#i just want more people to play returnal!

[yurinaa-world]

hii, may i send in a request for Blade, Jing Yuan, Aventurine and Sunday with platonic headcanons of them maybe with their child who has a severe illness? Like how would they look after them/attend to them.

Characters: Blade, Jing Yuan, Aventurine & Sunday !Platonic x Gender-neutral Reader

Synopsis: with a reader who has a severe illness + how would they look after you

Warnings: angst to sort of comfort?, spelling mistakes,

notes: I'm sooo jetlagged rn

𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒹𝑒

Death can come in seconds with a person even realizing but you do anything since it’s already too late. It’s the same in the end, you cry, give flowers since regret means more than gratitude ever could; then just leave and never look back.

Does it have to be the same? Not for you. He'll care even when no one else will, he’ll stay and listen to you cry, even if it’s a childish thing like wanting to see the world instead of being stuck in this awful room with wires attached to your body.

He visits when he can–which is when he’s not on missions–when he isn’t he stays with you most of the time, showing up with bags of gifts but what’s the use if you’re paralyzed, too tired to move yet not enough to finally sleep–at least to be free for a couple of hours of pain–So the gifts are open and sit around your room to make the room look alive.

He ends up sitting with you in silence, watching if your heart rate went up or anything that has drastically changed in your health. He holds your hand and wipes your tears since you always cry since you can barely sleep and your eyes are just so tired that you can’t anymore.

The scarce days that you can even sit up in your bed and gaze outside your window while looking at all the gift blades’ gotten you over the several months you’ve been unable to do anything. Yet now you're still weak and the quick recovery will change to worse in a couple of hours.

𝒥𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒴𝓊𝒶𝓃

He’s sentimental with you, just watching your face contort into pain as a fit of terrible coughs leaves your throat leaving it burning more than before. It was a complete never-ending nightmare for you until you finally were to be freed when you took your final breath of air.

He tries to bring an upbeat attitude to you, listening to you with contempt about whatever you may be talking about, like your dreams, goals, and wishes; maybe a chance to see life outside of this miserable room–yet deep down no one thinks you will.

He loves to bring you sweets–you can’t eat because most of the time you're bedridden–and toys–you can't play with. It's the duty of the general to make sure every citizen is safe and you mean the same to him even if you are sick–and dying.

You’re his child that's all that matters to him. The fake people's pity along with the whispers and disgusting assumptions. He hates it, he hates what they say is the truth–Since in the end, you’re the one dying, right? So what’s wrong with saying what everyone knows is going to happen.

𝒜𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑒

Everyone comes to Pencony to have fun and let their dreams become reality yet you’re the pitiful one who must be stuck in your room all day whilst Aventurine is out and about having “fun” you can't help but be a little envious of him,  yet you are love more than anything by and you’ll wait for his return as you’ve always have done.

Watching the lights from below your window along with the sounds of everyone having so much—you cut the sounds out since your body is a rotting corpse lying there.

But it’s not that bad!! Aventurine splurges on you whenever he can and wants!! Even if your room is filled with stuffed animals, util your room can’t handle all the stuffed animals, then he’ll get you a bigger room!! He just wants you to feel included in any way he can. Even playing board games with you, or even it’s patty cake.

Your dream is to be like other people. To be a “normal” kid since dreams will only ever be dreams and never be anything good for the hopeful.

𝒮𝓊𝓃𝒹𝒶𝓎

You’re the child of the great oak family, a prized child even with ruined lungs, hoarse throat and weak rotting body, you’re still his child, the only reason he does the things he does is for your sake.

He always reads you bedtime stories no matter if it is the 100th time reading the same one or the first, your wish is his command. Even if it’s reading you a lullaby no matter how bashful and embarrassed he feels he’ll still do what ask just to see a bright smile on your face.

It’s okay, don’t cry, it's only just a couple of needles. The pain will go away in a second, you can handle it, right? That’s what he always tells you. Comforting you is the most important thing, you’re his everything, watching you cry or whimper at the face, needles, nightmares or anything else then he’ll do anything for you.

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[love4pascal]

"Summers In The Air And Baby, Heaven's In Your Eyes."

Joel Miller x F!reader

An: first fic! Feedback would definitely be appreciated!

Word count: 1k+

Warnings:fluff, age gap (readers 26 & Joel is 33) Joel and reader have been friends for 4 years so, Fake dating, creepy neighbors husband, protective!joel for like 2 seconds, THEY KISS.

It's mid July and the Millers are throwing their annual neighborhood together.

Every. Single. Year. The millers throw an outstanding barbecue, the best Texan brisket that’s been smoked for 12 hours the night before just for this big event.

Hours before the event the whole Miller household was in shambles, everyone on deck running around tidying up, making sure everything is perfect.

Thankfully Joel and Tommy had helpful hands with you being there. Sarah not so much but she’d pop in at times to see what the progression looked like.

Joel called out for your help in the backyard.

“Hey can you help me with the pool, while I check on the brisket?” He squinted his eyes due to the Texas sun in his eyes.

“Yeah, the skimmers in the shed, right?” With the nod of approval from the older Texan, you headed to the shed and grabbed the skimmer for the pool.

While skimming the pool, you were oblivious to the footsteps behind you until you were falling into the pool and loud laughs were heard from the two.

Sarah hunched over; giggles coming from her. Joel stands in the spot that you were just at, laughing.

The worst duo when it came to stuff like this.

“You’re a very lucky man, Miller.” Reaching your hand up to signal help getting out.

“And why’s that?” Grabbing your hand and ready to pull you up from the cool water.

You yank his hand and here he comes splashing next to you in the cool blue water.

“Because if I was wearing the clothes for the party right now, you’d be a dead man.” You laughed at his soaking wet form in the water

Sarah was practically rolling on the grass from how her father fell for the obvious.

“Sarah, could you help me carry this stuff to the table please?” Walking out and placing the paper plates and plastic silverware onto the white fold up table.

“Where should I put this..?” She stood next to you confused.

“I’ll put it away, don’t worry about it.” Grabbing the box of napkins and more paper plates and placing them on the table.

Once you were done putting stuff away , you decided to check on Joel knowing he tends to get anxious before everyone shows up.

“How are you doing.?” You rubbed his shoulder.

“You know how I get before everyone shows up.” Pulling the brisket out of the smoker.

“Yeah and every time, people are blown away from your amazing Texan hospitality that keeps them coming every year.” Following him to the table where all the food is set out and covered.

“You ain’t got a damn thing to worry about miller.” You reassure him.

“Yeah I know but-” he was abruptly cut off.

“Hey Joel, people are here. You want me to let them in or nah..?” It was the man of the hour, Tommy miller.

Joel looked at you for some help, and with a nod of approval from you, he told Tommy to start letting people in.

-

With about half of the neighborhood in Joel millers backyard, there was still enough room to navigate around.

Sarah and her friends playing in the pool, parents talking about the latest gossip going on in the neighborhood. Joel and Tommy talking to their construction friends.

It was one of the very many things you enjoyed during the summer.

Watching from afar, soaking up the memory of pure happiness, until it was rudely interrupted by someone.

“Hey, you know where Joel keeps the beer? I’ve seen everyone with one yet I can’t seem to find a single cooler of beer.” A tall man, graying hair and slight wrinkles in the corners of his eyes.

“Oh um, yeah it’s just this way.” Walking outside by the grill and pulling the large cooler from the somewhat hidden space it sat before.

“Thank you darling. I appreciate it.” The man smiled at you.

“Oh it was really no problem at all.” You returned a polite smile at the older man and just as you about to walk away to find Joel, is when you felt a hand on your wrist.

“Why don’t you have a drink with me?” His oddly warm hand still wrapped around your wrist.

“I would, but I really need to find Joel.” Using anything as an excuse to get away from this man.

“How about you have a drink with me and then we can both go find Joel?!” He said, it was sounding like he was more telling you than asking you.

You were about to reply until your thoughts were interrupted.

“Actually Mike, I need her help with something, so if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to let go of my girlfriend.” It was the man that you were looking for, Joel miller.

“Oh my bad Joel, didn’t mean anything by it.” The tall man, Mike was much shorter than Joel was, Joel was practically towering over the older man. Mikes hand quickly unwrapping itself from your wrist.

“I think Linda’s over there looking for you. Said something about your daughter, might want to go find her.” Joel softly pulling you in his side, watching Mike scramble to find his wife.

“So girlfriend huh?!” You grin looking up at him. Resting your right hand on his chest.

He playfully pushes you away, laughing as he speed walks away from you.

“MILLER.” You shout as you ran after him, laughing once you catch up.

“I only said that so he’d let go of you, or I was gonna have to ruin the barbecue because I would’ve punched him” he said slowly sitting on the outside couch he had.

“Joel miller, you would ruin your barbecue for me, I feel honored.” Nudging your elbow against his.

“Oh shut up.” He looks at the ground chuckling.

After everyone left, it was just you, Joel, Tommy, Sarah and her school friend Ellie.

You and the Miller men clean up the aftermath of the barbecue.

3 trash bags full, fold up table put in the shed, extra food placed in the fridge, and beer put in the garage fridge.

You were finally done.

Tommy called it a night after helping you and Joel take the trash to the garage cans.

-

After washing your hands and putting away the extra paper plates back into the pantry, and running the dishwasher even after Joel’s protests about how he’ll do them tomorrow.

You found Joel sitting on the outdoor couch nursing a beer. Sitting right next to him and laying your head on his firm but soft shoulder.

He offered you some of his beer, which you excepted.

You two say in comfortable silence, just enjoying one another’s company.

At one point you could hear Sarah and her friend Ellie laughing and giggling. It sends a pang of happiness to your heart.

You finally broke the silence, your voice soft and airy.

“You’re the best, best friend I’ve ever had.” You say looking up at him.

And for a second you could’ve sworn the world went quiet, no giggles of the two young girls upstairs, no crickets or chirps, just you two.

“Oh yeah?” He said looking at the full moon that had been looking right at the two of you.

“Yeah.” Turning your attention to the moon as well.

“Well you’re also the best, best friend I’ve ever had.” He turns to admire you, how peaceful you look, how the moon light dances on your beautiful skin.

He watches as you turn to look at him, your smile brightens and for the first time in Joel millers life, he gets butterflies.

It’s like something had taken over Joel’s body as he slowly leans towards you, before his lips capture yours.

You deepen the kiss, moving from sitting beside Joel to sitting on his lap.

He breaks the kiss for a second to breathe, your foreheads resting onto one another’s before he captures your lips for a second time.

“I think I’m in love you with you.” You whisper into the kiss.

“I think I’m in love with you too.” He whispers to you.

A/n: Hey there! I hope you enjoyed!

[wonhaz]

what are we after the grand prix? - l.hs

pairing : f1driver!heeseung x fem!reader genre : mercedes driver heeseung, best friends au, angst, fluff, unrequited love wc : 2.2k warnings : kissing, eating, speeding (cars), skinship synopsis : heeseung invites you to one of his races, determined to win and impress you. but when you confront him and ask him what the two of you are, he confesses his love for you. will you return his feelings? he'll have to wait for your answer after the grand prix. a/n : first part of the series! hope u guys like it~ heeseung gives off major mercedes vibes, i feel like he would be chill like lewis hamilton maybe? not completely sure if i'm happy with this one but here you go! next parts coming soon! SERIES MASTERLIST

heeseung was confusing, more confusing than all those buttons on his steering wheel.

sure, he was your best friend, but sometimes it felt like he was more.

friends don't hug each other the way heeseung hugs you before a race, friends don't wink the way heeseung does at you before he puts on his helmet, friends don't look at each other the way heeseung does at you as he stands on the podium. but heeseung does it anyway, and it leaves you confused.

"you busy next weekend?" heeseung asks as you both sit on the couch of your apartment. "no, why?" you reply, raising an eyebrow, "i was wondering if you wanted to come to singapore with me to watch the grand prix, specifically to watch me." he says, emphasizing the word 'me'. you pretend to think about it taking the opportunity to annoy him.

"will sunghoon be there?" you ask, wiggling your eyebrows imitating a lovestruck fan. heeseung rolls his eyes, "come on (name), i'm way better than that red bull driver, park. if you come i'll beat him for sure." he says with confidence. "alright, i'll come. but how am i getting there exactly?" you question, "don't worry about it babe, just be outside your apartment on thursday at 9am and i'll pick you up."

heeseung was confusing, like how he called you 'babe' just now, friends don't call each other that.

~

it's thursday. you haven't seen heeseung all week, he was probably busy with training and pre-race preparations. all he sent you was a text reminding you to be ready at the agreed time. you glance down at your watch, '8:55' the people passing by on the sidewalk pay little to no attention to you.

that is, until heeseung pulls up in front of you in his black mercedes benz. you have to stop your jaw from dropping at his entrance, now everyones looking at you, how can this get more embarassing? and just as you think that, heeseung rolls down the window, "come on! get in already, we're gonna miss the flight!"

you wince and quickly throw your suitcase in the trunk and hop in the passenger seat before turning towards him. "heeseung! what was that for?!" he tilts his head to the side, "what was what for?"

"that!" you say exasperated, "picking me up in the flashiest car possible and then drawing more attention by rolling down your window!" heeseung just shrugs and now you're really in shock, "we have a flight to catch." is all he says as the car starts zooming through the streets. "don't speed! we're going too fast!" you say as you're gripping onto any handle you can find. "you're saying that to me?" heeseung replies with a laugh. "you're telling a race car driver not to speed? you're real funny (name)."

you arrive at the airport and follow heeseung to your gate. he finds his team and introduces them to you, his team principal smiles and shakes your hand, "nice to finally meet you, (name). you're heeseung's girlfriend right? he does talk about you quite a lot."

you're taken aback, heeseung talks about you a lot? "oh, he does? i'm not his girlfriend though." you say with an awkward laugh. "oh, you're not? sorry i assumed. forget i said that." and you nod.

you board the plane and take a seat next to heeseung. your seat is extremely nice, you play with the buttons to adjust your seat and browse through the different movies on the tv. heeseung sees you and laughs, "first time in first class?" he asks. "it is obvious?" you say with a sheepish grin, "very, i should take you with me to races more often then." heeseung says and leans back. do friends say that? you didn't know, but you do know that a friend wouldn't make you blush like how you are now.

~

after the flight, all you can think of is heeseung. he was your best friend, and you were here to support him, but he made you feel like you were more than just his best friend.

the words from his team principal still lingered in your mind, you didn't know what to think of it. heeseung talks about you a lot? you were flattered, you feel the blush creeping onto your cheeks again just thinking about it.

a knock on your hotel door snaps you out of your trance. you already knew who it was. "come in", and there he is in all his glory. the very man that can't seem to leave your mind.

"wanna go get dinner?" he asks and you give him a small nod, getting up from the bed. halfway through your journey to the lobby, you realize it's just the two of you. "hee, what about the rest of your team?" you ask. "they went out together, i told them i wanted to take you to dinner." "oh.." is all you can get out, and you stay silent for the rest of the walk.

you're taken aback when heeseung puts his arm around your shoulder as you walk to a nearby restaurant. you give him a confused look, "what's wrong? i thought you were cold?". you were cold, you just didn't want to admit it, but heeseung knew you too well.

heeseung leads you inside a nice looking restaurant, one look at the menu has your jaw dropping at the prices. "pick whatever you want, i'll pay." he reassures you with a smile after seeing your expression.

the dinner starts in silence until heeseung breaks it. "how are you so far? i hope the hotel is comfortable enough." you're in shock, the hotel is more than comfortable, it's luxurious. you nod and tell him about how 'fancy' everything is.

as heeseung eats, you can't take your eyes off him. he feels your gaze on him and looks up smiling. "am i that good-looking you can't focus on your food?" he says with a laugh. here comes the blush again, and you shake your head defensively.

heeseung was making you look at him differently now. you don't think you and heeseung are just friends anymore.

~

heeseung walks you to your room, it's getting late and he has practice tomorrow. before you walk in your room, you turn to face him.

you had to know.

"heeseung-" you start, he only hums in reply.

"what are we?"

heeseung is caught off guard by your question but keeps his calm facade.

"what do you want us to be?" he asks and now it's your turn to be speechless.

"i-i don't know..." you admit, slightly embarrassed you had even brought up the topic.

"(name)-" heeseung starts, he pauses for a while, trying to find the right words.

"(name), i've liked you for a long time, not as friends but as something more. you're like the gas that fills me with joy, even when i've just had a bad race. you make me feel all these things that i didn't even know i could feel. all i know is that i'm happy when i'm with you."

you open your mouth to speak but nothing seems to come out.

"i don't expect you to give me your answer now. but please, let me know after the grand prix this sunday. take your time for the next few days, i want a sincere answer, even if it may hurt me, i'm ready to face it."

you're at a loss for words, the passion and love in heeseung's voice tells you that he's kept this to himself for so long. you give him a small nod and motions for you to get going before it gets too late.

just as you're about to close your hotel door, you hear his voice call your name again.

"(name), don't worry about coming to watch practice and qualifying, use it to rest or go around the city. i just want you to be there for the grand prix."

you promise to be there and give him a small smile before finally closing your door.

~ it's saturday, the grand prix.

you have your answer and you're sure of it, and most of all, you're ready to tell heeseung after the race. heeseung had left before you, not wanting you to get shaken up from all the reporters and fans watching him. you made sure to text him a simple 'good luck!' message to which he reacted with '🤍'. making your way down to the paddock, you spot his team principal and he greets you pulling up a chair for you. you look around, eyes searching for heeseung. "he's at an interview." his team principal says, as if he just read your mind. you just mouth an "oh." and take a look at the things around you, being careful not to touch anything. you see heeseung's car, with a big number "1" on it, and as if on cue, he walks in running his fingers through his hair. you couldn't help but stare, oh you were doomed.

heeseung sees you and grins from ear to ear, he looks you up and down, admiring your outfit, clad in his team colors. "heeseung-" you start and his intense stare into your eyes make you want to melt. "i have my answer, but i'll tell you after the race." and he nods, smile never leaving his lips. "i'll win for you." he says as he zips up his race suit and climbs into his car, giving you a little wink before he drives off to the starting grid.

heeseung drives into the 2nd grid position, eyeing the red bull beside him. park sunghoon hears the car pull up next to him and decides to test heeseung's patience. "hey, heeseung!" sunghoon shouts. earning a glare from him. "what do you want sunghoon." heeseung roles his eyes. "ready to lose today?" "hell no, i got a girl in the paddock to impress", heeseung says, diverting his attention to the lights in front of them.

heeseung is determined to win, determined to win for you. the race goes by fast and you had to admit, you didn't really understand how all of these racing things worked. but you did know one thing, and it's that heeseung was going to do anything to win. halfway through the race, heeseung pits and the crew immediately rushes around his car. within a few seconds, heeseung and his fresh set of tires are ready to go. but before he zooms off, he gives you a little wink and you feel the tips of your ears turning red. 55/57 LAPS things were getting heated down at the track, sunghoon and heeseung racing as if their lives depended on it. heeseung was practically gritting his teeth, he just needed to overtake sunghoon, to cross that finish line first, to win for you. during the last turn, heeseung takes his chance and cuts in front of sunghoon. heeseung's whole team stands up in anticipation and shouting at the screen in front of them. the team cheers as heeseung zooms past the checkered flag and commentators going crazy. heeseung gets out of his car, and raises his arms towards the crowd as they cheer. but now, he's more nervous than he was at the beginning of the race, he's nervous to hear your answer. as heeseung walks back to his team, sunghoon walks over to him and pats his back. "go get that girl." he says, and smiles. heeseung smiles and gives sunghoon a small nod. you stand in front of the team garage, heeseung walking towards you, his eyes never breaking eye contact. this was it, it was time to give your answer. "(name).." heeseung starts and takes a deep breath "remember that whatever your answer is, i love you, and i respect your decision." you stare into his eyes with your loving ones. lunging towards him and engulfing him in an embrace. he doesn't say anything, but you can feel his heartbeat as he savors your embrace. you're the first one to pull away but your arms never leave their position wrapped around him. 'heeseung, i love you too, so so much." and that's all it takes for him to pull you into a kiss, a kiss of longing, and impatience. it may have taken a while, but heeseung thinks it's worth the wait. sunghoon watches from his garage and he smiles at the new couple, his team principal makes his way to stand beside him and looks at what sunghoon is looking at. "you could've won, why didn't you defend your position?" his team principal says, furrowing his eyebrows. "come on man, had to let they guy win. but now i think he's won twice, he's won the race and that girl's heart." heeseung makes his way up the podium when they announce his name. his team below him is smiling up at him, but the only eyes he looks for are yours. he gives you a little wink and you blush. heeseung usually likes to go fast. but with you, he wished time slowed down a little more.

please reblog, it really helps!

[lolbital]

More radiostatic headcannons!

—

Pre relationship

•They never got to experience true love and trust between eachother before Alastor left. Neither of them were fully able to let their guards down.

•Vox is not innocent when it comes to their past. He moved way too fast for Alastor’s comfort which contributed to him being shut out.

•They were really good friends for a while, but they both started to catch feelings at some point.

•Vox confessed, and although Al felt the same, he never told Vox which led the other to believe he didn’t return the feelings.

•Alastor rejected the vees proposal because he likes to keep to himself and handle things on his own. His tense feelings with Vox also played into it.

•When Alastor left, Vox grieved for a while before becoming angry. He blamed himself initially, and then he became more obsessive.

•The only thing Val and Vel know about Vox’s history with Alastor is that they were friends who had a falling out because Alastor refused to join the Vees. Vox won’t go very deep into it with them.

—

Post relationship

•An apology is not an immediate fix! They still have a lot to work through, and that will take lots of effort and patience.

•When they reunite with eachother they have to learn from their past. Vox needs to respect boundaries and move slower, and Alastor needs to be less secretive and more willing to trust.

•Vox learns other ways of showing affection to fit with Alastor’s boundaries. Al has gotten comfortable with hand holding, sometimes a hand on the shoulder or on the back. He mostly enjoys compliments and polite gestures.

•Physical affection isn’t completely off the table. Cuddling while reading is Alastor’s favorite, he secretly loves how warm Vox is. He likes to rest his head against Vox’s shoulder, or give him a small kiss on the screen in order to fluster him. The sounds of Vox’s cooling system is also calming.

•They can make out but it looks funny.

•Vox no longer hooks up with Val but they remain business partners and associates. Alastor and Valentino don’t really get along that well so they keep their distance.

•Alastor is still unable to fully figure out technology, or he just doesn’t want to. Vox has mostly accepted this but sometimes still tries.

•Vox is easily jealous and protective around Alastor’s friends, but he warmed up to Rosie and came to appreciate her.

•Once their relationship became more public, they enjoy going on a nice stroll. Usually they go to less populated areas to avoid other people interrupting them.

•This duo would be overpowered and unstoppable which is why I have so many more ideas in the works. I do plan to write a fan-fiction about them, I just need to plan it out some more. Imagine these fools being deeply in love and working together📻📺

[bananadramaaa]

Idk if you’ve got any ideas or backstory for Alastor’s sisters, but I love the designs for them and have kind of taken some ideas about them and ran with it, mostly about the eldest, Adeline, though:

• Adelice was definitely a protector of the whole bunch. Alastor helped protect the younger sisters and worried a lot about his older sister, but Adelice would make a target out of herself to make sure the younger kids faced as little of their father’s bad days as possible.

• Leonore and Bertilda (the younger two) still experience a lot of the family drama, but it’s a little less than what their older siblings do since they try to keep them out of the fire, so while the older two seem to mature way too quickly, the younger two stay kids for a bit longer. This, however does piss off their father, who takes every moment to ridicule them on their inability to act like their older siblings when their older siblings aren’t able to keep them out of the fire.

• Adelice also gives off Tiana from Princess and the Frog vibes. She’s got a Dream and she’s gonna work hard every day to make it happen.

• Alastor Worries™️ and thinks she’s pushing herself too much, taking on the brunt of their father’s anger, taking on so many jobs, and trying to get as much of an education as she can for as cheap as she can get it. So he becomes her Distraction, constantly dragging her off to parties and out drinking and listening to music. Anything to get her to chill tf out.

• He’s also a hypocrite though, considering he takes on a ton of “side jobs” by the time he’s 15 before he starts working in radio to try to help out their maman. He somehow manages to get all the fun jobs though. She’s out here working in restaurants and factories and he’s playing piano at the speakeasy and working at a nearby gator farm during the summers. And even the jobs that shouldn’t be fun, he manages to turn into a blast, like apprenticing at the butchers or working the graveyard shift at the cemetery. He thinks he’s so damn funny, while his bosses low-key wanna strangle him. This somehow makes him more likable as a radio host.

• Eventually, Adelice manages to find herself a nice, rich, Creole man who she and Alastor run through the wringer trying to test just how wholesome of a man he is before she’ll accept his hand in marriage. This man is confused, but he is dead set on winning her heart. He offers her the money to achieve her dream, he offers her the happy and stress-free life that New Orleans won’t afford her, he offers a life where she’s free and not trapped by anybody, himself included, and most importantly, he offers to take her whole family away from their father and the impoverished life that keeps them with him.

• Their maman can’t fathom a life without her husband, but she can see why they’d want to leave.

• Alastor doesn’t want to lose his sisters, but he knows someone has to watch out for their maman and he’s far to attached to New Orleans to leave it now.

• Before all his sisters leave, Adelice jokingly says she’s gonna name a son after him and he politely declines the offer.

• They move to Alabama or something and he never sees them again, but Adelice has a bunch of happy children that she loves who know all about him :)

• Bertilda also gets married, but Bertilda and her husband find themselves unable to have kids so they adopt a cute little red-headed girl and her green-eyed little brother.

• Leonore dates a lot of people before she finds the perfect gal for her and they move in together as “friends.” Their maman was a bit progressive in some ways and taught them not to judge, where most others would do when Adelice and Bertilda don’t make a big deal out of it when they find out about it.

• All three of them keep an eye on the news regarding New Orleans and whatever can be said about their famous radio host brother from far away.

• The only times the lot of them return to New Orleans is when they hear about Alastor’s death and their maman’s death.

I've talked briefly about them in this ask :3 And I really enjoyed reading your version of their story. It seems more wholesome compared to what I have in mind for them (like Adelice definitely won in this one) XD

[crumblinggothicarchitecture]

Taylor Swift is Derivative nonsense, not intellectually placed allusions. I'll die on this hill, and I have many more examples beyond just the one listed below.

Let’s talk about the difference between being derivative and utilizing allusion in text. :) 

I’ve seen a lot of defenses for Taylor Swift’s work that hinges on the theoretical concept of intertextuality. People don’t often know that they are arguing over the validity (or emotional impact) of intertextual cessions in Swift’s writing, but they are.

Intertextuality, if you don’t already know, is a set of determinable interwoven texts that all correspond on a particular thematic point. This encompasses, but is not limited to, the literary device of allusion.  

There are many examples of intertextual works, since it is intrinsically post-modern. Yet, I want to talk about how Taylor Swift attempts allusions that only ever fall into flat-facing derivative blandness. I want to talk about how, yes, Swift is in the spirit of the age; yet her work devolves into derivative insincerity simply because she is not an artistic writer.  

Now, for an egregiously bad allusion. (I think it’s worse because Romeo and Juliet is my favorite Shakespeare play). In “The Albatross” Swift writes, “A rose by any other name is a scandal” in which the obvious allusion is to Shakespeare's, “A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet” from the play Romeo and Juliet. The line in the play is often misquoted, so perhaps Swift is just ignorant, however the line means to draw attention to the fact that names are just words the that do not actually dictate the internal nature of someone.  

The full line, from Shakespeare, reads “O be some other name/ What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ by any other name would smell as sweet;/ So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d” (Romeo and Juliet). Thus, Juliet is lamenting the full divisive way in which her family is at odds with Romeo’s family; upon deeper consideration too, Juliet is modulating how social pressures, often outside our control particularly in youth, can impact and modify the discourse between reality, doing what is proper in accordance with the majority, and intrinsic human desire to fulfill our own needs. So, the line is not only explaining how Romeo and Juliet cannot be together overtly due to familial dispute, but in the same words it explains the full breadth of social dissertation for the pursuit of individual need. Afterall, he would still be Romeo "were he not Romeo call'd." Juliet is admitting that she would still love him with or without the constraint of social obligation due the environment, or family, in which we are born; thus, we can see how individually human desire can be placed at odds with the demands of mainstream society.

This is a nuanced conversation when considering it through moral theory. For instance, we often talk about how people should not go against the mainstream for immoral pursuit of individual desire and that is reasonable; yet herein Shakespeare's work the thematic point is on the morality of love and desire to go against social convention. Shakespeare is saying, "Love is a greater moral good than that of social obligation to follow tradition and to hate who you are trained to hate based on parental teaching." It's a genius fucking line, in a genius fucking play. Now, we all know how the play ends, the lovers run off together, they have a brief day in the sun. However, social pressure and adult obligation catch up to them again and thus they die for it. They die for their courage to love and to go against the mainstream.  

Let’s return to Taylor Swift, the human embodiment of mainstream social pressure, as she writes that "a rose by any name is a scandal." As such, she is saying that all roses everywhere are just a scandal waiting to happen. If everything is a scandal, rather than speaking to any nuance grief to the pervasiveness' of social pressure to adhere to mainstream. Swift is simply throwing petulance to the world, by saying “Rose by any other name is a scandal” she limits what a rose could be, or become in using the verb “is” to fully solidify a rose as a scandal; which is a message that is diametrically opposed to the thematic point Shakespeare is making with his line. For Swift, there is no redemption, no nuance, and there is no subtext in which implicit messaging lay to tell people that going against the mainstream might just be the last thing you ever do but God is it worth it. To live with that brief day in the sun. And die for courage. Swift is just saying the opposite and stating that the mainstream is inevitable- there is no use in fighting it. A name is a name. It remains to tell the rose exactly what it is. Swift lacks imagination.

I would argue that Swift does make obvious attempts at allusion in her work, yet it is so poorly done because she does not actually see or use the thematic point of the source material from which she pulls her allusions. For allusions, to be done in an artistic impactful manner, we must keep to the thematic point of the source material. When the allusion is done correctly there is a “layering” effect in literature that redoubles the overarching themes of human experience in a way that calls us from the past, Shakespeare, to the present. Thus, is the theory of intertextuality in literary works.

(I made that bold because it's the main point of this, and I don't want anyone to miss it).

Taylor Swift’s work here simply does not measure up to anything artistic, thoughtful, or well-done.  It is simply derivative of Shakespeare, but I don't think it qualifies as a true allusion.

[vickyvicarious]

Dracula's actions today were interesting. His attack on Jonathan definitely was not what he intended on going in to his room. I think he wanted to make him jump, yeah, to spook him a little. He wanted to touch him more, continue being creepy in that way also. But I think he intended to spend more time in his company, continue to play the social manipulation game. I wonder if he wanted to be around when Jonathan discovered the locked doors... watching him panic at the realization that he's a prisoner but be forced to try and hide it because Dracula is right there would be absolutely the sort of thing he'd love. (I just can't picture why Jonathan would be trying different doors with Dracula right there. Maybe if he was 'working' in the library and encouraged him to walk around/explore as Dracula was too busy to be good company, then snuck up on him again as he's in the middle of learning how many/which doors are locked? But I dunno.)

Regardless, either Dracula's very thirsty or Jonathan looks very tasty (I suspect both) because he lost all control the second he saw his blood:

When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away, and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe that it was ever there.

I don't even think this means Dracula didn't know about the crucifix. Probably not before now (and probably Jonathan just made some general statement about receiving gifts from the local people rather than naming the innkeeper lady), but not necessarily. After all, if Jonathan was still shaving he probably wasn't fully dressed yet, and anything worn about his neck should probably have been at least somewhat visible. I think Dracula just got tunnel vision at the sight of blood, and that could go whether he knew the crucifix was there or not. The instant he touches it though, he comes back to himself, and puts on the friendly host mask again.

His first instinct is to get rid of the evidence, and he does so in a way that once again is subtly insulting to Jonathan (implying he's vain here, before implying he was stupid) as well as some larger group of other people (men in general here, before it was 'peasants'). But it's also really over the top and I think despite the jolt of the crucifix, he's really struggling to maintain his control over himself. Hence flinging the mirror out the freaking window and then fleeing. Not just the room, either - the entire castle. This becomes apparent when he returns some time later through the front door: "I heard the great door below shut, and knew that the Count had returned." I really wonder where he went, what he did while gone, and exactly how long he was gone... Even after his return, he keeps his distance from Jonathan initially. Jonathan has to seek him out, or maybe waits until mealtime to talk to him.

The goitre in the surrounding area implies Dracula has been feeding, but everything about his actions today really suggests he has been starving himself recently. Based on other stuff in the book, I don't think it can be possible that vampires always lose control of themself so much around the sight of blood. Also, his face immediately becoming angry... maybe part of that is just his hunting expression, but I wonder if a part of it is Dracula's frustration that once again things aren't going to plan with Jonathan. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt angry at him (how dare he bleed at me and ruin my suave game?!) and a little part of the way he throws the mirror away so violently is to punish him for being so 'provoking' or whatever.

[psychicpinenut]

hold on cause i'm about to get into it. in siege of the north one of my absolute favorite parts is when zhao is taken by the ocean spirit and zuko reaches out for him, almost pleading with him to take his hand. and then of course he doesn't because of his pride but this single moment shows you who zuko is. just 5 seconds ago he was fighting zhao because he literally tried to kill him. he blew up the boat he was on and tried to assassinate him. and zuko still tried to save his life. amazing, amazing, chef's kiss moment. you truly see how good zuko is at his core.

because sure we saw the flashback of him wanting to save the 41st division, saves his crew instead of chasing after aang, we saw him choose his uncle over going after aang but none of these people were people who tried to literally murder him. him having the capacity to extend a saving hand to his enemy is the deepest look into his goodness we've seen at this point.

and then the live action happened. not only did they completely erase this moment and had iroh kill zhao instead but the reason for iroh having to kill him pissed me off so bad.

in the cartoon zuko had zhao BEAT. no question about it. zhao was on the ground where zuko pinned him. he already beat him in the fight (for the second time this season mind you). only then does the ocean spirit come out of the water to take him and zuko ducks out of its way (although the spirit wasn't after him in the first place).

in the live action however after being beat by zuko, zhao taunts and mocks zuko that his whole mission was a sham and a way to motivate azula (essentially playing mindgames with him, mentally getting the upper hand on him) and this taunt causes zuko to actually try to kill zhao which he manages to duck away from. zuko is so preoccupied with this new information (which frankly, also didn't need to be said out loud because they never voice it in the show but we knew that his mission was basically just a way to get rid of him as no one thought the avatar was going to return) that he almost gets blasted by zhao from behind (i assume this was taken from their first agni kai that they skipped over) and iroh has to kill him to protect zuko.

how much more unimpactful and shallow this scene is compared to the original. they took out this amazing look into zuko's soul and then had him almost kill zhao instead of trying to save him. then he gets almost killed because he wasn't paying attention. which i know basically happens during their first agni kai in the cartoon but i think it made more sense to do that early on and introduce their characters - zuko, who doesn't deal the final blow even though he could've and zhao, who is unable to take the defeat and attacks him from the back which has to be blocked by iroh - not at the literal last episode of the season. and for some reason iroh gets to kill zhao instead of it being the ocean spirit's revenge for him killing the moon spirit. absolutely garbage scene.

[gummyfang]

♡♡♡ |   ˗ˏˋ Passing Stars || Chapter 1  ´ˎ˗

➳　【 C a p t a i n　Ｒ e x　ｘ　Ｒｅａｄｅｒ】

❧ Warnings: 𝐠/𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 / 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐟𝐡), 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲/𝐰𝐚𝐫

[ 4.0𝐤 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 ]

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:  first multi-part series. clone fever hit hard. i'm actually really happy with this for a change. This chapter is the set-up for the conflict at hand :) im currently on s6 of TCW and AUFHHGHH i just got past the Fives arc. im a bit insane atm. anyways ENJOYY

“I promise, you will get your rifle back when you leave the premises. It’s just procedure- you’re not authorized to carry any weapons into the Jedi Temple.”

You gritted your teeth at the Guard blocking your path as firmly held onto your sniper rifle, as if he’d have to pluck it from your cold dead hands if he wanted to take it from you. 

Despite your stubborn attitude, you knew your faux little display of rebellion was a losing battle. As much as you refused to trust the Jedi, you were left with little choice but to go to them for help. 

There was very little on your planet for you to return to, other than the remnants of the cities the Separatist forces had quietly seized for themselves. A sparsely populated planet circling a neutron star, right near the outer edge of the mid rim. Nothing remarkable on its own, but full of mining communities ripe for the Separatists to exploit for their excessive droid production.

For as far as you knew, you were the only one who’d been able to penetrate the blockade.

You sniffed, still agitated as you dropped the sniper rifle into the storage bin. The thought of the poor working conditions your people were being put through to mine materials for those bastards was enough to temporarily put yourself past your distaste for the Republic.

“Thank you.” the Guard responded dryly, unable to hide the hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

“Be careful with it.” you sneered, almost shoulder checking the man on your way past him. If you were being honest with yourself, you had to acknowledge you were being unreasonable with this poor man. He was only here to do his job and people like you did not make it any easier. But being subject to an invasion had clouded your sense of self, and maybe your ability to be reasonable. Just a little.

You were led to a woman dressed in robes, but you did not know enough about the clothing habits of the Jedi to tell whether she was one of them or not. She nodded, exchanging a few friendly words and beckoning for you to follow her. Your arrival was expected.

A sense of unease washed over you as you made your way through the towering hallways of the Temple. The air tasted warm and stale, the building’s age and the many people that passed through it permeating through its scent. The hallways were far from empty, used for conversation, and in some cases even training, judging by the bright light emitting from those unsettling trademark blades they carried.

Keeping your head low, you ignored the passing glances that were being sent your way. 

A morbid part of you wish you’d died and the torch of fate had been passed on to another unfortunate soul, one more equipped to deal with diplomatic matters such as these. But these were the cards you’d been dealt, and you had little choice but to play them now. 

The tapping of the lady’s shoes accelerated as she swiftened her step, opening the door for you. She moved out of the way, gesturing for you to head inside as she stood outside the door. It was clear she was not accompanying you any further, so you gave her a curt nod and stepped through the opening. 

When the heavy metal doors fell shut behind you with a loud thunk, you were met by several pairs of eyes fixated on you. As if you were a scared animal, you could feel the hair in your neck begin to rise. Despite your feverish thoughts of reassurance and weak attempts to ease your nerves, your sense of unease had failed to dissipate. 

There were three of them. None of their heads adorned the same mask as the woman that had guided you through the hallways, and two of them were sporting similar robes, though there were some differences in how they wore them. Jedi, you were sure of it. 

As soon as you’d entered the room, the taller of the two Jedi took a step forward. He had a striking appearance, eyebrows casting a shadow over his blue eyes. Across his right ran a scar, marking his experience in combat. His robes were black and reddish brown, much darker than those of the red-robed young togruta who stayed in her place by the table. You did not fail to take note of the weapons hanging off their hips, subconsciously feeding into your discomfort even more.

The man in the corner stood out from the two. He was clearly not a Jedi. In the absence of robes, his body was instead covered in full white armor painted with blue stripes. This included his head, covered by a broad helmet covered in markings. A clone, you realized, eyes widening slightly. Your life being mostly secluded to a neutral planet in a neutral system, you’d only ever see brief glances of them on propaganda posters and on the occasional business trip to systems under Republic control.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when the tall Jedi cleared his throat. When you gave him a good look a second time, you noticed he’d moved his hand to cover the hilt of his lightsaber, as had the younger one in the back. Right, Jedi. Mindreaders. 

“Welcome.” he began, giving you a small nod. You nodded back, waiting for him to continue. 

“My name is Anakin Skywalker. This is my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano.” He gestured towards his apprentice, who in turn also greeted you with a small nod. You briefly glanced at the clone in the corner, but he did not speak up to introduce himself, nor did Anakin make a move to introduce him. Oh well. Maybe he was not to be in contact with you directly, who knows what hierarchy they set up in these Temples?

“[Name].” you responded briefly, nothing more, nothing less. 

“[Name].” Anakin echoed your name back at you. “It was your distress signal we received last week, then. We know the basic details of the situation described, but following your message, the Council has been unable to make contact with any representative from your planet. Would you mind explaining what’s going on back there?” You scoffed.

“I would, actually. Having said that, I want to make it clear I am not telling you anything before we have laid down some ground rules.” Despite the hints towards their ability to read your mood and mind from earlier, this seemed to catch them all by surprise. Anakin’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and Ahsoka exchanged a glance with the clone behind him.

“Not telling u- But you’re the one who contacted us for help.” His voice was stern, but mostly laced with surprise.

“The only reason I visited this war-forsaken place was because this is the Jedi’s conflict to resolve! Nobody else’s!” you snarled, somehow working up the courage to jab him in his chest. “The Hakheen system has been a neutral system for the entire duration of the war that you started. We’ve done everything we can to keep ourselves uninvolved with the conflict- and a decade of hard work was undone when you decided to take over our only two neighboring systems! Your thoughtless actions are what put us on the Separatist radar which has now resulted in a full hostile planetary takeover!”

“What?” the togruta spoke up for the first time, giving you a wide-eyed stare. 

It was just as you feared. Hakheen’s takeover had been effectively kept a secret from the rest of the galaxy. Not only did that mean the Jedi Order would only have your word to go off, it also meant you really had been the only person to escape the droid suppression and the blockade around the planet.

“You’re sure? The entire planet has been subject to a takeover, not just your region?” Anakin chimed back in, putting himself past your hostile disposition towards him.

“Trust me, General, I don’t want to be here either. I’d rather have come groveling at the feet of anyone before I came licking the boots of the Jedi Order. But the scale of this invasion has left me with no choice but to come knocking at your door. Like I said, this is your responsibility and you are to fix this mess that you made. After we have been liberated, the Republic will leave us be and we can call this even.”

Ahsoka struggled to speak for a moment, the markings across her brow furrowing. “But that’s not a fair assessment to make.” she retorted. Your gaze met with hers, feeling your blood begin to run a few degrees hotter with building anger. “The Jedi Order only steps in when-” “Snips.” Anakin’s firm voice interrupted her. The Jedi had turned his head to face her, shooting her a warning glance. “Enough.”

This was difficult enough as is. You clearly did not trust either of them, which meant that any form of discussion or negotiation was going to be a struggle. Even if they didn’t agree with your point of view, there was no point in arguing against it. Letting the Separatists enslave the population of a planet being used for a large-scale assault against the Republic was not something they could ignore regardless. 

You were grateful for the intervention. Ahsoka was clearly younger than you, but given the situation and your emotional state, you don’t know how long you could’ve kept your cool.

“I agree that we should stage a counterattack. It’s in everyone’s best interest, from what you have described.” Anakin explained calmly. “But that doesn’t mean we can just blindly agree to your terms. Regardless of whether or not we believe you- and trust me, we do- we will need more concrete proof that what you are saying is true. And if we are to negotiate terms like this with you, you need some form of political status.” Averting your eyes, you stared at the ground. You didn’t have a proper response to that. Sure, you had political aspirations growing up, but the situation you grew up in did not allow many people from Hakheen to pursue their dreams. Despite your promising education, like most people, you were forced to sell animal parts you and your family hunted to make ends meet. There was no room and no budget to invest in some vague ambassadorial aspirations, and this was likely the furthest you’d come in that regard.

“There were others.” you decided to pivot, realizing there was no lying your way out of this anyways. “I was with a group of six escapees. Among them was our Minister of Intersystemary Affairs and two ambassadors to different planets in the Outer Rim, don’t know which.” For the first time in that conversation you looked desperate. You eyed Anakin questioningly, slightly hopeful your presumptions were incorrect.

“We… haven’t heard anything but your distress signal.” he responded quietly. “I’m sorry.”

You could feel your heart skin in your chest. That severely complicated the situation. Although you hated to admit it, Anakin was right. Nobody on Coruscant had any reason to take someone of your age and status, or rather lack thereof, seriously. 

After a moment of silence, Anakin took a step back. “Either way, this is enough information to alert the Council and to send people to look into the situation. Especially considering the urgency, this will be dealt with swiftly.”

You sighed, rubbing the bridge of your nose in thought and frustration. “Even with how long the Senate takes to allow, well… fucking anything?”

“For matters that impede our ability to defend ourselves we don’t have to run it by the Senate. Otherwise we’d be handing our asses on a plate to the Seppies at their every move.” He cracked a grin at his own joke before quickly steeling his expression again. “Considering what you told us about an imminent attack on neighboring systems, I consider that more than enough probable cause to take action.” You softly exhaled a breath you didn’t even know you’d been holding. Seems like something was going your way at the very least. Bitterly, you thought how the impending attack on the Republic was the only incentive they had to act so quickly. Still, you’d take their selfish help over waiting for your people to die anyday. 

“You two, with me.” Anakin turned around. “We will be right back.” The clone and the padawan followed right behind him, and you watched the door close, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

Just as you were, Rex was also left to stew in his own thoughts as he followed the two Jedi out of the meeting room. The information weighed on his mind. He’d of course heard the stories of how the Trade Federation attempted to pressure Naboo into signing a treaty with a takeover and a blockade. It wasn’t entirely new territory for the Jedi Order to deal with. But he’d never heard of a successful quiet overtake to this extent before. This was on a whole new level, even for the Separatists. 

Furthermore, he was not entirely sure what to make of the character they’d just met. Although he had nothing against you personally, you did not present yourself as the easiest person to work with. They were going to have to find a way past that if you really were the only person who could testify about what the Separatists were carrying out on Hakheen. 

Still, there was a lot he admired about you, even from such a short interaction. 

Separatist blockades could be a serious hazard. Those things had cost the Republic a lot of men over the years, both regular pilots and clones alike. It was nothing short of a miracle you had managed to break through one, but was also undoubtedly a sign of skill on some level. 

He also had to admit he admired your resolve. For as far as he could tell, you weren’t military. Time and time again he’d seen that the challenge of stepping up for what was right was too difficult for many people, even if the situation forced them too. You’d proved well enough you were not a part of that group.

“Rex, a moment. Snips, you go on ahead.”

On queue, the clone captain straightened his back. “General Skywalker.” 

Anakin looked between him and Ahsoka rounding the corner at the end of the hallway before continuing. “I think you should stay with our guest. I was originally going to have Ahsoka stay with them while I discussed our plan of action with you, since she’s probably a bit better at small talk than the two of us. But, as you could see, our friend isn’t exactly comfortable around a bunch of Jedi.”

Your discomfort was hard to miss, even without the outright spiteful curses you spat at them. 

“Good point, sir. But don’t you think this discomfort extends to any aspect of the Republic?”

“Eh, not really.” Anakin shrugged. “But it’s worth a shot. It’s not what I sensed, anyways. And I don’t think they’re particularly eager to hang out with Snips after what happened back there. We need them around here in case the Council wants to question them. Just act relaxed, try to put them at ease.”

Rex hummed. “Alright sir. I’ll await further instructions.” he stated, nodding quickly before turning back around.

Though you couldn’t discern what they were saying, the fact you could hear their voices humming faintly through the thick doors made you uneasy. They were talking about you, you were sure of it. The General had sounded sincere enough when you explained your situation to him, but you had no way to tell whether he was being sincere or not. The Jedi had a reputation for being deceptive, and for likening themselves to heroes despite being warmongers. 

For all you knew, you’d done nothing but initiate a second territorial takeover with this stunt. But, then again, doing anything to try and fix the situation was worth trying over being complacent with the millions of deaths on your home planet. 

You were snapped out of your restless train of thought by the door sliding back open, revealing the clone captain from earlier standing in the doorway. The Jedi were no longer with him. Probably they’d gone off to relay your message to that Council they mentioned earlier, you figured. 

As the man headed towards one of the chairs on the other side of the meeting room table, your eyes followed him sharply, though it was more out of curiosity than distrust. Although you’d seen and heard a couple of clones distantly during your business trips to nearby Republic systems, this was the first time you encountered one up close and personal. 

Of course you'd seen that helmet plenty of times, whether it be on Republic propaganda posters or the holonet. It almost looked fake to be met with one in real life. Though you noted his was far more decorated than the ones you’d seen in illustrations before. Aside from the two deep blue markings glaring at you above his visor, the surface was absolutely covered in tally marks. You could only guess whether it represented the number of lives he took or the number of battles he’d fought his way through, but you didn’t doubt it marked his skill in combat. 

“Ah, right. Sorry. Where are my manners?” His modulated voice snapped you out of your gaze. You could feel the embarrassment rise up in your chest as you realized you’d been staring at him like a frightened lothcat.

Swiftly, the man removed his helmet, leaving it to rest on his hip under his arm. Once again, the face you were met with was one you’d definitely seen in illustrations many times before, but never had you seen it in person.

“No, no, I’m sorry.” you apologized with a dull tone, too flustered to keep looking him in the eye. “I was staring.”

Rex cracked a small smile as he placed his battle-worn helmet down on the table, taking a seat diagonally across from yours. Quietly, he still wondered how he was going to approach you, considering mediation was not exactly his specialty. However, it seemed that Anakin was right to a certain extent at least. They’d only just left the room and your attitude was already nothing like it was five minutes ago.

“I’ve never met a clone before.” you continued at his silence, feeling the need to explain yourself.

“Right. We don’t go to neutral systems unless we have a good reason to. Having our men on ground untouched by the war usually causes more unrest than it is worth. You don’t visit Republic systems often, then?”

“Not much, no.” you replied, slacking your shoulders a little. “Sometimes, though. To sell our stuff elsewhere. We're hunters.” Rex rested his elbow on his knee, leaning forward. “Hunters, eh?” he asked, interested. His position did not often require him to make small talk with civvies. 

“Yeah. Most of our planet’s exports are minerals. My family members from a few generations back or something decided to capitalize on something else. I mean- We sell most of our meat on Hakheen, but the horns and bones are sought after in other systems. But… yeah, that’s probably not something that’s going to draw any clones to our booth.”

“Guess not.” Rex chuffed, leaning back into his seat again with crossed arms. The captain was not exactly familiar with your planet or the wildlife it contained, but he figured it wasn’t a small deal if it was worth the transport to other systems to sell your products.

The room became quiet again as you both struggled to find something to say. You found the courage to look up at him again, giving his face a proper look. 

Beyond a shadow of a doubt you’d seen that face countless times online before, but there were a lot of details to his appearance that set him apart from the mental image of a clone you’d built up over the years. The most obvious was that his roots were blonde, as opposed to the trademark brown you were used to reading about. You vaguely wondered if he dyed it to stand out as an individual, or if it was a phenotypic abnormality he was born with.

The second thing that caught your attention were his eyes. They were nothing like the cold, battle-hungry stares you’d come to learn they all supposedly had. There was a certain tension to his posture that stayed present even as the two of you conversed about nothing, but his eyes carried a strength that was more reassuring than threatening. It honestly made him a lot more handsome than the faces you remembered from the posters.

Rex cleared his throat, thinking of a sensible way to ask the question that weighed on his mind.

“If you don’t mind me asking, sir… How were you able to penetrate the blockade? We’ve lost a lot of good men to those, no matter the size of the blockade. It might help us strategize on how to get through.”

You took a deep breath, your fingers interlocking nervously. You hated thinking back to that day. The trip to Coruscant had been a laborious traumatizing trip on its own, but it did not compare to the hell you had to endure to break through the Separatist army.

“Apologies. I shouldn't have asked that until General Skywalker is back.”

“No.” you quickly responded. “No, it’s fine. Honestly though, it’s probably not the answer you’re looking for. I just- I just got lucky.” Feet rubbing together in a nervous tic, you continued. “I know none of the crafts near the west of the capital did not even make it out of the atmosphere. My group all managed to overwhelm the droids stationed at the southeastern airport for long enough to hijack a few spacecrafts. From there on out I guess I just got lucky.”

“It takes more than just luck to survive something like this.” Rex reassured you gently. Though he sounded genuine, you couldn’t agree with him. 

“To a certain extent, perhaps. But I was panicking and I guess that ended up being in my favor. We all decided to split up to heighten our chances of one of us breaking through. I heated up my hyperdrive as soon as I passed the atmosphere and just prayed to whatever gods I could think of that I wouldn't blast myself through a star.”

“You didn’t do calculations?”

“No, none. I was right above a city south of the capital when I made the jump. Didn’t end up seeing any ships from the blockade, but they must have been there. Nobody else I left ever contacted me after I made it through.”

Rex made a mental note to ask you about the details of that location later. Identifying a potential weak spot in their blockade could be vital to a successful mission, but he sensed you’d been asked enough about this for today.

“It’s good that you took that risk. I promise your case is in good hands with General Skywalker. He personally insisted on tackling it as soon as he received your distress signal. We will do everything to ensure your planet will be free of Seppies when we leave.”

Despite sighing through your nose, you managed to flash him a weak smile. Even if you weren’t particularly fond of the Jedi Order and the factions it was allied with, you had desperately needed someone to just be kind to you after the horrendous situation you’d found yourself in for the past week. 

“Thank you, uh…” Your voice trailed off as you stared at him, questioningly. 

“Captain Rex. At your service.”

You gave him a proper smile this time, nodding. You were about to open your mouth to continue the conversation, when a high-pitched beeping started emanating from Rex’s wrist. His comlink. You stared as he pressed the button, a light blue hologram of the General you’d met earlier springing up from the device. “Rex, you should come over here. Both of you.”

[oldhalloweentape]

🪨Venture (OW II) x (fem) reader ⛏️

(Gyaru Reader Edition!)

(Picture’s not mine!)

(Request here! This kind of fashion is so cute, good, and creative, seriously don’t understand the hate.)

- When y’all first met they were so amazed by you, I mean you looked like you strutted straight out of the 1990s and 2000s, in a good way of course.

- Getting together entails them wanting to be as helpful as possible, as well as taking the time to admire all the work you put in your style. You have them wrapped around your finger.

- An obvious one is that they buy you stuff all the time, absolutely gushing over how you look whenever you wear the stuff they give you— Clapping their hands excitedly when you pose and give them a twirl or two when you first put the stuff on.

- Stares at you intently when you’re doing your makeup, giggling when you give them a look because their staring is distracting as all hell.

- If you want to practice on a face that isn’t your own, they will happily volunteer! I think they’d look cute with Gyaru makeup on!

- Excitably tells you things about historical facts about makeup like, “You know— Egyptians used to apply their eyeliner with a thin painting brush! Though the way you do it is way prettier!”

- They’d also let you do their hair, and be over the moon with the final product every time <3.

-Do yours in return. Not as great as you do it but they still do a pretty good job (cause like, look at their hair, fluffy and healthy while digging holes and just being dirty in general, they know how to take care of hair).

- Eats up any information they can, a given really, but I can see them reading a crap ton of magazines like Egg, PopSister, etc.

- In general when it comes to what you like, they are hungry for any information about it. They want to understand it and understand it they shall.

- Will get you matching accessories (gem or history themed ofc), there’s no doubt about that, it’s absolutely adorable.

- Thinks the music tied to Gyaru fashion is just so good in general that they immediately want to make a playlist with you so they can listen more to it.

- Whenever they hold hands with you they will absentmindedly play with any little charms or gems on your nails, running their fingers over them— Enjoying the grooves and bumps as they walk alongside you.

- Speaking about walking together, it’s definitely a sight seeing such different people walking hand in hand. Like, there’s you, tanned skin, phenomenal makeup, long manicured nails, white fluffy boots that almost go up to your knees, nice baby pink ruffled skirt with a cheetah print belt, a short white frilly shirt, and a small soft pink fuzzy coat with cheetah prints on it as well— Just all nice and glammed up while….

- There’s Sloane, looking like Adam Sandler, with a baseball cap, basketball shorts, and some random shirt that has a lame ass rock pun on it. And we love them for that.

- A funny ass sight in my honest opinion—

- Anyways, if anyone starts bad mouthing you and your fashion, especially if they call it “trashy”, they’re going to give them one warning before bopping them on the head.

- The amount of disrespect and negativity other people have for Gyaru fashion is just so crazy to Venture.

- From what they’ve seen from both you and other people who partake in it, y’all are so pretty and fashionable! If you ever get discouraged you can always count on this rock muncher being your number one fan.

- Says things along the lines of “You look absolutely breathtaking sweetness! You put the most precious gems to shame, sucks that some people have their brains submerged in the Earth's mantle like them.”

(I hope I gave you guys justice with this one! Love y’all!! 💋)

[sgiandubh]

Hello, good afternoon! Yesterday I read your post about James Morrison and I was thinking about the other fragments of himself that Sam eventually shows - a few hints here and there that he collects something, etc. Then I remembered the parts we've already seen of his house (the new one and the previous one) and I was wondering where these things are? There doesn't seem to be anything as delicate or sophisticated as these paintings. Could it be, just could it be, that those portions of his houses that he shows us are some kind of staged set?

Dear (returning) Greeting Anon,

I am very glad to see you back, always a pleasure, but just so you know: my James Morrison post is a shameful flop, because I was wrong and had to edit & explain. But you know, it's ultimately fine, because: a) it sparked comments & debate and b) I do hope it somehow helped to show that it could happen to anyone. And when it does, I think it's way worse (and toxic!) to play the ostrich game, than to step forward and openly own it (you'd need balls for it, though). One thing I am very sorry for: all those readers who never peruse the comments and take it as is from the people who share it first just took it for granted. Edits happen and they are sometimes (like yesterday) drastic.

That being said, along with my deepest apologies, onwards to your question. Yes, he showed us one of his James Morrison paintings and, unlike my idiotic speculation, that is a documented fact:

The painting very probably being Bergs, Otto Fiord (1992), from Morrison's Arctic cycle:

... and we even have a very personal, BTS photograph of it - fascinating, eh?

[Source: Apollo Magazine, March 2021: https://www.apollo-magazine.com/james-morrison-scottish-painter-film-review-anthony-baxter-bbc-iplayer/ - gracias a ti, siempre, ❤️]

We all know that his house is rather a big, sprawling affair. I don't think we ever saw anything he was not ready to show us with a very specific and calculated purpose in mind. And that purpose might just be to promote the idea of a rather dull non descript bachelor pad, filled with meh, neutral furniture, naive memorabilia and a haphazard assortment of books on a shelf, that tell us strictly nothing about the real S.

If anything, C's recording cupboard didn't seem to fare better. Same flair & inspiration, or rather lack thereof, that made all those rooms look like storage spaces for luxury nomads. That Mordor ass-kissing fan art and the church sketch seem way too much in your face to be credible, especially when compared with her Queen of the Arctic public, uxorial appearances. But what do I know, Greeting Anon? And perhaps not knowing is exactly what These Two really want. Her bookshelves were way more talkative - but then the idiots across the street immediately screeched it 'was staged' (as if there was an urgent need to stage a corridor!).

Life is always elsewhere and more interesting than on social media. And it is quite alright, Anon. Trust me - this story is not for us and not ours to tell.

[natsukishinomiyaswife]

Hi! Just saw your cute cafe event and thought I'd send in a request if that was okay!

May I ask for an order of chicken and waffles with sweet tea please? Thank you!!

- 🌟

Hello 🌟 Anon! ☆

Thank you so much for your order! ♡ It makes me happy to know you think my event is cute! I hope you enjoy! ♡

This is part of an event I'm doing where people can request stories by placing orders! For more information, please refer to this post! ♡

⋆ 𝓐𝔃𝓾𝓵 𝓐𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓻𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓸: 𝓓𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓝𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 ⋆

One order of chicken and waffles and a sweet tea, coming right up! ♡

⋆ You were used to dates at the Mostro Lounge, sitting in the booth Azul reserves just for you. It was tucked away in the corner, secluded so that you could enjoy each other's company uninterrupted. He always had a way of making you feel special, your hands held in the center of the table as you talked and ate. He was attentive as he listened, stroking your hand with his thumb. His attention only waved when he was needed, pressing a kiss to your forehead before leaving to do his job. Once he was back he would resume where you left off, pressing a kiss to your knuckles as he held your hand once more.

⋆ Jade or Floyd would usually be the ones serving you, unable to resist teasing him whenever they stopped by.

"There's a new drink coming to the menu soon. He named it after you."

"Want my recommendation? Get this week's special! He kept insisting on making sure the taste was just how you like it, so you better order it!"

"Oh, is that a new tie Azul? And in Name's favorite color, too? It suits you."

"Name's here now, so stop worryin'! I can even drag 'em here myself if they're late again, aha ha!"

You knew they meant no harm with their teasing, Azul either scolding or ignoring them as the tips of his ears turned red.

⋆ Outside of the lounge, he would usually take you to restaurants, looking for inspiration or ideas he could incorporate into his own business. Some would be more fancy than others, always taking into account your tastes and dietary needs when choosing where to go. He would ask your opinion, wanting to know your thoughts on the decor, the menu, the food. Depending on how well you enjoyed it, he would take you there again, making a note to himself for a future date.

⋆ Your dates weren't exclusive to eateries though, Azul enjoying any moment he could spend with you. Even something as simple as going on a walk, enjoying each other's company as you looked around, was good enough for him. One of his favorite dates was after he had a long day, relaxing and cuddling with you as you talked about your days. You had gotten up for a moment, making something quick to eat before returning, handing him a plate. The intimacy of it, the care, caused his heart to race, thankful to have you in his life.

⋆ For your most recent date, he wanted to take you somewhere more casual and fun, bringing you to a board game cafe. It was an idea he got from Idia, having listened to him talk about them during their club meetings. After paying a fee, you were able to browse the cafe's large selection of games, and play them right at your table. If there was a game you liked, the cafe sold them as well, allowing you to purchase any games you wanted to take home with you.

⋆ You had fun looking at all the games, seeing some you've played before, some you've heard about, and some you didn't even know existed. You would take turns choosing which game to play, keeping score to see who won the most games by the end of the night. With the winner getting a kiss, Azul has no plans on losing, determined to win the prize you promised him. As your date is coming to an end he holds you close, an arm around your waist as the other cups your cheek. He takes a moment to stare, thinking how wonderful you were before leaning in, meeting your lips in a gentle kiss ♡

I hope you enjoyed your meal, and thank you for visiting the Cathie Cafe! ♡

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾! ♡

[prismaticpichu]

as someone who has only played part 1 of the 7 remake, can u briefly explain why sephiroth is considered "good" by the fandom? im curious!!

Oh no… you’ve awakened the beast within! 😂❤️

Just kidding!! I’d be honored to answer, my friendo! 💕

~

In short, Sephiroth was technically always good once upon a time, even back in the og game. A huge staple of this man’s origins (as found out through a flashback) is the fact that he wasn’t born evil, wasn’t raised evil, but was rather a revered war hero who descended into madness—all of which is captured in a tragedy dubbed “The Nibelheim Incident.” (Aka a fiery massacre Sephiroth commits upon learning about his half-alien anatomy and 7 days of sleep deprivation). It’s made pretty clear (at least imo) that these circumstances turned Seph into a monster, and that the real Sephiroth was someone who died amid those 7 days. This is also corroborated by a very famous line by Zack (Cloud’s bff) that goes “You’re not the Sephiroth I used to know!” (Because the Sephiroth he used to know, the hero, is not the person standing at the end of his blade.)

So… there is that! But while OG FF7 does give us this foundation, and people absolutely enjoyed the little bits of sane!Seph that were fed to us through this flashback, it wasn’t until another game—a prequel—called “Crisis Core” that really took Sephiroth’s “pre-Nibelheim” self (the “war hero” part) and ran with it. Explored it, more like, and stretched it out to an incredible degree. It was in this game that we were really introduced to a Sephiroth who wasn’t evil; a Sephiroth who had two best friends; a Sephiroth who cared about his comrades and really wanted nothing more than to protect them. And it’s here that fans (myself included lmaoooo) absolutely love to HOARD these kind!Seph moments like precious gems.

A few noteworthy acts that contribute to Seph’s good heart:

• Saving Zack from a blast of fire

• Training Zack when his mentor deserts

• Offering to donate his blood upon accidentally injuring his best friend, Genesis

• Refusing to kill his best friends when they turn against the company he’s loyal to

• Goes out of his way to check in on Zack and allows him to return to Aerith (his gf) when her home is threatened.

• Overall just has a caring and patient aura about him.

I’d say this is where a majority of the “good” Seph fandom love comes from <333 Again, it’s always been a part of Seph’s origins that he was once a good fellow, but it was this game in particular that really expanded it—really fleshed out the human side of his DNA, really made him more empathetic than he ever was. And boy did it make his downfall hurt all the more in Crisis Core’s version of Nibelheim.

(Also worthy to note that, in regard to his fiery rampage, there is a lot of evidence pointing towards him being possessed. Nothing is confirmed, but it does cushion some of the initial fall. Absolutely not a justification—not an excuse—but it really just goes to show how this man was not himself when he crossed that threshold into villainy. He wasn’t the Sephiroth people knew.)

There is also Ever Crisis wherein teenage Seph is seen guiding some SOLDIERs around before the events of Crisis Core (the likes of whom he wants desperately to protect). But i’ma refrain from saying too much about that one bc we don’t have the full story of that one yet! ;3 💕

[imasexypotato]

Someone on here wrote a Clegan AU where John was a Witch/warlock and Gale was a Witch hunter I think. I can't find it anymore.

But I just wanted to add onto that storyline:

Gale was raised by witch hunters, his father being the head of their group. He grows up wanting to please his father and make him proud.

After being sent on his first solo mission, he meets John. He's Gale's target.

John runs and Gale gives chase. After a while, Gale realises that he's running in circles. This warlock is messing with him.

At one point, he thinks he's caught him, only to be caught in a trap of his own. John teases him some more before bidding him farewell and disappearing in thin air.

Gale returns home unsuccessful, his father's disappointed glare makes him want to find John even harder.

So he promises he won't give up.

Over the course of many weeks turned to months, Gale has many encounters with the warlock.

Each time, Gale gives it his all to try and capture John, but it still always feels as though the warlock is teasing and having his fun.

Over time, Gale starts to enjoy their little game, to the point where he doesn't chase John anymore. He simply seeks out the man's company.

They spend time together, the talk and laugh and enjoy their surroundings together. Gale lets down his guard.

One day, John lets himself be captured by the young hunter. Gale doesn't know what to do. He hugs John. He's excited. He'll finally make his father proud.

He pulls at his prisoner as he guides him back to his guild. But right before they get there, Gale falters.

He doesn't know now why. John does.

He undoes the chains that Gale had gently wrapped around his wrists with a flick of his finger. Gale isn't surprised.

John smiles and kisses his forehead, before disappearing once more.

Gale doesn't try to stop him.

He returns home, empty handed once more. But this time, something happens.

Something terrible.

His father ushers him to a secluded area in the woods. There are other members of the witch hunting guild gathered around.

As they get closer, Gale realises that they have something tied up. Once he sees what it is, Gale feels sick.

It's a child.

A little girl.

A witch. They say. They'd tied her to the trunk of a tree. They seemed to be lighting a fire.

Gale demands that they let her go.

His father dismisses him. He goes on a rant about how all beings capable of witchcraft are the devil's spawn.

For the first time in his life, Gale sees his father in a different light. He sees the crazed glint in his eyes.

Gale acts before he thinks.

He somehow manages to free the little girl and helps her escape.

His father is furious.

The other witch hunters drag him back to the guild and lock him in the dungeon for a week.

It's to teach him a lesson, his father says. He cannot empathize with them. They are evil, his father says. Gale doesn't believe him.

How could a child be evil? What had she done to deserve such a horrible fate?

He thinks of John. Of all the times Gale tried to capture him. The way he smiled so warmly at him. At his enemy.

Not once had John hurt him with his magic. He'd play along and trap him somehow. But he never hurt him. Never used his magic with malicious intent.

Gale wanted to cry

Who was his father to preach such delusions of Justice?

Gale needed to leave. Leave this horrid place.

After being locked up and released a week later, Gale rushed to the forest. He needed to find John.

Search as he may, he can't find him anywhere. He worries. What if something bad had happened to him?

He returns to the guild, and overhears the others talk about a giant witch raid they plan on executing in a few days time.

Gale shudders at the thought. The lengths of which these people would go to to capture witches made him sick.

He sneaks out once more, through the cover of darkness. He has to warm them. John. That little girl. Anyone who'd listen.

He makes his way through the forest once more. As he walks, he feels as though someone is watching him.

Before he can take out his weapon, an arm wraps itself around his waist and yanks him up. Gale closes his eyes tightly and holds on to the strong arm that holds him.

He opens his eyes slowly and gasps. He's floating. They're floating. John is here.

He teases Gale as he always does wondering where he'd been all week. Gale is so happy to see him, he starts to cry.

John's joyful expression disappears in an instant. He lowers them to the ground and gently cups his face. He asks what's wrong.

And how on earth had Gale ever thought that the man before him could be evil? How could he have ever thought that John was anything but good?

Gale warns him about his father's plans. He tells John about the little girl. He tells him to run away.

John listens to him and nods. He'll leave. He'll warn the others. They'll go somewhere safe.

John asks Gale to go with them. Gale is shocked at how easily his mind accepts the offer.

He agrees to run off with them. He's never seen John with a wider smile. Gale smiles back.

John takes him to the others. They have a guild of their own. Sort of. A sanctuary for all magic beings.

John introduces Gale to his friends, other witches and warlocks he considers family.

Gale greets them nervously. They all welcome him with open arms.

So kind, is the first thing Gale thinks when he gets to know them.

He meets Curt, John's closest friend. A warlock specialized in wild magic.

He meets Rosie, bubbles and Crosby, travelling warlocks who come and go as they please.

He meets Lemmons and Winks, warlocks who have mastered potion creation.

He meets Dr. Hale and Marge, witches who specialise in herbology, medicine and healing.

So many different people. All wonderful people. Gale wants to know them all.

He thinks of his father and sobers up. He warns them about the witch hunting guild. About their plans to burn the forest to the ground, to kill as many of them as they can.

They all agree that it's time to leave this place. Gale stays with them for a while, but knows he must return home soon before his father becomes suspicious.

John wraps his arms around his waist once more and whispers for him to hold on. Gale wraps his arms around the young warlock's neck as this one takes flight.

Gale is awestruck at the scenery before him. Flying above the clouds. In the night sky. Stars shimmer all around them. He can't help but admire his surroundings in wonder.

He doesn't notice the warlock's soft gaze on him.

Soon, they reach the guild. John floats down to Gale's bedroom window. Gale doesn't ask how he knows which room is his.

He opens the window gently. He turns back to John.

Three days.

That's the agreed upon date.

In three days they'll meet by the forest entrance and catch up to the others who'll have already left.

John kisses his cheek and turns to leave, but Gale can't help himself. He yanks him back and gives him a kiss. A real kiss.

John melts under his touch and pulls him in.

After releasing each other, they can't help but chuckle. John kisses him once more before bidding him goodnight.

Gale watches him leave.

He shuts his window, and climbs into bed.

He falls asleep with a smile on his face.

Soon.

Unfortunately for both John and Gale, his father had witnessed the entire interaction.

Gale wakes up gagged and blindfolded, with metal chains around his wrists. He feels like he's being moved. On a carriage of some sort.

After what feels like hours, the vehicle stops. Footsteps can be heard. Rough hands yank him out.

He stumbled to the ground. He doesn't have time to process anything, he's being yanked up once more and dragged across the dirt.

He can hear voices. Murmurs and whispers. He recognises them.

Members of the witch hunting guild. People he grew up with. People he used to call family. What a Joke.

He feels as they tie him up to something hard.

They remove his blindfold.

He shivers at the sight.

Dozens of members of the guild watching him from below. Hatred clear in their eyes. Waiting for something to happen.

Gale looks down and sees piles of wood all around him.

A Pyre.

Gale realises what's about to happen.

He looks up as the crowd parts, making way for their leader. His father's heavy footsteps approach.

His father stops when he's near enough.

He looks at Gale. A disappointed look. Gale glares right back.

His father doesn't acknowledge him. He turns back to the others and starts to rant.

He speaks of the evil of witchcraft. Of the treachery and malevolence of magic. He rambles on about Justice and fairness to the world.

Everyone around them cheers. Gale scoffs.

His father turns back to him. And he glares at him. There is no love in his eyes. Only hatred. Gale is unfazed.

Three days

That makes Gale look at his father.

He'd overheard them. He'd seen John and him last night. His father reprimands him for colluding with the enemy.

Gale is sick of this. Sick of him. He talks back.

He tells his father he's wrong about magic. He's wrong about witches and warlocks. They're good. They use their powers for others. They want peace.

Compared to his father, anyone would be a saint. Even the devil himself.

His father grins and shakes his head. He tells him he's going to die. He tells him he has no son.

Gale smiles and replies, he's glad he doesn't have a father.

The monster before him grabs a torch and lights it on fire.

The creature comes closer and throws it into the pyre. The fire starts to spread.

The beast and it's minions howl in excitement.

He can feel the flames lick at his feet.

The monster taunts him.

Who will save you now? Your warlock is nowhere to be found.

Gale closes his eyes.

He thinks of what could have been.

A life of freedom. A life with people who were caring and loving and good.

A life with John.

A tear slides down his cheek. He smiles.

At least he knows that the others will be safe from the monsters attack.

He hopes they all live long and wonderful life's. He may not have known them for long, but he knows they deserve it.

The flames surround him.

John's gentle smile remains his mind.

All else disappears.

No noise, no montsers.

Nothing.

He wouldn't mind dying like this.

A sudden booming sound as loud as lightning cuts through the air.

He feels raindrops against his cheek

Gale opens his eyes as gasps.

The sky.

It had been clear a second ago. Now it was covered with dark, menacing clouds. It starts to pour.

Towering above them, in the distance, a figure floating above them all. Confusion struck amongst the beings in the crowd.

But Gale knows.

He smiles as he looks to the skies.

He'd come for him.

John.

Gale hears the screams far too late.

He looks around and shivers. The pure chaos unfolding before his eyes is tremendous. Hunters are struck down one by one, by invisible forces all around them.

Gale watches as they try to run away in terror, but it's too late. They had made John angry. Gale hadn't even thought such a thing possible.

He feels a gentle caress on his wrist, and when he looks down, he notes that his arms and legs have been untied.

He recognises that gentle magic instantly.

He climbs down from the pyre as he watches John in all his splendor.

He looks terrifyingly beautiful. Like an angel of vengeance.

The amount of power he holds. And not once had he used it for evil. Gale can't help but fall even more in love.

After what can only be moments, the screaming stops. Gale looks around and sees bodies crumpled to the ground.

He knows he should feel something. Sadness, fear, hatred. But he doesn't. These creatures were alive and now they were dead. That's all there was to it.

John floats down and embraces him softly. Gale wraps his arms around him. They hold each other for a while.

"Are you alright, my love?" John asks.

Gale nods as he tucks his head into the taller man's neck. He breathes in his scent and sighs.

"Can you walk?" He asks, Gale hums. John picks him up anyways.

Gale clings to him and smiles.

"You came for me." John tightens his grip on Gale and smiles.

"I'll always come to you, always." He promises.

John turns to leave when they hear a scraping sound.

They look in the distance and see the beast clawing away from them. It drags it's corpse like body across the ground.

They watch it for a moment and Gale recognises it. That thing is what remains of his father. Gale thinks, at least now he looks as terrible on the outside as he was on the inside.

He won't last long. Gale tucks his head back into John's shoulder and kisses at his neck.

"Shall we go to the others, my love?" John asks him.

Gale nods. "A couple days early though." He spills out. John chuckles as he carries him away from the massacred area.

"I'm sure the others won't mind. They loved you from the moment they met you, just like me." He says softly. Gale smiles as he looks up.

"You loved me when you met me?" He can't help but ask. He can see a gentle blush creep on to John's cheeks as he nods. Gale smiles.

He pulls him down, and presses their lips together, a soft and tender kiss.

"I think, I loved you too." he confesses. John smiles widely and starts to float up to the clouds. Gale doesn't tighten his grip. He knows John won't drop him.

He closes his eyes and feels the breeze graze his skin.

Freedom at last.

They make their way to a new land.

To new beginnings.

To a happy future.

_________

Goodness, I wasn't going to write all that.

Anywho, John whisks Gale into the air and they float to their happily ever after.

As an epilogue I'd say that they all find a new safe haven. They build a life with the other witches and warlocks.

And Gale and John take in the little girl from before and raise her as their own.

The end

🩵🩷🩵🩷🩵🩷

[eletricheart]

Hii i wanted to ask if you could do Donna Beneviento with a fem! s/o whos like Alastor from Hazbin Hotel? You dont have to do this request if you dont want to, no pressure!

Me and the Devil

(Donna Beneviento x fem!reader)

*pic from pinterest

Word count: 757

So, I've never seen this show so this was a bit hard to write, sorry for the short lenght. I hope it's good, i tried to make some research on the character but wiki only goes so far😭

ps: sorry for the long wait too😔✌

ps2: its fluff btw, i promise

ps3: not proofread pls lmk any mistakes

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Donna met…well…noticed your presence at her workshop every week when she worked with human subjects. The dollmaker was afraid at first but chose to remain calm, silently working and observing your moves. It went on for months, making Donna even used to your hidden company.

You met her after three months of stalking, finally deciding to ask the purpose of her actions, which she didn't answer. So you kept returning, week after week, slowly getting closer and asking more questions.

Angie met you once she noticed the dollmaker taking longer to leave the workshop. The doll was distrustful at first but soon enough you won her over by playing with her shadow. You regretted that decision after her chasing you around demanding you played with her.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

You found yourself following the directions of a doll into the village.

Earlier on the day Donna had expressed her wish for new tolls to which you responded by saying why she didn't buy it before it ended, to which started an argument on responsibility.

Now, you pride yourself in being the strongest being alive and dead, taking orders from no one. Therefore, your current predicament was completely your choice.

You had easily found the man named Duke, his carriage surrounded by commoners who quickly made way once seeing Angie. You didn't like the people around you, in fact was close enough to hating them.

You were watching Angie speaking to the Duke when a villager touched your shoulder. You weren't impulsive, of course not, he just dropped dead, on his own.

With the noise of the body falling followed by the townsfolk screaming and running off. Angie turned to look at your smiling face. “What the hell did you?!”

You smiled looking from the body to the doll. “Well…I sucked the soul out of his body, obviously. Touching someone without their consent is very impolite.”

After this occurrence the doll loved going out with you, getting more excited every time you killed someone, by accident of course.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Rainy day

You were sitting on Donna’s couch fixing the radio while the dollmaker knitted on a nearby armchair.

Donna turned to stare at you shaking the radio. “Why don't you sing yourself? It’ll sound the same.”

You looked up with furrowed eyebrows, blinking slowly while staring back at her. “No. Unless you’d give me something in return.” You said, turning your confused face into a smile.

Donna rolled her eyes behind her veil. “No.”

You shrugged and returned to your task, successfully fixing the radio.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Angie’s birthday

After questioning Donna on how a doll has a birthday, you fell into an easy silence while baking a cake and some sweets for the dolls.

The dollmaker noticed your apparent skills, slowly trusting you more with her kitchen. “I didn't think demons had baking lessons in hell.”

You turned to her with a sly smile. “Making jokes, huh. Well, I didn't learn it in hell.”

Donna smiled and threw some flour at you. “How did you learn it then?”

You chuckled, cleaning your face from the attack. “My mother taught me, you would've liked her.”

The Lady nodded. “I’m sure I would've.”

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Something new

You were standing in front of her workshop, holding a pot with a single flower in your hands. You stayed still for a few minutes before having the courage to knock.

It didn't take long for you to hear the ‘come in’ and make your way around the hanging wood pieces.

You stood in front of her, holding the flower to her face. “I made it.”

Donna stared back and forth between your face and the floor before speaking. “I don't recognize it.”

You scuffed. “Because I made it, it’s mine.”

The dollmaker gently took the pot from your hands, holding it dearly. “You made me a flower.”

You tilted your head at her. “Yes, I’ve said it twice.”

Donna nodded. “Wait outside, please.”

And so you did, walking around in circles in the hall waiting for her to open the door again. You weren't nervous, you didn't have a reason to be since not fully understood why you felt the need to make her a flower. You were bored, and so you walked.

The dollmaker opened the door after an hour, holding a wooden flower. “I could've made you a normal flower too, but you’ve already seen all of the ones I can do. So…here’s something new.”

You carefully took the flower from her hands and smiled sincerely. “It’s mine now.”

Donna laughed. “It’s yours.”

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requests are open: masterlist

[serenpedac]

Thank you so much @ejunkiet for the tag, this was a fun one ♥️

Tagging forward: @lykegenia @wayhavenots @evilbunnyking @deepinifhell @nat-seal-well @grapecaseschoices @serial-chillr (I'm probably forgetting people, so if you want to do this, please consider yourself tagged 😘)