#if I could be assured it wouldn't get hostile and personal

[ante--meridiem]

One problem with me is I genuinely enjoy respectful debates so much, but don't trust others to remain respectful and non derisive when disagreeing with me, or myself to not accidentally get intense in a way people read as aggressive, enough for most attempts at having them to not be kind of nerve-wrecking.

#no better feeling than someone you've been disagreeing with defusing the tension and making it clear it's all been friendly the whole time #i feel like i've probably made this post before #unfortunately this makes me a bit of a nonconfrontational doormat sometimes even when I'd have a lot of fun engaging with a topic #if I could be assured it wouldn't get hostile and personal

[thequietkid-moonie]

Saria, Hilda, Mipha, Zelda and Link e. relationship with the reader who possesses the healing power. However, this gift carries collateral damage: whenever the reader performs a cure, he himself ends up getting sick and feeling bad. (Zelda and Link from Breath of the Wild)

S/O's healing power has bad side effects

[ HEADCANONS ] [ Hilda, Mipha, Zelda, Link ]

[ A Link Between Worlds ] [ Breath of the wild ]

Cuteeee I loved writing this a lot!! It gives me some comfort too so thank you A-chan ❤️

I had to left Saria out, so sorry for it but I hope you like the ones i wrote!

Hilda

Lorule is a really hostile land, not only the monsters and world itself but also the people tent to be aggresive, and Hilda is the one on charge of taking care of the kingdom, even if most people don't care about the royal family that doesn't stop her from wanting the best for her people

Having to rule a kingdom infested with dangers and that most of the time doesn't respect her title it isn't easy, the weight she has to carry on her shoulders is inmense that is why she rely on you and Ravio in her more vulnerable moments, only you two are able to see all of her, and that is why she despises your hability

Honestly, having the power to heal all kind of injuries are a really good one, and she wouldn't blame you if you want to use that power to help others, something like that could bring a little bit of light to everyone's life and thats good, the problem is the collateral damage, everytime you use your power you are the one feeling bad, either just feeling bad or really getting sick equivalent to the wound you've healed

Hilda despise the fact that you are the one feeling bad, you become someone so precious for her and she hates seeing you suffer like this, she will totally understand your wish to help, she feels the same but she rather take that pain herself than watching you suffer by trying to help

Lorule is suffering a lot, everyone lives with the fear of being attacked, they are just try surviving before the inminent collapse of the kingdom, destruction is in Lorule fate and Hilda can't help to cling onto the little hope she has, and you are part of that hope, because of that she is terrified by the idea of losing you

Hilda had asked you more than once to don't use your powers, but is probably that she doesn't fully explain her reasoning and just ask it as a favor, but if you insist on using your power to help other she will become more angry and will be more agressive, demanding you to stop, what lead the two of you to argue because she just don't tell you why. Still, at some point she will explain how terrified she is, how much it hurt her seeing you feeling so bad because of your power

Even after, thanks to Zelda and Link, Lorule has it's own triforce again she will still be uncomfortable with you using your power, it would take a long time before she feels more comfortable with it, but will never like it (but at least this time she can take the time to take care of you herself, and won't accept a no as answer)

Mipha

Mipha is a really caring and loving person, she is always looking after the well-being of her kingdom and specially for those who she loves, and that includes you

At first she found quite funny and even a little cute the fact that you have a healing powers just as her, but soon she will undestand the side effects that you have to carry with yours she will grow really worried imediatly. She wants to ask you about it but is nervous, so she'll just end up learning about it by watching you and asking you as much as she can, but will do it gently and assuring you that you don't have to tell her everything if you don't want, in case is something that you don't like talking about

Mipha finds herself worring a lot about you for this side effect but won't really stop you from using your power if that is really what you want, she can understand that feeling of wanting to help since she feels the same, besides she doesn't feel with the right to tell you to don't put yourself at risk with your power since she usually does put herself in danger for being a champion

Despide how worried Mipha is about you, whenever you use your power she can't help but also feel proud of you, wanting to help even if you are the one who end up feeling sick, she can't stop smiling at you whenever she sees you or she gets to heard about you helping others, but always make sure to ask you how do you feel afterwards

Everytime you use your power Mipha always tries to be there for you, asking you how do you feel and if there is anything she can do for you, even if you don't feel too bad she is still worried about you, it would take her a while to get used to the side effects and to learn to identify when it has affected you too much, and when the effects are too bad she offers to heal you herself

As much as worry her she will let you continue using your power if you really want, she will only ask you to please stop when it start to affect you too much, either by you getting seriously sick or hurt by using it or that you been using your hability too much, also if you don't let yourself have a proper rest to recover, even if is just when it causes you small discomforts she will try to be more stern and ask you to please stop, at least for a while to let your body recover, she is just really worried for you, she loves you and hates seeing you in pain

Zelda

Zelda is a really caring person but the idea of failing at her duties as the princess stop her from opening with others, most of the time she shows herself only to the most closest ones and even when she tries to keep her composture with the champions (her friends) and you, you can easily see through her

Thats is why pretty much all of them can see how bothered she is with the side effect of your hability, Zelda does admire your healing power and think is really useful but the fact that you have to suffer from it makes her feel uneasy, she tries to say that its okay, is your hability and you must use it as you please but you can see that she is just lying

For Zelda is difficult to feel comfortable enough to open her heart to someone, even when she isn't the best to keep a facade when she starts to feel more comfortable she doesn't say it directly, but since you two are dating she feels like she can actually show you her true self, and that carries a insecurity, fearing that you either leave her or something happen to you and the side effect of your hability only trigger her insecurities

Honestly, she would be jealous of you if it wasn't because of the side effect, you can use your healing power so naturally that would make her feel even more as a failure if it wasn't because you have to carry a collateral damage everytime you use it, having to suffer instead of the other person, she finds it completely unfair and she would prefer if you don't use your hability anymore because of it, but she won't say it right away

Everytime you use your power on her she feels really guilty, even if she never is the one asking for help and is you who insist on doing it she feels like if, somehow, it were her fault, feeling impotent since now you have to suffer the consecuenses of her inexperience and foolishness, and even when she doesn't say how she feels you can tell from the look on her face

Despide being busy Zelda always tries to make time for you two or keep you close, so everytime she sees you using your power she ask you how do you feel afterwards and always makes sure you take proper care of yourself, and whenever the damage it causes you is worst than the usual pain she will force you to stop and take time to rest, trying to be herself who takes care of you, and you can see how anxious she feels about all of this

Sometimes she thanks you for your hard work, thanking you for being selfless and helping people even if that means you carry with the pain, she just wants you to know that despite how much it bothers her seeing you in pain she does appreciate the sacrifice you are doing

Link

Link express himself better by actions rather than with words, so, despite being busy or in the danger, he tries to keep you close to him, it is kinda comforting for him to have you around and he always tries to let you know how much he loves your presence

Link finds fascinating your healing power, it really can come in handy sometimes, and finds admirable the fact that you decide to just endure the pain it causes you having to use your power, however that doesn't make him less worried

He is in the disjunctive of being worried for you and your own safety (since puts at risk for trying to help others) but also finding admirable that you are willing to endure that to help others, even if you don't use your power frequently still the few times you do it you still have to endure pain

Link hates seeing you in pain but doesn't think that he has the right to ask you to don't use your power, is your hability and you must use it if you want, so he decide to help you in other ways, making sure you are always safe and taking care of yourself, as well as protect you from anything else

Even when he doesn't say anything you can see how much Link actually worries about you for the way he look at you everytime you have to suffer from the side effect of your hability, how he holds you close to him or how all his attention in on you, trying to come with a way to help you out but without wanting to take his eyes out of you

He feels bad everytime you use you power on him, it makes him feel slighly guilty, thinking that maybe if he wasn't so reckless, if he payed more attention or reacted faster, maybe you wouldn't being here healing his wounds, even when it isn't the case he feels like if he was the one inflicting you that pain, even if is just a little bit (he sometimes insist on you not helping him when he has bigger wounds because he doesn't want to inflicting you so much pain, but most of the time just give up when you insist)

However, this whole situation will affect him more if it is after the cataclism, after waking up Link feels like a stranger in the world, he doesn't have anything because all he once knew is far long ago, and worst because he doesn't even remember it, so right now he just cling a little to the comfort your presence brings him, having someone to love and who love him in return despite everything helps him feel less like an stranger, that is why it makes him really anxious everytime he sees you in pain because of your power (or in general)

In that case he would prefer if you don't use your power because it makes him fear that something will happen to you and take you away from him, and at some point he will tell you all his worries, he knows he is stronge but he doesn't has the same confidence on himself as he used to, so he just fears that someday maybe he won't be able to protect you

In this case he feel even more bad about you using your power on him but never fails in thanking you, but grows more clingy afterwards, wanting nothing but hold you close to him to reasure him that nothing bad will happen to you (and he makes sure to take good care of you, sometimes over react a little but he does it with the best intention)

#the legend of zelda #tloz x reader #a link between worlds #hilda #hilda x reader #albw hilda #breath of the wild #botw x reader #mipha #mipha x reader #princess zelda #zelda x reader #link #link x reader #x reader #x gn reader #video games x reader

[blindmagdalena]

Here is another "let me pick your brain" lol.

I was wondering what your thoughts are on whether Homelander would die for Ryan and the endless debate about Homelander's mental illness.

I was arguing this point, and I personally thought he would. The person disagreed due to someone citing Homelander's narcissism and sociopathic personality.

We also disagreed on what and the spectrum of mental illness he suffers from. My personal belief is that he is that he is on the spectrum of grandiose narcissism, sadism, and APD (specifically sociopathology). I wouldn't put him completely in any of these boxes because he repeatedly demonstrates behavior that doesn't fit nicely in them. Still, he certainly has tendencies that fit somewhere on the spectrum of these disorders.

so, i don't feel qualified to talk on the diagnosis (even fictional) of these various mental illnesses, but i'll happily talk about what i believe is in character for Homelander, and what narratively makes sense to me. first and foremost, he is a tool in a story, so he's bound to make choices that don't fall in line with any singular diagnosis, but instead best serve said story. from the perspective of the writers, anyways.

yes, i think under the right circumstances, Homelander could sacrifice himself for Ryan, and i think that precisely because of his ego. it's important to remember that Homelander thinks of Ryan as an extension of himself. he wants for Ryan the life that he never had.

minor speculation/spoilers mb for season 4, but Homelander is getting older. that's going to be a crisis for him, and the only chance he has at any kind of legacy or immortality IS Ryan. his son is his second chance and his proxy.

all that said, i know that i'm presenting the Vader narrative. redemption at the last minute through death. that's not the spin i would like to see on this situation, though.

i don't believe in accountability for fictional characters. i don't believe redemption and love and sacrifice are all easy or clear-cut subjects that can—or should—be spoon fed to us. stories are tools of human emotion just like music and poetry and art, and emotions are messy.

were i writing for the series and it came down to "Homelander has to die for Ryan. Go." i would frame this as an impulsive move on Homelander's part. an honest to god miscalculation in a crucial moment driven by his instinct to protect his son. we already saw Homelander turn his back on a hostile enemy for Ryan's sake once. had Butcher not also been swayed by Ryan's injury, that right there could have been a death sentence.

in my minds eye, Homelander dying in Ryan's arms is straight up denial. he looks younger than his years and confused, like he just can't really process that he, a god, is dying. it doesn't make sense. so he assures him, "Hey, it's okay, bud, I'm right here. It's okay. Your dad's here."

because in the end that's all he ever wanted for himself. someone to love and protect him despite his strength and powers. and the only way he's going to get it is by giving it to his son.

#discowizard88 #homelander meta #ask and you shall receive #ryan butcher #ryan #homelander headcanons

[abarbaricyalp]

Written for the @sambuckylibrary anniversary event! Rated G, no CWs.

"You know, he's not half so scary in person," Carlos said from Sam's far side.

Sam finished crushing trash further into a garbage bag before he followed Carlos' gaze across the party to the table where Bucky was regaling many, many children with an, undoubtedly, dramatic story. There were enough swooping hand gestures and mimed explosions at any rate.

"Yeah, the TV adds seven layers of hostility," he joked. "He's actually just a good actor."

Carlos snorted and rolled his eyes at Sam's ribbing. "You always were the first one to offer a second chance to anyone and anything. Do you remember when you--"

"When that stray bit me three separate times and I still cried when animal control caught it and took it away?" Sam finished for him. The story had followed him along since he was thirteen. If someone wanted to boil Sam Wilson down to his essence, that was the story they told. "To be fair, someone told me while I was in the hospital getting stitches for the last bite."

"You spent weeks afterwards tryin' to borrow anyone's home phone to call and ask about it 'cause your mama wouldn't let you use y'all's phone," he continued.

"He wasn't a bad dog. Just scared," Sam chuckled softly. He moved his fingers over the textured edge of a paper plate. "It wasn't his fault."

Carlos just smiled at him like he and Sam were on the same page, which was never true. Carlos was usually seven steps ahead of Sam. It's probably what had made him and Paul Wilson such good friends, even though they were otherwise very different men. He clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder and then moseyed away.

Sam looked over at Bucky, still in the midst of his story, and wondered when the last time was that he'd had teeth bared at him as he offered out a helping hand. And, honestly, cold shoulders and sarcasm aside, he couldn't remember. DC all those years (and not years) ago, probably. Even watching the Winter Soldier work again a few weeks ago hadn't been enough to remind Sam that Bucky could be that kind of dangerous. Especially not when it only took a touch and a look from Sam for him to draw back out of the character again. Sam was in no danger of being bit. No good person around was. Definitely more like the kind of dog that wanted to be a lap dog despite being a hundred pounds of muscle.

Sam made his way over to the table, just to make sure he didn't need to offer Bucky an escape. From the angle he was coming at, and the way Bucky's head was on a constant swivel to keep up with all of the laughing and teasing and questions around him, Sam got a chance to just look at him. The sun was bright on his face, making his eyes look like they were lit up and painting his hair more of an auburn than Sam had ever seen it. There were curls forming close to his head, brought out by the humid salt air and Sam had never seen that either. It kind of knocked the breath out of his chest.

Finally, he stepped closer, about to interrupt whatever exaggerated story Bucky was telling, but the man's words stalled him before he could.

"And Sam came out nowhere!" Bucky exclaimed, miming a sudden flight dive with his hand. "He took out a whole bunch of bad guys without breaking a sweat. Steve told me it was the coolest thing he's ever seen."

"Steve Rogers thinks Uncle Sam is cool?" Cass asked, all wide eyed. Sam would be offended, but it was less that Cass was in disbelief and more like he wanted to hear Bucky say it again.

"Steve thinks Sam is the coolest!" Bucky assured. "That's why Sam's Captain America and not someone else."

Sam raised an eyebrow that no one was going to see, but he supposed that the simple version was best while Bucky recounted glory days with a bunch of kids. Bucky reached out to catch a girl by the back of the shirt as she worked on climbing to the other side of the table so she could stand on the bench. She struck a dramatic pose and stared off in the distance for a moment.

"I wanna have wings. How do I get wings?" she asked.

"Well first, you have to eat all your vegetables. And you have to make good grades," Bucky explained, tugging her down to sit. "But you also have to be kind and not selfish, right? Gotta behave like Sam does."

"Even to my brother?" she asked with a frown.

"Even to your brother," Bucky agreed with a solemn nod.

When Sam couldn't stand it anymore, he came over to put a hand on Bucky's shoulder and tug him back from the table. "Hey, mythmaker, you're gonna have to help clean at some point. Come on, let's go," he encouraged, pulled Bucky's shoulder until Bucky dramatically flailed backwards.

"I'm not a mythmaker," he argued as he carefully extricated himself from the table. "I don't exaggerate."

"I do not believe you," Sam promised lightly.

Bucky clicked his tongue and then waved at the kids around the table who had quite eagerly taken his spot, clambering over each other even as Sam and Bucky walked away.

"You can never let me have the spotlight," Bucky sighed. When Sam glanced over at him, Bucky already had his eyes on Sam and he was grinning easily.

"I'm really jealous, what can I say?" he jokingly admitted. They walked for another moment, past all the trash they really should be taking care of, before Sam jostled his elbow against Bucky's side. "It's not like they were listening to stories about you anyway," he teased gently.

"Well, just the last one. Or the last two, depending on when you showed up," Bucky defended. It was unconvincing, especially when he snickered to himself anyway. "Your stories are more family friendly."

"You were sounding pretty bragadocious of those stories."

"Oooh, there's a vocabulary word," Bucky laughed. He nudged Sam towards an empty pier and sat down so he could dangle his legs over the edge of it. Sam followed suit and watched the water lap at the old wood. Algae and barnacles clung to the supports and drifted in the repetitive current.

"I'm proud of you," Bucky eventually said, barely audible over the water. The noises of the party were far enough away that Sam could almost believe he was underwater, with the way his head went light with the compliment.

"Thanks, man," he said back just as softly. "You're not doing too bad for yourself either."

Bucky knocked his shoulder into Sam's and then stayed leaning against him as he stared out over the water. Sam let his own head come to rest on Bucky's, tucking his cheek against Bucky's sun warmed hair. The birds called overhead, waiting for their chance to swoop in on discarded food and open trash. Music started up from somewhere near the heart of the party. The water continued to gently keep time with the wind and the current. And Bucky was warm and solid and constant beside him.

Sam was pretty damn proud too.

#sambucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes #captain america #sambucky fanfic #the falcon and the winter soldier #writing #tfatwsanniversaryevent2023

[wakebymoonsleepbysun]

On Ace Awareness Week, from a formerly unaware ace

Since Ace Awareness week is drawing to a close I figured eh, why not share my perspective as someone who didn't know what asexuality was until I was 22 and why teaching kids about asexuality is fucking important.

This is basically a long winded personal story. Not the most profound thing, but eh. It's our week so why not? (Warning: Long)

I'm also bi/pan (I use both for reasons I won't get into here but if you're curious just ask I guess?) and while THAT did not exactly go smoothly and is still a sore spot between my mom and I, I will say that not knowing what asexuality was during hs and most of college caused me far more anguish than anything related to me liking girls. It was just largely invisible to others.

High school and college became very isolating times for me. For a lot of reasons but partially because of my asexuality. My peer group talked pretty openly about who was having sex and when, and for awhile me not feeling ready was fine, but after a time I had to just learn to keep that to myself.

Occasionally I did mention things like not feeling like I could have sex with someone after only three dates, or after only a month. (Since I didn't know what asexuality was I reasoned that I would get the urge eventually in the relationship, just not as soon as my peers seemed to.) By college this got some pretty hostile reactions from some people in my peer groups. Mostly from guys but certainly not EXCLUSIVELY from guys. (A lot of patriarchal bullshit of the mid 00's was mixed in for good measure, not purely acephobia.) I was called abusive and manipulative for "stringing guys along" and "making them pay for x amount of dates with nothing in return". (I was back in the closet during college and trying to gaslight myself into forgetting I'd dated a girl in hs but that's a whole nother thing.)

I would hope these are things most college kids today wouldn't say, both because of having healthier views on dating and at least knowing what asexuality is. It's also worth noting I had exactly one relationship during college and it only lasted six weeks. So no I was not leaving a trail of broken hearts and blue balls in my wake. I was also happy to pay for my own dates but the one guy I dated would get absolutely FURIOUS with me when I suggested doing so.

In fact after that one relationship (which was when I was 18) I pretty much decided to just give up on dating until I felt ready to have sex in a timely manner. Even after I found out what asexuality was I still kinda reasoned it as something I had to get over. I didn't really think I'd meet anyone else who was ace so I still reasoned that sex would just be something I'd have to learn to tolerate if I wanted a relationship. So for 7 years I didn't date or do anything romantic with anyone. An occasional crush maybe, but I generally got over them before I even thought to try to pursue something.

When I was 25 I met my partner, and after being online friends for awhile we became a couple. Neither of us knew THEY were also asexual, that was just a happy accident. Or maybe our hearts knew something our minds didn't. I don't know, but it sounds romantic, doesn't it?

But even after that, there was one final round of acephobia from one of my hs/college friends. (I am not friends with her anymore but her acephobia is actually not a huge factor in that.) It's worth noting my partner was male presenting at the time and had not yet started to question that, so for the first few years of our relationship they were my "boyfriend".

This friend of mine was skeptical that a young "man" such as my partner would truly tolerate a sexless relationship. I assured her that my partner was ace, like me. She said I should be prepared for them to change their mind. I said if they did, they did. We would probably have to break up.

Her conclusion was that it was extremely fucked up for me "dump a guy for WANTING to have sex with you".

But at this point I felt more equipped to call her on her bullshit than I'd felt in hs and college. At least internally...I didn't turn the conversation into a fight but sometimes I kinda wish I had.

It's gotten easier, and honestly part of that comes from people in their 30's just not talking about sex as much. So if you're a younger ace and still feel like people can't shut tf up about all their sexing...they will eventually. Or at least tone it down.

But still, I think I would have felt less alone and isolated if I'd realized I was just some lone, broken person unworthy of love just because sex terrifies me. There will always be some skepticism and pushback, but I would have had a word for myself. A way to explain how I feel and that I'm not the only one who feels like that. (Not that being the only person who feels a certain way means you're invalid, but it IS easier when you can point to some article and be like "Look, here's me and how I feel and the others who feel that way".) I would have had the words to explain my boundaries and limitations.

And I hope nobody else has to feel as alone as I did back then. So yeah. Teach kids about asexuality. Both to prevent them from feeling like I did, but also to prevent them from MAKING others feel like I did by acting like some of my more douchehat college friends.

#asexual #ace awareness #ace awareness week

[nuctoria]

I don't know what to say, I'm glad you liked my AU and that it was accompanied with a cup of coffee.

I already decided on a name:

'You are what you eat'

I don't plan to write a fanfic, the reasons:

English is not my first language. Spelling/writing is not my strong suit.

Believe it or not, I don't know how to use Ao3.

I haven't played Dream Team, I don't have the best financial situation and time. I can emulate it, but I really want to get a copy and I don't know where to look.

I'm learning to draw and I don't want to do something else without finishing the other. Besides, I'm entertained with polymer clay.

Yeah... I won't be doing it in a fanfic anytime soon.

But I can give a little more about the AU.

As it says in the name; Luigi is a good person, too good for his own good and wouldn't it be funny if Antasma took the path of redemption by force/accident.

Antasma survived thanks to Luigi hiding in his dreams, it was a little difficult to have him in his clutches.

Since Antasma could not consume Luigi's energy at once, he had to resort to force in the form of biting, several bites and licking as a form of mockery, a kind of victory and because he does not want him to die from blood loss (sorry Luigi).

Antasma's terror lasted for days, because ending the fun would be boring and he wants to see all hope disappear, a bad decision.

He has captured habitants of the kingdom in a deep sleep so that they generate nightmares and he can feed himself, he will not need it.

After the bird's capture, the bat only visits him once to taunt him, but the Zeekeeper doesn't seem to take him seriously, because he knows what will happen.

Antasma not only visits Luigi to "eat" but also to show intimidation and power, Greeny takes advantage of this to extract information and form an escape.

Sometimes before "eating", Antasma likes to play with the plumber; games like chess, hide-and-seek, tic tac toe, among others... but they have a sinister side, more defeats, more bites.

Dreambert is not feeling well emotionally; He has not been able to maintain his kingdom for long, he has failed his people and the King of Bats has returned, he failed in every way.

Although Mario assures Dreambert that everything will be fine, he does not feel safe, he has gone on adventures alone, but he does not feel well and he wants Luigi's safety while he goes in search of saving him, his skin itches...

The dream world is more hostile thanks to Antasma's influence.

In Antasma's metamorphosis (transformation), I took inspiration from the Honduran white bat, slowly but surely, it is growing soft blue fur (I still haven't decided what shade of blue), it must be funny to present itself in an intimidating way while you have that blue fur spreading, it's not uncomfortable and it's one reason why the bat ignores this (that color doesn't look so bad on him).

I have a headcanon that Antasma has an unsatisfied hunger, no matter how many nightmares he consumes it will never be enough, until Luigi appears and his stomach is starting to feel full, he finds it strange, but not inconvenient, that the green plumber is more participatory, maybe he is accepting his defeat (no).

This new power (I don't have a better name) is not what it seems, at first it is indestructible and invincible, it is not the Dream Stone but it is almost the same; However, we are talking about Luigi, he would never hurt someone who does not deserve it and he would seek to help/save everyone; This affects Antasma's attack where he does the complete opposite of chaos and begins to feel fear; which leads him to the decision to stop consuming Luigi's energy thinking the situation would get better, it doesn't.

It seems like he is losing control, he is, satisfying that hunger to have a full stomach, but he doesn't want to consume more, he is scared; he visits Luigi not to eat but to make him face what he is doing to him, the plumber only confronts him, this is what he wanted, right? he tries to get closer to the bat to which he moves away and ends the conversation; Antasma needs to concentrate, he starts by looking at his appearance and doesn't seem to recognize his reflection; claws and fangs not at all threatening, there is more blue than purple, too much fur for his taste and since he had not realized that his belly had increased in size... and despite this, he was not scared, with his "claws" he began to explore, it's soft... sensitive... nice... maybe this isn't bad... maybe this is what I really want...

NO!!

He is the Antasma, King of Bats, Bringer of Nightmares, Terror of the Night

He's not going to give up on something as pathetic as this.

(he's just delaying the inevitable)

In the final battle, before Luigi takes a desperate measure to end this once and for all, he looks into Antasma's terrified eyes... he is... crying...

Luigi feels a little sympathy for him, pressing his lips together, he senses that this will do good not only for Pi'illo Kingdom but also for Antasma.

Phew, it's too much but I don't regret it and there's still the after of this adventure. A new Antasma was born.

Have a good day.

Thank you very much for adding a bit more detail in certain parts of your story, I honestly really love it and keep going back to it when I can.

As for why you won't turn it into a fanfic, I completely understand and won't pressure you into writing it. English isn't my first language either but given you well you've written these, grammar and vocabulary mistakes won't matter all that much to the readers if the plot is this good, it'll just annoy you a bit when you spot it and give you the itch to edit it out. When I first learned of Ao3, I could not use it at all and ended up not liking it just because of that and I still have trouble using it to some extend.

As I mentioned in previous posts, I haven't played a single Mario game ever and have just watched gameplays on YT, I especially loved watching Super Mario Galaxy when I was really little and it's some of my best memories. Take all the time you need and manage your money according to your needs before deciding to buy the game if you want it. I'd suggest trying to find a used copy on Ebay or Facebook store since the used ones are usually cheaper.

Also, good luck on improving your drawing skills and working with clay, I bet you'll do great and find an art style you can use and like.

#luigi #antasma #mario & luigi dream team #anon ask

[eastgaysian]

28 29 e 45… for the bald her’s gate critters :>

28. What do they tell people they want? What do they actually want?

oh this is a fun one. lemming: tends to downplay any of his serious wants or needs, and mostly expresses things that are half-joking and kind of frivolous: 'i'd kill for a hot bath, a cold beer, and a clean set of clothes right now, my hair has never looked so awful.' his most deep-seated desire is to feel comfortable and secure among other people, to be wanted not because of something he can do but just for who he is.

dak-wai: tends toward expressing practical needs, if pressed for 'wants' would go I don't deserve a bedframe. they're upfront about their desire to be free of the influence of the parasite + their urge and have full control over their thoughts and actions. more than anything they want to feel like A Person and be treated like A Person by other people.

ephros: tends to focus on the most immediate and pressing problem, without thinking much about the long-term: 'my first priority is getting this parasite out of my head, anything else can wait.' his biggest desire is a sense of security and control, being both financially comfortable and assured that the people he relies upon/cares about wouldn't even dream of leaving him, though this isn't something he could consciously articulate

29. How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

lemming: if he's lying, he recovers quickly, tries to redirect attention away from any areas of doubt/suspicion and work in some subtle flattery to smooth things over. if he's telling the truth and not being believed he starts listing out The Facts in a logical order with increasing frustration dak-wai: if they're trying (and failing) to lie to someone, they hit them with a -_- stare and insist they're telling the truth in a completely flat tone until whoever they're talking to either gives up or starts to get hostile. in a lot of situations they kind of don't care though, unless it's 100% necessary for them to achieve whatever task they're set on, they'll just leave a conversation that goes badly. if you're wrong about me that's your problem (is haunted by the thought of someone's misconception about them for the next week) ephros: starts to get real condescending whether he's lying or telling the truth, subtly implying it's Unbelievably Idiotic not to believe/trust him but really, the joke's on him for having expected any better, it's just really disappointing is all

45. What’s something unimportant / frivolous that they hate passionately?

lemming: the easiest way to irritate lemming is to act a little too full of yourself - he's aware he can be overly sensitive with this and tries not to let it show, but that doesn't stop it from getting to him. He makes an exception for being vain though that's fine. he gets it. dak-wai: small talk, verbal stalling, most little social niceties that don't convey any real information. they do not like talking to people and they do not want to draw conversations out any longer than necessary. get to the point. ephros: minor factual inaccuracies. he can't not be pedantic about something he's knowledgable about, which tends to be either hyperspecific botanical knowledge or, weirdly, military history

#mingbox #lemming #dak-wai #ephros

[tasmanianstripes]

Hate when bi-positive posts turn out to be panphobic 💔 there are bigger problems in life and the LGBT+ community than somebody using a label that makes them more comfortable

There is literally zero problem with these labels having overlapping definitions, there is zero problem with somebody preferring one label over the other. Even if somebody identifies as pan because of internalised biphobia, no amount of hostility and anti-pan arguments are going to convince them to label as bi when they're not ready.

I also don't get the whole "choosing to identify as pan over bi is biphobic" bs either. I'm attracted to more than one gender, I could identify as bi and I was actually considering it for a second when I first realised this about myself, but I choose to identify as queer because that's what I'm more comfortable with. Does that make the entire label of "queer" and everybody using it biphobic somehow? Does somebody choosing not to use labels at all is suddenly biphobic? No, of course not, and you'll never see anybody make similar claims about these identities because it's ridiculous (though, it wouldn't surprise me if there are people disgusting enough to believe these things too).

Maybe somebody likes to be more specific, maybe they identify as both pan AND bi, maybe they just prefer one label over the other, maybe the reason they choose one label over the other is incredibly personal. And maybe it IS because of internalised biphobia. But regardless of the reason, it is not your place to know and try to dictate what other people want to call themselves.

If somebody identifies as pan because of internalised biphobia, then they need to come to this conclusion at their own pace. No amount of pushing and screaming and calling them a bigot is going to change that, if anything it's only going to make things worse for them. It took me a long fucking time to come to terms with liking more than one gender, I stubbornly clung to the gay label for years and came up with the weirdest excuses whenever I came close to that realisation, and I promise you no amount of coercion would change that. When somebody isn't ready to accept themselves, they simply won't, and will cling to any excuse or other label they can find - if it's not pan, it's going to be something else.

And I never got that "internalised biphobia" excuse either, especially when it's coupled with calling people bigots and horrible people. Truly, what a cruel, disgusting way to treat somebody you believe is hurting.

This entire discussion is idiotic and pointless. I can assure you that literally nobody in real-life queer places gives a single fuck about how you identify or what flag pin you have on you. If you pulled this shit in real life, you would be the one getting kicked out - not the pan person.

#thylacines can talk #and i am THIS close to just identifying as bi AND pan out of spire #and im only half joking #but i love the label queer too much 💜

[sansloii]

💞 friends with benefits 💚 rivals 🖤 enemies Chaos for Mikah and Vex? 👀

ooooooooOOOOOOOOOO-- i am here for the chaos

okay so like.... mikah's already looking at Vex with major side eye. like "you live like this? girl, what the fu--" and the fact that in the ask you sent me ( that i'm gonna answer ), he kept them out until the wee hours of the morning has them so fucking pressed. they're like "why did i agree to this, why the fuck am i with you? I'm going the fuck home don't fucking talk to me--" but the best part is that they'd do it again. maybe not the next day ( or the next couple if they've got shit to do that week that doesn't involve subjecting themself to Vex's company ) but Vex's personality and behaviors is.... pretty compatible with the very chaotic, devil-may-care attitude that mikah can embody. so no matter how much they bitch and moan about Vex and the things he does ( or the trouble he attracts ) you can bet your ass they're meeting him halfway in whatever trouble he feels like causing. they'll encourage him, they'll cause trouble, commit crimes with him, get tossed out of places, and so much more and be cackling the entire way because it's really fun for them.

to this point, i feel like... it'll almost be second nature for them butt heads or get hostile with each other for... god knows what reason. it's kinda that situation where they're similar, to some degree, so they'd naturally be able to get under each other's skin pretty well. to the point where it's feasible for them to legitimately be angry with each other. maybe they wouldn't be like. full on enemies ( or 👀 maybe they could? mikah has a little "not being able to die" issue among other things but that's fine ) but they'd definitely have something. i can see them flipping between being rivals and enemies again and again and again but they never really get to the point of actually killing each other because if they do, that's it. that ends the fun for them both so why the fuck would they do that?

it's possible to be friends with benefits with mikah but it'll take a while for mikah to effectively reciprocate. and will likely be a lot of teasing and denial on mikah's end. flirting and playing hard to get and all that is something mikah is good at and it will not bother them at all if Vex pokes and prods at them for it. but if he pushes them too much, they'll push back. just like "oh i'm a tease, mon amour? but you still want something from me? okay, since you asked for it--" and give the man a boner in that bar or club or wherever they are and just leave him like that. they'll 100% go home to prove a point too and act like they didn't do a thing wrong the next time they see him with the stupidest little "you wanted to fuck me so bad it made you look stupid" smile.

to tie them into that dynamic, it just takes time and a handful of very vulnerable "if you talk about this to anyone, i'll skin you" moments shared between the two of them. mikah's all about trust with sex--even if it's a meaningless outlet with very little strings attached--because even god's sexiest angels ignore what's between their legs and experience body dysmorphia. i don't know how much they could truly trust Vex but there has to be some semblance of it going both ways. mutually assured destruction works too, if they end up hate fucking for whatever reason.

@distopea | what kinda relationships we talkin' here?

#distopea #ツ ┊ ⧼ catwalk talk ⧽ ⇹ ( ooc. ) #.me running my mouth at a million miles an hour because mIKAH AND VEX #.don't look at me DON'T LOOK AT ME-- #.mikah is my favorite meow meow if anyone couldn't tell #.and anyone that's just as chaotic as mikah is or WORSE is *chefs kiss* #.i will never be normal about them i hope you know that miho

[leonineus]

Horizon: Forbidden West AU Thoughts (Beware of Spoilers)

Aloy is a sensible person. Headstrong and stubborn (one of the many reasons she's such a loved protagonist), but sensible.

I would think after Letopolis, she would consider that she should probably draw on more of her allies and contacts; people to help combat hostile monsters, people to help support and enhance their efforts, people that she knows that she can Trust.

Picture the scene: Varga setting up a workshop in the Base so that she can crank out even better mechanical marvels for the team to use. She might even, on mention of her from Aloy, contact Petra and ask for her input - Petra would probably find a way to put Chainscrape in someone she trusts' hands and immediately move to the Base herself.

Also note what would happen if Aloy made the mistake of mentioning Delah & Boomer to them; suddenly she has not two but FOUR weapon-crazy Oseram women cooking up Weapons of Machine Destruction inside her Base.

Nil (who I'm aware is in the game but I never got around to trying the Gauntlet Runs on my first playthrough so I didn't encounter him) probably would have been Aloy's first pick to help her resolve the Rebel issue - Regalla would have found herself very short on manpower within a few weeks.

Ikrie, the Aloy-from-another-tribe, would have leapt at the chance to actually help people, when that wish to do so drove her from the Banuk in the first place. She'd also love the opportunity to test her mettle against the new machines in the West, and I can see her Vibing with the Tenakth.

On the note, given Aloy is technically still a Chieftain, I'm pretty sure that Aratak would have brought the werak down from the Wilds with him if she'd asked them to come - the Forbidden West certainly WOULD have been a survival challenge for them! Potentially it could also have given Aloy a communications link with CYAN to assure her that GAIA's attempts to contact her are for good.

Talanah, whatever her personal reasons for coming to the Forbidden West, I'm fairly sure probably would have stuck around if Aloy had asked it of her, particularly since she already canonically knows about the Base from having used it to get through the mountains in the first place.

Teb, ever keen to repay Aloy for saving his life, might well have come to the West himself, eager to provide his services to Aloy and his stitching capabilities putting him in good stead to assist with the Fearsome Foursome's campaign to maximise the Gang's offensive and defensive potential (as well as give Aloy grey hairs well before her time with some of the loud noises that come out of their workshop).

Poor Beta, though - all these vibrant personalities she suddenly finds herself surrounded by, all of whom would probably have taken one look at her similarity to Aloy and gone Must Protecc at once. It seems fortunate - at least for her - that Vanasha wouldn't really have been able to come west given she's now Nasadi's personal bodyguard - she likely would have leapt on the opportunity to influence Beta and possibly traumatised the poor girl.

I also personally think we could've done more with the Base. I know we got a good amount of stuff making it Home for all of them but I think there could have been more.

The addition of four Oseram tinkerers would have let them add more to the Base, and with the education from the Focuses, they could have been able to refine and design more things. I think it's safe to assume that the showers are non-operational given they dump stuff in that area, so maybe a nice big heated bath made of Oseram steel so they can all wash off the stink of the day, to pick one example?

Having more heavy combat-types in the Gang would have given them all a need for a combat training area; fighting each other to improve on their skills or just to let off steam.

And that's not even without considering the impact having all these other faces in the GAIA Gang would have on the storyline? Perhaps the Zeniths get a rude awakening about the capabilities of the local primitives when the Fearsome Foursome get inspired by the Sons of Prometheus' example and manage to create their own anti-Zenith weapons.

With the added boost of those weapons and the larger number of heavy hitters, perhaps certain tragic events at Cauldron GEMINI would not have occurred.

Gotta wonder how Erik Visser might have fared in his attempt to recapture Beta if that were the case - one sadist to another, I think Nil would have made mincemeat out of him if Visser had first been shot with some anti-Zenith weapon to disable his shields and potentially his weapons first.

#horizon zero dawn #horizon forbidden west #horizon frozen wilds #spoilers #au #aloy #beta #varga #petra #delah #boomer #nil #ikrie #teb #talanah #aratak #gaia gang #headcanon

[whimsicallyreading]

For Rowaelin Month day 17

 “A sick day”

CW- PTSD, mentions of violence

Aelin considered herself a fortunate person.

She has survived genocide, her family's murders, losing loved ones, slavery, torture, and the Great War. Now she is a queen, a mother, a beloved Mate.

Her life had changed since those bleak days where she'd wondered if she would ever escape captivity—the days when Aelin didn't know if she would ever be free or find love again. Every morning she woke up curled into Rowan's side, and while she drank her morning tea, Aelin could count on her young daughter snuggling into her lap.

Yes, she was swamped most days, but that was normal for a queen. But even the moments between boring meetings brimmed with life and laughter. Rowan's hand on her thigh beneath the table. Fenrys' theatrics when conversation spiraled off-topic. And even the hardened lords thought it was hilarious when their three-year-old princess barged into councils and demanded her mother's attention.

Her family gathered for dinners at the end of every day. Aelin's little family, Fenrys, Emrys, and Malakai were the regular attendees. Aedion, Lysandra, Elide, and Lorcan joined when they were present. It was a time reserved for family only, and it was by far Aelin's favorite part of the day.

Aelin had a good life now. Her family was growing, and her country thrived beneath her rule.

So it always took her by surprise when a bad day came.

She had woken up fine. Delly had slammed open the chamber door with a gust of wind and squirmed herself between her and Rowan in the early morning. Usually, Aelin treasured the moments when her daughter joined them, but being pregnant again had taken a toll on her sleep.

Rowan tried to stop their child before she entirely collapsed onto Aelin but was a moment too slow. Delly flopped onto her mother's chest in a disarray of wrinkled nightgown and golden curls. Soft sobs were sputtering out of the tiny figure.

I'm sorry. Rowan whispered into her thoughts. He knew how hard pregnancy was on her and took his mate's comfort very seriously. It troubled him that their toddling daughter woke Aelin so abruptly.

Aelin blinks the sleep from her eyes and sends him a happy smile to assure him everything is fine.

"What's wrong, Dell?" Aelin soothes a hand up her baby's quaking form.

Adelia sniffles harder, unable to talk through the tears. She'd started to have bad dreams in recent weeks, but never had she been so inconsolable.

Aelin shifts as Adelia's arms tighten uncomfortably around her bump. Rowan sees her discomfort and reaches around to pull Dell to him instead, but it is met with resistance.

"No," Adelia finally wails. "Mama. I want Mama."

Rowan frowns. Adelia was a daddy's girl to the bone, and this was the first time she'd ever refused to go to him. Their daughter squeezes harder and burrows her face into Aelin's torso.

"Dell," Rowan leans next to her and whispers, a cool breeze brushing against her flushed cheek. "What's wrong little love?"

Adelia lifts her head, and Aelin's heart contracts painfully. Her cheeks are red and swollen from the intensity of her crying, little sobs still stumbling from her chest as Rowan settles her down enough to speak.

"Mama was gone. She was hurt, and she couldn't see me." Dell sniffles, her green eyes glassy. "Can you see me, Mama?"

Aelin tugs her daughter in closer, unable to stand the sight of her so sad. "Yes, of course, I can. I'm right here."

"You were in a box. She wouldn't let me see you," Adelia whimpers in a small voice. "She told me she was gonna keep you. I don't want you to go, Mama."

Aelin's face blanches. It wasn't possible. Her little baby couldn't possibly have seen what was coming to her mind. She looks at Rowan, and his face is pinched with worry.

"It's not real, Dell." Rowan uses a thumb to wipe the tears off her cheek.

Adelia flinches. "Uncle Ress told me it was. He told me Mama had got stollen and put into a box by the bad lady and that she should have stayed there."

Aelin's heart stops. Nausea crawls up her throat, and Rowan tugs Adelia away just in time for her to crawl out of bed and gag into a potted plant. The sickness grips Aelin, the shudders in her arms only growing worse with her daughter's mumbled cries.

"Daddy, I want Mama to stay here." Rowan hushes her and murmurs quiet reassurances. "Don't let her get stollen."

Ress had said that? In front of her daughter? Aelin tries to close her eyes against the visions creeping into her mind. The places her scars used to be ache, and her hands pulse with the remembered pain of reconstruction.

The baby in her womb squirms under its mother's stress, and Aelin throws up again.

She should have stayed there.

Cairn brings the hammer down onto her frail knees, the ringing of cracking bone splits the air.

She should have stayed there.

Aelin opens her eyes to endless darkness. Sweet smoke wafts through invisible holes and sends her to sleep- leaving her mind vulnerable to Maeve's manipulations.

She should have stayed there.

More and more memories swarm behind her eyelids until a pair of grounding arms wrap around her shoulders.

"Fireheart, you are home. You are safe. Can you breathe with me?" Rowan sighs loudly behind her shoulder, and Aelin tries to force her own breath out.

Breathing in is harder, but Rowan's scent fills her nose and loosens the binds on her lungs. Soon, Aelin is doing the exercises independently, and Rowan nuzzles his face into her neck. His hands snake under her bump and lift some of the pressure, easing more of her tension.

"There you are," Rowan kisses her cheek as Aelin comes back around. "Are you okay?"

Aelin shakes her head and sinks into his arms. "Can you take me back to bed?"

Her legs feel like jelly, and her stomach is weak from turning. Rowan lifts her with ease. His arms are warm, and he murmurs sweet nothings into her ear as he carries his mate back to their bed.

"Adelia?" Aelin looks around for their daughter.

Rowan pulls back the duvet and reveals the sleepy from nestled right into the middle of the pillows. "She fell back asleep quickly."

"I can't believe Ress told her those things," Aelin can feel a tear slipping down her face. Ress had never forgiven her for her days as Celaena. Darrow had grown to accept her, but Ress never warmed up to having Aelin as his queen despite her efforts.

She hadn't realized the extent his hatred went.

Rowan scowls as he lays Aelin down next to their daughter. "Ress is young and foolish. I have forgiven a lot of his hostility and ignored most of his juvenile antics, but Aelin, I can't forgive this."

"He should never have said those things to Dell." Ress's words linger in her head. She tried to do right by her title and live up to her parent's legacy. Aelin took a lot of pride in listening to the demands of her people and tending to their problems personally. But the odds of Ress being the only one to feel this way are slim. Did they wish she'd never returned? Was she arrogant to take the crown just because it was her inheritance? She'd never had the formal training as ruler and relied a lot on Rowan to help manage foreign affairs. Despite the loss of her fire, many still feared her and considered her a murderer. No matter how hard she tried, Aelin's history as Adarlan's Assassin proceeded her.

Tears burn Aelin's eyes, and Rowan's scowl deepens. "He should have never spoken of you like that at all."

Aelin shakes her head, "It's his right to think what he wants. Maybe he has a point."

"No." Rowan growls, and Dell flinches in her sleep. Taking a deep breath, Rowan softens his voice. "He's wrong, Aelin. Ress was wrong to scare Dell, and he has no right to demean everything you've sacrificed. You've suffered for your people."

"I closed the lock because I had to Rowan," Aelin argues. "That doesn't automatically make me a good queen. What if I'm failing?"

Rowan pulls their duvet up to Aelin's chin, and Dell instinctively snuggles to her mother's side. Her daughter was a leach for warmth, and Aelin could feel her remaining flames writhing in her veins agitated.

"You are a wonderful ruler, Fireheart." Rowan bends down and kisses her lips reverently. "I've met my fair share of emperors, kings, and queens. None of them have given up so much to better the lives of their people. They care for you in return."

Rowan steps away from the bed, and Aelin makes a displeased noise. "Where are you going so early in the morning."

"I'm awake now. I feel like a flight through Oakwald. Go to sleep, and when you wake up, I'll bring my females breakfast," Rowan pulls on a plain white tunic. "Sleep, love. You both need your rest."

Rowan can read her too well. Aelin can feel her eyes drooping despite how much she wants to deny it. "Very well, but there better be tea and pastries."

As Aelin drifts back to sleep, she swears that a mischievous smile passes across her mate's face.

~~~

"Aelin," Maeve twirls a lock of blonde hair in her fingers. "Where are the keys?"

Cairn twists the blade in her thigh again, and Aelin screams, "screw yourself."

Aelin writhes beneath the pain and the dark queen's gaze. Her torturer goes to twist the blade again, but Maeve holds up a hand. "Wait. There is a smarter way to go about this."

"I won't tell you anything," Aelin gasps, the blood seeping from her thigh pools onto the table. "There is nothing you can do."

"Not even to spare the princess?" Maeve smiles as the cell door opens. Connall walks into the room, a squirming girl in his arms.

"Let me go," the girl screams, and the air in the room turns frigid. Her blonde hair whips around as she twists and fights. The little girl's head turns, and she freezes when she catches sight of Aelin. "Mama?"

"Adelia?" Aelin asks, confused. "You can't be here. You aren't supposed to be here." With renewed energy, Aelin thrashes against her bonds and bares her teeth at Maeve.

Maeve takes Adelia from Connall and strokes her hair. "Such a pretty one."

"This isn't real," Aelin hisses. "I wasn't pregnant when you took me. Adelia was born in Terresan."

Maeve hums a sympathetic note, "It seems you're confused." Aelin fights as the dark queen sits with a frozen Adelia in her lap. "Begin again, Cairn."

A hot iron is lain against Aelin's neck, and Adelia's screams rattle the stone chamber.

~~~

Aelin wakes with a gasp. Her chest is seizing in uncontrollable fits, and little hands cup the sides of her face.

"Mama?" Adelia's concerned face hovers over Aelin's. "Why are you crying?"

Relief washes over her at the sight of her daughter, safe and sound. She tries to take deeper breaths, but her body fights against her. The baby in her womb squirms uncomfortably. Aelin feels guilt that they are so subject to her moods. She tries to open her mouth to speak, consol her frightened daughter, but Aelin can't get any words out.

"Daddy!" Dell screams, frightened tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

Rowan bursts through the door, "Dell?"

Adelia sniffles and kisses Aelin's face sadly, "Daddy, what's wrong with Mama?"

Aelin grabs at her chest, trying to ease the tightness there. She was scaring her daughter. What kind of mother would do that? Rowan sits beside her, and a cool wind goes up her nose and fills her lungs.

"Fireheart," Rowan lifts Adelia and sits beside her. "Is this a sick day?"

It was the code they'd come up with for the days when the past came back to haunt them. When the turmoil in their mind forces their bodies to rebel, and they can't seem to put on their usual facades. It used to shame Aelin, the days she couldn't rise from bed and do her duty. But her mate's unwavering love soon cracked that lie and eased her burden. Rowan had convincing arguments. Aelin's people needed their queen at her best, and on sick days, she wasn't able to give that to them. Their court was strong. They wouldn't allow Terresan to fall while she recovered. Aelin deserved time to heal.

Rowan must have been able to tell that she wouldn't be able to settle herself this time as his winds continued their push and pull in her chest. "Yes," she rasps dejectedly.

Dell buries her face into Rowan's shoulder. Her mate rests a hand on the side of her face and soothes her cheek. "To whatever end, Aelin. We will get through this just as we do everything else."

Rowan kisses the side of Dell's face. "Little love, do you think you can go to the kitchens and have someone bring Mama tea?"

That fae instinct to fuss rears its head in their child. Adelia perks up at the opportunity to do something useful. "Yes!"

Rowan sets her on the floor, and she takes off in a blur of untamed hair and swishing skirts. They wince as a gust of wind slams the doors of their chambers against the wall.

"She's a handful," Rowan talks, aware of the soothing effect his voice has on her. "But we always knew our children would be. I can't wait to see what kind of chaos our son brings into our lives."

Aelin wraps her arms around him as the remnants of her dreams finally fade away. "You think it's a boy?"

"I know so," Rowan pinches her side, and Aelin smiles. He'd also been confident that their first child would be a girl. His smugness after Adelia's birth was unbearable.

"Rowan," Aelin whispers. "Can we just lay here today?"

"I could never deny you anything," Rowan leans against their headboard and kicks off his shoes. "You don't need to ask, Aelin. It's okay to take time for yourself."

"What if I'm just proving Ress right?" The insecurity slips from her lips before she can stop them. "What if there is someone more capable?"

"Ress won't be a problem anymore," Rowan rests a hand against her bump, and the baby withing kicks at it, bringing a smile to his face.

Aelin narrows her eyes, "What have you done?"

"Nothing that anyone will blame me for," Rowan assures. "He would be in a lot more trouble if the rest of the court learned what he said in front of Dell. Ress should be grateful I didn't do a lot worse."

Aelin sighs, "I don't understand why I can't just let it all go. Why do I allow myself to be so haunted?"

"It's not that simple," Rowan shakes his head. "I'm hundreds of years old, and no matter how many years pass, there are things from my past that haven't healed. The mind is different from the body, and sometimes it takes longer for it to recover. There is nothing wrong with that. You gave up everything for the people you loved."

"Because I had to," Aelin contradicts.

A hardness comes over Rowan, "because no one else could."

Rowan rolls over her body into a plank and looks deep into her eyes. "No one else that day would have made the same sacrifices out of love. Not even me. I was too selfish to let you go. You gave up everything, and by the strength in your soul, you came home to me. In all my decades, I have never met someone so remarkable, and I never will again. Take as many years as you need to recover, Aelin. This world owes a debt to you, and I will make sure it pays. You deserve every happiness."

His hand threads through one of hers and drags it up to rest on the bump between them.

Happiness.

Dell darts back into their room, a cup of tea sloshing in her hands as she runs. "Daddy, I put extra sugar in it. Uncle Fen is coming with more cups, but I made this one special."

Rowan pulls away from her, and the laughter on his face is contagious.  

Aelin smiles and accepts the tea from Dell's hands. She even manages a few sips without cringing from the sweetness. Fenrys follows behind her shortly and sets a fresh cup covertly on her bedside table.

There may be hard days, Aelin realizes as her family gathers around her, but the love they showed her every day made it all worth it.

#throne of glass #rowaelin #rowaelinmonth #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #fanfic #tog #angst #rowan x aelin #ptsd #sick day #baby fic #canon #sjm #sjmaas

[cheekygreenty]

His Queen - The Darkling x Reader

bitch, I think I outdid myself on this one. I'm shocked I wrote this

He hated the Tsar. He hated himself, but he didn't hate you. How could he of let this happen, he's never been a slave to his emotions. You were married, no, scratch that, you were the Queen for Saint's Sake. The Tsar had made it common knowledge that you didn't belong anywhere but the Grand Palace, in a glittering gown and a jeweled crown upon your always perfect hair sitting in front of a fire sipping on your tea. He wanted you nowhere near the action or actual Palace life. You were merely an accessory to him.

The young and innocent girl raised in nobility, who caught the old bastard's eye by fluttering your eyelashes at him, longing for his person.

Bullshit.

Aleksander could see your repulsion whenever you were in your husband's presence. The longing eyes as you looked at the doors, the shiver that rattled your spine as his sweaty hand gripped yours, or the increasing sadness in your eyes as the months went on. The jewels around your neck glistened, but your eyes didn't. Not anymore.

He had done some digging in the months following the wedding, and rest assured you didn't belong anywhere near the palace. You were scrappy, ready for a fight at all times. There were numerous accounts of you running around villages, fighting your way through pubs and inns. Your parents, the Duke and Duchess, were downright ashamed of you before your big day. You were itching to drop everything and join the First Army the second you had the chance. You were skilled in ways no noble was; you had street smarts.

Then the late Queen died and you were presented on a silver platter to the King, donning all the family jewels that never sit quite right. The King couldn't help himself, the public blamed the grief for his hasty marriage, 'he needed a companion.' But in reality, he saw what he could have and grasped you up the second he had the chance. And now you were stuck here, in a cage with no way out.

Aleksander didn't take a liking to you at the start. All he saw was what the King wanted him to see and for that, he feels tremendous guilt. He thought you to be proper and uptight and spoiled, so when you approached him the first time, franticly asking for advice about a simple state matter that was dropped into your lap by the General himself, he couldn't help but snigger at you and convey news of the stupid Queen to his fellow Grisha.

He didn't know the King treated you like a child or that all of this was new to you. I should've seen it he cursed himself, for the weeks to follow you were the talk of both the Palaces and news spread to camps on the front.

The stupid, young, ditsy girl who couldn't put together a luncheon for Ravka's war heroes was the Queen. Ridiculous.

He believed it too until he had seen you out one night when he couldn't sleep. You were deep in the forest, tending to your black stallion and in what looked like peasant clothing. You had mud on your boots and your hair was messily braided. There was a tatted punching bad tied up on a tree and another person sitting against a log, breathing heavily and clutching his side. Aleksander never made himself known, just blended into the darkness as he did best but continued to watch you eagerly. Only then did he faintly make out your bruised knuckles and the tears in your breeches.

'Again?'

'Saints Y/N no, I've got a way to go and the way you just bruised my ribs, I've a painful journey ahead of me' mused the sitting man.

That night, Aleksander sent out his best Grisha to collect information and asked Genya to tend to you, but you denied yet again (only after asking her to fix up your hands).

Ever since then, Aleksander has been observing you and getting to know you when he could, telling his Grisha it was to gather information since Genya was no longer garnering the Queen's secrets, but he felt drawn to you for whatever reason. You were the best part of his day; whether it was a simple smile sent his way or you rambling about the ways you avoid being followed around the palace, he listened intently and set the shared memories into his brain.

The General was a mystery to you. With his extremely handsome face and confident stances, he mesmerized you to the point of a blank mind. Whenever your eyes met his, it could be in a room of 60 people, rest assured you were right by his side in an instant. You had sought out his presence wherever you went and clung to it while you could.

But the King had made his opinion of the Darkling obvious, and his hatred ran deep. 'He likes to think he rides a horse above everyone else.' 'He's most unnatural.' You didn't care though. As long as he kept himself away from you and just used his words and not actions, you were fine.

You had gathered a particular kindness for late evening walks before bed, silently slipping onto the grounds of his palace, awaiting his companionship. It might have only been 40 minutes out of your day, but it was always better than not seeing him.

Ivan had pointed out that you had an air of hostility around you every time you were in a room with your husband and your heart tended to beat dangerously fast as if you were panicking. So Aleksander attempted to pull you away from him and distract you from the horrid man, and it seemed to work. He grew to like you and would miss your witty humor when he went back to the Little Palace.

Months had passed and he never grew sick of your presence, ironically he craved more of it. He tried to tell himself that you were just a part of his plan, nothing more, but things got even more complicated. He had accidentally mentioned seeing you that night in the forest, and instead of being hostile about it, you told him you enjoyed a fight or two and invited him to join you. That night, after multiple rounds of sparring and hard hits, he kissed you fervently. And again and again, until you both got past the point of going back.

You acknowledged the risk only after it happened and started to panic. You had an affair with the General of the Second Army. He seemed to be in the same state as you. But before you went your separate ways, he held you in his arms and promised it would all be ok. You believed him.

He got back to his chambers that night and his demeanor changed behind the closed doors. He was so mad. He always swore to take what the King loved most and destroy it before his very eyes, but this was a sick joke the Saints played on him. He needed to protect you, get you out of the Tsar's grip, and hide you away from any harm. There was nothing he wouldn't do to keep you out of danger's way and he knew it. Why did he let this happen? He knew that whatever your ending may be, you would get hurt, maybe not physically, but definitely emotionally.

You had told him of all the things the King did to you, how he treated you and paraded you around. You begged Aleksander to do something about it, to help you get out of that life and back to your old one, but there was nothing he could do and it broke his heart.

'I wish I could do something Y/N, I truly do, but I am not as powerful as you may think I am. The King is still the King' he had told you, guilt building in him.

He was sitting at his desk in his chambers now, looking out the window feeling fidgety. You were late for your evening walk, like really late. Sure it happened before, but Aleksander had a weird gut feeling that something happened. Maybe the King found out? or maybe you finally realized the magnitude of the situation and came to your senses?

He knew if the King whiffed out a sliver of what was going on with his wife and Aleksander, he would rain hellfire. He was a powerful man, the most powerful man in all of Ravka and there was nothing more dangerous than an embarrassed man's actions.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise he hadn't heard in a very long time, followed by the very loud thuds of falling books. The tunnel?

'ALEKSANDER?' your panicked voice reached him and triggered something primal in him. fight or flight. He and his shadows shot up and ran to you but stopped dead in his tracks, the black matter disappearing in on itself. You stood at the entrance to the tunnel, visibly shaking with anger, but that's wasn't the cause of his shock.

'Saints Y/N' He whispered, realization flooding over him like a nasty wave of ice-cold water. Your once ivory white nightgown was drenched in crimson but you were uninjured, it wasn't yours. The huge green Lanstov emerald sitting atop your left hand was smeared in red too, giving it a brown tinge.

'I need to get out of here right now.' You sounded solid and stern, the panic was long gone. The scrappy fighter was back.

Aleksander had always known what to say. But now, he didn't have a single word come to his mind and his body refused to move, he was rendered speechless and useless. This is a nightmare, surely, he prayed.

'Y/N I-I, What happ-'

'Aleksander, unless you want to see my head on a pike by dawn, I suggest you help me' You said as you moved across the room, after closing the tunnel door firmly shut. How does she even know about these tunnels?

'I once heard a drunkard speak of tunnels beneath the palaces, I tried my luck' You said answering his question without even being asked,

Your hands moved quick, shedding yourself of the nightgown and holding it in your hands as you moved to grab his black robe off a chair. Aleksander still stood there, his head whirling with so many thoughts, it debilitated him. He needed her to say it.

'Y/N did you do what I think you did'

'You know I did'

At that moment the doors burst open to reveal Ivan with an alarmed look on his face and his hands raised, ready to jump into action, most likely alerted by the falling books. But he faltered when he saw you, The Queen, covered in blood and holding a bloody nightgown in the most secure room of the Little Palace.

'Great another witness' You huffed and dumped the gown into the fireplace.

'Moi soverenyi, what is the meaning of this?'

'Ivan I wish I could tell you.'

'I killed the King. I have approximately 3 hours before somebody notices him laying in his own blood with his neck slit open' You sighed and sat down, head in your hands. This was the first moment you'd had to process it all, and it was overwhelming, to say the least.

A silence enveloped the room as the fire roared back to life, already having burnt the evidence to a crisp. Aleksander finally came to his senses, moved and grabbed a bowl of water and a cloth.

'Did anybody see you leave?' He asked as he handed you the items to wash your hands of the sticky blood.

'No. I made sure of it. I traveled through the tunnels.'

'And the King? There is no weapon near him?' Ivan interrupted.

Slowly you bent down and pulled a small dagger out of your shoe. Small but sharp.

'Give that to me' Aleksander took it out of your hands and walked out of the room while you continued to scrub the crimson off your hands.

You momentarily looked at Ivan, he didn't look mad or upset. He looked like a soldier.

'Are you not mad your King is dead?' You mused.

'He was not my King'

'That makes two of us' You were done cleaning your hands and moved to clean the ring. Should I burn this too?

'Leave it on. If things go sideways, you can buy your freedom' Aleksander returned. 'Ivan go get 2 horses and pack essentials. Get Genya too. I trust you to keep quiet.'

'Yes Moi soverenyi, Moya tsaritsa' He bowed his head quickly and waltzed out the room.

'Aleksander I'm scared now.....what have I done' You whispered. He took hold of your hand and pulled you into him. He held you tight, not wanting to let go.

'It's going to be ok. I promise. There's a small cottage down south I want you to go to. Ivan will take you. You will be safe. I will right this. I will protect you as I should've done earlier.' He kissed you deeply, letting all of the emotions flow through without the need for words.

'And what then?' You whispered against his lips.

'You be you. Perhaps go to Ketterdam. I feel you belong there... or come back to me when the time is right' He kissed you again, it was sweet and sad. A goodbye kiss. 'I love you, and even though you don't like it, you are my Queen. Forever'

'I love you too' Your hands fisted at his beautiful black kefta as tears dripped off your face.

****

That night you fled, your hair and appearance completely changed. The peasant clothes you felt comfortable in were on your back while the heartrenderer galloped beside you. Os Alta was still asleep as you sped down south, praying to the Saints that leaving Aleksander to deal with your mess was the right decision. That he would be ok too.

Ravka was shaken by the news of their dead King and the missing Queen. Some say she was dead, kidnapped by Fjerdans, and slaughtered mercilessly, others said Kerch merchants had her thrown in the Fold as she refused to give up information.

Either way, Aleksander had made sure you weren't regarded as a murderer and kept his promise to give you a chance to return to the Little Palace, to him.

Also if u can see this fic plz interact with it!! Idk if my tumblr is fixed yet and I need to make sure!!! If u were tagged and it didn’t notify you like last time, plz tell me!!!! 💓💓

Taglist (tell me if u want to be added)

@theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @lostysworld @0-artemis @exo-1204 @staradorned @bookfrog242 @simp-for-ben-barners @keepdaydreamingbb @acciorudolphx

#the darkling x reader #the darkling #oneshot #imagine #general kirigan x reader #shadow and bone #grisha #ben barnes #queen #king #aleksander morozova #aleksander morozova x reader #alexander #alexander morozova #fanfic #alina starkov #black general #general kirigan #series #kefta #little palace

[angellesword]

MAGIC SHOP | JJK (12)

Description: You and Jungkook were best friends who were in love with each other. What would happen when Soojin, your half sister who you’re trying to impress, told you she’s in love with Jungkook too?

Alternatively:

“Would you believe me if I said that I was scared of everything too?”

Pairing: Architect!Jungkook x Architect!Reader

Genre: childhood best friends to lovers, family drama, angst, fluff, idiots to lovers, pining, slice of life au.

Warnings: none other than JK and OC making out, cursing too????

Chapter’s OST: Nobody Compares by One Direction

Word Count: 3.8k

Series: CHAPTER 11 | CHAPTER 13

Soojin wasn't sure what to do when she saw you standing there, only a few meters away from her and Sin-ae.

You obviously heard the secret she just spilled. This was why she didn't understand why you were keeping a neutral face. It was like the new information didn't shock you at all.

Soojin couldn't help but wonder if this was you being a martyr again. She was not a fool. She was aware how desperate you were to become a part of their family.

How could she not know? Soojin literally exploited this desperation of yours for many years.

She hoped she could still use it today. She hoped you were still the same naïve girl from before.

"Hey, sister..." Soojin tested the waters by calling you sister. It always worked. She saw how your eyes softened and sparkled every time she called you that.

Sometimes she found it endearing, but it pissed her off most of the time. You were such an idiot. She mused.

"Hi." You went near them, greeting them flatly that caused Soojin's heart to drop to her stomach. She didn't see it. This was the first time your eyes didn't light up at the sight of her and her kind smile.

Your face also remained impassive despite Sin-ae's hostility.

"What are you doing here?" Soojin's mother barked, her question was making her look dumb.

You were cradling flowers in your arms while inside a columbarium building. Of course you were here to visit the dead.

"I'm here for my father," and that's exactly what you did; you stated the obvious. Your voice sounded like a robot though. Just like your face, there's no emotion that could be traced. "You know, since I wasn't able to attend the funeral."

Soojin almost flinched at the sudden change of your tone. It's stone cold. She could almost taste your resentment in her tongue.

"Ah..." Your sister let out a breathy laugh. Her heart was in her throat. Soojin was never intimidated by you because she had always felt like she was better than you. In all aspects. You were an illegitimate child. You didn't have a loving mother. Your brothers didn't consider you family. Your father loved her more than he loved you.

The only one you had was Jungkook, but he wasn't yours anymore. He was hers.

"W-We thought you went back to New York." Soojin reasoned out sheepishly. She looked timid, exactly how you used to look when you were around the Kims.

It's uncanny actually. At this very moment, you could see yourself in her. Soojin looked so much like you. Was it because she's your sister? Or was it because just like you, she had done something shameful too?

Wrong.

You were wrong. Your very existence was shameful enough. Soojin had only done something that made her feel guilty. That's different. She's nothing like you. She was better—this was what she believed.

"I did not." You responded because what else could you say? It wouldn't change the fact that you didn't get to see your father for the last time.

They took him away from you.

"Well then we won't disturb you anymore." Soojin faked a smile, grabbing her mother's arm and tucking it into the crook of her elbow.

Sin-ae tried to pull her arm away from her daughter's grasp. Turning to you, she huffed and was about to say mean things when Soojin discreetly squeezed her mother's arm.

You saw how she leaned closer to the older woman to whisper something. Only a fool wouldn't know what that 'something' was. It's obvious she told Sin-ae that there's a big chance you heard about their secret.

It's the only logical explanation why the color drained out of the face of your half sister's mother. It also appeared like Sin-ae suddenly lost her ability to speak.

She couldn't even scorn at you. Truthfully, she was looking at you as if you were a ghost that's been haunting her for ages.

"I-It's getting late, Soojin-ah. Maybe we should go." Sin-ae turned to look at her daughter, smiling warmly at her.

Soojin released a deep breath, thankful that her mother understood the situation immediately.

"We should." Soojin directed her smile at you. "See you soon, sister..."

Her smile dropped when you didn't respond, but instead of pointing it out or getting mad, she just chose to walk away, dragging her mother with her.

You surprised them when you unexpectedly spoke right after they walked past you.

"Yeah." Your grip on the stem of the flowers tightened. "See you at the Board of Directors' Meeting."

"She's bluffing." Sin-ae crossed her arms as she lifted her brows. She looked confident while standing still, her eyes were sharp which Soojin didn't fail to notice.

Her mother's aura gave her an illusion of power. Yeah. Sin-ae was right. You were most likely bluffing when you told them days ago that you would see them at the BOD's meeting.

Who cared if you knew about their secret? You didn't have evidence. As stated, Soojin destroyed it all. She also paid those employees who knew about the truth. They wouldn't dare spill.

That's the power of money. It could buy the silence of people.

Apart from this, no one would ever believe an illegitimate child like you. The board wouldn't even consider you as a prospective chairperson. You had the biggest share in the company but you weren't an architect in the firm. Only those who were working at Castle as an architect could be the next chairperson. Besides, why would they want an irresponsible person who suddenly quit her job? This was what you did when you abruptly decided to go to New York two years ago. You left Castle almost immediately, not caring that you still had commitments.

Jungkook, being your best friend, took over all your pending projects just so you could be free. He thought you simply wanted to leave the company. But regret washed over him upon realizing that you quit your job so you could go abroad.

Jungkook often wondered what would have happened if he didn't take over your pending projects. Would you still leave Seoul? Would you still leave him?

Probably.

You never stayed.

You left before.

You left him now too.

The last time Jungkook saw you was when he dropped you off at Castle so you could be present when Taemin's executor read the will. After that, he never saw you again.

Jungkook tried to go back to the motel but you weren't there anymore. He panicked, thinking that you went back to New York already.

But when he called your phone and you answered, he instantly felt relief engulfing his body.

"I'm still in Seoul." You informed him over the phone. You also told him you couldn't go back to his apartment anymore.

"At least tell me where you're staying..." He was begging you again. Jungkook didn't care if you thought he was pathetic. His main concern was your safety.

"I can't. But I'm safe. Promise." You assured him. He wanted to argue but then he was reminded by what you told him two years ago. You didn't want to be fixed. Maybe it's time he put his trust in you.

He should trust your words.

"Okay." He said, his heart was heavy.

You hummed.

"See you soon, Kook." And then you hung up.

You didn't lie though. Jungkook saw you after a few days. He got to know what happened through Soojin. Your sister was pissed because you inherited more than half of Taemin's assets. Jungkook also came to know that you wanted to be the next chairperson of Castle.

Soojin was trying to calm her nerves; however, everything was making her worry. She didn't only have to worry about you. Jungkook was also a threat to her position. The board probably wanted him to be the next chairperson.

Sin-ae assured her daughter there's nothing to worry about.

"Didn't I tell you I can handle Jungkook? He'll marry you so you don't need to worry if the board chooses him as your father's successor. Chin up. We got this. Like I said, the bastard is bluffing. She won't be at the meeting." Sin-ae reminded her daughter for the second time.

Soojin nodded. Her mother's words didn't give her the illusion of power. The confidence she felt right now was already real.

"Alright." Your sister held her head high as she heaved a deep sigh. "Let's go. This day is perfect. I'll either be the new chairperson or Jungkook's wife. I win regardless..."

"Yes." Sin-ae's lips twitched. "That's right. Now let's go and claim what belongs to you."

Sin-ae was wrong. You weren't bluffing. You're determined to be the next chairperson of Castle Architectural Firm.

You wouldn't let Soojin taint the name of your father. She had to pay for her sins, not just for the sake of Taemin but also because she owed it to the family of those workers who had died because of the accident.

Soojin failed as an architect. The least thing she could do was to become a decent human being and face the consequences of her mistake.

You knew you could only make her pay if you had the power, but how were you supposed to be in power when you felt like everyone in this building hated you?

You couldn't get rid of the ugly feeling twisting in your gut. You were certain you weren't imagining the nasty stares everyone was giving you.

You also saw some of the employees whispering to one another while looking at you.

You inhaled sharply and went straight to the comfort room. You couldn't bear it. All your life, the people you loved looked at you like that.

It was happening again. This time, it was so much worse. Even those who knew nothing about your life were judging you. You had a feeling that they were already aware that you were an illegitimate child.

It was kind of a big deal here, especially now that you had inherited the assets bound for the legitimates. People probably saw you and your mother the same way: a leech.

But you just shook your head at this. Who cares about what people think? What's important was that you didn't lose yourself despite hearing rumors about you.

It was just a rumor. You knew the truth. The people who loved you knew the truth. Jungkook knew the truth.

"Tiger." And he loved you.

"Jungkook?" You flinched when you heard your best friend's voice. You saw his reflection in the mirror. He was leaning against the bathroom door.

"Why are you here?" Your eyes widened, jaw clenching. This was a woman's restroom. What if someone saw him here?

"I thought I saw you going here. Just wanna check..." He said this while you peeked through each cubicle. Thank Heavens no other women were here.

"You're not supposed to be here. Let's go." You made your way to the door, attempting to twist the doorknob but Jungkook stopped you.

"Kook." You sighed. "The meeting starts in ten minutes. We'll be late." You said sharply, reminding him this wasn't the time to play games.

"Five minutes." He let out a deep breath too. "Just give me five minutes, Tiger."

Your breathing hitched upon hearing the desperation in his voice. You made a mistake by meeting his gaze. The softness in his eyes never failed to make your knees go weak.

"I just wanna see you..." He drawled, lightly pushing you against the door and caging you in his arm.

Jungkook cupped your face while you pressed your cheek against his hand, instantly melting. Your stomach knotted with desire. It felt good to be touched like this.

"Kook..." Your teeth chattered though, the protest of your brain was hard to ignore. "W-We can't."

And as usual, you gave into what your mind thought was right. You were pushing him away. Again.

Stupid.

"Why can't we?" It was surprising to hear him ask this without the whiny tone. He was calm today, like an adult asking for a reasonable explanation. Jungkook knew he couldn't get what he wanted by whining.

"Make me understand, Tiger. Why can't we?" He was caressing your cheek. Your eyes fluttered shut because you didn't want to look at his doe eyes.

"Soojin."

"To hell with Soojin." You shuddered when he said this. His voice was rough, so different from the Jungkook you knew. You had to open your eyes to make sure it's still him who was caging you.

The Jungkook you knew would never say something like this.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself for you to understand?" He was looking at you through hooded eyes.

Your heart hammered through your chest.

"It's not Soojin who I want. It's you." You felt his finger tracing your bottom lip. The way he was staring at your lips made you shiver. "Nothing compares to you, baby."

Oh.

You realized you couldn't use Soojin as an excuse. It's not working anymore and frankly, it's just pissing Jungkook off. He swore he'd vomit if he heard you say your sister's name one more time.

"W-We still can't." You trained your eyes on the floor. He was about to ask why but you beat him by speaking at once.

"Because you're my rival."

You thought you'd hear him scoff or hiss, but Jungkook just clenched his jaw. Deep eyes boring into you. He grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him.

"I'm not." He said seriously. "I quit. I'm not competing against you."

You were the one who scoffed.

"Why?" You looked at him like he was crazy. "This is your father's company too."

Jeon Jong-in worked hard to build Castle Architectural Firm. Why wouldn't his son continue his legacy?

"You never listen to me, do you?" Jungkook let out a small chuckle before booping your nose. It's amusing how fast his expression changed. "Didn't I just tell you? Nothing compares to you, Tiger..."

He was saying that he'd choose you whatever happened, even if it meant losing other things. Because really, what's the use of all these material things when you're not by his side?

"Kook..." You pressed your hand on his chest and then you're suddenly reminded by what you had tried to do when you got drunk days ago.

The last time you put your hand on his chest, you tried to kiss him.

"What excuse are you gonna give me this time, my Tiger?" The corner of his mouth quirked up. Amusement was written all over his face. "Don't tell me you're gonna say you don't think I'm in love with you?"

Jeon Jungkook was the only person you knew who was never scared to admit his true feelings. You just knew he would confess his love at any chance he got. It's like he didn't mind if he got his heart broken. Truthfully, it felt like he would get his heart broken if he didn't confess all the time.

He had always been like this. Always genuine, never scared. He acted based on what he felt and he's never sorry for it.

"Are you?" You weren't sure what took over you when you knitted your brows together and asked this.

Jungkook's eyes grew big and then he let out a dramatic gasp. It was as though he couldn't fathom the words that left your mouth.

"Where is this coming from?" He swallowed thickly, disbelief was still apparent in his eyes. "You don't think I—wait. What?"

Jungkook blinked. Once. Twice.

"Shit. You seriously think I'm not in..." He trailed off, "oh." It's like something clicked. Jungkook's disbelief turned into credence when he realized something.

He stared at you with pursed lips, like he was trying to figure you out. Your expression seemed like you were challenging him that Jungkook wasn't sure what to do.

He felt like you're not going to believe whatever he would say, so instead of blabbering how crazy he was for you, he just used his mouth into something that shocked you.

Jungkook leaned forward and without hesitating, he kissed you.

Hard.

It was as though you were waiting for him to do that because your response was instant. You kissed Jungkook back like a hungry person who hadn't eaten in days.

Jungkook pressed his chest against yours, like he wasn't content with your proximity. He wanted to be closer to you even more.

"You don't think I love you because—" He bit your lip, making you moan. Jungkook pushed your body weight against the wall with his own. You wrapped your legs around his waist, your dress hiking up in the process. "—I didn't kiss you when you were drunk?"

He got it now. You're sulking like a kid because of it? Huh. What did you want him to do? Kiss you and then have you hate him since he wasn't able to control himself?

"You're a fool if you think I didn't want to do it. I was literally on the verge of giving you my whole world right there and then." You parted your lips and allowed his tongue to explore the inside of your mouth.

Jungkook was the very definition of sweet. Everything about him tasted sweet, heavenly, and addicting. It was like he was an angel, but in reality, he made you weak. A devil meant to punish your heart for wanting to take more than you could handle.

Jungkook gave you so, so much more and you couldn't stop taking it all.

"But I don't want to take advantage of you. I want you to really want me, to really mean it when you kiss me." He cupped your ass as he hummed and groaned with desire.

You felt bolder when you asked him; "do you think I mean it now?" In between kisses.

Jungkook swiped his tongue along your teeth. "Yeah," he answered yet he groaned in dissatisfaction. "But I'm selfish, Tiger...I want more than this."

He stopped kissing you, opting to press his forehead against yours. He breathed you in. He was letting the selfish part of him consume him again.

Jungkook wanted you with all of his heart. He was disgustingly in love with you.

"Love is not my priority right now, Jungkook." You said since it was the truth. You had the opportunity to help people serve justice.

"I know.” And he understood it. Jungkook was nuzzling your nose. "Promise me you're not gonna hold back..."

He knew how much you loved Soojin. He was a little worried you're going to back down once you saw sadness in your sister's features.

"I won't." But you weren't that person anymore.

It's interesting, really. Some people swore they'd never change but there's always that one circumstance which would transform them either into a better or worse version of themselves. You hadn't realized yet if your metamorphosis was the former or the latter. All you knew was that you had reached your breaking point—your limit.

"Good." Jungkook smiled softly at you. His eyes were crinkling. "I know it. I called you Tiger for a reason."

He was finally telling you the reason why he crafted that nickname for you. He didn't elucidate any further but you felt like you already understood. Tigers represented courage. To some, it symbolized truth and justice.

"Thanks, Kook." You returned the smile. Jungkook helped straighten your dress. He kissed you one last time before opening the door so you two could face the challenge set for today.

You arrived at the conference room just in time. Soojin and Sin-ae were already present. Your two brothers were here as well. They're shareholders too.

Once the quorum was recognized, the vice chairperson made a simple statement. The agenda for today was also discussed. The topic mostly revolved around the firm's responsibilities and liabilities—both civil and criminal—to the affected people.

There had been major changes with regard to ownership too. It had come to the attention of the board and other stockholders that the Kims were no longer the biggest investors in the firm.

"Quite the opposite actually." Jungkook leaned against the backrest of the chair as he crossed his arm over his chest.

He looked so relaxed, as if the matter being discussed didn't concern him.

Yes, that's actually the truth. Jungkook was just asked if he had the biggest share in Castle Architectural Firm.

"I sold all my shares. I'm just here to officially announce that I'm no longer tied to the company. I quit both as an investor and an architect."

There had been a protest after Jungkook said those words. It's clear that the majority of them couldn't accept this.

"This is ridiculous! Who will be the next chairperson now?" Mr. Han balled his hands into a fist.

Jungkook remembered this man. How could he forget? He's the same scum who disrespected Soojin and basically all women. He's a misogynistic piece of shit.

"It's not my fault you're not informed. All information is laid down for investors like you. I am not competing against the Kims."

It was revealed right there and then that Taemin's illegitimate child and Soojin were the candidates to be the next chairperson.

Of course Sin-ae lost her composure. It's expected. She's dramatic like that. She was shouting and demanding how this became possible.

The charter and the country's law stated that in order to become the company's chairperson of a professional corporation, one should be employed as an architect in the firm first.

Sin-ae talked to the Human Resources Manager before. The employee confirmed that you weren't hired. You didn't even apply.

"Oh I'm not talking about me, Mam." You smirked at your father's wife. "You see..."

For dramatic effect, you stood up and walked around the room. Everyone was either looking at you with anticipation or hatred.

Jungkook was the only one looking at you in awe. He liked seeing you like this, in control and confident. He pouted while watching you. He wished he could kiss you again.

"I know it's not a secret anymore that I'm Kim Taemin's child. But..."

But. There's this word again. More often than not, the word but followed something negative...or shocking.

In this case, it's the latter.

You saw surprise written in their faces as you revealed the truth:

"I'm not the only bastard of Kim Taemin." You stood behind the chair of one of the shareholders and architects here at Castle.

You tapped his back, causing him to sit straight.

"Everyone, meet Jung Hoseok—or should I say Kim Hoseok, the eldest son of Kim Taemin..."

Hoseok smirked too as he said “let the game begin,” under his breath.

#jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook x reader #jungkook x y/n #jungkook x you #jungkook best friend #jungkook best friends to lovers #best friend jungkook #jungkook series #jungkook romance #jungkook fic #jjk fic #jjk #bts jeon jeongguk #boyfriend jungkook #armywriterssupport

[caesthetix]

SAY A LITTLE PRAYER — Pt. 1 Blind Belief

↪Eren Yeager mini-series

↪content; major character death, canon universe, heavy angst, established relationship, spoiler for season 4

Tick tock. Tick tock.

Usually, if you and the rest of your friends were together, the room would never be this quiet. The second you guys walked into a private space together, someone would let out a joke or harmless snide, followed by laughter and a half-assed reply.

But not now, not when someone was missing from this circle of friendship.

Everything was still so vivid in your mind, in all of your minds. How you cheered after the attack in Marley could be considered a success, your arms wrapped around Sasha and teased her that she would be back to eat Niccolo's food — and then seeing him again, now with brown hair reaching his shoulders and a thin facial hair adorning his face.

There was an urge to tackle him with affection, you even let out a sob the second you laid your eyes on him in Marley. Though Jean assured you that there would be time for that. And with how your lover had his hands restrained within handcuffs and chains, you knew that now was not even the right time.

Those emerald eyes darkened when they fell on you, as if he was so disgusted by your mere presence. The excitement and longing that you felt was gone in an instant as you tensed up from his cold upbringing.

He was not hostile to anyone, anyone else but you.

With a heavy heart, you decided to just get back to the rest of your friends, letting Armin and Mikasa handle whatever would happen next. You could feel his emerald eyes weighing your body for every footstep that you took. But you never turned your face to him, afraid to see such emotion twirled inside his orbs.

What happened next felt like time passed in slow motion.

You closed the metal door, leaning your back as you took a deep breath. Connie was waving his hand toward you, laughter and cheers filled the room, and you could not help but smile, letting the joy of winning this attack seep into your heart instead of swallowing in worry of why your lover looked at you like that.

And then you saw it, little hands crawling up inside the airship. You saw it, when two familiar kids that you knew as warrior candidates infiltrated the place you were in. And you saw it too — the long rifle on her tiny hands, one eye closed as she aimed it at anyone, would be good if it was an important person.

You could not process what happened next after that.

Your feet brought you fast to your friends, ignoring how some of the soldiers looked at you with a question mark on top of their heads. You could not breathe, you were almost there, you just needed to push them all away and they would be saved.

Bang!

You gasped as you could feel the bullet grazing your hip. The pain was excruciating even for you, you felt it once leaving a hole in your arms back then inside Reiss Chapel, and now you felt it again. But thinking about your own injury was not your priority right now.

Your priority was to open your eyes and scan the faces of your friends. Connie was looking in your direction with jaw hanging slack. Jean had his pupils widened at the sight of you — and how your arms wrapped around Sasha's neck.

It was warm, suddenly you could feel a warm liquid seeping through your uniform at a rapid pace. A second later and crimson was now splattered upon your face as your friend choked out blood.

The next, her body went limp. The next, your vision was blinded with tears.

You pushed Jean away as he screamed at you to snap out of it, one hand gently touched your wound that you could not feel as your heart was ripped apart, even way more painful than the physical pain.

The night was not supposed to end like this, with the death of your comrade, with the death of your best friend. Meat, that's what she said. That was the last word that slipped from her lips.

It suited her. When you let the word roll down your tongue, it was so Sasha.

To remember someone as gluttonous as her even thinking about sharing the precious food all those years ago, you could only let out a bitter laugh.

Your fingers slipped in between her damped strands of hair, full of battle sweat. She loved it, saying that it made her feel secure, but only if you were the one who did that. No one else but you, not even the handsome chef.

You were supposed to do that with her head laying on your thigh, both of you rambling about what food Niccolo would cook for everyone once the airship touchdown safely in the Island of Paradis, home.

But it was not possible as the light in her eyes was forever gone, soon followed with pitch-black flooding your vision.

You let out a sigh to stop yourself from recalling the night even more. Your head was gently resting on Jean's shoulder, opposite you was Armin and Mikasa, both quiet as they were busy with their own thoughts.

"How is your wound?" Jean whispered as he knew how quiet it was in the room, didn't want to bother the others with the chit-chat. His question made your hand move subconsciously from your thigh to touch the bandaged side of your hip. "Is it still hurting?"

You chuckled softly at his question, which earned you a raised eyebrow from your friends as they were now focused on your direction. Not wanting to worry them, you raised one of your hands to dismiss their concern aside.

"I am fine, it was nothing." Clearing your throat, you tried to sound as sure as possible. "You guys knew I felt worse than this before."

Slipping a laugh from your lips, your friends were all having a thin smile on their faces. You were always the positive one, a naive — if they decided to go with what people said about you. Someone so pure and caring to everyone that she loved, yet if something endangered her loved one, she could turn into a monster.

"He didn't even say anything."

But the warm atmosphere only lasted for a few seconds.

"He knew that you were injured, that you lost so much blood too." Connie's eyes never left the windows in front of him, he was the only one who didn't smile at your attempt to loosen up. "But what?" You glanced at him, seeing how his hand balled into a fist. "That bastard Eren didn't even blink or care for you."

"Connie!"

Mikasa hissed at the truth that was being thrown in the air. She didn't know what angered herself more at this point. It was either how Connie insulted Eren for being apathetic, or his words that she knew too well left a sting of pain in your heart.

"Mikasa, it's al—" You stood up abruptly in an attempt to calm her down, but the pain jolted on your hips, making you gasp as you felt the wound stretch a little. She ignored Connie, and in an instance was striding beside you as her hand rested on your back, easing you to sit down again beside Jean.

"Don't rush. You are still healing."

The ravenette had her hands going up and down to distract you from the pain, Connie was silent for a while as he felt guilty for lashing out like that. You couldn't blame him, he lost half of his soul once Sasha took her last breath. You knew the pain, you were just better at hiding it.

Silence engulfed the room once again as your friends focused on making you feel better. You didn't want to worry them, and you could only curse at yourself for hissing out of pain like that before.

Connie was distressed, no. Everyone was distressed at this point for losing a dear friend. You knew at the back of their minds, they would think that this grief they felt right now would never exist if only Eren did not try to infiltrate Marley with the rest of the Survey Corps.

Well, that was true, but you felt like there was more to it. There must be a reason why your lover wanted to show up this night. Either it was just because he wanted to get revenge as fast as he could (a reason that you thought was enough to remember how emotional he used to be), or maybe it was just a start of a longtime plan, but you just believed that there would be a good reason for his doing.

"I am going to talk to him."

You voiced out your thoughts, and that even made Connie whip his face toward you. "He must have felt so lonely down there." With your head hanging low, fingers fiddling around the promise ring that was given by Eren after all of you reclaimed Shiganshina, you were making up your mind. "Maybe I could get him to talk, any kind of information would be important, right?"

Your friends looked at you as if you were crazy. Everyone could see how much he had changed. From a suicidal maniac, to now an empty, emotionless human. They even wondered if he was still human or not with how eerie his aura could be from time to time.

"Don't be stupid, he didn't even say anything when Captain Levi asked him." Jean scoffed as he straightened his back, perhaps wanting to intimidate you.

"Jean is right, with how unstable Eren is right now, we know if he wanted to, he would do something drastic." The soft voice that belonged to Armin filled the room, the gear inside his brain never stopped spinning to think of all the possibilities that might come if you decided to confront the long-haired brunette.

Mikasa stayed silent, while Connie felt like he needed to say something. But as his eyes landed on your pained expression, he decided to shut his mouth for now. He wouldn't say anything, at least not when you were around, not with how much you loved Eren and his words might make you sad even more.

"But I need to." You said out loud sternly, in the process, are demanding everyone to agree. "He loves you, all of you. But his love for me was not just a friendship or brotherhood bond." You squint your eyes a little as your words felt like you were trying to convince yourself. "It's romantic love." And it was stronger.

They gulped when they heard your statement. Even Armin could not argue that you might be the only one who could make Eren open up. You never pitied him, you were there to support, to cheer, to believe that he would be alright, even on the battlefield that was supposed to worry you with how low the chances of survival was.

And with how you treated him, the blonde knew that his best friend appreciated you even more than Mikasa. Because you treated him like a man, because you believed in his ability to manage a life and death situation, because even though you mourn with him while he was thinking about his mother, you were there to provide comfort, not to gaze at him with orbs full of pity.

"Even though we all agree to that," Armin paused, thinking for the right words. "How are you going to visit him? No one was allowed to go down there."

There was a smug smile tugged on your lips as you stood up, palms dusting your wrinkled clothes before walking toward the door. Your aura was reeking with confidence as if you had everything planned out. The blonde should have known by now. Whatever happened, nothing could actually separate you from Eren.

"Well, Armin, you knew that Hange had a soft spot for me, right?" You wiggled your eyebrows playfully, earning a little chuckle from your friend. "If only you guys showed interest too when they talked about titan, which is actually interesting despite their non-stop excitement, you all might get some extra privilege!"

Jean shook his head in amusement when he thought about it, you were the only one (except maybe Moblit — oh, Moblit, you missed that man) that could listen to Hange rambling about how magnificent titan was.

Mikasa and Armin only showed soft smiles for seeing your antics, while Connie just stayed silent and scratched his now (slightly) longer hair.

"Alright you suicidal girlfriend, go on then." Jean playfully insulted you, making you snort for it had been months since the last time you heard that nickname. "Just don't move around too much, walk like a proper lady."

"Bruh, even Historia walked like she stomped the ground anywhere she went." You rolled your eyes before settling your hand on the door's handle. "And she is the queen."

Jean snickered from your words before laying his back on the soft cushion. Somehow feeling at ease that the tension from before was now slowly replaced with a relaxed atmosphere. You hummed softly before opening up the door, now ready to search for Hange.

Hopefully, this plan will work out. Hopefully, he could open up to you.

"Alright, see you—"

"Be careful, okay?"

You jolted, slightly taken aback when Connie cut you off. Something was lingering there as he spoke, as if he knew something that you didn't know. It was like a warning, telling you not to let your guard down.

"My, my, Connie." You let out a soft chuckle and take a peek from your shoulder to look at your friends once more. "This is just Eren, he wouldn't do anything to me." Assurance, always tried to make everyone around you felt better. And you could see from the corner of your eyes that Connie's shoulders started to relax.

Gripping the handle a little bit tighter, you sighed before dazzling them with a wide smile. "Okay, see you guys later. Love you all!"

Your ears didn't find any answers from them. But the snort that you heard, and the little chuckle and a visible smile on their faces were enough for you to close the door behind with a soft click. Now you were ready.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ༶•┈┈⛧┈〄┈⛧┈┈•༶ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Once you left, the room was once again engulfed with silence. An impatient sigh slipped from Jean as he peered at the clock wall once again. It had been around an hour after you left. With how long you have been out, they were all sure that somehow you could get a yes from Commander Hange.

Though, he could not remember how it came to this. At first, they were all just talking about the war, the infiltration in Marley, or what Commander Pyxis thought about the plan. They were all sharing what they thought, everything was civil.

Until Connie asked, with terror in his eyes, whether Eren who was now locked behind the bar, was the same person that they all used to know. Jean knew that he should have kept his mouth shut, he should not have argued back to Mikasa.

But he was desperate, he wanted her to see the truth.

"That must be because he trusts us!"

Yet he knew, no matter how much Eren would stray into the darkness, even though sometimes there were times when she doubted, she would follow that man.

Just like you, sadly, just like you.

But you were so much more in another level of faith.

Both you and Mikasa put Eren on a pedestal. You were like his worshipper, giving your heart completely to the man with emerald eyes as if he was God. Praises would be sung, and no matter how your mind was a lot more rational than the ravenette woman, you would still believe him as the most devoted follower.

And Mikasa saw him as a saviour, extending his hand to her so she could keep on living. She believed that without him, she would have died a long time ago. To know that a man like Eren Yeager had not one but two powerful people who would gladly do anything for him, made Jean's blood boil.

"Mikasa," Connie whispered out, finally turning to face them all again. Even though Jean currently had his head hanging low, somehow he could see the terror in his friend's eyes. "What do you think Eren did when Sasha died? What do you think he did when he saw (Y/n)'s unconscious body with blood all over her torso?"

Mikasa was lost, it was as if she wanted to plug her ears so she could not hear what came next. "Do you think he cried? Do you think he was frustrated?" His voice was stable, yet everyone could hear the sorrow coated in his words. "He didn't even panic when he saw his goddamn lover with a weak pulse!"

"Connie, stop it."

"That bastard laugh, Mikasa! That bastard you called family dared to laugh when Sasha died!" And now the dam has broken. "I wonder what he found so funny. Which part of Sasha's death?" The water had flooded their mind, the truth once again made them question their comrades.

Connie did not want to break you even more, holding back his question before when you were there. And on top of that, he knew that somehow you could make them believe in Eren with how smooth you were with words.

He could see how you would stand up and hug him, he could hear your whisper of how Eren's laugh was something out of grief, maybe because that man remembering something beautiful from the past that made him mad at the universe. He knew that you would do anything to make sure they all still believed in Eren without force. Just by your words.

Maybe that was the reason why Connie spoke up now. Because he knew that Mikasa could never answer his question, so he could have someone to blame, so his selfish mind could at least unleash his frustration on someone else.

"Tell me, Mikasa." He continued, needing to release his sadness away by anger. "You know everything about Eren, right?" An answer would never slip from the woman, so he pushed, again and again. "Why did he laugh over Sasha's death? Why was he not even afraid that his girlfriend could be dead too?!"

Knock knock.

Connie gasped for air.

He leaned his back to the window, hands slowly went up to his head, nails scratching on his scalp as he tried to compose himself. No one knew who that was. And they immediately straightened up their posture as they waited for their guest to come in.

If it was you, you would just open up the door with a bang, as childish as you could get. They would see a smile and excitement beaming from you as you gushed at how glad you were to have a chance to talk with your lover. Your friends could see it all, knowing how predictable you were sometimes, especially when it came to Eren Yeager.

But they surely did not expect Commander Hange themselves to be the one behind the door. Jean, Mikasa, and Armin immediately stood up. Connie walked toward Jean before they were altogether given the surprisingly quiet commander a perfect salute.

"At ease."

This was scary. They all just got back from a traumatic infiltration with how their closest comrades died in the battle. The Commanders themselves gave them some time to relax, telling them that the report and meeting would be held tomorrow instead of right after their return.

So now, they were all questioning the same thing.

Why would Commander Hange have an expression that they would only show when the situation was deadly serious?

Armin's brain never stopped working, he tried to understand the situation by scrutinizing every detail that he could find from the veteran scout. Hange's body was still, lips shaped into a thin line as their eyes fell into the air. They didn't look at any of them, eyes empty as if they were trying to drain any kind of emotion out from their heart.

"This would be hard for all of you."

That was the first sentence that they said after a long pause. Breathe in, breathe out, blue eyes that belonged to Armin now could see the sweat and the tremble on Hange's hand. He could only swallow a huge lump as he waited for further information. "I shouldn't have let—"

The commander cleared their throat when realisation dawned upon them that they almost broke down in front of those who deserved to know the truth. Fast.

Everyone was now alarmed with how vulnerable their commander was standing in front of them. Hange that was never let anyone control their fear and emotion, now completely ruined with whatever guilt that seeping inside their mind. Everyone thought the same thing. "I am sorry."

They were broken.

Mikasa was now agitated. She wanted to push them for just spitting out the information. All she ever wanted was just rest, and with how the commander had something that they needed to share, somehow she doubted that she could get any rest soon.

"(Y/n)'s dead."

And now, she was sure that she could not even get any rest at all.

"I found her body already slumped on the ground."

She was screaming, a massive headache struck her as if it would split her head into two. Armin tried to calm her down, but it was no use with how panic his voice sounded right now, not even including the hiccup and sob that followed after as he finally processed the information.

Connie laughed like a maniac, thinking it was a joke. Now maybe he knew why Eren laughed when he heard Sasha's death. This was too painful to understand, too much to be taken in one night after everything that happened just a few hours ago.

And then there was Jean, who only had his legs wobbled a little.

"Where?"

Jean was the only one who dared to ask, who was still collected enough to push all the truth on the table. "Commander Hange, with all due respect. I needed to know. We needed to know." Even in between all the sobs and agonizing screams, the two scouts stared at each other with an unreadable expression on both of their faces.

"Commander Hange," He called out again, "Where did you find her?"

Silence.

Four pairs of eyes immediately flee toward the brown-haired scout.

They all indeed — needed to know.

"Eren's cell."

Everyone gasped, simultaneously. And they thought about the same thing, they were sure that someone tried to kill Eren and you were caught in between. They already had their eyes blazing with fire, ready to hunt down whoever dared to steal your life away.

Maybe a Marleyan, yes, or maybe some random soldier who had seen so many deaths on the infiltration that made them mad.

But the world was just as cruel as it was already.

They could only wish it were that simple.

"And there was no sign of someone breaking in."

↪Back to Wall Maria

↪Send an ask if you want to be a citizen of Paradis (taglist)!

#eren x reader #eren x y/n #eren jaeger #eren yaegar #eren angst #aot x reader #aot imagines #aot x y/n #aot #snk x reader #snk #eren jaeger x reader #eren yeager x reader

[fanfictionsrookie]

For the YHIM AU, I wanna know more about

1. How it came about that Ruby began visiting Cinder in prison and what Cinder's initial reaction was

2. Did they call each other or send letters? Or did Ruby always only interact with Cinder in person?

3. When we gettin the next fic cmon

1. When Cinder had been sent to prison it had become apparent that there was no use on trying to get rid of her Grimm arm. But what no one expected was that it would start to grow past her shoulder and before long, over her back and neck. With Cinder acting akin to a rabid dog, there was no one who would safe getting close enough to deal with the problem. No one except Ruby. But the moment she saw Ruby, Cinder already knew what was going to happen. Her level of frantic grew tenfold and she threw every insult imaginable at the Huntress, knowing what pain is awaiting her. And of course hearing her pleas, Ruby could in no way activate her eyes. So they sedated Cinder instead. And in her unconscious state, Ruby cut off the excess Grimm instead. Cinder woke up with the Grimm under control and in much less pain than what she was expecting, but unfortunately Ruby was still there. And what followed was a hostile and uncomfortable conversation of how they were going to deal with Cinder's arm and Cinder wondering why Ruby cared to bother at all. Ruby came by a number of days afterward, hoping to come up with a solution and gaining some much needed trust from Cinder. One visit turned into another. One checkup became three and then five. Looking back, it's no wonder they became close after so long...

2. Since Ruby does live close by it is easier for her to visit, not to mention the food and trinkets she can bring along. But if she ends up on a mission that takes longer than expected, she sends a few letters. Usually to assure the Cinder that she is alright and to tell her about everything she has done and seen on her mission. Details that wouldn't end up with the letters being confiscated.

3. I'm about 20% finished with my current one soooo… do the math XP

#rwby #cinder fall #ruby rose #cinderruby #fallen petals #YHIM #ask #thanks for the ask! #XD

[atsunflower]

Hospital for souls — The Line

Rated: SFW

Author note: I gotta nothing to say. This took me really long and I struggled a lot to write it. Thanks for being patient with me. Also, big shoutout to @neonghxst, who helped me a lot with this one. I love you bby 💕

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of anxiety and this chapter contains gore towards the end.

IV — The line

Previous || Next

"I don't wanna go" Your voice showed distaste at the invitation.

Since the fight with Sakusa, you avoided all human contact like the plague. The only ones that talked to you were the maids and, occasionally, Komori, who had warmed up to you since you saved his ass — to be honest, you weren't very fond of his change of character.

"Listen, you're the new lady of this household." Komori explained in a tired manner."This gala is held every year in some sort of diplomatics, to grant no family crosses the line. All the important members must make a presence."

"Yeah, but I'm sure no one cares if I don't show up." You deadpanned looking at his face.

"It's just a fancy ass party. I'll take you to get a dress myself, but I gotta run some errands and find a suit too. If I'm late, then Izuna will take you." Komori saw you stiffening when you heard the name. Ever since you arrived in Itachiyama, Izuna was the most hostile towards you. "Hey, don't worry about him... He'll be nice."

"I gotta remind you that no one has been nice to me since I came here, Komori-san." You stated the obvious and the male before you grimaced.

"Look, we're not as bad as you think. Neither we are some sort of low life criminals, you know." His voice sent shivers down your spine. The hazel-haired man has been treating you better, yes, but you could tell the words you said to Sakusa that day affected him too.

"Yeah. But you all did nothing to prove me wrong." You stared at his eyes, the sincere tone meaning each world "If anything, all you did was make me miserable even though I'm not a threat. And you know it." You saw when the hazel haired male shook his head, face softening a little.

"I'll be back in a few." And then, Komori left. 

To your relief, it was Komori himself who showed up at your bedroom door. Now, you were at some boutique somewhere in the fancy side of Shibuya, trying a beautiful strappy off-white dress.

You loved how the silky cloth hugged your body and how the pearly color complimented your skin tone. Definitely, it was the propper gown for an event as important as a mafia gala.

Taking in the figure reflected in the mirror, you recalled the last time you wore something so fancy was at your wedding. Suddenly, you felt ugly — after all, you were a woman of surgical scrubs and white coats. Wearing something like this dress was a reminder of what kind of life you were living now.

"[Name]-san, have you decided?" Komori asked with an undecipherable look on his face. 

"Ah, yes, I'm taking this one" You said to the salesperson, already getting back to the changing room.

From the inside, you heard a knock on the door. It was Komori.

"[Name], are you good?" He asked in a soft spoken manner, as if he was concerned.

You know it's not the case, don't let your guard down, you reminded yourself.

"Yes, Komori-san. Are we ready to go?" He hummed in agreement, saying he was going to do the payment.

The two of you had yet to arrive in Itachiyama. The silence was heavy inside the car and you could see the man opening his mouth as if he was trying to say something.

"I never asked, did you see a doctor?" You started, breaking the unnerving atmosphere.

"Ah, yes. I'm all good, no sequels or whatever." He cleared his throat, side-glancing at you "Those guys took us by surprise that night, huh? We were lucky you were there to help us out." You hummed, staring at his elbow, as if you could see through the material of his jacket.

"I shouldn't have opened your arm that way. It was really irresponsible of me to do it and it was a miracle things ended up well."You said in a reflecting manner.

Does she regret saving me?, Komori couldn't help but wonder.

"The doctor I saw said the surgery was perfectly executed, so don't beat yourself over it. Besides, I can see the passion you have. You'd make it right anyways." The male said truthfully and you frowned. You didn't want his trust because he would never have yours.

You also didn't like the appreciative tone he used. A doctor isn't a hero, You reminded yourself everyday, to never let it go to your head.

"I'm passionate, but it's about my personal ethics, you don't need passion to be good at what you do. I think you know it very well." You still frowned, not liking what he implied. You never wanted to be some sort of hero, much less to someone like him. 

"Yeah, I don't need to love the yakuza to be good at it. But I don't think a passionless person would make a good doctor." He argued, trying to prove his point.

"In my line of work, a mistake costs your whole career. Passionless and unethical people exist everywhere, a hospital isn't a sanctuary." You said matter of factly — it wasn't about the romantic lenses people saw the health workers. After all, medicine was a field made majorly of people with the means and the money. You learned it the hard way when you made into med school.

"Why would you say that?" The traffic light signalled to stop. The Kobun used this opportunity to take in your figure, eyes roaming over your crossed arms and unfazed features.

Duty takes a toll in everyone, huh?, He internally stated.

"Because I know someone. And as passionless someone could be, he's still the best at what he does." And Komori didn't miss the feeling displayed in your eyes.

It wasn't merely passion. Something deeper resided in those irises of yours.

An awkward silence overtook the atmosphere as the car resumed its movement. He felt uncomfortable, trying to figure out what you meant.

"Well, what matters is that everything ended up well. Who would have guessed they would attack us that night?" Komori conceded, trying to break the unsettling quietness.

"Yeah, this whole yakuza thing is really scary." You said looking through the tinted window, a pensive look in your face.

"You'll get used to it. And it doesn't happen on a daily basis either" He brushed you off, turning in a curb.

"Yeah, but ignoring the threat isn't an easy task." You retorted, tiredly.

"How do you know it? Besides, since you're our lady, it's not like we'll let  something happen to you." The brunette said, in hopes of comforting you. It had the opposite effect, as a silent rage ran down your body.

"Komori-san, how do I know?" You bitterly laughed "My whole life, I was at the line. My mother didn't want me to be born, Inarizaki wanted my head since I was in the womb and you guys will get rid of me at any given opportunity." You saw him opening his mouth to argue "Your household won't protect me if the order comes from Sakusa." 

As if in a cue, the car approached the gates of Itachiyama. Komori was rendered speechless, knowing you were right.

Personally, you weren't one to offend people and make them feel bad. You couldn't help the pang in your chest every time you exploded at any of them. But by god, were you tired.

I just want my life back, you thought. After all, it was infinite times easier to be a target when you were somehow detached from the life inside the families. The Kobun said something you paid no mind to.

Banging the car door shut, you ignored his calling.

The nagging feeling was a constant in his life.

Roaming through his memories, he could never pinpoint a time he felt comfortable under his skin. He was too anxious and life never treated him kindly to do so.

Maybe he overreacted a lot, too. But it wasn't his fault he had to be hyper aware of his surroundings.

The alert state was essential in an ambience full of people who could stab him in the back.

Fuck the diplomatics, he cursed.

It was one of those nights he hated the most. The suntuous ballroom was full of people going back and forth, bragging about futilities and throwing insincere flattery at each other. All because the ever so generous Karasuno was hosting a dinner at The Crow to assure no one disturbs the deal between the families.

Bullshit, he thought. It's only Karasuno trying to show off their influence over this frail peace.

And, as much as he appreciated said peace, he hated how everyone faked they got along with each other.

Not that he cared about politeness either. And his signature scowl did nothing to keep people away. After all, everyone wanted a piece of Itachiyama.

"Kiyoomi." The ravenette heard the deep voice from his back. A wave of relief washed over him.

At least, Wakatoshi-kun is here. I won't die from boredom, He mused.

"Wakatoshi." He responded, nodding at the other. From outside Itachiyama, Ushijima was the only one Sakusa considered a friend.

"I thought you wouldn't come tonight, I know you don't really like the crowd."

"People would find weird if I didn't, considering Inarizaki and everything."

"Speaking of which, did you bring your wife?" Ushijima asked, looking around. Sakusa nodded before speaking.

"Yeah, she went to the restrooms. Komori is with her." And speaking of the devil, you came into view.

He knew you had a fine taste for things, and he would be a fool to say you didn't look good tonight. But he would never admit it.

A Miya isn't worth you time, he repeated it like a mantra, observing as you made your way onto him.

Komori enthusiastically greeted Ushijima and you merely nodded out of politeness, looking at the bulky male with caution. Given Ushijima's intimidating vibes, Sakusa couldn't really blame you.

"I see you're Sakusa's wife. I'm Ushijima Wakatoshi." He offered his hand at you "It's a pleasure to meet you"

"Likewise, Ushijima-san" You introduced yourself as the Oyabun of Itachiyama watched the scene unfold before him, recalling how his friend was the blunt and introverted type. He couldn't help but admire the way the two of you conversed smoothly; earning Ushijima's sympathy required effort. You did it with ease.

"She's a good woman." Sakusa didn't see when your conversation died down and Ushijima turned to him. He found himself dumbfounded at the other's statement.

"She's a Miya"

"She worked with Shirabu. He spoke highly of her" A waiter passed by offering them whiskey. The rich scent of Yamazaki reached his nostrils as he drank it, throat used to the burning sensation "And you know he's not one to lie."

"Still…" His retort was halted when he felt the weight of a gaze on him. In the far corner of the room, none other than Oikawa Tooru had all his attention turned to the general direction of you all "What is he looking at?" He squinted at the brunette's direction, trying to make out his intentions.

"He seems to be looking at your wife" Ushijima bluntly spoke "But don't worry about him, Oikawa may have his reasons. He is a reliable man, after all."

"You're indeed soft today. What happened?" The other opened his mouth to respond before being interrupted by a startled voice.

Your husband was doing a good job ignoring you while speaking to Ushijima — you wouldn't complain, since you didn't want any of his attention.

Listening to Komori speaking wonders of the whiskey he was drinking, you felt a little at ease. You imagined the gala to be much scarier than this, but all you could see was snotty people too full of themselves. It was almost comical hearring them bragging about things you couldn't even dream of.

"This is a 25 years old Yamazaki. It's a favorite of mine and Kiyoomi—"

"Is this real life?" A surprised voice cutted Komori's middle sentence.

Before you, a handsome man looked appalled, staring at you with an emotion you couldn't identify. You were feeling uncomfortable as everyone around you was paying attention to your interaction.

"I'm sorry, sir. But am I supposed to know you?" You asked, in hopes to remember if you knew him by any chance. He beamed brightly at you.

"Of course you wouldn't remember me!" And he laughed again, earning a frown from your husband.

"Do you have any business to do with my wife?" Sakusa's cold-steel voice asked. The pretty man ignored it. And, at this point, everyone in the area stopped their actions, watching the scene with interest.

"I'm Oikawa Tooru, the Oyabun of Seijoh. Two years ago, you saved my nephew's life in an accident at the Dinosaur Bridge, only using a needle. After it, you held his hand until the ambulance came." The man bowed deeply, and only now you noticed he was accompanied by another spiky-haired male, who was also bowing at you. Observing them, you faintly remembered saving a little boy in a traffic accident a couple of years ago "For that, I'll be forever thankful. In return, I wanted to say you have Seijoh's gratitude whenever you need it." He stood tall again, staring at you dead in the eye to confirm he meant every single word he said.

You were speechless.

"I… sir, I'm thankful, but I did what had to be done. You don't owe me anything." You said uncertainly, glancing at the startled faces of both Komori and Sakusa. Ushijima looked fondly at you, as if he knew something.

"You had a choice that day, and you choosed to help us when we couldn't do anything. And it's enough for us to pay you back." The spiky-haired man said. It was rare for someone to address you with so much respect and sincerity. You appreciated it wholeheartedly.

"I— thank you." And you bowed at them, trying to show your gratitude to both males.

"Well, we won't disturb you anymore. Please have a good night" The Oikawa guy said, handing you a business card which you secluded inside your clutch.

"See?" You heard Ushijima saying, but you were too stunned to register it.

You didn't have time to process the event, as someone announced the dinner was about to be served.

"Seijoh's favour, huh? You sure are skyrocketing this mafia thing." Suna said, sitting on the chair on the opposite side of the table.

You all were addressed to a table with ten seats. It looked like Itachiyama was paired up with Inarizaki and another household you were yet to discover. The atmosphere was already stiff, as Sakusa kept throwing dirty glares at the twins.

"Impressive how you're doing well inside the yakuza. I thought you weren't going to last a month." Atsumu snickered as Osamu and the others ignored everything around them, getting ready for the dinner.

You mimicked their actions before Izuna joined you; you tensed seeing him taking the seat by your left.

Sakusa sat by your right, side-glancing at you. It looked like he had a newfound interest since the interaction with Oikawa earlier.

To your surprise, Seijoh was addressed to your table. Though, both Oikawa and Iwaizumi — Suna let you know his name and the fact he was also a Kobun — said nothing, sensing the tension hanging in the air.

None of the men said anything as the food started to be served. Instead, they busied themselves with the entree, keeping the smalltalk inside their household circle.

You heard Osamu saying something about the wine but you didn't register it. Soon enough, the waiters brought the main course in silver trays.

It smelled fabulous and your mouth watered at the scent.

"A lovely meal for the lady. Please enjoy it, I'm sure you won't forget this occasion." The blond waiter said, as he uncovered your plate. You took in the deep red sauce made of berries and the way the meat was perfectly cooked.

With fork and knife in hand, you went for it.

And indeed, you wouldn't forget the occasion.

Sliding the meat over the plate, you noticed it  hiding something. The scream was caught in your throat as you recognized the obnoxious structure, because years of unveiling the human anatomy would never fail you.

The cutlery clattered in the porcelain surface, spilling the sauce all over you. The white of your dress was now tainted with crimson, as if blood seeped out of your chest.

But you didn't even feel it. All you felt were hands shaking your body, trying to draw some reaction from you. The screams also came in a white noise through your ears, because all you could register was the sight before your eyes.

In the middle of the plate, a finger rested limp and dirty. Dead.

In a similar manner, you did too. 

Among the chaos, you sat there, also limp and dirty. At the end of a promise of death.

❥ tagging: @keekee-732 @chiibichann @captain-shittykawa @fortheloveofiwaizumi @daisyjaebae @jihoonspout @floodinginstars @fl4mepillar @trash4sportsanime @neonghxst @starrystanze @teaanbiss @hqxreader @yskomiii @shadyjinyoung @julimausi1311 @hyoonx23 @keuromi @differentballooncollection @onigiriimiya @wolfiepirate @sekshi-namjas @tomo-uwu @atsumusgf @letmegetthisclear @katokanae @cherryonigiri @ushijima-meixiu @bimboiiying @crownedcupcake17 @tvwhoresblog @thenerdyrebel @idiot-juice-enthusiast @caprolls @keijination   @wakaitoshi @clowninfortodoroki @shiningotak-ku @kemochie @lilacshouko @sehunosh @kiyoojima @shimy-deko @bap-kingdom @raenebalgaire @ricefarmerkita @rintarose @xanaxdeity @reiningsun

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#sakusa scenarios #sakusa x y/n #sakusa x reader #sakusa kiyoomi imagines #sakusa kiyoomi x reader #sakusa headcanons #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu!! #hq sakusa #hq x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu sakusa #sakusa smut #haikyuu smut