#particular one older woman who I will literally never forget like I could feel my soul come out of my body to attach itself to hers she was | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thefanbasewhore · 4 years

Note

I loved your Javier preference can you do "You're not alone, I'm here." With Javier? 💞💞

Summary: based off the prompt list I reblogged. Javier is there for the new DEA agent after her first shoot out.

This is short, I'm getting ready to go to bed but wanted to fit a little something in. Enjoy! No use of Y/N.

Warning/content: Fluffy Javier, descriptions of shooting and killing. Reader is a young agent but her and Javi kind of have a thing.

Paring: Javier Peña/Female Reader

Colombia is beautiful, absolutely breath taking between the thick green forests, clear beaches and warm weather it's almost a dream. Family from the states would often stare how jealous they are of her, saying that one should be grateful for an opportunity like this.

But it was lonely.

Let's face it, being new anywhere sucks, the agents who have been here for years had their own clique, friends bonded by time and even blood which left her an unknowing outsider. While the other fellow DEA agents were grouping at a bar trying to forget the demons of the day she found herself alone every single night.

There's something about silence that makes chills creep up the devil's neck, the over thinking it entitles and she's has plenty of time personally witnessing how soul crushing it could be. After particularly rough days, seeing things that make her skin burn she would contemplate resigning, going home to face failure but at least have company again.

Two agents in particular are the only two who would bother talking to her. Agent Murphy and Agent Peña, desks only feet away from her own but she even thinks it's out of pure pity, they're nice men but work too much. Always busy, never around when the office dies and she's faced with the predicament of going home or staying longer at the office to avoid the insecure hours of silence that were bound to come.

"Agent." The words make her snap her head up away from the paper work scattered across the desk, peering into the dark swirls of brown, they match the curling hair at the base of his neck. "You ready to go?"

"Where?" The small dimples that pop through the patches of facial hair are enough to make anyone's knees weak, but luckily she's sitting, just admiring the beautiful man in front of her.

While she did believe it was only out of pity, she might have a teeny, tiny crush on him. How could she help it? Javier was hot headed, a fool with emotions, slept with a too many woman but was compassionate, smart, brave, handsome but most of all called her Hermosa.

She has no idea what it means, her spanish is shit but the way the words roll to perfectly from his tongue, the way his dimples peak smirking after they are muttered literally makes it hard to breath. Much like now, eyebrows raised in a teasing matter, a small chuckle falls from his perfect pout as he leans against the desk. "You didn't listen to a word I said did you?"

"I, um.." Hating the way her cheeks heat up she clears her throat, acting as if there's something stuck that causing the change of color in her face. "Was reading the report.."

"We need to head out to check a tip, meet you outside in ten hermosa." Theres thosd words again, she's completely speechless only nods a validation of understanding. She can't help as her eyes run down the back of his silhouette, a pink shirt stretches over his broad shoulders dipping into the curve of his slim waist then to his jeans that curve so perfectly over his -.

Shaking her head from the thoughts she stands, pulling her jacket over shoulders to joint Javier outside.

Javier is the perfect gentleman, opening the door to the car, asking if the air conditioning setting are okay not only once but twice not wanting her to be uncomfortable. Despite only knowing the man for a few months, and crushing embarrassingly hard, she felt more comfortable in this car then she did at her own home.

It's almost impossible to stop looking at him, one hand on the wheel, the other bringing a cigarette to his pout, lips wrapping around to take a large puff. His shirt is buttoned to the middle of his chest, even though it is scarce there are a few dark hairs that poke out from it, down his lean torso to his flattening thighs due to the pressure of the seat under him. He's looks so good, it's not right, he has to be at least ten or more years older but she wants nothing more than to lean against him, touch those lips with her own, run her fingers around the fatness of his bottom lip, feel his tongue poke out to suck on them.

"See something you like?" It's a tease, smirk that not only makes her cheek ignite but chest blush with pink patches. She's been caught, silent as her mouth drops to say something but Javier beats her to it. "I'm kidding, you should have seen your face."

"You're an asshole." The words are said with harsh tone, but with a smile and an eye roll that softens it up. "I was just actually wondering how many of those things you smoke a day, I heard they were bad for you."

The playful tone of earlier is gone, it's replaced by a lingering silence, a mix of anxiety and anticipation makes her stomach flip. The wall his cold against her skin but it helps hide her from the impending danger. Her breath is trembling, chest is expanding so fast she swears she can't breath.

It all happened so fast, Javier and her doing a sweep of the building then yelling, chaos erupting in the form of unforgiving bullets. Javier and her separated but him pushing her away from the danger only to face it head on himself.

One of them chasing and following her. While anyone would believe they would act heroic in the moment, run head first like Javi at the danger she couldn't, she ran up the stairs, hid in one of the bedrooms shooting the passerbys.

But now she realizes how much of a bad idea it was, trapping herself with the man only stands a few feet from her, a sickly smile matches his words as he points the gun at her. "There you are princess."

She's immobilized, pausing as eyes squeeze together expecting searing pain but the loud sound the echos the room has blood painting her face, body falling limp at her feet. Curled up in the most ridiculous position but eyes open wide with shock as Javier stands in front of her, gun still held high despite the dead man pooling blood on her legs, his own chest heaving with adrenaline.

She can't help it, the way the tears swell up, chin quivers no matter how much she tries to hide it. Javi's eyes never leave, only lower his gun, extending his hand for she can take it.

She reaches for it but the body the separates them makes her falter. "Hey -- look up, eyes on me. It's alright."

"I'm sorry. I ran away, I left you all alone." Word are breathlessly whispered with breaks, her lungs didn't want to work crushing her chest with deep sorrow. "I've never done this before."

Hands run over her face, feeling the blood smear across it, pulling her hand away to see the redness to meet the cause again before Javi is speaking again. "Eyes on me, take my hand."

The shift from the house to the car is blurry, between the tears and the blood it was nearly impossible to see anything, all she could think about was how slimy it felt against her pant leg, how the smell was almost metallically.

Javier had started the car, taking a drag of his cigarette and squeezing the bridge of his nose with the same hand. His eyes meet her again, noticing the blank stare directed at blood stained hands, Javi reaches over taking his jacket from the back seat to try and rub the blood away but it makes it worse, staining fingers a dark pink.

"I was the same way." Guessing it was her first time seeing a dead body but truthfully it doesn't get any easier, just starts to fade into normalcy. "Let's get you home hermosa."

"No --." The words are choked, loud as eye meet his with fear. Anything but the lingering silence home entitles, it would be a punishment not a relief. "Please, I don't want to go home. I am alone, I don't want to be alone."

Javi pauses to take in her words, eyebrows expressing confusion at the out burst. The way her chin quivers with uncertainty, tears push past eye lids if it wasn't for the situation he would tell her how beautiful she looks like this but instead slowly extends his hand to cup her cheek, moving closer to feel her warmth, thumb running over the highest point of her cheeks feeling them soak with a mixture of tears and blood. "You're not alone, I'm here sweet girl."

#javier pena imagine #javier pena x reader #javi pena x reader #javier peña #javier pena #javier peña/reader #javier peña oneshot #javier peña blurb #Javier peña fluff #narcos imagine #pedro pascal character

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mirrorgrets · 4 years

Text

Teyvat, the twins, and the Archons: a theory

Hello today I will be explaining my genshin impact theory which is most likely right because I say so and I have an inflated ego

Note: I will be referring to the MC as traveler and the Leader of the Abyss Order as such or as the missing twin for neutrality’s sake. And also because I chose Lumine and I can’t bear to say Lumine is “evil”

Note after writing all of that: Actually, I’m wrong. Reading it made me realize how batshit off the rails it all sounds. But here it is anyways because it’s a funny theory.

Contains multiple spoilers for the entirety of the game (1.3 edition)

Part 1. Gnosticism, Archons, and Humanity

I think by now, most of us have heard of the Gnosticism theory. If you haven't heard of it, Gnosticism is the belief that humanity could be more than what we are at present because of the world we're in.

Gnosticism has many versions but the basic concept of it is that humans are stuck in a fake world where our full potential is locked away because of our belief in false gods. The true God is the creator of the true world and between us and him, are beings called Aeons. One Aeon who is called Sophia (meaning Wisdom) created a being who thought of himself as the One True God and created the physical world in his flawed image. Oh, and he gave seven beings rule over the world he created, who are called the Archons.

Under Gnosticism, humans are thought to be part physical, but also have a spiritual component in us that grants us divinity. But because the false god and archons actively work to make sure we never realize that there is divinity within us, we never reach our full potential.

Connecting this with genshin impact, the humans in Teyvat have access to visions that give them power, as well as a chance to attain godhood. However, they believe that it is a gift from Celestia instead of a thing any of them can attain themselves. In fact, they don't even know that if one "receives" a vision, they can become gods because it's a secret that only Archons are privy to. Venti says this himself at the end of the prologue section of the main storyline when we ask him about visions.

It seems like Celestia doesn’t want humans to ascend to godhood. If we pair this with what we know from the Main Storyline trailer that Dainsleif narrates, it becomes clearer. He says that Celestia goads humans with their seven treasures, rewards for the worthy, the doorway to divinity. However, it seems like there is a warning for those who dare to try and ascend, as if they say that the throne in the sky is not for us even if we have the means to.

Doesn’t that seem to contradict the purpose of the vision? Yes, it is a means to help humans live in Teyvat, but why give out visions when the Archons know fully well that it could help them gain access to Celestia? Doesn't it then seem like visions are not gifts from the Archons but instead innate power that all humans possess?

Part 2. What are the twins + What is Dainsleif + What are they doing in Teyvat + the Genesis Pearl = A Loop

Most signs point to the idea that the twins are actually older than they look. It seems like Lumine and Aether landed in Teyvat at least 500 years ago during the cataclysmic event that wiped out Khaenri’ah.

Going back to the idea of Gnosticism, the true God sends out Messengers of Light to the false world to guide the humans to their full potential. And we see traveler helping their companions ascend further, reaching their fullest potentials when they “max out.”

Furthermore, it doesn’t seem like they’re human. During the 1.2 Dragonspine event, Albedo does tests on us, and though he doesn’t tell us his complete findings, he alludes that we are like him, created from a substance that is yet to be defined. This goes off from the theory that he’s a homunculus, created from chalk, purified soil, the building block of the world. Aside from that, after our fight with Childe, one of the dialogue options after he mentions the fact that traveler can use both anemo and geo, is that they’re slowly gaining back their true power.

And of course, when the twins first enter the world, they have actual wings which were stripped by the Unknown God. Doesn’t seem very human to me.

So, if the travelers are Messengers of Light, then why is that not their main goal? Based on the We Will Be Reunited trailer, when the Abyss Mage mentions the traveler to the missing twin, their face looks shocked, like they just remembered that they have a twin. There’s desperation in their steps when they rush to the cliff to see their twin again, like it’s been so long since they’ve seen their sibling who they literally forgot. I think that aside from stripping them of their power, the Unknown God also took away some of their memories.

So the missing twin might remember the actual purpose as to why they’re in Teyvat, but didn’t remember their sibling until recently, and traveler remembers their sibling but doesn’t remember the reason why they were in Teyvat in the first place (or they do but that isn’t their main concern since they’re putting their sibling first).

So how does Dainsleif relates to this particular segment? Well, in another version of Gnosticism, Aeons come in pairs. Sophia’s partner was Jesus. Now, in the Main Storyline trailer, Dainsleif alludes to a woman when at the very end of the video where he says “My memory has all but faded completely, but I will always remember, how she too loved these flowers.” The flowers are the flowers Lumine especially likes, the ones she adorns in her hair. A flimsy connection it may be, but a connection nonetheless.

Now, I’ve seen theories about Dainsleif being an older version of Aether, but that theory doesn’t hold water if you choose Lumine as your traveler or if you consider the fact that Dainsleif and Aether don’t share the same eye color. Yet, it’s not completely off. There are thirty Aeons in total, although this number can differ in other versions of Gnosticism.

Now, in Dainsleif’s quest, we immediately question this stranger as he is somehow omniscient, if we haven’t already questioned him with all his narration in the Collected Miscellany videos where he hints that he knows more than we do. I will say it now: I think that Dainsleif takes upon the role of Jesus.

I could be wrong. But I think I’m right. For now.

In another version of Gnosticism, Jesus goes to the false world and saves Sophia, as she forgets who she is, she forgets her divinity and is stuck there. If we follow the theory that Dainsleif is actually the second heir from the Gnostic Chorus teaser, and that he is searching for the Genesis Pearl. The Genesis Pearl symbolizes the beginning and purity that is incorruptible. This could be the essence of Sophia, the lost Aeon who incidentally created the false god.

Back to the Main Storyline trailer, Dainsleif says that the war has already begun, and that is just a continuation of past battles. We could take this in a sense that the conflict has reached its boiling point and that it was only because all these problems were left alone for too long. However, we could also consider the possibility that Dainsleif has lived through whatever the twins are going through right now because he is the first Messenger of Light to step foot in Teyvat.

We can also look into Dainsleif’s name, which is a Nordic name, actually written as Dáinsleif. This means Dain’s Legacy which is the sword of King Högni, which aided him in a never ending battle that went on until Ragnarok.

It seems like the twins are repeating a cycle that has already happened to Dainsleif and whoever the unknown woman who also likes the flowers the missing twin likes. All four of them are Aeons or Messengers of Light.

So who is that woman? I have no idea. It could the unknown god but that feels like a stretch. The unknown god might actually be the demiurge, the false god that created Teyvat and the seven Archons, and not Sophia herself. It could also be Paimon who might have some kind of relation to the unknown god, whether it be that she is the unknown god, or she is a being from Celestia. Either way, both feel like shaky theories.

But of course, Mihoyo is only taking inspiration from Gnosticism and several other sources which could lead them to take creative liberties when applying it to the game.

Part 3. The Abyss Order and Khaenri'ah: war crimes against humanity

Going back to my point about the twins’ original goal to why they went to Teyvat in the first place, let’s question why the missing twin joined forces with the Abyss Order and began to lead them to burn the throne of Celestia.

While we don't hear the missing twin mention Celestia in the We Will Be Reunited trailer, the only other time a throne is mentioned is in the Main Storyline trailer when Dainsleif mentions that Celestia does not want humans to ascend to take up a throne in the sky.

Back to the safety of the game's actual lore, we understand that Kaenri'ah is a godless nation that might have underwent a calamity that might have killed off most of its people since they were closer to understanding the truth, and were technologically advanced, compared to the other nations of Teyvat. An alchemist named Gold ultimately led to this cataclysm due to their greed for seeking erudition.

It is safe to assume that Celestia wiped out Khaenri'ah and all the technology they created. We could also assume that the people were all killed, yes, but it would be better to assume they were cursed instead. Into what though?

The hilichurls.

In the archive section of the game, under the books, there's quite a lot written about the hilichurls, thanks to Jacob Musk. The author describes the hilichurls to be drawn to old relics of the past, with even attempts to recreate it. Their way of lifestyle is even described, and it looks like they worship the element itself and not the Archons who represent it.

Doesn't it seem like the hilichurls have a connection with the ancient civilization of the past? Not to mention their strange connection to the elements in which shaman hilichurls (samachurls) can harness the elements without the use of a vision? If I am correct with my theory, then hilichurls were once citizens of the bygone Khaenri'ah who discovered they could harness the elements without an Archon's blessing that came in the form of a vision.

It doesn't feel too surprising considering that for monsters, hilichurls are quite smart. They even display human-like characteristics. In the game, we see them dancing, sleeping, just minding their own business in general. They have their own architecture and their own language. In the Hilichurl Cultural Customs book, we even discover that hilichurls are not as barbaric as they are made out to be as they have leaders who decide their policies and course of action. It's as if they have their own culture.

Ultimately, the hilichurls are part of the Abyss Order. The organization's main goal is to get undermine Celestia's rule, and at this point of this mess I call a theory, doesn't that make them stand in a position where nothing is painted as black and white as it seems. Yes, they do heinous things like steal, possibly murder, and set off a dragon on Mondstadt, but it looks like they're operating through a "the end justifies the means" kind of morality.

And the missing twin shares this sentiment. As they had seen what Celestia had done to Khaenriah 500 years ago before the beginning of the prologue, their desperation grows. Their war with destiny will not stop until Celestia falls because it is their ultimate mission. Traveler has taken up the safer side of this war, wherein they help the humans but the missing twin has taken up the side of fallen humans. This is why they're not evil per se; just going through questionable steps to achieve a righteous goal.

Part 4. Teyvat and its Archons

Based on all that, it seems like I’m painting the Archons to be the bad guys. I am. They wiped out an entire civilization on the basis that they might learn the truth of the world, and their uncanny closeness to Celestia.

But we like Venti and Zhongli, right? Of course we do! However, they were still complicit in the downfall of Khaenri'ah and the limitation of humanity in Teyvat.

To start, Venti had his gnosis was forcibly taken from him. He doesn't seem to mourn over that (although he could be hiding it) and it looks like he can still present himself in a godly manner as we see in Venti's quest when he revealed himself as Barbatos to Stanley. When we spend time with him under the tree of Vennessa, while he divulges the secrets of Celestia to us, he still seems to comply with them. This could be chalked up to the fact that ultimately, he is Mondstadt's Archon and also the weakest of the seven. We could also consider the fact that at the time of Khaneri’ah’s downfall, he was in Dragonspine with Dvalin, dealing with Durin.

With Zhongli, it becomes a bit more interesting. He gave away his gnosis under the agreement of a contract we do not know the details of. But why he did? Why not because of his regret as the geo Archon and of love? Zhongli once ruled over Guili Plains with another god named Guizhong, the god of dust. Guizhong loved their people but perished during the Archon War. He then moved their people to Liyue Harbor and in her place, began to love them. Although he is stilted with the way he deals with his people, we see that he cares. Over the years, he has grown soft and shed the persona of Morax, a god who dealt with war. He says this himself and it feels like his ability to care extends beyond that of Liyue. It's possible he gave up his gnosis because he understands what the Tsaritsa is doing and what she's fighting for.

The Tsaritsa is the cryo Archon and the god of love. However, according to Tartaglia, she had to harden herself to go through with her plan. But what is her plan but an act of love for humanity? Wiping out Khaenri'ah could've opened her eyes to the inherent cruelty of Celestia. The timeline makes sense because Venti said that 500 yers ago, he knew her well but now, not so much. It’s at that point she loses whatever loyalty she had for Celestia. She had to steel herself and begin her plans to overthrow Celestia, which involves taking the gnoses of the six other Archons to fight the false god and alleviate humans from the hell they are in. That is her way of showing her love to humanity.

Teyvat is only a false world. We have seen many instances of this being hinted at like when Katheryne of the Adventurer’s Guild says “rebooting” or “error” as if she is only a program, or when Scaramouche says that the sky and the stars are all fake. Even in the game, if you take a closer look at the stars, it feels fake, as if it is a dome that traps the humans in Teyvat. Even more unsettling, when going deeper within the Spiral Abyss, the more stars you see which could mean Teyvat is actually upside down and that go deeper within the Spiral Abyss, we are ascending closer to the true world.

What greater act of love could the Tsaritsa commit other than giving humanity the truth?

Part 5. In conclusion: none of this makes sense

To summarize my main points:

Genshin Impact takes a lot from the mythos of Gnosticism

Visions are not gifts from the Archons but an inherent power from humans that come from their own "divinity"

The twins and Dainsleif are related in some manner

The twins are repeating a cycle that Dainsleif has already been through

The twins are suffering some kind of memory loss

The twins are in Teyvat to help humans realize their power

Celestia is not heaven but more like hell

Teyvat is a false world

The Tsarita is actually good

The Abyss Order is a morally grey organization

Archons are bad

This could all be wrong as this is only a theory. But the connections I pointed out make a bit of sense. There’s still more lore to uncover as we’ve only unlocked two regions and the Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies only have one volume out so far (this book is important because an Abyss Mage says that there is a lie within it) so this could all be debunked when new regions are unlocked.

Still, it’s a pretty fun theory to believe in at the moment. Thank you for reading this mess I call a theory!

#genshin impact #genshin impact theory #lumine #aether #dainsleif #venti #zhongli #and when im wrong ?#who cares this is a funny theory actually #if anyone wants to discuss this theory ahaha my dms r open #also if i have made any mistakes pls tell me LMAO #take shot whenever i say gnosticism I HATE IT HERE MY BRAIN IS SO FRIED #i could write this more seriously but to keep myself from slipping im writing this what i call i can get away w comedy in my academic papers #bc its not funny #just me barely holding onto the tendrils of my sanity #yes i linked a wikipedia page LET ME BE I DONT WANT TO EXPLAIN RAGNAROK ANYMORE #wont mention battle pass anymore for dainsleif its too long lmao

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paunchsalazar · 4 years

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hey!! i loved your hoo playlist! can you explain more or less where which book begins and ends? or just your thought process behind picking the songs?

omg hi!! this is going to be really long I’m so sorry... I vaguely broke them up by book and sorta character/event/theme, it’s not super strict or anything but that was the logic!

I kinda imagine it playing out like a movie or tv series.. and so some of these kinda play over a scene or transition to the credits in my head? some more than others! otherwise it’s like punny titles or just songs that remind of plot points!

Lost Hero

- Goodbye Stranger - for Jason, since he has no idea what’s going on lol

- Teenage Dream - for the three of them, but mostly Piper!

You think I'm pretty without any makeup on You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong

- Parachute - kinda Jason and Piper, I think as she realizes their relationship isn’t quite what it seems? (and just playing with his flying lol!)

- Metal Guru - Leo!

- Pretty Girl - Piper, I was imagining this when she clashes with Drew/learns about the Aphrodite cabin

And I could be a pretty girl Shut up when you want me to And I could be a pretty girl Won't ever make you blue And I could be a pretty girl I'll lose myself in you

- The Sky’s The Limit - when the three of them take off on Festus

- Snowqueen Of Texas - this was for Khione lol

I'm on my knees, your majesty; Snowqueen, save a cold kiss for me I'm on my knees your majesty

- Sweet Talkin’ Woman - this is book-wide but it’s for Piper’s charmspeak!

- Are You Gonna Be My Girl - is sorta general but I was imagining it when Jason and Piper kinda decide to be together/give it another go

- It’s Not Unusual - I think this was sorta the entire book/wider series but I just think it’s cute and fun and a Guardians of the Galaxy type end credits song? And just them accepting their very bizarre situation

Son of Neptune + Mark of Athena

I put these together because there wasn’t really a set bookend in my head!

- Hello Stranger - finally reuniting with Percy! (and I wanted the Percy and Jason songs to mirror each other)

Hello stranger (Ooh) It seems so good to see you back again How long has it been? (Ooh it seems like a mighty long time)

- Diamonds - Hazel

- Don’t Go Breaking My Heart - Frank trusting Hazel with the wood, also Percy + Annabeth, everyone really

Don't go breaking my heart You take the weight off of me Oh, honey when you knock on my door Ooh, I gave you my key

- Beautiful Soul - I literally don’t know why I added this I just wanted an excuse to add a Jesse McCartney song (which feels so tonally correct to me?) but also I think it’s Frank liking Hazel in spite of her big secret and Percy loving Annabeth

- Pocketful of Rainbows - encountering Iris!

I don't worry Whenever skies are gray above Got a pocketful of rainbows Got a heart full of love

- Am I The Same Girl - Annabeth’s POV upon reunion!

Why don´t you stop And look me over Am I the same girl you used to know?

Why don´t you stop And think it over Am I the same girl who knew your soul?

- Bizarre Love Triangle - Frank, Hazel, and Leo

- Treasure - Hazel again + the literal treasure?

Pretty girl, pretty girl, pretty girl you should be smiling (you should be smiling) A girl like you should never look so blue (blue) You're everything I see in my dreams I wouldn't say that to you if it wasn't true

- The Sweet Escape - off on the Argo II

- Okay Okay - to Italy! and I just think Italian disco is so fun

- On An Evening in Roma - walking around Rome, seeing all its history

Though there's grinning and mandolining in sunny Italy The beginning has just begun when the sun goes down So please meet me in the plaza near your casa I am only one and that is one too few On an evening in Roma Don't know what the country's coming to But in Rome do as the Romans do Will you on an evening in Roma

- Stuck on the puzzle - Annabeth + the Mark of Athena

- Coca Cola - I was imagining the pirates+sacrifice to Dionysus/ his appearance

- Edge of Seventeen - I think Annabeth remarks to herself something like am I really going to die at 17? so this is for her and all the kids just on the cusp of being 17

And the days go by, like a strand in the wind In the web that is my own, I begin again Said to my friend, baby (everything stopped) Nothin' else mattered

- Landslide - when everything goes wrong and they start falling to Tartarus

Oh, mirror in the sky What is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changin' 'Cause I've built my life around you But time makes you bolder Even children get older And I'm getting older too

House of Hades + Blood of Olympus

these are more thematic I think? but a few moments in particular

- Head Over Heels - falling down...

I made a fire, and watching it burn Thought of your future With one foot in the past, now just how long will it last?

Something happens and I'm head over heels I never find out until I'm head over heels Something happens and I'm head over heels Ah, don't take my heart, don't break my heart Don't, don't, don't throw it away

- You and Me - Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus

If the stars don't shine If the moon won't rise If I never see the setting sun again You won't hear me cry as I testify Please believe me boy you know I would I lie As long as there is you and me

- Don’t Worry Baby - Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus, on the shore of the river

Well it's been building up inside of me For oh I don't know how long I don't know why But I keep thinking Something's bound to go wrong

But she looks in my eyes And makes me realize And she says "don't worry, baby"

- It’s Only A Paper Moon - the mist and Hazel starting to understand it

You smile, the bubble has a rainbow in it Say, it's only a paper moon Sailing over a cardboard sea But it wouldn't be make-believe If you believed in me

- Money, Money, Money - Hazel + Pluto

Money, money, money Must be funny In the rich man's world

- Magic - the whole story, but particularly with the presence of Hecate

- Summer Wind - Jason harnessing the winds!

The summer wind came blowin' in from across the sea It lingered there, to touch your hair and walk with me All summer long we sang a song and then we strolled that golden sand Two sweethearts and the summer wind

- Mala Femmina - the return of Khione

- Would You? - Leo and Calypso

Well, you know she took my hand And we walked away And I can't understand why she would stay Would you like to fall in love with me?

- Love is Like a Fire - Leo and also Frank

- Don’t Wanna Fight - Percy and Annabeth

Take from my hand Put in your hands The fruit of all my grief Lying down ain't easy When everyone is pleasing I can't get no relief Living ain't no fun The constant dedication Keeping the water and power on There ain't nobody left Why can't I catch my breath? I'm gonna work myself to death

- Love Really Hurts With You - Leo after leaving Calypso’s island

- What Makes the Sunset - Percy and Annabeth (and by extension Bob and Damasen)

What makes the sunset? What makes the moonrise? What makes the tide remember to hide and why does it soon rise? What makes a star fall? Where does it fall to? Why does its flight make us stop in the night and wish as we all do?

- Dedicated to the One I Love - everybody, but an ode to Bob and Damasen (their goodbye made me cry!)

While I'm far away from you my baby I know it's hard for you my baby Because it's hard for me my baby And the darkest hour is just before dawn

Each night before you go to bed my baby Whisper a little prayer for me my baby And tell all the stars above This is dedicated to the one I love

- Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus, I was thinking about this post-curses and them being so done with everything

Good times for a change See, the luck I've had Can make a good man Turn bad

So please, please, please Let me, let me, let me Let me get what I want This time

- Lonely Boy - Nico

- Fantasy - indulging all their visions... the mist, etc.

- Stupid Cupid - Nico and Cupid (of course)

Stupid Cupid you're a real mean guy (stupid Cupid) I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly (stupid Cupid) I'm in love and it's a crying shame (stupid Cupid) And I know that you're the one to blame (stupid Cupid)

Hey hey, set me free Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

- Suzanne - still Nico, looking over at the couple (sorry... all the mopey songs)

- Dream A Little Dream of Me - dreams... also Percy’s wishes of the future

Stars shining bright above you Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you" Birds singing in the sycamore tree Dream a little dream of me

- Our Day Will Come - I think Annabeth says a line almost like this? somewhere at the end of HOH, I think when they’ve just gotten out of Tartarus and are all sitting together, like haven’t they had enough? won’t their day finally come?

Our day will come If we just wait a while No tears for us Think love and wear a smile Our dreams have magic because We'll always stay In love this way

- Call Me - all of them! also Nico and Reyna, just being there for each other

Tell me and I'll be around Now don't forget me 'cause if you let me I will always stay by you You've got to trust me, that's how it must be

- Nobody - Nico... oh buddy

Venus, planet of love Was destroyed by global warming Did its people want too much too? Did its people want too much?

And I don't want your pity I just want somebody near me Guess I'm a coward I just want to feel alright

- I’m a Believer - Jason and Piper

I thought love was only true in fairy tales Meant for someone else but not for me Love was out to get me That's the way it seemed Disappointment haunted all my dreams Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer Not a trace of doubt in my mind

- Summertime - Piper singing and it being the end of summer

- Happy Trails - more singing ( I want to include the songs actually mentioned!)

- The End of the World - the big battle!!

Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore? Don't they know it's the end of the world? 'Cause you don't love me any more

- Too Late To Turn Back Now - departing with Festus (I think Leo almost says this too!)

- Here Comes The Sun - day comes, the Athena Parthenos is back

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here

- Walking On Sunshine - Will Solace

- Evil Woman - Gaea fight

Evil woman, how you done me wrong But now you're tryin' to wail a different song Ha, ha, funny, how you broke me up You made the wine, now you drink a cup I came runnin' every time you cried Thought I saw love smilin' in your eyes Ha, ha, very nice to know That you ain't got no place left to go

- Seven Wonders - the seven! also traveling the world... making it this far

If I live to see the seven wonders I'll make a path to the rainbow's end I'll never live to match the beauty again The rainbow's edge

- This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - to me this is just after Annabeth and Percy’s kiss, shots of everyone back to camp, wides of people running around, new cabins under construction, the sun is shining, the camera pulls out

Loving you is some kind of wonderful Because you showed me just how much you care You've given me the thrill of a lifetime And made me believe you've got more thrills to spare, oh!

- Love Makes the World Go Round - like the end credits! last pov with Piper, love makes it all happen

Without love flowers wouldn't grow in the spring And without spring, yeah the birdies just couldnt sing Everybody needs love to watch the twinkling stars above It makes a boy and girl, Say they feel so fine, now

#SORRY I REALLY WASTED A LOT OF TIME ON IT #percy jackson #pjo #hoo #heroes of olympus #piper mclean #annabeth chase #jason grace #leo valdez #hazel levesque #frank zhang #Anonymous

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ryukoishida · 4 years

Text

QianQiu/Thousand Autumns Fic: In which gang leader!YWS and school teacher!SQ falls in love.

Title: You’re a Problem I Encounter Fandom: Qian Qiu / Thousand Autumns Characters/Ships: YanShen Rating: NSFW eventually Chapter: 1/? Summary: Yan Wushi was the proud leader of Huan Yue Group, one of the most influential syndicates in the underground world, who wanted nothing more than to see the world burn. His accidental encounter with the pure-hearted school teacher Shen Qiao was a problem he didn’t expect to get entangled in. A/N: A syndicate!AU that literally nobody asks for. It’s also been awhile since I last wrote a fic, so please excuse awkward/bad writing. Sobs. List of Chapters: [1] [2] [3]

i. First Encounter

“Tie the pretty boy up nice and tight,” Sang Jingxing ordered his subordinates in a lazy drawl, his face half hidden in the shadow of the poorly lit room, but even the darkness couldn’t conceal the cruel smile crawling along the lips of the deputy leader of He Huan Group. As he stepped away from the wall and began walking towards his captive, his grin widening when he saw how much of a mess his men had made of the young man, his foot crushed the discarded glasses that’d been knocked off the man’s face during the brief but vicious fight.

There were no windows, just a lone, bare lightbulb swinging back and forth from the ceiling casting a meager glow of light in the underground chamber.

Glancing down at the half-conscious man bound at the wrists behind his back, Sang Jingxing grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced his neck to crane back.

“We don’t want you running back to your daddy so soon again, do we?”

The only response he received was a pained groan. A sound that sent trills of excitement down Sang Jingxing’s back.

It had taken four trained men to finally take Shen Qiao down. By the time the scuffle ended, Xiao Se had an impressive bruise on his right cheek, Yan Shou had bloodied scratches along one of his arms, Huo Xijing had been elbowed directly in the solar plexus and was still recovering on the ground, and Bai Rong was smart enough to retreat just after receiving a blow that barely missed her eyes.

After a valiant attempt at escaping, Shen Qiao was no match for the sheer number of guards Sang Jingxing had assigned to keep him under surveillance in the end.

“At least not before we get what we want, isn’t that right, my dear?” Sang Jingxing turned towards the woman with an overly saccharine smile.

Yuan Xiuxiu rolled her eyes at her partner’s theatrics, but after working and managing He Huan Group together for so many years, she was used to his antics by now, so she merely ran a hand through her wavy hair and replied, “I don’t care what you do with the boy – torture him, fuck him – do whatever you want. Just don’t go overboard. We still need him alive if we were to negotiate with Qi Fengge.”

“Whatever you say, dear,” Sang Jingxing said to Yuan Xiuxiu’s retreating back as the leader of He Huan Group slammed the cell door shut behind her without another word.

There were no windows, just a lone, bare lightbulb swinging back and forth from the ceiling casting a meager glow of light in the underground chamber.

“Ah… Shen Qiao. Do you know how much of a pain in the ass it was to steal you away under Qing Fengge’s nose?” he’d released his grip on Shen Qiao’s hair, and his head lolled forward like a broken, ragged doll. Blood streaks on his face made his complexion more pallid, and the only sign that he was still breathing was the shallow rise and fall of his chest.

Sang Jingxing continued, circling his captured prey like a hawk. “I get that you’re his adopted son, but you aren’t even meant to be his successor, so why does he spent so much of his resources on protecting you?”

He wasn’t really expecting an answer, but he wanted to have fun with the boy first before he dived straight into business. With a leering, animalistic gleam in his eye, Sang Jingxing reached out towards Shen Qiao’s bruised face, thumb roughly brushing against the man’s lower lip as he tried to force his finger past the seam of his lips.

Though Shen Qiao was in no shape to fight back, he was not a man who surrendered as long as a drop of strength still remained inside him. He twisted away from his captor’s hand and swiftly angled his head to bite Sang Jingxing’s finger with a snarl, hazel eyes bloodshot from what little adrenaline still lingered in his system during the fight.

Sang Jingxing hissed in pain, fury flashing across his eyes as he yanked his hand back, and Shen Qiao felt a sharp blow across his cheek just a short second later. Taste of iron flooded in his mouth.

“Playing hard-to-get is cute the first time around,” Sang Jingxing muttered while inspecting the teeth marks Shen Qiao had inflicted on him, before he put his hand on Shen Qiao once more, “but I don’t have that much patience, even for a beauty like you.”

He wrapped his fingers around Shen Qiao’s neck and started to squeeze with real intent to hurt.

“Yan Wushi, how did you—!” Yuan Xiuxiu’s muffled high-pitched exclaim transmitted through the thin walls of the basement and was interrupted by a distressed scream.

Before Sang Jingxing could react or shout for backup, he heard the men who were stationed outside the cell yelped in surprise and agony, and two successive bodily thuds later, the cell door was busted open.

Two men strode in with confident steps. The one leading had a cold, lethal look to his maroon eyes, the streak of star-silver locks a stark contrast to his otherwise dark, slicked back hair. In between his index and middle fingers was a small silver blade, still dripping with fresh blood of his latest victims; he wiped the blood off with a clean handkerchief that the younger man standing just half a step behind him handed him with the kind of easy elegance that one couldn’t simply mimic.

“Sang Jingxing, has He Huan Group lost so much money these days that you can’t even afford decent guards anymore?” the older man sneered.

“Leader Yan,” the utter of the respectful title was pleasant enough, but they’d been rivals long enough to know that there was no amiability in this exchange, “what’s the meaning of this?”

“I heard you got yourself a new plaything,” Yan Wushi said, glancing over at the barely conscious Shen Qiao with one of his eyebrows raised, “is that him?”

“What is it to you?” Sang Jingxing asked, narrowing his eyes. His flexed his fingers instinctively, his muscles taut and itching to reach for the revolver tucked inside his suit jacket. If anything, at least he was certain that the bullet would find its target faster than Yan Wushi could cause any real damage with his infamous silver blade. It had been awhile since they last confronted each other face to face like this, but Sang Jingxing could never forget the scars and humiliation of defeat from their last meeting.

“Oh, calm down,” Yan Wushi chuckled, the other man’s subtle signs to initiate the first attack all too obvious under his trained observation, “I’m not here to pick a fight, unless you’ve already forgotten what that was like the last time that happened.”

Sang Jingxing pressed his lips tight, silent anger threatening to boil over in the form of whipping out his revolver and pulling the trigger, but he didn’t dare — not when he knew he’d already lost. The fear of losing once again to this man – this monster – was simmering at the back of his mind, and he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to get away with just a long, ugly cut along his back this time.

“That’s what I thought,” the corner of Yan Wushi’s lips curved up slightly into a cold smile, “let’s not waste any time here. I’ll take what I want, and then we’ll each go our separate ways, hmm?”

“Yu Shengyan,” the leader of Huan Yue Group commanded his assistant with a nod towards the bloodied man still tied up in the chair a few steps away from them. Without further instructions, Yu Shengyan quickly ran over to Shen Qiao and started to cut the ropes loose. With practiced swipes of his switchblade, it took him only a short moment before he freed Shen Qiao.

At this point, Shen Qiao had already completely fainted, and when released from his restraints, he fell forward limply into Yu Shengyan’s arms.

“What do you want with Qi Fengge’s kid anyway?” Sang Jingxing asked. Though he’d given up on trying to keep Shen Qiao in his possession, curiosity still got the best of him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Yan Wushi only said with a laugh.

Carrying Shen Qiao on his back, Yu Shengyan followed his master out of the dank basement cell, thrilled that he got to witness Yan Wushi scaring the shit out of Sang Jingxing and his minions, but mostly confused about the purpose of this confrontation. He didn’t know what to expect when Yan Wushi had suddenly ordered him to come to He Huan Group’s headquarters. To be honest, the young assistant had been half-expecting the gang leader to start a bloodshed for one reason or another — after all, it wouldn’t have been the first time Yan Wushi went off the rails due to the most miniscule of reasons — but he’d never thought they’d be rescuing a stranger.

They were rescuing him, right? Yu Shengyan was hesitant as he carefully placed the unconscious man into the back of the car before slipping into the driver’s seat. Glancing over at his master out of the corner of his eye, the young man almost felt sorry for Shen Qiao, for he recognized that particular look on Yan Wushi’s face.

It probably would not bode well for the man still unaware of what he’d gotten himself into by getting accidentally entangled into Yan Wushi’s life.

#qian qiu #thousand autumns #shan he jian xin #yanshen #yan wushi #shen qiao #bowie's crappy writing

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milk-addicc · 4 years

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I really liked that post you made about how Capcom feels about Narumitsu. And I'm wondering how do you think they feel about Narumayo? Personally to me it feels like they throw more hints at Narumitsu since with the other one if Takami wanted it to be canon he would of done it at the end of T&T. I also think the team could of made it more obvious in SoJ with Maya's big return but I never really saw the hints but I know I'm biased lol.

oh i’m glad you like my rambles haha;;

ahh... that ship,

well first, about the whole Takumi “wanting narumitsu to be canon” thing, its not exactly making them canon but have more fanservice leaning heavy towards narumitsu (which was declined by the director(?) who claimed, i sorta agree with, that the game did well even without the narumitsu hinting since in the first game they didn’t have that intention and it was pure coincidence that their relationship was just THAT deep and meaningful which is incredible lmao, Takumi and co managed to slip his warning and still put at least some of the hints in TT tho hhh-). so even then, i doubt the crew actually want the endgame to come so soon hh.

okay, back on topic. what i think about naru//mayo? yea, i’m not keen on that ship personally at all, actually i despise it. like, they first met in the office, in front of their dead loved one, Mia. Maya was 17, Phoenix was 24. you have Maya, who’s supposedly still in HIGH SCHOOL and Phoenix, who has GRADUATED COLLEGE, has a JOB, and most likely has PAID HIS OWN BILLS. from that point alone, it should already feel weird.

Maya’s an adolescence, a teenager, she just lost her sister and barely grew up, in a way she’s still innocent, notice how she tend to ask random questions and or say things that she thinks makes sense or amusing, she tends to be naive too. its kinda like.. a child.

and Phoenix on the other hand, is a grown man. heck even Maya says he’s an “old fart”, they’re legit aware of their own age gap in game and outright say it. if anything, they both act like self-aware best friends/brother-sister than romantically. even Maya said it herself, she wants to be a good big sister for Pearl and Nick.

now how about we ignore this obvious fact just for a little while and try to see it from only their interactions in-franchise. heres the kicker, you may not see it in game since they only lightly nudges about this ship (usually with Pearl, and was dismissed by Maya right after.), but in some of AA spin off mangas (and from what i heard, one of the stage shows), for some reason, this ship has their own hints despite being completely aware that Maya is a teenager.

but its okay now don’t hold your breaths,

their “hints” are more of a one-off ish thing, most of the time a gag and not taken seriously, and unlike other ship per say narumitsu, where it actually affects their lives and changed it forever IN-GAME. “i care about Maya and understands her” and “i became an attorney because of you, Edgeworth and i don’t have any regrets” are both literally incomparable, especially given Phoenix and Edgeworth’s history together in-game canon.

anyway, here’s some common arguments i’ve encountered about this particular ship :

“but Phoenix cares about Maya a lot! he literally went through a trial against a hitman and run through a burning bridge for her!”

“Phoenix blushed and goes red when Pearl says he’s Maya’s special someone and he stutters!”

“Well my parents had a huge age gap!"

“well, Maya is 18 in AA2″

“considering Maya is a christmas cake now, Nick better tap that”

“she’s an adult in AA6 tho”

now lets dissect each of these,

yes, Phoenix cares about Maya a lot he literally did cross a burning bridge for her but people seem to forget that this is the same man who turned his life around, abandon his dreams, study law for four years, and became an attorney to meet one man and willing to defend a girl who looks like his psychotic ex that nearly poisoned him in court. he literally would believe in his clients’s innocence no matter what, he’s by nature would sacrifice anything and even his life for someone. so its normal that he cares about Maya, but is it romantic? i doubt it, he cares about her safety and well being but does it have to be a romantic hint? no, of course not, he’s just very selfless for the people he cares about and Maya has no one to help her but Nick when she’s in trouble, he’s one of few adults she can trust and will help her out.

oh so blushing and stuttering due to embarrassment means having feelings now? and about the stuttering, he literally stutters around Edgeworth a lot lol. i’m starting to feel like people ships naru//mayo not because of their depth but because Pearl said so. Pearl finds them should be together and keep shoving the audience with Nick being “Mystic Maya’s special someone”, well if thats the case, they also explained why this happened, in-game. Pearl grew up very sheltered and among unhealthy marriages she just assumes a girl and a boy together means they’re dating and being “special someones”. she most likely just wants her cousin to be in a happy relationship unlike her parents where her father left both her and her mother but didn’t know any better because she was eight years old.

https://youtu.be/FGAqQkMEKNs?start=674&end=776

now about the parent thing and taking it personal, well my parents too had a huge age-gap of 7 years. but how come is it okay? its because they met when my mum was already a career woman at 26. she’s already an adult when my dad met her. what does this mean? it means my parents were both adults when they’re together, this is why i still like GumMaggey despite their age gap so wide, they first met when Maggey has already had a career, supposedly in her 20′s, she’s a young adult, she can buy alcohol by herself, already knows whats right and wrong and has live life independently, not a still hormonal teenager who depends on one adult figure. did your parents date when your mum is in highschool while your dad is like in his mid 20′s? sorry to hear that.

as for the last three arguments, i don’t even want to touch any of them with a five-foot pole. are you listening to yourself? do you not feel like you’re a creep typing that?

let me give you a benefit of the doubt. yes she’s older and legally an adult, but are you really discrediting the fact they met when Maya was still in highschool? they met and became friends when she’s 17 and he’s 24. sure they barely met during disbarment era, but should that change anything? why should it? how should it? like this?

“Oh this is Maya, i haven’t met her in years but boy she sure has grown up can’t wait to date her since she’s legal now.”

because thats what that argument sounds like, YIKES.

you know? if they met under a different circumstance and Maya was like 19, i’d let it go. but they didn’t, they met because of a horrible loss, Maya, still in training, 17 lost her big sister and Phoenix, a rookie, at 24 lost his mentor.

in conclusion, i don’t like naru//mayo at all

pairing them feels like pairing Edgeworth with Kay or Phoenix with Ema, just because they partnered in investigations, make playful jabs at each other, and saved each others’s lives before, people just think they like each other romantically despite their age-gap in first meetings (not to mention Kay sees Edgeworth as somewhat of a father figure, and she’s nearly 18 while Edgeworth is the same age as Phoenix). especially with how Maya, being a zoomer, calls Phoenix an “old fart” and just makes jokes about how so out-of-touch Phoenix is with the modern entertainment.

from observations, i have a huge hunch that almost all of them pair these two because :

1. Maya’s a girl protagonist so its a male protagonist x female protagonist type of deal and despise narumitsu because “yaoi”

2. AA6 she’s an adult so she’s legal which is damn creepy on its own, or last

3. because of Pearl shipping them in game despite being an eight year old and was so sheltered she thought a man and a woman being next to each other means they’re special someones.

either way, i only see them as best friends, sibling-like relationship with self awareness here and there since they tease the audience a lot with their gag “hints” in spin-off mangas and game.

not only that, it kinda showcase how all male/female bond don’t have to be romantic, they can be just friends or familial and still hang together. another plus for the franchise right after encouraging moving on from ex partners. *glancing at Phoenix//Iris*

and as to the people who pairs this for some odd reasons, sometimes i just want to ask these questions,

“how would you feel if you’re in Phoenix’s shoes? met your mentor’s little sister at age 17 while you’re 24, would you feel romantically interested in this high schooler?” because i don’t, to me anyone 3 years younger than me is like a baby, how would Phoenix feel when Maya’s 7 years younger?

“also... why even? narumitsu and other less questionable pairings are RIGHT THERE in the open!”

but oh well people can like and pair whatever hhh,

and there you have it, my even longer rambling hahaha sorry;;

Edit : To add the final nail to the coffin, Phoenix outright has said that Maya’s like his kid, like a niece.

Edit 2 : remember that this is simply my personal take, you can somewhat use this to make yourself feel better about your pair nor simply just to hate on the ship itself but do not use this to dictate actual people what to ship and not to ship.

please don’t be destructive towards others.

#NOT n*rumayo #notp #naru//mayo #can't ship them sorry #im almost 20 and everyone 3 years younger feels like a child #imagine being phoenix and knowing maya is like 7 years younger jfc #slight #narumitsu #encouragement lol #dont harrass the shippers of it please

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migila · 4 years

Text

The Horse? Check! The Cart? Check! Fic time!

Gratitude

Pieck yawns as she sits up on her bed, the rays of morning sun coming in from the window telling her that it’s time to get up. So, she does, but she takes her time dressing herself before throwing the window open, taking in the sight of the waking streets of the city of Trost, her hometown since the war ended. It’s a beautiful place, really. Had she not been told; she would’ve never guessed that it had once been run over by titans. And how long ago had that been? Six years? Seven? With how far behind Paradis was with everything, they sure rebuilt fast.

Catching a delicious scent, Pieck decides that it’s time to head downstairs, least someone comes to get her.

As she walks, she takes in the dents and fading in the walls and the stairs for no particular reason, her mind just simply desiring to focus on something, anything.

“Smells good” she comments as she walks in to the kitchen.

“Why thank you dear; you’re always so polite” the woman at the counter says as she turns around “Unlike that son of mine.”

“You do know that I’m sitting right here, don’t you mom?” Jean comments from the kitchen table, drinking his coffee.

“Of course, Jeanboy, of course” she waives him off “You sit down too, Pieck dear, the breakfast is almost done.”

Pieck did as told, having learned the hard way that arguing would be futile. And it’s not like there was any harm in taking it easy, especially not on this morning.

“Did you sleep well?” Jean asks. He’s looking directly at Pieck over his coffee mug, and the woman notes that the soldier looks like he certainly hadn’t.

“Like a corpse” she answers with a smile, making Jean grimace. That dims Pieck’s mood a tiny bit as her smile falls “What’s wrong?”

Jean stares at her for a while before sighing, clearly holding something back.

“Nothing”

She knows it’s not nothing, though. She knows what’s bothering him. She meant to hold this talk off until they were out of his mother’s hearing range, for the sake of privacy, but maybe she should talk to him now.

“Jean- “

“Food is ready!” Mrs. Kirstein announces before Pieck can really even start.

Biting back a sigh of her own, she smiles at the older woman “Thank you, ma’am.”

Mrs. Kirstein smiles at her, and Pieck looks down at the omelet in front of her. It would be a pity to let it cool down, so their talk would have to wait.

XXXXX

Now they sat in the carriage, just the two of them, but Pieck chose not to speak. She was looking out the window, watching the scenery one last time. Somehow, she preferred that over the talk she knew they’d eventually have to have. But not right now; she wanted to savor the moment.

“Pieck”

Apparently, Jean didn’t.

“Yeah?” she turned to look at him “Did you forget something?”

Jean frowns.

“No” he says “Are you sure there isn’t anything you want to do before we go? We don’t need to be at the HQ until five; we still have hours” he pauses “You still have hours.”

Pieck swallows. Of course, she knows that. Both of them do, but she would’ve preferred if he didn’t voice it, didn’t remind her of it now that she could still distract herself.

“I’m good” she says “I said goodbye to my father yesterday, and Annie and the others will be there. That’s all I need.”

Jean looked disappointed… wait, no, that might not be the right word. Perhaps just… sad?

She smiles at him.

“Is there something you still want to do?” she asks “It’s like you said; there’s still time. I’ll come along if there’s somewhere you want to stop by in.”

“…No, I’m good”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah”

Pieck shrugs, returning to watch out of the window, enjoying the sceneries slipping by.

XXXXX

“You didn’t eat anything at lunch” Jean points out as they walk down the stairs leading underground.

“I wanted to savor the taste of the breakfast”

Jean barks out an unamused laugh.

“You really wanted a freaking omelet to be your last meal?”

“An omelet your mom made” Pieck clarifies “She’s good at that.”

“…Can’t deny it” Jean admits. As Pieck reaches the end of the stairs she stops, not continuing down the hallway. Jean, still having a few steps left, stops as well; she can hear it.

“…Guess this is it” she says. She takes a deep breath “After I became a warrior, I always knew this was how and when my life would end, assuming I didn’t die in the battlefield first of course. I never really dreaded it, and I still don’t. Even if I don’t do this, I’d die soon anyway.”

“…Yeah, you would” Jean says, his voice sounding uncomfortable and strained to Pieck’s ears.

“I have a lot of regrets, just like any of us” she continues “But I do not regret becoming a warrior.”

She smiles, able to imagine Jean’s surprised face behind her perfectly. She was sure of that.

“…Why?” she hears Jean ask. She knew he would “Were you not a warrior, you could live to see this new era with us. You could live here on this island, in Eldia, and be free, no longer persecuted and locked in an interment zone.”

“Had I not become a warrior, I hadn’t become who I am now” she tells him “I might have died as a soldier in some of Marley’s wars, any of them. Or maybe not; maybe I would’ve survived them and died at the rumbling. Or maybe I had survived that too, living my life hating the faceless devils of Paradis that destroyed a large chunk of the world. In any of those cases, I wouldn’t have become friends with the people I did.”

She pauses.

“You and I certainly wouldn’t be here, talking without trying to bite each other’s heads off”

“You literally tried that when we first met”

“And you tried to blow me up when we met the second time” Pieck countered with a chuckle “But tell me, Jean, despite all that, are we friends?”

She hears him huff.

“Would I have agreed to be the one to keep an eye on you after the war ended if we weren’t?”

“You’re a soldier; you’d do so if ordered” she shrugs “Don’t misunderstand me; I’m glad to have been by your side instead of in a cell like Reiner did.”

“I did offer to look after him” Jean mutters “But he refused. He preferred the cells.”

“He felt guilty for all that happened” she pauses, considering if she should say it or not, but decides to go with it “I don’t; not to the extent he did, at least.”

Instead of getting angry, she hears Jean say: “Me neither.”

She doesn’t turn around to look at him; she just waits for him to continue.

“I feel guilt for the civilian damage I caused over the years, guilt over killing others who were only following orders like I did, and guilt over not being able to protect all my friends, but not the way Reiner did” Jean says “I think I’m simply able to accept it better and to move on.”

“Perhaps” Pieck says, her lips curving in to a mischievous smile “Or maybe you and I are just bigger devils than he was.”

It’s silent for a few seconds, and then she hears Jean chuckle again.

“Possible” she hears him say “Sorry that the price for your limited freedom was to have to deal with my mom, too.”

“What are you talking about, Jeanboy? Your mother is lovely” Pieck laughs, just knowing that Jean is now frowning “…Really, I like her. I’m glad we stayed at your house from time to time instead of always staying in the military barracks.”

She closes her eyes.

“I’m glad that you showed me around your hometown, let me see the ordinary life of Paradis’ Eldians. I’m glad that you never asked your superiors for a break of me, and stayed with me this remaining time. So, Jean, for everything you’ve done for me- “she turns around to face him with a smile on her face “Thank you.”

They look at each other straight in the eyes, and Pieck doesn’t comment on the tears streaming freely down the man’s face. For once he isn’t trying to hide them or make some lame, see through excuse about them. She sees his mouth open and close, but either he can’t get a word out, or simply doesn’t know what to say. Feeling her own eyes starting to sting, Pieck knows that she has to put and end to this before any grief or fear can break her composure.

“Goodbye, Jean” she says, turning around again “I had fun.”

She walks down the hallway, taking deep, silent breaths, wanting to calm down before she’d reach her destination. Before she’d step in to the chamber she’d die in.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, seeing people waiting for her. She’d said goodbye to Annie and the kids above ground and Reiner’s term had ended a week ago, so it was only just the scouts present. She didn’t loathe them, didn’t hate them. They were her comrades in arms, her friends, even if she wasn’t close with them. She said her goodbyes before climbing off to her place, watching down from there as a lone scout was handed a syringe before walking forward. She didn’t look at the scout; she didn’t know that woman. Instead, her eyes drifted off to the people she did know, smiling as she saw Jean among them, no longer crying, though everyone could see he had done so. She was staring directly at him, so she saw his lips move. He could’ve just yelled it out, but guess he didn’t want the others to notice. Of course, he knew that Pieck could read lips. And so, she did.

“Thank you”

#pieck finger #jean kirstein #jeanpiku #jeanpieck #pikujean #snk fic

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chaoticpuff17 · 4 years

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A Dangerous Game

part 14

Masterlist

Warning: language, spanking (nonconsensual, nonsexual) Yandere behavior (of course)

Hello darlings! This is the first chapter I’ve felt the need to put a warning on. It’s really nothing graphic, but I’m still a baby writer, and it was a little out of my normal comfort zone to write. Just a reminder that we do not condone yandere behavior in real life! But I hope you all enjoy the chapter!-- chaotic puff

“Fuck!” She screamed tugging on the restraints that kept her pinned down to the bed, but they wouldn’t budge. Namjoon had fastened the leather cuffs tightly, and the only thing tugging on them did was cause bruising on her wrists and the chains to rattle unsettlingly. Eventually she gave up, flopping back against the mattress to stare up at the ceiling until Namjoon deigned to return.

Part of her wanted to claw his eyes out, but the greater part of her wanted to disappear into the mattress before he could arrive. She’d fucked up. He hadn’t even been this angry when she had tried to jump from the window, but that could have been because she’d not only broken several of his rules, oh no, she’d also ran from him. And then there was Jackson.

Her blood ran cold just thinking of it. She had to warn Jackson. She had to get him out of Korea before Namjoon got to him. She could survive in this hell, but she wouldn’t let Jackson lose his life on her behalf. There was nothing she could do when she was quite literally chained to the bed though.

She could only assume that this was Namjoon’s room. Where else would could it be? It certainly wasn’t her room. But in her current predicament she couldn’t really see much of the room itself, and she didn’t get a good look at it when she was hung over Namjoon’s shoulder. If only she’d been able to make it out further into the garden. Maybe she could have hidden from them. It wouldn’t have been a long term solution, but it would have kept her away from Namjoon and his wrath for a little while longer at least.

She didn’t know how long she’d lain there waiting for his return, but it felt like eons. There was nothing to do but lie there and wait. The restraints made it impossible for her to even take a good look around the room. The worst part of it was that it left her alone with the anticipation of his return, that horrid sinking feeling that came with the knowledge that with his return Namjoon would bring some sort of punishment with him. He wasn’t going to let this pass, not when she’d thrown his ring, the symbol of his attachment to her, in his face.

“Hello, jagiya.” He cooed. She couldn’t see him yet, but her entire body went rigid with the knowledge that he was back. She lifted her head to see him standing at the foot of the bed with a man she had never seen before. “This is Taehyung.” Namjoon introduced a sly smirk on his face as he moved around the side of the bed to come sit next to her. “You see, jagi, Taehyung has a certain… aptitude for technology, and he’s prepared something especially for you, jagi.”

She really didn’t like the sound of that, nor did she like the look of the black case Taehyung held in his hands.

“Namjoon?” She warbled out looking at him with wide panicked eyes, but he only shushed her and beckoned Taehyung forward.

“I had hoped we wouldn’t need such measures, jagi. You’d been doing so well, but it seems I overestimated you. That’s my fault, jagi, but don’t worry.” She was definitely very, very worried. “This should help immensely.”

She watched with trepidation as Taehyung opened the case and pulled out a black band with a little box attached to it. The effect was immediate. Y/N started kicking out her legs and thrashing against the bindings in an attempt to keep both men at bay. She didn’t have much choice, but she’d be damned if she let them put that on her without a fight.

“Hyung?” Taehyung asked looking at the older man a little unsure of what to do, if he was allowed to restrain her.

“Do it.” He confirmed as he moved to hold her legs down.

“No!” She shrieked fighting against the firm hold he had on her legs, but Namjoon was by no means a small man, and she had the greater part of his body weight pressed down on her legs. “Please, don’t!” She begged as tears began to gather in her eyes.

“It’s for your own good, jagi.” Namjoon cooed as Taehyung attached the device to her ankle.

“No!” She wailed as the device was locked in place.

Namjoon moved back up to rest near her head, stroking her hair and cooing soft assurances at her as Taehyung fiddled with the settings of the anklet. “It’s all set, hyung!” Taehyung chirped giving the two of them a boxy smile. “Her boundaries are set for the house and part of the garden. Your phone will get an alert if she strays too far from the house.” He was far too cheerful about her new torture, and Y/N hated him in this particular moment, but not as much as she hated Namjoon.

“Thank you, Tae.” Namjoon nodded dismissing the younger man as he continued to stroke her hair as she silently cried keeping her head turned away from him. It was all she could really do. The cuffs prevented her from moving away from him.

“Jagi.” He cooed once Taehyung had left the room. “Don’t pout. This was for your own good. I can’t have you running out like that and getting yourself hurt.”

“It’s a fucking tracking anklet. Where exactly do you expect me to go? I’m already locked in this fucking hell hole.”

“It’s for your own good. Actions have consequences.”

“Fuck you.” She hissed pouring every ounce of venom she was feeling into those two little words.

“Language.” He barked turning her head so that she was looking up at him and his extremely displeased expression. “You’ve broken enough rules today, don’t you think?”

“I hate you.” She hissed wrenching her head away.

He chuckled smiling coldly down at her. “Oh, jagi. The line between love and hate is very thin. You’ll get over this little temper tantrum soon enough, and everything will fall into place.” He cooed. “It will be better once that pesky police officer is out of the way.”

Her blood ran cold. “You can’t!” She cried tears running freely as she looked at him.

“Of course I can. He’s in my way.”

“If you touch him, I’ll never forgive you.” She hissed glaring at him through her tears.

He was still smiling, but his eyes were sharp and cold, displeased with her. “You’ll forget all about him in due time. I’ll keep you so satisfied that you’ll never need to look at another man.”

“I will never let you touch me.”

“I won’t take you by force, Y/N. You’re my wife, not some common whore, but you will come to me, one way or another. I’m a patient man. I can wait.” She looked at him, eyes just as cold as his. “And we have all the time in the world.”

“I’m not your fucking wife.” She spat glaring up at him.

He hummed noncommittally taking her ring out of his pocket and slipping it back on her finger. There was nothing she could do about it with her hands restrained, but she had the urge to take that ring and shove it down his throat.

“You’re right, jagi. You’re not my wife, not legally, but that’s a situation we can easily rectify.”

She froze, turning to him look at him, trying to see if he was serious, and unfortunately, he was. “No.” She growled. “I won’t marry you, not in this lifetime.”

“It’s sweet, jagi.” He mused lovingly caressing her face. “You think you have a choice in this.”

“You fucking maniac!” She snarled pulling on her restraints in a futile effort to get away from him.

“Language!” He barked glaring down at her. “That’s you last warning, jagi. You’ve been testing my patience all evening, and I’ve been lenient with you. Don’t test me.”

She looked up at him, cocking her head to one side innocently before gracing him with a near angelic smile. “Go fuck yourself.”

He froze, a cold smile fixed to his features. “Wrong move, jagi.”

He unhooked the chained from her cuffs, and she was flipped over, her skirt flipped up followed by an indignant shriek from her. “I warned you, jagi.” He growled as the first strike fell across her ass followed swiftly by another and another. The hits fell one after the other each one as harsh as the last until she was almost numb from the pain and begging him to stop.

When it was finally over she was a sniveling trembling mess on the pillows. Gently, Namjoon undid the cuffs placing them on the side table before pulling her into his arms so that she was lying across his chest as she trembled. He moved her skirt back down so that she was covered as he ran a hand up and down her back.

“I know, jagi. I know, but you never seem to learn.” He cooed. “It’s over now.”

“I hate you.” She sobbed though she clung to his chest hating herself for finding comfort in the embrace of the same man who had been the cause of her pain.

“I know, jagi. I know.” He shushed reveling in the feel of her clinging to him. “I’ll call, Miss In to run you a bath, and bring up some tea. Okay.”

Soon enough she had been shuttled off into a warm bath with Miss In overseeing her as Namjoon waited in the bedroom. The older woman cooed and fussed over her like a child, and in that moment, Y/N truly did feel like one. He had spanked her. The pain was bad enough, but it was the indignation that was the worst, the humiliation.

“Here, bu-in. Drink some tea.” Miss In said handing her a cup as her charge sat shocked and numb in the bathtub. “It will help.”

“I want to go home.” She whispered staring at the bubbled that filled the tub as she took a sip of her tea.

“You are home, bu-in.”

And after that she stayed silent choosing instead to play with the bubbles. Eventually Miss In pulled her out of the bath and dried her off sticking her in a nightgown she had brought from the other room. The silky pink fabric fell a little bellow her mid-thigh, and the soft material was gentle against her sore behind, a fact she was very grateful for.

She left the bathroom with Miss In, ready to go back to her own room and sleep for the next century. She was exhausted.

“Where are you going, jagi?” Namjoon called from his position lounging on the bed with a book, glasses perched on his nose.

“Back to my room?”

He smiled softly putting the book aside. “You’ll be staying here from now on, jagi.”

Y/N looked to Miss In as if to beg for help, but the housekeeper had already left the room. “I think I’d prefer to go back to my own room.” She murmured eyes fixed on her feet and the cursed tracking anklet.

“It’s not up for debate, jagi. Now come to bed.” He held out a hand beckoning her to him. Made no effort to move. “I’m waiting, jagi.”

Reluctantly she moved to join him choosing to stay on the opposite end of the large bed. She was so far to the side, she was almost falling over the side as he turned out the lights. She heard a sigh and the rustle of blankets before an arm snaked across her waist pulling her into his chest. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before settling down behind her.

“Goodnight, jagi.”

She was thankful for the dark, he couldn’t see the tears as they silently fell down her face.

part 15

#bts #bts fic #yandere bts #namjoon #namjoon x reader #mafia namjoon #yandere namjoon #rm x reader #rm #fanfic #mafia #mafia au #yandere #soft yandere #a dangerous game

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tortoisenottortoise · 3 years

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Am I the only one who likes seeing muscular women in media more than muscular men?

Alright so, this one will probably end up much shorter and a little more ranty than I'd like, but this is kind of personal so be fairly warned.

Recently I've seen a few complaints about the new He-Man show and honestly, I fully understand and empathize with them. Whilst I haven't fully seen the show, from what I've viewed I can personally speaking agree (or at the very least understand) where most criticisms come from. I think it's incredibly shitty that the writer basically lied to his audience about how the show would run. Now normally I'd be fine with a twist such as He-man dying, but he's an important part of the show and the way the marketing & merchandising for it was running kind of comes across as him basically using He-Man's name to get people into the show. I also feel like it's fine to view Teela as obnoxious and annoying, nothing about her personality-wise seems likable to me. I also heard a few complaints about Orko's (I think that's his name, don't crucify me) backstory and how his character was handled.Yet as the title suggests one that didn't stick with me was the criticism of Teela and a general trend towards the criticism of women in media as being "masculine".

I've heard over and over that Hollywood representing strong women by giving them masculine traits is a bad thing and yet... I kind of don't get it? It feels odd to say, almost like I'm the dumbest man alive for admitting something which most people on the internet seem to be so sure about, yet I just don't understand where this is coming from. I've seen this thrown at She-hulk, Wonder Woman, Abby, and many other characters, yet when inquired it usually loops back around to, "Yeah they have muscles", and that's about it. This type of criticism in specific seems to overly focus on the appearance of said characters. It's the one critique I just can't get behind and it feels like at best it's a shallow criticism that fails to get its point across, and at worst it's actively demeaning to women who desire to or show masculine traits. But first, let me break this down into sections.

Section 1: Muscles =/= Masculinity (In my opinion at least)

Oh boy, I feel like this is a section that might rustle some feathers, but I'm going to try and explain myself best as possible. I simply do not view muscularity as a feature that is inherent to or should be inherent to men. I'm not going to pretend as if muscular men aren't more saturated in media and art, nor as if they're societally treated as masculine, but one of the reasons I fail to understand this criticism is that I see muscles beyond the horizons as being just a masculine trait.

I believe that muscles should instead be seen as a sign of hard work and determination. As someone who's currently trying (and struggling) to stay healthy and fit, it's much harder than a lot of media portrays it to be. It's a test where you push yourself to the limits, not just for the sake of doing it, but so you can improve as a person. Whenever I go to the gym and see a muscular gal or guy walk by, my immediate thought isn't, "how masculine" or anything like that my thought is, "wow! They worked hard to get like that, I should work hard as well!".

This interpretation tends to feel like it's just simply taking a piss on people who actively work hard to achieve higher levels of strength. Especially when society places and enforces these unrealistic standards onto people. If you don't have a six-quintillion pack nor can bench press a fucking house then you're worthless, of course, that is unless you actually attempt to pursue said standards which in that case you're automatically dismissed as cheating your way to gaining your muscles instead of putting any work in. And that's just for men who often don't have to deal with traditional idiots who are stuck in the year 1950 where I can't walk on the same street as them. My skin crawls when reading tweets from older men talking about how weightlifting women are "ruining their fertility" and I absolutely hate it when people in my life treat these women as if they're mythical creatures from a fairy tale, or when females who have trained to such a degree are simply dismissed as being inferior.

Obviously, I don't think the people who say this are like that, but whenever I hear this type of critique I can't help but think of the culmination of all these experiences I've gone through. But then again, this might honestly just be because I'm personally attracted to muscular women.

Section 2: Body type diversity

Another reason that I tend to like muscular women in media over muscular men is simply due to the sheer oversaturation of muscular men. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem if anybody likes muscular men. I totally get wanting to shove your face in between some man titties or get inspired by their physiques. In all honesty, almost everything I said earlier can directly apply to men, but one of the reasons I bring up body type diversity is that there tend to be much less muscular women than men. I

f anything, I'd have to say that muscular men are almost treated as the default when it comes to things like superhero comics, movies, video games, anime, etc. In a similar vein, the default for women tends to be slim and curvaceous, you get the drill. Whenever someone who doesn't fit into either body type shows up and isn't treated like a joke/gag or a character to rip on, I can't help but be happy about it. As much as I have no clue wtf is going on with TLOU2, I can appreciate that Abby's portrayal doesn't seem to exist solely as a joke meant to demean women for working out. I'm excited when an anime protagonist is a fat character who can go beyond just being a "fat guy" and is treated the same way a normal person would be.

Regardless of what you think about whatever trait you're criticizing, there's probably someone out there who fits it. If you're not into it or dislike it, then that's fine, but I'd rather have that expressed than it being actively made out as a harmful trope as opposed to just literally another body type that some women have.

Section 3: Muscular women inspire me more

Ok so, we've now blown into a full-on personal experience, buckle up boys, girls, NBs, anything in between, and I feel like I'm forgetting someone so apologies! But yeah, muscular women in media tend to be a lot more inspiring than people seem to give them credit for. This comes down to a mix of both the qualities I outlined earlier in what makes the characters inspiring but also plays into the idea of body diversity.

One of the traits that make amazons seem more inspiring is their inherent rarity/lack of screentime. As I stated earlier, whilst I do enjoy my fair share of man-titties, it kind of gets to a point where it's more depressing than inspiring when all you see is just super-models shoved in your face whenever you walk into a theater. If for every Goku I could find ten other guys who were on the chubbier side then I'd be able to take more from when I see Goku and other characters with his body type, yet it's so saturated that it no longer becomes something to aspire to, but simply the norm. It's not that you can work to become muscular or skinny with hard work and effort, you have to be muscular or skinny unless you want to be deemed a failure. Being chubby often isn't presented as a starting point but just treated as a defect. As someone who spent years battling with my own self-perception, that's just not a good message to get across.

Now, this obviously isn't to say that people can never make muscular characters. After all, it's their story so they can put whatever they want in it. The aim of the game isn't to stop people from making a specific type of character, but to encourage a diverse set of people to make a diverse set of characters. This is the reason why I view muscular women as so inspiring. Instead of coming across as just "the norm" or "the standard" they stand out from the crowd and despite knowing what they have to deal with, are still ready and willing to work out and improve their bodies. They had a goal in mind and set time aside to achieve said goal, that's something I can get behind.

Conclusion:

This will be another short section, but I just wanted to mention it because it caps off my thoughts on this post in general. What originally started as me just not getting the reason why people disliked Teela's design somehow turned into a passionate rant and I'm A) not sure if it fits on this particular subsection of the community, B) scared I'm going to get ripped to pieces, and C) somewhat unsatisfied with all that I said. At the end of the day, this probably won't be seen by too many people, but to those who do see it, I hope you have a wonderful day. I just wanted to talk about something that was near and dear to my heart and hoped that I made it clear why I view things the way I do.

P.S: Can we stop having this double standard where we act like women whose arms show the slightest hint of definition are "unrealistic" whilst men can look like tree trunks and be considered normal and healthy? please and thank you!

#rant post #character rant #please help I'm new to tumblr and a boomer when it comes to tags #tropes #trope discussion

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thekisforkeats · 3 years

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The Joys of Fandom, or, how TMA helped me rediscover my love of tea

So among the many (many) good things The Magnus Archives podcast has brought to my life, none has been quite so profound as remembering how much I love making a good cup of tea. I’ve got a whole post about how it’s helped me categorize the anxiety cloud I live with on a constant basis, how it’s gotten me writing again, and writing poetry which I haven’t done in forever, how identifying with so many openly queer boys going through so much crap has helped me figure out that I want to transition.

But.

Tea is the reason we’re here today, because making a pot of tea has become a daily ritual since I started listening to TMA, and it’s been one of those tiny things that’s changed my life profoundly, and I have TMA to thank for this almost entirely.

I did not grow up drinking tea. I am from the Seattle, Washington area, and I’m just old enough Starbucks was a popular local coffee shop when I was a kid. My parents both drank a TON of coffee, my mother basically runs on the stuff, and by the time I was 6 I was drinking coffee too. Tea, growing up, was Lipton, sometimes iced or sometimes not. I didn’t even realize herbal tea was tea. Green tea was a thing one drank at Chinese restaurants. I was not at all informed.

When I got my first job, I would stop at Starbucks during the bus layover (as once does in the Seattle area) and one day in a fit of teenaged desire to be “cool” and “writerly” because I’d seen a tin of “Writer’s Chai” in the store I bought a chai latte. I loved it, and that became my go-to Starbucks drink.

I still didn’t really get tea, but I at least started learning how to boil water in the kettle and waiting for it to actually boil, pouring it over the tea bag, etc. I didn’t put in milk or sugar because I drank coffee black unless it was a latte or a mocha. I would just sort of... boil the water and pour it over and wait a few minutes and drink the tea with the bag still in the mug.

It wasn’t until I moved to Toronto that I sat down and had a good cup of tea. The woman who hosted the social group I was part of had her particular tea-making rituals, and she encouraged me to try it with milk and sugar, and it was... amazing. Life-changing, even. My perseveration drive kicked into full swing and I had to know everything about tea and its history and how to make a proper cup and so on and so forth. I learned all I could from our hostess, and then turned to the internet.

I bought a kettle to make tea at home but my ex wasn’t really supportive of my desire to brew tea on the regular, so loose leaf and teapots and “does the milk go in in cup before or after the tea” had to wait until I moved out and got a place of my own.

Then I moved to Tallahassee.

In Tallahassee, the coffee was atrocious unless it was from a couple of specific places, mostly serving cafe con leche. But I had my own place and my own dishes and I could have a teapot and make tea and nobody could stop me. So I did. Mostly for myself, while I was contemplating things, and it was really nice to sit and stare out at the ridiculously heavy Florida rain--which hit, in Tallahassee, right about 4:15 in the afternoon all summer so perfect for tea time.

I moved back to Seattle with my spouse, and we moved into my mother’s house. For a long while we didn’t have a kitchen of our own and we had small children, so tea wasn’t a thing I did any more. I had leftover coffee (or canned/bottled coffee) for the caffeine fix, but rarely tea. When my grandmother died and we moved into her old apartment we didn’t have a stove, and I despise heating water for tea in the microwave.

So for the better part of a decade, I barely drank any tea at all. I did discover Oi Ocha in this time, which is bottled green tea from Japan, which is amazing and I love it, but again--it was in a bottle. Not a thing I was personally making.

Then I started listening to The Magnus Archives, and I really identified with Martin Blackwood, because of reasons too complicated to get into here. But it inspired me to want to make tea again, and so I started getting K-cup pods, but it just... wasn’t... right. It wasn’t the same. I mean, it was tea, but it wasn’t... tea.

So I went and bought an electric kettle, and a teapot, and a strainer, and ordered regular deliveries of loose leaf tea, and started making tea for myself and my spouse. I developed my own ritual: cold water in the kettle, put hot water into the teapot (so it doesn’t crack), put three scoops of loose leaf in the strainer. Pour out the water in the teapot when the kettle boils, put in the strainer, pour the boiling water over the strainer. Wait four minutes or so, and while you’re waiting put a splash of half-and-half in the tea mugs (milk goes first so it doesn’t scald and we like the taste of half-and-half best). Then pour the tea into the mugs. The mugs are big enough that I take three spoons of sugar and my spouse four, so put all the sugar into the mugs and then increase the entropy (aka stir) until the sugar’s dissolved. Bring the tea out into the living room, enjoy.

The first time I got it all right, and made a good cup of tea, I literally cried, I was so happy. It was like seeing the sun after it had been dark for so long I’d forgotten what the sun looked like.

The thing I have come to realize about what tea means to me is something that Jon says in the trailer for Season 5 of TMA. Martin brings him a cup of “tea” and Jon goes “that’s not tea” and, indeed, it turns out to be some weird skittering thing. The following exchange really crystallized things for me:

Jon: This is no longer a world where you can trust-- Martin: Tea?! Jon: Comfort.

And that was it, right there. Coffee is fuel, for me. Coffee is “Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There.” (Quite literally; part of playing Persona 5 was remembering how much I love trying out new coffee blends.)

Tea, however, is comfort. Tea is slowing down. Tea is caffeine, yes, and therefore focus for my poor ADD/autistic brain, but it’s afternoon focus. It’s contemplation. It’s sitting and breathing in the aroma and thinking about things in a way that isn’t spiraling or catastrophizing. Whether it’s breakfast tea or Earl Grey or green tea, or an herbal like peppermint or chamomile, tea for me is self-care.

Taking those few minutes to get up and go make a pot of tea in the afternoon, to stop the business of the day and just stand there waiting for the kettle to boil, is something I’ve desperately needed. Coffee is easy to sort of make as “fire and forget,” to the point that I’ve gulped down cold or lukewarm coffee I’d forgotten about just because I need the caffeine. Tea, though, if you’re doing it right you have to stand there and wait for the water to boil and wait for the tea to steep. If you walk away to do something else you’ll ruin the whole thing. I completely understand why Martin is running around making tea for everyone in Season 2 all the time, because everything is falling apart in slow motion and it’s a chance to stop, to focus on making the tea, and then to take the time enjoying the tea itself.

Making tea for others also means love to me. I make tea for my spouse alongside myself. I included one of my teenaged children in tea-making for the first time yesterday and my youngest keeps getting the last bit of tea in the pot, and it’s such a joy to see their faces light up. Bringing someone tea means bringing them a mug of love and care. Another reason I identify with Martin--I often don’t know what to say to help someone, so I try to be sure they’re fed and hydrated and cared for. And I, too, had to learn to stop setting myself on fire to keep those people warm. I had to learn to be sure I was fed and hydrated and cared for, so I could care for them. But even now as I get older and wiser and grumpier I still run around making sure everyone’s fed and has had their mug of tea, I just don’t do it at my own expense anymore.

One of my next crochet projects is a tea cozy in the shape of a green owl, in honor of the Magnus Institute owl, because my little tea-making ritual is always going to be connected to TMA in my head. Also I have a “Fifteen Fears” mug and my spouse has a “Magnus Archives” owl symbol mug, so it’s literally just this really intense connection between TMA and tea, for me.

It’s funny how much comfort a horror podcast has given me since I’ve started listening. There are a few fandoms that have profoundly changed me--Star Trek was the first big one, Babylon 5 was the first that directly inspired me, Mass Effect helped me get out of suicidal depression, Persona (specifically Persona 5) inspired me to take responsibility for myself in a way therapy never quite managed.

And here I am with TMA, figuring out how to navigate anxiety and pain and grief in a world that feels like it’s falling apart around my ears. The concept that what we do matters; that right or wrong you should be making a decision instead of just reacting from fear or surprise; that sometimes you screw up and there’s nothing to be done, that “sorry” doesn’t fix everything, that sometimes nothing you do will fix anything and you can’t let that paralyze you... it’s all been necessary, and helpful, and I’ve been terribly grateful.

Thanks to TMA I’m writing again after years of terrible writer’s block. I’m facing my own fears and accepting that despite (because of?) my terrible arachnophobia I’d probably serve the Web if I served anything (although Eye and Lonely would also get a look in--I did say I identified with Martin pretty strongly). I’m recognizing dysphoria and dealing with it after years of trying to deny the elephant in the room.

I’m also making tea again. And for that, I am eternally, profoundly grateful.

#tma #the magnus archives #tea #martin blackwood #tma spoilers #i guess sort of?#i mean just in case #long post #my writing #seriously i cannot overstate how much tea means to me #it's been one of those things i didn't realize i needed until i started doing it again #i will definitely be posting pics of the tea cozy owl as i make it #because it's gonna be adorable af

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darknessisafriend · 4 years

Text

Finally I found you again

@sonrisa-yk Hiiii💖 can I request a fic? About the Abbé de Coulmier, maybe? I don't know how it works, but I'd like to know if its possible a oc insert: my oc is called Lucille Chagall, is two years older than the Abbé, she's his childhood best friend. Like, they have a romantic and sexual tension tho -////-. If possible, can you make it nsfw? If not, it's okay :) i will love it anyways

I love you and your content, dear💖💖 have a good day!

Hey darling, I hope you will enjoy it and that it will make you happy <3

The Abbe couldn’t stop smiling today, and all his employees kept wondering why, not that he wasn’t easily joyful but today, he literally seemed excited and head in the clouds. And how could he not be? A few weeks ago, he had received a letter from his childhood friend, Lucille Chagall, she had heard about his position as the Director of Charenton and contacted him, after so many years apart and without news, it was a great opportunity to catch up. And after exchanging many letters, she had announced him she would visit him, and it was finally today.

He wondered what she looked like now, a grown-up woman who made him blush as a child already and made him wish for a kiss. Except now things were different, he was a priest, and perhaps she was even engaged or married.

“Abbe, a carriage is arriving.” Informed him Valcours and his heart skipped a beat, here’s what will answer to his questions. Unconsciously he smoothed his cassock and made sure his hair were nicely combed. And he waited on top of the front stairs, ignoring the whispers of a few of his maids who tried to imagine why the Abbe was so joyful and wanted to be so perfect, and of course the rumors could only grow when a young woman stepped out of the carriage, wearing a white dress with a light blue band on the bottom part and a shawl around her shoulders. He swallowed down, how much she had grown, she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

“Lucille.” He said, just loud enough for her to hear him, and her eyes landed on him, she could have almost not recognized him. She remembered a little boy who was so joyful and often messing around, and now she had in front of her a handsome man, wrapped in that straight cassock which reflected the so many responsibilities on his shoulders, duties to himself, God and those around him.

“Francois? Oh sorry, Abbe de Coulmier.” She apologized, blushing, she had to get used to that title. He chuckled, approaching her.

“Come on Lucille, we have known each other for years, you can still call me by my name.” he spoke kindly, she noticed how calm and thoughtful he had become, and that added even more charm to the man. “I hope your trip to come here wasn’t too bad.”

“Alright, go for Francois then! And yes, the trip was okay, I only live two hours away and this part of the countryside is beautiful.” She answered, her cheeks pink, that voice combined with this beauty, he was the most handsome man she ever encountered.

He guided her inside the Asylum, showing her the work he did there, art classes, a theatre, his little Heaven of peace. Art therapy for the patients, gentleness and benevolence were the key words here. Lucille was slowly understanding the boy she appreciated so much hadn’t disappeared, he was still so joyful, even playful with his patients, he hadn’t changed so much after all, he had become a wonderful man and her feelings for him which had never disappeared were now growing. What a shame he was a priest with chastity vows, she was a young woman fully in the age to marry.

“Have you never missed anything since you entered Monastery?” she couldn’t help but ask, after all at 10 years old, he might not have understood all the sacrifices he would have to make. He smiled, turning to her.

“Gluttony.” He whispered mischievously, making her giggle, it’s true that he had a little tummy and full cheeks as a kid, now he was thinner.

“Just gluttony? Have you never fallen in love? Wished to marry or have children?” she asked, curious, even if he lied, she would see it. As for her, she wished to find her future husband and he could have been perfect. He tilted his head to the side, curious as to why she asked that particular question.

“Oh well…I am still human, and any man one day or another imagined himself as a husband and father. But my love for our Lord was stronger.” At least when he made that choice. Lucille noticed he hadn’t answered the question about falling in love, a meticulous man like him must have purposely ignored it, which lead her to think…was he currently in love?

“Abbe are we still having lesson tonight?” asked a young and beautiful maid who passed by, slightly younger than him, he looked at her tenderly and smiled.

“Of course, Madeleine, I would hate to miss it.” He replied, making her blush. Okay, there was definitely something. But Lucille, shook her head, what was she thinking? Suddenly so keen on knowing the relationship of the maid and the priest and feeling almost jealous of their sweet interaction. The maid smiled at him again and then at Lucille before leaving them.

“Would you like to drink a tisane?” he suddenly offered to his childhood friend, to be honest he hadn’t seen her in such a long time and he had waited so excitedly for her visit that he was a bit shy now, he couldn’t explain why, it was as if he wanted to please her.

“Yes, with pleasure.” She nodded, secretly hoping that they would find themselves alone in a room, to face completely the real Francois and hoped to know more about his romantic life if there was one. The priest guided her to the kitchens and luckily no maids or cooks were there at this time of the afternoon. Francois motioned for her to sit down while he prepared the tisane. Lucille sat and observed him, the way he held himself, he was elegant, delicate and yet…she felt there was more to it, as if inside he held some raw passion, or perhaps that cassock was turning her on more than she dare to admit. She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn’t notice the Abbe who felt her gaze on him and turned his head to look at her and quickly looking back; he blushed, her gaze on him was the most destabilizing, worse than Madeleine’s eyes on him. His heart was…fluttering? God what was wrong with him!?

“And you Lucille? Are you married?” he asked, not without interest, he shouldn’t, but his curiosity got the best of him. She opened her mouth, slightly taken aback.

“Huh no, not even engaged…I am afraid I didn’t find the right man…yet.”

“Oh…that’s unfortunate.” He replied but somehow, he felt some sort of relief, as a child he always threw a tantrum when he saw boys around her, probably a remnant of those old times. “Is it…because you rejected noble life? Or you are looking for a marriage of love?” he was observant.

“A bit of both.” She chuckled “The truth is, I always had a certain man in mind, not the most accessible one, and I can’t let go…even less now.” She looked at him, she had missed him, and each second that passed and the urge to hug him, touch him, was getting stronger. Even more as he approached her with the teapot and cups, sitting down next to her and turning to face her, their knees almost touching. The Abbe briefly passed his fingers between his neck and collar, as if he felt too hot, he shouldn’t sit so close, and yet he wanted to be closer, caress her skin, perhaps even kiss her...he didn’t know what was wrong with him but those were dangerous thoughts.

“Who…who is he?” he asked, trying to hide his jealousy the best he could. She looked at him in the eyes, why such an intrusive question? How could she tell it was him without saying his name?

“Well, he is a gentleman, intelligent, altruistic, sophisticated, devoted, respectful of woman, children and the weak…” she described enigmatic, but with a lovely smile.

“Sounds like the perfect man.” He said ironically, what kind of man was so perfect?

“Well he is not devoid of flaws but to me he is perfect.

“Oh and what are those flaws?” he asked, eager to know this man.

“Possessiveness and gluttony.” You chuckled softly, nostalgic, he could be really adorable, even in those. And hearing those two words he frowned, two flaws he had. She was in love with a man who seemed to resemble him a lot, and he felt jealousy growing in his chest, forgetting for an instant his situation, why not him?

“Who is he? Would you give me his name please?”

“Oh Francois I can’t…” she looked away, embarrassed, she was probably getting herself in a situation where he would push her away.

“Why? Don’t you trust me Lucille? I take confessions, it is part of my duty, whoever this man is, I won’t judge you.” He insisted. She shook her head, he didn’t even recognize himself in the description, was he actually dumb or had she been stupid in hoping he would react. She got up, ashamed and intending to go away but before she could leave, the priest caught her hand, calling her name, his skin against hers was burning.

“You want a confession Francois? This man I’m describing it’s you.” She let out with frustration, at those words, he let go of her hand, his eyes wide and mouth open.

“Before seeing you again I thought it was just the remnants of childhood feelings but it’s not. From the moment I saw you, when you greeted me on the stairs of this place…I wanted more and-..!” before she could finish he was crashing his lips on hers, pressing her against the wall. Lucile moaned against his mouth, so that was what she felt earlier…raw passion.

“Oh Lucille…” he breathed full of desire, his eyes rolling in the back of his head as she buried her fingers in his hair, it was clear he was touch starved. And it made her understand that she was the first and only woman to touch him. She giggled as she felt his tongue caressing her lips, the chaste priest might not be so innocent and probably had other night readings than the Bible. Her hands left his hair to explore his body, her fingers brushing over his neck, feeling his chest through his cassock and then…

“N-no…not yet Lucille, please.” He whimpered, a moan dying in his throat as he was taking her hand away from his crotch; no matter how much he wanted this, right now he couldn’t. And if they were to make love, he would take it slowly, in a bedroom, in bed, he was romantic after all and wanted their first to be right.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Francois!” she apologized, covering her face with her hands, she was all red in shame, perhaps she had been too blunt in her touch. He didn’t speak but soon she felt his hands on hers, gently taking them away from her face.

“Don’t be ashamed Luci…I…have a lot of desire for you too. And if you would allow me…” he stuttered hallway between shyness and strong desire.

“Yes Francois?” she encouraged him, hopeful, he seemed to want something but didn’t dare to say it.

“I…would like to taste more of you.” He let out, briefly looking down as his face went red but not as much as hers. Still, she nodded, full of desire for him and letting him guide her to sit down. Was this really going to happen?

She looked at him breathless as he knelt in front of her, his hands sliding underneath her dress, caressing her ankles. He exhaled, beautiful ankles, and such a soft skin, he wanted to see…so he lifted her dress up to her knees and my what a beautiful pair of legs, he couldn’t resist but put his mouth on her skin, placing slow, languishing kisses, his head soon disappearing underneath her dress.

Lucille bit her lower lip feeling his mouth closer to her womanhood, his finger delicately slipping off her underwear; she felt his hot breath over her sensitive skin.

“Oh Lucille…your smell…intoxicating.” He murmured, his voice hoarse with desire as he inhaled her scent, he was attracted like a bee to a flower, and he wanted to taste her precious honey. He parted her legs even more and started with a simple and yet lingering kiss, hearing take a deep breath in anticipation.

“Francois…please.” She couldn’t help but plead him, she had been craving love, his love. She gasped as she felt something wet and warm slide between her folds, his tongue, he was tasting her, and the room started to fill with soft and languishing moans at first. His tongue exploring each patch of skin, eating her out as he was famished and in a way he was; he had been deprived of the pleasures of the flesh for too long.

“Oh G…don’t stop! Like that, yes...!” she kept moaning louder and louder, failing at her attempts to be quiet, and he was restless, not stopping his licks, sucking her soft spot, putting into practice all the little things the Marquis’ stories had taught him. When she finally came, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed, feeling pure pleasure radiate off her, her face full of ecstasy and he couldn’t wait to see it again, it was already too addictive to not do it again.

He came back up and captured her lips for a passionate kiss, having the pleasure again the feel her fingers in his hair “Stay a little more…please.” Not leave for years again, he wouldn’t survive it.

“Ask me to stay forever by your side and I will stay.” She replied romantically, even, if they would have to remain discreet for now, at least they had found each other again and that’s all they needed.

Abbe’s sinners: @lyoongx @weirdflecksbutok @skaravile @niniita-ah @stardancerluv @sgtsavoytruffle @charlie-sisters @ohcarlesmycarles @valentina15 @bring-your-holy-water @beautifulyoungprospect @stellargirlie @fly-like-a-phoenix @we-were-electrocute @sophiefleck @the-queen-of-things @winterjasmine007 @jokerflecker @yukis-writing @rajacero @morrisonmercuryphoenix @the-joaq-is-extra

#Joaquin Phoenix #Abbe de Coulmier #abbe de coulmier x reader #abbe de coulmier x you #abbe x reader #abbe de coulmier imagine #submission

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astrochiron · 4 years

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The Signs :: Channel Orange // Frank Ocean

Aries- Sweet Life

“You've had a landscaper and a house keeper since you were born The starshine always kept you warm”

This line refers to an easy life, one of luxury and means. What’s more, this person has had these things since birth, not even earning these things themselves. An Aries rising chart is called natural, as their houses are led by their associated signs, their life tends flows easily and this person has had a similar life.

“So why see the world, when you got the beach? Don't know why see the world, when you got the beach”

Aries is the sign of self and your own experiences that you don't have to reach out for. This person has trouble seeing outside of their world and, in fact, refuses to branch out. They have the “beach” in their own mind allowing them to ignore the things going on around them.

Overall

This song is a challenge to look outside of oneself and your own comforts to empathize and experience the ways of others. Frank wants her to step outside of her privilege and her pretty surroundings to maybe experience something else, something less curated for them. The lyrics imply a sense of immaturity exhibited by the subject, not fueled by the search of fun but by circumstance.

Taurus- Pink Matter

“That soft pink matter Cotton candy, Majin Buu, oh, oh, ohh Close my eyes and fall into you, you, you My God, she's giving me pleasure” close my eyes and fall into you”

This line provides sensory imagery of softness and pleasure, two things Taurus is associated with. Cotton candy and Majin Buu (a DBZ character) conjuring up safe and comfortable imagery of childhood and happiness. Frank’s moved on to another source of pleasure though, as this line alludes to sex and the pleasure of it. Taurus is associated with the physical pleasure of sex.

“Pleasure over matter”

Both pleasure and physical mater are associated with Taurus. Taurus is an Earth sign, associated with physical matters like money, possessions, and even your relationship with your physical body. Pleasure is the ultimate goal and that is bolstered by the maintenance of physical means.

Overall

This song’s focus on the body, especially the feminine one, links it to the feminine sign of Taurus. While Virgo is linked with physical health and routine, Taurus shows how we view and worship the body. This song also focuses on desire, another Taurean trope.

Gemini- Thinkin’ Bout You

“A tornado flew around my room before you came Excuse the mess it made, it usually doesn't rain in”

The chaos and air-related tornado is a perfect symbol for Gemini, a restless and powerful force made of fluent thought and free-ranging speech (Air related things). Frank is also lying to this guy, saying his room is messy because of a tornado. I’m not implying Gemini’s lie, but they certainly have fun with the truth more than most signs.

“Since you think I don't love you, I just thought you were cute That's why I kissed you”

This song displays the inquisitive and impulsive nature of Gemini. Frank kissed the guy because he thought he was cute, plain and simple, almost like school kids on the playground. This also displays the dismissal of romantic disinterest (common in the manner of most air signs) for inquisitiveness.

Overall

The title literally has “thinking” in it, which is Gemini’s superpower as the mutable air sign. The whole song is something of a train of thought ramble that Frank is well known for, honestly. The whole song has a childhood vibe, even supported by Frank saying this is about a time when he was 17 or so. Gemini is linked with our formative years and though, 17 is a bit old for Gemini’s range, it’s still cerebrally nostalgic and witty.

Cancer- Forest Gump

“Forrest Gump You run my mind, boy Running on my mind, boy Forrest Gump”

Cancers have a tendency to linger on thoughts, especially the emotional nature of them. I don't think Cancers are crybabies (I'd give that more to Pisces who cry from happiness, frustration and sadness all in the same hour), but they are very emotionally strong and emotionally stubborn. Their emotions are forefront in memory and so is the way Forest made Frank feel.

“Forrest green, Forrest blues I'm remembering you If this is love, I know it's true I won't forget you”

The “Forest blues” points toward Frank being in feelings over a past situation. Whether over something that happened when they were together or over the break-up itself, Frank is sad and a cancer will never forget how someone made them feel.

Overall

This song has a focus on past feelings for someone, not specific memories. Cancers are very subjective and, instead of remembering facts about a memory, they'd be remembering how they were feeling during the time. As a bonus, the song is named after an older movie which was itself based in nostalgia.

Leo- Super Rich Kids

“Real love, I'm searching for a real love”

Leos are associated with romance and unconditional love. Their search for joy and the uninhibited feeling of childhood makes them crave and seek true love, sometimes at the detriment of their well being, but aways for the better in the end. No matter how unhealthy, these two searching for genuine love from one another, though finding temporary joy in drugs.

“Caddy-smashing, bratty ass He mad, he snatched his daddy's Jag And used that shit for batting practice”

Earl’s whole rap discusses the more self-destructive traits of Leo. This line in particular shows the sometimes self-centered nature, expressing their anger by inflicting pain on others. Leos are very expressive and, despite their genial nature, are still passionate fire signs. This also a very childish expression of emotion, and our inner-child is linked with this sign.

Overall

Immaturity is often a negative trait associated with fire signs. Leo’s exhibit this immaturity when they may make bad decisions trying to seek love and acceptance, as well as looking for fun and enjoyment in the wrong places. And while not outright said, the subjects of this song seem to blessed (or cursed) with the fame and fortune associated with Leo.

Virgo- Lost

“And I just wanna know Why you ain't been going to work Boss ain't working you like this He can't take care of you like this”

This line display’s Virgo’s focus on work and duty. It also exhibits their often gently direct nature. This is very much a line a Virgo would say to their out-of-work partner, “This place is a mess! And I just wanna know; why you ain’t been going to work?” Virgos also take great care of their partner, even to the extent of being servile at times. He’s taking care of her and giving her a job.

“Hand me my triple weight So I can weigh the work I got on your girl”

Frank’s weighing out his product, showing the minutiae of his drug life. The song could focus on all the stuff he could buy for her, selling all these drugs, or even getting high on them himself, but instead he discusses weighing it up and strapping it to her. Frank employs this girl as a drug mule, being her boss and her lover; providing her employment and care (6th house).

Overall

Frank shows Virgo’s tendency to get caught up in work and the money coming in as opposed to the things that can be done with the money. Frank is always selling to give himself and the girl a better life, every drug run aways being the last one, but never really being the last one. The woman shows Virgo’s dedication to their partner, disregarding their own safety or comfort for their love.

Libra- Pilot Jones

“You're the dealer and the stoner With the sweetest kiss I've ever known”

This line represents the dichotomy of the user and the supplier. She’s both the source of his addiction and she enjoys the outcome of the addiction herself. This shows’s Libras’s tendency to be all things to all people. The last part also points toward Libra’s geniality and tendency to cover up ills and pains with kisses and sweet words.

“But if I got a condo on a cloud Then I guess you can stay at my place”

Despite all the bad decisions and toxicity, Frank is sayin that if he’s in a good place, she will be too. If he gets a raise, she benefits; if he buys a cheesecake, she gets a slice, if not half. When Libra’s are happiest, they want their partner there too, even if their partner was the reason for their unhappiness sometimes.

Overall

This song equates drugs with love, a metaphor I'd definitely associate with Libra. They don't need to be in a relationship, don't get me wrong; but it feels good. Librans lacking in self-expression or happiness or even stimulation, may turn to relationships just out of habit, even if they’re not with a “good” partner or one that is ultimately good for them. Frank is laid back in this song, allowing her to guide his high and really the whole relationship, taking Libra’s laid back and often lax attitude.

Scorpio- Sierra Leone

Spendin' too much time alone (And I just ran outta Trojans) Horses gallop to her throne

We all know about Scorpio’s focus on sex and the intimate connection formed behind it. This includes the first part of this line, as Scorpios tend to have intense relationships, often most intense in solitude with partner. This obviously doesn't involve only sex, but the intimate moments shared between two lovers when by themselves.

“And a new day will bring about the dawn And a new day will bring another crying babe into the world”

Scorpio is linked with self-transformation, and the imagery of the new day bringing the dawn paints the picture of the whole world being renewed, as well as specifically the characters of this song and their evolutions. The last part of this line points to the birth of the characters’ child. The ultimate rebirth and the ultimate result of Scorpio’s sex and alone time, is a birth itself.

Overall

This song discusses an alternate Frank that got a girl pregnant young. It focuses on how different he’d be and how his life would be. This hypothetical thought experiment is very a very Scorpio thing to me, analyzing “what ifs” and “might be’s”. This song also focuses on the transformation of the characters, especially Frank, from stupid teenaged lovers to responsible parents by the end.

Sagittarius- Monks

“Mosh pits and bare chest Stage diving sky diver Spray the crowd with cold water Now it's mosh pits and wet tits I think I need a cold shower”

This whole verse gives Sagittarian vibes. Sag is ruled by jovial and beneficially social Jupiter. Each line exudes freedom, fun and physical exploration. The parties, lewd behavior, and stimulating music would all be perfect for Sags huge energy and need for experiences.

“African girl speaks in English accent Likes to fuck boys in bands Likes to watch Westerns And ride me without the hands”

This song represents the foreign interests of Sagtttarius. They love accents and different cultures and foreign people (romantically as well as platonically). There’s actually a hodgepodge of cultures represented with the African girl and her English accent with an interest in rock or grunge bands who watches American western movies and an... expansive physical repertoire.

Overall

This song chronicles a meeting with a groupie, which gives to Sag’s rockstar vibe. Traveling countries, writing songs, and positively affecting masses are all things that Sagittarius is interested in. The groupies, they also probably wouldn't mind. As for the title, a monk, as defined by Oxford is “a member of a religious community of men typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.” While the latter art of this definition sounds more like a Capricorn, evolved Sag’s are very monk-like once they’ve found their cause and their moral path.

Capricorn- Pyramids

“We'll run to the future, shining like diamonds In a rocky world, rocky-rocky world Our skin like bronze and our hair like cashmere As we march to the rhythm on the palace floor”

This line represents Capricorns focus on the future. Frank aims to be decked in gems, sun kissed and confidently walking even in a rocky world. Like Capricorn, he aims to dominate his environment and get the best out of it to his own benefit. He’s focused on improving themself and being presented as prestigious and as a king.

“The way you say my name makes me feel like I'm that nigga but I'm still unemployed You say it's big but you take it, ride cowgirl”

Capricorn’s get off on respect. Capricorn is one of those signs that has a link to sex, but primarily because of the power of it. She says his name like he’s the best, she compliment’s his assets, even if they’re still not too big for her. Even though he’s unemployed, he's still the head of household while they’re having sex. This points toward Capricorn’s sense of joy coming from others’ good perceptions of them, even if it’s not the right one. He’s broke, he may not have the biggest penis, and he may not even be the only one, but she makes him feel like all of those things aren't true.

Overall

Though metaphorical, this song focuses on history and royalty. Cleopatra may have been a Capricorn by some calculations and her outright rule of an empire as woman would support that. She was intelligent and business-minded and well-known. This song also shows a shift in status typically associated with Saturn and Capricorn. Though Saturn typically brings slow-but-sure progression, if the lessons it presents us aren't learned from and taken into account, it can take us down as high as it would drive us up. The character in this song goes from queen Cleopatra to Cleopatra working weekends at the Pyramid. Both demand attention, beseech respect, and accumulate wealth, though society sees them so differently.

Aquarius- Bad Religion

“And you say "Allahu akbar" I told him, "Don't curse me" "Bo Bo, you need prayer" I guess it couldn't hurt me “If it brings me to my knees, it's a bad religion, ooh’

The “bad religion” here shows the Aquarian distrust of religion. The driver tries to bless him, but he isn't interested in spiritual intervention, even though he did mention demons earlier in the song. Aquarians aren’t necessarily interested in or focused on religion because of the typical outright devotion involved in it. It’s a turn off for Aquarians and Frank is associating this with the unrequited love he's experiences with his crush.

‘This unrequited love To me, it's nothin' but a one-man cult”

I have a long analysis behind this next statement that I’m willing to back up one day but: Aquarians are attracted to odd social constructs especially things like cults. Every Aquarian I know has expressed interest in cults, dictatorships, or supreme leadership in the New World Order. That being oddly said, this line points toward Frank seeing himself as a worshiper in one of those cults and he wants the hell out.

Overall

In this song we see how Frank made his love for this person his God and having it unrequited either caused or further proved his own negative feelings toward the whole idea of devotion and love. Aquarians also aren’t known for expressing their feelings in a conventional sense. Instead of going to a therapist and having to discuss feeling or going to a confidant and having to burden a friend or expose yourself to them, Frank chose to make his taxi driver his shrink, since he’s paying him anyway.

Pisces- Crack Rock

“You don't know how little you matter until you're all alone In the middle of Arkansas with a little rock left in that glass dick”

I’ve noticed that Pisceans have a bit of an inferiority-complex. This is typically portrayed a martyrdom but can even be expressed as. complete feeling of inadequacy and ineffectuality. This is due to their more tendency to outwardly exude peace even if they are in distress. This line also explicitly mentions crack, an extremely addictive substance. Pisces does have a link to addictions, though crack is bit extreme. We could replace crack with any momentarily-good but terminally-bad thing like constant sex, alcohol, less deleterious drugs, or even sleep and food.

“Don't no one hear a sound Don't no one disturb the peace for riot Don't no one disrupt nirvana Don't no one wanna blow the high”

This line points out how Pisces tends to zone out and escape, especially when the world is a bit too much. Sleep is a common one, as Pisceans tend to have amazing dreams that likely beat a shitty or stressful life/situation. Nirvana, the ultimate escape, is associated with Pisces. They’re constantly trying (whether purposefully or subconsciously) to connect with the Great Other or the Universe or God. Anything blowing their high or disturbing their nirvana is cut off.

Overall

Frank said that he sung this song so it would sound like a smoker singing it. He wanted the fractured breath to show a long past and pain, as well as the self-abuse often an unintentional result of substance abuse. “Crack Rock” could also speak of a physical crack in a rock, separating from himself from the ones he loves due to the addiction. Isolation is common theme for Pisces.

check your moon sign (for the song that makes you comfortable and puts you in your emotions), sun sign (the song that makes you happy and the one you ride around to) and venus sign (the one that speaks to your inner artist).

#music #astrology #channel orange #frank ocean #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquairus #pisces #mine

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iwantitiwriteit · 4 years

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Slow Burn: Act I - Part 5

The Lip Sync Battle

Pairing: Chris Evans x Famous!Reader

Summary: Growing tensions between you and Chris overflow in the most musical of battles.

Warnings: Profanity, drunken silliness

Notes: Oh my fucking gosh, I fucking finished it! This part was a BEAST to write! It’s hella long so it’ll be in two posts. Before you dive in, set the mood with the moodboard + music specially curated to go with this part! Read the previous part here.

“How about this one?”

“No, not neon enough!”

“Ok…” you hold up another top option, “this one?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Alright. This?“

“Uh—”

“Uggggghhhhh!!!” It’s been 45 minutes of trying to decide on an outfit and your patience is running thin. “I’m this close,” you put up a microscopic amount of space between your pointer finger and thumb, “THIS CLOSE to leaving in my pajamas. Don’t think I won’t do it!”

Your older sister, Lynn, laughs at your dramatics from her spot on the end of your bed in her guestroom. “Oooo won’t the paps love that! I just want to make sure you slay tonight! You never know what Hottie McDotties might be in there…”

You scoff, “I’m trying to be low key tonight and not draw any attention to myself. Tonight is not about me.” You look over to your sister who is distractedly sorting through the pile of clothes that’s accumulated on the bed. “Do you hear me?”

“I hear what you're saying… I just don’t care. Now c’mon, let’s find you something sexy! I know we’re close!” You and Lynn turn back to your almost empty closet one last time. “What about that furry, hot pink thing?”

“Oh, you mean the jacket I impulse bought with the birthday boy?” You laugh thinking back to that day. It was the day you first met Scott before filming. We were only supposed to go out for lunch, and damn near bought out the whole plaza!

“Yeah, that one! That could be cute.”

“With my black, skin tight leather pants…”

“Your black, sheer and lacy corset top…”

“And the black knee highs to top it off!” You two say simultaneously making you giggle like school girls. You settle into a comfortable silence as you pull out the pieces of your outfit.

“I missed this— these moments with you, big sis. Laughing, being silly— “

“Talking about boys,” she finishes for you. You roll your eyes, but smile in agreement as Lynn continues. “Me too… god, why’d we both have to be successful?” she says mockingly, making you both laugh again.

“Honestly, the real question is why'd you have to move to Boston?” You asked a lot less like an inquiring adult and more like a pouting toddler.

It’s Lynn’s turn to roll her eyes as she sighs deeply. “You sound like dad.”

“You’ve got some nerve,” she starts in a playful tone. “You’re literally the one who is never in one city for more than a day. You being here for these months is unprecedented.” It’s true; your touring schedule made it where you’d been any- and everywhere, except with family as of late.

“Now who sounds like dad.”

“Sorry, but you opened yourself up for it!”

You huff out a sigh, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Lynn hopped up from the bed and headed for the door, “Uh-huh. I’m gonna warm up the car. Be down in 20.”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“I wasn’t asking. I was instructing.”

“And I oop— she said she’s being a big sister tonight!” you laughed out as you turned around to start getting dressed, hair and makeup already done. Lynn began to leave the room, rolling her eyes at you not taking her seriously.

Suddenly, you were met with a pillow to the back of your head. “What the hell!” The sound of your sister running down the hall and laughing maniacally fill the house. “Hey! Not the curls!” you yelled after her, closing the door.

Just then your phone vibrated with a FaceTime call. You went over to it on the dresser and tapped the screen to answer, the view fixed on the ceiling. The screen filled with a visibly excited Scott, his face a little red from excitement, face a little sweaty from dancing. There was music and loud chatter on his end. Shit! He’s already there! I’m late! “Heeelllooooo? Anybody there?”

“Yeah, sorry,” you peek one eye into the frame, “I’m getting dressed. What’s up?”

“What’s up is that everybody is here, and you are not,” he tapped his camera for emphasis.

“I’ll be there soon. Beauty takes time, ya know!” Each sarcastic word accented with a huff and jump to get in your tight pants. “Whew!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Scott’s eyes peered with genuine curiosity as he sipped a fruity drink.

“I already told you I’m getting dressed.”

“It takes all of that?”

“Listen, as the great philosopher Beyoncé once said, ‘if you don't jump to put jeans on, baby, you don't feel my pain!’ Ok?”

Scott laughed, “OK, yes ma’am!”

“So… who all is there?” Scott knows just what you're asking; if Chris is there.

Chosing to play dumb and not give you defenitive answer, Scott asks. “Is there anybody in particular you’re looking forward to seeing?”

“More like who I’m not looking forward to seeing…” you mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” You said for a quick cover, Scott giving you a knowing look. “You know I’m looking forward to seeing your ‘Ma’; I love that y’all call her that. It’s so New England!”

Scott chuckles, “She’s looking forward to seeing you too. She calls you her ‘lovely lunch buddy’.” Being close with Scott on set meant that you’d gotten to meet his mom. She’d taken a liking to you after joining you and Scott for lunch one day, and started joining you as often as she could.

“Awwww, she’s too sweet! I’m gonna let you go now; I gotta finish getting cute for her.”

“Only her?” Scott said with a smirk. Please… Chris could kiss my a—

“Only her. I’ll see you later Scott, and happy birthday for the gazillionth time!”

“Thanks love, see you later!”

With one last fluff of your fro, pop of your lipstick, and once over in the mirror, and you felt ready. Collecting your phone and bag, you headed out for the night.

——————————————————————————

“Sooo....” Lynn turned the down the music as she drove. “How do you feel about possibly seeing you-know-who tonight?” The eyeroll and groan that escaped you were almost involuntary. “What?! It wouldn’t be far fetched; it IS his brother’s birthday.”

“I know, but… do we have to talk about him? I just wanna have a good time tonight,” you whined, throwing your head back on your seat.

“You already know the answer to that.” You let out a long sigh. You hadn’t seen Chris since your game night tell-off a few weeks back, and as much as you tried to forget about him and how you lost your cool, not talking about it was starting to gnaw at you, especially knowing it was only a matter of time before you saw him again. “So, how are we feeling?”

“I…” you took a breath, “I can’t help but feel annoyed! Like, sure I ignored his apology attempts, but he’s the one that passed unfounded judgments on ME. How the hell does that make me a diva? God I hate that word! You know how that word just triggers me,” Lynn nods in response, letting you continue. “And you know what's the most annoying part of it all?”

‘What?”

“Mackie and Scott talk about him incessantly. How smart he is, how caring he is, how fun he is. I mean, I saw it, when we met in New York. But I haven't seen it since. We’re their friends, so I get what they're trying to do, but at some point, like, give it up. It’s obviously not working, nor will it ever.” You let out a sound of frustration, “I don’t know what to do. Do I keep it to myself for the sake of our mutual friendships, or—”

“Be the diva he thinks you are?” You know Lynn is joking, but that’s not a bad idea… I mean, he already thinks it of me, might as well have some fun with it… Lynn looks over to see you mischievously smiling into the Boston night and she begins to fear for the idea she’s just given you. “Oh God,” she mutters.

You look at her with a goofy grin and shrug. “What?” you try to say innocently.

“C’mon! Don’t actually consider that! Look, you weren’t expecting to see him last time, and that’s probably why it didn’t go so well. But now that you are, you can show up as the composed, level-headed woman I know is somewhere in that thick, thick skull of yours.” You give her no indication that you’ll heed her advice and she can tell. “Fine, just don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she half laughs out.

The car comes to a stop in front of the venue and you check the time. 30 minutes after the invitation time, not TOO bad. You arrived at Majesty’s, a unique, swanky lounge in a trendy area of Boston you’ve never been before. I’ll have to come back and explore sometime. You lean over to give your sister a quick hug, thanking her for dropping you off, then briskly make for the curbside entrance, needing to escape the nippy Boston air.

Once inside, you’re warmed by neon lights that illuminate the otherwise dim room. To your right is a full-service bar with a plethora of drink options on the wall behind it. Tables staggered up the middle of the room lead to a medium sized dancefloor just before a stage. Velvet curtains hang at the back wall behind a neon sign of the venue's logo. The place is packed. It is Saturday night after all. Music and conversation buzz around you as you scan the room looking for your friends.

“Hi there!” a cheery hostess approaches, her face beat to the gods, making you wish you’d opted for more makeup yourself. “Here with Scott Evans’ party?”

“Yeah! How’d you know?” She gives you a weird look, as if to say, ‘you're joking, right?’. It dawns on you that she knows who you are, hence why she knows who you’re here to see.

“Right…” It’ll be awhile before I get used to people recognizing me.

“HeeeEEeey!! There she is!” You hear Mackie’s voice but aren’t sure where it’s coming from. The hostess points up to a balcony where Mackie is hanging over the railing, flailing his arms to get your attention.

The hostess escorts you to your party, leading you through the tables on the main floor. The walk there is spent with her talking about how “tonight is like the Oscars” because she’s “never seen so many big stars in one place” but she assures you she “isn’t a creepy fan” and that there’s a no recording policy for guests’ privacy. You smile and nod politely, but you’re not fully listening to her. You’re too in your head wondering if one of those “big stars” is Chris. You’re led up a staircase near the dancefloor that takes you to a roped off VIP balcony area where you can overlook the entire venue.

You give hello’s to the people in the section; some you know from set, but most are Scott’s longtime friends you’ve never met. Feeling a bit shy, you look for a familiar face when Mackie pulls you into a bear hug. “How ya doing, Kid? I’m glad you came out tonight!” You could be reading too far into it, but it feels like he means ‘glad you came despite the possibility Chris will be here.’ You suppress your urge to give a look of disdain and just smile and avert your gaze around the section. You notice that Chris isn’t there, or at least not yet, and you’re not sure if that makes you uneasy or not. Relax girl.

You still haven’t decided on what your disposition towards Chris will be tonight, but needed to choose quickly to get in the right headspace. Before you could process what was happening, you were whisked up into a hug by Lisa. Shit. I can’t be salty to him with his mother here. She’s so sweet. Ugh, guess it’s decided.

“How’s my lovely lunch buddy doing?” she asks with a genuine smile and kind eyes.

You chuckle at the title she’s given you. “I’m doing great! How are you?”

“Better now that you’re here! Now we can get this party started!” She does a “raise the roof” motion with her hands as she bobs her head causing you to raise your brows. It would be a sure way to embarrass her children, but just makes you laugh. “I should stop before the birthday boy kicks me out,” she laughs out.

“Where is Scott by the way?”

“Oh, he should be around here somewhere...” she scans the section, squinting her eyes with her index finger tapping her upper lip. “There he is!” she points to a corner on the other side. You follow her finger to see a glittery Scott, adorned in a birthday hat and sash. He’s in conversation with a brown-haired woman, the pair laughing and slapping their knees.

As you approach, you notice someone else on the velvet cushion with them, but not at all in the conversation. Sat next to them is Chris, eyes fixed on you, expression blank. It was a matter of time. You tense up, clenching your jaw and holding his gaze.

When you reach them, you embrace Scott. “You look great!” he compliments your outfit and you give a couple poses to show it off.

“Thanks, it’s just a lil somethin’, somethin’ I threw together! Remember this jacket?”

“Yeah! You blew, what? Like, eight hun—”

“Shhh…” you stop him before he could blow up your spot, “Let’s not talk about it. Not the best show of my judgement.” Everyone laughs, except Chris who just scoffs and shakes his head unamused, making your laughter dissipate.

“We all have those moments of weakness. Hi, I’m Shanna,” she greets with a handshake.

“Yes, she is my youngest, and this is my other son Chris. Chris honey, this is—“

“We’ve met, Ma,” he offers a fake but polite smile, one you just know he wouldn’t have if his mother wasn’t right there.

“Oh, really? When?” There’s a beat of silence that’s only uncomfortable for you and Chris as you both go through your brief, sordid history silently.

“At an industry thing not too long ago,” you offer, not meeting Chris’ eyes.

“Of course, I often forget that that world is even smaller than the real world,” Lisa chuckles. “I hope he was on his best behavior!” Chris looks up at you in panic, a look that says you wouldn’t rat me out to my mom, would you? You know she’s only joking, but the opportunity is too good to pass up on.

“Well, actually,’ you turn to Lisa as she looks at you quizzically, “He’s quite the rascal on the dancefloor; get a couple of Stella’s in him, could out dance the Rockettes!” the group laughs heartily, clearly knowing the truth of your words. Chris laughs nervously but is slightly relieved you didn’t reveal the truth of his behavior towards you since you two met. “But he’s been nothing but a perfect gentleman,” you say, looking at Chris with a facetious smile. He’s clenching his teeth into a pained smile himself.

“Really?” Scott says, ready to call you on your BS, “‘cos game night was kinda… intense. Or am I remembering it wrong?”

“Well, a little trash talk never hurt anybody,” Chris states while sipping his drink. And just like that, a silent pact was made between the two of you; to be cordial for the sake of all involved. Maybe there’s no need for the diva disposition after all…

“Right…” Scott is unconvinced, but is too in party mode to press on. Turning to you now, Scott asks, “How’s the soundtrack stuff coming along?”

“So great! I actually just got the final mix for the song I did with Miguel in New York, and I gotta say, it smells like a hit!”

“Oooo! And I bet it is! You’re literally a hit machine, am I right?” Shanna hits Chris’ arm seeking endorsement from him. He just raises his brows and shrugs as if to say, ‘yeah, sure, whatever’.

Scott isn’t amused by his brother’s disinterest. “Oh, don’t act so unimpressed! She’s literally an award-winning artist! Just the other day, you were literally—”

“Ok, Scott, that’s.... sheesh,” Chris interrupts what sounds like would’ve been a great story. “It’s not that, just that I don’t believe in creating to get awards; I believe you should create for the love of it.”

“I agree,” you chime in. “Even though I put my art out into the world for consumption, it doesn’t make or break me if others applaud it or not. What’s most important is that I do.”

“But you gotta admit it feels good,” Shanna taunts with a grin.

“Sure... but, I don't know… I love what I do so much, I'd do it even if no one gave a damn. Hell, I have for years! Only recently the recognition started rolling in. And, not to sound self-loathing or anything, but it’s been… a challenge dealing with it all. I kinda miss the days when nobody knew my name.”

Lisa nudges Chris with her elbow, “She sounds like you.” He was thinking the same thing. “How’s filming going? You guys are on Harvard campus, right?”

“Mostly, yeah. It’s kinda funny being back at a college. I kinda forgot what it was like, but memories of those years have just been flooding back.”

“All those fond memories of studying coming back to ya, huh?” Chris digs. Walked into that one.

Before you could form a petty rebuttal, Mackie called Chris over. Soon after, Shanna and Lisa excuse themselves, leaving you and Scott in the corner.

Scott checked his phone for the time, “Ooo it’s almost time for my performance!”

“Performance?”

“Yeah there’s lip syncing!”

“Lip syncing? Not karaoke?”

“I asked that too. Apparently the owner was tired of hearing drunk people screech and butcher songs.”

“Understandable. What are you gonna perform?”

“I’m thinking ‘Birthday’ by Selena Gomez, but then there’s also ‘Birthday’ by Katy Perry, so I’m torn.”

“Both great choices! And I’m fully prepared to join you for either, do a little back up, whatever you need.”

“Uh-uh, nope.”

“Whaa— why not?” you put your hands on your hips.

“Because you’re a professional performer. You will get up there and literally intimidate anyone else from giving it a try and having some fun.” A pout was all you could muster as a response. “Oh don’t look at me like that! You know it’s true. Take a backseat tonight, ok?”

“Fine, whatever.” It wasn’t fine, but you did want to keep a low profile tonight. Performing would be the exact opposite of that.

“Thanks, love!” Scott gave you a hug, which you didn’t reciprocate out of feigned annoyance. “So, what the hell was that? With you and Chris?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” you say, hoping he’d drop it.

“Well, I know that you two had some... words, and you’re not super fond of him even though you won’t say it out loud, and—” he paused to collect his confusion. “You know what? Doesn’t matter. Tonight isn’t about you two acting hella weird towards each other. Tonight is about my favorite people coming together and enjoying being around each other. Even if they’re faking it.”

“Yes, exactly!” relieved you don’t have to talk about it any further.

“Wanna know something?” You slightly raise your brows. “The other day, I caught Chris not just listening, but dancing to your music. I mean full on rocking out to it!” Scott laughs.

Your face heats up at the thought, but you play it off like you don’t care. “So?”

“So, you’ve obviously been on his mind. And if I know my brother, I think he wants to make things right but doesn’t know how. He may just be nervous.” You just sigh and look over to Chris and Mackie across the way, roughhousing one another and laughing. If he was nervous, it’s not like you made it any easier with your actions toward him. “He’s a good man. Silly, and sometimes stupid, but good nonetheless.” Maybe we did just get off on the wrong foot…

Some of Scott’s other friends pull him into conversation, and you make your way to the bar to get some libations to sort out your thoughts.

——————————————————————————

“And that’s when I said ‘Sis, what are you doing?’” The group crowded around drinks laughed at Jaden’s story from set, something about how you got stuck under some bleachers or something. Chris wasn’t listening. He’d long tuned out the cringey storyteller. Instead, his attention was with where you were with his mother across the way, deep in conversation.

You sat with your legs crossed, hands moving around animatedly. Chris looks you up from the heels of your knee highs, to your shiny leather clad thighs, your lacy corset that leaves just enough to the imagination and shows off your collar bone, any man’s subconscious weakness. Goddamn.

“Careful of those wandering eyes,” Chris turned to see Mackie handing him one of the two beers in his hands.

“I don’t remember asking for this.”

“It’s to quench your obvious thirst.” Mackie motions his head in the direction Chris had been staring for the past 15 minutes; in your direction.

Chris rolls his eyes. “I’m not ‘thirsting’ over her,” he takes a sip of the drink, “and I think you’ve been hanging out with those kids on set a little too much.”

“Maybe,” Mackie chuckles, taking a sip himself, “but you know I’m not wrong.”

“She’s not even my type.”

“‘Your type?’ Since when do you have a type?”

“I have a type,” Chris tries to defend himself. “Kind, humorous, humble…”

“She’s literally all of those things!” Chris just offers him a side-eye in response. “Look, I don’t know what happened between New York and now—”

“Cos nothing really happened! So what, we had a good time when we hung out once. Means nothing. Not to me, and obviously not to her.”

“You couldn’t be further from the truth my man.” Chris looks from Mackie to you. “She’ll surprise you if you let her.” I hoped she would.

——————————————————————————

“Ladies and gentleman!” A loud voice, booms from the PA system, commanding everyone’s attention. You, Lisa, and everyone in your section approach the railing to look down to the stage where a spotlight had been cast on the speaker. “Here at Majesty’s, we don’t karaoke. We don’t want to hear you drunk motherfuckers screech!” The crowd erupts in laughter, but you look over to Lisa to see if the language offended her. She doesn’t seem to mind as she’s laughing along with ever else.

“At Majesty’s,” the speaker walks around dramatically motioning their hands like a magician's assistant, “We perform, we put on a show, we lip sync like you’ve never seen before!” There’s a chorus of claps, cheers, and ‘yass queen’s.

“We have a special birthday performance by the birthday boy himself! Everybody give it up for Scott Evans!!!” Your section filled with Scott’s friends and family go crazy cheering him on. I wonder what song he decided on.

Come and put cha name on it, put cha name on it

Come and put cha name on it, ya name

Don't chu wanna put ya name on it, put cha name on it

Come and put cha name on it, bay-bay-bay-bay-uh

“Oh my goodness! He would!” Scott surprised everyone with ‘Birthday Cake’ by Rihanna, and you have to say, he did it justice. Ansel and Jaden are his back up, twerking and being silly hype men. You look around to see everyone in hysterics and cheering, enjoying the clownery and having a good time.

In your scan of the section, you notice Chris standing beside you. You admire his profile; the way his eyes scrunch up when he smiles genuinely, the lucious length of his lashes, the sharp angle of his nose, the slack of his jaw when he brings his beer to his plump lips. Before he poured the liquid in his mouth, he looked at you from the corner of his eye, the corner of his mouth quirking up around the neck of the bottle. You whip your head back to the stage below, kicking yourself for getting caught. You can’t bring yourself to look at him, but his cheeks take on a slight rosy hue.

When Scott’s performance is over, everyone cheers and claps for the guest of honor, who takes his center stage bow and makes his way back to the section.

You and Chris look at one another, both of you mid smile, gazing at each other. Your smiles fade and you clear your throat, readying yourself to speak, although unsure of what to say.

“That was...”

“Yeah, it was…”

“Cool…”

“Entertaining even…”

“Uh huh.”

“Yep.”

You both stand there awkwardly. You’re looking everywhere but at Chris, while Chris is rocking back and forth on his heels, swinging his hands in front then behind himself.

“What a riveting conversation we’re having,” you joke, hoping to loosen up the tension.

It seems to work because Chris breathes out a light laugh before testing some humor himself. “Going better than our last conversation, that’s for sure.” He peeks at your expression tentatively to see if the joke landed, and it seems so by the small smile you offer him.

“Yeah… yeah, you’re right,” is all you could think to say. A lull enters your exchange again, but this time it feels a little less rigid, but still not comfortable or cozy. You both have the same idea to interrupt the quiet with a start of a sentence, then share a laugh for simultaneously speaking.

“Ladies first,” he says.

“No, you can. I don’t even know what I was gonna say.”

“Well, if we were thinking the same thing, you were probably gonna start with ‘I’m sorry…’,” he punctuated with a smile.

You, however, are not smiling. Your face is contorted in complete confusion. “What exactly should I be apologizing for?”

Now Chris is confused. Your face and your tone say that you are serious. He’s searching your face for any sign of humor, and when he doesn’t find any, says, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe for acting all high and mighty like you’re too good for a peace offering?”

“There wouldn’t need to be a peace offering if you weren’t judgemental in the first place!”

“Maybe, but my judgments weren’t wrong. You parade around like you’re queen of everything!” You glare at him as he continues his tangent. “‘OOooooOoO look at me, I’ve won a bunch of statues for my poppy-pop songs and spend my money on fufu jackets, but also don’t look at me cos I’m kinda awkward and might turn to putty at any given second.’” He mocks you in a high pitched, “woman” voice.

You scoff at his foolery and to feel enraged by his stupidly silly drunken display. “First of all, I do not talk like that!”

“Yeah, ok.”

“And secondly, I’m not about to apologize for being proud of my accomplishments that I worked really fucking hard to achieve. I’m not afraid to clap for my damn self. We can’t all be overly-humble and self deprecating and blessed with the ability to be great with everybody. I refuse to shrink myself for anyone any longer!”

‘Any longer’? What’s she mean by that? Chris’ expression softens, as does yours. You’ve realized that you've once again been brought out your box, by a practical stranger no less. The two of you share similar expressions; anger tinged with a bit of hurt. Before either of you could say anything else, not that either of you wanted to, a commotion coming toward the two of you takes your attention away from the heated moment.

Scott is making his rounds through the section, receiving celebratory high fives, kisses, and smacks on the ass. “That was incredible dear!” Lisa punctuated with kisses all over her his face, causing you to laugh at the affection she showed her grown son.

“Ok, ok, thanks Ma!” Scott said, removing his mother’s hands from either side of her face. As he proceeded to wipe off the lipstick from his face, he turned to Chris. “Bro, are you gonna go up there?”

“Nah, just gonna hang back tonight,” Chris says, sounding defeated.

“What? Why? You love karaoke!”

“This isn’t karaoke. Besides, I’m not really feeling it tonight.” That sounds a lot like what you told him as an excuse to leave the game night. You felt like he was baiting you. To bite or not to bite? That is the question. After some intense and uncomfortable pouting from Scott, Chris caved. “Maybe, and that’s a hard maybe!” Chris slurred and gesticulated as he said so.

Satisfied and then distracted, Scott wandered off to his other party guests, his mother following closely behind him. You, however, feeling particularly petty, were not satisfied with his answer. “Too cool for this, are you?” You instigate.

Chris scoffs and swigs his beer, eyes fixed ahead. “Why don’t you go up there? You’re supposedly a big shot rockstar,” you roll your eyes at the title, “and I’ve yet to see what you can do.” A lie, but only he knows that.

You narrow your eyes at him. “I would, but I’ve been told I can’t because I’m a ‘professional’ and will ‘intimidate’ others from having fun, so, whatever…” you say, mocking Scott’s request.

“Yep… sounds about right.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” The liquor made you bold, but Chris barely bats an eye at your brutish behavior. He only winks and walks away. You find yourself trying to manage the butterflies that arise at his slight act, the fluttering cutting through your irritation. What the hell body! We’re not supposed to feel this way towards him!

As you watch Chris disappear down the stairs, there’s a hand on your shoulder that you harshly shrug out of. You turn around to face the offender, but soften at the confused face you meet. “Oh, Lisa. I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t expect you to. Not unless you’ve got eyes in the back of your head,” she chuckles. “Are you ok, darling? You look… pissed.”

You lightly laugh, “Yeah… no… I mean yes, I’m fine.”

Lisa looks at you with an eyebrow raised, unconvinced. “Uh huh… I won’t push only because it’s a party, but I want you to know you can tell me anything that troubles you.” Even if it’s your son? You nod, knowing she’s sincere. “So, Scott said that you all are free on Monday.”

“Yep, first full free day in a while!”

“Great! Well, I wanted to invite you to the art museum with me on Monday. There’s a new exhibit opening up and seniors and friends get a special viewing. What do ya say?”

“Aw, I’d love to, Lisa! What’s the—“

“Guys, gals, and non-binary pals! May I have your attention again!” Everyone returns to the railing to look at the host on the stage downstairs. “Our next performer is somewhat unsuspecting, however, a Boston boy through and through. Says he’s a huge fan of the Patriots,” there’s some “woops” for the home team, “and a big fan of singing some Billy Joel…”

“No, he’s not!” you look at Lisa confusedly, as she covers her mouth.

“Who’s not?”

“…and goes by the name of ‘Sassy Cevans’…” the host continues.

“Oh yes he is!” Scott says from your left, inexplicably giddy.

“WHO IS?!” Your question has yet to be answered as the song's guitar riff ripples through the venue. The performer explodes onto the stage, back to the crowd, air strumming along. They turn around as the first lyrics come in and your question is answered, but now you have so, so many more. What in the hell??

Part 5 cont.

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skvaderarts · 4 years

Text

Apocrypha Chapter Three: Indemnification

Sorry it’s so late! I way overslept! Not kidding, I literally slept for 18 hours straight. Had no idea that was possible!

Chapter Three: Indemnification

Note: A special thank you to EctoPanda for leaving me a dozen comments in one day. Never in the entire time that I've been writing fan fiction have I ever gotten that many comments in one day. It really made me smile. Also, I had a wonderful time talking to RubixaSeraph and lightjakrises, too! I'm glad you're both enjoying the story!

-~-

Dante was almost positive that it wasn't possible for a single room to contain any more anxiety and animosity than it currently did.

Wisely taking the hint from her previous encounter with Vergil, Trish had made herself scarce for the last week or so, only now coming to the office to check on things. She and Lady had been working on a smaller case for Morrison that didn't strictly require both of them to complete. It was more so out of a desire to put some reasonable distance between themselves and the eldest Son of Sparda for the time being, who anyone with eyes could tell possessed a less than positive disposition towards the blond devil. Given these irrefutable facts, they were truly baffled by the fact that they were currently sitting on the couch in Dante's place of residence, the eldest of the twins and their collective relationship with him now the conflict of the day.

Lady folded her arms disobediently, unwilling to humor this argument. Dante hadn't even said anything yet, but she already had a feeling that she knew what this last minute meeting was going to be about. Her feelings about and towards Vergil were… complicated. While she had come to the conclusion a lifetime ago that he was, at most, only partially responsible for what had happened with her family, he had still done some terrible things in the time she'd known him. Her father had made the decision to sacrifice her mother before he'd met Vergil's involvement. She knew that. But it was still difficult for her to comprehend the fact that he was alive and back in the human world, especially considering that this was the second time he'd been directly involved in a demonic invasion. In fact, it was somehow even worse this time!

"Ok, so let me guess, Dante. You're going to ask us to be friendly with Vergil, right?" Lady said bluntly, She didn't seem upset so much as she seemed to be trying to repress the urge to shoot him again.

Trish said nothing, simply glancing between the two of them. While she and Lady sat at opposite ends of the couch, Dante stood in front of them. The subject of this particular conversation was nowhere to be seen, assumedly in some other part of the house. He'd practically ceased to exist just before they had arrived, having spent the day quietly sitting on the couch looking genuinely disinterested before that. Dante was starting to realize that his older twin didn't really have any hobbies besides stabbing him when they disagree with one another, at least none that he ever saw him indulge in. He was almost tempted to start something with his brother just to provide him with entertainment, but he wasn't quite that insane just yet.

"No, not really," Dante said with a half laugh, expecting them to not be thrilled about this," He's just... you know. He said he'd "tolerate" you. Just don't get him upset, ok? It'd be nothing but trouble."

Trish nodded, still not adding vocal input to the discussion. She seemed to be deep in thought; about what, he honestly had no clue. Dante was more than certain that whatever issues they had ran deeper than he knew and that they were going to have to work them out on their own. He just needed them to do it without killing one another. Things were getting increasingly tense as the days passed, and the younger Son of Sparda had the feeling that something bad would come from all of this.

Lady looked as though she was going to ask him what he meant by that statement before a look of realisation crossed her face. She glanced over at Trish, seemingly considering asking her something but unsure as to if she should or not. While she knew about how Trish and Dante had met and some of the events from Malet island, she didn't know all the fine details. They had never concerned her. But now she couldn't help but think that Vergil might be involved in some way since that was the only time period that she could think of where they could have met and found a source of conflict. This couldn't be based purely off of the blond devil's appearance matching that of the twins deceased mother, though she was certain that fact contributed to it. Now that she thought about it, she was glad that Vergil had no specific reason to hate her. It seemed like a hassle.

"We have… history. It's complicated. I'll take it up with him later. As much as I'd like to, I can't avoid the topic forever." Trish said simply as she glanced up from her position at the far end of the couch. Her eyes traveled across the room towards something behind Dante. He shook his head in silent self conformation as Lady glanced over, a somewhat confused look on her face as if she did not understand something.

"Yes, quite right" Vergil said as he approached in relative silence from behind the desk, only alerting them of his presence by speaking," But this isn't the time. It seems we have company..."

Dante sighed knowingly before glancing over at the front door to the office. Vergil spared him a brief but questioning glance as the doors opened and a young woman with long, semi curly blond hair and blue eyes stormed in, coming to a stop with her hands on her hips. Morrison flanked her, clearly suppressing the urge to laugh at something. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Vergil glanced over at her curiously. He'd never seen her before in his entire life. From what he could tell, she was a few years younger than his own children.

"Hey Patty! I didn't know you were in town… what are you-" Dante said almost tenitavely before she held her hand up to stop him. She was clearly livid and, from what Vergil could tell, everyone in the room aside from him seemed to know why.

"Oh, don't play stupid, Dante! You know exactly why I'm here!" Vergil's assumption that she was angry proved to be correct as she took him to task, stepping closer and furrowing her brow in abject rage. " You totally blew me off on my birthday, you jerk! Why would you do that?! I was so excited to have you meet all my friends! And then you just disappeared for like three months! I thought you were dead! Where have you been?! You better have a good explanation for all of this because I'm so upset with you right now!"

Vergil did a massive internal double take as a look of embarrassment crossed his twin brother's face. He didn't need to ask if she was telling the truth. Clearly she was. But what he did intend to get sorted out was her relationship with his younger twin. Who on earth was this woman and why did she have such an effect on Dante. He was absolutely going to stab his twin if he found out he was in a relationship with her. After all, she was young enough to be his…

Oh.

There was simply no way. Could she be…?

"Yea, um… I was taking care of something important," Dante said as he gestured towards his twin with a tilt of his head," Nothing personal, I just don't do birthday parties."

Patty exhaled in irritation, her eyes finally catching sight of Vergil. She lowered and unfolded her arms slowly, looking equal parts alarmed and perplexed. She then migrated one of her arms back to her hip, a slight smile ghosting across her lips. She nodded to herself as if thinking before speaking.

"So um, who are you? I don't think we've met." She said, setting her fury aside for a moment in order to appear more cordial," I'm patty Lowell. And your…?"

The eldest of the twins stared at her in silence for a long moment, contemplating if he had the mental energy for this today. After resigning himself to the fact that interacting with her was probably the quickest way to stop all the yelling and petty hostility that was going on, he sighed and shook his head, sparing a glance between his twin and the young woman before answering her.

"Vergil. His older brother." He said as he gestured offhandedly towards Dante," How did you come to be in the company of this misfit?"

Patty smiled and snickered, giving Dante a grumpy but somewhat more playful look. "Oh, he tried to help me out when I was a little kid. I've just kinda hung around ever since. But he still owes me a birthday party, a couple of outfits, and like fifteen ice cream cones! Maybe you can talk some responsibility into him since you're his older brother. You look more reasonable than he does! I had no idea he had a brother! Are you guys twins or something?"

Although his brain was still processing the barrage of statements she had let fly, he nodded, throwing Dante an unreadable look. "Identical twins, actually. And I'm afraid he may be a lost cause. I'd give up now while you're ahead if I were you."

Patty smacked Dante with her purse, huffing in irritation as he yelped in surprise. "Who forgets to tell people they have an identical twin, Dante! Rude!"

Dante rubbed his arm in slight discomfort, taken off guard once again by how shockingly strong she was. He was having war flashbacks to the time she'd knocked him senseless with a broom. Or had it been a mop. All he remembered was it hurting and him storming out. That, and the fact that he had hurt her feelings then, too. This was a pattern with her, wasn't it. Yikes.

"She's basically his daughter. He's even said so a few times," Lady said casually from the couch as she watched the world burn around her," This sort of thing happens a lot, I've noticed. He owes her a lot of stuff at this point. Like that trip to the beach she's been asking for for like ten years. Morrison, am I forgetting anything?"

Morrison shrugged but nodded, having lost count a long time ago. The youngest Son of Sparda shot his friend a horrified look as Patty unleashed a barrage of smacks with her handbag, huffing from the effort. "Yea, when are we taking that trip to the beach?! You've been putting that off for a lifetime, Dante! What gives? Do you... just not like me?"

Dante stopped her, finally getting a grip on the bag so she couldn't swing it anymore. He shook his head, seemingly startled by her statement. "No no, it's nothing like that. I just… I don't know what to tell you, Patty."

Vergil repressed the urge to smirk wickedly at the thought that occurred to him in that moment. "Why don't you make everything up to her by honoring her request to go on this trip to the ocean? That would settle things, wouldn't it?"

If it had been possible, Dante would have frozen sollid upon hearing his twin brother's suggestion. Was his twin actually giving him advice on how to deal with his surrogate daughter? Had Vergil rolled out of the bed and cracked his head open on the bedside table this morning? What had gotten into him? Was he genuinely trying to be more reasonable. The younger of the two had a feeling that he could find out easy enough…

"That wouldn't be much of a party, would it, brother? I mean, if everyone here went, that would still only be, what, six people? You should invite Nero and V. You know, get to know them better." Dante barely hid the snakish grin threatening to spread across his face as he spoke. On the one hand, he knew that his brother probably detested the beach and everything about it almost as much as he hated having meaningful conversations with members of his family. But on the other hand, was he really going to turn down both the opportunity to get to know both of his sons better and the challenge issued by his younger twin? Especially when that challenge had been issued in front of an audience?

No way in hell.

The eldest of Sparda's sons looked at his brother like he wanted to tear his vocal cords out of his throat with his bare hands. And that wasn't even out of the realm of possibility. He was more than likely capable of doing just that. Vergil folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, white hot fury replacing the blood that used to course through his veins. Dante wanted to play games with him, did he? Fine then. He wouldn't allow him to win so easily. "They are going to say no, you know that, don't you?" "I don't think so. I mean, V probably isn't going to really say anything and Nero," Dante laughed slightly," He'd never miss the opportunity to make you as uncomfortable as you make him. Besides, you haven't talked to them in a week. Why miss the opportunity?"

Because I'd rather die than sit in sand all day in the baking heat Vergil thought to himself as he let out a long, agonized sigh. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Dante made a good point. This was a good opportunity for him to spend time with them. He needed to figure out how to speak with them both at some point in the future, especially V. They had almost no dialogue to speak of and there were countless issues to address. Not to mention that he needed to look into this cult that might still be hunting him down. Being able to speak with his eldest son would help facilitate that. It was… unfortunate.

Vergil cursed himself internally. He was starting to wish he'd stayed in the underworld.

"... Fine then… I shall contact Nero, Vergil said begrudgingly as he crossed the office and headed over to the phone on his brother's desk. He hated making phone calls, too. They were far too impersonal for his tastes. "Don't make me regret doing this, Dante."

Dante shrugged and gave all three girls a glance before shooting Morrison a murderous look for daring to bring Patty over with him. He'd probably come to talk business, but the included show had been a bonus for him. Only one thing ever happened when he brought Patty over with him and he knew it. He'd probably been planning this for a long time. And now Lady and Trish were probably going to take patty bathing suit shopping and find some way to tack it onto his existing debt.

The younger twin smirked to himself as he watched Vergil try and fail once again to understand how the office phone worked. At least they would both be miserable for a change. And they had never gone on a vacation together before. Or spent any meaningful time together since they had been young children. Maybe this trip wouldn't be so awful after all.

-~-

I'm utterly horrified by how late this chapter is. Have you ever started working on something important and then fell asleep only to wake up the next night and still have nothing done? That's what I did with this chapter. Once I realized it was going to be late, I decided to take the plunge and flesh it out more, but I'm still super sorry that this was so late. I'll start working on the next chapter later on today after I get some rest. I pulled an all nighter working on this one, so I hope it's to your liking. And once again, sorry for the mega late upload. Forgive me, please! See you on Wednesday!

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self-proclaimed-chaotic-good · 5 years

Text

Persephone | John Wick x Reader (One)

Words: 2262

A/N: Just an idea that popped in my head at three am. What is sleep haha. I might post a few oneshots that are related to this one, not sure if I want to make it into a proper series, given the other wips I have. Depends on how I feel, I guess. Let me know what you guys think.

Warning: Usual JW-verse violence, reader is also an assassin

Now teamed up with the Bowery King to take down the High Table, John Wick still needed allies that were willing to risk their lives to help their mission. There weren’t many that would want to oppose the High Table, so their options were limited. John took the time to heal up while they planned High Table’s downfall, using the Bowery King’s people to scout for other assassins.

“There is another option,” the Bowery King said, leaning back in his chair.

John took a swig of bourbon and raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

“Persephone,” he grinned. John recognized that name, not just from the Greek mythology, but of the assassin that nickname belonged to. The Bowery King continued, “I’ve heard she’s in a tough situation right now, though. Wanna know why one of the most deadliest assassins in the world have been out of business this whole time?”

“I assume you’re going to tell me anyways,” John said, his pitbull having jumped on his lap.

“A puppet is useless when it realizes they no longer needs strings to move. She started asking questions and knowing what they’ve created, her people… restrained her. She’s constantly being monitored, none of my people had seen her alone. It seems that she’s lost her memory.” The Bowery King shook his head at the woman’s situation.

“Why not kill her?”

“They’ll probably want to use her again. It’d be a waste to throw away the skills they gave her. All they can do is have her forget she even has them until the time came to utilize her, have her dependent on those strings again.” He tilted his head and looked at John. “And you’re gonna have to be the one to cut those strings for her, John Wick.”

You could vaguely remember your family. At that point, you couldn’t even remember their faces, only the feeling that they gave you; warmth, love, comfort. You were raised along with other kids to be killers. With a cutthroat regime that mirrored ballet, the Instructor, a former student of The Director, would continuously run drills and eliminate those who couldn’t keep up.

You were one of the few that made it and it wasn’t simply through determination or strong work ethic. You were scared. No one knew what happened to those kids that were eliminated, maybe it was literal, but you didn’t want to find out. It was surviving through fear, until you were strong enough to overcome it. If they killed you, fine. If they didn’t, then what?

Execute the mission, no mistakes. Like a ballet recital.

The missions and the training were the only life you knew. The targets you were assigned to were only pieces to a massive puzzle to the world that you were raised in. Eventually, you had enough to make out an image. The Underworld where highly trained assassins were everywhere. There was a system, strict rules to follow.

You were familiar with the Continental, the hotel you and many others used while working, and the coins used to gain access to the serves that the Underworld provided. You eventually became familiar with the other faces at the Continental and around you.

One in particular stood out. The Boogeyman. The man, the myth, the legend. You ran into him a few times when he was still active, a tall man with a calm demeanor. It was like standing next to an ocean around him. Many respected him and even feared him due to his reputation of being Death himself. You couldn’t imagine the Underworld without John Wick.

Until he got out.

The night of his impossible task was the same night you made a difficult decision. For a long time, you knew that you wouldn’t be able to escape the hands of the Instructor until you were skilled enough to overpower her, so you waited.

Using your resources, you found out what happened to your family. They owed a debt to the Instructor and they paid it off with their daughter. If it had stopped there, you could move on, but it didn’t. The Instructor had them killed anyways, using the trainers and a few of the older trainees to do the job. They knew and they kept it from you.

Life under the Instructor was all you knew and you could continue as if you never knew your family’s demise or you could release yourself from her hold and make sure it never happens to anyone else.

John Wick stormed through the building looking for the Instructor, but there were already bodies scattered around the place, either unconscious or dead with their throats sliced open. You tried to avoid using loud weapons, preferring stealth so as to not alert everyone at once and especially the Instructor. Although it would have been considered sloppy to leave unconscious bodies on your part, you had no quarrel with everyone under the Instructor, only the ones ordered to kill your family. Besides, you knew of the ones that were reluctant to follow orders and killed off those who followed without question.

There was a trainer that you had been close with and took you under her wing. She’d push you to train harder and had faith that once you think you’ve reached your full potential, you could push even higher. And all that time, she hid that secret about your family. She was the leader of that mission, after all.

You saved her for last. It wasn’t as satisfying as you thought it would be. She knew the day was going to come when you find out and she was ready for it. With the blade she gave you for your initiation, you fought her until you had her pinned down, running the blade through her throat. She choked on her own blood, a smile on her face. A shiver would have ran down your spine you hadn’t known how much of a relief it might have been for her. Maybe she wanted out, too.

The door slammed open and the Boogeyman appeared, his gun raised. You stood up slowly, your hands in the air with your blade on the floor. He kept the barrel trained on you and you were glad he hadn’t shot on sight. It would have been over quickly, but you wanted to be the one to turn the Instructor in.

“The Instructor should be holding up in her office, fourth floor,” you said, slowly taking a golden coin from your pocket and holding it out to him,“just let me go. My other targets weren’t home. I need to go get them.”

He seemed to mull it over in his head and ultimately lowered his gun. He held out a hand as you tossed the coin to him. John nodded a thanks towards you and headed over to the fourth floor.

That was the last time you saw John Wick. Unfortunately, the others were ready and so was the Instructor. Her last mission was to wipe you clean, drug you until you can’t remember a thing. And while John Wick was able to finish his impossible task, the Instructor’s remaining people were able to finish their mission as well.

It was hard to believe that the young woman that he saw take down assassins from her former home was running a flower shop. Then again, he did the impossible and got out of the Underworld until he was forced back in again.

There was always another worker with you, even on your lunch breaks. Whoever took over for the Instructor was placing a tight hold on you.

John waited until the last customer walked out, five minutes before closing. He walked towards the shop and slipped in before the door closed. You were busy sorting out inventory to notice his presence, your coworker hovering close by you.

Ever since you woke up in a strange bedroom with people you didn’t recognize, they told you that you were in an accident and they were your found family after you ran away from home. In fact, the flower shop was theirs but they gave it to you to run. You were thankful that they took care of you while you recovered, but you would appreciate it if they gave you some space to figure yourself out alone. You haven’t even bothered telling them your strange dreams, either. They were cold and violent and worst of all, you were the one holding the blade.

“Mari, can you double check the boxes we have in the back so we could update the inventory list?” you asked your coworker. She pursed her lips then nodded, grabbing another clipboard with a copy of the list and headed towards the storage.

You breathed out a sigh of relief, already feeling lighter once she left the room. You walked to the front to close up when you jumped, seeing a tall man in a suit waiting.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear the door,” you told him, putting your clipboard down and walking towards the counter, “Can I help you?”

Upon closer inspection, the man’s brown eyes seemed tired but alert, his long black hair just above his shoulders. He was quite handsome that you could barely look him in the eye, and surely a man like that would have already been taken.

The corner of his lips turned up slightly. “I was looking for you, actually,” he said smoothly, pulling out an object from his suit jacket.

You watched him cautiously, inching closer to the counter where Marion kept the small handgun. You didn’t like to use guns, you didn’t like the sight of them for some reason, but Marion insisted on keeping one at the store.

He took out a golden coin and held it out. You grabbed it from his large hand and inspected it, the engraving feeling strangely familiar to you under your finger pads.

“Do it!” a voice hissed in your head, the image of a woman choking on blood, the strong iron stench hitting your nose and soaking into your hand that held some kind of dagger.

You dropped the coin, backing away from the man. “Who are you?” you demanded.

He held out his hands. “My name is John Wick,” he said, “And I’m here to help you, Persephone.”

“Persephone…”

“Persephone, again!” an older woman shouted. She stood in front of a wall of mirrors with her hands on her hips, staring down at you, your feet aching and sweat pouring down your face. “Get up!”

“You’re asking to be killed, Mr. Wick,” Marion spat, suddenly at your side with a gun in her hand. “There’s a heavy price for your head, it’d be a shame to have been hidden from the High Table for so long, only to be killed in a flower shop.”

“Mari, what are you doing?” you asked, shocked that she knew the man.

“I always knew the Instructor favored you, but to have kept you alive and have us babysit you even after she’s dead was too much.”

Marion gripped your forearm, nails digging into your skin. You gasped, a strong sense of betrayal taking over you as the flight or fight response kicked in. She had never treated you this way before and it didn’t take much to understand that something was wrong. More flashes of your past flew through your mind, particularly when Marion mentioned the Instructor.

Your hands shot out, twisting her arm and knocked the gun out of her hand. She stumbled on the crates on the floor, your surprise attack leaving her stunned. You used her momentary imbalance to grab her hair from the roots and slammed her forehead against the counter, knocking her unconscious. You dropped her and stepped back, your hands shaking as you start to sweat.

“What did I do, what did I do,” you began to mumble over and over.

John gave you a moment, locking the front door and flipping the sign, moving around you to turn the front lights off. You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, gripping the counter for support as the headache and nausea start to settle. John picked up the coin and carried Marion’s body to the back office then got a cup of water from the small breakroom. He set the paper cup in front of you and took the time to scan the area, pulling the blinds down.

When you came to, you took a sip of water and shuffled yourself over to where John stood, your eyes stinging from the tears that didn’t seem to stop. You sniffed, quickly wiping them away, your head still sore from the occasional flash of an old memory in your head. Your phone had been buzzing during that time, several missed calls from your so-called family. You turned off your phone and stuffed it back in your pocket.

“Thank you,” your voice cracked as you spoke to him, “but why?”

John sighed, silently assessing your current state. “I need your help, but first, we need to leave. They’ll be coming after us soon.”

He held out a hand for you to take, letting you make the choice to go with him. You may not have all of your memories back, you recognized him enough to know that going with him would mean gaining your independence and actually finding out who you were. You grabbed his hand and he lead you through the back entrance and through the streets, all the way down below the city, back to the Bowery King.

You were back in the Underworld, but at least you were not alone.

#john wick x reader #john wick imagines #john wick #keanu reeves imagines #first time writing for John Wick #I should be focusing on my other wips but I can't #I'm still staying at a motel guys :'(#Let me just win the lottery so i could at least get a place to live #Keanu Reeves

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remedyhunger · 5 years

Text

Blake’s first sunrise..

Blake tossed and turned in her sleep. Sweat dripped from her skin as memories of the events of this summer came back with a vengeance. Yang went missing, the fight with Atlas, the world literally hanging on their shoulders...and then she saw Adam again, the hatred and disgust on his scarred face...his sword striking down towards Yang.

“No!” She shouted in the dark. Her body jolting up from her bed. With heavy breaths, and tears welling up in her eyes. It was a dream she realized. No a nightmare. She’s been getting those a lot lately.

Wrapping her arms around herself Blake suddenly discovered her sleeping partner was not beside her. With panic the daughter of Poseidon turned around and grabbed the covers of the neatly made side only to pause to see a note.

Confused Blake picked up the scrap of paper and turned it over.

“Morning Tuna-Brain,

Don’t start panicking ok? I had to go do an errand....yeah I know at 5:00 am in the morning.

Just trust me ok?

Wise Girl

PS. I have a special treat for you after breakfast...I promise it’s not just fish lol. “

Blake smiled softly, her heart rate steadily going back to normal. She scooted close to the edge and got out of bed. She was up she might as well take a walk to calm herself. Right?

Blake tilted her head a bit to see her desk cleaned up with all the books she brought to camp neatly stacked and one particular book with a sticky note on top reading, “Really?”

She reddened at the same curvy handwriting she saw earlier.

Well at least it was Yang and not Ruby...

Blake sighed while putting on her dark jean shorts and a purple jacket over her camp tank-top. The daughter of Athena was going to tease her about that book for the rest of her life. Yang has a photographic memory she can see one object and it’s stuck in her big head for eternity. Same thing when she hears a conversation or gossip.

When she was finally done getting dressed. Blake patted her pockets to check for her pen and smiled once feeling the familiar bump. She made her way to the mirror to brush her hair and paused once she saw a sliver grey streak on her front bang. Her eyes darted down, her heart skipped a beat.

“Stop thinking of that Belladonna!” She growled, surprised by her own tone of voice.

Blake made her way to her cabin door and opened it wide only to spot a tall young woman on the stairs.

The woman was wearing dark jeans that were ripped, dark red doc martins, a black leather jacket with golden trimmings over a orange camp shirt and a red sash around her waist.

“Um...” Blake started.

The young woman turned around and Blake noticed her facial features. Her hair was fire red in a high ponytail with a undercut. She had bright green eyes with a tinge of blue in the middle...like a stormy sky ready to strike down lightning. Her lips were full and was giving her a smile, and last but not least the golden headpiece around her head.

All in all the woman looked like a goddess if Blake was being honest. Thankfully she remembered meeting her during the quest.

“Pyrrha right?” She asked

“Oh good you remembered me!” She smiled brightly and stood up. “I was hoping you would! Yang asked me to keep guard while she does her thing so...here I am heh.”

Pyrrha Nikos was awkward, really awkward. Like she was trying to think of anything to talk about. It was rather adorable...wait.

“I thought you left with the other Huntresses?”

Pyrrha sighed. “I stepped down...well I decided to stay at camp. I mean Yang is here, and I want to look for my sister.“ She was looking down at her boots her lips downward and brows together. “Don’t get me wrong I loved being a huntress but, I’m needed here. I feel it was my destiny to stay here.”

Blake blinked at the girl. She realized Pyrrha was only a teenager like the rest of them. In fact Yang told her she was only a year older than her by two months. She was just tall...which frankly Blake was jealous of. She might have to start wearing platforms to get to Pyrrha’s height.

“I-Is that a problem?” The daughter of Zeus asked with uncertainty.

“No!” Blake reassured. “Uh, would you like to walk with me? It’s still dark and..”

“Sure!”

Blake smiled weakly and began to walk next to the other demigod. It was silent but not as awkward as before. She got to see Camp Half-Blood in a more calmer environment. It was pretty to say the least. She sighed in relief, there were no monsters or any danger and for once she felt blessed by to gods for that.

They continued to walk until Blake noticed a huge gathering at cabin number seven, Apollo cabin. Her eyes then zoomed in and saw a familiar demigod yawning loudly while leaning against a short half naked young man with sandy blonde hair, a pair of teal runners shorts and his camp necklace. Sun Wukong was his name and the counselor for the cabin.

She felt upset all of a sudden, but Pyrrha put her hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her. “Don’t worry Blake, nothing would ever happen between those two. Besides that boy has nothing compare to you, miss hero.”

Blake chuckled at that and felt a little more confident as the two walked over to the cabin. She noticed Yang was wearing her cut-off jean shorts, a pair of purple flip flops and a black hoodie that looked too big for her. It looked familiar like the one Blake thought she lost.

Wait...

“That’s my hoodie.” Blake blurted out for everyone to stop chatting and to look up at her.

Yang who’s hair was loose with her grey streaked bang falling over her widened silverish purple eyes, blushed. She quickly pushed Sun to the ground and shot straight up from the bench she was sitting on.

“Blake! I-I thought you were sleeping..”

Blake raised a brow at Yang’s lame excuse. “I mean I was until I realized my sleeping partner was gone.”

Everyone gasped and turned to Yang. Ruby who was laying on Yang’s lap before was now on the ground with a mischievous look in her bright silver eyes.

“And why was Wise Girl in your cabin?” Sun asked with a smirk on his face. His blue eyes twinkling with mirth.

“None of your business Arrowhead, and don’t call her that. Only I get too.” Blake said with annoyance.

“Ok, Ok I’ll stop!” Sun said while putting his hands up in defeat. “Anyway it’s fifteen minutes before dad rises...want to join us. It’s kinda a requirement for his kids...and legacies.”

“Is that why you’re here Yang?” Pyrrha asked. Who Blake just realized was still next to her.

“Yeah...it was before I met Blake...when I was eleven I got punished for skipping on gramp’s sunrise all the time.” Yang began, her hand rubbing the back of her head as she smiled cutely. “So...basically he put the sun right in front of Athena cabin and...I got shunned for a month from my other siblings and Mom because of it..”

“His ego must be big.” Blake deadpanned at the thought of Apollo doing that with a manic grin on his face.

“Yeah Dad is...narcissistic.” Sun sweated a bit. “Ya get used to it.”

“At least he doesn’t put his children in a stupid hotel.” The daughter of Hades interjected as she stepped out of the shadows. Scaring half of the children of Apollo.

“You really have to stop doing that Ice Queen...” Sun sighed at the girl with dyed hair who was wearing a dark blue jacket and black pants.

Weiss merely rolled her eyes and sat down next to him and Yang with her knees up. Her eyes looking up at Blake with curiosity and embarrassment.

Ruby who got up and grabbed both Blake and and Pyrrha was restless. “When is grampa coming up? I want to get back to my cabin.”

“Five more minutes..” Sun stated.

Blake was now next to Yang and Pyrrha she was already tried of all this waiting. She leaned her head on Yang’s shoulder, the girl before her suddenly stilled by the action. Blake opened her eyes to look up at her.

“Sorry..is this ok?”

Yang’s voice cracked. “Y-Yeah it’s fine...I don’t mind.”

Blake felt warm at Yang’s voice, she felt safe. “I had a nightmare earlier..” she whispered softly.

“What about?”

“Everything that’s happened with Atlas and Adam...”

She felt Yang put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer. Pressing her lips against the crown of Blake’s head right above her grey streaked bang.

“I’ve had nightmares of him too...” Yang revealed to Blake. Her golden hair framing her face beautifully and that one strayed grey lock falling over her right eye.

“ALRIGHT TEN SECONDS!” Sun yelled as everyone began to countdown the sunrise.

Yang pulled away from Blake and reached behind her.

Blake watched curiously as she heard rustling from behind and zippers.

“Close your eyes Blake!” Yang whispered excitedly.

Blake looked at Yang with a raised brow.

“Trust me! Come on.”

Blake closed her eyes.

She suddenly smelled a fruity scent nearby. It wasn’t Yang’s typical strawberry shampoo. No it was...baked.

“Alright open your eyes Tuna-Brain!”

Her eyes opened and was met with a small purple cupcake and a lit candle. Blake could see the sun coming out behind Yang and her hair glowed with it, the streak of her front bang almost silver. It was the most beautiful picture Blake had ever witnessed.

“Happy Birthday! Blake...”

Blake blew out the candle and everyone cheered as the sun came up. Yang smiled before putting the cupcake away to hug her and kiss her on the cheek.

The daughter of Poseidon knew she was never going to forget this. Especially not because of Apollo.

#bumbleby #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #rwby #percy jackson au #ruby rose #sun wukong #weiss schnee #pyrrah nikos

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