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definitelynotafurinasimp · 10 months

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“Love is a rebellious bird that none can tame”

After everything she’s been through, falling in love was the last thing she thought she’d ever achieve. And yet, even though she thought herself completely undeserving of anyone’s feelings, she still yearned for it… Maybe you’ll be the one to grant her wish.

characters: Furina x gn!reader

words: ~6360

warnings: spoilers for the 4.2 Archon Quest and Furina’s Story Quest

a/n: So I thought “let’s write something short for Furina, probably won't take too long”, and here I am now, writing this since thursday and with a total of 12 or so pages...

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Furina

There were many things that had changed in the life of the human once known as Fontaine’s beloved archon after the waters swept through Fontaine, engulfing the entire nation as prophesied and leaving her crying on the same chair she had sat down almost an hour before, still devastated from everything that had happened, only for the water to recede once more, leaving the city destroyed but its residents unharmed…

In those moments, Furina couldn’t imagine any of her past subjects being willing to ever look her in the eyes with anything but scorn again, considering how she had lied to them all for hundreds of years, pretending to be their Archon when she was nothing more than a normal human girl drawing nearer and nearer to unavoidable doom… She couldn’t imagine things to turn better in her personal life at all either, having been sentenced to death in front of everyone not too long ago… and yet here she was, reading through the script passed to her by the director, being asked for her opinion and recommendations the same way as when she was still putting on that horrible masquerade.

“My eyes can’t spot any glaring sins in writing in this dialogue… in other words, it’s good, as expected from someone as talented as you, director”, Furina responded once her eyes finally separated from the sheets of paper, catching herself falling back into those theatrical speech patterns she had grown so accustomed to, her lips curling into a polite smile as the director thanked her before quickly moving on to talk to another person.

It had taken Furina quite some time to return to the world of acting, and even after her appearance in the little Oceanid she tried restraining herself from diving head-first into the show-biz again and while there was barely a week she didn’t receive an invitation for a role for the next up-and-coming show, not even being asked for an interview first, acting played the second fiddle when compared to trying to get some time for herself. For centuries her every move was intensely watched, with the only hours she was truly alone being when she was asleep, so getting some time where she was free to try her hands at things in the comfort of her new home was a nice change of pace… especially since her cooking might have required some more refining.

But while Furina was finally free to live the life she always wanted… there still weren’t that many people she could call her friends. The traveler and their companion always on all sorts of adventures, while she still hesitated to reach out to her past colleagues, doubting if they even still wanted her around in the first place.

“Mhm, how could I forget I was dealing with the greatest of actors in all of Teyvat, just remember to look at the stairs the next time we’re on stage, we don’t want a repeat of last time, don’t we?”, the voice of one of her fellow actors rang out, causing Furina to look at the source of the sound, only to see a small group of her coworkers huddled around each other, joking and teasing around while rehearsing their lines and laughing at all kinds of stories of their past and inside jokes… both things still seemingly far out of reach for herself, at least for now. She didn’t like to admit it, but she felt a bit jealous.

Suddenly feeling out of place, Furina forced her eyes back onto the papers in her head, trying to read through her scenes once again, only to find her mind filled with all kinds of different thoughts.

Which sauce should I be trying today? Bolognese? Alfredo? Something new might be nice… but do I really feel like experimenting today? Maybe I should just go out to eat once in a while. It felt like a lifetime since I last visited that bakery near the city center… oh yeah, they shut down a generation ago.

Before she knew it, she sunk further and further into her thoughts, only to suddenly be startled when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, causing the culprit to follow suit.

“Oh, sorry! I was just trying to tell you that today’s rehearsal was over, but you seemed spaced out, so I thought…”, you apologized after quickly pulling your hand away, a look of slight embarrassment on your face before it quickly disappeared again, replaced by a smile that made her heart stop. For a split-second, Furina was about to refute your claim of her spacing out in public, her mouth still working on her centuries old autopilot, only for her to stop herself before a tone could come out, giving you a silent nod of her head.

But while this had ought to be it with your conversation for the day, Furina’s mouth refused to close, the realization that if she didn’t do anything about it, she was just going to go home, do the same thing she always did, eat the same meal she had… admittedly grown a bit sick off, even though she’d rather walk through hell and back before admitting to that flying companion of the traveler that they may have been somewhat right to judge her cooking skills, and get not a single step closer to finally using the chance at living the human life she had always wanted, instead just wasting her days with no meaningful connections until her time would run out quickly dawning on her.

And so, before any of her anxieties could stop her words were pouring out of her mouth once again.

“Do you have some spare time to rehearse our dialogues? I didn’t have the chance to see you in action yet, and I’d like to see if you’re worthy of acting alongside me.”

If it wasn’t for her self-control returning to her body at that exact moment, she would have facepalmed herself with enough force to leave an imprint, the cocky remark at the end a textbook example of the bad habits she still struggled getting rid off.

Surprisingly enough however, you didn’t seem insulted, nor disgusted by someone like her, who could not even do anything but watch in her nation's biggest crises, having the galls to look down on someone else. A grin that stretched from ear to ear finding itself on your face instead, your hand reaching out almost instantly as you offered her a handshake.

“Sure, Miss Furina, let me show you what I’m made of.”

Before she could think things over however, her hand had already grown a mind of its own, shaking yours as she spouted out another confident boast.

“Are you out of your mind?! What good does it do to anyone if you go and throw your life away in a pointless duel? You could have at least asked me for my opinion before challenging him out of nowhere!”, you snapped, a mixture of anger and desperation seeping through your voice as you took a step towards Furina, leaning slightly forward, only to jerk back when she did the same, almost making your foreheads collide.

“I don’t belong to you, I don’t have to ask you for permission for anything. Challenging him might not have been the right course of action, I admit that, but at least it is an action. You hear the townsfolk weep whenever he and his band of mercenaries march into the townsquare and extort them for all their worth. So I’m not going to apologize for trying to help instead of just watching from the sidelines as you love to do”, before you could manage to say another word, Furina had turned around and stamped away, completely ignoring you calling out her name before you were all one… once again.

“Well, you are quite talented, I have to admit. I can see why you were hired to play alongside me. Although you still have a long way ahead of you if you wish to get as good as me”, Furina spoke half-jokingly, she never doubted your acting skills in the first place, she had heard of how talented you were after all, but given her excuse earlier, that wasn’t exactly something she could admit.

“Thanks Miss Furina, it’s an honor to hear someone like you say that. I hope I’ll be able to improve my acting while working alongside you”, you were quick to respond, putting your hand on your chest before giving her a small bow, leaving the actress stumped by your sudden modesty.

What’s this? Where are the competitive remarks you had been spewing out during the entirety of your private rehearsal? Why are you so… modest now?

Furina’s expression must have done a great job at revealing her inner monologue as you were quick to respond.

“Is something the matter, Miss Furina?”, you asked in the same calm tone, only for her to quickly turn her head away, as she realized she had been staring.

“N-nothing”, Furina responded in a subdued manner, looking out of the window and watching the streets grow less and less populated as the sun started to set, painting the skies in colors that made her want to whip out her camera and snap a picture or two.

As the silence stretched longer however, and the colors faded from the skies, Furina was teleported back into reality when your footsteps echoed through the room, approaching the front door one step at a time, causing her to turn around to face you once again.

“Thanks a lot, Miss Furina. I’ve learned a lot today”, you stated with a small smile, your hand already touching the doorknob when Furina interrupted your exit.

“Let’s go home together, I’m not too fond of the city's alleyways once they get covered in darkness”, she suggested. The phrase “not too fond” being a bit of an understatement considering her run-in with near death all those moons ago. And yet, Furina couldn’t help but feel a bit silly for asking you to accompany her, she was an adult after all, one that didn’t have that much of a chance to live life yet, but one nonetheless. But before she had the chance to open her mouth and spout an excuse you were already holding the door open for her, gesturing her to step out first.

“And we’ve arrived”, Furina announced, stopping in her tracks so suddenly that it took you a few steps to realize she was no longer by your side, quickly turning around and seeing her proudly point at the building in front of you. It was a lot smaller than you expected, considering she was the previous Archon and still widely appreciated as an actor. The burning lights in one of its windows made it pretty clear that her apartment wasn’t the only one in the building. But it was far from shabby. It had a nice exterior, was located near the city center and only a few steps away from some major shops, a nice house all in all.

“What? Left speechless by my abode? You flatter me”, she asked theatrically once the silence grew a bit too long to be considered anything but awkward, her voice hiding the faintest hint of nervousness.

“It’s pretty, I wish I’d have a place from which everything was as quickly reachable as from here”, you responded, a polite smile making its way onto your face as Furina’s head tilted by a bit.

“Don’t you live somewhere near here?”

A shake of your head was enough to make her eyes widen, but once your response left your mouth, you saw her jaw hit the ground. “I live on the other side of the city, so it’s always a bit of a footmarch to get here.”

“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have asked you to accompany me if I knew you’d have to march all across the city to get home afterwards”, apologies quickly started flooding out of her mouth, obviously feeling bad about her previous request, but when you simply waved her worries off, she grew silent once again.

“It’s no problem. I look forward to our next rehearsal”, you said your goodbyes, only for Furina’s voice to once again stop you in your tracks.

“Next rehearsal?”

At that exact moment, something in your brain clicked. Today was a one off thing, you had proven your worth as an acting colleague after all, so there was no reason for this to continue. The realization hit like a rock, you had enjoyed it after all, even if you had once again fallen into your old habits of becoming too boastful and competitive once your rehearsal’s started to get into motion.

“Sure, see you tomorrow!”, just as you were starting to think about breaking the silence by apologizing, her voice rang out to snap you out of it, a small smile on her face once you dared to look back up at her.

“Good work as always, Miss Furina. It really felt like I was talking to another person just now”, words of praise left your mouth in place of the line you were actually supposed to say, catching her completely off guard to the point her cheeks started to blush a bit.

"T-Thanks? Did you forget your line all of a sudden or did the script change?”, she shot back with a tease, hoping it would be enough to serve as a distraction from her face. Instead of making your eyes look away however, your stare grew more intense, to the point she was fearing she might have said something very insensitive.

“I don’t forget my lines, Miss Furina, that’s not something that happens. Scratch that, I don’t forget lines at all, I’m pretty sure I could recite your part from memory at this point”, you shot back with a big grin on your face, your competitive spirit seemingly having been reawakened.

While Furina herself liked to indulge herself in boasting about her skills from time to time, she learned that there came a time when words alone were no longer satisfactory and had to be backed up by actions, so when she heard your remark she didn’t hesitate for even a second to take you up on it, laughter escaping her mouth as she struck a confident pose.

“Heh, well then, bless me with your performance, oh great and mighty one.”

What followed was silence, as you seemed to get lost in thought, your ear-to-ear grin slowly vanishing as your face returned to normal, but once the actress was finally about to offer you a chance out, you started your monologue. One, which while only seeming slightly familiar to her at first, quickly crystallized itself as none other than her character’s from the little oceanid. And while Furina had to admit to herself that you did a pretty good job remembering it, not only knowing what to say, but also when to pause, making it appear as easy as reading it from a script, the way you tried to imitate her voice even if yours was so different from hers made the corners of her lips curl into a smile. Whether it was out of admiration or meant as a parody of her she didn’t know, what she did know however, was that she couldn’t be angry at you even if you were trying to make fun of her, simply finding herself smiling at the thought.

“So you’re either so obsessed with the idea of impressing me that you learned every single one of my lines from heart, or you’re secretly my biggest fan”, Furina joked, only to find you shooting her a smile.

“I couldn’t help it, the little oceanid was just too good for me not to watch it more than once”, you refuted her accusation, finishing the graceful bow you had tried performing before being interrupted by the person in front of you.

“Well, Miss Furina. You’ve heard my rendition of your lines, so make sure to do your homework and read some of mine. Or are you scared you wouldn’t manage it as stunningly as me”, you challenged her before quickly putting on your jacket, opening the door and holding it open until the two of you had stepped outside.

There was no rational reason for her to accept. Taking on extra work when she already had to study enough lines for the play for no other reason than to fuel your urge for competition? That sounded a bit too absurd, even for her. Especially for her.

“Well, let yourself be amazed. Just don’t come crawling to me afterwards begging me to stop humiliating you so thoroughly.”

As Furina silently watched you chop together whatever ingredients she found at home from the dinner table, she couldn’t help but think about how wrong what was supposed to be nothing but another one of your private rehearsals had turned out…

“Bravo! It almost felt like looking into a mirror”, you exclaimed while clapping once Furina had finished reciting your lines perfectly, striking a pose that practically screamed at you to praise her more, a request you were all too willing to indulge her in.

“I’m starting to worry for every actor’s career, considering how you seem to be able to play every role you can get your hands on, Miss Furina”, you continued, only for her face to get happier with each passing word, before eventually raising her hand.

“This should suffice. Do not fret for your career, I’ll make sure to secure you a role alongside me if you ever find your pool of possibilities to suffer from a drought.”

You had a fully prepared response ready, but when you noticed the dark clouds covering the usually colorful sky, you quickly sidelined your current thoughts, choosing to focus on what seemed important.

“It might not be a bad idea to finish for today. It seems like it’s going to rain… and quite a lot at that”, you stated before pointing out of the window, causing Furina’s eyes to wander to where you’d been pointing, only for her to let out a deep groan.

“Rain? Why now? Couldn’t it have rained at night?” She complained to no one in particular, turning around and grabbing her jacket, giving you a small smile as you held the door open once again before speaking up.

“You should head straight home, or else you might not make it before the rain starts.”

“Heh, I’m not made out of sugar. I’ll be fine”, you joked in a confident tone, almost as if challenging the sky to try and wash you away with a flood, ignoring her attempts at playing the voice of reason…

“How’s the rain?”, you asked from the other room, trying your hardest to multitask everything from holding a conversation, walking around the kitchen, peeling some potatoes, cutting a carrot or two and not starting a house fire by accidentally leaving the stove on for a little too long.

“Not great, it seems to have gotten worse”, Furina responded in a meek voice, continuing to stare out of the window, refusing to look in your general direction, too scared of what sort of look she might find on your face.

“Something wrong? You’re unusually quiet”, you asked, only to get a semi-attentive hum as a response.

If only you had agreed to go home on your own instead of accompanying her, maybe then you wouldn’t have to see the inside of her apartment. Sure, she wasn’t as depressed as she was before rekindling her passion for acting, leaving her home far more often and for different reasons than just to buy macaroni, but that still didn’t mean her home looked too much different from back then.

With how little time she spent in it during the day, going to your private rehearsing sessions whenever she found the time… which she admittedly did have a lot of, and how tired she was when returning home, only wishing to grab a bowl of pasta and sauce before falling asleep almost instantly, there wasn’t exactly that much time she had for cleaning. But it was fine, she was eventually going to get around to do it, tomorrow maybe, she was tired already after all. Unfortunately for her however, the rain came before “tomorrow” could finally make its appearance. Now forced with the choice of either letting you see this rather pathetic side of her or forcing you to go home in this horrible storm, Furina couldn’t stomach the thought of shutting her door in front of you, and so… this happened.

“Here, it’s a recipe my father always used to make whenever there wasn’t much around. It requires little ingredients and tastes pretty good for how little time it takes”, you stated before setting down a plate in front of her, meeting her glance upwards with a smile you hoped would cheer her up somehow.

“Now that I think about it, you would have loved that old man. He had a lot of stories to tell, enough for him to write a small book about them. Apparently they found some popularity abroad for a few years, it would surprise you how much it netted him. Enough to take us on a small holiday abroad”, you talked to fill the silence, sitting down on the opposite chair from her, digging into your meal almost instantly.

“Was your father an adventurer?”, Furina eventually asked, catching you by surprise as you struggled to gulp down the last bite as quickly as possible, not wanting to leave her waiting for a response.

“No, a clerk. Quite a boring job, but what his life missed in adventures, his imagination made up for”, you responded before just as quickly continuing, “My mother however was one, quite a passionate one at that. We couldn’t exactly see her too often because of that, but whenever we did, she returned with all kinds of treasures.”

“I’m sorry”, came the words from Furina’s mouth, almost silent enough for you to miss them, confusing you for a split second, but just as you were about to reassure her that it was fine and she had no need to feel bad for asking about your parents, her voice rang through the room once again. “I should have cleaned up, it’s just that I didn’t know you were going to come over today and… things have been a bit difficult.”

Only at that moment did you look around the room, trying to understand what she was talking about, and sure enough, there were quite a few things one could point out as not exactly being tidy, but considering how much worse apartments you had witnessed over the years, it was nothing too bad. No matter how much she talked herself down, Furina still made sure her home had a certain level of tidiness, after all.

“No need to apologize, it’s really not that bad, especially considering you probably weren’t too used to living alone before. If you need help with anything however, just tell me and I’ll lend you a hand. The only thing I’m judging you for are your acting skills after all”, you responded half-jokingly and while it didn’t seem to have too much of an effect at first, you did notice Furina gradually returning to her usual self during the course of your meal.

Eventually however, the storm finally subsided, leaving you free to finally return home. “Thanks a lot for today’s rehearsal and for letting me stay here instead of walking through the rain. Until next time, Furina”, you said your goodbyes only for Furina to quickly step forward and open the door for you, gesturing you to step through the door with a smile once again adorning her lips.

The following weeks brought surprisingly little changes to Furina’s schedule, something that would have usually meant a lot of discontent from her side, considering how she liked to spice things up every now and again, detesting the idea of living through the same cycle day in and day out. And yet, she found herself rather content with it all. And although your private rehearsals still continued outside of your normal one’s, they strayed further and further from their original goal as time went on, both of you starting to simply use it as a convenient excuse to hang out instead of solely using it to rehearse.

And so, after you had managed to rehearse the few remaining lines until you knew them from both heart and memory, the two of you still found yourself with a lot of time left, the sun still far from setting as it illuminated even the least accessible corners of Fontaine. Furina had nearly suggested parting for the day, when you had come up with a different idea, one she found herself easily getting on board with.

“Would you like to go eat somewhere? I feel like I’m starving”, if it hadn’t been for the sound of your stomach rumbling, Furina could have caught herself thinking you were simply too shy to ask her to spend a bit more time together, and while your face was as red as she imagined her own would be when asking you out on a date, it was a safe bet to say you blushing probably had a lot more to do with the previously mentioned reason than with anything romantic.

And here you were now, sitting at a table for two in a cafe she had always wanted to visit but didn’t find the time to, Furina already having placed her order while you still struggled with choosing what you’d like to eat, intensely staring at the menu in your hand while subconsciously making a… rather cute face. It had taken her quite a bit of convincing to make the cafe owner accept money from her, arguing that there was no reason to treat her any differently from the other citizens since she wasn’t their Archon any more, but even then the two of them could only agree on a discount, and yet all the conflicted feelings the undeserved, preferential treatment made her feel, vanished into thin air while she observed you, a small smile making its way onto her face when your eyes widened the moment they skimmed over the parfait section.

“Looks like you made your decision”, she joked as you got startled by the sound of her voice, your face turning red as you avoided eye-contact.

“No, I was just wondering why they were selling parfaits in a cafe like this. I doubt there’s any children visiting this place”, you argued back, only for the blue-haired girl's smile to get ever so slightly bigger.

Oh my, what happened to your usual self? Was all it took for you to get self-conscious to be surrounded by strangers in a public place? If so, she was surprised you could walk onto the stage as easily as you did, never so much as showing the slightest hint of nervousness while acting.

“Excuse me, could I have two parfaits please”, she asked the server passing by, only to receive a nod of acknowledgement before they wrote something down.

“Didn’t you already order something?”, was all you had to ask, the slightest hint of teasing in your voice, only for Furina to give you a small smile in return.

“Just demonstrating how easy it can be to pick something. Did it help?”

When she saw you struggle not to smile at her comment, she couldn’t help but congratulate herself by taking a sip of her drink and before she knew it, you had finally managed to order a drink, only for her second order to arrive merely moments after you had done so. Without saying a word, she slid one of the two desserts over to you before quickly making up an excuse to appease your mind.

“I may have ordered a bit too much for myself, would you mind sharing?”

When you finally finished your act of reluctantly accepting the food and took your first bite, only to throw any semblance of ego out of the window as you practically began melting in front of her the second your spoon made contact with the inside of your mouth. It was then that Furina caught herself shamelessly staring at you, ignoring her own food entirely as her stomach was filled with butterflies at the sight of how happy you were. It was cute, there was no use in calling it anything else anymore, and the thought that you were this happy just because of her filled her with an indescribable feeling. Sure, there had been many times she inspired positive feelings in others, but never before in her entire life was it anyone she considered close, so knowing she could make your days a little brighter with small deeds like these gave her hopes that she wasn’t completely without a purpose in life.

She hadn’t even noticed her mouth slightly opening before your voice had brought her back to reality, instantly causing her to turn away as her face heated up.

“Do I have something on my face?”, you asked, only for Furina to try her best at playing it off, nervously piecing her response together word for word until she had found something workable, something that allowed the day to continue for a little bit longer before you eventually had to part ways.

As time went on, both of you began to care less and less about the big show on your doorstep, you had spent more time than anyone reciting your lines, learning them until you knew them better than their author, studied your choreography until you were certain you would be able to seamlessly perform your roles even in pitch-black darkness and were instead spending most of your time together doing what you wanted, already having practiced everything there was...

Well, there was one more scene left for the two of you to rehearse. One you two had procrastinated on for weeks. Was it because it was the final scene in the play or because the longer Furina got to know you, the more nervous she became whenever it got closer. You had miraculously avoided having to rehearse it with the others around, Furina bluffing her way out of it by telling the director doing so was just a waste of time, since it only required the two of you and you had practiced it often enough in private for there to be any need. The whole discussion was embarrassing, but far less mentally scarring than it would have been if she hadn’t said anything.

That being said, today was the last chance to rehearse it, and while neither of you had any problems with anything up until now, you could see her grow more and more tense with every word you spoke.

“I have many regrets in my life, whether one of my many mistakes and shortcomings, or moments in which I stood and watched while I should have acted. I chose to follow you, even though it meant I’d see many of those I treasured the most leave without saying their goodbyes. I fought with you at least as often as I fought by your side, often facing death head on, and still I wear more scars on my heart than on my body”, you spoke with an aura of certainty, one that forced people to listen whether they wanted to or not, your voice was strict as if lecturing someone yet still carried a hint of gratitude, one getting more noticeable once your face softened, “And yet, if I were given the chance to go back in time and change things, I wouldn’t. Because no matter how much misery this path I took led me to, it also allowed me to stay by your side, something I wouldn’t trade for anything this world has to offer.”

“Why?”, Furina asked in a tone that was as soft as it was confused, only for you to smile in response, one, while amused in nature, still shined as radiantly as a stagelight.

“Because I love you.”

Furina was a masterful actress, being able to come up with suitable responses on the go and, with the exception of a few cases, never breaking character. And yet, even though she knew fully well what the script intended for you to do, when you started to slowly lean in, she just couldn’t do it, shutting her eyes in embarrassment as her face turned red enough to match a tomato.

“I-I’m sorry, I can’t!”, she practically screamed in your face, only to immediately apologize, feeling herself shrinking as she wished for nothing more than to sink through the floor. And yet, her wish wasn’t granted, and instead she found herself still standing in front of you the next time she opened her eyes, just in a far more pathetic manner than previously.

When Furina looked up at your face however, the shocked look on your face spoke more than a million words, your questions being so clearly on display that they might as well just be written all over your forehead.

“No problem, I’m sure it must be awkward to do this with a friend, even if it’s just for show… Ah, just imagine someone else, like a-... celebrity you had a crush on… or a cardboard cut-out of yourself”, you tried to lift the mood with a small joke, barely managing to raise the corners of your lips yourself when you saw her still worried face.

“I-... never did this before”, Furina murmured out, barely loud enough for it to be intelligible, and yet, you picked up on it, immediately raising your eyebrows.

“Kiss someone for a play?”, you asked, only for the former Archon to shake her head, her face turning a deep red as you saw her struggle to speak.

“Kiss… someone.” It shouldn’t be such a big deal, she spent the last 500 years playing the role of the Archon of Fontaine, never as much as making a single meaningful human connection, so her not having a slither of romantic experience was nothing surprising. Kissing anyone else for a play also wouldn’t have been that difficult, since Furina was sure she’d be able to enter her professional mode and just see it as a normal part of her career, and yet, with you, she found the task almost insurmountable, her heart beating with such ferocity and pace that it was a wonder you couldn’t hear it while she grew so nervous that it became difficult to breathe whenever you said or did anything romantic… even if it was clearly just part of the script.

“Oh”, was all you managed to say, a downcast expression setting on your face for a split second before it quickly vanished, replaced with an apologetic smile. “I’m very sorry I have to be your first, I’m sure you’d want to save it for someone special, but considering we don’t have any rehearsals until the show anymore we have to practice the scene today”, you stated only for worry to once again fill your mind when Furina didn’t seem to react at all, simply having shut her eyes while taking deep breaths, only to suddenly spring in action the moment you opened your mouth to say something once again, pressing her lips against yours with such determination that it took you completely off-guard, before eventually pulling away.

“There’s no one else I’d want to give my first kiss to more than you”, Furina spoke, having summoned enough courage to finally speak again, although her voice was still somewhat shaky. It took you a few moments to finally comprehend what was happening, although by the time you did, she had already started her next sentence.

“I love you. I don’t know for how long, but I know why. I love to make you smile, I love to hear your laugh. I love that you didn’t judge me no matter how arrogant and overly brazen I can be from time to time or no matter what a mess I am outside of acting. Without you my only interactions would either be for work or with the shop owner. I’ve learned and experienced so much these past few months, and I know it wouldn’t have been possible on my own. You confide in me so much, and I wish for nothing more than to finally start doing the same, but I still can’t bring myself to do it when there’s just the smallest possibility of us not seeing each other again once this play is done. So will you please tell me how you feel so I can put either my wishes or fears to rest?”

Now that Furina voiced her feelings, she felt herself deflate like a balloon, all of her summoned courage leaving her body as she started to squirm at how cheesy she sounded, but before she could fall into old habits and start looking for an escape, she was brought back to reality by the feeling of her hands being taken into yours, causing her to look up for a split-second, one long enough for you to give her your answer by placing your lips on her’s.

“Was that enough to get my feelings across, Furina?” The moment the words left your mouth, Furina embraced you in a hug, holding onto you as if her life depended on it before you quickly put your arms around her as well, only for the sound of her sobbing to cause a mixture of worry and confusion to flare up inside of you. Just as you were about to comfort her however, you were interrupted by a giggle, faint at first but growing louder until Furina was laughing to herself in between her tears, her lips curled into a genuine smile as she pulled back and looked you in the eyes, her own slightly puffy.

“We can celebrate later, we still have a scene to practice.”

#genshin x reader #genshin impact #furina x you #furina #furina x y/n #furina x reader

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cometomecosette · 1 year

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"Les Misérables" musical character interpretations: Fantine

As usual, these three characterizations are all based on performances I've seen, either in person or filmed. They can also be, and often are, combined with each other to create still more characterizations. For example, Anne Hathaway's Oscar-winning Fantine in the film version is basically "the Ingénue," but with a distinct undertone of "the Fighter." And none of them are precisely Hugo's Fantine. I'd say that they all represent aspects of the character as Hugo wrote her, and that the ideal Fantine would blend all three of them, as the occasional actress does.

I'd like to thank @quarryquest for sending me the Fantine chapter of her book on the stage history of Les Mis just as I was in the middle of writing this. It provided excellent insights.

The Lady

This Fantine, in the words of Victor Hugo, displays “a serious and almost austere dignity.” At the beginning, her dress and hair are as neat, clean, and pretty as factory work allows, and her bearing is strikingly graceful and refined. She clearly once knew a better, more elegant life before her lover abandoned her. This sets her apart from the rough, uneducated factory folk who surround her, and at first, she might seem slightly cold and haughty in her distance from them, which no doubt contributes to how quickly they turn on her. But “I Dreamed a Dream” earns all our sympathy as she sings of her lost happiness, while in “Lovely Ladies” she moves us further by slowly sacrificing all her elegance for her daughter. Yet she never loses her core of pride and dignity. While this Fantine has as much raw anguish as any other, she tries to hide it from her oppressors under a brave face. Though she might reach the verge of tears several times, she’ll rarely let herself cry. When the moment of selling her body arrives, she’ll swallow her grief and fear with the drink she’s given, and offer a firm, resolute hand to her first customer. Her “Come on, captain…” is sultry, but not drunk or grotesque; instead, her hard, cold tone evokes Hugo’s description of the fallen Fantine as having “turned to marble.” Her rejection of Bamatabois will be calm and businesslike until he turns violent, and when “Monsieur Madeleine” approaches her, she’ll express her anger with head held high, making it clear that she sees him as no better than herself. This Fantine is a gemstone that’s thrown into the mud of the streets, but never breaks.

The Ingénue

This is a warmer, softer Fantine than the Lady, and whether the actress is twenty-five or forty, she’ll probably seem younger too. This characterization keeps in mind that Fantine’s name means “childlike” and that her “tragic flaw” in her past was her naïveté. Despite being an abandoned mother, she hasn’t entirely lost that naïveté at first. Her air of gentle innocence is what sets her apart from the other, more worldly factory folk, and throughout the factory scene she’ll be frightened and brutally shocked by the cruelty she faces. Then “I Dreamed a Dream” will overflow with anguish, and likely with tears too. With just cause, this Fantine is more prone to tears than any other. More than the loss of her dignity, the tragedy of “Lovely Ladies” is the loss of her innocence, which dies once and for all when she accepts her first prostitution client, crying or trembling with fear as she does so. What comes next will depend on whether the director thinks the “Old men, young men…” verse contains a time skip or not. If not, then this Fantine will be awkward and nervous on “Come on, captain…” still all too new to her profession. But if so, then she’ll reenter heartbreakingly transformed: staggering drunk, crudely flaunting her body, utterly disheveled and broken. Either way, she rejects Bamatabois out of rash fear, then claws at his face in rash, animalistic rage. Abuse and misery reduce this vulnerable young woman to behaving like a cornered stray dog or cat. Yet through it all, there’s never a doubt that her heart remains pure and tender, because everything she endures is for the sake of her little girl.

The Fighter

This is the grittiest Fantine. Her portrayal reminds us that Hugo’s Fantine was an orphan who grew up on the streets and that he describes her as having “fierce courage.” This is a passionate, determined woman who boldly stands up to her oppressors and who battles all obstacles to provide for her daughter. Like the Lady, she values and defends her dignity, but hers is a stolid, down-to-earth working-class dignity, not aristocratic grace. In “At the End of the Day,” she’ll protect her letter from the Factory Girl with the fierceness of a mother bear, and her self-defense to the Foreman will be firm and simmering with frustration. Her “I Dreamed a Dream” will also be angry as well as anguished and yearning, and in “Lovely Ladies,” the chief tragedy will be that despite her valiant efforts to stay “above the water,” poverty pulls her under anyway. Her prostitution sequence may or may not be drunken, but it will most definitely be hard, brash, and filled with biting rage. In her bitterness, this fallen Fantine will recall Jean Valjean as a convict before the Bishop’s mercy, and when she confronts him about her firing, she’ll stop just short of attacking him. None of this means she lacks vulnerability or deep, heartbreaking sadness; like any Fantine, she has them in spades. But the way she combines them with strength and anger make her a more complex figure than other Fantines, and arguably, it makes the gentleness of her deathbed scene especially poignant. There, for the first time, we fully see the motherly tenderness that lies beneath her fire, and which has motivated her struggles all along.

More comparisons to come!

#les mis #les miserables #fantine #musical #characterizations #comparison #tw: violence #tw: prostitution #tw: death

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princess-geek · 7 months

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"The Hollywood Theatre"

Duke of Holly (Thomas Hunt) x Lady Alexandra Spencer (Alex Spencer)

Thomas Hunt, the Duke of Holly, returns to England after years living abroad.

He is outrageously rich and fairly handsome, despite having already passed the thirty-year-old barrier. Among the ton was a universally accepted truth that a man of his wealth and status should look for a wife. The ton tried to tempt him; however, neither debutantes nor spinsters nor widows seemed to please him. In fact, he rarely appears at social events.

According to gossip, the fault lay with a French opera singer named Yvonne, whom he had followed all over the world and who broke his heart by marrying an American merchant.

Only one thing seemed to spark any kind of passion in him: the opera.

In a great declaration of love for that art, he buys the old "Wood Theatre" in London, restoring it. The newspapers dubbed it "The Hollywood Theatre".

Determined to make his theatre a reflection of "The Palais Garnier", the duke hires artists from all over the world, administering it with rigour and discipline. Of all the rules, there's one he's especially strict about: romance, only on stage. Falling in love behind the scenes was a cardinal sin for him.

However, his biggest dream was not yet fulfilled. He had been composing an opera for years - "The Last Duchess". It was finally ready, but there was a major problem - none of the singers he had met so far were the "Duchess" he had imagined on those many sleepless nights.

Despite being told that his criteria were impossible to meet, Thomas was determined to find her, even if it was the last thing he did in his life.

Escaping an arranged marriage and family expectations, Lady Alexandra Spencer arrives in London with a single dream - to become the prima donna.

When she read in the newspaper that "The Hollywood Theatre" was looking for new singers, Alexandra felt it was a sign.

After two days in line, it was finally her turn. Despite being a mess, exhausted from the waiting and the nerves, Alexandra took a leap of faith and changed her repertoire at the last minute, risking everything with “Armide”

Immediately recognizing the opera, Thomas was about to order her to stop. That was a very difficult opera. A girl like her would never make it. It was blasphemy. Notwithstanding, contrary to his first instinct, the Duke listened to her until the end.

She made some mistakes, had some mistakes typical of a beginner, but she sang with an emotion and intensity that touched his soul.

So, to the astonishment of everyone at the theatre, Thomas not only hired her but also gave her the role of the 'Duchess'.

Despite her natural talent, Alexandra lacked the refinement of a diva that the Duke of Holly idealized. Because of her stubbornness in correcting certain so-called "defects", Thomas took charge of the mission to become Alexandra the perfect prima dona.

However, as he learns about Lady Alexandra, or 'Alex' as she insists on being called (despite him finding it a ridiculous name), the Duke of Holly realizes that they are precisely her apparent flaws that make her unique and special among all other singers... and among all other women.

During the intensive months of rehearsals, Alex discovered that behind the mask of the demanding and rational man, there is a sweet and kind heart that rivals any romantic protagonist in operas.

Refusing to be just Thomas' platonic love, Alex prepares to leave London and move to Paris at the invitation of the new director of the " The Palais Garnier", Victor Montmartre.

Will the Duke of Holly follow his heart? Or will he play it safe and spend the rest of his days just living the loves sung in operas?

Dear, @storyofmychoices

I hope you like these silly Thomas and Alex AU headcanons.

They are incredible, and I never get tired of hearing from them. Only someone as special as you could have created them.

#thomas hunt #alex spencer #redcarpetdiaries

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mayariviolet · 11 months

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Hello Team, I have been obsessively following this fanfiction written by the @spiteless-xo for MONTHS! I commented on a couple of songs, and home girl said one day, we'll have a playlist, and I am here to deliver. Also, shout out to @shepnicolo. Please go check out their playlist. It's amazing, heart-wrenching, etc.

Link to The Boys at Work: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44843530/chapters/112829014

As inspired by @shepnicolo I decided to give explanations to each song <3.

NOTE: Basically, this playlist follows chapter by chapter a character's inner monologue as well as fitting into the situation

Yeah, this is the playlist cover I made; what about it?

Side A:

"Dinner and Diatribes" - "I knew it from the first look of mischief in your eyes. Your friends are a fate that befell me. Head is a talking tide. I'd suffer Hell if you'd tell me what you'd do to me tonight."

reader x eren meet for the first time in a club and are literally so horned up that they immediately fall into their own self-destruction just to sleep together. Also, this song is a good introduction to their relationship up until the third arc IMO. I pictured this song mostly from Eren's perspective because he literally is so infatuated with reader that he does not care about anyone else around him.

2. "A Night to Remember" - "I swore I'd seen you before. Underneath the sheets, you enchanted me and whispered sweet nothings in my ear."

Readers' pov of sleeping with Eren bc who wouldn't want to imagine sleeping with Eren also, they LITREALLY slept together after like 24 hours. And Eren would not stop whispering those sweet nothings to reader trying to get them to be obsessed with him (it worked)

3. "The Party & The After Party" - "High heel shoes make you six feet tall. Everybody wants you; you can have them all."

In chapter three, I pictured this song switching between Jean and Eren's perspectives after the truth or dare game. It was mostly Eren because he was doing the absolute MOST during that game. Also, Jean literally being so insecure and jealous that this chapter is so Abel-coded.

4. "D.D" - "I've been here times before, but I was too Blind to see that you seduce every man. This time, you won't seduce me."

Dirty Diana could be either Reader x Eren or Jean x Pieck, depending on your feelings. Pieck is more of the embodiment of D.D., considering she was trying so hard to seduce Jean (lowkey worked, though...) Eren x Reader did sleep together, though so #win

5. "Dress" - "Even in my worst lies, you saw the truth in me"

The foreshadowing here hehe... ifykyk (see the bathroom scene in chapter 3)

6. "Kill Bill" - "I'm so mature, I'm so mature, I got me therapist to tell me there's other men, but I don't want none, I just want you."

Reader is insane, and this is how I pictured what she was thinking when Pieck crashed her lunch date...

7. "Double Take" "You're my vice, you're my muse"

Hmm this song read to me as Jean to the reader especially since the whole song goes back and forth between liking someone as a friend but that 'what if' that lingers in the background.

8. "Die For You - Remix" - "Even though we're goin' through it, and it makes you feel alone (no, no), Just know that I would die for you."

Eren doesn't know it yet, but he does act like he would die for the reader (especially in all of the scenes @ the point). Also, the reader is so attached to venting to Eren is crazy to me like she is obsessed no matter what she says...

9. "The Morning- "All that money, the money is the motive"

I thought of the chapter where Eren comforts the reader about everything at work. Yes, I know money isn't her only motivation (mostly pride), but having financial security is just a metaphor for her lack of security in her relationships. She works like she has something to prove to Eren and Jean and herself.

10. "Talk"- "I won't deny I've got in my mind now (hey, yeah) all the things I would do. So I try to talk refined for fear that you find out (hey, yeah) How I'm imagining you."

Eren has to control himself around the reader so he doesn't freak her out with how badly he wants her is just so <3. HE IS TRYING TO CHANGE TEAM!

11. "Work Song" -"Nothing in her room but an empty crib."

Ifykyk (the end of Eren Fucking Yeager). Like y'all know damn well Hozier wasn't talking about a room he was talking about her pu- and Eren furnished that room with a crib TWICE

12. "The Hills" - "When I'm fucked up, that's the real me, babe...Who are you to judge?"

This song encapsulates the end of Eren x Readers' relationship, especially in the chapter 'Shameless' when the reader calls out Eren's shitty behaviour and the fiasco that occurs after pushing her to Jean. This song (to me) directly challenges the reader to start thinking about who is she to judge in all of their interactions with Eren and Jean?

13. "Super Rich Kids" - "Too many white lies and white lines...I'm searching for a real love."

This is an obligatory Frank Ocean song for Jean because he starts telling the reader his true feelings. His life as a rich kid has been fulfilling, but at what cost? He only had vapid interactions with those around him until he grew up later.

14 "Stargirl Interlude" - "I shouldn't cry, but I love it Starboy"

it's a sex song. But the tone completely shifts after this. Looking at it deeper reader knows that being with Jean shouldn't feel like constantly crying or in pain. Jean (who is so Abel-coded) knows this which we can see in the lyric where The Weeknd says "I just want to see you shine 'cause you know you are a star girl".

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

this is the mixtape cover i made btw <3 thank u canva!

Side B:

15. "Fire and Desire" - "Tell me should I cut these other girls out of my life cause we never decided"

These two (I am including Star Girl interlude) are together because they (Jean x Reader) are both. so. horny. But the fact they literally cannot decide what they are is so infuriating (but way too realistic trust me I know). So horny sex music and sad yearning for them both.

16. "Easy"- "Love don't come easy, it don't come easy"

This song captures the conversation between Eren and Armin, especially when Armin tells Eren that all his feelings are valid but complicated and that love doesn't come easy. Also translates to how frustrating it is for reader to prove to Jean that she loves him, they're both realizing that it's hard to love.

17. "Feelings" - "I over-communicate and feel too much. I just complicate it when I say too much."

Literally reader being so overwhelmed with everything and turning to sex in order to communicate how she's feeling is insane to me but no matter what she says to Jean it's never enough. Just really listen to the song... trust...

18. "Maroon" - "The burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me and how the blood rushed into my cheeks; so scarlet it was maroon."

This entire song is about Jean and readers break up. Especially how he always brings up Eren's shirt and the cheap wine being exchanged on their lips.

19. "Complicated" - "Tell me, why do you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like somebody else gets me frustrated"

Reader's inner monologue when is FINALLY AND RIGHTFULLY thinking about how Jean always complicates things (she is not entirely blameless obvi.) She is reflecting on whether or not this is. the same Jean she's been friends with for years.

20. "Broken Clocks" - "I've paid enough of petty dues. I've had enough of shitty news"

I really appreciated the readers' mental health arc. <3 Like YAS try not to pay attention to these bums girl and fix yourself! Even though she becomes self-destructive again. True SZA energy.

21. "Unknown / Nth" - "Do you know, I could break beneath the weight Of the goodness, I still carry for you. That I'd walk so far just to take the injury of finally knowing you."

Andrew, how is the reader supposed to sha la la in these trying times? Anyway, this song is Jean thinking about how much he loves the reader and that because he knows her so well, he KNOWS how much he can hurt her. Also, it could be read from the perspective of Eren, loving reader to the point he steps back from her so that she is happy. (Especially the latest chapter where he says he would have still fallen for her in university and he thinks that she would still love him either way </3)

22. "Godspeed" - "Still, I'll always be there for you, I let go of my claim on you..."

JEAN SAYING TO EREN THAT HE CAN HAVE READER, AND BOTH OF THEM ESSENTIALLY LETTING HER CHOOSE BY NOT TALKING TO HER, MADE ME SICK! THEY WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR HER, BUT THEY CAN'T BE WHAT SHE NEEDS EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE WHO SHE WANTS </3

23. "Midnight Rain" - "All of me changed like midnight rain"

Okay, I know this is written from the perspective of a girl prioritizing her career over their relationship but this is so JEAN-coded! READER WANTED COMFORTABLE BUT HE WANTED THAT PAIN! He is a sick fuck.

24. "Bug Like an Angel" - "Sometimes. a drink feels like family."

The sparkling fruit wine that Reiner said was a cheap gift (a reflection of the shallow relationship reader x jean had). The back and forth between how reader drinks their coffee/tea and the loss and gain of familiarity. Yeah.

25. "Champagne Problems" - "How evergreen, our group of friends. Don't think we'll say that word again."

When there are two friend group breakups in this fan fic </3. Also, this song speaks for itself. Jean was never ready, so he had to watch the reader leave. Jean also has an ABDUNDANCE of champagne problems he has to sort out (hopefully soon, King).

26. "Tolerate It" - "I know my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it."

The way Jean, no matter what he does, never openly celebrates readers' love is sick. She literally waits at the door for him to accept her love. No matter where she is, whatever circumstances, she idolizes him and waits on whatever he says, hoping he will outwardly say and do something that shows her that he loves her. </3

27. "Right Where You Left Me" - "And you're sitting in front of me. At the restaurant, when I was still the one you want... Everybody moved on."

Yeah, tell me that isn't reader literally yearning at the restaurant when Jean completely ignored her to stroke his ego with Pieck. He wanted her so badly but was so scared. Everyone moved on from that instance, but she felt like a part of her died. Even when he broke up with her in a heartless way, she stayed thinking about that situation.

28. "Francessca" - "Da-, Darlin', I would do it again (ah-ah, ah-ah) If I could hold you for a minute. Da-, Darlin' I'd go through it again."

LAST SONG!!! In my opinion, this is an accumulation of the reader, Jean and Eren's internal monologue. I think they would endure their ups and downs if it meant they could be together again. ESPECIALLY EREN!!! I mean, this song is based on that couple immortalized in Dante's Inferno who were put in hell for literally being in love.

Okay, if you have read this far, thank you. I love you. Thank you, @spiteless-xo, for giving me something to look forward to every Tuesday <3.

#tbaw #spitelessx0 #erenyeager #jean kirstein #eren yeager x reader #jean kirstein x reader #aot x reader #aot fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #spotify playlist #hozier #theweeknd #taylorswift #mitski #ao3fic #ao3feed #Spotify

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kalolasfantasyworld · 2 months

Note

Chapter 6 time~!

Nozel's aura was brilliantly captured! There was the art at the end of the previous chapter but this prose description makes it better!

Okay about this confrontation... At first, I thought that Helena squaring up against Nozel only to immediately stand down when he points out her faux pas of undermining him in front of his squad was rushed. But then I re-read the scene and was like "wait yeah. It works actually. Helena is socially adept and since she's not nearly as proud as the Silvas (she has a little pride, just not as much as our favorite dysfunctional siblings), she would be able to bring herself to step down in this specific scenario.

Helena then gets her chance to blow up with range once in the privacy of her guest room at least! The pillow scream... Girl! 😫 (Might just be me but I find screaming into pillows makes me stress worse, might have something to do with running out of air while my mouth and nose are covered. But at least it works for Helena.)

Helena's back and forth thoughts are funny. I don't know why. "I lowkey insulted him" but then "he straight up insulted me" but also "oof, I went to his base without permission." Not emotionally constipated the way some canon characters are. Maybe emotional indigestion? Upset tummy for the heart. ... No that sounds silly.

Man, Helena is lucky that her stuff wasn't moved from where she left them. If this wasn't a cool down chapter, that stuff would be gone and she would have to tear the castle inside out to find them again. And for the sketchbook. I don't remember if she left it open but if not, um, yikes. Don't know how she's able to brush off the thought of someone looking into her private property and seeing her art, but if it was me and my little writing journal, I'd honestly just go back to my home country. That's how touchy and embarrassed I am of my own creative work. (You shudder at the thought of your family reading your stuff and yet you post online for strangers? Soda, make it make sense.)

Hours later? The same spot?! Oooooh, I hope Helena was doing regular back stretches during the scene break or it's gonna be a back back for her./lh

“I knew I’d find you here,” Nozel said "No you didn't, you just searched literally every other room in the castle until the library was the last place left," I snarkily remarked in a weird attempt to make a joke out of his arrival.

When Nozel comes to talk, it feels less like Nozel being the bigger person in the situation, and more like him establishing a baseline of respect. More professional in line with his role as captain (which Helena kinda points out) then a personal exchange... Nozel was thinking "Do not show emotional vulnerability. Do not show emotions, period. Don't show anything except the aura of authority." Also, I'm seeing that this will be the starting point of Helena calling Nozel "captain" as a tease.

Aw, I like the detail about the way the Silva siblings interact at the table. Solid and Nebra telling stories (they may not be nice to Noelle but they are the bold/outgoing type so being prone to regaling their missions to others feels fitting) and Nozel being the big brother and keeping the details firmly in reality when need be.

Man, you're being a lot nicer to the Silva garden than I've been. I've never written about it but the thoughts in my brain tend to characterize it as beautiful but sterile because none of the Silvas were invested in the garden and thus the castle as a whole didn't do much with it. It's only until after Helia (or Briar) enters the family that the garden gets revived and the Silva siblings also show more active interest. But you make it out to be elegantly maintained with a refined charm that Helena appreciates.

And now we have the set up for chapter seven. A banquet. Lots of eating and talking and mostly talking because fictional politics~! 😆

Overall, a good chapter with resolution from last chapter's cliffhanger, slowly calming the sour impressions between Nozel and Helena, and generally just cooling down from the action before we pick up for a big event.

Hi!

Thank you! I really tried with that description. Well the art was more of a joke, because my friend said that he's as scary as the Groke from moomins... So many things start from jokes 😂

Yup it really works well, that she realises she was at fault here. Especially since she wouldn't want anyone undermining her authority. Helena sticks closely by the rule don't act towards others the way you wouldn't want them to act towards you.

She was still very frustrated and yeah the pillow scream. She was taught as a part of Royal upbringing to control herself, but since she's an emotional person she needs to blow off the steam from time to time.

Chapter six was the moment for me when Helena started "feeling" much more like Helena. Aka she started being funny, those back and forth thoughts are an example. But yes she's connected with her feelings. Helena is not the one to be stuck in denial for a long time, she'd rather confront most her problems (contrary to some other characters...).

She probably didn't leave the sketchbook open. And the thing about that library no one really goes there. Just servants come from time to time to clean up. Well no one except for Nozel.

So you might have not noticed since you were surprised, but he actually knew that he would find her there. There was this one moment I think in chapter 4, I would need to look back, when she's sitting in the library and someone tries to open the door, but then leaves. And in the last chapter Nebra and Solid mentioned that he likes to work there. I suppose the library was one of my first headcanons for Nozel, that he needs a quiet place to himself.

And back to the previous comment, yeah there were certainly some stretches 😂 I just wasn't bothered to write that.

You're completely right Nozel is certainly not the bigger person in this situation. Helena isn't either. They're both quite petty actually. It was just establishing some rules in order to live "peacefully" and not rub the other the wrong way.

But yes this is also the moment when Helena starts feeling more comfortable and she begins to joke. Captain started as a normal "captain" later it changed a bit more into an authority kink 😂

Yay I'm so happy you enjoyed the fact that the dinner conversations are happeining. I actually genuinely worried at first that people would be mean saying ohhh they're too big assholes to act this way, but I thought they cared about one another and in BC we simply saw Noelle's perspective, who they bullied. Since Helena is "on their level" with her Royal status and they established the connection through Acier, she kind of started becoming "one of their own" so as you pointed out, as the more outgoing types they start babbling. I mean Solid has to brag. And yes Nozel won't tell stories, but specifying details is alright. Watching over the young ones.

So for the Silva gardens I headcanon that Acier used to adore them. We saw her pregnant self sitting on the porch and overlooking them. So naturally I assumed that Nozel would make sure to assign staff to maintain them. They are still "pristine", "geometrical" and "sophisticated". There is not much life or color or life to them, but they're pretty and Helena can appreciate them. Besides more than the gardens themselves she enjoys the emotions they give her. Helena herself may not be the gardener. She actually doesn't like getting dirty. However the Drazel familia has close ties to the nature. In the first chapter I described briefly the extent of their gardens, but they are a special place.

And let's not forget the siblings don't bother with taking care of the gardens.

Thank you! Hah I honestly would disagree with calling this slowly considering my normal "slow burn" approach, but I was very impatient with getting to the "good part" aka merging with the BC story line. So the scenes in these chapters are quite short compared to how I write now and a lot of time passes in between, when not much changes except the siblings and Helena getting used to one another.

Thank you for your comment 💕 They made my day ^^

#Erika's thoughtful remarks ⭐️#Erika 💕#paper hearts

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queenofthursday6599-blog · 6 months

Text

Maybe it's just because I'm not looking hard enough, but I am somewhat disappointed that no one in the tumblr Fraggle Rock fandom has come up with a Fraggle Actor AU yet.

Like I have yet to see a single post bringing up the idea of a Fraggle Actor AU, and i've been perusing the variations of Fraggle Rock related tags for literal days now.

So I'm making one myself.

Also this is extremely long, and kind of disjointed because I'm writing this at 9 at night, and also just trying to get as much of this AU down as possible in one go. I can refine it later.

Just a warning to anyone who actually wants to look at it.

So anyways the root of the AU is the crossover Fraggle Rock has with the Muppets and Sesame Street in A Muppet Family Christmas.

Within the actual canon of the crossover, it's more likely than not that Fraggle Rock acts as a kind of magical liminal space between dimensions, linking the various dimensions, and none of the Fraggles are actors within the canon of this crossover.

This AU tosses that hypothetical/implied canon out the window, because A Muppet Family Christmas exists outside of Fraggle Rock canon. Instead having all of the characters within A Muppet Family Christmas being actors, acting out a movie.

Some of the things that happen in Fraggle Rock are influenced by real world events within the Actor AU.

Like Red breaking her ankle and being unable to move around for filming multiple episodes, so there's multiple episodes with a subplot of "Red is injured and can't do X Thing, so what do we do to get around that". All of those episodes were filmed when she was injured, but were spaced out.

Red breaking her ankle is canon within the Actor AU, but it didn't break because of the incident that is mentioned/shown (I can't remember if we see her get injured or just hear about it) on the Show Fraggle Rock.

Then there's things that exist in the Actor AU that exist in order to facilitate the idea of Fraggle Rock is a show played by real actors.

Such as Uncle Matt and Gobo not being related in real life, but playing nephew and uncle in the show Fraggle Rock.

Uncle Matt's real nephew is who plays him as young Matt, while Gobo's real dad plays Uncle Gobo and Gobo's younger brother plays child Gobo in the flashbacks.

The core group of fraggles are, within the show of Fraggle Rock, mostly intended to be in their late teens, twenty at the oldest. The actors' ages don't exactly match up with this though.

Mokey's actress for example is 28, when Mokey the show character is supposed to be 20 (oldest of the friend group, but still just starting real adulthood). Red and Gobo's actors are both early 20s and playing 18/19 year olds.

Boober is 17 and the only actor playing his own age. While Wembley's actor is just 15 while Wembley himself is supposed to be closer to 17.

Boober and Wembley both being the only actual teenagers of the group is also why if there's a ship tease for either of their characters, it tends to be with the other's character, or a background character who's also played by another teenager like Lou.

Instead of either of them getting ship teased with Red, Gobo, or Mokey. With the older actors' characters tended to get ship teased with each other, rather than with Boober or Wembley.

Sidebottom is also played by Boober. Though is occasionally brought to life with the use of a body double (parent trap style) when the two characters have to physically interact, rather than just being fully green screened into the same scenes.

None of the fraggle actors' real personalities are identical to who they are in the show, and in some ways they can be pretty dramatically different.

Mokey in the show will often come to a wrong conclusion under the guise of being helpful, and will do something completely unhelpful as a result. Such as leaving Gobo alone in episode one where he actually could have used someone to talk to. Or her extreme forgetfulness.

While Mokey's actress is just as chill as the character she plays, she's not as full on flower child, let me protest eating Doozer buildings when I've never spoken to a Doozer before, well intentioned problem maker. The character she plays can be a bit of a ditz at times, when the real Mokey is more mentally present than that.

For Red and Gobo their arrogance and insensitivity gets pretty massively exaggerated in both of their cases. Sure they're not perfect, but they're not "constantly blaming other people for my mistakes" arrogant and insensitive they can be in the show.

Actors' history/background:

Red's career history:

Red's actress is actually pretty interested in art and stuff in real life, while Red the character finds most art pretty boring.

Red's previously only had one big role in acting before being casted as a main character on Fraggle Rock. Before then she was mainly playing bit parts and doing commercials.

Red started her acting career as an adult, and has been in the business for 4 years when Fraggle Rock starts.

Wembley's career history:

Fraggle Rock is Wembley's first big acting gig, with him only doing commercials and bit work before this.

Wembley is a child actor, and the youngest, so the rest of the main cast is very protective of him. Especially Gobo and Mokey.

Gobo's career history:

Gobo's inexplicable accent is because his actor is Canadian and he's bad at hiding his accent. His whole family is Canadian, but his dad can do various accents, which is why Uncle Gobo has a different accent.

Gobo is a neapo baby, his whole family are actors. Which is why both his dad (who plays Uncle Gobo), and his younger brother (who plays Gobo in childhood flashbacks) also both act in Fraggle Rock.

Gobo did the full child actor thing when he was a little kid (because family buisiness), but stopped when he was around 12 to focus on his music. Only to then return to acting as an adult.

Fraggle Rock is Gobo's first big roll since returning to acting as an adult. Gobo was actually thinking about quitting acting again to focus full time on his music when learning he landed the lead role in Fraggle Rock.

Gobo ends up growing protective of Wembley over the course of filming season 1 of Fraggle Rock. He's just a couple years older than Gobo's own younger brother, and their characters have a very sibling like relationship.

Though Gobo isn't as vigilante about watching over Wembley and being suspicious of people's intentions involving Wembley as Mokey is.

Gobo grew up in the industry, but he also comes from a wealthy family of Hollywood actors who had the money and ability to shield him almost completely from the dark side of Hollywood.

Boober's career history:

Boober's been acting professionally since he was a kid, originally in theater. Starting out when he was about 4 in small local productions in his hometown, but by age 10 he'd manage to land his first role on Broadway.

Boober got scouted for his first tv roll by a producer who saw one of his shows, when he was 13. He spent the next two years doing bit parts for tvs and movies, but still primarily a theater actor, before making the full transition away from stage acting at age 15.

Boober's various past roles are kind of all over the place. The guy has range. Before landing the role on Fraggle Rock where he's the group's anxious stick in the mud he played a pretty wide variety of characters, both on stage and on film.

He's played charming pranksters, and bullies, and shy nerds, and everything in between. Heck one of his previous roles was a female character, and he had to cross dress for it.

Mokey's career history:

Mokey has the longest career in acting of the main five, both because of her age, and because she started off as a baby actress.

Yep, Mokey was tragically an instance of child actor acting as the breadwinner situation. So even though she's only 28, she's been acting for 27 years.

She's been in movies, and tv shows, and commercials. She's had a million bit roles, and lead a number of tv shows and movies.

For her acting in Fraggle Rock was just supposed to be a fun silly project. Her character wasn't supposed to be a main character, but she found in table reads that she enjoyed being Mokey Fraggle so much and being part of Fraggle Rock that her role was expanded into a main character.

Mokey is really protective of Wembley and Boober due to her past as a child actor of parents who weren't at all part of the business. She knows how dangerous of a world acting is for a child, even on wholesome children's shows like Fraggle Rock.

Mokey keeps a close eye on who interacts with her underage cast mates, and more importantly if and when anyone acts strangely around her young cast mates. Or if anyone makes them uncomfortable.

Mokey is not afraid to call parents, report people for misconduct, or go to law enforcement with her concerns if she thinks things aren't being handled.

And she's a big enough star to be able to get away with stuff like that.

#fraggle rock #fraggle rock actor au #because every fandom needs an actor au #“oh it takes the fun and magic out of stuff” fraggles are canonically muppets who are already actors in-universe of the muppets #the fact that I can't find any Fraggle Actor AU stuff is illogical at the very least #Fraggle Actor AU

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moonspirit · 1 year

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For the writer ask game :)

5,6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 21, 27, 29, 35, 37, 39

T_T Annaaaaa thank you T_T

5. Share one of your strengths.

Uh, fluff. Scenes dripping with cheesy fluff because I'm a terribly romantic person xD I think I do a decent job with that.

6. Share one of your weaknesses.

Angst, I think. I mean, I do write it ofc, I sprinkle some light feelings here and there, but I don't think I do a good job with heavy angst, simply because my fics are escapism from real world negativity and bleakness, and so they stay happy.

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Answered here and here :3

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Would you believe me when I say that I haven't even begun to write any of my favorite dialogues yet #_#?? It's true. But still, here's one I like from chapter 3 of VBEOW:

Armin throws an arm around her shoulder as they approach the last of the shops. “Is she wrong though?” He playfully knocks his head with hers. “We are on a date.” She goes quiet, stiff as a board in his half-embrace. “A date you asked me out on,” He sings sweetly. “I thought I’d have to take all the first steps, but here you are Annie, leading–mmph!” Annie slaps a hand over his mouth and he laughs into her palm. “You’re never coming with me again,” She grumbles but releases her hold when he slips the jar of cocoa inside her pockets. “You’re annoying.” “That's upsetting. I thought you liked this,” Armin sighs in mock-disappointment. “What with how you snuggled into me–” Her fierce glower shuts him up but it doesn’t wipe the teasing grin off his face and he ends up stealing a kiss from her lips.

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Oh, definitely TFLM xD Somehow I love it too much haha xD Very close to my heart.

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Two! The first time to refine sentence structure and wording, the second to proofread for errors.

27. How do you feel about collaborations?

Would love to! And Anna, especially with you xD We've already talked about it :3! HIVE MIND UNITE!

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Oh, difficult. I honestly have so many I love way too much, but I consider them all way out of my league haha ._. So I actually don't know, I don't believe I could do justice to any of them with a prequel #_#

35. Would you ever kill off a canon character?

:D Why would you ask this. I'm literally a teddybear, writing teddybear stories. NO! NOBODY'S DYING IN MY FICS!

37. Talk about your current wips.

So I said a little bit here, but I'll say a little more I guess. Chapters 8 and 9 will deal with Annie's uh... struggle/dilemma, Chapter 10 will deal with Armin's POV and his own... struggle. Chapter 11 will be... hahahahahahahaha. But no, this Annie dilemma is probably the most serious one I've written to date and with it, we finally enter into a major subplot in VBEOW.

39. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

So far, none and I'm grateful for that. But if I do in future, I'll simply ignore them if they're rude, and delete them if they get overly toxic.

#ask game #writers ask game #annawayne

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randomvarious · 7 months

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youtube

Kaos - "Top Secret" What? Stuff Song released in 1980. Compilation released in 1990. Punk Rock / Hardcore Punk

Plays: 6.6K+ on Spotify // 8.2K+ on YouTube

Alright, so, in order to fully contextualize this gem, we're gonna have to go all the way back to 1977, because that's the year that saw the release of the Los Angeles punk scene's first ever record, The Germs' iconic and aptly titled "Forming." That little, deeply impactful 7-inch came out on a small, yet ultimately indispensable label called What? Records, which later sold its name to a Christian label and then resumed as Iloki, a Hawaiian-sounding name that didn't mean anything in the Hawaiian language itself, but instead cleverly reflected the attitude of its owner Chris Ashford—"I, low-key"—as he transitioned his business into a surf rock and surf punk outfit.

But long before the name change and soon after that Germs record were a few more seminal LA punk releases by bands that, like the Germs, had also been fixtures at Los Angeles' very first punk rock club, The Masque, too. These were The Dils' "I Hate the Rich," a split 7-inch EP by Eyes, Controllers, and The Skulls called "Don't Talk to Me" / "(The Original) Neutron Bomb" / "Victims," and another 7-inch by Controllers simply titled "Neutron Bomb."

And it's those Controllers who are really key here, because after putting out "Neutron Bomb" in '78 and then another 7-inch in '79 on the Beverly Hills-based Siamese Records called "Slow Boy," they disbanded. Frontman Johnny Stingray had been playing bass in the band for the past year, and while he didn't really mind that, he had also come into possession of a sweet, new Ibanez Les Paul guitar too, and he simply wanted to rock out on that damn thing. So in late '79 he formed a new group called Kaos, which he could lead on both vocals and guitar, and he enlisted his bassist girlfriend, Amy Wichmann, her guitarist pal, Lisa Adams, and on drums was none other than beloved San Jose garage and psych group The Chocolate Watchband's Pete Curry too?!? 😮

1980 would then see Kaos put out their only record, a three-song 7-inch on What? called Product of a Sick Mind, which contained a great second track on it called "Top Secret." And this is one that simply fulfilled Johnny Stingray's wish to be front and center in a band of his own making. Plus, it's a song that, despite turning 44 this year, has still managed to maintain every ounce of the raucous punk rock edge that it originally started with.

And there's really just something about so many of these early punk rock tunes in general, whether they be by The Stooges or MC5 in Detroit who started it all, The Sex Pistols over in the UK, or any of LA's own first wave crop, that just still, remarkably, have this timelessly cool and rebellious sound to them, and I don't think that you can really say the same for too many other genres. I mean, think about other types of music that were once also ridiculed as being infernal, demonic racket: rock & roll, jazz, hip hop; all of their first records, while they might still sound nice, are all so tame and quaint by today's standards. But a whole lot of early punk rock records have not suffered from that same level of tarnishing yet, and at this point, it doesn't really seem like they ever will.

The nice thing about punk rock, as well as its antecedent of garage rock, is that it saw rock music advancing and expanding towards uncharted levels of refined, insufferable snobbery, and it effectively then said, "nah, fuck all that, we're going back to the original spirit of this music, which is that feather-ruffling, rabble-rousing, dangerous type shit." And to its own credit, despite pretty much anyone having the ability to play in a punk band, those early days of punk rock generated some absolute gold that still more than holds up to this very day, and this little song by the ultimately fleeting Kaos, "Top Secret," which doesn't really have very many plays on either Spotify or YouTube, is just one of many.

Also on Spotify, but credited to the Controllers.

And here's a post I made about an Iloki comp that was put out in 1987 and has some really good surf stuff on it too!

#punk #punk rock #hardcore punk #rock #80s #80s music #80's #80's music #music

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biggestbrainidk · 2 years

Text

i may,,, have written a duke x lia fanfic. for context this is set in an au/possible future where duke gets chased out of frame by roist and flees. he ends up at the eresby estate where stuff ensues. enjoy.

[untitled]

Sometimes, in an ill-afforded moment of empathy, Lia thinks that even the rats in the gutter look at the stars.

Some came close once, she knows. There are towers to heaven that are built every day. Some collapse almost immediately: the unaffiliated awakener ground down and destroyed before having a chance to live in this world. Some last for longer, and collapse in a maelstrom of dust and broken wishes: any mistake can bring monuments to ambition crashing down. Some almost touch the stars before they fall.

Thoughts like these don’t come easily to Lia. It’s far easier to ignore the fact that her ladder to the stars was built for her, and that she only has to climb it. The pursuit of power is all she’s ever known, she thinks, and following that path is easier than falling asleep. The people she knows, the leading Awakeners of her generation, are all doing the same, climbing monoliths to reach the remote stars. Some fell away, left that path, took more dangerous, more ruthless craft to the skies.

(And then what? The stars remain as far away as when they’d set off.)

They were thrust into this world too soon, Lia thinks. She remembers those youth-summer days at the Academy, from a time where power was of so little consequence and the stakes only of reputation. Scenes rush through her mind with the wide, careless strokes and vivid colours of an oil painting. A boy standing at ease while his power swells, a roaring surge of crimson and jet-black so massive it almost deafens, drowning the arena in shades of scarlet and rouge. Eyes glittering like garnets, a cold smile, a refined voice; the moment when charm and gentleness are swept away and his speed doubles and the very ground starts to shudder under the weight of so much power. Vignettes streaked with shadow appear too: a body with long dark hair and a gaping wound through the chest– body of a friend, she thinks– and the image of hands bloody, blood flecking, distinctive, on white hair, mirrored in eyes of ruby.

(Later, when Lia sets foot on the first steps of the tower and begins to scale it for herself, she starts to understand.)

That was the kind of man Duke was. So who was this child, who showed up bloody and desperate at the Eresby estate that day, who staggered through the flowerbeds to fall at her feet like a man sending a last, hopeless prayer to his god?

In that moment, Lia saw it: his path to the stars had crumbled when he had yet to reach them.

Over weeks, she learns the truth. The towers fall because the ground they’re built on is wrong. Whether it is the gold-marble halls of Family mansions, or the World Awakened Union’s sterile white training rooms, or the bloodstained castles and forests of Frame– none of them provide stable foundations to touch the stars. What difference is there between Duke, chased out of Frame by a fellow apprentice more vicious than even him, and her, chased towards more and more power, towards Family headship, by siblings one step behind? What difference is there between the open ruthlessness of Frame and the veiled threats of Family politics?

Their world is broken, grotesque, and, stumbling through the dark, they find each other. He is the only real thing Lia has had to hold, growing up in the smoke and mirrors and the illusions and false promises of politics. But behind her now-forsaken inheritance hides a trembling, desperate thirst for freedom. It makes her wonder: was it a noble denial, or terror-fuelled penance?

In any case, with her poster-child facade completely dissolved, she leaves the ugliness of her inherited world behind. She allows a deep compassion to flood her– the first sense of understanding the Awakened world has allowed her.

The inheritance-impoverished days blur into each other– days filled with the burning aftertastes and technicolour-seared impressions of Awakener fights, liquid-gold sunsets, arched windows, torchlight, closed doors, nights entwined in shadow.

(If her shield could arrest fragments of peace in time with a sliver of the ease with which it arrests familiar shards of crimson, they would stay in this moment forever.)

And Lia, awake and wasting the ephemeral night, looks at the boy sleeping beside her. The clouds move, and a shadow falls, as if cast by a monolith just short of heaven, over them.

---

let me know what you think. enjoy this brain fart. apologies if the sentences are too long or incoherent. i did this at night within 2 hours.

#eleceed #eleceed fanfic #duke x lia #dulia #eleceed webtoon #duke grane #lia eresby

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memryse · 3 years

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many thoughts about Scar in Last Life

We all know Scar is one of the standouts of Last Life; he’s always been one of the key players ever since 3rd Life, driving conflicts and shaping the course of the server. His chaotic nature lends itself perfectly to 3rd/Last Life, and he seems to have only refined it in the hiatus between seasons.

In 3rd Life, Scar was more of a subjective villain. From his own perspective and Grian’s perspective, he wasn’t scary at all! The two of them were just having fun and causing problems – sure, they threatened people, but their dumb antics together made them just feel like two friends messing around; their POV was lighthearted until the final session, really. From other perspectives, however (particularly Dogwarts’ POVs), that was not how the two of them came across. They felt malicious, scary in how casually they approached such a bloodthirsty game. They’d laugh as they took lives, showing no care for anybody but themselves – they’d betray their allies in a heartbeat without an ounce of remorse, and the rest of the players knew it. Scar wasn’t someone to fear from his own POV.

Since Last Life began, however, Scar has become very openly malicious. Even watching his own POV, it’s hard to see him as anything but a villain – his own comment section is full of people commenting on how scary he suddenly seems. I want to expand on some of these villainous moments, because holy fuck, Scar.

In session 1, Scar is certainly a prominent figure, but we mostly get to see his classic silly Scar antics. Sure, he plans on “selling souls”, but it feels like the equivalent of his reputation points in S1. We still don’t get the sense of him going full villain arc yet. He allies with Joel and commits a crime, and we all expect another lighthearted Scar scam which definitely does not go to plan.

And that is what happened… sort of. He’s immediately caught by Scott and Pearl, etc etc etc. The two of them cheerfully agree a scheme to try and kill Jimmy, but that casual discussion of murder is as bad as they get.

Session 2, Scar is chosen as one of the two boogeymen, alongside Joel.

Things go decidedly not to plan immediately. The two of them had agreed last session to try and kill Jimmy, and were supposed to be trusting enough to tell each other if they’re the boogeyman – and yet what does Scar do? Immediately try and push Joel into lava. He’d betray Joel without a second thought – already a contrast to 3rdLife, where upon turning red Scar threw flowers at Grian and asked if they could still be friends. He doesn’t succeed, of course, and Scar and Joel realise they’re both boogeymen, before parting ways.

Scar heads to the nether, where he immediately decides to deceive Etho and Bdubs into thinking he’s weak and has no food, so that he can get close to them nonthreateningly or something. I’ll talk about this more later, but here we get to see what a good liar Scar actually is. People want to assume that he’s all bark and no bite, that he’s a schemer who poses no real threat – when Scar plays into this, he can be reallyconvincing.

The next big moment I want to talk about is, of course, Joel’s trap. The first thing to comment on here is that Scar cries “Joel, are you trying to kill your best buddy?!”, and I can’t work out whether this is Scar acting to diffuse suspicion, or genuine surprise that he’d pull the trap when Scar was right there, but either way it definitely has the former effect. None of the Southlanders suspect Scar in the slightest. Until Scar murders Mumbo in a matter of seconds.

What’s really horrifying about this is that Scar had been begging Mumbo to ally with him just last session. And yet here… not only does he go for Mumbo without hesitation, his reaction afterwards is downright chilling. He just laughs, and tells the others “Welcome to Magical Mountain!” – it’s really quite like a movie villain in how little he seems to care. He doesn’t actually say a word about killing Mumbo; again, despite having desperately wanted to ally with him. To Scar, this was nothing more than an opportunity. Or maybe it’s all a show to him. Maybe it’s both. Scar doesn’t actually care about winning this game – to him, it’s more fun to put on as good a show as possible, and drag as many people down with him as possible (which is definitely a “cc!Scar being a good entertainer” thing, but it translates very well into being a LL!Scar character trait too).

He then hands Joel some supplies, and with the exact same level of nonchalance, tells him to go burn Scott and Pearl’s house down. I’m… getting the sense he enjoyed burning down Etho’s castle in 3rdLife.

Not much of note happens during his subsequent conversation with the Southlanders beyond him failing an initiation spectacularly – after this, he heads back to Joel. They chat from opposite ends of a broken bridge, which is quite a poetic scene honestly, representing the gap between their lives, the destruction of their alliance, etc. I’m just here to talk about Scar’s villainous moments, though, so let me point out one specific line from this conversation.

“I did avenge you, to be fair - Mumbo, I burned him to death, which was enjoyable. I heard him cry, so it was- yeah, that was a thing.”

Just… what the fuck, Scar? What? I know he tried to push the “red lives are psychopathic and feel nothing except a small sense of happiness when people die” in 3rd Life, but this was definitely a lie or at least an exaggeration, because 3l!Scar definitely had a much wider range of emotions than that. Either way, here he doesn’t even have the excuse of being a red life; this is just active malice, pure and simple. Bdubs had a similar level of pride in his boogeyman kill, but I never got the sense that he enjoyed it like Scar did.

Scar goes off to visit Scott and Pearl, and figure out whether they have the enchanting table or not. Note the emphasis on simply figuring it out, not actually getting the enchanting table. Here’s where I want to talk about Scar being a great liar: he fully convinces them into thinking that he was willing to trade lives for the enchanting table, and then he convinces them that he’s so desperate to get the table that he’ll lie about Joel burning their house down. The thing is, Scar had no intention of ever getting the table at that moment – he wasn’t going to trade lives for it to begin with. He’d try his luck at threatening them, but nothing more. He got exactly what he wanted out of that situation: proof. Meanwhile, Scott and Pearl were left believing they’d outwitted him, that they’d called his bluff and bullied him into leaving. They never saw his true intentions, never saw him as an actual threat. Scar is much smarter than people believe, which only makes him all the more threatening.

And finally, he goes on to prove this intelligence even further. He figures out that Scott and Pearl planned to trade for the enchanting table simply by seeing Scott ask Lizzie if she’s home in chat. He then goes to visit Lizzie, and she tells him she declined their offer. What’s notable about this scene is how much less belligerent Scar is than usual: he readily accepts what Lizzie says for once in his life and leaves without being too annoying about it. He later talks about lulling the others into a false sense of security, letting them think he’s not after the enchanting table anymore; that makes me think his visit to Lizzie was purely to confirm that the offer was even made, and he’s now certain that she accepted it. It’s not hard to work out, especially if he noticed her life count.

So, all in all, if you’re not scared of Scar in Last Life, you most definitely should be.

Did I forget to mention he’s currently tied for the highest life count on the server?

#last life smp #goodtimeswithscar #smallishbeans #mumbo jumbo #ldshadowlady #scott smajor #pearlescentmoon #bdoubleo100 #ethoslab #(all tagged are discussed in the post)#mae analyses

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blzzrdstryr · 3 years

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Generous offering

Yandere!Zhongli x gn!Fatui Harbinger!reader

Wordcount:1843

CW:Yandere themes

There are several simple things one should know before dealing with the archons - be respectful and polite, speak only when you’re allowed to and most importantly - never forget that archons aren’t humans.

The first two rules are instinctive - it’s natural for humans to simper and bow before the forces far greater than them, while the latter is not; on the contrary it’s counterintuitive and unexpected. People tend to project, tend to humanize - they see kindness when there’s none and make a huge mistake of assuming that archons see things the way they see it.

Tsaritsa, for example, lacks humanity, despite holding the title of Goddess of Love. The love that she holds for you is different from love mothers and fathers give to their children, or love that young sweethearts share at night, it’s cold and impersonal and undeniably cruel.

Tsaritsa says that she loves all of you and she loves Snezhnaya, yet she lashes out a harsh and gruelling punishments at every perceived failure and rules her land with an iron fist, one would think that the cryo archon is a liar and a hypocrite, who uses pretty, flowery words to hide the atrocities she commits, but this perspective is flawed. Tsaritsa loves all of you and she loves Snezhnaya, she’s just not human enough to properly express this.

That’s why it’s a bit jarring to see the ancient lord of these lands in his mortal form - he lacks the same otherworldly terror and grandiose that every of Tsaritsa’s move and word carry, yet he also possesses the air of wisdom and elegance so refined that rare person can reach it. It’s easy to assume that he’s human.

Rex Lapis, or “Zhongli” as he calls himself now invites you to the Liuli pavillion the second day after your arrival, for tea and local cuisine as he says, and who are you to decline a God?

Liuli staff hurries and dashes around, preparing their best room for you - Fatui are known for their seemingly endless finances, no wonder they’re in haste. “Please make yourself comfortable, dear guests”, the waiter curtsies and leads you to the dining room, which happens to be richly furnished and decorated with high-quality darkwood furniture and the hand painted wall panels further accentuating the luxury of the restaurant.

One of these panels illustrate different scenes from the Liyuen mythos - a battle of mighty and wise adepti against the horde of demons, Rex Lapis aiding his people in building the Harbour and the most spectacular one - a majestic dark brown dragon with golden fur and feathers descending to the devoted worshippers, who in turn present him with their offerings and gratitude.

He orders tea and meals for both of you, as you start to converse about the plan that he is determined to bring into life - the so-called test of Liyue, and the guarantee of you obtaining his gnosis.

“And what about your colleague?”, he sips a bit of his tea, intense amber eyes piercing right through you. He looks both human and non-human in this moment, both undeniably mortal softness and frailty seen in his figure and the barely concealed divinity, the sense of awe slowly seeping into air mixing in one person.

“And what about him? Tsaritsa and you have negotiated everything beforehand, I will make sure that he plays his part properly”, he hums at your answer, lowering his gaze deep in thought. You start on your own tea.

Ah, Childe, if only he knew why exactly he’s here - a distraction and a scapegoat. You even feel bad for him - it’s truly unfair to be lied to by your own Goddess. However, it’s also not a big surprise - Childe is the loudest out of all Harbingers in all senses. Infamous for his skills and battle obsession, his name is enough to have people both shivering in fear and cursing him.

“What do you think of your archon? Was serving her of any use to you?”Rex Lapis unexpectedly asks.

You lean back in your seat, thinking what to say.

“Tsaritsa is a gentle soul, she declared war only to protect us, her subjects and I am ready to aid her in whatever undertaking she starts”.

“Will you continue to serve Tsaritsa, if her action might put you in danger, make you suffer and bring unnecessary grief?”, he leans closer to you, his human features distorting enough to reveal the ancient dragon sleeping inside. His eyes shine a cold golden glow and accurate fingernails morph into sharp, dark claws.

“Yes”, you breathe out, mesmerized and terrified by the sudden change: “Her love knows no bounds, yet she always puts the needs of the nation before anyone else. If my suffering can help Snezhnaya, then I will accept it with open arms”, he moves back at your answer, all draconic traces gone in an instance, upper corner of his lips subtly rising - whatever you said must’ve pleased him immensely.

The conversation flows back into the territory of plans to be realized, yet the cold sensation of dread still clings to you, your gut feeling yelling at you to get up and run. You remain seated to the end of your meeting, politely conversing with the God that terrifies you.

***

Days slowly grow into weeks and Childe acts just as you have expected - the Eleventh Harbinger might be smart, yet even he wouldn’t be able to see what two of you are scheming. Still, you request Ekaterine, a spy you planted in Northland bank, to keep you updated on the Tartaglia’s actions - extra caution never hurts.

You continue to meet up with geo archon, as you two discuss your next actions. Tartaglia has started cooperating with that blonde foreigner Signora has warned you about, and while this union doesn’t pose any threat to your plans, it’s always good to have a plan B, just in case something happens.

Sometimes your conversation develops into a more unexpected direction, as you find the archaic lord more chatty and tending to ramble, than any of Liyuen historians would dare to picture him as. One on such occasion he talks with you about dragons - benevolent deities who protect and bless their people in an exchange of generous offerings.

His eyes devour you, as he retells you ancient folktales and you suppress your discomfort, preferring to attribute his honestly unnerving behaviour down to his lack of humanity - he was never human in the first place.

That’s why you also prohibit yourself from viewing him as anything but God - Rex Lapis in his “Zhongli” persona is genuinely attractive, he’s well-mannered and obviously handsome and far more knowledgeable than any mortal should be. If you didn’t know of his true nature you would have fallen for him by now - it’s hard not to.

Life, how strange that wouldn’t sound, goes as usual - you get Ekaterine’s report on what Childe’s up to and if it’s something unexpected you book a Liuli pavilion room and send an invitation to the funeral parlour consultant. You only need to wait until Childe gets desperate enough and decides to use the sigils of permission to unleash the well-awaited chaos.

This routine however is soon broken by the appearance of familiar ashy-white hair in the distance. She doesn’t wear her signature mask or dress, nor are there agents at both of her sides, yet you can still clearly recognize her. Signora leaves the Wangsheng building in haste, cape with the hood concealing most of her face and figure, except the long locks of hair, peeking from inside.

What is she doing here?

You thought that Tsaritsa sent two of her servants - Tartaglia and you, him to “test” Liyue, you to oversee the former’s actions and obtain gnosis, there’s no need to send her too.

Your mind races, as you search for a logical explanation of Signora’s presence as your memory supplies the piece of first conversation you had with “Zhongli” - could it be that Tsaritsa also sent you to play a role you have no idea of?

Cryo archon is a goddess of love and her love is cruel and unforgiving, she has sacrificed countless chess pieces before, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she did that again - you are nothing but a pawn after all, one of the tools she uses to exact her will and force her vision, all of the Harbingers are.

You want to believe that you can accept and resign to whatever hardship and fate your Goddess might subject you to. You can’t.

***

Adepti and Qixing converse at the pier of the seaport, as you hurry to the Northland Bank, a slight smile playing on your lips - Childe has finally done it - he summoned an ancient god to lure out Rex Lapis, ultimately proving that Liyue can stand without him.

There are sounds of heated argument heard when you open the building’s door and then you see it - Signora and Tartaglia exchanging barely concealed insults and “Zhongli” standing nearby.

“[Harbinger]? What are you doing here?”, the ginger shifts his gaze onto you, a rare emotion of hurt and disbelief flickering in his dead fish eyes. “Of course, Tsaritsa sent you too”, he smiles, angry and disappointed. “Seems that whole world wants to make a bad guy out of me”, he stomps out of the room, leaving you with Signora and “Zhongli”

“[Harbinger]”

“Signora'', you acknowledge each other, after she trails exiting Childe with her eyes.

“I am here to take the gnosis of Rex Lapis”, she says and you nod, accepting that your Goddess lied to you too: “Tsaritsa also asked me to give you this letter”, she extends her arm, a thick envelope with the familiar seal catching your attention.

With the trembling hands you snatch it out of her hold and almost rip the envelope - for what reason did Tsaritsa send you here?

She writes that you need to stay in Liyue for an undetermined period of time to upkeep “the agreement” made between her and Rex Lapis. You read her message silently, yet when your eyes trace over these words, the sensation of “ “Zhongli’s” eyes on you becomes ten times sharper and stifling. You don’t know what to do.

The other Harbinger leaves too, taking the gnosis with her, as “Zhongli” takes a couple of steps to you, touching your shoulder in a somewhat reassuring gesture. “[First]”, he starts, tone sympathetic and soothing. You don’t fall for it.

“You had your hand in it, didn't you?”, you hiss and accuse, throwing an angry glance at him, momentarily forgetting about the first two rules of dealing with archons.

He smiles, revealing two sharp fangs, his surprisingly scaly hands snaking around yours. “Yes”, Rex Lapis admits, and looks nothing like gentle and knowledgeable “Zhongli”. How could you forget? Archons aren’t humans, humanity is just a fancy dress they don to toy with mortals. He is the dragon, not the benevolent deity that is painted on the wall panels of Liuli pavillion, but a greedy and ancient creature, hungry for gifts and gratitude.

You are his generous offering.

#yandere genshin impact #Yandere genshin #Yandere Zhongli #Yandere Zhongli x reader #Yandere genshin impact x reader #Yandere genshin x reader #Male yandere #my writing #Yandere x reader #Male yandere x reader

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sunder-soul · 4 years

Text

Nox Part II

･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

Lumos

Summary: Everything comes to light eventually... Wordcount: 3.1k Content warning: explicit sex scenes, oral sex (male-receiving).

･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

PART I HERE 💖

You try to stop thinking about it. You try very hard not to think about Tom’s lips in the dark, warm and soft on yours, moving hot on your neck, the sound of him exhaling through his nose as you slide your hands under his shirt, his heady intoxicating aroma, musk and bergamot, his hands holding you to him tightly as he kisses you, the burning way he’d looked at you afterwards, dishevelled and raw, his tongue his hair his fingers his warmth –

You try very, very hard.

“What’s going on with you?” Ruth frowns after you’ve zoned out during Herbology again.

“Sorry,” you sigh, frowning down at the baby Venomous Tentacula you’re supposed to be pruning. “Just tired.”

Technically it wasn’t a lie – you’d been struggling to fall asleep all week, the memory of a particular seven minutes on repeat in your mind.

“Tired?” Ruth repeats, looking supremely unconvinced.

You shrug. “I haven’t been sleeping well.”

Ruth leans closer. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with Riddle would it?” she asks slyly.

Your head whips around. “Excuse me?”

“He’s looking pretty tired himself,” Ruth smirks, arching a brow and shooting Tom a conspiratorial look across the Greenhouse, and you can’t help but look over, too.

She’s right. Tom’s eyes are visibly shadowed, levelled on the Venomous Tentacula in front of him, his movements reserved and muted and his expression subdued even as the boys on either side of him wrestle furiously with the fronds curling tenaciously around their pruners.

“He always looks like that,” you mutter, frowning at your own plant.

“Does he now?” she says smugly.

You give her a look of warning. “Ruth...”

“Did you really just talk in that closet?” she whispers, leaning closer.

“Yes, for the hundredth time, nothing happened,” you sigh, “we’re talking about Tom Riddle, for Merlin’s sake, he’s not exactly the type to –”

“He’s looking at you.”

Your head snaps up so fast that your neck audibly cracks – only to find Tom’s downcast gaze is still on his plant, trimming it calmly. You glare at Ruth who now looks (somehow) even more smug.

“Nothing happened, huh?” she snickers.

“You’re mean,” you grumble. “Don’t do that…”

“Do you like him?”

You press your lips together. You’ve been asking yourself the same question all week. On the one hand, you didn’t really know him that well and you could probably count the conversations you’ve had on one hand. On the other…

Tom’s fingers brush your cheek, achingly gentle as he tucks your hair behind your ear and you can’t look away from the heaviness in his eyes, his voice barely above whisper but you can hear it in your chest –

“I don’t know,” you say quietly. “Maybe.”

Ruth claps you on the shoulder sympathetically, looking significantly more sombre.

･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

When you hear about the Slugclub afterparty, it takes no convincing at all to get you to agree to go – Ruth gives you an extremely knowing smirk, but thankfully she says nothing.

･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

“You look nice,” Ruth grins, linking her arm through yours as you hurry towards the entrance to the party – whilst Slughorn hosted his elitist little gatherings in his office on the sixth-floor, the real fun began when he finally had one too many glasses of brandy and sent everyone to bed, only for half of his guests to sneak a few doors down into the Glanmore Peakes Corridor and invite the majority of their year to join them. “Hoping someone in particular is in attendance?” Ruth adds, shooting you a sly smile.

“Stop,” you mutter, but your face feels warm.

･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

He’s not at the party. You keep looking around, but he’s not there. You suddenly feel ridiculous for having expected him to be.

You last a good two hours before the shouting horde of students and the deafening music gets too much. “I’m tired,” you shout into Ruth’s ear, “do you want to go?”

“I’m staying!” she bellows back over the thrum. “I’ll see you in the morning!”

You nod and duck away, weaving through the crowd and only just manage to avoid Jasper Crockett spilling his Butterbeer all over you, but the swerve nearly sends you stumbling back directly into –

“Careful,” Tom says in your ear, his warm hands catching your arms.

You freeze, your heart thudding hard. You can feel warmth on your back like his chest is almost touching you and your head is suddenly filled with that achingly familiar, ridiculously attractive aroma –

Tom lowers his hands and you turn to look up at him, a mix of nerves and excitement battling in your stomach. He’s just as refined as ever, tidy jumper, black slacks, the dark waves of his hair impeccable, and suddenly you’re desperately trying to avoid thinking about spreading your fingers through it, tugging up the jumper and pushing your hands beneath the hem of his shirt, kissing him hard, resuming where you’d left off –

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” you say loudly, leaning slightly closer so he can hear you. Again, technically not a lie… ‘hoping’ isn’t the same as ‘expecting.’

Tom’s eyes slide thoughtfully across the crowd. Up close he looks even more tired, shadows under his eyes and something drawn to his face. “I didn’t expect to be here,” he says quietly.

Somehow, despite the music and the shouts, you hear him effortlessly.

“I was just leaving,” you say, gesturing at the door.

Tom’s eyes snap to yours. You half-expect him to say something, but he doesn’t.

“I… I guess I’ll see you in class,” you add, feeling awkward.

He nods, expression blank.

Wondering exactly what you’d been expecting (and why you’d been expecting anything in the first place), you turn and speed away, feeling extremely embarrassed.

Idiot. He said he wasn’t a romantic, didn’t he? What exactly did you think would happen?

You shove the door open and hurry outside, walking as fast as you can towards the hidden staircase that led down to the dungeons so you could loop back up to the Hufflepuff common room, avoiding the prefects and the professors patrolling the main staircase. You yank the door to the stairs open when –

“Wait.”

You freeze, heart pounding, and look back over your shoulder. Tom is striding down the corridor towards you, calm and patient, and your heart skips a beat as he comes closer and closer, showing no signs of stopping.

“I’ll come with you,” he says quietly, reaching out and placing a hand above yours on the door.

“Not staying?” you ask as you nod back down towards the party, sounding so casual that you impress yourself.

Tom’s lips flicker like you’ve told a joke. “No,” he says softly. “I’ve had quite enough of parties, I think.”

“Didn’t you just arrive?” you smile as you step lightly down the stairs.

“Yes, I did,” he muses as he follows you, the faintest brush of humour in his voice. “And how exactly did you know that?”

A wave of hot panic washes through you. “I didn’t see you there earlier,” you say quickly, eyes on your feet.

“Were you looking for me?” Tom asks, still sounding amused.

You glance at him, frowning uneasily. You can’t tell if the amusement is at your expense or not – but he only looks back, expression smooth and imperviously casual. “I would have noticed you,” you say diplomatically, lowering your gaze back to the steps before you. “You’re not exactly a common face to see at something like that.”

“Neither are you,” he says quietly.

Your pulse speeds up a bit. “And yet we were both there,” you smile.

Tom looks at you and for a moment you’re trapped in his gaze, and it drags on for just a second too long before both of you look away. You both fall silent, not a word spoken as you finally reach the bottom of the stairs and sneak through the door into the dungeons. You both stop, Tom turning slightly in the direction of the Slytherin common room, and you towards the main stairs. There’s a strangely weighty silence.

“Well,” you say bracingly, forcing a smile. “Thanks for coming with me, I guess I’ll –”

“Have you been thinking about it?” Tom interrupts calmly.

You stare at him. His face half-illuminated by the dull lanterns, his expression still unreadable but with an unignorable heaviness to his gaze and you feel like you’re falling, your stomach jolting like you’ve missed a stair, leaned too far back in a chair –

It’s pointless to pretend like you don’t know what he means. “Yes,” you say quietly.

Tom’s expression shifts slightly, such a small difference that it’s barely noticeable, but he looks like he expected your answer. He looks like he knew he’d be right.

“Have you?” you ask evenly.

Tom’s dark eyes reveal nothing. In the long silence before his reply, you get the distinct impression that he’s measuring you somehow.

“Yes,” he says softly, and you hear it like he’s saying it right in your ear again. “I have.”

As you look back at him, suddenly all you can think about is the fact that the corridor is deserted except for the two of you, that most of the school is still at the party a good seven floors away and the rest will be in bed.

That there’s an empty classroom through the door inches to your right.

You take a step towards him, and another, and another, holding his gaze, watching for a reaction – but you find none. He simply watches you draw nearer, silent and even. When you stop, you’re much too close for your intentions to be misinterpreted.

“And what exactly have you been thinking about?” you ask softly. The flickering lights are casting deep shadows under his cheekbones, turning his hair blacker, his features sharper – but none of it makes his appearance so striking as the heat building in his eyes.

“I think you know,” he says smoothly, barely above whisper.

You slowly reach up and place your hand on his cheek, watching his eyes flicker before you step in closer still. You lean in close, bringing your lips mere millimetres away from his jaw, and the space between your mouth and his skin aches like it wants to be closed. “You’re not going to tell me?” you murmur, breathing him in and feeling dizzy at once.

Tom swallows, his head falling slightly as your lips very nearly graze his skin. “Are you going to try to order me around again?” he says quietly, voice impressively even.

You gently push on his cheek, bringing his face around to yours. His gaze locks onto you at once, still burning, so close –

“Are you going to pretend like you don’t want me to again?” you smile against his lips.

Tom’s eyes flicker and without a second of warning he kisses you hard. His lips move hot, unrelenting, hungrily on yours, his hands press against your cheeks and his fingers card into your hair, pulling you into the kiss even harder. You’re trying to stay balanced as dizziness, pleasure, and relief crash over you in equal measures, desperately leaning up into the kiss and trying to match his fervour, but it’s not enough.

Tom steps back quickly, his hands against your face drawing you with him without breaking the kiss – you hear the door swing open without being touched and the second you’re through it slams shut behind you. Tom immediately pushes you against it hard, crowding in close, kissing you ravenously and you can barely breath for the tightness in your chest, tangling your fingers in his hair to draw him closer. He pulls away and you barely have a second to think before his lips sear burning hot on your neck, your head falling to the side as stars erupt across your vision, and then Tom presses his teeth against your skin and you moan, barely aware of the sounds you’re making as the pleasure spreads.

Tom exhales hard, a hand dropping from your face and sliding slowly down your body – his touch is firmer than last time, hungrier, and as his lips linger on the slope between your neck and your shoulder, his fingers slip under your dress. His teeth graze your skin again, achingly delicate, and your eyes fall shut, breathing hard, your hands balling into fists of his jumper because it feels so good –

His warm palm slides up the inside of your thigh and a dizzying wave of anticipation and desire courses through you, a noise escaping your throat only to be muffled by his lips.

Tom pulls away and leans his forehead to yours, his fingers tracing along the top of your underwear making you arch reflexively. “Let me touch you,” he breathes, so close that his words sweep warm across your lips, his hand on your face gently pushing your hair back. You can only just see him in the moonlight streaming through the little barred windows around the very top of the far wall, but you see enough to recognise the heat in his eyes, the hunger and the intensity. You nod quickly and kiss him hard, and Tom pushes his fingers into your underwear.

His breathing audibly quickens when he feels you, feels your desire for him, and your eyes squeeze shut as his fingers begin to move, slowly, ceaselessly, torturously even, edging you further into the heat spreading low in your stomach.

“You’ve thought about this, haven’t you?” Tom murmurs against your lips. “About my fingers doing this to you.”

You manage to nod, trying to keep yourself together – but as he kisses you very, very softly, a moan escapes unbidden from your lips.

“I’ve thought about it too,” he breathes, and you open your eyes to meet his dark, burning gaze, watching you. “I’ve been thinking about the sounds you made, and the way you moved –”

You choke on your moan, barely able to breathe as his fingers press a little harder and pleasure blooms and coils –

“But I’ve been wondering,” Tom whispers, his lips just barely brushing yours, “what you look like.”

“Tom,” you gasp, your hands curling tighter on his jumper.

He kisses you hard, and as you desperately kiss him back as the heat in your core swells, head spinning, arms sliding around his neck as you spiral out of control –

He pulls away right as it hits you, as your head falls back against the door, gasping as his fingers coax you through it. When you can finally open your eyes, Tom’s gaze is ravenous again, roaming across your face hungrily, insatiably.

Your hands flatten on his chest and you push him backwards, stepping with him as surprise falters on his face.

“What are you –” he says quickly, but you push harder and the backs of his legs hit one of the empty chairs behind him. He falls into it, the breath knocked from him as he looks up at you in shock.

You take his face in your palms and kiss him hard, bending to him, stepping in close – Tom’s hands come up seemingly reflexively and linger on your waist, but the second he tries to pull you closer, you break the kiss. He stares up at you, visibly stunned, unsure what you’re doing – and then you kneel.

Tom’s eyes widen as you lower to your knees between his legs, as your hands curl under the bottom of his jumper, push it up forcefully, tug his shirt free and exposing a strip of his pale stomach –

“Your turn,” you whisper, leaning forward without hesitation and pressing your lips against the warm skin you’ve revealed.

Tom’s breath stutters, his hands going to your face as your lips graze his hipbone, and you look up at him as your fingers undo the button of his trousers, your mouth restless against his skin. Tom’s eyes flicker in exactly the way you’ve been daydreaming about and you don’t bother holding back your smile as you pull down his zip.

“You’re…” Tom says, but he trails off because you’ve pushed down his trousers, your lips not leaving his skin, holding his gaze the whole time. He’s hard but you press your mouth instead down the angle of his hipbone, gently grazing your teeth against his skin and watching his stomach muscles flex with strain.

Tom swallows, his lips a hard line before he tries again. “You’re teasing me.” His voice is hollow.

“I am,” you murmur against his skin, and when your lips start to trail back down his stomach, you hear Tom’s breathing quicken, his hands on your face restless as you inch lower, closer –

You look up at him as you run your tongue up underneath his whole length from base to tip and then you wrap your lips around him. A sound half-way between a choke and an exhale slips from between his lips as his eyes fall shut and his head cants forward, and you push a little deeper, arousal carrying you, letting your tongue work as you move slowly, as Tom’s fingers slowly curl tighter in your hair like he doesn’t realise that he’s doing it.

You take your time, letting your own eyes close, listening to his stilted breath to guide you, feeling his hands get tighter and tighter, and soon he starts holding you there more firmly, his head lifting and his dark eyes opening.

“You… should stop,” Tom manages to say, but even as he says it he’s pushing his fingers through your hair, staring down at you between his legs as you look right back with him in your mouth.

You smile and hold his gaze as you let your tongue curl around him and sink your lips back down. Tom’s eyes flicker and fall shut again, his breathing ragged and getting faster and faster as his grip in your hair goes so hard it hurts, and then suddenly you’re swallowing around him as a choking breath falls from his lips.

When it’s over, you sit back on your knees and assess him.

Tom’s chest is rising and falling a little more than usual as he tries to slow his breathing, his eyes still shut, his hair a mess and slightly stuck to his forehead where a slight sweat has formed. You’re leaning up and brushing it to the side without thinking, and his eyes open at the feeling of your fingers against his skin. You freeze, staring at him, your hand lingering on his cheek like you’ve been caught doing something you shouldn’t.

“Too romantic?” you ask slowly, tilting your head to the side a bit. There’s a bit of humour in your tone, a safeguard, a way to turn it into a joke and disregard it if he wants to –

“No,” he says quietly, and his hands come to rest against your cheeks as he leans his forehead on yours again, still kneeling between his legs. “No, it’s not.”

･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

TAGLIST: @jujugentle @original-coffee-addict

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PART I HERE 💖

1K notes · View notes

supercorpkid · 3 years

Text

Once Upon a Time in…

Storybrooke.

Supercorp, Kara Danvers x Daughter!Reader, Lena Luthor x Daughter!Reader, Emma Swan x Reader, Regina Mills x Reader, Snow White x Reader, Prince Charming x Reader.

Word Count: 2900.

Previously on the series - Neverland, Camelot

“So we’re back at square one.” You sigh, looking at Henry, while he is reading his enormous book.

“Not entirely true. We know that we have to lift the curse so you can leave, and that we have to do it fast before you become a character of the book.” He says, without raising his head at you. You’re almost arguing when a plate with at least 20 pancakes is placed before you. That stops your mind mid-rant.

“Thanks, Granny.” You smile at her, who smiles back before leaving. “Except that we don’t know who cursed the town, so I might as well embrace my fate of being a fairytale character right now and forever.”

“You know, there is another way.” He finally looks at you and you encourage him with an eyebrow raise. “Too risky and honestly? I don’t even know if they would agree to it…”

“Would you go on with it already? No need to build up the climax, we’re already past that.”

“Another curse.” Henry says and you furrow your brows. Having two curses surely doesn’t sound like the solution. “A liftable curse, of course.”

You just blink at him when he doesn’t say anything for a while.

“Ok, what if my mom cursed you into believing you’re a part of the story? You would be written into the book-” You open your mouth to argue. “But it comes from someone who knows and can undo it. So, when the time comes, she lifts the curse and you’re not in the book anymore.”

“Uh.” You think about it for a second. “Sounds like it could work. It would be like if we had a countdown watch and after your mom’s curse it would just pause it.” You say and he nods in agreement.

“The protection spell around town gets lifted and she undoes your curse right after. The countdown restarts but you would be ready to leave.” He finishes your train of thought. “Only thing is whether she will agree to this.”

“Well, we’ve got to try, right? Might be our only hope.” You’re almost out of the booth when you look at the pancakes in front of you. “Give me a minute.”

“Can’t believe you’re thinking about food right now.” Henry rolls his eyes at you.

“Can’t believe you’re not.” You say inhaling the food in front of you in exactly one minute. “Ok, I’m done.”

“This was traumatic to watch.”

You ignore him and you both run out of Granny’s to Regina’s house at the end of the main street. You try to go slower so he doesn’t fall too far behind, but you’re still in front of her house way before he gets there.

“Next time, give me a ride.” He is breathing hard next to you but recovers faster than normal. “Mom? Are you here?”

“In the kitchen, kid!” You hear Emma’s voice, and you follow Henry to it. You find both Regina and Emma making breakfast together. The scene doesn’t fail to bring tears to your eyes. It’s too familiar. “Oh, you guys are together, great!”

“We think we have a, well, it’s not a solution. It’s more like a-” Henry looks at you.

“Band-aid.” You give them a forced smile.

“Let’s hear it.” Regina asks and you and Henry do your best explaining the whole thing. “So I would undo the curse and she’ll leave, huh?”

“I know it’s not ideal but-”

“But it’s pretty good.” Emma says. She comes closer to you, putting a hand on your shoulder. “Are you sure about that, though?”

“No. I know nothing about magic.” You shrug. “If this was science or anything related, I would probably be sure, but this is outside my area of expertise. If you two think it could work, then I trust you to bring me back when it’s time.”

“You should know all magic comes with a price.” Regina adds.

“What’s the price?”

“We’ll learn about it later.” She raises an eyebrow at you. You think of Lena and how you need to go back home to see her eyebrow raise.

“I’ll pay.”

“Well, then hold on to it, kid.” Regina says with a smile. “You’re about to become a fairytale character.”

You and Henry look at each other. As good of an idea this was, you didn’t consider all the outcomes. You’ll become a fairytale character; you won’t remember anything about your actual life. You won’t remember your moms, aunts, cousins, girlfriend, grandmas… You know it’s what you have to do, if you ever want to make it out of this reality and back into yours, but still. Not remembering Jamie’s laugh, Maya’s kisses, Kelly’s comfort, Alex’s shoulder squeezes, Lillian’s head tilt, Eliza’s soft voice, Lena’s green eyes, Kara’s smiles, it almost makes you want to forget about this and find another way.

“Ok, the curse is ready.” Regina says and you look up, coming back from your thoughts.

“Smells funny.”

“I know, sweetheart. It's a curse. It's not meant to be pleasant.” She says, making your heart beat faster on your chest. You hold your necklace strongly in your hands; remember your family one last time. Then close your eyes.

“Yay, food!” You open your eyes and look at your moms on the other side with a stack of pancakes in front of them.

“Hey, leave some for your brother.” Regina says, stopping you before you grab all of the apple pancakes she has made.

“Fine, you can have one, Henry.” You joke, putting just one on his plate from the stack in front of you.

“Be nicer, honey.” Emma kisses the crown of your head, before sitting next to you. You smile, putting two more on his plate.

“There, you’re eating just as much as me now.”

“Listen kids, today Emma and I will be working with Mr. Gold to see if we can lift the protection spell around the city. You two will spend the day with the Charmings.”

“Oh, come on, moms. We’re old enough to help!” Henry says and you agree.

“Of course you are. And we will need your help when the time comes. Just, well, you know how is like to work with Mr. Gold-”

“Always an adventure.” You and Henry say in unison.

“Something like that.” Emma agrees looking like she wanted to disagree, instead. “Besides, I thought you had archery lessons with your grandma today?”

“Yes!” You agree, excitedly.

“And Henry, you will be hanging out with your grandpa at the station, right?” She gets his answer in the form of a nod. “Well, great, we’re all very busy today. But we’re still meeting at Granny’s tonight for dinner, ok?”

“Sure thing, mom.” You get up and kiss her head. “See you guys later, I’m late to meet grandma.” You kiss Regina’s head right after. “Bye, mom. Squirt, wanna a ride?”

“Stop calling me squirt.” Henry complains, getting up from the table. “See you later, moms.” He follows you to the front of the house. “Don’t run so fast, I just ate.”

“You know I only have two speed levels. Fast or breaking the sound barrier.” He jumps on your back and out you go, fast enough to be at the station in a blink of an eye. “See you later!”

It doesn’t take long before you and Snow White are walking in the woods close to the city. You love spending time in the woods with her. You love just sitting in silence and letting your senses become even more refined. Sure, you have super hearing, but she teaches you how to focus even on the simpler things. Leaves in the wind, steps in the woods, birds chirping. There’s no other place you feel as in peace as in the woods with Snow.

“So? How are the woods today?” She asks, hand on your shoulder.

“Was there ever a time where there wasn’t anyone in the woods doing weird stuff?” You ask, making Snow laugh loudly next to you.

“Not in Storybrooke.” Snow agrees with a smile and points a direction for you both to walk.

“How do you want to do this?” You ask, putting your bow into position and closing one eye, looking around.

“Like we shall do everything.” You look at her and she winks at you. “Together.”

You miss the shot. You try again. Your arrow breaks. You try again. You lose your temper. You try yet again.

Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

‘Together’ is the word to live by.

“Mom, can you help me take control of the panic attacks?” It’s late at night when you ask her that. Regina is happy that you’re asking for her help, and you two sneak into her office while Emma and Henry watch Space Paranoids.

“Remember,” She holds you, before she starts. “These are nightmares I’m putting in your mind. None of them are real. You’re safe and sound at home with us. Say the word and I’ll stop.”

“Ok.”

“But sweetheart, you’ve got to fight it. With all the strength and courage I know you have. Concentrate and fight it.” Regina says, and you nod, closing your eyes.

Your mind is filled with visions. Terrible ones, by the way. You see people dying, by shot guns and swords. It’s a war inside your mind. You know it’s not real, but the feeling is the same. You try to run but your legs feel wobbly and weak, and you fall on your knees. There’s a pool of blood under you and when you look to the side you see Henry with glassy eyes, completely lifeless.

“NOOOO!” Your heart starts beating into your ribcage, as you shake before reaching for him. “Please, please don’t be dead.”

“Concentrate. Focus.”

“HE IS DEAD! IT’S MY FAULT!” You yell, with tears wetting your face.

“It’s not your fault.” Regina says in your ear. “Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe.”

“HENRY! PLEASE COME BACK!”

“What’s going on?” You hear his voice. Regina has already stopped filling your mind with visions, but still you see his glassy eyes staring at you. “Hey, open your eyes. I’m here.”

You see him. But your body is still reacting harshly to the vision. You cry and shake. You’ve failed, but you’re not the one to back down.

Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

You’ll overcome your fears.

“Hey honey!” Emma wakes you up, with an excited greeting, and you roll to the side not opening your eyes just yet. “I could really use your help with something.”

“What is it?” You mumble, still too sleepy to talk.

“We’ve gotta help Ella. And I thought we could have some mother-daughter bonding time.”

“You’re my mother. Isn’t that enough of a bond?” You ask, as a joke, and you get a chuckle in response.

“Come on. It would be much faster if you could fly around and find her for me. Otherwise I would have to use magic to find a shoe and then more magic to track her, and then-”

“Oh my God, ok. I’ll help.” You get up and get ready in seconds. “I know you just want my help because I’m faster than the Flash.”

“Faster than a flash, honey.” Emma corrects you. “Let’s go!”

So you find Ella, just before her evil stepmother shoots her, and you stand tall in front of her because you’re indestructible, and your mom uses magic to contain her evil stepmother, and it’s just another day in Storybrooke. You know, for a really small town, there’s always something going on in here.

“Saving the town with my kid.” Emma throws her arms around your shoulders with a smile. “What mother could ask for more?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I think being saved probably doesn’t sound so bad.” You complain, getting a tight squeeze from her.

“Sitting around waiting to be saved, with no idea whether someone’s actually going to come for you-” She sighs, loudly. “Trust me, I know doing all the saving all the time sounds exhausting. But waiting around is-is as bad as it can get, honey.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

Heroism comes first.

“Are you ready?” Snow asks and you agree excitedly. Bow and arrow ready to shoot. You look at her getting in position. “Together.”

You nod, and you two aim at the same spot. Both of the arrows travel together and land side by side in the middle of the target. You smile, excited. “I feel like the Green Arrow!”

“Who’s that?” Snow asks and you look at her furrowing your brows.

“I-I don’t know.” You think and think about how that name just easily left your mouth. Huh. Weird.

Days. Weeks. Months.

“Here comes the town’ superhero!” Emma says when you walk in the kitchen.

“Here is the town’ savior!” You answer with a smile.

“I could use your help out there today, kid!” She widens her smile.

“Doesn’t this town have enough heroes?” You sit next to her, and she kisses the crown of your head, before placing a plate of hot waffles in front of you.

“But only one is super.” She winks, making you giggle in excitement. You’re convinced right away.

Days. Weeks. Months.

“Focus. Concentrate.” Regina says, close to your ear. And you breathe deep trying to do so.

“It's kind of hard when you're talking in my ear.”

“And when the wind blows, or it's raining, or someone's shooting arrows at you. Yes, concentration's hard. That's the point.” She bumps her shoulder on yours. “Sweetheart, you told me you needed help.”

“And I do.”

“Then let me help.” She runs her fingers through your hair slowly. “The world will always throw disappointments, sorrows and pain on our backs. It’s our job to learn how to handle them. I worked very hard for my first reaction to be as Regina and not as the Evil Queen.”

“I know, mom. You said that a million times.” Your answer makes Regina lose her cool a little. And you smile, apologetic. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I asked for help. I need to know how to handle the pain. Please, I’m ready to go on.”

“Close your eyes.” She asks again and you comply. “Are you ready?” You shake your head in agreement.

You see images. Like a lucid dream in your mind. Regina is using magic to alter what you see. And you see destruction, death everywhere. You see Snow’s head detached from her body, Emma bleeding with a sword on her heart, the only thing left from Charming is his hand, still clinging to his sword.

You should be ready by now. In fact, you should be used to it somehow. It’s not the first time you and Regina do this kind of exercise. But it doesn’t matter how many times you see your family bleeding out, totally lifeless in front of you, every single time, without fail, makes your heart beat faster, your lungs stop working, you shake, you start crying and hyperventilating, ready to destroy everything.

“Focus! No fire from the eyes.” You hear Regina’s voice and you come back to yourself a little bit, just to hold back your first reaction. It’s always the eyes.

“But mom is dead.” You cry out, clenching your fist.

“Concentrate. You can do it.”

You can do it.

You kneel before Snow’s head. Breath in while counting to 3. Hold your breath for 3 seconds. Breath out in the same amount of time. You know this isn’t real. Snow is home, and safe. You’re not in the enchanted forest. Nothing here is real.

You unclench your fist. Steadying your breath. You fight the images. Snow’s head goes back to her body. Charming’s hand disappears. Emma opens her eyes.

“You can do it.” You hear again. And you feel the thump in your heart settling back in your ribcage. Beating normal again. Soon enough the entire thing vanishes in front of your eyes. You open your eyes again. Your hands are still shaking a little, but you’re home with your mom, and you’re safe. She smiles fondly at you. “See? I knew you could do it.”

“I did it. I stopped my panic attack.” You say with excitement planted on your face and she hugs you tightly. It doesn’t matter how many months it took you to do so, you still did it.

“How about we celebrate? Guess who lifted the town’s protection spell this morning?”

“Wait, really?” Your eyes widen in excitement.

“Yes! You know what that means?” Regina asks, and you can barely contain yourself, jumping up and down.

“Pizza from the neighborhood city!” You squeak. “Can I go get it? Please mom, let me go get it!”

“Here.” Regina gives you the money. “Bring enough for your grandparents. And Belle. Maybe Hook too. Just anyone who happens to be at Granny’s.”

“So basically the entire city?”

“Basically.” She smiles and you’re almost out the door, when you look back at her and add.

“Did I have any plans for when we could leave town?” You think and think, but nothing comes to mind. “It’s weird, I swear I feel like I’m forgetting something important.”

“Maybe to give mom a kiss?” Regina asks and you smile. Rushing to her and hugging her, before kissing her forehead.

“Yeah, it was probably just a kiss.” You chuckle.

Days. Weeks. Months.

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