#he is beyond hope lost | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

scorchedhearth · 2 years

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it's just. he's alive now but what for? now that he's back what does he keep himself alive for? one thing, one goal, but you don't see him stop and wonder if he's happy with being back in the first place, if he wants to, if he wants to keep going beyond his revenge and build something for himself. he just wants to confront bruce, to show him what he's done, what he has become and he'll be from now, a better batman, a better man than what he sees in bruce now. he's so caught up in this that he doesn't stop and wonder about life beyond this goal. everything he does in utrh, especially near the end, shows this single-minded focus on his plan, on bruce and their confrontation, and no indication of a goal further than that, of a life beyond it. the bomb in his helmet, the lack or attempt at building a life for himself, connections and a network to fall back on after, the extreme stunts and actions he goes to, play cat and mouse with dangerous individuals with a seeming lack of care, the fail-safe of the final confrontation being either bruce kills him or he kills them all and bring the building down. he never even envisioned that his life would go on beyond this culmination, and i'd kill to see what his struggles looked like right after this, when he found himself alive once more and with nothing else to live for, now that the bridge between him and bruce had been burned and left to ruins with no way back, no reconciliation possible. what did it look like when he had to sit down and wonder if he even wants to be here now, if he wants to live any more than he already did, if it would even be worth it, if he could make something out of it because his utilitarian mindset would never allow him to live just for the sake of living, his existence must be justified, especially now that he's here despite what his fate meant for him and his end

#that's why his behavior with dick and ollie and mia makes sense to me. he's erratic because he's lost #he's grasping at straws trying to find what to do with himself and spilling everywhere in the process because he didn't think to mend all #the other hole in his being so now he's left trying to find a justification to his existence beyond bruce. and finding a reason to live ain #aint an easy task #that's why i think after utrh jason should have thrown himself harder into his crime lord persona or left it altogether. no half measures #when trying to find another way of existing #i just. want to explore jason grappling with his unnatural existence now and either make peace with it and fight back against it #either he keeps himself dead or brings himself back. either he lives in his grave or accept it and move past #and i have to say. i dont think it would be the second option before a long long time #i think jason would shadow hismelf in his death for a while before admitting there's another way. if he doesn't get himself killed before #hope this make sense because this has been stewing in my mind for a while now #dc #jason todd

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hylianane · 8 months

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Breathing into a paperbag thinking about the possibility of Elbaf digging the conflict from Water 7 back up again and maybe exploring some long-term repercussions of Luffy and Usopp’s fight that not even they themselves were aware of and and and and and-

LISTEN. the Water 7 Saga absolutely rewired the way I understood the crew and how each member views themselves and the roles they play. And it’s been some time since the Strawhat’s exploration of the New World has allowed them to really take time and consider themselves and each other like that again.

And Elbaf just sounds (MUAH) like such a wonderful opportunity to do exactly that, it sounds perfect, primarily in the way it ties all the way back to the Strawhat’s early days on the Grand Line. And when you look at the presence of the Giant Pirates in Little Garden and Enies Lobby, what they share is that both times the Giants Served the purpose mirroring the conflicts between the crewmates and highlighting the importance of loyalty and comradery. Shit writes itself. Come on Elbaf don’t let me down. Come on Usopp I know you can hit us with another world shattering arc just take the stage love.

#remember when Dorry and Brogy’s story served to introduce us to Zoro and Sanji’s rivalry #by showing that even though they fight constantly theyd break if they lost each other and deep down they are still crew #and now we have an unresolved death pact looming over the two of them #Remember when Kashi and Oimo taught Usopp that the cost of loyalty can b great and harrowing but it is beyond rewarding for the right perso #just when he was doubting wether he was truly strong enough to stand at Luffy’s side or at all capable of the bravery needed to be a pirate #and now he’s going to have to look these friends and allies in the eye and be the one to show them all that his decision to remain-#-a Strawhat has brought him #when asked to look at his journey so far and ask himself if he’s truly reached his ideals will he be able to smile wide and say yes?#or will the seeds of doubt and anxiety start planting themselves in his heart again?#hell you know what would be rlly cool for me. If throughout this arc EVERYONE began losing themselves to their own doubts BUT him #Like okay okay thats an exaggeration but do you get what I mean?#Usopp staying calm and collecting and making tough calls and getting back up again all without realizing-#-that he’s truly acting like the Captain he always wanted to be #thatd be so good. god i hope this upcoming arc hits harder than crack #one piece #elbaf #usopp #monkey d. luffy #strawhat pirates

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twothpaste · 4 months

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a long-looming intermission au question in the back of my head is "what the absolute hell was going on with flint and hinawa back in tennessee." the details remain erratic and fuzzy, but if/when i ever hash it out it's so fucking over.

#the eclectic implications of troubled & deeply complicated family lives on both sides #hinawa had family members in and out of the hospital all the time and quite possibly experienced some degree of neglect #flint is on bad terms with his family for dubious reasons. he probably lost at least one family member to alcohol abuse.#they're the perfect redneck high school sweetheart couple but beyond the curtain things are very wrong in their lives #their national park travel hobby is almost definitely some sort of escapist fantasy made manifest rather than a down-to-earth kinda thing #one or both of them may have thought themself bad luck incarnate - for all the dysfunction and loss they'd already suffered by like age 17 #flint is a burly overgrown autistic teenager driving his gal around the mountains in a rusty pickup truck unsure where he's even headed #while a lean freckly hinawa with unbrushed hair blows smoke out his passenger side window and thinks ethereal thoughts about eden #concocting an amorphous unfathomable apocalypse from which they must escape to nowhere if theyve any hope for a future.do you see my vision #intermission au

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barrencelenny · 3 months

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only half way through an eight hour flight and I’m bored. do you think barry has a slight phobia of lighting.

#as much as he enjoys his powers and helping people and being the flash #he’s also got a lot of guilt and responsibility about his powers that he would probably continue being the flash #even if the lightning aspect of his powers makes him uncomfortable #between seeing the yellow lighting he doesn’t understand beyond its connection to his mothers death #a lighting strike that makes him lose nine months of his life (where his family very dramatically did move on without him)#being struck by other people’s lighting powers #having to get struck by lighting again to regain his lost powers #like surely there’s a decent amount of trauma involved in these experiences #anyways. I sure hope my plane doesn’t get hit by lighting.#k.txt

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arolesbianism · 13 days

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Yet another beautiful day to have the Maxwel tag blocked (can't see half of the posts in the Wendy tags)

#rat rambles #starve posting #maxwell posters have lost any semblance of tolerance from me ages ago Ive yet to meet a maxwell fan who's just like a normal person #and to clarify I actually do like maxwel as I am the number one just some asshole whos in too deep enjoyer #but dear god are ppl just absolutely incapable of being normal abt this man and everyone around him #and even beyond that ppl just do not get this man like please he is indeed interesting but not because of some 'retconed redemption'#like pls we can live in a world where he is not an irridemable monster and is in fact just some guy while also still being a flawed person #like the fact that he is so deeply flawed in ways that he never actually properly adressed and challenged is the interesting thing to me #like look at me. he went through horrible shit he didnt deserve. that didnt inherently make him a better or worse person #it just made him a more miserable person #and he didnt escape because of some change of heart or character development #and afterwards he teamed up with wilson because of necessity #I do think on some level he genuinely cares abt the other survivors and he does have genuine regret for how things turned out #but again those things dont inherently mean he moved past the flaws that got him here it just means he has the ability to recognize that #shit sucks and that he wish none of it happened #its why encore is one of my favorite animations from a character perspective because it shows some juicy charlie and maxwell stuff #mainly it shows both that charlie has not forgiven his ass and is manipulating him and that maxwell is still susceptible to it #which isnt a sigh of them rolling back development it's just a sign that maxwell is easy to manipulate with the right cards #which adds up considering his past and his present very well in my opinion #this is a man whos historically always ran away from his problems and is always on the hunt for a sense of control #and charlie tapped into both that and his ever present guilt #its in fact very unsurprising and not out of place for him to fall for that sort of manipulation #and it also makes for a great set up for the inevitable betrayal from charlie as maxwell is hit by the harsh reality of his situation #and that whole situation would lead to some yummy tasty parallels when charlie inevitably gets betrayed herself (I hope)#the ways charlie and maxwel are so similar yet so different facinates me deeply I love how much charlie doesnt realize shes kinda fucked #I want her to be betrayed so hard and left in the dust with no ground to stand on I want the rug pulled out from under her feet #her composition comes from her confidence in the necessity of her actions and the moral superiority she feels over maxwell #so having her sense of superiority be revoked would make for a super fascinating dynamic as she tries to justify the situation in her head #I wanna see her siral and then maybe change her pronouns idk

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ilovefredjones · 2 years

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the only thing that can save me now is your love

natalie diaz, a brother named gethsemane / tim fedelre, high school musical: the musical: the series / alan watts, what is it like to die / frozen: the broadway musical / x

[ID: black text on a white background. it reads ‘There is no garden. This is my brother and I need a shovel to love him.’

maddox from high school musical: the musical: the series. she is distressed, looking at jet who is off camera. the subtitles read ‘because i’m pretty sure the sibling who is being punished is me.’

black text on a white background. it reads ‘What is childhood like? It's a little like dying, a little like being born. Which is to say, it's nothing you can remember, but you know there was blood.’

jet is talking to ricky, looking slightly uncomfortable. the subtitles read ‘I’ve been a bad guy to her for a long time and it’s eating me up.’

lyrics from the frozen broadway soundtrack. they say ‘Was I a monster from the start? / How did I end up with this frozen heart?’

maddox talking to ricky. in the first frame, she is looking forward, frowning. the subtitles read ‘But we’ve had good days before and...’ . in the second frame, she faces ricky, eyes wide. the subtitles read ‘I just don’t wanna let my guard down and get hurt again, you know?’

lyrics from the frozen broadway soundtrack. they say ‘I can’t be what you expect of me / And I’m not what I seem / But I would love to know you / Is it dangerous to dream?’

maddox clutches a microphone, looking at jet with a soft expression. the subtitles read ‘and I think maybe we’re ready to be happy again.’

black text on a white background. it reads ‘Growing up with a sibling is like being the only people on a stranded boat, constantly figuring out how you can live with them and questioning how you could ever live without them. The only people on a stranded boat. How do you live with them? How could you ever live without them?’. END ID.]

#hsmtmts #maddox hsmtmts #jet hsmtmts #LOOK AT THEM LOOK AT THEM!!!!!!!!#DO YOU NOT THINK ABOUT THEIR DYNAMIC AND WANT TO GO CRAZY #maddox thinks jet existing in the same space as her is her being punished. he intrudes on the only safe and happy place she has #she doesn’t want to get her hopes up. she’s scared of gaining him only to lose him. she doesn’t want him back. she hates him #but she’s her BROTHER. she loves him more than anything and that’s why it hurts so much #and jet hates himself. he never meant to hurt maddox - he didn’t realise he meant so much to her to cause her this much pain #‘no idea you would feel abandoned / you know i would never do that to you’#he hurt his sister and part of him doesn’t want her back. it’s easier to accept he is a bad person beyond redemption. but by god does he+#try to make it up to her. he tries so hard but maddox is hurt and defensive and he recognises that. respects her boundaries.#but maddox wants to be happy again. she wants them both to be happy again.#she asks him can we try again? can we see if we can bridge this gap? i don’t want to lose you forever. i can’t live with you but i can’t+#live without you either.#i absolutely adore their arc this season #and how it mirrors elsa & anna’s #the caption is another frozen ii song that anna sings to elsa :)#they are both lost at sea. they can only save each other

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raspberryjellybrains · 1 year

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I've been thinking a lot lately about Delirium and the way she speaks. She talks around a concept, never hitting it head on but glancing off through a series of metaphors and related concepts that explain things far better than wording them straight might. It's very relatable, and I think that's why I like her; that's how I think.

To me, the world isn't composed of precisely defined concepts but a series of interconnected existences which can all, ultimately, be related to each other. I also experience things in the incredibly specific manner Delirium seems to. I have sensitivities largely untethered from aversions, meaning that while I don't often find things deeply unpleasant or intolerable, I still experience them with an unusual specificity which often defies concise explanation. The best way I can convey certain feelings or experiences is through other feelings, experiences, and concepts to weave together a series of approximations that through their similar and dissimilar traits narrow down to what I'm trying to describe. Delirium does this too, and it's treated as a part of her that's no better or worse than any other. There are those that don't understand and those that do, and those that at least try to are awarded for their efforts because finally and most importantly, she genuinely has something to say. Her speech patterns are deceptively rambling because she takes a long time to say what she means to say, while simultaneously saying exactly it.

Delirium is neurodivergent coded in such a cathartic way because of this. I feel her frustration and joy because I know what it's like to be the person trying to explain something that has no words to assign, asking all of the time if there's a word for what she's feeling as a rhetorical and genuine question so that she can explain something without explaining it and call into question why we feel everything must be precisely laid in the place of as few words as possible. She is incredibly intelligent, but loses track of all of what's happening in a far more obvious way than most because there's just so much to keep track of, which is also very relatable as a neurodivergent person. Without putting labels on the experience, she perfectly captures it. I just... I like Delirium quite a lot, and think she'd be very good at post-modern literature.

#i hope to god this comprehensible #im trying so hard to get this shit in a line exactly becaude of why i like her #theres jusy SO MUCH to say its very hard to keep it straight and many more things to focus on beyond it #i love that delirium is treated by the narrative as an intelligent and wise being that just conveys that in an unconventional way #shes like my mirror metaphor. no mirror can light upon the minutae without shattering and no shattered mirror can see the bigger picture.#shes shattered but knows from when she was whole what the full picture looks like but she gets lost in all of the fragments #which gives her an incredibly unique and valuable perspective #at a surface level it seems as if she's an offensive depiction of mental illness but once you go deeper you realize shes not for the very-#reason she at first seemed to be. she embodies what is looked down upon but its told through side comments and events that theres more to-#her than the seeming irrationality.#she picks up and puts things down as she remembers them but that doesnt mean any one thing is any less valuable than any other #the ephemeral quality of her attentions dont diminish their value.#i have a lot of thoughts about her i just. am very fond.#and the way she and dream truly demonstrate the dichotomy of mental illness and neurodivergence makes me froth at the mouth.#he knows what shes saying most of the time and knows where shes at whether he admits it to himself or not because shes just externalizing-#what exists solely internally for him. hes better at masking and that is their difference which makes Such a statement oh my god when you-#think about how each are treated and understood.#it took me like. two weeks to organize these thoughts btw. they float in little brain clouds <3 #i need to watch everything everywhere all at once #anyway #delirium of the endless #the sandman meta #the sandman #raspberry rambles

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muu-kun · 11 months

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Speaking of fashion, I will eventually have the appropriate amount of time to dedicate myself to a proper attire headcanon post. For now, I only have examples for silhouettes pertaining to dresses gathered. Which at this point can ultimately be narrowed down in explanation as Muu holding preference for a bodice that does not require even just a modest breast size.

Although he does wear bralettes (which is not out of gender dysphoria or euphoria on any account actually. Instead, it is more so like a running joke with himself at this point due to the fact he's actually had an infatuation with wearing them since he was a sixteen year old boy that found a bra lying in the street) he doesn't do so with the intent of applying padding to them-- especially when considering the fact he has some minor gynaecomastia due to stubbornly persistent baby fat going on. He can deal with those, but he definitely doesn't want to even so much as imply he has "real breasts."

He also isn't one to gravitate towards those built around the necessity for breasts due to the fact that he does not wish for the attire adorning his body to appear as though something (or somethings) is missing. Which is also the given reason why even in his decision to wear what is considered women's underwear underneath the dresses similar to above, he does not engage in the act of tucking. Yes, that does come within treacherous territory per the fact that he is then advertising himself as a flamboyantly youthful individual with an occasionally visible (and not incredibly well endowed, mind you) genitalia outline in his attire. That's not even to mention the detectability of his disabilities on establishing conversation with him.

Beyond that, he's not too partial to much else. Length and material is otherwise irrelevant as long as he can freely move within it to accommodate an in-between active and sedentary lifestyle. He would also best appreciate those that are not overwhelming to the senses in one manner or another-- this includes itchiness, heaviness, lack of breathability, and so on. Textures usually aren't too worrisome to him, however, as he has been raiding the closet of his female friends (such as Hannah of @kannojo predominantly) for years, so by now he knows what he does and doesn't like with enough ease that even unexpectedly finding something is unappealing to him van be easily remedied without any fit.

The bottom line with all of this is while Muu strictly wears what is primarily marketed as women's clothing, he does not do so out of the desire to be a woman. In fact, he's asked that question within himself many times only to come up with the same conclusion each time: He is simply an aged up boy caught up in having to navigate too many things at once, therefore eccentricities intended to lighten his load have transpired. Being that 99% of abusers have been men throughout the years, and women his sanctuary from them, it became sensible at some point for him to cease one struggle for favor of mirroring his safety while he sources through another. Muu has no idea even how to be a person yet, let alone a gendered one.

That is also not to say he wishes to abolish entirely in favor of utilizing they/them pronouns. In fact, it still remains quite the opposite. At this time in his life, he's not looking to be othered more than he always has acquired for himself. Being gridlocked into a perpetual state of regression in his present has been isolating enough as is that he doesn't wish for more beyond that. It also has intriguingly been almost beneficial in keeping some of his identity centered, though, as being so interwoven with his inner teen provides connection with the perspective of character held back then.

When he was sixteen, he was very self assured in nearly all aspects in life until led to second guessing the bulk of them. Of those is one of which where he was well adamant that he was a boy with a preference for he/him pronouns to demonstrate that. And while he's been able to find appreciation for femininity that he'd have otherwise mocked in his youth, that is as far as it goes for the time being. Working beyond the semantics of that just isn't on the table at this time in his life.

Where he might go with it during Pride Month is still up to him, but, really, his focus is far more centered on fulfilling and answering other aspects of his person at this time. Generalized comfort and safety are of the utmost importance to his emotionally led manner of living. Once that is established, whether or not he opts for reintroducing what is considered men's attire back into his wardrobe is completely up in the air.

#; ♡ ; headcanons #muu doesn't even necessarily actively consider himself nonbinary due to the fact that he's open to the possibility #that he will feel centered in his identity as a man just as he was with boyhood once he is no longer Terrified to exist as is #identifying as genderflux in some aspect is definitely a cluch for him in regards to #when you've heard from people your whole life that you are not a man for aspects relating to maturity and physical appearance #you eventually may find yourself going I'm not a man maybe!! Out of safety and hopefulness that doing so might make people be kind to you #socially he definitely feels abandoned by masculinity and blocked out of spaces by his peers #but being a woman has never fit right in his head either as he genuinely knows he does not Want to be one #what he wants to feel included and wanted with so the bulk of muses who've so far made him feel that way are women #and only really a couple men at best with fran at the top of the list #women wise he has neff who he has commented even himself to be the only person not including his canon wife #to love him unconditionally #and suki who after one stint or another involving sully and calix was the only person to ask him how he was feeling #I'm also including lyla per the fact that she is one of few he can be fun and funny with which may not sound like a lot #but when you carry the burden of holding a notoriety for being melancholic it is actually really an act of kindness #to be considered something other than that even just once because he did used to be very cheeky back in the day #nowadays he just spends so much time worrying about what characteristics of himself must be so grotesque to others around him #that he's lost the ability to even breathe too loud around another person let alone take up space and time beyond that #which is actually why I find it very fitting he wears women's clothing because which section of the binary has gone centuries being told #to stay out of sight and out of mind for their own safety ??#not to mention the fact that can one really be too surprised that someone deeply in need of nurturing spaces #would then decide to dress like a woman because of the connection with motherhood #being that moms are usually the poster parent for unconditional love which is a whole mixed bag I'm not getting into today #nonetheless the bottom line is still that muu does not identify as either transgender transsexual or even as a crossdresser as #none feel applicable to him at this time and instead he's solid in being people's eccentric friend who happens to be #both feminine and jovial and most Definitely sensitive all while he figures out all else beyond that

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vannscooter · 1 year

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#today just sucks for news lol #like i'm still gonna see the mcu stuff he's in (bc lbr i doubt he's lost a job)#but i'm not gonna watch anything he solos in beyond that #but what a (n alleged) fucker #keep your expectations for all celebs LOW folks #don't put anyone on a pedestal #assume theyre assholes until proven otherwise tbh #i'm just so sad. if it's not true then i hope to GOD they figure out how to clear him swiftly but #i hope ... she recuperates fast #OOC.#domestic violence //

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definegirlfriends · 2 years

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#saw mp for the second time tonight #overall my thoughts didn’t change much from the first watch #I think it is a wonderfully done film #it is simplistically beautiful #the characters especially patrick feel wonderfully complex while still feeling attainable #they tell the story differently in the book but I love the way the movie tells it as well #especially the cut back scenes so you see the patrick and tom angle after seeing the tom and marion angle for the first portion #the cinematography is absolutely beautiful and the color grading is superb #the way marion and tom are always in cooler light or an almost chilly ambiance versus patrick and tom even sometimes with marion it’s all #warm light and flushed cheeky and comfort #and the score ! is unreal #the way the music ebbs and flows with conflict or cuts out entirely in moments of pure vulnerability so all you’re left with is #a puff of breath or a scratch of fabric #it’s beautiful #I obviously think harry is wonderful but david and emma are phenomenal in their roles #and linus plays a fabulous older tom to the way he speaks to the mannerisms it’s just beyond #I think this movie is important in its simplicity #it comments on the time period while not making it feel like a period piece or some huge statement #I genuinely genuinely think it’s a perfect comfort film #rainy day slightly sad feeling lost needing hope whatever it is you’re searching for I think you can find a piece of it in this film #next bit i’m gonna talk a little spoilery so don’t read if you don’t want but !#I really found myself appreciating marion’s final scene so much more the second time where earlier in the movie when they’re singing in the #car and she sticks her hand out the window and the end is a continuation of that as she’s racing away from the sea is really beautiful #donttttt even get me started on patrick and toms last scene my theatre tonight was even quieter than the first time I saw it but the #collective gasp half sob half sigh of relief of hope of sadness of happiness that filled the room #makes me so so so glad I saw it in theatres as much as an audience can sometimes be more annoying than great I think that moment made it #it’s not a blow your mind holy hell type of movie but it’s an important film I think #and most importantly I can see it withstanding the ultimate test of time #I think everyone should see it and better yet in a theater if you’re able but it’s a movie I will definitely find myself watching again #and again in the future 🤍

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ghostgirl101 · 2 months

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Imagine if Paul Atreides claimed you as his destiny: PART Ⅰ of Ⅱ

|| Word Count: 1.5K || Angst → Fluff ||

A/N: I had this as a big idea that I had to get down before the basic headcanons and stuff, so here's my take on our Lisan al Gaib 😎 if you like this then hit me up for some relationship headcanons and the like, I'm up for it all. Enjoy reading or watching the movie if you haven't already - I'm going again lol, and screen X is the best way to experience it fr Also I feel like I should write a second part to this lmao, if you liked what you read?

You weren't one for dreams of destiny.

The dreams you had seemed meaningless, confusing, nothing to do with what ifs and what could. Not like his.

But you always seemed to feel some kind of atmosphere, an aura you couldn't quite shake off, even when you woke up from the darkness. There was no face to go with the voice, the voice in the dark that called to you in whispers that you didn't understand. Beautiful words that weren't yours, but sounded so soft and gentle and powerful, as they reached out to you from distant lands.

You could never place them, pin them down and study them, understand them, until the day the Emperor was challenged by a ghost of a lost House, thought to be dead, left to be forgotten. You stand near the Emperor and his guards and men, the Great Houses looming and listening from higher above, as the Fremen fill up the space to watch the confrontation in spirited anticipation.

The life debt was paid. The late Emperor was overthrown. The ascendancy of Paul Atreides rose and took from the throne to claim it.

His attention flicks from his eyes boring coldly into the Emperor's, to meet yours, his voice smooth and set, full of conviction and force.

"Our destiny is together. I'll take her."

Your eyes widen slightly as his words sink in, blinking through the shock and incredulity that rushes through you and makes your heart race in apprehension and wonder. Though his voice twins with your wandering dreams, you don't know whether to feel fascination and longing, or fear and cautiousness at some greater force beyond your understanding, playing out before your very eyes.

"I..." your voice falters in uncertainty and disbelief, and you try again. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me well," Paul responds with an undying, stoic certainty that's almost unnerving. "As I know you."

His eyes study you, his Spice-stained blue eyes bleeding into yours, scanning every freckle on your face and curve of your outfit. Assessing you, knowing you, ridiculous throngs of power filling his aura and projecting onto you with his intense stare. You have to fight not to shiver under it, ultimately failing.

"What of me?" is the wisest reply you can think of before the silence stretches into dangerous uncertainty.

"Everything," Paul says evenly, but there's no mistaking the challenge and determination in his tone, almost daring you to reject him, to disagree, a built-up desire of dreamt promises resolving his stand. "I choose you, as my Empress. We will rule together, over the Empire."

Scepticism and bewilderment washes over you and makes your blood heat and stir, retreating into silence as he takes a step closer to you, gazing at you as if you're the most curious, exotic being he's ever seen.

Desire threatens to override Paul Atreides' reason, clinging onto the hope and chance of a narrow way through to light, a light that could only be sought out with you by his side. Without you, there was nothing in sight but pools of blood replacing luscious marine life and oceans running through Arrakis, disarray and disillusion at every turn and infecting every heart.

You were absolutely perfect.

And you were already his, long before this moment, before you and he were born into the world and named. There was no manipulation needed, because everything was laid out for him to take, welcoming him to rule and grow higher and higher. Fate had bonded you and strung you along to here and now, and as you blink up into his bright eyes that narrow slightly at you, frowning softly as if you hadn't understood his demand.

"Do you know what I am?"

You pause for a moment, speaking slowly and cautiously, as the crowd of Fremen and the wary, late Emperor watch on in tense wordlessness. "You are Leto Atreides' son. Former Duke of Caladan."

"What I am," Paul repeats evenly, "not who I am." He stares at you in silence for another beat, before speaking up again. "Do you know of the Bene Gesserit?"

You stop yourself from glancing in Lady Jessica's direction just in time; the runes patterning her skin, her once soft eyes now spiked with an unfamiliar darkness of ages past. Anyone could get trapped in her watchful glare, and her son's holds almost as much intensity.

"No," you decide on hesitantly.

"Kwisatz Hederach," he adds, taking another step forward until you can feel his breath tickling your cheeks, standing above you with unspoken grace and vigor. "I see the future. A part of me is the future."

His hand is suddenly squeezing yours warmly and tightly, making you flinch slightly and glance down at them before looking back up at him.

"In this future, I am with you."

All you can do is stare at him in awe and wariness, not knowing whether to let your curiosity guide you, or distance yourself as far as possible from the boy who reigns over the dunes.

"Why?" you whisper, the crowds seeming to fade around you as you focus on the boy in front of you, his fingers tangling with yours boldly.

"I've seen it," Paul insists, his tone a touch softer in thought and wistfulness. "All of it. When I am with you..." His grip tightens over yours, the fire in his eyes returning. "We're unstoppable."

"And..." your words dry before you can speak them, and you will yourself to go on, unable to break away from the deep blue hues of his gaze. "And without?"

His jaw visibly clenches at your question, and his hand drops yours, shaking his head only answer as he glances away in slight frustration.

"You don't have the leisure of choice. It's all been made for you, written in the sands and stars, and what you need to do is walk in its path. I will show you the way. You have no other. Do you understand?"

The firmness is strong in his words and glare, making you look away from him too, still in a slight stun over the rush of events. In less than a day, your freedom has been stripped to this young man's desires and destiny, entwined with yours. You, who barely knew him until now, only familiar with his voice, his words, that echoed and rang in your head like a lullaby.

But this feels so harsh and strict. The eyes of the former Emporer linger between the two of you, and Paul's army of Fremen stand behind him attentively, some gazing at you in admiration and hope, of their messiah's promised bride. And she is beautiful.

"That's unfair."

"The future is unfair," Paul says calmly, his collected, cool tone wavering for a moment. "But it will be so much worse without you by my side, and I will not accept that. Not for my people... not for myself."

You stare at him in fascination and caution, lost for words. His fingers rise to brush against the skin of your cheek, sending tingles in their wake and making you fight back the automatic reaction, your eyes following his surprisingly gentle touch. Two fingers trace down the shape of your cheek down to your chin, tilting your head slightly upwards. Just one step closer, and your lips would be touching too.

"Name anything," he murmurs to you, the Fremen straining to hear his voice as it reaches you effortlessly, his expression earnest and determined. "Anything. And it is yours. Only if you willingly wed me in turn. Not as a concubine, nor a mistress."

You blink, then blink again, taken aback as a million thoughts and suggestions race through your mind and make your head spin for a split second. You glance at the elder Emperor, who gazes back at you and the infamous Lisan al Gaib wearily, his eyes clouded with sombreness and light spite.

"I... I don't," you shake your head, overwhelmed by an impossible choice. "I don't know..."

Paul's expression softens into a smile you haven't seen before, one that makes your cheeks flush with colour as you watch him; a gentle, amused smile that's somehow familiar and unfamiliar all at once, one meant just for you, as he disregards his surroundings.

"You will know," he replies quietly, "and I will have you, and protect you, rule with you. Love you. As I am meant to."

Paul suddenly brings you closer, pulling you into a searing kiss without warning. The exotic, earthy taste of the Spice on his tongue floods your senses and sends shudders of ecstasy and heat coursing under your skin and hushing the myriad of thoughts buzzing in your mind in an instant.

When he pulls away, all too soon, you find yourself chasing his lips before you catch yourself, and Paul gives you another soft smile, his forehead resting against yours as your eyes lock.

"And as I long to," he finishes against your lips, his words grounded with a look of protectiveness and desire that makes you instinctively relax further in his hold.

⊹⊹⊹

From beyond you both, his mother smiles slightly at the scene, a hand hovering over her rounded stomach.

The first step has been made.

══════════════⊹⊱≼ part two coming soon ≽⊰⊹══════════════

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