#but 3 has some of the strongest songs in the running

[bleaksqueak]

Curious. I'm a huge horror fan, and I'm in a big mood for some reason or another (... probably the whole RE4 remake thing. Something something.)

[magentagalaxies]

in an unexpected turn of events i'm having to edit down the content in my aubrey monologues so that i can actually fit all four of them in my final performance for my standup class and on the one hand it sucks bc i really love some of the jokes i have to cut but on the other hand someday i'll be able to write more monologues and possibly expand upon this cut material so i can get a whole monologue on a topic that would've just been an aside

[naomihatake]

In search of freedom (Ch. 7)

7. What do you wish for?

⠀⠀➺ fic masterlist

⠀⠀➺ Chapter 6 ; Chapter 7 ; Chapter 8

⠀⠀⠀⠀She's been searching for freedom her entire life and everytime she thought it was laying right in front of her eyes, she was mistaken. She was running around the East Blue, seeking herself and her dreams, meeting people she never forgot. No matter how much she traveled, she could only catch a glimpse of peace before realizing everything would crumble at her feet.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Maybe it was destiny that brought her on that ship with three strangers — foolishly, that's what she tried to believe when the moon shined beautifully and hope settled in her chest, squeezed by the same ribcage where feelings were blooming.

Pairing: female!reader x OPLA Zoro Roronoa

Warnings for this chapter: angst, graphic depictions of deaths and fatal wounds, self-harm, brief suicidal mention, canon-typical violence, tiny bit comfort at the end

Word count: 8,4 k

Theme song: fic spotify playlist (click on the link)

A/N: I'm glad I could finish the chapter so early and there are some scenes in here that I really loved writing. Also, I want you to pay close attention to the fight Witch has with the fishman. The anime watchers and manga readers that got far enough with One Piece will probably get it faster ;)

I'd be happy to hear your opinions on this chapter. Every interaction is appreciated and thank you so much for sticking to this story till now <3

The reader is referred to as "Witch" because I have no intentions of using "Y/N".

"What is your dream?"

While she would've rather expected that question to come from Luffy, the tipsy Zoro by her side, leaned against the mast, seemed to be rather intrigued by her reasons to remain with Luffy. 

When she turned her head towards him, one of her suppositions was proved to be right: the stars above shone beautifully, but nothing could compare to the swordsman's brown eyes. In the dark, his dark chocolate irises were swallowed by pupils dark as the depths of the oceans. No. Dark and beautiful as the night sky she teared her gaze away from. 

Her silence could've been interpreted in many ways and Zoro might become suspicious, but his already flushed state seemed to swallow everything in. He only looked back at her. 

The witch couldn't exactly spot the specific aura of his gaze. He wasn't only flushed because of the alcohol, no. He seemed… soft, even. His shoulders were relaxed and the grip on the empty bottle loosened up. 

His question was simply something she didn't expect, as he was always down to earth, similarly to Nami. However, there was a tiny difference — he proudly admitted he wanted to become the strongest swordsman in the world. 

"I—," the word left her lips like a mere whisper. 

Her determination faltered under the weight of the alcohol. Until that moment, after sharing some ugly parts of her past, his remarks made her laugh and chuckle happily. 

"I want to be free."

One simple wish that could have so many connotations. 

"I don't see any rope around your wrists."

His voice was like a low rumble coming from the depths of his chest, such a pleasant and soothing sound. 

Their eye contact didn't break. Their gazes were locked together and she couldn't bring herself to be mad about it, especially when she was drunk enough to let vulnerable sides of her poor soul see the light of the stars. 

Faint, shy, but it was there. 

"I want to be free from myself and the expectations everyone has of me," she clarified. "Free from the rules of the world, written or unwritten. Free from the Marines that are now on my tail."

"Why did you become a pirate if you wanted to be free from the Navy?" 

"The sea always looked like a place where I could be free," she admitted with a weak voice. The same tiny voice her younger self used to have when dreaming of a future. 

Zoro knitted his eyebrows together and blinked, staring at the small beauty mark on her face he just noticed. He seemed deep in thought or rather trying to figure out the meaning of her words. 

He was rarely so concentrated outside of critical situations like fights. 

"Are you free now, then?" 

With a gulp, she shook her head. 

"No." 

One word. One heavy weight on her soul. 

"How do you wanna be free?" came another question from the swordsman. 

"I have no clue."

The cage around her was a metaphor. She always felt like iron bars squeezed her tighter and tighter, until she broke down, a situation that occurred only a few times a year and was always hidden from prying eyes. 

Realistically, there was no free place in that world. The Marine wasn't by any means as righteous as they wanted to look like and they were certainly not saviors. Of course, there were plenty of pirates that did nothing else but harm everyone and everything they laid eyes on. Some of them had ugly souls, dark and dirtied by greed. 

However, there were plenty of people that were so-called pirates and yet never harmed unless they had to protect someone. Like Luffy or Usopp. They never took anyone's life. 

Like her father. 

She wasn't one of those pirates. The witch has killed people, even if never solely for blood thirst. Or, at least, not yet. She deserved to die, to never see the light of a new day. 

A personal justice system — that's what she's always had, that's what she grew to learn about from the crew she left barely a year ago. 

Deep down, she knew she would never be free. There was no liberty for a monster. 

When she looked at Zoro, she also wanted him to taste freedom on his tongue. Maybe he already knew what that felt like. 

If she couldn't find her own freedom, she could settle for protecting her friends' freedom. That would be more than enough, right? 

"Aren't you at fault for your own lack of freedom?" Zoro pulled her out of her thoughts. 

His question might've sounded as insensitive and accusing, but she was aware the swordsman didn't mean it that way. He always had his own way with words and, unfortunately, he got misinterpreted most of the time. 

He was simply stating a probable truth. 

Then I suppose I should get rid of my—

No. There was no time to think of such things, even if she was drunk and vulnerable. Admitting that to his face would be shameful of her. 

Maybe she wasn't that ready to share secrets yet, was she? 

"I most probably am," the witch whispered as she averted her eyes back to the sky splattered with stars. "At the end of the day, I'm the only one taking into account what others say and how they affect me." 

She didn't know exactly how to pursue freedom, but she was certain of something else: if that beautiful future stood in front of her, Zoro was probably one of the ways to find out. 

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•

The witch wasn't able to find freedom if she died at that moment, with the blue hand of a fishman gripping at her throat. There was a lingering ache at the crown of her head from when he pushed her against the wall. 

Her eyes squeezed shut while life seemed to slip from her hold, the same way her fingers lost their force while clutching onto the fishman's forearm. She had to find a way to get out of there, to breathe, because her lungs were already begging for some oxygen. Her vision was getting blurry and the pain in her entire throat spread like fire through her body. 

Maybe it was because of her hyper-aware state, but she could swear the wound on her bicep was bloody again considering the sharp pain shooting through her arm. 

No. There was no time to die and beg for forgiveness — and whose forgiveness could she ask for if she stays alive? Exactly. No one's. 

The witch didn't know if she breathed in air or it just felt awfully familiar to that sensation, but her lungs suddenly swallowed something fresh and powerful. It ate the pain hungrily, destroying every doubt in her mind the more she thought of her promises, of the corpse of a father who still whispered in her dreams "go find your freedom".

The grip on the fishman's arm grew tighter, stronger, until her nails dug into the scales and penetrated them. Her fingers ached, the skin around her nails scratched harshly by the sharp broken scales. Fresh blood surfaced. 

Her eyes opened up slowly, burning with each one of her promises, this time including her own — If I can't find freedom, I'll make it. 

Every nerve in her body burnt and she tasted drugs on the tip of her tongue, an addiction threatening to clutch onto her and take control. 

Power. 

The witch has never been one to love power, to ache for it and yet, there she was, with a devil-like grin growing on her face. 

Power. 

It ate her alive and she loved that sensation. The steadiness of her heartbeats, the cage of ribs that broke to make place for that overwhelming feeling. 

Power will never take control of me. 

Her eyes bore holes through the fishman's entire being. There was no need for her revolver when two shining irises had the same effect. 

Her vision and mind has never been clearer. 

The fishman was struck. A weight settled on his shoulders, pulling him down, doubts flickering in his head. 

Claws sank into his eyes, into his face and throat, clutching at his heart, threatening to pull it out of his chest. 

The fishman stumbled and dropped her. 

His strong grip on her throat left blooming red marks. They were ugly and her neck felt tender, but her nerves didn't register the pain properly because of the adrenaline running through her veins. 

The witch immediately took the opportunity, despite the lack of air in her lungs. She crouched down to take her gun, but before she could shoot again, a loud sound got her attention. 

The door of the restaurant broke at the floor underneath her when Luffy got thrown right into it by Arlong.

On the side of the stairs where Usopp crawled down was Sanji struggling to get back up after he cracked his back at the harsh contact with a table. 

People were hiding under chairs and bars from the fishmen's wrath. 

Her anger was fueled by each single detail. One of her shoulders felt light, while the other was heavy. The monster lurking inside her had one eye open — the same one that pushed her to cuss out Mihawk back when Zoro got a cut through his chest. The same monster she wouldn't trade anything for, because wrath has always been her forte. 

The small flame of revenge started burning in the pits of her stomach. Steadily. Still vague, easy to control. 

She ran down the stairs and passed by Usopp, who was at that moment helping Sanji get on his feet. The witch got out of Baratie, suddenly stopping in her tracks when she saw Arlong standing a few meters in front of her. 

That fucker—

Luffy shouted something along the lines of Gum Gum and she knew that was his fight to deal with. 

However, it was a fight she didn't know if he would win at that time, considering the way Arlong only turned his head to the side when he got punched in the face by Luffy's fists. The fishman spat blood on the wooden floor while he stepped closer and closer to the Straw Hat. 

In a fraction, the punch Luffy received sent him flying in the sails of a boat and he fell down with a thud, grunting. It was stupid of him to provoke Arlong further, but Luffy has never been to give up or let his enemies feel the satisfaction of a victory without a proper fight. 

The witch wondered if her captain didn't break a rib or two after being punched and thrown around for so long. He still had the energy to throw his fists into Arlong's face with all he's got, using his rubber arms to attack from meters away. 

His Devil Fruit powers were definitely the only reason why he was alive. 

But not for much longer. 

Arlong muttered something with a growl and once he sank his hand in the water, the witch knew it wasn't going to end well. 

The fishman didn't just splash Luffy; no, he soaked the Straw Hat to the bone and the hit with both sea water and brute force got Luffy to the ground. It was his biggest weakness. 

The witch's eyes widened when she saw Arlong grabbing at Luffy's shirt and lifting him in the air, opening his mouth to reveal razor-sharp teeth. 

Her feet carried her for only a second and she almost shouted out for Luffy out of despair — she would rather be stabbed in the stomach countless times than feel helpless again. Out of instinct, the hand holding the gun raised, aiming at—

"Arlong, wait!" 

Nami. 

The witch snapped her head towards her friend. 

The orange-haired woman stomped her feet and came, leaving the Going Merry behind her. The tank-top she wore exposed a strange old tattoo on her left shoulder. She was clutching tightly onto a thin and long cylinder. 

"I have it," she addressed Arlong. "I have the map." 

The map. 

"I got it for you, just like I said I would."

The witch blinked away the confusion that almost made her hazy and stepped in front of Nami, stopping her from moving forward. 

"Nami," the witch knitted her eyebrows together. "What's going on?" 

Nami's eyes held no clear emotion besides a flicker of anger. 

"Exactly what you knew all along."

It was one of those times when the witch wished her tarot was wrong. 

She shook her head, one of her hands gripping at Nami's wrist. 

"Nami," the witch squeezed her friend's hand tighter, scared it would slip from between her fingers. 

"Let go."

Nami snatched her arm out of the witch's hold and her jaw ticked. She wasn't only annoyed, there had to be more in her eyes. 

"You cannot possibly tell me you want to do this," the witch insisted, stepping even closer, until she was one breath away from the navigator. 

Their intense gazes clashed together and none of them let the walls fall. 

"But here I am, ain't I?" Nami cocked an eyebrow. 

When the orange-haired passed by, her shoulder collided harshly with the witch's who was still stuck in place. 

No fucking way. 

The witch needed time to think, she had to search for some clarification with her tarot cards. She needed more time to read the energy, to figure out the situation, to understand what, where, why and when. Nothing made sense and time passed by so fast she couldn't even process it all. 

Luffy was so disoriented he didn't even pour enough force in his hands to get rid of Arlong's grip on the collar of his shirt. 

"Nami?" he firmly spoke. "What are you doing?"

"I tried to tell you, Luffy," Nami continued walking towards him. "I was never on Your crew. I only joined up with you so I could steal the map." 

"I don't believe that," Luffy denied. 

"That's because you only believe what you want to believe. Doesn't make it true."

Nami, for fuck's sake, we both know you're lying—

The witch opened her mouth, ready to argue, to yell from the top of her lungs, but with one glance thrown to Arlong, she stopped. Saying the wrong thing might get Nami in great danger and she might lose credibility in front of him. 

"Sister Nami's a loyal member of the Arlong Pirates," Arlong started speaking, pointing with his chin towards the one in question. "She has been for years."

The witch didn't know why she still protected Nami, but she was certainly not going to give up on her friend at that time. 

Nami shoved the map in Arlong's nose to get his attention to her — or maybe the witch has gotten to another level of delusion. 

"Why waste your time killing a Devil Fruit eater?" Nami reminded the fishman as if it wasn't a death sentence. "Let the sea do it for you."

"Nami, this is too far, cut the crap—" the witch revolted immediately. 

Before she could make any step towards Luffy, she was grabbed by the back of her neck and launched into the wall of Baratie with sheer force — it was one of Arlong's asshole crewmates. She groaned in pain and squeezed her eyes. The shoulder she fell on sent sharp spikes through the entire left side of her body. 

She cussed out, struggling to get back to her feet when Arlong let Luffy drown in the sea. The witch let out a shout of the Straw Hat's name and one of her knees betrayed her, resulting in another unceremonious fall to the ground. 

Lucky for her, an arm curled around her front to help her up, a silver ring resting on the finger of the man. 

"Luffy fell in the water, go now!" she didn't even wait to be properly raised to her feet to urge Sanji to jump. 

Her aching body and the lack of strength wouldn't help her get Luffy out of the sea. She didn't even clearly notice when the cook left her side and jumped into the sea, too caught up in the agitation inside of her. Events passed by her faster than light. All she saw was a discarded shirt. 

She wasn't sure because of what powers she managed to walk on the deck, at the edge where the other two should appear from under the water. Her head turned when she recognized Usopp from her peripherals.

"Luffy?" he asked, panic building up as his hands shook. 

The witch would have responded if not for the answer to appear right under their noses. Sanji held Luffy tightly by the collar and pushed him on the dock with Usopp's help who dragged him. 

The witch extended her hand to bring Sanji on the dock with them and since then, things turned blurry despite her open eyes. 

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•

Now the only woman in the crew, the witch sat on the floor in the room that used to be Nami's, her back leaning back against the wooden wall. With eyes devoid of life, she stared up at the ceiling while pulling her knees closer to her chest, once again trying to hide herself from everyone. From everything. 

On Nami's bed there was still an inert swordsman and he didn't even flinch when she tentatively said his name after entering the room. 

"Fucking dammit," she squeezed her eyes shut. 

Nami left. Zoro was unconscious. Luffy almost drowned if not for Sanji. Usopp was bluffing about how "everything has to be alright". 

She didn't know if he was trying to convince himself or her. 

Because everything was wrong. It felt wrong. 

The witch took in a deep breath, but only half of the oxygen she inhaled got to her lungs and brain because of her constricted throat. Tears were sitting on her waterline for the fourth time that day. 

Too much happened since the crack of dawn and it wasn't even sunset. 

Exhaustion made her look years older than she was. Her head fell forward, forehead hitting her knees before the light sneaking through the windows could fall on her face. 

Tears filled with anguish ran down her cheeks and it was the first time she allowed herself to let at least an ounce of the weight on top of her body dissipate. The droplets of pain melted down her cheeks and sank into the material of her shirt. 

The witch sneaked her arms around the back of her thighs and squeezed herself tighter in a ball, lips trembling. Her breathing was ragged not only because of the lump in her throat, but also because of the firm grip that fishman had on her neck. The skin was sensitive to the touch and it hurt to swallow. 

Every event of that day got added one on top of another. Her fight with Zoro, the fact that he was unconscious after that dwell, Nami leaving just like the witch expected to.

Betrayal. Maybe I was a fool for trusting her. 

Or am I? 

Teeth sank so deeply into her lower lip it drew blood and she tasted copper on the tip of her tongue. 

Pain. That was right. 

The only right thing happening that day was the physical pain. Palpable, real, bringing her back to earth. 

Except that time it failed, because the tears didn't stop. She squeezed her eyes shut as sharp pain traveled through her body, from her chest into her limbs, puncturing each nerve, shaking her to the core. 

Her soul screamed, caged by sorrow, an ugly animal that sank its fangs into her flesh and ripped from the inside. Blood was pouring from her heart, soaking organs and bones, melting into the skin like acid. It burnt so fastly, yet it never seemed to end. With a throbbing head, she couldn't hold the pain back anymore. 

However, no sound ever left her lips parted in a silent scream. No whimper, no sob, no cry for help. The room was filled with silence as a heartbeat drummed in her ears in an agonizing rhythm. 

I shouldn't have come on this ship in the first place. Only if I had been wise enough to leave when I got the chance. Syrup Village was a perfect option, I could've gone on another ship and continued my mindless traveling. Why did I bother myself with this? Why did I suddenly decide it was a great idea to be part of another crew when this only has brought me suffering? 

With each second, she willingly aimed the gun at herself and every word was like a bullet. 

I should've left. I would've been happier. I should've left it all behind when I realized this won't go well. Fuck the premonitions, fuck the destiny, damned be the world. 

A body stripped of clothes and skin, only burnt flesh left behind the monster's bites. Broken ribs and a shattered heart pumping a meaningless life. 

As seconds passed by one after another and her tears came to an end, the gentle swinging of the ship pulled her into a half-asleep state.

She noticed when Luffy came into the room and she was aware of his position on Zoro's bed — the cracking of the wood gave him away. As the Straw Hat talked, she only heard the swordsman's name being spoken, some words here and there, but most of his monologue was muffled. 

He probably thought she was asleep because of her slow and steady breathing. 

Exhaustion was clawing at her muscles and brain, but something kept her aware of the surroundings for a few more minutes. 

Everything turned pitch black in her perspective. A husky and deep voice made her believe she was dreaming, the tips of her mouth curling shily upwards. 

Only if it would've been reality. 

"Zoro!" 

Her entire body flinched and she raised her head, wide eyed. If she didn't know any better, she would've said her soul jumped out of her. 

"Luffy?" she whispered, confused on why he yelled the swordsman's name—

"You're not dead!" Luffy shouted again, loud enough for everyone in Baratie to hear. 

He's alive? the witch thought to herself. I really heard his voice. 

Luffy crawled on top of Zoro and squeezed the life out of him. Literally. 

"Now I wish I was," she heard Zoro mumble between grunts. 

He was alive. 

The witch's lungs filled with fresh air for the first time that day. Relief washed over her and her body relaxed, shoulders deflating as some of the weight sitting on them fell into the sea below. 

While leaning her body against the wall, she managed to get up just to get a better view of the swordsman who was squinting his eyes at the ceiling. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, head falling forward. 

At least one thing went right, didn't it? 

After Luffy got up from above Zoro, the swordsman managed to take some deep gulps of air, chest raising up and falling rhythmically. 

"I had the strangest dream that Nami left," he said with a frown on his face as he closed his eyes. 

"She did," the witch responded faintly. 

There wasn't enough courage in her to look at him as she said that, instead choosing to glance at the window. 

Zoro looked again at the ceiling and realized her voice was too faint for all of that to be a mere joke, a prank thrown at him for staying unconscious for… for how long? 

"It's my fault," Luffy said with his chin lowered.

From the corner of his eye, Zoro saw the witch place a hand on their captain's shoulder. 

"We'll find a way."

There was a promise etched onto her fragile smile. As if a simple brush of air or one wrong world could make her crumble. 

But she didn't. Instead, she threw a knowing look to Zoro and silently told him to talk with Luffy. She knew the Straw Hat needed his first mate's support at that moment. 

What confused Zoro the most was watching the witch get out of the room without too much of a word. Her hair bounced as she stepped further away from him and their friends. Even as his ribs and body hurt at every inhale, he wanted to understand the real reason for her leaving. 

Last time they talked, she expressed worry. What happened in the meantime? What the fuck went wrong? 

There was a fat chance she was still mad at him for whatever reason. Sure, she was calm, collected, but he could swear he's seen fire burning in her eyes more than just once and a grin splayed on her face at the thrill and adrenaline of a fight. She snapped at him when they fought and he had to admit it would've been sadder if she treated him with silence. 

However, he didn't know if that was silence or something more. 

Weird, he concluded. 

His attention went back to Luffy. The swordsman couldn't manage watching the ever happy-go-lucky captain speak like a ghost. 

"You didn't do anything wrong." He seriously hoped he could find the right words to bring Luffy back to reality. 

There's no way that crew would fall apart without a proper fight. What has been was just the beginning. 

"You acted like a captain."

"But the crew is falling apart," Luffy pulled his lips in a tight line. 

"No, it's not," the green-haired firmly affirmed. 

Maybe a lot more than Zoro thought has happened, but that was definitely not the end. 

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•

Before the sun could set and hide in the sea, they gathered some supplies for their new journey. They found out from the clown head — who they found out told Arlong where to find the Straw Hats — that Nami was most probably heading to Conomi Islands, specifically Cocoyashi Village. Sanji joined their crew, which made Luffy jump in excitement for the second time that day. 

Luffy's folded arms were resting over the railing of Going Merry while he stared down at the water splashing against the ship. 

"Does it always take so long?" Luffy spoke so softly. 

Sanji chuckled with the fishing rod in his hand as he waited for a fish to catch the bait. 

"We've only been here for two minutes, be patient," the cook reminded him. "Some days, they bite as soon as you drop the line and some days, it takes hours."

Then, he threw a knowing glance towards Luffy with an arch of his eyebrow. 

"But we're not talking about fishing, are we?" 

"I highly doubt it," the witch mumbled as she curled her fingers around her tarot deck. 

She didn't dare to shuffle through the cards again, a side of her afraid of what was waiting for them. It felt uneasy everytime she got the impulse of taking the cards out and finding out which one of them holds the truth. 

The witch was leaning with her back against the railing, not so far away from the Straw Hat, pressing her fingertips into the old box made of cardboard that fit perfectly in her hands. 

Luffy smiled towards Sanji before he stared into the horizon with hope. 

"I just want to know if Nami's okay."

"A beautiful, talented woman does not choose to ally herself with a pirate like Arlong," Sanji said firmly, convinced of his beliefs. "Nami clearly needs to be rescued." 

The witch breathed in deeply and widened her eyes, trying to find the right words to tell them what she knew. A pair of heavy steps caught her attention and she immediately recognized the chiming filling the air. 

Zoro. His hand was resting on his Wado Ichimoji — his only sword now. 

"Her tattoo says different," he said. 

The way he looked at the witch was bringing back to life some shattered pieces of her soul. He might look serene when sleeping, but he was better that way — wide awake and an asshole. 

Also, he noticed something she couldn't pinpoint. There must've been a scar on her face, most probably. At first, he only stared at her face, just to lower his gaze. Oh. She didn't sleep for two days and got in a fight with a fishman, which left some nasty bruises on her bare neck. 

"Well," Sanji argued, "tattoos don't tell the whole story. And like any woman, she's a mystery to be unraveled."

"Am I supposed to feel flattered?" the witch arched her eyebrow at the cook after she turned her head towards him. 

Right at that moment, Zoro stepped between her and Luffy, restricting her view. All she could see was his chest, bandaged and with a red patch in the center. 

"You should change your bandages," she looked up at him. 

However, the witch was hesitant when she did so. As if the man in front of her could vanish in thin air. 

Zoro turned to Sanji and decided to completely ignore her comment. 

"Nami made her choice." 

The cook immediately frowned, creases appearing on his forehead. His scowl was deeper than Zoro's.

"You don't know why," Sanji retorted. 

As if getting snapped by Usopp, Zoro scoffed: 

"The only thing I want to hear from you are dinner specials. You don't know Nami."

"Sounds like you don't know her either, Mosshead," Sanji spat with a taunting smile on his lips. 

"Oh God, stop, you two," the witch sighed heavily, annoyed. 

Just to get the swordsman's attention to her, she poked his back with the tip of her finger, digging deep enough to receive a light flinch. It seemed like she took him by surprise. She bent her back more as she continued resting her elbows on the railing to glance at Luffy over Zoro's shoulder. 

"I'm sure Nami has her reasons," their captain nodded. 

"I know Nami's reason."

All of their heads turned to the witch. 

Usopp was just walking up the stairs of the forecastle when his eyes sparkled curiously.

"What are you guys talking about?" 

"Nami," Zoro said quickly. "Why didn't you say anything until now?" that time, his sharp words were directed to the witch. 

The witch shot him a glare, displeased by his reaction. However, she would've acted the same if someone was to hide something so important. 

"It would've felt unfair to tell you before talking with her," the witch clarified. 

"You talked with her about it?" Usopp suddenly intervened, surprised by the news. 

The witch gripped at the tarot deck in between her hands tighter and clicked her tongue, trying to find the best words to explain. 

"I did. Somehow," uncertainty latched onto her voice. 

None of them rushed her anymore so she took her time. 

"Listen, this isn't as easy as it seems to be. Yes, Sanji, she didn't willingly get into Arlong's crew."

A snarky remark sat on the cook's tongue and he wanted to throw it Zoro's way. 

"But," the witch continued in order to stop an eventual argument, "she's fully aware of her actions. She was forced by the circumstances to do what she's doing, but it doesn't mean she likes acting like Arlong's crewmate. Nami certainly hates him from the bottom of her heart. He did something. Something that forced her to act like she's a friend just to protect something or someone. Or both. She's not only protecting herself, she's protecting what's most dear to her heart."

It wasn't the witch that spoke, but the gut feeling she had. Her thoughts didn't seem so clear in months, since her last successful tarot reading. Now, as the significance of each card sank into her brain, she knew what everything meant. 

It wasn't her that spoke, but her intuition. 

"She's keeping us away because she's scared we'd get hurt, not only because we would get in her way. Nami cares about us and that's exactly why she's pushing us away."

"Who does that?" Zoro wondered out loud. 

Maybe he should've kept that to himself. 

"You do that," the witch's head snapped towards him. "I do it. And Nami does. She said she tricked us — which was true. At the same time, she's tricking Arlong. He isn't her crewmate, he's an asshole that stole something from her—"

The witch got so carried away she didn't even realize what she just said. She suddenly furrowed her eyebrows into the void and received confused looks from her friends. 

"He stole something. Her freedom."

Those words were said as she actively figured the details out, staring into the void. 

"Witch?" Usopp nudged her. 

"Yes?" she turned towards him. 

"Did she tell you all these things?"

There was a light chuckle that left her lips at that question. 

"The cards did. Her reactions just gave her away and answered my doubts." 

The witch knew what games she was playing. She's been doing these things for years and not only — she trusted her gut feeling above everything else. 

She received an especially confused look from the cook, who had no clue why she was called a witch. He probably supposed it was because she was beautiful or maybe secretive. 

He should've taken that nickname literally. 

"What do we do then?" Zoro turned his head towards their captain. 

Luffy listened intently to everything the witch had to say and he made up his mind since long ago:

"I want to hear her decision for myself."

"That's for the best," the witch nodded. 

There was more she would've liked to say, but speaking from the gut was both easier than usual and harder when tired. Considering the last time she got some proper sleep was before they got attacked by the Marines, she could say it's been long enough for her mind to get clouded. 

Stuck in her thoughts as she was, the grip on her tarot deck loosened up and the object fell from her hold on the wooden floor. The witch's exhausted brain registered that too many seconds later. 

A deep frown appeared between her eyebrows, blinking in an attempt to clear her vision while she bent down to take the deck in her hand. 

Obviously, she failed. 

When her back was straight again, her vision went pitch black and a heavy throbbing settled in her temples. The ship swayed worse than a second ago. She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed. 

The witch has been in that situation before. She stood still, because attempting to walk would've ended in a passionate kiss with the floor. 

When the sensations dissipated little by little, tiredness was everything left behind. 

"I'm gonna get some rest," she mumbled, the words a little slurred. 

With her eyes now opened wide enough to see where she's heading, she walked towards the stairs and cussed them out one by one. 

Falling like an idiot wasn't on her to-do list for that day. 

By some miracle, she managed to walk all the way into the galley. The room she shared with Nami was hers, but it was too far away. Her feet barely carried her to the dark red sofa she let her body fall on like a sack. 

She didn't care about the clothes she hasn't changed from, too caught up with everything that has happened. There was enough time for a shower later, when exhaustion wasn't seeping into her bones. The only thing she had the decency to do was to take her boots off. 

She stretched her legs and put an arm under her head, resting on her side to face the room. Not the most comfortable place to sleep in, but after all of that tumult, nothing mattered anymore. 

The sweet sound of jingling disturbed her again. 

Oh, god dammit. 

She was one breath away from cussing Zoro's ass and his earrings — despite being in ecstasy that he woke up. The witch, as if expecting his next move, bent her knees to make space for him. The swordsman plopped himself down with a grunt at the other side of the sofa and her bare feet touched his thigh. 

She didn't dare mutter a word about his presence. Zoro could stay. Gosh, as she was thinkingln about it, she could only believe it was a blessing he wasn't only awake, but also throwing remarks her way. 

It was so much better than telling stories of her past to an unconscious Mosshead. 

Right. 

The edges of her mouth curled in a smile. 

"What?" 

"Mosshead," she chuckled, eyes still closed. 

Zoro let out a scoff and she could imagine him rolling his eyes to the ceiling. 

"Didn't you say you were going to rest?"

His voice was unusually low and even soft, pulling her towards the dreamland. 

"I'd say this place is perfect," she mumbled.

The witch didn't bother to explain she was tired out of her mind or that her feet would most likely betray her if she dared to get up. 

The silence was filled with their breathing and the sounds of the water splashing against their ship, the cracks of the wood. She remembered the times when she traveled with her father's crew and she would many times fall asleep curled next to a barrel while the vice-captain was still singing sea shanties in the middle of the night. 

"Zoro," the witch whispered. 

She was too weary to care about what left her mouth. It acted like alcohol — it clouded her mind and she felt shameless. 

"What if I wouldn't have stepped on this ship?" 

That question plagued her mind and she finally said it out loud. 

"So the last ship was more to your taste?" he snickered. "It almost sank in the sea." 

"You're such an ass," and while that phrase might've sounded harsh in the past, at that moment it was filled with fondness. 

"Been told that before." 

I really missed that voice. 

"For someone with a big ass bruise on your neck, you sound more like a coward than I thought."

Maybe she deserved that serious tone thrown her way. Was he right? Only halfway through. 

"No," she was stubborn enough to fight the sleep for a few more minutes. "What if I would've been happier? Y'know, less worries, no people to haunt my ass. No anxiety."

No crying over you for being almost dead. 

The continuation sat on the tip of her tongue and got swallowed back with a gulp. Was there really a need for an admission? Puffy eyelids and dark circles under her eyes, chapped lips and bandages around her forearm soaked in blood. Those details were enough proof. 

"Do you hate us that much?" his low voice sent shivers down her spine. 

"It's not about that. Just…" she gulped and curled her fingers around the tarot deck she was still holding onto. "I want some peace."

"I say you should get some sleep." 

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•

Standing on the deck felt right, even if the witch doesn't remember why she was there. She can't point out the weather clearly, it feels blurry. Seconds ago she was in the kitchen talking with Sanji about some unusual topic she couldn't remember. 

Then why was she suddenly on the deck, face to face with a kneeling Zoro who had two swords piercing through his upper body from behind? She didn't only know it was him, she felt like it was him, as if the pieces connecting in her head were just right. However, it horrified her. Everything around him was blurry except for him. 

Him, whose essence of life was pouring down his body, creating a puddle under him, sinking into the cracks of the wooden floor. The crimson liquid melted into his white t-shirt. Now that she was looking better at it, she noticed the sharp point of a sword penetrating all the way through his stomach to the front side of his body. 

He was looking up at her, despite the way his chin was tilted down. Those sharp brown eyes were boring holes through her. His beautiful irises painted with the warm nuances of chocolate and coffee were scary, like no other time. 

Was Luffy next to her? It feels like it was him, even if she can only distinguish a silhouette in the corner of her right eye. 

Why was Zoro looking at her like that? She couldn't move, as if her feet were stuck in place. She didn't know if she was breathing or if she was alive anymore. She didn't know why she was on the deck, why those swords took his life away. It barely made any sense that he had enough energy to stare at her. 

He didn't falter once. He didn't beg for help, her name didn't come out of his mouth, no groans, no nothing. 

She couldn't move. As she stood in the same place, her anxiety was rising up, up, up, until she felt like panicking despite the lack of reaction. She felt like exploding, but she couldn't express those horrific feelings. 

She couldn't help him. Her arms were stuck by the sides of her body, as if someone had put a spell on her. She had the will to move her legs, to get closer to him, she wanted to, but she remained glued in that spot. She couldn't feel her body. 

She had to do something, but she was trapped inside an unmoving object that was her own body. Why? 

Everything snapped. 

The smallest hope towards an escape woke her up. Her eyes opened instantly and she raised up in a sitting position, eyes frantically searching for more clues, for answers about the horrifying images she just saw before her eyelids. 

Her heart was beating so fast it made her wish she didn't have it at all, a deafening ba-dump repeating in her eardrums over and over again. 

Unfortunately, she was face to face with the swordsman she dreamt of. Instantly, as if she was shot, she looked at his upper abdomen. For no more than two seconds, she saw a big black patch on his bandages. 

She inhaled deeply and her heart was beating faster, suddenly unable to release that breath of air. Her eyes widened and her hands shook, chest tight. 

"Hey," she heard more of a background sound. 

She blinked countless times, until her tired brain figured out that it was just her imagination. It was so dark in the room and her nightmare was a shock, the reason why at some point the patch started blurring out, inviting her to blink until it turned to be one small spot. It has been there since he woke up from his slumber. 

When the realization sank in, she let go of that breath and let out a pitiful whimper. Deep inside, it felt like relief, her eyes now squeezed shut. 

This time, he clearly called her name after his fingers securely gripped at her shaking shoulders, avoiding her wound. Her hands were trembling, her entire being disturbed. 

Zoro said her name, not the nickname she got so used to hearing on that ship. Not the usual Witch, a word that sounded so endearing coming from her crewmates; no, it was her name and it was spoken so softly she could've confused him for someone else. 

She had a poor attempt at recalling those images in order to figure out the reality, but it backfired. The bloody scene stuck before her closed eyes pushed her to open them up again. 

Thankfully, his dark gaze was warm, filled with unspoken worry. For a brief moment she wondered how he woke up, since he slept like the dead sometimes. 

"I'm surprised I managed to wake you up," her voice trembled. 

He didn't joke back at her. Instead, his thumbs started rubbing slow circles into her shoulders in order to bring her back to earth. Or, better said, back to the ship that was peacefully sailing on the sea during the night. 

"I think you should correct your breathing," he pointed out. 

Once she changed from autopilot breathing, it felt like her throat was tight. 

"Breathe in."

Blindly, she trusted his instructions. That mere breath shook her again, feeling shivers when she allowed the oxygen to sink into her lungs, the same way his voice sank into her being, in the cracks of her soul. 

It took a few minutes until that normal bodily process didn't seem like an impossible task. Her muscles were tense until Zoro squeezed her shoulders again. 

She could distinguish more of his face than just the warmth she noticed not long ago. His expression seemed pained with worry and not from a wound that could kill him, even if there still were bandages wrapped around his torso. Maybe it was also fear that made him look so different from usual; or was it confusion? 

"I'm sorry for destroying your sleep."

It was half a lie. She wasn't sorry about the touch keeping her afloat, about how she managed to breathe again only because of his presence, because he was clearly awake and alive. At the same time, she knew he needed to rest so his wound could heal properly. 

"Be serious," he huffed in a lower voice, clearly displeased. 

"I am. You should sleep."

"Just like you should, but I doubt you will."

"I'd argue about that."

She was still tired, even if her shock from earlier struck her like thunder. Her eyes could close at any moment, which she feared, because another nightmare didn't sound good even for how stress resistant she became. 

Since he heard her soft whimper when she was still sleeping, he had no clue what to do, how to act. One thing was clear: it was better to wake her up, despite the possibility she might get defensive and attack. 

Alright, now what the heck do I do? He's had nightmares before, he's seen horrendous things during his sleep countless times, but he didn't have any idea about what to do for her. Was he even supposed to do something? She didn't like being pampered — maybe he should act like nothing happened. However, the fear coloring her face earlier shocked him as well. The witch has always been collected, she had such a firm grip on her reactions it was annoying sometimes. 

The swordsman shook his head, but didn't let go of her. Instead, he leaned against the cushions on his side, while his hands fell down to her forearms to get a comfortable position of his limbs and upper body. The wound on his chest sent daggers through him at each movement. Barely a day of consciously dealing with it and he's already got annoyed. 

The witch looked down at where their bodies were connected. His long calloused fingers were securely wrapped around her arms, close to her wrists. When did her legs end up in his lap she didn't know. Her bare knee tingled with warmth — why? 

"You had a weird reaction after you woke up," his whisper stirred something in her heart. 

"What do you mean? I had plenty of reactions."

Are you playing the idiot with me? Zoro thought. 

"You were more scared of seeing me than of the nightmare."

"Oh."

Why did the Mosshead have to be so observant? It was one of the reasons why she was attracted to him, evidently, but sometimes he exposed her too easily. 

She dropped her chin and looked down at her own hands. Admitting that she feared his role as the main character of a tragedy for the second time felt embarrassing for some unknown reason. She's been in enough humiliating situations and he never ridiculed her. 

Zoro was utterly stuck. Was he supposed to move away? His body felt too heavy to get off the sofa and go to his room. It wouldn't be alright leaving her alone with her crippling anxiety either, considering she was prone to overthinking. 

He wanted to do something, but what? 

He let out a long sigh and rested his head against the cushions, his fingers still curled around her wrists. Her pulse was fast, but as seconds passed by, it slowed down under the weight of his thumbs. 

The witch became hyper aware of the situation, but it felt too good to move away. Her tired brain entirely registered his presence and her eyes closed. She breathed in the chill air of the night and, while focusing so intently on Zoro's presence, she fell into a deeper state of mind, half asleep. 

He was disturbed from his own journey into the dream realm when he felt a light weight on his shoulder. Once his eyes opened, he saw the cause: she leaned in closer to him, clearly unaware. 

He smelled like the sea and the familiar scent of soap clung to the unbuttoned blue t-shirt he wore. With her forehead resting against his neck, the witch could vaguely point out his pulse. The safety of his embrace lulled her into a dreamless sleep while she focused on his slow breathing and the secure grip he had on her.

Zoro filled her senses so fiercely it was impossible not to melt into him, inhaling and exhaling in sync with him. 

The swordsman had different sentiments about this and they were all confusing. 

What am I doing? he scolded himself.

He moved his head and angled his face so he could look at the right side of her sleeping face. With long eyelashes resting over her soft cheeks, she looked like she didn't have a worry in the world, even if he knew better. Her shoulders would rise and fall rhythmically in such a slow pace, making him wonder what exactly exhausted her so much. 

Then, his gaze fell on the purple marks on her neck and his jaw clenched. If he would've been awake when Arlong appeared at Baratie, maybe none of them would be like that. Maybe he would've had enough stubbornness to get answers from Nami and maybe Luffy wouldn't have been so close to drowning. Maybe those marks on her neck wouldn't have been there in the first place. 

What the fuck am I doing? 

Giving up, he rested his head back against the cushions with a scowl. He didn't understand himself and it was even harder to understand the woman sleeping so peacefully, too close to him. 

Zoro let out a low displeased sound and closed his eyes, deciding to rest for a while. He didn't dare move away or wake her up either. 

First and foremost he was displeased about the fact that he liked the proximity. 

I wonder what that fishman's face looks like. It'll surely be a pleasure to slice him in half.  

Tag list: @emelia07 @dimplewonie @tfamidoingwithmylife @murnsondock @the-skys-musical-echo @conspiracy-crows @hallow33nz @ramae17 @gaslysainz @bunntsu @katt58 @katiemrty @hopefulrascalstatesmantoad @freyademartel @boofy1998 @ponyboys-sunsets @melsunshine @loveyluv7 @waddlingwanderer @jesssssmaybankk @nadlx33333 @yoong1c0re @untoldshortsofthefandoms @mizzy-pop @zoromyluv

[morty-witch]

Vox x F!PopStar!Reader

A/N: Hello! This is my first ever fanfiction on tumblr and first ever fanfiction i wrote fully in english and i went kinda crazy with this prologue and went WAYYY over the signs limit. I will publish it in few parts and i'll link other parts to this one. Ily guys and i hope you enjoy it <3 This story will have few chapters, because i got a lot of ideas for it WARNINGS: Language, cursing, swearing, Valentino being Valentino, emotionally abusive boyfriend, mentions of cult, mentions of d3ath Y/N: YOUR NAME S/N: STAGE NAME

PROLOGUE 1 PROLOGUE PART 2 PROLOGUE PART 3

stop, you're losing me

PAST

Y/N and Vox got to know each other during their first days in hell. She was innocent, lovely doll in his eyes, even though she was in hell for a reason. She was practicing witchcraft, occultism, whatever you’d call it. That’s also how she died - she got killed by fanatics of different beliefs. Vox on the other hand was her prince charming. She adored every single thing about him and was fully commited to their relationship or whatever it was. He enjoyed how she played piano or guitar in their apartment while he was working, she was happily breaking the silence with her self-written songs practicing them to then sing it in some shabby restaurants. And everything was going well, Y/N thought she got someone to spend her hellish torment with, until everything went downhill and “forever” she wished for fell apart. ”Doll, i adore you, i really do, but what the fuck are you even thinking?” Vox asked, while looking at her notebook full of songs. “I know you like music and i never had anything against you having a little creative freedom and fun, but pursuing it as a career? Really?” he asked, visibly tired of this. For a second he thought he should never even allow her sing her little songs in those bars for little money, but that was making her happy and everytime she was coming home, he enjoyed seeing how energized and recharged she was. Little did he knew, that music was strongest medium of her power. ”I know what are you thinking, but music really will be worth the wait. I just need more…” she started, but then he just laughed annoyed. ”More what? Money? Time? What do you need this time?” asked, leaning his back on the countertop. Girl opened her lips to answer. They had this conversation way too many times, but every single time Y/N was enough of a good girl, she just apologized and they just came back to their everyday routine, but that time she was prepared to fight him, if she had too. ”Time. I need… More time. I got plan! I-I” She stuttered. YN got anxious just by seeing her lover in this state. As she was about to start explaining everything to her, as she took a deep breath, he snapped. “For fucks sake, Y/N, we are in fucking hell, nobody really cares about your cute little songs. Focus on making contracts and gaining power, not… this” his hands were moving violently and then he just took her notebook and burned it with one spark of electricity. That was it. She had enough. She looked at him with teary eyes and then just walked out, leaving her phone in their apartment, so he wouldn’t know where to find her. He called and cursed her name, said she was overreacting, but she was in amok, she heard nothing excepr for blood running through her vains and her heart pounding heavily like it was about to jump out of her chest. That was last time they spoke.

PRESENT

“Get ready you fuckers we have to be on the stadium in like 30 minutes” Velvette yelled, waiting for other Vee’s to get out of their rooms ready. She got them concert tickets for one of the biggest tours all around the Hell. This artist has been trending for years already and this is her first tour after longer break and it was all around social media. It was indeed a big event, so Velvette had to be there, as she is hells biggest trendsetter and influencer if she wouldn’t be there, what kind of influencer would she be? ”You can as well go without us if you are in such a hurry” Said Vox, walking out of his bedroom wearing white turtleneck and a blazer. Velvette rolled her eyes up annoyed with him and focused on her phone once again. “Please, tell me again why you want me and Val out of all people to go with you?” sighed “isn’t your bodyguard enough of a big strong man to make you feel safe? Not to mention you would do just fine on your own” he said, then looked at Valentino walking out of his room. ”I did not want to go alone, there will be a lot a lot of sinners, good way to earn contacts and meet someone useful. And Val wanted to do some scouting, because apparently he needs some fresh meat or whatever” she said, then decided to add “Also i thought about offering her a collaboration, because we need to grow in different directions and to be honest she has most influence in the entertainment field” Velvette explained and when Vox tried to speak, she hushed him “Yes, even more influence than you. She is everywhere”. ”Weird i never heard of her” he said with his typical annoying smirk, but Velvette just brushed it off. ”You are just not a man of culture, Voxxy, she has been in the industry for years” Valentino took a puff of gis cig. ”and i can barely hear you listening anything except for old Alastor broadcasts” Velvette joked and moth chuckled this comment, while Vox got angry and started explaining to them that he is just getting to know his enemy. So basically he’s only way to justify it was saying he’s preparing himself to next diss battle.

They all got to the place in silence. Well… Kind of. Valentino bitching about Angel Dust moving out (as always) broke the silence, but other than that, nobody else spoke anything except “mhm”, “really?”, “woah” without even paying attention to whatever moth said. Velvette had a backstage pass, she got it from manager of the tonights star. ”Vees! You are just in time, guys. (S/N) is about to enter stage in few minutes” welcomed them the mentioned manager. Eddie was a powerful hellborn - no matter how ridiculously it sounds, she indeed had a lot of contacts and connections in all of the hell. She may not be strong, but her greatest power is who she knows and one word from her was enough to make a specific demon or even an overlord vanish. “Velvette, darling, you are looking absolutely stunning, (Y/N) would absolutely love working with you” woman said, walking through the backstage with Vees. Vox felt a knot in his stomach when he heard this name. He have not heard it in years. He tried to look for her first years, but he couldn’t find her anywhere, especially without the phone, so he gave up looking for her. ”(Y-Y/N)? Who is this?” He asked, trying to clear his mind. Maybe its not my (Y/N) he thought. ”It’s her concert, you dumbass. But she uses (S/N) because it’s more catchy and looks better on album covers. More aesthetic or some shit” Velvette explained, turning back to Eddie and talking about business, while Valentino was looking around, eyeing some young, pretty hellborns and sinners working there. ”What are those pretty things~” he purred and smiled mischiviously. Vox rolled his eyes, but stayed quiet. It probably is someone else, it’s not like she was the only person in hell with this name, right? he asked himself in thoughts

“Alright, my dear, here you go, wear those bracelet, it will keep your energy and power safe and you may take your sits” Eddie handed them all a silver bracelet. Vox just looked at the thing in confusion. Keeping energy safe? Why in the sweet Satan ass would he need to do that? He wore it anyway, but still… Was a little confused. Velvette thanked Eddie and they just exchanged quick “see ya” and overlords left, going straight to their sits. Velvette got the ones quite in the front, since she wanted to see everything. Y/N was known for being quite the performer and everyone in hell was saying her concerts are the experience of a lifetime. PROLOGUE PART 2

PROLOGUE PART 3

[thelostgirl21]

When you read some of the things you'd written before watching Season 3, and they suddenly take on a new meaning...

His "weapon" isn't a sword, magic, or even his lute. After all, "Whoreson Prison Blues" sounded fantastic accompanied by spoons!

Yes. Spoons always make Jaskier sound fantastic. Jaskier really knows how to work with spoons, and work those spoons!

All Jaskier truly needs, to sound great and inspired, really, is a spoon!

Give Jaskier a spoon, and they'll be making sweet music together... Both literally and figuratively...

He doesn't need a weapon, he's one of the single most influential character of the series, in a sense, just by virtue of existing and doing "what he does best" - being an impulsively chaotic bard either seducing or pissing people off; and just touching things he probably shouldn't touch, and putting random stuff in his mouth.

Radovid, Comma Prince of Redania: *Spends his whole life doing everything he can to stay under the radar, be kept out of Redanian politics, and appear really dumb, incompetent, and drunk (note: although he was only pretending to be drunk with Jaskier in that scene, I think Hugh Skinner mentioned that Radovid does drink quite a lot to cope with everything that's going on, though, sort of as a way to "self-medicate") so people will let him be.*

Jaskier: *Shows up.*

Radovid: *Intensely crushes on him. Forgets he's supposed to play dumb, and instead offers actually good and sensible arguments as to why Jaskier Cirilla should come live with them in Redania.*

Jaskier: *Shows willingness to listen to Radovid, and offers to do what he can to convince Geralt and Ciri to accept the offer, should they find a way to get rid of Rience.*

Philippa: *Is impressed, and compliments Radovid on it.*

Radovid: *Immediately attempts to go back to playing dumb, hiding, and hopefully being of no interest to her or anyone else at court.*

Jaskier: *Shows up again, flirts with Radovid, lets him know that he's not fooled by his dumb drunken playboy prince act, utterly seduces him with a song (and as many "come hither looks" as one can humanly make fit in a single encounter) and humbly asks for his help.*

Radovid: *Falls even deeper in love with him, drops his act with Jaskier and agrees to help him. Suddenly gets deeply involved in Redanian politics. Argues with the spymasters that, maybe, they should start using carrots with people instead of sticks. Puts Philippa on Rience's trail, while letting Dijkstra know about his brother's secret meetings with Nilfgaard (probably counting on him to change Vizimir's mind regarding his plans of handing Ciri over to the Emperor), regularly starts showing disdain for Dijkstra's methods and gets himself on the spymaster's "shitlist"...*

Of course, one thing leads to another, and next thing you know:

Queen Hedwig is dead,

King Vizimir is dead, and now he's

Radovid, Comma King of Redania.

Right at the start of the second war between the Northern Kingdoms and the Nilfgaardian Empire, no less...

With his sister-in-law and brother's murderer(s) still likely running around the castle somewhere, and working for the people that just put that crown on his head...

And the love of his life still out there, risking his own life, hopefully having managed to reunite with Geralt, and now facing who knows how many dangers to attempt to go rescue Ciri...

So much for staying under the radar and avoiding to get politically involved!

Jaskier: *Seduces the Prince of Redania and uses his lips for extraordinary things...

...accidentally triggers a series of events that changes Redania's line of succession, and totally upends the power structure and dynamic of the strongest kingdom of the Continent!*

By this point, I would almost expect Geralt's response to learning that Vizimir has been assassinated, and that Prince Radovid has ascended to the throne, to be:

"Alright Jaskier, what did you do?"

Obviously, I knew that Prince Radovid was rumored to be Jaskier's new love interest in Season 3 back then... But I had absolutely no idea what Radovid's character would be like in terms of personality, motivations, etc.

Turns out that they found Jaskier a love interest that is basically as directionless and lonely in life as Geralt used to be in Season 1. Someone that doesn't want to get involved in politics or any of those games people in position of power like to play, and is basically just going through the motions of his life...

Until Jaskier shows up and, suddenly, he finds himself right at the heart of those politics, forced to make decisions and choices that will shape the future of the whole freaking Continent!

The main difference is that Geralt sort of continuously fought against Destiny, tried to ignore it, deny it, and push it away. And then, he blamed Jaskier for everything that went wrong and attempted to cut himself from him!

Whereas Radovid just immediately found himself irresistibly drawn to it and embraced whatever changes Jaskier brought into his life, while starting to make choices and take risks out of love without ever blaming him for it, or making it sound like he remotely held Jaskier responsible whenever things misfired or went wrong.

And even when things do go horribly wrong, all Radovid can think of, apparently, while looking at his dead brother is "going to see Jaskier."

But then, Geralt is much older than Radovid is and, from what I understand, has had his dreams and hopes crushed quite a few times whenever he's let his guard down and dared get attached to people in the past.

When you keep suffering loss after loss after loss... at some point, you probably figure that the best way to avoid loss is no longer feeling like you have anything valuable to lose. If you need no one, then you won't risk losing anyone.

Whereas Radovid's never had anyone from his own world he was able to genuinely emotionally connect with. And suddenly, he finds someone that sees him and is making an effort to attempt to understand him - something and someone he's discovered that he needs and doesn't want to lose.

But yeah, it's really fascinating, on the show, to see the way that our beloved bard just keeps... basically causing stuff to happen!

For better or for worse, Jaskier is making people that seemingly don't want to get involved be involved, and making them discover whatever their purpose appears to be in the grand scheme of things!

Yennefer:

The "Destiny" that brought them together:

And now that Lauren Hissrich has clearly stated that Ciri wasn't the descendant of Éile and Fjall that the prophecy was referring to in "The Witcher: Blood Origin", one has to wonder if it could be Jaskier.

Okay, first I just want to address people saying that it's sort of a "retcon" on what she'd said in the past and that she'd "all but confirmed it was Ciri already", because I actually found that interview and listened to it, and that's not quite what I took from it.

I mean yes, I can see how it could have been interpreted the way it was, but what she actually said is:

"Éile's pregnant, at the end. And we know that that's part of Ithlinne's Prophecy; that there is a seed in her that will eventually lead to someone who's important in the Witcher's world.

So, as someone who, for instance, on "The Witcher" 's side, follows Ciri and the origin of her genes and her blood... It's like, I kinda wanna know where that character's gonna go.

I wanna know if these two things are going to, you know, crash into each other at some point."

So, the way I personally understand it is that:

"Blood Origin" introduced the idea that there currently is someone, in the Witcher's world, that is connected to the Ithlinne's Prophecy by blood (by virtue of being the descendant of Fjall and the Lark), and that they will sing the last note of a song that ends all time.

The prophecy about them goes:

"The time of the spheres is upon us. Aen Seidhe [the elves of the Continent] lost across the skies. Cast adrift in time. Ever searching for love, lost and left behind. The Lark’s seed shall carry forth the first note of a song that ends all times. And one of her blood shall sing the last."

And that, on the show "The Witcher", Ciri's also a character whose genes and blood is given a lot of attention and importance to. So, as a member of the audience, she'd be curious to know if these two different characters are going to crash into each other at some point, and those two parts of the Prophecy are going to connect.

The rest of the Ithlinne's Prophecy from the books, that's connected to Ciri, is:

"Verily I say unto you, the era of the sword and axe is nigh, the era of the wolf's blizzard. The Time of the White Chill and the White Light is nigh, the Time of Madness and the Time of Contempt: Tedd Deireádh, the Time of End. The world will die amidst frost and be reborn with the new sun. It will be reborn of Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of the seed that has been sown. A seed which will not sprout but burst into flame. Ess'tuath esse! Thus it shall be! Watch for the signs! What signs these shall be, I say unto you: first the earth will flow with the blood of Aen Seidhe, the Blood of Elves... May Ye All Wail, for the Destroyer of Nations is upon us. Your lands shall they trample and divide with rope. Your cities razed shall be, their dwellers expelled. The bat, owl and raven your homes shall infest, and the serpent will therein make its nest..."

She also said, in a Tudum Interview: "One of the things that we love about Sapkowski’s books is his attention to genes, to bloodlines, and to how families grow and develop."

And in Season 3, Jaskier keeps referring to Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer as "his family".

They may not be related by blood, but they are still "family" to him, in the truest sense (like, I think, the Seven established a family-like bond).

And Jaskier is the one that brought them all together. "The Lark’s most precious note shall be the key to all things", and Jaskier does feel like he's the key to all things, at times.

He's just randomly traveling the Continent, unlocking people's destinies left and right, connecting with them, struggling with the thought of settling down.

He's also drawn to people that are "ever searching for love", and that feel "lost and left behind".

Geralt, Yennefer, Ciri... Radovid, even.

And, of course, the elves, that he became "The Sandpiper" to protect.

What I'm also wondering is if the part of the Ithlinne's Prophecy, at the end of "Blood Origin", was added at the same time that they chose to introduce Seanchai and change the role that Jaskier was initially meant to play in the spinoff.

Because it would appear that Seanchai's true form would be that of an ancient elf.

So, "Blood Origin" introduces us to two incredibly powerful ancient elves with the ability to cross time and dimensions.

Avalach, that shares a connection to Ciri in the books (I won't spoil it for those that haven't read it), and

2. Seanchai.

So, what if Seanchai was the child of Éile and Fjall? The Lark’s seed, that shall carry forth (throughout history) the first note of a song that ends all times?

And this is sort of what the show's creator had to say about her character:

It just sort of fitted so well in. When I was thinking about this idea with Seanchaí story collection, it was that moment where all the story about music, and story and words being more powerful than any army, sort of all felt less than [compared] to [having] it sort of personified in this sort of creature that’s raison d'être is to collect stories because they are so powerful. It was great. And the name Seanchaí actually comes from... It was a position in Ireland where you were a storyteller, and you went between the halls of kings, and you went to chieftains and people, and they were the most powerful people in the land and kings were fucking terrified of them – and queens – because one bad story would destroy you as a king. And they were far more worried about that than any army. And then bringing that back to life in this world, it just all clicked. It was one of those lovely synchronous moments of story.

Because the child of Fjall and the Lark is supposed to carry forth (not sing, carry) the first note of the song...

...and one of her blood shall sing the last note of that song.

And when Jaskier asks Seanchai "Why did you save me from the Temerians?", she answers "I need you to sing a story back to life. We're related you an I."

She then explains that he's a bard and she's a storyteller, of a sort...

But that's just the thing. A storyteller might be able to carry the notes of a song - for centuries, perhaps - but she would need a bard to actually sing it when the time was right.

And yeah... The idea that she meant a bit more than just "storytellers and bards have a lot in common" when she said "we're related, you and I", would be intriguing...

The problem, however, is that should it be Jaskier (regardless of him being related to Seanchai or not...), it would sort of make that part of the Ithlinne's Prophecy extremely literal. Almost too literal, one might say.

Not to mention that the way the scene is filmed really seems to be meant to heavily imply that it is Jaskier.

Because, when Seanchai says "...and one of her blood shall sing the last", we are pulled out of the past to the present, where Jaskier is seen writing the last words of a story.

And, when he tries to get her to elaborate on who she's referring to, the answer Jaskier gets is: "Sing the 'Song of the Seven', Sandpiper".

Then, when Jaskier looks back at the last page of the story he's just written, the camera zooms in on "...and one of her blood shall sing the last.", while it starts raining, some dramatic ominous music starts playing, and Jaskier is suddenly back to standing on the battlefield.

So, it feels like she's giving him the answer to his question by telling him to sing.

Then, Seanchai goes on, saying "...so the oppressed may find hope and strenght in the tale of their ancestors; and be ready for the great change to come;" and you see an elf come to squeeze Jaskier's shoulder to let him know the battle is won (at least, this one), and invite him to follow them.

And, even if the only way that Seanchai and Jaskier were "related" would be through their love for either collecting and preserving stories, and/or sharing those stories with the world, she still says that she needs him to sing a story back to life.

So, if you were a powerful ancient elf that actually knew who was meant to sing the very last note of a specific story, wouldn't you want to let them know how the story actually began, too?

Jaskier: I'm just a bard.

Seanchai: In her mind, going:

A bard with a blood marked by beast and magic, that felt an instant connection and deep sense of kinship towards a Witcher that everyone hated, feared, and called a "Butcher"...

A bard that brought said Witcher to Calanthe's banquet - where he prevented Duny's demise, and claimed his future daughter, the Elder Blood Princess, as his own.

A bard that brought the Witcher to Yennefer of Vengenberg, the sorceress that would come to love that child as her own daughter, too, and help protect and raise her, too.

A bard that feels intimately drawn to everyone on the Continent - men, women, elves, dwarves, even polymorphous, apparently... - regardless of race or creed, and would step in and risk his life to protect those being persecuted on the basis of being seen as "the other"...

A bard that embodies the complexity, beauty, and diversity of everyone's stories on the Continent, and feels like - if the muses stopped talking to him and inspiring him to write and sing those songs - he'd have no idea who he was anymore, and would no longer be able to do the one thing he was put on this Continent to do?

A bard that inspires people to grow, get involved, and ultimately become the better versions of themselves...

A bard, whose ancestors' fight against Balor lead to the Conjunction of the Spheres, the arrival of the humans on the Continent, of the monsters, the creation of the Witchers, and the beginning of a story that he'll witness and sing the conclusion of.

But yes, just a bard.

But yeah, it's like the show is pointing us so strongly in Jaskier's direction and wanting us so much to think it's him that it's almost suspicious or "too easy" to assume it's him.

What also makes me hesitate, in some ways, is that people would expect someone that's been described as having "a blood like no other, marked by beast and magic", to be exhibiting superhuman powers of some sort, and have powerful magic of their own, I suppose.

While Jaskier is very much human. But Seanchai (and the show runners, apparently) sees great power in the ability to shape the world through storytelling, and she makes it sound like she truly respects Jaskier's "power", and the way he's been using his voice to help change people's perception of outcasts.

Even "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" was all about changing the way people irrationally feared and reviled witchers, and treated them as freaks.

Yes, he threw Filivandrel and the elves under the bus with that one!

No one's denying that, and I've always headcanoned that one of the reasons why he became the Sandpiper is because he realized he truly messed up with "Toss A Coin", and was attempting to take responsibility for his mistakes and right some of his wrongs.

But "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" was still about changing people's perception of witchers, so that Geralt would be seen as a noble, brave, larger-than-life heroic protector that was also a friend you could just enjoy a pint with, rather than some unrelatable mutant freak without any emotion that one should fear and keep their distance from in general, unless they had an even more dangerous monster needing killing.

He tried helping one outcast, but sadly made things worse for others.

And we also have to remember that we're talking about a very young Jaskier that had been brought up in the human world until then, and likely didn't fully grasp nor understand how much damage humanity had done to the elder races. We're talking about someone with a fairly limited worldview that genuinely thought elves were just "hiding in their golden palaces" while humanity suffered until, like, seconds ago.

Filivandrel might have started shaking those perceptions, but I doubt it would have been enough to completely make him unlearn all the lies and prejudices he'd been taught, and fully realize that what had happened to Filivandrel wasn't the exception when it came to elves, but the norm.

Now, Jaskier knows and understands better. Back then? He still had things to learn. I guess my point is that, despite all of his flaws and shortcomings as a young bard, Jaskier was still using his voice in ways meant to help someone connect with, and be accepted by, the world.

He's always been highly empathetic, and likely to spontaneously side with those that needed to have a voice after having been cast aside.

And, should Jaskier be, indeed, the descendant of the very first Witcher, it does add a rather unique element to the way he immediately trusted that he'd be safe traveling with Geralt, and never instinctively feared who and what he was, regardless of the reputation he'd acquired after Blaviken.

Something in Jaskier's DNA would apparently be telling him that Witchers make perfectly suitable life companions!

And Fjall was kicked out of his clan when they found out he was having an affair with Princess Merwyn!

So, getting into trouble because you hid your sausage in the wrong royal pantry would be a family trait that would go back generations!

It can't be helped, really!

Éile was into Dog Clan people and Witchers.

Jaskier is into Wolf Clan people and Witchers.

Fjall was into Royals and Bards.

Jaskier is into Royals and Himself.

These three are obviously related!

"Song of the Seven" would be a part of Jaskier's own heritage, too. He'd be singing about the history of his own ancestors, and their very own "found family", rather than singing about a group of outcasts he has no intimate or personal connection to.

And, should Éile indeed be one of Jaskier's ancestors...

Well, she was called "The Lark"...

And Jaskier chose to call himself "The Sandpiper"...

It's actually what Seanchai replied when Jaskier asked "Are you sure you've got the right man for this?"

Something like "Of course I am. You're the Sandpiper. Smuggler of elves to safety."

Apparently, small sandpipers are also sometimes called "sand larks".

So...

If Jaskier was the one referred to in that part of that Prophecy, then the song would start with the Lark's seed... and end with a Sand Lark!

Then, there's Radovid...

Because, of course, out of Jaskier's entire repertoire, he would be drawn to that song the most!

A part of me can't help but think I'm just looking way too deep into this, and making connections that are probably extremely accidental, but still, I can't help but think it would be really cool if Jaskier did end up being the Continent's MVP, in a sense.

If the whole point of Blood Origin - beyond giving us some insight on how the first Witchers were created and why, the Conjunction of the Spheres, the humans arriving on the Continent, etc. - was to clearly establish bards/storytellers (namely Éile, Jaskier, Seanchai...) as being some of the most powerful beings of their world.

While some would probably find it anticlimactic that Ithlinne's Prophecy, in "Blood Origin", would simply be about a "humble human bard" that would have inherited Éile's gift for storytelling and singing - rather than some sort of primal power or something (due to their connection to the first Witcher) - I think it would be fitting.

Dijkstra & Philippa: We have control over Redania’s resources!

Radovid: I have a Sandpiper.

He's just like the Queen on the chessboard, fiercely protecting the King by messing up the other pieces' moves, hard to predict because he can take off in too many directions and in too many ways...

And everyone's also after him, trying to knock him down, because he just keeps fucking their game over!

Also, as it turns out, there were many more character posters this season! And Jaskier wasn't the only one without a "physical weapon" or object of some sort...

But my favorite's got to be Radovid. I mean Jaskier's standing there, taking everything in, hyper-alert and ready to do "something" about it.

And our poor sweetheart is just... standing there with his fur heavy blanket cloak, discreetly looking over his shoulder, looking half-curious about what's happening and half totally done with this shit, just about ready to pour himself yet another drink...

Story of his life!

[bliss-in-the-void]

Some of the lyrics for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Part 2 OP, “SPECIALZ” by King Gnu. I will now give my analysis, since this gave me so many feelings. It seems to me this is a sort of pseudo-convo between Satoru and Suguru.

“I love you baby, let’s keep eulogizing” - SatoSugu mourning the loss of their once happy life together (they both canonically thought about it when they were alone). They’re stuck in the past.

“No matter how ignorant, no matter how homeless” - they kept ignoring the reality (Suguru kept telling himself he was on the right path by leaving Satoru and Satoru kept ignoring the execution order on Suguru) and the two feel displaced and away from home without each other.

“Every heart-burning move” - it hurts to carry on without the other, and to constantly meet on opposing sides

“Once we start running, it’s unable to turn back” - they’ve both made their beds and they have to lay in them no matter how much they wish they could turn back time.

And then later on in the lyrics:

“No, no, no! No more composure. A lifetime of wandering in a maze” - Satoru is tired of putting up a mask in front of everyone, acting like he is fine, when the entire time since he’s been without Suguru life has felt more and more complicated and overwhelming.

“No matter what others say, ‘you are my special’” - despite the execution order, despite everyone calling Suguru evil, the worst sorcerer who ever lived, a disgrace, Satoru only ever saw him as his “very best friend, his one and only.”

“‘Get lost in me’ only words that protect yourself. How long are you gonna keep doing this? ‘Get lost in me’” - this could imply that Satoru could have offered for Suguru to forget about his pursuits and be with Satoru instead. Maybe Satoru believed if he loved Suguru enough it would make him ‘come to his senses’.

“Won’t regret the way of life, this is the path I chose” - Suguru refusing to abandon his new way of life, causing a rift between himself and Satoru.

“Please answer me, I wanna feel your heatwave. Blue flame flow from hypothermia” - Satoru wanting Suguru to say yes, to warm him back up after he left him so cold. Flames are the hottest when they are blue, and heating someone too quickly with something as hot as blue flames would send them into shock and potentially heart failure. This could be Satoru saying ‘yes, you left me in the cold and I want you back and I don’t care if the force of you kills me, I’ll take it full-force’

“Don’t deceive romantically, just cut to the chase. No longer get drunk on this love song” - Suguru saying ‘stop lying to yourself just because you love me, you know you need to kill me’

“I love you baby, I love you baby” - Satoru’s stubborn answer, refusal to not love Suguru

In the outro:

“We are special, no more composure” - this will be the arc where Satoru finally drops his happy facade, he can no longer ignore what Suguru’s loss has put him through

“We are special, stay as who you are” - Satoru willing Suguru to remain who he remembers him by, despite everything that has happened

“We are special, be special all the way” - Satoru believes he and Suguru are still the strongest, he himself escaped death once, why can’t Suguru do the same? He’s special too. Maybe he’s still in there.

“We are special, no matter what others say, you are my special” - even now, Satoru still feels the exact same way for Suguru that he always has.

And that will prove to once again be his kryptonite.

Hats off to King Gnu, this was amazingly done <3

[jaehyunsprincesspeach]

Hii can i please request a fic Where Taeyong is sick (like maybe he has food poisoning or something) and y/n drops everything to take care of him because he calls saying he needs her 🥹

please excuse me while I go cry in the corner

this is so cute omg my heart is gonna burst!

hope y'all enjoy, and thank you for the request <3

All the love ~ lunar

I Need You

Pairing: Taeyong x fem!reader

Warnings: mentions of stress/anxiety , mentions of hospitals , mentions of illness (food poisoning , exhaustion), fluffy fluff

“Good morning baby, have a good day!”

You text your boyfriend Taeyong as you wake up in the morning, surprised that you are awake before he is. Usually you are waking up to a message from him, but with how busy he has been since releasing his solo album, as well as NCT Nation with their comeback, you are happy that he is able to get a little more rest today.

As you get up and get ready for your day, you are waiting for Taeyong to return your message, as he always answers as quickly as he can, when he has the opportunity to. Thinking he is still asleep, you push away the thoughts that are beginning to cloud your head, as the worry starts to set in, you remind yourself that he is probably sleeping… hopefully.

Driving to work, you have your music blasting, singing along to every song that comes on. Thankfully you left earlier than you normally do, as there is bumper to bumper traffic. Enjoying your music, suddenly you receive a call from Taeyong that caught you by surprise. Suspicion settles in your mind, as you answer the call. It’s rare for him to call so early in the morning, usually he saves that for late night FaceTime calls when he is at the studio, and needs you to keep him company while he produces new music.

“Hey baby, how did you sleep?”

“I need you.” Three simple words that hold so much meaning.

“What’s going on Tae, are you okay?”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel good. Something feels wrong. I just need you.”

“I’m on my way, love. Just stay in bed okay? I’ll be there soon.”

“Thank you, y/n, I love you.”

“I love you too, see you soon.”

As soon as you hung up the phone, you are getting off of the road at the nearest exit, nerves spiked, and worry taking over your mind. You called your boss to say that you would be missing work due to an emergency, and drive to Taeyong’s house as fast as you can.

Taeyong is the strongest person you have ever met. You’ve never known how he does it, but he always manages to get himself up early, and stay up late, working on what he loves. He never seems to get burnt out, and never seems to be tired from the strenuous schedules that he has set for him. Yes, he loves what he does, and he loves the busy lifestyle that he has, but surely you thought at some point he would need a break. Not once has he shown anyone other than you his exhaustion and stress. He tells you everything. All of his stress and worries and anything that could possibly be on his mind. But never before has he called sounding as worried as he did then. Never once has he shown an ounce of weakness when it comes to not only his job but his physical health as well. Of course, throughout the time of your relationship, he has been sick, usually with a common cold, but your gut is telling you this is something different. Something he’s never experienced before, and that’s what scares you.

Upon arriving to his house, you leave all of your belongings in your car, and rush into the house. You find him in his bed, clutching his stomach. Immediately, you run out to the kitchen and run some hot water on a towel, and take it to him, laying him on his back so that you can place the towel on his stomach.

“y/n?”

“Hi my love, I’m here, whats going on?”

“I don’t know, everything just hurts.”

“I think we should go get you checked out.”

Giving you a hum of approval, you gather some things that he may need and take them to your car, before getting him out of bed, and getting him to the car, making sure to bring an extra empty plastic bag, just in case. Driving, he is silent, and so are you, as the anxiety courses through your veins. As soon as you arrive at the hospital, you run inside to get someone to help you, doing your absolute best not to draw any attention to you or the idol.

~~~

After he gets checked out by the doctors, you are brought in from the waiting room, unable to hide the worry on your features. The doctor explains that it is a combination of food poisoning, that is enhanced from exhaustion, and that they will be keeping Taeyong in the hospital overnight, till the effects die down and he is more comfortable. He’s asleep from the medication that the doctors gave him. Even in his sickly state, he looks so peaceful sleeping.

You pull up a chair next to the bed, and grab his hand, simply sitting in silence as the doctor leaves, and Taeyong gets the well deserved rest he needs. Studying his features, it’s still a shock to you how lucky you are to be with a man like him. After a while of sitting in the room, simply holding his hand, Taeyong wakes up.

“Y/n, you’re here.” He says with a sleepy smile

“Of course I am Tae, I’ll always be here.” You reply, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

For the next few hours, the two of you talk like normal, and you know that Taeyong is doing his best to seem like he is okay, but you hate that he is pretending in front of you. You know that he is only doing it so that you wont worry as much, but it makes you worry more not knowing how he is really feeling.

“Tae, why are you masking?”

“Masking? What do you mean love?”

“I know you’re trying to make it seem like you feel better. Please, please don’t hide how you’re feeling around me.”

“Im sorry baby, I just don’t want you to worry too much. I know you have your own stuff going on, and I know you called out of work to be here.”

“I called out of work to take care of the man I love, thats all that I care about right now. Everything I have going on is not nearly as important to me as you are. Please don’t hide anything from me, I want to help, love.”

“What would I do with out you? You’re so good to me”, he says placing a hand on your cheek, “I love you y/n.”

“I love you too Tae.”

“What time are you going home?”

“Im not.”

“What do you mean? You need to sleep!”

“What I need is to know that you are okay. I can’t do that when I’m not here with you. Sorry baby, you’re stuck with me.” You say earning a hum of approval from him, followed by a kiss on the back of your hand. “Get some sleep my love, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“You know, I really do need you. Whenever you’re not around, nothing makes sense, nothing feels right. Even being here, I know that everything will be okay, since you’re here with me.”

“I wouldn’t leave you for the world.” With that you place a soft kiss on his lips, and he begins to drift off to sleep, refusing to let go of your hand.

As he sleeps that night, you stay awake for majority of the time, simply thinking about all of the wonderful memories you have with him, as well as his words to you. I need you. Three simple words that hold so much meaning. As you drift off to sleep these words ring through your mind, and your heart swells with love.

“I need you too Taeyong.”

[not-your-fucking-kacchan]

politely requesting some bakugou confort. had a very tiring few days and just wanna snuggle into him lol

:]

im sorry to hear about that and im glad my writing might make you feel better!

i have a good 20-something requests in my inbox right now but since this seems like more of an emergency request it took priority, i hope it lives up to your expectations <3

also i wrote this while listening to the song el muchacho de los ojos tristes and it was very nice

Masterlist<3

Bakugou x Reader - Comfort

It's been a while since you've had a week as stressful as this. You've been going on mission after mission and with all of the school testing that's going on at the moment it's starting to wear you down a little, future pro-hero or not.

You're basically running on fumes at this point and the stress your family is putting you through is keeping you awake at night. Life should not get this hard.

It feels like with every step towards improvement you make is met with resistance from fate. Just this week alone you've been hit by a car, bodyslammed by Koda and Iida, given a concussion, broken an arm, and suffered a humiliating loss against Todoroki in your final assessment. You were too weak and tired to even hope to stand a chance.

As you slam the door to your dorm you shrug your bag off and drop it carelessly on the floor. Normally you would be absolutely livid at the moment, but you were crushed. Your greatest chance of success was torn from your fingertips at the very last minute. By that fucking daddy's money, born-with-power brat. How poetic.

You can't help but be a little bitter. It's always the strongest people in your class that are the first to say things like "success comes from hard work" and then proceed to show off the power that they'd inherited. You actually had to work hard to keep your quirk under control, and it was painful.

You just feel so defeated, and it's no wonder that you're tired as you collapse onto the bed and immediately pass out the second your head hits the pillow. You hadn't even had the energy to get out of your school uniform.

Katsuki had been looking for you ever since your assessment had ended, but there was no trace of you anywhere and he curses under his breath at the inconvenience.

"fuckin' dumbass... just go an' disappear on me, huh?!"

You had rushed off before you had gotten the news that you had passed the test. You may have lost the battle, but you'd obviously performed well enough to scoop up a passing grade.

The ragged blonde boy huffs and balls up his fist, his signature glare-and-frown combination hiding his worry for you. You looked absolutely gutted at your defeat.

He figures that if you're not here then you're probably in your room, but when he finally makes it there and knocks on the door only to be met with silence, an irk mark appears on his head. Pale knuckles wrap around the doorknob and twist as he goes to make sure that you're not just ignoring him, annoyance evident on his face now, but the sight of you curled up in your uniform, knocked out and breathing evenly has him blushing slightly.

There's a pink tinge to his ears as he comes closer, shutting the door behind him and letting the room be shrouded in a blanket of darkness. You must be absolutely exhausted.

He sighs softly as his expression softens into something more rare, akin to sympathy. Pastel pink sheets shift as the bed dips under the pressure of his body coming up behind yours to embrace you, and strong, toned arms wrap around your waist as he tucks his face into your hair.

You wake up an hour or two later, tired and hurting, but also confused as hell because why is Katsuki in your bed with you? You're no stranger to cuddling, but it usually takes some convincing on his part to actually agree to do it with you. He must've seen how distraught you were after your failure. What a sweetheart.

His soft snores emnate from behind you, his face hidden away in the crook of your neck, covered by your hair as his arms tighten around your waist at the disturbance of you waking up. He must've fallen asleep then.

You feel a sudden weight in your heart, like someone had just strapped one of Katsuki's training weights to it, and suddenly your cheeks are wet with tears at the realisation that despite how low you might fall, or how badly you might fail, you'll always have him to back you up. This boy is your whole support system, your rock. And without him, you may just get carried away.

He's always been there for you, giving you advice and support, and smacking you with a reality check whenever you need it. So when you roll over and cuddle into his chest, burying your face into firm muscle and waking him up in the process, he's there again, raising a hand to the back of your head and letting you cry. His fingers gently massage your scalp and it helps to ease the pounding headache that comes with crying so much.

A frown is etched onto the boy's face as you weep, knowing how tired and drained you are, and well aware of how hard you've been working yourself - so much so that you've brought yourself to an emotional meltdown.

"... You need to stop pushing yourself so damn hard, idiot... Give your body and mind a break, you're not invincible."

That's all he says, and his voice is low and scratchy with sleep as he pets you and pulls you in closer, his eyes barely open a crack. You know he's right, and he knows you needed to hear that. The silence in the room is deafening after he says that, only filled with the occasional sniffle from you while you nod your head shakily in agreement. You're exhausted by now, having really tired yourself out and falling asleep in your boyfriend's cuddle for another couple of hours, sleeping the best you've slept all week.

He doesn't even get the chance to tell you that you passed, and that everything is gonna be fine, but he shrugs and just lets you rest, deciding that it can wait until you've taken care of yourself.

[typically-untypical]

The Future We Build Together

AU: Human - Arranged Marriage

CW: None that I know of

WC: 1478

Date: 12/3/2023

It was a warm day in the kingdom, a beautiful summer morning. The sun hadn't risen high enough to cast its heat yet it was high enough to cast a warm glow through the castle window. Patton stood still as his father adjusted his tie for the fourth time. The two of them had barely spoken over the past week, an argument over this marriage turning bitter and vicious. Patton had wept, pleading for his father to understand that he didn't want to get married to a complete stranger. He wasn't even against the idea of an arranged marriage. He knew how advantageous it would be, but Patton didn't want to be tied to someone who would inevitably hurt him. Patton didn't want to be tied to someone he had never met. "This will be good for you Pat. He's a noble who has taken an interest in our business, this marriage will solidify our ties." Neither of them laughed at the unintentional pun as his father's hands lingered on Patton's tie. "With this man's backing, we will finally be able to get your mother help." That was the only argument that had kept Patton rooted to where he stood. His mother had been sick for quite some time and though they weren't peasants by any means, her medicine was still expensive and so was the business that kept all of them a float. "Even if you don't love him he should treat you well and I know he will fall in love with you. Who wouldn't?" His dad gently rested a hand on Patton's face and the younger man did his best to smile though even Patton knew it was weak.

"I know papa, but I wish you would have let me meet him first." Patton had been told plenty about Janus, both from those who served him and from those who worked alongside him. There were so many conflicting accounts. Some people said Janus was kind and compassionate, helping them when they were in their darkest hours. Others said he was cruel and ruthless, and the divide wasn't socioeconomic like one might expect.

"I know Pat, I know, but that was the one stipulation he had." Another thing Patton had heard over and over again. He couldn't meet Janus because he had asked for distance until their wedding day. Patton didn't like that. He didn't like the secrecy around someone who was supposed to become his one and only, his future. 

"You are the strongest boy I know, and I love you." His father commented, giving Patton a gentle hug and Patton wanted to hug back, desperately, but his arms continued to sit limply by his side.

It was hard to hear those words from his father, the man who was giving him away to a stranger, but Patton just nodded. "I love you too," Because he did, despite the tears that threatened to slide past his eyes, he did love his family. 

"Are you ready?" His father asked, holding out a hand to him so the two could head toward the ceremony hall.

"Ready as I'll ever be pop star." His dad gave him a weak smile and Patton did his best to return it, even if it grew harder with each second. Patton tried not to shake as he heard his own footsteps echoing down the hall, the organ music coming into play as soon as they were close enough for the groomsmen to see. The soft tune set the scene of a happy couple and a happy marriage. Patton had heard that song before, hoping one day he could walk down the cobblestone path of his city toward the person of his choosing. That wasn't going to happen now. That wasn't Patton's fate.

His betrothed stood at the altar, hands clasped behind his back, turned so Patton could only see half of him. He was barely taller than Patton yet standing on the steps he felt like such a looming figure. His shoulders were squared and Patton thought he saw a sharpness to the other man's nails. If Patton had seen him on the street, he might have been interested but here, he was gripped with fear. Only his father's strong hold, stopped Patton from running away and by the time his first foot was on the stairs, it was too late. Janus was reaching out to him, helping him up the rest of the way. He was in Janus' clutches now.

"Am I that hideous?" He asked, leaning in closely as he whispered into Patton's ear. It was the first good view he had gotten of Janus, scars like chainmail littering his face. He wasn't hideous, but Patton wasn't expecting his fiancé to be handsome. He had convinced himself that Janus would look cruel. Finally looking up into Janus' mismatched eyes, seeing the quirk in his brow, Patton attempted to respond.

"No, uh, it's not. I promise it's not... I just... you look-"

"I know," Janus whispered, brow softening and lips sliding into a gentle smile. He reached up, gently pushing a tear off of Patton's cheek before he slowly started to pull away. He still held Patton's hand, but no longer stood close enough to share the air between them. 

Something suddenly shifted. Suddenly Janus wasn't a terrifying unknown that Patton didn't know how to speak to. Suddenly, he wasn't a monster. Patton looked at him in awe, watching as the light shifted against him and the sun continued to rise higher. 

"Janus Asterio, do you take Patton Heart to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The officiant asked, pulling Patton out of his day dream and back into the present. Janus gently squeezed Patton's hand, looking him in the eyes.

"I do." His voice was soft and clear, like a secret whispered between just the two of them. Patton's romantic heart melted. For a moment he could imagine a life together, whispered secrets in the dead of night, a soft melody of only their voices. It was brief and it was sudden, but Patton felt as if he would be safe in Janus' arms. His fear hadn't disappeared, it whispered in the back of his mind, but the emotions swept him off his feet. This would be okay, he had to believe that this would be okay.

"Do you, Patton Heart, take Janus Asterio to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Patton took in a deep breath, returning the reassuring squeeze Janus had so graciously given. "I do." He smiled, more genuine than anything else he had smiled this morning. Their marriage was one of money and power, but that didn't mean it couldn't turn into something beautiful. He just had to have hope. He had to give it all a chance.

"Then I pronounce the two of you married. You may kiss one another."

Patton was hesitant, still caught in the fact that Janus was a stranger. Janus moved in first. It was soft and chaste and stole Patton's breath away. Then Janus stole Patton away, taking his hand and leading him down the aisle, out of the ceremony hall and toward a private room. Nerves built up in Patton's heart as the door closed but Janus didn't make a move. He stood there silently before gently leading Patton to a couch and kneeling in front of him. 

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, on my appearance, on why, and on everything else of that nature."

Of course he did, but Patton needed time to collect some of his thoughts. Janus might not have understood that because he quirked his eyebrow once again.

"Why me? I'm sure you had other prospects and I don't think you really got anything out of our marriage. So why me?" Patton wasn't sure why that was the first question that came out of his mouth when there were so many other questions, but it was still one that was important to him. Why, out of everyone in the city... in the country... had Janus chosen him?

He had no expectations for the answer, tried not to assume anything at all, yet he was still surprised when Janus started to laugh, barely holding in his chortle.

"Of all the questions, that was your most important?"

Suddenly, Patton's face lit up red and he couldn't help but nod. "Well, yeah," He whispered and Janus just squeezed his hands.

"I will explain it in detail one day, but for now, you should get changed for the reception. The only solace I can give you for the time being, is that I did so, with full knowledge of who I was marrying." That wasn't reassuring, but Patton's mind went a bit fuzzy as Janus kissed his hand. "And I will wait as long as I need to, for you to fall in love with me as well."

Tag List: @simplestoryteller @fantasticfangirl21 @joylessnightsky @glacierruler @tsspromptmonth

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hii I'm somewhat new to your blog but I just had a little idea

What about teen!y/n with their adoptive family who has killer vocals (literally and figuratively) they decide to compete in the games and their dressed in clothing that metal band members would wear, and they just sing Custer by Slipknot (or any other song) and since they have killer vocals their screams/singing just turns into supersonic sound waves causing their opponent to literally explode

Sorry if this doesn't make much sense I'm running off of 3 hours if sleep ✌😗 love ur writings and thanks in advance ❤❤❤

-Your skills were regarded as unique, even for those in Valhalla.

-Some regarded you as a siren, as your singing voice could not only enchant but cause damage, you could use your voice as a weapon.

-Your family had adopted you when you were only a child, protecting you from those who wanted to use your skills for their own gains, both good and bad, and raised you with so much love and support.

-As you grew, your music interests went from one end of the spectrum to the other, constantly changing the styles that you were currently singing, one day you could be singing the blues, next opera, and the next classic rock.

-When Ragnarok came around again, being a yearly tournament, you decided to participate this time, rather than just participating in the half-time show entertainment.

-The reason for this, some punk ass minor god had insulted you after finding you singing to some kids, not for your singing skills, but that you were a human and that you weren’t worthy of being the collective child of the strongest gods and warriors in Valhalla, that you weren’t strong.

-Normally you were pretty thick skinned, but he made some of the kids cry after insulting you.

-You walked out, wearing a pair of black jeans shorts, thigh high platform goth boots with spikes, a tank top with a unicorn skull on it, holding a full stand microphone that was the shape of a skull, a gift from Beelzebub and Hades for your last birthday.

-You glared across at the god who smirked, seeing you there, teasing you, “Aww what’s the matter sweetie? Did I hurt you feelings last time?”

-He instantly felt a chill run up his spine and he looked up at your family, seeing them glaring, but the malice was not coming from them.

-He paled, looking back down at you as you were leaning on your microphone, eyes glaring into his own, he felt a bolt of fear run through him before he was quick to smirk, acting cocky.

-Your voice belted into the microphone, sending sonic waves all around you as ‘My Name is Murder’ came from you, gripping the pole of your microphone, focusing the power of your voice to aim at this stunned god, who couldn’t believe you were attacking him with sound waves.

-Your family was cheering for you and large sections of the crowd were headbanging to your singing, cheering loudly for you.

-You won easily, the sonic waves blasting your opponent off of the arena and into the water surrounding the stone arena you stood on and the crowd cheered loudly, wanting an encore.

-Which you were happy to provide, a grin on your face.

[beehindblueeyes]

Details pt 2

Had to create another post because it was going to be LONG if I didn’t, and I do want you guys to get all this. Because I know at least a few of you besides myself will like this :) or find it interesting/ good for fic writing.

The Ghosts know Finney’s name before their own. They appear to know him better then themselves (some of them, I’ll get to it later)

Something connecting all of the boys is a tendency to repeat the same thing over and over. “You already said that” “Y e a h? Well…” it’s sad. It’s telling. That they’re drifting further and further from what they used to be, who they used to be. Their memories are fading fast, their names, even their clothes as they are greyed and scrubbed of most detail. Whenever they call finney they are pulling together the small parts of themselves that they have left and it never lasts for long…

Them knowing finney more then themselves is cemented when Billy doesn’t even know who Bruce is. Despite Bruce being one of them. Being there. Constantly. Like him or any of the others. I think they just started refering to each other by the details they can recall. (“I don’t remember it. It’s not who I am now” further playing into them becoming something else all together. A memory. A feeling. A whisper.)

Paper Boy and Vance both have the strength to effect the living world. Both displayed this by using the bottles as a tool or a show of emotion. (Vance may have less control over this but more power. He’s one anger outburst away from becoming a full blown poltergeist).

While I’m not excusing Mr. Blake’s behavior in the slightest, it appears all his recent behavior started after the death of his wife. He likely picked up drinking and his behavior only deteriorated from there. It’s clear that Gwen is a spitting image of her mother (appearance, behavior, belief) he’s letting his guilt, grief , drinking and fear guide all of his actions. It’s clear his love for his kids and not wanting to see Gwen die in such a way as well- however the way he goes about it is … less than stellar.

Someone asked before but it’s Coke and Almonds on the coffee table. Like- so many almonds. It also kills me that the detectives are so frazzled they see it and just leave.

The fact the grabber is able to tell the difference between Finney sleeping and fake sleeping. Has he watched him multiple times? One of his many moods is very pouty and child like it’s-

So Griffin is weird to me. He’s strong enough to physically APPEAR to Finney but not enough to make the phone ring? He’s visible for a solid minute. Enough for the blood to make a sound and to point at the phone itself. He’s also the only one Able to do this! (All the boys can appear, except the only time we see them all do so is a  brief flash infront of Gwen). So essentially. Griffin, Billy and Vance are the strongest when it comes to interaction in the physical world. Despite appearing thought, Griffin appears to be pretty weak.

“Nobody did… you spend so many years invisible then every kid in the state knows your name.” He needs a hug.

Technically Finney was rude to Vance first. *Phone rings* “No. fuck you”.

The use of the song Fox on the run for Vance is actually quite brilliant and creepy (post to come later)

Ellison grab and go (reference to Sinster? Another Ethan Hawke movie and his character name)

Finney’s survival at multiple points in the movie would not be possible without that pen

Getting long, look out for part 3!

[accirax]

initial thoughts on DCAS episode 6

THIS EPISODE WAS SO GOOD!!! the fact that it was a musical episode is totally the cherry on top; i love it when series come with their own music (cough cough me @ project sekai). but overall it was also really funny, and had some great character moments, too.

i'll save my thoughts on strategy and where the season might be headed for my next power ranking post (whenever that is :,( ), but were some of my other thoughts/highlights.

specifically the phrase "fuck my life" and Yul saying it made me cackle. seems like Emily ISN'T Yul's manager, but she might still kinda take on that role this season? we'll see. the lack of phones is really having an effect on the plot.

they hate her so fucking bad

okay, i guess i forgot to consider this angle when i was saying it would've made more sense for them to vote out Fiore. however, having started with 18 participants, the merge will probably happen at, what, 10 people? (modern Survivor describes the merge as "at least 11," but obviously this isn't survivor.) sure, Hunter is a bit of a challenge beast, but he can't protect all three of them every episode. if this trio is only 3/10 of the votes, you could literally split the votes on Ally and Tess in a 3-3-4 if you can get everyone else to unite against them. you know what you should be worried about? THE VILLAINS ALLIANCE HAVING 6/"10" VOTES AT THE MERGE!!! sigh. why am i relying on Jake to be smart (/j)

i'm more impressed that there was hot water in the first place. this thing is in the middle of a field, no?

i'm finally starting to see how Yul can be a hilarious "love to hate him" kind of villain. he had some of the best lines this episode hands down.

TREVEK BECOME CANON???

there was absolutely no reason to put the apple on the stick other than to fit in. love this for her.

idk if this is a winner's cut moment or not. glad that the money would go towards schools and NOT the police force, though.

man, now i want to go back and check the other episodes to see if Tess has had the "Cyan Team narrator" role the whole time. in Survivor, that's indicative of a deep run. ...i really need to stop applying Survivor logic to everything.

and why are you thinking about what would make Oliver laugh, Kristal? ',:)

i appreciate the s1 callback, but Trevor doing this dance move gives me so much second hand embarrassment that i keep inadvertently closing my eyes every time i have to "see" it again. anyways, given how most of the episode songs had lyrics related to the Team's emotional state, it's interesting to see that Trevor is singing a romance song. trevek become canon pt 2?

this was an interesting parallel. with Kristal laughing at Derek's joke, it seems like they were trying to show how she's growing closer to Derek, in a way which Trevor might fear is romantic. were there supposed to be romantic undertones to Alec being the only one to laugh at Connor's joke? and, if there were, was that just a fun nod to the aleconnor shippers, or will it actually be canon/relevant to later in the season?

NOT a surprise. i need to see the "i want you died" poetry he wrote about Fiore after last season.

of course you were, you fucking fruit (affectionate)

the anguish: i love my gf :D let's frolick through a field together

"trust me dude i'm the divorce man"

GABBY?????

mood but also damn is Ellie really leaning into the villain thing this season. this doesn't even help her win the season, she JUST wants to see him suffer.

i forgot that the s1 contestants didn't know that Nina was her own separate being yet

they were NOT lying, Aiden's VA is a great singer! Tom's backing vocals and Ellie and Gabby's harmonies(?) were also really nice too, though. this was probably my favorite song of the episode just bc i think Cyan had the strongest singers. all of the rocking, shoulder-moving dances are also impossible not to imitate.

well, there's the thumbnail. their choice of thumbnail made me laugh bc i remember, back when i was watching s1, seeing all the thumbnails of Aiden kissing both James and Hunter and thinking that Aiden was going to be some sort of troublemaking flirty antagonistic character only to be blindsided by his actual characterization. i'm sure the s1 watching me would have only added this to her arsenal of evidence, although hilariously idk if i would have been able to tell the other character was Tom at the time. anyways, i was pretty certain from the start that this must be part of the performance. although, while i'm happy that Aiden seems to think that James will be okay with the performance, i wish we could have cut to James somehow just to confirm that that was true. i don't want the next time we see James, whether in the finale or some other time, to show that he was actually really jealous and upset at Aiden for kissing another man while in a committed relationship. also gabbielle(?) super cute in the bg :D

he's so fucking stupid... (/pos)

bold of you to say this to Ashley, who has been in a two year relationship with the guy who went home in episode 2.

i also really liked this song :D i understand why they made Jake and Ally the main singers, because they best encompassed what the theme of the song was about, but i think i actually liked Ashley's vocals the best. i wish she'd gotten to sing more. also for a moment i thought Marcus had a trans flag on his hat. it's still close enough. trans Marcus canon.

this was probably my least favorite performance of the episode, although idk how much of that was just how much i hate Alec's outfit. glassesless Alec scares me so bad... no hate to the VAs, obviously, i think they have nice voices! it's actually the way that they didn't sound like they had confidence in their singing abilities that made the performance feel a little shakier to me. i do think that this song had the best lyrics in terms of encapsulating each member of their team, though. i really like how Yul and Riya are the ones to sing "i'm going to chase it" as a duo, because they're the ones chasing fame and the limelight, and then Grett sings that she can't ignore it, because eventually she's going to have to realize that her entire relationship with Yul was a result of him clout chasing. Connor only singing "live in the moment until i die" is also very fitting given his placement... in both seasons. L.

really surprised that Riya (or anyone else) didn't even mention Yul's foot injury as part of this equation. Riya just said that she didn't want to lose any more challenges, and Yul's bad foot could totally lead to a loss. maybe i'm just overestimating the extent to which that foot injury will stick around, though.

season 2 characters are REALLY suffering out here.

HELP??????

love to see Alec and Fiore's kinda sorta dual redemptions. i have high hopes for them.

and those were my initial thoughts, which got way longer than i expected. thanks if you wound up reading towards all the way down here. i have no idea who the leakers are, obviously, but i really hope that they stop acting up soon so that the series can continue. i would hate to have the artists have to take a pay hit and/or stop making the series just because of some people's impatience and delusions of power, or have the honest patrons lose out on being able to watch the episodes early to protect from others' immaturity. see ya!

[olympeline]

I’ve only ever been vaguely aware of Eurovision in the past in a “oh, Eurovision is on? Yeah, sure, let’s watch it 👍” kinda way. Some years I’ve let it completely pass me by. But I’ve made a friend at my board games group who looooves Eurovision. It’s absolutely his thing that he waits all year for, and he’s helped me get into it too. I get it now. It’s really fun :D

So, I just binge listened to all the entries and here’s some thoughts from a newbie:

First off, who do I think will win? Croatia. Croatia: 100% my pick for #1. Never heard of Baby Lasgna before but now I want to listen to everything he’s ever made because what a banger Rim Tim Tagi Dim is! If this song doesn’t get at least top 2, that’s a paddlin crime. Seriously, it just has everything. Great melody, great lyrics, great message, super memorable. What more do you want? Come on, Croatia bros! Get your first win! 🇭🇷

That being said, if there’s anyone I think could give Baby Lasagna a run for his money, it’s Switzerland. I don’t think The Code is quite on Rim Tim Tagi Dim’s level, but live performances can mean a lot. If Nemo has a great night and Baby Lasagna fumbles his performance? Nemo could swing it. Some of his vocals? *Chef’s kiss* Even stronger than the strongest parts of Rim Tim Tagi Dim. It’s a dust up between a song I think is consistently super high in quality all the way through (Croatia) vs. one with quality that dips higher and lower at certain points (Switzerland) if that makes sense. I think the Swiss could walk a top 3 placement with this, easy 🇨🇭

Probably the entry where I differ most from the general opinion is Italy’s song. After listening, it struck me as a UK-tier entry (see below). As in good, but nothing remarkable. Middle ground. But that’s a minority opinion because everyone else loves La Noia! Everyone is saying it won’t just rank high, but will be huge after Eurovision and become a big chart topper. And I’m just here like: “Huh? Really? This one? 😯” Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine. But I can’t muster up any bigger feelings for it beyond “fine.” Guess it’s just taste at the end of the day 🇮🇹

Ooh la la, France’s song is beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous! As a side note, I love that so many entries are singing in their native languages. It’s so much better than everyone doing English. I do hope they give us a subtitles option, though. I can’t remember if that’s something Eurovision does? Anyway, I don’t know how true this is but I’ve heard Eurovision really doesn’t like slow, soulful ballads so maybe that will hurt Mon Amour? I hope not. It’s so lovely I think it deserves a lot of points. Slimane is another artist I’ve never heard of but I need to look up now. From across the channel, vive la France! 🇫🇷

The Netherlands’s Europapa is the dark horse of this competition. Has to be. I don’t think it will win - not against entries like Rim Tim Tagi Dim - buuut if it did, I wouldn’t be super surprised…? I can see a top 5 or even a top 3. I know the jury people can be sniffy about songs that are too silly and playful so maybe they will be Joost Klein’s downfall? I think viewers will love it, though. I certainly did. I wouldn’t be mad at all if Europapa won 🇳🇱

If the Netherlands is the dark horse then Finland is the dark horse’s dark horse. I love No Rules! It’s so much fun and a real camp banger, too! Just pure, pure cracky fun. I think this will be a real love/hate, marmite “you either get it, or you think it’s really dumb” entry. I have no idea where this one will place. If it came bottom 5 I’d be like, “yeah, understandable” and if it came top 5 I’d be like “yeah, understandable.” Love it either way. Keep doing you, Finland (and yes, I agree you deserved to win last year) 🇫🇮

Before getting into this contest, I had no idea Luxembourg was such a Eurovision powerhouse! Look at this little Duchy that could, coming out every year swinging at the big boys and getting knock out after knock out. What an inspiration for the little guys of the world. It’s awesome, just like their song. I think this could be a mid to upper entry? Fighter is low in the odds right now, so I’m hoping this will be an entry that ends up surprising everyone on the day. Keep that David and Goliath energy going, Luxies! 🇱🇺

Spain was a surprise! I know from my limited Eurovision awareness that they usually score low, so I wasn’t expecting much. But I really liked Zorra a lot. Apparently people think it will either do really well or really badly? I hope it does well because I loved it. Go, Spain! I hope you crack the top ten 🇪🇸

I can’t make up my mind about Austria’s We Will Rave. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I think it’s too generic club banger? Of all the entries, this is the one I’m going back and forth on the most even after lots of repeat listens. If I had to choose a position, I’d say middle to upper middle? Hmm. IDK. We’ll see how you do, tricksy little hobbitses Austria 🇦🇹

As for closer to home in the British Isles, I didn’t care for Ireland’s song, sadly. I’ve listened to it twice now and I can barely remember it. Which is surprising since even I know Ireland is usually one of the big, swinging dicks of Eurovision. One of the few countries who can give the Swedish master race a run for the top spots. I was expecting a lot from Ireland but, IDK, it didn’t feel like Doomsday Blue could find an identity? Like, it’s stuck halfway between a serious and a wacky entry? It’s hard to put into words because I’m so musically illiterate lol, but I’ll try. It’s not dramatic enough to compete with Rim Tim Tagi Dim or The Code, but not crazy enough that it doesn’t get overshadowed by Europapa and No Rules. Speaking of, I think it’s trying to do what Europapa has but didn’t quite make it? Ehh, we’ll see 🇮🇪

The UK? Hmm. Eehh. Mmm? Hmm…I think Dizzy is a good song and I like it better than Doomsday Blue, but I’d be surprised if it was a threat to the upper echelons. It’s too safe. Competent, nothing wrong with it, but doesn’t stand out. I don’t think it will do badly exactly - unless Olly Alexander really boobs it up on the night - but I can’t see a top ten placement. If our Irish bros come low, I think we Brits will come an unremarkable middle of the pack? Or just under? Again, we’ll see 🇬🇧

Speaking of countries who are usually members of the Eurovision Cripples Team as my friend calls us (wooo! Yeah! Go go useless nations! 🇪🇸 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 😂) apparently poor Germany is predicted to come last again. And yeeeaaahhh, considering this is another entry I can’t remember at all despite multiple listens, I’d believe it. I still love you, Germany. Don’t give up! Satellite was one of the Eurovision finals I actually saw, so I believe they can be good again 🇩🇪

Aaaaaand those are all my thoughts so far. It’s still a few months away, but I’m already getting excited! I can’t wait to go to my first watch party. Then afterwards it will be fun to look back on this post and see how my predictions held up. Maybe I’ll have some beginner’s luck? Either way, best wishes to all countries performing! 😄

[glassprism]

It's been said that Webber Christine shows the most strength and fierceness, more than other any other versions. But when watching 2004 movie Webber Christine that same feel isn't there. Why did they insist to have her be a bit more weaker than the stage? Did that look better to do for movie purposes?

Oh, I don't know about being the strongest and fiercest, plus it really depends on the actress. (Meghan Picerno? Very fierce. Sarah Brightman? More dreamy than fierce.) Like, I think Leroux's Christine, who slams a door in Erik's face, wields a pair of scissors in case Erik should "stop acting like a gentleman", lies to Erik's face for two weeks, bashes her own head against a wall - that's pretty strong. Not to mention Claude Rains's Christine, who ditches both men in favor of her own career, or Robert Englund's Christine, who literally sets his lair on fire, both badass in different ways.

I think the best way to say it is that ALW's Christine experiences the most growth and change, since she starts off naive and passive but becomes independent over the course of the show, while others, like Leroux's Christine, are quite strong to begin with but do display less growth as a consequence. (And then there's Kay's Christine who just doesn't mature at all. Just a flat line of character development.)

But anyway, one thing about the movie is that they cut off scenes that show more of Christine's defiance. The big one for me is 'Notes II', a scene in the musical where Christine 1) yells at Carlotta, 2) yells at the managers, 3) yells at Raoul, and 4) yells at everyone before running off. The movie, however, removes most of the scene, leaving only Raoul's plan and 'Twisted Every Way'. This is part of the adaptation process, of course, where scenes get shortened or removed to bring the runtime down, and it makes some sense because 'Twisted Every Way' is moved to after the graveyard scene, not before as in the musical, but it does mean that a moment of Christine actually speaking out for herself is excised.

Another aspect is just the direction given to Emmy Rossum and her acting, such as in 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again'. In the musical, most actresses use this scene as Christine's big growth moment - Christine is finally moving on from her grief, she's ready to stand on her own feet, etc. In the 2004 movie, though, Emmy Rossum is just... sad. She's sad. It's honestly a bit funny because it seems like nobody actually listened to the lyrics of the song ("No more memories, no more silent tears, no more gazing across the wasted years!"), as if the director was just like, "Oh, 'Wishing'? It's the sad song, right? Just tell Emmy to play it sad, that's all we need."

And a third factor is the blocking of some scenes. 'Final Lair' is the big stand-out to me, because in the musical Christine is everywhere in that scene: she's trying to free Raoul, she blocks him from the Phantom, she is sometimes actively fighting the Phantom or making him back down or yelling at him, and it really shows how active and defiant Christine has become. But in the movie's 'Final Lair', Christine just stands there, again looking sad ("about as useful as a mannequin" went one review). Maybe she didn't want to get her dress wet, I don't know. The overall effect is that Christine comes off like an observer, not an active participant in the scene.

As for why they did this, there are some possible reasons. I think a big part of is that the movie was made to appeal to a younger, more mainstream crowd, teenagers to very young adults, and one way to do that is to strip the audience surrogate (the character that people will project themselves onto, in this case Christine for young women) of her personality traits. This is something that Stephenie Meyer did with her Twilight series, where Bella was written "so that the reader could more easily step into her shoes", to the point of leaving out even a description of her appearance.

That being said, this isn't necessarily confined to movies for teenagers; it's a fairly common thing to do in romances too, and one thing about the 2004 movie is that it really upped the romantic aesthetic, humanizing the Phantom, making him much more an object of sympathy, and so on.

And of course... maybe that's just how the filmmakers see Christine! Maybe that's just how they see the story overall, as a love triangle with a passive girl being fought over by two men; unfortunately, I think love triangles in pop culture in general come off that way. Heck, women in media are still being written that way, and Phantom is far from the first or the last to have that happen. After all, stripped of blocking and staging and actresses, the story can be seen in that sense. It wouldn't be the first time someone has misinterpreted the musical (ahem restaged tour).

So there you have it.

[brittanagirlcrush]

Another Unpopular Opinion

Just watched a video that ranked 54 Glee singers.

Brittany was number 42. Now, I know she doesn't have the strongest voice but, by the end of the series, she had definitely improved. I'd have her in the top 25 at least.

My biggest beef was Santana was ranked #5. I was like...say what?

#4 was Elliot Gilbert

#3 was Jesse St. James

#2 was Rachel Berry

#1 was Mercedes Jones

I can agree with Mercedes at #1 (although I tend to flip-flop depending on what I just listened to or watched; Santana doing Girl on Fire and I'm like Oh, hell yeah, Santana is the best. Then Mercedes does I'm Not Going and I'm like, oh, right, yeah Mercedes is awesome).

But to say Elliot and Jesse were BETTER than Santana? Oh... HELL TO THE NO.

For me, FOR ME, Santana and Mercedes were always the best. Hands down.

I always felt Rachel was over-rated.

Don't get me wrong; she has a technically wonderful voice and great breath control and she does those BIG VOICE songs beautifully. (Run, Joey, Run was bad for more than one reason).

But.

Mercedes and Santana have proven they can do them as well (I Will Always Love You? Don't Rain On My Parade?) BUT ... they can also cover fun songs and pop song and R&B songs. Both of them are more versatile performers. They both also have more sex appeal and presence than Rachel. (IN MY OPINION) They OWN their performances in a way that Rachel just doesn't. Not saying she's bad. She's definitely top 10, maybe even top 5 but some of the singers that came through Glee just seemed ... more.

Rachel always struck me as a one trick pony. Big songs, sure. But even Paradise By the Dashboard Lights seemed to be missing something. (Again, FOR ME).

Anyway, just wanted to vent about my belief that "Rachel's great and all but Santana and Mercedes were the top bitches of that Glee Club".

[lunarosewood23]

FFXIVWrite2023 Prompt 3: Magic (EXTRA CREDIT!!)

Some Cross lore and how they interact with magic. And I mix XIV things with DnD often bc I like having some cool OP spells for my characters.

~~~

Raven couldn't help but compare her own magic to those around her, especially since the Cross family has always had a special attunement to magic.

From the magic of the schools and elements to the imbuement of weapons, even carried within their own music or voice, magic runs strong in the blood of a Cross.

Raven remembers the stories of her grandfather Enguerrand from her mama, and how despite him being more of a martial man as a dragoon, the man often sang for both his men to boost morale and sang for his daughters to soothe them to sleep. They would often describe his voice as deep and soothing, and the aches and hurts of the day were eased. It was a comfort at day's end.

Her aunts were also powerful magic users in conjury and thaumaturgy, yet her mama’s magic came from arcanima and her cooking. She wishes she had met them. Elena sounded like a stern but kind woman, while Celine seemed to have a wildness and chaotic energy to her. Both were contrasts to her mama’s patience and boundless compassion.

She stared at her own magic as it gathered in her palm. Black magic was strongest, though her magic in her voice was something that came with her awakened inheritance, her song potent with magic like the dragons of Ratatoskr's brood. It felt so different even to her brothers. From Magpie's lightning knives and conjury, to Charibert’s pyromancy, Raven’s magic was potent, yet it wasn't as focused on an element like theirs.

It surprised her, but also gave her a sense of freedom. Why she wasn't sure, but it was.

She sighed as she let her magic flicker in her taloned hand before she began to hum the tune that was on the winds...