#THOSE MINIS ARE SO FUCKING STUNNING AND ALSO ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING

[talesfromthebandgeekmafia]

Dimension 20 art department I wanna make out with you

[wistfulrat]

a 4-part rec list of my fave drarry fics - the thrillers, dramas, soft bois, and wankbanks getting me through 2020′s shitstorm

[ for my fellow fledgling drarry stans! the drama list is here and, well. like i didn’t initially intend to go off in the mini-reviews beneath every rec but it’s just that you can't nOT yell about drarry as classic literary foils!! also it’s my dumb sideblog so i decided there are no rules and i get to be annoying about good writing.

but rly, the whole premise of the drarry pairing is shaped by this genre and if the ~serious world of serious published writers~ weren’t absolute cowards, they would admit that drama fic authors have contributed more to the genre than the average shit you can find at your local chain bookstore. so that's that on thAT. & if you love a fic here, don't forget to follow the authors, leave kudos & comments on their work, send them nice msgs bc they do all this shit for free xoxo ]

part 2: dramas

mood: for when I need emotional catharsis and maybe 7 hours to sob/brood about loneliness, the cost of love, & the perpetual fear of being truly known

includes: angst, hurt/comfort, reconciliation fics. it’s cruelty o’clock folks and someone is about to say/do something Fucked Up that they can’t take back. but don’t worry!! there will be a Reckoning feat. hamlet-worthy monologues, ugly truths, unbridled rage, trauma, insecurity, and just a fuck ton of tears!! but maybe even tender apologies and mended things.

(Un)wanted by @aibidil​ - 36k - E | Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy. A story of finding belonging in the unexpected. | --- can a fic be tender and unflinching at the same time? bc this story strikes that balance rly well and for a piece about unwantedness, it is incredibly humanizing. ginny holding her own, draco being gentle but not letting harry play victim, hermione calling harry “hazzah” and just the way this friendship insists on the validity of found families even when harry is spiraling?? and you’re forced to consider that no one has the monopoly on fucked-upness and that doesn’t absolve us of the ways we hurt each other but it means that everyone has the same potential to be better after being broken. goD JUST READ IT, OKAY.

Blood Magic, the series by @houseofhebrideanblacks and @thestralsofspinnersend 335k - E “Later that night. . .Draco wondered at the depths of magic, its breadth and scope. The ways in which life pervades and eludes death, the ways in which they endure all manners of small and large deaths within their lives.” -- if you don't read any other fic on this list, i hope you read this series bc holy shit it’s breathtaking. harry’s a recovering addict, draco’s recovering from abuse, and in a cottage within the forbidden forest begins an unlikely partnership as the boys take up the tedious work of healing. there are thestrals and everyone's in therapy. there are whole chapters of cottagecore drarry. it's a beautiful exploration of how we bare the immensity of loss against the miracles of birth and regrowth. 

Ship of Theseus by GallaPlacidia - 18k - T “A ship in a full sail, a ship in a state of decay, a ship that had been rebuilt, slightly different. A repeating cycle. “What makes the ship the same?” asked Harry. “I don’t know. There must be something in it that lasts across the changes.” -- DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS QUOTE LIVES RENT FREE IN MY SAD, SAD BRAIN. DO YOU KNOW HOW I LOSE SLEEP THINKING ABOUT THE FUCKING SHIP OF THESEUS. it’s a memory loss fic and everything is so unFAIR. you want to murder harry sometimes bc he’s such a shiT and you suffer through the ways he questions desire, penance, redemption, true love. and by the end, you want to believe in those golden slumber lyrics: “once, there was a way to get back home” 

Yours to Keep by @dracoismytrashson​ - 135k - E i love the university setting, i love getting to see harry and draco’s first forays into a real LGBTQ community, the class and race structures outside of the wizarding world. i love that this is the context in which they’re allowed to confront the shittiness of PTSD, anxiety, depression etc. as they come together and fall apart against each other’s traumas. it makes the ending feel earned af. “Baby, we’ve been easing into it for a decade.” -- my god this line

Away Childish Things by @letteredlettered​ - 153k - T  this fic is devastating. like, completely forget whatever reticence you might have towards a de-aging fic and read this. the de-aging premise allows the author to cut through the ways harry and draco hold each other at a distance and you end up with these stunning moments of clarity where they’re truly seeing each other for the first time. and suddenly everything makes sense. i won't spoil it here but there’s a scene towards the end where harry is talking to hermione and ron about realizing the first time he felt what its like to be loved and I fucking SOBBED. an all-time fave fic about learning how to belong.

Had To Be You by @lettersbyelise​​ - 59k - E a genuinely excellent slow burn about absolute fucking morons who refuse to express their mutual love over the course of literal years?? HOW MANY TENDER MEET-CUTES DO 2 GAY IDIOTS EVEN NEED. a car ride a bookshop a street corner -- when harry met sally is my enemy. but you know what? this fic is masterfully written, it’s an epic tale of unexpected friendships and the inability to say the things we feel. also its very much also a soft boi fic if not for the Major Fuck Up that pushes it into drama territory for me. so worth the turmoil tbh.

Hurricane by phrynne - 120k - E auror partners terrified of love. it’s a fic about walls - where the emotional landscape of this fic is occluded by dishonest words so you feel the tension play out in hollow voices, shuttered looks, emptied eyes. it’s like watching two ppl get flayed alive in slow motion and everything is SHIT for a little. it’s mean, it’s ugly, it doesn’t let you give the characters an out when they’re being cruel - to each other and to themselves. but harry and draco are two violent forces hurling toward each other’s walls and the inevitable reckoning comes and it’s so very worth the ending. the hospital bed scene to rule all hospital bed scenes.

Returning Tides by @zigster-ao3​ - E  “Is my timing that flawed? Our respect run so dry? Yet there's still this appeal That we've kept through our lives” --those fuCKing ian curtis lyrics in the summary!! p a i n. why do i put myself through getting-back-together fics knowing full well i’m gonna be Sad As Hell during the not-together portion of the story?? we are all unfortunately hoes for heartache. anyway this fic is beautiful. draco’s a dad and recently widowed, harry has a thestral reserve, the settings here are stunning. a story about grief and love that lingers.

A Piercing Comfort by @talithan - 44k - T “There is no objective scorecard. There isn’t anything that a person does that tips the balance from ‘deserving’ to ‘undeserving’, or vice versa. A ‘deserving’ person will not run out of worthiness after a set time of happiness and have to then go about working to deserve it again. And an ‘undeserving’ person does not have to suffer at length before having the opportunity to be ‘deserving’.” -- the heart of this fic. harry’s in therapy, facing depression, and learning how to accept love he doesn’t think he deserves. (also draco is harry’s therapist but yes, that power dynamic is handled ethically-well imo and addressed in the author notes I promise!!).

Borrowing Courage by @xx-thedarklord-xx​ - 70k - E |After years of being a Magical Artist and painting for other people, Draco decides it’s time to paint for himself for once. The secrets pile up as he tries to unravel the mystery of his relatives but the only thing he didn’t count on was having to go to Potter of all people for approval.| --god i love this fic. the thing about drarry here is that they never mean to hurt each other but they do. they do and draco’s trying to do the right thing and he wants so badly for good family but harry’s never rly stopped grieving sirius and it’s this whole unintended mess of festering wounds forced to heal. everyone needs a hug. also ron/blaise pairing and ron+draco’s friendship here is everything!!

Reparations and the sequel, Foundations by Saras_Girl - 320k - E | Harry is about to discover that the steepest learning curve comes after Healer training, and that second chances can be found in unexpected places.| -- incredible. harry and draco’s dynamic as healers, the cast of original characters, the boys learning what it means to trust each other, draco building a rehabilitation center, harry falling in love with him, and “meus fabula est mei ut dico: my story is mine to tell.”  i cry

The Ties that Bind by phoenix_writing (not on ao3) - 61k - T | Upon Andromeda’s death, Harry and Draco are given custody of Teddy. Their lives will never be the same.| -- harry’s got major abandonment issues and he’s just trying to be a good co-parent with draco but everyone is being the woRST and you want to murder them on behalf of harry. but then, the boys learn to listen to each other and god it all becomes so tender. also harry has a gay panic. things are awful but it all works out. -

[part 1: thrillers | part 2: dramas | part 3: soft bois | part 4: wankbanks]

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎! 𝙰𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚣 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜: 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚈𝚎𝚘𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚐

Disclaimer: In no way am I condoning, justifying, encouraging, promoting nor trying to romanticize yandere behavior. This is all a work of fiction and not meant to represent real life scenarios.

Warnings: Mentions of toxic relationships, stalking, kidnapping, hostage holding, sexual scenes, brief mentions of narcotics use, violence, voyeurism, somnophilia and other yandere behavior are contained within this post. Read at your own discretion.

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𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

𝙽𝚊𝚖𝚎: 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚈𝚎𝚘𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚐

𝙳.𝙾.𝙱: 𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟷𝟻𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟿𝟿𝟿

𝙷𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝟷𝟽𝟹 𝙲𝙼/ 𝟻'𝟾 𝙵𝚃

𝙰𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕: ■■■□□60%

𝙾𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕: ■■■■■100%

𝙼𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢: ■■■■□90%

𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕: 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎

𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗: 𝙳𝚎𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕

𝙱𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝙰𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚜:

•𝙳𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚟𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚖 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚜.

•𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚖'𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎.

•𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚍𝚞𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚖.

•𝙸𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛.

•𝚄𝚗𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢.

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Yeosang always hid in the shadows. Never coming out of them.

He hated society, hated people and honestly couldn't care if they all died.

He just kept to himself, only going out of his house when he really needed to.

Like to get groceries, get his car fixed or anything of the like.

He even had a steady online job that allowed him the privilege of interacting as little as possible with the outside world.

That's how he liked it.

This way, nobody bothers him or annoys him.

One day, he went to a nearby convenience store to buy a few sweet snacks for himself.

He was walking out of the store, not really paying attention where he was going.

When someone bumped into him, which pissed him off.

But the angry glare he had quickly vanished when he saw you.

"Oh I'm sorry! I didn't see you." You apologized to him.

You went your way, thinking you'd never see the handsome stranger in your life again, that he'd just be another casualty in your life.

But you were wrong.

The moment Kang Yeosang laid eyes on you, was the moment he became obsessed with you.

He stood there, immobile, watching as you walked away, out of his life, possibly forever....

And that's when he realized he needed to bring you back into it.

He went out every day to the same convenience store, hoping to see you again.

He would walk around the surrounding streets, gazing at the people passing around, hoping to see your face again.

But he never did, and he was growing desperate.

Just when he thought he'd go insane from not seeing you, you appeared once again.

This time he made sure not to let you out of his sight.

Silently and without you suspecting, he followed you to your home.

Even after you went inside, he stood outside your window for hours, wondering what you were doing.

He only went home when you turned off the lights and went to sleep.

But now he knows where you live, and watching you would be easier than ever.

The next day you went to work as you usually did, not suspecting anything at all.

Yeosang had other plans though.

Taking advantage of the fact you weren't home, he managed to break into your house.

He looked around the place, looking through every picture, cabinet and drawer you had.

It was inevitable for him to find out as much information about you as possible.

He was definitely satisfied with the fact that it appeared you lived alone and as far as he could tell, you had no boyfriend.

He also knew he had to get to work.

So he prepared a bunch of tiny cameras to install around various places of your house:

In the kitchen, living room, front door, backyard, several in your bedroom and even in your bathroom.

They were really small and almost invisible to the human eye.

While installing some of them in your room, he came across your lingerie drawer.

He turned a pretty shade of pink as he sorted through the different articles of clothing.

He began to imagine you wearing them and then imagine himself tearing them off of you.

Picking out a cute lacy red and black panty, he held it up to his nose and inhaled the subtle scent of you.

He ended up jerking himself off in your bedroom with it, completely staining it with his hot cum.

It was one of the very few things he took from you, along with other trinkets that he ended up putting up as a mini shrine to you.

From then on, he began to watch you through all the cameras.

From the moment you got up and left the house, to when you came back and went to bed, his eyes were fixed on you, watching and observing your every move.

He did not look away whenever you got changed, took a shower or even during those times where you felt needy and decided to pleasure yourself.

Those were the times Yeosang had his eyes wide open, along with his pants so his hand could easily rub his cock.

For a while, he thought he could live the rest of his life like this: watching you through a screen.

After all, every time you watched tv, you were watching it with him, right?

You started to wear more clothing in the shade of red because you knew it was his favorite color, right?

And every time your fingers rubbed your clit and threw you over the edge, it was Yeosang you were imagining.......right?

In Yeosang's mind, every smile, every blink, every breath you did......it was all for him, it had to be.

That's why he was coursing with rage when you went out with your friends one time and came back late.

It wasn't the fact that you came late and he'd been worried about you.

It was the fact you came stumbling back in your house, kinda tipsy....

With another man all over you.

He watched in disbelief as you guided him to your room and let him undress you.

You let someone else put his filthy, disgusting hands all over your holy body, let him touch you in places only Yeosang could..

And he absolutely lost it when you allowed him to penetrate and stain you.

How could you? You were his and his only. You're not supposed to be begging and crying out for anyone that isn't him.

That's when Yeosang decided to take action. Living with you through a screen wasn't enough anymore...

He had to physically have you.

So he immediately began packing whatever he deemed necessary to bring you back.

He patiently waited until the bastard came out your house, and as soon as he got the opportunity.....

He came up behind him and wrapped a rope around his throat, strangling him with pure rage and disgust at the thought that he touched you.

He left his lifeless body in the yard and went inside for you.

Creeping up behind you, he got out a cloth that was drenched in nitrous oxide, and placed it over your nose and mouth.

"Shhh, ssssh. It's ok baby, I won't hurt you." He cooed at you softly.

He carefully layed your unconscious body on a couch.

He couldn't believe that he finally had you, see you, touch you, it was all surreal.

His hands began to caress and draw out each of your beautiful features.

Then they trailed down and began to caress other parts of your body.

He couldn't help himself as he fumbled to rid you of your clothes and of his own.

He entered you slowly, gasping at the wonder he felt at finally being inside you

He kept a slow and steady pace at first, wanting to savior the precious moment.

And then he remembered how just a few hours before, you had been tainted by some filthy asshole.

Then he began going rougher on your sleeping body, slapping your chest, thighs and face occasionally.

"How could you let some bastard touch you? Hmm? You're not some filthy whore for any man to take."

His hand gripped your neck and pulled you up to him.

"You're mine....you're all fucking mine. Only I can cum inside this pretty little hole." He growled as he fucked himself inside you, painting your walls as he always wanted to.

"And now it's time to go home."

You woke up in a strange room, tucked in a strange bed and with a burning ache in between your legs.

You tried to get up, but you were still dizzy from the gas attack from before.

When your eyes adjusted to the light, you gasped when you caught a pair of large brown eyes looking at you intensely.

"H- hi.." Yeosang waved at you cutely.

You just looked at him in confusion as he creeped up closer to you and smiled.

"Who...who are you? What am I doing here?" You asked.

He merely chuckled. "Silly girl. I'm Yeosang of course!" He stated as if it was a universally known fact.

He pouted when you didn't react.

"You know? Your soulmate? The love of your life?"

You actually let out a laugh at his words, which not only made him get embarrassed but also angry.

"First off all, I don't even know who the fuck you creep are. Second, I'm leaving whatever this nasty place is."

Before you could even move though, Yeosang was already pining you down on the bed.

It seemed you underestimated him, thinking because he looked lean he wouldn't be hard to take down...

But you were wrong...

Yeosang was incredibly strong and in one particular move where you tried to slap him, he retaliated by smacking you across your face.

You were left stunned by the force of it, which led to your nose bleeding and cheek burning.

Yeosang didn't stop there, he tilted your chin up and proceeded to give the same treatment to your other cheek, a nasty bruise would eventually form on that one.

"I really suggest you stop denying our love...for your sake and mine."

Yeosang's cold, emotionless eyes and icy voice sent shivers down your spine.

He looked absolutely insane, completely void of any feeling or rationality and that was extremely terrifying.

Yeosang only had 2 rules while you were with him: "Always love me and never leave me."

But it was so hard because he'd talk to you as if he knew you all your life, while he barely find out his last name.

Sometimes you were so uncomfortable or ended up spacing out, and he'd get upset so much that he'd either slap you or shove you to the floor.

"Tell me that you love me! I want you to say that you love me!" He cried out as his hands squeezed your neck tightly, barely letting you mutter out the words for him to finally let go of you and let you gasp for air.

You decided to play along then as best as you could to his little game.

Obviously it worked, he was happy and loving towards you, your behavior only feeding into his sick twisted illusion of a perfect relationship.

You hated it, hated playing into his delusional fantasy, hated having him touch you, feel you, caress you and love you in the bedroom.

You had to keep reminding yourself that it was only temporary, until you gained his trust enough to find a way to break free.

But time was passing by too fast and one day, during one of his many pregnancy tests you did, because Yeosang really wanted to have a baby with you, you nearly died.

It came out positive and you panicked.

You quickly disposed of the test, praying he'd never find it and began to search for anything to help you break open a door, a window.

You realized then that Yeosang never actually bolted the doors like he often told you, he'd just say that so you wouldn't even try it.

You opened the door, not caring that the alarm started going off, all you had to do was run to the next door house and ask for help.....

Except there was no next door house, nor was there a neighborhood....

There was nothing but a gate surrounding the house, and all around it was a dense forest, absolutely no sign of civilization.

You had no idea where you were and you were completely trapped. You started walking backwards and inhaled when your back pressed onto someone's chest.

Strong hands gripped your arms and one of them held up the pregnancy test that you desperately tried to get rid off.

You began crying, feeling utterly hopeless as a familiar and deep voice said:

"There's no escape......you won't ever leave..."

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[tae-cup]

Twin Flame | Of Eternity and Euphoria (1)

Pairing: God!Min Yoongi x Human!Reader sort of soulmate!au?

Summary: The god of the underworld hasn’t been whole for a millennium. Suddenly you came stumbling into his life...literally. 

Warnings: N/A Fluffy!

Word Count: 4.9K words

A/N: I like this. Yes. Let me know your thoughts and if you want more of this mini series!

Other: 

Series Masterlist

What Is A Twin Flame?

~ Sometimes discussed in terms of a “mirror soul” or “soul connection”, a twin flame is the other half of your soul. It is theorized that a soul can split into two after ascending to a high frequency. Thereafter, the soul lands in two different bodies.

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It had been disgustingly simple. You were just minding your business, on your phone scrolling through instagram, when you bumped into someone. This resulted in the ice vanilla latte in your hands finding a home on a stranger’s shirt. 

You looked up quickly to apologize, but you stopped mid-way through your sentence to gawk. The man standing before you had jet black hair and skin as pale as the moon. Even his eyes held a certain darkness and yet...to you he was absolutely stunning. You quickly shut your mouth and he quirked an eyebrow at you. 

“Ah! I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going.” You dipped your head apologetically. The stranger didn’t say a word. He just tilted his head at you quizzically. “I’ll pay for your dry cleaning!” You exclaimed, feeling the need to fill the awkward gaps. You inwardly cursed at yourself, knowing you didn’t have much money. You continued to ramble, only stopping when he put a hand up. That effectively silenced you. You had a bad habit of rambling on and on when nervous. 

“Your name?” He said curtly. 

“Y/L/N Y/F/N.” You said immediately. 

“Interesting.” He looked around, eyes surveying the cars and streetlights. “The human world has changed quite a bit since I was last here.”

“Human...world?” You weren’t religious or really superstitious. The notion of there being an other world seemed silly to you. So, of course, you suddenly had your reservation when speaking to this mysterious, albeit devastatingly handsome, man. 

“Ah, sorry. You’re human, yes?” 

“Yeah...?” You found yourself taking a small step back from him, but the smile he gave you was fond and warm. It almost made you relax; almost. 

“I’m Min Yoongi.” He held a hand out to you. His fingers were slender and long, delicate, but not fragile. You met his hand with your own, giving it a good shake. Instantly, a warm tingling feeling spread from your hands to your body. It felt like your hand was made to hold his. It was comfortable. He seemed just as confused as you, but instead he cleared his throat and dropped your hand. “I’m very busy, I must be going.” 

You nodded quickly, still unsure of what just happened. 

“Oh and...don’t worry about the laundry. I’ve got it taken care of.” He said nonchalantly before moving past you. You waited until he was out of sight before sprinting back to your apartment which was only a couple blocks away. Something inside of you had ignited when you met. Now it felt cold. Almost dead. And your apartment seemed even lonelier, if that was possible. What you didn’t know was that, quite literally, below your feet, there was a being sharing your exact feelings. 

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Yoongi ran a hand through his hair. 

“Listen, joon, I don’t fucking know how it works either. I’m telling you that something happened when I touched that mortal!” Yoongi paced in front of Namjoon. The god of wisdom was intrigued to see his usually cold friend of the underworld pacing frantically like a high schooler. 

“Now now, hyung, don’t get too caught up. After all, you’ve been in the underworld, alone, for a century. You never join us for cards anymore.” Namjoon spoke like a calming parent. 

“I don’t like unnecessarily messing with the lives of humans, namjoon.” The older male shot back. “That just means more clean up for me and I don’t enjoy having more work than I need to have.” 

“Right right, whatever.” Namjoon dismissed his bitter comment with a wave of his hand. “How can you be sure?” 

“That’s why I came to you, dumbass! Aren’t you supposed to know these things?” His words held the tiniest bit of contempt. 

“I know a lot of things, Yoongi, I’m just not sure if I’m allowed to tell you all of them. The fates have their own way of things, you know that.” 

“Fine. Fine. I’ll see for myself.”

“And just how do you plan on doing that?” The god of wisdom clasped his hands together, looking unamused.

“I’ll take her home.” 

-

-

You ran through the material one last time. Friday was the big final for the year and you had to pass. There was no other option unless you planned on working at McDonalds for the rest of your life. You rubbed the space between your eyebrows, looking for comfort from the oncoming headache. Papers upon papers were sprawled in front of you. Your little apartment was overwhelmed with clutter. Books, stray magazines, and plates littered the living room. Your bedroom wasn’t much better. Let’s just say you weren’t exactly a clean person. 

There was a sudden knock at the door. You couldn’t help but wonder if it was that odd man you had met the other day. You didn’t want to open the door, but something drew you in. Lately, that man had been on your mind more and more. You didn’t really know why. There was something about him. It felt like...like he had completed you for a fraction of a second. 

“Hello?” You slowly opened your door. You only had a moment to take in the man in front of you, dark suit and pale skin, until the wind blew open your door wider. You nearly shrieked, jumping back quickly. 

“Y/N.” His voice drawled, low and almost bored. “You need to come with me.” 

He looked at your terrified expression. A man in a dark suit who you’d met once was now standing in the doorway of your apartment...like a fucking weirdo. Who could blame him? He had spent thousands of years alone. Hesitantly, Yoongi stepped through the doorway. You only took another step back. No matter how handsome or how right this man was, you weren’t going to just let a stranger take you away!

“What do you want? I don’t-I don’t have any money on me right now.” You said, cursing yourself for stuttering. At this, Yoongi softened his expression. 

“Sorry, let me try again.” He quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door. Then he knocked. 

This absolute fool. You thought, shaking your head and then deciding to humor him. You cautiously opened the door. He stood there, smiling. 

“I’m the god of the underworld and I believe you’re my twin flame. So, I’m going to have to have you come with me.” 

You blinked once, looked around your apartment, then at him like he’d grown two heads. Of course, this was just another lunatic who thought himself some sort of God. You scoffed, stepping forward to close the door. Panicked, the man quickly stepped inside. 

“You’re insane.” You mumbled, but when he grasped your hand, you froze. The sensation was back, but it was sudden this time, spreading throughout your body like a wildfire. Your heart raced like a hundred horses running. His other hand on your arm snapped you out of it. You shook your head, trying to clear your mind which had become increasingly foggy. 

“I’m not insane. You can feel it too, can’t you?” He insisted, those his face didn’t give away the same emotion his voice did. His voice screamed panicked teenager, his face said hello, I’m a fucking god. When you slowly nodded, he grinned. You couldn’t help but admire his smile. It put you at ease. 

“No, wait.” You stopped yourself from moving toward the door, heels digging in and fighting your instinct. “I barely know you. For all I know, you’re about to sell me into some underground prostitution ring.” Your voice was hurried, not knowing if you should run after trotting horses or stay behind. To take a leap or not? He interrupted your train of thought by pulling you close to his chest. When you were chest to chest, his head bowed down to stare intently into your eys. 

“We’ll have all of eternity to learn about each other, love.” His words dripped honey and elegance. Against your better judgement, you found yourself following him. “See? You can’t escape fate.” 

You looked at him, still questioning his motives. You didn’t believe in gods, there was surely no way he was telling the truth. But there was also no explanation to the feelings coursing through your veins. It was like your skin ignited under his touch. It was a tingling feeling that you wanted to keep. 

“Apologies, this may be a little...weird at first.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he walked you from your apartment all the way to the park across the street. 

“A little weird?”

“Getting to the underworld.”

“I’m sorry, come again?” You immediately took a step back. once again broken from your trance. 

“Uh...Yeah. Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal.” 

“I’m not sure how I feel about spending eternity with dead people.” You frowned. Yoongi sighed, squeezing your hand tightly. 

“You’re not trapped down there forever. We can go to the surface any time you want. I just need to make sure you’re really my twin flame. Once we get through to the underworld, if things go well, our souls will merge as they should be.” He explained calmly, as if this was the most normal thing. You opened your mouth to respond, when a hand reach from the ground and grabbed your ankle. 

“Yoongi! What is going on?!” You screeched, only to be met with an inky black. 

-

-

You opened your eyes, blinking to adjust to the darkness. The room was dark, you assumed from the lights being off, but something about this place just felt...dark. Then everything came rushing back to you. You quickly rushed out of bed, looking outside the window only to see a black abyss. 

Panic was the first emotion. Your heart clenched. Was this really the underworld? You checked your pulse, sighing in relief when you felt your pulse still beating. Then you tentatively moved around the room, exploring your surroundings. 

This was impossible. Gods are real? You couldn’t believe it, yet here you were. 

Yoongi knew you were awake. He knew your whereabouts since you came to the underworld. It had been intense, the feeling of two halves of a soul finally coming together. He felt warm for the first time in years. He was finally complete. He wanted to leave you to your own devices for a while, suspecting that this may be all too much for a mortal. 

You were wandering around the castle. There was no one in sight. It was cold and there was something missing from yourself. You felt whole and well, but you were missing something, maybe someone. Yoongi. 

Immediately, you started sprinting, bare feet treading softly across the tile floors. Where is that god?! You searched every corner, every room on your way. Then you made a magnificent discovery. 

Large doors made of a wood so dark it was almost black and covered with rot iron decor. It was menacing, but having spent an hour or more exploring, you needed answers. You also felt oddly accustom to the drafty halls and the silence. You never had silence like this back home. Your apartment was always noisy with traffic and shouting from the neighbors down the hall. The quiet that so comfortably filled this place was...nice. 

“You can go in, you know?” A kind voice said behind you. You jumped, startled, before turning to take in the man. He wore a blue suit and black dress shoes. 

“Oh, oh, okay.” You said, your nervousness coming to the forefront again. The man before you was unfairly handsome. He had full lips, unmarred skin, and broad shoulders. 

“Ah, mortals, always so nervous. Come on then.” He gently placed a hand on your back and gave you a small push towards the door. 

“Mortals? Does that mean you’re also-”

“Yes.” He smiled gently. “I’m Kim Seokjin, god of the sky, but you can call me Jin.” 

You mutely mouth oh. That explained the outfit. You carefully opened the door. Inside was a large throne room. Two thrones were at the end of the long hall that was to your left and right. You must have entered through the side door as you spotted a long runner spanning the length of the room in front of you. You glanced from side to side, taking note of the high pillars and floating lights. The thrones sat empty and in the middle of the room was a large table with six men sitting at it like it was nothing. You could hear them chatting happily, laughter rising out of them. 

“We’re here!” Seokjin’s voice rang out, echoing in the large room. The chatter didn’t die down as the men turned to look at you two. You wanted to shrink away under their gazes. They’re all so unfairly handsome. As you walked over, falling a few steps behind Jin, you felt like shrinking away. Jin was met with cheers and claps on the back. 

“Ah, hyung you’re always late when we meet in the underworld.” A man with pink hair complained. 

“Yah! You know it takes me longer to go from the heavens down to the underworld.” Jin protested. 

“It’s only a minute from where I live.” A deep voice piped up. 

“But Taehyung, you live right above Yoongi.” Jin huffed. 

“Who’s this?” A voice said. 

All heads turned your way, watching you as you shifted uneasily. 

“Hello, I’m Y/N.” You dipped your head. Yoongi resisted the urge to smile. After all, he was supposed to be the cold one in the group. The guys would tease him endlessly if they saw him being soft. 

“Y/N. Come here.” Yoongi commanded and you did as you were told, not finding the strength in you to throw back a sassy remark. The invasive stares of the other men bit into you. 

“Y/N?” Mused a man that seemed far too bright for the underworld. “So you’re the one Yoongi has been going on about.” 

That made both of you flush a bright red. 

“R-really?” You looked awkwardly at Yoongi where he just simply put an arm around your waist. He softly tugged you closer. 

“I think you guys should introduce yourselves to my lover.” Yoongi declared. 

Okay that was a lot to take in. Lover? Who were these men? Obviously they were gods but who was what? You already knew Jin. They chuckled at the confusion that must be evident on your face. 

“Are you sure you passed that over with her?” A man in a crisp brown suit raised an eyebrow. 

“We’re two of the same soul, of course we’re lovers.” Yoongi scoffed, his grip on your waist tightening. “Isn’t that right, darling?” 

You found yourself nodding. “Yes, yes, of course.” You firmly agreed, your heart still racing at the thought of being this close to him. 

“Right. Well, I’m Namjoon.” The man in the brown suit, Namjoon, introduced himself. “I’m the god of wisdom and knowledge.” 

“Hello, I’m Hoseok, god of the sun.” The bright man from earlier chimed in. 

“Jimin,” The pink haired man held a hand out to you. For some reason, your pulse quickened looking at him. He was definitely attractive. “I’m the god of love and passion.” 

You shook his hand, ignoring the redness creeping back onto your face. He winked, to which Yoongi took to intertwining his freehand with yours. 

“I’m Taehyung.” The deep voiced man leaned back in his chair, studying you. “And I’m the god of the sea.” 

You nodded in acknowledgement. Then you quickly blurted out, “I think you saved me when I was eight.” 

Taehyung looked quizzically at you. “I may have. I save a lot of people.” He shrugged. There was something about him you didn’t trust. 

You remembered that day clearly. You hadn’t heeded your parents’ warning and you had gone out into the ocean way farther than you should have. 

-

-

Your boogey board floated helplessly in the water. At least it was keeping you afloat. There was a gust of wind and the water started to pick up more, becoming choppier. Salt water drenched your small form as you desperately tried to swim back to shore. You believed in gods back then. You believed maybe just maybe a god would have mercy on you. 

But no one came to your aid as you thrashed in the cold water. 

“HELP!” You screamed into the wind. You realized you were doomed. There was no one on the beach. There was no beach in sight. There was no lifeguard. There were no gods. 

“PLEASE, PLEASE ANYONE?!” You cried, salt water leaving you gagging. When the ocean swallowed you whole, you didn’t even bother struggling. You took a deep breath and let yourself go under. Just as the darkness pulled at you, a hand grasped your arm. 

“Now is not your time.” A voice whispered, which seemed impossible since you were in water. Then everything went dark and you were coughing up sea water on the beach surrounded by worried bystanders. 

“Are you okay?” A gentle woman’s voice called to you. But you felt too dazed, staring out at the water. Your hand went to the spot where you had felt the touch of someone. Who was it? Who had saved you? You decided it must have been a kind person, because why would the gods have thrown you in that situation in the first place? 

-

-

When you had explained the story, the other gods gave each other a knowing look. 

“Right...I definitely saved you. I think I remember now.” Taehyung smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was something dark in his gaze. 

Yoongi didn’t move, seemingly frozen. He frowned at Taehyung before turning away, looking at Jungkook introduce himself as the god of war. Then Seokjin said hello once more and the chatter continued. 

You dazed off, feeling overwhelmed at what was happening. Maybe you would wake up and realize this was some crazy complicated dream. You looked at each man, memorizing their features. If this was a dream...you wanted to remember them the best you could. Looking around at the seven of them laughing and acting as if they were normal beings, it made you desperately wish this wasn’t a dream. You wanted to see Taehyung smile again. You wanted to see Jungkook’s bunny smile, hear Jin’s laugh, Hoseok’s dance moves, Namjoon’s smart comebacks, and Jimin’s wink. You wanted to feel Yoongi’s arm around you again. Just once more. 

-

-

You were drowning again. water entered your lungs. You screamed and no one heard. People watched from the beach and they laughed at your pitiful attempts to survive against the strength of the ocean. 

“You need to tell her, Taehyung.” An annoyed voice shook your from your far from peaceful sleep. You identified the voice to be Yoongi’s. He was speaking to, probably Taehyung, out in the hallway. 

You smiled softly, remembering his tight grip on you last night. The way he whispered sweet words in your ear. 

“Why? She’s going to be your downfall, Yoongi, we all knew it. I care about you. I didn’t want you to have to go through that!” Taehyung argued, voice hushed.

“You tried to kill her! I saved her.” Yoongi hissed. 

“You would rather fall from grace, like the prophets said, huh?” 

“I’m already in the underworld, how much farther can I go?” Yoongi said dryly. 

“You’re out of your mind.” 

You carefully thought back on that day. The darkness, the hand, the voice. It all screamed Yoongi. And Taehyung had tried...tried to kill you. 

“No, You’re out of your fucking mind, Tae. You can’t fuck around with fate!” His voice had risen significantly. 

“You’re going to wake her up!” 

“As if I didn’t know she’s been awake listening to us this entire time. Isn’t that right, love?” Yoongi opened the door to see you standing there, shaking. 

“Taehyung...” You spoke softly, looking up at him with wide eyes. “You tried to kill me?” 

Taehyung didn’t meet your eyes, looking away uncomfortably. 

“It’s funny how scared you are of a mere mortal.” You suddenly sneered, a certain anger possessing your body. “Don’t come near me again. I’ll stay out of your way and you stay out of mine. I’ll try my best not to be the downfall of Yoongi, but it’s like he said...you can’t fuck around with fate.” You had been wanting to curse the gods for ages. Who knew you would have the chance to do it in person? “And if you fucking touch me or even think of it, I will be sure to be the downfall of you.” 

Taehyung gawked at you. Here was a mortal, dressed in a white nightgown with slippers, and he felt the need to bow to you. It was so stupid. He was scared of a mortal. 

“If you care about Yoongi, you would do well to leave here.” He said, a hint of malice in his voice. 

“I’ll make that choice.” 

“Very well. Good day.” Taehyung carefully stepped back before breaking into a fast paced walk down the hall. 

Two arms wrapped themselves around your middle, pulling you close to a warm body. Who knew the god of the underworld was so comfortable? He rested his chin on your shoulder. 

“That was amazing, love.” Yoongi whispered, his breath fanning across your neck and causing goosebumps to raise. 

“I may be stuck here-”

“You’re not trapped, we can always visit the surface if you want-”

You held a hand up that stopped him from continuing. You unwrapped yourself from his embrace and took his hands in your own, facing him. 

“-but I won’t be pushed around. I have a life and I need to tie things up before I come here permanently.” 

“Permanently-?” Yoongi felt his cheeks heat up. The thought of you belonging to him, that he would finally be happy for eternity, made him overjoyed. 

“Yes.” You squeezed his hands, the ones that fit so perfectly in yours. Your gaze was unadulterated love. He could get lost in that gaze. 

“After you finish...will you tell me more about yourself?” He said, his voice quiet. 

“Of course, but I need to tie up the loose ends of my life.” 

“As you wish.”

-

-

Waking up in your old apartment, sunlight filtering through the curtains you’d had for years, had you wondering if it all was a dream. Was Yoongi even real? You slowly got up from bed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. 

“Yoongi?” You called out, knowing in your heart that he wasn’t there. He was somewhere in the underworld, just awaiting your return. Your other half. With a sigh, you got dressed and called into work. “Yeah, I’m sorry this is so sudden, but I’d like to quit. No, no, it was nothing anyone did. I just got offered another job across the country.” 

“That’s an interesting lie.” A deep voice said behind you. You froze. 

“Yeah, yeah. Okay, thank you for your time. Yes, I wish you luck as well.” You quickly hung up. Without turning around, you gritted your teeth. “Taehyung, I told you not to come near me again.” 

“I’m a god, you can’t stop me.” He chuckled. 

“I’ll tell Yoongi.” You murmured, spinning around to face the god of the sea. 

He merely laughed. 

“I do enjoy you, Y/N. You’re fiery. Perhaps one day we may be friends.” 

“And we have forever and ever to decide that, I suppose.” You nodded. “But I don’t plan on it being soon.” 

You went to the kitchen, the god trailing behind you. You couldn’t help looking behind you every now and then. 

“Listen, I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I’m worried for my hyung. I’ve known him since we were new gods.” Taehyung said sheepishly. If you were dumb, you might even mistake it for genuine concern. “Can we start over? I would like to be friends. Especially since we’re going to be around each other a bit.” 

You didn’t look up, searching through your drawers for the check book. You found it, taking it out and signing the rent amount on it. Then you looked for an envelope. 

“Taehyung, I’d love to, but what changed your mind?” You raised an eyebrow, looking toward him as you sealed the check in an envelope for your landlord. 

“It’s nothing you need to worry about right now.” He glanced away, suddenly seeming bashful. You tilted your head at him before turning back to find your mailbox. 

“Right.” You decided not to pry. “I guess I need to pack everything up now...” You blanched looking at the clutter. Why hadn’t you bothered to clean up? Taehyung followed your eye line, finally acknowledging the mess. He’s a god and you’re here showing him your messy apartment. Taehyung smiled a boxy smile. 

“It’s okay, the mess, I mean. Yoongi hyung is just as messy if not more.” He patted your arm and this time you didn’t shrink back. “You guys are meant for each other.” 

“Well, thanks for your blessing.” You rolled your eyes. Despite having been so angry with him earlier, you found that he seemed the easiest to talk to now. You could tell that if you had gotten off to a better start, he and you would have been best friends. However, now you held your reservations and you tried not to get too close to him. 

“I’ll help you pack.” He knew that Yoongi could easily snap and have all your things transported, but you didn’t need to know that. 

“Oh? Okay.” You shrugged. Then you took out the moving boxes stored in your closet from where you moved in a few months ago, and got to work. 

-

-

Yoongi raised an eyebrow at all the boxes currently in the throne room. A long line of souls had begun piling up and he needed to get to work, but he wanted an explanation first. 

“Taehyung and I decided to pack up the apartment, I didn’t want to trouble you too much.” You shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. 

“Taehyung?” Yoongi narrowed his eyes. “Taehyung is dangerous, jagi.” 

“I know, I know. But he showed up at my apartment-” 

That made his eyebrows shoot up.

“-And we sort of worked through our problems and now I think it’s okay.” Your smile caught him off guard. He couldn’t help smiling back, it was infectious. 

“If that’s what you say, I trust you.” He snapped his fingers and the boxes disappeared. “I’ve moved them to our private quarters. The maids can unpack them.” 

“Maids? I’ve never seen any around.” You pondered. 

“Oh they’re around. I just instructed them to stay out of your way.” Yoongi pointed to the throne next to his. “Come join me.” 

You hesitantly walked forward. “Really?” 

“Really.” 

As you made your way down the long hall, he continued speaking. 

“You remind me of my mother. She has the same grace and elegance. You hold yourself in a similar manner. I find it charming.” 

“Tell me about yourself.” You lifted your chin, trying to pry information out of him instead of the other way around. 

“Impatient, are we? Well, I’m the god of the underworld. I make sure souls that deserve it pass on safely and souls that don’t deserve it, suffer.” He said casually. “I do enjoy music.”

“What kind?” You had a certain look in your eyes, one that made him want to lose control and kiss you on the spot. You seemed so genuinely interested in him, quite unlike any goddess who had tried to seduce him. 

“Any. I play piano.” 

“Oh?”

“I have eternity. I might as well learn something new.” He chuckled, then held his hand out to you. “And you can spend it with me, all you need to do is take my hand.” 

You walked forward, not hesitating to take his hand. With that, he pulled you in and pressed his lips with yours. Your mouth felt like it was made to be on his. His lips were perfect for yours, like a missing puzzle piece. Warmth spread through your body and you glowed an ethereal light. It was a light that was too bright for this dark underworld. When you broke away, you were still glowing ever so slightly. 

“Now you can stay with me forever.” He smiled. 

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for that.” You whispered, pressing your forehead to his. He placed his hands on the back of your neck, closing his eyes and breathing in your scent. 

“Would you like that, Y/N? Will you spend eternity with me?” 

You looked him in the eye, moving apart slightly to look at him better. 

“Yes. I’ll spend eternity with you, Yoongi.” 

The missing piece in your life. The hand that saved your life. The man that held your heart in his hands. You loved this man. 

“I love you, Y/N.” He breathed. 

“I love you too.” Then you hugged him, throwing your arms around his waist. And he held you tight. You were made for him. He couldn’t imagine letting you go, not for an eternity. 

[taocastleprincess]

inktober for writers // day 4 // spell

He only goes hunting at night. Jay has lived in the row houses across the street from DeLereon College since before they were even row houses, when they were just unconnected frat houses that had the entire block smelling like cheap beer and bad weed. It was such a long while ago that Jay really had no business still being in such close corners with college kids anymore. He had a career, a 401k, his mom just started hounding him about “settling down.” He discreetly pulled back the curtain of his front window and watched the college freshmen pour out of the school’s side gate, dressed in tube tops, mini skirts, and strappy heels, just to get drunk at the shitty bar down the street with the watery vodka and the bad DJ. Harry’s has always been shit, Jay recalls fondly. Its only saving grace is that it’s a DeLereon staple, a rite of passage. Jay huffs then, an unintentional puff of laughter. It also doesn’t hurt, Jay licks his lips and continues to watch pretty girls stream out of DeLereon’s side gate in pairs and trios that’ll disintegrate halfway through the night, that it functions as a candy store.

He’s been doing this for awhile. The first time he did it, it terrified him. What would he do if anyone found out? What if they found his DNA at the scene? Would anyone report her missing? Did anyone see them together? Would being the prematurely balding, middle-aged guy within creepy proximity to a junior college put him on the Suspects List? But days passed. Weeks. Months. And he found the answers to his questions. When they found the body he would keep doing what he had been doing; continuing his average, lackluster life as a mediocre accountant. They won’t find DNA at the scene, whatever the woodland creatures didn’t take care of, the elements would. Parents will report their daughters missing, distraught mothers and angry fathers will call morning, noon, and night once they realize their daughters’ phones have been dead for longer than 48 hours. The school will tell them to wait another two days, don’t worry, they always turn up. Maybe she ran off with some boy at the bar, eloped for a long weekend. She’ll be back. They’ll wait another week before filling out the Missing Persons Report. The University President will sweat bullets, nonstop, for weeks. He’ll have nightmares. He’ll take an official leave of absence. Indefinitely. No one will see Jay with the girl in question. Everyone’s drunk, belligerent, horny, self-absorbed. No one saw anything. And if they did? Well. The vodka shots’ll take care of that. And, no, you won’t ever be on the Suspects List if you steer clear of “those damned fucking millennials” during the day and complain about how much you want out of your shitty neighborhood to any credible person who will listen. Play the role of disgruntled old man with no interest at all in sloppy drunk teen girls with no friends who walk around with dead phones in the middle of the night. The police are incompetent. DeLereon is complicit. The parents are immobilized. The media is uninterested. He’s free to run wild. So he does. Jay continues to watch the girls parade down the street to Harry’s. He never knows exactly what he’s looking for each time. One night he might favor a blonde, another night a girl in a pink dress or one that looks a bit dull. That’s the fun in it all. He doesn’t know until he knows. The girls go by in a never ending cacophony of tipsy shouts, the click-clacking of stiletto heels, and phone ringers marking the arrival of another ‘wya????’ text. They go by and they go by and they go by and Jay hasn’t felt anything yet. Only irritation and the mild arousal hinted at by the tent in his pants. The parade starts slowing down. And then it stops completely. All the girls who are coming out tonight are already out. Jay sucks his teeth and kicks the wall so hard he knows, without looking, that he’s made a dent. Sometimes, rarely, but it happens, his special nights end exactly like this. Frustrated and horny, angry and alone. He punches the wall one good time before stuffing his hand down his pants, stroking himself. He pumps hard, angrily, conjuring an image of the perfect girl for tonight. He wants a girl who absolutely glows. From the inside-out. He’s pumping so hard it hurts. It hurts so good. He wants a bitch who glows with a little more light in her eyes than usual. A bitch with so much light inside her, he’ll be able to see it drain from her eyes, her nose, her pores, and from her neck. From the gash he’ll make with the knife when he slashes her carotid arteries. He wants a bitch who bleeds light and blood and terror. He wants to drown in it all. He sees her as soon as he comes. She’s tall, but skinny, small; he could easily take her out. She’s dark with braids, white-blond highlights complimenting the almost ethereal glow emanating from her skin. He thinks he’s dreaming her at first but she says something. He doesn’t know what. She says it in a different language; she’s on the phone. Maybe she’s an international student. It wouldn’t be the first time one of them got left behind in the hustle and bustle. He smiles. Jay wipes his sticky hands on the inside of his shirt and lets the curtain drop. He’s found Her. He opens his front door and stands in the darkness for awhile while the girl with the braids starts walking in the direction of Harry’s. He always lets them get a head start. He loves a chase. A build up. He can feel himself hardening again. He follows her after a couple minutes. He can’t lose her even if she wanted. The girl glows like a nightlight. Like a big star. A tiny sun. He wonders, again, if he might be hallucinating. He sees her take a left turn. The wrong turn if she’s going to Harry’s, Jay thinks gleefully. The wrong turn down a deserted street. Construction is heavy during the day, but the halfway renovated street is completely empty at night. Dumb bitch. He wonders how long it’ll take her to reali— “Are you going to attack me now?” Her back is still to him but he knows that she’s talking to him. Her voice is thick with an accent he can’t place. “You’re a sloppy piece of shit. I smelled you from a mile away. You fucking stink.” She turns then and he finally gets a good look at her face. She’s beautiful, high cheekbones, full lips, a strong nose, and her eyes... They glow. They’re dark brown and they glow so bright they illuminate the rest of her features in a soft light. He’s so stunned by her otherworldly appearance he doesn’t quite understand what she’s just accused him of. “Are yo— I— ....Excuse me?” She takes a step towards him and, instinctually, his stomach twists with dread. Jay takes a step back. She smiles, phosphorescent eyes menacing. “I said, ‘I’m going to kill you.’” She walks towards him, casually, as if she were only strolling to the restroom. Jay’s mouth runs dry, his stomach clenches. He has to shit. The girl, woman... Thing... Continues steadily walking towards him. She’s such a pretty creature. Perfect, almost. Physically unoffending. Yet... something in him, some evolutionary sixth sense, is telling him he is in danger. Real danger. The kind of danger you don’t escape alive. He dashes down the street the way they came, heart pounding, legs burning, breath stilted. This is the first time he can remember being ungrateful for the lack of working street-lights in the area. This is the first time he can remember feeling... Fear. He hasn’t felt anything like this since The First Time. He’s running. He looks back and he doesn’t see anyone or anything but he still feels eyes on him. He wills his feet to go even faster. All he needs to do is get to safety. A place populated by even one other person. A bar, a drug store, a hospital, maybe, if he’s lucky. He sees it just as his lungs start burning and his legs start wobbling and his adrenaline has decided it has done as much as it can. A bright light leers at him from a distance, just beyond the next block, probably from the high beams of someone’s car, and the promise of an ending to this night propels Jay the rest of the way. Quickly closing in, he realizes the light isn’t coming from any car. Or anything at all. It floats, wraithlike, above his head. Ghostly, soft white light touches everything in sight. Chills shudder through Jay’s body; he lets his bladder go. A long, nasty laugh echoes down the street. It goes on forever. A moment frozen in time. “Big, bad serial killer pissed his pants?” Jay hears the girl, but doesn’t see her. The only thing he can focus on is the spectral light pulsing above him slowly floating within his personal space. “You dish but can’t take?” Another laugh. Another painfully long intermission. “Don’t worry,” the ball of light says, now only inches away from the man’s face. “I’ll take you out of your misery.” The girl materializes, the phantom light slowly forming her human-like shape and filling out her finer features. Jay thinks about running again, making a final last ditch attempt but, as he looks into the eyes of the girl he sees that it would be pointless. In the glow of those beautifully wicked eyes he sees bloodlust. Desire. Hunger. He knows. He’s it, tonight. Obayifo slashes Jay’s throat open with her pinky nail. His body convulses as blood sprays from the gash in his neck. It splatters against her long, Black neck and her slender chest. She shivers with pleasure as she watches the man bleed out and crumple to the street. She wipes her hand against her neck, smearing her hand in all his gore, and licks it clean. He tastes absolutely fucking disgusting. An absolute waste of a meal. She looks down to watch the man’s now lifeless body twitch. His face is frozen in an expression of terror. Eyes wide and crazed and dead. Dead. Obayifo belts out another long, demonic laugh. She’s got to get out of here. The sun will be out soon and she has other humans to really feed on or she’ll starve all day. She only goes hunting at night.

____________

A/N: An ‘Obayifo’ is a vampire-witch of Ghanian (specifically Ashanti) origin. In Ashanti origin, obayifo are very common and inhabit the bodies of ordinary people by possessing them with the ghostly, unnatural light that they emit from their bodies. They have the ability to travel as balls of light, which is usually how they draw their victims in. They suck blood from their victims from the inside-out.

I’ve taken some liberties with the folklore, obviously, as Obayifo did not inhabit Jay’s body and elected to drink from him the more commonly known way. I also didn’t (outright) show her having any witchy abilities... but... it still meets the qualifications for me!! lol, thanks for reading!

[thesoundofnat]

Take This Sinking Ship part 3

Tony, Jim

Summary: Tony finds the engine room, sees space, and needs to make a decision about where to go from here.

Warnings: a brief panic attack

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 4]

[Read it on AO3]

Words: 2 179

Tony woke up sweaty and out of breath and absolutely terrified to realize he wasn’t in his own bed. The bed he’d been sleeping in for the past week, though he reckoned this room was similar enough for him to know he was still on the Enterprise. That he was able to think about it so calmly now was worrying. It hadn’t been too long since he used to wake up in the Avengers Tower next to Rhodey or Pepper or Steve. At least not to him.

He was next to Jim now, their bodies nearly touching but now quite. Tony could tell the lights in here were supposed to mimic the sun rising (which was so very clever), and he watched Jim’s curled up form for a moment as the room slowly got brighter and brighter. He remembered the previous night clearly and knew they hadn’t done anything. The booze had simply transformed him into an emotional wreck and Jim had refused to let him go after that.

“I’m not unfamiliar with self destruction,” he’d said as he’d forced Tony into the only bed in the room.

“I’m not kicking you out of your own bed,” Tony had said and that was that.

He was grateful for it all now, though he was definitely debating fleeing before Jim woke up. Waking up next to each other after a one night stand was one thing. Waking up next to each other after an emotional night was a whole other.

Water. He needed water. And a bathroom.

He realized that an emotional hangover differed from a alcohol-induced one, but it still wasn’t pleasant to drag his body and pounding head into what he guessed was the restroom. The cold water against his face helped, and he took a moment to examine his face in the mirror.

He looked the same as he had back then. The lines on his face proof of the life he’d led. His graying hair and beard showing his age. He looked more tired than he had in the 21st century, despite the long sleep. He wondered how the Avengers would’ve reacted had he been found when they were still alive. If he would’ve come out of cryo like Steve had, preserved and confused and not the same at all.

Maybe it was better this way.

He found the little kitchen-like area of Jim’s room, a tap, a mini fridge and a microwave available for what Tony reckoned was quick meals. He knew they all took their meals together - or apart - in a cafeteria, but he would be a fool to think at least the captain wouldn’t be given ways to eat without being in public.

He downed a glass of water and refilled it, sipping it more slowly this time. He wished there was a window he could stare out of, realizing quite suddenly that they were in outer fucking space and that he had yet to look out to see the universe surround them. Placing his glass in the sink, he made a mental note to ask Jim to show it to him.

“Morning.” Jim was standing behind him when Tony turned, arms crossed and a hint of a smile on his lips. “Slept well?”

“I think I had a nightmare. You?”

“I slept all right.”

“I didn’t kick you or anything, did I?”

“Well,” Jim said, dragging out the word. He laughed when Tony winced. “Nah, I’m kidding. At least I didn’t notice.” He took a few steps. “You want coffee?”

“You still have that?”

“We do.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I’ve been suffering.”

Jim laughed again. “Sorry. I’ll rectify that right now.”

Tony grinned in anticipation. “God, I used to live off of that stuff. Day out and day in I’d be locked in my lab building things and downing cup after cup. I guess you could say I had a thing with abusing beverages.”

“Should I second guess my making you some now?”

“If you do I won’t be as calm as I was at the prospect of you taking my booze.”

“Speaking of that. We never finished the bottle.”

“And I don’t think we should.”

Jim nodded. “Whatever you want, Stark.”

“Please. Call me Tony. Especially after last night.” He hated how his face burned at the mention of it.

“Tony,” Jim corrected himself.

He brew the coffee, and Tony was happy to find that it tasted very much like it had in his time. Another thing that had remained the same. He doubted it was thanks to him.

“We can go have breakfast in the cafeteria,” Jim said. “I don’t really have much to choose from here.”

“Haven’t gone grocery shopping, I see.”

“I’ve been kinda busy.” Jim took a sip of his coffee. “You want to shower or something before going?”

“I’ll go use the one in my room. Meet you here in half an hour?”

“Sounds good.”

Tony downed his coffee and left, wondering how he was having such an easy time making trivial plans when he felt like a wreck inside.

He didn’t see much of neither Jim nor Bones that day, as they were both focused on their jobs and Tony didn’t want to interrupt. Instead, he decided to take a walk around the Enterprise on his own, partly to find a window, partly to do something that didn’t include sitting alone in a room trying to fend off anxiety attack after anxiety attack. There surely was something he could do to rid himself of these attacks? He was in the 23rd century, after all.

He didn’t find a window, but he found where all the engineers did their work, and he could barely contain his excitement as he wandered in unnoticed.

***

“He what?”

Tony wasn’t sure why he felt like a child being scolded, but he was definitely not hiding behind Scotty who was explaining to Jim where he’d spent the past few hours. Scotty was merely standing in front of him.

“Helped me fix the monitor, Captain,” Scotty was saying in that delightful scottish accent of his. “It’s been malfunctioning for days and we haven’t had time to properly focus on it.” Tony couldn’t determine if he sounded happy or simply relieved.

“Huh.” Jim took a step to the side to catch Tony’s eye. “I guess I should’ve known better than to keep Tony Stark away from a lab. Maybe we should do something about it.”

“I still need my job,” Scotty said, and Jim burst into laughter.

“Don’t you worry, Scotty. I have something else in mind.”

“What do you have in mind?” Tony asked as they left Scotty who went back to work.

“I have no idea,” Jim admitted. “I just didn’t want him to worry. But we’ll figure something out. There must be something for you to do.”

But Tony was terrified there wasn’t. What could he do for a universe that was already so ahead of the time he’d lived and worked in? He was practically a toddler in their eyes.

Or possibly a teen.

“Did it take long to fix the monitor?” Jim asked as they rounded a corner.

“It wasn’t very complicated, but definitely time consuming. I can see why they had been neglecting it.”

“And you fixed it in how long?”

“An hour.”

Jim stopped in his tracks. “An hour.”

“Yeah.”

“Scotty told me it would take at least half a day.”

Once upon a time Tony might’ve grinned smugly and reminded him who he was talking to, but all his confidence seemed to have died with his friends.

“Maybe if you have a hundred other things to focus on,” he said. “I only had that one thing.”

Jim looked like he wanted to say something, but Tony started walking again, promptly forcing him to follow.

“Can I ask you something?”

Jim caught up to him. “Of course.”

“Do you guys have any windows?”

Ten minutes later Jim had dragged him onto the Bridge, a place Tony had been avoiding since his first visit purely because he knew he had no business there. What he had missed the first time was the gigantic window slash screen slash whatever the hell it was that took up the entirety of the wall, which Jim explained worked as both a way to see the areas they were around, and also to communicate with others.

Tony was intrigued, and ignoring the eyes that were on him he walked closer. “It’s like my suit,” he breathed out, mostly to himself. “A bigger version of it.” He watched the literal space from the window, seeing everything he’d spent years watching from Earth. All those stars that were dead now. All that potential.

He turned to Jim, stunned. “We really made it to space, huh?”

Jim just smiled, so warmly and friendly that Tony didn’t know what to do.

He turned back to the window, a sadness in his chest. “I mean, I should’ve guessed that we would when a literal god from space arrived in my living room.” His chest was tightening, until he realized that it wasn’t merely sadness residing in it, but panic.

He was in space.

The same space that almost killed him once.

He fiddled with the neckband of his shirt. “This ship is safe, isn’t it?”

“As safe as it can be.”

Somehow that didn’t calm Tony in the slightest. What should’ve been beauty just looked like danger now. A danger so grave it had forced him to just about die in the suit that was meant to protect him. A danger that only produced dangerous things.

He needed to get out of here.

So that was what he did.

***

“Are you okay?”

Tony was still coming down from his panic attack, but he was in the last stages. His body weak, eyes still wet with tears. He managed a nod, but didn’t trust his voice.

Jim had followed him as he’d rushed out of the Bridge and had stayed with him as he’d panicked in his room. That man had seen the absolute worst parts of him and they hadn’t even known each other for a week. Tony reckoned that couldn’t have been avoided in such a confined space (not to say the Enterprise wasn’t gigantic), but he remembered how long it had taken his teammates to realize he’d been falling apart back when they were all living under the same roof. Maybe the difference was that Tony was actually seeking out the company and comfort now. Would probably go crazy if he didn’t.

He had no one else, after all.

“Anyone would panic in your position,” Jim was saying. “You know Bones? He threw up on me the first day we met because he was terrified of flying.”

Tony forced out a sound akin to a laugh. “Why is he a space doctor then?”

“He had nothing else. A nasty divorce made him feel as if Earth wasn’t his to roam anymore.”

“Wait.” Tony sat up more properly on the couch. “Earth? You’ve still got an Earth?”

“Well, yeah.”

Tony blinked. “Huh. I thought maybe you’d found a new planet. We weren’t exactly taking care of it back then.”

“Fortunately humans got their shit together.”

Tony smiled then, a genuine one. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that.”

Jim adjusted his position, a nervousness flickering across his face. “I wanted to talk to you about that. About Earth, I mean. But maybe this is not the right time.”

“On the contrary, now is the best time, since I’m both too exhausted to flee uncomfortable questions and to panic again. I hope.”

Jim barked out a laugh. “Right. Well, I was just wondering what you want to do. I cannot expect you to want to roam around space with us forever, especially after- well, you know. I know it’s a lot to ask right now, so please feel free to not answer immediately, but I figured I could at least let you know your options.”

Tony’s heart was hammering against his chest, but he really was too exhausted to panic at the prospect of a future in the future. “All right, shoot.”

“Unfortunately you would have to do a lot of training in order to stay here, and I think we’d be forced to drop you off at Starfleet first either way. So I guess you could either take classes at the Academy. That’s sort of like college. You can pick your program and all that jazz. And then you can work for Starfleet somehow.”

Tony hummed. He tried not to let the idea of having to go back to school hurt his pride. “What other options do I have?”

“I’m not too sure. I think you need to meet certain people down on Earth.”

“So either way I’ll have to return to Earth.”

“If we’re gonna follow policy, then yes.”

The thought of returning to an Earth that wasn’t really the one he’d left overwhelmed him, but he knew he couldn’t stay up here forever. “So let’s go to Earth.”

[sambinnie]

How are you? I wish I had something more incisive to greet you with, but the speed with which everything occurs means it would be irrelevant, distasteful or a viral punchline a few hours later. 

I have been to the cinema for the first time in six months, and continued my regular habit exactly where I’d left it by attending a first-thing-in-the-morning screening of Tenet with only one other person in the cinema, sitting miles away and also on their own (the only way to watch a film, I say). Fucking Tenet, though. I mean, I have really missed going to the cinema, partly because I love films and partly because there’s such a small-scale decadence to occasionally going there solo at 10am on a Tuesday morning, and those tiny pleasures (which, of course, are currently no longer tiny) are just the things to keep me going.

But the film. Oh god, the film. I wish… I wish I could collate my thoughts into something which doesn’t just rapidly descend into a frustrated scream. I wish success didn’t mean people couldn’t say no to you. I wish I liked Nolan’s Batman films, for a start, since so many seem to get so much from them (see also: Breaking Bad, Killing Eve and Line of Duty), but I’ve always found them silly, really dumbly written, and badly made — I can’t hear much of the dialogue, and the action sequences are frequently shot with so many cuts and movement that’s it’s impossible to follow, something George Miller could teach him about so beautifully — and they’re so bloody solemn. Gotham is a grim place, but there’s a boring pomposity in fetishing that one-note grimness, and Nolan has it nailed. Having a character genuinely laugh at something doesn’t render your film light-weight; it creates contrast, and human engagement, something these serious (but sci-fi)/serious (but fantasy)/serious (but adult man dresses in a cape) films too often lack, as if a strained, one-note way of speaking will cancel out the frivolous, actually enjoyable genre aspect of the film. 

That lack of humanity is shared by Tenet. After a certain point, I simply don’t care. Is the nuke going to explode before Batman can something something something? *shrugs* Will the Tenet team manage to stop some sort of bad thing happening? Yes? No? Don’t mind, fine either way. Is Tenet nice to look at? Yes, but in a sort of “Christ, are we still holding up billionaire oligarch lifestyles as an aspirational thing at the moment?” very pre-2020 mood. Does it make sense? No, but that alone doesn’t mean it isn’t good — some great films, and some great Nolan films, take several goes to fully enjoy, and some are more enjoyable with every watch. Do I give a single fig about the outcome of the film or for any character after 20 minutes? Nope.

One major issue is that Nolan has made Inception, a masterpiece of film-making meta-commentary. How, once you’ve watched Cobb and Ariadne discuss the leaping-about way of conversations in films/dreams (stopping and starting in completely new locations) can you take the same thing seriously between Neil (Neil. Neil.) and The Protagonist? (I would like to see how many women read this screenplay along the way and just gave a small, inner sigh at the main character being named 'The Protagonist’.) As their boring expositional chats chop between pavement and public transport and plaza, one can’t help remembering how well Nolan previously pointed this out, yet has reverted to that self-conscious device to no benefit at all. It’s like he’s never seen his own films.

Similarly, the much-lauded aeroplane scene is completely without the necessary ingredient of tension because we’ve already been shown what happens, not just in other films but in this one, about fifteen minutes before. It’s like Bill & Ted promising they’d do whatever it was they needed right now, but in the future, and their momentary problem being solved by a loose sense of timey-wimey future self-ness. There’s nothing at stake at the airport, and between us being shown what happens and the scene beginning, nothing has happened for us to even hope the mission isn’t completed. It felt like the criminally underused Himesh Patel was in an instructional video for fuss-free plane-borrowing; compare it to the similar scene in Casino Royale (perhaps the only modern Bond film worth bothering with) and the flatness and mechanical nature of Tenet is all too apparent. The twists of the film, such as they are, are likewise foreseeable for even the least Pauline Kael among us. Who could it be under the mask? WHO COULD IT POSSIBLY BE? 

The Prestige, an earlier film of Nolan’s, is such a contrast to this that I’m stunned I didn’t watch it the moment I came home to clear my brain out. It’s smart, logical, moving, tense, engaging, and if there are plot holes (probably) I didn’t care because a) I really, really cared about what happened to each person, each of whom spoke and behaved like humans, not AI script-bots, and b) it gave this household a v useful shorthand nickname for anyone who wanted something one day but completely inexplicably changed their mind or denied it the next. I recommend it. I do not recommend Tenet. 

Of course, I feel guilty for caring so much about this, and writing about some fucking multi-squillion-dollar film with everything else happening. I am feeling extremely, crushingly ineffectual presently, and have completely come off all social media which from time to time would remind me of the efficacy of protest, of letter-writing and petition-signing and contacting one’s MP, so change feels hopeless and November’s blows seem inevitable. I am trying to knit my mind back together before then with small acts of body-work: cooking and running, drawing and swimming. I worry that I will drown in guilt and fear if I stop for a moment. It is pathetic, but I am still breathing, for now. 

My cynicism-filter is also at its finest mesh, because it cannot cope with the reality of our leaders and the UK’s political discourse: only small-fry stuff gets through, the Sali Hugheses and Jack Monroes, small-time fantasists who manipulate and virtue-signal to build lives of back-slapping consumerist celebration and Twitter Power Leader Boards. I’ve listened again to The Purity Spiral, and also to Desperately Seeking Sympathy, and wondered how many intelligent, kind-hearted people waste time supporting these innocent, victimised mini-Trumps just because they use the right buzzwords and also appear to hate the Tories. 

I wish I could give you some of the lights in my heart that keep me going — the occasional pure moon-eating delight of the people I live with — but here are more feasible treats instead.

Mike Birbiglia’s podcast Working It Out is a treasure, particularly the first episode with Ira Glass, which I think everyone who works in a creative field will listen to and wish they had an Ira Glass to critique their work. I like the idea of documenting works in progress, and not carrying any shame when things don’t work yet.

The Rose Matafeo episode of The Horne Section podcast, because I love her and I love stupid and brilliant songs. Several housemates have discovered Taskmaster too, which makes this a nice bridge.

Sarah & Duck, the BBC programme for tiny children. We never really used kids’ TV when they were little, but this now functions as a salve for when we’ve watched something truly terrifying like Poirot or a Marvel film, and besides the fact that Duck is absolutely fucking hilarious, the animation is staggeringly beautiful. The Islamic geometric patterns of the garden hedge; the soft blue-green hum of the “glow” section of the library, filled with lamps and luminescent books; the motes of dust caught in the sun-rays of Scarf Lady’s window. It’s a balm. 

Thanks to two housemates becoming great cooks over lockdown, I’ve rediscovered lots of my cookbooks and found 2015’s Simply Nigella to be a real corker. The rice with sprouts, chilli and pineapple, the drunken noodles and the Thai noodles with cinnamon and prawn are worth the entry fee alone. It’s quite chicken- and pomegranate seed-heavy, but even if you don’t like those, it’s extremely nice to be eating something that isn’t on our usual five-meal rota (and is also extremely delicious).

I was solo for some of the summer, and managed to watch a few excellent films, including BlacKkKlansman, The Peanut Butter Falcon and Love & Friendship. Cannot recommend these highly enough (*whispers* particularly the latter because it’s as painfully sharp as Austen should be, and we’d made the mistake of watching Emma. and I’m still so cross I’m not sure I’m ready to discuss everything that was wrong with it publicly yet).

I read Esther Williams’ memoir, The Million Dollar Mermaid. Perfect for anyone who loves that period of Hollywood, and full of juicy (as well as some pretty traumatic) episodes from the swimmer and actress’s amazing life. To give you a sense of it, chapter one is called “Esther Williams, Cary Grant, and LSD”. Super good. 

I hope you all keep well, pals x

[uldren-sov]

raze

Just a story about first meetings and a "Sacking" (part 2 electric boogaloo ft. Tython)

Cahira and Nivon are both @s0tc‘s and she’s trusted me with her characters and her idea for some reason d: im super grateful. Elora is mine

Cameos by Rayneal and Karo Caya who are also not mine. They belong to a friend not on tumblr and @damarlegacy

This is a long one bois.

She heard stories about Coruscant, how terrifying it was, how devastating it was. It was always told at her - because it’s not like she ever asked - by old Masters, with old views, who had a little too much of a hang up on the classics on even the best of days. She knew where she was during the Sacking, every citizen of the Republic did, but she had a hard time believing the old masters talk about that day. Nothing that horrible could actually happen like they said, right? There’s just no way.

That was before the shadow that fell over her sparring spot was just a little too angular to be a cloud as shrouded the whole practice ring; before that terrible, mechanical, cloud started raining electric-red fire. The explosions were unreal, it was hard for her to stand - everything pitched in her mind and on the ground. She did finally look up like a bird during a rainstorm.

A lifetime on dingy Corellian-built ships made her aware of the threat of Imperial battlecruisers and capital ships. She never saw one herself and four years into being a Jedi she absolutely didn’t think she’d see one now.

She started running towards the temple proper. All she could think of was running and, well, maybe how she was due some “I told you so’s” from about a half dozen Jedi Masters.They were right, nothing compared to the terror of being in a full-scale Imperial attack.

The ground seemed like it was going to jump up and eat her with how much it shook and split beneath her feet. She shouldered her braid out of the way as she shot a look over her shoulder. A small team of evacuees, or that’s what they called a group of teenage Padawans, and her friend Nivon pounded right after her through the grounds to the eastern forest. They were escorting? Escaping? To a safe zone. As the anti-air batteries started rising from the ground, breaking and shaking like those imperial fighter ships were, Cahira couldn’t help but think no place was a “safe-zone.”

And what could they do about this? In all this panic and destruction what could they possibly do?

That’s right, they could save some lives that’s what they could do.

So, that’s what she was doing. She told those masters back at the Temple as much before she started running towards the woods with the little sparring class of 9 mini-Jedi she and her friend Nivon were teaching. Sprinting, catching branches on her face and robes as she had to duck back and straighten one of the teenagers up after tripping. The trees groaned before they just shattered with blaster impacts from the air runs of the Imperial fighters, some of the kids behind her were screaming, it was hard to hear over the chaos and her own ears ringing most of the time. She ran until her feet started to hurt, until their feet started hurting, until Nivon could finally stop shielding them from trees and earth exploding around them.

They were maybe just ten minutes out when they found their first landing party.

Landing squad?

The name didn’t matter, what did was the some 12 big, bad, Imperial troopers in full armor leveling blaster rifles at him as they got to a clearing. Years ago this might have been the end of her, this many guns with this little cover? Would have killed her a thousand times over. For a moment that fear took hold.

She felt her sabers at her hips and she tore off the fear as took the hilts in her hands, and stepped into the clearing.

The Imperials, though, didn’t fire. Not yet. A few moments of tense silence stretched between them.

“Put your blasters down!” she finally yelled, holding her arm out so the younger Jedi and Nivon wouldn’t follow her into the clearing. “Put them down, go back to your ship, and all of us might make it out of here today! Alive!”

To their credit they hesitated. Some of them looked to some woman at the end of their formation. She was tall, more red on her armor, better quality too, maybe. Their commander? Probably. There was a tense moment between them where maybe, just maybe, they could have listened. Their commander shouldered the rifle and, well, that was the end of that.

They opened fire.

There might have been something like “Jedi! Get them!” yelled but she was watching blaster fire, and striking it back at them as she made her approach. When she trained and fought other Imperials it had been smaller groups, the fact that she could catch and reflect as many as she was was testament to how far she’s come if she did say so herself. For every shot intended for her heart she sent it right back at theirs, their own violence would be their undoing – not hers. Not today. She found a calm, a singular moment where she could ignore her growing aches and pains. She fought through it.

They had twelve, they were now at seven, all of them had their own blaster shots back at their blasters or in their shoulders and arms. Sending one last blaster right back into the barrel of a rifle, destroying it and taking the soldier out of commission. And then there were six. She finally ignited her second blade and took to the offensive, rushing in under heavy, deflected, blasterfire. Through the hail of red she saw a singular, electric, dart coming her way. Spinning and sending it right back she watched as a soldier just beside their commander suddenly catch the barb in the seam of their armor and stiffened hard, choking out pained, strained, yells as they collapsed against the grass. Well. That gave her an idea.

She spun her blade, cutting through the rifle which exploded in an Imperial’s hands before she continued battering most of the shots away from her. She got caught in the thigh, in the shoulder, but she didn’t have time for pain. Not right now. Dodging and countering, but careful of the Imperials themselves she cut through their rifles and disabled the soldiers. Six turned into four which turned into one, those she had gotten up close with all of them and she was able to knock out five of them by flinging them into the ground, against a tree, or just hitting them with the back of her saber. The rest? … Well this was a war.

Their commander drew out a wicked vibroblade which crackled with a sickening red arc around it. She might not ever shake that sound from her head as it repelled her lightsaber - like metal falling into an idling engine wash. She couldn’t say it was much of a fight, she was repelled twice before she blocked an overhead strike high with her left and dropped her other saber. Using the Force to pulling that stun gun on the fallen soldier’s hand, she fired the stunning round at the Imperial. The crackles of electricity across the commander’s body almost matched her vibroblade as she eventually fell back into a stiff heap like her soldiers.

“All right! Should be g-” she felt, what was once a presence off in the distance now a massive cloud of bad news just about ten feet away in the treeline.

“You should be more aware of your surroundings,” came a sickening voice. It was all the warning she got before a blur of black and red was upon her. She barely had time to get her sabers up before she was parrying attacks. She heard a couple of the Padawans scream at the sight.

The Sith, their actual commander, she guessed, had that telltale sickly skin tone, the gaunt face, the intense red eyes. Ugly sonnuvabitch with slicked back blonde hair. She shoulder checked him and pushed him back to regain her footing and reset.  This wasn’t the first time she’s faced off against a Sith, but it was the first Sith she’s faced off here on Tython. No. Stay calm. Now’s not the time to lose her cool.

She readied her stance, one blade in a high guard above her head the other held not quite as high and at a forty-five degrees. The Sith held a high pointed to the side and fist brought up almost in a guard.

She was hoping he’d do that.

He rushed forward with a sudden, precise overhead strike. She parried it handily and already was countering with a saber to his side. He blocked down and struck again she caught it and caught him in the side. He backed up, surprise and outrage written all over his gross face. Oh, this was going to be good.

Honestly, she knew relative to the rest of the Jedi here and even most of the Sith that she was a newbie but she time and time again could prove she could hold her own. And it didn’t take a Master to remember that Shien trumped Juyo, like, most of the time. As fast and as hard as the Sith was striking she caught all of them handily, in one hand, and she was able to counter his attacks just as easily, with her other. Not easily, she was still fighting for her life, but it wasn’t as bad as it could be. She caught the Sith in the side, in the leg, in the arm, the molten streak on his armor showed every place she caught him. Despite the cuts, though, he just seemed to come back faster and harder. That’s Juyo for you. Shit.

Speaking of, she got her sabers knocked away and side-stepped away just in time to just catch a glancing blow across her torso by his own lightsaber. She hissed, maybe she wasn’t cut in half due to her armor but damn if it didn’t burn like a mother-

She caught his blade again with hers and locked it in a stalemate between their faces. She had to extinguish a saber to grab the one locked with two hands, ordinarily she probably could have held him off with one hand but him all hopped up on the Dark Side? Better safe than sorry.

“Your people, your temple, your planet will burn!” he snarled. It made her stomach twist, or maybe that was just the second degree burns there.

“You first!” she growled right back. Fuck this. She let go of her hilt with a hand once she held him to a standstill, got her other, and just stabbed him clean through his chest right through his heart - if he even had one. For a second he looked startled, maybe even afraid. For a second she was sorry for him, for the life she had to take. But in the next second he tried to retaliate, a swing she easily parried, and there was only malice and hate left in his eyes and in what she sensed even in his final moments. What a pity. A damn shame.

Either way he crumpled to a heap as soon as she pulled her sabers from him and disengaged. She grabbed at the still warm gash in her armor for a second before she remembered there was an audience of terrified little teens behind her. And Nivon.

“All right! Should be good, now!” She waved them over and managed a smile. It was a huge lie, but for right now? At least the immediate issue was dealt with. The teens started, hesitantly, going forward again without Nivon as he lagged behind. “Cahira, thank you, I know you would be able to handle them while I made sure the young ones were safe…” but with a glance off toward the forest and a hesitance in his voice, he didn’t sound too convinced or too sure of himself. She took him by the shoulders. “Hey, it worked out. We can’t start second guessing ourselves out here! We have to get out of here and to safety. Then we have time to go back and talk and everything, all right?” she affirmed and while the mask hid most of his features … well, he nodded. She’ll take it, even half-confidence was some confidence.  Nivon was certainly more of a healer than a fighter, same couldn’t be said for her. She was happy to fight while he looked after the little ones right then and also the next time this happened because there’s always going to be a “next time”. Her wound flared up and she hissed again quietly.

“Let me see to your wounds,” he said as he approached her with hands outstretched.

“We don’t have time,” she said as she gently put his hands down. The hailstorm of orbital blaster fire didn’t stop, wasn’t stopping, anytime soon which only meant more Imperials were on their way to scorch the earth; level the Temple just like that Sith said. She couldn’t worry about that, she had to at least save the survivors in her care then she could worry about the rest. She whistled to get the kids’ attention and then started running once again. They must have run for, she actually didn’t know, it felt like half of forever but was probably something like fifteen minutes. That firestorm was mostly behind them, now it was just up to making sure no outlying landing parties found them, and making sure no one got left behind. The route was easy to follow, they were just off one of the main rivers that flowed near the Temple and were following it away, which gave them thankfully soft ground to cover their footsteps. Some of the kids tripped on the underbrush and the lost precious seconds in getting away from the battle but as one more fell on a root into the tall grass of the forest Cahira felt a ping just at the edge of her senses. It was something her gut told her was trouble. She unceremoniously shoved the young Jedi she was helping up back into the dirt. “Shh! There’s something coming,” her heart was racing but, honestly it was probably from all the running. For a second she thought she was overthinking things until Nivon looked with unseeing eyes in the exact direction her senses felt that presence. She was ready to take on a whole other platoon if she had to. Dammit, she should have taken their stun gun. Giving a last check over her students she gave a motion for them to stay low in the brush.  Whatever it was it was coming at them from the direction they needed to go, and fast.

Her stomach turned if only for a moment, again - might have been the burns, she might not have as good of senses as others but she knew a bad feeling when she felt it. Her gut told her “Sith” but at least there was only the one. So far. She exhaled low and nodded to herself.

“All right! I got this,” she said and just as she was about to jump out of the cover of the forest to the bank of the river a hand gripped her arm.

“You protected us last time. This is just the one. Rest, be ready to move,” Nivon then leaned in to drop his voice, “they need you.” She was torn, she very nearly stood up to rush off but Nivon’s logic unfortunately made sense. She wasn’t quite over her fight with that troop of Imperials and Sith and this wasn’t about her. This was about the kids they were trying to save, not about her pride or ability. So she just, with a stony face and set jaw, nodded and sat tight behind a tree as Nivon gave her arm a squeeze. 

“Thank you, Hira. This will be over soon,” he assured and made his way down a small bank to a clearing where the treeline was thinner and the river’s edge was just some thirty feet away. Both of their heads snapped up as, further up stream there was a sudden burst of a presence on their radar, she’d lost track of it for a couple of moments there. A blur of black and red made its way across shale rocks that marked the edge of a small waterfall. Running, jumping, flipping, to reach their side, and as that laughter she heard? The knot in her stomach lessened if only a little as they made their way down the side of the falls acrobatically before landing high on a large, dead, withered tree. The tree itself started to crack and finally come free of the moss-covered rocks it had it’s gnarled roots tangled up in.

With a crash it fell scattered onto the riverbed and the person in black, had balanced themselves through the fall and just … stopped. Did they sense them? No way. They were still a ways off but from her higher-up vantage she spied them turning their face up in the direction of the sun. It was weirdly wrong to see, but no more wrong than them taking a full, deep, breath of air before jumping off what remained of the tree trunk with another flipping flourish. Was that Sith just sunning themselves and breathing their air? Weird to be possessive about air, but here she was.

The Sith seemed to be human, female, with thick black hair and tanned skin - she couldn’t make out more details beyond just how wrong her eyes looked from this far away. She felt better about Nivon’s chances now, she didn’t seem as corrupted as the first Sith so she probably wasn’t as strong.

What was weirdest though, was how the other Sith they saw was with a small incursion team. So, why was this one alone? Didn’t matter because from how fast she was running to her casual stroll by the river now, safe to say she didn’t miss them. Dammit.

“You know, it’ll just be easier if you come on out!” she suddenly called and Hira heard the scared shifts of the Padawans from their hiding space. Her senses might not have been as sharp as the others but - she didn’t seem so tough even this close. 

“You lot might be trained to have patience, but I most certainly have not,” she started walking closer, now more into the riverbank towards the treeline. She fought against that urge to go forward herself but she had to follow the plan, Nivon was in the best position to take this one on, not her. She knew even if he was weaker at dueling, Nivon was probably their best bet here.

Besides, she can’t risk the Padawans, she just couldn’t. Which is why Nivon presented himself, striding out with his chin level with the ground from the trees. Please be safe, she hoped, this Sith didn’t feel too tough but any Sith is dangerous.

“See? Not so difficult was it?” came the teasing, female, Imperial cadence.

“No need for me to tell you how grossly you are trespassing, Sith,” Nivon said, marching to face her. “I am just the tip of the iceberg for the resistance you have yet to face.” From this close now, Cahira saw the Sith grin and put her hands up before her shoulders.

“Well! I’ve come all this way, I might as well surrender and start learning All Stars Burn As One, shouldn’t I? Can you hum a few bars for me?”

What an asshole! Didn’t Korriban beat all that out of the Sith?

“If you do surrender, Sith,” Nivon continued on forcefully, the nerve of her, “you’ll be afforded every chance to heal, every chance at redemption.” Nivon drew out the hilt to his saberstaff.

“You talk peace yet draw your lightsaber, those are certainly some mixed signals,” the Sith dropped her hands and spread them, palms-up. “Nonetheless, I offer you similarly, Jedi. Put down your weapon, surrender, and I can assure you that may yet see the end of the day.

If you do not, your life is forfeit.” 

Nivon didn’t let that hammer drop any louder than it already had, good for him.

“You have a high opinion of yourself, how many full-fledged Jedi Knights have you faced?”

“Truly? I’ve lost count. But, I can assure you, I have never met a Knight I could not kill,” she seemed to smile “I am certain that, with all your Knightly prowess, you know I speak true. So, this begs the question: how is that false bravado of yours holding up?” Hira stiffened a little in alarm. Wait, what? Even before they fought, that SIth who ambushed her after the fight with the Imperials felt like serious bad news, not this one though. So, what’s she talking about?

“Enough! Your incursion ends here Sith, you leave me with no choice to fight in order to defend my home. You won’t get past me, you won’t get to the Temple, and you won’t get to the Padawans.”

“Now … who said anything about Padawans?” She drew her hilt. Nivon ignited his yellow saber and held it across his body while the red blade ignited and she held it low and away from her body leaving it open.

Her nerves just seemed to kick in and the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. A shiver rolled down her spine and her hands twitched with a need. She wanted to fight this Sith, she didn’t know what it was but her words, her casual style just pissed her off all of a sudden. Her stomach burn didn’t seem all that important in the wake of this aggression. She almost moved out of her cover before she stopped herself. Where did all this even come from? This wasn’t like her. She looked toward the Sith, was this because of her?

“You want to protect your Temple? Bloody, get on with it then,” and she saw white teeth as she grinned at Nivon. Shit, this feeling really was from her wasn’t it? That’s scary and this wasn’t good. Ugly didn’t make her feel like this and when she focused inward to fight this she gulped, Ugly didn’t feel like this Sith did - Ugly didn’t even come close. She looked around her and suddenly had to concentrate to keep all the Padawans in their cover, keeping them down, trying to let her calm bleed into them with the Force since she heard them shifting - probably due to that same blood lust kind of feeling. Hell, it even felt like the earth was vibrating underneath them with all this adrenaline suddenly pumping in her system.

Thankfully Nivon giving off a yell might have kept the Sith’s attention away from the moving brush before there was a clash of lightsabers. Nivon probably had the advantage just by saberstaff versus the SIth’s single lightsaber, especially with how simple the Sith was parrying and attacking. Or at least she hoped, though she recognized the style when the Sith would extend a hand to push or pull Nivon away or towards her and he’d have to be quick on his feet and with his blade to deflect it. Nivon had a good chance at this. The Sith had to dodge a lot of the secondary strikes from the staff which was so good, maybe it tired her out faster. But then she would, instead of dodging fully out of the way, catch Nivon with a jab, with a knee, with a kick, and even a headbutt to send him staggering back a few steps.

She rushed forward at that and for a second Cahira thought this was the end of her friend. The Sith switched her grip to hold her blade backwards, it protected her body and deflected a blow as she sprung off the trunk of a tree, turned and caught Nivon in the side of the face with an arcing kick. It sent him to the ground and his lightsaber turned off as it fell out of his hand. Instead of administering the death blow, though, the Sith stalked away, walking to the far side of the clearing on this riverbank. As immediate the relief was to see Nivon wasn’t killed - this was just too weird.

“Get up! You said you wanted to defend your home then do so! Fight for it! I didn’t come all this way to be disappointed!” She stopped and faced him again, giving Nivon time to get back to his feet. “Unless that’s all your capable of.” She saw those same white teeth when the Sith grinned.

“Come on, Nivon you can do this,” she whispered as she watched her friend call his staff back to his hand and then clip it back to his waist. He stood at a shoulder stance and held his hands close together, like he was holding an imaginary ball. He may not be strong with a blade but he was strong with the Force. She felt the draw he was summoning to his hands as an almost windy distortion surrounded his fingertips. Oh, this was going to be good - Sith wasn’t going to know what hit her.

There was a wind up, then the pitch, and the distortion she saw covered nearly the whole of the clearing - the Sith couldn’t avoid it if she tried. She smiled to herself, it may have been dicey for a second but… The Sith didn’t try to hide, though or get out of the way. Um, what? Instead she adopted a wider stance and sank into it, brought a hand up before her, and chambered her saber further behind her back. With a yell she slashed high and horizontally in the air; the energy emitted wasn’t simply distorted, it was nearly visible. Crackling with lightning, tinted red with the Dark side, she chased after it. The two energies met, the Sith’s more concentrated slash cutting through the broad telekinetic push from Nivon. Cahira’s heart sank in an instant. With a spin and a jump the Sith, back facing the ground, found the gap made with her attack through the push, and vaulted through the attack. Unharmed.

The Sith made a three-point landing the other side of the attack, her own cleaved through a tree behind and above Nivon while the forest bent and broke behind the Sith - he hadn’t fallen any trees but that probably would have been nasty … if it had worked. That rush of anger and aggression Cahira had been fighting off abruptly ended as she watched the Sith pull herself up. Nivon panted softly, still hunched from the effort. Everything felt different now, that was a big gamble from Nivon that he lost out on. Still. It wasn’t hopeless. Not yet.

“Come on, stay up, you got this,” she whispered and tried to stand, her wound in her stomach making itself known again. She had to stay back in hiding, she looked around her as so many sets of young eyes were also watching this unfold.

“My turn,” Cahira heard and she looked back to the duel. The Sith wasn’t grinning anymore. She threw her red blade spinning toward Nivon, sprinted at him, and promptly vanished. Nivon drew his blade and deflected it up above his head. Which is where it was caught, which is where the Sith appeared, only now she with another saber in her hand. Cahira held her hand out and motioned for the Padawans to stay down and really, to look away. It was a flurry of red, the Sith moving so fast with now two lightsabers and a whirlwind of acrobatics it was hard for her to follow just what was happening. She had never really seen that style be used that aggressively or with two blades before.

She didn’t get a chance to see much of it anyways, it was over quickly and the Sith landed between her view and Nivon. She stabbed back and found purchase in his chest, she spun to unfurl herself and slashed high. Cahira looked away but heard the extinguishing of two blades after two thumps of Nivon’s body falling; she knew just what had happened. She clenched her eyes shut and braced herself against her cover. Dammit! She had to look back - if the Sith knew now that they were there? She had to be ready. But instead of finding the woman coming towards them to finish them off she had knelt by Nivon’s body, returned his saberstaff to his limp hand, and crossed it over his chest before drawing his own robe over his body to cover it and the fatal wound.

“No fighter should die without his weapon in hand. Be one with your Force,” being so close, Cahira heard the Sith murmur before standing, pulling some brush to somewhat cover his body before … walking away, walking towards the river. What?

The vibrating she thought was just her own pulse and heartbeat had steadily increased, and now she saw, across the river, small platoons of soldiers marching at double-time by the water and between the trees. Cahira dared to peek out from her tree. She saw the Sith by the water again, as a tall, black-and-white armored figure suddenly alighted beside her, shutting off his jetpack.

“Had your fun? Took us a while to catch up to you,” she heard a deep, male, unaccented voice intone before she held a hand up.

“And what was this about Padawans, my lord Darth?” came a different female voice, the shimmer of a stealth generator fell as a smaller human, Imperial accent, big ass rifle strapped to her back. Oh, shit, this was a Darth?

“Let me be clear that if we come upon any Padawans, young Jedi, or children, I want them unharmed. I will not waste an opportunity to bolster Korriban and rid the Jedi of their next generation of fighters,” the Darth ordered the Imperial who saluted at once.

“Quite the opportunity for them, my lord. Your forces will be notified,” she said. Cahira didn’t miss something telling in her tone and a suddenly casual nod before the brown haired Imperial turned and seemed to grab something like a handle before the stealth generator was engaged once more. The operative disappeared.

The man in armor had brought up a holo display on his gauntlet that was beeping far too much for Cahira’s liking. He tilted his head a little obviously due to his helmet.

“Every kid you come across, that right?” he shut off the radar and she nodded.

“They should be so lucky to be brought to and tested on Korriban rather than their blood, potential, and power be wasted on this planet with the Jedi,” the Darth said with finality.

What?

Alone and wounded she doubted she could stave off the Darth but now with her “forces” catching up? No way were they making it out of here - her breath caught and she held it suddenly.

The Darth had turned and looked straight at her.

She saw the intense, inhuman, glowing, fire tones of her gaze even as she held her there frozen and caught. This was it. She would wind up dead or going to Korriban where she’d be as good as dead. In a smooth motion the Darth turned from her and started walking back in the direction she had been heading, back where Cahira had just came from, back to the Jedi Temple. The armored man engaged his jetpack and followed suit.

What the fuck just happened?

The small army of soldiers, “lesser” Sith - probably, and war machines, all passed them unnoticed and after the longest twenty minutes of her life they were in the clear. They hadn’t been caught, or, well, revealed to anyone else and Nivon’s body remained as it was. She noted the place and had to hurry along the teens in her charge to get moving again. They still had quite the hike ahead of them to get to a safer zone and wait out the fighting. There’s no way the Empire could hold Tython, they just had to tough it out ‘til reinforcements came.

That? She can do. Or die trying.

[maychorian]

Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #41

This is two and a half days’ worth of recs. I had to make a list or it was going to be obnoxiously long. I’m slowly catching up to all my open tabs, but it’s taking some work. You may notice a lot of Lance birthday fics in this post. My writing time has also taken a bit of a hit, unfortunately. Next chapter of The Godsent Wanderer is languishing at nine hundred words. (The Adventure Zone’s finale dropping today did not help.)

Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. Also follow @maychorianrecs for individually tagged posts, the easier to search and reblog. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

Who is in Control? by WildWolf25 Words: 13,995 Author’s Summary: Shiro wished more than anything that they could go back to those days, full of catching grasshoppers on sunny afternoons and rigging up elaborate Goldberg machine-style boobie traps around the house to drop water balloons on Matt’s sister. Back when the biggest conflict they faced was Shiro trying to convince Matt that they couldn’t build a life-sized, fully-functioning robot for their project in the elementary school science fair. Back when their hands were covered with grass-stains and dirt rather than blood-stains and scars. Back when both of them had two hands made out of flesh and blood, rather than metal and wires. (Matt is turned into a weapon by the Galra. When he is “captured” by Team Voltron, Shiro and Pidge help him come back to himself) My Comments: Heartwrenching but satisfying way to bring Matt into the Voltron fold. Be aware of the tags. This fic gets pretty dark at times, though it’s all viewed through memories, which gives it some distance. Wonderful to see Katie and Matt reunited, as well as Matt and Shiro. Shiro says some very important things to help Matt after all he’s been through.

Hugs and Besos by Ninja_Librarian Words: 5,504 Author’s Summary: “Well, there’s only one planet that has Varadero beach, pizza shack looking over the water and the garlic knots and… my mom’s hugs…” She didn’t believe a word the Garrison officials told her. After all, she knew her son better than they did. My Comments: Gorgeous, beautiful, perfect Lance’s mom POV. All of the backstory is so sweet and fits Lance perfectly, and I can just feel the love coming off the page. Wonderfully satisfying conclusion, too.

the best day of the year by FluffyBlue Words: 1,709 Author’s Summary: Lance forgot about his birthday, but his team certainly didn’t <3 My Comments: Aw, so sweet. Show that boy some love. What a good team.

not so little after all by victuri Words: 2,542 Author’s Summary: How to successfully create an alliance: bluff your way through a diplomatic meeting. It helps if you’re afraid. My Comments: Good gosh, I adore Lance and Allura developing a mutually benificial relationship. It took some work, but he gave her the confidence to be absolutely MAGNIFICENT here.

Birthday Surprises by A_Zap f Words: 2,948 Author’s Summary: On a certain day, each of Team Voltron finds themselves the recipient of a package. It doesn’t take them too much to figure out who’s leaving them anonymous birthday presents. Pretty much a 5+1 fic of the times members of Team Voltron are given a birthday present and the time they decided to return the favor. My Comments: Ahhh, this is so cute! I adore Lance being kind and thoughtful to his teammates and getting that love back in return. Beautiful fic.

Too Soon and Not Soon Enough by hufflepirate Words: 6,506  Author’s Summary: Remix of oldmythologies’s Lost in the Fog, which is AWESOME and should probably be read first. Shiro is gone, and none of the remaining paladins know what to do about it. When the rest of the team visits Black to talk to Shiro, Pidge listens in, but can’t bring herself to face the lion - or the place where Shiro vanished. Not until she’s ready to bring him home. My Comments: Completely fabulous alternate perspective and expansion on another amazing fic. I loved Pidge’s perspective on everything, and extended reunion scene at the end was so so so good. SO GOOD. Ahhh, it made me so happy, I can’t even tell you. 

Hold Me Close by SerenePhenix Words: 2,221 Author’s Summary: Keith was not made for the cold. My Comments: Poor Keith. Good thing he has his team to take care of him.

Day 2: Hypothermia by GemmaRose Words: 1,781 Author’s Summary: Downed in a shuttle during an ambush, Coran must survive a blizzard with only his wits, centuries-old survival training, and what meagre supplies he can scavenge from the wreck. My Comments: HURT CORAN! So rare, so precious. Great characterization, he felt very steady and strong even as he sort of accepted that he was probably going to die. Super glad he didn’t, of course. The team can’t do without him.

Rockabye by SerenePhenix Words: 2,171 Author’s Summary: Pidge has to stop the bleeding and is terrified. Coran is there every step of the way even when hundreds of miles away. My Comments: GAH, this fic is intense. Love Coran being the rock Pidge needs, even from far away, keeping calm and talking her through it even while I am positive he’s freaking out on the inside.

dead battery by babitty Words: 3,345 Author’s Summary: a drabble that popped into my head so i sat down and wrote it out real quick. I’m sure people have done this or smthn like it already but fuck it. Lance brought his phone into space. And when Pidge finds out the battery is dead, she helps him out. Bc he’s family. I wasn’t sure what to name Lance’s sister, but i think Mari works??? I honestly don’t know, i may change it even though this is just a drabble. also this is not pidgance at all, i’m rlly hopin that’s clear enough Edit- so apparently mari is canon and I’m real good at guessin names lmao My Comments: Really cute fic. I love Pidge helping Lance fight his homesickness, followed by all the team bonding as they look at the pictures on his phone. The second chapter made it worse, or maybe better. Poignant and heartachey, but sweet.

To Light The Way by A11e_B00klover Words: 13,169 Author’s Summary: When her father dies in mysterious circumstances and leaves her alone with nothing but questions, Allura sets out to find the truth, come what may. Or the time Allura decides to go Sherlock with her family-friend Coran and the five friends she makes in the process. (for the Voltron Gen Minibang 2017) My Comments: A little slow to start, but there are some great ideas and fantastic characterizations in here. Fun modern AU where the team forms a Leverage-type crew to battle corporate corruption and find the truth. I could do with more.

Nobody Learns by SassafrassRex (Serbajean) Words: 30,570 Author’s Summary: He knows there was a time, before he was at this camp. *** Wiser people than Matt knew to steer clear of stars, dreamers, and all other fantasts. *** It’s a pretty strange fate, that Matt had played supporting cast in the story of his own life. *** If they try and they win, you’ll hate them for how they leave you behind. If they try and they fail, you’ll hate yourself for having to tell them let go of their pipedreams. *** “Could mean you need some better friends” – And Shiro has got to know how punchable his face gets whenever he grins like that. *** Shiro’s got it in his head that he could be selected for the Kerberos mission. Matt wishes he would give it up now. Before he burns himself out. *** Written for the Voltron Gen Mini Bang, with the wonderful artist, dylogger!!! Also prequel to All-Pervading Corruption My Comments: This is a prequel to a previously recced fic, but it stands alone fine. This fic is STUNNING. I love the characterization for Matt and Shiro. All of the backstory makes a lot of sense, and their friendship is so strong, weathering a lot of storms along the way. With this kind of background, it not only makes sense that Shiro would sacrifice himself for Matt, but it feels inevitable. All of the “current day” stuff in the prison camp is very harsh and hard to read, though, so beware. In that context, all of their college day shenanigans gain a kind of golden edge to them. Those were the good days. They just had no idea. It was hard at the time. But Matt is strong, and he’s a survivor, and he fights. He fights so hard. Amazing fic. The art complements it perfectly.

Earth Isn’t So Far by safety_dancer Words: 1,356 Author’s Summary: “Geez, Hunk! You scared us! I come running, thinking maybe Zarkon had teleported his ugly self into the- is that a cake?” My Comments: I really love all the presents everyone gave Lance in this one. They were so thoughtful and sweet.

Gift Me the Stars and Night Sky by Not_Jazz Words: 1,299 Author’s Summary: Lance never asked for anything. He was happy to just have his family. So, his family decides to surprise him. Or: Lance’s Best Birthday Ever My Comments: Gah, this is ridiculously adorable. The story about tiny Lance made my heart hurt in the best way. What a little sweetie pie, and I’m so glad he has his space family to be with him now.

What We Least Expect by inkbadger Words: 1,712 Author’s Summary: When Lance forgets it’s his birthday, he doesn’t take it well. So he retreats to the Blue Lion. But his team aren’t about to let him celebrate his birthday alone. That’s what family’s for, right? My Comments: So sweet. Everyone cares so much.

Candlelight and Supernovas by Faequeen40 Words: 12,614 Author’s Summary: Deep in space, Lance is really missing his family as his birthday comes up. The Voltron crew go about trying to throw him a birthday party. My contribution for Lance’s Birthday Week! My Comments: I really love how long this is and how everyone got their moment to shine. All of the bonding was sweet and lovely, and everyone put so much EFFORT into making sure Lance had a good and happy day. So heartwarming.

Wild Boys by Cocopops1995 Words: 13,437 Author’s Summary: Shiro wakes up back in Galra captivity. But he’s not having any of that this time. This time he’s determined to escape or die trying. Along the way he meets up with some familiar faces, some more unexpected than others. My Comments: Really fun action fic featuring BAMF Shiro and rebel Matt, among other things. A much more enjoyable way for Shiro to get back to the team than we see in a lot of fics, haha. All of the reunions were top-notch.

Summer Days (Drifting Away) by Atalto Words: 2,630 Author’s Summary: The team take a break from Voltron to regroup and recharge for the final fight against the Galra. Pidge discovers that she doesn’t really like alien beaches, no matter how human they are. My Comments: I expected fun in the sun and got emotional hurt/comfort and cuddling. I’m not complaining at all.

Little Fingers Hold the Tightest by Utsukushin (UserFromPluto) Words: 12,817 Author’s Summary: After the final battle with Zarkon, the Voltron team begins a desperate search for Shiro, but not even Slav’s ramblings on quantum realities could have prepared them for what they find. Shiro has been turned into a child–a bright-eyed, scarred little boy with one arm and no memories–and although they try their best to accommodate the change into their already-chaotic lives, no one quite anticipated just how challenging it would be. My Comments: Ahhh, this fic is amazing and adorable. Tiny Shiro is so cute, but he’s still getting flashbacks and nightmares and needs a lot of care. All of the paladins interact with him in the sweetest ways, and the art is beautiful, too.

The Burden of Adrenaline by spitfire00 Words: 1,329 Author’s Summary: Pidge carries an injured Shiro out of a hostile situation using pure spite alone. My Comments: PIDGE! What a badass! This little fic got my own adrenaline pumping, for sure.

It’s Like a Lithium Ion by F-117 Nighthawk (F117_Nighthawk) Words: 5,314 Author’s Summary: On their way to the Balmera, Keith runs across a homesick Lance and tries to comfort him. Then he finds Pidge and accidentally gives her an idea and gets roped into helping. It’s a win-win though, because in the end he’s found a way to help Lance. My Comments: Such a sweet fic. Love everyone working together to try to communicate with Earth so the kids can have a way to relieve their homesickness, and Keith was a darling for sticking it out.

Oh, Won’t You Comfort Me? by Ironic_Swag7782 Words: 2,123 Author’s Summary: Crash landed on an icy planet, one broken kit of armour, damaged lions, Lance getting dangerously cold? Shiro could safely say this mission could have gone better. My Comments: I’m always up for Shiro and Lance huddling for warmth. They’re both trying so hard to take care of each other, even in bad circumstances.

Flirting Lessons by sinelanguage Words: 2,099 Author’s Summary: Allura consults her worst– and only– flirting expert for advice. My Comments: Super cute fic with the worst pickup lines ever and Lance being a good wingman. Somehow it all works out in the end. I love Lance and Allura’s friendship.

Lean On by SerenePhenix Words: 1,712 Author’s Summary: Allura tries to complete a mission while feeling anything but perfectly well. My Comments: Short, sweet sickfic featuring dizzy Allura, smart Lance, and protective Coran.

Magnesium Fires by MoonlitWaterSunnyRiver for Mellisah Words: 1,328 Author’s Summary: In retrospect, wandering into a haunted house with no backup had been a bad, bad idea. But it’s amazing how much time you have to consider these things hanging in midair with a poltergeist deciding whether or not to munch on you. Poltergeist: 1. Keith Kogane: 0. Things Pidge can hold against him: too many to count. My Comments: This is so fun and funny and cute. Keith is just trying so hard, but it’s a good thing Pidge is capable of saving him.,

A Leg to Stand On by Aclyr, hufflepirate Words: 26,526 Author’s Summary: Hunk has never wanted to be in charge of anything, but when he gets stranded on an unknown planet with a concussed Shiro, light-years away from where they were supposed to be and unable to contact the rest of the team, he has do it anyway. A galaxy away, the rest of the team is short on resources and shorter on personnel, but they’re not about to let Hunk and Shiro go without a fight. (Story by hufflepirate, art by Aclyr) My Comments: Everything about this fic is utterly perfect. Hunk is anxious, but a badass anyway, and concussed Shiro is like a confused baby chick who needs to be herded back to the nest several times. The frantic search the others go through to find them is very suspenseful and heartwrenching, and you can just feel the tension and stress everyone is struggling with. Great action, great characterization, great emotional moments. I love it to bits. The art is also amazing.

Day 1: Fever by GemmaRose Words: 2,141 Author’s Summary: With Shiro missing and her Paladins scrambling to find him, Allura can’t possibly justify taking a break. My Comments: Short, sweet sickfic featuring fanting Allura and protective Coran.

Have Faith. by halelujah for InsaneJuliann Words: 2,750 Author’s Summary: Four times where the Black Lion reassures the Paladins that all will be well, plus the time she’s reassured herself. My Comments: Post Season Two fic with a really sweet characterization of Black. Hunk is particularly adorable, as well.

hope of a better tomorrow - VLD fanfic remix for babitty! by volleycatnika for babitty Words: 3,190 Author’s Summary: How the five paladins missed Earth and came together to comfort each other (a 5+1 fic). My Comments: Lovely team bonding fic. 

Fics with Season Three spoilers under the cut. After this list, I will no longer be tagging spoilers, since it’s been two weeks now since the season came out.

What’s my name? by greenglowsgold Words: 3,538 Author’s Summary: No one ever knows who they’re going to be until they are. Names don’t always work forever. She doesn’t know who this is, but he isn’t Shiro. My Comments: Season Three spoilers. I love Pidge’s journey here, and this would be a clever way to deal with the Not-Shiro problem. Her stubbornness and determination in the face of everyone else’s disbelief is perfectly her.

You’re Brave and You’re Loved by Talking_Bird Words: 6,464 Author’s Summary: Shiro is gone, but the universe still needs defending. When Keith becomes the new Black Paladin, the team assumes Allura will replace Keith as the Red Paladin. It doesn’t quite go like that and Lance has some insecurities to overcome. My Comments: Season Three spoilers. I honestly liked the way the show did it, but I this version is nicer, with Lance getting some much needed encouragement and love. Mild Klance.

[kpoprambles00-blog]

Dreamcatcher (드림캐쳐) - The End of Nightmare (4th Mini Album) [COMEBACK REVIEW]

Do you ever have a comeback that you're looking forward to so much that... you're actually sort of dreading it? Because you want the song to be good? That's exactly what ended up happening with Dreamcatcher and "The End of Nightmare" for me. After how mind-blowingly good "What" was last year, when they announced they were coming back, I was terrified. Even more so when the album is called "The End of Nightmare" - what does that mean for the girls going forward? Are they going to change their concept? Will I not like them because of it? Those are the kind of questions that start to fly around in my head.

But instead of looking to the future, let's focus on what we actually got. At the end of the day, Dreamcatcher are Dreamcatcher - I'm going to have some idea of what to expect from this mini album as a whole. I'll be curious to see how much I actually like it, but I may as well dive in head first and see how it goes. I have my hopes high, and I have a very funny feeling Dreamcatcher won't let me down. They haven't yet - I don't expect them to start now. So let's see!

1 - INTRO

One thing that is a 110% guarantee with every Dreamcatcher album is that you'll have a huge, explosive intro that sounds nothing like the rest of the album. It'll set the tone well for their concept, but in terms of establishing the overall sound? Yeah, that's not what they're there for. They're little vessels of experimentation, from what I can tell.

...but I didn't quite expect to get an intro THIS crazy.

Like. What. This starts off with a really nice bit of foreshadowing, since they add in the main flute riff from "PIRI" on an electric guitar. That's nice!

BUT THEN IT ALL TURNS INTO ONE BIG DRUG TRIP.

This intro manages to go from a standard, somewhat creepy intro to full-on drum and bass in the space of a minute and 7 seconds. ONLY A DREAMCATCHER INTRO COULD DO THAT. And I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of drum and bass (unless we're talking about the Beat Saber soundtrack, good LORD it's amazing) but... this is so crazy and it made me laugh so hard that I'm willing to let it slide! I do feel like this could've led into "PIRI" much better, since it's in the same key and all that. But at the same time, this honestly had me in stitches by the end because of how confused I was. That's... probably not what they were trying to do with this intro, but I'll take it nonetheless!

2 - PIRI [TITLE]

With that crazy introduction out of the way, The End of Nightmare wastes no time in getting to the title track, "PIRI". Now this is the song I was scared about. I was worried that I wouldn't like it, that the girls wouldn't be able to match that same level of quality they achieved with "What", and that I'd start to fall out of being an Insomnia.

Welp, I'm fucking DELIGHTED to say... that hasn't happened.

Someone please tell me how the hell Dreamcatcher remain so consistently good, because I'd like to apply that same method to my college grades, thanks. "PIRI" is another absolutely stellar title track from them - it's seriously up there with their best stuff! "What" had me crying out of pure delight, but "PIRI" had me crying out of sheer and utter relief.

This is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, and considering how much I had it on loop the day it came out, I think it's safe to say I didn't want to get off. The trap snares and flute elements work so well in the instrumental, and provide such a nice contrast to all the strong bass beats and electric guitars. I do feel like mixing in the first half of the choruses feels a bit tinny, but by the time Siyeon's back to singing her heart out, it mellows itself out and becomes a hell of a lot more satisfying.

And I don't think I need to explain what I mean when I say this:

GAHYEON. HOLY SHIT.

Honestly, that goes for the rest of the girls too - every single one of them embodies this concept, and their vocals are perfection. And I know I may be biased towards her, but... goddamn, this really seems like it's Siyeon's era. She seems SO confident this time around, and I'm so happy for her. She knows how good she looks and I'm living for it.

Like I said, I really hope this isn't their final go at a horror-inspired concept, but fuck, if it is? I'd be happy to go out on a note like this. "PIRI"'s got this mood that's both eerie and creepy, but sort of desperate and pleading as well - which makes sense when you take a look at the lyrics. Similarly to "What" (yes I know I'm calling back to that song a lot, leave me alone), the lyrics take a more victimised approach. The girls are no longer the nightmares; they're stuck in one. And I like it! It saves the concept from getting stale, and puts everything in a new perspective.

I'm left all alone I open my eyes again, I wake up from my dreams But my reality isn't different

So thankfully, the song is great. That's a major relief. But what about the dance? Dreamcatcher are normally at the top of their game here, so admittedly I went in with very high expectations, aaaaand yep the choreo is amazing too.

[Unfortunately I couldn’t include the dance video here due to the video limit! Here’s the link, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRm-ChUBnLQ]

No joke, this is one of my favourite Dreamcatcher choreographies yet. I'm seriously convinced these girls are dancing robots at this point - how else could they be so in sync??? It's... actually kinda scary yet amazing in the best way. The formation changes are a particular standout here - they're so smooth and effortless, yet sweeping and grand at the same time. I also really liked how the choreography retained (and even picked up) a lot of momentum and pace in the pre-choruses - instead of slowing things down to get ready for the chorus, this routine just goes full steam ahead and saves the slower moves for later. It's a brilliant choice, if you ask me, and works perfectly.

I honestly could not be happier with "PIRI" as a title track. It's everything a Dreamcatcher song should be in my eyes - it's loud, it's proud, and it's got a horror/rock aesthetic. These girls have stayed so damn true to their concept since debut, and considering that a lot of groups don't manage to do that, it's insanely impressive. Long may it last!

3 - DIAMOND

🎵 섬세하지만 난 단단해 쉽게 상쳐 않아 🎵- oh, wait, wrong "Diamond". Oops.

Eternal bops from f(x) aside, I was interested to see how the rest of The End of Nightmare would fare compared to "PIRI" - especially after how experimental "Alone In The City" ended up being. And based on the album preview, "Diamond" sounded like a more powerful take on Dreamcatcher's usual rock style. That was always going to be welcome - but what REALLY surprised me is how unique "Diamond" actually ended up being!

"Diamond" is a moombahton track with elements of rock and (obviously) metal here and there, more specifically some really high-tempo sections that sorta remind me of thrash metal. It's an interesting combination for sure, but the instrumental ebbs and flows in a way that doesn't make it feel unnatural at all - in fact, it sounds fucking brilliant. Yes, the beginning of the song sounds like a more mature KARD song - and hey, that's certainly not a bad thing in my eyes. But the entirety of the buildup from the pre-chorus into the chorus had my jaw on the floor; it wasn't what I was expecting in the slightest, and it was such a welcome surprise.

Basically, this song is sort of sexy and summery, then it's chill, and then THERE'S GUITARS EVERYWHERE. And it works.

This song's lyrics actually give off a really unique vibe too - I was expecting them to be confident, yes, but they give me HUGE goddess vibes. And I don't mean that in the way that Dreamcatcher are goddesses - which, I mean, they are, but that's not the point. They're confident in a way that exudes grace and power, but in a sort of demeaning way? They seem to have a lot of control, and describe how the girls have gone from doubting themselves to having a sense of utmost confidence. They're very teasing and tantalising in places too, and I honestly love their general tone. They're playful, yet confident and powerful at the same time!

The falling stars wrap around me

[They] protect me forever

[...]

I'm an unbreakable diamond

Overall, "Diamond" is one of my favourite Dreamcatcher side tracks so far. It's so unique and powerful in its own way that it just completely blew me away. I sure as hell hope the rest of the album is this good, cause jeez, Dreamcatcher are on a roll.

4. AND THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT (그리고 아무도 없었다)

Now we're getting into the more 'experimental' part of this album - it's very normal for Dreamcatcher to experiment with their side tracks, and while "Diamond" was quite close to their normal style, "And there was no one left" is a big diversion. It slows down the tempo a lot, and ends up being the most chill thing we've heard so far on this mini album. But I... actually really like this. For quite a few reasons!

The bass line in this song, for starters, is really damn effective. It's there for the vast majority of this song, and gives this song a great sense of groove (ESPECIALLY in the choruses). There's also hints of strings in the pre-choruses that reminded me a lot of "You And I", but they end up giving way to a chorus that's got this weird, slightly distorted synth as a melody. It's very unique, and it's so distinctive that it clicks for me! It also helps that a lot of the girls are in their upper range here, which is where I feel like Dreamcatcher are often at their best. It lets the vocalists show off their skills whilst letting the rest of the members sound effortlessly breathless and stunning.  

Not gonna lie, there are a lot of aspects to "And there was no one left" that remind me of an f(x) song - it's very clean, and very well put together, but with a great sense of melody and groove behind it. It's an earworm, for sure - between the falsettos and the catchy melody in the choruses, this is guaranteed to get stuck in your head eventually! The lyrics are quite interesting as well, if you ask me. They seem to continue the nightmare/dream concept, but from the perspective of the victim, like we've seen since "What". On the surface, this is just a shallow song about wanting to see someone you really care about, but Dreamcatcher manage to work it into their nightmare concept without feeling cringey or forced. It's... actually very clever!

My eyes are closing

My strength is being drained

Stay with me here, and don't leave me, please

So while it isn't the most bombastic song out there, and while I do think this concept is something the girls did much better with "Trap", "And there was no one left" is still a nice little break from the rest of the album itself. It's just got the right mix of chill and creepy to be memorable, in my eyes!

5. DAYDREAM (백일몽)

To close out the album, we're back in anime opening territory! Or, rather, anime closing territory this time around. And hey, when Dreamcatcher are making songs that sound like they're from an anime, that's when they're being fucking awesome. We all know that. And yeah, "Daydream" fits that anime closing style quite well - it's airy, light and very easy to listen to. It's certainly invocative of its name!

I really do think "Daydream" is a great way to end the album, since it lets things wind down naturally without feeling like the album has ground to a halt - everything is wrapped up nicely. The acoustic guitars and lilted piano really make this a breeze to get through, as well as the girls' vocals. Just because this is a slow song doesn't mean they don't show off vocally, cause they sure as hell do! Yoohyeon actually got more of the powerful adlibs this time around, with Siyeon mainly relegated to falsetto - which I quite like! Yoohyeon's got a powerful voice too, and she deserves to show it off. But the rest of the girls sound gorgeous here as well, with singing Dami being a HUGE highlight. (She really needs to sing more, she sounds great!)

But the best part of this song for me is the lyrics; I can tell you right here, right now that these lyrics are aimed at Insomnias. That's immediately obvious when you read them. They're very sweet and heartfelt, and I'd be shocked if they had anything else in mind here. Every group needs a good thank-you song every now and again, and this just so happens to be one of Dreamcatcher's - it's honestly adorable. And hey, the fact that they chose this as their side track says a lot about them. 😌

If we can spend the night

Walking together hand-in-hand

I will make you smile forever

Admittedly I don't know if "Daydream" is a song I'd return to, since ballads aren't usually my style, but it's a great little diversion regardless. It's certainly a song to listen to if you want to just relax and take a load off for a while; it's emotional, it's heartfelt and it's really damn sweet. It just goes to show how versatile Dreamcatcher can really be.

And on that note, that's the entire album, actually! While it wasn't as experimental as "Alone In The City" overall, it was still a solid comeback for Dreamcatcher. As I said, I really hope this doesn't mark the end of their nightmare concept, but... hey, it's Dreamcatcher. They'll find some way to impress me in the future, even if it is. I'm excited to see where they go and what they do!

ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW: PIRI Diamond And there was no one left (그리고 아무도 없었다) Daydream (백일몽)

COVER IMAGE CREDITS: Dreamcatcher PNGs by melonguaguaga on deviantArt