Reiji fixes his glasses, unfazed*

Reiji: It'd be rude to turn down an invitation. . . And if I may ask, why did you want to meet us here in the first place?

*Reiji takes the matter way more seriously than it had to be*

*Ruki laughs a bit*

Ruki: This is merely just for some rest and relaxation is all! We hardly spend any time together and we thought this would be the best way to do so. . . And besides. . .

*Ruki trails off, looking over to Azusa, still very much latched onto Yui*

Ruki: It's nice to see Azusa so happy. . .

Reiji: . . .Is that so?

*Yuma chimes in*

Yuma: Yeah, on the ride here, all he could talk about was that little piggy. I don't think I'd ever seen him run that fast. . .

*Meanwhile, Azusa was still very much hugging Yui, the triplets watching in slight amusement*

*Yui was too tired to attempt to pull him off herself*

Azusa: I missed you. . . so much Eve. . .

*He hugs her a bit tighter*

Azusa: Did you. . . miss me too. . ?

*Yui tries to choke out a response, despite having the air squeezed out of her*

Yui: I-I missed you too- Azusa-kun. . .

Kou: Alright Azusa, let her go or she'll pop!

*Kou pulls Azusa off her, Yui immediately taking a breath after*

Kou: I'm sure she's happy to see all of us! Aren't you little Maso-kitty?~

Yui: Oh! *Um-* yes, of course. . .

From early on in their interaction, it's safe to say that Reiji was still a bit iffy about the Mukami brothers, even if they formed their little alliance almost years ago; and the fact that Ruki paid for everything. Aside from that, the Mukami brothers planned the trip cause they were generally interested in the main vamps and wanted to get to know them more. It seemed like everyone was excited for this trip. . . well, "almost" everyone. . .

As part of her punishment, Yui would be paired with the triplets, as well as Kou and Azusa, entirely going on the rides and attractions that they wanted to go on; which were all, unironically, mostly horror based. And sure, there were some rides and sites she enjoyed, but that didn't distract from the fact that the whole time, the vampires were watching her like hawks, further reminding her how trapped she was. Want to know what was so interesting? This behavior doesn't go unnoticed! Whilst Azusa was holding Yui's hand, guiding the group to the ride he wanted to go on next, she thought she heard whispers. . . Whispers from girls amongst the crowd! At first, she tried to ignore them, thinking they were merely voices in her head as a result of not sleeping. But as they continued, the more apparent they got. . .

"Is that who I think it is?!-"

"No way, it's her. . !"

"Look at the guys she's with. . ."

"They look scary. . ! Like serial killers. . ."

"Could you imagine what she has to go through. . ? Poor girl. . . "

"Honestly, if I were her, I'd probably drive my car over a cliff, it'd be better than what she probably has to go through. . ."

"Don't say that! She's been with them for years, who knows how bad her situation is. . !"

Left and right, the whispers didn't seem to stop. Although it being very obvious just who they were talking about, Yui didn't seem to believe it, and heck, a part of her didn't want to. . . She'd lived with the vampires for so long, and for just as long, people just didn't seem to care. . . Not enough to get her out of that situation nor enough to help her. And by that point, she'd already seemed to accept that. . . in till she got a look at the crowd herself, finally seeing the tens of hundreds of eyes on her. These girls were talking about her and her alone! And honestly, why wouldn't they?!

Through their eyes, Yui was basically being dragged to these different locations, with her head down and a visibly sad look on her face, her dreary eyes only doubling it; she looked, acted, and was miserable. Back to Yui, to say she was surprised would've been an understatement, but not before long, Kanto gets in front of her, blocking her view of the crowd and demanding attention. This would continue throughout their visit, Yui would hear whispering and once she'd turn her head, one of the vampires would be in front of her. And as this pattern continued, it became very obvious to her of what they were doing. . . They were clearly trying to distract her, block her from the truth in some way. By all means, she could've confronted them, but by that point it was already too late. . . She was much too tired to fight back, and even if she did, she'd doubt that her attempts at rebelling wouldn't last long. . . After all, she was only human. . .

Continuing on their trip, just when the sun was starting to set, the vampires decided that it was probably time to meet back up with the others, but not before making a quick pit-stop at the nearest restrooms. As the guys took their time doing their business, Yui, waiting outside, catches something moving in the corner of her eye. . . a small, white, flying something, if you will. . .

Just flying above her, was that familiar dove. . ! She couldn't believe it. . ! Ever since her hyper fixation on witches, she'd never had time to be around the little creature, she even doubted if it would even come back anymore after she learned the truth; but there it was, flying circles above her! It whistled and cooed, as if to tell her something, before darting off in another direction, like it wanted for her to follow. Suddenly all the energy she lost a day before, came flooding back into her body, and with little time she had to think, she sprinted in that same direction, not looking back, and chasing the dove. Now, for as ridiculous as this sounds, it was actually due to a much bigger flaw in the boys' plan. Originally, they were going to work in shifts, one person was going to watch Yui whilst everyone else did their business, and the one thing they never thermally talked about was who was gonna watch her first, nor did they estimate just how long they would each take, so they were all treated to the pleasant surprise of seeing each other in the restroom, with none of them watching Yui

*Azusa and Kou leave their restroom stalls at the same time*

*Kou sighs*

Kou: *Sigh* What a great day! Think it's time we head back now, don't wanna keep our little Maso-kitty waiting!

*Azusa nods his head*

Azusa: Agreed. . .

*Just when they were about to leave, they see Kanto washing his hands at one of the sinks, shocking Kou*

Kou: What the- Kanto?!

*He doesn't notice them at first, already looking down at the sink, but once he hears his name, he peers at the restroom mirror, seeing the two there and turning around, just as surprised as they were*

*Kou gets angry at Kanto because he, to him, was supposed to be watching Yui*

Kou: What the hell man?! I thought you were watching Yui!!

*Kanto, having no idea what he was talking about, gets irritated as a response*

Kanto: What-? No! I never said that!!

Kou: Dude didn't you listen?!, we all talked and agreed you would do it first!!

Kanto: Oh please, we'd never agreed to that!! And besides. . .

*Kanto turned to, and staired death-daggers at Azusa, who was still very much confused*

Kanto: Last time I checked. . . We'd agreed to let Azusa be the first to watch her. . .

*Kou is quick to defend him, blocking the two from each other*

Kou: Hey man! leave him alone!! He has nothing to do with this!

Azusa: I. . . was supposed to be watching Eve. . ?

*He tilts his head*

Azusa: But. . . I thought. . . Ayato was doing that. . .

*Just then, Laito and Ayato walk out from the nearby urinals to meet up with the rest of the group*

Laito: Well gentlemen, shall we goin-?

*Seeing Kou there, the two are shocked, since they believed that Kou would be the first to watch Yui*

Laito: Kou? What on earth are you doing here?!

Ayato: Yeah man, what the hell?! You're supposed to be watching Yui!!

Kou: Dude no!! That's not what we talked about!!

*Azusa puts two and two together, quicker than everyone else*

Azusa: So. . . if we're all here. . . then who's watching Eve. . ?

*That realization hits the rest of the group like a truck*

Ayato: Oh sh*t! PANCAKE!!

But just when they sprinted out of those restrooms, Yui was nowhere to be seen. . . Oh crap. . .

"Well why can't they just teleport to her?!?!" Is what you're probably asking, and the simple answer is that they can't anymore. That's right, we're getting rid of their whole teleporting ability! They got away with it for too long, it's dumb, it's stupid, you're welcome-

Moving on, of course the vampires go full "manhunt mode" trying to find her, assuming that because she was so tired and the fact that she wasn't a great runner, she couldn't had gotten far, right? Well, unsurprisingly, the exact opposite happened. Yui manages to make her way to the other side of the park, somehow avoiding the other five in the process, still very much on the trail of the dove. Speaking of which, the little dove flew and flew while Yui just followed and followed, eventually leading her all the way to a run-down funhouse, far away from all the other attractions. It flies into the building through one of the only open windows, to which she's quick to follow suit, although rather scared and questioning whether or not the place would even be open, Yui is proven wrong once she placed her hands on the door, allowing it to creak open. . . no turning back now. . .

Seeing the building from the outside, it led her to question to what it was exactly it closed down for, because despite how old the building probably is, it still looked fairly decent. Entering and exploring however, she very much understood as to why, each corner and crevice of the building were covered in not just black mold but were riddled with the bite marks of rats and other creatures. As grossed out as she was, Yui kept moving, using what little sun was left peering through the windows as her source of light.

She needed to find the dove, she had to! Cause in her mind, maybe just maybe, it would help her learn the truth. . . did a witch really try to talk to her. . . and after several minutes of searching, she finally found it. Inside an open room, with its walls coated in mirrors, was the little dove, sitting right in the center of the room, waiting for her, helpfully illuminated by the last few seconds of golden hour. Yui was overjoyed, and ran toward the creature immediately, going on to tell it how happy she was to see it. After so much waiting, she'd finally would get some form of closure! But their little reunion doesn't last long. . . Just moments after Yui enters the room, the once completely open-door slams shut, startling the both of them and causing the dove to fly into Yui's arms. Both were, respectfully, confused by this, considering they were the only two who'd entered the building to begin with

Turns out, other girls weren't the only ones sneaking glances at her. . . Men stared too, but rather than viewing her as a victim, they saw her as a price tag. . . This one group in particular knew the vampires were overprotective of Yui and would go through extreme lengths to keep her in their mits, thus, the kidnapping. And given the brothers are rich, we all can probably tell what will happen. Out from the shadows, the group of men revealed themselves one by one; to make matters worse, Yui could recognize so little about their faces before she started backing away in fear. That only continued when they started talking, and by the first sentences she already knew exactly what their plan was. . .

She hoped the little creature in her arms would help her, but it was just as scared as Yui, beginning to quiver in her arms, even it knew they couldn't handle these guys alone. . .

Now with the two surrounded, this seems like the end. . .

But strap in everyone, this is where things get good!

Remember the mirror-covered walls? Well, one of the men notices and points out something disturbing about their reflections. The images presented, instead of showing the regular facial features, it showed the men with black holes for eyes, as well as large, drooling a gap smiles, it looked like a kid scribbled over the mirror with a black marker. And before anyone could know what was going on, something just as terrifying is displayed, the images begin to distort and move in ways unlike any funhouse mirror can. What were supposed to be faces began laughing, their arms increased in length, and parts of their flesh were fused together, almost like something stripped out of a horror movie. Using their elongated arms, they stretch themselves out of the mirror, each reflection grabbing their respected creator and pulling them to their fates. Yui watches in speechless awe as the men scream and struggle for freedom, but are left helpless in the hands of the mirrors. . .

Sooo. . . They're dead. . .

Pretty much every moment of that scene was jarring, but what made it even more jarring were their reactions. Yui, rather than going into instant terror or fear, is left in a state of shock, maybe she was still processing what happened, perhaps she thought the encounter wasn't as terrifying as having bloodthirsty vampires at her neck; but one thing's for sure, she'd never seen something like that before. As for the little dove, its reaction was the polar opposite, it cooed in cheer and glee as it flew from Yui's arms and onto her head, snapping her back into reality. She attempted to calm the creature down and figure out what was making it act like that, but to no avail; till, from out of the blue, a feminine voice began to speak to both of them, echoing within the room and only increasing the little creature's excitement

"Good work Apollo! You've got her!"

Somewhat startled by the sudden talking, Yui violently turns herself around to find the source, causing the bird on her head to fly off and onto her shoulder, still just as happy for some reason. When she asked who said that, the dove finally directs her to the very front of the room, there, the final unused mirror stands. But instead of showing anything that merely resembled her reflection, it showed something entirely different. Like some kind of magic, bright, colorful blobs of light began to shine from the mirror, turning her confused shock to amazed awe. Gears in her mind began winding as a curious gleam gets into Yui's eyes, she walks forward, still ever so curious

The feeling she got was almost magnetic, continuing to creep forward it were like time itself stopped just for her, and by then, she'd already long forgotten about the vampires hunting her down, truly during these moments. . . nothing mattered other than to reach the mirror. . . Only when Yui reached the middle of the room, is when she abruptly stopped. Thankfully, her sudden stop made her come back to her senses for a little bit, so although still curious, she couldn't understand why. . . she wanted to keep moving but her body kept telling her not to

Obviously, this starts a small argument between her mind and gut, both fighting for control as Yui stood there helplessly, rightfully confused the bird on her shoulder.

"Cmon, cmon!- We're so close, keep moving!"

"No, no, something is bound to happen! We should stay put just in case. . !"

But as the two sides continued to bicker back and forth, the still yet radiance mirror began to move, vibrating violently, bringing the internal argument to screeching halt; and Yui immediately understood why she stopped. Suddenly, a white aura glowed from the mirror edges, the rapid shaking causing cracks to form on its surface, and once more, that feminine voice speaks to her once more

"Awh, having trouble deciding to keep walking, are we?~"

"It's honestly understandable, I mean if I saw a glowing, shaking, mirror, I'd walk towards it too right? *Hah!*"

"Oh! Another thing, terribly sorry for what happened earlier. Me and Apollo expected you, but, weren't expecting the guests. . ."

*Even more cracks form on the mirror*

"*Sigh* supposed I kept you waiting for long enough, don't you think. . ?"

"You've worked so hard and gone through some much. . ."

*The mirror becomes almost entirely broken*

"I'd say it's time we finally met: face to face!"

And with that, the mirror finally shatters, nearly making Yui fall back in fear, covering her face and the dove with her arms as to not be injected with the shards of glass that were flying across the room, yet only exciting her bird friend. Once she thought the coast was clear, Yui hesitantly pulled down her arms to see what was in front of her, then she saw what she thought to be unexplainable. The mirror was shattered, but the colors underneath still remained, creating this luminous, unworldly, entrance. . . like a portal to another dimension

Gaining back her footing, Yui was, respectfully, tooken back by the sudden jump-scare of broken glass and surprised by the vortex in front of her, but the little creature didn't seem to mind, fluttering off her shoulder and atop the strange gateway, yet by then, she'd already put the pieces together and knew exactly who was about to walk through that door. Like clockwork, a faint silhouette formed in front of the entrance and began pulling itself out of the reflection. This was it. . . The moment she'd been waiting for. . . The witch that's been trying contact Yui, the witch that sent their familiar to her at a time of need, they were finally going to meet. . . And honestly, Yui was whole mess of emotions at that point, scared was one thing for sure, but a sudden wave of joy and determination as well. Finally, she would get the answers that she so desperately wanted, and nothing was going to stop her, not even bloodthirsty vampires. . .

Stepping out into the real world, the figure fairly resembled a human, with a short structure and a thin hourglass figure, perfectly matching their voice. They lightly dusted off their shoulders as the dove cooed in joy and fluttered onto one of them

"*Sigh* Not one of my greatest entrances, but it'll do. . ."

They turn to a, very much in awe, Yui, and begin to walk toward her, amused by her reaction and the look on her face. Slowly but surely, their figure changes, becoming more human and revealing their true form. They've shown to be someone roughly Yui's age, brunette hair with bleached tips and the richest of hazel eyes; wearing 70s attire, a red beret, red-painted lips and an amused yet sweet smile. Now in front of her, there were so many things Yui wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask, but due to experiencing so many emotions at once, it awkwardly came out in one sentence

"Y-you're. . . you're-"

"What? A beauty? A muse? *Gasp* Your savior?!"

"Y-You're the witch. . !"

". . ."

"*Eh* I get that a lot. . ."

"Niji Shikisou, The Painter Witch, at your service~"

"Nice to finally meet you, Ms. Eve. . ."

As they did a little curtsy to introduce themself, new questions as well as old remaining ones were swarming Yui's head, and they were very aware of this, and although they wanted to clear things up to make things easier, what Yui didn't know was that time was running thin. Just before Yui could say anything else, they quickly cut her off, telling her they understand how confused she must be, reinsuring her that she will get the answers soon as long as she was patient and if she trusted them, offering their hand. And like the Painter Witch said, she'd come so far. . ! After outwitting the vampires and commending to their torment for years, she deserved to know the truth. . ! So, Yui, wanting the truth more than anything, takes Niji's hand, accepting their offer, which pleased them that she was so willing to cooperate

But everything can't be too easy, they're quick to direct the group's attention to the ground, where most of the largest shattered glass shards laid. Forcing herself and Yui to crouch down and look at the shards, Niji uses that same spell to alter the current reflections, to show what exactly was happening concurrently. Just like before, it instead revealed the actions and faces of all ten vampires. . . and they looked angry! Turns out while searching for Yui, the triplets, Kou and Azusa rejoined with the rest of the group, and were getting close to their half of the theme park. Of course, Yui was absolutely terrified by this; now if this were one-off thing, the brothers would probably find a "creative" way to punish her, likely a whipping or taking turns drawing her blood, but remember, she'd done this multiple times to this point forward. . .

So, case in point, if they find her now, they'd rip her to shreds, or worse! But before Yui could properly panic, Niji calms her down, reinsuring her that she has nothing to worry about with them around. Very much unintentionally reminding her of a very important fact, witches are stronger than vampires. They go on to say that they've already had a plan to deal with the vamps, and they were gonna need mirrors, a lot more mirrors! Despite having even more questions, from that point forward, Yui had never trusted another person more in entire life, there was no time to chat. Grabbing onto her, Niji forced the two of them back up again, saying they had no more time to waste. With that, pulling Yui by the hand, they sprint toward the shatter doorway, forcing the whole group inside! All the while, Yui fully trusted her, despite having no idea what her plan was. . .

~Meanwhile~

Both Sakamaki and Mukami brothers were still searching for Yui, the sun was now completely out of the sky and all the lights in the park were coming on. Once the group rejoined, the rest of the main vamps, Yuma and Ruki were all rightfully angered by them losing Yui, causing the group to argue a bit, only stopping once Reiji breaks them up and reminds them of the task at hand, putting an end to their fight for the time being. Like a pack of hungry wolves, they scout a majority of the theme park for their prey, and looking at their plan on paper, it was pretty uncoordinated, cause despite working together for half the search, they could only cover so much ground at a time, making their attempts to find Yui even more difficult than if they just split up into groups of two. Making matters worse, they weren't the quietest nor the sneakiest either. . . Yuma and Subaru, so angry about her sudden disappearance, caused massive amounts of damage to the park itself, to which they were narrowly caught by park staff

This was entirely Reiji's idea, due to still not trusting the Mukami brothers, and finding the plan as a way to not only find Yui, but also to keep a close eye on them in case they tried running off with her again, despite how time consuming it would be. At that rate, the vampires kept searching and searching as it got later and later into the night, eventually making their way to the other side of the park, where all the old and unpopular attractions were. Irritated, Kou climbs up an old signal tower to get a better look at their surrounding area, the view he got wasn't the best, the tower he climbed was a bit smaller than what he expected and the night sky away from any source of light wasn't helping either, but he made do with what he had. When yelled at from the ground, asking for what he saw, he did a slow 360° with his body, scoping out the land. He yelled out the repeated phrase "nothing" as he went full circle, at first he didn't see much, just rundown buildings, the night sky, nothing too special. It's only when he got about halfway around, he saw something truly unexpected. . .

"W-W-Wait. . ? What are those sparkly star things. . ?"

"A-Are those particles?!"

From out in the distance, Kou saw bright yellow, glowing particles, radiating from one specific area. Bewildering him, cause aren't all the attractions were supposed to be closed? And what made more suspicious, were that the particles were coming from one specific area and nowhere else. . . Once Kou came down and reported what he saw, they were just as confused as he was, and despite how big of a red flag that is, the guys were running thin on options on actually finding Yui, so they headed there without another thought, desperate to reach her again, and once they did, it was nothing like they've ever seen before. In front of them was the most saturated building the group had ever come across, covered in every hue of the rainbow, the building itself looked like something straight from Las Vegas, like one of those fancy and over-the-top casinos, and at its entrance were flickering, neon-glowing signs reading things like:

"Alastor's Wine: Best Served Cold Finale!!"

"One Night Only!!"

"Don't Miss It!!!"

Alongside a sign of an amorphized dove. All radiating, you guessed it, the glowing particles Kou saw earlier. Internal alarms were blaring in their heads as everything about that place practically screamed "trap!" But at that point, they were already getting desperate, a majority of them were tired from the searching and wanted to get things over with. So slowly, they crept up to the building's entrance, watching each other's backs in case something happened. Pulling Ayato in front, the rest of the group decided to send him inside first, and annoyed but still wanting to keep his pride, he grudgingly agreed. Right away, and like Kou, he notices the unexplainable, how despite the building being so unyieldingly bright, there were no signs of any lights, no stage lights, no electrical cords, nothing; so either they used really powerful technology, or this was the building's natural colors. . !

The groups kept moving despite, and luckily for Ayato, the building had no doors, which made taking a look inside a tinier, all be it being ten times saturated on the inside than on the outside. With everyone in front of the door, they all got a look inside, it seemed safe enough, neither of them still weren't too sure. . . what if the gateway is rigged with traps? Sheepishly, Laito suggests that Ayato should go first, since he made this far taking the lead, to which he immediately regrets, because he knew a rattrap when he saw one. . . It went on back and forth between the guys, everyone pointing fingers of who'd be willing to sacrifice themselves of entering the strange building, eventually sparking yet another argument between the vampire, but this time, Reiji is even quicker to end it. . ! He breaks up the fight in half, loudly scolding them that their bickering wouldn't get them anywhere closer in retrieving Yui, and how he was gonna get everyone inside? He thought of that too. . .

Turning to Ayato, he asked for one of his shoes, and although confused, he reluctantly does give him one. Reiji goes on to explain that he's going to throw it into the building, and if nothing happened to it, that meant that the room was trap-free and it was safe to enter, earning a collective "ooohhh!-" from the rest of the group; there were many times where Reiji truly felt like the "smart one," this was one of those times. . . Anyways, with the object in hand, he throws it into the building, already thinking that this plan is was just a waste of time as is. Yet, instead of the shoe just getting a long distance in the air before hitting the floor, because, well, gravity. . . The object, immediately upon entering the building, completely changes. Its appearance alters, lightening in color and matching the building's insides, which takes the entire group by surprise. That's when Reiji finally notices just how different the insides of the building were from the outside

Cause while everything outside looks sturdy, simple and well, normal, the inside of that building looked almost "hand-drawn", it looked more smoother, rounded, like something straight from a classic Disney film. But just before Reiji or Ayato could question anything further, Laito, obviously thinking that it dragged on for quite long enough, just pushes them in without warning. Uncalled for sure, but exactly what the group needed. . .

"Laito, what the hell?! What was that fo-?! Wah-wait a sec. . ."

Similarly to the shoe, both Reiji and Ayato's appearances change just like that. Becoming more detailed in their physicals, again, like it was straight from a classic Disney film. Of course, everyone had their questions, Ayato even asks if they'd all took something earlier. But no time to think about that! They have a Yui to catch! They had to keep going, so with the unintentional greenlight, everyone else entered the building, a few of them marveling in their new looks, and quickly began their search. . . They fell for it

With that, we finally learn about Niji's plan, and unsurprisingly, it involves using Yui as bait, but not in the way some think. Niji, as holder of the Painter Witch title, was no stranger to creating vivid illusions that mess all sorts of minds, so they knew immediately what they wanted to do. Using their magic, they transform the building, turning it from a crusty run-down attraction to a marveling casino within seconds. But, as fate would have it, they knew the vampires weren't going to fall for such a trick, so that's where Yui comes in! Niji could change the casino all she wanted, yet there were still some things she couldn't, more importantly being, Yui's scent, which was behind by her earlier. . .

Exploring inside, every room had the typical over-exaggerated casino vibe, blinky lights, colorful machines, any bell and whistle you could think of was there, but of course, that's not what the vampires are here for. They immediately recognized Yui's scent from the hallways she'd traveled in before, and reverted back to their instincts, scouting each and every room in search of their prey, all now irritated and dead set on finding Yui. Till finally, all 10 of them, after tracking down her smell at its strongest, led them to grand and alluring doors, jackpot. . !

Yui's scent was now stronger than ever, and they were ravenous, like they've haven't eaten in years. Both Yuma and Subaru swing the doors open with full force, allowing everyone to run inside without a second thought. The room inside completely matched the door that guarded it, the place was almost entirely covered in large round tables, all draped in simple white cloths, looking to be a sort of preforming area, at half of the room was a massive stage, weirdly shaped and leveled by stairs going up, covered in even more bright colors and blinky lights, but the strangest thing about it were the mirrors littered all across its walls, including one giant mirror in the center, only lit with dim lighting. Yes, something was especially off here, red flags were all over the place. The group didn't let their guards down for a second, checking their surroundings and watching each other's backs. Their eyes were glued to the stage, waiting for something to just pop out, and eventually something did. . .

"Finally, you all showed up! I was starting to get bored!~"

*Niji's voice echoed within the room, practically jump-scaring the vampires and throwing them into defense. Looking all around to find the source of her voice*

"Do you know how easy you're making this for me? I could've made my get away at any moment, but *sigh* I knew. . ." "I knew that little pests like you were much too persistent. . ."

*The group gets slightly irritated, noticing that the voice was feminine*

Yuma: Who the hell are you?!

"Who I am is none of your business nor of your concern thank you. . ." "Not like it'd be much use to you anyway. . ."

*She only fuels the flame as most of the group got angrier, how dare this woman talk so condescendingly to them. . !* *Quickly realizing she was the one responsible for Yui's disappearance*

Ayato: Alright, quit the horsesh*t, where's Yui?! We know you have her!!

"*Hmm?* I have not the slightest idea what you're talking about"

*Before Ayato could bark back, Kou places a hand on his shoulder, giving a nod while smiling as he stepped in front of him*

Kou: Look lady, there must be some misunderstanding here. Our little Maso-kitty happens to be our property, so if you could just hand her over-

"Oh! You're talking about Ms. Eve! *Haha!*" "Yes, she's safe and sound with me and I plan to keep it that way. . !"

*At that point, their patience was already growing thin, like ravenous dogs ready to snap. Subaru shoves his way to the front*

Subaru: *Ugh* You piece of sh*t!! GIVE US THE MORTAL OR ELSE!!

*Suddenly, the giant mirror at the center of the stage begins to glow, the same as before but brighter than ever* *The group shields their eyes*

"Oh temper, temper!~ What got you so worked up?" "Are you upset I have your little toy?~" "Well too bad! You weren't putting her to good use anyway. . !"

*Cracks begin forming on the mirror* *Most of the group peak to see what was happening*

"Yet to come this far. . ! It gets harder and harder to tell whether or not you actually care about her. . !" "*Sigh* suppose there's one way to find out. . ."

*Finally, the mirror shatters, sending glass all over the place and causing the group to fully cover their faces* *Once it sounded like the coast was clear, they all slowly put down their arms*

*All eyes towards the now broken mirror, Niji steps out of the carnage as once unnoticed spotlights shine onto her, revealing her form and sickly-sweet grin* *Revealing her true form, the vampires were a mix of shocked, confused, and angry. Subaru, so angered, immediately began running up to the stage, all the while Reiji immediately realized something sinister about her*

Subaru: Why you!!-

Reiji: Subaru, wait!!

Just before he could even land a finger on her, she swiftly dodges the attack, shocking him, and delivers a colorful blow, causing him to go flying into one of the mirrors on the side. She then proceeds to turn to the, now horrified, vampires, shocked that she managed to take down Subaru so easily, and finally realizing who exactly they were up against. From her back, Niji proceeds to pull out a paintbrush, holding it in both hands before it magically increased in size, letting it go and allowing it to levitate in the air like it was nothing. It floated above her as it began to spin violently, the bristles extracting a colorful paint-like substance as the wind around them became sudden and almost violent. Niji begins cracking her knuckles

"You all do love Ms. Eve, don't you?~" "So, why don't you all stand up and fight me for her?!"

And it was at this moment, they knew. . . they f*cked up. . .

With a blur, Niji gave all ten vampires the most colorful beat-down ever. . ! Seriously, paint was everywhere! And unlike Niji who has magical powers, the vampires didn't have weapons, only having the cloth-drawn tables as ways to block their attacks and as projectiles, which she'd merely blast. But regardless, it didn't matter what they did or what they threw at her, cause Niji would just hit them even harder, it was hopeless. . ! All the while, she would continuously tease them, asking why aren't they using "their powers?" And in all the commotion, you had to wonder, where was Yui in this? Keeping this part brief because of time

Well, Yui alongside Apollo, was climbing up to the roof of the building. As a part of Niji's plan, once the vampires were defeated, Niji would fly the two away, allowing Yui to leave the vampires' grasp entirely. Obviously, Yui was hesitant but wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like that, so she ran to the rooftop as fast as she could. But before Yui could make it, she gets confronted by a paint-covered Azusa, who saw her heading upstairs and tried to beat her to it, He made one final attempt to convince her to stay with them, saying how things wouldn't the same without her, only to be cut off by Niji, pressing the back of enlarged against his own, threating him not to say another word, forcing him to back off. They proceed sprinted pass him and toward Yui, grabbing her hand once more and guiding her directly to the rooftop

Every moment, Niji just seemed to surprise her more and more, whilst also confusing her at the same time. Why did she do so much for her? For what reason was she being picked out? What did it have to do with being "Eve?" How did they even know she was "Eve?" Yet despite all the questions, a part of her felt. . . relieved, like years-worth of chains were magically being lifted from her body, this was her chance of escape, and she took it without another thought. Arriving on the rooftop, as Niji prepares their paint brush for their escape, Yui grabs ahold of their wrist with both hands, and just thanks them. For, well, everything, for giving her a friend, for saving her from those creepy men, everything, small tears welled up in her eyes as Niji turns and smiles at her, saying it wasn't a problem, before instantly scooping her up, and onto the magical brush

Both of them on basically a broomstick and with Apollo on Niji's shoulder, the two take to the skies, Yui held on for dear life while Niji was as calm as ever. Just before they'd could fully leave, the vampires showed up just at the nick of time, all injured and covered in paint and bruises, already angered but unable to reach them due to them being very much flightless, they were unsurprising powerless, and Niji takes the chance to gloat a bit while they were still in the air

*They giggle*

"Awh~, what's wrong? can't make it up here?~" "You know, if you want her so bad, why don't you just fly up and get her?~" "I've always wanted to see a vampire turn into a bat. . ."

*The bloodthirsty vampires were beyond angry and ready to snap, but from below, they looked like angered little dogs*

Ayato: DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH?! WE'LL RIP YOU APART LIMB FROM LIMB!!!

*Reiji started to bark back as well, his now extremely cracked glasses almost completely fell off his face*

Reiji: IF SOMEONE LIKE YOU HAD ANY BRAIN, YOU'D STOP TREATING THIS AS SOME GAME!! HAND OVER THE MORTAL!!

*Despite the tears rolling down his face and the obvious redness, Azusa tried to stand his ground and act tough*

Azusa: You. . . you big bully. . ! L-let go of Eve, LET GO OF OUR EVE RIGHT NOW!

*Yui's eyes were closed out of fear during the yelling, she wasn't used to being so high up. But just by their voices, she was surprised, she'd never heard them this angry before. . .* *Niji just looks down at them, unimpressed but amused, before laughing*

"Oh no~ I'm so scared!-*hahahah!*" "I knew you would all get mad, but I didn't expect you to be this hotheaded- Oh!- That reminds me!"

*They snap their fingers as warm-colored particles release from their fingertips*

"I left a little surprise for you, think of it as a parting gift!" "Just be careful going downstairs, ok?"

*Within seconds, the brush began to lift higher into the air, Yui holding on all the tighter as she felt it shift*

"Well gentlemen, I think it's time we'd depart. . ." "Terribly sorry it has to end like this, but don't worry. . . We'll take good care of her. . ." "Bhyeeee~!"

And just like that, they were gone. . . The vampires watching speechless, in horror, as the witch shot up into the sky and disappeared, Yui only catches glances of their faces as she, Niji and Apollo flew off. . .

. . .

You still here? Good. . .

As you can probably tell, this's one of my longer posts, and I'm not too confident not many people let alone anyone will read it, but I had a lot of fun writing it so, screw it I guess

Big apology for taking so long, I thought it was going to be easy but man, did it take me longer than I expected, to a point I had to write some parts in school TwT Overall, I did this project for fun, as well as trying to bring in more darker and mature elements to my writing. Despite how time-consuming it was and how trashy the actual anime was, I genuinely enjoyed putting my personal spin on this show and giving it the rewrite it deserves. I'm not entirely sure if or when I'll bring this back, maybe if it gets popular enough-

How I actually found this series is still beyond me though. It really felt like I just looked at the show and went, "yeah, I can fix him. . ."

Anyway, be on the lookout for my other projects And as always, stay tuned^^

#diabolik lovers #diabolik oc #diabolik lovers au #sakamaki brothers #mukami brothers #dlabolik lovers ayato #diabolik lovers reiji #diabolik lovers laito #diabolik lovers kanato #diabolik lovers subaru #diabolik lovers shu #diabolik lovers kou #diabolik lovers azusa #diabolik lovers yuma #diabolik lovers ruki #AAAAH THE TAGS!!!-

15 notes · View notes