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#the terrible and wonderful reasons why i run long distance
flaxseeds · 1 year
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just got paid for writing a review of the worst "book" ever written i love this job :)
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steddiealltheway · 1 year
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I’ve written something like this before but eh let’s write another.
Dustin manages to convince Eddie and Steve to accompany him while he uses Cerebro to talk to Suzie. It only takes convincing one of them to know that the other will join because Eddie and Steve have been inseparable since Hawkins was almost destroyed. They say it’s because they’re bonded with their matching bat scars, but really they just enjoy each other’s company.
And thank god they do because being around Dustin when he’s talking to Suzie is absolutely insufferable. Eddie tries to come up with nicknames that are worse than Dustin’s while Steve comes up with terrible pick up lines. By the end of the conversation, Steve and Eddie are outright cringing and complaining about love.
Dustin says goodbye to Suzie and starts packing up which cues Steve saying, “Henderson, never let me witness that again.”
Dustin scoffs, “Come on, it wasn’t that bad.”
Eddie and Steve exchange incredulous looks, and then Eddie dramatically drops to his knee and announces to Steve, “Oh, my sweet apple pie, my affections will forever be yours.”
Steve laughs and wonders why he’s feeling warmer than before. Must be the heat or something. He continues the bit and grabs Eddie’s hands. “How have I ever lived without you, my love?”
Now it’s Eddie’s turn to feel a bit overwhelmed with some type of feeling. He’s not entirely sure what it is, but it’s making his heart race. He takes Steve’s hands and plants a slow kiss on the left. “I will never know.” He plants a kiss on the right. “But I swear that you’ll never have to know again.”
Steve’s hands let go of Eddie’s to cup his face. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Eddie replies easily.
Steve and Eddie freeze. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Both their heads spin as they finally put a label on what they’ve been feeling for weeks now. The reason they never want to leave each other’s sight. The late night phone calls where they joke about being away from each other for too long - knowing that they had just hung out minutes earlier. The sleepovers where Steve has held Eddie or vice versa depending on whose nightmares are worse that night…
“Hey! We’re not that bad,” Dustin whines. Steve and Eddie break apart quickly remembering where they are and why they’ve said what they said.
“Come on, it’s getting close to your curfew,” Steve says, mind reeling with his realization.
Dustin goes on a rant about something he and Suzie were talking about, but neither Steve nor Eddie truly catch everything he’s saying. They’re too caught up in their heads trying to keep a respectable distance from each other while realizing how often they’re in each other’s personal space: all the time.
By the time they get to Steve’s car, Dustin has started a new rant, and thank goodness for how much that kid can talk so Steve and Eddie don’t have to. But the drive to Dustin’s is quicker than it needs to be because suddenly Steve and Eddie are alone together and simultaneously freaking out.
“So,” Steve says breaking the silence.
“So…” Eddie responds, fingers rapidly tapping where they rest on his leg.
“Dustin and Suzie are just…”
“Absolutely disgustingly in love?” Eddie offers.
Steve nods. “Yeah.”
In love. The boys start freaking out a little more.
“I wonder what that’s like,” Eddie says, voice a bit higher than usual.
“I wouldn’t know,” Steve replies quickly, hoping Eddie doesn’t hear how false that statement is even to his own ears.
Eddie just nods, stuck so deep in his own thoughts he can’t even register Steve manically twirling his sunglasses around while driving. Steve stops it as soon as he realizes he’s doing his nervous tick.
When the trailer park gets in sight, Steve takes a deep breath then asks, “What if I did know?”
Eddie glances over at him with a questioning look. Steve elaborates, “Know what it’s like to be disgustingly in love.”
Eddie’s fingers freeze as he finally looks at Steve who parks in front of Eddie’s trailer. He nervously licks his lips and runs a hand through his hair as he turns to look at Eddie. There’s absolutely no way. No way at all. But Eddie replies, “I think I know, too.”
Steve breaks out into a wide smile and leans across the car. “You’re talking about me right?” He asks as his nose brushes against Eddie’s.
“Yes,” Eddie says against his lips before they both surge forward into a kiss.
Later, they both agree to never let Dustin know that he’s the reason they realized their feelings for each other because that kid would never let it go. (Of course, he still manages to say that he’s the reason the two of them met and therefore the reason they got together, but Eddie and Steve will forever argue that it was their matching bat scars just to keep Dustin angry.)
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spacebarbarianweird · 4 months
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If I Had A Voice, I Would Scream
The Cloak of Dragomir is finally found, and Astarion can walk in the sunlight. But magic comes with a terrible price.
Based on Mute!Tav Headcanon
Tags: f!Tav, disability, post-game, established relationships, nurturing Astarion
Read on AO3
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Headcanons
Astarion basks in the sunlight, arms wide open. It feels like cat fur – delightfully tickly and warm.
The world unfolds in vibrant colors – the blue sky, green valleys, and distant mountains. Daylight reveals a beauty he's long forgotten, absolutely breathtaking.
Astarion's black cloak dances in the wind, showing only his palms and a half of his face.
The Cloak of Dragomir. The artifact that allows vampires to stroll in the sunlight, cross running waters, and invade homes without an invite. Astarion doesn't even have to wrap himself entirely. He pulls up the hood and lets the cloak cascade over most of his body.
Walking in the sunlight becomes a reality. Such a thin, delicate fabric opens him to a world of possibilities.
He still can't see himself in the mirror, but even the tadpole couldn't fix it, so Astarion doesn't hold a grudge.
But-
Astarion glances back at the small campsite. Tav is nowhere to be seen; she sleeps in their tent. The protective spells guarding the Dragomir Cloak have taken a toll on her strength. Astarion wishes she could join him in the sunlight. After enduring years confined to darkness and liminal spaces, Tav deserves to bask in the day's warmth alongside him.
She can't.
A piercing screech rends the air, drawing Astarion's gaze skyward. There, high above, a red dragon soars, its massive form appearing no larger than a bird from this distance.
Astarion and Tav had been hunting for the cloak since they departed from Baldur's Gate. Initially, it was just a flicker of hope, a phantom possibility. There may have been something out there to aid Astarion to walk in the sun. A ring, a spell, a blessing, or maybe even a cure – the possibilities were as vast and unpredictable as the wonders of Faerun.
They found the vampire cloak in the Underdark, protected by a dozen spells and traps. However, the items came with a condition – one had to provide something of equal value to obtain it. A fair exchange, a valuable possession for a valuable possession.
Astarion tried to dissuade Tav. The ghostly guardian's demands needed clarification. What exactly did he want in return? Tav's life, perhaps half of it? A potential imprisonment or transformation into a monstrous being? It could be something intangible, like memories, skills, or sanity…
There is nothing worse than making pacts with supernatural entities, whether hags, devils, or vampires. Trust a Baldurian magistrate.
"We can't just walk away!" Tav pleaded.
He objected and attempted to reason with her, searching for alternative solutions. Yet, deep down, they both knew there was none. Tav gestured towards the radiant day outside, the lure of stepping into the sunlight undeniable.
Astarion reluctantly agreed, but he was supposed to make the sacrifice, not her. However, before Astarion could intervene, Tav reached for the cloak. A valuable lifesaving thing in exchange for something equally vital.
Astarion shouted at her. How could she be so reckless? Why did she never ever listen to him? When his tirade ended, he steeled himself for her response.
Tav remained silent. He would never hear a single word from her.
The price was her ability to talk.
… The dragon disappears in the skies, and Astarion returns to the camp.
Tav can't speak to the people they meet. She can't talk to the quest givers. She can't simply say what she wants and needs and even writing skills are little help since most people in Faerun are illiterate.
Astarion wanted to summon the guardian back and return this cursed thing, but it wouldn't improve anything.
The price was paid.
And as with any curse created by a vampire, it was irreversible.
Astarion sometimes wants to burn this cloak, to rip it apart. He wishes they never learned about its existence.
Sure, it could be worse. Blindness or deafness would be much worse than being just mute. A thousand paladins and clerics give an oath of silence. But they have a choice to break it.
Astarion looks inside the tent. Tav is still asleep, curled in her side of the bedroll. Despite the warm temperature, she is wrapped in blankets. Looking at her, he feels warmth in the undead heart as if a small sun pulsates within his ribcage.
He needs to find a solution. To teach Tav to speak Thieves Cant? It's basically sign language, profane and rude, but very practical. Or lip-reading? If Tav "pronounces" everything clearly, he can recognize the words.
There are also telepathy spells…
He hears a sniff.
It happens so unexpectedly that Astarion first can't realize what he has just heard.
Tav tries to cover her head with the blanket, pretending she is still asleep. And not crying uncontrollably.
"Tav, my sweet, I know you are awake," he enters the tent and removes the cloak, kneeling beside his love.
Another sniff. Louder and more desperate.
Astarion hesitates. It's usually Tav consoling him after nightmares and yet another breakdown. It's her hugging him when it's just too much to bear.
And Astarion has never seen her crying like that. He strokes the blanket, hoping she feels his touch through the thick fabric. "I am here."
He almost adds, "Speak to me," but bites his tongue.
As Tav ceases to conceal her silent tears, trembling and shuddering, Astarion grapples with the profound weight of the silence that envelops them.
He has never realized how talkative and loud she used to be.
As Astarion pulls the blanket away, he unveils Tav curled up in a fetal position, her eyes swollen and face red. The upper part of the blanket is damp, soaked in tears.
Astarion feels a desperate urge to run away, and escape the overwhelming responsibility of being a caregiver. He fears that his presence will only exacerbate her pain, that he'll inflict more harm than healing.
No. He can't do this to her. She needs him.
He sighs, wrapping his hands gently around her waist, guiding her to sit on his lap. Cradling her, Astarion kisses her cheek.
"I miss it," he begins, carefully choosing words. "I miss your voice. You used to talk to me, asking if you could touch or kiss me. I miss the way you spoke about my own self-worth. Your laughter."
Tav presses her face against his chest. He kisses her forehead.
"Once, I asked you what in nine hells you'd found in me. Of course, I knew the answer – who else would be so handsome and smart like me? But what I couldn't understand was what attracted you in the first place, considering I had tried to slice your throat. Remember what you told me? You said you had fallen in love with my voice. You said you just wanted to hear me speaking to you".
"The thing is… it was the same for me. There, on that cursed Nauthiloid, I'd heard you before I saw you. I would never admit it, but I liked how you sounded. Not this drunk voice of my victims, not an order from the master. Just you being so stubborn about survival."
Tav silently cries, and Astarion sees her lips moving. He tries to concentrate on them, figuring out what she is saying, but she trembles, and he can't work anything out.
"I wish we never found this thing. If I knew what it would cost, I would accept fate as a creature of the night. I was selfish. I wanted more than I had, but what I had was enough. Freedom and you, it was enough. I didn't need the sun to feel happy. But now… We have to work it out."
Tav nods and finally pulls away from his shirt, looking into Astarion's eyes. He smiles at her, and she, with hesitation, smiles back.
He keeps talking. He talks like a lovestruck drunkard in a tavern who needs the strongest wine to confess their feelings.
About the night he realized he was in love with her.
About tensed days when he tried to cast this feeling away. How he was afraid to hear the rejection. And how he felt when Tav admitted she felt something, too.
Her protecting him from the Drow bitch. Agreeing on helping with the scars. Saving him from the gravest mistake he could make.
A night in the cemetery when he forgot about any decency, if he even had one, pinning Tav down to the ground. How they returned to the inn, all covered in soil as if they were gravedigging.
Tav is his first. She is his first sentient being to feed on. Her blood is addictive, divine – no one tastes like her. He's had thousands of opportunities to understand this.
She is the first person who he made love to. He had no idea what it was supposed to feel like until that night in the graveyard.
Tav sits up and wraps her hands around his neck.
"I will never leave you, you hear me, Tav?" Astarion affirms, and she nods in acknowledgment. "But we need a way to communicate," he says, gently pulling her away. She clings to him like a kitten, reluctant to be separated.
"Okay then," Astarion decides, reaching for the cloak. With Tav cradled in his arms, he steps into the sunlight, carrying her in a bridal embrace. Together, they ascend to the cliff he stood before, where he lingers, allowing her to share in the picturesque view.
The dragon is nowhere to be seen, but Tav finally stops crying, looking at the distant mountains.
Astarion puts her on the ground, and they sit in front of each other.
"I want to be able to lip-reading you. It's easy. I did it before; I must adjust to your pretty mouth."
Tav silently giggles and then leans back with a smile. Now, she looks like her real self – funny, strong, brave. Asatrion melts by simply looking at her.
"I need you to talk to me."
Tav spreads her legs a bit and bites her lower lip. Her head tilts a bit, demonstrating the right side of the neck.
"My pretty darling, if this mouth of yours doesn't do what I asked, I will find another use for it."
She smiles, and her lips form a sentence.
YOU. ARE. A. FREAK. AND. I. LOVE. YOU.
"Well, if you don't stop teasing me, I will make both your lips and tongue work."
I. DON’T. MIND.
He chuckles, studying her face.
"I am surprised you were single when I met you. Lucky me."
NO. ONE. IS. LIKE. YOU.
"Keep going."
DON’T. BE. UPSET. WE. ALL. LOSE. SOMETHING. IT’S. A. PART. OF. LIFE. IT. WIIL. BE. EASIER. FOR. US. WITH. THE. CLOAK.
"Yes. It will. Are you upset?"
I. AM.
"I will teach you Thieves Cant. It's easy. I suggest telepathy spells, but I don't know how to learn them.
NO. I. DON'T. WANT. TO. GET. IN. YOUR. HEAD. YOU. NEED. YOUR. AUTONOMY. I. AM. NOT. BREECHING. IT" "
She keeps talking. Telling different nice things. The more she talks, the more she is her old self. Kind. Funny. Smart. Horny. And by the sunset, he forgets he doesn't hear her voice because they finally properly speak.
When the sun sets, he removes the cloak, letting the moonlight wash his hair and skin.
I.AM. TIRED, Tav pouts. CARRY. ME. BACK.
Astarion obliges and receives a kiss when she is in his hands again.
As the night falls, it gets much colder, and Tav is shivering when they return to the tent. She quickly sneaks under the blanket and makes an inviting gesture.
Astarion lays beside Tav and nuzzles her collarbone. She kisses him goodbye and falls asleep.
He doesn't need to meditate yet, so he lets himself drown in Tav's warmth and steady heartbeat. Astarion presses her tightly and lets his own tears flow.
"I wish it never happened," he whispers in the dark.
--
Tag list
@tragedybunny @caitlincat-95 @tallymonster @astarionsbeloved @lumienyx @fayeriess @aoirohi @elora-the-slutty-songstress @veillsar @astarion-imagine-archive @micropoe10 @starlight-ipomoea @herstxrgirl
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captainsophiestark · 5 months
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Werewolf
Remus Lupin x Reader
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Masterlist - Join My Taglist!
Written for my Year of Olympians and part of a bigger challenge being run by @yearofcreation2023​! It features a ton of other awesome creators and runs all year, so go check it out!
Fandom: Harry Potter
Prompt: Artemis; wilderness, the moon, protection, hounds
Summary: Remus' SO decides to finally figure out why he's been looking so rough every month and gets more answers than they bargained for.
Word Count: 1,890
Category: Angst, Fluff
Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.
Mysteries were overrated.
Every so often, when I dove headfirst into learning something new and spent hours doing that for fun, I wondered whether I should've been sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor. But now, after spending far too long trying to reason my way to understanding, I'd decided to throw logic out the window and do some good old fashioned following people around instead. My Ravenclaw friends would never let me hear the end of it when I told them, but right now, I didn't care.
My boyfriend, Remus Lupin, had been ill on and off for months. He leaned on his friends, relied on them for support, but never turned to me. I'd talked to him once or twice, but he'd never given me a straight answer, and when the third month in a row came around that he looked on the verge of death's doorstep, I decided to get to the bottom of things one way or another.
Which was why I was out in the middle of the night on the Hogwarts grounds, trailing a far distance back from the Marauders as they moved in a pack. All of them except my boyfriend seemed in good spirits, and whatever was going on, I felt for Remus. I hadn't expected the adventure to take us out of the castle, so I still wore pajamas, and only love for my boyfriend kept me from turning right around to seek shelter from the cold night air.
To my surprise, the four boys ahead of me made straight for the Whomping Willow. I knew they were idiots, but I had no idea what possible draw the murder tree could have for them right now, especially with Remus so clearly feeling terrible. Then, in a flash, Peter disappeared.
I blinked and rubbed at my eyes, trying to figure out what I'd seen. Then, in the dull moonlight just barely filtering through the clouds, I saw a rat scurry across the roots of the tree. A moment later, the branches froze in place, and the remaining three boys ducked into a passage normally hidden among the roots, the rat following right after them.
Of course they were unregistered Animagi. I knew that month they'd spent barely talking hadn't been a ploy to mess with the Slytherin Quidditch team, or James trying to impress Lily with his friends' support, or anything else they'd claimed. But Remus hadn't been part of that.
Before I could second guess myself, I let every last ridiculous Gryffindor instinct take over and rushed to the tree, sliding into the hole at its base a split second before the branches began whipping around again furiously. I muttered a quick lumos to light the way ahead of me, then hurried after the boys.
Before I got very far into the tunnel, I heard horrifying screams coming from ahead, the same kinds people said came from the Shrieking Shack. I hesitated for half a second before racing off down the tunnel in the direction the boys had gone. Whatever that noise was, it wasn't good, and I needed to make sure Remus and our friends were alright.
I made it about ten steps forward before I collided with someone. They wrapped their arms around me and held me in place to keep me from moving forward, and after a moment's shouting and confusion, I recognized the person holding me.
"Y/N, you have to get out of here!" shouted James, his tone urgent. I'd never heard him yell like this before, never saw his cool composure drop to the level of the panic currently in his eyes.
"James, what's going on?" I cried. I heard that horrible screeching again, and I tried to move past him. "Where's Remus?"
"You have to leave, now! It's not safe-!"
A moment later, an earsplitting howl replaced the screaming. I froze and so did James, and our wide eyes slowly found each other. I knew that howl from Defense Against the Dark Arts. That was a werewolf.
"You have to run, now," James finally said, his voice low but firm. "If you don't, he'll kill you. It doesn't matter that he loves you, when he's transformed... he has no control."
"Is he... is he going to be okay?"
"Not if he comes back to himself to find out he killed you. Now get out!"
With that, James turned on his heel and transformed before my eyes into a gigantic, gorgeous stag. I could hear barking and snarling further down the corridor, still not close but definitely getting closer. I hesitated, hating to leave without doing anything, but James was right. I didn't have a choice.
I took off running back the way I'd come, trusting the Marauders to take care of Remus tonight. For now, that was the best I could do.
Commotion followed me the whole way out of the tunnel, getting just so slightly closer as to make me nervous. When I finally raced out of the tunnel, I just remembered to slam the root on the tree to stop the branches. I didn't look back as I raced up the grounds to the doors of the castle, finally breathing a sigh of relief from the safety of the entry hall.
I quickly ducked into the nearest secret passage lest Filch catch me out of bed, then slumped back against the wall and slowly sank to the ground. The adrenaline of the past few minutes crashed over me in waves, and I focused on taking long, deep breaths. Slowly, as I calmed down, the actual information that came with my investigation tonight sank in.
My boyfriend was a werewolf. His three best friend were unregistered Animagi, and they apparently spent every full moon with him in their animal forms.
Every DADA class we'd spent discussing werewolves (which, thankfully, hadn't been that many) suddenly came rushing back to me. All the time our teacher had spent talking about them as if they were monsters, while Remus just had to sit there and listen. I clenched and unclenched my fists, taking a second to run the odds on expulsion if I punched a teacher.
Remus was nothing but the sweetest, most wonderful person I'd ever met, and I was so lucky to have him in my life. The thought of people ignoring that, of Remus' face if someone called him a monster... all I wanted to do was wrap him up tight in my arms and never let him go.
I decided to focus on that last feeling instead of the 'punch a teacher' feeling. I had no idea how long these transformations lasted, but I had a feeling Remus would be awfully beat up when he finally did make it back here. With a quick pitstop in the kitchens to grab a few of his favorite snacks, I headed back up to the Gryffindor common room to wait.
Only sheer force of will and a deep love for Remus kept me from passing out after the first hour. The fire was warm, the blanket nest I'd made on my favorite common room couch was comfortable, and the adrenaline dump just made me want to pass out. But I kept my eyes open, waiting for him to come back. Finally, a little after three in the morning, the portrait door swung open.
"Come on, Moony, let's get you upstairs."
"It's okay, nobody got hurt-"
The Marauders staggered into the common room, James and Sirius holding Remus between them as Peter held the door. They all froze on the spot, however, when they saw me waiting on the couch.
"Hey," I said, finally moving from the spot I'd spent the past few hours holding down. I blinked sleepy eyes and managed a smile as I approached Remus and the others. "Uh... do you guys mind if I get a minute with my boyfriend?"
James and Sirius shared significant looks, then both turned to Peter. After a moment's hesitation, they looked back at me and nodded.
"Moony we'll, uh... we'll see you upstairs," said James. He nodded to me as he eased away from Moony and headed for the stairs, Sirius following behind him with a narrow-eyed warning look in my direction. Peter followed, giving me a mix of a look between James and Sirius'. Then, finally, I was alone with my boyfriend.
"So... I'm still your boyfriend?" he asked. He leaned heavily to one side, away from me, as I approached him. The hurt and defeat in his voice ripped my heart open all over again.
"Rem... of course. I love you. Nothing could ever change that."
Remus didn't look like he quite believed me, but he drifted in my direction anyway. I smiled and closed the rest of the distance, taking up the position his friends had filled before. I wrapped an arm around his waist and started leading him towards the couch.
"You're not... afraid of me?"
I scoffed and helped Remus ease down into the blankets, then settled in next to him. I'd spent hours preparing this fort, and when I saw a little weight ease off of Remus' shoulders as he settled in, it was worth it.
"Of course I'm not afraid of you. I love you."
"But James said..."
"Never mind what James said. I love you, Rem, and nothing in the world could ever change that. I'm just sorry I couldn't do more to help you."
Remus huffed a laugh as I leaned against his side, then finally put his arm around me. I laid on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as he spoke and wrapping my arms around him in the most comforting hug I could.
"You find out I'm a werewolf and almost get killed in the process... and you're wishing you could've done more to help me?"
"I'm a Gryffindor, babe, I don't scare easy."
He laughed fully now, loud and joyous. It didn't last long, since he was clearly exhausted, but the sound made my heart sing.
"What on earth did I do to deserve someone as wonderful as you?"
"You were a wonderful person every single day of your life, clearly. Now here, look what I got." Without further ado, I pulled out the snacks I'd stolen from the kitchen. Remus literally gasped.
"Did you get these for me?"
"Yup. If I'd gotten them for me, they'd've been gone already."
"You're wonderful. Have I mentioned that lately?"
"Yes, but I can always stand to hear it again." We shared a smile as Remus dug into the snacks, his head resting against mine, and then I sighed. "So... what do you think the odds are of the rest of the Marauders helping me through the steps to become an Animagus?"
Remus choked on what he was eating, then looked at me with wide eyes.
"You're kidding."
"I'm not! I want to be there to support you, Rem, through everything. I guess... as long as that's okay with you?"
He smiled, then gave a little disbelieving laugh. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my forehead before snuggling up with me again.
"I can't think of anything that would be more okay with me."
"Okay, good. But I'm going to put myself in charge of coming up with a lie to cover the mandrake leaf in my mouth. I'm pre-vetoing anything the rest of you come up with."
"Probably a good decision."
****************
Everything Taglist: @rosecentury
Harry Potter Taglist: @valkyriepirate
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roninishere · 8 months
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Tell me again.
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Sanemi Shinazugawa x female reader Warnings: none, terrible grammar? Summary: when Admitting your feelings for Sanemi goes wrong, or so you thought.
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“Uh…” Sanemi Shinazugawa couldn’t believe what he just heard, you just admitted that you loved him. He dropped his spoon full of ramen back into his bowl causing a loud nose.
You loved him?
His heart was beating so quick and loudly that he was sure it was going pound out of his chest.
Say something you idiot.
Unable to gather his words quickly, you took his silence as rejection. You laughed with pain in your voice when you tried to play it off “but why would someone like you love me? Ridiculous of me,” you needed to get out of there, you felt tears build up as you stood up “please pretend this never happened. I’m so sorry.”
“Wait Y/n!” Sanemi reached over the table to grab your hand, but you ran out of the restaurant, leaving him wondering why would to say something like that about yourself. You had it all wrong, someone like him didn’t deserve you.
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How could let yourself get some vulnerable? To let your emotions run wild and fall for someone you couldn’t have? Even if he wanted you, how long would I be until it came to an horrible ending?
You refused to allow yourself to get close others and to love for YEARS. What was the point? You know how high the chances are of losing someone you love to a Demon? Pretty fucking high. When you were just a little girl, nine years old when your whole family slaughtered as you was forced to watch.
Seeing that you haven’t seen the Wind Pillar since then, not only bought you a bit of relief, but also some hurt. It was the best though. You were not worthy of him.
After you finished your patrol around Masters Ubuyashikis Mansion and reported to him, you made your way out of the Estate. Exiting the gates, as you closed the last door, your heart stopped seeing a familiar figure.
Sanemi was leaned against the wall and oh god-just when you thought you couldn’t be more attracted to him, your thoughts were out of control at the sight of him. Being thankful that your relief had been on the other side of the walls, you grew nervous. Why was he here?
“H-hey.” You stuttered as you awkwardly rubbed your arm, a nervous tick of yours.
It was quite adorable to him. He used his right foot that was bent knee to push him off the wall, closing the distance between you too. His purple eyes locked with your own as he gently grabbed your arms, prying one off the other “Tell me again.”
“Tell you what?” You played dumb, he wanted you tell him that you love him? Why? For what reason? You already wanted to run and hide under a rock for the rest of your life.
Instead of getting irritated like he would with anyone else acting dumb, he backed you up against the wall behind you. His hands brushing away the tears on your cheeks you hadn’t realized were falling as you took deeply shaky breaths “you know what.” His fingers brushed against the two new scars you had under your right eye to your chin. He remembered when you got them, you had been on one of your patrols when you had encountered a demon. Despite getting cut and the bruises that had been on your face and neck, you took it like champ after you killed the demon.
When you shallowed what felt like a big lump, you felt like you were gunna pass out, you guys were just inches from each other.
You weren’t afraid of being rejected, you were afraid of love, of someone loving you. You never allowed yourself happiness.
You started sweating and your heart beating so fast, you almost forgot how to breathe. Were you gonna tell him again? Fuck why did he have this kind of affect on you?
The Hashira felt his heart flutter, the feeling of warmth and fuzziness just grew by the fucking second. When you brushed a few strains of his hair out of his face, he let out a soft groan feeling your other hand lay on his bare chest “say-y it.” He begged, pressing his body against yours.
“I-I love you Sanemi.” You choked out and he swore that he was dreaming. His cheeks turned bright red at your words. He still couldn’t believe that you loved him.
Well she does, don’t hesitate this time you idiot.
His soft purple orbs never left yours as he whispered “I love you too Doll.” Once ‘doll’ left his lips, he smashed his lips down on yours. They were so soft and yet rough, a feeling of overwhelming warmth ran through your body more by the second, the harder he kissed you, it was for sure that he would leave bruises. You tasted like peaches and honey, how is that even possible?
Gripping your hip, he pressed his body against yours as he bit down on your lower lip. Happily granting him access, his tongue explored your mouth. The sensational feeling left you moaning and your fingers run through his white hair, giving it tug when his fingers dug into your hip.
Between your moans and tugging at his hair, this man was a blushing mess, relieved that you couldn’t see his face. Not only that, he wanted more of you.
The feeling of lust and need got worse when your tongue fought against his in between sloppy wet kisses and feeling your fingers brush against his scars on his chest. He swore that his knees were going to give out on him. Butterflies and fireworks filled both of your bodies the more you kissed.
More.
Pulling back gasping for air, you softly giggled seeing the blush on his face as your thumb traces off his facial features. Goodness you couldn’t imagine what he went through, but you couldn’t be curious. A conversation for another time. Sanemi Shinazugawa despite if he didn’t know it, he was so beautiful in your eyes.
You tracing his scars made him weak and blush even more than before. When you kissed the one on his nose and his cheek, he thought he was gunna pass out in sheer embarrassment.
Hearing a grumble from not only his stomach but your own, you pulled back with a smile “Let’s get something to eat.”
“I-I have food that we can cook at my place if y-you want.” Sanemi cursed at himself mentally at him stuttering.
Cook at my place, why not?!
“Oh perfect! Lead the way babe.”
Babe? Instead of questioning it, Sanemi grinned before he wrapped an arm around your shoulders leading the way. There was something however he wanted to bring up. What you meant about someone like him wouldn’t love someone like you.
“So about earlier….”
||
I apologize for the terrible plot, still getting into writing, but I hope y’all enjoyed! Thinking about doing a Part 2, or another Sanemi imagine? I already have an idea for it ! Love ya! 💚
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animentality · 20 days
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I'm planning out an Honour mode run(which will also be origin Astarion run) and I was wondering if you have any tips for it? All my characters will be multiclassers and I'm planning which weapons and armor to use, but I'm just curious what someone with probably one thousand hours in the game thinks could help
Ironically, I just this week beat the Honor Mode with a friend of mine, hee hee.
Alright, so here goes!
My Personal Team Comp
Paladin/Fighter (My buddy)
Paladin/Fighter (Astarion at first, Minthara later)
Storm Sorcerer (Karlach for me but it could be anyone, really, I was just trying to get the dating achievement- Karlach is actually a terrible Sorcerer because her race gives her smite spells...which she can't use effectively, as a staff user...)
Ranger/ Rogue/ Fighter (Me)
Reasoning:
Two frontliners is always good, to keep the aggro off of the squishier half of the party. Plus, the melee classes get to hit multiple times, which is just, insanely good, and lets you destroy targets. Paladin is obviously the most broken class, but a Paladin Fighter is a great multi class for Action Surge and Battle Maneuvers! Make sure to grab Disarming Attack and prioritize stealing weapons so enemies can't hit you very hard anymore!
You might want to have some kind of Rogue, for sneak attack, and disengage potential as well! Good for long range picks, and quick killing of high priority targets. Plus, two frontliners make it so you always have advantage.
And you of course need an AOE spellcaster of some kind. I think the Warlock is pretty powerful, mostly because of Eldritch Blast and Hunger of Hadar cheese, but the Sorcerer is the strongest magic caster with all their excellent Metamagic passives. They can also regain a lot of spell slots and have a ridiculous DPS output. But Hunger of Hadar is an excellent spell; it is without question the BEST AOE spell in the game.
The key to beating BG3 in any mode is to make distance.
Force your enemies through tight choke points stuffed with magical obstacles and just pick them off as they try to get through.
Hunger of Hadar is broken because not only are they blind, but they're also SLOWED and you get ADVANTAGE on them when they're in it, AND it does damage, AND as I mentioned before, you can throw them back INTO it when they try to get out with Eldritch Blast, which is also just excellent for throwing enemies away from you.
So Sorcerer or Warlock are excellent choices, but I personally have more of an affinity for Sorcerer.
Now.
Why Storm Sorceror specifically?
Because they get the best passives. People say Draco Sorcerers are the best, but their passive is only helpful early on. The Storm Sorcerer passive lets you cast FLY as a bonus action every time you use a level 1 or higher spell! The disengage potential is critical for Honor Mode, plus it's great for just repositioning whenever you want. Plus you get excellent passives like Heart of the Storm, AND you get immunity to multiple damage types, instead of just one!
Why the Ranger/Rogue/Fighter?
Check out this guy's comp, which I used. It is insanely powerful.
youtube
You can dual wield two one handed crossbows, and just SHRED everything you come across.
I was literally playing with two paladins and I WAS HITTING HARDER THAN THEM.
Ranger gives you dread ambusher, then you can hit TWICE as a melee class, which the Rogue doesn't get, and then you can get Action Surge, and do it all over again, PLUS as a thief subclass, you have two bonus actions, for your offhand attacks!
It's honestly broken as fuck, and it's perfect for the long range, disengage potential.
Now you have my suggested comp. Keep in mind that you can have just about anything you want, but remember, two frontliners, at least one magic caster with dps potential, and then the fourth should ideally be a long range specialist.
Now then...
I recommend you pick the Dark Urge.
Why?
For a million reasons.
It is MUCH easier to 1v1 Orin in the end rather than kill the whole Temple and deal with her bullshit Unstoppable nonsense.
You want the deathstalker mantle, which is insanely good for rogues, and everything in general
You WANT To kill Isobel so you can have the Slayer Form, which will get you out of tight spots, plus it makes Orin even easier to deal with.
You also want access to Bhaalist armor for accepting Bhaal as your master.
Also, you want to accept Bhaal so you can get Power Word Kill, a very useful one time use ability, which can uh, hint hint, be used on the Netherbrain to end the game very quickly
You also want to have the Bhaalist buff, which helps you crit more during the final battle.
But this now segues into...
Equipment
Now, if you're the Dark Urge...do not kill Alfira.
Knock her out every day in Act 1 until Quil Grootslang takes her place!
You want the robe Alfira will give you in Act 2 for saving the tieflings from Moonrise! It's called the Potent Robe and it's GREAT for sorcerers! But you can have both it AND the Deathstalker mantle so long as you're vigilant and knock her out every day!
Just be careful, because Arron will kill you if he catches you! So try to knock her out in one hit, if you can. Put the game in turn based mode, if you must! Or use sneak attack.
Other equipment:
Spellsparkler! Insanely broken for Sorcerers and magic missile users. You can use it till the end of the game.
Make sure to get the staff Lorroakan is hoarding inside Sorcerous Sundries! It gives you Kereshka's Favor, which is excellent for Storm Sorcerers.
Also make sure your final feat as a Sorcerer is Dual Wielding, because if you dual wield that staff AND Cazador's staff, you get the abilities of both staffs! You can also use something other than Cazador's staff, and use Arcane Battery twice! So you can cast something ridiculous like, say, Disintegrate, more times than should be allowed! Also, there are like, two amulets and one staff that will allow you to regain spell slots! Make sure to gather as many as you can. Sorry I can't name them off the top of my head... I know one is a pearl necklace that you can buy from Omeluum, one is Caitlin's staff, and the other one you can get from the Warden in Moonrise...make sure to grab them so you can restore spell slots. Oh, also, if you do the House of Hope...you can grab the staff that's in his secret treasure room! Which is also great.
Make sure to buy the Risky Ring from Araj! It gives you advantage on EVERY attack, it just also gives you disadvantage on all saving throws...but if you give it to a rogue, and they have the deathstalker mantle, then they don't have to worrry about being hit ever, lol, plus they have sneak attack ALWAYS. no allies next to enemies required!!! it's a broken item, so definitely grab it from Araj in Act 2!
If you have two heavy armor wearers, use the mold from the Grymforge Heavy Scale mail twice. Make sure to then replace one of them with Ketheric armor later on.
You also want the aformentioned Bhaalist equipment. The Bhaalist amulet is great, as is the Bhaalist armor you can buy from the dragon seller in Sarevok's chamber.
Speaking of Sarevok, kill his ass! You want his excellent sword and helmet.
If you're feeling brave, kill Ansur too, because his helmet is awesome, as is his sword, but be careful! That lightning bitch is an honor mode run killer! I've almost lost two runs to him.
Even though he's hard, I do recommend killing Raphael! The Constitution amulet, the gauntlets of hill giant strength, and the staff in his treasure room are really worth it.
And uh.
Yeah!
Good luck!
Let me know if you have any more specific questions, and trust me.
I know...way too much about this game.
But this is just my starting guide!!
I had a blast in Honor Mode, I bet you will too!
Oh.
And don't kill Gortash. Not because he's my boyfriend or anything, but because, he's not really worth fighting, especially not for the loot he gives you!
If you must kill him, do it at the Morphic Pool instead of Wyrm's Rock!!!
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thenopequeen · 3 months
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As the dragon descended on the village, one woman left the fleeing crowd and stepped out to meet it. No armor, no weapon, no noble steed; those were for one far above her station. And as she climbed a little outcropping of rock by the road, massive wings darkened the sky above her, and she called out a cheerful greeting
"Hello there!"
The ground shook as the four scaly limbs set down, and the huge wings folded
"And what trick is this that you try to defend yourself with now, little mortal?"
"No trick, I wouldn't even know where to start tricking a dragon. Do I look like some kind of wizard to you?"
A glowing eye surveyed her simple clothes and empty hands
"No, you most certainly do not. Are you so eager for death that you seek it out ahead of your fellows?"
"Not particularly. No desire for a fiery end or terrible teeth here, just curiosity."
A puff of smoke as the dragon snorted in amusement
"And what could pique such curiosity that you would walk out to meet your most certain end?"
"You're curious too? Well, I can tell you, but if you don't like the answer, promise you won't make anything worse than it was already going to be. I'm not going to pretend I'm important enough to make you leave entirely, but promise me that you won't be any more cruel than you were already planning to be."
"And if I am far too proud to bind myself in an oath to one such as you?"
She sat down crosslegged on the stone, leaned back on her hands, and smiled
"Then you do whatever you want, and I die, and your curiosity does whatever it wants to you. After all, if I'm crazy enough to walk out here, I'm crazy enough to hold my tongue even now."
A tremendous foreclaw dug into the stone next to her. She patted it lightly.
"Truly, you are a mad one, and the workings of your mind will be incomprehensible. Very well. I swear to demonstrate no more cruelty here than was already my intention."
"Thank you very kindly, I appreciate it. You must understand, I have a very simple reason for coming out here, actually. I am the eldest daughter of my family. Since I was old enough to hold them without dropping them, I have had the raising of the youngers, any time our parents were busy, or tired, or just couldn't be bothered. I am grown now, and so are they, but the old habits will not leave so easy as moving out of the house we grew up in. I cannot change circumstances, I cannot make things better exactly, but I can give a bit of distance, without making things worse. I was always a master of excuses, of reasons why things aren't as bad as they seem, or of cleaning up a mess before anyone got whallopped for it. And now I've made you promise not to be any worse than you were going to be, while buying everyone else in the village time to run. You can only chase them as long as you would have anyway, and now they have a headstart. And all it cost was me."
"A promise built on a lie is nothing. You came here to trick me, not satisfy your curiosity. The oath is invalid!"
She cocked her head and frowned
"Do you not understand it? I came out here to see if it would be as simple to mitigate damage with a dragon as with my mother. I had to know, I would spend the rest of my life wondering if I didn't."
The dragon rumbled out a genuine chuckle, and pushed her flat on her back with a single claw
"And have you learned, little mortal? Is your curiosity sated?"
"Oh yes, it's actually much simpler, if far more dangerous. She never needed an excuse to change up the rules if she thought I was keeping something from her. You only wanted to when you thought the promise was made insincerely. Thank you for your honest dealing, my dear dragon, it's been an honor."
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quinloki · 1 month
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Okay, I don't know what either of us is in for at this point. But I woke up today with an idea for Part 2 of Swimming with Arlong and as the idea formed it got considerably less SFW and more NSFW. I was a blushing mess by the end of it. This from a person who doesn't write smut so this could be absolutely terrible and I don't know why I'm dumping it on you, but here I am and here I go.
I might be going to hell for this. Watery hanky panky with THE saw shark to beat all saw sharks. I made myself blush repeatedly writing this. And I'm sorry, this runs so damn long and I can't do a keep reading in an ask.
Swimming with Arlong (Part 2)
After insinuating that Arlong was an amphibian and not technically a fish, we swam around the lake in silence. I was resting my head on his chest listening to his heartbeat and genuinely avoiding eye contact because I clearly got under his skin with that one. I mean, I'm not technically wrong.
Fish that breathe air do have an extra organ just for that function. The ones who have both lungs and gills are in fact, amphibians. This is also ignoring all of the other facts that point to fishmen being a stupid ass name for a species that clearly aren't fish, but of course I can't point that out to Arlong because he'll just get insulted. I'll have to make a mental note to share it with Chew, he's always been down to listen to my unhinged theories.
I think he secretly agrees with me but he passes it off as I'm "fascinating" in front of the others. Arlong is best buddies with Kuroobi (whom I affectionately call Pigtails, much to his chagrin) and I get along best with Chew. Anyway, Arlong got pissed and now I can't look at him. Chances are he's mildly annoyed to stop talking but not angry enough to actually be angry, but my own anxiety is telling me I pissed him off royally and therefore, I can't look at him.
Arlong knows me well enough to not push me and just let me relax as much as I can. He knows I'm in my head telling myself lies. He's just waiting for the right time to pull me out of it. Go in too early and I'll break, wait too long and distance will grow between us. Arlong is learned this routine the hard way, so now he's just swimming quietly and waiting.
At some point, I get tired of myself and begin tracing the lines of Arlong's Sun tattoo. I'm not even thinking about it, just tracing along absentmindedly. Arlong adjusts slightly, carefully, to maintain my tracing but also to allow himself the ability to watch me.
"It's lucky for you I'm not ticklish."
Stopping mid-trace of the actual circle of the sun, I sheepishly turn my head to finally look him in the eye, "ticklish or no, you promised you wouldn't let go of me in the water."
There's a pause. "Did you think I'd let go of you because you said I was an amphibian?"
"Not exactly." My voice feels small, I wonder if it sounds small. I know he would never let go. Arlong keeps his promises. Sometimes he tries to find loopholes to them, but the big promises—the ones that are serious, he never backs out of those. Not drowning me is a big promise, he wouldn't go back on it. And yet, the fear that he would is ever present for no reason. I hate my brain sometimes.
"Then what did you think exactly?"
"That you were mad and I was enjoying this so much I didn't want to see you mad."
A gentle chuckle, "so that's why you kept your head down. Not mad and I didn't even mean the part where I said I hate you. I love you and you know it." He looks off to the side for a second before continuing, "but I am not an amphibian. I'm a shark, a saw shark...with a dorsal fin and everything."
Damn right. I love that dorsal fin of his. He thinks I'm odd and weird about his dorsal fin, but damn. I just grin at him, "do all shark fishmen have dorsal fins?"
Arlong rolls his eyes, "They do not, I don't recall Jinbe having one and he's a shark."
"He's just a whale shark, they're built different."
"Darling, I really don't feel like discussing Jinbe or shark fishmen anatomy...again."
"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"
Flashing his teeth as he slyly grins at me, "well, I was hoping for something else entirely."
I continue tracing while eyeing him suspiciously, that sly grin generally means doing something rather than saying something.
"Since I've got your clothes off, and you technically have nowhere to go, I thought we could explore that fear of water you have i more detail."
If I narrowed my eyes any more they'd be closed. That is not where I thought he was going with this. I thought I was going to get some shark lovin' but instead he wants to torture me?! Screw that. "You want to psychoanalyze me or try to drown me under the guise of swimming lessons?"
He stops swimming abruptly and honestly looks so confused, "how the hell did you get to drowning when I was trying to convince you to have sex with me in the water?"
Oh, so he did mean that. I bury my face against his sternum as my blush starts to form and spread. Of course his mind went to the gutter, he got my clothes off. His mind always goes there if he can get me to strip to my birthday suit. Why did I think otherwise?!
"Wow Keiko, you're really bad at flirting. And we've been together for awhile now and you're still remarkably bad at it." Arlong is laughing which just makes my blushing worse, because he's so not wrong.
As I continue to wallow in my miserable ineptitude, Arlong takes the initiative and begins tracing his hands up and down my back and sides. He leans in to my ear and lowly rumbles, "so Keiko, wanna get freaky the fishman way?"
Well, that did it. The squeal that came out of me, the webbed hand that slid down to grab my ass. Yeah, he planned this whole thing from start to finish. I wondered why no one else left the ship to explore the island with us. Oh, I am so going to get teased about this later.
Arlong moved so he was no longer floating lazily on his back, now he was treading water (still lazily because come on, he's a fishman) and still holding me tightly to his chest. The sudden change in incline though freaked me out enough that I wrapped my arms around his neck.
"You know how you like my dorsal fin so much? You're going to want to hold on."
Lord have mercy. I do as I'm told and latch both of my hands onto his dorsal fin, which is a bit of a reach for me honestly. Grabbing onto it lifts me up slightly to the point I can comfortably rest my arms across Arlong's shoulders and my hips are at just the right level for him.
We've now locked eyes with each other and Arlong still has that shit eating grin, "there's my woman. We're going to change the rules up a bit for this, now I'm technically not going to let go and nothing will happen to you, but I need you to promise me that you won't let go either. I need to be able to move my hands without worrying about you slipping under the water, okay?" His eyes and mouth are smiling but his voice is deadly serious.
I nod vigorously and tighten my grip on his fin and he takes that as confirmation and as my promise to him. I won't let go and he still won't let me drown. So far, so good.
"Good girl." Damn that phrase, he knows I hate it and love it at the same time. Any other time it's downright insulting, I'm a grown ass woman but right now it does nothing but make me hot. I'm sure I'm wet down south but I'm literally in a lake so I can't even tell at this point. But he can.
One of Arlong's hands slips down my back and begins rubbing my folds, "already getting wet down there and I've barely even done anything. Are you sure you're afraid of water or was it simply a ruse to get me in my natural environment?"
I bite my lip, I don't want to answer that. Of course I'm afraid of water, it's my greatest fear, but if this is how he's going to treat me in water from now on, then hot damn, I'm going to have to learn to take longer baths and to hell with the shower.
His other hand gives my ass another squeeze. "Ease up on our lip Keiko, you're going to bite through and bleed." For a brief moment concern flashes across his icy blue eyes as I shake my head, still unable to find my voice and say anything. Arlong doesn't take to my refusal, he pulls his hands away from me and wraps my legs around his body, to keep me afloat in case my arms give out. Then the hand that held my ass comes up to my face and he gently pulls my lip from my teeth, "hey now, biting is my thing."
He runs his thumb across my lip as if checking for wounds; I break eye contact out of shame. He doesn't let me slip back into my head for long though, his fingers gently wrap around the back of my head and he pulls me in for a deeply passionate kiss. Instinctively I open my mouth for him and his tongue wastes no time entering. I don't have a chance to reciprocate, he rarely lets me because of his teeth. I only cut my tongue on them once but the taste of my blood in his mouth freaked him out and he wouldn't get intimate for three weeks after that.
As Arlong almost literally steals my breath away in that kiss, his other hand returns to my folds and continues rubbing eliciting a moan from me into the kiss. He pulls away so I (we) can breathe, "found your voice now?"
"Yeah." I say breathily, "Arlong, please...stop teasing me."
"As you wish, beloved." There it is, the pet name no one else knows about. The one he never utters unless we are truly alone with each other, the one that he utters when he makes love. The crew knows I'm his woman but they don't know how deep that love runs. I am his beloved. There is no other.
He pulls his hand away and lines himself up at my entrance. The first time was excruciatingly painful, he certainly puts the long in his name but he has a girth to him that I hadn't been prepared for. Each time it got easier and now he's no trouble to take, I've adjusted to him, grown to accept him into me with ease.
But damn alive, water makes it even better. He slipped right in as if there were never a two-and-a-half-foot difference between us. I still throw my head back every time, it doesn't matter how easy he is to take, he still stretches me and fills me up. I'm still a cramped space that he swears feels like heaven every time.
"Damn Keiko, that took no time at all." Even he noticed how easy it was this time as he begins his watery thrusts. Slow at first, slow but deliberate. Snapping his hips against mine as he nearly pulls out entirely and then slams himself back in. Arlong's slow thrusts are some of his roughest. He drags out each moan, each squeal, each chorus of begging him to pick up his pace.
As it is, I've only just barely found my voice and my squeals and moans are front and center. I can't even think of words with which to beg. Instead, I dig my nails into his dorsal fin as my back starts to arch. The trouble with fishmen is their stamina and sex usually means multiple orgasms for me before Arlong ever gets his.
The bastard likes to drag a back-arching orgasm out of me with his slow pace first. It's harder to arch when I'm vertical and I swear I'm going to take chunks out of his fin if I'm not careful. I barely get his name out, "Ar...l...ng, fas...faster, please!"
That damn chuckle that radiates through him and into me as his hands and arms wrap around my torso holding me closer to him. Him burying his face in the crook of my neck, taking care with his nose, and gently biting my shoulder and neck. Leaving little pin prick bite marks, not enough to draw blood or leave scars but enough for me to feel.
All of that happening at the same time as his thrusts picking up speed. Were we not in water a passerby would hear nothing but skin on skin as Arlong rams himself into me at a speed as if he were trying to outrun a marine. I'm seeing stars, my fingers leaving his fin to tangle in his hair as I scream his name over and over again with each crashing orgasm.
Arlong's breath finally hitches and his thrusts become erratic as he reaches his own climax. A final grunt from him as he stills entirely and we both pant for air. Arlong gives another chuckle, "well, at least this time we don't have to drag ourselves to the shower to bathe."
It's all I can do to give a breathy chuckle in reply. All strength drained from me and exhaustion seeping in from the edges of my mind. Arlong slides out of me leaving an emptiness in his wake as he carefully swims us both back to shore.
He never puts me down and I still haven't let go of him myself. Arlong puts on his pants but wraps his shirt around me, then picks up my things in one hand as the other wraps around me to keep his shirt covering me. Quietly and contentedly, he walks us back to the ship while I fall asleep on his shoulder.
I'm still afraid of water but I'm open to swimming with Arlong more often now.
Oh this was very good - there aren't many Arlong fics out there, but I love the relationship your OC has with him.
The shift from "fighting" to making up afterward was done very well, it didn't feel rushed or anything like that. The awkwardness of it - of not knowing what to say or not being sure how to mend it, and getting a front row seat to that was done well enough I wasn't uncomfortable with the amount of awkwardness.
Also I love Keiko /nod nod/
Also for someone who doesn't write smut you did a perfectly fine job. Smut writing can take a lot of forms - it can be an emotional description, a detailed physical description, a mix in pretty much any manner. You can use euphemisms or clinical terms or just downright salaciously dirty ones.
The real importance of "how to do a smut scene" is based on the kind of story it's embedded in. A jarring tone-shift would throw anyone off, and it can leave the end result feeling disconnected and plastic no matter how it's written.
The more you write them, just like practice with anything else, the more you can find places to include little details - be they physical or emotional - and it'll add a depth to things.
And how sex feels or what physical reactions it causes are different from person to person. Some people climax quietly, some loudly, some people curl, some go taut from head to toe, some whimper, some growl, some drool.
Most people will even have a different reaction based on a whole slew of variables.
So it's really hard to write smut wrong.
Great job with this ^_^ I enjoyed reading it this morning ❤️
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hchollym · 1 year
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How would the Weasleys react if Fleur and Percy were exes? They broke up because long distance but they're still on friendly terms. I don't think Percy and Fleur interact after she's reintroduced as Bill's girlfriend until after the battle at hogwarts? In canon, Percy has shown willingness to hide his relationships from his family (Penelope) so I could see him never mentioning Fleur to them and Fleur never mentioning Percy because she thought Bill already knew?
Ooh, anon, I love the way you think. 🥰
I've actually considered this idea before, but in a slightly different way. I personally pictured them dating during Book 4 because they started talking after Percy was a judge for the Second Task (but it wasn't unethical because Percy wouldn't be judging the Third Task). I imagine that they broke up because even though they cared about each other and enjoyed being together, they simply weren't right for one another in the long run, but they parted on good terms.
I'll admit, I find Percy x Fleur less problematic than Bill x Fleur. At least they're almost the same age, and I definitely think Percy would have stood up to his family for her, so I'm a little biased. 😉
You're right that Percy has shown his willingness (and desire) to keep his dating life private from his family (for good reason), so I don't think that your idea is unrealistic. Plus, I can imagine that Fleur wouldn't bring it up, because either 1. She assumed Bill knew, or 2. They agreed not to talk about their past relationships (since a lot of couples prefer to leave the past behind and not dwell on it, and I can picture Bill & Fleur being like that).
So how would the Weasleys react to this? With shock and disbelief.
Let's be honest, most of the family has a very negative view on Percy, and a lot of them would wonder how the hell Percy managed to date someone like Fleur (which is also messed up, because they basically equate her worth to her looks, but that's another topic entirely). I wouldn't be surprised if some of them wondered whether Percy used a love potion or enchanted her (because that's how badly they think of him).
I think Bill would secretly think this too (though he'd likely never say it out loud), and he'd be super bothered by the fact that Percy once dated his wife. It's almost embarrassing to him. He'd probably console himself with the idea that Fleur ended up with him because he's "better." However, I do also think that a small part of Bill would wonder if that's the real reason why Percy didn't come to his wedding.
I think Molly would be furious. This just gives her more ammunition to hate Fleur, because - in her mind - Fleur is a liar who broke Percy's heart (because I'm sure that's what even Molly would assume happened) before moving onto another one of her children and using him. Ginny would likely accuse Fleur of using Percy because of his potential career at the Ministry.
Basically, they're mostly all jerks.
Ironically enough, in this one situation, I think Arthur is one of the only family members to not react terribly. I don't think he would be overly shocked that Fleur dated Percy (aside from the fact that he didn't know), because despite his frustrations with Percy, he knows that Percy would make a worthy partner, and I actually don't think he would assume anything malicious happened on Fleur's part. He's just sort of there and trying to avoid the conversations, and Charlie probably does the same. Charlie might reassure Bill a little bit, but he's not a fan of drama, so he removes himself as much as possible.
Fleur is just offended by all of their reactions and thinks they're being gits (which is true). It would likely lead to some ugly arguments with Bill before they finally work through it (or not, if you're like me and think they end up divorced).
What do you guys think? I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this!
Thanks for the ask! 😊
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flarebean · 2 years
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now im thinking about an au where kay/o has a horrible terrible no good bad day because for some mysterious plot reason he gets blasted with a ✨become a human✨ ray and he's like.
what.
you turned me into a human.
and whoever was responsible for it is like,,,, ahaha,,, uh,,,,
(they do not mention how his heart and blood glow very faintly)
so he's like 'how am i supposed to use my gear now' and makes a throwing knife motion, and the zero/point knife appears and thunks solidly into the floor and suppresses everyone in the room and he stares at it for a solid 20 seconds, and then he's like
you turned me into a RADIANT
anyway he has a small crisis and at some point considers engaging his destroyed-body backup routine to restore the last saved backup of... himself? kay/o? before... this. happened. and destroying the... biological form. because it's not meant to be like that. it's not right. it's not. he can't be.
he doesn't end up doing it but he does spend a lot of time looking very forlorn and lost
more excitingly, he gets to experience scent and taste for the first time EVER because he didn't have any form of olfactory sensors as a robot. he tries everyone's comfort foods. he learns to cook while he can scent things. he hangs out in the garden for a while. he has fancy tea and coffee and hot chocolate.
he pets the fluffy blankets the other agents swear by just to see what they're all on about. he does some exercise and is rather perplexed yet unsurprised by how his legs burn when he runs his usual distance. he burns his hands a few times because he forgets he isn't immune to temperatures. he spends really long in the shower wondering why it feels especially soothing, when it's just warm water.
there is a short discussion with reyna about whether killing him and, if possible, repeating the humanizing process would create a soul. they do not explore this. he does not want to die.
neon gets to be the bigger friend for once (not literally he is still as tall as ever) and help him acclimatize to the whole human thing while killjoy is making a reversal solution, and probably struggling a bit because 10/10 'become a human' is definitely some whackadoodle borderline magic thing
he has a very awkward talk with sova, who he trusts to tell him awkward things
omen pushes a huge sweater into his hands that he'd been working on for a while but never really had the opportunity to give. this is nice, as he'd been going around in some of brim's bigger wardrobe pieces like flimsy crop tops. he also gives him a plushie. he's very confused by this but appreciates it, and absolutely cannot stop petting it absentmindedly if he's got it nearby.
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lihikainanea · 2 years
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Love Tiger and Bill 🖤 Especially love jealous, angry Bill lol Wonder how he'd be coming home from a really long time away filming to find Tiger has a new friend ... the hot new neighbor. They are just friends and Tiger isn't into him just fun to have someone to hang with they have a lot in common. And maybe he's gay but she doesn't tell Bill that part bc she's enjoying the jealous possessive Bill rn Of course she pays for leaving that out once Bill discovers it 😂 Sorry if this is lame. It's just jealous, angry Bill fucks me up 🤷
unnnnnnnf nani I love this, I am ALWAYS here for some (healthy, consensual) jealousy in their dynamic.
And like, it starts off small right? The new dude moves in, tiger--being tiger--wants to make him cookies to welcome him to the neighbourhood. Bill hates the idea, because this dude is about his age, not ghoul-ish looking, not freakishly tall, not famous--doesn't come with any of the baggage that Bill does. And the dude is clearly in the upper percentile of income if he can afford the place, so right away the inherent caveman alpha instincts in Bill identifies this other dude as a potential threat to his own gorilla haram which is like...well, tiger.
In any case, tiger's probably a little aware of Bill's peacock chest puffing out but tiger also likes her dude a little possessive, a little jealous. So she heads to the kitchen and much to Bill's horror, she starts making her renowned chocolate chip cookies.
And like, tiger's chocolate chip cookies are legendary. They are evasive and elusive and just precisely once you stop being so obsessed with them, stop thinking about the chewy morsels of soft, gooey heaven, right when your brain thinks it can finally start functioning normally again--they suddenly appear and send you back into a downward spiral. She doesn't always make them. In fact, most times she flat out refuses requests, beggings of various levels of dire need, sonnets and poems, barter agreements--all of which come from Bill's brothers. They beg. They plead. They vaguely threaten.
Tiger never gives in because she insists that part of the reason why the cookies are so damn good--why everyone is obsessed with them--is for the precise reason that they never know when they'll be able to eat them again. They are, for all intents and purposes, completely inaccessible.
So Bill like, almost lets out a horrified shriek when she starts pulling down the ingredients but instead he clenches his jaw, balls his fist, and goes to play his video games--the whole while reiterating that he thinks this is a terrible idea because the only good neighbours are neighbours you keep at a distance.
And like, I'll bet the kicker here is when he knows a few batches are done--man, that smell is incredible--he heads to the kitchen, pours a tall glass of milk, and reaches for a cookie.
But tiger--switching pans, spatula in hand, barely even sparing him a glance--just smacks his hand as he reaches. Smacks it hard. He yelps.
"Not for you," she says, still not looking at him.
"Just one!"
"It's never just one."
He waits a beat, and when she turns to put another pan in the oven, he stealthily reaches again--but from behind the counter, completely out of sight, tiger just reaches up and smacks his hand away again. He huffs, down his glass of milk in two gulps and goes to put it in the sink.
On his way back, he winds up and lays a hard smack on her ass--real hard--and tiger shrieks in surprise.
"An eye for an eye," he says lowly in her ear--and then he stalks off like the little angry cloud of bad feelings that he is.
Awhile later, she goes to the living room with the cookies piled high on the plate.
"I don't suppose you want to come with me to meet our new neighbour?" she asks, her hand cocked on her hip.
"Do I get to have a cookie?" he mutters petulantly. Tiger rolls her eyes.
"No."
"Then no."
It's a staring match for a few seconds, then tiger sighs and shakes her head, heading off.
Bill--of course--runs to the window to watch this all go down and seethe in shadows.
He sees tiger give a big wave. He sees the guy lift up his shirt to dab the sweat off his brow. He sees the guy smile--the smile widening when tiger hands him the plate full of cookies. He sees tiger extend her hand, the guy returning the gesture. He sees the guy grab a cookie, take a huge bite, and sees his eyes close in bliss as he clutches at his heart. More smiles. More laughs.
Bill is bitter as hell so he leaves, thinking maybe tiger left a few cookies in the kitchen for him--he's livid when he sees this isn't the case, a deep pout already on his face when he hears the front door open. Tiger wordlessly strides in--her big dude all scowls and evil eyes and glares--and she opens up the microwave, takes out a plate full of cookies.
"His name is Gary and he's really nice," she says, then she grabs a handful of Bill's shirt and pulls him in for a kiss. "You're a child."
Then she plunks the plate of cookies in his hands and walks away.
And then like, a week or two later, their doorbell rings. And it's Gary, all settled in now, inviting them over for a barbecue next weekend so he can get to know his neighbours.
And of course Bill thinks that is a terrible idea but tiger excitedly agrees.
It's a rough night for tiger that night, and her ass is bruised for days.
It's another rough night a few days later, when he sees her fervently tapping away on her phone.
"Who are you texting?" he asks, nudging her feet that are on his lap.
"Gary," she says, "Just want to see what we can bring to his barbecue."
Bill sits up a little straighter.
"You have his number?" he asks.
She cocks a brow.
"Yes?" she says, "He's our neighbour. Of course I have his number."
And that's no bueno for Bill. But listen, by that point, tiger already knows about Gary--because when Bill was off at meetings one afternoon, the good ole' neighbour gave tiger some basil from his garden--except it wasn't Gary. It was an equally attractive, handsome man that introduced himself as Gary's husband.
But tiger likes it when her dude is a little irrationally jealous.
And since Gary's husband works nights and travels a lot, he sleeps during the day so Bill hasn't had the pleasure of finding out that he has nothing to worry about.
So listen, the day of the barbecue, right? Tiger forces Bill to make a potato salad--he makes a great potato salad and he's all but so tempted to purposely fuck this one up, until tiger wakes him up with morning head and suddenly he's a lot less grumpy. So he makes his stupid little potato salad. He grumbles as tiger makes a stupid little apple pie.
They head over in the evening--Bill all scowls and frown lines--and knock on the door. Gary answers, a big smile on his face, and tiger is a little sad that her charade will come to an end that night when Bill inevitably meets Gary's husband.
But Gary gives tiger a big hug--Bill almost threw him off her, and then turns his big stupid smiling face to Bill.
"And who's tiny over here?" he asks cheerfully. Bill pops his neck.
"This is my, uh..my um..." tiger stammers, "This is my Bill."
Bill's chest puffs up a little at that. Her Bill.
"Pleasure!" Gary says, and it really is innocent and cheerful and happy. He extends a hand, and Bill all too eagerly grabs it--and proceeds to crush it in a vice grip. He smiles when he sees Gary wince.
"Pleasure's all mine," he says through clenched teeth, "I made potato salad."
"Oh uh, thanks," Gary retracts his hand quickly, "Come on in, you know where the backyard is."
And listen, in a quiet moment--maybe when tiger offers to help him in the kitchen--they chat a little, and Gary mentions that hubby really wanted to be there but is away on business.
"Oh really?" tiger says a little too excitedly, "How disappointing."
Her charade can continue for just a little longer.
And like, for Bill, it just gets worse. Because now, as neighbours, they're friendly. Gary hands stuff to tiger over the fence from his garden, and tiger gets all happy. They exchange food whenever their dinner was a bit too much. When Bill travels, tiger sends him some photos of the pool party that her and Gary have.
Bill is livid.
Tiger knows the fun has to end sometime, but she's trying to milk this for all it's worth.
Until one Sunday afternoon, when she's in the shower and the doorbell rings. Bill opens the door a crack--usually he won't open the door at all and leave her to do it because it gives him serious anxiety due to his fame, but he opens the door a crack and he sees something that puts him at ease--a plate that he recognizes as tiger's. It's a platter, a Lene Bjerre one to be exact, and he knows it's tiger's because he bought it for her during one of their vacations in Copenhagen.
But it's in the hands of a man he's never seen before. Both men kind of look at each other quizzically, equally a bit stunned.
"Oh uh, sorry," the man holding the plate stammers, "I don't think we've met yet."
"And you are?" Bill says, a bit impatiently. He registers the sound of the shower stopping.
"I'm Neil, Gary's husband," he extends a hand, "Pleasure to finally meet."
Bill nearly falls on the floor.
"Gary's husband," he says with a laugh, then he smiles wide enough to crack his face and shakes the man's hand with exuberance. "Gary's husband."
"Yes..." the man says somewhat uncomfortably, "And you are?"
"Right, yes, sorry. I'm Bill," he's still shaking the man's hand.
"Tiger," he calls over his shoulder into the house, "Gary's HUSBAND is here to return your plate."
Tiger's eyes widen, and she emerges from the bathroom with her hair still up in a towel. She pads quietly to the door.
"Oh hi Neil," she says softly. Bill just crosses his arms, leans against the doorframe and smirks down at her.
"Ah, so you two have met?" Bill says with a shit eating grin, "You've met Gary's husband?"
"Just briefly," she stutters, her cheeks going red. Neil holds out the plate, and tiger takes it.
"Thanks Neil," Bill says cheerfully, "It was a pleasure meeting you. See you around."
Then he quickly closes the door, and his face goes from bright and cheerful to stony and angry. Tiger gulps and starts to back up, but Bill takes one step forward for every step back.
"You are in so much trouble," he threatens lowly, "I hope it was worth it."
Tiger bites her lip.
"Put the plate down."
She does.
"Now run little one."
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tiktowafel · 2 years
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Hey love your headcanons! I was wondering if you have any for Tsuburaba?
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yup i have many! i love this boy so much
the majority of the class 1b fandom seems to agree that this dude is a total memelord and i honestly can't look him in those googly eyes and disagree with that
he definitely spams the class group chat with memes, recreates vines with his friends, quotes them all the time, gets mildly upset every time someone doesn't understand a reference and acts like he has memorized every knowyourmeme article in existence
i think he's just class 1-b's main funny guy in general, always joking around, telling wacky stories, pulling pranks and just trying to make everyone laugh :)
speaking of pranks: he loves pulling them because his quirk is perfect for that purpose. he did the "putting walls of solid air in doorways and waiting for someone to bump into them" one so may times it's more annoying than funny at this point, but it's his favorite nonetheless. mainly because he really enjoys watching certain people (usually Awase or Kamakiri, the ones who swear the most) get ridiculously pissed over it lol
he also uses his quirk to make little glass figures. he's not much of an artist so they usually come out really wonky but everyone thinks theyre cute
lung capacity has a lot to do with physical endurance so i guess he does long distance running as a form of quirk training? i feel like hes a pretty sporty person in general considering ball sports are canonically one of his favorite things
as much as he likes his quirk, he has to admit that it can be pretty damn inconvenient sometimes. for example respiratory diseases make it go haywire and it's incredibly annoying because it activates every time he coughs or sneezes
(can you tell i love his quirk and think about it a lot?? because i love his quirk and think about it a lot)
his life motto is probably something like "the more stupid shit you do, the more funny stories you'll have to tell your friends later!" because he always gets himself in trouble in dumbest ways possible and then walks up to people like "hey wanna hear about my latest near death experience"
but he's an amazing storyteller, really. this man's got such a way with words that everyone likes listening to him
he'd actually make a pretty good teacher.... if he wasn't absolutely terrible at almost everything school related
english is his only really strong school subject (90% of his skills comes from watching yt videos and looking at memes in english). he's pretty bad at everything else because his memory sucks and he can't pay attention in class to save his life
Rin is usually the one who helps him with studying. this is the main reason why they're close because Rin has the soul of an old man and doesn't get Tsuburaba's sense of humor at all lmao
the people who definitely do get his sense of humor are Tokage and Fukidashi. they're the meme trio of class 1-b and they have a separate group chat that exists for shitposting purposes only
he's also really good friends with Kaibara and Awase, the other two common sense kings, plus Tetsutetsu and Kamakiri, buuut i'm too lazy to talk about it rn lol
Yanagi on the other hand really doesn't like him. she considers him an annoying pervert and treats him like a sworn rival. he likes messing with her in return despite not really understanding why she hates him so much. the rest of the class thinks their interactions are hilarious
i mean he's canonically pretty dirty minded, but he's no Mineta!
sure he laughs at dirty jokes and often catches himself staring at people but he usually keeps his... thoughts to himself
idk for some reasons he seems like the kind of guy who sleeps naked (obviously he wears a robe when walking around the dorms)
it's a very good way to keep Tetsutetsu out of his room because Tetsu's the kind of guy who likes storming into peoples rooms in the morning like "it's a beautiful day outside bro!! the birds are singing and the sun is shining, get out of bed and go eat a healthy breakfast!!!" and Tsuburaba needs his beauty sleep lmao
(well maybe he wouldn't need it if he didn't stay up till 3am watching meme compilations on youtube every night)
every common sense king knows how to play an instrument and Tsuburaba's no exception. he's an absolute master at playing the kazoo
and also at whistling
fuck canon. this man has freckles
since freckled people don't tan very well, he gets sunburns a lot. it's not his fault he likes going outside and just forgets his sunscreen sumetimes :(
everyone in his family is taller than him and he hates it
speaking of his family, he has two older siblings - a brother and a sister, and i actually have character designs for them and their parents too (i also made up families for a bunch of other students. maybe one day i'll get myself to draw them and write some headcanons?)
that's all for today! i wanted to make this a bit more serious but decided not to because... idk man i didn't feel like it
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I am pretty sure that this was not your end goal when you wrote Born to Run, but you did convince me to stop my year+ of sitting on the fence and finally commit to my first half marathon. Unfortunately I haven’t run into any Marcuses (Marci?) on the trail, but that’s probably for the best anyway.
(Now I just have to hope no one ever asks what inspired me to start running races. 😅)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the best thing ever!!!!!!! It may not have been my "official" end goal when I wrote it, but the bones of this story were very much centered around my love (and hate) relationship with long-distance running.
It may be a love story between Marcus and our dear reader, but it was written out of my love for the sport itself and the horrible indignities that come with attempting to run unfathomable distances.
Best of luck to you, my darling, and I hope you foster that same crazy love-hate of running long distances! For more inspiration, check out "The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I run Long Distances," the webcomic that continues to inspire me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Happy trails, my friend!!
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anchanted-one · 1 year
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Legend of Lightning 55. Hero of Tython
https://archiveofourown.org/works/43208574/chapters/113090383
Tython, hours before
Grand Master Satele Shan had been idly practicing her calligraphy, a skill she had learned from Gesselle, when the Force had sent a sharp retort through her consciousness.
She felt death on a large scale from a distance, a sound of a million screams carried from parsecs away. Her stylus dropped from her nerveless fingers, and her jaw dropped.
“What is this…? What happened?”
She immediately bolted out of her room, running first to Jasme’s on instinct.
“Mo—Master Satele?” Jasme asked, looking startled.
“May I come in? It’s urgent.”
“Oh, oka—wurgh!”
Satele gave Jasme a bone-crushing hug. “Something terrible has just happened,” she whispered. “I Sensed millions of people cry out in terror and disappear.”
“Huh?”
Satele kissed her cheek a few times, needing to stand on tiptoes to do so, before saying “I felt the need to see you first. I… I’ve never felt so many people die all at once before, and it has me… so scared. More than I’ve been in years. And for some reason… I felt so scared for you!”
Jasme finally managed to return her mother’s hug. “It’s okay, Mom. I’m right here. I’m still here. Want me to come to the Council with you?”
“Yes, yes,” Satele agreed at once. “Please. I need you to be close right now.”
Jasme’s smile warmed her heart. “Then I’ll stay. As long as you need me to.”
As the two women made their way to the Council, Satele had to stop herself from taking Jasme’s hand. She entered to find that Jaric and Gnost were already here. Bela was brought in several minutes later on a hoverchair, which was pushed by Bengel Morr, who bowed and left at once. Tol Braga followed a few moments later. Others entered too, until all the seats were filled. Today was a rare day when the entire Council was present on Tython. They had gathered to ponder the Empire’s next move since losing Alderaan. It was their first decisive loss in this Cold War; there was no doubt that they would attempt to save face. Perhaps they had already made their move.
“What happened?” Jaric asked.
“We just received a Priority X message from the Garuda,” Gnost replied. “He took Kira to Uphrades for their leave, arriving just in time to see the world burn. Literally. The atmosphere was set ablaze. Sensors show that all life on the surface was wiped out in one fell swoop. Vajra was knocked unconscious by the sensation. It was his Astromech that sent us this message.”
“My god,” Satele whispered. “It’s really happened then! The Desolator weapon is fully functional! Angral has claimed his first victory!”
“Uphrades?” Jasme asked. “Uphrades? Of all the—why did he choose Uphrades?”
“Is something wrong, Archivist?” Master Braga asked.
“That was where Vajra grew up,” Master Satele explained. “It was his second home. But that information wasn’t public knowledge. If Angral was able to find that out…”
“It’s possible he wasn’t,” Gnost said slowly. “Uphrades is an important agricultural world—perhaps the most important one, considering it provided 12% of Coruscant’s food—but few ships go there unless it’s harvest season. It’s the perfect target for a test, in the mind of someone like Angral.”
“Yes… yes, of course.”
“It’s in poor taste for you to worry about your friend’s feelings first,” Jaric reprimanded. Satele hadn’t felt this strong an urge to slap someone in a while.
Jasme’s expression turned dangerous. “I will not take lectures on taste from the Master whose commitment to the Jedi way only shows itself when convenient. It’s a wonder that someone so easily led around by his anger is still on this Council.”
Jaric could only glower in mute outrage.
Satele did not give him a chance to retort. “Have we received anything from High Command?”
“Yes,” Oteg replied. “They are holding an emergency meeting shortly. Two minutes until it starts. I think we can join in now.”
“What are we waiting for, then?” Tol asked. “A vote? Join the meeting immediately!”
Syo attempted to comply, but failed. He turned to Satele with his eyebrows raised. “I… I can’t believe it. We’re being jammed.”
A Jedi named Weller burst into the Chamber. The area outside was filled with panicked shouts and screams. “MASTERS! IMPERIAL SHIPS SPOTTED IN ORBIT! PLANETARY DEFENSE SHIELD HAS BEEN RAISED!”
Satele felt the cold blanket of disbelief closing around her heart. Covering her mouth, she turned to look around at her colleagues. All she saw was her own incredulous fear reflected in their eyes.
No way!
“Thank you, Knight Weller,” Syo was the first to recover. “You may leave. We will begin planning our next step—”
“That’s not all,” Devel entered the room. “If I could feel it, you definitely did too. The sensation of millions dying at once—”
“Thank you, Master Devel,” Satele tried to cut him off, but the damage was done. Knight Weller had heard, and so had the small crowd outside. “Please leave us to plan our next move. And do not spread any unfounded rumours. Please. This is a time to keep our cool.”
The mood in the air was mutinous. She heard ‘The Sack of Coruscant’ whispered a few times, and felt her mask waver. This was indeed a follow-up to that tragedy, she knew.
While there were still few Jedi on Tython, the entire Council was here. Killing the entire governing body in one swoop would cripple the Jedi for more than a decade. Any gains the Republic had made in the eyes of the Galaxy would be lost.
“You heard the Grand Master,” Jaric said coldly. “We are supposed to be Jedi! How dare you all shout such volatile messages for everyone to hear? Didn’t it occur to you, that you’d get everyone panicking? We need to be calm and controlled in the face of such a threat. You want to avoid a repeat of the Sacking? Then act like Jedi! Prepare for battle, and standby for orders! Now, unless you have anything else for us—in which case, you will tell us privately—you are to leave at once. Dismissed!”
That got their compliance. Everyone bowed and left in a hurry.
“Now that they’re gone, what do we do?” Bela asked. She was still emotionally weak from her experience.
“If this is a superweapon capable of destroying a planet in one go, we cannot trust in our shield,” Tol answered. “We need to drop our shields and take our fight to them. Send out all the fighters and combat shuttles, attempt to board the flagship. Take it out from the inside.”
“But the shield can’t be raised again once it’s been dropped,” Gnost objected. “The fleet will be at liberty to bombard the surface. I especially worry about the support staff and Twi’leks.”
Jaric rubbed the bridge of his nose. “They should have been sent offworld months ago! Why are they still here!?”
“Too late now,” Satele murmured. “The best we can do is to force the issue once we’re safe.”
“We can board them on our few remaining barges and transports,” Braga suggested heavily. “They can give us a chance to engage, then make a break for it.” The idea was a desperate one. There was only one known Hyperspace Lane in and out of Tython. In order to make the jump to Hyperspace, any fleeing ships would have to approach the region held by the Imperial fleet. They could try to move away from the planet, of course, attempt to exit from the far side so that the planet shielded their exit, but they would be picked up again by Imperial sensors as soon as they cleared it. Still, it was better than no chance at all.
Their odds of survival were minimal, unless they received help from the outside. But who would notice something amiss? If she knew High Command, it would be inundated with Senators’ debates on which worlds took priority. It would take them hours to question why the Jedi Council hadn’t arrived yet.
The Jedi Order would be taking a huge loss here today. Perhaps a fatal blow. And it was happening on her watch.
It had been many years since Satele Shan had felt fear as she had today. Mere moments after the report about the destruction of Uphrades, their enemies had come for them. They’d not had any time at all, to react. To prepare.
Worse, word had leaked out to the staff, and the whole Temple had fallen into a panic
Words uttered from multiple mouths reverberated through her skull like a sonic tremor, warning them that secrets cannot be kept forever. Vajra himself had made the point, she recalled. Multiple times. So had Orgus. So had she, for that matter.
The Council had been far too slow, far too complacent, taking months to decide on something that should have been done at speed. The Twi’leks, for instance. And defenses around Tython. They should have abandoned this world the second they heard that Watcher One had received intelligence about Bengel Morr.
“If I may make a suggestion? Or two?” Jasme asked. She didn’t wait for an answer. “Information is crucial. We need our sensors monitoring every second of the action up there, especially anything to do with the Desolator weapon. Emergency protocol will allow us to transmit our archives to subterranean servers, so the data will survive even if the world dies. Even if the Republic doesn’t come back, there are Jedi out there who will. They will come here to investigate. Any information that can help them destroy the weapon would be useful.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Satele nodded. “Send the order at once. What’s the second suggestion?”
“The hardest part about defeating Angral is finding him first,” Jasme continued. “This past year has proven that. Our fighters can be equipped with trace missiles. They won’t last long, a few weeks at best. But in that time, it will transmit a signal that only a Jedi beacon can pick up. They’ll be able to find his ship, no matter where he chooses to hide. He needs to be found soon. The longer he’s out there, the bigger the chance he’s pressured into giving up his secrets to the rest of his ilk. If he hasn’t already.”
“I am almost certain he hasn’t,” Tol answered. “I have intel which assures me that he’s been the butt of all jokes ever since Orgus called him a coward. And Vajra made that open speech of his. Malgus, Baras, Thanaton, Mortis, Ravage… everyone’s been rubbing his face in it. Angral won’t be quick to share his research, not unless the Emperor forces him to. And he’s been as inactive as ever.”
“So that makes it all the more critical that he be stopped soon,” Jaric said heavily. “Your suggestions are good ones, Archivist. We will sacrifice explosives and proton torpedoes so we can load up on tracers.”
“How long will it take for the fighters to be prepped?”
“An hour at the most. It’s the evacuation preparation that will really take a while. Four, at best.”
“We need to hurry it up. There’s no telling when they’ll be ready—”
The door opened again, and a Jedi Satele did not know entered the chamber. “Pardon, Masters. Twi’leks stormed one of our barges in the Kalikori village, the one that we used to ship them grain. They’re fighting the crew and each other for space on that ship.”
“I think it’s safe to say that word reached them,” Satele said drily. “And here we have yet another instance where they are actively willing to hurt us if it means saving themselves. Thank you, Padawan. You may leave.” Once he’d left, she added, “Is it wrong for me to wish a pox on the grand matriarch who resisted all our attempts to resettle her people?”
“I’m glad someone said it,” Jaric barked a laugh.
*
The Twi’leks arrived at the Temple about an hour after the session had ended. The one to meet them was Master Jaric Kaedan. Their mood was a mix of fear and rage.
“Jedi!” Grand Matriarch Kolovish called. “What is the meaning of this? Why did you order your barges to take off? Do you plan to leave us here to die?”
“Don’t you dare try to hold us responsible!” Jaric growled. “We tried to tell you the dangers of settling on this world, but you would not listen! We told you the Sith might come, but you said you would rather die than move again. And by you, I mean you in particular, Kolovish! If anyone’s dooming your people here, it’s you! Not to mention, this is the second time you have taken action against us. You turned on Orgus and Vajra despite all they did for you, and now you tried to capture the very ships that brought you your much-needed food! Have you no sense of shame at all?”
“We are a simple people,” another Twi’lek tried to argue. “You can’t blame us for being afraid!” This had to be the new Matriarch, Nimara.
“No, but I can say ‘We told you so!’ and ‘You can’t seriously expect us to help you after all this’!”
“Please, Master Jedi,” one of the older Twi’leks said. “We have no one else to turn to.”
“You’re the ‘Chosen’, aren’t you? Turn to your old ways. They will protect you. The Republic washed their hands of you. And now, I think we will too.”
There was a collective moan of protest.
“There’s nothing else we can do,” Jaric barked. “You crashed one of our precious ways to get civilians off this planet! We only have five barges left, and we’ve decided to use them all to transport all children and civilians within the Temple. If you hadn’t attacked the one in your village, we’d have happily given it to you.”
The Twi’leks started to collapse one after the other. They looked to the skies and prayed for deliverance.
“We’ll leave,” Grand Matriarch Kolovish said through gritted teeth. “If you help us get offworld, we will accept whatever punishment the Republic deems fit—”
“No, Kolovish. You will tell us exactly why you chose this world. Stop pretending it was fate or chance. You stuck to us like a tick, even though your decision saw hundreds of your people die. You don’t care about your so-called teachings, and you don’t care about the people who follow you. It’s all a smokescreen to allow yourself to get close to us. And you will tell us what your agenda is.”
“You’re mad!” she answered, growing more frightened. “I have no hidden motives! I simply wished to lead us to a world where we could live in peace—”
“Except, Tython was never peaceful. And you found that out years ago. Peace was never what you wanted, and there’s little else here that could hold your interest. I’m sorry, ‘Grand Matriarch,’ but you’ve exhausted our goodwill.”
“Please, Master Jedi,” a younger Twi’lek stepped forward. Kaedan thought he recognized Ranna Tao’ven, the former Matriarch. “I understand where you’re coming from, but surely you could at least evacuate our children?”
Jaric pretended to ponder her request. “We’ll see what we can do, but don’t expect a miracle. And if you try anything else, you can consider the answer an unequivocal ‘no!’ Now if you’ll excuse me.”
A Jedi Padawan ran upto him as he turned to leave. “Master Kaedan, our sensors just picked up a Republic fleet. It’s not powerful enough to chase away the Imperial fleet, but maybe they can help turn the tide. They’re almost close enough to engage. Also, Master Satele says she can Sense Master Vajra and Kira among them.”
“Is that right? That means we have a chance! Prepare all fighters for launch at once! Tell Satele and Gnost to stay behind. We need someone to stay behind, just in case.”
*
Satele sat as close to Jasme as she dared, praying fervently that they could defeat Angral before his weapon had finished charging. She, Bela and Gnost were the only three Jedi Masters who had stayed behind, as Kaedan had suggested. The Grand Master, and Master of the Archives, as well as the one who had been crippled. A few other Jedi had also remained behind, mostly those with no experience as combat pilots.
Waiting for someone else to decide your fate was hell.
But then at last, the good news started to pour in. All ships except for the Oppressor had fled the battle once they had detected that its bridge had been taken. Then the ship’s reactors were taken offline, ending the threat it posed forever. And finally, she had Sensed the moment when Vajra had beaten Angral. Many Sith had died up there, falling one after another. Satele had been stunned by how fast that had happened. Even she hadn’t ever killed more than five Sith in under a minute! Angral’s defeat came with a resounding crack like thunder. It was as if the Light itself had cheered at his defeat.
“It’s over,” Bela said, sounding relieved.
“It’s over,” Satele agreed.
“We need to prepare him a hero’s welcome then,” Gnost sank into his seat. “Vajra… Vajra really came through for us!”
“Angral defeated! The ‘Head Butcher of Coruscant’!”
“We need to give him some reward as well,” Satele said.
“Jedi don’t give medals—”
“But we can give him a vacation. As long as he needs. We’ve worked him to the bone since Knighting him.”
“Yes, that’s quite true,” Bela agreed. “And I think we should give Kira her Knighthood.”
“She hasn’t faced her trials yet,” Gnost protested.
“She won’t be the first Knight to be considered ‘tried by fire’. And she’s earned a vacation too. Don’t forget, she’s been fighting with Vajra all this time.”
“I will support the motion,” Satele said firmly. “Kira was ready for her trials months ago. She has proven herself worthy.”
Their deliberation was cut short by the return of their communications. A flurry of messages poured in, but the one that caught their attention was a general broadcast from Angral’s ship.
It was a live feed of Angral weeping his eyes out, begging his Father for mercy. It was evident that he had soiled himself too. Any fear and respect he had once commanded was instantly lost. Whoever was broadcasting this—and Satele had a pretty good idea who that was—was telling the Galaxy that Angral, one of the most prominent Darths, had paid the price for his many, many evil deeds.
The sight made her want to smile, and yet brought a foreboding chill to her chest. Her thoughts were interrupted by another transmission.
“This is Kaedan. We’ve boarded the Oppressor, but it looks like we weren’t needed. Padawan Carsen has informed us that Angral is still alive, so I said I’d take him into custody myself.”
“Acknowledged.”
“What do you think happened to Angral?” Jasme whispered.
“I don’t know,” Satele rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “We’d have to take a closer look at him to understand. Perhaps Master Devel would look into this for us.”
“I would like to know precisely what happened,” Gnost agreed. “Very much so.”
*
Mercei Tanniels knew that her mouth was hanging open as she watched Devarath’s broadcast. Defeating Angral was one thing, but he had broken him somehow.
She had observed the young Jedi for months now, as ordered, and had come to know him quite well by now. His thinking patterns, his habits, his likes and dislikes, his strengths and weaknesses…
Not only was this kind of thing out of character for him—something she found completely understandable, considering he’d just seen his planet die—it was outside the skillset she had credited him with. Whether he had himself been the source of the technique, or—more likely, in her opinion—he had simply reflected something Angral had thrown at him, it was not something she had thought him capable of.
“You’ve gone and muddied the waters at this late a stage… what an infuriating boy you are!” Now she had to reevaluate him from scratch. All her prior assumptions were suspect.
Still, she was surprised with how pleased she felt that her quarry had succeeded in his quest. I’ve gotten quite fond of that boy, she realized. He’s sincere, open, honest, and kind. The complete opposite of nearly everyone I’ve ever met. Still, that won’t stop me from eliminating him, if I’m ever ordered to. Or trying to. His sense for danger was something she was absolutely certain of, having seen him survive snipers, ambushes and assassins on multiple occasions. The only way she stood the ghost of a chance was her trump card… but she wasn’t certain it would work on him, as it had Jadus.
Thinking of the cold Sith helped a chill settle into her bones. “We’re inverses, in a way,” she said softly. “You failed to stop a world from being destroyed… but I failed to catch the one responsible. Now he’s still out there, and I have to sleep with one eye open. You, though? Angral will never threaten anyone again. I raise my hat to you, Jedi Devarath. I wonder if I can call you ‘Vajra’ now? I know you better than your best friends do, after all. No? I suppose not. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to redo your profile. You know, for a dating site. You’ll be popular, I promise.”
*
Jaric Kaedan was taken aback when he saw the state one of the most prominent Sith had been reduced to. It would be another hour before he learned about the broadcast.
“What happened here?” he thought aloud.
“That kid showed the Empire exactly how limp-dicked their Darths really are,” a nearby soldier grinned. “I mean… just look at him! He’s bawling like a little baby!”
“Payback time is here,” another said with satisfaction. “The head butcher is down and done! How much longer till Kilran and Malgus are humiliated?”
“Maybe we can sack Dromund Kaas, next!” another smiled. “See how they like it!”
“You’re getting way ahead of yourselves,” Kaedan said softly. “You think beating Angral was easy? The bastard took a whole planet with him. He came within sight of wiping out the Jedi Council. Kilran is smarter than him, and Malgus is far stronger. Both are more fearless. And Dromund Kaas? We can only hope that we come within sight of that blighted world.” He marched up to Angral, taking note of all the corpses as he approached. Are those Power Guards? Can’t believe Vajra was able to kill them. He saw a woman’s corpse sitting on Angral’s throne. She looked like she had taken her own life. Her arms and legs were severely burned. Is that Angral’s wife? Something to bring up at the debriefing. He felt confident that neither Vajra nor Kira was capable of such cruelty. Yes, perhaps it was Angral who tortured her.  “Hello there, Angral. We meet again.”
The Sith Lord almost certainly didn’t hear him. He was thrashing around and screaming like a patient in a mental institution, responding to stimuli that no one else could see.
He raised him to his feet by his cape, grimacing slightly at the smell wafting from him. “Luckily, we’re already in his room,” he grumbled. “Someone, douse him clean and change his pants. I hope to be back on Tython within the hour. And drinks on me, for all of you!”
The soldiers cheered at that, and Kaedan began the task of searching the Darth’s inner sanctum for items of interest.
*
Jasme managed to catch Vajra right after the Garuda landed. She ran up the ramp the moment it touched the floor, and threw her arms around the heroes of the hour.
“You guys are fucking awesome!” she declared as both of them fought for breath. “And where’s T7? C’mere, little buddy, a hug for you too!”
“I’m tired,” Vajra said. “Any chance they’ll forget about me, let me sleep for the next five weeks?”
“Are you kidding me? You should be able to hear your adoring fans from here!”
It was true. Every last person still in the Temple had rushed to the landing pad. This one was reserved only for Council Masters, but Vajra’s ship had been given special permission under the circumstances.
“They can wait another minute,” Vajra returned Jasme’s hug from earlier with an almost desperate tremor in his limbs. “I’m so glad…! I got so worried there! If we’d been a few hours slower—”
“But you weren’t. Come on. Let’s get these outsiders out of the way for now. You’ll have me all to yourself after the party!”
Mom and the remaining Masters were first in line to greet them once they got out—most of them had returned to the planet once news of Angral’s defeat had been sent to all corners of the Galaxy. Master Satele stood at the front, as her rank allowed.
“Well, well,” she smiled and bowed. “You’ve made quite the splash here today, even by your standards. The Jedi owe you a debt of gratitude we cannot possibly repay.”
“It was our honor,” Vajra replied.
“That, it was,” Kira bowed.
“If the Jedi wore Republic medals, your robes would be covered in them,” Major Var Suthra declared. He and several other officers were attending remotely, as were some politicians and nobles.
“There’s no need for medals, but I think my Padawan here is a little overdue for her trials.”
“Indeed, Kira has really grown into her own, hasn’t she?” Master Kiwiiks smiled.
“I’m glad to see you up and about, Master Kiwiiks.”
“I still have to thank you both for saving my life. Twice, now.”
“It will be our pleasure to welcome Kira into our ranks,” Jasme’s mother smiled. “Right here, in fact.”
“Wait, what?”
“Step forward, Padawan.” All Jedi present ignited their Lightsabers and held them point-upwards in front of their faces. Vajra stood frozen for a second, then followed suit. He nodded to Kira, who had turned her dumbfounded gaze at him.
“Are you sure about this master? No backsies!”
“We are all agreed on this,” the Grand Master’s smile was warm as the sun. She stretched out an arm, and Master Devel handed her the ceremonial sword he had been holding. “Even Master Kaedan. Come on, now. Kneel.”
Kira finally obeyed.
“Kira Carsen,” Master Satele intoned. “By the right of the Council, by the Will of the Force, and as a reward for your steadfast dedication to the Light, I dub thee a Jedi Knight of the Republic.” She tapped the blade on Kira’s shoulders and head, as she had so many Padawans before her. “Few Jedi can boast about having risen above their circumstances as you have. You stand pure and strong despite your circumstances; a true ally to anyone lucky enough to earn your friendship, and a fierce protector of the Republic. Rise, and take your place among us.”
Kira stood, knees trembling. “So, this is what it feels like? Being respectable?” The audience had resumed their cheers.
“We shouldn’t keep you to ourselves any longer,” Master Satele looked around. “Please, don’t feel shy. I’m sure everyone else is keen on thanking you both. Especially you, Vajra. You’re the Hero of Tython now. Congratulations on your victory.”
*
Jasme noticed something wrong with Vajra as the evening wore on. At first, she had thought it was pure fatigue, but then she saw the soul-crushing gloom in his eye. It was fleeting at the start, and only showed up when he thought no one was looking. He did a good job speaking to all his well-wishers and colleagues, laughing at their jests, hearing their speeches, answering questions about Alderaan. But by nightfall, he was having a difficult time suppressing it. More and more, she could see his eyes hover over the exit.
She could stand it no longer. Sidling up to him, she gave his admirers her most charming smile before leading him away.
“Jasme?”
“Yeah?”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Someplace we can have a nice chat. Just a small one. After that, it’s straight to bed with you," She looked him over and sighed. “This past year hasn’t been kind to you.”
“I suppose not.”
“Here we are.”
“Is this…?”
“Master Orgus’ room. It’s… not been reassigned yet, and I figured he’d be happy if it was of help to you. He’d have been so proud of you.”
Vajra’s look of guilt was all-too-obvious. Jasme sighed again as she opened the door for them.
“I’ve seen that look on your face before. Many times. You’re upset about the Power Guards, aren’t you?”
His overcast look was answer enough.
“Vajra… you were outnumbered up there. You had no choice but to kill them. You know that, right?”
“Yes.”
“… that doesn’t make it easier, does it?” She led him to the sofa and sat him down before hugging him. “I wish this hadn’t fallen to you, little Brother!”
“Hmm.”
“And I’m so, so sorry about Uphrades too. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not right now, please.”
“Sure. Get into the shower, I’ll have some of your clothes brought to you. Go straight to bed afterwards, alright? Sleep as long as you need to. A night, a week, a month… just get as much rest as you need. We’ll speak again when you’re ready.”
Jasme waited until he nodded, weakly, before leaving to make the arrangements. The first thing she did was talk to his steward droid, who was only too happy to accommodate the request. Getting approval was no problem at all; all the Masters were feeling quite charitable towards him. She dropped Kira a line, letting her know where to find her now-former Master if she needed him. And finally, she filled a tray with sandwiches and a thermos with hot soup to take to his room. She was certain that he hadn’t eaten nearly as much as he ought to have. By the time she got back, he was already asleep in bed. She left the food on the bedside table and crept out so as to not disturb his sleep.
When she returned to check up on him that morning, he had disappeared without a trace.
The only thing he’d left were the Lightsabers her mother had lent him, and a letter addressed to Kira, T7 and herself saying he couldn’t be a Jedi anymore.
*
Grand Master Satele Shan woke up at 5:00 as always, but that was as far as she got to sticking to her daily schedule.
“Excuse me, Grand Master,” her protocol droid was waiting for her outside her bedroom. “I have a package for you.”
Satele smiled gently. “A package? At this hour? Doesn’t our mail normally arrive at 11:30? I hope it’s not another ‘suitor.’” She still got a lot of those, usually a Padawan whom she’d have to gently let down later during the day.
“Perhaps, Master. But those normally arrive closer to midnight. This one was placed here a mere hour ago.”
“Oh? That is unusual.” Satele accepted the parcel and went on. “I assume you scanned its contents?”
“Of course, Grand Master! The package tested negative for pathogens, toxins, explosives, or any other traps.”
“Impressive how you can screen all that, and still keep the actual contents a surprise.”
“All the better to see your genuine reaction, Grand Master.”
Satele opened the box to find four Lightsaber hilts inside. They had been polished until they gleamed even in this light, Lightsabers whose designs were similar to her own. It took her a few seconds to make the connection.
“Are these… the Lightsabers I gave Vajra?”
“Indeed, they do appear to be the very same, Grand Master.”
“Oh. Imagine that. I’m having one of my own gifts returned to me. Though I did make it clear they were a loan. Perhaps he must be ready to build his own Lightsabers at last. Our little Raudra is growing up!”
“If you say so, Mistress.”
“I think I’ll go look for him. I’d like to speak to him about this mission before the debriefing.” And I owe him a huge personal debt. It’s thanks to him that I won’t be remembered for allowing the enemy to cripple us.
The protocol droid bowed and began tidying up her room as she stepped out in training gear.
Satele reflected on exactly what she wanted to speak to him about first. She needed to check for signs of acute stress, and to ask about his general health. She also wanted to present him with a sympathetic ear in case he needed to get something off his chest. She decided not to speak about Uphrades in the first twenty minutes unless he brought it up himself.
But where to find him? The first place she looked was the workshop, then the training rooms and yard, then his ship—which had been relocated to the common landing area—and finally his bedroom. But he was nowhere to be found.
*
Jasme woke up to the insistent chime of her doorbell. “Mo—Master S’tele? D’yoo know what time it is?”
“Vajra’s gone missing,” her mother said without preamble, and Jasme was suddenly alert. “He dropped the Lightsabers I gave him outside my door around 04:00, then just vanished. Even our cameras and sentries didn’t spot him.”
“How can that be? He wasn’t trained in Force Camouflage!”
“But he was trained as a hunter,” Mom reminded her. “If Vajra felt the need to sneak out, he’s either trying out a new training regimen, or something’s wrong.”
“Can you get Kira for me? I’ll go see if he left anything in his room.”
Dropping all pretense at composure, Jasme ran to the chambers that had once belonged to Master Orgus. Her eyes instantly went to his bedside table, which still had the food she’d left him the night before. Beside it was a note written on paper.
She unfolded it at once, and read the brief letter again and again, trying her hardest to pretend this wasn’t the goodbye it seemed like.
Dear Jasme, Kira, and T7-01.
I’m not fit to be a Jedi. I don’t know where I’ll go now. But I can’t stay here now. I need to get away from the Jedi, from the Force, and my failures.
I love you all,
Vajra.
*
Mercei almost didn’t catch the Raudra leaving. It was only purest chance that she happened to be scanning the Temple when she noticed a shadow leap emerge from a side door, and recognize who it was by the cold stare he tossed in her direction.
She almost dropped her omnioculars in shock and fear, but held on long enough to see him disappear into the trees on the far side.
With a curse, she activated her probes and set them to follow him. She checked her trackers, the ones she’d kept in his Lightsabers, and growled when she confirmed that he’d left them behind.
What’s going on?! Several theories sprang to mind, but she cleared them from her head. She jumped onto her speeder and gave hot pursuit of the fleetfooted Jedi. The chase lasted several hours. She nearly lost the trail a few times, but with the help of her probe droids, she tracked him to the ruins which the Jedi called ‘Keleth.’
Why Keleth? Could it be? Are you running away!? You poor, poor child! Your experiences have gone and broken you, haven’t they? Congratulations, Republic. In your eagerness to fill the gaps, you failed to give him the mental conditioning needed for a warrior. You went and martyred your ‘Hero of Tython’. Oh, well! It’s a win for us!
She began writing her report at once. She didn’t know if the Emperor cared about Vajra Devarath’s recent victory, but Darth Marr had to be sweating bullets right now. Hopefully, he and his fellow Councillors would feel a little better after reading her report.
*
Vajra kept his belongings in the building he’d chosen and took a look around. His new house had a working power and water supply, but little else. It was close to the river though, and on the very edge of the ruined city, so he could find plenty of game nearby. Keleth’s orchards were on the other side of the bank, and in the years since the city’s depopulation, they had grown into a huge forest.
And finally, if he recalled correctly, one of Keleth’s armories was close by. He could pick up a few spears and swords for himself. He didn’t have a bow on hand though. Perhaps he could build one, over the next few years.
With that settled, he sat down in the shade of a tree. He’d run fast and far to get here. He wondered if it would be enough.
What will tomorrow bring—No. That doesn’t matter. Whatever comes, I’ll face it one day at a time.
He only hoped his friends could forgive him for running away as he had. But it had to be this way. There was no way he could do so openly.
As I thought. Deep down, I’m a real coward.
He closed his eyes and took a few breaths, trying to relax in the shade of the tree but jumped back to his feet when he heard the ghosts of Uphrades wail.
*
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offwithhxrhead · 8 months
Text
Incorrect Quotes ft. the Liddell-Van Dorts
. thought i'd give this generator a go and i absolutely am so glad i did .
Alice: Hello, I'm Alice. I work at a shop now. Here to help. Look, they gave me a badge with my name on it in case I forget it. Very helpful, as that does happen.
Shapeshifter: *transforms to look like Maddie* Maddie: Okay, are you like BLIND? You look nothing like me. First off, I'm way taller. Secondly, I DO NOT look so sleep deprived and lastly, if you could drag comb through that hair you're like a 7 on a good day and I've been told I'm a constant 10.
Maddie, writing in their diary with a glitter gel pen: I'm losing my sense of humanity. Nothing matters. God is dead. There's blood on my hands.
Victor: What can therapy do for me that screaming in my car for 30 minutes can’t?
Alice: If I can't cause tiny bits of chaos every day, I think my body will shut down.
Cop: You ran a red light. Alice: So did you, hypocrite. Cop: I was following you. Alice: That was dumb, I'm a terrible driver. Cop: Get out.
Victor: I've got a weapon, and I'm... admittedly VERY afraid to use it!
Alice: Remember, when burying a body, make sure to cover it with endangered plants so it’s illegal to dig up! Alice: Make sure to follow me for more gardening tips!
Victor: BEHOLD, the field in which I grow my fucks! Lay thine eyes upon it, and thou shalt see that it is barren!
Maddie: What, I can’t be in a bad mood? It’s like people think, “Oh, Maddie is such a nice person, Maddie is so happy-go-lucky! Maddie can’t be in a bad mood!” Well, you know what? Maddie CAN be in a bad mood. And right now, Maddie IS be in a bad mood.
Alice: Social distancing says you shouldn't be within an elbow's distance of each other. *later, in a barfight* Alice: Social distancing doesn't say nothing about feet! *kicks opponent in the face*
Victor: Sometimes I wonder if I’m hearing voices. Victor: Then I remember that’s the last bit of sanity I have trying to get me to fall asleep at a reasonable time.
Maddie: Well, if you're not at least a little bit gay for your friends, then what kind of friend are you?
Alice: I apologize for saying 'fuck' in front of Maddie. Victor: You just said it again. Maddie: Alice: I am not a role model.
Alice: How long do you reckon it’ll be until Maddie finally snaps and commits murder? Victor: I’ve been going through life assuming it’s already happened at some point and it’s just that no one was ever able to trace it back to her.
Maddie: Victor, Alice, I love y’all and all, but can I ask what in the hell are you doing? Victor, trying to stabilize a tower of folding chairs that Alice is sitting atop: Oh nothing much. Alice: I love you too :)
Alice: Guys where did Maddie go? Victor: She got arrested. Alice: How the hell- Maddie: *bursts in through the window* The cops are after me, I thought it would be fun to steal crackers and throw them at people.
Alice: Maddie, what do you have? Maddie: A KNIFE! Alice: Okay, have fu- Victor: NO!
Maddie: Would you take a bullet for me? Victor: ...yes? *Alice angrily bursts into the room* Maddie: *running away* Great, thanks!
Maddie, washing the dishes: Who the fuck used this pan?? Maddie: Wait. I the fuck used this pan… Victor: It was you the fuck. Maddie: It was I the fuck… Alice: Who cooks rice in a pan? Victor: She the fuck.
Victor: Why would anyone want to harm Maddie? Alice: Maybe because they met her?
Maddie: Mom, that’s disgusting. You’re only giving free stuff to beautiful people. Victor: Yeah, you should be ashamed of yourself. Alice: Oh yeah? *gets really close to Victor* How about a muffin on the house baby? Victor, giggling: I’m pretty.
Victor: You know, it’s fine to admit you were wrong. Maddie: *Sipping their drink after accidentally adding salt* I just like the way it tastes.
Victor: If we lose, you’re out of the will. Maddie: I was in the will?
Victor: Am I right, Maddie? Maddie: I’m almost certain you’re not, but to be fair, I wasn’t listening.
Alice: What situation is not instantly improved by the addition of fishnets, I ask you. Maddie: Being a fish. Alice: Well, shit.
Alice: What the fuck is wrong with you?? Maddie: What? No good morning? Alice: Good morning, what the fuck is wrong with you??
Victor: *chokes on something* Maddie: Jeez, Victor, don't die on us. Victor: Don't tell me what to do, I'll die whenever the hell I want!
Maddie: You know what I’ve realized? Alice: Some thoughts are better left unsaid? Maddie: Nice try, anyways-
Maddie: Help! I’m drowning! Victor: Calm down. We’re only in six feet of water! Maddie: NOT ALL OF US ARE TALL!
Victor: Talk dirty to me, baby~ Alice: The dishes. Victor: Wh- Alice: They’ve been there for 4 days and it’s your turn to wash them. You still haven’t cleaned them and I have asked you to do so several times.
Alice: *sees someone doing something stupid* Alice: What an idiot. Alice: *realizes it's Maddie* Alice: Wait, that's MY idiot!
@thevalicemultiverse
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tay-words · 2 years
Text
For those questioning Gina breaking up with EJ, I think that it can actually narratively makes sense based on things we learn in the S2 song “Second Chance” and the framework of S3:
Maybe I’m safer when I’m on the run
No time to open up my heart
Maybe I’ll hide behind my walls again
Instead of tearing them apart
(Pause to say: I didn’t mean to write this much and I also want to say that I think this could have made more sense if there was better pacing. Maybe people are supposed to feel like they’re at camp and not know what day it is, but it’s terrible for keeping track.)
Camp: A Temporary/Artificial Framework of Expectations and Disappointments
Camp (and things related to it) is a temporary framework that has pushed these characters into expectations and scenarios they might not otherwise be dealing with. We see at the start of camp, a very happy and hopeful Gina who has expecations for these next two weeks with EJ, but her expectations and the framework of her summer falls apart.
Taking Gina at her word that they somehow only just started dating (I dunno? Maybe they nervously decided they didn’t want to do big ticket items like his graduation and prom as “official”? I don’t buy it, but that’s all I got there...), she encounters the following things:
Ep 2 - Artificially Placed Distance + Gina 1.0 Hints: Realizes EJ won’t have as much time as before and even concedes a bit that they might need to be chill as a couple if EJ is directing. She also encounters Val and is noticeably concerned/jealous. She becomes a little bit of “Gina 1.0” with her competitiveness, so she reverts a little bit back to her former self. She claims that she has the “balance” but her friends question otherwise.
Ep 3 - EJ Misses A Major Camp Event+Special Moment / Gina Bonds With Others Including Ricky: EJ is overwhelmed by learning the script and directing, so bails on joining them for the woman in the woods outing. Gina makes memories with other people.
Ep 4 - “Love is an open door” with Fractured Trust: This one starts hopeful and and reminds us that EJ and Gina are very much together (she wonders if it’s “love”). They perform Love Is An Open Door in a dreamy in-love fashion but without the song’s original irony. But it ends with her finding out about the letter from his dad. Corbin also plants the seed that EJ looks like a “villain”.
Ep 5 - Fractured Trust / Betrayal / EJ 1.0 / Jealousy: She is visibly upset that EJ kept something important from her, but also that he told Val (who she was jealous about) before her. She cites EJ 1.0 (highlighting that she may not trust his change/growth). She doesn’t take into consideration how long EJ has had that information or that he might have been wrong but hadn’t known how to break the news to her. She doesn’t understand why he would confide in another girl who she didn’t even know. She also finds out his real name (which she has clearly never asked him about, but it adds to her insecurity that she doesn’t actually know him as well as she thought). She seems to have no qualms dancing with Ricky to make EJ jealous (which for historical reasons, she knew would be particularly hurtful and also felt very Gina 1.0). They seem to talk it out, but the conversation also seems to miss the mark.
Ep 6 - EJ Misses A Camp Event+Special Moment - Part II / Promposal Fail: EJ promises that he’ll spend time with her at the Color War. They are even on the same team, but when everyone is competing he’s nowhere to be seen. When she has her accident and he reaches out to find out about it (because he missed it), she automatically dismisses him for reaching out because he wasn’t there. She would later find out about Miss Jenn’s arrival and I’m guessing she realizes that she might be too harsh because then she asks Ricky to help her with her promposal. EJ doesn’t do a great job letting her down that there’s no dates.
Ep 7 - EJ Misses A Camp Event+Special Moment - Part III + Piecing Together Missed Moments: By the time we get to “Camp Prom”, there is a time jump of at least a few days. We assume based on Ep 1-6, that EJ’s inattentiveness has probably gotten worse closer to opening night (especially since he spent almost all of Prom forcing his friends to run their lines). So by the time he misses that last dance (which is something Gina has understandably idealized in her mind), it acts as a last straw to all of her expectations that she started the summer with.
I list these things down because these are probably disappointments that would have built more if it had been over a longer period of time, but perhaps because they were happening so quickly (and a day at camp can feel a like a longer time than a regular day), Gina had collected all these disappointments in a concentrated way and is confronted the day before opening night (persumably almost last day of camp) that she didn’t get anything she thought she would when she arrived. She had determined that her “guy that shows up” had not, in fact, shown up in the visible ways she thought he would. This, plus all the uncertainties she listed (and that he had graduated), seem evidence to her that he would keep not showing up….and is essentially not the guy that she fell for.
Emotionally-Driven Decision Making
Throughout the above events, we see the ways that Gina has felt like she opened up her heart only to be disappointed by not getting the “right moments” with EJ and her fear that she would actually not get them.
While I appreciate (as we all should!) that her character was able to be assertive to EJ, I think we’re supposed to understand that there’s a haste in her assessment and a desire to close her walls back up. We’ve seen her struggle at what it means to be a supportive partner and to communicate her needs the last two weeks. We’ve seen that she reverts to feeling safer on the run and with walls up - we see her reactively building them up when EJ does something she doesn’t know how to communicate is bothering her (Him casually asking about basketball and she automatically gates him from her experience).
I think opening night being the next day, tells us that she is making a very emotional decision without thinking about the other consequences. If she had been less impulsive, she might have chosen to break up with him after the show or when they arrived back at Salt Lake. I say this knowing that it was probably done for drama, but I also want to say that it’s not that I’m denying her her feelings or what she thought was the right thing to do at the time. Breaking up with him at that moment was an impulsive choice and it was probably driven by this “last dance” moment having passed them by and making her really reflect on the last two weeks of missed moments. A more thoughtful and analytical Gina could have made that determination, but would probably waited to break the news. But this is TV!
Because of Gina’s lens, she’s not considering how the play is the very next day. She’s not considering how this might impact not only her performance but also EJ’s as a director and cast member (and by scale everyone else in the cast).
In summary, this is a long-winded way of saying Gina broke up with EJ because she had built up emotions that she did not know how to communicate to her first boyfriend (who had otherwise seemed to understand her and show up for her in obviously visible ways) and she thought it was easier to just end things based on her being upset with the last dance (as a “last straw”) and the unsure picture of their relationship.
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