#nothing like a move on your own terms to reset ... everything.

[bandofchimeras]

moving tomorrow can't sleep. everything and everyone are coming together to make this happen. a chance to start over fresh and become someone new. power in my hands. and the fear, that I would have to abandon and cut off everyone who came before, turned out to be the opposite of the truth.

#nothing like a move on your own terms to reset ... everything. #things remain but like #i dont have to keep my bedroom the same #i can decorate in a totally different way #new colors new hair new clothes new life start doing only shit i MEAN to do #or at least trying more for that #i don't expect it to happen overnight but the new context will make all the ols bad habits easier to see #and shift #god fuck thank you past me and all my guides and the Oracle for pointing me here #for making this choice!!!!

[vikygoestheextramile]

I had a slip up.

Well, I don't know that this is exactly the term for it, but I had successfully been using a daily routine to keep my efforts on track for about two weeks. So, last Thursday my routine was disrupted, as it was a sort of holiday here in Greece, the point of which is "Eat all the meat in sight before the 40day lent starts!". Of course, almost no one is doing lent for 40 days after it, but almost everyone consumes meat like it's the last time they get to. 😅 More of an eating tradition than a holiday at this point, and boy, do we get many of those in Greece!

Despite everything, I didn't overeat that day, I think everything was under control, but we did spend the night at my family home, with my partner. And guess what? You can't really perform your daily routine if you're not in your space! So I couldn't do my morning yoga, which I had been doing for 15 days straight. I thought, well, it doesn't matter, and I grabbed the opportunity to go on a hike, on a nearby mountain. It was about a 3 hour walk, and I absolutely loved every moment of it.

So after all this, I thought eating just a bit more yesterday, was okay, missing morning yoga, missing the gym that day, was okay.

But this little slip up gave me an opportunity to stretch the imperfect day, to a couple of days, and then to 3 or 4!

My partner, right now he seems to be even more prone to junk food than I am, so it makes it a bit harder for me to resist, when he doesn't, or when he invites it in. But, luckily, this only lasted 4 or 5 days. We both felt that we didn't need to be in that mental space that consuming junk food was creating for us, even if you exclude the reaction of the body completely.

But, unfortunately for my routine, on Monday I started an acting seminar. It's going great, and I'm really excited about it, BUT in terms of holding on to the routine, it's not helping, as it involves a commitment of 5 hours a day, 10am to 3pm, Monday through Friday, plus the extra work we need to put in at home, which is A LOT.

When I expressed my concerns to my therapist, about losing my routine when I start the 3-week seminar, she told me that I should focus on holding on to one or two components of my routine, and not try to do the whole thing, or, on the flipside, just completely cut it out until the course is finished.

So, these two elements combined led to me losing progress, as I gained 0,8kg, but most importantly, I lost control of my day-to-day, for the entirety of this past week. I just went through the motions, nothing more.

Today, a Saturday with no class, and, as I've been trying to get back on the horse, before it bolts into the woods and I can never find it again, I made a move.

I got up, I made my bed, I put my workout clothes on, and I rolled out the mat. And I went on youtube and I did the next practice of the 30-day Yoga Journey I'm taking, which is the one below. "Reset". And sweet Adriene, the instructor, said at the start of the video: "Today we take the opportunity to celebrate that we're halfway through the journey", which on its own made me smile, as I felt a sense of achievement for actually having done the first two weeks of the journey, even if they were before the slip-up, it was all the more reason to remember that this, all of it, it's something that I can do, but she went on to say "and we also take the opportunity to hit the reset button", and I teared up. I was resetting on my own anyway, and not exactly by choice, but I felt not alone, I felt like she was giving me an opportunity for a fresh start, although it doesn't need to be that, it only needs to be an invitation to continue where we left off, and that it was, as my body was fully able to answer the call. Nothing was gone, and it was all there.

So, I guess, onwards (and upwards) we go!

Home - Day 15 - Reset | 30 Days of Yoga

#personal fitblr #personal #ywa #yogawithadriene #yoga with adriene #find what feels good #fwfg #fitblr problems #fitblr #healthblr #Youtube

[alexfierroaf]

You know, the more I think about the finale (which is basically all I’ve been doing since it came out), the more I realize something.

The further and further I got in Miraculous up until this point, the deeper the sense of dread and nihilism I got. Because every time Marinette and/or Adrien made any significant step forward, they were “rewarded” with either a bad end or an undo button. Chat Blanc and Ephemeral are obvious examples, but there have been plenty of others too -- all the times Marinette ~almost~ got to confess to Adrien, their identity reveal in Oblivio, the few moments of happiness Adrien had with his father, etc. Even Kwami’s Choice (one of the very few moments of actual happy plot progression that we get) bends to this rule, because they were so relieved to be free of the Miraculous, but in the end, that freedom was doomed not to last.

It made me more and more anxious the more I watched. I got the feeling that no matter what happened, these kids might never get their happy ending. Even when the series ends (I’m assuming on a positive note, but after this finale nothing can be taken for granted) Marinette will eventually have to pass on her Guardianship, which means she’ll forget everything -- including not only Adrien, also Alya and all the rest of her loved ones that she met after learning about the Miraculous. Her memories (to my understanding) will revert back to what they were at the point just before becoming involved with the Miraculous. Which means her journey of personal growth and working through her trauma will also be reset. Either that or her entire memory is wiped. Neither option is happy. And then of course there’s Adrien, who will have to grieve their past relationship, supposing he’s still alive when she gives up the Miracle Box.

Realizing this made me think: How will they get out of this? How will they ever be okay? Are they just doomed to fail and suffer tragedy on repeat for the rest of their lives?

Yin and Yang. Creation and Destruction. Joy and Grief. They are all natural cycles -- forces that cannot be avoided. And none can exist without the other. 

In season five, we got one of the greatest joys (and steps forward) that we’ve received in the entire show -- Adrienette finally becoming canon. And staying canon, despite steep odds. We also got the single greatest loss in the series to date, and that’s Gabriel succeeding in making his wish. Going out on his own terms, with the knowledge that he got what he wanted. God, it makes me sick.

At first I was shocked. Upset. Disappointed, a little bit. Because of course we all expected something different. Something involving them beating the odds, no matter what.

But this ending....it’s the natural conclusion to the Bad Vibes (TM) I’d been getting from this series for a while now. That sense of hopelessness, of inevitability....All those times I thought to myself, “How are they ever going to break this cycle? What will they be able to do differently that will allow them to win?” The answer was already in front of me. And that answer was: They can’t. Sometimes tragedy is unavoidable. Sometimes, despite all your best efforts (and an absolutely badass performance by Bug Noire) you still lose.

And hasn’t that been the whole point of the series thus far, when you think about it? Making mistakes and knowing how to fix them. The entire setup of akumatized victims is a picture of this. We all have negative emotions, and we all make mistakes. But in the end, they can be fixed, and life moves on. Maribug makes all kinds of mistakes too. Little everyday ones that get episodic focus as well as life changing events like in Risk. She obsesses over her mistakes -- tries so hard to be perfect -- but no matter what she will continue to mess up, and do her best to make it better. 

She’s made a massive mistake this time by choosing to extend an olive branch to Gabriel. The world is forever altered, and it’s unclear if anything can be done to fix it. But just like always, she will do everything in her power to make things right. It’s the natural evolution of a story with this theme, to, after rectifying so many errors, finally come to one which can never be undone. It’s even more dire than loosing the Miraculous last season, since at least those could be reclaimed. But life goes on, regardless of what happens in the past. All Marinette can do is learn from her experiences and do better next time. 

Mistakes are inevitable. Pain and grief are inevitable. But so is growth. So is joy. So is life. 

I predict that the end of Miraculous Ladybug will come when Marinette is finally comfortable with her ability to mess up and recover from it. When she accepts that sometimes bridges need to be burned, and that failure is a part of life. When she’s comfortable enough with herself to admit that, she’ll be ready to take on the new Butterfly holder and, with Adrien by her side this time, finally make a decisive victory. 

Who knows what will happen after the final credits run. How the cycles of Creation and Destruction rear their heads in their lives. But by the time that moment comes, they’ll be prepared to square up and face it head on.

#in a way despite the fact that it was so dissatisfying #i'm kinda relieved by this finale cause it validates that sense of dread i'd been having about this show #like i wasn't exaggerating #wasn't overthinking it #that really was what they were going for #and i know astruc has mentioned themes of mistakes on his twitter #but i don't know much about it cause i refuse to look into his twt acc lol #this post is mostly about marinette but adrien has an arc with this too #but i didn't want to ramble too much or derail the post #ml spoilers #miraculous season 5 #miraculous recreation #miraculous conformation #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #gabriel agreste #lila rossi #tikki #plagg #miraculous season 5 finale #miraculous meta

[doflamingosstrings]

Do you ever thinking about the plot where Evil (young) titan Raiden x good titan Kung Lao are ex-lover while Raiden is just a total stalker creep and following Kung Lao in every, single, timeline after their break up?? Like the guy miss that boi's body soo much that he couldn't get enough of them and Kung Lao is tired of his shiet. [Lao break up with him first bcs he thinks Rai just using his body for his own good and that's true]

Then Kung Lao be like: 'I'm tired of your bullshiet' and just agreed to having hate seggs one last time with Rai before he kick the hell out of him.

Like trulyyy is my thought in two weeks now and I can not get enough of this 😭 I just wanted to share you this idea hope you don't mind bcs my English is not very good, also luv your work on AO3 so much!!

A wonderful Idea! You are a genius, I wrote it right away!

Raiden x Kung Lao. 18+, Smut, minor violence, ~7.5k words!

---

One would think creating an entirely new timeline would keep your enemies away, but a titan’s obsession goes further than anyone could reasonably expect.

Kung Lao had shot up suddenly, something had woken him from his sleep. He placed his hands flat on his bed as he raised his upper body. He was staring at darkness, but he knew something was coming. He blinked once, and there was nothing, then again, still nothing. Kung Lao glanced aside, and though he didn't see anything, there was this familiar feeling in his chest that he couldn't ignore.

Kung Lao grimaced, how many times would he have to go through this? He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

Kung Lao tossed his blanket aside, ready to get up and defend himself, but before he could even move his body, a portal had opened up in front of his bed.

“Fuck,” Kung Lao said as he placed his feet on the ground and stood up properly.

Kung Lao could feel wind inside his room as the portal opened up wider. Kung Lao stuck his hands out, he had to control the portal himself, he had to close it before Raiden was able to get to him.

Kung Lao frowned as he closed his hands, his fingers folding down in an attempt to close the gaping hole in the middle of his room. Every time Raiden appeared, it got more and more difficult to push him back. It seemed like he was relentless, and his seemingly unending energy was something Kung Lao could match.

Even though he had agreed to forbid the crossing of timelines when he met with the other Titans, this agreement only helped if the other side accepted the terms, and Raiden did not.

Raiden had a particular interest in Kung Lao, one that was incessant and unhealthy. Before Kung Lao had inherited his titan powers and reset the timeline for the better, he had been in a rather fervent relationship with the man he had grown up with. At first, it was perfect, dream-like even, but as the timeline decayed, and people died, Raiden seemed to become more protective over his friend.

When it started, Kung Lao found it sweet. In a world where no one seemed safe, Raiden, the love of his life, the man he had grown up with, cared for him more than anything else. Kung Lao was always his top priority, and he almost coddled him with care.

Eventually, he stopped feeling like a fairy tale couple, and it became more like he was a damsel stuck in a tower, kept away from harm, and subsequently, everything else.

This relationship of theirs became unbearable to Kung Lao after a while, Kung Lao was Raiden’s sun, but Raiden was Kung Lao’s moon. In the end, at the dawn of time, before he made the choice to start anew, he broke away from Raiden, and Kung Lao thought that was that.

What he didn't know was that in an alternate timeline, Raiden was the one who inherited the power of time, and instead of starting over and moving on as Kung Lao did, he seethed over his loss, and he vowed to get what he lost back, by any means necessary.

Raiden’s desire for Kung Lao was primal, it was compulsive and it was a positive for no one involved. Week after week, he had to impede Raiden from hopping through timelines to reach him. At one point Kung Lao hoped Raiden would find another Kung Lao from another timeline to obsess over, but that's not what he wanted. Raiden desired him, and at first, he was flattered, but that feeling went away after the second time he managed to find him.

Raiden had fought through his former allies, faces that he no doubt had to have found familiar. He didn't care though, he ran through them, bloodied them up, and broke their bones with no mercy to spare. He’d crush the skulls of everyone dear to him if it meant he’d get his love back. Kung Lao was just grateful all of their lives were spared somehow, and whether that was intentional or not, Kung Lao wasn't going to give Raiden another chance to do any more devastation.

Kung Lao only wished for Raiden to move on, to stop this chase of theirs, but there was no stopping a predator from reaching its prey.

If Kung Lao could remember correctly, this must have been Raiden’s 86th attempt to force his way into this timeline, though he’s only succeeded 7 of those attempts. The first time was pure destruction. His friends were almost killed, his academy, which he watched grow from the first initiate, was almost turned to rubble. Raiden’s power was fierce, and if nothing else, it was destructive. What more could Lightning do but injure and destroy?

The next few times Kung Lao was able to anticipate his appearance, with the help of Geras of course. He, Geras, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Kensh were able to fend him off with little trouble now that they knew what they were dealing with. The last few times Raiden managed to slip through he only ever got a hand through.

Kung Lao was hoping this would be one of those times, but with his increasing attempts, Kung Lao had been overworking himself, and he had started to falter. Those powers Raiden had were no joke, and if he weren't a titan, Kung Lao wasn't sure he’d be able to fend him off.

Kung Lao stood firmly in front of the portal as he slowly clenched his hands together as he focussed all of his energy possible on closing the portal quickly, but he was caught off guard and he hadn't been able to properly rest in days. Raiden had attempted to come through six separate times in the past week, so understandably, Kung Lao’s ability to work efficiently was being hindered.

Kung Lao was sure this was on purpose, the increase in visits and this attempt at night when he was most vulnerable, and it seemed that Raiden’s plan was rather well thought out.

Kung Lao attempted to close the portal once more, focusing all his strength on this one final attempt, but his heart skipped a beat once he saw a hand forcing its way through the rift in time which caused Kung Lao to falter.

“No..” Kung Lao thought to himself as he saw Raiden’s hand grip onto the side of the portal, seemingly pulling himself through with sheer force.

Kung Lao glared and took a step forward. He couldn't let him through, that just wasn't a possibility.

Kung Lao tried again, straining himself as he focussed all the power he had that came with being a god and demanded the rift closed.

Kung Lao was surprised to see the portal closing, his sinking heart rising back up momentarily, but he could feel himself instantly choke up once he saw Raiden’s other hand shooting through the rift and grabbing onto the other side of the portal.

Kung Lao’s eyes widened as he took a step back. This couldn't be happening. His face was plastered with worry as he saw two legs forming from the rift and being placed on the ground roughly, like he was looking for solid footing.

“NO!” Kung Lao yelled as he stuck his hand out, but his heart dropped once he saw Raiden’s face appear, and as soon as it did, the portal closed behind him.

The portal had closed so quickly it almost seemed like Raiden was in a panic to get rid of it, not wanting to be sent back any time soon after all the effort it took for him to get this far.

Kung Lao was staring at Raiden in disbelief, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Dark red lighting sparked around his hands, and Kung Lao wasn't sure if that was a remnant of him summoning the rift in time, or if it was a threat to keep him still. Either way, it was intimidating.

Kung Lao had a look of horror on his face, like death had come for him, and there was nothing he could do. That's how he felt at least.

“Don’t look at me like that…” Raiden said, his brows furrowed in what seemed like genuine sadness.

Kung Lao couldn't help his expression, his worst case scenario had just come true, and he was standing right in front of him.

Raiden stood there for a moment, seemingly in awe as he gazed at the man he adored with all of his being.

“...” Raiden’s mouth was open but he didn't say anything. Raiden then started moving forward, which caused Kung Lao to immediately step backward, but before his back could hit the wall, Raiden’s arms were wrapped around him.

Kung Lao expected a barrage of words to be falling out of the other's mouth, but as Raiden’s arms enveloped his body he could feel the other man breathing in a hefty breath. Raiden pressed his body against Kung Lao’s, placing his forehead against his shoulder.

Kung Lao was frozen at first, unable to comprehend the absurdity of this situation. Kung Lao was expecting violence and anger, so this sudden softness was throwing him off. Kung Lao could feel the other's heavy breathing as Raiden took in his scent.

“God…” Raiden said as he let out his breath slowly, as if he were trying to hold in his excitement. “...I missed this..” Raiden said lovingly as he attempted to hold Kung Lao even tighter.

Though Kung Lao was certainly caught off guard, Raiden’s words had snapped him out of it. Kung Lao wriggled out of his past lover's tight grip, placing his hands on Raiden’s chest, and harshly pushed him off of him.

Normally, Kung Lao wouldn't have been so rough with someone hugging him, but he saw Raiden as a significant threat, so he didn't hold back. Raiden had been pushed away, and had tumbled to the ground. The push was aggressive, so he had fallen right on his ass.

Kung Lao fixed his posture, standing up straight with his feet apart, and his hands up in a defensive manner. He was doing his best to look intimidating, but the fact that he had just woken up was obvious as he had no shirt on, only a pair of sweatpants.

Kung Lao glanced aside, his hat was sitting against the bedside table behind him. He wasn't sure whether he should go for it or not, as turning around would easily leave him vulnerable, but then again, he fought best with his weapon of choice aiding him.

Kung Lao then glanced back down at Raiden who was sitting on the ground strangely calm. His head was tilted down so Kung Lao couldn't see his expression. His hands were flat on the ground, keeping himself upright as his breathing remained steady and calm. Kung Lao would have expected Raiden to blow up, but he was as calm as ever.

Kung Lao then twitched when he saw Raiden raise his head. What he didn’t expect to see though, were eyes full of adoration staring back up at him.

Raiden smiled and placed his hands on the ground. Kung Lao was confused at first, but when he saw Raiden start crawling toward him, his confusion only worsened. Kung Lao’s brows furrowed as Raiden placed one hand in front of the other, inching toward him on the ground. Kung Lao took a step back, but just like a moment ago, there wasn't much space he could escape with.

Kung Lao was stiff when he felt hands on his leg. Raiden reached for Kung Lao’s right leg, quickly wrapping his arms around it, attaching himself to the younger man.

Raiden pulled himself further so his chest was touching the other’s pants, his arms moving upward and gripping his thigh tightly. Raiden just started forward momentarily as Kung Lao looked down at him. Raiden then leaned his head forward and placed a kiss on his clothed thigh.

Kung Lao attempted to pull back, but Raiden’s grip was far too tight, like he was almost afraid to let go. Raiden then glanced up at Kung Lao, which made him flinch. Raiden raised his body so he was no longer sitting on the ground, he steadied himself on his knees and placed his lips against Kung Lao’s navel.

Kung Lao felt like he was stuck in a dream, or maybe a nightmare, he wasn't quite sure, but when he felt his lips against his bare skin that made him react.

Kung Lao had reeled his arm back quickly and clenched his fist, and not a moment later his fist met Raiden’s cheek harshly. Kung Lao couldn't deny the fact that he was hesitant to do so, after all, Raiden had a history of being rather aggressive. Kung Lao was sure he had hit him hard, but Raiden only loosened his grip around him, though his hands had snaked their way up to his waist, Raiden still on his knees, though he was holding his head further away.

Kung Lao could see he had a mark on his cheek where he was hit, but Raiden just turned his head and softened his eyes.

“...You held back..” Raiden said and Kung Lao frowned. He wanted to refuse, but the words wouldn't come out. Kung Lao found the other man’s smile almost creepy, after all, who would be grinning like that after being hit?

Kung Lao then tried again, reeling his arm back once more, but this time, Raiden placed a foot flat on the ground and started to stand up properly. Raiden smoothly followed Kung Lao’s arm with his own, grabbing the younger man’s wrist harshly before he could get another solid hit on him. Raiden then placed both feet flat on the floor and stood up straight. He fixed his posture, and it was now obvious who was taller, even if it wasn't by all that much.

Raiden had one hand holding Kung Lao’s wrist tightly, while he placed his other hand on Kung Lao’s shoulder, and let it slide down his arm till their hands met. Raiden attempted to lock their fingers together, but Kung Lao pulled away.

Raiden took in a deep breath, just like he did a few moments earlier. “Lao…” Raiden said, and Kung Lao’s heart skipped a beat at the nickname. He hadn't been called that in so long. “I missed you…” Raiden said as he looked into the other’s eyes.

Raiden’s eyes were lidded, and full of desire, but Kung Lao’s were wide and fearful. Raiden then frowned slightly, noticing his expression.

“Don't look so upset…” Radien said with a face that almost looked like a sad puppy.

Kung Lao furrowed his brows at his words, did he even know what he was saying? He was silent at first, but he eventually came up with the right words that were festering in his throat.

“How could I not be?!” Kung Lao asked aloud, fighting against Raiden’s grip.

Raiden’s eyes softened as he glanced away momentarily, as if he were sad. He let out a breath, then spoke. “This won't be like that last time…” Raiden said, his tone almost pleading, but Kung Lao couldn't believe that.

“My ass,” Kung Lao replied, knowing he had to be full of shit. “You've always been a fucking liar,” Kung Lao said almost too calm for the situation. Instead of a titan that threatened the safety of his timeline, Kung Lao felt as if he were simply talking to an ex who had wronged him.

The corner of Raiden’s lip twitched, but then his frown was back. “Lao…I just…” Raiden said as he attempted to grab his hand again, but Kung Lao had it balled in a tight fist. Raiden then sighed, and allowed his free hands to move and slide down to the younger man’s waist.

Kung Lao breathed in sharply when he felt Raiden’s hand settle on his waist. His fingers were pressing into his skin not harshly, but firmly, a feeling that was more telling than he noticed.

“Please…?” Raiden said softly as he moved his body forward, pressing his chest against his former friends.

Kung Lao pulled back slightly so they were no longer touching, but not a second later did Raiden move forward so they were once again.

Kung Lao grit his teeth and knit his brows together. “Fuck you,” he cursed out, but it was clear to both of them that there was a significant lack of venom in his words.

Raiden didn't even seem to mind his words, just smiling as he squeezed the other’s waist together and walked Kung Lao forward till his back hit the wall.

Kung Lao bit the inside of his cheek as he felt himself being walked back into the wall behind him. As soon as his warm skin felt the chill of the wall, he inherently focused on the heat of the other’s body against his.

“I love you…” Raiden said in reply to Kung Lao’s words as he leaned forward, and placed a kiss on his neck.

Kung Lao held back a hiss, not wanting to enjoy the feeling of Raiden’s mouth against him. He didn't want to, but as Raiden’s hand moved behind him and placed pressure on the small of his back, he couldn't help but feel his heartbeat start to quicken.

“You're gorgeous,” Raiden said as his lips traveled down his neck.

Raiden’s kisses were so delicate, almost like he was holding back as he lightly nipped at his skin. Kung Lao knew he wanted nothing more to mark him up, to bite at his skin and make him bleed, but right now, his lips and even his teeth were as light as a fairy’s.

Raiden groaned as his mouth made its way down to his collarbone, it was clear he wanted more, so much more.

Kung Lao hated this feeling, the feeling of being swept away in something he shouldn't. He tried to steady his heart rate, forcing his breathing to become more steady. Kung Lao then moved his free hand and grabbed Raiden’s face, forcing his head away from his body.

Kung Lao could feel his skin tingling at his touches and he knew he had to stop this before he’d do something he’d regret. Kung Lao tightened his fingers against Raiden’s cheeks, squishing them slightly as he held his face away and glared at him.

“Fuck off back to your timeline! I want nothing to do with you…” Kung Lao said. His words were vicious at first, but after his second sentence left his mouth, his words seemed to trail off ever so slightly.

Kung Lao could feel Raiden chuckle as he snapped his head away, forcing Kung Lao’s hand off his face. Raiden then shifted his hands, letting go of Kung Lao entirely for a moment. Raiden then replaced his left hand on Kung Lao’s back, mirroring the way his other hand was a moment earlier, as his right hand grabbed his left wrist.

Kung Lao was thrown off by the switch up, a familiar position as the one they were just in. Raiden’s eyes were still soft as he brought Kung Lao’s arm forward and placed his lips on the palm of his hand. Raiden closed his eyes as he did, kissing his hand adamantly which made Kung Lao flush.

“There's nothing worth shit in my timeline…” Raiden said, finally replying to Kung Lao’s words.

“But in this one..” Raiden said as he opened his eyes and allowed his lips to place another kiss on the underside of Kung Lao’s wrist. “... You're here,” Raiden finished his sentence as he then stuck out his tongue, and licked at Kung Lao’s wrist.

Kung Lao couldn't help himself but flush, that was such a sensitive area he was giving his attention to, and he felt vulnerable letting those teeth of his so close to it.

“Raiden…” Kung Lao said with a frown. “You can't be here,” Kung Lao said as Raiden pulled his face away.

“Wherever you are…that’s where I need to be,” Raiden said solemnly as he held the other’s hand tighter.

Kung Lao shook his head. “...” He paused, his heart racing as he came up with the right words to say. “You can't…be with me Raiden..” Kung Lao said Raiden seemed to freeze.

Raiden’s brows furrowed, an expression he surprisingly had not seen yet today as he glanced back up at him. “Why?” Raiden asked firmly as he stepped closer, his face inches away from his friend’s.

Kung Lao grimaced and bared his teeth. “You know why,” Kung Lao said simply knowing Raiden knew better than anyone as to why they had split in the first place.

“But I love you…” Raiden said, almost as if he were lost as his glare turned into a frown. Raiden looked like he was confused, panicked even.

“I…” Raiden said as he moved Kung Lao’s hand, placing it against his chest. Kung Lao was surprised that he was able to feel Raiden’s heartbeat, and it was beating quickly. “I love you more than anyone ever could..” Raiden said, but that was the problem.

“I'd do anything for you…” Raiden said, and Kung Lao knew that was more than true. “You're my entire world…Lao…” Raiden said, and there was that nickname again.

Kung Lao then turned his head away, not wanting the other man to see his expression. “..Don't call me that..” He said, hating the way he suddenly felt choked up.

“Lao…” Raiden said sweetly, in a tone that didn’t match the situation as Kung Lao turned his face further away.

“...Lao…?” Raiden asked in a sing-song voice, his words coming out slowly. Raiden then placed a hand on Kung Lao’s cheek, allowing his thumb to caress his face for a moment.

Kung Lao’s teeth were grit tightly as he felt pressure being put on his cheek. He tried to fight it at first, but eventually, his face was forced back to its original position. Kung Lao closed his eyes tightly, not even wanting to look at Raiden, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold back the feelings that had been trapped in his chest for all these years. He wasn't sure if he’d yell, cry, or hit him, but he knew he was on the brink of breaking.

Raiden admired Kung Lao’s face, knowing he’d happily stare at him for all eternity if he could. Raiden smiled, this is why he came to his timeline, why he’d fought so hard to get here, even if Kung Lao didn't want him. To see that gorgeous face of his, to hold this beautiful body of his, to taste his tanned skin, to devour him whole and never let him recover.

Radein just stared at Kung Lao. whose eyes were still closed shut. He then held Kung Lao’s face firmly, tilted his head, and leaned forward, closing his eyes as he placed his lips on the other man’s.

That got Kung Lao to open his eyes, but as soon as he did, Raiden leaned in and stuck his tongue in the other’s mouth, invading it as if it were his own. Kung Lao felt his heart leap out of his chest as he placed his hands on Raiden’s shoulders. Kung Lao attempted to push him away, but Raiden had slithered his fingers in Kung Lao’s hair and pulled on it tightly as he kissed him desperately.

Raiden almost didn't care about breathing, he only wanted to be intertwined with Kung Lao at any cost.

“Mmm,” Raiden groaned as their mouths danced together in what anyone could tell was a deeply debauched lust.

“Hahh..” Kung Lao breathed out as he forced his face away in order to be able to take a proper breath. His breathing was heavy, but Raiden didn't care. He simply placed both of his hands on Kung Lao’s cheeks and went in for another.

“Hngh-” Kung Lao moaned as he felt those lips against his again. They were so soft, but they were so aggressive.

Raiden felt intoxicated as he tasted the other’s saliva after what could only have been millennia. There were very few things he missed more than that taste, but luckily for him, they were all attached to the same body.

Raiden then pulled away, only because he needed to see the expression on his friend’s face. As soon as their tongues released from each other, Kung Lao looked hungry. His eyes were lowered, and his mouth was hanging open as he breathed in deep breaths. Raiden enjoyed the look of his wet lips and starving eyes, and who was he to deny the man he traveled universes for?

“ I know what you want..” Raiden said as he let his hands slowly trail down his body. Kung Lao knew he shouldn't give in to Raiden’s ministrations, but he always knew how to unravel him effortlessly.

“I always do…” Raiden finished his sentence as his fingers lightly traced Kung Lao’s nipples.

Kung Lao shivered, he really shouldn't be doing this right now. Kung Lao had his hand on the outside of Raiden’s arms as his fingers teased his chest. Kung Lao couldn't look anywhere but down as he watched Raiden slid his nipples between his fingers and slid them up and down.

Kung Lao clenched his teeth and hissed out a shiver, trying to hold himself back as best he could. Raiden didn't seem to approve of that though, and then pinched both of them roughly which had Kung Lao letting out a gasp in surprise.

“There it is..” Raiden said as he let one of his hands to drop away, only to be replaced with his mouth.

Raiden placed a kiss on Kung Lao’s right nipple, glancing up to see his face perfectly flushed and begging for more.

Raiden then stuck out his tongue and gave his nipple a long, slow lick, relishing the feeling of it after so long. “Hmm..” Raiden moaned as he covered Kung Lao’s pert bud in his saliva. Once the tip of his tongue got to it he pressed down roughly on his hard nipple, shuckling when he heard Kung Lao’s muffled moan.

Raiden then traced around it carefully, feeling a hand being placed in his hair as he did. Raiden then wrapped his lips back around his nipple, sucking on it adamantly as he glanced up again.

The look on Kung Lao’s face was indescribable and Raiden wanted to see more of his expressions.

Raiden then pulled his face away and switched to his other nipple, giving it a chaste kiss as his free hand played with the other one, lightly tracing the sensitive bud now soaked in his spit. Kung Lao had to hold himself back from pushing on Raiden’s head, wanting more of his mouth on his body.

Kung Lao hated how easily he fell apart under Radien’s sweet words, it had always been like this. He hated how even after all this time, he could still remember the way his bare skin felt pressed against his.

Raiden was sucking Kung Lao’s nipple adamantly, just loving the fact that he could taste his skin and hear the softness in his moans again. Raiden then pulled his face away and Kung Lao had to hold back any disappointed noises he wanted to make, but even without his voice, Raiden knew he was disappointed. After all, he never stopped thinking about him.

“You did always love when I sucked your nipples till they were red and sensitive,” Raiden said, and Kung Lao flushed. Hearing it out loud sounded so vulgar. “And I would continue, baby..” Raiden started as he lowered his body back down to the ground, now on his knees. “But I've been craving something else for eons…” Raiden said as he raised his hands and slipped his fingers under the hem of Kung Lao’s pants.

Kung Lao’s eyes widened when he felt his pants being quickly dropped to the floor. He flushed even brighter when he saw the way Raiden’s eyes glistened.

“No underwear…?” Raiden asked, glancing up at him briefly. Raiden then laughed. “Some things never change I suppose,” He said, remembering he never had underwear on in the past when they fucked.

Raiden then hummed as he placed his hands on Kung Lao’s bare thighs, squeezing his muscles slightly before he slid his hands down his legs, caressing his skin underneath. Raiden leaned his head forward, taking a deep breath in as he placed his nose right under Kung Lao’s balls. Raiden looked up, Kung Lao’s hard cock twitching right above his face.

“Raiden..” Kung Lao whispered, but Raiden didn't respond. Instead, he stuck out his tongue and placed it right at the base of his cock.

Kung Lao shivered and leaned against the wall as he felt Raiden’s tongue slowly moving up his shaft. Raiden’s tongue was delicate as it traced over every vein of Kung Lao’s dick. He shivered, closing his eyes as he felt the other’s tongue seemingly teasing him.

Raiden smiled as his tongue made its way up and eventually laying flat against his head. Raiden then kissed the tip of his cock which had Kung Lao sucking in air through his teeth. Raiden then placed another kiss, then another, then another, and another, until he felt Kung Lao’s grip in his hair tighten ever so slightly. It was hardly noticeable, but Raiden took each and every one of his movements and ingrained them into his mind.

Raiden then wrapped his lips around the tip of Kung Lao’s cock which had him taking a very shaky breath.

“Ngh…” Kung Lao tried to hold back his voice, but once he felt Raiden’s hot mouth sinking down on his dick he couldn't control himself any longer.

“Oh shit…” Kung Lao moaned as he opened his eyes, a wave of lust washing over him as he saw how Raiden’s lips looked wrapped around his dick.

Kung Lao’s mouth was parted in awe as he felt Raiden’s tongue rubbing against him lovingly. He had no trouble taking all of his length down his throat and he couldn't stop the way his voice couldn't stay stable.

“Oh fuh-...fuck..” Kung Lao stuttered out as he stared down at the scene under him.

It had been embarrassingly long since the last time he’d had his dick in somebody’s mouth, but that was simply one of the consequences of being the god of a timeline, the creator of the universe. It was a drawback he claimed he didn't miss very much, but at this very moment, for a second, he considered giving away his titan abilities if it meant he could have his cock down Raiden’s throat any time he wanted.

“Mhmm…yeah,” Kung Lao moaned as his eyes lidded. Once he could feel Raiden’s lips touching the base of his pelvis again, Kung Lao couldn't stop himself from putting pressure on Raiden’s head, forcing his head to stay there as his cock throbbed inside of his throat.

“Haughh….hah- oh fuck…” Kung Lao moaned as he held Raiden’s head steady. Raiden’s throat was so hot and tight around his dick, he almost felt like it was on fire. Kung Lao was leaning forward slightly as he forced Raiden to stay still. He felt so sensitive and he could feel the way he throbbed in his mouth.

Raiden then hummed, which had Kung Lao protesting in sensitive twitches and moans.

“Ahh- hahh...ngh..hahh..” Kung Lao let out as he felt the vibrations along his cock. This felt too good, dangerously so, and Raiden knew that's what he was thinking. Raiden then pulled his head away, letting Kung Lao’s cock slide out of his mouth and fling back up.

Raiden coughed and took a deep breath once his cock was free, though he very much enjoyed having it down his throat. Kung Lao’s scent was intoxicating, but his taste was almost making him feel drunk.

Raiden had one desire, one thing that had been on his mind since before he had even got here, which is why he had stopped so soon. Raiden glanced up at Kung Lao whose breathing was heavy already. Raiden smiled as he placed his hand on the back of Kung Lao’s right thigh, and lifted it up.

Kung Lao was caught off guard with his leg being forcefully raised. He placed his hands on the wall behind him, pressing all his weight on it so he could stay upright.

“Raiden..?” Kung Lao asked as he tried to catch his breath, but before he could get another word out, Raiden’s face was being pressed in between Kung Lao’s ass.

Kung Lao’s posture stiffened significantly, and he hadn't even realized he was slouching so much. He let out a rather loud whine as he felt Raiden’s tongue right against his hole, and that was his weakness.

Raiden was holding Kung Lao’s thigh as far apart as he could, as his other hand was gripping Kung Lao’s ass, spreading him apart as best he could as he shoved his tongue in between them.

This. This was what Raiden had been craving for ages. It was like a drug to him. To Raiden, there was nothing so delectable in any realm, and now, he felt so incredibly starved, and he was going to get his fill.

“Mmm,” Raiden groaned as his tongue circled Kung Lao’s tight hole. Raiden wished he could see his meal, but he couldn’t because of the position he was in. Raiden just knew it looked as delectable as it tasted, wanting more and more by the second.

“So good..” Raiden said, but Kung Lao could hardly make out what he said as his words were muffled in between his cheeks.

Kung Lao hissed when he felt Raiden’s tongue plunging into him and he leaned back, wanting more of the feeling as his tongue impaled his hole. Raiden wrapped his lips around Kung Lao's pucked hole, almost as if he were making out with it. He pressed his face in further, but his tongue could only get so far, which frustrated him.

“Ugh-ngh- hahhh..” Kung Lao moaned as he tried to make out words, but he was so desperate for more he couldn't make out anything but that.

“More…ahhh fuck-” Kung Lao moaned as he felt Raiden's tongue licking at his walls.

Raiden seemed like he could never be sated as his grip on Kung Lao’s legs was so rough it was almost bruising him, but Kung Lao could hardly notice as he felt himself getting closer to orgasm from just his mouth attacking all of his most sensitive places.

“Oh my god- hngh…” Kung Lao moaned out desperately, but that's when Raiden pulled his mouth away, and this time, Kung Lao loudly protested with a disappointed sigh.

Raiden licked his lips as he spread his legs apart further. He looked up at the sight above him, and it was like he fell in love all over again. His asshole was so tight and so fucking pink. It looked swollen from his tongue trading him, but it was clenching around nothing, as if his hole was just begging to be destroyed.

“Hahh..” Raiden moaned as he stared up at Kung Lao’s hole.

“Im gonna fuck that hole, “ Raiden said, though he meant it as more of a promise than anything.

Kung Lao felt a shiver run down his spine as Raiden spoke, and at this point, he wanted nothing more than for Raiden to keep that promise of his.

Raiden then stood up, allowing Kung Lao’s leg to be placed back down on the ground, but not for very long. Raiden smirked as he took a step forward, leaning in and placing a passionate kiss on Kung Lao’s lips. Kung Lao could taste his hole on Raiden’s lips, and he was disappointed when he pulled his mouth away so quickly.

Raiden chuckled. “I thought you wanted me to fuck off,” Raiden said with a smile but Kung Lao just glared at him, scoffed, and pushed him away slightly.

Kung Lao then turned and bent over his bed, his chest laying flat on his sheets as he reached backward and spread himself open for Raiden to take.

Raiden’s eyes widened, he definitely wasn't expecting that. He blinked a few times as Kung Lao spread his asscheeks apart, revealing that sweet little hole of his that had Raiden wrapped around it. Raiden’s eyes lowered as he stared at how it clenched and loosened, Kung Lao was so irresistible, so much so it had him traveling timelines, and it was most certainly worth it, just for this.

Raiden then took a step forward and placed a hand on Kung Lao’s bare ass. He rubbed it softly, admiring how smooth it was before he squeezed it rather tightly. His ass was like jelly, and he couldn't help himself but give it a firm slap.

Raiden raised his hand, and then quickly dropped it, hitting Kung Lao’s ass harshly which made him let out a desperate cry. Raiden chuckled, and did it again, enjoying the way his flesh jiggled after it was hit.

Raiden quickly leaned his head down and kissed the area he had hit. He caressed it softly, then placed a soft kiss there. Raiden then smiled against his skin as he opened his mouth and bit rather roughly down on his ass, causing Kung Lao to yelp.

Raiden pulled away to see his work, loving how his teeth looked marked on that ass of his. Raiden then leaned down once more and placed a kiss on Kung Lao’s twitching hole. He pulled back up.

“Fuck Raiden…Fuck..” Kung Lao moaned in frustration as he spread himself apart further. He was so horny it was embarrassing, and Kung Lao felt pathetic at how he’d fallen apart like this, but the only thought on his mind was Raiden’s cock fucking him until he couldn't speak.

“Oh Lao…” Raiden said sweetly as he rubbed his ass cheek with one hand, and unbuttoned his pants with the other.

Raiden’s eyes were fixated on his hole as he tightened and begged for him to fuck him senseless.

Kung Lao preened at the nickname, remembering the times he had used it so long ago when he was balls deep, buried inside of him.

Raiden had pulled his cock out and started stroking himself. He was already rock hard, and he had been that way since he was on the ground, kissing at Kung Lao’s leg.

“I’ll help you, don't worry,” Raiden said as he stroked his cock and aligned his tip with his hole.

“Oh, it's so wet…” Raiden said in a whisper as if he were in awe, even though he was the one who had made it so wet in the first place.

Kung Lao moaned as he felt the tip of his cock right against his hole. He felt a wave of pure debauchery flossing his body as he imagined how that dick of his would feel as it was shoved inside. God, he wanted it so bad. He wanted to be fucked, it was the only thing he could think about, how shameless could he be.

But when Kung Lao felt Raiden’s cock start to push inside of him, all he could do was moan and enjoy it.

“Just like that…” Raiden said as he took in a deep breath as he slid his cock inside of Kung Lao.

Both of them were surprisingly silent as Raiden's cock slid inside, stopping at first as his head was enveloped by otherworldly warmth. Raiden was already out of breath, but he continued, and slid himself inside of Kung Lao’s ass even further, only stopping once his entire length was inside of him.

Kung Lao’s mouth was hanging open as he shivered and twitched at the feeling of being full. He could feel that tight, painful stretch around his rim, but that cock inside of him felt like nothing but heaven.

“Good boy…” Raiden praised as he placed his hands on Kung Lao’s hips, and slowly started pulling out of him.

Kung Lao was laying there in anticipation as the other pulled out, but he was quickly satisfied once he felt his hips snap back, his cock being shoved deeply inside of him as he cried out in pure pleasure.

“Ah! Ahh-uhh- fuuck..” Kung Lao moaned out as he gripped the sheets on his bed tightly.

Raiden held the others' hips tightly, living how vocal Kung Lao had become, a sharp contrast from how they’d started.

“Oh, Kung Lao..” Raiden said as he slammed his cock into the other man, Kung Lao moaning pathetically with every single one of his thrusts.

“I'm never letting go of you…” Raiden said as his heart was full of desire, of want, of pure need.

Raiden chuckled as his pace stayed quick and unrelenting, seemingly exactly what Kung Lao wanted. “I'm all you'll ever need Lao,” He said lovingly, but Kung Lao couldn't even think as his ass was being pounded into jelly.

His ass felt so soft, his insides were so plush and delectable, it was hot and tight and Raiden didn't ever want to pull out.

Raiden smiled as he fucked into the other man at a quicker pace. “Y'know…” Raiden said, letting his words trail off playfully as he felt a fire building inside of him. “I’d make you pregnant if I could…” Raiden said, and Kung Lao shivered at those words, and he wasn't sure why.

“Haughh..nghhh-ahh..ahh..!” Kung Lao moaned out loudly, ad if an indication of how close he was since he was being fucked too good to speak.

“So good..” Raiden said as he watched the way his cock slid in and out of that tight hole of his. “I'm going to cum in you,” Raiden said as he continued his motions. “Paint your warm hole with my cum..” Raiden said as if he were in a trance.

“Yeah…” Raiden said as he pounded into Kung Lao, whose legs were twitching frantically.

Raiden couldn't believe just how in love he was with the man under him, in fact, love seemed like a frivolous word compared to how his heart wanted to eat him whole. There was nothing he wanted so purely in any world other than the man he had right now, and there was no chance he’d ever let go of him, not when he knew he was all he needed.

If it only meant that he’d stay with him forever, Raiden would happily rip out his heart and allow Kung Lao to feast on it entirely.

Raiden didn't know how to convey how utterly he needed Kung Lao, but he figured he’d have time for all of that in the eons they would now have together, for Raiden had no intention of letting Kung Lao out of his sight any longer.

“You're mine, Kung Lao,” Raiden said with a glint in his eyes as he gripped his hips tightly.

“Hnghh…fuhh..” Kung Lao could hardly get out a full word as he felt himself losing it.

“Go on…cum with my dick inside of you,” Raiden said with a smile. “Just like how you used to..” Raiden said and Kung Lao couldn’t help but oblige as he came all over his bed and stomach without having to be touched.

“Ahh- oh fuckk..Ahh..” Kung Lao moaned as his eyes rolled back.

Raiden smiled genuinely, feeling pure adoration as the love of his life came while skewered on his dick. There was nothing so pleasurable.

“So good for me,” Raiden moaned as he gripped his hips tightly. “Squeezing so tight like that..” Raiden said with half a moan as Kung Lao squeezed down on his shaft because of his orgasm.

“My cum’s gonna drip out of you..” Raiden said, his speech almost slurred as he felt himself come undone as he came inside Kung Lao’s tight hole.

“Ahhh..Hahh..ugh..” Raiden moaned out as he threw his head back, feeling himself spilling his white, hot pleasure inside of the love of his life.

“Oh- god- ahhh..” Raiden moaned as he came far more than either of them were expecting.

Kung Lao could feel cum filling up his insides, and he shivered as Raiden bottomed out inside of him one last time.

Kung Lao was groaning against the bed, only now loosening his grip on the now-ruined sheets of his bed. His legs and cock were twitching as he tried to come back from the most intense orgasm he’s had in years.

“No one could ever fuck you like this,” Raiden said as he rubbed Kung Lao’s back comfortingly. “Stay with me, Lao…” Raiden said, leaning down so he could kiss his back. "Through all timelines...to any extent...for all eternity..." Raiden said with a pause as he met the others' gaze.

Kung Lao turned his face and Raiden took the opportunity to place a hand on his cheek and bring his face closer.

“...I'll have you…” Raiden finished his sentence and he placed his lips on Kung Lao’s, and caught him in a kiss.

#mk1 smut #mortal kombat #railao #raiden x kung lao #smut

[nayfen]

Fanfic: These Fleeting Nights (1/9)

Read the full chapter on AO3

V lay on her back, mind flowing like a waterfall, cascading thoughts of the last year through the synaptic pathways of her mind. Sleep was a rare commodity of late, and the primary factor this early morning was the lack of a certain terrorist sharing her mind. Johnny Silverhand. It’d been a few weeks since her jaunt inside Mikoshi and she’d not quite come to terms with what happened or with the fact that she was now alone in her head. She’d gotten used to it, and with him gone... it was too quiet. 

“Johnny?” 

There was nothing. No reply. Just silence, an emptiness. A tear slipped down V’s cheek. She missed him. Despite everything, she missed the arsehole. 

She lay on her sleeping bag, pitch dark and quiet like nothing she’d heard; she hated it. Panam promised she’d get used to it soon, but it was full-on! Gone were the sirens, the shouts, the songs. The constant dull drone of traffic and tech buzzin’ relentlessly. Now, she could hear… the wind. An untimely gust here, the flap of a loose tarp here. The odd cough from one of her new family members, the Aldecaldos.  

Her eyes were wide open, staring blankly upwards into the darkness, gradually adjusting to the low light. They felt heavy and yet stuck, forced open by some invisible force, paralysed in place. She felt that if she were to close them, it would cause physical pain. Despite herself, she blinked, and sighed in relief as the lids refreshed her eyes, pain-free tears moistening her corneas. She drew in a deep breath and listened to the sounds around her and heard the sweet and gentle purr of Judy sleeping beside her, and Nibbles curled up on Judy’s discarded dungarees; she couldn’t decide who was loudest between the two of them. 

It was nice having Nibbles with them; a small hairless stray Cat V had befriended in her Megatower apartment complex. Panam was not best pleased with V when she rocked up with her carry case under her arm, something she needed to buy new, along with a rucksack with an adorable little cat pouch allowing for travel with your kitty companion. She got a little carried away in the shop. Nibbles was enjoying being out of the city instead of being cooped up in that apartment on her own. She thought... she was difficult to read. She was definitely more vocal and was a lot clingier with her. Judy was still warming up to Nibbles, convinced that she had an ‘agenda.’ She tried to blink, to reset her brain, move onto something else and stop her brain from processing.  

She heard crickets. The high chirping relentless sound of crickets. It was soothing, sort of. Rhythmic, constant; reminiscent of the incessant hiss of technology, the sound of something, somewhere, drawing power from the grid. But it was such a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Night City, and she still wasn’t used to it; it was unsettling.  

That wasn’t to say that she missed Night City, fuck no! She loved the distance, glad to see the back of it. But like an earworm of some shit-yet-catchy gang-bangers remix, she couldn’t seem to be rid of it. It plagued her mind most days- racing through the events that led them here; Kompeki Plaza, the Relic, Evelyn Parker, the Voodoo boys, Arasaka, downing a Kang Tao AV for Hellman, Dogtown and Songbird, that damned Cynosure lab. 

She sat up, defeated at yet another failed night’s sleep. As quietly as she could, she slipped on her clothes and tip-toed to the tent flap. Nibble’s head shot up at the slight disturbance and frowned at her as if to say ’You dare wake me from my slumber, Human!’  

She raised an eyebrow at her, “Chill, Nibbles!” she whispered as quietly as she could, peeking back at Judy to see if she’d stirred. She lay on her back, arm draped over her forehead, her mouth slightly open, drooling on the pillow. ‘So pretty’ she thought, stifling a giggle. She turned back to Nibbles, who had settled back down. 

V slipped out of the tent into the gloom of camp. It’d been two days since they had fled Night City and set up a temporary camp fifty or so miles away before heading southeast to Arizona. They were waiting. Cassidy hadn’t reached the rendezvous point after the storm and the Nomads were on edge. It wasn’t like him to get lost in a storm, so the only alternative was that something went wrong. He was either stuck somewhere or… worse.  

V crept through the camp, passing tents and lean-to’s and, predictably her eyes spotted a familiar figure on the ridge with a small elec-light beside them. She climbed her way up and sat down beside her. 

“Evenin’ V!” Panam said in an overly chirpy tone. She was wrapped in a blanket, protected against the cold early morning air. Her eyes were red and puffy, even in the low glow of the pitiful lantern between them. V raised an eyebrow. 

“Come on Pan… relax, it’s me!” she replied, holding out her arms. Panam broke almost immediately, falling into V’s arms and sobbing into her shoulder. “I know… Let it out girl,” she whispered as she rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. 

After a good five minutes, she came up for air. “Thanks, V…” Panam said gratefully, wiping her nose and cheeks, “I needed that...” 

“You missed a bit,” replied V, brushing a tear smear from her cheek. She pulled her closer for warmth, pulling the edge of the blanket around her shoulder. They sat and looked out at the view of the camp and the surrounding desert.  

“I’m sorry, V... I’m all over the place right now...” She awkwardly moved her hand up to her face to wipe her eyes and remove a strand of hair out of her mouth whilst trying to stay wrapped up tightly. 

“Hey, I feel you… we should be on cloud nine right now, but…” she trailed off as her thoughts returned to the awful moment inside Mikoshi. She shook her head and stared off into the distance. 

They sat quietly for a spell before Panam turned away and began to fidget with the sleeve of her jacket. 

“Um… V?” she said timidly, pulling at a loose thread. 

“Yeh?” she replied, turning her head expectedly.  

“You… uh. You think I’m a good leader?” She asked, staring off into the distance. V touched Panam’s knee for comfort. 

“Yeah, ‘course. At least… I think you try to be,” she said cautiously, trying to be honest but kind. 

Panam turned her head suddenly, “What… what do you mean by that?” She asked, a slight hint of panic in her voice. 

V rubbed the nape of her neck, “You’re a new leader, Panam. A new leader that’s been through shit! You’re grievin’. Heck, we all are. Scorpion, Bob, Teddy. Saul... Plus with Cassidy being…” 

“Don’t say it, V!” Panam snapped suddenly, her eyes full of fear and on the verge of bursting again. 

“I wasn’t… was gonna say missin’,” She replied, moving her hand to her shoulder, and causing the blanket to fall off and a wave of chilly air made her shiver. She pulled it back over her and continued. “Truth is… even if you were the best leader around… right now…?” V paused, her words feeling false in her mouth. “What I mean is... you’re allowed a moment, you know?” V said softly and patted her knee again reassuringly. 

Panam relaxed a little with a sigh, “Yeah… I guess you’re right V. It’s been… Fuck… it’s been bad... let’s not sugar coat it!” She bit, kicking the edge of the ridge with her heel causing a scattering of rocks and grits cascading down the rocky outcrop. 

“A real shitshow yeah…” V replied, guilt flooding back through her mind. “Pan, it’s all my fucking fault! All of it!” 

“Fuck V, enough of that shit!” she retorted angrily. “You’re family now dammit!” Panam barked loudly, her voice echoing out into the darkness. She pulled V into a one-armed hug. “I’ve told you already, it’s not on you...” She murmured, sensing a need for her to provide the comfort now. 

“I just…” V began, sobbing softly as the last few weeks filled her mind again. “I’m all over the fucking place too, Pan! If it wasn’t for you and Judy, I’d just give the fuck up right now and end it!” The darkness seeped out of her, flooding the depths of her mind, unwanted and unbothered by its imposing presence. 

“V! Don’t talk like that! We will fix you, got it!” She urged, squeezing tightly. “We will fix you…” She squeaked, joining V as tears filled her eyes. 

They sat together in silent sobs, waiting for the sadness to subside and for the sun to rise over the cliffs. When the warmth started gently caressing their faces, they heard the distant roar of an engine, shouting its echoed chant on the wind, its tyres churning up the dust. Mitch was back. 

Panam leapt down from the ridge and stalked across the camp, and V followed in her wake. ‘Please let it be good news,’ V thought in desperation. Mitch’s Gecko pulled to a stop, caked in sand and dust. Panam and a handful of others gathered around and waited as the door swung open. A few beats of bated breath came before Mitch rose from the car. And clung to his shoulder, a dust-covered, tired and dishevelled Cassidy. 

A cheer erupted from the crowd as Panam launched herself towards them both in a choking bear hold.  

“Jesus Panam! Gimme a little air would yah!” replied Mitch struggling to breathe. Panam released them, tears swelling. 

“Sorry… I…” she struggled, lost for words. V moved in to help Mitch support Cassidy. 

“He’s severely dehydrated, found his car, ass sticking out the dirt, nose fully buried… hard to tell what the hell happened but, seemed the cabin was sealed and had just about enough air for him to hold out! Lucky bastard!” Mitch sneered with a smile. He looked down at Cassidy. 

“Lucky! Pfff… that damn storm…” growled Cassidy, hoarse and barely audible, “…was worse… than I thought… sent me… flyin’ down a… canyon… and…” He sputtered, coughing between every word before he coughed himself silent, wheezing. 

“Ok… Ok, we’ll hear all about it tonight, Cass, but right now, let’s get some fluids in yah, Kay?” Panam said, ushering them into camp past the cheering onlookers. 

“You damn fool, near gave me a heart attack!” yelled Carol, swooping in and driving her shoulder into V to peel Cassidy away. “I got him!” She barked, as they carried him off towards the medical tent. V shook her head and held back and saw Panam turn. A smile beamed across her face, and she mouthed, ‘Thank you’. V replied with a smile.  

‘Wow… how about that, Johnny? A bit of good luck for a change…’ V thought happily in her mind, reaching out into the depths. Silence. 

Back at their tent, she entered to find a waking Judy. “Hey, you…” V purred watching her stretching out of her sleeping bag.  

Her multi-toned, pink and green hair was dishevelled, swooping across her head, strands of which were all upended at awkward angles. She wore a small grey tank top, one shoulder of which had slipped down off her shoulder as she slipped out to lean on her elbows. A sleepy smile formed on her face. 

“Heeey!” she replied in a low growl. “You sleep all right?” She yawned, rubbing her eyes sleepily. 

“Nope,” V spat plainly, and flumped down beside her, planting a quick kiss on her lips. 

“Oh no really…? Still struggling huh? Well… I for one am loving the quiet!” Judy replied, a big grin on her face. She looked adorable in the mornings. 

“Glad to hear it. Want some breakfast?” V asked, hopping back up. 

“Mmmhmm… Please, I’ll uh… I’ll wait here…” She said as she stretched out, causing her sleeping bag to slip down further. She wriggled free of it and kicked it aside revealing her favourite blue shorts and her long, beautiful, tattooed legs. She stretched them out, leaned back and added, “I’ll be waiting...” She flicked her hair back and shook, as it flopped about doing absolutely nothing to it. If anything, it now looked messier. V giggled before heading back outside.  

She headed across camp to find Miguel had beaten her to the grill and was cooking up a storm of sausages and synth meat. The smell was intoxicating. 

“Oh boy! Can I get in on that, Miguel?” She asked, her mouth literally watering. 

“Of course, Hermana!” He called out, as her translation subs appeared in her lower peripheral vision translating Hermana to Sister. He picked up a couple tortillas from a stack beside him. “Anything for you and your chica, eh?”-girl. Miguel said with a wink and fixed up a couple of breakfast quesadillas. “There you go, V, enjoy, eh?” 

“Gracias, Miguel, realmente!”-Thank you, really. V replied, giving him a quick hug in thanks. 

She walked back to the tent and the picnic table outside, “Rise and shine! Breakfast on the table!” She called across to the tent. She laid out the quesadillas and glided across to grab some cans from the cooler when her holo pinged with a message… from Judy. She raised her eyebrows and swung back around to the tent, the cold cans numbing her hands. She wiggled her head through the tent flap. “You just ping me or have I got a virus?” She asked, confused. 

“Hah… Yeah, I did, but…uh, don’t watch it yet! Be out in a sec, OK?” Judy said nervously. She was half dressed, wearing her go-to black bra and was pulling on her dungarees.  

“OK... I would press you on it, but these cans are so frickin’ cold!” She cried out, freeing her head and dropping them down onto the table. 

V sat down, and for the first time in three days, she felt a sense of calm. With Cassidy back, they’ll be on the move again any day now and they could finally leave Night City far in the dust. On a clear night, she swore she could almost see the towering lights from camp. It was probably her imagination, like a ghost image burned into her retinas. No doubt everyone would feel better when that was no longer the case.  

They had, after all, attacked not only Arasaka Tower but a Militech-controlled checkpoint and Night Corp construction site to get there, not to mention busting out with stolen Arasaka tech and the stolen Militech Basilisk. They were on a few shit lists, and the sooner they made themselves scarce the better. Being here in this camp felt like being in a kind of limbo, but once they moved on, V felt like her life might resume. What was left of it... 

Six months. Or maybe more, according to Alt Cunningham, rogue AI and ex-output to Johnny Silverhand. She’d “overlooked the human factor,” the toll the Relic put on the body. Her body! Though, according to Alt, it wasn’t hers anymore. It was Johnny’s. And she, V, was now nothing but a passenger, a fucking cancer, sitting in a borrowed shell. An engram. Fuck! Was she… was she even a person anymore, or just a collection of synaptic wavelengths of emulated consciousness? Did she have a soul? Hurt her fucking head just thinking about it. 

The one thing she knew for sure though was that she wasn’t about to give up; ‘Saul didn’t die for nothing...’ she thought to herself. She didn’t go to hell and back and risked everything for six fucking months… not if she could help it. Not now she had something to lose. Someone… 

“Hey!” Judy chirped, appearing from the tent, “Oh... Miguel’s quesadilla?” 

“MmmHmm… come on, they’ll get cold!” V said, passing Judy’s across the table. 

“Can’t have that!” She beamed broadly and sat down across from her. She took a big bite, closing her eyes and moaning as she savoured the taste. “Mmm... fuck that’s good! What seasoning does he use!” 

“No one knows, he mixes it himself or so I’ve heard... man’s got a gift, considering what he’s working with!” V giggled. 

Nomad life wasn’t the most glamorous; something the both of them were still adjusting to. Having hot food and running water was a surprise to them; they imagined washing in rivers, eating wild bugs and protein bars, huddled around campfires for warmth. There was a surprising amount of tech involved in the camp, most of which was admittedly sat idle in this temporary camp. But they still had the gas stoves, the heated water trucks for showers and well... campfires for the evening, because some things just work. 

It wasn’t exactly what V had in mind when she decided to leave Night City with Judy, but it was a pretty good start.

Read the rest on AO3

#cyberpunk2077 #cp77 #judy alvarez #judyalvarez #v cp77 #judy cyberpunk #cyberpunk 2077 #fanfic #judy and v

[carvr00m]

Referring to Asriels actions as simple mistakes and saying he's going to be a better person doesn't matter. Because he did kill people. His resurrection was a mistake. But that doesn't matter. He didn't lash out because he couldn't feel anything. He killed people because he didn't care anymore. He even said it himself. He tried sparring everyone he tried getting people to the surface and he tried killing everyone but every time he was simply just unsatisfied with the results. If everyone's happy and he's not then what's the point in his eyes. Asriel killed hundreds of people in countless timelines because he was bored. In my eyes he's a self absorbed lunatic when he's flowey and a lost child trying to justify his mistakes when he's Asriel. Omega flowey is a testimony to the actual person flowey became. He absorbed 6 human souls and killed his own father for what. Just to kill the player again and again and again and again. Just to make them suffer. Asriel atleast had an actual reason if the player managed to win he'd break the barrier and let everyone free. But omega flowey just didn't have a plan. His plan was literally if the player wins he'll allow a reset. Flowey is irredeemable. There I said it

I don't see why that'd make Flowey irreedemable. The fact the power to reset was one of the main reasons he became like that in the first place combined with him not being able to care just makes it even more possible for him to heal after the pacifist ending.

I don't think Asriel's actions are easily justifiable and "simple mistakes", it's literally what drastically changed him while he was soulless and something big to represent how thinking there are no consequenses to what you do can make you do inimaginable things. You have the option to forgive him or not after all, it's up to you. Flowey has a lot of parallels to the player on the genocide run and is there to represent how your actions do have consequenses, while the power to reset makes you believe they don't.

Flowey, after trying literally everything possible to keep himself entertained, turned to murder as a last alternative and it turned out to be much more amusing than being kind, which ended up becoming somewhat "addicting" to him. But then it came a point where even that became tiring and boring, too predictable. Flowey just wants to fill his life with new things, and the power to reset made him leech off everything possible as he was desperate because of the fact he was soulless and had nothing else to do, cause, what'd be the point of living in a world without love? for him, he probably thought he didn't have a reason to continue his life normally as it wouldn't benefit him at all.

After the pacifist ending, where he understands the gravity of the things he did and finally comes in terms with stuff about Chara he tries to sepparate himself from Flowey as he doesn't want Frisk to think of him as the same person who hurt them, he wants to believe it wasn't him. He thinks the moment he goes back to being soulless he will be a murderer again and doesn't want people to see him. But you can't really take everything he says very seriously, as it isn't entirely true.

When you open the game again, he specifically begs you not to Reset and let Frisk and everyone else live their lives and be happy. He doesn't aprove the power he abused before anymore and wants things to move forward, it's completely the opposite from all the reasons he became murderous in the first place. I really doubt that on the surface, not having the power to reset anymore and having plenty of other things to explore and see, he would try to kill anyone and go back to being the same monster he was back when he was trying to kill you. It is a VERY different situation from when he first woke up as a flower.

He also shows that he can care, even if a little bit, as he matches scarves with papyrus and put Toriel to bed when she was passed out drunk in the garage, which is very contradictory with him supposedly not being able to care for others as he did that twice. It's even more surprising when you think about the first time he did that back in the ruins was most likely on the same time-line Frisk fell, as Toriel is capable of remembering the event.

#asks #flowey #asriel

[ultrakatua]

The Engage Maddening Experience, Part 1: I have no stats and I must kill (ch. 1 to 11)

I’m making this series because people liked the 3H one and I think it can be useful if you want to try Maddening and are too afraid of it. I’m not a min-maxxer nor an expert at these games in any capacity. But you know what they say, if it works, it works!

Since you can roughly divide the game in three parts in terms of gameplay and roster, I think that’s what I’m going to do here.

Anyway, I wanted this run to be as “pure” as possible, so the rules were simple:

-no dlc

-no online features

-no update weapons

-no FEH stuff

-no RNG rigging to get good rings

I also wanted to use units I’ve ignored in my first run. But since this is Maddening mode and the jump in difficulty from Hard is like... Really high, I still wanted to use some units I was familiar with and I knew could carry me to some degree. These picks were Chloé, and Ivy (not pictured in this thread since she joins late chapter 11 and I cannot talk about her performances just yet).

Maddening mode, for those unaware, appart from the usual changes in enemy stats and variety, comes with some peculiarities:

no hard saves within a chapter

the AI won’t attack if it hits for 0 both in damage and in hit rates

EXP gains are halved

Bosses cannot be broken, and weapon effectiveness doesn’t exist against them

there are no skirmishes

the Tower doesn’t reset the Somniel

the level up growths are fixed

That’s pretty much it. Points 2, 3 and 4 are really what make the mode difficult, because they change entirely how you’d approach the game.

Let’s jump into it

The prologue is nothing to write about, it’s pretty straightforward. Most chapters actually play like Hard mode, except, you know, harder.

The most important part is to pick 3 to 4 units and to funnel everything you’ve got in them so they can carry you through what’s arguably the hardest chapters of this first part: chapter 5 and 10. If you don’t do this, these units will also be unsuable later on.

Your most important rings are Marth, Sigurd and Micaiah. Marth and Micaiah allow you to earn EXP. In this game, EXP is link with SP, and therefore with Skills. So the nerf in EXP also makes it you’re nerfed on several levels.

Marth with level 10 bond gives you access to Mercurius, and Mercurius doubles EXP gains. Basically, stick Marth on people you want to level up and make sure you use the arena to get level 10 bond with him. Mine was on Alear, then Yunaka, then Chloé, with the objective of reaching 1000 SP on them before chapter 10 so I could teach them Canter.

Speaking of Canter, Sigurd is your most important unit in terms of fire power. He comes with Momentum, a skill that adds 1 attack by number of tiles crossed to attack the enemy. It’s strong because Sigurd also gives shittons of moves. I put it on Chloé and it made sure she could one-round stuff she usually couldn’t have. In terms of bosses, I would park her far away but in reach regardless just so I could exploit the skill to its maximum potential.

Micaiah is free EXP for whoever is wielding her. That’s it.

Basically your strat will be to use these rings on the units you intend to use long term. The other units deployed can still pull their weight and contribute, but they won’t gain significant EXP, and they SHOULDN’T. To give you an idea, Boucheron, whom I used in every map, was merely level 5 at chapter 11. But he was there to chain attack, so he was useful in his own way. Some other units will be unusuable if you don’t invest into them. Alfred comes to mind.

One thing with Maddening is that your units hit like wet noodles and it’s really hard not to get overwhelmed since the AI is so aggressive. Engage mode becomes more than a clutch, it’s something you’re using ALL THE TIME to kill things that need to be killed right now. Support capabilities like Alear’s personal skill and Yunaka’s poison are also king. You literally NEED that extra 1 point of damage per attack. 

Anyway, here’s the roster for this first part:

At this point in time, Alear is still a fairly offensive unit, but that won’t last for long. I picked the Avoid skill for her because I like her in the frontline, but Canter would have been a better choice. Divine Inspiration (+3 atk, -1 damage taken to adjacent ally) is probably the best personal skill in the game because its flat damage. ie, it ignores def. Good to abuse with daggers.

Not much to say about her except I’ll probably reclass her to Thief at some point.

Chloé is probably one of the best unit in the game or at least for half of it (we’ll see if she falls off later). Sigurd gave her some punch, but so did the Energy drop I gave her + Angelic Robe to help her survive. Canter on her is optimal I believe. Forge her an iron Lance and she can one-round most of the maps early on. I picked wyvern for the extra punch.

Céline is the hardest hitting unit you get in terms of magical damage until you get Citrinne, and even there she can double when Citrinne cannot. Chloé is also HARD carried by Célica. I went with her personal class but later on, I think I’ll reclass her to Martial Monk of High Priest since her offense isn’t really anything to write home about long term. I could just bench her, but that wasn’t the plan. TOGETHER WE RIDE (and die).

I actually used Jean on Hard, but I benched him later on as I put him in a shit class that really didn’t make use of his stat growths. I stuck Micaiah on him and he’s budget Hortensia for now. We’ll see how it goes... It’s a bit sad he doesn’t actually have innate Staff proficiency, so he’s stuck with C staves...

ngl I compared her stats to Zelkov on his join chapter and it was just sad. I don’t think he’ll be any better than her in the long run and Lucina and Alear support make it so she can poison even with shit attack. So that’s what she’s here for: poisonning and facetanking. She’s also hit by the “enemy will forever ignore her” curse because she’s so dodgy, so you can’t break the game in half with her like you could in Hard. Having a dedicated support is still nice, though.

He sucked in Hard, so I made the most rational decision and I gave him All the Forged Weapons. He’s doing fine for now. More chain attackers is always good. I just don’t think Diamant is a good unit...

Amber has insane strength and a personal skill that boosts his hit rate. Bow Knight seemed like a good match, especially because it fixes his speed stat. And that’s what you want to do. Speedy Amber = enemy is dead 100%. We’ll see how he evolves but I’m very happy with him so far. You really want bow users in this game, and I’m not using Alcryst this time around...

And that’s it for the early game units! Everyone else was benched by the end of chapter 11.

Obligatory deaths:

-Etie, took an axe in the face chapter 5 so I could kill this horrible boss

-Jade, whom I didn’t recruit because I was left between letting her die, or face tanking Kagetsu, and you don’t face tank Kagetsu

Chapter difficulty rating:

10 > 5 > everything else

It mostly played like Hard mode except these two. Chapter 10 has a really, really difficult start because Hortensia actually moves. Chapter 5 has a really hard finish with the boss and his squad rushing you + you don’t have access to many ressources at this point.

#fire emblem engage #katua plays engage maddening

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - SS Korrina

Damn, talk about unexpected.  Like, of all the characters to suddenly drop in with a Sygna Suit and a Legendary, I would never have expected Korrina.  There’s exactly one guy on Reddit who’s been going on about Korrina getting an alt, and it...makes me wonder if they actually do listen to Reddit.  There’s a sobering thought...

General Overview Midriff exposing outfits always look awful, on anyone, no exceptions.  Also where is Hawlucha?

With that out of the way, Marshadow is...interesting.  Initially, I had identified it as the single most ridiculous unit this month by a mile.  Sync nuke capabilities rivaling Lear, with better setup of Rising Tide on her own, and an attacking move that steals all buffs?  That’s really good.  Oh, except that it turns out Spectral Thief has 3MP.  Which isn’t...terrible, except that she has no MPR for it unless she’s 3/5.  And most damning?  Spectral Thief is an attack.  Meaning it can miss.  If that happens, it does take the MP, and leaves you with nothing for your efforts.  So here’s the question: if you’re looking to take her at 1/5 just for the utility, what is the utility she’s for?  Latias and Cresselia, right?  The two most obnoxious Gauntlet buffers in the game.  Oh wait, they both rapid buff evasion.  And as stated, Korrina can just miss Spectral Thief and fail to perform her job.  Haze and Snatch don’t have this issue at all, so in terms of performing this specific gimmick?  She’s worse off than Brycen.  To say nothing of Summer Hilda, whose Topsy Turvy also can’t miss, but also inverts those buffs to completely annihilate their...well, everything.

Much like Dojo Gloria, SS Korrina is optimal on damage and little else.  It’s arguably worthwhile to have her 1/5 for the Spectral Thief and just play the reset game with Cresselia and Latias until it succeeds.  After all, complete removal of buffs is a very rare trait.  But being the outright worst performer due to accuracy checks and limited MP really stings.  And again, just like Dojo Gloria, she’ll perform really well if you can full invest, but is it worth the investment with anniversary coming up, and Johtrio still being available and possibly near spark?

Team 1: SS Korrina, BP Morty, Nanu/Tech Parasect SS Korrina takes care of all her own buff needs just fine.  BP Morty gives the defenses that supplement her natural buffs, while providing a nice flinch rate and Confuse, and kicking off the Ghost-type theme skill.  Nanu can be used to debuff defense reliably, and add a bit more flinch rate to the mix, but Tech Parasect is worth bringing up for a few potential counters.  The Paralysis answers Cobalion and Uxie, who go down hard, while also setting up further defensive debuffs against threats like Entei and Azelf.  Note that you might want a different paralysis bot against Tornadus.  Its third bar Heat Wave with guaranteed crit will absolutely truck Parasect.

Team 2: SS Korrina, Valerie, Viola Okay, here it is.  Anti-Cress tech.  Valerie has the ability to hit its much weaker special defense in later phases, while Viola’s trap effect bypasses setup phase and works on debuffing the special attack of Cresselia as rapidly as possible.  What setup does bypass the Trap condition is stolen by Korrina, who can also supply the crit rate to Valerie.  Coincidentally, this also works as the Anti-Latias set as well, with probably even better success thanks to it being Fairy-weak.  But I’m also slightly talking out my butt here.  Valerie is pretty prone to failure.

Team 3: SS Korrina, Renegade Cynthia, Phoebe Look.  If you really want?  Cynthia can set up Ghost Zone.  And when that happens?  There’s really no stopping Korrina.  There’s just nothing you can do to fail.  Phoebe is chosen mostly just for the faster crit buffing so Korrina can get punching right away, and the last bit of guaranteed attack for the duo.

Final Thoughts SS Korrina is an interesting unit.  On the one hand, her utility skills mean she’s fine at 1/5 for those supportive effects, while also having 3/5′s sync nuke build that is tremendous.  On the other hand...MP was a severe limitation that, while sensible to avoid her being too ridiculous, feels almost too punishing.  Like, if Spectral Thief had the same kind of move damage focus as Shadow Punch, I think you could justify it being without MP.  But they opted for MP, and that’s a really serious problem when facing these two, because you can just miss when their evasion is high.  And if you run out of MP, I sure hope you invested a bunch of grid energy and got her to 3/5 so she can take the 50/50 shot to replenish it off Shadow Punch.  If not, those 3MP are valuable and potentially going to just...not perform their main function.  Haze and Snatch never have this issue, so I legitimately think they’re better picks to counter this gimmick.  And when Haze is considered a better alternative, something’s up.

I like the concept behind this alt.  But between the horrific issues of accuracy checks being necessary, the pitiful damage limitations of Shadow Punch despite how many multipliers she’s trying to stack, frankly just hating the outfit, and being a little disappointed that it’s not Hawlucha with her...this is another skip.  Not like I’m hurting for Ghost-type damage with Anni Lillie and Renegade Cynthia, you know?

#pokemon masters #unit teambuilding #sygna suit korrina

[25centsoda]

Star Wars Fanfic - Wisdom Teeth

I just got my wisdom teeth out the other day...you know what that means! Luke too!

I just wrote this in one sitting and there is very minimal editing. If I ever feel like cleaning this up I’ll throw it on AO3 (and possibly make it longer, possibly leave it as-is).

.

.

.

The world filtered up slowly, rising from the smoke of dreams. The first thing Luke was aware of was that there was a blanket on his chest. It was warm, and soft. The room faded into view.

His tired mind dimly registered the fact that the blanket was blue, and the walls were off-white. The lights confused him. They shone blindingly, obscuring much of the space. Between the two of them, the only other thing he could make out were the empty chairs beside him.

Luke drifted.

The world was quiet, as if buried beneath sand. There might have been a memory of being supported on each side as he was led down a hallway, but that could have easily been a dream; the memory was shadowy and indistinct.

He moved his hand slightly. Yes, the blanket was soft.

Words filtered into his consciousness. Murmurs, far away and nonsensical. He couldn’t summon the will or strength to focus on them.

Through the Force, a spike of emotion.

It was quickly washed away by his exhaustion, and Luke’s eyes fluttered closed. His mouth hung open slightly. Something held it open. What was it? Why was it there? 

He forced his eyes open again and squinted at the room, trying to bring it into focus.

Medbay, his mind finally supplied. Now he could tell that he was seeing double. Closing one eye or the other turned the two chairs into one. He entertained himself with looking at each part of the curtained-off room in turn. The small table on his other side. The curtain rod. His own covered legs.

A commotion outside in the hall filtered into his awareness. Luke made a small questioning noise he wasn’t sure even left his throat and turned his head slightly towards the sound.

It sounded almost like...blaster shots?

Behind the curtain, a door hissed open. Cold followed like a shadow. Luke closed his eyes against the chill, grateful for the blanket. Loud, rhythmic breathing grated against his ears. He peered up through his eyelashes.

Vader.

Father.

Was this another dream? Luke’s eyes melted closed again.

He was on the verge of falling asleep once more when the sound of flimsy being shifted pulled him back towards consciousness again. He was almost tempted to wave the sound away, annoyed, but his limbs felt like lead. It wasn’t worth the effort. Amusement washed gently over him in the Force.

The flimsy was folded and shifted against something, then the noise stopped. Something carefully stroked his hand through the blanket.

“Come, young one. It is time to go home.”

Luke managed something between a hum and a groan. That amusement came again, along with an undercurrent of love. He peeled open his eyes and squinted up at his father’s insectoid mask.

Vader helped him sit up while Luke stared at him. His mind spun slowly. His father couldn’t really be here, right? The last thing he remembered...the last thing he remembered…

That shadowy image of being helped across a hallway resurfaced. He pushed it away. Before that, there was…

The surgery!

The Empire had been quiet for long enough that the Alliance decided to take the opportunity to get its soldiers and staff medical care while they could afford both the time and expense. Luke had been brought in to get several teeth removed that had grown in sideways. Leia was supposed to be with him when he woke up.

Where was she?

Luke was pulled to his feet and he stumbled, knees weak beneath him. His head rocked with vertigo. Without thinking, he clung to the arm supporting him.

Where was Leia? She was supposed to be here…

He barely noticed the hallways passing under his feet, focus taken up by the effort of staying upright and trying to figure out where Leia could be.

Maybe...maybe he was hallucinating, and what he thought was his father was actually just Leia.

Luke made a noise that was meant to be “Leia?” but all that came out was nonsense. He furrowed his brow when he realized he couldn’t feel his tongue. Or most of his mouth, really.

The person leading him didn’t respond.

Something was wrong.

“Nng,” he managed, tugging his arm away from their grip. They held on tighter as he stumbled, keeping him upright.

“Hush, young one. You’re safe.” A feeling of security washed through him with those words, overpowering the panic that had begun to rise through the fog of sedation. He leaned on their arm for support. “There. We’re nearly to my ship, then you can rest some more.”

Their boots clanged on a ramp. Luke’s socked feet didn’t make a sound.

The next thing he knew, he was being buckled into a seat. In front of him, a viewport showed the mountains of the planet the Rebels had made their latest base on.

The ship vibrated as it took off, and Luke fell back asleep.

-----------------

Vader marveled at the boy sleeping next to him. At long last; his son. He had been most fortunate in finding the boy and his rebellion in such a state. It had been laughably easy to invade the base and take Luke. The Rebels had grown complacent.

As he piloted the shuttle back to the Executor, he puzzled over the sheet of flimsy that had been tied to the end of his son’s medical bed. “Wisdom tooth extraction”, it had read, along with instructions for care once the boy was released from the medbay.

Vader had heard of such a thing - Obi-Wan had told Anakin Skywalker of his own experience with the procedure, but Skywalker never had a need for it. Evidently Vader’s son did. Incompetent as they were, the Rebellion did not waste money and soldiers on unnecessary medical procedures.

Glancing at Luke again, Vader wondered if perhaps he should have paid closer attention to the sheet before leaving with his son. The boy may need supplies the Executor did not have; the surgery was most often performed on humans younger than the majority of his officers, and Star Destroyers were not equipped for most non-injurious surgeries.

No matter. If anything needed to be acquired, he would get it.

First, he had to get his son to the rooms he had prepared.

Although they would evidently need slight modifications as the boy was recovering from surgery…

----------------

When Luke woke again, he was once more covered in a blanket. This time, however, he was also propped up by many pillows on all sides, and there were ice packs on both cheeks.

Where was he?

At his confused hum, his father reappeared beside him. Luke’s eyes widened.

Oh. So it hadn’t been a hallucination, then. His father actually...just kidnapped him out of the medbay.

Kriff.

“Father,” he tried, but he still couldn’t feel his mouth. He huffed in frustration, then winced when doing so pulled at his sore jaw. He mimed writing on his hand, looking at his father through narrowed eyes and hoping that conveyed his frustration.

Vader handed him a datapad and pen.

Luke held the pen above the datapad for a minute, trying to decide what to say. He eventually settled on, What did you do?

“You had a surgery, young one,” Vader said. Before he could finish, Luke started writing again. “I did nothing to you.”

I know I had surgery. Where did you take me? What about the base?

“You are on my flagship, the Executor. The Rebel base was taken by the Empire, although I believe the Princess and Wookie escaped, if you are worried about them.”

No dark side.

Vader inclined his head. “You are in no state to begin your training, I agree. However, there are other things you should be aware of in the meantime. For example, the sheet your medic left indicates that the gauze in your mouth should be changed every 30 minutes, the ice should remain as much as possible without causing damage, and you are not to have solid foods for the next several days.”

Luke looked up at the ceiling in lieu of throwing his head back. Kriff. He thought it would be bad to go through this back on base with his friends; to do it stuck with the Empire? With his father? The man had chopped off his hand during their last meeting; Luke had since come to terms with both the news and the prosthetic, but that didn’t mean he trusted his father with his health.

He cleared the screen and wrote again. I want to see a medic.

“They will not tell you anything different, Luke.”

He underlined the sentence and gave his father a pointed look with as much vitriol as he could muster.

Vader sighed, an odd, staticky sound. “Very well. I will call for him.”

Luke watched with interest as his father picked up a slim remote from a small table next to the bed Luke was propped up in, and pressed a button. A small buzz sounded. Moments later, the door hissed open and a man in a medic’s uniform stepped through, clipboard in hand. He bowed, and approached.

“Commander Skywalker, Medic Kix at your service,” the man said. “What can I do for you?”

Luke reset the screen and wrote, then held up the datapad.

What will my recovery look like? How long will it take?

Kix nodded and said, “This first day, there’s going to be a lot of blood. It should clot by the end of today and over the next few days there should be some swelling. The ice will help keep that down. You’ll need to change the gauze every thirty minutes to help the blood clot and keep you from swallowing too much of it. Take it easy for the next few days; no strenuous exercise. Liquid foods only for today, then tomorrow you can start moving on to soft foods like pudding. We’ll talk more about the day after when we get there. You should be fully healed in two to three weeks, assuming all goes well.”

Two to three weeks??

“Yes sir. As you were not treated by one of our medics, I’m unsure how well the surgery was performed, but rest assured we will do everything we can to ensure your healing is as fast and comfortable as possible. Any other questions?”

Kix waited patiently as Luke wrote.

Can I change my own gauze?

He did not want his father to try to interfere more than strictly necessary.

The medic hesitated. “...Yes, but I would advise that you have somebody help you. If you’d like, I can assign you a medic for the next few days.”

“I can--” Vader started, but Luke interrupted him by holding up the datapad.

Yes, I would like a medic. The writing was rushed - his father could speak faster than Luke could write - but it was legible enough. Thankfully Kix took Luke’s side.

“Very well sir. I will send somebody to assist you.” With that, the medic left.

His father turned back to him. “Would you like access to the holonet, young one? It will be restricted, of course - you wouldn’t be able to contact any Rebels - but you would be able to watch videos.”

Kriff, he really was stuck here with his father for at least the next two weeks, wasn’t he? Couldn’t even eat real food.

He was already exhausted of it all.

Yes, Luke wrote. He handed the datapad to Vader.

At least he’d have plenty of time to hack into the datapad and find a way to contact his friends.

----------

Luke’s mouth finally stopped bleeding by the end of the day. He was so grateful to be rid of the gauze in his mouth that he almost didn’t mind the fact that his father had stayed after the medic left.

He tipped his head back and carefully drank some water, reveling in the fact that he could close his mouth almost all the way now. It was still partially numb, but most of the feeling was back and there was nothing holding it open anymore. He set the cup back down next to the pill bottles on the bedside table, then looked between his father next to the bed and the datapad on the blankets.

He’d wasted the day dozing and watching as many pod, speeder, and spaceship races as he could find, but Vader had stayed away for most of it, only seeming to come in as Luke was falling asleep. What...was he supposed to do now that the man seemed determined to stay?

He stared at his father for a long moment. Vader stared back.

Slowly, as if his father was a watching krayt, he grabbed the datapad and turned the latest speeder race back on, sinking into the fresh ice packs and pillows.

They watched it together, side by side.

#star wars #fanfic #fanfiction #luke skywalker #darth vader #wisdom teeth #lmao yes they are having some very awkward father-son bonding time now #idk entirely what this is I have just been trapped on the couch for two days and my friends finally got me to write a Luke wisdom teeth fic #enjoy!

[gdcee]

Old Friends

Summary: Loki doesn't meet his three counterparts in the TVA's garbage dump at the end of time but someone else entirely.

Warnings: Some sexual innuendo. Troubling possessive childhood behaviour. Mention of unwanted sexual advances (not perpetrated by either of the main characters in the fic).

==============

Loki considers the words neatly painted in bright red letters on the large signpost.

NO LOKIS (except for the kid and alligator they're cool)

He squints, wondering if his earlier rough landing has jumbled some connections in the language processing bits of his brain. He shakes his head and reads again.

Nope, he evidently did not misread the bit about the alligator.

"What in the name of Buri's wrinkly left-"

Before Loki can finish uttering the obscenity, an overwhelming aura of powerful magic smothers him. He barely has a chance to retaliate before he's swept away like a pebble in a fluvial flood.

He finds himself lying on the half-withered gray-green grass, staring incredulously at the softly glowing incorporeal fetters wrapped about his chest and ankles.

There's only one person he knows with this particular type of binding magic.

But no, no it couldn't be. It couldn't possibly be-

"You have a lot of nerve," her achingly familiar voice rings out in the desolate silence. Her equally familiar face comes into view as she leans over his prone form, "Coming here."

"Sigyn," he can only manage a hoarse whisper at first, but giddy elation soon overtakes shock, and his mouth widens in a cheeky grin, "Oh, I'm certainly not doing that at present but since you've already skipped past dinner to the bonda-"

Sigyn whacks him sharply on the head with her staff. Not hard enough to cause any pain, but hard enough to startle him into silence.

"Brazen," she sighs, sounding more exasperated than offended, "Every single one of you."

"I prefer cockyyy-" Loki trails off at the unamused glare she shoots him, "-shutting up now."

"Good choice."

Sigyn shakes her head and dispels the fetters that hold him. Though familiar, in truth, Loki hasn't felt her magic so close to him in centuries. Not since they were children and he was showing her how to conjure fireworks in her hands.

He wonders briefly if her hair still smells like apple blossoms.

"Come on," she reaches for his hand and pulls him to his feet without waiting for his assent, "Time to go. You know the rules."

"I don't actually," Loki tries not to look upset when she lets go of his hand (pathetic, Norns, he is pathetic), "I don't even know where...what this place is." He frowns, considering. "Probably not Hel since you're here."

Sigyn coughs a short, sharp bark of a laugh. There's no humour in it.

"This is Hel," she says, "In all but name."

"So...I'm dead?"

Sigyn sighs again, closes her eyes and blows at the loose strand of hair hanging in her face.

"Wonderful. You're a new one then. You remember being pruned, yes?"

"Yes. Not very pleasant."

"Quite. Well, this-" she moves one arm in a fluid, graceful arc, gesturing in grandiose fashion at the depressing panorama of refuse and ruined buildings littered about the grey landscape. "-is where the TVA sends their rubbish. Everyone they prune, any physical material from a reset timeline - it ends up here."

"Everything?" Loki quirks an eyebrow, "Seems a little empty of clutter if the refuse of millions of dead timelines is being dumped here."

"Ah. Yes, that would be the work of the giant purple cloud monster of eternal, ceaseless hunger that devours all within its path."

An ominous sounding growl underlaid with the rumble of thunder sounds faintly in the distance.

Loki looks towards the distant horizon and sees a large dark, purplish smear like a fresh bruise in the grey sunless sky. Light flares and something that vaguely resembles a galaxy-class battlecruiser falls from the heavens. Immediately, the great bruised mass is upon the hulking remains.

He is uncomfortably reminded of that ridiculous nightmare he used to have about being phagocytosed by a giant amoeba (he longs for such innocent days, when his bad dreams were the result of his overactive imagination processing tedious microbiology lessons and not recollections of the various horrors he has experienced).

"That would be Alioth. The giant purple cloud monster. Don't ask me who came up with that name. Now if you'll excuse me-" Sigyn turns briskly on her heel and heads off in the direction beyond the NO LOKIS sign.

"Wha- hold on! You're just going to leave?You're leaving me to that thing??"

"Oh please, you'll have plenty of time before it gets here. Besides," she mutters, "You're a Loki. There's a thousand of you in this Norns forsaken wasteland. Trust me, if there's one thing you all do very well, it's survive."

Her words hurt more than he wants to admit. That bad memory loop with Sif had been more painful for obvious reasons, but...he knew what Sif thought of him. Even back then, those words she'd thrown at him had not surprised him.

As a child, he'd always felt special to Sigyn. She'd wanted to be his friend, his own true friend and not just Thor's friend who didn't mind having Loki along for the ride. She'd liked the same things he did. She'd always laughed at his jokes and pranks.

He'd felt like he mattered to her.

Of course that had only made him abominably possessive. He just couldn't abide any other child having her attention. The fear of an insecure wretch - so terrified that if Sigyn looked away even for a moment, she would see something better, that she would find him wanting.

He shouldn't have been surprised when Sigyn did not protest at her father sending her to live with her late mother's relatives on Alfheim when her true powers manifested on the cusp of puberty.

He'd...he'd said such awful things to her before she'd gone. When two people have been friends for centuries, they know exactly what to say to make it hurt. Sigyn had given back as good as she got, but instead of petty childish insults, her accusations had rung with truth.

She'd known why no one wanted to be her friend, she'd known exactly what he'd been doing behind her back - all the tricks, all the schemes, everything he'd done to ensure that none would take his friend from him.

As a parting shot she'd declared that even though he'd been horrid, she had stayed his friend because she had cared about him. That he had been special to her and she hadn't wanted to lose him either.

It was one thing to lose his only friend besides his brother - it was another to know that all his fears had been naught but smoke and mirrors. That he had been awful, that he'd made Sigyn sad and disappointed for absolutely nothing.

She had returned to Asgard.

Eventually.

Týr could only use the excuse of his daughter's magical education for so long. Someone of her abilities was too important an asset for the Allfather to ignore.

In the end, they had come to a reconciliation (of sorts) because they were tired of avoiding each other.

Or perhaps, the more simple truth (that neither would have admitted to) was that they missed each other.

They were never again as close as they'd been as children, but they'd stayed friends (or friendly at least). On good enough terms that the Warriors Four had not sought her out to spin their tale of treachery and magical incursion (Sigyn certainly would have been the ideal person to subdue a treacherous, power-mad and magically gifted regent). But not on good enough terms that he would have approached her for help in his ill-conceived scheme to delay Thor's coronation (perhaps events would have played out more favourably if he'd had someone to bounce ideas off).

That had been his Sigyn anyway. The one who didn't even exist now. Reset into non-existence by the TVA along with everything else on the timeline he'd been taken from.

Did you mourn, he'd asked his brother.

We all did.

He wonders if the Sigyn he'd known had mourned him.

The Sigyn briskly walking away now seems ill-inclined to mourn any Loki. What had the Loki of her timeline done to make her want to have nothing to do with him? He isn't sure if he wants to know.

He is tired. So very, very tired. Tired of feeling responsible for things he has not done (yet? is it really destiny if your life is just a series of bullet points on a checklist created and enforced by a totalitarian bureaucratic organization built by person or persons unknown?). Tired of not being able to do anything to make amends for the things that he actually is responsible for.

Except...he can.

Sigyn isn't a memory construct, she is real, she is here.

It's just one thing, one little thing and it is paltry compared to the other ill-deeds he has committed (and the ones he is fated to commit)-

But it's something at least.

Loki catches up to her easily (being roughly a head taller has its advantages) and grabs the end of her staff.

"Sigyn-"

She fixes him with those sharp, dark eyes and he realises he doesn't know how he's supposed to start this. He swallows past the lump in his throat and says the first word that comes to mind.

"Please."

Her eyes soften just a little, but her mouth remains set in a firm, hard line, and she tries to tug the staff out of his grasp.

He doesn't let go.

"Stop trying to stall me."

"I'm not-" Loki bites back the instinctive protestation and soldiers on. "I need to tell you I'm sorry about what I said before Alfheim and for everything I did before that. I'm sorry that I was selfish, I'm sorry that I didn't trust you, I'm sorry I made you cry and...I'm sorry I wasn't a worthy friend to you."

"...Loki," her voice is soft, "That happened centuries ago. I'm not...I'm not even the Sigyn you need to apologize to."

"You're still Sigyn. You deserve one regardless."

Sigyn has that look on her face. That gentle, pensive consideration tinged with something soft and tender that he can't quite name. She used to look at him like that whenever he did something nice (whether unprompted or as an apology for something not so nice he'd done earlier).

Norns. This is getting awkward. Existential fear at the potential cessation of his existence and his childhood night terrors featuring improbably large unicellular organisms notwitstanding, Loki thinks he might not mind if that giant purple cloud trundled in right now and swallowed him up.

"Well, I'd best get on, hadn't I? Surviving and all that?" He coughs, "I...I'm...it was good to see you again. Thank you for not kneeing me in the crotch mid-apology. I appreciate it."

He turns to leave. He doesn't have a clue where to go, but the opposite direction from the purple cloud monster seems like a good start.

Maybe he'll survive long enough to come across Mobius. Half of him wants to find the man as soon as possible (perhaps also be complimented on his intelligence and the betterment of his moral condition). The other half hopes that he never sees him again (because brainwashed amnesiac variant or not, Mobius has subjected him to very unpleasant situations designed to psychologically shatter him. Loki is the last person in the universe who would hold someone entirely responsible for actions undertaken after their minds have been tampered with, but still. Just because he understands doesn't mean he can forget.)

As for Sylvie...Loki doesn't want to think about it, but if the TVA is smart, they wouldn't prune her. They wouldn't risk a repeat of whatever had happened on Lamentis-1, and since he is already here...

"Catch."

The improbable sound of Sigyn's voice startles him from his ruminations and without thinking his hand shoots up to intercept the small rectangular object wrapped in plastic and foil before it hits his face.

Loki stares at the granola bar (expiry date 12/12/2075) incredulously and then at Sigyn, walking briskly at his side and keeping pace with his long strides.

"I thought you-"

"You looked hungry."

"Sigyn, I believe this is what the Midgardians call 'giving mixed signals'."

"Look," she sighs, "I've been looking for...someone very dear to me for a very long time. I can't deny I feel some resentment for everyone I meet wearing his face. My baggage isn't an excuse for my rough treatment of you. It was unfair of me, and I apologise."

He blinks, not quite sure what to make of what she's telling him. Sigyn had never been one to mince words, she either said exactly what was on her mind or nothing at all.

That she is being deliberately vague and yet throwing up strong implications with her choice of words means that she does not want to lie but believes the truth is not something that he will be happy to hear.

Well, by now he's had a lot of experience dealing with unpleasant truths. Another one added to the pile is hardly going to hurt.

Sigyn has just started drinking from a battered metal canteen when he voices his suspicions.

"It's Theoric, isn't it?"

She chokes and spits out half of her drink.

"What?!" She wheezes, "What in Ymir's hoary arse gave you that idea?!"

"Didn't you fancy him back in-" Loki grimaces, snapping his fingers as he tries to pinpoint the date in question, "That year when burgundy was all the rage. Burgundy, scandalously low necklines and uncomfortably tight trousers."

"I went on a date with him because he was handsome, he was annoying me and I was young and stupid," she sneers, "He tried to put his hand up my skirts an hour into the picnic so trust me, after that I wanted nothing to do with the louse."

Something a little too much like that old familiar selfish anger bubbles up in his chest.

"He dared," he growls, "He dared to put his hands on you. He should have had his filthy paws struck off at the wrist for the insult to your dignity."

"Eat your granola, don't crush it," Sigyn says calmly, "In any case, I resolved the situation quite easily and without bloodshed."

"Shame," Loki mutters. He takes a bite of the now somewhat crumbly Midgardian snack and wrinkles his nose at the taste. "So how did you handle that son of a bitch?"

"I rendered him impotent for a year. I would have kept it permanent but he came crawling on his hands and knees begging for my forgiveness, swearing on the souls of his ancestors never to trouble me again, vowing to gift me his firstborn as my thrall etcetera etcetera..." she shrugs, "What can I say? I'm soft."

Loki doesn't remember the last time he's laughed this hard.

#loki #sigyn #mcu #logyn #more implied than anything #this thing has been sitting in my drafts for a week and a half

[easily-infatuated23]

The Tub: Draco Malfoy x Reader

a/n: this is my first one of these so sorry if it sucks but here goes nothing!

Part Two Here

warnings: just some light fluff, small mention of bullying

summary: reader is having a really hard day and when she goes to relax in the prefects bathroom the unexpected occurs 

word count: 2k

The castle is enormous. So enormous that getting lost becomes part of my daily routine. But sometimes, its so crushingly small it's hard to find a place to be alone to get away from the constant noise of what feels like hundreds of middle and high school students. Everyone’s first choice of escape is the astronomy tower, so much so that a Ravenclaw tried to institute a sign up sheet as to insure the crowds wouldn’t mass as much. They were unsuccessful. The truly hidden places of the castle are few and far between and for those of us who aren’t lucky enough to find the Room of Requirement, we must get creative. The most recent spot I have found is the Prefect’s bathroom on the sixth floor. Moaning Myrtle will sometimes float through but we are on good terms so she generally will leave me alone.

As a Seer, the noise of the world is extra loud in my head. It's bad enough to have the regular noise, but the passing through of others’ thoughts is exhausting. I have gotten better at shielding myself but it takes a lot of energy. The Prefect’s bathroom has been a wonderful solution because within the chamber is a large bathtub which I use as a jacuzzi, to relax and reset. I am just so tired. The added layer of being Seer as well as a non pure-blood in Slytherin, takes its own individual toll. My family had been pure-blood until my parents. My mother had married a muggle man.

I started late in the sequence of years at Hogwarts. My family moved from America to England which meant I transferred into school third year. For a while people were interested in me but that died down within the first month. However, when I let my family heritage slip, I became as talked about as Harry Potter. As a descendant of Merlin himself, people began to attempt to get close to me just for the idea of “fame” rubbing off onto them. Harry and I have had discussions about it together but I know he secretly enjoys it, even if he doesn’t know he does.

Today wasn’t just any typical Thursday. The excitement for Christmas break was buzzing around the castle, practically inescapable. The world was loud and I was tired. Luckily, today is a short day so I was able to escape to the Prefect’s bathroom after lunch. I usually waited until I knew most of the castle was either at a meal or doing homework but today the world had been especially loud. I tentatively filled the tub checking my surroundings for a stray ghost or student. Once it was full I climbed in and allowed myself to fully relax. The noise melted away and it was like I could finally breathe.

After only fifteen short minutes I heard footsteps and looked up to see the last person I would expect or want to see, Draco Malfoy. The Prince of pure-blood Slytherin, the cruelest person within the castle besides Professor Snape. He had never gone out of his way to be mean to me in particular, but if one of his buddies started something he would be sure to join in. When people found out about my abilities, I had been forced to read him in front of practically the whole school. I saw such pain and fear in his life that I nearly passed out. To prove to him that my abilities were real, he told me to tell him something from his past only he would know. I said “a talking diary and a ripped page from a bookstore”. Ever since then, he never challenged me again. And yet here he was now, invading my hidden corner, my escape from everyone.

We locked eyes as he walked in and we both froze. “What are you doing in here?” he asked sharply. I didn’t reply but simply began to get out and grab my things when his voice interrupted my actions. “I’m not gonna make you leave I was just asking. You looked dreadful during Potions today, are you ok?”. For the first time, his words and his tone matched and seemed genuine. “Everyone has been really loud today. Let's just say that if I never hear the sentence ‘is he gonna ask me to the Yule Ball’ again it will be too soon” I remarked. He chuckled and looked down at his shoes. I now became acutely aware of the fact that I was standing in front of him in just a bikini in a steamy room. My cheeks flushed and I slipped back into the tub. “Why are you in here Draco?” I asked. He looked up at me and sighed. “This is usually where I come to hide but I got here a bit later than usual, I didn’t think there was competition for this spot”. I frowned and looked away from him. “Yeah that’s my bad, I usually am in here much later in the day. It’s just been such a loud day already. I needed to decompress earlier than usual”. He walked closer to me, then circled the tub to sit on the window sill. After a few minutes he spoke. “Does it actually help quiet the world? To sit in there I mean”. He gestured to the tub. “Yes it does actually”. I replied.

This was the weirdest but nicest conversation I had ever had with him. I had never been fully alone with Draco before, was this how he was when he was removed from his asshole friends? In a moment of impulsive thought I blurted “You are welcome to join me if you’d like”. Shit. Why did I say that? This guy is literally the worst. “Wouldn’t that just add noise in your head?” he asked. “No, when its a group of ten or less I can actually turn everybody off quite easily. Anymore then that and it gets harder and harder”. He nodded and then looked out the window. I could see his mind working through his grey eyes, deciding if he would stay or go. Finally, he shrugged. “What the hell”. He kicked his shoes off and began to loosen his tie. I wanted to look away but I couldn’t help myself watch him undress. I finally looked away and closed my eyes, relaxing my head on the edge of the tub.

The tub was big enough around that he could sit on the other side and we wouldn’t touch. The water churned as he got it. He sat closer to me than I had anticipated but I tried not to think about it as I took a deep breath and let my mind wander. “This is surprisingly relaxing”. His voice for the first time didn’t sound as strained or coarse as normal. “How did you find out about this?” he asked. I opened my eyes and looked at him, puzzled. “Have you never been in a jacuzzi?”. He shook his head. “Wow well that’s one thing wizards should definitely adopt from the muggle world” I replied, with a smile. He looked away from me quickly. Was that a hint of blush coming from his cheeks? Probably just from the heat of the water I rationalized. “Do you do this everyday?” he asked. “At least once a week. It's good for the soul”.

There was then a long period of silence. At first the silence was uncomfortable, but the longer it persisted, the more comfortable it became. A couple times I could have sworn that the water churned in a way that would indicate him moving closer to me. I didn’t dare check. I kept my eyes closed as the odd smile would flow across my face without thought. When I finally did open my eyes, he was less than two feet away from me. We locked eyes and I smiled. He gave a timid smile back before looking away again. I wanted to use my abilities to slip into his mind and hear what he was thinking but I held myself to a strict rule. “This seems like a pretty necessary time to use it” the voice in my head remarked. I physically shook my head to expel that thought from my mind. I felt his eyes on me. “I wasn’t inside your head by the way. I thought about it but decided that didn’t hold up with my rule so I shook it out of my head”. “You can if you want” he replied. I looked at him and sat up a bit. “My rule is I only purposefully do it if absolutely necessary or if the person gives me permission or asks me to do it. Are you asking me Draco?”.

The words flowed out of my mouth before I could filter them. Was that flirty? Did I just flirt with Draco? The thoughts swirled in my head only to be broken by his response. “Yes I am” he said sincerely. “Can I have your hand? It’s easier if I have physical contact”. I said. He nodded  and stared into my eyes as I moved closer to him. I clasped his hand and imagined his energy and thoughts flowing into my brain. His head was relatively quiet, besides one thought practically screaming. I opened my eyes and looked into his, stunned. “What was I thinking?” he asked in almost a whisper. I swallowed hard. “You were thinking ‘is it wrong that all I want to do is kiss her’”. I felt my cheeks turn red but I didn’t break eye contact. “Is it?” he asked. “No” I replied, unaware that a smile had crept across my face. He smiled back as his eyes darted from my eyes to my lips and back. I moved his hand which I was still holding to my cheek. His free hand moved underwater to my lower back as he pulled me onto his lap. Our faces were so close together I could feel his breath. He moved his other hand to my waist as I cupped his cheeks with mine. In a tender moment, not overly embroiled with passion or lust, we kissed. It was innocent and sweet. It made everything else seem unimportant. It was as if time slowed to a stand still. After a few moments we both pulled away and shared a smile that became a laugh. “I can honestly say this is not how I thought my day was going to go” Draco chuckled. “Me neither” I added. Suddenly a thought popped into my head. “Wait what time is it?” I asked. He checked his watch. “Two o’clock, why?”. “Damn, I promised I would meet Ron for a game of wizard’s chess. I always beat him but he insists on constantly challenging me”. I started to pull away when I noticed his face drop slightly. I pulled close to him again. “I am not making up an excuse to run away from you. Believe me I don’t want to go but if I don’t Ron will come looking for me and this would be a hard situation to explain” I remarked with a chuckle. His face picked up a little. “Are you staying here over Christmas?”. “Yes I am” I replied. “I think I will too, I’ve recently started to fancy you and I kinda want to explore this without the pressure of the whole school being here, if that’s ok with you” he smiled. “I would like that”. “But for the moment we can’t tell anyone what happened here or that we are even friends” he remarked suddenly. “It’s not my favorite reputation to uphold but if my father finds out I am seeing or being seen with someone who is not a pure-blood..” he trailed off. I pulled his face close to mine again and looked deep into his eyes. “You don’t have to explain. Remember, when I read you two years ago? I saw all of your past. I understand why”. His eyes were sadder now but he still managed a small smile. “Ok now I really have to go” I said as I kissed him one more time before climbing out of the tub. He watched me as I changed back into my uniform, smiling a bit more smugly now. “When can I see you again?” he called after me as I walked towards the door. “Friday night, let’s meet in the common room. Everyone will be gone for Christmas by then”. “Its a date!”. I turned back and blew him a kiss which he caught and immediately pressed to his lips. My heart fluttered as I jogged to the Great Hall. “Oi, where’ve you been?” Ron questioned impatiently. “Sorry, got a bit caught up” I remarked, smiling at the secret Draco Malfoy and I now shared.

#draco malfoy #draco x y/n #draco x reader #harry potter #slytherin #draco malfoy x reader #hogwarts #harry potter au #ravenclaw #hufflepuff #gryffindor #ron weasley #draco malfoy imagine #harry potter fanfiction #draco malfoy fanfiction #tom felton

[minaslittleone]

Fission & Fusion (Part 2)

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Summary: How did the refined and proper Wilhemina Venable end up working for two coked-up tech bros out of the back of a van?

An origin story of sorts, dedicated to the amazing @lucyintheskywithxanax who has developed such a beautiful and nuanced depiction of Mina. This was inspired by her incredible story "And I failed to climb the mountain".

Word count: ~2700

The hours after that were fuzzy. After storming out of her parents house with little more than the bare essentials and no intention of returning Wilhemina didn't really have much of a plan. She had never fantasized about running away as a child, she hadn't even been brave enough to rebel vicariously and yet here she was, with no plan and no where to go. And terrified.

But Wilhemina was nothing if not practical so she sequestered all of those doubts and anxieties down into the deepest corners of her brain to be dealt with later, she told herself. Really to be dealt with never.

Practically speaking, money was her first concern. She knew that her mother's threat to cut her off had not been idle, but she also hoped that her mother would continue to underestimate her long enough that she would be able to clear the remaining funds out of her account before her mother froze it. Her pride raged against the idea of taking the idea of taking the money religiously placed into her "allowance" once a month by her father, hating how spoiled that made her sound and wanting to be free of any lingering ties to her parents. She would have gladly traded every last dime for any other monthly ritual with her father, for anything with him really. But she was a casualty of her parents' failing marriage, the only thing that they hated more than each other was the idea of acknowledging that their marriage had long since fallen apart. Her father avoided the house like the plague, and her by extension, throwing himself deeper and deeper into his professional life to mask the failure of his personal one. And so their relationship had become almost completely transactional, her father attempting to atone for his absence by providing her with everything she could ever dream of, save for the one thing she truly wanted - his affection. But as much as she hated the money and everything it represented, she really wasn't left with much of a choice.

That was how she found herself standing in front of a bank teller at 1:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon, lying through her teeth and praying that her voice wasn't shaking as much as her hands. Exactly how she had got there she wasn't sure - a bus? Surely she hadn't walked this far - she was completely focused on getting what money she could and getting out.

The process was certainly made easier by the fact that she had been coming to this branch since her father had opened the account on her sixteenth birthday. And maybe for once in her life her twisted frame would be an asset - it was difficult to forget a girl her age with flaming red hair and a cane.

So she lied. She told the teller that she was using the money to put towards a car but that her parents were unfortunately too busy to accompany her. That part wasn't even really a lie, her parents were always too busy. Either way the teller didn't seem to see anything unusual about depositing the entire $5000 balance into Wilhemina's hand, before politely wishing her a pleasant day.

She had thought she would feel safer with the money in hand, feel like she had more control over the situation. In fact all it did was make her realise how vulnerable she was. How she would never be able to defend herself if someone decided they wanted to take it from her. Maybe her mother had been right, maybe she really was too broken and useless to survive on her own.

She could feel her heart racing. She had to find somewhere to stay. Find somewhere that she could get off the street. Maybe then she would feel safer. Maybe.

Except she didn't know how long she would need to make that $5000 last. She had no job and had effectively forfeited her degree the minute she walked out her parents' front door. Any future prospects she had were tied to their connections anyway. Oh god, what was she going to do? She had no experience and no qualifications, and any jobs that would have been open to her without those were made impossible by her twisted spine. She wouldn't have been able to stand for long enough to finish a shift as a waitress, let alone carry much whilst also maneuvering her cane.

So she would have to make the money last. At least until she managed to come up with a better plan. Which is how she found herself unpacking her meagre possessions into a battered shell of a room in a run down hotel that offered rooms by the hour. As she eased herself down onto the bed, finally allowing her back some respite after hours on her feet, she reasoned that this was the best choice for now. And she would think of something, this was only temporary.

But it hurt. The adrenaline from her triumphant exit earlier that morning was long gone and now she was left with the painful reality of what life on her own would look like. At the moment it consisted of a sea of mismatched floral patterned fabrics, a green melamine kitchenette and far too many questionable stains.

She felt like she was suffocating, that the battered walls with their pealing wallpaper were steadily encroaching on her, squeezing the last ounces of calm and confidence out of her by force. She had to get out, had to keep moving, had to keep busy lest the reality of her situation catch up to her and drown her in its melancholy.

She burst from the room, shaking fingers struggling clumsily against the lock. She had to get away, to be anywhere but here. Away from the stale smelling room with the pealing wallpaper. Away from the lumpy bed swathed in garish floral covers of questionable cleanliness. Away from the suffocating reminder of how alone she was.

It shouldn't have surprised her that she would end up back in the college library, it's where she spent most of her time any way, finding any excuse she could not to go home. It was quiet and it was safe. Between the warm, dim lighting and the earthy smell of the old wooden shelves and the books themselves Wilhemina finally began to calm. She could feel the tension to funnel out of her trembling fingers, feel heart finally stop racing and draw her first real breath in hours.

She didn't know how long she sat there, not really seeing or hearing the world around her, just being, adjusting. Letting her body and mind begin to come to terms with her situation. Start to reset her parameters and realise that she wasn't going home tonight, that there wasn't a home to go anymore. Perhaps there never had been, not in the ways that mattered.

She was drawn from her haze by the gentle but insistent whispering of her name that indicated that this wasn't the first time the owner had tried to rouse her. As her vision cleared she was met with the kind, if not slightly concerned countenance of her adviser, Professor Thompson.

"Is everything alright, Wilhemina?" She could only nod dumbly in response. "I missed you in class this morning" the older woman added. "I know you said had a specialist appointment and might be late, but I got worried when you never showed up. Did everything go ok?" Wilhemina couldn't find the words to answer, couldn't find a way to explain how her life had been pulled out from under her in the preceding few hours. Her mouth guppied in response, producing several sounds that could have been the start of ideas but nothing intelligible.

Professor Thompson's brow furrowed. Over the years that she had known Wilhemina Venable she had always been impressed by her tenacity. For all this young woman had endured, she had refused to let it define her. She was always the first present in class, sitting front and centre, attention never wavering, even on the days Professor Thompson could see the tell tale signs of pain breaking through her indifferent facade. The tension in her brow and jaw, the twitch of her lips and narrowing of her eyes at each spasm, the shifting in her seat in a desperate effort to find some level of comfort. There was a hardness, a determination in the eyes of that girl which said she refused to give up which was notably absent now, replaced by a glazed, foggy expression that made Professor Thompson's heart hurt.

"Wilhemina," she tried again, "would it be easier if we discussed this in my office?" The redhead's eyes rolled up to meet hers almost drunkenly, obviously still not entirely processing the world around her. She managed a small nod, vacant eyes focusing somewhere in the middle distance. "Here, let me take your bag" she offered, hands floating just beyond Wilhemina's shoulders as the redhead hoisted herself to her feet, swaying slightly as she found some semblance of equilibrium.

Professor Thompson couldn't help but bring a hand to gently cup Wilhemina's upper arm, causing the younger woman to finally meet her gaze. Oh and didn't it just break her heart, the pleading terrified desperation she found in those deep brown eyes. "Come on, dear" she coaxed, "this way."

Wilhemina felt herself start to come back into her own body as she sat in Professor Thompson's office, old worn leather chair beneath her and warm cup of sweetened tea pressed into her trembling hands.

Professor Thompson noticed the change as well. "Easy, dear" she cautioned, as Wilhemina's shaking hands tried to raise the warm mug to her lips. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes" Wilhemina managed to rasp.

Professor Thompson reached out her hand to rest on Wilhemina's knee, rubbing slow comforting circles. "Do you think you can me what happened? Was it something at your appointment? Do you need another surgery?"

"No" Wilhemina whispered, teeth worrying her bottom lip before lifting her eyes to the older woman, who's warm gaze encouraged her to continue. "The surgeon doesn't want to do anything, doesn't think it's necessary to do anything. My mother on the other hand is not satisfied and won't be until I look *normal*"

"I'm sure she just wants the best for you" the older woman tried.

"She wants me to stop being an embarrassment. She flat out told the surgeon she doesn't care about my pain, she only wants him to fix how hideous I look." It was happening again, Wilhemina realised, the years of repressed pain and frustration spewing out of her unbidden. "The surgeon stopped recommending procedures when I was eighteen because they weren't likely to help but my mother kept insisting because I looked so hideous she couldn't stand it. She put me through years of pain because I was so ugly and she was so ashamed of me." Her voiced cracked as the tears she had tried so hard contain broke free down her cheeks.

"She was trying to do it again" Wilhemina choked. "She was trying to convince him to operate again and I finally told her no."

"And how did she take that?" Professor Thompson asked, almost fearing the answer. Wilhemina let out a self-depricating laugh through her tears, rolling her eyes. "Wilhemina," she added urgently, gently squeezing her knee to get her attention, "she didn't hurt you, did she?"

Wilhemina stopped at that. "Not physically, no." A beat of understanding passed between the two women before Wilhemina continued. "She threw me out, cut me off, told me I was completely on my own unless I agree to have the surgery. Told me I can kiss my degree goodbye." The older woman gasped. "I told her she could have it, I was done with her controlling my life."

Professor Thompson reached out to take Wilhemina's hands, squeezing them in her own. "That was so incredibly brave." Wilhemina let out a wry chuckle "You don't think I'm completely mad?" Another warm squeeze of her hands. "Absolutely not. I think you are so strong."

Wilhemina raised her eyes again to meet those of her professor, searching them for the signs of a lie. Finding none she felt her chin begin to tremble as she fought against the tears.

She lost. The tears came bubbling out of her against her will. Tears for the years of pain she had endured, both physical and emotional, at her mother's hands. Tears for the little girl who spent years in pain trying to convince her parents that it wasn't all in her head. For her childhood that had been stolen from her. For the little girl alone in a hospital, who's parents were far too busy to visit, who was left to rely on nurses for comfort and support. For the twenty four year old woman who had just lost everything.

She curled in on herself as much as her twisted spine would allow, rocking rhythmically backwards and forwards, trying in vain to offer herself some comfort. She felt the chair next to her dip and then she was being cradled in her advisors arms - how embarassing. But try as she might she couldn't quiet the hysterical sobs.

Eventually pulled herself out of the older womans arms, trying to regain some level of dignity. Professor Thompson gave her hands one last squeeze as she let her go.

"We will find a solution to all of this" she assured "but for now all of that can wait. You need to eat and you need to sleep. You must be exhausted" Wilhemina nodded, still frantically pawing at her tear-stained cheeks. There was no point hiding anymore, not after her earlier display.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Professor Thompson asked. "You're welcome to my spare room if not"

"No it's fine" Wilhemina replied, glad to avoid imposing on her professor further. "I have a hotel room."

"Ok I'll drive you" Wilhemina tried valiantly to rebuff Professor Thompson's kindness, but the older woman would not be dissuaded. And once Wilhemina realised how dark it had gotten she was secretly grateful.

As the car came to a stop in front what currently passed for Wilhemina's lodgings, Professor Thompson took her hand once more. "After work tomorrow" she pressed "I am picking you up and you are having dinner with me. It will give us a chance to come up with a plan for what happens next. I refuse to see someone as smart and driven as you are, Wilhemina, be sabotaged by negligent parenting. We will figure this out."

Wilhemina couldn't even bring herself to try and rebuff such kindness, for how her heart ached for it. Instead all she could manage was a watery "okay" and tremulous smile. As she walked back to her room she felt lighter than she had all day, tension finally beginning to drain from her body like water trickling down her arms and plummeting from her fingertips.

Exhaustion quickly rose to fill vacancy making her limbs heavy and fingers clumsy. Almost there, she told herself as she struggled with foreign keychain, not much longer. Just inside the door and then you can rest. But try as she might her exhausted mind could not make sense of the lock nor could it co-ordinate her trembling fingers well enough to keep hold of the keys which fell limply to the concrete just beyond her door.

It was as if the universe was laughing at her, she thought, as she gingerly squatted down, bending her legs to compensate for her immobilised spine. After all the humiliation she had endured today she could not be allowed to rest without at least one more reminder of her inadequacy. So fucking useless, the voice in ear chided, so fucking stupid. Hurry up and pick up the god damn keys and open the door like a normal, functional human being. Can you manage that much at least?

And maybe she could have managed it had the hand she extended to reach for her keys not been firmly crushed into the concrete and pulled away from her by a steal-capped boot, upsetting her precarious equilibrium and sending her sprawling face first into the concrete.

"Now, what's a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?"

A/N: Ok, so number one - I'm sorry (ducks). I promise I won't hurt her too much. This part wasn't even in my original plan but then the angsty little plot demons took over and here we are. Number two - for those of you who are interested I wrote Professor Thompson with Prof. Stromwell (Holland's character from legally blonde) in mind because I think she is exactly the type of tough but caring person that baby Mina would be drawn to. But also because I'm dying to see Sarah and Holland work on a project together, so this was my own vicarious little head cannon.

#sarah paulson #wilhemina venable #lucyintheskywithxanax #mina #baby mina

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Revenge of the Star Wars Wednesday

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the dashboard... (It’s an entire chapter of the same au as This Free Day Thursday I did a ways back, where a splinter cell of the Rebellion hands Luke over to Vader in a deal with the devil. The context: Vader got called away before getting a chance to tell Luke what was going on, and had to leave the poor guy in his hyperbaric egg chamber of doom. Which is air conditioned all to heck because that suit gets toasty. Unfortunately, Luke is from a very warm climate, and high powered air conditioning does not agree with him. At all. He’s having a bad day by the time Vader gets back and Many Blankets are required.)

Luke dreamed of falling.

"Alright, Skywalker. This is your stop."

He saw Leia screaming.

"You're wrong! You're wrong!"

She was calling for him. He knew that she was.

"I'm here!" He tried to call back to her, "I'm here, Leia! Help me!"

But the wind scattered his words, and he fell.

He fell past Leia's horrified face, towards a range of mountains. Faces he might have recognized formed and disintegrated in the snow around him, and the wicked looking peak directly below.

With a choked cry, Luke flailed his arms and met with stiff resistance. Well. More soft than stiff. And heavy. Very heavy. Slowly, by degrees, Luke became aware of his surroundings. He could barely move. Something was holding him down on a-

A bed.

He was on a bed.

On a Star Destroyer. 

Everything came back to Luke in a rush. Kobyvern. The handoff. The cell. The cold. 

And Vader.

Luke opened his eyes. He didn't hear the respirator, but the sense of foreboding looming over him suggested that the dark lord was somewhere near. It was imperative that Luke not be so...so vulnerable when he returned. 

Why couldn't he move?! Had he been strapped down? Panic flooded Luke's veins.

No no no, take it slow, Skywalker! Breathe in- breathe out. 

When his heart had resumed a slightly more normal pace, Luke took a slow breath and tried to sit up.

This turned out to be more difficult than he'd expected. If he craned his neck, he could just make out heavy black cloth beneath the blankets, wound around him and pinning his arms to his sides. Well, that was one way of keeping someone from escaping. Arguably more embarrassing than handcuffs, but also preferable to them. 

The amount of effort it took to free just one arm was a thorough enough distraction that Luke didn't hear the door hiss open. He pulled at the cape and blankets, already cursing the cold his free arm hinted at. It was tempting to nestle down into the pile of blankets -- there had to be at least four of them -- and let the warmth drag him back down into sleep. But that would doubtless be akin to trusting the hospitality of a Hutt. You didn't get something for nothing. There was going to be a price to pay for this, and Luke wasn't sure he'd be able to afford it.

Luke tried to push himself up into a sitting position and nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand appeared from his peripheral vision to push him back against the pillows.

"Rest easy, son. You've had a hard day."

Vader had returned.

It was difficult to know what bothered Luke more: the uncharacteristic gentleness in Vader's hands, or that he'd called him son.

Luke recoiled as far from Vader as he could.

It wasn't that far.

"You are not in danger, young one. Be still." Vader held out a placating hand.

His jaw ached from clenching and chattering, but Luke gritted his teeth again nonetheless. "I'm s- s-s s'posed to b-believe that-t-t?"

Ugh. It was still cold outside the blankets.

He did not like that he could actually hear amusement in Vader's voice when the man answered, "If I wished harm to come to you, young one, do you really think you would be here?"

Luke picked at the covers and tried to scowl. But being in close proximity to Darth Vader for an extended period of time didn’t exactly bolster one’s courage. The most he could muster was an anxious frown. Don’t let him get to you. He’s manipulating you. Waiting for you to let your guard down. Then he’ll bring in the torture droid. 

“Yeah.” He narrowed his eyes. “D-don’t trus-s-t you.”

Alright, that might’ve been a bit too blunt. 

Vader inclined his head -- helmet? How much of that was his head? Did Luke actually want to know? -- and made a sound curiously like a sigh. “That is to be expected. We were not introduced under particularly favorable circumstances.”

Luke stared at him incredulously. Introduced? As if they were diplomats crossing paths at a senator’s ball? Introduced?! 

This was the man who just...slaughtered anything and anyone that got in his way. He was there for every horrible thing that happened to Leia. He was the reason Luke was stuck trying to figure out the Force on his own. He was the reason Luke was alone! And here he was, upset that Luke didn’t trust him?

“My medical droid informs me that your core temperature has...improved. But you are still feeling ill effects.” If Vader felt as awkward as he looked, he kept it out of his voice admirably. A little too calmly, he lifted a steaming cup from somewhere behind him and held it out.

Luke shrank back. “I d-don’t want it.”

Vader’s shoulders tensed, just a fraction. “It is not poisoned, young one. Nor does it contain a truth drug, or whatever else outlandish theories you have concocted.”

“You c-could be l-l-lying.”

“I could. But I have no reason to be.”

Luke could think of a few reasons. Pure cruelty came to mind. Or lulling him into a false sense of security. After all the bluster about capturing the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, having a tea party with a dark lord wasn’t really on the agenda.

He jumped when the cup was pressed into his hands.

“You do not have to drink it. But the heat will benefit you.” Vader leaned back into a chair that most certainly had not been there before. “Transitioning from Tatooine to the climate of long-term space travel is...taxing.”

No, transitioning from getting thrown out of a ship to getting locked in the Ice Pod is “taxing”, Luke thought, glaring into the cup.

Whatever liquid was inside, it was dark, and smelled almost earthy. Not caf, some kind of tea, perhaps? The steam curled up to bathe his face, and he could begrudgingly admit that it was doing him a world of good.

“My meditation chamber is not meant to hold such low temperatures for such an extended period of time,” Vader said suddenly. “The General’s summons, I fear, did not give me adequate time to reset the cooling system. You were never meant to experience that.”

Luke didn’t care if it was childish or not. He pulled his knees slowly up to his chest -- fighting through entirely too many blankets -- and rested the cup on them. He refused to look up. He would not make eye contact with his father’s killer.

Actually, where even are his eyes under there? 

“D-didn’t exp-p-pect the Empire to ap-p-p-pologize to a p-p-risoner,” he mumbled.

His stammer was decreasing, slowly. He thought a warm drink would certainly help, but he was not brave enough to risk whatever was in that cup.

“I would rather you did not think of yourself as a prisoner, but I understand that your experiences have not given you cause to believe otherwise,” Vader answered. “But you are correct: that was intended to be an apology. I will not allow such a thing to happen again.”

The cup seemed like porcelain. Impossibly delicate. But it held up well under Luke’s grip as it tightened. This was getting ridiculous. The handoff. The fall. The pod. The blankets. The tea. 

“Just…” 

Vader stilled. He cocked his head, as if listening intently. “Luke?”

It was too much.

He broke.

“Don’t c-c-call me that!”

“It is your name.”

“It’s m-m-my! Name!” Luke’s chest heaved. “You d-d-on’t use it! Stop p-p-pretending! I’m n-n-not going to tell you anyth-th-ing!”

I can’t, I can’t do this, Father. I didn’t want to cry, don’t let me cry! 

Vader leaned forward again. “Why do you believe that I am pretending?”

Was he kidding? 

Luke finally looked up at him. “Y-you k-kill Jedi,” he spat. “Like you k-killed my father.” 

And that was what broke the facade.

“Enough.” Vader reached down and took the tea from Luke.

He set it on the tray and whirled back to face the boy.

“Listen to me,” he growled. “Whatever Kenobi told you, whatever wild fictions he spun about your past, he lied.”

Luke’s shoulders hitched. He pulled back against the wall and turned his face back to his knees. “I d-d-on’t believe you!”

“Look at me!” 

Vader took his chin in one hand and pulled it up. “Look at me, Luke. He lied to you. And he lied to me. Why do you think I wear a mask? Do you even know what he did?”

“No no no-” Luke tried to shake his head. “W-why-?”

“Why would he lie to you?” Vader asked angrily. “Why, Luke, would he be so interested in making sure that you believed I killed your father? What did you do on Cymoon, before I knew your name?”

Vader’s anger shook the room, cutting the lights into fragments as shadow overtook them. But somehow, Luke didn’t feel that the anger was directed at him as much as it was at Obi-wan. They really had hated each other, then. But why would Obi-wan lie about his father’s death? He had his lights-

The lightsaber.

Luke’s gut churned.

Vader had his lightsaber now. His father’s lightsaber. And now it was in the possession of the man who had allegedly killed him.

Allegedly.

Allegedly?

Why was he even considering Vader’s words? This was Darth Vader! He was a liar- not this time

He was a monster -- maybe so 

“W-what do you want?” Luke’s voice cracked. “I d-d-on’t understand!” 

The hand on his chin pulled away without warning. The shadows retreated sullenly to pool around the chair. “I know.”

Vader raised his hand again. He hesitated when Luke flinched, then rested it on the crown of his head. “I know you don’t. Not yet. Use the Force, Luke.”

“What?”

Vader tilted his head back with a gentle push. “I know that you can. Stretch out with your feelings. What did you intend to do on Cymoon?”

It wasn’t enough to simply tell the boy the truth. He needed him to see. He needed him to understand. He was a pawn. They had both been pawns. For a moment he almost wished Kenobi lived, so that he could run him through again.

“What did you int-”

“Kill you!” Luke burst out. It came out with a tiny, exhausted sob. “I w-was going to kill you.” 

“Because?”

“B-because you k-killed my-”

“Because you thought that I had killed your father,” Vader interrupted sternly. “Because Obi-wan sent you, untrained, untested, into battle having told you that I was your great enemy in some noble quest to avenge a father you never had the chance to meet.”

“Stop.” Luke didn’t want to hear this. This was a kind of torture after all, wasn’t it? It was emotional. Psychological. But there could be no tactical benefit in telling him these things. Why was Vader telling him these things? Why not just kill him and be done with it?

“Who took you from your mother?” Vader’s earlier question rang in Luke’s ears.

A trickle of sweat dried cold on the back of his neck. What did Darth Vader know about his mother?

Do you really want to pull on that thread, Luke? 

“What do you want?” He tried. He tried so hard to keep the tears from coming. But he was tired and afraid, and so, so overwhelmed.

Vader’s hand smoothed his hair, disturbingly gentle. “I want you to understand that you are not alone, Luke. That you were never alone.”

He raised his other hand. Held Luke’s face between them.

“Do you know why Kenobi told you that I had killed your father?”

“Don’t-” Luke whispered brokenly. He couldn’t take it. Not this. Not him.

“Luke. Look at me. What does the Force tell you?”

“I don’t know-” Luke tried to pull away. Please don’t please don’t don’t tell me don’t change things don’t let it all be lies- “I don’t know!” 

“I did not kill your father.”

It was said with such an air of finality that it rang through the Force, even with Luke’s muffled attempts to read it.

“No,” he agreed. 

His world had a little crack, right at the edge. It was small now, but just the right pressure, and-

“I am your father.”

Crack. 

#phew! that was a long one #long post #star wars wednesday #The Handoff au #The Handoff fic #star wars au #good lord that was a whole dang chapter I just threw at y'all #fic prompts #writing prompts #my aus #my fics #darth vader #luke skywalker #dangit vader #that could be a tag on its own lol #local dingus of a sith lord does not know the meaning of Tact or Subtlety

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Habanero

You're a good girl, well behaved.

Absolutely not the type to rail random guys in nightclubs.

Until you are.

Fandom: BNHA

Pairing: Aizawa x Reader, eventual polyamorous Erasermic x Reader

Rating: Gen

Trigger Warnings: None in this chapter except for like, the word orgasm

AO3: Here | Want to support me? I have a Kofi

Chapter: 8/16 (all chapters)

The sports festival was over before you knew it. You left the school grounds on a high, proud of being even slightly involved in such an impressive event.

You knew that the next few days were going to be frantic, so made a point to stop off at the store to pick up some last minute groceries while you had the chance to do so. They were having a sale on seasonal produce and you ended up buying more than you meant to, struggling under the weight of your numerous bags as you arrived at your house.

You lifted your bags to reach for your keys, only to catch your ankle on something and fall face first onto your own doorstep, vegetables flying everywhere in your wake. Somehow you avoided smashing your face against the concrete and escaped with only minor grazes on your knees and palms. You rolled over onto your back with a hiss of pain, wondering what the hell you’d tripped over.

You got your answer soon enough, though you didn’t like it. Shouta was sitting on the ground beside you, pointedly looking away. You realised in horror that you had almost certainly flashed your underwear on the way down. Heck, you were flashing him then.

“Oops,” you said, quickly rearranging yourself and clapping a hand in your lap for good measure. “Were you...waiting for me?”

It was a stupid question and you knew it. Why else would he be sitting at your door?

He’d got the food containers that you’d given him in his lap and you felt more than a passing pang of joy at the knowledge that he must have eaten everything you had made for him, even if you were still more than a little miffed that he’d gone back to work without rest.

“Come on in,” you said, getting up to gather the vegetables you’d dropped everywhere. Thankfully you hadn’t bought anything particularly fragile. “I’ll make some-

He reached out to take the bags from you and you glanced from his casts to his blank expression and back again. He wanted to help, that much was clear, but there was no way you were going to push all of your groceries into his injured arms. Instead you lifted a single bright red tomato from your bag and set it down on top of the food containers he already had.

He was far from impressed by the gesture, but said little of it as he followed you into your home. You headed to the sink to wash your hands and hissed with pain when the water hit your grazes.

“What is it?”

Shouta peered over your shoulder, standing so close that you could feel his breath against the back of your neck. It was more than a little distracting, all things considered.

“You really are an idiot,” he sighed.

For a second, and only one, you agreed with him.

“Wait. Me?? I’m the idiot?! Why were you sitting at my door in the first place?”

“You should pay more attention to your surroundings.”

“And you shouldn’t sit in such a prime tripping position,” you said. “I could have broken my nose!”

You turned towards him, ready to make a comment about how he was exactly like a cat, running between your legs and trying to trip you over onto your ass, but you fell silent at the realisation that you were at kissing level.

“Oh,” you said. “Hello.”

He glanced at your lips, however briefly.

“Sorry,” he said. “I came to talk about...I came to talk about 1-A.”

“Okay,” you said, “um...where would you like to start?”

He stood there, eying you from head to toe as if you were a battle scene and he needed to devise a strategy. You might not have known it, but in many respects you were.

“I didn’t come to talk about 1-A.”

“No.”

Truth be told, you already knew. You had both dreaded and looked forward to this moment; the discussion about the kiss. You were both adults and couldn’t dance around the topic forever, no matter how much you might have wanted to.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “I took advantage of you and I shouldn’t have, I-”

“Stop it with that. If I didn’t want to kiss you, I wouldn’t have.”

He was so close...so warm. He was close enough to touch and you couldn’t distract yourself from it. The students weren’t the only ones you hoped your feelings reached. You wanted him to know how much you had feared for him the day of the accident; the feelings deep within you that you didn’t want to leave behind.

You didn’t want him to leave you behind.

“I…”

“Hizashi,” he said.

It was perhaps the last thing you expected him to say and you weren’t sure how to respond.

“Uh...I’m (Name).”

He laughed at that under his breath, so quietly that you wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t standing so extraordinarily close.

“Fried chicken,” he continued, and you couldn’t help but wonder if he was having a stroke. “Black nail polish, green candies.”

“Shouta…”

You planted a hand on his forehead to feel his temperature, wondering if you should call an ambulance. Maybe it wasn’t only his orbital cavity that had been damaged.

“Purple socks, studded leather, zombie movies, horror games, candles that smell like desserts, cheap sunglasses, expensive shampoo, eighties rock and dubstep mashups, light beer…” he skimmed your hairline. “(HC) hair.”

“Shouta, what are you…”

He took a step back and crossed his arms as much as one could with two casts.

“Those are the things Mic likes,” he said, as politely as if you were strangers. “Bear them in mind.”

“Uh...okay,” you said, wondering if his birthday was coming up. “I will.”

Shouta nodded and you couldn’t help but wonder. If it was just Hizashi’s birthday, why did he look so sad?

“I’m rooting for you,” he said, giving you a polite bow.

You stared at your front door for a long time after he left, going over everything he had said. You couldn’t understand why he had looked so upset, however briefly.

What had any of it got to do with Hizashi? Why did it matter if you knew the kind of movies he liked?

Why would he-

Realisation hit you like an ice cold bath as you considered recent events: Hizashi’s immediate invitation for beers the day that you met; his insistence that you called him by his first name within a matter of hours of meeting. Hizashi, who seemed incapable of going a single conversation without calling you ‘cute’. Hizashi, who nudged you with his elbow the last time you had recorded Support Mic and told you with a wink that the walls were soundproof.

Oh

You moved towards your cupboards and began to pack your groceries away, too many thoughts circling your mind for you to settle on a single one.

This was, to say the least, an interesting development.

~~~~~~

Aizawa Shouta had suffered many misfortunes in his life. He had lost friends, family and students alike, had slept in the cold with nothing but a cigarette for dinner.

He had almost always accepted his misfortunes with grace; it was easier to dodge punches when you saw them coming.

Even so, he left your home slowly, thinking of Shinohara.

Hizashi and Nemuri had him wrong; since high school, they had believed he was oblivious to her advances and discarded her love notes by mistake. As a matter of fact, he had done so deliberately.

What was it you had said the night of the reset? That you had never done such a thing before and didn’t know what came next?

Shouta knew as much about relationships as you did casual flings.

He had read each one of Shinohara’s notes. He had seen the way she behaved like a deer in headlights and concluded that he didn’t understand any of it. She spoke of him in such abstract and illogical terms that he wondered if she knew him at all.

It was easier to believe she didn’t. When she spoke of kind eyes and wisdom, she meant someone else. She offered up a piece of her heart with every letter and he was doing her a favour by not taking them. That person she liked didn’t exist.

Casual lovers didn’t expect anything from him other than an orgasm, which was easy enough to provide with practise. Longer term partners, though, that was something else entirely. He didn’t know the first thing about being someone’s boyfriend, but he did know that Hizashi would make the perfect one. In the long run, you would be better off with him.

It was easier to dodge punches when you saw them coming; easier to avoid disappointments when you didn’t hope for things in the first place.

Even so, he caught himself thinking back to the day of the reset.

You chased after him then and, if he was completely honest, he wanted you to now.

~~~~

While you cooked dinner and Shouta returned home, Hizashi sat at the bar in Ego , sipping at his drink with a depressed expression that completely contrasted the upbeat music playing over the speakers.

He had gone to Ego straight from work, meaning to ask about the mystery woman. He’d gotten distracted, though, watching the video over and over instead of showing it to the staff. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way Shouta held the woman’s hand in his.

He’d held Shouta’s hand before, during training exercises or to find him in crowds, but it had never had the same feel to it that he saw in the video. Shouta had always been reluctant about it, never once taking the lead and Hizashi felt oddly jealous, wondering why he had never received the same level of tenderness as the woman at Ego .

For the briefest of moments, he was tempted to delete the video and erase the mystery woman from their lives. He didn’t like what she represented, no matter how wonderful she might have been.

He downed his drink in one with a grimace, catching the attention of the bartender.

“Can I get you a refill?”

Hizashi sighed, twirling his glass and spinning the ice cubes within.

“Yeah, maybe something harder.”

“Mic, you’re going to scare away the customers at this rate. What’s the matter with you?”

Hizashi set aside his glass with a sigh.

“I’m looking for a woman,” he said.

“Aren’t we all?”

“Not like that. She was here about six months ago. Had drinks with Eraser. I was hoping you’d remember her.”

The bartender laughed as he reached for a bottle of rum.

“Listen,” he said, grabbing a glass and setting it down on the bar with a flourish. “I have a better memory than most, but even I can’t remember that far back.”

“Don’t you have CCTV or something? It’s pretty important that we find her.”

“Oh? She do something illegal?”

“No, I just want to talk to her.”

The bartender poured rum into the glass, flinching at his answer.

“I’ll be honest,” he said. “The boss man handles all of that stuff and I doubt he’d part with that kind of information without a formal subpoena. Do you have any idea how many creepy guys come to us looking for girl’s numbers?”

Hizashi reached for his newly filled drink.

“Not even for me?”

“ Especially not for you. If anything went south it would be even more of a scandal.”

Hizashi hadn’t expected to hit a dead end so early on and didn’t know how to feel about it. He wondered if he should have followed his instincts and deleted the video after all.

He wondered about it on the train ride home, as he combed his hair, as he sat down in his studio. He played the video on silent and scrolled through it as he loaded up each track.

Finally, at minutes past midnight, he leaned into his microphone.

“Now, listeners,” he said, “here’s a song for the lovers.”

There and then he played a song of unrequited love, of strangers on trains and secret words and crossed paths, a song that bled with emotion and longing. A song that you sang along to as it played through your earphones. A song that Shouta nodded his head along to on his balcony, Sushi curled up on his lap.

Hizashi closed his eyes as he listened to the song, the video from Ego loaded and his finger hovering over ‘delete’.

One tap and the mystery woman would be gone forever. One tap and this feeling of dejectedness would leave him. He wouldn’t have to think anymore about what she represented, the realisations she had forced upon him without ever introducing herself.

One tap and he wouldn’t be the Shinohara.

He locked his phone instead and set it aside, the video safe for another day.

He told himself the same thing you told yourself as you stared at your bedroom ceiling, thinking of the way Shouta had backed away.

He told himself the same thing Shouta told himself as he thought of your lips and bewildered expression.

I shouldn’t be selfish. This is the way it should be.

#aizawa shouta #hizashi yamada #present mic #aizawa x reader #aizawa shouta x reader #habanero

[rainplaysswtor]

SWTOR: New player help: Contending with bugs

It's not a bug, it's a feature! It's working as intended! As you play SWTOR, you will notice that...things don't always go as expected. Here are some helpful tips for new players (and more long term players too) to try to help handle some of the most common bugs you will find in the game. 

First thing: report the bugs you encounter. If nobody knows something's going wrong, it can't be fixed. 

Everyone including free to play players can now use the in-game bug reporting system. How? 

1. Go into your chat box (usually at the upper left of your screen and type /bug)

2. This should open a window that will allow you to type a short description of the bug you are seeing. Describe the bug. Make sure you mention 1) exactly what you were doing and 2) what was not working. For example: 

"During the introduction scene for the flashpoint "This is Way Too Long," the character "I Don't Like You" does not have a head." 

3. Press ' submit.' 

Keep in mind that you will not get a response or any direct help from a bug report. This is to let the developers know what is not working in the game, so they can hopefully fix it. 

2. Wait a little while after there's a new patch or game update

When there's a new game update or patch (you will know because you have new files that will automatically download when you launch the game), don't jump right into the new content with your favorite best character. Wait. It's hard, I know, but wait. The general trend over the past few years has been that new patches and updates always have bugs, and sometimes they're doozies. 

It helps to have a "me first" character or two - perhaps a clone of your main - to wade into new content on the first day or week if you really want to see it. That way you can see the new content without being completely angry that it's messed something up for your characters or isn't running quite right. 

3. Keep an eye on the Bug Reports section of SWTOR.com and the SWTOR Twitter account. 

Even if you are not a subscriber you can still read the Bug Reports forum (I would not recommend the rest of the forums, though). There's usually a running list of known bugs for each patch listed at the top of the page. Also keep an eye on the SWTOR Twitter account. You can read it without being a registered Twitter user, and it will let you know when the game is going down for maintenance or an update. 

4. If you are facing a bug that is making it impossible to complete a quest you need for story progression, you can reach out to SWTOR customer service for assistance. If you are a subscriber, press the little gears icon at the top of your screen, choose "customer service" and then "request help." If you are not subscriber, you can reach support at [email protected]. 

SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR COMMON BUGS

1. Help! My abilities bar got unlocked and I cannot get it to lock again!

When this happens, all your abilities will 'float' or move from their placements, which understandably makes it hard to fight. How to get around this: 

1. When you are NOT IN COMBAT, press CTRL+U. All of your abilities bars/maps/etc. will vanish. Don't panic. This is the way. 

2. Press CTRL+U again. Everything should come back. It may take a moment. Wait. 

2. Oh no! My character's stuck in a rock!

Or on a cliff, or under a box, or up a tree. We've all been there. Go to your chat box (upper left, usually).

1. Write /stuck in the chat. This will either move your character to a place where they aren't stuck, or it will kill them and put them back at the nearest medical base. 

2. What's that? Stuck isn't working, or you just used it and it needs to cool down? You can try using Quick Travel to travel to a nearby medical base. 

3. Still nothing? Try porting to a stronghold, your ship or the Fleet. 

4. Try logging out and logging back in. 

3. What? I can't click the blue thing. 

This bug has shown up all over the place, where an objective will be lit blue, but unclickable. I've found a few places where nothing I do makes this work. 

1. Try changing instances. 

2. Try logging out and back in. 

4. This is a great cut scene...why is it freezing?!

Several years ago this bug was so severe in the Sith Warrior and Imperial Agent stories that only customer service could resolve it. It seems better now, but here are some ideas. 

1. ESC out of the scene. Now try to start the scene again by clicking on the NPC /objective/whatever is the scene starter. 

2. Can you guess? Log out and back in. 

3. Close the game and try re-launching. 

4. Try lowering your graphics settings in the game. Don't know why this works, but it did sometimes. 

5. My character is frozen in a weird pose. 

Just laugh at it, take a screenshot and share it with your friends so they can laugh. Typically this will not affect actual combat and will go away on its own eventually. 

6. I want to romance Lana Beniko, Koth Vortena or Theron Shan in KOTFE...but I've heard things about the romance vanishing. 

There are two general ways the romances in KOTFE get borked:

1. A patch happens before the romance is locked in (chapter 9) and all the player's flirts from chapters 3-8 are reset. The game thus forgets you were trying to romance Lana and you don't get the romance dialogue option in chapter 9. I've also heard of Koth and Theron romances vanishing, but not as often. The solution is to NOT play through chapters 3-9 of KOTFE when there's a patch happening. My general tactic is to play those chapters straight through, and not stop until I get to chapter 10, to make sure the romance is locked and won't be interrupted by a patch.

2. The player misunderstands the really poorly framed dialogue wheel in chapter 9. There's a moment, pictured below, where the camera faces Theron Shan, and there are choices that say "I need to see one of you" and "I need to see one of you" [flirt]. IT IS NOT JUST REFERRING TO THERON. If you are flirting with Lana or Koth and want to lock in their romance, DO NOT CLICK ON THE FIRST CHOICE (which is helpfully lit up here for your reference). YOU NEED TO CHOOSE THE [FLIRT] HERE, as well as the [flirt] in the conversation when you are alone with your companion of choice.  

When your actions or conversation choice will start or end a romance, from KOTFE onward, you will receive a pop up warning that looks something like this. 

Caption: This choice will begin a romance with Lana Beniko. Are you sure you wish to proceed? CONTINUE - CANCEL Once you have this scene, MAKE SURE you finish chapter 9 entirely so your choices don't get wiped out in a future patch!

7. My companion is stuck in place and won't move. 

There you go, charging into the fray...there's your companion, lingering awkwardly at the threshold and not participating. Oops. You can usually wake them up by sending them away and then bringing them back. Easy ways to do this include: 

1) Send them to sell junk (press N. Go to your companion who is with you. Press the little icon near their name to get them to sell the junk. Depending on the legacy perks you have purchased they will be gone for between 5 and 30 seconds)

2) Summon another companion, any of them, and then summon back the one you want. 

3) It didn't work? Sometimes companions do seem to go on strike and you will probably just want to summon another to continue playing. This is a good reason to remember to have more than one companion at high influence, if you can, so you can switch as needed. 

8. My companion keeps falling over. 

Sternly tell your companion it's not time for a nap. Kidding. They really don't care. Any time is nap time. The steps in #7 should work to wake them up again. 

9. I'm trying to loot something and it's telling me "out of range." 

First, are you sure it's your loot and not some other player's? If it's yours, you can sometimes pick it up by walking away and then returning. Other times, look for someone else nearby to loot. I've on occasion found things unlootable, which is frustrating. 

#swtor #rain plays swtor #new player help #it's a feature not a bug

[jazzywazzy89]

Hello! I was reading your response to an ask about your fic Lettered and how you mentioned possibly having Bonnie with both Elijah and Klaus, I wanted to know of you wrote the relationship developing that way, how would you go about that path? who would suggest the dynamic to include both of them in a relationship with Bonnie? I also love your two oc's the girl who is Bonnies maid and her brother, I found his crush on Bonnie when she went to the cleansing ritual really cute.

Hey Anon,

I'll have to think about this because it's been a while since I've revisited this fic. Thanks for the complements on the OC's. I mostly included Cato and Mirela to explored a bit of Romani magic but I came to love them both a bit. And Cato's crush was because I wanted to write a fic where Bonnie is appreciated and pursued by attractive men and viewed as desirable which is why you have not just Elijah and Klaus but also Cato and Trevor.

So, now for second part of this question (not going to be revealing too much because it might get updated eventually). In terms of the endgame I hadn't really had any in mind at the start of the fic. I love Klonnie above all but I know there's not a lot of Bonlijah fics out there and I love that pairing as well. But if you read my work then you know I am not opposed to writing poly fics and quite a few of the reviews for Lettered had requested it go in that direction because they had a hard time choosing if they were Team Klaus or Team Elijah.

At the start of the story a lot of things are swayed in Elijah's favor in the fic. Bonnie has a darker history with Klaus at the start. Elijah is the one writing the letters. Klaus is openly pursuing Katherine which makes him less desirable. And, also Elijah's blood is in Bonnie's system.

However, there's a sort of reset that begins to happen in the latest chapters. Bonnie finds out the truth about the letters. Elijah's blood is out of her system. Klaus is giving up his pursuit of Katherine. And both Elijah and Klaus are opening expressing their wish to pursue Bonnie and Bonnie has in an effort to get out of the pursuit agreed to entertain the attentions of both brothers.

Both pairings are basically on equal footing except Bonnie knows a bit more about Elijah and is more open to him. Klaus as been hiding behind the letters. But at the same time, Bonnie actually enjoys spending time with Klaus that she wants to let on but she's very wary and resistant. The secret of the letters coming out almost proves her fears right. The things is, because Klaus now has to come at Bonnie in a more genuine way she gets to see him another side of him and there will be a vulnerability there that makes her really conflicted when it comes to her feelings for him versus her feelings for Elijah, and just when this occurs Bonnie returns home to a very different future that I won't reveal but in a way it is like another reset because nothing is the same and Bonnie has to readjust to her life again and before she can get used to everything Klaus and Elijah show up. So the love triangle starts again in the present day and would develop organically into a poly relationship if I choose to go that direction. It wouldn't really be like someone suggesting it but something that happens a bit more naturally. If I wrote for the show the vampires would have been a lot more open and freer regarding their sexuality anyway, I mean they have lived through enough time periods and been around enough people to. Anyway, I hope that kind of answered your question. Basically, though both Elijah and Klaus have been shown in their own way throughout the story to follow Bonnie's lead a bit and be open to what she wants, Klaus is a bit more direct and persistent only because he's actually very right in terms of Bonnie being in denial about her feelings towards him. So, both as the story moves forward would continue that openness in regards to what Bonnie wants even if that meant that didn't want to choose between them.

#anons #replies #klonnie #bonlijah #bonnie bennett #bonnie x klaus #bonnie x elijah #i feel like i gave everything away which i didn't want to do #lol #oh well