#i also was this character in a dream and had to hide from people chasing me

[emuwarum]

the other character I was unable to find for a while. Finally found it in the depths of my art folders within art folders (no clue why past me put it there)

[moonchild1]

jeon jungkook fic rec list (Ⅸ)

hi everyone wow it's really been a while and i'm on list 9 already damnnn that's alot and list 10 is like half way complete already... soooo you might notice a change in the set up this time around i liked how it looked on my ao3 list so i added it here as well, i absolutely love this list like i've gone over this list a million times it's filled with alot of fics i was absolutely obsessed with, you know how attached i get to the characters and this list holds quite a few of them too so i hope you enjoy reading them as much as i did and you fall for them too... remember to give lots of love to the authors of these fics they are absolute geniuses and deserve all the respect and love in this world for creating these beautiful fics and sharing it with us so be sure to give them a follow, like and reblog or even leave a little comment i'm 100% percent sure it would mean alot to them 🥺🖤 also as these fics contain smut no under minors allowed/interact... if you would like to share some of your favourites or just wanna ramble about fics you love send me an ask i love hearing from you guys and happy reading everyone till next time ✨🖤

a- angst s- smut f-fluff

series

dreamcatchers by @ggukcangetit f a

↬  DI Jeon didn’t need a new partner. Unfortunately, his superiors felt otherwise; especially considering the extremely high-profile murder that had just taken place in the port city. Recent transfer, DI Choi Yuri finds herself confronted with a new cityscape, unfamiliar people, a hostile partner, and a homicide that is certain to bring back unpleasant memories.  

block party by @minlucent f s a

↬ moving into your new apartment brings back memories of your biggest mistake. neighbours au e2l

a little bit of your heart by @yoongiofmine f s a ft. myg

↬ you had everything you could ever dream of; the career of your dreams as a music producer, the best friends you could ever wish for, and a exes-turned-friends-turned-fuck-buddies relationship with min yoongi. you knew you and yoongi would never move past that and you were okay with it. Until a friend from your past comes back into your life, offering to give you everything you deserve, everything yoongi couldn’t. Will jungkook show you what you’ve been missing? Or will the new guy threaten yoongi enough to do something about it? 

lost stars by @/yoongiofmine f s a

↬ Jungkook was lost. He didn’t know who he was anymore, so he decided to leave and find himself. But he wasn’t expecting to find you along the way, an island girl who has no idea who he is. Jungkook has a secret. But so do you. idol au s2l

secrets we keep by @/yoongiofmine f s a

↬ Being a camgirl was never your main goal in life, but when the pandemic hit and you lost your job, you were desperate. Now, two years later, the world is back to normal and  you are one of the top creators of OnlyChingu; the South Korean version of OnlyFans. A website where idols hide behind anonymous profiles in search of that connection they lost during lockdown. Jungkook was never into this type of stuff. Until he ran into you. He knows you’re his perfect girl, his ideal type. Will he be able to put his own insecurities aside when chasing you? Or will you let the secrets you keep ruin you? idol au

i hate you, i love you by @jungblue s a

↬ You hated him at seven, warmed up to him at twelve, and liked him at fifteen. Now the two of you are twenty years old and inseparable best friends… and you’re absolutely in love with him; he’s in love too—just not with you. 

fatal attraction by @jungcock s a ft. kth

↬ your dangerous ex-boyfriend comes back to haunt you in more ways than one. exes au serial killer thriller

pub golf by @taleasnewastime f s

↬ One night. One stupidly hot man, who just keeps appearing in every pub you go to. Six friends. Nine pubs. Nine drinks. Ten million stupid rules. Let the chaos begin. s2l

animal by @cutaepatootie f s a

↬ boxer jungkook au ANGST

things you don't know by @btsgotjams27 a

↬ It’s been seven years since you last saw the boy that broke your heart. After moving back home, you try everything you can to avoid seeing him around town, but destiny has a wicked way of doing the opposite.

entangled by @caelesjjk f s a ft. kth

↬ Jeon Jungkook is Spider-Man. He saved your life twice. But he’s also been your sweet lab partner in college for the past two years and now someone who is more than just a friend. You care about him…maybe even love him. But something tells you that you aren’t quite sure what love even is. How could you when you have feelings for someone else as well? Kim Taehyung is the handsome stranger you’ve seen around campus and somehow ended up dancing with at Club Onyx. You were upset that Jungkook had stood you up once again and Taehyung made you feel like you were on top of the world. What you didn’t know that night, is the dark secret Taehyung is trying desperately to hide, but the closer the two of you get the more difficult that becomes.

when the end comes by @oddinary4bts f s a

↬ Seven years after you've started dating Jungkook, long distance creates a wedge in your relationship. When the only solution seems to be breaking up, you go your separate ways even though love still lives in the two of you. Will you find a way back together, or has the end come for you and Jeon Jungkook?

new girl by @jjkeverlast f s a

↬ after finding out your boyfriend of 6 years cheated on you, you find yourself moving in with three guys in a loft. what could possibly go wrong?

horizon by @/sokooks f s a

↬ The way you approached life had started to break down Jungkook's emotional barriers. Jungkook couldn't deny that he was drawn to you in a way that was entirely new and unfamiliar. You had become more than just an assignment; you had become someone he genuinely cared about. It was the way you made him feel. With you, he felt more human than he had in a long time. Despite his best efforts to remain detached, his heart had other plans. angel au

searching for nirvana by @/sokooks f s a

↬ he shouldn't be here. he shouldn't be touching you the way he was- but he was here before him. he was your friend, not him. he knew your body, not him. he wanted to be the only one to touch you the way you liked. he he wanted you to remember that. despite the fact that he already had someone waiting for him. best friends au cheating au.

twelve hours by @whatifyoulivelikethat s a

↬ you have twelve hours to make jeon jungkook fall in love with you. he's about to get married. you're the entertainment at his bachelor party - a burlesque dancer. long ago, he used to be the class representative and you used to be the class delinquent. nothing has changed and, yet, everything has.

when it all... by @7deadlysinsfics f a

↬ what’s there to do when your husband says he thinks he doesn’t love you anymore? you pick up the broken pieces the best you can and try to move on

better than me ? by @/7deadlysinsfics f s a

↬ jungkook is clear on what you both are to each other. still, he doesn’t want you to think anyone else is better than him

our first and our last by @thedefinitionofbts f a ft ot7

↬ The first time you met Jeon Jungkook was on your tenth birthday. On that day, he was nothing more than the strange man who jumped into a dark portal that suddenly opened in the middle of the park. The ten year old you just stood in the grass, strands of hair ruffling from the calm breeze that swooped by; head slightly tilted, bright, innocent eyes wide open and staring at him with wonder and disbelief. There was a certain amount of confusion, but your young mind was too naïve to question his actions or what they entailed. soulmate au

dancer in the dark by @gwoongi f s a

↬ Money can’t buy you happiness. Jeongguk, for the longest time, thinks he’s happy. Truthfully, Jeongguk doesn’t know what happiness is until you find him. rockstar au

together by @httpjeon f s a ft.pjm

↬domestic!au, couple!au, stoner!au, gamer!au

hot bot by @/httpjeon f s

↬ purchasing a Hot Bot wasn’t exactly something you ever really planned on. when you do, however, it sends your life down a path of convoluted government schemes and dark secrets.

stardust by @iamtaekooked f

↬ You didn’t believe in soulmates until you lay your eyes on Jeon Jeongguk, the younger brother of your best friend’s husband. That is when you see the red string beginning encircled around your pinky and ending in his

serendipity by @rohobi f s a

↬ After you reveal your inexperienced sexual status to your best friend, Jungkook grapples with the news, startled by the idea that the girl he always thought could get anyone, is a virgin. After finding his porn at 3AM, you decide that maybe it’s about time to stain the white sheets of your world with the colors of a forbidden fruit Jungkook seems to have in the palm of his hands.

chasing shadows by @colormepurplex2 s a

↬ Your job gets you into trouble sometimes. Who would have thought crime journalism would put so many targets on your back? But, it’s happening again, someone’s threatening you. Only, this time, it’s not just you that’s in the crosshairs. Your best friend, Enola, is out on assignment and can’t help like she usually does. So, what does she do instead? She sends her brother, Jungkook, armed with a magic bag, a charming smile, and deductive reasoning skills that prove his worth as one of the best PI’s around.

I gasp once, and in that breath, I accept you in by @inkofyoonkoo f s a

↬ In which Jungkook arrives to your small town to spend the holidays, and you slowly let go of all the ghosts of your past. s2l fwb au

sweet nothing by @adonis-koo f s a

↬ Being a guest at the Jeon Estate after a mishap of being kidnapped and dragged into your brothers affairs isn’t all that bad. Truth be told it brings you a lot closer to the mobster and owner of the estate Jeon Jungkook himself. His two rules are simple, don’t cause trouble and don’t give him a hard time. Somehow you manage to constantly do both in the most endearing way despite being pregnant and waddling around most of the time.

three's a crowd by @/adonis-koo s a ft. jimin

↬ When your mom’s fairytale life begins to bleed over into your world you’re suddenly caught between two men and one big secret, what was supposed to be a relaxing trip soon begins to spiral out of control. All you wanted was a free vacation… ceo au

sleepwalking by @taexual f s a

↬ due to unfortunate circumstances, you ended up managing your ex-boyfriend’s band. you thought you’ve both made peace with it, but suddenly he’s very eager to prove to you that first love never dies.

empty space by @ahundredtimesover f s a

↬ It started as friendship, turned to a casual fuck, then ended in heartbreak. Turns out, he wasn’t who he said he was, and years later he enters your life again, forcing you to face all the emotions you’d been trying to bury. 

OR Officer Jeon looks really hot in his uniform and you wish you didn’t hate him as much as you do.

as the world burns around us by @today-we-will-survive a

↬ You haven’t seen the sun in two years. The Virus wiped out a good three quarters of the world’s population and then the wars that followed wiped out half of that. After everything happened, it was only a matter of time before the different countries started blaming each other and emptied their nuclear arsenals. You’re still surprised Seoul survived – if you can call what it has become “surviving”

hotter than hell by @chateautae f s a

↬ jungkook, lucifer and king of hell, has been cast out of the crimson underworld for a reason he’s unsure of. embarking on his journey for the answer should’ve been easy, if it weren’t for you, the human that nurses his wounded body in her home, and accidentally witnesses the truth of his identity. kickstarting a hellish adventure with the devil himself, you discover lucifer is the most infuriating company ever; and jungkook finds out that maybe his answer to returning home lies within his annoying human confidant.

to turn a bad thing good by @/chateautae f s a

↬ jungkook’s drunken one night stand goes awry when he comes to learn not only is he being forced into an arranged marriage, but it’s to the very girl he abandoned that night—and things get a lot more complicated when you’re the best hookup he’s ever had.

J’aime by @baepop f s a

↬ You’re the newest hire at a local café and head barista Jeon Jungkook takes you under his wing.

Written in the Stars by @/baepop f s a ft. kth

↬ You’re the girl of Jungkook’s dreams, literally. The only problem: you’re taken by his best friend

make me forget by @roseannekook f s a

↬ You are the lead vocalist and main dancer of your company’s first girl group, but on the fourth promotion of your debut song things don’t go as planned. At the brink of an uprising scandal, you seek refuge in the bathroom stalls…and find it in the arms of no one else but BTS’ golden maknae Jeon Jungkook.

one of your girls by @ggukiepie s a ft. pjm

↬ fwb au college au fuck boy au inspired by the song

boy in luv by @/ggukiepie f s a

↬ just two idiot best friends in l*ve college!au, bff!jk, athlete!jk, student council president oc, cheerleader!oc

the boy who left by @/gujoonim a

↬ As your eyes staring deeply into your possible client-to-be’s eyes, something crossed your mind, it was that pair of eyes that you were looking for when you being abandoned at the aisle on your wedding day. ceo au

love sewn by @jvnghxope s a

↬ You’ve never cared about the thin-as-paper walls of your beloved apartment until Jeon Jungkook moved next door. You could hear everything –from his late-night parties on Saturday, to the quality time he spent with his girlfriend in the intimacy of his bedroom. One day, everything ceases. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and you find yourself knocking his door before you can think it twice.

not yet by f s @bratkook f s a

↬ jungkook feels the pang of guilt in his gut when you spot your recent ex out with his new girl, and what better way to make the jerk hurt than to have him believe you were now dating him, the neighbor he had been insecure about your whole relationship.

one shot

blazes of deceit by @periminkle f a

↬ when the opportunity to finally venture past the stone walls you’ve grown up in presents itself, you jump at the chance to discover the origin of those mysterious lights—even if the trip comes with a harsh truth and a suspicious, yet undoubtedly attractive, tour guide. tangled au disney au

southpaw by @starshapedkookie f s a

↬ Knowing Jeon Jungkook for the better part of your life, you thought you knew everything about him. Well, that was before you two disappeared from each other’s lives at least. When Jungkook suddenly finds himself buying you a coffee to rekindle your friendship, it leads to much more than you bargained for.

house of cards by @jeonggukingdom s a

↬ What does safe mean when you are chased by zombies, when every corner you turn could be the last one for you? What do words like home and future mean when you’re always on the run and every moment could be your last? They mean nothing and everything at the same time and Jeongguk is all of the above. He is your safe haven, he is your home and he is your future. But things like that crumble easily in your world.

enouement by @littlemisskookie s a

↬ War is Hell, but it’s what you had to do to take your brother’s place. Of course, between the days of Hell are little slices of Heaven you’d call your Captain, Jeon Jungkook. mulan au disney au

miss taken by @junghelioseok f s

↬you pride yourself on being a professional, but sometimes your students' parents really test your patience. single parent dilfjk jk e2l

the ex text by @shadowkoo f s a

↬ The 2 AM texts have started again. It’s a bittersweet familiarity that you can’t run away from, and despite wishing to forget him: no one will ever measure up to the exceptional standard set by your ex, and you’ll never have anyone as good as him either. Like a permanent mark on your heart, Jungkook’s presence has become an insatiable craving, an addiction you'll never outgrow or cast aside.

the proposal by @hansolmates f s a

↬Jeon’s the editor-in-chief for Big Hit Publishings, a closet romantic with a penchant for antagonizing his assistant on the reg. When his work visa is in the process of being renewed and he takes a trip to Norway, his eligibility to stay in America is on the line. However Jeon Jungkook doesn’t go without a fight, and in order to save his job he offers you a proposal you can't refuse. based on the movie the proposal e2l

red and gold by @/thedefinitionofbts f s

↬It’s no secret that genius, billionaire, international playboy, and philanthropist- Jeon Jungkook, better known as the CEO of Jeon Industries-and even better known as Iron Man, is one of the most intelligent, wealthy, and powerful men in the world. There’s nothing that can get to him or his ego, that is, until you happen to show up and give him a run for his money. 

burning bright by @snackhobi s

↬there are no secrets in the drift. if jungkook were to see the mess inside your head and heart, laid utterly bare, he’d turn away from you. based on the movie pacific rim

but we loved young by @jl-micasea-fics s a

↬Jungkook is everything you’re not, the ying to your yang. Your tight knit friendship nurtured from childhood survived the major life events that most don’t, and to that end, you suppose you’re fated to be together, until unrequited longing is eventually noticed, and boundaries are forever crossed.

the shoulder on which you cry by @lemonjoonah f s a ft. knj

↬ after moving away from your hometown five years ago, you’ve struggled on every return. each trip back being made out of haste due to an unfortunate event in your life. namjoon has always been there to help you through those moments. but when he can’t be there to support you during your current trip home, jungkook offers to stay by your side and be the comfort you need. 

illusion of choice by @hobibliophile f s a

↬ You’ve grown up with the Jeons, Jungmin and Jungkook, for as long as you can remember, your parents being very close. But little did you know that this is because you are in fact arranged to be married to the Jeon heir, Jungmin. However, a tragedy causes Jungkook to take up his brother’s mantle, and that includes becoming your fiancé.

the blue princess and her red rose by @/cutaepatootie f s a

↬ After all, he was her red rose, while she was just another one of the many blue roses that grew in the dying gardens of Greyria. princess au

rigor mortis by @readyplayerhobi f s a

↬ A night out at a bar results in you going home with a young and attractive police officer. But if you think the night was something to remember, that’s nothing compared to waking up to find a zombie outbreak in the city. A chance encounter with Officer Jeon leads to him helping you escape from the plague infested city.

lowkey by @joonbird s

↬ Jungkook is the nude model for your art school’s life drawing class.

part-time lover by @sketchguk f s a

↬there is no crime more perfect than marrying jeon jeongguk. your relationship is nothing more than a ruse - while your friends pester you for being perpetually single, jeongguk desperately needs a wife to complete the pristine image of a family, fooling his way through the parent interview at the nation’s most prestigious private school. only time will tell how deep your lies will run as you find home in one another’s minds. because untangled in the moonlight, he is but a spy, exposing a secret world of corruption, and you, an assassin, ridding the streets of danger one hit at a time. 

sweet apple biscuits by @rosaetae a

↬ a story about someone who receives letters from themselves ten years in the future and asks them to fix all their regrets and save a particular boy. inspired by the anime 'orange'

i'll be home by @wwilloww f s a ft.knj

↬ When your first love, Jungkook, disappeared from your village five years ago, no one thought he would return, let alone on the night of your betrothal to another man. 

white lies by @noteguk f s a

↬ in which Jungkook lies his way out of and into trouble. But he can’t tell white lies when it comes to you. 

yes coach by @/taleanewastime s

↬ You play in a local netball team and as a new season starts you have a new coach. Enter Jungkook, he may look soft, but he turns out to be a hard taskmaster, one who ruffles your feathers when he makes some changes to the team. Tensions grow between you through the weeks, until they finally reach breaking point.

spf 50 by @gimmeyoon f s

 ↬ If you have to spend your summer home from college working a job you hate, it might as well include sitting by the pool with Jungkook. Now if only kids could stop vomiting in it.

fifth wish by @jiminrings f a

↬ jeon jungkook, world-class socialite and nepotism baby, should be out every night to celebrate while he’s at his prime. why should he fake-date his bodyguard instead? alternatively, jungkook regularly throws coins to wishing wells with only one desire in mind — to get rid of you.

blacklisted by @/httpjeon s a ft. kth

↬after departing from your dom, you’re assigned to two incredibly powerful men.

↬looking for other jjk fics or the other members check out my library

[verysium]

blu lock top artists on Spotify??? i need your thoughts on it

anon you had me pulling up my spotify playlists and browsing through the entirety of genius.com for three hours straight. i'm going to tweak this prompt a little bit and include specific songs that best represent them since it's easier for me to explain that way.

RIN

the fanon answer for this is chase atlantic. while their songs do encapsulate parts of his personality (mostly the edgy teenager and disillusioned youth persona), i feel like this choice does not do his full character justice.

the canon answer for this is king gnu, more specifically the song "prayer x." i can picture this since rin seems like the type to enjoy alternative rock/indie, but the fact that it's the ending theme to banana fish is what gets to me. like...do you see yourself in ash or something? i hope you don't cus it doesn't end well. that anime had me bawling my eyes out for months, and i still can't think about it without breaking down again.

furthermore, the lyrics and music video to this song are very cryptic and borderline nihilistic. for example, "hiding behind this nonchalant smile" and "my life's spark will wink out of existence." i feel like this speaks volumes about rin's mental health and internal thought process. he obviously does not process his emotions normally and instead represses them. he also struggles with the idea of finding a purpose in what is otherwise a cyclical routine with no end. he's worried and, quite frankly, afraid that if he ever stops pursuing his dream, everything will come crumbling down, and he will have to face all the demons he's avoided for so long. the main theme here is that he cannot face his reality (the fact that sae's dream is not his own.) so he does everything in order to escape this fact even if it ultimately destroys him.

from my own playlists, i'd assign him the following songs/artists:

"beautiful boy" by john lennon

this is a love letter to baby rin. i feel like he would've enjoyed this song as either a lullaby or something he listened to on car rides to the beach during summer vacations. he probably still listens to this when it's raining outside or he's had a bad day. reminds him of his childhood and the good parts of it.

"the love club" by lorde

this is something pre-teen rin listened to. the irony is spot-on, and i feel like the lyrics would be relevant during a time when he was going through his rebellious phase and fully fleshing out his place in society. in this instance, the club would metaphorically be wherever his brother is at, whether that's the guys sae meets in spain or the group of football players considered "top-notch" in japan. everything is about finding a place in this club/clique in an effort to become free and differentiate himself from others. the only problem is that rin ironically loses his freedom because he tries so hard to be among the best. he signs his life away in pursuit of a dream, and it's something that now defines him.

"the only problem i got with the club / is how you're severed from the people / who watched you grow up"

this lyric in particular could apply to either one of the itoshi brothers. it's one of the caveats that comes with fame. you gain everything, but you lose everything before that. both of the itoshis likely experienced some amount of separation from their loved ones, including each other. also lorde's vocals are beautiful as always, so there's no reason not to include this song.

"howlin' 404" by DEAN

the production for this song is on point. the intro has a segment from a 1930s american horror radio program which is fitting because rin canonically watches horror movies. i think this song is something rin might listen to during cold autumns or midnights when he just can't sleep.

lyrically, there is the motif of a time loop which is also present in "prayer x." rin's character itself just has this connection with the raw grittiness of existentialism and this idea of repeating days without purpose. (in fact, he would make a great psychological thriller lead.) rin is also a control freak. if he lets one loose end go, it will unravel the entire thing. that matches up with the idea of "killing me softly." rin would rather prolong his pain than have it ripped from him all at once and leave him with nothing. i find this in a lot of people in real life too. even if your trauma wasn't good for you, it sometimes becomes the only thing you truly own. it's like that one quote from bojack horseman. "if i don't, that means that all the damage i got isn't good damage, it's just damage." rin feels like he has something to prove, and if he fails, all his suffering would've been for nothing.

"moonchild" by RM

i may be a bit biased since i love the mono mixtape, and i've written a rin fic about celestial bodies, but....this song just fits him. there's also a remarkable similarity with the lyrics of the previous songs i've listed. i'm just going to list a few:

"smiling in endless pain / you know / there's no freedom when you say freedom out loud"

one thing i love about RM is that he doesn't shy away from character flaws. he writes songs specifically for those who are always picked last, who aren't remarkable in any way, who feel weighed down by their normality. he gives them their spotlight and due diligence. for example, the entirety of the chorus is a repeat of "moonchild, you shine." i find this interesting since it's usually the sun that shines. but the sun is already sae, and rin is relegated to being the moon. yet even though the moon doesn't have its own light (it merely reflects the sun), it still shines bright in the darkness. rin doesn't know it yet, but he himself is a big role model for others such as isagi, his fans, and people just like him. so yeah....i'd take this song as a message of hope for future rin.

SAE

the fanon answer is lana del rey, and i would agree to a certain extent. under the right circumstances, he could become one of those dreamy, emotionally stunted, and tired men you guys all lust over. if y/n ever wrote a romantic song about him, it would be either "west coast" (for the spanish influences) or "art deco" (for the vibes.)

the headcanon answer is nothing. i don't think he listens to music much. even if he did, it would be probably classical/instrumental or just white noise for his long flights. i imagine him listening to erik satie's "gymnopédie no. 3" on a train ride or something.

from my own playlists, i'm going to give him these songs/artists:

"remind me" by röyksopp

i don't know how to explain this, but this song gives a bittersweet sense of nostalgia. think early 2000s when the TV footage was still grainy and had retro graphics. you're carrying around your mini mp3 player whilst wandering through the airport and wondering how the hell you even ended up there. that's the general ambience of this song.

lyrically, the song also matches well with sae. i'm going to give you a few examples:

"it's only been a week / the rush of being home in rapid fading"

again, this is a tribute to the disconnection sae feels from his home. he goes everywhere, but he belongs nowhere. when he finally returns to japan, he finds himself missing spain. when he's in madrid, he thinks about the ocean back in kamakura. there never is a place that truly fills that gaping hole in his chest. i also feel like sae experiences FOMO on a whole other level. he constantly feels like something is wrong/missing and he's not doing enough.

"brave men tell the truth / the wise man's tools are analogies and puzzles"

the idea here is that though sae is blunt with his words, he is a coward with his intentions/true feelings. he can brutally call out someone without hesitation, but to actually reveal his own truths and motives? he'd rather shrivel up in a hole and die. this is especially applicable to love. to him, a wise man is someone who doesn't open his heart up easily. instead, he hints at his feelings, and whether or not you can figure that out is on you. sae hates it when others play games with him. it's where his hypocrisy lies. he demands straightforward honesty from others, but he himself will unintentionally play games with you if it means he can hide himself behind his walls.

"a woman holds her tongue / knowing silence will speak for her"

this is the closest you guys are ever going to get to sae itoshi's ideal type. he loves people who don't need to say something for him to believe it. they just get it. your silence is automatically enough for him to know that you love him. similarly, you don't even need to speak a word to understand what he's feeling.

"night shift" by lucy dacus

this song is sae if he was that one ex-boyfriend who really fucked you up emotionally, and you never got over him even though you said you did. now that i think about it, the story could be told from either POV. this could be sae trying to erase you from his mind, or it could also be you post-breakup.

"you've got a 9 to 5 / so i'll take the night shift / and i'll never see you again / if i can help it"

i know this one lyric caused controversy all over tiktok, so i'm going to add my own interpretation. at face value, this is exactly what it says it is. sae doesn't want to see you again, nor do you. he's willing to go out of his way just to avoid you, and truthfully he would. when sae finds himself in trouble, he doesn't look for something new to fix him. instead, he cuts everything off and subtracts anything that is deadweight. if you're out of his life, then you're out of his life. he's not coming back for you (or at least that's what he says to convince himself). same thing with rin. he knows he hurt rin, but he's not going to go back and try to make it right. he's going to move on and try to justify his actions every step of the way. one day, rin will move on too, and then sae would have been right all along. (unfortunately, that is not the way things work, but that's a lesson for another time.)

the alternative interpretation is that y/n is the other woman. this could be literal as in sae already has someone else in his life, and he only sees you at night. you're only ever going to be the night shift. it could also be metaphorical as in you're merely a distraction in the grand scheme of things. you're the mistress, but football is his wife if that makes sense. his career will always take precedence.

"you get me so high" by the neighborhood

this song is all the words sae wished he said to rin but never did. it made me cry because everything would have been so different if they had just set aside their pride and truthfully sought each other out.

"hope you don't regret it / i pushed a lot back but i can't forget it"

repressing feelings seems to be a recurring issue with the itoshi brothers. like....maybe if i just push it out of sight, it will also go out of mind. and at its core, this all stems from fear. fear of facing the consequences, the hypotheticals, the terrifying realization that you did something you regret and there really is no turning back from it. but realistically, if you think about it, a lot of this is the byproduct of overthinking. sometimes the situation isn't as complicated as we might make it out to be. sometimes an apology doesn't fix everything, but it's a proposition to be something more, an attempt at a solution. but sae and rin are so blindsided by their own internal turmoil that they cannot see this.

"for a long time i took it all for granted / i really thought we had it / but at the time it was more than i could manage"

ah....the "taking for granted" part. i could ramble on about that for hours. i think it really is some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy that we never miss something until it's gone. and in a way, it's not something that we can always control. the value you assign to a person/object when you have it is going to be fundamentally different from the value you assign to it when it's no longer in your grasp. that's how scarcity works. something with a limited supply is always going to be worth more. the vice versa works as well. you might yearn after something but then throw it away the moment you finally have it and grow tired of it. this sort of dilemma that comes with appreciation is so common i really wouldn't blame the itoshi brothers for what they did. it is immensely difficult to know when you're going to lose something or when you need to let it go. and sometimes it's hard to be constantly grateful for what you have because many of us are wired to want something more. tbh that's what makes the itoshis relatable.

"if we can leave it all behind us / and meet in between"

now sae would never say this unless he himself had actually reflected on what happened and fully processed it. but maybe in the future, they could set aside their differences and reach out to each other. (this is how i cope)

"but i just had to let you know / i never meant to hurt you, though / i had all my motives / i didn't know they wouldn't mix with your emotions / i just had to reach my goals / never knew i'd meet you though"

that's the thing with personal ambition. sometimes you get so caught up in yourself, you forget all about others. and this isn't really selfishness, or at least intentional selfishness. it just sort of happened that way. you never meant to hurt them, but you still somehow did.

"we should stick together / you're my best friend / i'll love you forever"

yeah....this line was the one that did it for me. something about the dysfunctional sibling dynamic just eats away at my insides. like....i could've loved you, we could've been so much together, but why aren't we? what we have isn't hate, but it isn't the love i know and crave either.

"we could be the greatest / it doesn't matter if we're never rich or famous"

ok but if rin ever heard this leave sae's lips, i think all of his trauma would just be magically healed. he just wants his brother to see him. like fully see him and love him. but alas, what is blue lock without angst, am i right?

"love in the dark" by adele

now i don't think sae would ever listen to adele, but the lyrics are just too fitting. i was going to write a fic on this, but it's going to have to ferment a bit in the drafts for now. basically this is the entire rin/sae traumatic scene but as a melodramatic torch song with adele's heavenly vocals.

"take your eyes off of me so i can leave / i'm far too ashamed to do it with you watching me"

um...this is literally sae's internal monologue??? i feel like letting go of things is something both the itoshi brothers struggle with. their lives are constantly pulling them in different directions, and eventually they become numb to it all. they don't form any strong attachment to anything besides football because that's the one thing that won't change for them. in a way, this is necessary for their character development (in the sense that they need to discern for themselves what to keep and what to let go), but it also destroys any sense of belonging they might have (hence why they feel lonely.)

"don't try to change my mind / i'm being cruel to be kind"

sae would definitely say this. like word for word. if only he wasn't a vague dumbass with no communication skills.

"i can't love you in the dark / it feels like we're oceans apart"

this is literally their dynamic in one lyric. there is the physical distance, and then there's the emotional distance.

"we're not the only ones, / i don't regret a thing / every word i've said, / you know i'll always mean"

this sort of reminds me when sae said that the world is huge, and there's so many players way better than him out there. i think spain really gave him a reality check, and he grew angry at rin when rin couldn't understand his disillusionment.

"everything changed me / and i don't think you can save me"

adele sort of echoes this softly at the end of the song. i feel like sae would do that too. he wouldn't admit his own insecurities until the very end, and only then does the truth come out.

"i'll sleep when i'm older" by bruno major

this is sae when he's older and fully mature, preferably after he meets you. he finally decides to damn it all and do what he wants.

"conversations with elders and the wisdom they bring ... / the view from an aeroplane at twelve thousand feet"

sae views things that previously annoyed him in a new light. he used to hate his elders, but he visited you and your mother once, and something changed within him. now he calls his parents more often, and his eyes linger on the old couples near the park benches. sometimes, his gaze softens just a bit when he imagines the two of you growing old just like them.

flights used to be a mundane part of his routine, but now he finds himself leaning over your window seat to see the mountains down below. the clouds and sunny weather set him aglow. and you just look so pretty when you fall asleep on his shoulder. he doesn't ever want this change.

"meet god on a mountain top along with the stars / find love somewhere, anywhere / fall deep from the start"

sae used to avoid love, but now he's running at it full-force. people tend to shy away from making sae a romantic because it seems too ooc. however, in the right situation, i think sae could entirely abandon his previous ideals and become someone else entirely. (that's why it's called a character evolution guys.)

"misplace my mind and follow my heart"

again, if you're able to make sae lose all rationality and let his heart guide him instead, then you've really done something. kudos to you for penetrating the walls of the coldest asshole known to mankind.

"i'll be a firework, not a flickering flame / treat life all around me like a one-player game"

this one lyric applies both to younger and older sae. younger sae is someone unafraid of risking it all if it means he can achieve something worthwhile. it doesn't matter how many players he has to defeat, how many people he has to leave behind. in this world, it is just him and the goal he has to accomplish.

however, after he's mellowed out after a few years (i'd say around middle age), he probably reinterprets this as something else. he's not going to constrain himself to his tunnel vision anymore. there's so much more to life than that.

"i'll go to the party and forget all the names / should it climb back to haunt me, / it ends all the same"

sae finally lets himself live the life he never thought he'd have. he does stupid things like get drunk and make a fool of himself. but you're there for him, so he doesn't really care. in fact, he can finally say that for the first time in a long time....he's having fun.

KAISER

the fanon answer is the weeknd. i'm not going to lie, i completely agree with this one. i saw this one edit of him to "party monster," and i can say i have been fully enlightened and converted. however, this is not just about a toxic male manipulator anthem. it's much more than that.

this is about running away from the ugliest parts of yourself, becoming a slave to your vices, knowing you're broken somewhere and you can never fix it. i would say his character is most similar to "starboy" in the fact that he literally flaunts everything he has to hide the fact that deep down inside, he really has nothing else to hold onto. "starboy" is all about the status symbol (money, red lamborghinis, glass table girls turning into ebony table girls lol). but at the end of the day, he doesn't really have anything except an empty heart and a satirical quip for all those who made him famous. the same theme applies to "the morning" and "house of balloons."

in the romantic sense, i think "don't break my heart" would represent kaiser. and no, this is not a justification for him being an f-boy. it's more so an exploration of why people might think he is an f-boy. i do not condone his actions, but i do try to understand them. in particular, i feel like the lyrics of "sacrifice" also fit him well.

"i was born in a city / where the winter nights don't ever sleep / so this life's always with me / the ice inside my veins will never bleed"

i headcanon kaiser as being born in either berlin or munich. and if you don't know anything about those two places, just know that you freeze your ass off during wintertime. i think it's interesting how his past could be intrinsically tied with a place, and he takes a piece of his past self with him wherever he goes. the ice in veins part also made me think about how kaiser would rather freeze up every weakness within himself than let them run free and make him human.

"every time you try to fix me / i know you'll never find that missing piece"

guys...did you hear that? to all you delusional people out there, this is your service announcement. you cannot fix someone who does not want to be fixed. write that down and memorize it. all meaningful change starts with a shift in mindset, and if they themselves are not in the right headspace to recognize that something is wrong and actively want to change, you're not going to get anywhere. so yeah....kaiser is not going to change unless HE starts doing the changing.

"i hold you through the toughest parts / when you feel like it's the end / 'cause life is still worth living"

i think this lyric sort of explores kaiser's dynamic with ness. on one front, he is the one picking ness up from his miserable past and instilling a sense of hope into him (intentionally or not.) but on another front, this could also be a problem. kaiser is almost forcefully optimistic in the way that he believes anything is possible. it has to be possible because there can be no other way. but the thing is.....you have to know your limits sometimes. blind optimism is, ironically, similar to cornering yourself.

"i can break you down and pick you up / and fuck like we are friends / but don't be catching feelings"

this is definitely the type of bullshit kaiser would spew. i could picture a fwb or situationship with him where y/n just constantly receives the short end of the stick. now this may be reaching, but i also feel like this is how kaiser projects his own trauma onto others. he himself clawed his way up to the top and put himself back together every time he fell down. the problem is that he also expects you to be that resilient. he's going to treat you badly because you're supposed to be like him: someone who can overcome everything and strive towards the impossible.

the headcanon answer to his top artist would be keshi. in particular, i think kaiser would fit the vibe of "2 soon" and "drunk." long story short, you finally broke up with him, and he's still reeling from the impact.

within my fics, i envision a dialogue between kaiser and y/n from each one of their perspectives. so based on that, i'm going to assign him the following songs/artists:

"gibson girl" by ethel cain

i know i said earlier that kaiser's character is not solely about toxic manipulation, but you have to understand that all bad habits originate from somewhere. kaiser is innately self-destructive, and he brings you down along with him. this song is about that but from y/n's perspective. there's this idea of trying to find agency in a situation where you have none. i don't have the word count to explain ethel cain lore in all of its naked glory, but all i can say is that this song is a banger and deals with themes like femininity as a performance, finding power in pain, religious motifs, etc.

"glory box" by portishead

this song is y/n's last plea to kaiser before they fully give up on him and leave. i'm also a sucker for anything that involves an exploration of gender dynamics and what it means to be a woman, and this song is riddled with it.

"suffocation" by crystal castles

this is kaiser post-isagi defeat (cue that one scene where he was trying to choke himself.) similar to sae, it's all or nothing with him. he suffers from this feeling of inferiority. everyone made him out to be this great figure of impossible dreams and legends, but look at him now. he's nothing. aren't you disappointed? he had you fooled, but he also fooled himself. so yeah....kaiser is definitely the most self-deprecating out of all of the boys at blue lock.

ISAGI

the fanon answer is laufey, and i also agree. he's so sweet, and laufey's music just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. he would also be that one love that came creeping up on you when you least expected it. "valentine" would be the song for that. i picture a reader who's had a series of unfortunate breakups and is right on the edge of giving up entirely. but then isagi comes along, and it's just so easy to love him. as easy as breathing. and then you think maybe it wasn't so bad after all. you just never found the right one until he came into your life. furthermore, isagi is a jazz pop princess, and you can't convince me otherwise.

the headcanon answer is IU. more specifically, i would say "troll" from her lilac album. i feel like even if you and isagi broke up, it would still be like you two never broke up at all. you're both on good terms, and even though you know it's counterproductive to keep cycling back to each other, you do it anyways. and it's okay because you're both still in love.

from my own playlists, i would assign the following songs/artists:

"winter bear" by v

this is my comfort song. it feels like those big sherpa blankets you tuck yourself under when you're lying next to the heater in winter. isagi would kiss your forehead and nuzzle your nose before you two drifted off to sleep.

"a boy named pluto" by hailey knox

this one is so romantic lol. i also like the dynamic where one party is afraid to love, but the other person loves them unconditionally. that would be isagi. he'd respect your decision and wait for you as long as you need it. but if you're ever ready to give him a chance, just know that he's going to treasure all of you.

"put your records on" by ritt momney

the inspiring thing about isagi is that he never lets anyone put him down. he takes rejection as redirection, failure as room for improvement. and in that way, i think this song encapsulates his resilience. he'd be such a good boyfriend not just romantically but in the way that he would literally pick you back up to your feet, dust you off, and make sure everything was alright.

"fairy of shampoo" by dosii

i picture isagi as someone who falls first and falls harder. he just loves you so much, and he doesn't even need a reason why. i saw somewhere that sometimes you don't love someone because they're your soulmate/twin flame/supernaturally fated other. you love them because you consciously made the decision to. isagi is like that. he loves you on purpose.

helppp why does this sound like an academic paper...i'm sorry anon. i got carried away with this, but i hope u like it.

[tobecatherine]

Nightmare Comfort

Part 2

Okay ya'll, it's been a very long time since I've found a character that has made me want to write like this. Once I got to romancing Gale in the second act I was hooked. I've read so many good stories lately that I decided last night to write and see what comes out. Please keep in mind I am still only in act 2 of the game so I don't know the ending. So some details may not be accurate.

I will warn you, it's a little depressing to start but apparently it's something my brain needed to get out. I would probably label this as sad, mixed with fluff and if enough people want me to continue, there could be a spicy second part.

To set the scene, picture this: It's been a few months since you returned to Waterdeep with Gale after the end of your travels. Ever since slowing down your mind has been racked with guilt, feeling like you don't deserve comfort you start to push Gale away.

Please be kind:

First person

Gale/Reader

Word Count: 2332

Nightmares had, in some way, always had a hold on you. But once returning to Waterdeep with Gale, they seemed to have gotten worse. It started with small, repeated dreams of the battles you fought together that pushed you to do things that normally would have been out of character for you. Haunted by lives you couldn’t save, the people you had failed. They would slip into your dreams every few weeks, reminding you of where you had been. It didn’t matter how many you did save, in your mind, only the ones you failed mattered deep down.

When you would wake, for just a moment, you would think you were back there, in the heat of battle. But as your body regained its senses and you’d open your eyes, you’d see Gale’s slumbering face, listening to his soft breathing. Just having him so close would bring you back to reality. It made you glad that you didn’t move much in your sleep. The shame you felt over this, you couldn’t tell him. You knew he’d listen but you also knew he would want to fix it but in your own way, you felt like this is what you deserved. So you let the dead haunt your dreams, doing your best to hide your growing exhaustion.

As the nightmares became more frequent, it felt almost like it was becoming a ritual to wake up and just take in Gale’s sleeping face. You would spend hours just gazing and scanning every wrinkle, dimple, freckle and scar he had. The thought crossed your mind that if you did this long enough you could memorize the slope of his nose and the curve of his cupid's bow and maybe, just maybe, the picture perfect image of him in your mind could chase away the bad dreams. 

Tonight's nightmare was especially bad. You stood there, the day you thought you had lost Gale forever. The moments replaying in your mind as you watched him die, shedding tears over his body because you weren’t sure he could be brought back. While your party had found a way to revive the love of your life, the feelings of mourning were still all too real. When you awoke, you felt tears on your face and when you opened your eyes the comfort you sought wasn’t there.

Panic arose in your chest as you sat up quickly to see where he could be. Your eyes scanned the room, coming upon the open doors that lead to the balcony. There, in the pale moonlight, you could see Gale standing shirtless, leaning slightly against the door frame, his back to you as he gazed upon the stars. While you couldn’t see his face, his body language and the energy you felt from him, you could tell something was wrong.

Quietly you removed the blanket that covered you on the bed you shared. The air was warm on this night so you had gone to sleep with nothing on other than one of Gale’s tunics. Slowly you raised yourself off the bed, walking slowly up behind the tall striking man in front of you. As you reached him you wrapped your arms around his waist, your hands gently placed on his belly, leaning forward just enough to rest your forehead against his back. In automatic fashion Gale’s big hands rested over yours as a long sigh left his lungs.

You could feel the guilt in your throat coming up like bile, wanting nothing more than to tell him everything you had been feeling but you still couldn’t bear drowning him in your issues. You need to be strong, perfect, beautiful, all the things he tells you you are every day. If you couldn’t do that then you failed him too. So instead you pressed close into his back, tightening your arms around him, worried that at any minute he could just drift away into a cloud of smoke.

“Were you ever going to tell me?” He asked, ever so softly. So softly that you almost missed it but you had felt that familiar rumble from his chest as he spoke.

“You knew?” You asked. A lump in your throat forming as you try not to speak louder than a whisper. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted you to come to me… I… I knew something was wrong but I could tell that you wanted to handle it yourself so I didn’t push. You are beautiful beyond comparison but you are also stubborn and bullheaded. But the longer this has gone on My Love, your nightmares aren’t as silent as you think they are. It breaks my heart to see you struggling like this and I can’t just sit back and wait anymore,” He said, turning around to face you, still holding your hands. “I’m starting to think you don’t trust me.”

Gently he raises each of your hands to his lips, leaving small kisses along your knuckles before placing each one so you're holding him around his neck.. The hair on his face tickling your skin almost made you smile but you found yourself still looking at the floor, your heart at your feet. With another sigh, Gale laid one hand against your waist, keeping you close to him. The other carefully raises your head by the chin to look at him. Gale’s eyes look longingly into yours as his hand cups your cheek. 

For a moment you relax, tilting your face into his palm, feeling your body relax for just a moment. The heat from his hand felt comforting against your skin. 

“I’m sorry, none of this is your fault. You have done so much for me. I didn’t want to add another burden to your plate.” you say, lip quivering. “I must look pathetic… I am pathetic.” 

You watch as Gale’s brows furrow and the corners of his mouth point downward. His thumb brushes against your bottom lip to calm its quiver. His eyes search yours for understanding, recognition. “Where is the strong brave Druid that I fell in love with on the road?”

You can feel your gut clench, you didn’t have an answer, he was right, this wasn’t you. “I’m afraid I lost her,” You replied, your fingers twisting curls with the hair on the back of his neck. You were sure Gale was going to end this, ask you to leave because you weren’t the girl he fell in love with anymore. Tears flowed freely down your cheeks now. It felt like a dam had burst behind your eyes.

At the sight of this, Gale wrapped both arms around you, with one smooth motion he lifted you into his arms, carrying you back to bed. You were sure he would just lay you there and walk away but instead he sat on the bed, resting you carefully on his lap, cradling you in his arms.

“Every day you tell me how you love me, you reassure me about the choices we’ve made. Why won’t you let me do the same for you?” He asked softly. “You can’t keep bottling up all these feelings. I  don’t understand why you insist on suffering in silence but if that’s what you need then…. I want you to cry for as long as you need to and I will hold you for as long as you need me to.”

With his words, suddenly a flood of emotion burst forth. Pressed against his chest you let yourself sob, groan, and scream. Muffling yourself against his skin, you let out the rage and anxiety that pent up for the last few weeks. He was right, you shouldn’t have bottled this up, the heat in your chest made you feel like you were in the throat of a dragon.

It took a few minutes but you soon realized Gale was whispering in your ear. Straining your ears to hear the soft words he spoke. Between your sobs and frustration, you could hear him say, “I love you.” “my heart has never ached more for anyone than it does for you.” “I will be here for you always, you just have to let me in.”

For the first time you could admit the truth. “I’m scared,” You said, finally regaining control of your breathing.

“What are you scared of, my sweet?” Gale asked, now rocking the two of you back and forth.

“Of everything.” You said, taking deep long breaths now as you come down from the all too embarrassing tear filled journey you just took in Gales arms. Moving ever so slightly you rest your head on his shoulder, wishing your nose wasn’t now stuffy so you could breathe in his scent.

Softly you let your lips kiss the soft skin of his neck, admitting to yourself that this really had gone for too long. So, you started to let it all go.. There in Gale’s arms you tell him your whole story. You admit that before the whole venture started you had been alone for quite some time. It has made you view sharing things with others a burden because who could you trust when you were mostly alone. You spoke about those you failed and how they haunt your dreams but the biggest fear of all, was the fear of waking up and realizing Gale had only been a dream the whole time.

At the mention of himself, Gale chuckled. “You aren’t going to lose me. The road we traveled was a rough one, and even with everything I know, I would trade all the stars in the sky, all the air in my lungs, even all my books just to spend every last moment I live with you.”

Your eyebrows raise as he mentions his book collection. “You’re really serious,” you said, lifting your head to look at him with surprise. You search his face for anything other than the serious look he now wore.

“I don’t joke about my book collection sweetheart,” he said, gently placing a kiss on your forehead.

“I don’t deserve you, I feel like all I’ve done is trick you.”

This time Gale placed his lips against yours. Slow and soft, his hand moving to rest on the back of your head, his fingers running through your hair. You’ve known Gale was one who showed his love more than he spoke about it, but he was good at both nonetheless. You could feel the pure emotion he put forth in his kiss. He took his time kissing each section of your face, wanting you to feel as loved and precious as he viewed you. When his lips found yours again it was like your heart was suddenly being filled with more love for this wizard than you ever thought possible.

Once your lungs ached for air you finally pulled away from his lips. Gathering your composer you finally explained the rest of your insecurities, you finally explained your fear of losing him and how it felt to feel your heart break into a million tiny pieces from the uncertainties of his survival that day.

“Every day I get with you feels like a dream… and when I sleep… the nightmares are my reality. Everything has just felt too good to be true. I’m sorry Gale… I know this side of me isn’t what you signed up for,” you tell him, your eyes meeting his.

Gale leaned forward, kissing your forehead for a long moment before pulling back and resting his own against yours so you could share each other's breath. “My love, when I asked you to marry me, I meant it. There is no one in this world or in the heavens that I have loved so fully and who has made me feel like just being me is good enough. I want to stay beside you, no matter what life brings. Be that nightmares, blissful dreams, fights, love making, every moment I get to spend with you makes me feel like the luckiest man alive.”

“I have never loved someone the way I love you,” you say in return. “That’s why it scares me so much. Now that all of that is behind us, it’s like my mind won’t just let me be. We’ve been through so much, we’ve shared so much. What if I ruin this?”

“I won’t let you,” he said simply. “I will just have to remind you how loved and cherished you are.” With that Gale tilted his head and caught your lips in another kiss. Gentle and sweet. You could feel love move through him, making your heart skip. “I have an idea that might help… maybe not right away but with time I think we can change the way your mind has tried to trick you.”

“I’d do just about anything to make this end and get to just live… here with you,” You say softly.

Sitting up straighter Gale smiled down at you in his arms. “Good, I love you… we’ll do this in two parts. First, every morning, I want you to tell me five things that make you happy. It doesn’t matter what they are or why they make you happy. You just need to remind yourself that there are plenty of things that bring you joy. Then second, I want you to tell me something we could do together that would make you feel better.”

Your cheeks flush from the first thought that crossed your mind when he said this. A small smile creeping onto your lips as your teeth start to lightly chew on your bottom lip. “Like making love under the stars like we used to?” You mumbled. Sex felt like it should be the farthest thing from your mind, but the stolen nights the two of you shared on the road were some of the most comforting and happy moments you remember having in your whole life. 

With a smirk and a chuckle Gale nodded. “That my love, I can provide.”

[alitheakorogane]

Freedom's Protection: May the Anemo Archon Protect You

Summary: You were chased out by your beloved characters from Mondstadt who thought that you were the imposter that 'stole' the face of the person you remembered who never even exist in the game files. Meanwhile, their own disguised Archon had done something stupid that could change everything forever.

This is the second part of Mondstadt's storyline for the Reader Protection Squad SAGAU series.

Note: There are instances of grammatical errors, please bear with me. Also, the entire layout was now changed and I placed a title on them so I could not be confused while I write the next chapters. It's still the same story though.

Chapters: 1, 2 (current), 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

You were running for your life, literally.

The people of Mondstadt have finally caught you loitering around while looking for food within the nation's borders, and the Knights of Favonius and citizens alike are catching up to you. Even Acting Grand Master Jean and Master Diluc were there, leading the hunt against you. 

You can't believe how Teyvat does Diluc joined forces with the Knights when he was against them since his father's death. They are dedicated to making your life hell, you suppose.  

You did not choose this life, but fate always seems to punch you in the gut. Maybe the gods above wanted to make fun of your misfortune, for they even isekai-ed you to a universe where the characters of your favorite game were willing to tear you to oblivion for something you did not know of. You just wanted a peaceful life, even for one moment, and you didn't get it, unfortunately.

When you got stranded in the world of Teyvat by some mysterious means, you were excited at first. You loved playing Genshin Impact and you could say that it was an escape from your lonely and repetitive life. You wanted to see the fantastical world in your eyes, as you were limited by a screen before, looking at the beautiful scenery of Teyvat in the eyes of the Travelers. You even wanted to meet your favorite characters, especially your main one.

But when you first stepped into the city of Mondstadt, expecting the citizens of the City of Freedom with welcoming smiles on their faces, your beautiful dreams were shattered when they chased you out of the city, throwing some things and rotten fruits at you at every corner, shouting about you being an imposter. The Church of Favonius called you a scum of the continent and the Knights of Favonius have been bat-shit crazy to capture you to be executed. 

The City of Freedom, my ass.

You have no idea what is going on until you see a big statue in the middle of the city as you tried to calm your breathing, the figure is serene with its arms extended to the heavens, probably pointing to Celestia. But as you squinted your eyes at the statue, you noticed that the statue is different.

You had remembered in your experience of playing Genshin that this was supposed to be Lord Barbatos' huge statue, with his serene face plastered unto it. You may even see a similar face on a certain bard in Mondstadt, probably drunk or playing his precious lyre somewhere, who knows. Venti isn't known for being subtle, for an Archon who wants to hide his true identity, he was sure as flashy and dramatic as he was, especially when drunk.

But you were surprised to see that the statue doesn't have Venti's face on it like it was supposed to. Instead, your face was plastered on it, wearing a fancy robe with a serene look on it. Your jaw dropped when you saw the monstrosity and figured out that this could be the reason you were chased by an angry mob. You look like that statue in front of you, and you presumed that whoever this is, they must be the current god of Mondstadt, Teyvat even. What happened to Venti anyway? Was he replaced or wasn't he an Archon, to begin with in this universe?

You may think this is the wrong Genshin Impact you had been sent to. Gods, why have they forsaken you by throwing you in the wrong one!

“(Y/N)!”

As you were now cornered by multiple people, three green-laced arrows were seen flying toward the surprised Knights, and you could see the look of disbelief in Diluc and Jean’s eyes like they couldn’t believe what they saw. Outrider Amber was ready to strike back, her hands were holding the bow as if she was ready to shoot if necessary, and her sharp arrows were laced with her Pyro. The Spindrift Knight was there too, her multicolored heterochromatic eyes glaring at you and the person behind you with burning intensity, even though Eula was technically a Cryo Vision Holder. Lisa was also there, but compared to the people with her, she was just chilling out there and watching the scene unfold.

You then looked back to see who was the one who shot the arrows and thank them, but your eyes widened in shock as you saw the culprit behind the attack.

Venti the Bard had pointed his Elegy of the End bow towards the people of Mondstadt, his own people, with his anemo-infused arrows which were glowing brightly as it was ready to strike anyone who dares to shoot you with anything. He was accompanied by Razor, Fischl, and Bennett, who were also holding their respective weapons as if posing for an attack.

You were confused as hell when it was revealed that Venti had been willing to fight his people to save you and to prove your innocence, that he was willing to honor his promise to you a while ago.

You remembered your conversation with him a while ago, where he confronted you and honestly told you about your situation. You could even see the sincerity when he told you that he was going to protect you because he was like you, an imposter, who is unlucky enough to share the same face as the Divine Creator of Celestia and Teyvat.

As you remembered, it was not mentioned in the game about the existence of a Divine Creator. Well, the existence of the Primordial One or Phanes in the game lore was closest enough, but you never know that much about the Genshin Impact lore department. 

Thankfully, no one was hurt by the arrows, and you had assumed that it was a warning shot to fend your would-be captors off. Venti was still caring for his people even though he was now against them.

"Put your weapons down or you'll be sorry," Venti threatened the Knights with a dark glare, especially to the two leaders in front of him, who were still looking at the Archon-in-disguise in disbelief. You know that these two knew that Venti is Lord Barbatos in disguise due to the Stormterror incident, and you could imagine how heartbroken Jean would be if she found out about Venti's actions towards you. And she did now, you can hear her beliefs shattered in an instant she saw Venti pointing his arrows at her and the Knights.

"Bard, what is the meaning of this?" Diluc asked the hidden Anemo Archon with a confused look, as he could never understand how Lord Barbatos was defending the imposter. Venti just glared back as he spoke in a scathing tone, "You don't know what your doing, attacking an innocent one for something they never did."

Eula scoffed as she regained her composure, "Innocent? Don't make me laugh, insolent bard. That rodent had committed the greatest crime anyone could do in Teyvat! Posing as the Divine Creator, bearing that face?"

Bennett gathered his courage to snap back at the woman, his green eyes glaring in determination to defend you, " (Y/N) is not an Imposter! They are the Divine Grace, and we saw that in our own two eyes."

Lisa had retorted back at the claim, as many people had gathered around them to listen to their banters, "Oh cutie, what if they brainwashed you to believe them? They could be part of the Abyss Order for all we know."

Eula, the Knights, and some of the citizens had agreed with the purple witch's statement while Jean and Diluc just stood there with a conflicted look, "It's impossible for any divinity to become a human, let alone live and mingle alongside humans like they were not divinity, to begin with! The Divine Grace is perfect in any means, so this scum must be an imposter, and those brainless people who imitated the gods must be punished and torn to oblivion, so vengeance will be served!"

The majority of the people agreed with the bluenette's statement, but some are not sure about it. Jean was still looking at the bard with a conflicted look in her eyes, while Diluc placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Imposters like them must be eliminated at all costs, for the protection of everyone. And for the Archons, Celestia, and the Divine Grace themselves. They were the lowest of the low, a scum of Teyvat, a scoundrel that needs to be executed."

The young-looking bard felt like he was offended by that statement and decided to retort back, as he bowed his head down his bangs covering his hurt-filled eyes, "So that's what you thought of imposters? Scum of Teyvat? A scoundrel who just takes advantage of others' identity as if they never had the reason why they did that? Is that it?"

You widened your eyes as you realized what he was about to do.

"Venti, don't do it," you warned him, trying to stop what he is going to imply. He may regret it later, and what he was going to reveal will shatter everything that he ever wanted to do ever since he woke up from his long slumber.

But it was too late, he had already glared back at the people infront of him with tears in his eyes, these same people that his bard friend had sacrificed his life for thousands of years ago, his own people he swore to protect...

Is this how freedom is when it was given to his people and was just taken for granted?

"What if your dear Anemo Archon was also like them, an imposter who also steals someone's face?!"

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

I guess that I should stop this here because it's getting too long. I will be posting a continuation someday, that is, if my mind was still chugging some ideas about this angsty SAGAU fic.

Yes, this is Part 2, as Part 1 was the last fic where Venti had a convo with the reader where he confronted them about being an imposter.

So Venti is part of your protection squad in this Imposter AU concept, one of the two Archons who are going to help you. He is usually the mischaracterized character in SAGAU fics, and I wanted to do justice to my boi's character.

After all, he knew the songs of the past, present, and future so he probably knows nearly everything that happened in the timeline. He is also known for taking the form of his friend when he ascended to be the Anemo Archon, so he was also an imposter by any means.

Never intended to end that way, originally I intended to let the Reader run while Venti had sacrificed himself to his people as a distraction. But as I wrote this story, the angsty side of me suddenly pops up.

[vesta-ria]

No escape; Genshin x Reader SAGAU (Part 1; reader focus)

Hi everyone, how are you? It’s my first post and I tried to be poetic and deep but I’m pretty sure it was not good :(

GN reader (no pronouns mentioned; at least I don’t think)

Sagau imposter au, angst, hurt/no comfort

Fic below the cut!

⇨ 𝕀 𝕕𝕠 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤 ⇦

You were wounded, tired, starving. But they still won't stop chasing you. You have no idea what you did wrong. As for how you ended up in this situation... you have no idea either.

It has been 7... 8? Days? Weeks? You've lost all concept of time, all you knew was to run, to hide, to find any scrap of food that you can.

Let's rewind a bit.

Some time ago, you were isekai'd into the world of Genshin Impact. Before all this, Genshin Impact was your favorite game, your escape from reality. It's ironic how your escape from reality became your nightmarish reality.

The last memory you have of your actual reality was of you scrolling on your phone before dozing off. When you woke up, you were in the middle of nowhere.

You've read fanfiction before, of course, you have. You've been obsessed with this game for ages. Would you call yourself a whale? Probably not, but other people certainly will. The point is, you were familiar with the SAGAU genre of fanfiction. You knew how much danger you were in, and you also knew that the land of Teyvat will cater to your every need

You may not have regretted spending money on the game at that time, but that was you in the past. You've been chased all through the land of Teyvat. The nations of Monstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma all have you as their most wanted criminal. You're grateful - no, extremely thankful that Sumeru has not joined in on the hunt. If you ever make it back home, you'll make sure the Sumeru characters have the best weapons and artifacts.

You hoped to get some rest along the river, and as usual, the land of Teyvat catered to your every need. The tree you were leaning on leaned forward to provide some shade, and a cool breeze washed upon you as a sunsettia fruit fell from the tree. You picked it up and began eating, enjoying the rare moment of peace.

Sadly, all good things come to an end. Your rare moment of peace came to an end when you were spotted by the Monstadt army led by the Acting Grand Master. And so, you were back to running.

You ran, and ran, and ran. Where could you possibly go? There were people in the 3 nations that are willing to help you, but their leaders didn't. Sumeru was too far away there was no way you could go there. And even if you did, it's unlikely they would help you, what would they do? Say you're not an imposter and declare war with the 3 nations?

You had nowhere else to go, they had already informed Liyue and Inazuma of your location, and they were circling you.

This is the end, isn't it? You had nowhere else to run, Teyvat can't help you now. You knew there was no escape from this, but still, you hoped at the bottom of your heart that you were able to summon the help of the many creatures of Teyvat to save you, to let you live for another day. And just maybe, in that extra day, you could be teleported back to your reality.

No matter how much Teyvat tried to save you from your impending doom, they were no match for the 3 archons filled with determination to kill you.

You gave up, there was no other choice. They had found you, and they captured you, you didn't struggle, you didn't fight, you didn't attempt to flee.

There are five stages of accepting the inevitable.

Denial; "This couldn't be happening, I- I mean, those were fiction, they were supposed to be fiction..." is what you would tell yourself most nights when they stopped chasing you.

Anger; "How could you do this? I spent so much money on you, I DEDICATED MY ENTIRE LIFE TO YOU" is what you once yelled at them when you were almost caught.

Bargaining; "This is just a dream, a really bad dream. I'm going to wake up, soon. Soon enough..." you tried to convince yourself, but you knew it wasn't true.

Depression; You cried your eyes out, a lot. You saw no reason to continue. But you still carried on, with that faint hope that it would all be over soon.

Acceptance; "Fine, you got me. I won't fight anymore. Kill me, or do whatever you want. I'm done with this world, just get me out of here" is what you told them before being dragged out to your execution.

"Today we are here to execute the perpetrator of the worst crime that can be committed, impersonating our divine creator." You heard the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing - Ningguang announce to her people. You guessed the execution is taking place in Liyue, you don't remember the landscape anymore, you don't want to remember.

"The divine creator has not been in contact with us ever since the imposter has been sighted within the lands of Teyvat. It is only reasonable that we assume the imposter had something to do with the divine creator's disappearance." This time it was Jean speaking, but it didn't matter. No matter who was speaking, the content is the same. You were an imposter.

They put you through every torture method possible, they broke your bones and blinded you. You still couldn't die.

Why? Why must this happen to you?

It had gone on for so long that you no longer felt pain, it was numb, everything was numb. You can barely hear anything. When they finally pierced a polearm through your heart, you didn't feel anything. Just the same numbness. 

The voice in your head got quieter, and quieter. Until it was completely silent.

Finally, at last.

Peace.

HI EVERYONE, feel free to request some ideas. I have 2 other parts of this fanfic planned I just don’t know when I’d post it so stay tuned if you enjoy reading this :)

[yanderes-galore]

Can I request stuffy AU Nightmare Bonnie HCs?

Yes you can! Here you go :) Not fully proofread, sorry for mistakes.

Yandere! Stuffy AU! Nightmare Bonnie Concept

Pairing: Platonic/Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Manipulation, Sadism, Violence, Demonic attachment, Possessive behavior, Marking, Forced companionship.

Nightmare Bonnie is a lesser demon to Nightmare.

Which means his powers and control over dreams is still there... but it isn't as strong as Nightmare's

As this is the Stuffy AU he also has the ability to become a cute plush toy.

Such a small and harmless object... hiding such a dark and twisted truth.

There's a few ways you could meet the demon.

Perhaps you bought the odd purple bunny plush toy at a store.

Maybe he was a toy your parents had before.

Or maybe he just... showed up in your attic one day.

Somehow you manage to get the plush in your home.

The moment that purple bunny plush is in your home, the fun begins for Bonnie.

When you leave for work or school Bonnie swaps from plush form to his true form.

He memorizes your home layout and peaks around.

Bonnie can take in your character by looking at your decor and belongings.

The demon sniffs around with curiosity while looking through his newest victim's home.

Bonnie feeds off the fear you generate by tormenting your dreams.

By creating nightmares he can briefly chase you through them to feed.

Due to being a lesser demon, Bonnie can't manifest his full powers for awhile.

Even then he isn't as strong as Nightmare or Nightmare Fredbear.

It would probably be easier to get rid of him than those two bears.

Doesn't mean he'll allow it though.

I imagine until he's strong enough his true form is mostly invisible to you.

People who are attuned to seeing demonic presences can see him, but not you.

Not unless he has you in a nightmare at least.

You only see him as a plush toy.

One you strangely yearn to carry around.

Bonnie engorges himself on your fear until he grows stronger.

He torments you but soon develops an attachment to his victim.

Your fear tastes sweet, your expressions look cute.

Bonnie stalks you when you're not looking and feels giddy when others start to see him.

His demonic attachment grows in strength, soon allowing him to coax more fear out of you.

Late at night you begin to notice odd silhouettes in your home.

When the plush toy is out of your sight, it looks like there's a giant rabbit in your home.

Bonnie stays out of sight, now capable of appearing in your vision briefly.

Every nightmare you have involves Bonnie.

Most are sadistic chases, others are a twisted form of affection involving biting and scratching.

Since you only see Bonnie out of the corner of your eyes, anxiety pours off of you.

A delicious drink that feeds Bonnie as he grows in strength.

Despite your fear and anxiety, you hug onto that plush toy like it'll save you.

If only you knew that the plush toy you hold for comfort was harming you

You don't learn the truth until Bonnie gets strong enough to fully manifest.

Your fear is at an all time high when you see the plush toy next to you vibrate as you sit down.

You scamper off your seat when you see the plush toy grow into a monster full of teeth and claws.

It reminds you of the bunny you've been seeing.

Then it clicks....

You're dealing with a demon.

You've been dealing with a demon.

One that has grown strong due to your emotions.

The bunny doesn't stop grinning as you back away.

Oh you poor baby... scared of the big bad rabbit?

You should be.

Now he can take his games into the real world and feed off you more.

Normally Bonnie kills his prey by this point... but he likes you too much for that now.

Instead he'll make you his plaything.

Even when you get rid of the plush toy, he returns later.

He's always around you.

You reek of demon, people get a bad feeling about you.

They should.

Especially when Bonnie's following you around with eager bloodshot purple eyes.

Sometimes he nips and claws you to fuel his desires.

Sometimes he leaves you be.

Unless you can find someone to sever the demonic attachment Bonnie has with you...

You're going to be his forever.

[ghostradiodylan]

hi hello i have been rotating dylan lenivy in my head like the microwave for a couple of weeks and especially how instead of lashing out or acting up at all when he’s late stage infected he just. he just gets scared by lights?? figures out how to work a crane?? saves kaitlyn?? will NOT let kaitlyn get hurt by him and he’s so scared but he’s so. my boy :(

Hi hello yourself! Thank you for this, I have been doing the same thing except for LIKE A YEAR. Someone help me. 💀

I just. I love him so much?

Like, he’s an actually perfect character?

In a game about choices, we aren’t even allowed to make any bad decisions with Dylan. Is that a flaw in the game design? Or a sign that some crucial decisions he could have been tasked with hit the cutting room floor with the other 20-30% of the script? Maybe. Does it make me love him for it any less? Absolutely fucking not.

He should be a threat to Kaitlyn, right? He should at least be a little bit pissed off at her, a little bit grumpy before he’s turning. God knows he deserves it. Can you imagine if she’s kissed his crush and he’s stuck with her for the rest of the night? Dylan obviously adores Kaitlyn, and he knows that sticking with her is his best chance at getting out alive, but those emotions would still be complicated, I would think. If the infection brings out hidden insecurities (which seems to be the case for literally everyone else), we should see Dylan grapple with not feeling like his real self is good enough, with wearing a mask for two months and hiding how smart he is and all of that.

I’m not sure why we don’t see that. We know his insecurities aren’t gone because they can come up again when he’s talking about whether Ryan would want to date him with one hand (I’m sobbing internally). The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that he’s no longer hiding that insecurity with the people whose opinions matter the most to him (Ryan and Kaitlyn). So maybe the truth really will set you free (from being a super bitchy werewolf)? I almost wish we did see him go off a bit though. I wish we had at least some kind of chase scene in that scrapyard after he turned. It would give so much more weight to the decision to not cut his hand off, if it put him at risk of mauling his gunslinging bestie, our Final Girl.

But SMG chose for him to remain a golden boy throughout and of course that also has its charms. He has an immutable set of core values and those are being good and selfless, even when he’s terrified. Which is most of the game! And even though he gets braver, he very clearly doesn’t stop being scared! He just does what he has to do anyway. Even if he’s turning into a monster. Even if the boy of his dreams cut his hand off with a chainsaw (because he asked him to). I understand why people make him too perfect in fanfic sometimes because he’s, like, almost too good?

He has his moments early on, like wanting to keep the gun, or wanting to leave Nick and Abi behind in case what attacked them has their scents (tbh these are just his genre-savviness showing and I can’t actually blame him for either). He also gives Kaitlyn some very bad advice relating to silver bullets (kill a werewolf that turns out to be Emma, leave the bullets Abi is trying to give you behind), but she doesn’t have to take it.

But have you SEEN what he does if Emma turns and comes after Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn fails to shoot? He just fucking tackles a werewolf to save Kaitlyn. He puts himself between WereEmma and Kaitlyn like a human shield. If he’s infected, great, Emma sniffs him and leaves him alone but he is clearly shocked by that. He did not know that would happen. And he did it anyway. It was a reflex. And if he’s not infected? If he was never bitten at all or he’s missing a hand? He still does the exact same thing. He can take a second bite to protect Kaitlyn. He can get infected a second time after cutting his fucking hand off. He can die to protect her if she doesn’t manage to get a shot off to save him.

Lots of characters give us the option to be self-sacrificial. Ryan can give Laura the vial of werewolf blood to protect her during the Silas showdown. Jacob can run, barefoot and mostly naked, into the woods when he hears Abi scream. Abi can die by refusing to shoot her crush because she doesn’t know it won’t actually kill Nick if she does. But those are all choices. Dylan does not give us a choice. We’re not even in control when he does that shit. He just does it. Because that’s who he is.

I’m fine. I’m so completely fine.

[bookbitchx]

Hello hello here's a lil rant about SJMs writing of Rhys and it driving me crazy :) (CC3 spoilers, ACOTAR spoilers, minor TOG spoilers)

I agree with your post that questions whether or not SJM was being purposeful when she created the dynamics of the IC and their allies. I personally think in order to determine if SJM is doing this purposefully its important to take all her books into account (especially with the crossover in CC3 😭 And because SJM's only finished series currently is TOG, most of my comparisons will involve that series)

I suspect that the IC's emotional journeys are still very far from over. Especially Rhys and Feyre since they have been arguing off page (which is understandable given it wasnt their POVs) and SJM purposefully included Ember Quinlan defending Nesta in the bonus chapter. Now each of these characters have VERY strong personalities, but Ember in particular comparing rhys to someone who abused her is EXTREMELY important for us as readers to note for future books. And i really hope that its because SJM is finally gonna let him be held accountable for being an ass towards his mate's sister and for meddling so much in their relationship.

Rhysand in particular out of all of the IC has probably the most potential for a good redemption arc. Hes traumatized by his families deaths and UTM in canon and it would be safe to assume his childhood in Windhaven wasn't exactly pleasant. So giving us the Archeron POVs to unpack these centuries old characters is bound to get messy due to their own lack of experience, (but it makes for good fan interaction, i see you sjm).

Rhys definitely has better intentions than the Highlords before him did, but he still has some iffy behavior that stems from needing to have control over his surroundings likely due to traumatic events where he felt powerless to save those he cares for. But that doesn't excuse the fact that he has (accidentally) hurt more people while trying to keep control. He withheld life saving info from his mate bc he didnt want her to worry, he threatened and chased Nesta from the city because she shared the info he was hiding, he stole the book from Tarquin despite the fact that he likely would have helped rhys anyway, he locked his IC in Velaris to protect them (when Amren could've solo'd anyone in UTM 🤫). All of which to me sounds like could be control issues.

Now for who I think is the closest character we have to really compare to Rhys, the MC of TOG also struggled with control issues throughout the series. And her own trauma also mirrors Rhys' to an extent, especially her family life and the fact she was also stuck without fresh air while she was in Endovier. She made bad choices throughout her story, ones that affected the people she loved directly. But when her arc concluded, she was able to make healthier decisions for herself and loved ones despite that.

If SJM truly loves rhys as much as she claims, I don't think she wouldn't give him an opportunity to heal like the one she gave to Aelin. Especially after she hinted in CC3 that things are NOT always all fine and dandy in Feysand's relationship, Feyre herself said she was furious with the IC in acosf, and the two of them have yet to discuss how Rhys' actions utm affected her.

Realistically, I don't the highest hopes for Rhys' character arc unfortunately, but a girl can dream of a better ACOTAR 😂 I wanna believe that it'll be a great series when it concludes but im hesitant in putting my faith into SJM tbh 😔 Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful rest of ur day/ night and im so excited to hear your thoughts!

Heyy

I hope you're having a good day/night too!

You definitely make some good points.

I can kind of see similarities between Rhysand and Aelin, but at the same time, I don't.

Aelin, for all her faults and mistakes, had at least tried to do the right thing, no matter how misguided it was. She was selfish and reckless and ended up hurting people close to her, but she owned up to it. She was also young. She was, what like 19-20? Not an excuse, but a factor.

Rhysand, on the other hand... God, where do I even start?

It's weird because ACOTAR is so different from TOG in terms of writing, and I'm just talking about first person/third person POVs.

I honestly believe that SJM tried to make the series black and white. Tamlin Bad, Rhysand good. Eris bad, Mor good. Nesta bad, Feyre good... and accidentally ended up with a controversial mess.

I mean good for her. Publicity is publicity no matter if it's positive or negative (here we are talking about it), but yeah.

Rhysand was supposed to be this morally grey character, but she ended up making him a self praising, self-proclaimed king of feminism, most powerful High Lord with nothing to back it up.

○ He gives Feyre 'choices' only when the outcome is in his favor.

○ He claims he's all for women's freedom to choose whatever they want... yet he lets those Illyrian camps keep women as glorified slaves and praises the leaders for giving them 2 hours of training.

○ He's 'the most powerful High Lord' yet he can't control the HC, and the camp leaders barely respond to him.

○ He, Feyre, and the IC feel entitled to information that affects the whole of Prythian... for what I don't know.

○ I'm not even going to get into the acts he commits against his 'family' bc I would be here for a while.

○ He encouraged his mate to take her petty revenge on Tamlin, destroying his entire court in the process, innocent lives and homes, not to mention making Prythian more vulnerable to Hybern.

○ He got mad at Nesta for giving the mask to Bryce... isn't that what he did with the book? Except he stole it and destroyed Summer Court property while Nesta controls the mask.

You're right about his control issues, though, as was seen with Nesta every time she didn't listen to him. I can see how that would relate to the lack of control he felt UTM, but...

Did 50 years UTM getting SA affect him? Obviously. I don't disregard the trauma he went through, but I also don't turn a blind eye to the things he did UTM.

He assaulted his mate with no excuse. He could've easily left her in that cell instead of making her wear a napkin and get drunk against her will. Amarantha didn't even care when he paraded her around and only got mad when she saw them kissing.

The children of the Winter Court that were killed, I don't know why it was brushed off with no consequences because who else would have done it? Daematis are extremely rare, and somehow, there was another one powerful trapped under the mountain, but he doesn't know who? Another Daemati who was working for Amarantha and didn't call out Rhysand on the Claire Beddor lie?

God, this turned into a rant, I know, and I'm sorry, lol.

I personally don't see a redemption arc satisfying enough happening or at all really. I read somewhere that Rhysand was created after SJM's husband Josh... yk where I'm going with this.

Anyway, if you sat through this, thanks!

[imeanitplsmorenamifics]

Hello, hope you're having a wonderful day!

Could you do This Love with Zoro and Female Reader? This Love is one of my favorite songs of Taylor and it's highly underrated! ❤️

Hi! I am having a wonderful day! Thank you for asking! I would be more than happy to write this request for you! This Love is definitely underrated. I always love singing the bridge to it when I hear it. It has one of the best bridges, along with Babe 😭. Sorry for such a late response! I was so busy and taking a break from writing for a while but I'm back now! I hope you enjoy this! You can find my Flower Asks here, Hozier asks are here, and my Taylor Swift Asks here. You can find my masterlist here and my rules here. And you can request here! This Love: The ups and downs of the relationship. Characters: Zoro, Fem!Reader, Luffy (mentioned), Koby (mentioned), Dracule Mihawk (mentioned). Pairings: Zoro x Fem!Reader TW: None that I can think of!

This Love

.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.

You were childhood friends with Luffy and the both of you had similar dreams. Both of you wanted to be pirates. A few people in your village didn’t exactly approve of this but neither of you cared. When you were old enough, you set off to chase your dreams.

The two of you met Koby and ended up in a village overrun by Marines called Shells Town. While in the bar there, your eyes caught sight of a man with green hair, three swords, and carrying a bag with the upper half of a body in it. To others, this would be terrifying. To you… Safe to say you were interested.

It took a lot to get him to join your crew, but when you did, you were ecstatic. If there was one thing a pirate crew needed, it was someone who knew how to use swords. Little did you know how much you were actually in for with him.

Zoro was a little stand-offish to most but you fought that to be endearing. You liked it. To be more exact, you liked him. Everyone could tell. It’s not like you tried you best to hide it. • You always seemed to hang around Zoro. Wherever he was, you were there too. You liked his company and, while he wouldn’t admit it, he liked yours too. You guys were a good fit for each other. You bounced off of each other well and you guys were quite the fighting team.

You liked talking with Zoro, especially when you were stressed. His calming energy always helped you calm down. He helped you break everything down. When that wouldn’t work, he would help you get your mind off of everything. This was usually fixed with naps. The others had found the both of you leaning against each other in various places on the ship.

Of course, things can’t always be great. There were hard times and they were heading your way fast. This came in the form of Zoro’s battle with Dracule Mihawk.

You were painfully aware of who he was. You and Zoro had a time when it was late. You guys walked about what your dreams were. Zoro told you he wished to be the best swordsman in the world. He also told you that in order to do that, he needed to beat the current best swordsman, Dracule Mihawk. He told you of all the feats of the swordsman and you were impressed. Now you were less impressed and more terrified.

As soon as you were able to get Zoro alone, you expressed your worry for him. You told him you didn’t want him fighting against Mihawk. It wasn’t that you doubted his skill. But someone like Mihawk has been fighting for a long time. There was no way Zoro would win. Zoro didn’t take your words this way. He thought you were doubting him. This resulted in a big argument where you both said things you didn’t mean. With emotions running high, neither of you were thinking straight. You were so mad you refused to even show up to the fight.

And you were horrified to find your worst fears come true. Zoro got hurt badly and none of you knew if he was going to make it. You were a nervous wreck even after Zeff said he would hopefully be fine. You stayed by his bedside the entire time he was unconscious. You read him stories from books you hadn’t gotten from your previous stops, you told him stories from your childhood, you would beg him to wake up.

When he did finally wake up, all of your angry emotions from before were thrown away completely. You hugged him as tightly as you could and refused to let him go until he reassured you he was fine. You were constantly badgering him about being more careful so his injury wouldn’t get worse. He found this annoying at times but appreciated how you cared about him.

When you guys finally got together, these emotions increased much more but neither of you minded. You were together and that was all that mattered.

[saltpepperbeard]

Just throwing another spanner into the angst machine because I love your long pots lol.

Do you think Stede doesn't open up to Ed about his traumas because he probably thinks Ed wouldn't love him anymore if he did??

oh, why thank you, darling anon! that's so very sweet of you. but also-

hhhHHHHNGKDFGLJKLFGHDJKLFD. PAIN. PAIN AND SUFFERING LMAO. 🎵EASY LIKE SUNDAY MORNNNING🎵 IS NO LONGER ACCURATE I GUESS.

*laying face down on the ground for the Umpteenth Time* but sure yeah anon let's boogie-

I think that's definitely part of the equation, yes. But I also think a large part of it is the fact that he's basically been conditioned to hide his vulnerability away from a very young age. When he was a child, he was mocked relentlessly for being softer or showing his emotions in a way that was unacceptable/unconventional from a masculinity standpoint. He was even slapped with the nickname "Baby Bonnet" for said vulnerability.

Not only that, but his own father disapproved of his softness too. Calling him "lily-livered" is calling him weak and cowardly. And he had it drilled into his skull that that's "all he would ever be," and that it was a bad thing to show any sort of soft underbelly.

And it didn't even end there! Those phantoms chase him all the way into adulthood. There are so many instances of people making digs at him for crying, or for being "weak," or for being "cowardly." Like lol lord; the pilot lays it all on super thick. He's just constantly surrounded by the narrative that opening up spells pain and suffering for him. There's no safety in opening up.

And so he hides away. Numerous times throughout the series, he isolates himself to cry. Numerous times throughout the series, he shoves his own problems down to address other issues first. He experiences so many situations where it would be more than appropriate for him to react with weepiness or anything equivalent, but he swallows it all down.

Not to mention, that he's very set on helping others. He puts other's needs before his own. And I think that's a classic sign of emotional neglect; giving others the treatment you wish you had gotten. ((...nOT THAT I'D KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT HSDKSHLK))

ALSO, I think that's why he has so many issues with self-worth and his own masculinity. It plays into why he flies off the handle in episode 6 into episode 7. He thinks he has to perform a certain kind of way. He thinks he's not worthy of respect or recognition unless he conforms to those societal standards. He thinks no one will regard him unless he's "strong," or "ruthless," or "hardened." Which, again, is why I think the way he acts in season 2 is very much in-character for him. Heartbreaking, and very difficult to stomach, but in-character all the same. It's not him. It's never been him. But he thinks it should be.

AND YES, it definitely plays into his relationship with Ed too, which makes me want to just start foaming at the mouth and biting at his ankles. Because like...he's so wrapped up in those painful expectations that he's totally blind to the fact that Ed loves him for who he actually is. Ed fell in love with the silly little guy who had so many trinkets, clothes, and books. Ed fell in love with silly little guy who was so different than all the other pirates around them. Ed fell in love with the silly little guy who read his crew bedtime stories, and went on treasure hunts, and swapped out books in raids as opposed to just outright stealing.

Ed loves his sweet, fantastic, simple goldfish. And Stede doesn't even see that yet.

Season 2 makes it very clear that Stede thinks he has to shove all of that down even around Ed. Like, the dream sequence in the first episode? He dreams of himself being masculine, hardened, and ruthless, killing in coldblood and subsequently "winning" Ed. Again, that's who he thinks he has to be, and that's who he thinks Ed wants. Why would Ed want someone who's softer and loves extravagance? Why would Ed want someone who picks flowers and stops to appreciate the simpler things? Why would Ed want someone who sobs about his past?

No one else does.

[ncisladaily]

Okay, we’ll admit we were among those hoping for an appearance from Special Agent Kensi Blye tonight, considering the episode was directed by Daniela Ruah, who played the badass agent on NCIS: LA from 2009 to 2023.

But we’re happy to have Ruah (who previously directed episodes of NCIS: LA) bring her knowing eye to helming NCIS. “It was the first time I was directing on ‘the mothership’ as we lovingly call it,” Ruah tells us in Case Closed, our NCIS aftershow. “It almost didn’t matter what came my way in terms of storyline, I just wanted to be part of it and work with the crew and cast of NCIS. I was received with open arms – like a wonderful, warm hug.”

Her passion for directing showed in this classic case-of-the-week storyline where the team chased down a petty officer’s murderer, who turned out to be someone a little too close to home. It also included a comedic through line about Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) trying to hide the fact that he sometimes cheated on his strict fitness regimen from his new temporary roommate, boss Alden Parker (Gary Cole). “Wilmer’s a funny guy,” Ruah says. “He brings a comedic timing. My job is just to capture it. Maybe I throw in a possible improv.”

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Considering we last saw Kensi in the NCIS: LA series finale, discovering that her dream had come true, and she was finally pregnant with hubs/fellow agent Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen), we had to know if Ruah wonders as much as we do what her alter ego is doing now. As Ruah was sharing with us that she calculated Kensi’s due date and would always love the character she’d played for so long, she realized she was wearing an outfit she’d taken home from set that had been part of Kensi’s onscreen wardrobe – sweater, jeans, and signature boots. She cracks about how the writers might have worked Kensi’s motherhood into a script: “Do we now have an episode with Kensi fighting with a baby in her arms? I wouldn’t put it past her. Or is she out of the game for a couple months?”

Ruah also told us how she feels about the upcoming Paramount+ series (nicknamed) NCIS: Europe which reunites beloved NCIS couple Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pablo). “I think it’s the best thing ever,” Ruah says. “They had time to go off and do other things. These roles are so establishing for us who have been cast members on the show. For them to pick up these two characters that people fell so madly in love with — even I was shipping ‘Tiva’ —  it’s a wonderful idea, and I’m so excited to watch it.”

As for a Kensi and Deeks spinoff? “I don’t know that I could see one in the near future,” Ruah says. “Eric’s really busy doing what he’s doing and loving that. I’m loving this. I would never say never, but in the near future, that’s probably not on the table. It’s important for us to go and find ourselves in other things. The show was important and special to us, but it’s like leaving the nest.”

You’ll get to see Ruah’s behind-the-camera talents again in an episode of NCIS: Hawai’i coming up in April. Ruah, who does not appear in the hour, reveals that the plot takes deep dives into the characters and, “I think it’s the darkest episode they’ve ever had. The crime that’s committed and what we find out over the course of the episode…it’s not a pleasant story.”

Check out the video for more from Ruah about working with Sean Murray and LL Cool J; what Agents Kensi, Knight (Katrina Law), and Ziva have in common; and more of her thoughts on what it takes to direct a top-notch hour of TV. Hey, we may even see her pulling double duty at some point. Ruah tells us, “I am not opposed at all to showing up as Kensi in one of the NCIS shows.”

[i-am-minty-fresh]

(The ask at hand being: “I'm really normal about robin (<- lying) and I want to hear about her and chopper because their relationship is so important to me” from @noisypitta)

Okay, so I took my melatonin before committing to this so I apologize if I get incoherent about halfway through. I finally get to address Robin and one of the many fascinating elements of her personality and relationships. Not only Robin, but I also get to talk about the world’s bestest boy, Chopper! What a good day for me! And this analysis is going to be about self-image and what makes us monsters.

Hilariously, Chopper doesn’t have that much to his character…because he’s a child. He’s best understood through the lens of a still-developing child. He’s not old enough to commit to his insecurity in the common strawhat way (Sanji, Nami, Robin), but he’s also inexperienced enough not to understand shit like Usopp’s betrayal in Water 7. He’s yet to make a proper mistake because he’s going in completely blind. His only understanding of himself was brought on by either his dad or his adoptive mom. Up until meeting Luffy he always understood himself to be a monster, something no person in their right mind would want anything to do with. Hiriluk takes care of him cause he’s a crazy old man (who paid the price for taking care of him later) and Kureha only takes care of him out o obligation…this is a lot for a child to put up with. Hated by reindeer and people alike he can only associate with the kinds of people that even other people don’t like (i.e. crazy doctor and greedy witch). Chopper thought himself an unlovable monster and rather than being told that he wasn’t a monster, he came to meet other (worse) monsters. He joins a crew of insane monsters who embrace all that makes them strange and offputting because that's the strawhat way, and after Marineford Chopper vows to become a real monster to protect his crewmates from losing like that ever again.

Another thing to keep in mind for Chopper is his development, which is something I brought up a little bit earlier. He’s never really had a comforting parent figure, much less for very long. He’s a child who seeks validation and comfort at every turn because he’s used to violence and hatred. He’s not used to someone treating him like a child meant to be protected rather than a monster to be feared…and Robin…

Robin knows a lot about being a monster. About being hated and hunted and laughed at and being seen as nothing more than devil spawn. She has spent her childhood being chased for just being herself and learning to never fully trust anyone but herself because everyone else will just hurt her in the long run (or her past will end up hurting them). He keeps people at arm's length because she can’t trust herself not to hold everyone too close. She’s so desperate for comfort and safety that it makes her uncomfortable to be too friendly. She’s a textbook manipulator who hides behind the lies told about her because if she becomes the evil thing they call her at least it’ll stop being a lie about a helpless child. Robin is done being a child, or so she says. She’s matured with her terrible self-image and until Enies Lobby was more than willing to let her piss poor perception of herself kill her…but it didn’t. Luffy wouldn’t let her. He made her admit just how desperate she was for a real family. She’s got stupid dreams she’s willing to die for, she finds the crew's antics ridiculously charming, and she loves being both looked after and respected as a powerful member of the crew. She’s cared for in the way that she needs to be at this point which is to feel intellectually important (hands down she’s the smartest member of the crew), and valued as a strategist. She doesn’t need to be coddled, she just needs to feel like she takes up the proper space on hr crew, and she does…but for Chopper….he’s something different.

Zoro and Sanji are stubborn and bull-headed and unwilling to accept help even when it best suits them. Nami has her being more of a sister than a dotting mother, on an equal playing field in terms of trickery. Usopp’s similarly stubborn and does best by learning through his mistakes so not much she can do there. Luffy loves being cared for, but not as the unique god-child savior he is but rather as an extension of how every member of the crew should be cared for (which is to say efficiently). Chopper though is little. So little he hasn’t learned to take compliments in stride or mask his enjoyment. He doesn’t have up all the walls that Robin or Nami built to try to put everything that has happened to them into a context in which it doesn’t hurt as much rather than just admitting that it wasn’t fair and they should be mad. Chopper wants validation from his peers and attention from those he sees as more experienced…but he also wants to be cared for. Similar to Robin, he wants to be respected in his field and as a fighter, but only because that respect can be translated into cool points with older brother Zoro and dad Franky. He’s a textbook case of a little sibling who wants to feel just as important as everyone else and it’s devastating to him but adorable to everyone else. Robin doesn’t want him growing up too fast, because that’s what she had to do. The world turned her into a monster and now she sits comfortably with that title making sure to use it against them when they try to hurt her family. Chopper does the same. He knows that no one will look at him and not see a monster, but it doesn’t mean he can’t break his Hippocratic oath to kick some ass if need be.

Robin treats him like how she wishes she was treated. She hangs on every word and carries around his favorite food because she wants to give him what she never got but wanted so badly. He wants to be looked after because the world is full of stuff that he knows nothing about and he doesn’t have his dad around to wrap his wounds anymore.

Their relationship is one of the teacher and the student. Robin gets to pass on her wisdom through her terrible lived experience at the hands of people who call her a monster and Chopper gets to learn that maybe being a monster isn’t so bad if it means you get to protect the people you care about. If Robin’s a monster, maybe being a monster isn’t that bad.

Not as long as I would have liked it, let me know if you think I missed anything! I’d love to discuss them further because I love my antlered son and his bloodthirsty mom but it is now bedtime.

Sorry for taking so long!

[mister-eames]

DUUUUDE! I am in love with your last ask/answer about Arthur but I am the greediest of all gremlins and now NEED your Eames version of this answer. What's Eames' reasons behind why it takes so long for him & Arthur to get together? Does he have his own version of he doesn't think he has a chance? Or whereas Arthur knew he had feelings for Eames & decided to lock them up in a box and hide them away, is Eames not aware of his true feelings for ages? Idk! I love this! No pressure of course!

Thank you for the question! Eamesie, my dearest darlingest Eames. I love him so much.

I don't know how well I'm going to articulate this (spoiler, not great), but here goes!

I suppose, at the forefront, is that my interpretation of Eames is him being incredibly vulnerable and guarded. Sensitive. He's a cancerian, I will die on this hill. There's a pervasive sadness to his character. It's in his body language, the way he speaks, the way he interacts with the other characters, how he is all ready to retreat at the first sign of warfare in the dream.

On this, and coming back to the concept of them being two sides of the same coin: where Arthur uses his persona like a weapon to ward people away from his heart, Eames has a thousand shields around his.

Eames is the overly cautious one. Arthur is the hothead with one hundred contingency plans and a smart mouth, but Eames is the one hiding under layers and masks and personas and misdirections and flowery words and tricks. Eames is not afraid of loving someone, as such, but he's profoundly aware of how deep his well runs when it comes to the depth of his feelings---and he knows without a doubt, were he to surrender to it, he would never be able to climb out of that well again.

If it doesn't work out he thinks there would be a part of him left with Arthur always, even if Arthur didn't know it - even if Arthur didn't want it.

If it doesn't work out, Eames believes 'well Arthur would just pick himself up and move on like nothing even happened' (not true, but he doesn't know that) meanwhile Eames would be riddled with craters in his very being. It's doomed to hurt, he thinks. That's a terrible bet to take.

Besides, what he has now with Arthur is fine. He's never had so much fun pulling pigtails before. Why rock the boat?

Does Eames think he is worthy of Arthur? Yes. Eames knows he would give anyone he loved his all - and it's just that - that's the scary part for him. Giving it his all. Losing himself when he has the option of being self assured. Sure, Eames has insecurities too, perhaps about his body, about being 'too much' for someone else, but at the apex? He has something inside him that would rupture easily, irreparably, and he's built a fortress within a fortress within a fortress to protect it.

In short, Arthur = love is a whole ass feeling, but not worth risking the pain/rejection/facing my own insecurities. Eames = love is a whole ass feeling, I will presumably decimate myself by giving in, therefore I should not. It's not that Eames is more in love with Arthur than he is Eames, but Eames' line of thinking very much leans towards catastrophising.

Neither Arthur or Eames are wrong in the way they think, but nor are they right. They place the riskiest bet with each other - their own soft sides and vulnerabilities. They admit to themselves, this person, this thing means something. But admitting that to each other would be passing a point of no return.

I also think thats what makes the pairing so compelling to me - whether the events of the film are pre-relationship, established or exes-trying again, its so clear to me how inextricably intertwined these two are. In the way way they seem to have a piece of each other without explanation - the way they tease each other, their banter, how they talk shit about each other to others, their little tête-à-tête - 'be back before the kick', 'merry chase', their nicknames? hello?? who else talks like that in the movie??

They have evidently carved a part out of each other without realising it. You might as well dive in, boys.

[kh-wanderers-of-twilight]

@khoc-week 2024 Day 2 - Past

For this day's prompt I will add my other two characters that I mentioned the previous day. I wanted to draw a scene for Kionas to show his past but I couldn't think of something because I didn't have time.

Note: I'm changing something a little that I wrote for Telesphoros in the previous post and changing the backstory of Aceso and Vaillant. Also sorry for my bad English.

Telesphoros(Telos), Aceso, Vaillant and Kionas(stories under the cut).

Telesphoros, the oldest son of a family of Potion Makers who live in the world of Harmonic Plateau. Before the events of BBS he used to live a normal life on his homeworld, unlike his family he used to work as helper of a fisherman when he was 12 and from the age of 8 he trained himself with wooden swords and bats/clubs to fight, sometimes his younger sister, Aceso would join him in his training for fun and play with him.

During the events of BBS, three strangers appear to Harmonic Plateau and met one of them, it was during the time he ended his shift at the docks to collect the fish, he encounters Aqua who asked if he saw any of her two friends and Telesphoros replied he didn't. Then his mother appears to find his sister who was late for lunch and she was worried that she got hurt, with the help of Aqua, he goes to the forest where Aceso goes often for walks and finds her being chased by a monster. Both Aqua and Telesphoros defeat the mysterious creature and he thanks her for saving his sister.

The next year he gifts Aceso his lucky blue headband for her birthday and few months later he loses his world to the heartless along with his heart.

For unknown reasons he appears in the world of Traverse Town and not feeling his heart(he became a Nobody), during the 10 years he took residence in this world, he changed his name to Telos, helped the people around him, trained with close combat and weapon fighting and learned that he could control light and dark (Twilight manipulation).

After he saw a member of Organization XIII, he stole their clothes and made his own corridors of Darkness to jump from world to world. Currently he is 24 years old and on a mission to find his sister and take his heart back.

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

Aceso, the youngest daughter of a family of Potion Makers who live in the world of Harmonic Plateau. Before the events of BBS like her brother she used to live a normal life in her homeworld, she used to be an apprentice of a Mage to learn Magic and under the discipline of her parents to make potion.

She was 4 years old when she met an armored figure that fell from the sky in the forest, he introduced himself as Vaillant after he woke up but he couldn't remember his past. The armored man had a strange sword called keyblade and could control the light and dark with this power he became the shadow of Aceso to hide from people and the two of them became fast friends.

During the events of BBS, three strangers appear to to Harmonic Plateau, she firstly meets Ventus and later briefly Terra when she returns home with her brother from the forest.

The next year she loses her world to the heartless and Vaillant protects her rom the creatures by sending himself and her to the realm of Sleep. There Aceso becomes a Keyblade wielder under the tutelage of Vaillant, travels in the dreams of people and helps them defeat their nightmares which she continues to do for the next 10 years.

During the events of Dream Drop Distance, she and Vaillant found a way to escape the realm of Sleep and after the events of KHIII they meet the Vanitas Remnant, later named Kionas, in the world of Keyblade Graveyard and becomes his friend.

Currently she is 16 years old and on a mission with Vaillant and Kionas to stop a mysterious foe and find her brother.

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

Vaillant, his past is unknown and has amnesia, he remembers his name and that he was a Keyblade wielder. He was found by Aceso in the forest of Harmonic Plateau and became friends.

During the events of BBS, three strangers appear in Harmonic Plateau, he senses the darkness from one of them and meets the young man named Terra and challenges him in to combat to test his will and power.

The next year, Harmonic Plateau gets lost into the darkness and protects Aceso by sending both of them in the realm of Sleep for the next 10 years he mentors the girl in the way of Keyblade and protects people from nightmares.

During the events of Dream Drop Distance they find a way to escape from the realm Sleep and after the events of KHIII they go to the Keyblade Graveyard and encounter Vanitas Remnant, later named Kionas, and take him to their adventures to defeat a mysterious foe from Vaillant's past.

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

Kionas(Vanitas Remnant), he was originally an unversed created by Vanitas before the events of BBS, he was the physical manifestation of thoughts, feelings and will of his creator and sometimes his punching bag when Vanitas was in a fool mood.

During the events of BBS he fought with one of the Wayfinder trio and lost and returned in the form of a shadow ball. He never actually disappear after Vanitas was destroyed.

For years he stayed in the same place in the Keyblade Graveyard when two people appeared and engaged them in combat. After he lost the fight, one of them, Aceso, wanted to be his friend and gave him a new name and the man, Vaillant, gave him a new haircut and outfit. He is currently 16 years old and on a mission with his new friends to save the worlds.

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

Foxtrot Alpha Alpha - Chapter 14

Pairing: Hangman x Female OC

Word Count: 2903

Warnings: None

Summary: Hangman learned his lesson a long time ago to never show his true feelings when someone's words or actions hurt him. To do so showed weakness that could be exploited, and Seresin men couldn't show weakness. Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and Jake's always came in the form of women, three in particular: his mom, Juliette Kazansky, and the girl whose name he could no longer bring himself to speak. She was the girl that got away; she was his biggest 'what if' and his biggest regret; she would forever be the ghost that haunted his dreams. Jake believed that's where she'd stay, for he would surely never see her again after what he did.

Or so he thought.

Notes: This is the sequel to India Lima Yankee; I'm using the same callsign for the Female OC as in Ghost Story because I just really like it, but they are different characters; chapters in italics are flashbacks. Also, sorry it's taken so long - this chapter was really hard for me to get the motivation to write and I don't know why :(

Chapter Songs: The Bitch is Back Wolves

****

Hangman

"Good morning, aviators. This is your Captain speaking," Maverick greeted jovially. "Today's demonstration begins as a free-for-all. Man against man. Your goal is to be the last pilot standing."

"What's the prize if we win?" Fanboy asked cheerfully as Payback fell into line with Phoenix.

"That depends."

"On what?"

Hangman could practically see the mischievous smile gracing the Captain's face when Maverick said, "You'll see. I'll be watching from the outskirts. Good luck out there."

Hangman clipped on his mask and pulled up high into the sky, using the sun to hide his position. Rooster and Phoenix seemingly had the same idea.  

"Looks like the band is almost back together, lady and gentlemen," Hangman quipped, grinning. "What do you say we take care of these guys and put on a real show for the people below?"

"Are you calling us second-rate pilots, Seresin?" Omaha asked, choosing Yale as his target. 

"No, of course not. I'm just calling you second to us."

"Let's get 'em boys!" Harvard declared, banking to the right when Coyote chased after him. Hangman dove down to help his friend, aiming from above. Phoenix and Rooster followed suit, but rather than going after Hangman, they surprisingly went after others. Rooster assisted Omaha in taking out Yale, who nearly escaped if Harvard hadn't accidentally cut him off, giving Omaha the shot. To the shock of Hangman, Payback lost next, but only because Phoenix had it out for him since he owed her money.

"Gonna get you back for that!" Payback declared while he left the area to circle and watch the remainder of the dogfight.

Phoenix chuckled. "Should've paid up when you had the chance."

"No, I shouldn't have played against you and Princess in pool."

"That was your first mistake. Your second was thinking you could beat us after we won three rounds prior."

"She's got us there," Fanboy admitted. While they continued to bicker with Phoenix, Hangman scanned the area and zeroed in on the closest enemy to him: Harvard. With the aviator wholly distracted by trying to knock out Omaha as revenge for getting Yale, Hangman saw the opportunity and took it, coming at him from above. Harvard narrowly escaped being locked onto but swerved directly into the path of Rooster, who held nothing back and got a lock on him immediately. Annoyed that Rooster had taken his "kill," Hangman thought about going for him next, but Fritz tried beating him to it. Rooster desperately tried to evade, and Hangman, not going to let another person get his kill, decided to go for Fritz instead. Rooster must've noticed because he appeared to strategically fly a pattern that helped him avoid being shot down but gave Hangman the perfect aim. He didn't hesitate.

"That's a kill!" Jake declared happily, feeling a little too much joy at the sound of the lock alert.

"Make that two; you're out, Omaha," Phoenix said.

"And then there were four," Coyote remarked.

"Speak for yourself. Bradshaw, your ass is-"

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Princess speaking," Juliette interrupted coolly. "There's been a change in plans."

Rooster groaned. "Jules, for the love of God, tell me you're not flying with Maverick right now."

"I wouldn't let her if she tried," Maverick chimed in, "but no, she's not with me."

Juliette scoffed, but Hangman could hear her amusement. "First of all, rude. I love going up in jets, but even I have my limits. Besides, I can barely keep food down while sitting down on a stationary object. I don't want to know what it would be like in a jet. Second, I'm not putting the twins in danger. Third, like I said, there's been a change in plans. Rooster, Hangman, Phoenix, Coyote, you're the last four standing. You are now a team. Your mission is to take out the enemy, who currently resides in an F-35. Fourth gen against fifth gen. Time to prove it's not the plane but the pilot that wins battles. Anyone want to make bets?"

"I knew Mav wasn't up here for no reason! And sure, what the hell? It's the four of us against him," Coyote said, falling into attack position as number four with Rooster leading the way. 

"Let's say a hundred push-ups? Or do we want to do two hundred for old times' sake?"

"Because it's Mav, I think I might actually go with the hundred."

"Hundred it is. Good luck aviators. You're going to need it."

"Why do I feel like she knows something we don't?" Coyote mused.

"Because it's Princess, and she probably does," Hangman replied, searching the horizon and radar for the Captain. It took another thirty seconds before he spotted him. "Straight ahead!"

"Why is he cruising like that? He's going awfully slow," Phoenix observed from her position as Dagger Three.

"Should we be worried about him?"

"Not sure I'm the one you should be worried about right now."

"Jules, cue the music," a new but all-too-familiar voice instructed, followed by the crackled audio of Elton John's "The Bitch is Back." Hangman's heart nearly stopped, and it had nothing to do with the F-35- not Maverick's- that blew fast and furious between him and Rooster from below. The latter, along with Phoenix and Coyote, scattered, but all Hangman could do was look up and watch as the newcomer shot to 9,000 feet, flipped the plane over in one fluid motion, and locked onto Coyote, who had made the unfortunate mistake of flying underneath her.

"That's a kill!" Ghost chirped, zipping down toward her next closest target, which happened to be Rooster. "Bradshaw, you're next. This is for all the times you woke me up at Top Gun."

"I told you I was sorry! Multiple times!" Rooster protested, swerving from side to side to avoid her. Phoenix tried coming to his rescue, but by then, Maverick had arrived on the scene and foiled her plans. Unless she wanted to get taken down herself, she had to evade. With Phoenix being closer, Hangman chose to assist her. Rooster could handle himself for the time being.

"Hurry up, Hangman!" Phoenix barked, rolling to the left to get Maverick in Jake's sights. 

"Don't worry, I'm gonna take Pops out."

"I'm coming too! Hang on!" Rooster announced, suddenly coming head-on with Ghost still hot on his heels. "Phoenix, on the count of three, break left. One... two... three!"

Phoenix banked left, and Rooster locked onto Maverick at the same time the Captain managed to latch onto Phoenix. Then, in the blink of an eye, Ghost got Rooster. In the span of five seconds, three pilots had been knocked out of the competition. Now, it was only Ghost and Hangman, and for the first time, the Texan found himself genuinely concerned about winning the battle. Ghost had a bone to pick with him, and she was in a superior aircraft. Not to mention that while she may have come second at Top Gun, it was only because she'd broken some rules during the hops, from what he'd heard. When it came to flying ability and strategy, few could beat her. Hangman even questioned his ability. Of course, he wouldn't let Ghost see that.

They blasted past each other, their canopies a mere foot and a half away. Hangman swung around, scrambling after Ghost, who was rapidly gaining speed as she raced toward the hard deck. He started to lose distance between them. If that happened, it'd be impossible to get a lock on her, not to mention it'd give her the space to strategize a way to maneuver behind him. Hangman couldn't allow that. If Ghost landed on his six, he was toast.

"Come on, Ghost, stop running from me," Hangman jested. 

"Ghosts don't run," she countered. 

"Right, right, you just disappear." And leave the person wondering what the hell happened... Hangman wanted to add that last part but opted against it. He didn't mind getting under people's skin normally, but Ghost remained a different story. Her treatment of him was warranted. Of that, he had no doubt. However, Ghost hated him enough; he didn't want to add to it with his snarky comment in the air either with a competition and multi-million dollar jets at stake.

"Guys, you're getting close to the hard deck," Maverick warned, a statement Hangman found ironic coming from the Captain, considering Mav had broken it on numerous occasions.

Ghost ignored him, though, leveling out mere feet above it. Not to be outdone, Hangman followed, staying on her like a hunter to its prey. Hangman started to gain on her again, and within a few seconds, he was within range to get a lock. Ghost dodged him easily, though, almost like she was toying with him. Hangman drew closer and closer to the point Coyote asked Ghost why she was slowing down. The comment took a moment to register with Hangman, but by the time he did, it was too late. Ghost hit the brakes, went up, drifted overhead, and tried to land behind him. Thankfully, Hangman's lightning-quick reflexes kicked in, and he diverted his course to the right in an attempt to circle around her again.

"Nice try, Seresin," Ghost said, flying above him upside down. Hangman looked up at her, trying to find an escape route, but found himself hopelessly trapped between the mountains on each side of him, Ghost above him, and the hard deck below him. He braked suddenly to try and throw Ghost in front of him, but her reflexes were too quick, and she braked along with him, staying above her opponent. 

"Lieutenants, pull up! You're too close to the hard deck!" Maverick ordered, but Ghost did not relent on her position, continuing to lower her jet toward Hangman's, pushing him closer to the hard deck. Hangman realized Ghost intended to keep doing this. This is how she would knock him out of the game and win the battle.

"Ghost, I know we've had our problems but is running me into the ground really the answer?" Hangman asked with mock playfulness in a desperate attempt to transition her focus from the mission to the conversation.

It didn't work. Ghost remained directly above him and continued lowering her jet towards his, forcing him down, down, down until-

"You've hit the hard deck, Hangman. You're out," Maverick informed, causing the aviator to shake his head and angrily unclip his mask. "Everyone, head back to base. For those of us who lost, we have some push-ups to do."

"I'm going to get you for this, Ghost." Although Hangman was half-joking, he was also infuriated he'd lost. He knew the moment Ghost flew onto the scene that she'd do whatever it took to win, including pulling some dirty moves, like pressing into Hangman from above until he had nowhere to go but below the hard deck. 

"You'll have to find me first," she responded. Hangman glanced above him, then his direct surroundings, but the female pilot and her F-35 were nowhere to be seen. She definitely lived up to her callsign...

When he landed and disembarked from his jet, he dropped to the ground and began his push-ups. Not long after, Ghost strode by. She paid no attention to the line of aviators doing push-ups under the shades of their craft's wings. Instead, Ghost kept her head down. Maverick joined the group a few seconds later, but not before glancing over his shoulder at the disappearing aviator. He dropped down next to Hangman to begin his push-ups. When he hit fifty, Mav asked, "What can you tell me about Ghost?"

Hangman thought about their time at the Academy, during their training to be a pilot, their deployments, and the most recent dogfight; he couldn't help himself when he replied, "She's possessed."

"Don't you mean possessive?" Maverick grunted, lowering himself down for the sixtieth push-up.

"I know what I said."

Unless Hagnman imagined things, Mav chuckled quietly. "So, what's the story with you two?"

"I caused her backseater's death and her near death. She hasn't forgiven me for it, and I don't blame her." With most people, Hangman would've told them it was none of their business and moved on, but this was Maverick. He had too much respect for the man to do anything but tell the truth. Still, Jake didn't want to continue the discussion about it. Finishing his push-ups, he stood and abruptly changed the course of conversation, not wanting to go down memory lane with the other Daggers around. "Can we expect you at the Hard Deck tonight?"

"I'll be there."

"Good. You can meet the other Blackwood."

Maverick hovered in place and glanced up. "Charlotte's going to be there?"

How does Mav know Charlie? "No, Jackie. Ghost's older sister. Polar opposite of her sister. It's funny; she used to be the wildcard in the family, always breaking the rules. Now it's Ghost."

"When did that shift happen?"

Hangman shrugged. "She always took risks when flying, but something changed in her after the accident. Just what, I don't know. She's barely spoken to me since it happened. Listen, I'm going to head home and take a break before hitting the Hard Deck, but I'll see you there, Pops."

Before Maverick could ask any further questions about Hangman's relationship with Ghost, the Texan high-tailed it out of there, keeping a carefully controlled expression of calm and collectedness in the event he ran into anyone he knew. Luckily, he didn't, and he arrived at his truck without incident. Hangman drove back to his place and shuffled inside to shower and freshen up, not wanting to smell like jet fuel and the sweaty inside of a flight suit. He took his time since he had a few hours to kill before the meet-up. The events of the day replayed over and over in his head, and the more they did, the more a heaviness settled on his shoulders. The last time he'd flown with Ghost was the day of the accident. Flying with her today suddenly forced that awful memory to the forefront of his mind in a way he hadn't experienced in years. 

Hangman numbly shut off the water and dried off before throwing on some casual clothes and collapsing onto his bed. He pulled out his phone and opened his pictures, scrolling far, far back until he arrived at the first photo he'd been seeking: Ghost and Ghoul. It'd been of the two girls the first day they met as roommates. They'd hit it off instantly, and Ghoul- a.k.a. Lydia O'Donohue- insisted the two girls take a photo to commemorate the day. Ghost had forwarded it to Hangman, and he remembered her adding the comment: Hope your roommate is as awesome as mine!

The following photo containing the two girls was taken on Ghost's birthday. They'd convinced some senior cadets to take them off base over the weekend and milked it for everything they could. It was freezing cold out, but Ghost and Ghoul apparently felt nothing in their cute little dresses and heels. 

The next photo showed the girls staring in exasperated boredom as someone opposite them rambled on about who knows what. Hangman couldn't recall who'd been sitting with them during that moment, but he had taken the picture to commemorate their priceless, judgemental expressions. 

He flicked through some more, landing on one of the girls in black dresses beaming at the camera. It'd been their junior year, and they'd been able to leave for the long weekend to head to the lavish Jefferson Hotel, where they went to celebrate Jackie's upcoming graduation. The following two photos were from their senior year, where they attended a fancy graduation dinner at a seaside restaurant and the afterparty.

Coyote, having been Hangman's roommate, was in a lot of photos, too. He either beamed at the camera or stared longingly at Ghoul, whom he'd been in love with from the moment he'd been introduced to her. They hadn't become a couple until their senior year, though, namely because Ghoul was the female equivalent of Hangman: outgoing and unwilling to settle down. Where Hangman had slept with most of the girls at the Academy except for Annalise and Lydia, Ghoul had slept with most of the guys, save for Hangman and Coyote. 

"I respect y'all too much," Lydia had declared in her thick and sweet Georgian drawl. Still, all it took for her to drop the habits was for Coyote to drunkenly admit his feelings; the rest was history. The memory of it all still made Hangman smile, but it would always swiftly be replaced by heartache. He missed Ghoul, but he knew his pain was nothing compared to Ghost and Coyote: the former, who had clung onto her backseater's limp body in the crashing waves while waiting for the rescue chopper, and the latter, who had planned on proposing to her when they returned home.

Hangman shut off his phone and squeezed his eyes shut, hating going down memory lane like this. It's why he kept himself so busy all the time. If he kept himself occupied, his brain couldn't travel back to the dark memories and dark thoughts.

"Get it together, man," Hangman grumbled, sitting up and pushing himself off the couch. He ambled to the bathroom to make himself presentable, determined to have a good night at the Hard Deck, repeating in his head: What's past is past.

****

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