#i have been decapitated and i could not be happier!

[entityredacted]

Hi I'm not dead I promise, have Cleo and Gem

[pastanest]

if you’re wondering why I’m having to repost this, or why you were perhaps previously following me but no longer are, please refer to this post. I was able to retrieve this thanks to the very lovely friends who have relentlessly sifted through tumblr archives to recover them, thank you all so much!! ♡

His Queen

- although he is a king, he tried his best to keep his relationship with you as normal as any other relationship would be, because you werent royalty, and you would certainly need time to even consider joining such a lifestyle

- needless to say, Thranduil’s courting abilities remain unmatched among elves and other Middle-Earth creatures alike

- he showed you a side to him that nobody else saw, a person who smiled at the things you said, laughed at the jokes you made, and presented you with such gentle kindness that you wondered if those who had told you of the king had ever actually met him

- you stayed in his kingdom of course, and every morning when you awoke in your chamber, a fresh bouquet of flowers was waiting for you at your bedside, accompanied by a personal note from the king

- his love letters to you were all written in Elvish, which meant that you couldnt read them, but there was such passion in the cursive words, you had never seen such beautiful writing

- he later helped to teach you Elvish using his letters, and when you could finally read them fluently, they reduced you to tears

- the introduction to his royal life was gradual, and he was pleasantly surprised by how naturally you adjusted

- the first time he saw you in a traditional Elvish gown, he was smiling wider than anyone had ever seen, and the rest of the kingdom were shocked into silence by the sight of the king so happy

- you warned him that by becoming his queen, you would not necessarily obey the same rules, because you were not raised with them. in response to your worries, Thranduil placed a kiss on your forehead

“I will not ask you to be something you are not, only to be yourself, at my side, as my queen.”

- your coronation was beyond beautiful, a celebration throughout the kingdom, with music and dancing, feasts of the finest food imaginable. the kingdom had never been happier, and the same can be said for King Thranduil that day

- from the moment you are coronated onwards, anyone who dares to disrespect you, will almost definitely get decapitated

- you are the King’s priority, and you do not take your responsibility as Queen lightly. any important decision Thranduil makes, he turns to you for assistance

“Nobody’s opinion matters more to me than that of my heart’s companion.”

- it is quickly made known to the entirety of Middle-Earth that King Thranduil only breaks his stone cold expression when you are around

- you are notably guilty of making the King laugh during meetings, simply by pulling silly faces or pretending to yawn out of boredom at whatever the other people in the meeting are saying, and Thranduil is often distracted by you, but nobody dares point that out to him

- as a husband, he brags about his wife more than anybody else, and he will brag to anyone he meets

- and when other beings in power express their distaste at a Queen’s presence in their conferences? Thranduil will sit back and smile as you defend your position fiercely, and once you’re done, Thranduil will respond with just as much ferocity

- given his love for you, his protectiveness over you is hardly surprising. though you are perfectly capable of defending yourself, and he loves it when you do, he will throw his life on the line for you, and loses his mind when any harm comes to you

- from the moment he laid eyes on you, he knew that he could not survive a day without you, and as a result, he gives you the gift of immortality

“Mortality will not render either of our hearts lonely, Melamin(My love).”

[plague-karm]

Right since I’m beginning to settle down on my Digital Circus hyperfixation, it’s time to talk about another one! It surprises me that I haven’t talked about the Fnaf movie that much on here so don’t expect this to be concise, it’s gonna be all over the place so let’s go!

First off, I still can’t process that the movie is coming out in almost a week! As a self proclaimed Fnaf veteran (I’ve been a fan since the second games release) i thought this movie was doomed to be stuck in development hell but no! It’s real, fnaf is real, ye.

Anyway enough rambling, time to go feral over minor details.

Yes I watched the unlisted video in full and yes this has been on my mind for the past 7 hours or so. It captured the ambience of Fnaf 1 PERFECTLY and I couldn’t be happier about it. So I’m gonna talk about some cool stuff I saw during the video.

WHAT THE FUCK? SHADOW FREDDY? That was not on my bingo card, look at him, he’s glorious.

I also saw this small pill bottle, it’s likely that it’s Mike’s but I’m not sure why he’d have it, maybe it’s a Walten Files situation? He could’ve went through something so traumatic that he had to take normal pills to forgor? And if Mike IS William’s son here then that would explain why he didn’t know who he was during the job interview, so the event that happened that made him become prescribed to them was likely The Bite Of 83 if that’s the case. Or they’re completely unrelated since the movies timeline is completely separate from the games.

Enough speculating, time to talk about funnie murder man now.

They absolutely NAILED this design, I love how you can see hints of Afton’s clothes and those eyes, holy shit those eyes, I don’t know what it is but they’re so unsettling (loving the hints of purple in those peepers). I don’t know when the suit’s showing up in the movie (probably the third act) but its probably going to be my favourite part. And if the Spring Bonnie design makes me feel genuinely unsettled, I can’t WAIT to see what they’re going to do with Springtrap.

I know some people have said that this is going to be his design for the movie but I don’t think that’s the case, look at the small hints of Afton we see in the suit, there’s no blood, no hints of bodily harm, he clearly hasn’t been springlocked yet, and the suit looks worse for wear because it’s the suit from Fredbear’s, it’s old, it hasn’t been in use for almost 2 decades (it’s been confirmed by Emma Tammi that the movie takes place in the year 2000), and speaking of springlocks…

BBFC RATING HELLO?? UNDETAILED DECAPITATION?? HUH??

At first I thought it was referring to a possible springlock scene, but then I remembered something that would make a lot more sense

Maybe it’s referring to this? I’ve seen a lot of theories stating that Golden Freddy might actually be Mike after something happens (hence why Abby’s so chill with a golden bear that has Sans Undertale going into his eyes).

But it could refer to quite a few things maybe that’s how the five children were killed and stuffed? Possibly, but either way, I really hope they don’t cut out the springlock failure entirely, it’s really important to the timeline and I’m genuinely curious to see what they could get away with with the rating in mind.

ALSO THIS. Okay, so there’s obviously a few contenders here and I can immediately debunk one of them

It’s not Balloon Boy, we see him in a drawing during this scene in the teaser trailer, and I think it would be out of place for him to show up anyway (even if I’d find it fucking hilarious)

I think it’s either Henry or The Puppet, I don’t see it being anyone else (maybe there’s someone I forgot? Idk man Fnaf canon nowadays is ridiculous). Maybe if the Mike saw trap theory actually happens The Puppet will show up to do her thing and place his soul in the Golden Freddy suit? Maybe, it’s either that or a post credits scene. And with Henry I only see him having a VERY minor role, I’m not sure what he could be doing though, we’ll have to wait and see if he shows up or not.

Anyway I’m very excited for this movie and if it’s not at least a 7/10 I’m going to cry.

[genogenocrazycatman]

Throne - Chapter 15

Throne [Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.Net]

Characters:  Original Female Character, Red Haired Shanks, Benn Beckman, Lucky Roo, Yasopp,

***

“I can be very disarming.”

“Looks like you’ve been disarmed,” I jabbed, not looking up at him.

Benn let out a loud laugh at that.

Shanks grinned. “You wound me.”

“Clearly, I’m not the only one.”

Hello people. So if you don’t know, what’s going on here then the simple version is that this a Shanks x OC fic.

If you follow me, and the One Piece stuff I write, then you’ve probably heard me talk about this fic. Hey look it’s finally here.

***

Chapter 15

 "Did you miss me, Captain?" I asked, leaning down and smirking at Shanks.

  "Like you even have to ask,” Shanks scoffed, resting his head in his hand. “Of course I did. So much so that I'm sitting here at this ungodly hour-"

  "It's like 8:00 am," I cut him off, deadpan. I slid into the booth across from him, picking up one of the menus from the metal rack at the end of the table and flipping to the first page. "Hardly ungodly."

  "The Devil’s hour-“

  “You know what- ” I glanced up at him again. “Since you’re awake, that may actually be true. You win this round.”

  Shanks shook his head. "Still feels like I lost."

  I smiled as I flipped through the menu. "Good. Someone has to keep you humble. I've seen your face all over the papers these past few years. They've officially put you in the same league as Kaido, Big Mom, and the Old Man. I'm sure Benn could use a break."

  "Beck’s probably half the reason we're in those papers," he retorted.

  "How is my favorite?" I asked.

  "Ruining all my fun," he said with an exaggerated pout.

  ‘How the hell is he cute?’

  "Good.” I nodded, setting the menu down. “I'd be disappointed otherwise."

  "What about you?" Shanks asked. "How are you?"

  The waitress made her way over to us at that moment, which I appreciated. The momentary pause gave me a second to think about how to answer.

  It had been two years since I'd hidden all my shit in Rayne's secret hideout and took to the seas, leaving the island that I had called home for over 20 years. How do you condense that into an answer fit for polite conversation? Not that any conversation I ever had with Shanks was polite.

  I prattled off my order before turning my attention back to Shanks, who was still looking at me expectantly.

  “You know, I was more aware of the outside world than most everyone else in Aurora, but knowing and experiencing are two totally different things. And I knew it was going to be hard, but some days are just brutal. Everyone else has a head start, and it feels like I’m desperately trying to catch up sometimes.

  “But it’s been worth it,” I answered honestly. “It’s been nice to just exist without worrying about stepping on toes or starting a witch hunt, getting to do things and see things like other people.”

  There was a lot more behind that, and I felt like I owed it to Shanks to explain, but now wasn’t the time. I just wanted to take a moment to enjoy reuniting with a friend.

  Shanks’s smile softened. “I’m glad. You seem a lot happier.”

  I calmed, relieved that he didn’t push further. “I am.”

  Shanks shifted in his seat, sitting upright. “I told you piracy would suit you," he said, smugness seeping into his tone. “It’s like you’re glowing.”

  I raised a brow at him, settling back and crossing my arms over my chest. "Captain, who said I'm a pirate?” I challenged.

  “I could be but an intrepid adventurer-“

  “Uh-huh,” he deadpanned.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to keep up my stern demeanor. “Or I could be writing a book about-“

  “How to attract Trouble with a capital T?”

  “If I remember correctly, I am Trouble.”

  “Of course. How could I forget?”

  “I could be a bounty hunter,” I threw out there. “Here to chop off your head and deliver it to the Marines on a platter."

  "You like me too much to decapitate me."

  "But do I like you more than the billions of bellies I'd get in exchange?"

  "I'm worth more alive," he offered.

  "That's true," I conceded. "Guess I'll have to barter with Benn then. I'm sure he and I can come to some agreement regarding your surrender. I'd offer him a cut."

  "He'd probably pay you to take me."

  "True, I would be doing him a favor."

  We just stared at each other for a moment before bursting into giggles. I had forgotten how easy this was.

  "So Eliza, if you're not a pirate," Shanks started, as my food was set in front of me. "What are you?"

  "I was only sort of joking," I said as I picked up my knife and started to spread butter on the stack of pancakes in front of me.

  "About? The piracy or bounty hunting?"

  "Bounty hunting,” I answered.

  “So this is a plot to capture me. I see. The truth comes out.” He grabbed his fork, touching his food for the first time since I arrived.

  “You have some time before I do.” I doused my pancakes in syrup. “I’d like to at least see what the boys will offer me to look the other way.”

  "Then I guess it's good that they'll all be at the tavern tonight. Care to join us, Eliza?"

  "Just can't get enough of me, can you?" I joked.

  "Never," he answered, casual as ever. "Plus, I've got three years to catch up on. I got heard a little when we returned to Aurora, but-."

  "You went back?" I was surprised. "For what?"

  "Best sake comes from the West," he explained. "Plus, I was hoping to see my favorite bartender, but to my surprise, I found out that she left. And now the tavern employs her harem."

  “Oh no,” I groaned, hiding my face behind my hands. ‘The girls.’ "They're not my harem,” I corrected.

  "Really? Cause I think they're all in love with you. And isn’t releasing slaves a bit above a bounty hunter’s pay grade?”

  I dropped my hands back to the table, picking up my fork again. “So, you knew I wasn’t a pirate?”

  He shook his head. “No one really answered the question about what you had been doing. They were too busy telling us about how great you are, and how cool you looked, and how nice, and how strong, and-“

  “You can stop,” I said, pointing my fork at him.

  As a bounty hunter, I was picky about my targets. I didn’t target any old pirate with a price on their head. I wasn’t going to send someone to Impel Down for the rest of their life for something that any one of my brothers could be doing. But slave traders were fair game, and I could usually collect a pretty penny.

  For a few months there, I lingered in the waters surrounding the Sabaody archipelago, taking these bastards out before they could get to the auction house.

  I was able to get most of the victims started on their journeys back home, but there were a few who had nowhere to go or had been willingly turned over by their families. For the most part, they chose to start anew.

  After hearing me talk about Rayne and Gene, they’d asked if I could get them started to the West. I warned them that Aurora wasn’t welcoming, but they insisted, saying that after what they’d been through, they were sure they could handle a couple of jackasses. Plus, they didn’t have to worry about devil fruits or pirate family members, and Aurora was lowkey enough that they would likely never have to worry about being snatched again.

  I was glad to hear they were doing well, even if they were apparently embarrassing me.

  “Now you’re getting shy on me?”

  “Shut up,” I muttered.

  "You still don't accept compliments well."

  "Your hair's still ridiculous."

  "I know what you're trying to do," he said. His eyes focused on my hairline. "But I can't let that one go when you have a streak of your hair that isn't even the same color."

  "A standard color,” I countered.

  "Mine is natural. It grows this way. It’s more natural than yours."

  "I never said that your hair wasn't natural. And I’ve never accused you of dying it. It's just ridiculous. But so are you, so it fits."

  "You look like a skunk."

  "You smell like one."

  "Weak."

  "Whatever."

  Shanks let out a giant yawn.

  “Did you not sleep?” I asked, taking in his appearance. His clothes were more rumpled than usual, and he had bags under his eyes.

  “I told you I was caught up,” he said, eyes glancing over at my journal, which sat on the table beside him. “You’re not the only one who was excited,” he settled back into his seat. “You know, you could’ve just met us at the tavern,” he said. “Though I do appreciate the theatrics.”

  “I thought about it,” I admitted. “I also thought about the possibility that I would walk into a tavern where a bunch of dudes vaguely remember me, and it would all be really fucking awkward, even though you’d probably be too nice to actually let it be awkward. So if you actually wanted to see me, you could reach out.”

  Shanks threw his head back and cracked up laughing.

  “Will you shut up?” I hissed, throwing a napkin at him as all eyes turned to our table. I hid behind my hand. “God, this is so much worse than if I had just shown up,” I muttered.

  “You’re not any better. There’s only one fucking place to stay on this damn island, and it’s not like you showed up once you knew I was here.”

  He blinked owlishly at me for a moment. “I could’ve gone to the inn,” he agreed as realization set in.

  “Captain,” I started slowly. “How long have you been at this table?”

  “About two hours,” the waitress said as she filled my coffee cup.

  This time, it was my turn to crack up obnoxiously. “I can’t believe you waited here for two hours!”

  He shrugged. “You’re an early bird, and you like breakfast. I figured you’d end up here eventually. In my defense, I was still half drunk when I came up with this plan and sleep-deprived when I decided to act on it. And I was right.” He gestured towards my pancakes.

  “You’re hopeless. What if I decided I wanted to get lunch? Dinner? What ab-”

  “I’ve been waiting three years to see you, Eliza. What’s a few more hours?”

  “If you can wait a few more hours, then you should go to bed, and I can meet you later at the tavern,” I offered.

  He waved me off. “I can sleep when I’m dead.”

  “With the way you drink, that’ll be sooner rather than later.”

  “You say that, but I’ve seen you put back an entire bottle of whiskey like it’s water and not have even a hint of a buzz. If I had to guess, you could out-drink half the crew.”

  I snorted. “Just half?

  “You could always challenge them tonight if you want to back those words up.”

  I pretended to think about it for a second. “Don’t tell them I’m coming. It’ll be a surprise.”

***

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***

Master List | Mobile Version

[tinalbion]

Since Freddy and Jason hates eachother so much I think it'll be interesting to be Freddy's s/o and SOMEHOW befriending Jason! They don't know about it at first but one day one of them shows up while you're hanging with the other! What would happen?? Can you write something like that? I mean obviously you can, but do you want to? *looks hopefully*

Oh my, what sort of drama would ensue?! Poor Freddy, poor Jason, just can’t get out of each other’s lives, can they? Thank you for sending this in! I hope you enjoy it!

But seriously, kinda feeling bad that the one person Jason becomes friends with has the ultimate baggage to deal with😅

Freddy x GN!Reader - Befriending Jason

Rating: Freddy picking on Jason, the usual.

Length: 1.2k

Dating a literal dream demon had its advantages for you, but you honestly just loved his company, the only thing was your sleep schedule was so out of whack because of it. You craved to see him when you were asleep, but during those hours that were supposed to be peaceful, you awoke feeling less than well-rested and it had caught up with you in the long run.

Asking Fred to calm down with the long visits was harsher than it should have been in your eyes, but he didn’t seem to mind it too much, especially since he allowed you to take a break for a bit while he had other errands to run (you know, murder and such), and he came back to you to see you back at 100%. You looked happy and the bags under your eyes weren’t so prominent. He took full credit for that, obviously, and so while catching up, you casually mention that you’ve been having fun hanging out with your friends. Normally Freddy asks about your friends, mainly curious about who you hang around, and then you mention you went camping and found someone who was really sweet and rather quiet.

He doesn’t question too far about it because why would he? He’s got nothing to worry about. Until he decided to visit you while you were back in the cabin up north again one weekend. He popped in and strolled around the place as if he owned it, and then Freddy stopped dead in his tracks to see you asleep on the sofa while your ‘new friend’ was none other than Jason Voorhees, sitting on a chair that was facing the window, a blanket draped around his shoulders.

Freddy immediately becomes more irritable and his voice is deeper as he speaks to you, the anger plain in his expressions. “Are you fucking kidding me? Your new friend is THAT idiot goalie fuck?!” Freddy and he go way back, not on good terms either, so it’s understandable as to why you were greeted with hostility.

“I can’t just stop being his friend, Fred.”

“Wrong, you can, simple as that, princess. Now do it before I do it for you.” He wasn’t a man to forgive someone like Jason so easily, and of course, you were caught in the middle of their petty feud. You weren’t usually compliant with a request like this and Freddy had never done anything previously when you ‘disobeyed’ him, so what could he really do now? Either way, you had already settled it in your head that you weren’t just going to drop Jason but before you could voice that, you were jolted awake.

Jason had shaken you, his head tilted to the side as if to question your well-being. You assured Jason that you were fine, you were just having a bad dream, and that’s when Jason began to put two and two together. You didn’t want to bring up Freddy only because you knew it would upset him, but it was silly to keep him a secret. One way or another one of them would see the other and you dreaded that day. But in time, you didn’t want to ruin the friendship you had.

Freddy questioned your intent to hide your guys’ relationship and you bluntly told him you enjoyed Jason’s company when you were camping, so there was no way you were going to be as cruel as he was to him. You needed to approach this delicately and with calm and gentle tones, the complete opposite of what to expect with your headstrong boyfriend.

The day came a lot quicker than you anticipated only because Freddy, being the bastard that he was, decided to make you open up to dear old hockey-puck a lot sooner and he put you on the spot. Jason was distraught, thinking that he was free from seeing the slasher ever again. Why did he have to befriend the ONE person on this planet that was connected to the one guy he wanted to just avoid for as long as he could. Yet now he was faced with a harsh truth.

“Jason, I’d understand if you don’t wanna be friends anymore, I just don’t wanna bring you in the middle of this…” You were kind enough to give him this option, to give him a choice when Freddy really didn’t give him that at all. He couldn’t tell you how he was feeling, but he knew how you were feeling, he was able to read your body language so well from years of experience, but all you could do was sit there with your fists clenched, pissed off at your boyfriend.

The masked slasher placed his hand on your leg to grab your attention then snatched it away, but the look in his eye when you looked up at him spoke more than you thought it ever could. You took a breath and recounted everything in your head, then finally told Jason everything and how childish Freddy had been. Jason didn't act out nor did he grow angry, he just sat there and listened.

"Thanks for listening, Jason, but I'll have to take some time to think about all this…" And he gave you all the time you wanted. You didn't return to the camp for a couple of weeks. Jason had waited for you and lingered around the camp a few days after you initially left, wondering if you'd ever come back. He consulted with the decapitated head of his mother, Pamela, and there was nothing to be said. He had been alone again. Maybe he would put up with that chucklehead if it meant you would be the peacekeeper between them, he just didn't want to be alone anymore.

When you returned to the camp, he had been sitting outside of the cabin just looking off at the wildlife until he noticed you walking up the path. He stood swiftly and waited as you neared the cabin, wanting to greet you, and you definitely looked much happier than you had when you left. When you were close enough, he walked halfway to meet you as you ran into him, hugging him tightly.

"Hey big guy, I've missed you!" You hugged him and you both went inside, talking about your time away and how you missed being surrounded by the forest. But he waited for the inevitable conversation where this would be your last visit. But it never came, something more unexpected had been brought up.

"So uh, I was talking to Fred and… well, he's going to be the bigger guy and won’t interfere with us hanging out! Isn’t that exciting?” You were incredibly happy when Freddy had reluctantly said he wouldn’t pester you (too much) about it, though you would soon learn that he was so full of shit.

He popped in and out of your dreams just to annoy you when you were up at the cabin, he would tease you about everything, he became more relentless. So when you suggested he and Jason should just hang out and maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, Fred laughed hysterically and immediately shut that idea down. You could say you tried. Though your life was complicated with Freddy yelling in your ear, you couldn’t help but still feel lucky enough to have them in your life. Even if one of them was a huge pain in your ass.

[robininthelabyrinth]

JGY and NMJ post-canon, as fierce corpses sealed up together in that coffin (as per novel), get freed from the coffin and go to Cloud Recesses on Baxia because NMJ is fed with having that little snake around all the time.

ao3

“I can’t believe you actually managed to get us out of there,” Jin Guangyao said when they reached air again.

“I can’t believe you’re still talking,” Nie Mingjue growled, his voice still raspy from the whole decapitated head business, which he was still taking far too personally in Jin Guangyao’s opinion. He’d already been dead at the time! It wasn’t like Jin Guangyao had caused him any additional pain by the dismemberment!

Anyway, Nie Mingjue had unexpectedly turned into a terrifyingly powerful fierce corpse – contrary to everything that should have happened, did he just skip the whole soul-calming rituals that all children of the gentry were supposedly getting? – and there had simply been no other alternative that would keep him from murdering Jin Guangyao right then and there.

Possibly, Jin Guangyao allowed, that was the problem Nie Mingjue had with it.

“Aren’t you tired? You’ve done nothing but talk since we got stuck in there!”

“It’s my finest talent –”

“Lying and deceit are your finest talents.”

“And those require talking!”

Nie Mingjue shoved Jin Guangyao as he tried to climb out of the coffin. He tried to catch himself with one hand, forgot that he didn’t have that arm anymore, and tumbled to the ground.

If it wasn’t for the fact that they’d realized some time ago that their sentience depended on regularly interacting with each other, and that without regular conversation they would both begin to lose their minds and revert to ravening beasts, Jin Guangyao swore that he would have murdered Nie Mingjue and torn apart his body a second time over.

“I should’ve ripped off your tongue instead of your arm,” Nie Mingjue complained. “I’d have had a happier afterlife if I did.”

“Too late now,” Jin Guangyao grumbled, getting up. It was very strange, being a fierce corpse. “I liked you better when you were wholly consumed with rage – oh, wait, that’s what you’ve been like the entire time I’ve known you.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck you, too.”

The prohibition on the coffin had been broken, but there was still one around the ruined temple to keep people out and evil creatures, a category currently including the two of them, although Jin Guangyao suspected that Nie Mingjue would argue that Jin Guangyao had always been included in that category. He might even be right, who knew? 

At any rate, they needed to break the prohibition to get out. Jin Guangyao tossed himself down on the ground to wait while Nie Mingjue examined it.

“Why did you start talking?” he asked idly. “I’ve always wondered. When I died, you were completely mindless.”

“Who knows?” Nie Mingjue said distractedly. “Maybe all you need for sentience is to marinate in rage for long enough.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Why? Works for the sabers.”

Jin Guangyao opened his mouth, then found he had nothing to say. He supposed that it did.

“Why did you always have so much rage, anyway?” he complained. “I understand the bit about your father being murdered, and of course your stupid cultivation style encourages it, but you always seemed especially irritated about everything.”

Nie Mingjue huffed. “You remember that I’m misaligned, right?”

“So what? Being misaligned makes you more of a shithead?”

“No, dealing with your father made me more of a shithead.”

Jin Guangyao considered the practicalities of having to deal with his father while possessing a physically female body and shuddered. It really wasn’t worth considering, especially since Lanling Jin did not believe in or especially respect Qinghe Nie’s tradition of misaligned souls. “Wait,” he said a moment later. “He knew? Why did he know?! I didn’t know, and I worked for you for years!”

“You worked for me as an adult, you dolt. He met me when I was still young.”

Jin Guangyao thought about it, then grimaced. “I can’t even imagine you as a little girl.”

“That’s because I wasn’t.”

“…I wish you’d have told me,” Jin Guangyao picked at the fraying hem of his robes.

“Why? Would you be less likely to murder me if you knew? Or was it just to spare yourself the unpleasant shock you received when you were dismembering my corpse?”

Jin Guangyao considered it. “Mostly the latter.”

“Good. If you’d said it was the former, I’d take my chances with insanity.”

Jin Guangyao rolled his eyes, then frowned. “Did he ever…?”

“Ever..? Wait, what? No!” Nie Mingjue turned to stare at him, looking scandalized – which was not an expression one really expected to see on a fierce corpse. “Why would you even ask that?”

Jin Guangyao shrugged. “Seemed reasonable, given everything else he did.”

“No,” Nie Mingjue grimaced. “He just thought I was a freak, and it seemed to especially irritate him when I didn’t just submit to whatever he wanted, that’s all. Nothing over the top...still, you clearly know what he was like. This was the man you were so desperate for the approval for?”

“I figured it out eventually,” Jin Guangyao grumbled. “Anyway, who are you to talk about father issues? You, with the whole you-killed-my-father obsession?”

“He did kill my father.”

“Big deal! So did I!” He paused. “Kill my father, that is. Not yours.”

“Did you?” Nie Mingjue snorted. “My desire to kill you went down one notch.”

“It did?”

“From several tens of thousands, but yes.”

Jin Guangyao drummed his fingers on his knee thoughtfully. “Can I kill other people to make it keep going down?”

“The fact that you even asked that made it go back up.”

Useless. Nie Mingjue was just completely useless.

“How long will it take you to get out of this one?” he asked instead, changing the subject. “I’d like to get to the Cloud Recesses to see Lan Xichen before, you know, he dies of old age.”

“Would you like to break through this array?” Nie Mingjue growled.

Lan Xichen had always been very fond of communication. He sincerely believed that almost all the problems in the world were due to miscommunication, that the vast majority of the time people just needed to meet in the middle and talk things over and that they would be able to solve almost everything to their mutual satisfaction.

Communication, Jin Guangyao decided, had not helped things one bit.

“Have you figured out what you’re going to say?” Nie Mingjue asked, poking at one part of the array and not looking at Jin Guangyao in a way that had to be deliberate.

“Say?” Jin Guangyao asked. “When?”

“When we get to the Cloud Recesses. What you’ll say to Xichen.”

Jin Guangyao had thought a lot about that. “It depends,” he hedged. “I mean, what I say to him, there’s a lot of factors – for instance, will you be there?”

“Would you prefer to talk to him as mindless fierce corpse slavering for his blood?”

Jin Guangyao grimaced. “I’m still thinking about it, then.”

“Well, think fast, then. I found a gap.”

“Good!” Jin Guangyao scrambled to his feet. “That was fast. How do we break it?”

“It’s impossible to break from the inside.”

“…you couldn’t have told me that before I got up?!”

“You don’t even have muscles anymore,” Nie Mingjue complained. “Your entire body is powered by resentful energy. Why are you still whining?”

Jin Guangyao wished he had a second arm so that he could cross them over his chest and glare. Or put them on his hips and glare. Or even just use them to make a rude gesture more easily done with two hands. “Are we trapped here forever or not?”

“It can be broken from the outside,” Nie Mingjue clarified, rolling his eyes. “I’ll summon Baxia to break it, and then we can use her to fly to the Cloud Recesses.”

“Fine.” Jin Guangyao frowned. “Wait, won’t that alert Huaisang that we’re back?”

“Probably.”

“He’ll boil me alive!”

“Only pieces of you, probably,” Nie Mingjue said, sounding far too smug about the idea. “As long as he knows that I need some of you alive. Maybe I should be the one to keep your head in my closet, this time?”

“It was a treasure room. I didn’t keep you in a closet.”

“It was a fucking closet.”

“It wasn’t. It was in a mirror and everything, it’s much more sophisticated.”

“You’re the guy that had a murder closet. Accept it.”

“I refuse to be the guy with the murder closet. Anyway, you can’t let him boil me alive, you don’t know what’ll happen if you let him do that.” He thought about it, and specifically about Nie Mingjue’s prioritization between risk and reward. “Please don’t let Huaisang boil me alive.”

“I’ll consider speaking in your favor if you stop being so annoying.”

“On second thought, I don’t have nerves anymore and can’t feel pain. Bring on the boil.”

“Are we really going to have to do this for the rest of our lives?” Nie Mingjue wondered, sounding depressed.

“For the rest of eternity,” Jin Guangyao said, equally grim. “That’s why we have to get to er-ge in time to convince him to cultivate to immortality. If I had to wait alone with you until he reincarnates, I’ll go insane.”

“You’re already insane.”

“I’ll lose the ability to stop talking.”

“…Xichen cultivating to immortality it is.” Nie Mingjue thought about it. “Do you think we could convince Huaisang to…?”

“No,” Jin Guangyao said. “You couldn’t get him to cultivate to competent; who could get him to cultivate to immortality?”

The answer to that, as they discovered when they arrived at the Cloud Recesses, was apparently Lan Xichen.

“Did I need to know this?” Jin Guangyao complained, unable to believe that he’d returned from the dead as a fierce corpse and managed to regain his sanity and even work with Nie Mingjue to get to the Cloud Recesses in order to apologize to his sworn brother for all the wrongs he’d done to him, only to be stuck waiting outside in the rain while said sworn brother finished banging his other sworn brother’s little brother. “I didn’t need to know this.”

“Shut up,” Nie Mingjue said. “I’m practicing meditation in order to block out sound from my ears. Maybe I should remove my head again? Do you think that would help?”

“Nothing will help,” Jin Guangyao said as another set of enthusiastic shouting emerged through the too-thing walls. “Ever. My mind is scarred permanently.”

“Maybe that’ll improve it.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck you, too.”

They stood in silence for a little while, the only sounds the howling of the wind and also the howling from inside the room.

“…how long do you think it’ll take for them to finish and notice we’re here?” Jin Guangyao considered. “Maybe we could throw rocks?”

“It took five years for us to get out of that coffin,” Nie Mingjue said. “You can wait five minutes for them to finish.”

“It’d be funny if we threw rocks and then appeared in the window, dark figures silhouetted by lightning. Like in those scary puppet plays. They might never have sex again.”

“I value my brother’s happiness over your petty desire to ruin his sex life,” Nie Mingjue said, then grimaced at a particularly loud yowl. “As tempting as the thought might be.”

“We’ll wait, then,” Jin Guangyao said. “And then we’re all going to have some words.”

“Of course we are. Because you don’t shut up.”

[therealvinelle]

Hi, love your metas and your fic. I think you mentioned somwhere that at the end of BD Aro was trying to prevent the fight. What were his motives? According to Edward, the Volturi are cowards, but I didn't get this feeling. Caius was begging for a battle, the guard vocally proclaimed willingness to die for the cause... hell, Jane had to be restrained from running to Bella and punching her in the throat. And I find it unlikely that their leader is less brave than them. Explain Aro's brain pls

Thank you so much! That’s really nice of you to say. And sorry for the late answer.

And explain Aro’s brain, whew. That is a very big question with a very long answer and this post will be a manifesto by the time I’m done. But you wanted Aro’s brain explained so manifesto it is.

So, before we go anywhere I have to make the distinction between Aro of the books and Aro of the movies. Those two are different people.

Starting with appearance, because casting does a lot for me and if a big deviation is made it better be like Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, which is to say it better fit the character. Also, disclaimer, I think most of Twilight was miscast, and especially the Volturi. I’m forever dying at Caius looking like Lucius Malfoy. However, this is an Aro post, so we’re highlighting Aro.

Aro of the books is a twenty-something Greek with skin that has petrified and eyes covered in a milky sort of film, which totals to him looking perfect, as all vampires do, yet frail. When he walks it looks like he’s gliding. This is an otherworldly, ancient, inhuman being. He’s energetic and excitable, yes, but if anything that should add to how very other he is. Casting Michael Sheen is a clear signal that the movies were going in a completely different direction with Aro. Sheen is a great actor who played what he was given perfectly, but what he was given was a very different character.

In New Moon the book, Aro first rejects Edward request because this is Carlisle’s gifted son, and more, this is not what the Volturi do. They are not hitmen. It’s just a big no all around.

Bella enters, and the Aro she meets is a very polite and gracious man who’s delighted to see the human still alive, and pleased Carlisle’s son won’t be suicidal anymore. However, Edward fully intended to step into the sunlight in the middle of Volterra, specifically to provoke the Volturi, and he has broken the law with Bella. Further, Edward makes it clear that he fully intends to walk out of Volterra with his human still human, and that she’ll die of old age if he gets his way. Edward’s contempt of the law could not be more clear. However, Alice shows Aro that Bella’s fate is sealed, she turns or she dies. The law will be upheld. Aro is glad to hear it, and lets the Cullens all go home.

All in all, it’s a very tense occasion where Edward has put Aro in a difficult position, because he’s trying to force him to kill his best friend’s son, and Aro goes “YES THANK GOD” when Alice finally gives him an out.

New Moon of the movies was not this. Starting with the flashback (because I’m being thorough), Aro executes a lowly criminal himself.  I object to that, I think that’s a menial task and Aro doing it himself made the Volturi look less regal, not more. Cut to the present day, Aro rejects Edward’s request because he doesn’t want to waste his gift. We get the whole meeting with Bella, and Aro… well I don’t know why he does any of the things he does. This guy never mentions his friendship to Carlisle, tries to kill our plucky heroes three times in the space of one minute (one, gives Felix the order to kill Bella, stopped by Edward. Two, moves to decapitate Edward, stopped by Bella. Three, he’s about to eat Bella, stopped by Alice), and when he lets them go it feels terribly convenient.

This was a guy written to be the villain of the series, and it showed.

Cut to Breaking Dawn part I’s ending scene, and while I love the song choice for the scene, and fully agree that Aro considers misspelling Carlisle’s name to be a capital offense, the scene itself… we are presented with a villainous, power-hungry megalomaniac who’s just waiting to strike against the Cullens.

We then get Breaking Dawn part II, and I haven’t seen that movie in years but I remember the fight scene well enough. Aro kills Carlisle with the biggest grin on his face, and gives the go-ahead to his Volturi to kill the surviving Cullens and their witnesses.

Contrast that with canon, where Aro’s first words to Carlisle are «Nothing would make me happier than preserving your life today». Now, he’s making it very clear that this meeting will most likely end with Carlisle’s death, but he’s not happy about it. He’s certainly not going to kill him with a smile on his face and laughter in his heart.

The movies needed a hammy villain, and that’s what Michael Sheen played. It is not who Aro is, at all. And he’s not the only character this happened to, but again, this is an Aro post so I’m not going to start raging like Don Corleone about what they did to my boys.

So, with the movies firmly expelled from the post, let’s look at the Twilight series from Aro’s point of view.

Or, rather, we’ll have to start earlier because Aro’s decisions throughout the series are pretty clearly motivated by Carlisle. And that means considering, “why is Carlisle so important, anyway?”

Consider these things: one, Aro is gifted with the power of knowing every single thought a person has ever had. He knows your soul. Two, Aro is the leader of the supernatural world, he has been for over a thousand years.

How many friends does a person with that power and in that position have?

Three, who does Aro even come into contact with?

Starting with number three, for Aro it’s going to be 1) criminals, 2) Volturi guard hopefuls, 3) Weirdos like Laurent who are wasting Aro’s time.

(“But what about the guard!” Well, while we observe close interpersonal relationships between Aro and Jane, and Aro and Renata, and one can assume Corin to be close to the wives, the distinction between Volturi coven and Volturi guard remains. The guards are servants, in some cases beloved servants, but servants nonetheless. It would be inappropriate and weird for Aro to start slumming it with Demetri and Felix)

So, Aro doesn’t get out much, which brings us to point two. The people he does meet, and who are willing to entertain a friendship with the Volturi leader, are going to be people who want something. And that might work for some rulers, Louis XIV built Versailles specifically to make his subjects do this for him, but he had something to gain politically from that. Aro does not, his power is supreme without a need to tolerate brown nosers. More, with his own and Marcus’ gifts, he’ll know right away that he’s being used for power. He would get nothing out of it.

Finally point one, Aro’s gift. Say that we have a vampire who’s not a weirdo and who thinks Aro’s a cool dude. Well, the question now is, who would ever want a person in their life who knows all there is to know about them? I wouldn't want anybody to know every thought I've ever had, I certainly would never seek out a person to know me that deeply when I could just go find normal people to be friends with instead. Not to mention how incredibly unequal such a friendship would be.

In short, I don’t think Aro has any friends.

Enter Carlisle a very amiable person who cherishes Aro for his personality, and doesn’t mind having his mind read. Aro just found a unicorn. Carlisle on his end likes Aro so much that he lives with him for decades. Even if you want to read their relationship as platonic, that’s still a very strong friendship.

Point being that Carlisle is unbelievably precious to Aro, and so very unique. Aro has lived for over three millennia, and never met anyone like this before. There won’t be another Carlisle.

This in turn makes him willing to stretch as far as he can to preserve that friendship and, as the plot thickens, keep Carlisle alive.

Fast forwards to 2006, and Aro is sitting in Volterra minding his own business when Carlisle’s son walks into town demanding his own execution. He has not committed any crimes. Not only is assisted suicide not something the Volturi even do, but this would ruin Aro’s friendship with Carlisle. Even if Carlisle was miraculously understanding of Aro killing his son (which I can’t imagine he would be), this would never leave the air between them. Carlisle could never be around him again after something like that.

So, Aro turns down Edward’s request. “Stupid Volturi man ruining my dramatic suicide, I’ll show him who’s boss!” Edward replies, and runs shirtless into the sunlight. I’m sure Aro was just dying, you had “The Sound of Silence” playing as he stared into nothingness because how is this happening to him. A whiplash of an hour later, Bella is alive again, Aro is happy, we can be done with this now, right? Right?!

No, Edward says, we cannot be done with this. He’s still refusing to turn Bella.

And so we get that whole New Moon exchange where Aro very tellingly shoves the part where Edward WALKED INTO THE SUNLIGHT IN VOLTERRA under the carpet and out of the conversation (for comparison: Irina is executed for false testimony and Bree for breaking a law she didn’t know existed), and he even allows Bella to leave human when he could easily have bitten her himself to keep the Cullens honest. This guy went out of his way to be lenient and show the Cullens good faith.

And then a few months later Irina walks into Volterra, bearing memories of what is unmistakably a Cullen immortal child.

Aro may care for Carlisle, but this is the guy who killed his baby sister so he’d still have Marcus’ gift. He will bend far, very far, for those he cares about, but he will not break. It’s duty above love, Volturi above Aro’s personal preferences. An immortal child is not an offense that can be tolerated, and so it’ll be Didyme 2: Aro Kills Someone He Loves Boogaloo.

By now I think it should be quite clear why I think Aro was trying to prevent the fight. Battle would have meant Carlisle’s certain death.

(And that’s even assuming the Volturi won the fight. With Bella there, there was a chance the Volturi wouldn’t prevail. But even before Bella started showing off, Aro was very much hoping this wouldn’t be another Didyme situation.)

[pastorpresent]

Summary: Dean and Sam have to go undercover at a dom/sub club

-0-0-0-

As they entered the club, Sam felt incredibly out of his depth.

He hated clubs with loud music and colourful lights at the best of times but this? This was entirely worse, in every conceivable way.

They made their way through the crowd of dancing people, and Sam's eyes didn't know where to look. Some were sat in booths, with leather clad subs perched at their feet or on their laps. His eyes landed on one dom as he drank his beer, his dick out with his sub on the ground sucking away obediently.

The entire club reaked of sex, sweat and vodka and he found himself even more uncomfortable than ever - especially in the tight leather booty shorts and mesh shirt Dean had put on him, complete with a collar and lead.

He had stared at the outfit dumbfounded when Dean laid it out on the bed for him, thinking he was surely just joking, but he had to admit he blended in.

"You ok, pet?" Dean called, tugging on the leash slightly to encourage Sam to stop lingering on the sights of the club and follow properly.

The nickname felt odd, but Sam knew it was necessary. They needed to be convincing - they had no idea if their guy was watching them, and if they blew their cover they'd be screwed.

"Yes sir." Sam responded, even if he really felt anything but.

He hated this place, and the prospect of spending an entire evening here was making him feel massively uncomfortable - and they has scarcely been inside two minutes.

Eventually they reached an empty booth in the corner, and Sam averted his eyes from the couple having sex a few feet away against the wall.

Dean slid into the booth and Sam followed, pressing up against him and staring at the floor. He really wanted to leave.

"Subs aren't supposed to sit on the furniture."

Sam could feel Dean wrap an arm tightly around his waist as they both looked over to the man.

He was leering at Sam in a way that made him uncomfortable, and had a young boy on his knees attached to a lead.

"He was about to sit on my lap, if you hadn't rudely interrupted." Dean spat out, and the man huffed, heading away with the boy crawling behind.

Sam felt himself pressing unconsciously further into Dean's side. Dean was the only thing that felt safe in this place.

"Straddle me, Sammy." Dean whispered against the shell of his ear, and it sent a shiver through Sam's body.

He obeyed, straddling his brothers lap and sitting close so they were almost chest to chest. It meant he could feels Dean's dick against his ass, and his face felt like it was on fire.

"Dean... I don't like it here." He said, quiet enough for only Dean to hear.

Dean nodded sympathetically, his fingers absently running over Sam's sides.

"I know, Sammy. But we need to stake out, see if Alex is really the one doing the murders." Sam knew Dean was right, but it didn't make him any happier about the situation.

A few beats of silence passed, with Dean sipping his drink and Sam trying to focus solely on his brother rather than their surroundings.

And then Dean was biting at his neck, tongue darting out as he licked on Sam's pulse point, and he would've jolted right off of Dean's lap if it wasn't for the strong hands holding his waist in place.

"W-what-"

"Shhh," Dean hummed, before leaning closer and nipping gently at Sam's earlobe.

"Alex is watching us. Think he's interested, just play along, 'kay?" Dean's breath was hot against his neck, and then his tongue and teeth were paying attention to that spot just below Sam's jaw and suddenly he didn't need to 'play along'.

His reactions were one hundred percent real, the way his hips grinded slightly, the way his hands gripped at Dean's shoulders... it was all too real, and Sam found himself really wishing they could've called Jo or someone in to take his place instead. This wasn't right.

"On your knees, bitch." Dean purred, and Sam decided he actually wouldn't like anyone to take his place ever. Not if Dean kept speaking to him like this, touching him like that.

It was overwhelming, damn dizzying with what it was doing to him. And yeah, maybe Dean was partly acting, but that lust in his eyes? His dick twitching in his pants?

That felt all too real.

"Now, brat. Don't make me say it again." Dean growled, nipping at Sam's bottom lip and tearing away some of the skin with his teeth.

Sam did as he was told, sliding down under the table between Dean's parted legs.

His inhibitions were gone, and he wished he had drunk tonight so at least he could blame it on that. But he hadn't, he was completely sober, and he knew Dean knew that too.

"Nice little sub you got there." Sam recognised the gravelly voice immediatly.

Alex.

He felt Dean's hand fell into his hair, and found himself relaxing again.

Then the fingers in his hair pulled, tugged him towards Dean's crotch and Sam found himself darting his tongue out to lick the denim.

"Yeah, he's pretty damn amazing." The compliment made Sam flush, and he reached for Dean's zipper.

"You rent him out?" Sam knew the question was coming. It was sort of the whole point of the cover. Get Alex interested in him, get Alex to take him, and see if he really was the one draining subs dry.

Still, knowing that didn't help. Didn't make the question any less terrifying, and not even the massaging motions of Dean's fingers were easing the tension in his body now.

"Depends how much you're paying."

"800. All evening, I'll bring him here at 9am you can come collect him tomorrow morning." It was bullshit. If Alex had his way, Sam would be dead in a gutter long before then.

"900, and we have a deal." Dean agreed, and all that lust inspired by Dean's hands on him earlier vanished, replaced by the nervous nausea from when they first entered.

"Deal." He watched Alex reach into his jeans, grabbing out a wad of bills and placing them on the table with a thump.

Dean's hand retracted from his hair, reaching instead for the collar around his neck. He paused first to squeeze Sam's shoulder, a silent assurance that he would save him, before gripping the leash and pulling Sam up and back onto his lap.

"Just don't damage him too badly." Dean said, handing the lead to Alex's grimy fingers, and it was all Sam could do not to panic.

"Of course." Alex smirked, climbing out the booth and tugging at Sam to follow. He didn't have a choice, stumbling after him with one last worried glance to Dean as he was pulled out of the bar.

-0-0-0-

"Where... I thought we were going back to your house." Sam said, because Alex might get suspicious if Sam wasn't questioning the alley he was being yanked down.

The same alley him and Dean had been in yesterday, assessing the scene.

Alex was definitely their guy then. Dean should be showing up any minute, he reminded himself. Repeated it over and over like a prayer.

Alex must've decided they had went in far enough, because suddenly Sam was being shoved into the wall hard, his scarcely covered body being scraped up by the rough bricks.

"So pretty... bet you taste even better..." Alex smirked, before ducking his head and biting into Sam's neck.

Sam cried out in pain, his flesh being torn away and leaving a bite mark as Alex took his fill.

Just as his head was starting to feel heavy from blood loss, a machete slipped clean through the vampires neck and decapitated the monster.

"God, Sammy. I tried to follow as quickly as I could but-"

"It's 'kay. J'st glad you showed. Saved me." Sam breathed, trying to move towards Dean but his head was swimming and his footing was clumsy.

"Woah, take it easy ok? Let's get you to the car." Dean murmured, wrapping an arm around Sam's waist.

And if Sam said "ok sir" rather than "ok Dean"... well that was obviously just the blood loss talking.

[thatmexisaurusrex]

for the ask game, 18. what's your favourite fight scene / fighting sequence?

Aww, thank you so much for the ask!

My favorite fight sequence is the one at the beginning of episode 5, “Truth” where Sam and Bucky face off with an unstable Walker.

I think one of the things that really draws me to this fight is that it genuinely feels like the most dangerous fight in the show. Other fight sequences can be tense, but none of the other fights feel like they have the level of risk that this one has, in my opinion. I think that's because of the state in which Walker is in the fight.

Walker had, moments before, messily decapitated a man in front of an audience, in front of Sam and Bucky. Sam is working with that trauma as he tries to talk Walker down. Bucky, who has been having problems with projecting his anger, has now found a person to truly take his pain out on that he could deem justifiable.

It's such a low point for the both of them because Sam is taken down in a way throughout the fight despite winning; Sam, despite his efforts, despite trying his best to do what he's trained to do as a counselor, wasn't able to talk Walker down from his unhinged episode; Sam was literally grounded by Walker as Walker spat at Sam that he was Captain America. Everything that Sam sees as his strengths as a hero seems to fail or be taken away from him in the fight.

And Bucky, despite getting what he wanted since he saw Walker on TV, finds no solace in fighting the man; he doesn't feel better after facing off with him; he doesn't look any happier when tossing the bloody shield at Sam. And it's not exactly as if Bucky doesn't know that violence won't solve the underlying problems he has, but it just seemed like the simplest solution and it didn't help anyone.

I would argue that Walker at that moment is the most terrifying villain of all in that he actually had the potential to kill or heavily injury them both. And he tries to kill them. He tried to decapitate Sam and Bucky at different points in that fight, and Sam and Bucky were only saved by each other in the end, and only barely which is terrifying. It felt like the only fight where they could have been genuinely injured during the fight in a way that could stay with them throughout the rest of the episodes.

In the end, the fight doesn't even feel like a victory. The shield and the idea of being Captain America are twisted and tainted by the actions of Walker, further complicating Sam's choice as to whether or not becoming Captain America is the right decision for Sam. Sam and Bucky aren't in good mental or physical states at the end of it. It just feels like they barely stopped Walker from causing more horrors.

I don't know, That's just my opinion. I think it's just such an impactful fight.

[yodawgiherd]

End of an Era

It was fun while it lasted guys :)

>>>Read on AO3<<<

And one night, without any warning, the last piece of the puzzle came. The dream told her everything, ran over the entirety of her life, and when the old and wrinkled soldier Mikasa closed her eyes for the last time, she woke up with unshed tears brimming in the corners.

Next to her, the devil she decapitated slept peacefully, with no marks or scars under his eyes. She didn’t want to wake him yet, as there was another person Mikasa needed to talk to right now, so getting out of the bed carefully she located her phone.

“M-Mikasa?”, a yawn, “It’s four in the morning, why are you calling me?”

“I’m sorry Armin, I have to ask you something.”, Mikasa whispered, keeping her voice low not to wake Eren, “please…”

“Sure, just…” another yawn, this time even longer, “Give me a second so I can collect my brain from the dreamland.”

Mikasa could hear the phone being put down and then the rustling of bedding on the other side as Armin was most likely stretching and fully waking up. She waited patiently until he picked the device up again, speaking in a much clearer voice.

“Ok, I guess I’m functional now. What’s up?”

“In the book you are writing, does the main pairing gets a happy ending? Do they get together?”

“I… Uh… Is that why you woke me?”

“Armin, please. It’s important to me.”

In truth, the blond had no idea why Mikasa was suddenly so interested in the ending of his story. Sure, she read it during development and said that it was good, but there’s a difference between that and calling at four AM to grill him about the ending she didn’t get to see yet because Armin finished it about a week ago. Then again, her voice was completely serious and while Mikasa did like some fun pranks from time to time, this didn’t sound like one at all. So, following her wish, Armin gave her an honest answer.

“No, they don’t. The girl is forced to kill her love interest to save the world from him, but it's sort of bittersweet because their friends get to live a happy life after.”

There was a gasp on the other side as if he confirmed some of Mikasa’s suspicions.

“Why?”

“Well, people like angst, and giving everyone a happy ending is a bit of a cliché, no? I mean…”

“Why her though, wasn’t she the heroine?”

“Yes, but she can move on in time you know, forget about him and whatnot.”

There was a bit of silence on the other side before Mikasa spoke again, this time in a small and sad voice.

“Could you change it? Please, for me.”

“How?”

“Just make her happy…”

Running a hand through his sleep-tussled hair Armin puffed out air, turning the possibilities in his head. It wouldn’t be that hard to make Mikasa’s wish come true. He had a lot of supernatural going on in his book, monsters, and gods, a simple resurrection wouldn’t break the story. Plus it was rare to hear Mikasa beg like this, she was usually the “cool and stoic” type, and it tugged at Armin’s heart.

Hell, why not.

“All right, I’ll do it somehow.”

“You will?!”

“Yeah, but you’ll owe me one.”

There was happy and relieved laughter on the other side.

“Of course, I’ll do anything Ar, thank you so much!”

With a click, the call ended and Mikasa let out a long breath, rubbing the unshed tears from her eyes. It would seem that Armin wasn’t writing a story, more like remembering it, but unlike the one that happened this one would get a different ending.

Mikasa told Eren everything over breakfast, hugging a warm cup of coffee with both hands. He didn’t say anything while she spoke, just listened, his green eyes taking all of her in, both words and gestures. Only when she finished did he let out a long breath, one that felt like he was holding in for an eternity.

“This is a lot to take in.”, he said, “Especially at once.”

“I know…, you don’t have to believe me but…”

“I believe you. Every word.”

“Just like that?”

A firm nod.

“You believe it, and I see no reason why I should not. Past lives and other-universe memories can exist, it's not like the entire human psyche has been mapped.”

He looked away for a second.

“The Eren you described, he is so different than me, yet so terrifyingly similar in some aspects. I can sit here and say that I would never cause the apocalypse but in his place…? I just can’t know for sure.”

“I guess we are lucky that we don’t have to find out.”, Mikasa offered, “This life is so much better than whatever they went through...”

“For sure.”

“And that’s not all.”

“What do you mean?”

“I… I think I married someone… Jean maybe? Had kids with him too.”

“Oh my god.”, Eren threw an arm over his face dramatically, “Out of all people, why him?”

“I… I don’t know if it was him but….”

“Please Miki, I get that I died, and you wanted to move on, but didn’t your past life have any taste ?”

“Hey! Jean is nice.”

He peeked at her from under his arm.

“Nice huh?”

“Yea, nice. You know what, if you die I’m going to marry him here too.”

The fingers that were till now peacefully resting on her hip curved and dug into her flesh, a dangerous flash in the emerald that stared at her.

“You’re just trying to rile me, is that it?”

She fought the grin, not wanting it to reveal the joke.

“Maybe…”

However, Eren’s grip weakened as his face grew distant, the classic “philosophical” look entering his features.

“Would that be fair to him though? Jean is… okay I guess, and you treating him like an afterthought, a second choice? Not nice.”

Mikasa’s smile faltered when she realized that, and Eren was not even done with his speech.

“Then again, if I’ll be dead then I guess I have no agenda in telling you what to do. Plus I think I’d be happier if you moved on and had a family instead of mourning me forever. You are too young for that.”

These words hit way too close to Mikasa’s dream, and she could feel the sadness rising in the chest again. To battle it, she took hold of Eren’s chin and tugged it down until their lips were touching.

“Hey, not more talk about death, okay?”, she ordered, “I had enough of that while sleeping.”

“Yes ma’am.”

When she kissed him, Mikasa’s sadness melted away again, chased away by Eren’s warmth against her. Maybe her other self had to settle for something else, but not her. She was here and she had the love of her life right in her arms, in her bed, and she couldn’t be happier about it.

Eren mulled the facts over for a time, putting them together in his head. It was a nice day outside, and while he did all the math Mikasa simply watched him with a faint smile on her lips. It was almost noon when he came to her with a new question.

“So let me get this straight – I didn’t achieve anything In the end? My island was still nuked and the monsters…”

“Titans.”, Mikasa corrected him.

“Right, titans. Those are still around? Man, I guess I was turned into a clown at the end.”

She didn’t know how to disagree with any of those points.

“And the point of it all was nothing? That no matter how hard you struggle to save something you hold dear it will end up destroyed anyway?”

“It does sound hopeless when you put it like that.”

He snorted.

“Guess I was a certified clown then – oh well, now you see what zero pussy does to a motherfuc…”

“No, no, oh my god.”, Mikasa interrupted him, “Why do you keep making fun of it, I swear you are such a kid and…”

“W-What?”, Eren had trouble speaking because of the laughter, “It’s true! I died for nothing in your dream, I was a joke.”

“No… It wasn’t like that.”

“Take it as you will, but all my nightmares became reality and…”

Eren tapped the table a few times, most likely trying to wrap his head around it all.

“…you married Jean.”

“Well… yea, that was a bit weird.”

“Was it? I mean, the guy had a crush on you.”

She blinked at him.

“It was just a tiny one if there even was one at all.”

“Oh c’mon Miki,”, Eren’s grin was wide, “You couldn’t be that dense.”

“I-I mean…”

Jean? A crush? It reminded her of that night, not that long ago when she found out that most if not all of her female friends would like to have some sort of intimate experiments with her.

“Doesn’t matter.”, she blurted, “He’s a good friend, and I like him a lot, but not romantically!”

“He will be heartbroken…”

“He will?”

“Nah,”, Eren chuckled, “Jean got over it, he and Hitch are happy together, as far as I know.”

“That’s good, a crush is hardly a good base for a real-life relationship.”

“Then I guess we can be happy that you guys married in a dream only.”

“Indeed.”, she reached over the table to gently touch his face, “Here I have you.”

Eren mirrored her gesture, letting his thumb stroke the scar on Mikasa’s cheek.

“And I have you.”

“Forever.”

“Sadly.”

“What was that?”

“Oh nothing baby…”, a devilish grin, “Yes, forever.”

With her dreams done and finished it was time to return to civilization, to leave the cabin life behind. Eren told her that he got this, very courteously, most likely still worried about her mental state.

“Just take it easy,”, he said, kissing the top of her head, “I’ll pack.”

He did as he said, fighting with the baggage to the best of his ability. Mikasa was left to wander around aimlessly, and for whatever reason her steps took her to the big tree sitting there, overlooking a vast plain of grass. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air she leaned on the tree, but then her eyes caught sight of something that almost made her jump out of her skin.

There was a ghost sitting there, a ghost of her, dressed in a simple skirt and shirt, the scarf still around her neck. The apparition was about the same age Mikasa was, maybe a bit younger, but they looked almost the same. Her hair wasn’t short, it was long and pulled into a ponytail and there was no red highlight decorating it. The ghost looked up, her eyes meeting Mikasa’s, and a faint smile crossed her lips.

It was her perfect copy, down to the scar on the cheek - albeit the ghost’s was even more faded than hers, long years washing over it. She must have gotten her cut as a teenager. And there was also something about the eyes – it would be a lie to say that Mikasa had an easy life, but what she saw in the ghost’s eyes was something different altogether. The sitting girl saw hell and more, and it showed in her face.

“You are me.”, Mikasa finally pushed out.

The ghost looked at her curiously, tilting her head to the side.

“You… you can’t speak, can you?”

The ghost shook her head.

“I wonder why….”

The sitting girl shrugged, not understanding this any more than Mikasa did. She was just about to question her further when something else caught her attention. The ghost wasn’t sitting there on her own, there was something next to her – a tombstone with a very familiar name written on it.

Eren Yeager

Mikasa already had a suspicion, but this confirmed it – the sitting girl was the other Mikasa, the one she had dreams about, her past life. Following her eyes the ghost saw what she was looking at, her smile replaced by a look of deep longing. Gently, she caressed the stone, her eyes shining with tears.

“So the dreams were right, huh? You had to kill him.”

The ghost nodded solemnly.

“You saved the world, everyone, but you had to give the love of your life up.”

The apparition didn’t react, eyes trained at the cold tombstone.

“They say that if you love something, you should let it go.”, she told the ghost, “But I can’t do that….”

Looking over her shoulder at the man she loved so much, Mikasa let the words spill freely.

“I guess I’m selfish but I don’t want to lose this love we have, no matter what kind of symbolism it is. I want to wake up next to him every morning and spend ten minutes getting out of his hands because he holds me so tightly when we sleep. I want to see him yawn and wish him good morning and share a cup of coffee. I want him to be there for me when I come back so we can talk about our days and cuddle on the couch together…”

Her hands intertwined on the abdomen, gently stroking the fabric of her shirt.

“I want to have children with him, family, kids that will combine my and his looks and attitude. Is that selfish? Is that too much to ask? Is that…”

Lost in her speech Mikasa stumbled over the words and fell silent, letting out a short laugh after.

“I’m selfish and I don’t care. I’m never letting go simply because I don’t want to and damn everyone who disagrees with me. I deserve this, I deserve to be loved.”

As soon as those words left Mikasa’s lips she realized how insensitive those were towards her other self, the poor girl who, for all her bravery, for the act of saving the world itself – got nothing.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”, she apologized to the sitting copy of herself, “I know that you never got to experience any of that with him.”

The ghost’s face fell and she buried her face to the scarf, eyes moving towards the headstone next to her. Seeing the longing written in her features, Mikasa couldn’t help but wonder.

“Did you… did you learn to let him go? Did you come to terms with his death?”

The pain in the girl’s eyes was all the answer Mikasa needed. It resonated within her, the suffering because she could imagine how it would feel. Maybe it was because she experienced it in her past life, maybe it was because of all these strange visions but she could do it and the pain and emptiness were terrible.

“This is not fair,”, she blurted, “You did everything you could, you saved the world and this was your reward? You’ve sacrificed… everything… and….”

She was crying now, Mikasa realized, her tears matching the ghost’s. Falling to her knees next to the girl she tried embracing her only to realize that she can’t touch a figment of her imagination.

“I’m so sorry for how the universe treated you, you deserved more, so, so much more….

More flashes- this time of a child, a faceless husband, grandkids too.

“This, all that… Did it make you happy?”

The ghost girl gave her a small enigmatic smile, and Mikasa realized one thing. It wasn’t for her to know – maybe she was happy with the other family, maybe she wasn’t, that would remain an enigma.

“But still, you kept visiting his grave,”, Mikasa’s eyes moved over to the headstone and the flowers there, “You never let his memory fade.”

A nod from the other girl.

“Still, it wasn’t fair to you. You could have been, no, should have been so much more…”, this time the raven’s eyes moved to where her Eren was, “You deserved to have a happy future with him too.”

“Yet you didn’t, and I did – you got the pain and I have the rewards you fought for. I swear, I will not let it go to waste.”

Standing up, she offered her hand to the ghost.

“Please, come with me, experience all that you bled for, struggled for so much. Let me show you how the love you wanted feels in full bloom.”

But the girl didn’t move, simply looking at her. And that was when Mikasa realized….

“… you don’t have to come with me because you are already here. You are me, I am you, we are the same person.”

It was strange, realizing that this was her- this old, tired soldier, a woman broken by a war Mikasa couldn’t even comprehend. A tragic hero who sacrificed her greatest love for the greater good, being left with nothing but a memory. A girl who was thrust into a cruel world and treated unfairly, no matter how hard she tried to change it, to save those she held dear. Tears in the corners of her eyes, Mikasa clenched her fists.

Not anymore.

Now there was no war, no titans, no apocalypse over their heads. Eren wouldn’t go to commit a global genocide to save his country, only to have it destroyed anyway. She wouldn’t marry another man and have children with him, bring her family to his grave, and plant flowers with pain in her heart. No.

Mikasa wasn’t a soldier anymore – she was an MMA fighter, a professional athlete, a model. Her life wasn’t filled with a constant struggle for survival. It was dreamy- filled with everything she could wish for, whatever it was spending her time with friends, goofing around with Eren, or training her pole dancing. She didn’t care for horses or sharpen her blades.

Eren wasn’t a hopeless maniac, driven to war by the sheer necessity of survival – he was a doctor, a surgeon, helping people in need not killing them.

Most importantly they were together – an engaged couple that loved each other so much that they couldn’t put it into words correctly. No tragedy would befall them.

Keeping her hand outstretched, Mikasa talked to the ghost again.

“We are one, but I am the lucky part of us, of me. I am love, I am the nights and lazy mornings spent in bed, I am all the kisses and hugs. You are my sadness, my sacrifice, my longing and pain, my unfulfilled and tragic fate.”

She stretched her fingers closer to the girl.

“Please, take my hand and experience it all with me, learn that there is beauty in this cruel world.”

Not hesitant anymore, the ghost held her hand towards Mikasa.

When their fingers made contact a chill ran down her spine and she gasped, blinking several times. The girl was gone, so was the grave, only the tree remained and gently swayed in the wind. And in her heart, in her soul, Mikasa felt different – different yet same because now she knew everything and the pain in her heart resonated.

It would always be a part of her, or rather it always was, but Mikasa wasn’t feeling down because of it. Now she knew that she had to feel everything, every touch and happy emotion that she experienced with him because it was what her past died for. If anything the full realization of her suffering made Mikasa appreciate it even more – she was living this life not only now but for the past too.

He was her Eren, she was his Mikasa, and in this world, nothing would tear them apart. And the tears the began to appear in her eyes did nothing to deny that fact.

“Miki? Why are you crying, what’s wrong?”

Refusing to answer Mikasa crossed the distance and hugged him, burying her face into Eren’s chest. Understanding that she didn’t want words now he stroked her back patiently, waiting for her to come back to him.

“Eren, you won’t ever leave me, will you?”

“Never.”

“I mean, I couldn’t do it even if wanted to.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think I love you anymore, it’s more like fascination, adoration maybe.”

“…Eren…”

“Hell, I’d do anything to stay with you, you want me to bark for you? Cause I will..”

Despite her sad mood, Mikasa felt the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Stop, come on.”

Ignoring that, he pressed his face into her hair, a quiet bark leaving his lips.

“Woof.”, he nuzzled her gently, “There, I did it.”

She giggled at that and Eren smirked, glad that he made her smile because that was his mission in life – making the beautiful angel he was, for some reason blessed by, happy.

It made her reflect on the whole story, now that she had it whole. Eren kept silent while Mikasa was deep in thought, his fingers gently stroking her hipbone in small soothing circles. In her mind, she recalled as much as she could, brought it together and….

Mikasa took a shuddering breath.

“It makes no god damn sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“The whole story, It… it doesn’t add up at all. You dying for nothing, me moving on so quickly I… The whole world….”

She was pouting now, that adorable expression that made Eren want to kiss it right off of her face, but he held himself back. Mikasa was talking.

“It had such a nice build-up, but in the end, it collapsed completely. I don’t understand why….”

“Well, that is the thing with dreams.”, he mumbled next to her, “They often don’t make much sense once we wake up.”

“But still..”

“Mikiiiiiiiiii…”, unable to resist her cuteness anymore, he pressed a string of soft kisses all over her face, turning that pout into a breathless giggle, “Stop overthinking dreams so much.”

Grabbing her hand he intertwined their fingers, raising it so the sun slid over their skin. It highlighted the contrast between them, how his tanned shade complimented her pale one, just as perfectly as they completed one another in life.

“This. This is important.”, he said, “This is real. You may be a broken titan slayer in your dreams, but here you are… well, still a titan slayer but one that is happy… I think.”

His voice got even deeper when he directed his question right at her.

“Are you happy with me?”

Mikasa was nodding her head before she even realized what was happening.

“Yes. Gods yes, I couldn’t be happier.”

“See?”, the flash of white teeth revealed his grin, “Then focus on that. Here, in this world, I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll stay with you as long as you’ll have me.”

“That might be a very long time Yeager, are you sure that you want to do that to yourself?”

“As if I had a choice.”, his fingers danced over her hip, “You bound me to yourself with black magic, remember?”

“Good to see that you remember that. My Dark Knight.”

The kiss Eren gave her was interlaced with a smile, and it was one of the sweetest Mikasa ever got in her life. He was right, after all, her dreams, past self, it was a tragedy that befell her, but it was so jumbled at the end that she had a hard time taking it seriously. The “ending” of her past didn’t make sense, no matter how much she tried to see the point of it. It all looked like such a tragedy, but in the end…. was it maybe a comedy? A twisted image where all the sacrifice and pain they went through amounted to nothing? Where several characters were made to be worthless, and their struggle amounted to nothing? A parody of a terrible conflict that couldn’t be solved by anything else by an annihilation?

But... why dwell on it?

She had this- this life, this Eren, and this happiness that they built together, and she loved every second of it.

And there was nothing else that the past could show her anymore.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“You sure? Didn’t forget anything?”

Mikasa looked at the tree where the conversation with the ghost took place, smiling. Tightening her hold on Eren’s hand, she felt more content than ever before, finally having an explanation and ending for her nightmares. It all made sense, and she would live her life to the fullest with the love of her life – not only for herself but for the other Mikasa too. She deserved to experience it, every second of it. After all, they were one and the same.

“Yes. I have all I need right here with me.”

[subscribe2technoblade]

This is for the cataclysm au by @smallm0th bc it lives fuckin rent free in my head. The gist is the bloodvines have completely taken over the smp, dividing everyone into two factions: the Eggpire and the Settlement out in the tundra.

~~~~~~~~~

Technoblade was consistently awoken just before dawn with the screams of a thousand tortured souls ringing in his ears.

TECHNOLAAAATE!!

He simply grunted and rolled over in bed.

Technolate Technolate Technolate! The voices chanted.

“Techno, mate, you coming?” A much more welcoming voice penetrated the cacophony. Techno just groaned in response.

Phil! Hii Phil! Dadza!! At least the voices weren’t screaming Technolate anymore. Techno swung his legs off the bed and sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Philza pushed a hot mug of coffee into his hand.

“Sun’s coming up, we best get moving.” Phil didn’t seem much happier to be awake at such an ungodly hour, but he was at least fully dressed. Techno took a sip of the coffee and grimaced.

“Mornin’.” He mumbled.

“Sleep well?”

“Eh.”

“Yeah… come on, mate.” Phil took Techno’s cape off the back of his desk chair and tossed it on the bed. Techno took another sip of coffee and stood. His attic bedroom was cold, but cozy. Phil descended down the ladder as Techno rummaged around for his gear. Underclothes, padding, armor, cloak, potion belt, tools- the methodical rhythm of suiting up slowly brought Techno to full consciousness. When he met Philza at the door to his house, his eyes were bright.

He surveyed the Settlement in the early dawn light. A few tents were still set up, but most had long since been replaced by small houses that matched the spruce and stone aesthetic of the tundra. Snow had fallen just last night, and it blanketed the Settlement in drifts of white. It wouldn’t remain quiet for long. When Techno and Phil returned from patrol the paths would be cleared and footprints from people walking to and from their labors would mar the smoothness of the snow. For now, though, it was peaceful. One could almost think it was utopian, if not for the tall blackstone walls that surrounded the settlement as a stark reminder that there were things outside to be feared.

Phil shouldered his own pack of tools and necessities and the two men headed to the gates. They didn’t speak as the snow crunched under their boots. At the gates, Jack and Niki stood on either side.

“Ready for mornin’ patrol.” Techno lifted a hand in greeting.

“Hey Techno, hi Phil!” Niki’s soft voice morphed into a yawn.

“When do you think you’ll be back this time?” Jack asked, reaching inside his jacket for his key.

“Probably late afternoon. Could be later if we find somethin’ interestin’.” Techno replied in his typical low drawl.

“If you’re back early just yell really loud and we’ll let you in.” Niki took out her own key and slid it into the lock. “Ready Jack?”

“Ready.”

“3. 2. 1. Turn.” The two turned their keys in unison and the gates ground open with the sound of pistons firing repeatedly.

“After you, Phil.” Techno swept an arm out with mock drama. Phil just laughed and walked through the gates.

The space outside the settlement had been cleared of trees long ago. Some of the forest remained 100 meters away from the walls, but it was buried under the bloodvines. Thick red tendrils thicker than Technoblade’s shoulders wrapped around the trunks and extended over the land. They came from all directions and grew over each other until everything was covered. Some sprouts had already begun poking through the fresh snow. A few mobs remained, wandering around, tripping over vines.

The gates closed behind Techno and Phil with the same loud sounds. They were sealed out.

Blood! Blood! Blood! The voices chanted in Technoblade’s ears.

“I’ll take the left, you take the right?” Phil rolled his shoulders and drew his axe.

“Let’s go.” Techno leapt forward with his sword drawn and put it through the head of a creeper before it could explode. Phil swung his axe in a wide arc, decapitating two zombies and a skeleton. Occasionally one of them would yell out a joke to the other, who would respond in kind. As the sun rose higher, the mobs started to burn, which made the job of collecting materials much faster. Once they piled the bones, string, gunpowder, and other useful resources by the gates to be gathered later, Techno and Phil swapped their weapons for scythes and began methodically clearing away vines.

“I guess all that farming came in handy after all.” Techno mused as he split a vine from its base in the ground. The plant started to ooze a thick red sap. Techno was careful not to touch his face in case some of it got on his hands.

“True,” Philza chopped through another one, “Bit different from potatoes though.”

“It’s the same thing, these just aren’t edible. Unless…” Techno eyed one of the glowing flowers sprouting from the vines. “No, no definitely not.” he shook his head and sliced another vine.

Omelette!! Eat the vines! No no don’t. Do it! Egg time! EEEE- the voices couldn’t seem to agree.

“Here’s that cave we found last time.” Phil hoisted a woven carpet of smaller vines to reveal a crevice in the ground.

“Eh we got plenty of ores last time, and I’m not really feeling minin’.” Techno shrugged.

“Then what’s the plan?” Phil struck a flint and steel to set the vines ablaze. They didn’t burn very well- mostly smoked and bubbled with more red ooze which blackened and popped in the heat.

Techno looked out over the vines.

“Techno?”

“I’ve been thinkin’.”

“That’s a dangerous phrase.” Phil crossed his arms.

“So uhhhhh do you remember the prison they put Dream in?”

“I never went, but I know it, yeah.”

“That thing isn’t going to be able to keep out the bloodvines.” Techno turned back to Phil. “They can break through obsidian.”

“Shit. You don’t think they’ll turn him?”

“Who knows? He’s been in there this whole time, dude’s probably gone insane by now.” Techno let out a huff of a laugh despite his lack of humor.

“Well fuck. What do we do?”

“See, I’ve got a plan. It’s not the best, and I don’t think the others will like it, but it’s somethin.” Techno shrugged and drove his scythe through another vine.

“Tell me.”

[tessaliagrey]

Day 3 - Bo and Ursa are besties

Author’s note: I actually planned on writing something like a girls’ night out… Well, you know me… I wrote something else.

Summary: Bo and Ursa talk after Carlac.

Tagging: @bokatanweek

You can eiter read here on AO3 or below the cut.

03 - Bo and Ursa are besties

Setting up a new camp was always exhausting, but Bo never minded. And besides, it was their own fault they had to leave. Not that Bo would ever say that out loud, she wasn’t stupid. She trusted Pre Vizsla, but the man had been too impatient lately and she had seen how he treated people who spoke out against his decisions. Not that Bo never did, but she was smart enough to do it when only Vizsla could hear.

But anyway, the situation was like it was, and there was no use complaining about it now. And besides, Carlac had been too cold for her liking anyways. Not that Zanbar was more to her taste, but at least it wasn’t freezing.

With the camp set up, people were going about their business again. Vizsla was in his tent, and Bo contemplated whether or not to go talk to him. She hadn’t said anything about what happened so far, and maybe it was better to leave him be for another few days. And besides, she wasn’t done yet.

Bo certainly wasn’t the oldest one in Vizsla’s ranks, but for sure one of the warriors with the most experience. She had fought in the Civil War, even though many had thought her too young. But she had prevailed.

She had learned much during that time. A lot of the warriors that flocked to Vizsla wanted to fight, and that was fine with Bo. But they never quite seemed to grasp that victory was not based on numbers and fire power alone. Sure, those things helped. But intel, preparation, supply lines,… The intricacies of strategic planning went over most people’s heads, really. And so it was Bo-Katan who stood in one of the supply tents, inventorying everything they still had in stock.

She just made a note to get more power packs when she heard the tent flap open and close.

“Still at it?”

Bo’s head whipped around.

“Ursa!”, she exclaimed, and walked over to hug her friend. “I thought you were staying on Krownest for another few weeks at least. Everything alright?”

Ursa chuckled, hugging her friend back.

“Yes, everything’s fine.”

“How are Alrich and Sabine?”

Ursa smiled fondly. “They’re both good. You know them, they make a good team.”

Bo nodded, and yet she thought she had detected a hint of sorrow in Ursa’s last words.

“Want a drink?” Bo asked. “Someone managed to store the tihaar next to the vibro blades.”

“Ouch,” Ursa said, shaking her head. “Makes you wonder where people keep their heads sometimes. But yeah, I’d take a sip.”

Bo got a bottle out of one of the boxes, and the two women settled on the floor, backs against an obliging crate.

For a few moments, they sat in silence, passing the bottle back and forth. Then, Ursa began to talk.

“You know,” she began, a frown on her face, like she was trying to find fitting words for what she wanted to say. “I feel torn, sometimes.”

Bo looked over to her friend and just nodded, encouraging Ursa to go on.

“On the one hand, I want to be here. I want to be in this fight, not just watching from the sidelines. I’m a warrior, it’s my duty. And yet…”, she trailed off, letting out a long, low sigh.

“And yet, you also want to be home,” Bo-Katan said.

Ursa nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“And why wouldn’t you,” Bo continued softly. “You have a lovely daughter, and a husband who dotes on you. You are very lucky in that regard. It’s okay to not want to miss out on that.”

Ursa smiled a tired smile at Bo-Katan, then grabbed the bottle from her hands and took a swing.

“You know,” Ursa kept on saying, the alcohol slowly seeming to have an effect on her infliction, “I love my husband and I love Sabine. I actually like being a mother, you know. And you know what bugs me about it sometimes?”

Bo shook her head.

“That Alrich is so much better at it than I am.”

“Ursa!”

“What? It’s true! He has it all down. The diapers, the feeding, the sleeping… I’m an amateur next to Alrich.”

Bo wanted to interject, but Ursa was on a roll. “And it’s my own fault! Because I can’t just sit at home and let others fight this war while I take care of my family.”

“Ursa, stop!”, Bo finally managed to get in. “You make it sound like that is wrong, and it just isn’t!”

“It isn’t. It isn’t?”

“No, it isn’t”, Bo confirmed. “Whatever works best for you and your family isn’t wrong, but the right thing to do. Imagine if you and Alrich were to switch roles. Imagine you’d be on Krownest all the time. I mean, yeah, sure, you’d see a lot more of Sabine, and you do deserve to. But would it make you happier that the arrangement you have right now? To watch Alrich go off to war while you change the diapers?”

Ursa was eerily silent for a moment.

“Because if it would make you happier, Ursa, then you should go home.” In an afterthought she added “I wouldn’t blame you for it.”

Ursa took another swallow from the bottle and let out another long sigh.

“No,” she admits. “I wouldn’t be happier. Not really. I just miss them.”

“As you should,” Bo said.

She then put her arm around Ursa’s shoulder and pulled her into her side.

“It’ll be alright,” she told her, rubbing her friend’s arm.

They kept sitting in silence for a little while longer. Then, Ursa began to talk again.

“And here?”, she inquired. “What happened on Carlac?”

Bo shrugged. “Something unexpected.”

“How so?”

Now it was Bo’s turn to sigh. “You know how Vizsla wants to get back at Dooku. Someone reached out to the Death Watch, a young senator’s son called Lux Bonteri. His mother used to be a senator in the Confederacy. She had died unexpectedly, and her son blamed Dooku for it. And from what I could gather, it’s actually not that unlikely. Dooku didn’t admit it, of course. But Bonteri wanted revenge. But one look at that kid will tell you that he alone could never pull it off. He needed someone with strength.”

“Alright,” Ursa said. “But what made Pre enter a deal with him?”

Bo smirked. “Bonteri had figured out a way to locate Dooku. The deal was that Bonteri would find out where Dooku is hiding, and the Death Watch would go and take him out. Win-win.”

“Well,” Ursa said, frowning, “that clearly isn’t what happened.”

“No,” Bo agreed. “Though it did start out promising. The kid showed on Carlac as planned. And he did have Dooku’s coordinates.”

“But?”

“But he wasn’t alone. I don’t think he planned on bringing the girl, though.”

“He brought a girl?”, Ursa asked, disbelief in her voice. “Like a girl friend?”

Bo huffed out a laugh. “If only. They did try to sell that story, though. Bonteri introduced her as his betrothed. I should have known that it was a cover story. I mean one look at her and you’d know that she wasn’t made to be some senator’s wife who would entertain guests while her husband talks politics. She was…feisty…I guess.”

Ursa grinned. “You like her.”

Bo shrugged. “I would like her…under different circumstances. Turned out the girl was a Jedi.”

“What?”

Bo nodded, making an affirmative noise. “Kinda badass. Managed to decapitate four of our warriors in one strike. Very skilled for her age. Gave me a run for my money, that’s for sure.”

“You like her. Jedi or not.”

Bo shrugged again. “Maybe…”

Now it was Bo’s turn to take a sip from the bottle.

“There is something else bothering you,” Ursa said. It was a statement, not a question, as Bo noticed. But she kept silent.

“Bo, come on. If not to me, who are you gonna talk to.”

Bo sighed again. “I’m worried.”

“About what?”

“Vizsla.”

For a few heartbeats, the tent was completely silent. But then, Ursa answered.

“Yes,” Ursa agreed. “So am I.”

“We had a good plan,” Bo-Katan continued. “Slowly escalate until it was clear that Satine had lost the grip on the situation. Until the people felt no longer safe. Vizsla blames that Kenobi guy for his plans to fall through.”

“But you don’t.”

“Well, I do, in a way. But the Jedi would never have been involved if we hadn’t made a deal with Dooku. We would not have sent a saboteur to a republic cruiser on our own, it would not have furthered our plans at all. It was the only reason they sent a Jedi to Mandalore in the first place, not because of the Death Watch. The Jedi were probably completely unaware of us until Kenobi’s arrival.”

Bo took another swig from the bottle and continued.

“It was the right thing after that to call off our deal with Dooku. But it should have ended there. But for Pre, it didn’t. He took it personal. And now he wants revenge. On Dooku, but even more so on Kenobi. And I fear his personal endeavor for vengeance might at one point jeopardize our operation.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“I wanted to, but I didn’t find the right time. And then that Bonteri kid came around and I thought that if it worked and we could get back at Dooku, if Vizsla got his revenge, then we could get back on track with taking over Mandalore.”

“And then, the kid brings yet another Jedi,” Ursa said, groaning. “Great.”

“And again, if we hadn’t involved an outsider, we wouldn’t have had to deal with the Jedi again at all.”

Ursa nodded in agreement.

“So, what now?”, she asked.

“I’ll wait a few more days, then talk to Pre,” Bo answered. “But I need to give him some time to cool off first. I am one of the very few who can actually contradict him in private, but that’s not a free pass to do so. No, I need to choose the moment carefully.”

Ursa nodded again and took the bottle from Bo-Katan.

The two women kept sitting in the supply tent, passing the bottle back and forth. Eventually, their talk went to lighter topics.

[unitchiefs-blackbirdphoenix]

Maybe In Another Life...

Summary: JJ is jealous of Andrew Mendoza because he has Emily and she doesn’t. Loosely from 15x07 "Rusty". Major spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet.

Jemily fic, but it’s a little bit of a sad one. I apologize in advance for breaking any hearts :(

Also big thanks to @bridget19 for beta-reading this!!

Read on AO3

Emily walked into her office and saw a bouquet of flowers on her desk. She saw a little red card in the bouquet and looked at the writing on it.

Thinking of you. - Andrew

Reaching for her phone in her bag, she saw her boyfriend’s name on the screen. Of course. She contemplated answering after four rings and sighed before tapping on the red circle to reject his call.

Emily didn’t know exactly where her relationship with Andrew Mendoza stood. This was a whole new experience for her because, sure, he’s a good guy, but is he really the one for her? She never did well in long-term relationships because of her trust and commitment issues. Emily always felt like someone could never love her enough to stay with her in the long run.

She sat down in her chair and heard a light knock at her office door. It was JJ giving her a bright smile and walking towards her desk.

“Morning,” the blonde greeted. “Another day, another dollar,” she sat on the armrest of the chair in front of it.

“Yep. Good old fashioned government dollar,” Emily joked.

“I can see Garcia hit up her favorite coffee truck on her way to work.”

“I had to cut her off,” Emily said. Garcia was more energetic than usual talking about the show they both watched, something about a blonde agent getting injured and professing her undying love to her female boss.

JJ smiled and nodded. “Wait, don’t you have a budget meeting this morning?”

Emily checked her watch. “Uh, yes, I do.”

JJ nodded again and drawled out, “Emily…”

The unit chief looked up and raised her eyebrows, “Yeah?”

“You buried the lead. Flowers?”

Emily hesitantly nodded.

“That Andrew Mendoza’s a keeper…” JJ teased.

“Mhmm,” Emily forced out a response as she stood from her chair, grabbing her black binder and phone for the FBI budget meeting.

“Can’t be late for that meeting,” she told the blonde as she made her way out of her office, tapping her shoulder with the binder.

“Mhmm,” JJ responded with a closed-mouth smile, watching Emily leave. She looked back at the flowers Andrew sent to Emily and her smile quickly faded away. JJ observed them with narrowed eyes, gripping the back of the chair a little tighter and harder than normal.

For a group of profilers, rarely anyone noticed JJ’s jealousy towards Andrew. When it came to the team’s love lives, she’d always smirked because it was just too fun to tease them about.

She reminded herself on many occasions that she had Will and her boys. Don’t get her wrong, she loves her family and has always made them one of her biggest priorities in life. But JJ also knew she would be a lot happier, if she shared her life with Emily Prentiss.

God, to be married to Emily Prentiss.

JJ smiled wistfully at the thought of being married to her. She would be so good with her sons. JJ knew Emily wanted to provide the maternal care she never had growing up, and imagined her giving that to Henry and Michael. Emily was also very loving and always listened to JJ’s problems, every rant and issue she had.

JJ knew Mendoza was a good guy. He’s good for Emily. The blonde bit her lip and stood from the armrest she was sitting on. She looked at the flowers again when she neared the door and took a slow deep breath, sighing. After a few more seconds, JJ left Emily’s office in sadness.

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

The next day, the team was on the jet, going over the case with Garcia on video chat. The BAU had been called on another case and they had an unsub decapitating male victims and collecting their heads. They looked through their file folders for more details on their unsub’s victims, and all of a sudden, the tech analyst chimed in with a comment.

“Shut the front door. Andrew Mendoza signed this report.” Everyone’s heads shot up at her remark. “Andrew Mendoza is Prentiss’s boyfriend. He’s the head of the Denver field office?”

“Uh, yes,” Emily reluctantly replied. “He has been for the past, uh, two months. Um, his daughter and ex-wife moved to Colorado a year ago, and he'd been waiting for a transfer so he could be closer to Keely. She starts high school soon, so…”

Emily felt like she had just divulged a little too much to the team, and kept her mouth shut after receiving the awkward silence from them. She knew the case was in Denver, which was where Andrew was, but she wanted to keep her personal and work lives separate.

“But you guys are, um, you’re good?” Luke’s voice broke through.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s all good,” Emily nodded. Well, it was a half-lie because she didn't know.

Spencer looked at JJ, then Emily, then back to JJ. He studied her facial expression go from surprise, jealousy, amusement, to heartbreak. He didn’t know if the others noticed, but he trained his eyes on her when Penelope had mentioned Andrew.

JJ had been shot by Everett Lynch’s daughter, Grace, about a month ago. While in the hospital, she had told Spencer the truth about her confession she made to the unsub who made her play truth or dare the week before: that she was really in love with Emily. JJ thought if she was about to die in that situation, she had already trusted Spencer enough to keep that secret. The younger co-worker figured it wasn’t meant for him once he saw how she kept glancing over at Emily at Rossi's wedding, especially when JJ paid extra attention to her during the twin flames speech.

JJ had her head down as she quietly scanned through the file again the entire time. She frowned and her eyes were filled with sadness and a hint of regret, Spencer noted. Practically rolling her eyes, JJ didn't bother listening to the team talking about Mendoza.

“JJ, Reid, check out the latest crime scene. Tara, Luke, go to the M.E.’s office,” Emily ordered.

JJ nodded her head towards Spencer, who nodded back. He noticed she masked her pain behind her eyes with a smile when she did. Maybe they’ll talk about it later.

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

JJ and Spencer had just investigated the unsub’s latest victim’s house before concluding that they needed more evidence from eyewitnesses for information on his behavior. After asking a few people, the two drove their way back to the field office.

JJ was focused on the road in front of her and Spencer examined her body language. His friend was gripping the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles had turned white. She bit the inside of her cheek, and her eyes narrowed while her brows furrowed.

“JJ,” Spencer broke the silence.

She turned her head to glance at him, “What?”

“Your grip on the steering wheel is tighter than normal and the tone of your voice sounded controlled when you answered me, like you were holding back on something.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Does this have to do with Emily and Mendoza?”

JJ rolled her eyes, still focused on the road. “If Emily’s with him, then good for her.”

“What about when Garcia brought him up when we were on the jet?”

The blonde agent had enough. She took a turn to the nearest vacant spot and parked the SUV near the curb. She turned the engine off and faced the younger man. JJ quickly clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

“Stop it, j- just stop. Please just… stop talking about Andrew, ok? I don’t want to talk about his relationship with Emily. I have to keep telling myself she’s happy with him and I have a life of my own now. So, I am begging you to stop,” JJ vented out to him. She felt tears pricking at her eyes towards the end of her rant.

“I was worried about you, JJ. I don’t like seeing my best friend hurt like this,” Spencer frowned as his eyes softened.

JJ shook her head to stop her tears from falling, but felt one single tear trail down. She bit her bottom lip, so she would not start sobbing.

“I- look, I’m sorry for snapping at you, Spence,” JJ sincerely apologized, rubbing her fingers in an attempt to soothe her worries. She knew he meant well and that he hates seeing her in pain, especially if it’s over the woman she loves. “It’s just that-”

JJ exhaled out another deep breath to compose herself. “There were flowers Andrew sent Emily, and I had to bring them over to her desk before she came in her office.”

The delivery man had arrived at the FBI building, holding a bouquet of flowers. He looked around to see if there was anyone expecting them. He saw a blonde woman pass by and quickly caught her attention.

“Excuse me. Are you Emily Prentiss?” He read his clipboard to check the name.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry, I’m not her,” JJ shook her head and smiled.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he frowned. “I got flowers for her from someone named Andrew Mendoza,” he gestured to the bouquet.

JJ froze for a second and she heard her heart shatter before responding with a polite smile, the one she used in her past liaison days. “I can leave them in her office, if that’s ok.”

“Thank you. Can you sign this for her?”

“Of course.”

After signing the clipboard and thanking the delivery man for Emily’s flowers, JJ took them and walked up to the brunette’s office. She held the flowers in her hands and frowned deeply. 'Things must be getting serious, then?' JJ wished she was the one bringing her flowers and not… him. She set the bouquet down on Emily's desk before leaving her office.

“What am I going to do?” JJ rested her forehead on the steering wheel, still gripping it. “Things seem to be going well with him and I don't think I'll ever make her that happy, not the way Andrew does. I really lost my chance with her 12 years ago,” she sighed in defeat.

“13 years, 1 day, 17 hours, 34 minutes, and 6 seconds, to be exact,” Spencer corrected her.

“Was I really that obvious?” JJ chuckled.

The doctor shrugged, “I’ve noticed you subconsciously having similar habits to Emily, like playing with your fingers and biting your lip when you’re nervous, or even dressing up similarly to her. You stare at her whenever she's not looking, for approximately 4.78 seconds. Your body seems less tense when you hear her voice, almost as if that’s the only thing that calms you down. Your pupils dilate and your cheeks turn red every time she gives you a compliment and-”

JJ cut him off with a laugh, "Ok, I think I get it."

"Oh," he quickly shut his mouth, not realizing he was rambling again.

“Spence?”

He looked at her.

“Thank you. For keeping this secret between us,” JJ said.

“It’s no problem. You are my best friend,” Spencer gave a small awkward nod.

JJ gratefully smiled at him and patted his shoulder before turning the engine on again to drive back to the field office.

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

“Coffee?” JJ announced her and Spencer’s presence, holding cups for Luke and Tara. They gathered evidence that the unsub was dealing with alternate realities, and found themselves getting a little closer to finding him and what his motives are.

“Look, guys, we are banging our heads against a wall here,” Tara said. “I mean, Denver is littered with colleges, and we’ve already worked our way through most of the academics and scientists.”

“Well, you know what? We just need to take a step back and look at things differently,” JJ said. “The Mandela effect is a unique psychological construct, right? I mean, there’s got to be a good reason why he latched onto it in particular.”

“Well, creation of dissociative realities can often be a crutch for people who’ve suffered extreme trauma,” Spencer started with a fact that may be a clue to the unsub’s motive.

After a beat, Tara nodded and considered his statement, “Ok, let’s run with that. We’re looking for a loss triggered by an event likely caused by the unsub himself, and then this inability to accept this reality would be a defense mechanism for a mind racked with guilt.”

“So, unable to face reality, our unsub has created his own,” Luke connected.

“Still doesn’t explain why he’s killing fathers, though,” Spencer said after taking a sip of his coffee.

Luke shook his head and elaborated on the theory, “Unless it does. Say his own guilt is a major factor in a break like this. That would mean that he's picking out dads out of some kind of self-loathing.”

“This isn’t hatred towards his own dad,” JJ realized. “These men are surrogates for him. He’s angry at himself. Our unsub’s the father here.”

JJ recalled her colleagues’ words. She thought about the idea of parallel universes in that moment. Was she relating to the unsub? Had she subconsciously made an alternate reality where she and Emily were together because of her own guilt? It wasn’t the appropriate time to dwell on that thought, then again, when has she ever found the right time?

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

The team had just finished solving the case, and were heading back to the hotel they were staying at. It was almost midnight and most of them were already in their hotel rooms. Emily had come back from visiting Mendoza and his daughter, Keely. JJ was in the hallway grabbing a small pack of Cheetos from a vending machine near her room.

Emily shook her head and smirked, Some things never change.

JJ was walking back to her room and smiled when she saw Emily, waving a hand at her. The younger woman decided it was the perfect time to talk to her since she wasn’t with Andrew.

She jogged up to the unit chief, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Uh, listen. I know it’s late right now, but… do you maybe wanna hang out for a bit? Just you and me,” the blonde quietly offered, placing her free hand into her pocket.

Emily nodded, “I’d like that.”

JJ gave a soft nervous chuckle before the two women walked to the younger agent’s room. JJ opened the door and held it open for Emily to step inside.

She lightly scratched her head and pointed at a plastic bag on the table near the TV, “Um… the team went out for dinner and I might’ve saved you some food, since you weren’t there.”

“Heh, thanks,” Emily said, acknowledging JJ’s considerate action and sitting on her bed..

The younger woman sat next to her. It was an openly awkward silence between the two agents, which was rare because they usually found ways to entertain one another. After a little while, JJ broke the silence.

“So, parallel universes, huh?”

“Yep,” Emily chuckled.

“Do you believe in all that?”

“Hmm?”

JJ grew quiet, “That there are multiple universes that have several possibilities we don’t really think about often?”

The unit chief looked at her hands for a moment before responding, “Sometimes, yeah. Do you?”

JJ slowly nodded in agreement, “Sometimes.” She was wringing her hands, something she did when she was nervous and didn’t know how to put things into words. “You know when my mom came to town, she told me about imagined futures and projecting yourself in them. Like a movie about how your life would play out, if you had things your way and it got me thinking.”

“About?”

She contemplated on her next words and squinted her eyes at the floor, recalling a memory a little while back. “Emily, do you remember when you said something about twin flames at Krystall and Dave’s wedding? That sometimes, it takes a parallel universe for them to be together again?”

“Yeah. I’m surprised you even remembered that,” Emily said.

JJ silently nodded and gently took Emily’s hand in hers, rubbing small circles with her thumb. The unit chief looked down at their hands and furrowed her brows in confusion.

JJ slowly licked her lips before making eye contact with her. It’s now or never. “Do you think maybe in another lifetime… you’d ever give us a shot? You know… together?”

Emily’s eyes widened, registering what she just heard, “JJ-“

“No, you’re right. I’m sorry I told you this, Emily,” JJ regretted and tried to stand up, but was stopped by a hand gently pulling her wrist.

“No, it’s not that. It’s-“ Emily gestured for her to sit down. “I just didn’t know you felt that way about me."

JJ shook her head, “I’m sorry. I- I didn’t know how to tell you this and I know it’s already too late.” She couldn’t stop the tears that were falling and she felt soft hands cup her face to wipe them away.

“Hey, hey. It’s ok,” the brunette soothed her nerves. “It’s ok, I got you.”

JJ leaned into Emily’s gentle caring touch. She raised her hands up to where Emily’s rested, and held onto them. “I- I talked to Spence the time I was shot and told him I was in love with you. I told him if things were different, I would have a chance with you. I sometimes think about how life would be if… we were together. I would’ve shared the boys with you, Emily. They love you and you love them. I would’ve loved being called your wife.”

JJ took a sharp intake of breath before letting out a bitter laugh and shaking her head, “You helped me through so much and came every time I needed you. You know, there were so many moments I kept wishing for something more, and it confused me because I didn’t realize how much happier I felt with you around.” She felt a salty tear trickle down her lips and sniffled, “I love you, Emily. And I’m sorry it took me years to say it out loud because I’m a coward.”

Emily listened to her and processed everything she just said. JJ really was in love with her all these years. It wasn’t just in her head. She was still silent and it made JJ want to run away in shame and guilt.

JJ’s eyes widened in fear as she rapidly blinked. She shook her head, mouth opening and closing as she tried to explain herself, “Emily, I- I-”

“Hey, breathe. Just breathe, ok, JJ?” Emily softened. She pressed their foreheads together to calm JJ’s nerves. “Just listen to my voice and look at me, ok? I’m here.”

JJ took deep breaths and listened to Emily while making eye contact with her through her eyelashes. The older woman wrapped an arm around JJ’s shoulders and pulled her close. “How about we lay down? Is that ok?” Emily suggested and JJ nodded.

The two scooted up to the pillows and Emily still held the younger woman close to her body. JJ felt herself relax in her warm and comforting embrace, eyes fluttering closed to take all of this in. Emily slowly rubbed big circles on JJ’s back and kissed her soft blonde hair.

After about two minutes, JJ lifted her head and blue eyes scanned Emily’s features. She raised her left hand to brush brown bangs away from her forehead. JJ silently asked Emily if it’s ok, and the unit chief nodded, knowing what her question was. The two always were best at silent communication with each other.

So, the blonde leaned closer and they both closed her eyes, listening to their nervous yet steady breaths. JJ closed the gap between them and their lips connected perfectly, like they were each other’s missing puzzle pieces the entire time. Emily tucked in a piece of hair behind JJ’s ear and brushed a thumb against her cheek.

Holding the back of her neck, JJ adjusted her body to straddle the brunette’s hips. Emily carefully sat up and cupped each side of her face. Both women thought the amount of passion in their kiss would make up for the time they’ve lost together. Tonight was the only time they really had the chance to be together, with no worry in the world. There was no Andrew, no Will, none of the members of the team or their troubled pasts. It was just JJ and Emily as lovers for tonight.

Emily reluctantly pulled away to rest their foreheads together, while JJ’s eyes were still closed and blindly chasing after her lips. The younger woman’s hand was still buried in dark hair as she slowly opened her eyes, licking her lips. She saw Emily’s pupils dilated from the almost heated kiss and chest heaving to regulate her breathing back to normal. Emily gave JJ a short and sweet kiss before JJ laid back down beside her.

“You know, I was kinda wishing we’d done more than just that,” Emily admitted quietly.

JJ nodded against her shoulder, “Me too. But we can’t.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry for everything,” JJ said, her head now in the crook of Emily’s neck and sighing. “I wish I’d said something before.”

Emily bit her bottom lip and looked at the ceiling, “I wish I’d said something, too.”

“Maybe in another life…”

“Yeah," Emily softly said. She didn't need to hear the rest because she thought the same thing. Her hand made its way down to connect with JJ’s, squeezing it lightly to know that everything is going to be ok.

JJ glanced down at their joined hands and raised them up to her lips to kiss the older woman’s knuckles. “You know, I remember joking around with Spence one time that it was his and Penelope’s job to get Henry into Yale. I didn’t even realize you went to Yale. I guess I really was thinking about you the entire time, huh? I think I wanted Henry to follow in your footsteps.”

Emily raised her eyebrows in amusement, “Wow.” She blushed and looked down at their hands, hiding a small grin, “You really wanted Henry to be like me?”

“In a way, yeah,” the blonde agent nodded, running her thumb over Emily’s. “Well, maybe without the goth phase in high school…”

Emily playfully shoved her and JJ laughed. She cringed at that goddamn awful photo Garcia had pulled up once and teased her about, “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

JJ shook her head, smiling, and Emily groaned.

“To be honest, I’ve always imagined us living in Charlottesville, for some reason,” JJ stared at the ceiling, getting lost in her thoughts. “Maybe when we retire, we’d find a nice, stable home for us and the kids, you know? I think I want a place to finally settle down and not worry so much about what we deal with on a daily basis. Maybe we’d actually see our kids grow up and not miss out on that. There’s some wineries and vineyards we could go to… and this really good restaurant I could show you sometime, if we ever have a day off. Some places we could hike, you know if you’re up for it…” she winked at her.

Emily nodded, “That sounds nice. As for the hiking, that’s a definite no.”

JJ softly laughed and kissed her cheek, sighing contentedly, “What about you? What’s your alternate reality?”

Emily smiled, “Remember that story I told you about my grandfather’s home in the French Alps? I always thought that once we retire from the BAU, we’d go up there after our kids graduate high school. I kinda thought about taking his place up there after he died. You know, just to get away from things. Maybe you could ski with the kids and I’d be inside making us some tea and hot chocolate. We’d gather around a little fire and, I don’t know, make some crafty things.”

JJ nodded and lifted her head to look at her, “You still haven’t answered my question earlier. Would you have considered it?”

Emily let out a chuckle and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, “I wouldn’t even hesitate.”

“I love you, Emily. I want you to know that,” JJ whispered, leaning back up to kiss her again.

Emily smiled sadly as she responded with, “Always, blackbird. I will always love you, too.”

Tonight was just them, JJ and Emily, no one else. They can worry about the rest tomorrow. For now, this was their chance to be together. A thought crossed Emily’s mind as she remembered her own speech about twin flames:

Twin flames. Two souls that are always meant to be together. Sometimes it takes time, sometimes it takes a parallel universe or something. But the thing about twin flames is that nothing can keep them apart. They are a magic unto themselves, and together, they light the way for all of us.

Now looking back at it, she remembered how her eyes kept darting back to JJ’s at the wedding. The way the ghost of a frown was on JJ’s face as she squeezed Will’s hand in reassurance, or how JJ snuck a little smile at Emily when she stood in between her husband and her long-lost lover. The following events when JJ was shot, Emily remembered how her heart rate increased on the monitor once she entered the hospital room to check up on her.

Was Emily so blind to realize that JJ loved her back? She had missed all those signs JJ had displayed over the years. They could have been together, if only both of them said something sooner.

This was their time, their time alone. This universe gave them this night together. Only in another life, would they be together for certain.

[abluescarfonwaston]

Did someone ask for a quick and angsty immortal jaskier prompt? "It was supposed to be the music," he whispered, voice breaking. Heart breaking. "The songs. I wanted my songs to be remembered forever. I never wanted this."

Why would you do this to me anon. i’m already crying over the fact dandelion outlives everyone he loves. Major Character Death Warning. Obviously. Literally everyone dies. Uuuh also this kinda turns into Lambert/Jaskier at the end but like. They’re both Centuries old so nothing Happens.

When the wasting sickness swept through Lettenhove it killed his Mother and his Father and his Sisters and left him untouched. 

He was ten and the world was over. Except he kept waking up in the morning.

At thirteen a girl at Oxenfurt, Essi Daven, played her Lute in the commons and sang and had the most beautiful cornflower blue eyes. And for the first time in years he sang a duet with her and suddenly he was a bard and he had a little sister again. 

Maybe the world hadn’t ended. Maybe it finally restart.

At seventeen he met a man with white hair and seemly as many scars on his body as his heart and fell in love. Because Bards fell in love easily and he was impossibly easy to love.

The witcher plead for his life. Plead for them to let the bard go.

“No. Both of us or neither.” He was done outliving those he loved. At seventeen he was already done with that. “You kill him and let me go and i’ll destroy your mountain. Kill every last one of you in revenge.”

He’d leave behind a song. The one he’d written as a child and had swept the town more devastating than even the scarlet fever had been. It would live on past him. He would be remembered. The people he loved would be too. Toss a coin to your Witcher. The people he loved immortalized in song.

It wasn’t supposed to make him immortal.

“Give it a rest Jaskier.” Danity snapped. “It’s not you that has to be afraid of anything. No one ever touches a troubadour. For unfathomable reasons you’re inviolable.”

He’d still feared then. Chappelle could have had him killed. He was pretty sure he could die. Mostly he feared the pain. Or dying alone.

“When an old woman gets tired of life she walks into the woods without a weapon. The results are guaranteed.” He’d told Geralt when he’d moaned about how the world was changing and -more importantly- that he had no work.

Remember how I don’t even carry a knife when I follow you out on an adventure? No weapons at all. Ever. Just me and my lute.

He’d brushed death. A thousand times he’d almost met her. He followed Geralt- who was prophesied to always have death follow after him. You’d think at some point they’d meet.

Essi and Geralt fell in love on the coast. He wrote a ballad for them. About how their love was so powerful not even death could come between them.

He never played it. Not to anyone. He didn’t think it was actually about Essi and Geralt.

When rash appeared on Essi’s face in Vizima during the quarantine his hands shook.

“Not her.” He’d screamed at the gods. They didn’t exist of course. If they had then they’d abandoned them all long ago. “Not her.”

“Jaskier?” She shivered violently. “I don’t want to be burned.”

“You won’t be. You’re going to be fine.” He promised. Clutching her hand. “Promise Poppet. You’re going to be fine.”

The cremation fires blazed outside.

“I want to be buried in the woods. With my lute and-” She hurled mostly into the bucket. “My necklace. Please Jaskier.”

“Course Poppet. When you’re old and grey I will bury you out in the forest.”

“Thank you.” She clutched the little pearl. “For giving me him. I love him.”

“I never saw him happier than when he was with you Poppet.”

“What about when he was with you?”

“Oh come now.” He shifted her in his arms and moved the bucket a little further away. “You know me. I’m insufferable.”

“I love you Jaskier.” She cried as she shivered with less and less energy.

“I love you too Poppet.”

He carried her from the city. Into the forest. Her heart stopped beating before they arrived. He dug her grave and buried her with her lute and her pearl necklace.

With the pearl he’d given to her as a birthday gift. From him and Geralt.

When Regis passed it felt absurd. Humans weren’t supposed to outlive goddamn vampires in their fifth fucking century.

And then there was Geralt. Died in Yennefer’s arms along with her.

“It was supposed to be me.” He told no one as Ciri led their bodies out to the lake. “I was supposed to die with him.” Love so great not even death can part us.

But the story was never really about him was it?

Nenneke had a garden full of plants that grew under a crystal skylight. They didn’t grow anywhere else in the world anymore.

He’d asked Geralt about it. She’d said something about the sun and how it was changing. Apparently Geralt had asked why they all didn’t live under crystal skylights then, if it was so deadly.

“It’s already too late for us.” She’d said.

She talked liked the world was ending but the world ended all the time. And he still woke up in the morning.

Zoltan’s beard turned grey. He supposed he should have been thankful that Zoltan got to turn grey. It was better than most of the people he’d loved.

“How’s your fucking hair still Gold. You’re supposed to be getting old too!”

“I dye it.” He lied with a roll of the eyes. He’d stopped dying it years ago.

That winter he buried Zoltan too.

Golden eyes stared at him in confusion. “You look just like.” He started. His thin hair was grey. His wolf medallion gleamed in the sunlight that streaked into the bar.

“You’re one of the last Witchers i think.” He told him as the waves crashed outside. “Might even be the last.”

“Fucking hope so.” He sat down across from him and stole his beer. “Shitty job and a shitty life.” He squinted at him- which Jaskier knew was entirely unnecessary. He just forgotten to adjust his eyes. “What’s your name bard?”

“Dandelion.” He answered. It had been for the last century. “Yours?”

“Lambert.” He downed the drink. “You really think i’m the last? That worth a song? One of my brothers had a lot of songs.”

“Yes I suppose he did.” He waved for another drink. “And look what it got him.”

“Died surrounded by people who loved him.”

“Are you sure you know what a pogrom is?”

That got him a sharp toothy grin.

“I could write you a song but-” He was tired of burying people he loved.

“But?”

“I’m cursed you see.” It was definitely a curse these days. “I’ll live until the last of my songs is forgotten. I really don’t need anymore material.”

Lambert leaned forward curiously. “Doesn’t sound like a curse.”

“You don’t think it sounds like a curse?” He sneered. Lambert’s face faltered. “To outlive everyone you love?”

Lambert paused. Thinking. “Write me a song then. Play it just for me. So if my song’s the last we’ll go together.”

“And what’s my payment for this song?”

“Company.” Lambert’s grey eyes glittered. “You look like you need it.”

“Not as much as you. I bet you talk to your horse.”

“Well i know you do pretty boy. Heard you in the stable.”

He leaned back on the bench. “So what’s a Witcher do in a world without monsters?”

He shrugged. “Fish mostly.”

“I can do that. Once almost snagged a catfish the size of you. Got a djinn instead. Very bad deal honestly.”

“You expect me to believe that? I know about Bards and Ballads and how you’re all rotten liars.”

“Don’t forget about fisherman and their tales.”

The boat leaked worse than an old drunkard but it was small enough and the lake calm enough that it didn’t make him sick.

“I could just kill you. Curse probably can’t fix decapitation.” Lambert offered with his stick in the water. He claimed were bombs they could use instead if they got desperate. Or bored.

He smiled and shook his head. “Give it a try.”

Lambert raised an eyebrow but pulled a silver blade from it’s sheath.

His pole reeled and the boat tilted to the side, plunging him and the sword into the water.

He laughed as the attempted to drag the monstrous fish to the boat. Lambert cursed and climbed in. Yanking at the rod until the line snapped and they fell back into the boat in a painful pile. Laughing.

He didn’t remember the last time he’d laughed.

“Sing me a song bard.” Lambert would request from under his floppy sun brimmed hat. “No else up here but me.”

“There’s an entire stone keep on the hill.”

“No ones lived there in centuries. No one can hear you up here but me.”

He frowned at the ruins on the hill. Lambert kicked him.

He grinned and for the first time in decades - sang.

Maybe. Maybe the world hadn’t ended. Maybe it had finally restart.

“What was this place called?” He asked as they wandered through the crumbled ruin, covered in moss and ivy.

“Kaer Morhen.” He said like the words hurt him.

They hurt him too. He laughed.

He laughed some more.

He couldn’t stop laughing until Lambert smacked him hard enough to see stars.

“I never got to come here. Geralt.” He caught the flinch but moved past it. “Never trusted me enough to even let me know which country it was in.”

“So you were his bard.”

He nodded as Lambert kicked a stone apart. “He was right not to tell me of course. But.” It still hurt that his best friend hadn’t trusted him with his home. He’d taken Yennefer here. But not him. Never him.

He didn’t deserve Geralt’s trust. A thief, a liar, a spy, a bard. It still hurt.

“Well a wolf finally took you here. Is it everything you fucking dreamed?”

He took it in. “Nah. It’s rubbish.”

Lambert smirked. “Yeah. At least that hasn’t changed.”

“You’re hairs getting grey bard.”

“What?” He nearly leaped into the water in his haste to look.

Grey strands streaked his beard.

“Thank you.” He cried. “Thank you.”

“Still owe me that song Dandy.”

He wrote Lambert a lot of songs. Performed for an audience of one.

“Are you really okay with the fact no one will ever hear them? I mean what’s the point in being immortalized in song if-”

“Yeah. Didn’t give a shit about the songs.”

“Hey!” He protested. Kicking him where he lounged in front of the fire. “They’re good songs!”

He grunted in fake pain. Wiggled out of range. “Did Geralt ever tell you why he liked having you around?”

“My charming personality I assume.”

Lambert snorted.

He sat down on the floor and poke him. “Don’t fall asleep. Tell me why you think he did.”

“No one tells Witchers bedtime stories.”

“Oh.” Lambert was halfway to sleep already. “Would you like one?”

“Yeah.”

“What you think happens after?” They were huddled together. Old and grey as a storm raged outside. “We die.”

“I gave up on gods when i was a child.”

“So did i.”

“Then.” He paused. Listened to the howl. “Whatever’s next at least neither of us is going alone.”

Lambert squeezed his bony hand. “What’s the chance we see them again?”

“Hm.” He pretended to consider. “Well we’re definitely going to hell so-”

“Like anyone we gave a shit about wouldn’t be.”

“Point.”

He closed his golden eyes. “Hey Dandy.”

“Yeah?”

“Sing me out.”

“It’d be my pleasure.”

And quite singing filled the drafty cabin until the song stopped.

The world ended.

And at long last no one woke up in the morning.

[jokerfan99]

My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villains (Updated) by DarkChild316

In a different time and a different world, I did a list of “My 10 Favorite Anime Villains”. I am older now, and hopefully much wiser and now thanks to the global pandemic and my new subscriptions to Hulu and Funimation I’ve had the opportunity to go back and revisit so many classic anime that I feel like I should re-do it. Plus I’ve gone back and looked at my previous list and shook my head thinking to myself: “My God man, what in the f**k were you thinking with some of these choices!” So, I’ve gone back and redone the list, now this list is strictly for the men only. If you want to see a list dedicated to my favorite female villains, check out my list of “My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villainesses.” But for this list, here is my updated list of My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villains:

#10. Shishiho Makoto (Rurouni Kenshin): Growing up as a kid, Ruroni Kenshin was one of the first anime I had ever watched, and this guy was someone who I hated with a passion. Looking back at it years later, I realize now what an amazing villain and foil to Kenshin that Makoto was. Unlike a lot of villains on this list, Makoto wasn’t just evil for the sake of being evil, Makoto’s evil came from the worst type of trauma: betrayal! In this case the betrayal came from Makoto’s own government, where Makoto survived not only multiple gunshots, but being doused in oil and burned alive, leaving him in complete and utter agony. What puts Shishio on my list is what he manages to do after surviving death. He compiles an army of the best fighters Japan has to offer and plots to overthrow the entire Meiji Government. While in complete agony. Who else can claim that? Did I also mention he’s topping the list of the best fighters in the show? His swordsmanship is second only to Kenshin himself as he proves in their absolutely epic fight.

#9. Hisoka Morrow (Hunter x Hunter): Hunter x Hunter is a show with several great villains that truly stand out, and while Meruem was memorable, pardon me for believing that Hisoka was the standout villain from that show. A devious killer and master Nen user, Hisoka is driven by little more than his desire to find and kill strong opponents. Be they young children or master criminals, he’ll pursue them to the ends of the Earth with a bloodlust on par with that of a wild predator. Likewise, he doesn’t care what happens to himself or others in this pursuit. Mass civilian casualties, the loss of his own villainous allies or even the loss of his own limbs barely phases him, so long as he gets to fight with someone that tests his limits. As a result, he more often than not embodies chaos incarnate, wreaking havoc in his pursuit of battle and leaving a mountain of corpses behind him. Needless to say, this puts him at odds with the series’ protagonists at regular intervals. Not only do Gon and his friends fit the bill for what he seeks, but they often take on enemies that prove to be exactly what Hisoka is looking for. And yet, this also serves to make him all the more interesting. Where other villains might strike out at the protagonists and heroes immediately, Hisoka schemes, allies himself with and double-crosses people regularly, always finding the best angle to work in order to reach his goals. He may not be a world-ending anime villain on the level of a Meruem with seismic ambitions, but he’s undeniably the most interesting and brilliant villain in Hunter x Hunter to see at work.

#8. Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!): If you think of a list of top anime villains and this guy isn’t one of the first people who comes to mind, please raise your hands so I can have a few words with you in private with no cameras or eyewitnesses. The crazy thing about Izaya is that he doesn’t even realize he’s evil, and that’s what makes him great. He loves humanity; from the depths of his bones he loves us all. This is why he makes it onto my list; he does progressively more cruel acts against humans, putting people in situations that generally lead to their deaths. He is also a master of parkour and highly skilled with a switchblade in his hand (as evident in the above picture), which he generally only uses in dire situations or fights against Shizuo. In short, I absoulutely love this guy. I thoroughly enjoyed the way he manages to manipulate an entire populous, and that’s why he’s more than earned a spot on my list.

#7. Dio Brando (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure): You might have thought it was someone else, but it was me, Dio! All meme-worthy jokes aside, Dio Brando is unquestionably one of the most iconic anime villains of all time and, thanks to his series’ late-blooming popularity outside of Japan thanks largely to the 2012 anime adaptation, one that still feels modern in our minds. Dio is a tenacious bastard that takes advantage of the generosity of the Joestar family to further his own power, being intolerably dickish to Jonathan by constantly tearing him down, trying to make him look bad in front of his dad, spreading rumors to sully his reputation, and sabotaging his relationships. This escalates into killing his dog (his f***ikg dog of all things!), poisoning and later stabbing his adoptive father (I mean WTF!), and becoming a freakin vampire. Even after decapitation, Dio gets his revenge and sets in motion many of the events of the series, making a formal return in Stardust Crusaders as the main villain once again. With raw ambition taken to the extreme, iconic lines, poses, and outfits, incredible abilities from Aztec mask-induced vampirism and the time-stopping power of The World, Dio’s menacing presence towers over his series and over anime as a whole, which makes him MORE than deserving of a spot on my list.

#6. Light Yagami (Death Note): Yes, he’s a VILLAIN, get over yourselves Light Yagami fanboys! Anyway, there are a number of different adjectives and superlatives that could be used to described the lead character of Death Note: Diabolical, calculating, and determined to make the world in his own image all describe Light who was easily the most clever man in  Death Note, as evidenced by the layers upon layers that composed his elaborate plans.  Light started out as a good kid, doing well in school and heading to a bright career in police work like his father. But when he gets possession of the death note, he begins a remarkable descent into a disturbing mastermind who becomes judge, jury, and executioner for the entire world. But what truly makes Light's character stand out remains complicated throughout the story. His ultimate goal is to make the world a happier, safer place; a noble but perhaps misguided goal. His idealism and nobility still shine through when he doesn’t have the Death Note. When he temporarily relinquishes ownership of the death note to throw L off his trail, Light loses all memory of the death note and he reverts to his normal personality. His sense of morality returns and he shows more compassion for those around him. He even refuses to use Misa Amane to get information out of her when L asks him to. These qualities help to create a complex character who ends up being a detestable villain, yet you still kind of root for him to come out of this story as a winner. Light’s progression through the series is marked by his sheer brilliance. He's got a calculated and strategic mind that would make the great philosopher Machiavelli jealous, and the power of the death note adds a callousness that makes him free to use people in whatever way necessary to accomplish his goals. It’s highly entertaining to see his intricate plans play out. But Light’s messiah-like ego is just as big as his brain, and that arrogance ultimately leads to his tragic downfall.

#5. The Major (Hellsing): An evil Nazi Scientist, I know everyone is just rolling their eyes right now thinking I’m reaching for the low-hanging fruit for this one, but just hear me out here. While he may seem like an obvious pick for a list like this, The Major’s goals, however, are somehow far more unhinged than what may first appear. Despite being an impassioned orator and uncompromising strategist willing to sacrifice countless soldiers, the Major himself had no especial loyalty or passion for the cause of Millennium. His sole obsession is to plunge the world into an unending conflict to the point of endangering not only the lives of others but also his own. The Major’s leadership of Millennium, his decades espousing the genocidal ideology of fascists, and subsequent war against the Hellsing organization, the Vatican, and the entire world serve only as a pretext to satiate his insatiable bloodlust. The Major is one of anime’s most insidious villains, a charismatic, nihilistic sociopath driven purely by his sadomasochistic death wish.

#4. Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist): Now, you may be recalling that in my previous version of this list, I had Envy listed as my choice as my favorite villain from this show. Well after careful reconsideration, I’ve had to reevaluate my decision and give that spot to this creep, because while Envy’s actions were despicable to a point, they PALE in comparison to this guy! He only really appears in one episode if I remember correctly, yet in that one single episode, he made more of an impact then most villains make in a lifetime, which really says a lot about this guy’s character. What was it that made him so memorable you ask? Well, it could have something to do with the fact that this man transmutaed his own dog and daughter to create a talking chimera, which hadn’t been done before, and for what other reason…all in the name of recognition in the world of alchemy! That mere fact alone made this guy the most hated man in all of anime, the fact that he sacrificed his own family for the sake of fame, with absolutely no hint of remorse, made this guy the definition of an absolute living piece of shit and the only thing worse is how the episode ended, but I won’t spoil that one for you if you haven’t seen it.

#3. Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Up next is a man competing with the likes of Medusa Gorgon for the title of “Anime’s Worst Parent”, Gendo Ikari, please step up to the front of the congregation. Now Gendo is a man who’s list of atrocities throughout Evangelion is far too many to name, but I’m going to try my best to list them here: You have being actively complicit in the premature instigation of a biblical apocalypse, resulting in a near extinction-level event that caused the death of nearly two-thirds of the human population. Emotionally neglecting his own son Shinji estranging himself from him for over twelve years, only to offer him up as a sacrificial pawn in his bid to artificially bootstrap humanity’s ascent into evolutionary godhood so that he could be reunited with his dead wife. Cloning said wife’s DNA into a harem of emotionally dependent albino ingenues who share a dogged infatuation for their creator. And that’s not even mentioning the horrific emotional abuse and mental manipulation he inflicts on Dr. Ritsuko Akagi and her mother Naoko. All-in-all Gendo is proof positive that love not only has the capacity to overcome any obstacle, but sometimes it can truly make monsters out of us all.

#2. Griffith (Berserk): Griffith did nothing wrong; at least, not by his own drives and ambitions. A peasant who grew to become the leader of his own mercenary band, Griffith was a self-driven man who pursued his desires with unparalleled efficiency. No matter the situation or obstacle, he found a way to overcome them, whether that meant facing down an army of thousands or assassinating a country’s leaders. All the while, he amassed a legion of friends and followers who would follow him to hell and back, caring for him as much or more than he cared for them. As a result, they were dragged down with him when his ambitions saw him imprisoned, tortured and maimed. They cared little though, risking life and limb to save him and help him salvage a life with what he had left. That wasn’t enough for Griffith though. When given the option to become a demon and continue the pursuit of his dreams, he whole-heartedly accepted it; even though it came at the cost of sacrificing the lives of each and every one of his friends and allies. But that wasn’t the worst of it, to further spite the early desertion of Guts, Griffith proceeds to rape Casca, Guts’ love interest, in front of him as Guts is held down by demons. So yes, Griffith did nothing wrong by himself. By everyone else though, he did them the worst of injustices, and continues to do so with each breath he takes, all of which makes him a compelling and infuriating villain.

#1. Johan Liebert (Monster): I’ve covered a wide variety of monsters (pun fully intended) on this list, but THIS monster (again, pun FULLY intended) truly takes the cake when it comes to anime villains. A serial killer who would fit in well in any blockbuster film, Monster told the story of a man who had truly become monstrous; a charismatic, intelligent sociopath with no other goal than to kill everyone else in the world. Johan didn't just kill people, he made other people into monsters just like him. This skill of his corruption is first displayed in his youth, when he used stories to convince the other boys in his orphanage to kill all the staff, and each other. Johan is often compared to Light Yagami of Death Note, but the two couldn’t be any more different. Light's fatal (and genius) flaw is his own ego, which leads him to put his own life above all else, even his goal of changing the world. But Johan has never been afraid of death. Quite the opposite, he welcomes and embraces it, being more than willing to put his own life at risk, and one of his signature traits is how he challenges people to shoot him. Another of Jonah’s signature traits is his skills as a masterful manipulator. Where Light and other on this list had to resort to supernatural means to get what they wanted, Johan just used his own wits and knowledge of human nature. He's easily the most frightening villain on this list because he’s the truest to life villain on this list and he exposes the base human nature of his victims and of human society. Monster's remarkable story was almost entirely due to Johan alone, and it’s why he’s #1 on my list.

So that's my updated list, what did you guys think about it? Love it, hated it? Go on and tell me what you think and let me know who your favorite anime villains are. See you soon!!!

Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/darkchild316

[scarletjedi]

Scarletjedi’s Jiang Cheng Needs Love Fic Rec List

okay, so, I’ve realized that as much as I love Wangxian (and nothing makes me happier then seeing pretty art of a landscape and then realizing there are two figures, one in white, one in black and red, walking along the path), that I read fic for Jiang Cheng. 

@piyo-13 sorry not sorry, lol

Here are some of my favorites: 

....most of these are explicit. 

Finished Fic:

*** is a super favorite

Jiang Cheng is Trying series by Captain Jojo (Gen) Rated G-T; yunmeng shuangjie reconciliation 

Jiang Cheng has tried his whole life, in different ways, with different people, and to varying degrees of success. He keeps trying, and that's all that matters until it's not enough.

three to get ready by sysrae (Nie Mingjue/Wen Qing/Jiang Cheng) Rated E; Modern AU

Mingjue’s thumbs stroke gently against the wings of his shoulders as he leans in, setting his mouth to Jiang Cheng’s ear. “Qingqing wants this, too. All three of us. You, me, her.” A shudder runs down Jiang Cheng’s spine; he’s dizzy, breath coming too fast, and he’s shamefully hard just from this, his erection trapped against the edge of the sink. “Would you like that, Cheng-di? It’s fine if you don’t, but if you do –” “Yes.” The word rasps out of him, echo-y and desperate. “I want that.”

***Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing) Not Rated; Time Travel AU

He can’t get Jin Guangyao’s words out of his head.

If he’d only believed in Wei Wuxian, if he’d only been willing to stand up for him, could it all have been avoided?

***Bilateral by serein (Jiang Cheng/Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang, polyamory) Rated E; Canon AU, Golden Core Reveal

I wouldn't mind, Mingjue's voice echoes in his mind. If you wanted to be - with him, also. We share everything.

au where mingcheng start banging during sunshot, and this fixes a lot of things. life gets more complicated, however, when nie mingjue notices his brother's feelings for his lover.

where i am soft by serein (Jiang Cheng/Nie Mingjue) Rated E; canon

Jiang Cheng is always too fucking soft.

Soft hearted, soft willed, now he's stuck with a soft dick on top of it all. It's sometimes as if the fates looked upon him and went, "oh, Jiang Wanyin? Yes, fuck him specifically."

WARNING for pretty blunt, non-explicit discussion of past rape and attempted rape/sexual assault and mention of decapitation.

***Trauma is the Best Wingman by Strayhaven (Jiang Cheng/Nie Huaisang) Rated E **Mind the Tags**; Modern AU - College/University

“Do you think we could share?” Jiang Cheng looked up at the question, surprised. He'd been lost in his research. There was a guy standing awkwardly and shifting under the weight of a stack of books in an oversize sweater at the end of the library table Jiang Cheng had taken over. He glared at him for a minute, well, he assumed he was glaring. The other guy only shifted the books a little and stayed stubbornly rooted to the spot, didn't even stop looking at him, and gave him a small uncomfortable smile. “Sorry, it's just, all the tables are full of study groups and the books I need are reference only volumes.”

“What?” Jiang Cheng heard himself say.

***Yunmeng Spice (Fenugreek) by a_stands_for (Jiang Cheng/Nie Huaisang) Rated E; Canon Divergence AU; Cloud Recesses Study Days

So... what exactly did Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang get up to while Wei Ying was getting Lan Zhan drunk? In at least one reality, the answer is: Wow. Just. Really, quite a lot.

or

JC and NH have drunken virginal sex and discover that they are exactly each other's type. In that order.

or

NH discovers that JC has an unusual physiology and proceeds to lock that shit down.

perfect pretenders by skyestiel (Jiang Cheng/Nie Huaisang) Rated T; Canon Divergence AU; Cloud Recesses Study Days

“Well, since Jiang Cheng has made it clear he believes we’ll all die virgins—”

“—I swear—”

“—let’s have a competition to determine who will find love first! Specifically, which of us can kiss someone first. Or...” Wei Wuxian knits his brows. “Wait, no, even better. We’ll see who can get the most kisses while we're here!”

Or: A kissing competition between three friends starts innocent enough. That is until feelings come into play and fill the halls of the Cloud Recesses with drama, secrets, and many misunderstandings.

Adventures with Roommates by elehoh (Jiang Cheng/Nie Huaisang) Rated E; Modern AU - College/University

When Jiang Cheng's plan to room with Wei Ying during their sophomore year falls apart, he finds himself suddenly rooming with Nie Huaisang.

Despite being a vast improvement from his last roommate, who literally ended up dating his sister, Jiang Cheng quickly learns that being roommates with Nie Huaisang comes with its own particular disadvantages and advantages.

our footsteps sing a reckless serenade by ThirtySixSavedFiles (Jiang Cheng/Nie Huaisang) Rated E; AU Modern with Magic

In the wake of intracity warfare, Jiang Cheng finds himself engaged by proxy to Nie Huaisang in an effort to build ties between their sects. The fragile peace is short-lived, however, and with the strands of magic and the alliances that hold the city together fraying apart, Jiang Cheng must decide where he stands in order to save what he loves.

Upon our Silver Bridge by TheWanderingHeart (Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen) Rated M; Post-Canon; Chinese Mythology & Folklore

“When the path ignites a soul, there's no remaining in place. The foot touches ground, but not for long.” ― Hakim Sanai

**

Lan Xichen's sorrows have caught the attention of something. Unlike the adventures and foes they have faced before, there is no obvious enemy here to defeat. If this is the same thing they thought had taken Nie Mingjue's life, then he believes it is fated for him to die as well. Nothing can stop the black fire when it wants to burn.

Jiang Cheng is sure his part in this is over. Wei Wuxian is back, his grand adventure concluded, and he'd never been at the centre of it anyway. So what does it matter what happens to him in the end?

Slowly, he will come to realise that there will always be a battle to fight, a story to tell, a choice to make, and there is no such thing as an end to anything.

***Running Our Hands Through Embers by MarvelousMar and MoAv (Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen) Rated E; Modern Au - Reincarnation; Slow Burn

If asked, Jiang Cheng would compare falling in love with Lan Xichen to a moth inevitably drawn to a flame.

It burned.

***

In which Jiang Cheng discovers that even death can't help him escape from his trauma, so he embarks on a quest to save the people he loves, fix what he can, make the love of his life fall for him, and maybe, somewhere along the way, do a little bit of healing.

***What Married People Do by shamelesscooper (Jiang Cheng/Liǔ Qīnggē) Rated E; SVSSS crossover; yunmeng shuangjie reconciliation

“I propose that we kill two birds with one stone,” Liu Mingyan said, and if her tone goes a bit theatrical, Jiang Cheng had the decency not to point it out.

“I don’t follow,” Jiang Cheng deadpanned, crossing his arms. “I thought the plan was to milk this whole thing for what it’s worth and gracefully part ways when it inevitably fell apart.”

“Yes, well. There’s a perfectly viable solution to the whole ‘falling apart’ part - you,” she said, pointing to Jiang Cheng, “Marry my brother.”

--

Jiang Cheng gets married in the spring of his 39th year. It turns out better than he expected.

WIP: UPDATE!!! Both of these fics have finished, and Lay Your Hands On Me also has a sequel one shot!

***Lay your hands on me by hmc73 (Jiang Cheng/Nie Mingjue) Rated E; Modern AU - College/University, Kink/BDSM centric

Jiang Cheng, grad student and bi disaster, is just trying to get his PhD and earn his parents’ approval. But when he happens to meet his best friend’s older brother, Nie Mingjue, his whole world gets upended. Jiang Cheng discovers a new side of himself — one that craves submission. Can he balance his studies and his family’s expectations with his newly discovered desires?

The Spark of Lightning by kumquats, shamelesscooper (Jiang Cheng/Nie Mingjue) Rated M; AU - Canon Divergence; Sunshot Campaign

With the Sunshot Campaign well underway, Jiang Cheng finds himself taken under Nie Mingjue’s wing. Fighting to be a sect leader worthy of his men - and a man worthy of Nie Mingjue’s respect - Jiang Cheng feels as though he might as well be challenging the sun himself.

But the sun can't dominate the skies forever. A storm stirs against it, threatening to smother its unrelenting glare, and Jiang Cheng feels that maybe — maybe he can be as lightning in this storm. To strike, however briefly, and light up the entire sky.

--

A prequel to To Make a Home in a Storm (also a rec! Finished fic)