#most likely cause of my untimely death:

[rosepompadour]

ANNA KARINA, UNE FEMME EST UNE FEMME

[carionto]

What Humans call the "Thousand Yard Stare"

As more and more Humans interact with and integrate within Coalition stations, reports, closer to hushed whispers really, began to circulate of some Humans being... discomforting... to be around.

Initially we thought it was just rudeness or passive aggressive behavior or any number of subtle actions or choice of words, no matter how advanced or civilized there will always be some assholes.

However, when some of these "offenders" were presented to us peacekeepers, we found them to be perfectly polite and reasonable. As our conversation continued and shifted topics, whenever there was a lull or the focus was on another speaker for a longer time, the Human's gaze drifted somewhat.

Sometimes she would look to the side and it was harder to tell what her exact expression was, but every so often she would be looking at one of us, but... not. It was as if she was staring at something behind us, through us even. Beyond the walls of the station, it even felt as though beyond space and time itself.

It was one of the most unnerving and chitin-chilling feelings we've ever felt, but then the Human seemed to notice our change and became that friendly and cheerful person once again:

"Sorry, my mind drifted there for a bit. What were you saying?"

And the conversation continued as if nothing was out of the ordinary for the Human.

Upon our return to our office, one of the Human peacekeepers heard about our impromptu assignment and offered this explanation after we told him what happened:

"Oh yeah, I think that person was a retired firefighter or rescue worker of some kind. Professions like that can be dangerous and you'll eventually encounter something horrible at a disaster site or crime scene. Probably saw someone die, or a person they rescued later didn't make it, or it was a kid... It's the toughest when you're the last one a child sees before..."

There it is again. That look, but with a tinge of sadness this time. We didn't know he was carrying such memories. The untimely death of anyone is a difficult time for those that survive, especially when it is the young whose life was still just starting. It seems Humans with their heightened senses and sensitivity to the feelings of others these kind of experiences imprint a far stronger memory than for most.

"Anyway, we've got a bunch of names for such things, but typically we call it the thousand yard stare. It's an old measurement unit, don't worry about it. I think the meaning may have changed a bit over the years, but basically some people go through traumatic stuff and they decide, consciously or not, to sort of... detach themselves from reality. It's a coping mechanism.

A few people thrive on horrible things, but they're the exception. Most of us would go crazy or depressed or any other infinite bad possibilities our brains can go in if we don't find a way to separate ourselves from certain realities. It can get real bad otherwise. It's rare, but a few go truly nuts and try to inflict their pain unto others. Most end up suffering alone for a long time. And some can't take it anymore and decide to end it themselves.

Thankfully therapists and support options are widely available, so those kind of scenarios are really rare, like... suicide accounts for about three out of a hundred thousand deaths last time I saw those charts. Plus drones and automation take care of most of the dangerous tasks, leaving the vast majority of cases to be caused by interpersonal relations actually. A broken heart is one of those traumas we'll never get rid of it seems. That's just life, I guess."

[starillusion13]

PRECIOUS

Pairing: Prince!Seonghwa x f!reader x Prince!Hongjoong

Genre: Royal, Fantasy, Angst, Yandere

Warnings: crying, controlling nature, possessiveness, suggestive themes, using a sleeping potion needle.

W.C: 3.5k

Note: Thanks to the people loving my works and supporting them. I love to read your reviews in my dms so feel free to dm me. Thanks for joining the event.

Network: @cultofdionysusnet @k-vanity

Request from: @warpedspirit

Taglist: @mymoodwriting @justhere4kpop @vvshere @yeoobin @tainsan ( I didn’t know which account to tag 🥹)

👑

*under the cut*

The kingdom Halazia was ruled by the king, Zeeth. His first wife who died at a young age has a son named Park Seonghwa and the second wife has a son named Kim Hongjoong. The Title for the sons were after their mother because they didn’t want their fathers title to be given to them as they passionately hated that man.

Two months ago, the king suddenly died of a mysterious fever. Not even the best medic in the kingdom found the cause for the untimely end so this leaves only the younger queen to take over the family proceedings. The situation was very difficult for her to handle and let alone the princes who are not even bothered by their father death.

The elder Prince, Park Seonghwa who has a great physique with light toned skin and always keeping a sword attached to the waist band, the handle is designed with blue and silver crystals which highlights the shining silvery blade more. The prince attires always look the best on him and make it seems like the position pf prince is designated for him. He has the piercing eyes like an eagle as if he can read your soul with a single glance at you which can make you feel exposed even though you are fully covered with materials. His sharpness of eyes is slightly hidden with the black strokes of the bangs falling over his eyes similarly the way the sharpness of the blade is separating through the handle from his hand. Even though having such a strong aura with the sharp facial features his personality is a bit contrasting in usual. He has a sweet voice which can easily lure you into his well-planned trap and his calm and peaceful nature can convince you to speak all your hidden truths to him. Well, that’s the trap where he will attract you with his caring nature and gets to know everything about you which may not be always good.

The younger Prince, Kim Hongjoong whose name can alone scream the dominance over every possible thing. He is born to be a king. He is slightly shorter than the eldest prince but his pointy noise and thick eyebrows and the evil glint in his eyes with the dirty smirk as if he whatever he does or say is the last option for everyone makes everyone else surrounding him feel smaller to him. Don’t ever dare to say him short if you don’t want to die early. He is totally ruthless unlike his brother’s calm personality. But both of them having same interests on something or hating the same thing similarly which make them most powerful. Hongjoong has a folding knife whose heavy metal portion is designed with black crystals totally matching with his dark personality. His only emotions are for his mother and his brother. He does not have to make you believe him because no matter what he will do it with force whenever its possible.

 Likely, the commoners are well aware of their hatred towards the king because they don’t like the rules of the kingdom set by the king. They both can be the most powerful duo among all the neighbouring kingdoms if they get pissed off with something. Most commonly known as The Django Brothers because of this consistent and ruthless personality when together. The king’s death announces Seonghwa as the next ruler of Halazia but his love for his brother made him to come up with a final decision for the kingdom’s future attention.

“I will not be ruling this kingdom alone, I want my brother to be the part of this as well.” Seonghwa sitting elegantly on the throne in a dark blue prince attire looking flawless on the antic throne of the king seems like a perfect protector of Halazia. He is looking around the court hall to scan the faces for any disapproval. Hongjoong standing behind him in a black furry fit which more seems like the enemy or the destroyer of the kingdom and also with the visible smirk on his. He is observing everyone present there while playing with his pocket knife making everyone startled with every opening striking sound.

The head of the general gulped when taking in the look of the younger prince and spoke up, “We all agree with your plans Prince Seonghwa even we are measuring the land to divide the north sector and the south sector equally. The commoners are also happy for the decision on finding two future kings which can lead to betterment of the kingdom as you both can give proper attention to the respective parts rather focusing on vast areas alone.”

“Equal sectors? Do you think we will get jealous of each other huh?” The younger prince spoke and the head of the general is trying to avoid being under his heavy gaze. 

“It is King Seonghwa and King Hongjoong for you all and I want this news to be announced all over the kingdom within evening.” Everyone nodded their head in return not wanting to displease any of the kings.

“Also tell everyone that my little sons are big enough to get married and am searching for beautiful and talented girls who can take care of my sons and teach them right way to behave maybe then these two can become a real human.” The youngest queen chuckled when coming to the middle of the hall.

Everyone feels relaxed with the joke and her playful presence and they all bowed to the queen and smiled towards her.

The two princes groaned on hearing the statement, “Mother, you know the kingdom is enough for having two rulers so there is no need of a woman. We can take care of everything alone.” Hongjoong interjects.

“But you can’t take care of your feelings for love, the loneliness will break you down my son.” She looks at both of them sympathetically.

“We can and we will show you how.” Seonghwa spoke up but with a respectful gesture towards the queen.

The ministers and generals started to leave the hall one by one when the queen made a quick gesture to the business minister to spread her wanting news for marriage.

“Father?….” A sweet honey like voice chirped in from a corner. All the attention turns towards that direction. The two princes are having the confuse look where the queen is grinning towards the new comer. The head general was last to leave when on hearing the voice halted in his step.

“Oh! Look I forgot to tell you who I brought here, General she was waiting at the gate for you and I heard that you don’t talk to your daughter.” The general glared to the girl standing behind the queen but instantly changed his expression to face the royals.

“Your honour, Queen Aeris I would like to apologize in behalf of her but I would like to take my leave here.” General plainly stated.

“This is your daughter?” The youngest prince scanning the girl as if like an animal getting ready to jump on his prey that instance. The girl hesitated in her place under his gaze.

“Y/N?” Seonghwa softly called the girl. The girl and queen both looked at him with big round eyes.

“Ah, finally my son recognized her. So, you should know now why she is here.” The queen clapped her hands happily and went away when a maid whispered something in her ears.

Seonghwa still looking at her when she is just looking around for what to say to him. Hongjoong suddenly spoke up, “Y/N? you mean our Y/N, our precious? My precious?”

Seonghwa nodded in reply which made his brother to show his dirty smirk again. Hongjoong turned towards the general, “So you kept her hidden from us all these days? Why?”

“Joong and Hwa, he is not to blame here. I kept myself away from this place because I need to take care of myself because father- “

“Don’t call me father, You witch, good for nothing. I don’t want your presence in front of my eyes.”

“That’s so ridiculous. Raising your voice in front of us and also on her?” Hongjoong asked the general with a dangerous expressionless look. The general apologized again and the elder prince signalled him to leave the place without wanting to hear anything further from him.

“You both remembered me still?” You are a bit happy and tensed at the same time with their presence.

“How can we forget the one who made our childhood the most bearable and memorable one. The one who respected and also befriended us before knowing us being royals. You are so different Y/N.” Seonghwa smiled for the first time in the whole day. Hongjoong took a quick glance at his brother and added, “You are the precious gem to us. See we decorated our sword and knife according to the colors you stated suite us.” He holds his knife towards you and Seonghwa also retreat his sword from the waist band to show it to you.

“That’s so nice that you still care for our friendship but we should not treat each other like before now because things are different since then. We have grown up and …….I’m engaged to Haechan.”

The two prince ears perked up on hearing the name of a male coming out of your mouth and also the fact that you are engaged. Seonghwa’s smile disappeared for a second but he quickly regained it while facing you but Hongjoong is totally losing his composure.

“Who? Haechan? Who is this person? When did this all happened?” Seonghwa quickly stated acting all normal but is few inches away to just rip this said person’s head off. He took a few steps to stand closer and in front of you. You are slightly shorter than them so you glanced upward with fear in your eyes because you are suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the fact that the person before you is not happy with your statement. Hongjoong’s heavy footsteps echoed inside the empty big hall which stopped just right behind you. You can feel the gaze behind you is burning hole in the back of your head.

Seonghwa putting the loose hair strands behind your ears with a smile which is totally mocking your fear, “We can’t just accept that you are engaged Y/N.”

“Huh? What do you mean you can’t?” You know the three of you can’t be close friends when you are just a commoner with two royals. People would not like this relation among you three.

“Oh precious! We can't lose you again when we just got you after so many years. We did not just wait for you to come back and say that you are going away from us forever.” You are not sure if Seonghwa is hurt with your engagement as he won’t be seeing his friend again or is he referring to something else which you can’t even think can be possible.

You retreat your steps back from his close proximity but to your dismay your back bumped into a hard yet fury chest. You got startled, thin back of your floral old town villager gown is not helping but feeling the furs stinging in your back. You turned your head to at least glance at the person behind you and found he is smirking at you with a lust filled eyes. Your attention was brought back to the front when Seonghwa holds your chin to make eye contact with you and suddenly you felt two palms resting on both of your shoulders. The sudden contact with two males making a chill shiver run down your body. Your eyes searching in the opposite eyes for the emotions to feel because everything is so confusing for you in the moment.

Seonghwa looked down at you smiling and then looked behind you, you can feel they are communicating with each other through eyes which makes you feel outcast between them. The hold on your chin is moved to brushing your cheeks with his long soft fingers when the thumb slowly touched your lower lips and keeping the movement in a slow trans. Your right hand moved up in reflex to take a hold of his wrist.

“What are you doing?” You softly asked him with a fearful expression.

“My Precious…..” Joong whispered breathily in your left ear and his hands falling from your shoulders and sneaking to hug you from behind. His head then resting on your left shoulder. You exhaled a heavy shaky breath and closed your eyes.

“Look at me!” the command from the eldest prince really dominated over the movement of your body for which you immediately looked up at him expecting him to have any dark look but he was looking at you softly.

“Tell me love, do you want to go back to him?”

“Huh? …..To my father? ” your eyebrows creased with the question. Hwa nodded to which you strongly showed your denial by shaking your head.

The prince behind you now asked, “and to him?”

“Who again?”

“Your fiancé?” your fearful expression returned to confused as to why is he asking you this obvious question and the uneasiness making you to wiggle under the two holds which made them to hold you tighter.

“Oh him! Yes of course I would go there …...that’s my home after my father kicked me out.” The answer didn’t help the situation either for your uneasiness. Seonghwa is no more smiling at you but glaring dangerously.

“No you won’t.” Hongjoong stated blankly.

“Why?”

“He is not good. He is no one in your life. The only men you are allowed to have in your life is me and Hwa.” He hugged you tightly and felt his lips kissed your exposed neck lightly. You left out a soft moan for the contact and looking down but quickly looked up.

“What are you saying?” You are now asking to both of them.

“He has said you already love, that only men that is yours is us. You belong to us.”

“I don’t belong to you. Please leave me, I need to go.”

“You think we will let you go now?” Seonghwa smirked at your miserable state under his brother’s hold. His hand on your cheek moved upward to pat your head before going back a few steps to take in your whole look while you were struggling to get away from the back hug. Hongjoong is snuggling in your neck which made your eyes a bit watery. Again, he came closer to you and smashed his lips on you. You tried to move your head to retreat from the kiss but nothing is helping when he holds your face tightly to glare at you for a second and again returned back to kiss you.

In the same time, Hongjoong is giving you butterfly kisses all over neck and over the bit of your shoulders visible. Your hands are restricted by him preventing their movement. Seonghwa’s kiss is rough as if he is a hungry beast who haven’t got his meal for last few weeks. Both of the male stopped their movement. You are weeping quietly while looking down. The lose of their hold didn’t help your weak legs to let you stand still any longer when you suddenly fall on your knees and hid your face in your palms and continued weeping.

Seonghwa felt a wave of guilt within him but quickly brushed it off. Hongjoong came in front of you and knelt down to move your hands blocking your face. Your teary eyes looked at him with hatred and fear. The man didn’t even bother to acknowledge your anger but he assures your fear with a soft kiss on top of your head. His one hand takes a hold of back of your head to push it softly against his chest to stroke you softly in a comforting way. Your hands takes a hold of his furry coat. Fur should be a place of comfort but this fur is like a needle to you.

“Why…… why a-are you d-doing this?” You questioned between your crying.

“Its okay precious, nothing is wrong. We are doing what we should have done way before.”

Seonghwa also mimicked his brother’s expression beside him to stroke your back. You moved back from Joong’s chest to look at them. Both of them are dearly smiling at you.

“We are your kings, love.”

Joong added to his brother, “and You are our Precious.”

“……no”

“Love, there is no other option for you except accepting this.” Hwa is grinning while speaking.

You shake your head side by side while thinking for what to say, “Please…...”

“Please what love?”

“I want to go.”

Hongjoong glared at you before standing up. “Hwa, take her to our room and let me have a talk with them about her and I will ask for you if I need help.”    

 “Sure Joong, we need to tell everyone that they have got their kings and the precious queen.”

Seonghwa tightly holds your wrist to make you stand and starts pulling you to the grand door of the hall to exit, you looked towards the younger prince to see him staring at you dangerously with a smirk “What will you talk to them about?”

Then you tried to wiggle your hand out of the tight grip which is hurting you a bit, “Where are you taking me to? Where is Joong going? What is going on?”

“Oh, don’t worry about him, he will be back soon till then we can enjoy ourselves. He needs to finish a meeting with your father and …..Haechan.”

“No, you don’t have to talk to them. I need to go back to him. Leave me.”

“Shut up. We own you and no one can dare to change it.” Hwa laughed in the end of his reply which is followed by Joong’s laugh.

“You don’t own me, I’m not a property please……” You are about to cry again. Hwa glanced at Joong when he stepped closer to you and suddenly hugged you. You are confused but before contemplating the situation you felt a needle like something pierced the skin near your backside of the neck. Your eyes felt heavy and your weight is leaning towards his body which he gladly took a good hold of it. He caressed your head before lifting you up in a bridal style. Footsteps came near you both and the last thing you heard,

“I need to go now to say goodbye to your father and your fiancé but we can continue everything later Precious.”

“Our Precious.”

(Do you readers need part 2? Spicy or soft?)

Here is the part 2! Out now!

[noyatv]

𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲| senna!reader

chapter one: controversy

warnings: parental death, senna!reader was born in '93, adriane galisteu is your mom, mentions of death

YN Galisteu Senna, the daughter of the late racing legend Ayrton Senna, is set to join her cousin, Bruno Senna, in the 2012 season. The move has caused quite a stir in the racing community, as it marks the first time that two relatives of Ayrton Senna will be racing together.

Ayrton Senna was one of the most successful Formula One drivers of all time, having won three world championships during his career and is still remembered fondly by many fans. His legacy is now being carried on by his daughter and his nephew, which will surely bring much attention to the Williams team.

While YN Senna has had success in the lower levels of racing, there are some in the racing community that have voiced their concerns over her lack of experience compared to experienced drivers. However, the Williams team has expressed their confidence in YN, citing her family lineage and natural driving talent as a sign of her potential and ability to compete in the highest levels of Formula One.

For the Senna family, this is undoubtedly a dream come true. Ayrton Senna's racing career was cut short by his untimely death in 1994, but now his daughter and nephew will be able to carry on his legacy and compete alongside each other in the highest levels of racing.

No matter how well YN Senna performs in the upcoming 2012 season, the fact that she will be racing alongside her cousin, Bruno Senna, will make for an interesting story, and one that will be remembered for years to come. The move has certainly caused much controversy, but it is also a unique and exciting moment in the history of Formula One racing.

𝙴𝚇𝙲𝙴𝚁𝙿𝚃 𝙵𝚁𝙾𝙼 𝙶𝚀'𝚂 𝙳𝙴𝙲𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟷 𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝚈𝙽 𝚂𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰

Q: How did you feel when you heard that Williams had signed you for the upcoming season?

Y: I was so excited and overwhelmed to be given the opportunity to join the Williams F1 team. It was a dream come true and I am so grateful for this chance.

Q: What is it like to be driving with your cousin Bruno Senna?

Y: It's amazing to be able to share this experience with my cousin. It's a privilege to be able to race with him. We have a great relationship and I'm looking forward to the season ahead.

Q: Do you feel any pressure to perform?

Y: I feel pressure to perform, but I'm also very confident in my ability. I'm confident that I can use my experience to succeed in this very competitive sport.

Q: What do you think will be the biggest challenge for you this season?

Y: I think the biggest challenge this season will be the learning curve. There's so much to learn from the other drivers and teams and I'm sure I'll face some difficult moments. I'm confident that I can overcome them though.

Q: What are your goals for the season?

Y: My main goal is to learn as much as I can. Ultimately, I want to be in the best position possible to one day compete for a Formula One championship.

Q: What is your opinion about people doubting your ability to drive in Formula One?

Y: Uh, I wish to prove their doubts wrong?

ˢᵘᶰᵈᵅʸ, ᵐᵅʳᶜʰ ¹⁸ᵗʰ, ²⁰¹²

ᵅᶫᵇᵉʳᵗ ᵖᵅʳᵏ, ᵅᵘˢᵗʳᵅᶫⁱᵅ

Qualifying had gone well; securing a p11. The walk to the Williams was brief, stopping only when I made it to my driver's room. I made haste to change into my suit. Time seemed to have sped up, only stopping when Bruno yelled at me. I walked over to where the car was parked. I got into the car, the engineers were talking to me. I didn't hear all of what they said, only warm and tires.

Time seemed to fly past, only stopping when the checkered flag waved only a couple hundred yards ahead.

"P6!"

"Where's Bruno?"

"He didn't finish due to a collision."

taglist:

@bad268

[alllsunday]

A few thoughts on how Portgas D. Ace is the epitome of the Tragic Hero. For one, his entire life was a tragedy.

“A tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragic story or drama, in which, despite their virtuous and sympathetic traits and ambitions, they ultimately meet defeat, suffering, or even an untimely end. They are often imperfect or wounded with some sort of fraught experience, and typically have some sort of fatal flaw.”

He fits the criteria :

1.) “High status/noble”

Ace is the sole heir of the notorious Pirate King and the only known female Will of D carrier. Yes, he’s not a noble, but he is obviously a high status pirate and a person with the “noble” qualities Aristotle was talking about even if he wasn’t literally one. Honourable, generous, polite.

2.) “Flawed”

The fatal flaw (hamartia) that brings about the hero’s downfall, destruction caused by their own hands. In Ace’s case … well, if I had to narrow it down, I’d say wrath, arrogance, and never backing down were the most key to his downfall, but the title of #1 has to go to his hubris (excessive arrogance/pride). It was because of this he went to Wano to challenge Kaido, the monster not even Oden could slay. Izou himself pointed out Ace’s arrogance. It was because of this he challenged Whitebeard, went after Teach, and ultimately ended in tragedy. Ace had been the strongest almost his entire life, losing was.. new. It doesn’t matter, cause everytime Ace is in a situation where he fucks up he always gets himself out of it, and when it comes to fighting as a whole, strength is his one constant. Even in the face of Teach’s power, he underestimated him, thinking that he’d win, which brings me to my next point :

3.) “A reversal of fortune”

“The character should suffer a terrible reversal of fortune, from good to bad. Such a reversal does not merely mean a loss of money or status. It means that the work should end with the character dead or in immense suffering, and to a degree that outweighs what it seems like the character deserved.”

Ace was a traumatised and heavily wounded character who spent his childhood suffering. It was not quite a childhood. As an older teenager, he was tearing up the world of piracy (the first pirate of the new generation, super rookie, all at an insanely fast rate, even much moreso than Luffy) before joining Whitebeard and settling down. Though not eradicated, his internal struggles cooled down slightly. Maybe by the time he was a fully wisened man and not a boy fresh out of his teenage years, he could have been on the road to healing - but his belief that he could obviously beat Teach, his subordinate, was the catalyst for the events that were to come.

It was seemingly going alright - Ace had fit in, made friends, had the family he had so needed.

That flipped over almost instantly, and ended in his painfully premature death. During the fight, Ace realised he’d been overconfident. But this time he couldn’t back it up. Teach had won.

On his deathbed, Ace finally realised that he wanted to live. Death was the thing he’d wondered about for his entire life, and now that he was actually on the brink of it - he had changed his mind. After 20 years, he genuinely wanted to keep going for the first time. Yet it was snatched away from him.

To add insult to injury, Sabo’s death, one of Ace’s many traumatic experiences, ended up being a misunderstanding. Sabo was alive and didn’t remember him… until he had died.

[dreamerschroniclesofstories]

Hello, Thomas Shelby.

A/N: hello again! It’s so good to be back. I’m officially on Christmas break from university so I’ll be more active. This is part 2 of ‘ Goodbye, mr Shelby’. This came later then expected because I was in hospital over the weekend with a severe infection but I’m recovering slowly. Thank you for all your support and love on my precious works. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!.

I DON’T NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO REPOST THIS ON OTHER WEBSITES AND FOR TRANSLATION.

Summery: Grace has died and Tommy is grieving. Through his grief, he realises something. Something that has been in-front of him for years.

Word count: 926

In the quiet aftermath of her departure, a heavy silence settled upon the tommys world. The once vibrant hues of their shared life now muted, he navigated the echo of her absence with a heart heavy with grief and anger. Every room held fragments of her laughter and the subtle traces of her presence in Charlie, now haunting reminders of a love that transcended overtime.

The aroma of her perfume lingered, a haunting presence that both comforted and intensified the void. The weight of responsibility bore down on him, the business dealings of the Shelby Company requiring his attention, yet his mind was a tempest of grief.

Tommy spent most of his time in his office, either dealing with work or coming up with a plan to avenge grace for her death. He found strange refuge with his brothers Arthur and john.

Last night, Tommy had finally snapped at John after a meeting with then went wrong.

“ legitimate business John is the priority” Tommy states, his dark eyebrows pulling down towards his eyes. Patting his cigarette into the ashtray. The smoke filling the gap between Tommy and his brother.

“Since when” John bellows angrily, his voice immediately turning a switch inside of Tommy’s head.

Tommy suddenly stands up, causing the whiskey glass on the desk to rattle against each other , slamming his hands down then points towards John. Tommy lips tighten and curl inwards.

“ since my wife took a billet meant for me” he yells.

Polly had found out about this incident and knew she had to do something for her nephew, she did not like the route he was heading down by not accepting his grief.

Polly Gray held a conflicted relationship with Grace Burgess, harboring a certain distaste for her. Despite their differences, when faced with Grace's untimely death, Polly found within herself a sense of empathy. Despite her reservations towards Grace.

Without telling anyone but Ada, she had contacted someone that she knew could help me. Someone he hadn’t seen since the morning he married grace.Amelia.

Amelia’s house {London}

The bloody Shelby family. Amelia had been in London for just over a year when she had a phone call late last night.

As the soft glow of twilight spilled into her small room, Amelia sat by her window, watching as the stars shine down onto the London streets. She was immersed in the rarity of quietude of the evening. The outside world seemed to slow down and the rhythmic hum of the working city began to lull her into a peaceful and much welcomed state.

Suddenly, the tranquil atmosphere was rudely shattered by the blaring shrilling ring of the house phone. Startled, Amelia placed down her cup of tea on the window sill and instinctively rushed to answer it, the anticipation building with each step since it was late at night and she wasn’t expecting anyone to ring.

The unexpected call introduced a palpable excitement and as she picked up the phone, her heart raced with hidden curiosity. She wondered what surprise or connection awaited her on the other side.

“ Amelia thorn-field speaking” she announces.

“Well hasn’t London got you speaking polish” pollys voice echos through the phone, full of torment.

Amelia gasps softly as she hears the familiar voice “ polly? Oh Polly, is that you?” She asks, her voice full of hope.

“ it’s your lucky day dear” Polly hums through the phone “ now I wish I could catch up but I’m ringing on an urgent matter” the older woman admits.

That was 12 hours ago, for the past five of them hours Amelia had been travelling. Travelling back to the place she once swore to herself she would never return too.

Birmingham.

Amelia stood at the familiar crossroads on the outskirts of arrow house, a place she wanted to forget. The grit of determination she once held now fading as the memories of her lost love come swirling back into her head. The phone call had changed everything- news of tommys profound grief reached her. Causing an undeniable force to pull her back.

Amelia takes a deep breath as her heart quicken its pace. She gazed at the house as she walked closer to the house that held her love. The front door seemed both a barrier and a portal to the unknown, where the echoes of Tommy’s lost love awaited her.

Willing herself to face the uncertainty that lay behind the door. Leaving, her on the precipice of a reunion that held the promise of joy but also the promise of heartache.

As Amelia turned the door handle, the door creaked open, revealing the beautiful and homely interior of the house. Stepping over the threshold, every creak of the floorboards seemed to resonate with the echoes of Tommy’s wedding day, the echoes of her footsteps as she left the property on that fateful day.

Tommys office comes into view, Amelia’s throat dries up as she walks closer to his office. She knew she had to do this but she was so nervous she wanted to turn around and run away. However, she remembers Charlie and how that little boy had lost his mother and someone doesn’t help Tommy, he could also loose his father.

At that thought, Amelia opens the door slowly. Tommy was looking down at his desk, writing someone on a piece of paper. His glasses arched on his nose and a cigarette held between two of his fingers. The office closely from how many cigarettes Tommy had smoked. The smell of old and nice whiskey invaded Amelia’s senses.

“ not now Polly, I’ve got business. You know my schedule” he states stressfully, not looking from the paper.

Amelia doesn’t say anything, she wanted to put she couldn’t. She places down her bags onto the floor and walks closer to Tommys desk.

Tommy sighs “ Polly, what did i-“ he looks up, the words don’t finish as he makes eye contact with Amelia for the first time since his wedding day.

“ do I look like Polly?” Amelia jokes, trying to fill the tense quietness that has plagued the office.

Tommy stands up, walking around his desk and stands infront of Amelia. His hands reaching to her face, his cold skin making contact with her soft delicate and warm skin. His eye filled with apprehension.

“ are you really here?” He whispers, his eye glancing from her one eye to another.

Amelia heart swelled with an overwhelming surge of happiness. The awaiting reunion had lifted the loneliness that had attached itself to her months prior.

Tears welled up in her eyes, glistening like diamonds.

“ yes, I’m here” she whispers, lifting one hand to Tommys cheek, stroking his cheekbone solder “ I’m here” she repeats.

The grief suddenly released from Tommys chest, making it feel like he could breathe again. At the moment, he realised that the grief wasn’t for grace but for his long lost love.

The air hummed with an unspoken tension as Tommy leant in, their breaths syncing in the quiet anticipation of their first kiss. Time seemed to stop as their lips met in a delicate dance, a fusion of warmth and vulnerability. In that fleeting embrace, their worlds faded away, leaving only the tender exchange of a thousand unspoken promises.

The gentle caress of their lips carried the weight of a love story unfolding, a symphony of emotions encapsulated in that beautifully shared kiss- a poignant beginning to a journey of intertwined hearts.

EPILOGUE

17 February 1926

Two years. Two years since Amelia went back to her love. She couldn’t imagine where she’ll be if she didn’t. She wouldn’t be married and she wouldn’t have two kids of her own and pregnant with her third.

As the first rays of morning sunlight gently spilling into the master bedroom. Amelia stirred in her sleep, feeling a soft warmth beside her. Slowly, she opened her eyes to her husband, Tommy with an ear to ear smile as he held their one hear old daughter with a smile mirroring his. The realization of a new day dawned, and so did the awareness of the life growing within her. Tommy eyes filled with anticipation and tenderness, met hers. One of his hands gently cradled her burgeoning nine month belly, a silent acknowledgement of the miracle taking place.

The room was infused with an ineffable happiness, and as Sarah felt the reassuring presence of her partner and the life they were creating together, the morning held the promise of a shared journey into the beautiful unknown of impending parenthood.

A/n: Well wasn’t that cute! 🥰. I can imagine Tommy and Amelia having ALOT of children.

Taglist:

@pipipopo24

@lainczgf

@mysticalbouquetwolf-posts

@chaimaarouaine11

@immyowndefender

@taniasethi

[deadmenandthedivine]

dead men § the divine

table of contents

Lady Rhea Royce gave birth to a single daughter prior to her untimely death.

Princess Maetilda Targaryen was the sole heir to Runestone.

Her father, the Rogue Prince, kept her by his side, ensuring he always had a Keep to his name. Even after his marriage to the heir of the Seven Kingdoms, he refused to accept an engagement for her. Runestone was his castle. Princess Maetilda was his daughter. The Seven Kingdoms was his playground. There only seemed to be one small problem: the Greens.

The Greens occupied the Red Keep for over half a decade while the Rogue Prince and his future Queen raised their children on Dragonstone as tradition. It would seem having the King's castle and the Conqueror's crown plays an advantage when the dragons dance. It became apparent as the virescent cause does not suffer by delivering the first blows.

Despite only holding claims to one of the foundational keeps in the Vale, Princess Maetilda finds herself wrapped up in the center of the conflict. At the mercy of the men around her. Prince Aemond seeks to take what belongs to him, most especially the Rogue Prince's bronze babe.

trigger warning!!! this fic contains many graphic topics and depictions. such as but not limited to: dead parents, abusive parents, toxic family systems, incest, medieval misogyny, forced marriage, threats of assault (sexual § physical), actual assault, imprisonment, kidnapping, murder, blood/gore, uxoricide, familicide, PTSD and other neurodivergence. i will do my best to update as i go along, but please let me know if i have missed anything!

✧.*.·:¨ ✘♚✘ ¨:·.*.✧

✫ prologue — rumors from runestone

✫ chapter one — cold landings and green castles

✫ chapter two — a father’s praise

✫ chapter three — mysteries that muddy the keep

✫ chapter four — what the trees see

✫ chapter five — the maids that bloom in spring

✫ chapter six — bound in old magic

✫ chapter seven — the fate of wagging tongues

✫ chapter eight — dead flowers and garden bugs

✫ chapter nine — new leather boots

✫ chapter ten — an old man’s guilt

✫ chapter eleven — the tower tapestry

✫ chapter twelve — drowned in insignificant details

✫ chapter thirteen — the ghost of years coming and years past

✫ chapter fourteen — what the lady beetle does

✫ chapter fifteen — dragons have horns

✫ chapter sixteen — relearning from the same mistakes

✫ chapter seventeen — last suppers and sealed deals

✧.*.·:¨ ✘♚✘ ¨:·.*.✧

A/N: i do bend the plot of hotd/tweak the lore of the vale just a lil bit for my own convenience. also i'm not well versed in historical outfits and stuff so my descriptions may not be accurate to the time. but it's gotta be like that sometimes, you know?

[violetarks]

"dearer than i?"

anime: attack on titan

character: reiner braun

summary: an eldian warrior falls for the forbidden enemy, and he knows he would sacrifice anything for you. or, at least he would if he could.

warnings: g/n! reader, second person pov, heavily based off that tiktok trend going around atm (yknow the one), just a quick fic, wanted to try my hand at angst

you're not the first to find out about his secret. and you're definitely not the last. people from inside the walls that you protect, they find out within the week. you don't know how you could've been so blind, so dumb. falling for someone like reiner... falling for someone at all. you were a soldier, for god's sake. not some lovesick fool.

but you sure did feel like one.

how he made you feel like a lovesick fool, and how much you loved it, loved him. you can't wrap your head around it, even as you cry in your sheets and hide all the presents he had given you — soft blankets, a now dried flower from his visit outside the wall — just so you could keep them. you couldn't throw them out, no, that would be barbaric. you... just need them here, for your sake.

he didn't even look at you when you called his name, pleading for him to come back and surrender. you begged him to stay home, to stay with you, and you were faced with the sheer rejection he unwillingly showed you as he escaped. how could you love someone who has left you behind in the remnants of his lies?

you criticise him for being such a beautiful man, who loves you more than either of you could ever love yourselves. but now you know why. because he could never forgive himself for what he was about to do to you, your family, and your home.

you could never forgive him.

which is why you are so utterly confused when you see a note in your room, on your desk, asking you to meet him at your special spot. he signs it with his name, handwriting rough as always and slightly more rushed.

you almost don't believe it's him. why would he write to you now? a long time after he left you. what right did he have?

you want to crumble it all up and throw it out the window, or burn it and let your bedroom go up in flames as well. you want to sell him out. you could bring levi, eren, mikasa or literally anybody else, they could hide in the shadows and strike when you have him at his most vulnerable.

it would be poetically miserable, an untimely ending. revenge tasted sweet on your tongue.

but you held it. your heart had it in a headlock, and it forced you to keep that note a secret, and it pushed your legs up that mountain, trekking through the heavy greenery. it made you look back at the talk blonde, with such broad shoulders that you had hugged so tightly your heartbeat could mould into his.

he is tired, he is sad when he sees you. he almost wishes you hadn't come. because he can see how tired you've become over the three years he left you here. you stare back at him, but you don't look mad or upset. you simply soak in the sight of him.

he will never forget the blood that seeped through your uniform, how even after he had caused your injury, you still chased after him with your gear when your horse was killed amongst the thrown rubble.

your hair is the same, you must've been maintaining it. you need to keep up appearances; the soldiers that were put under your command look up to you, they need to know how strong you are. and reiner can see that.

but you have a scar across your collarbone. namely, the place where debris of the village had hit you when he and his fellow warriors made their escape. he remembers watching you fall under the crumbled stone and wood. your yell of pain as you threw your head back, and he could see metal protruding from your upper shoulder, cutting quite roughly through the top of your trapezius, deep enough to leave the bumpy scar between your neck and shoulders.

bruises covered your body, and you have a bandage around your hand. you've always been a hard worker. and you'll beat yourself to death if it meant to get over him.

yet here you are...

what happened?

"you came." reiner says, voice low and just above the sound of the wind. it's midnight, just after, and he watches you in your shirt and your thick jacket covering your shoulders. he can't muster up a smile.

and neither can you. the note crunches in your fist. he watches. your voice comes out louder than his, just barely. "you called."

devoid of any true emotion.

he stands just four feet away from you, and if he shuffled he could engulf you in his arms. but he doesn't deserve it.

"why are you here?" you ask, suddenly in control of the conversation.

"i wanted to see you."

"why?"

"did you not want to see me?" when you don't answer, he fills the silence. "i missed you."

"do you, now?" a sense of doubt lingers in your tone. reiner nods carefully. "do you regret leaving?"

"i don't know." he says, rubbing his cheek. he isn't sheepish, he used to rub his cheek when he was nervous or he was flustered by you. you used to find it endearing, now you find it infuriating. you want to cut off his hand. "i don't know."

he repeats himself like a broken record and you step forward, your stance confident as you let the the cold air of the cliff push your hood off of your head. "would you have stayed if... if i did something?" you ask, brows upturned in desperation, "what could i have done to prevent you from leaving? what made you... stay with me in the first place?"

"i didn't want to fall in love with you, y/n, i promise that what we had was never planned. i didn't want it when we began." his words should hurt you even more, add fuel to the fire, but you find yourself momentarily thankful. "i stayed that long because i loved you more than my purpose. i loved you so much that i would disregard what i was meant to be doing. i just wanted to love you and have you. i wanted nothing more."

you won't cry for him. you won't shed one single tear for this dunce. not with how he stared at you when you were enrolled, not with how he kissed you out of nowhere when celebrating your graduation, not with how he made you feel like he would never leave you. no, you won't cry for him now.

he cries. he has tears running down his chin, but his tone keep steady. as if he's been practicing. the sight of you makes his heart lump in his throat.

"but... there was nothing you could've done to keep me here, y/n. i'm sorry." he makes you feel like you're not enough anymore. a plaything, a toy for him to drag around while he holidayed within the walls. reiner makes you feek like a fool. "i had to leave. and i couldn't take you with me. you don't belong with the people of my home. they would hurt you."

"more than you did?" you scowl, balled up fists as you glare at him. your heart pounds in your ears and your face feels like it's heating up. reiner's cool facade breaks, and he begins to wipe his tears away. "how could anyone hurt me more than you have?"

reiner speaks through his palms, "i don't know..."

"you never know." your voice is harsh, it's similar to the irritation that those soldiers spit to him when he is home. but the malice in your tone is different. far, far more hurtful. "why do you never know? you don't know any reason to stay, you don't know why you didn't just leave me alons, you don't know why you promised me the world and left with everything i was."

hands grip the edge of his coat. marley's colours litter his person, but nobody would notice. not with how well he had hidden it. but you'll remember the uniform of that bastard who killed your commander, who was playing a game with the lives of all your comrades. and you will never forget how reiner shares that same uniform.

reiner cries more, he watches you take another step forward and his fingers tangle in his jacket. you leave footsteps and leave a pang in his heart.

"i can't believe i fell in love with you! i—i wish i had never met you, reiner! annie was fucking right, i thought she just hated you, but she was just trying to save me!" you shout, anger lacing your throat as you throw the crumbled note into his chest. you're crying. you cry when you're angry. he knows, and he knows how much you wished you weren't crying. it drips onto the dirt. "i... i can't believe you would do this us... why didn't you choose us, reiner? after everything we all did together, you still chose to leave?"

he's going to give you the same answer, and you know it. you wait for him, though. a habit that just refuses to die with your memories of him. reiner holds the end button of his jacket, and he looks back at you with those puppy dog, sad eyes that he would give you when he accidentally made you upset. but you don't fold over this time.

you're in arms length.

reiner misses you the most at night. after a couple years of saying 'goodnight' to each other, holding one another as an excuse to keep warm, kisses of comfort, it's hard to go back to your life before. reiner finds it just as difficult. he waits, and waits, and waits for you to come into his bedroom and kiss him, sneak under his sheets and sleep in with him until an hour before you were to wake. but you never come.

"why didn't you just stay? we would've... you could have stayed." you say, scrambling for that piece of you stil loved him. it wasn't hard to find. you still looked at him the way you used to when you were upset with him, looking for some sort of reasoning. that was hard to find. "why did you do it?"

"i don't know." his voice is even more desperate than before.

when your fist collides with his jaw, sending his head up and his body falling back, reiner swears he's seeing stars. maybe that's because he was, having now been faced to the night sky. but there's no doubt that your punch had knocked his smarts back into play.

you're on top of him in an instant, tears rushing down your face and landing on his chest. you sit atop his hips, yanking on his collar to pull him up at you send another punch.

"i hate you! i can't—!" you begin to angrily call, reeling back to hit him again. you watch his face bloody. but it's not enough. it won't ever amount to the blood that was spilled those days he attacked your home. you will bruise your fists, bleed yourself for your revenge. "we will never forgive you, reiner. i will never forgive you!"

reiner's instincts kick in at your sixth hit, and his hand that was resting on your hip, keeping you in place, now comes up to catch your wrist, stopping your punches.

but you bring your other hand, backhanding him. "you ruined my life! you promised me you'd..." you mutter out, choking on your sobs, "why couldn't you just listen to me? i said you could come home! you didn't have to abandon me!"

your knuckle burns after the second impact, and you go back for a second shot when reiner lifts himself to sit up, making you shift back to sit in between the circle of his legs. your heels under the bump of his hips, you grasp the hand covering your wrist, trying to yank him away.

"y/n—"

"you left me."

"i didn't want to, y/n, i love you." he claims, and you watch as smoke covers the injuries you put upon him moments ago. it heals him.

"then why did you leave?" you gulp, swallowing the tears that were yet to come, "why didn't you choose me?"

he takes in a deep breath. his scruffy facial hair drew wet from his tears. his eyes are dark but brows are upturned as he stares at you. "i would've chosen you."

"but you didn't." you say, tight fists in his hands, "you still chose the home that threw you away..."

he can't explain why he did it. because he doesn't quite know. maybe it's because of how he was brought up, how he was sent so young to take down the enemy. but that isn't good enough.

"you can still come home with me." your voice sounds like as sweet honey, and he sees your gently link your fingers through his. your eyes are still red, but you look at him. that part of you that loves him is pulling through. "you don't have to leave again."

he holds your hand tighter. they've become rougher, callouses cover your palms. he sighs out, "if i go back to marley, then we can't be together." his warm hands catch yours, desiring your touch. he longs for your hold. your heart sinks. "but if i never return, i turn on my family and my country. they're... they mean the most to me..."

"the family who sent you off to war at such a young age to simply dispose of the ridicule they face? the country who forced you to infiltrate my home while you were barely a teenager?" you scowl, standing up and peeling your hands out if his. he drops his hands onto my lap, watching you take a step away from him. "they mean more to you, than i do?"

he takes a deep breath, and lets it out. silence follows, drawing on more and more. he won't answer you.

"you said you'd choose me if you could. you can, right now." you say, staring down st him, "but you aren't, reiner... you... you still won't choose me."

"i'm sorry."

"that's not good enough." you respond, wiping your face, "i'm sorry, but if you don't come back with me, then i'm sending my unit after you."

"stay a little longer. please." he pleads, standing up again.

"i can't." you respond, walking back towards the forest, "listen to me, reiner. come home and i'll make sure we sort everything out." eren wants to kill him. levi wants revenge. mikasa is willing to do anything to protect her family. you could try, though. you glare back at him. "but you'll give me no choice if you go back. i'll make sure to be the one to end you if you continue being our enemy."

reiner drops his shoulders. all the tension fills the air between your gazes. his heart swells at your words, and your hard gaze turning gentle.

"i'm sorry, reiner." you murmur, turning your head and looking at the grass beneath you. the moonlight sets your path home ablaze.

he smiles softly at you. "it's okay. i wouldn't want it to be anybody but you." he tells you, "i still love you."

your eyes train on the floor as your shove your hands in your pocket. a heavy breath leaves you, "i promise i'll spend the last moments of your life with you."

when you leave, reiner feels better. he shouldn't, you rejected him and refused to stay any longer at his side. you said you would send people after him, you'd kill him. but he feels better.

he wonders how long it'll last this time.

[zombie-bait]

The Death of a Vampire

Lestat as a protagonist just works so incredibly well and a very significant aspect of that is him being Anne Rice's self-insert. Lived experience can be critical when it comes to writing a good story and many memorable novels will feature elements of that. Anne is built different, though. Lestat (book 2 onwards) is basically Anne's journal for dealing with her grievances and trauma, which, on its own, is a very questionable method of writing. More often than not, it causes him to be characterized inconsistently between books because Anne's own opinions have changed. But it also makes him so real.

You follow his struggles with religion, you see him yearn for forgiveness from a god that has seemingly abandoned him a long time ago and you feel it. The passage I will never get over is in the early chapters of The Vampire Lestat, when Lestat has a breakdown over his mother's (and frankly his own) mortality. He struggles and he cries and he can't get out of bed because there's nothing he can do. Eventually he starts to live again, forces himself to.

But.

"I wandered into the church and on my knees I leaned against the wall and I looked at the ancient statues and I felt the same gratitude looking at the finely carved fingers and the noses and the ears and the expressions on their faces and the deep folds in their garments, and I couldn’t stop myself from crying. At least we had these beautiful things, I said. Such goodness. But nothing natural seemed beautiful to me now! The very sight of a great tree standing alone in a field could make me tremble and cry out. Fill the orchard with music. And let me tell you a little secret. It never did pass, really."

I think about those last two sentences a lot. I think about them even more since Anne Rice passed away.

Every page of Interview is spent talking about death and yet (imo) it's only in TVL that you really feel it. Louis in book 1 welcomes death quite readily because, besides his toxic boyfriend and their traumatized daughter, he doesn't have much to live for. He's basically given up by the time Lestat appears. The greatest torture, to Louis, is the knowledge that he can live forever on the suffering of others.

But Lestat is the complete opposite. He wants to listen to music, to explore Paris, to perform on any stage that will take him, to embrace the man he loves and to send his ailing mother letters of his accomplishments. Death matters most to those who are desperate to live and god is he desperate. He's haunted by his mother's sickness, by the wolves on the mountain that threaten to end his life before he's even lived it, the witches place that reeks of meaningless suffering. And in a way, the dark gift provides opportunity to escape that. But it is still death. It takes away Nicki in a very literal way and takes away his mother in a more personal one. Magnus, like death, chose Lestat arbitrarily. He sees the cellar of blonde corpses and knows that he was only one of dozens to meet an untimely death with no explanation.

Lestat also really wants you to know that he is, truly, a good person. He must be. He swears to only hunt criminals and then goes back on that two pages later. He reshapes stories to present himself as the noble protagonist and the audience has no choice but to believe him. He wants, desperately, to be loved for all that he is, man and monster. He wants to be the hero.

He's this awful, fascinating, very human man so clearly born out of the internal struggle to find meaning and love in a cruel, unpredictable world we all tend to share. He's made up of incredibly basic and powerful human desires hidden behind a mask of bravado and I can't recalling seeing another protagonist like him.

(Quick mention: This isn't some kind of "wow Anne Rice is an incredible author who can do no wrong" piece. She's written a lot of fucked up and bad shit that cannot be easily brushed over. But I don't think I'll ever get over reading TVL for the first time. To read someone bare their soul in such a way creates a truly unique experience. A lot of characters in a lot of pieces of media face death, but it's rare to see a character face mortality in such a personal way.)

(Also odds are I've written similar posts to this before but shhhhh these sad gay vampires are all I have)

[mamadarama]

don't get me wrong i think eichi's funny and enjoyable but i don't really get the lengths ppl go to support him?? like i get he's not completely awful but while he did feel remprse for the war, he also just. doesn't make much of an effort to change? sorry i'm just trying to understand him and why his fans like him so much

eichi is .... a complicated character . since the war hes become a lot more self aware and responsible and hes a lot better at controlling his emotions now , but at the core of his personality is always going to be the same melodramatic nature that caused him to start the war in the first place . he has this idea in his head that hes irredeemable and its become a self fulfilling prophecy , so he does try to be a good person but its somewhat half hearted. not because he doesnt want to change , but because he doesnt believe in himself.

idk about anyone else but the reason i like him is that he deviates from a lot of tropes that he otherwise fits into in a really interesting way . like, hes not just a tragic character, but a perpetually tragic character . a lot of tragedies end in an untimely death (which i absolutely adore btw its one of my favorite tropes of all time) but eichi doesnt die even though the set up of his story makes that a very accessible ending for him. its cool to be able to see how his self inflicted tragedy persists past the climax of his story. i also like him cuz he shifts the "arrogant rich antagonist" character trope slightly to the left . hes like if you took your typical jerk out of touch rich boy character and made them a horse girl . hes just ... so unserious and overdramatic . its an interesting personality to pair with being cruel and arrogant . at least thats what i think is most interesting about him.

[ukepichu]

centaur lbh x mermaid sqq fic idea

Having been recently exiled for being too 'violent and rough', Luo Binghe decides to go beyond the mountains he used to call home to explore the great beyond. No one liked him anyway, in fact they absolutely abhorred him, beating him up and calling him insults nearly every day, no, every other hour would be more accurate. A petty argument with a particularly meddlesome herd member was apparently the last straw for both parties. Well, good riddance! Luo Binghe's four hooves are enough to take him anywhere, is what he naively thought before he arrived at a large lake with seemingly no end in sight.

Great, just great. Of course, since when was luck on his side? Luo Binghe can't help but vent his frustration by trashing about and kicking up the earth, causing tremors and dust clouds. He was too occupied to notice the stagnant lake rippling, a mysterious figure steadily rising from its dark depths.

"...Hello?" the figure cautiously speaks. Luo Binghe almost misses the soft voice if it weren't for his sensitive hearing. He jerks up to survey his surroundings, his gaze caught by the head of a beauty peeking out of the water. How stunning. Lustrous, silky, ink-black hair stick to the face of the beauty as a result of the water's adhesive property, his sharp yet gentle eyes create an alluringly seductive sight, beckoning Luo Binghe to instinctively inch himself ever so closer to the lake's shore.

"Hello," Luo Binghe replies, "May I ask who you are?"

The beauty speaks. "You may call this one Shen Qingqiu. Mortals refer to me as the guardian of this lake. I sensed a disturbance on the land, hence prompting me to assess the issue. What troubles you, young centaur? What brings you to my lake?"

Luo Binghe bashfully apologizes, heat rising up on his face. "Apologies, lake guardian Shen, I was just in the middle of my travels when I came across your lake by total coincidence, please believe me on this. As for what troubled me, I just felt a bit of annoyance since I cannot swim to get to the other side."

Shen Qingqiu tries to cover his chuckle with his hand. His long, sharp nails capable of effortlessly cutting the thickest vines fascinate Luo Binghe. "Ah, of course, this one forgets centaurs aren't exactly the best swimmers, do forgive me, I haven't interacted with one of your kind in a very long while. I could help you cross the lake with my magic if you wish."

Surprised at the sudden kind gesture, Luo Binghe readily accepts the lake guardian's proposition. Shen Qingqiu slightly frowns, "Young one, you shouldn't accept help that quickly. For all you know, this one could be planning to lead you to your untimely death by pulling you down and drowning you."

This time, it's Luo Binghe's turn to laugh. "An evil person wouldn't say that, besides, I have not much left to lose, for I am a lone centaur with no place to call home." He then remembers he hasn't introduced himself yet, "Where are my manners? Guardian Shen may call me Luo Binghe."

Shen Qingqiu briefly remains silent as if in careful thought. After a few seconds, he says, "You must be weary from your travels. There is a cove down that way. It could serve as temporary shelter from the elements if you need a place to rest."

Luo Binghe can't help but be moved at how generous Shen Qingqiu has been for the past few minutes he's gotten to know the lake guardian. He tells Shen Qingqiu to lead the way, marveling at how his long, jade colored tail shimmers, its scales bewitchingly reflecting the moonlight. This is Luo Binghe's first, and immediately the most memorable, encounter with a mermaid. Shen Qingqiu glides through the water elegantly, it takes Luo Binghe's breath away. He feels he could spend all day watching Shen Qinqgiu swim gracefully.

Within a few minutes, the pair arrive at the cove. Luo Binghe settles down and swiftly makes a fire and a makeshift bed out of leaves.

Shen Qingqiu tells him, "If you ever need my assistance, you may touch the water and call my name and I shall be with you shortly." The mermaid softly smiles, Luo Binghe could feel his heart go straight to his throat. "May you have sweet dreams, Luo Binghe."

Too engaged in steadying his traitorous heart, he replies to Shen Qingqiu with a fervent nod. In an instant, Shen Qingqiu dives down, and Luo Binghe is alone once more. He longingly clenches his chest.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stay here for a while.

[shadowdancing-writes]

Hangster BodySwap AU Chapter 1 is published! | Explicit |

When Jake Seresin opens his eyes the morning after a particularly brutal mission, everything feels wrong. When Bradley Bradshaw wakes up after one of the most difficult missions of his life with a raging hard on, he knows something is wrong.

-

After their most recent mission together, Jake finds out that he and Rooster have switched bodies, causing their relationship to progress at warp speed. Jake learns so much about Bradley that he never thought he'd know. This knew knowledge allows Jake to finally let down his guard and Bradley is hungry to know everything there is about Jake.

In each other's bodies, they share untimely conversations about hard-ons and conversations about grief and death. It may seem like the universe is punishing them, but instead, it is giving them the nudge they finally need in order get together.

[littleoddwriter]

Hello. I am so happy that you've started your journey to a happier and truer you.

I was wondering if you could write a Mark Hoffman fic with a male reader where the reader is another Jigsaw apprentice but unlike Amanda they try to be civil with Mark and try not to be rude. They are generally a nice/civil person so Mark starts to wonder how/why they even became a Jigsaw apprentice. Mark questions(more like interrogates) the reader and it turns out they were failed by the justice system and wanted revenge(how they were failed is up to you). Mark's reaction is up to you as well

Why Are You Here? | Mark Hoffman & Male!Reader (Platonic/Pre-Relationship)

Hey there! Thank you so much!!! <3 And thanks for the request (and waiting so patiently), I hope you like what I did with it! summary; See above. notes; Male!Reader (can be read gender neutral); Jigsaw Apprentices; Mentions of Past Abuse & Murder; Reader's ex was abusive.

Ko-Fi. Ao3.

All his life, Mark has had trust issues. It’s always just been him and his sister; and after her untimely death, his issues only became worse. He couldn’t trust anyone anymore, least of all himself. Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that he failed to protect his sister. How could he ever trust himself again after failing and losing the only person that ever mattered to him?

After he’s been forced to help John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, Mark was always on edge. He couldn’t let anybody know, of course. Nobody at the police department could ever so much as get an inkling of what he was doing when he wasn’t at the station. 

So, when Jigsaw suddenly had a new apprentice, Mark was extremely cautious. He wasn’t good with people anyway. He didn’t get along with Amanda at all and never would. He found her obnoxious. But she’s been there for a while now, and Mark knew that she’d never do anything to sabotage John or his cause. Thus, Mark just ignored her as best as he could if he had to work with her.

He didn’t know what to think of the new one, though. Y/F/N Y/L/N. 

Of course, he’s already done a background check on you, but nothing came up. Nothing was sealed away from your youth, either. You didn’t even have a parking ticket. A law-abiding citizen. A goody two shoes, so to speak.

So, what the Hell were you doing here, working for a self-righteous murderer? 

For weeks, Mark worked alongside you. He didn’t say much and just went about his tasks stoically, while you were smiling at him, asking him kindly for tools, attempting to make small talk with him, and so on and so forth. It was aggravating at first. And then it became confusing because you couldn’t possibly be sincere with your kindness. Right? Eventually, he found himself… captivated by your demeanour. 

Nonetheless, he didn’t really acknowledge you most of the time, wordlessly handing you the things you asked for, or grunting in answer when you greeted him, asked him how his day’s been; things like that. 

After several weeks of this, though, he couldn’t quite let go of his curiosity, regarding your presence as Jigsaw’s apprentice. You were usually responsible for the machinery and mechanics, more so than Mark or Amanda were, now that John was too weakened to even lift up a hammer.

The two of you were alone, tinkering on a trap for the next game. John was in bed, somewhere down the halls of the warehouse, sleeping. And Amanda was near him, hovering over his sick, weakened self with a keen eye and deep anxiety. 

“Why are you here?” Mark asked bluntly after a few minutes of focusing on the task at hand. 

“What do you mean?” you retorted with a raised eyebrow, twisting a screw in tightly. 

“You know what I mean,” Mark grunted, annoyed, “What are you doing here, as a Jigsaw apprentice? You have no criminal record, no history. So, why?”

“You were checking up on me? Aw, Hoffman!” you teased him, avoiding his question. 

Huffing, Mark rolled his eyes at you. “Stop avoiding my question and just answer it,” he said lowly, but in a commanding tone, as though he was interrogating a suspect. 

For a moment, you turned away from him, twisting the pair of pliers in your hands. He could see the tension in your shoulders. And when you turned back to him, your jaw was clenched. 

“I’m here because our so-called justice system is utter bullshit. What John is doing may not be morally correct, but it’s a whole lot more just than the system,” you muttered darkly, tightening your hand around the pair of pliers to the point of your knuckles turning white. 

There was a pause before you continued. Clearly, it was difficult for you to speak about what exactly happened to you, and Mark felt a twinge of sympathy for you.

“My ex was an abusive piece of shit. Physical, emotional, psychological. You name it. He did it.” You exhaled sharply and shakily. “When I had the guts to call the police on his ass, they didn’t really do much. They said they couldn’t, but I knew why they refused to really help me. Because it certainly wasn’t the lack of evidence.

“I packed my essentials and left instead. I tried to go as far as I could with the little money and energy I had after he attacked me because of my call to the police. But he soon got a hold of me again, hurt and nearly killed the people who tried to help me, who gave me shelter. And then he almost did the same with me. I just got lucky there…” There were tears in your eyes, still unshed, but visible to Mark. 

“The police did come and apprehend him that time, but it didn’t stick for long. The trial failed because of a technicality. All I wanted was to get justice. To have him rot in prison for what he did to me and probably others before, and now after, me. Now, I only want revenge,” you finished your story. Mark couldn’t lie to himself. It hit him hard. 

“Then why didn’t I see any of this when I checked your records?” Mark asked after composing himself for a moment. He didn’t want to let you know how much your story affected him. Not yet, at least.

“I had to change my name and move states because of it all. That’s why you couldn’t find anything on me,” you responded simply. It made sense. Of course you’d be forced to do that with your ex running free. 

Mark nodded in acknowledgement of what you said. 

“I understand where you’re coming from,” he commented quietly, “After my sister, Angelina, was killed by her abusive boyfriend, I also wanted revenge. And I took it.” Mark surprised himself with how much he was telling you. 

The sympathy you felt for Mark was almost palpable to him. It made him feel sick, but deep down he knew he needed it, craved it, even. 

“Did it make you feel better?” you asked him softly.

“No,” was his simple answer. It was the truth. It didn’t feel good to kill Seth, and it didn’t fix anything. His sister was still dead, and he still blamed himself. “But maybe it’ll be different for you. Give you closure,” he added.

“Yeah, maybe,” you echoed quietly with a soft sigh. 

After that, both of you moved on from the conversation and simply continued working. All the while, Mark thought about what you told him. It explained why you were at least civil toward him. Your kindness wasn’t fake. He’s seen it a lot in his time as a police officer with the many abuse victims he had to deal with. 

Before you both parted ways that night, Mark put a hand on your shoulder and said, “I hope you’ll heal.”

He didn’t wait for your response, leaving before you could even open your mouth. 

[redfurrycat]

🤠↔️🧠🐓Bodyswap & Mental Bond Fic Recs🐓🧠↔️🤠

Check the Top Gun Masterlist post for the latest updated version. 💕

Ao3 Authors: ReformedTsundere, Shadowdancing, SunMonTue, ToukoJalorda003.

> Vigilantes, Superheroes & Supervillains > Amnesia & Memory Loss

Thinking of Nothing but You (and Every Other Possible Thing) by ToukoJalorda003 {M}

For the entirety of his life, Jake had been blessed with the misfortune to hear others think. It wasn’t all that bad - usually. Until he had been forced to listen to Bradshaw consider him in ways that were far more friendly than he was used to, and it was driving him nuts. …Perhaps it was going to be more of a challenge than he’d thought.

Talk to Me by ReformedTsundere {T}

When Bradley crashes, the voice in his head refuses to let him give up.

Another Time by SunMonTue {M}

Jake wakes up in Rooster's body about ~30 or so hours post-Mission and they have to deal with it. They're adults. Apparently.

I love your body (my cumbersome and heavy body?) by shadowdancing {E}

When Jake Seresin opens his eyes the morning after a particularly brutal mission, everything feels wrong. When Bradley Bradshaw wakes up after one of the most difficult missions of his life with a raging hard on, he knows something is wrong. - After their most recent mission together, Jake finds out that he and Rooster have switched bodies, causing their relationship to progress at warp speed. Jake learns so much about Bradley that he never thought he'd know. This knew knowledge allows Jake to finally let down his guard and Bradley is hungry to know everything there is about Jake. In each other's bodies, they share untimely conversations about hard-ons and conversations about grief and death. It may seem like the universe is punishing them, but instead, it is giving them the nudge they finally need in order get together.

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

*bursts door open* Mousyyyyyy- I got the Farmer Thoughts™ again. So you know how the Farmer can do magic in the vanilla game, and SVE expands on this concept even further. They can see Junimos, they can transmute metals, they can teleport to another continent. And with the Magic mod, they can blast their enemies with a meteorite or standard Fireballs.

But unlike Morgan, the Farmer was never taken away from their family to train under a more experienced wizard or witch. They lead a regular life prior to Stardew Valley, minus the skeleton in the neighboring cubicle at their job.

I got an idea as to why they could lead a normal life, and I'm sure as hell incorporating that into my Farmer's bio. The Farmer's a late bloomer in terms of magic. They did not show signs of magical talent when they were Morgan's age, which came with a sigh of relief from their Parent. The Parent, after witnessing the tragic death of their mother (RSV Granny) due to a magical curse, wanted their kid safe AT. ALL. COST. and away from anything magic. They most likely never developed any magical skills themselves, or they too are a late bloomer (I like the second option). And they were thinking they were in the clear, finally. ...Until their kid, the Farmer, came to Pelican Town and got involved with Magnus and the Junimos within the first week of them living there. Shit. Bonus:

The Parent got a major grudge against the Cult of the Lady with the Red Tail and said Lady with the Red Tail for being the cause of their mother's untimely death.

While they don't necessarily feel any hatred towards the Wizards of Stardew Valley, Magnus and Mr. Aguar, they still don't trust them fully because of magic. Definitely not a huge fan of Magnus after the Parent learns of the forest magic potion the Farmer drinks.

*Yawn* ♪Ah♪, time to go to sleep in a cosy bed, get ready for tomorrow's work day and- *saw a notification on Tumblr*

Oh! *kicking the blanket away* Fuck sleep - time for thoughts and theories! :D

_________________________________________

I have to say, your thoughts on headcanon almost perfectly describes my Farmer Julian's lore.

As you said earlier, in theory, everyone can manifest magic at different ages: some from early childhood (like Morgan), some a little later or after forty etc. (Julian and the other Farmers), and some will have magic "no awaked" (Julian's father, Abraham, who inherited magic from his father, the Farmer's Grandpa). Given that Julian's parents are aware of the existence of magic, but not in detail, it raises a lot of questions. And Granny's death, according to the RSV lore, could put an end to trust in all things magical, you're right.

Also thoughts about Magnus and Mr. Aguar is so funny 🤣

Farmer's Parent to Magnus: What do you mean my kid drank "tea" made of fly agaric?!

Farmer: Mum/Dad, don't kill Magnus...

Magnus: *praying for his life*

There is also speculation that it was after they moved away that the magic manifested in Farmer because of the Stardew Valley itself. This place full of forest spirits, magic, and monsters can't help but affect residents and visitors alike. Especially those with an innate magical gift, or those who haven't yet developed one.

I still don't quite understand, however - how exactly Morgan was taken from their family and given to Magnus for training. Does the Ministry discuss it with the parents of the gifted child, is the child "persuaded" by promises of teaching interesting magic and tricks, or is the child taken away almost by force and without any compromise? If by force, I can see why Farmer wasn't taken away for training - after all, a child can be persuaded or intimidated, but try to pull that off with a young adult who can still kick your ass. But that's just a theory, I wanted to provide the Ministry not as a completely evil and corrupt society of mages and witches.

[sagau-my-beloved]

I'm in a list making mood so here, have some rough sagau characterization categories for all the characters I could think of off the top of my head in the middle of class

1: Defaults to whatever you want/believe no matter how big or small, never acts without your specific order and is prepared to sacrifice anything to carry out your will. Your word is absolute law. The only thing they couldn't bring themselves to do for no good reason is cause your death but everything else is on the table.

Xiao, Ei, like 85℅ of the corrupted au characters

2: Heavily defaults to what you wish but is more likely to assume your will and act on that assumption instead of waiting for exact orders. Would always stop doing something if you ordered it, no exceptions, but always acts in your best interest for things you don't specify on. Would be very hesitant to act on anything that negatively effects you but could be convinced because you untimely know best. Anything that causes your death is out of the question though.

Venti, Zhongli, Kazuha, Jean, Childe, Thoma, most others really

3: Always acts in your best interest, even if it contradicts an order. Willing to do anything you ask as long as it doesn't have the potential to hurt you in any way. Your health and safety take top priority at any expense. Anything that physically hurts you in moderate severity is out of the question and the entire world would have to explode before they even considered causing your death, no matter the situation.

Diluc, Albedo, Kaeya, Scara

Willing to expand on or place more characters at request, this was just what was plaguing my mind rn and I need to do more characterization for ppl other than Venti, regrettably