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a-simple-imagine · 4 years

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Study Date

Requested by anonymous: “Hermione Granger x reader where reader is best friends with Luna and has a crush on Hermione. She never acts on those feelings because Hermione called Luna Looney and seems to dislike her and in the end maybe Luna sets them up. “

Pairing: Hermione Granger x fem!reader

Words: 2.3k+

A/N - Today i offer you yet another story about hermione granger. Tomorrow? Who knows.

Thank you to @kileyrose-2003 for checking it over.

Hermione Granger was a complete enigma but that was probably due to the fact there was only so much you could learn through limited interactions. If there was one thing you knew about her, it was that she was a spectacular witch with a thirst for knowledge. She had been placed in Gryffindor all those years ago but she truly could have excelled as a Ravenclaw; if that had been the case perhaps the two of you would be closer. Things would have been entirely different but alas you were left to admire from afar since that very first year when you noticed her across the Great Hall. You didn't even have any classes together until you started taking electives. However, as hard as you tried Hermione Granger seemed to avoid you at all costs. You had invited her to hang out many times but she always declined. Maybe Ron and Harry were the limits of her social perimeters?

A hand sways before your eyes drawing you back to reality. "So easily distracted."

Luna Lovegood had such a melodic, soft voice that it was weirdly hard to ignore. Then again everything about the girl could be considered peculiar which was something you greatly admired. She didn't care what anyone thought of her and yet you cared so desperately what they thought of you. "Sorry," You hum, folding the paper in your hands. "I just... do you think there is something wrong with me?"

"No more than anyone else,"

"Maybe that's why she doesn't like me," You let out a defeated sigh before placing the origami tiger you had been working on down on the table.

"Who?"

From the corner of your eyes, you spot a familiar brunette wander into the Great Hall. A few books wedged under her arm. "Can you just give me a sec-"

Without giving Luna a chance to respond, you leap to your feet and scramble along the length of the entire table and then around to catch Hermione.

"Wait," You place your hand against her shoulder, startling her just a little. "Hermione,"

She spins on her heel; her frown morphing into that of a welcoming smile. At least she seemed happy to see you. "Yes?"

"I..." you trail off as a wave of heat washes over you. The Gryffindor always managed to make you feel anxious. It wasn't a bad thing; you knew it was because you liked her but with her already taking every opportunity to ignore you it didn't exactly help the situation. "I was wondering if you uh, wanted to play with us? Me and Luna, I mean."

It sounded rather childish slipping from your lips but Hermione's brow quirked up. "What are you playing?"

"We're having a race," Your expression brightens at her interest, signalling back to the Ravenclaw table where Luna now sat alone. "We both made something out of paper and we’re gonna enchant them so they run the racecourse we made." To the left of Luna was a makeshift racetrack made of books, cups and even your spare inks and quills. It was only small so it'd be a quick race before lunch began. "If I win Luna promised to make my bed every day for a week. If she wins she gets my last bag of Fizzing Whizzbees."

"Shouldn't you be studying during study hall?" Seems Miss Granger was all work and no play. You simply shrug, standing a little taller.

"I'm smart enough already," You declare proudly, a cocky smirk on full display. "And besides it’s nearly lunchtime so we were long overdue a break."

You watch her eyes drift from yours over to where Luna was sat and back. "You two are quite the pair."

"Me and Luna?" As if she could sense you talking about her, Luna waves at the two of you. "She's like my best friend."

"You don't find her a little... strange to be around?" Hermione muses. "A little... loony perhaps? Half the school thinks she's lost her mind."

She was right in saying that a lot of your fellow students judged Luna harshly for being a little more outside the box but you never expected Hermione to be one of them. "I think... she's awesome and I'm glad she's my friend. You shouldn't judge her so harshly when you don't even know her."

You may have invited her to join you but that offer was no longer on the table as you marched back to the Ravenclaw table without another word. Slumping down in your seat exasperated sigh. "Are you okay?"

Plastering on a smile, you give her a firm nod. "Shall we start?"

"What happened over there? You seemed rather excited before."

"Nothing," Focusing on the origami, you pick up your wand.

"You shouldn't bottle things up," Luna expresses softly, picking up her wand too. "Might make your head explode."

"Does it ever bother you that people call you crazy?" You wonder.

"Not really," her head shakes. "It's all in good fun."

You never understood if Luna's belief in people was misguided or just for show. If the roles were reversed you'd certainly not enjoy having people make fun of you. "But what if it's not?"

"Then it's out of my control," Luna flashes a smile. "Shall we start."

With a nod of your head and wands at the ready, Luna starts the countdown. "3... 2..." your grip tightens around your wand. "1.... Go"

With a flick of your wrist, the paper tiger springs to life but it takes a few nudges from the end of your wand to get it moving. When you saw Luna's monstrosity trailing behind, you knew you had this race in the bag.

"I don't think Hermione likes you very much," you don't know why you decided to tell her that, it seemed only cruel in the moment. "I don't think she likes me much either as hard as I try,"

"Maybe you should stop trying," Luna's focus was exclusively on the race as you watch her. Maybe you should stop trying... that was easier for her to say because she didn't find herself with butterflies every time she saw the girl. Searching the Gryffindor table, you find Hermione sitting alone; scribbling away on a piece of parchment. "Staring can be considered quite rude, y'know?"

Glancing back at the race, you find both racers have crossed the finish line and were now laying completely still against the table. Students were beginning to pile into the hall for lunch so it was time to clean up a little. "Sometimes it's hard not to," Reaching over the table you grab your quill. "She's just interesting- who won by the way?"

"It was you," Did you win or was she just being nice? It didn't matter now anyway so you may as well take the win.

You haven't spoken to Hermione since that day she had the audacity to question your friendship with Luna. You didn't necessarily think she had meant what she said in a bad way but it just hadn't sat right with you. It also helped that the only class you shared was Defence Against the Dark Arts so she wasn't all that hard to avoid. The page of your textbook flips over with a gust of wind as you lounge against the stone archways in the quiet courtyard. When you spot Harry, Ron and Hermione, you bury your face behind your book in hopes of not drawing any attention. If you didn't acknowledge she was there maybe you wouldn't long to run over.

"Hey," Slowly lowering the book, you spy the girl in herself looking perkier than usual. Seemingly having abandoned her friends just to come and speak to you.

"Hello," you reply quietly, keeping your eyes on the page. It was explaining how to create the Forgetfulness Potion; a beginner level potion and not at all hard to make.

"Luna said you'd be out here," You glance up at the mention of your friend's name. Why had she been talking to Luna? "And that you may require a study partner,"

Strange. She had never wanted to study with you before. "You don't have somewhere else you'd rather be?"

Hermione shakes her head. "Luna can be quite convincing but if you'd rather study alone, I can go."

"No," the reply comes a little too quickly. "I mean, uh... you can stay. I'd really like the company."

"Great, Ron and Harry are rather distracting when it comes to studying," She plops herself down at the other end of the archway by the end of your feet. Your knees were now pulled a little closer to your chest, propping up your potions book. "I can quiz you if you want?"

"Can I ask you something?" You pose the question as you sit up a little straighter trying to give her more room; handing over the book in the process.

"Of course," Taking the boom, Hermione's hand brushes over the cover but she opens it and begins flickering through the pages. She had the same textbook so you're not exactly sure what she expects to find.

"Why are you here?" The rustling of pages comes to an abrupt stop as her eyes settle on yours but only for a moment.

"To study?"

"You've never been interested in me before," you reply bluntly. "I don't see what's changed now? What exactly did Luna say?"

"Just that you like me," Wide eyes of surprise, your stomach sinks. She was joking right? She had to be. "And that you think I don't like you which is perplexing. So she told me where you usually go to study and that you'd very much appreciate my company."

"I'm gonna kill her," you growl under your breath, sinking down against the stone. How you wished the ground would open up and swallow you whole right now.

"I also thought it was only right that I apologise for the other day," you can't even bring yourself to reply; too scared you'll somehow embarrass yourself further. "I shouldn't have spoken about Luna that way- I also apologised to her. Are you ready?"

Anything to help forget about what Luna had purposely done, you nod your head a little. Setting this whole thing up was a sweet enough idea but she didn't have to straight-up tell Hermione that you liked her. Hopefully, you could just play it off as friends. A silence settled between the two of you as Hermione searches through your book. "I'm gonna say a potion and you just have to list the ingredients, simple enough?" You can feel her eyes on you but can't bring yourself to look back. "You alright?"

"Mhmm,"

"Are you sure?" She questions. "I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything. I'm sure Luna had the best of intentions."

"Just say a potion," It's even more awkward when she brings it up the fact Luna told her. "Please,"

"Okay, how about... Draught of Living Death?"

"Uh..." for a second your mind seems completely blank. Taking a deep breath you settle your nerves a little. "Standard potioning water, Powdered Root of Asphodel..." your brow furrows in concentration. "Infusion of... Wormwood? Valerian root, A Sopophorous bean and-"

"Sloth brain," Hermione finishes. "Good job. Okay, let's try..." The pages flutter between her fingers for a moment. "Exstimulo Potion."

Exstimulo potion. You rake your brain for any memory of it; If you remember correctly it was a potion used to boost magical energy. It was a beginning level potion so it won't be too complicated to make. "Re'em blood... Granian hair, Snowdrop maybe, and like... uh... Bitter root?"

"For an extra point, what colour should it be?"

That you knew almost instantly. "sky blue."

With each passing question, your confidence grew around the same speed as Hermione's smile did. You liked to think that your extensive knowledge of potions was impressive but in all honesty, some wouldn't see it that way. "You are really good at this,"

"I enjoy potions. They value knowledge over skill more than some of the other classes- that's not to say potion-making doesn't require skill and vice-versa. " You explain, moving so your legs now dangle over the edge similar to how Hermione was sitting. "It's probably my best class but I like the study of ancient runes too. What about you? I imagine you're brilliant no matter the class."

"I wouldn't go that far," Her gentle laugh fills your ears, filling you with such an innocent sense of glee. "I like most of my classes though, I would take more if I could."

"Of course you would," You giggle to yourself. "I heard in the past you used a time-turner just to attend more classes."

"Guilty," She offers you a smile. You'd done research on time turners, they were interesting little devices but it took a lot of guts to use one. "It was worth it."

"It's a pretty smart way to use one," No surprise considering who you're talking to.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Anything." Hermione fiddles with the corner of the page she has settled on.

"When Luna said you like me, I'm guessing she meant..."

The fire in your cheeks spread hot and fast which had the butterflies in your stomach going crazy. She really had to bring it up again? She couldn't have just ignored it and moved on? "...yeah." You admit quietly. Handing your textbook back, Hermione slips down onto her feet

"So this was her way of setting us up... hmm," Spinning on her heel, she looks to the sky. The sun was beginning to set so it was illuminated by an orange glow. "For a girl so imaginative I would have expected something a little more than a study date."

"I like studying," She sharply turns back to you.

"As do I," She offers a gentle smile. "But I think we should do something a little more traditional for a first date, don't you?"

"First date?"

"Only if you want to,"

"I... yeah. I'd love to."

#Hermione Granger x reader #hermione granger #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #Hermione x reader

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incorrect-quotes-from-she-ra · 3 years

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Morning! I hope you don't mind if i give you yet another She-Ra thought I'm too damn lazy to post on my own. Also, it's long again. I WILL find that character limit some day.

So, we know the way Shadow Weaver raised Adora resulted, among other issues, in her being selfless to the point of self-sacrifice, which came to a climax in the Heart's failsafe business.

And it's been suggested that this was basically intentional on Shadow Weaver's part. Basically, selflessness is a very beneficial quality for others to have. My theory is that <b>her plan for Adora had always been specifically for her to someday use the failsafe and release all magic</b>.

(i will admit i am also curious how formatting works in this app. thank you for your help with these experiments)

So, evidence. Let's start with her name. I know this is a remake and they were stuck with the existing names, but there's a scene where Scorpia complains about it ("yeah i GET it, everyone LOVES you"), which constitutes the writers acknowledging its meaning, which makes me think it's fair game to analyze.

First, I'm obviously assuming Shadow Weaver choose it, as part of her ongoing parenting plan. It's also possible it was her original First One-given name, we don't know. Neither quite works because either she or Light Hope should have had some issues knowing what the name was and they clearly knew automatically. Really the entire series is weird in that everyone communicates with everyone else way too easily, and i will definitely rant about that someday.

For now let it stand that Shadow Weaver is the parent figure, it makes the most sense for her to pick the name, both in-universe and narratively, so i shall assume so by default. I have two things to say about that choice.

First, as we all have noticed, most of the princesses have names ending in -a. All of them, if you count "Glimma". It's never said to be intentional, but it would make sense. And then IF such a tradition exists among Etheria's royalty, it's not unreasonable for Shadow Weaver, a notable and moderately respected member of the land of knowledge, to know about it.

And then if she knew, of course she would take it into consideration when looking for names. Admittedly it's a little weird with the anti-Princess propaganda that the Horde has, but she doesn't really need to explain or justify this. Hordak has a very [i]laissez-faire[/i] attitude, and everyone else she clearly doesn't care about.

And if she knew or suspected that the princesses' powers were related to the Heart of Etheria, which i will argue for later, then giving her a princessy name is also adequately ironic.

The second name bit is that Scorpia clearly knows some Latin, but not enough. True, <em>adorare</em> means to worship and/or to love, but Latin verbs are more complex than that. _Adora_ specifically is 3rd person singular present indicative active. The translation would be "she loves".

Names aside, i want to talk about how they (we) learned about the Heart of Etheria. Castaspella doesn't know what to do, Shadow Weaver suggests they take a road trip to research, which she's reticent about but concedes is probably the best use of her time, and they find success. We don't know how long it took them, but i had the distinct impression that it wasn't very long.

Naturally, I'm suggesting Shadow Weaver knew all along, and led Castaspella on the trip to have an excuse for the inevitable "how do you know?". Also tricked her into thinking it was /her/ discovery, and maybe even that she was succeeding where Shadow Weaver had failed before, if necessary.

That's why she's so excited to share their results with everybody, and Shadow Weaver cuts her off, apparently just to antagonize her for fun, but I'm suggesting it was also because for her this is the culmination of a decades-long plan, and she wants to Get On With It.

It's also interesting that there was a mural depicting the Spell of Obtainment in the hallway leading to the failsafe. It was a reminder of Shadow Weaver's past, and an opportunity for her to show she regrets her results but doesn't repent from her choices, which i quite like actually. But I'm also saying that, meta-textually, it was a signal that she'd been there before, literally.

And then there is the potential in-universe connection, since we don't know what exactly the spell was meant to be obtaining. Power, for sure, and from what happened we're probably meant to assume it's tapping into some sort of demonic entity or dimension.

Fair enough, except that it never comes up again. And it's kind of a big plot point that Etheria is isolated from the rest of the cosmos, which may or may not conflict with it having a contactable "hell". Meanwhile there's the Heart of Etheria Project collecting all that magic, which Mara's allies (and their descendants) would know something about, have access to at least one backdoor to, and may well have tried to tap into its power at some point.

And then what went wrong may well be one of the defense mechanisms of the Project, though I'm admittedly veering into unfounded speculation.

So, a rough timeline. Light Spinner was always motivated to excel and craved power. She was probably always envied the princesses, who command greater magic than most sorcerers with apparently none of the study and practice.

She took to researching everything she could that might lead to power, eventually discovering the chamber with the failsafe, and presumably other information left by Mara's Friends, either in other chambers or in documents she's since removed. She would have learned a lot of things from this.

As i suggested, i believe she knew there's some connection between the princesses at large and the Heart of Etheria. Incidentally, i don't know exactly what that connection is, and in particular whether princesses were created by the Project or an existing phenomenon that the First Ones co-opted. But it doesn't matter, exactly.

What's important is that there's clearly a connection, more specifically a control system for the princesses and their magic, which is presumably related to how Shadow Weaver was able to tap into the Black Garnet's power. With Hordak's help, obviously, since she clearly believed it when he claimed he could cut her off at will, but he's later shown to have basically no understanding of First Ones' tech, so the knowledge must have come from her.

For the record, i would guess she thinks princesses are artificial, empowered both magically and politically to keep the planet in check, and that they would be depowered once the failsafe was fired. I also think that may be true, actually, since it almost happened when Entrapta was messing with the system, and if i recall none of them were shown to use any magic after Adora did fire it, while she clearly used Perfuma's power. But anyways!

Back to what Shadow Weaver learned, she would know some of what the failsafe does, namely disrupt the system that's hoarding most of the planet's magic, thereby spreading magic to all (most notably her), and some of how to use it, and the fact that she couldn't do so and hope to live, and some of the criteria for who can. That part is important.

But first, she also learned the Spell of Obtainment, deemed it more likely but didn't think she could do it herself, despaired of getting help until she thought Hordak's rise to fame would give her #casus belli#, lost her patience when the Mystacor leadership disagreed, etc etc etc. Pretty uncontroversial in this part, i think.

After she'd joined the Horde, when Hordak showed up with baby Adora and wanted to lump her with the rest of the orphans they have, Shadow Weaver pleaded to have her get special treatment. She even said that she's special, and it couldn't have been her leadership skills or good heart, since she didn't have either yet. It's heavily implied she could recognize her as a First One, but it's not clear why she would care, since they were known for leaving behind advanced technology, which a baby also doesn't have. Unless, of course, she knew there are devices only a First One could use, and maybe has plans related to that.

So I'm pretty sure she learned the criteria that the failsafe requires, devised some spell or technique to check people for them that she pretty much used all the time, just in case, and was very surprised when a newborn tested positive. She was also surprised when Hordak made her personally responsible for the raising of the kid, but her reaction is pretty much "ok, that could work, i guess".

Also also, i suspect she can read First One script. Not perfectly like Adora, but better than Bow's parents probably. Mostly because when she puts Adora's hand on the crystal and says "i think you know the password", that seems like a very transparent attempt to pretend she knows it too when she doesn't. But that seems irresponsible at such a crucial moment, she and Castaspella should really have researched it earlier. Or at least her line there should have been "you can read this, right?" or somesuch.

So I'm thinking it's a double bluff, hoping everybody assumes she doesn't know so she doesn't have to reveal how and why she knows, again.

And that's all i have, i think? This is not nearly as well laid out as i would like. But then, nothing ever is, right?

Also it's not even close to morning anymore. Thank you if you even got this far, and have a good evening!

hi!!! this took me a while to answer, i'm so sorry about that <3

i'm very low on energy today so i cannot summon up the brain energy to respond properly to this, as much as i want to, i'm really sorry for that as well

i love this theory!! it actually fits in really well with canon and makes, like, a LOT of sense now that i think about it. i definitely wouldn't have thought of this on my own, so thank you for sharing this with me!! :D

#asks #leo answers stuff #IM CLEARING OUT MY INBOX #CAUSE I FINALLY HAVE THE TIME #long post #spop meta #shadow weaver

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writernotwaiting · 3 years

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Loki Meta Nobody Asked For, part 3--All MCU Lokis are AU fan fiction Lokis

There is so much in part 3 that I really wanted to see and I very much want to celebrate, but once again, I am conflicted.

Ok. Good things: Loki and his magic. Loki and fighting. Loki and improvisation. Loki as bisexual. Loki talking about his mother. Loki showing a moral compass.

All of these are Most Excellent Things: • Loki here is finally not a de-powered pushover. His illusions are effective. He teleports over a short distance. He resists Sylvie’s mind control. He stops a multi-ton support tower from falling and pushes it back up into place!!!! • He fights effectively--finally! Granted, his dagger misses its mark, but he was drunk, so I’ll give him a pass on that. Aside from that, he finally shows us some highly effective hand-to-hand combat skills. Thankyouverymuch for acknowledging that Loki survived a millennia of life in a warrior culture. He was raised by a warrior king. His brother is a Hero(tm). There’s no way he didn’t learn some skillz. His ineffective fighting in episode 2 can easily be attributed to the fact that he was pulling his punches when he was fighting the human shields Silvie possessed. • Loki’s character explicitly acknowledged their queerness!!!! This makes my little queer heart glow bright, and I think needs no more comment. Just . . . yesssss! • Loki loves his mom. Loki is conflicted about that relationship because They Lied To Him. And did I mention that Loki speaks wistfully about his mother and a bit about the fact he was adopted and no one told him until he already pretty much found out (in the most awkward way ever). Even Sylvie thought that was pretty poor parenting. Good stuff. • Loki really doesn’t want to kill innocent bystanders and only attacks folks who attack him first. He is also kind of appalled to hear that the TVA workers are all variants who’ve had their minds wiped. Again, this is all excellent, and fits well with the Loki we met in Thor I who just really wanted to make sure his war-mongering brother didn’t sit on the throne until he grew up a bit, and then Everything Got Way Out of Control. • We see Smart!Loki in action, as opposed to hear Mobius flatter Loki to get him to cooperate. While one of Loki’s attempts at deception fails miserably, the other works (with Sylvie’s help). This is all excellent and made me Very Happy Indeed!

[more below the break]

I also very much liked many parts of his interactions with Sylvie, and the fact that we got a tiny bit of her backstory (and I love her insistence on her own identity--this is very much I think a Loki thing, “I am not you. I am my own thing, thank you very much”). This relationship has a great deal of potential for complexity and depth. I am totally here for enemies to frenemies to allies if that’s where the series is going.

I like the reveal that the TVA agents are all variants themselves who have been “wiped” and indoctrinated. We are finally getting more obvious hints at the insidiousness of the TVA.

So why am I still conflicted about the series? Well, here is what I did not like: • Loki’s improvisation with the old woman--he had too little information to pull off an effective scam like that and he would have known that. He had a photograph. A black and white photograph--no voice, no personality, no coloration, no body language; he didn’t even know if the picture really was one of a husband and not some other type of relation. There was no way it would ever work. He should have known that. Loki would have known that. • His voice and body language when he pretended to be a guard was stupid and unconvincing, not mimicry. That was a joke. • The getting drunk thing. I found this not only disappointing but insulting and also possibly lazy on the part of the writers. It felt completely out of character. In fact, Sylvie felt much more “Loki-ish” in this scene than Loki did. I just cannot in any universe see Loki doing anything like this under these conditions. They are undercover in a high-pressure situation in which they are about to be wiped out of existence if they fuck things up, and Loki decides to get drunk? No. This is a virtually suicidal loss of control. They have no idea how long they would be on that train or what they would have to deal with later. They have no idea what sort of security is in place on the train. Why did they even stop in a bar, of all places? Why not find a sleeper car and stay out of the way? For that matter, why not just find seats? Why would a guard be sitting in a booth at a bar with a prisoner? They wouldn’t. Loki’s sense of self-preservation is stronger than that. He’s smarter than that. It was stupid and out of character and also unnecessary--there are so many other ways they could have gotten them shoved off that train that did not involve Loki making a spectacle of himself. It was, in fact, a very Thor thing to do, not Loki-like at all. • I still feel as though Tom is over-emoting in all of the scenes that are less than life-or-death. It does not feel like the Loki I met in Thor I and The Avengers. That Loki had a length of re-bar up his spine and only genuinely smiled when he looked at Thor (when Thor was smiling).

I feel like Tom is playing two Lokis in the show--the one that fights his way out of tight spots and occasionally deals with his difficult family issues, and the other is a parody of mischief!Loki--whose face is extremely emotive and who wants to bare his soul to whomever looks vaguely as though they’ll listen to him.

So, here’s my mid-series conclusion. All MCU Lokis are fan fiction Loki’s of the comics. Among those MCu fan fics are three distinct AUs.

1. The Loki we meet in Thor I, The Avengers, and Thor II. This Loki works hard to bury his emotions. His body language is generally stiff and prickly. He is the product of growing up in a culture that is driven by a toxic masculinity and devalues those traits that are coded “feminine” such as all of those things Loki excels at. Because of this, he has gotten the message his entire life that he is with less that the Golden Child that is Thor. He loves his brother with all his soul but resents him because his father placed them in competition with one another. All of this was reinforced by growing as the “tag-along” little brother who was tolerated but not embraced by Thor’s closest friends. This Loki becomes self-destructive and suicidal, experiencing a psychotic break as a result of revelations about his adoption and internalized racism. He spends who-knows-how-long falling through the void enduring perhaps months of sensory deprivation only to be tortured and manipulated by Thanos. He emerges from that experience Truly Fucked Up, stopped of much of his power because he’s had the living shit kicked out of him. But his core self is still there somewhere--a core self that loves his brother, that craves affection, that really hates what Asgard has done to him but still has a moral compass in there somewhere that says wiping out the entire universe is a bad thing and I guess protecting helps humans is something he ought to do since his brother loves them.

2. The Loki we meet in Ragnarok and IW. This isn’t really the same guy as Loki #1. It’s a fan fiction AU in which Loki has no trauma to deal with. He is a manipulator. But he is a manipulator because he is a survivor. He does what he has to do in order to be not dead, and if he can also have some luxury while he does it, well, that’s a bonus. Theoretically, he is a powerful mage--since he was able to overcome Odin and place him in a nursing home--but we don’t see any of that on screen. He is revered Mostly Harmless by the narrative. There is no re-bar up his ass. His body language is much more loose and emotive. His characterization has been flattened out in order to serve as a narrative foil for Thor, and will be bridged in IW to serve Thor’s character development (yet another feminization of his character). Many people really enjoyed this version of Loki. But let’s be clear, he isn’t the same Loki we met in the other three movies.

3. The TVA Loki. This Loki is a new fan fiction. A third AU. This Loki is slightly closer to Loki #1 in that his characterization is a bit more complex than Loki #2. He is smarter. He is more versatile and powerful. He has a backstory that isn’t being mocked. His queerness is not being used to villain-code him. But it would be wrong to say he’s the same Loki that we saw in the first three movies. This Loki’s trauma is all family-related, which great, at least they acknowledge that.

However, he clearly is not the PTSD!Loki that we see in TDW. They have decided (at least so far) to completely ignore what happens between Thor I and The Avengers. I’m not quite sure why it’s ok to deal with trauma when it’s Bucky Barnes and Tony Stark, but not ok when it’s Loki, but this is the decision the director made, and if I want to enjoy the show, I have to be ok with that. So that’s what I’m going to do right now. The Loki show is fan fiction. It’s an AU. And it does a pretty good job at doing that.

#Loki series #Loki spoilers #meta #also posting on Ao3

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novantinuum · 4 years

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Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 1600~

Summary: Lapis genuinely doesn’t know how many hours (Days? Months? Years?) have passed when light finally graces her eyes once again.

Ah, my first Lapis POV fic! This one has been in my drafts for ages- at least a year and a half. Feels nice to finally have it done.

If you read this and enjoy, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos/comments on AO3. Thank you! <3

________

Finally Free

It’s funny, in a way.

She spent thousands of years trapped inside herself, unable to form... hating the Crystal Gems... fearing the endless destructive conquest of the Diamonds... and yet in the end, the first time she falls in a battle she fought willingly she does so fighting alongside those star-bearing rebels, face-to-face with the very Diamond who abandoned her to Earth to be forgotten to begin with.

And now, she’s gone. Trapped inside herself again. It’s equal parts disorienting as it is concerning. After all, Lapis Lazuli cannot see the world beyond. She has no way of knowing if the Crystal Gems lost or won. No way of knowing if she’ll be shattered at any moment. It’s nerve-racking— suffocating! She wants out. She wants to know.

But no matter what she tries, she can’t manage to pull herself out of this formless limbo on demand. She always imagined that the next time she got struck down she’d reform in an instant... pop right back up like the next day’s dawn, ready to slice the waves and swing her fists like she’s never been shaken to her knees in the first place. Apparently not.

Despite her dearest wishes, it would seem the universe has a higher agenda.

Lapis genuinely doesn’t know how many hours (Days? Months? Years?) have passed when light finally graces her eyes once again.

Fittingly, it’s the ocean who greets her first as she hovers midair in the midst of reformation, arms outstretched and coursing with newfound strength as her form fully solidifies. She gently falls to her knees on the sand. With the sun’s energizing warmth kissing the gemstone on her back, she spreads her fingers through the fine granules, her relief at being free from unconsciousness’ cruel prison so palpable and overwhelming that for a moment she’s irrationally terrified she’ll poof again from the intensity of this fierce emotion alone. Her hard-light body remains solid, however. After all, she’s a stubborn Gem. There’s no way she’ll let herself poof as easily as she did this time around ever again.

Coaxing herself to her feet, she makes a clear point of judiciously surveying her surroundings. Her first big clue as to the outcome of the battle is the fact that the Diamond ships still lay broken and motionless in the shallows at the edge of the peninsula. (Not to mention the fact that the Earth is still... well, here.) Directly behind her, she finds a makeshift worktable formed out of a thick board placed over twin stacks of wood, with plenty of human tools scattered across its surface. No one appears to be hanging around Steven’s house right now, but there’s a sizable tarp thrown over the half that Blue’s ship smashed during the battle. That’s good, that insinuates that someone’s alive to begin repairs. Although, wait a minute... Her brow sharply creases as she filters back through recent memory. Wasn’t that ship still leaning against the side of the cliff when she poofed? How’d it get into the water? And how did the arm ship’s thumb get reattached?

Before she can fret about these mysteries further and and risk losing herself to a burst of paranoid panic, she hears her name called from the distance. Attentively, she whirls around, seeking its source.

It’s Peridot, sprinting right towards her across the fine sand as if the rest of this growing, changing world has somehow hurtled to an abrupt stop. But not her. Goodness, never her. She’s always in motion, always manages to be so alive.

And she... she’s changed her outfit. There’s stars everywhere, on her leggings at her knees, in the silhouette formed by the shape of her visor and hair, and plastered proudly right across her chest. Lapis can’t help but give a fond smirk at the sight. It suits her. Now she can finally represent like a true Crystal Gem.

“Lapis!” she exclaims as she crosses the final distance, lands herself face-to-face once more. “You’re finally back!”

For a minuscule moment the green eyes behind that tinted visor glitter with deep affection and relief, and her arms stretch outward as if she intends to envelop her in a tight embrace and never let go, but as oft is the case, the turbulent waves of emotion coursing through this Gem are riddled with more complexity than initial appearances let on. And if there’s one thing Lapis fails to excel at, it’s understanding how to best respond to the nuances of complex emotions. She’s never been much of a people person, even before her capture.

Eventually, the joyful familiarity within Peridot’s expression dims, and— inhaling deep— she steeples her fingers together as if she were an agate merely addressing a subordinate. The tone of her voice becomes bitingly procedural, detached.

(Try as she may, Lapis can’t block the ephemeral ache this new reality elicits at her core as the conversation continues. She clutches at her wrist, shamefully dropping her gaze to the sand.)

“Anyways,” the former Kindergarten technician says evenly, gesturing at the mess littering the beach behind them, “we have a lot of work to do. No time to waste!”

Her brow creases. “But... didn’t we win?”

“We did, yes,” she nods in confirmation. “Bismuth can explain in more depth, but she’s currently on one of the diamond ships. We’re fixing them so we can fly out as backup.”

“Backup? Backup for what?”

Peridot’s cool and collected guise crumples at this query, her hands curling into small fists as she blinks away any lingering evidence of her distress.

“Steven’s in trouble,” she reveals. “We just received a distress message from him yesterday. I’m told he returned to Homeworld with the Diamonds to discuss healing all the corrupted Gems, but...”

“Something went wrong,” she guesses, the shadow of her bangs darkening over her eyes. “They turned on him.”

“Well... we don’t really know what happened. Which is why time is of the essence!” she says with a sudden surge of positive energy, swiftly jabbing her pointer finger in the air. “Follow me, and I’ll show you where we’re working.”

Her old roommate prepares to jog away, towards the other side of the beach where the ships lay in temporary rot and ruin. Time stills in Lapis’ mind, if but for a brief moment, as she watches the sunlight glint at the upper edge of her visor, the refraction producing almost kaleidoscopic patterns in the sand. The choppy rhythm of the ocean, its undulating melody as it washes in and away from shore, uninterrupted... it almost sounds sad. She hums a few bars of a song she wrote back in her solitude, on the moon. And then she realizes, eyes widening... that she never really left that place, did she? In a way, even though she returned to Earth, it’s like she’s still stuck watching everyone from that observation sphere, still barring herself from nurturing her relationships with others out of fear.

Lapis throws her glance out towards the endless horizon, standing tall and erect as the loose pants of her new form billow against her legs in the light breeze. The long-held tension at her core releases. She’s done closing herself off from people. She’s done with feeling trapped and alone. She wants to mend her relationships, not let them erode away.

Which means... she has to at least try to make things right with Peridot. Somehow.

The tide’s pace resumes to its full intensity. At that precise moment, her friend turns on her heels, swiftly preparing to return to their work site.

“Peridot,” she says, quickly stepping forward to catch her shoulder before she can walk off, before she journeys to some distant shore where she can’t follow.

The shorter Gem freezes in place upon the utterance of her name. She doesn’t respond in words initially, lips tightly pursed. Waiting. Hoping.

(Stars, just say it!)

“I... I shouldn’t have run away,” Lapis blurts out, her form growing lighter the second that vocalization crosses the threshold from her guilt-filled subconscious to shining reality. “That was... a huge mistake. And I really wish I could make it up to you, but...” Her scattered focus shifts as she searches for something— anything— to say in further acknowledgement of her regret, eventually landing upon the shattered remnants of wood still strewn across the beach. She sighs sadly, giving her respects. “I’m pretty sure we can both agree that the barn’s a goner.”

Under her hold, Peridot’s once-tense shoulder relaxes. She makes no move to face her, however, still drinking in the no-doubt humbling sight of this planet’s boundless sea

“Well,” she begins slowly. “As long as you work to communicate with your friends whenever you feel overwhelmed in the future, and promise not to kidnap all of my morps into space again, I think we can call it even.”

She places one of her hands atop hers, the action but a small sign of their renewed goodwill.

“In any case, I’m- really glad you’re back,” she says, fondness evident in her tone.

Lapis smiles.

The ocean’s melody is no longer tinged with a companionless melancholy.

It’s funny how things can change.

She spent thousands of years terrified of the consequences of being caught as traitor to the Great Diamond Authority, and now she’s planning to illegally commandeer a diamond ship to fly a rescue mission into the stagnant heart of Homeworld. She’s only been a Crystal Gem for the equivalent of a few minutes, and yet she’s already reformed bolder and braver than ever before.

She feels strong. Despite the inherent danger of their task, she feels an ever-building reassurance, fighting amongst her friends. For the first time ever, she finally feels like someone has her back.

Lapis closes her eyes as she reflects on the culmination of her journey, standing confident alongside her dear friend on the bridge of Blue’s ship.

No more searching. No more running. She’s finally free.

#su #lapis lazuli #peridot #su fanfiction #my writing stuff

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joontier · 4 years

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The King’s Guard | Chapter 4

–> Pairings: kim seokjin x reader; jeon jungkook x reader ; min yoongi x reader

–> Rating: R | Genre: historcal drama, smut, angst, fluff | warnings: explicit language, intense pining, swearing, infidelity, implied dubious consent! (drunk yn, implied coercion), dom! daechwita yoongi, oral male receiving, unprotected sex, v rough sex, choking kink, pain kink, boobie spanking, edging, basically yoongs wanting to fuck yn’s brains out, voyeurism, sweaty sex, jk hates yoongi’s blonde hair with passion

–> Word count: 8.9k

–> A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the araw to my gabby @mintseesaw and tkg enthusiast @dameleia ILYSM BOTH u guys dont know how much i value the support you have given to me and this fic!!! I told yall i was gonna post this tomorrow but here we are BC I AM A: 🤡 Feedback is always appreciated! <3

The King’s Guard - Masterlist || navi.

The King’s Guard | Chapter 4

“Ugh, what kind of rat is trying to bother me now?” the man mumbles, dragging his poorly-worn, boot clad feet against the soil. It’s far too late in the evening, and he swears to his ancestors he will not hesitate to choke this man to death if all this noise will be for nothing. The banging won’t stop, and the servant finds himself uncharacteristically exerting more energy in quickening his steps as a neighbor shouts about keeping the noise down.

“What in the king’s name do you-“

The man comes face to face with none other than the captain of the royal guards himself who’s already handing him a pouch containing more payment than he will ever receive in his life. “I need you to do something.”

Once Jungkook had told the man of his orders, he turned on his heel, leaving the man to return to his house. With no hurry, the captain heads back to the palace, letting himself drown in his thoughts, reminiscing the past as he kicks a few stray pebbles along the path.

“Jungkook-ah, catch this!” Yoongi pretends to throw the ball in the air as Jungkook lurches forward, looking up. The older boy bends over in laughter, one arm hooked around the ball he ‘supposedly’ threw. Yoongi’s chest beams with pride, and mirth, having fooled his younger brother yet again.

“Hyung! That’s unfair!” Jungkook stomps his foot on the ground, a cloud of smoke dispersing around his feet at the strength of it. Their mother watches with adoration from where she’s preparing their lunch inside their house. Shaking her head at their foolishness, Min Misun continues to add their homegrown herbs onto the chicken stock, occasionally peering at her two sons.

They’ve been arguing more often these days, fighting even over the simplest of things. Misun is well aware though that the alleged ‘despise’ they hold against each other is nothing but playful banter between her two boys. At the end of the day, they know they enjoy each other’s company the most and that they hold the strongest bond between siblings.

They are coming of age soon too, and that endless stream competitiveness coursing through their veins is something brought about by their youth and will remain the same as never anything more than two boys playing around. The two would always make Misun choose her favorite between them, but she’d just shrug them away and tease them incessantly about not telling who her favorite was, much to her sons’ demise. She loved them both equally with all her being.

Quite astonishingly, while one was lacking in something, the other would be extremely good at. Not that they were already good at everything – as their father had taught them a vast majority of things, passing on the importance of being knowledgeable in the many fields of life.

While Yoongi excelled at swordsmanship, Jungkook was an expert at archery. One was unbeatable at field sports while the other genuinely enjoyed games that required more thinking than physical movement. They were polar opposites most times, but when they teamed up together to play (or fight!) against the other boys at the village, they were unbeatable. They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses the most and used their unspoken dynamics to their advantage.

Just like that one time Yoongi found his younger brother getting pushed around by stronger, bigger, and older boys in the marketplace. Yoongi immediately leaves the sack of rice with his mother, running towards the circle they’ve formed around Jungkook. The older sibling pushes his way through the small crowd of boys around their age. Yoongi finds poor Jungkook trembling with fear in the midst of it all, but maintains his head held high, trying his best to appear brave even when he feels his cowardice taking over him. As soon as Yoongi reaches the center, he takes hold of his brother’s hand, dragging him out of the commotion. But definitely not before taking out the biggest one – delivering a punch straight to the boy’s face that had him falling backwards. “Pick on someone your own size,” he told the boy and threatened him with an even more painful punishment if he dared to hurt his brother once more.

Or that one time when it was Yoongi who found himself in trouble, having been accused of stealing a chicken when he was merely passing by the merchant’s stall and the actual thief slammed the chicken against his chest. With Jungkook trailing a few steps behind, seeing the whole fiasco, he placed a foot out to trip the robber. The thief unfortunately stealthily avoided his foot, getting away. He caught a glimpse of his brother concurrently being confronted by the stall owner, and takes another look at the man who was getting farther. Cursing under his breath, Jungkook takes after the robber. The young boy, being blessed with strong legs, catches the thief in no time and dragged him back to the merchant, demanding his brother to be freed from captivity.

A few more moments pass and Jeon Yeongkwan arrives from the forest after having collected firewood all morning. Yeongkwan greets his wife with a kiss, while the children scurry towards their father to greet him with a hug.

As Yeongkwan joins his children in playing, the family’s lone horse starts neighing wildly, signaling someone’s arrival. He immediately ushers his children and Misun inside, telling them to stay quiet until he deems it safe for them to come out.

He’d retrieved his trusty sword he’d kept on the bottom drawer of his closet, he takes cautious steps towards the threshold, warily gripping the weapon in his hands. He hates the fact that he’d have to use this a little too soon after the Great Colonization, but if it means keeping his family from harm’s way, he’d gladly wield it with all his strength.

With the southern city nearest to the neighboring countries, it makes the city most susceptible to colonizers. And just because the turmoil had already ended, it wasn’t enough assurance that there weren’t any foreigners left on their land lurking around to make another attempt to take their lands once more.

Peering from the corner of the brick wall surrounding their house, Yeongkwan watches a nearing horse carrying the city’s emblem. He visibly relaxes at the sight, but remains wary nevertheless. There had been rumors of foreigners impersonating citizens, taking the emblems for themselves and posing as residents of the country, and he could never risk the safety of his family

As the horse draws nearer, he sees the man atop the steed clad in the palace’s uniform. What other reason could bring a palace worker here when he’d already retired from his position as general of the southern army? He’d already made his intentions clear with the king; that he wanted nothing more than to spend his remaining days in a quiet place with his family.

It was a difficult time for the entire country, undoubtedly, and citizens had not fully recuperated from the recent conclusion of the war. Yeongkwan hopes that this man’s arrival doesn’t bring with him news of new trouble. If he was being honest, it had been a great honor to have served the king and to have fought with him side by side, and eventually spared him from death at some point. Yeongkwan loved the south clearly, he was born and raised there after all, but when he had wed Misun and blessed him with two sons, nothing else mattered more to him than his family of four.

Yeongkwan had only joined the army because of the king’s orders that at least one man from each family join the militia – a proclamation nobody in the city could contest. But it was the thought of his family well-being and safety from the colonizers that kept him alive. He’d instantly been promoted to general as the previous man holding the title had been slain in battle, and Yeongkwan was the one who plunged a sword into the colonizer who tried to stab the king at the back. He was grateful for the offer of a high military ranking but had expressed his desire not to continue working for the militia. Gratefully, the king had honored his request after the war had ended.

Now that another palace worker has found himself back to Yeongkwan’s family home, the patriarch can’t help but worry over what might be the cause of this man’s unexpected arrival.

The man pulls at the reigns, definitely making the horse halt its trotting. “Are you Jeon Yeongkwan?” The man hesitates for a moment before giving away his identity. “Yes, that is me. Can I…help you with anything?” He glances at the sword he’d rested against the wall.

The messenger doesn’t say anything, but instead retrieves a scroll from a satchel attached to the horses’ saddle. “To Jeon Yeongkwan, a message from King Daesin, ruler of the south. You have been invited to a private supper with the King tomorrow evening in celebration of the successful cessation of the foreigners from colonizing our country. The rest of your family’s presence will be highly appreciated.”

Yeongkwan nods in acknowledgment, this time truly breathing a sigh of relief. The messenger re-rolls the parchment and places the same on Yeongkwan’s hands and leaves without any other words. Misun approaches her husband as soon as the mysterious man was out of sight, placing a comforting hand at the small of his back. “Who was it?” His two sons likewise approach him.

“The King has invited us for dinner tomorrow evening.”

Misun immediately squeals in excitement, surprising the three boys of the household. “Does that mean we get to see the palace? Oh! We need to get new clothes then? How am I supposed to sew you three new clothes? We only got old ceremonial ones kept in our room but I don’t think those will still fit any of you…” She taps her chin subconsciously, deep in thought and worry.

Yeongkwan, absolutely smitten with Misun’s hidden charms and unable to control his adoration for his wife, places a chaste kiss on her cheek, “I think you’ll look beautiful in anything, my love.” Their two sons gag at the sight, passionately cringing at their parents. Yeongkwan chuckles, as Misun hides her reddened cheeks in the crook of his neck.

“In the near future my sons, when you get to marry the woman you love more than yourself, you’ll understand.”

Misun had worked on their clothes all night, and by the time she finished, the sun had already risen. She worries that she might not look presentable enough with the darkening circles under her eyes for having stayed up late, but with her husband’s constant reassurance and praise, he managed to convince Misun that she looked more than presentable.

As they reach the royal hanok, a royal guard knocks on the door once, announcing the arrival of the Jeon family. “Jeonha, former General Jeon Yeongkwan has arrived with his family.” The door opens, revealing a majestic room, one nearly thrice as large as the boys’ shared sleeping quarters.

Yeongkwan kneels to the floor, bowing in courtesy. The two boys continue to marvel at the room, mouths agape as each of their parents tug at their pants to follow suit.

The king of the south rises from his seat, approaching the family he had wanted to meet for so long. “Rise, my old friend.” King Daesin places a hand on Yeongkwan’s shoulder, beckoning him to stand up.

“Are these your boys?” he asks the former general, ruffling Yoongi’s and Jungkook’s hair at the same time. “Fine young men, you are. Just like your dad...A few years back that is,” the king observes, squatting down so he can face them at eye level. Yeongkwan smiles at the king, while the latter lets out an amused chuckle at the former’s sons who are unabashedly staring at the king of the south.

“Jeonha, it is my greatest honor to introduce to you the love of my life, Min Misun.” Yeongkwan steps aside to reveal his wife. Misun bows, letting her knees touch the floor as courtesy. When Misun rises, they meet eyes, and Daesin’s lips part lightly in astonishment.

Misun was definitely a wonder to take in. During the recesses of the war, he had been told of stories of the lady by the husband himself, who claims that there was no other woman in the nation who could compare to his wife. Daesin just wasn’t expecting that Yeongkwan’s stories had not been biased after all.

The king of the south recollects himself and bows curtly to the lady as well. At that point Yeongkwan knew, this was a battle he wasn’t going to win, because what the king wants, the king gets.

As the brothers aged over the years, the two learned to reconcile their differences and bonded over their similarities and strengthened their own abilities. Then came the subject of girls, when the now young men found attraction towards the opposite sex, both spending more time talking over the fairer sex rather than arguing over small things.

“Hyung…”

“Continue your reading, Kook. You know our father’s sentiments about our studies.” Yoongi reprimands, not bothering to spare his little brother a look as he continues to indulge himself in Confucian canon and likewise jotting down his remarks on a separate notebook.

Jungkook opens his mouth to speak, but Yoongi beats him to it, again. “And stop painting when you still have three more books to finish.”

The younger boy deflates at his brother’s words. “Hyung, you know how I feel about studying right?”

“Yes, and unless you want to get scolded at by both our parents, I suggest you put that away now and continue it later, when we’re done studying.”

“Fine. I will, but you have to answer my question first.”

Yoongi quickly puts his book and brush down, looking up to face Jungkook. Better to get this over with quickly, than to reply with a snarky comment and eventually exert more energy trying to banter with his brother.

“Have you ever liked a girl?”

The older sibling gets genuinely caught off guard with Jungkook’s query. “Well?” the younger man raises a brow expectantly. There is no escaping this now, Yoongi thinks, pursing his lips as he racks his brain for an answer.

“I-...yes,” Yoongi sighs, accepting his defeat.

“Wait...what?! For real? Well, well, well - I’m surprised some girl managed to soften my perpetually stoic, cold-blooded, ruthless animal of a brother.” Yoongi narrows his eyes. Of course, what was a conversation with Jungkook without his little brother trying to rile him up. Yoongi gets back to Confucius.

“Hyung, hyung,” Jungkook tries to get his attention once more, ceaselessly tugging at his sleeves. If Jungkook literally thinks, that after years of having to deal with this - that he can still annoy him by doing this, well...he’s definitely right.

“What now?”

Yoongi closes his eyes, trying not to release all the pent-up frustration he’d been holding in for years. Once again, Jungkook’s lame methods of trying to divert both of them from focusing on their readings had proven effective.

“Let me guess, you have a thing for Head Court Lady Kyo don’t you?” Jungkook teases, now poking at Yoongi’s sides, who’s desperately trying to keep his ticklishness at bay. “What?! No! The old lady can flirt with whoever she pleases for all I care!” The younger man laughs at Yoongi’s indignant reply.

“Hmm, if it’s not Head Court Lady Kyo that you’re fantasizing about every night, it must be a younger one then? I never took you for someone who’d find girls calling you ‘orabeoni’ quite...arousing,” Jungkook snorts, pouring himself a cup of tea and raising the same right in front of Yoongi’s face. “Well, geonbae to you, hyung. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you. We all have our preferences anyways, right orabeoni?” The younger sibling emphasizes his last word with a shrill voice, clutching on Yoongi’s arm and rubbing his face against the silk.

“You’re disgusting Kook. Stop trying to make ridiculous excuses just so you won’t continue your reading,” Yoongi reminds Jungkook once more, though he can’t deny he also got distracted himself. With a deep exhale, Yoongi closes his book and sets aside his readings. They have the rest of the day to finish it anyways.

“Fine, ‘wanna see her?”

Jungkook raises his fists in triumph. “Of course! Let’s see if you have good taste in women.” Yoongi rolls his eyes, momentarily stretching his limbs after having remained seated for so long. “Let me warn you Kook, she’s nothing like you’ve ever seen before so, so…don’t fall in love with her, okay?” He isn’t sure if his tone was serious enough for Jungkook to see right through him, but he prays for the same nonetheless. ‘Because she’s mine. I’ll make her mine,’ comes the final words of Yoongi, voice barely above a whisper. Thankfully, Jungkook doesn’t hear him.

“Honestly, hyung, I doubt we even have similar tastes. Considering you have history with Head Court La-”

“Say her name one more time and I’ll cut off your balls in your sleep.”

That effectively shuts the younger boy up.

The pair traverses halfway across the South’s palace, Yoongi leading Jungkook to the southern princess’ hanok. “Hyung, we aren’t supposed to be here. Didn’t mother specifically tell us to not to go anywhere near the royal families’ private hanoks?”

“Relax. We’ll watch from here, and then you tell me if my girl is anywhere close to your beloved Head Court Lady Kyo.” Yoongi grits through his teeth, taunting Jungkook with a quick raise of his brows.

“Whatever you say, hyung,” the younger one chuckles, this time genuinely curious who’s the mysterious girl who had managed to snatch his brother’s heart.

If only Jungkook had enough guts to tell his brother even half the truth… at the same time, he feared that if he did such a thing, Yoongi wouldn’t have taken him seriously. It wasn’t really that he wasn’t genuinely curious who’s the girl his brother won’t stop daydreaming about, but he too, had grown affections for someone as well, and Jungkook thought if maybe he heard Yoongi speak about his feelings, he would have an inkling of an idea how to handle his own.

The two brothers were nearly inseparable, but with Jungkook’s introverted self and Yoongi’s stoic character, they never really found themselves talking about things on the more serious side. They were close, but not close enough.

Yoongi, being the ‘perfect’ son that he was, used his idle time reading and training as what their parents had strongly reiterated them to do. While Yoongi was busy being the ideal child, Jungkook was out on the fields of the palace, constantly satiating his hunger for the practicality of all things natural instead of reading it from books with Chinese symbols.

Jungkook dislikes reading with great fervour. Actually, most of the other boys his age in the same village share the same sentiments so he can’t seem to figure out why Yoongi keeps on reading.

With Jungkook out enjoying the real world, he’d taken great interest venturing the ins and outs of the Southern palace, particularly the woods by the western gates.

One day, after lunch, the young boy found himself back in the woods by the west gates, this time bringing along his beloved bow and arrow with him. He’d figured this was the best place he could practice his skills in archery. As he was getting ready to target a bird resting on a high branch, Jungkook hears the rustling of leaves nearby, the sound immediately making hide beneath a tree.

He had company. Jungkook chews on his bottom lip, immediately regretting not heeding to his mother’s specific orders. “Never venture near the royal families’ private hanoks.” Her stern voice rings throughout his head. With a deep sigh, he throws his bow and arrow to the side, putting his hands up in surrender as he moves from the trunk of the tree.

He walks forward cautiously with his eyes closed, face twisted in an exaggerated grimace. Jungkook waits for someone to grab him, yet nothing happens. Prying one eye open, he’s surprised to come face to face with a girl, who’s wiping away her tears with the sleeves of her jeogori.

Genuinely astonished at the sight he wasn’t expecting, he takes another step forward, studying her appearance. She was wearing clothes of the finest silk, one that could only have been afforded by nobility. There’s mud all over the bottom of her hanbok though, which probably meant she’d been in the woods for quite some time, and judging by her distraught condition, Jungkook only presumes one thing and one thing alone: she’s lost.

“A-are you okay?”

His question only seems to have driven the girl to cry harder, because she’d gone full-on sobbing, shoulders shaking violently as she cried into her palms. “Hey,” Jungkook hesitantly extends his hand out, unsure of whether he should be touching the girl or not. He settles on patting the girl’s hair lightly from a distance. Albeit the distance being uncomfortable and awkward, Jungkook’s ministrations effectively seems to calm the girl down.

Jungkook’s eyes widen in surprise when the girl surges toward him, enveloping him in a hug. With one of his hands still awkwardly hanging in mid-air, he lets it fall gently back to the girl’s head, continuing his earlier actions. The two stay like that for some time. Jungkook’s arm is starting to get sore, but he can’t seem to bring himself to complain, not when the girl in his arms is still hiccupping her tears away.

“I’m…sorry,” the girl says, pulling away from her embrace. Jungkook wants to tell her she could stay in his arms for as long as she wanted, enjoying the feeling of being someone a stranger could literally, and figuratively lean on.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook repeats, gesturing to a fallen log nearby to make her sit and get some rest. Beside her, Jungkook patiently waits until she’ll give him an answer, genuinely concerned at her condition and what could have possibly led her to the woods all by herself.

The sat there on the log for quite some time, and the girl finally speaks. “I was following a butterfly around home,” the girl says, toying with her skirt. “I thought I was still near where I lived but the next thing I knew, I’m already stuck in the middle of the forest.”

“Did you get lost too?”

Jungkook shakes his head no, and the girl finally faces him. The boy is rendered speechless. Even with a few small traces of mud on her face, this girl seated beside him has got to be the prettiest girl he’s ever seen in his entire life. Admittedly, he hasn’t seen plenty of girls, but she has got to be on top of the list.

Jungkook opens his mouth to say something, but holds back. Instead, he retrieves a piece of cloth from the pocket sewn by his mother on his pants. “You’ve got a…um…something…face…I um…” the boy gestures to his face, fingers pointing to a portion of his face and hoping he gets the message across. “Oh!” The girl’s eyes widen in realization. She wipes her face with her soiled sleeves, only adding to the dirt on her face.

The young boy bites his lip, trying to fight the wide grin that etches itself on his face. “Here, let me help you,” Jungkook offers, rising from where he’s seated and nears the girl. Gently, he places a finger to tilt her head up, and tenderly wipes the dried mud off her face.

Every brush of Jungkook’s fingers against her soft skin sends a spark through his veins. He tries his best to focus on the task at hand, but being blessed and cursed with the attention span of a three-year-old, he feels his fingers start to tremble slightly. Plus having to resist just taking your face in his hands, to have and to hold your smooth skin against his palms, his hands start to get all the more clammy.

When their eyes meet, Jungkook feels his heart thudding heavily against his chest, before he finds himself blinking rapidly. He lets out a cough as he looks away, not noticing the blush that mutually spreads across their cheeks.

“What’s your name?” she queries, secretly fanning her face to cool the heat on her cheeks. Jungkook ponders for a moment, remembering his father’s daily reminders of not talking to strangers. He’s thankful his father didn’t mention anything about talking to pretty strangers. He settles on a nickname he’d made up at that moment.

“Call me Kookie.”

Jungkook swipes at his sleeves furiously for the hundredth time. “Will you stop fidgeting?” Yoongi complains, narrowing his eyes at his brother. “Can’t you see? There are insects crawling everywhere! I get it okay! This is my punishment for disturbing your studying. I apologize already!” Jungkook continues swatting at the poor insects who’d been callously flung from the boy’s silk-covered arms.

“Are you even waiting for someone? Or you just brought me here to suffer?”

“Shush it, will you?!” Yoongi huffs, getting annoyed at Jungkook’s nagging. Well if his brother won’t stop irking him, Yoongi decides he might as well have brought him here as punishment. “Shh, here they come!” Yoongi gives a sharp tug at Jungkook’s sleeves, nearly causing the latter to fall into a shrub. The younger teenager follows Yoongi’s line of sight – the now opening doors of the private hanok of the southern princess.

Four rows of court ladies file out, hanboks with shades of turquoise and blue walking in unison as they leave the princess’s quarters. “Keep your eyes open! She’s coming.” Yoongi whispers harshly, placing his two palms around Jungkook’s head to make sure he doesn’t lose focus. “There are so many of them though!”

“Not the court ladies, pabo! Her!”

At the end of the line was the girl Yoongi was pertaining to – she was still young, yet the stance that she held and the aura she gave off was equivalent to that of a queen’s. It was the princess of the south, dressed in her ceremonial clothes: multiple layers of red silk, embedded with the emblem of the south and a dragon imprinted on the back. Her head was adorned with several hairpins of pure gold and rare gems – determinative of your rank in the royal family. It was the princess. Yoongi had a crush on the princess. A girl of a rank way out of their leagues.

The princess of the south was rumored to have this beauty like no other, with the face and wits of no ordinary girl. She was revered as the hidden treasure of the south, someone who could bring two battling nations together as one.

Unfortunately for Jungkook, the princess of the south was also the same girl he’d helped not so long ago, the girl who came crying into his arms when she got lost in the woods, the girl who was the only reason he enjoyed visiting the palace after lunch just so she could tell stories of her daily activities, the same girl who exclusively called him Kookie – the same girl he fell for. Jungkook hears his heart rip into two.

It was you.

“Jeonha, the captain of the royal guards is here to see you.” Not bothering to wait for Yoongi’s permission, Jungkook pushes the guard aside and lets himself inside the guest’s hanok, likewise ordering the southerners to leave them be.

“They’re not your people, Kook. You can’t tell them to do things just like that.”

Jungkook lets a smug grin adorn his face. “You’re right. They’re not just yours, they are our people. So leave, now.” From one corner of the room, the General of the Southern army - Hoseok, remains seated with a steely face as he eyes the younger man, the grip on his own cup of wine tightening. ‘How dare he talk to the king like that?’ Yoongi nods curtly at Hoseok, wordlessly telling them to leave them alone.

“So, are you here to finally give your hyung a proper welcome?” Jungkook remains silent, staring at his brother. The younger man watches as his hyung discards his headband, throwing the black piece of cloth to a nearby table. Jungkook sneers, finally taking in his brother’s appearance. What was with the yellowish hair? What a disgrace to their family - what a disgrace to all of humanity.

He isn’t sure if it’s the jealousy speaking, definitely not used to his brother hogging all the ladies’ attention in the palace. Was there something wrong with having normal black hair? Since when did strange locks become a thing with women? Yoongi speaks, drawing Jungkook back to reality and away from his brother’s golden locks.

“You know, wearing the emblem of the capitol doesn’t instantly make you one of them, Kook,” Yoongi starts, pouring himself a cup of wine. Jungkook disregards his brother’s comment.

“Where is Seokjin?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

Just as Yoongi parts his mouth to say something, the hanok’s door slides open, and a disheveled man enters. “Jeonha,” the man bows from the waist, immediately scurrying to his king. He whispers something to the blonde-haired man, a scowl forming on his face as the man finishes what he has to say.

“My sincerest apologies, Jeonha,” the man bows again, not daring to look at the king of the south. Yoongi has his jaw set at the news brought by this stranger, Jungkook observes, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches his brother. Yoongi nods his head towards the door, once again ordering the man to leave the premises.

Jungkook is tempted to ask what the man reported to Yoongi, but he knows better, definitely sure that his brother wasn’t going to give him anything. “Where is Seokjin?” he repeats, emphasizing each word through gritted teeth.

“What’s it to you anyways? Don’t tell me you’re getting soft for the queen?” Jungkook stops himself from bellowing - it’s far too late to disturb anyone in the palace. “A bit rich coming from you, isn’t it?”

Yoongi’s brows furrow in confusion at his brother’s words. Of course, Yoongi doesn’t know. He was never one to ask about Jungkook’s feelings anyways. The older sibling decides to let go of his brother’s questionable words.

“I have other things do. Excuse me.”

Yoongi walks past his brother, leaving his brother inside the hanok as he searches for something to eat. Jungkook grabs at a near vase, hands tightening around the neck of the ornament in an attempt to control his anger. He intends to smash the China to the ground, but returns the vase back to its place, takes a deep breath, and decides to follow his brother. Just like old times.

“Jeonha,” Hoseok rises abruptly from where he’s seated as he sees his king exit the hanok. “What are we to do now my King?” General Jung questions, pertaining to the man’s report just earlier. Yoongi cards a hand through his hair, fingers stopping just before the ponytail. “I…I’ll think of something.” Anxiety is evident in the king’s voice, so Hoseok decides to say nothing else, quietly trailing behind his king.

As Yoongi vocalizes his intentions of heading to the kitchen, he decides to go the long way round, wanting to pass by your hanok before he grabs something to eat. Yoongi finally reaches the corner of your hanok, surprised to see light flooding onto the wooden pathway. You leave your doors open this late at night?

When the two reach your door, they take a peek inside revealing you dancing around, a vessel in one hand and clothes with the other. There aren’t even any guards around your hanok. “Jeonha, I never knew women of the capitol enjoyed solo drinking sessions as well? You two would seem like a great pair.” Hoseok nudges Yoongi a little too strong, that the king of south bumps against the door, the sound exposing their cover. Yoongi glares at the general who deflates under his king’s stare.

“Who’s there?” Yoongi hears you giggle as you call out and he sees a court lady crane her head to the threshold. “Can I help you with anything, my Sirs?”

“Just passing by, right Jeonha?” Hoseok coughs, side-glancing Yoongi with wide eyes. His king disregards him completely. “What’s your queen doing?” Yoongi turns to Chaeyoung who gulps and takes another look at you who’s busy twirling and swaying gently as you hold the fabric close to your body.

Yoongi takes a closer look, realizing that it wasn’t just any fabric you were clutching onto, but your husband’s royal garments. “Is she okay?”

You’re clearly not okay.

“Am I okay?” you ask yourself, laughing obnoxiously at no one in particular. “I’ll take care of her, you can retire to your quarters now.” The blonde-haired man says to Chaeyoung.

“You can’t make her leave, Yoongi. If you want her to leave, I have to take one of yours as well.” You point a finger towards Hoseok who’s eyes widen at your proposal. “M-me?”

“Do I look like I’m referring to somebody else?”

Yoongi chortles at his general. The amount of skills he had in fighting was on some days…the same amount he lacked up there. Yoongi places a hand on his shoulder and proceeds to give Hoseok a pat on the back. “Go on then. I’ll be alright.” Hoseok sighs, escorting Chaeyoung with him. “Agassi, shall we?”

Yoongi finally lets himself inside your hanok, sliding the doors close behind him. He strides towards you, placing a hand over your grip on the vessel of rice wine. “Come on, Jungjeon-mama. That’s enough.”

“Oh, since when did you start addressing me by my title?”

“Would you rather me address you by your name then, __________?” Your name sounds nice falling from his lips, enjoying the way you’re letting him to call you casually like this.

Your grip won’t budge on vessel either, so he resorts to poking your waist, hoping you were just as ticklish as he observed years before back at the southern palace. You let out a giggle that Yoongi concurrently deems music to his ears, and takes advantage of your loosened grip on the vessel. He sets the wine down on the table, now tempted to take a sip for himself.

“Where’s your husband, __________?”

You don’t answer. You aren’t going to give this man anything he asks for despite your intoxicated state. You silently pray that sobriety will soon fall upon you, as you don’t think you’ll be able to stand being in the same room as your unexpected visitor. Strangely, you likewise wish that you could’ve drank just a little more, just so you won’t feel his presence in your room. As you remain silent, busy with your thoughts, the king of the south answers his own question.

“Word spread around here that he’s left to pacify the South,” Yoongi shrugs, taking a step towards you and craning his neck forward, seemingly gauging your reaction even when your back is facing him.

“Well, absolutely no turmoil is going on in the South, else I wouldn’t be here gracing you with my presence. I can personally assure you that fact.”

You feel your stomach drop, getting more sober as you feel him take another step towards you. Seokjin couldn’t have lied to you, or worse, couldn’t have kept anything from you - especially something this big of an issue. On top of that, everybody knew it was the southerners who were causing all the trouble. Or was it now?

“Gracing me with your presence?” you echo, the statement laced with venom on your lips. Letting out a scoff, you turn on your heel to face the obnoxious king of the south.

“I guess nobody told their beloved queen it was the west that was causing all this trouble? Obviously, what better way to alarm the entire country by using the emblem of ‘the traitorous South’ as you people would call us.” Yoongi rolls his eyes as he takes a sip of the wine. “On the bright side, it’s nice to know we still have that certain effect on people, even years after the Great Colonization.”

“Poor girl you are...with an even sadder fate for her husband.” Yoongi pours himself a cup of the wine you’d carried all the way from the kitchen. Your jaw is clenched, gaze set hard on Yoongi who seems the least bit bothered. Sadder fate for your husband?

“Oh right, I’m betting you’re also unaware of the fact that the shortest way from the capitol to the south was through a narrow path through a forest located in the West?”

You’re dumbfounded, secretly wishing Yoongi hadn’t seen the look on your face as he told you about the west, but you couldn’t help it. Surely, he’s trying to take advantage of your drunken state and would attempt to coerce you into something against your will by lying straight to your face.

“Still don’t believe me? Why do you think King Donggeun hasn’t come down from his throne when Crown Prince Baekjoon has already turned of age? Surely, you must have taken notice that the west has least casualties of the ‘uproar’ we had supposedly caused in this country? Not to mention the casualties in their city are not even that significant – in fact, the villages that were attacked were those nearest to the borders of the south and the north, majority of which housed citizens coming from both cities…”

All sorts of emotions boiled inside of you. Yoongi’s revelation felt like a whole log just fell on you, and you were absolutely helpless. You were beyond perplexed, finding the need to rest your behind on the bedside table.

“But, it’s never too late you know… Being the merciful king that I am, I can help your husband. Send him a handful of my men if you must.” You gulp as you look him in the eyes. Yoongi will most certainly not be willing to help your husband just like that, especially when Seokjin has already made proclamations that had definitely brought dishonor to the name of the south. The thought of Seokjin having to face danger all by himself crossed your mind, betraying your thoughts and your heart once more.

The price you will have to pay for Seokjin’s safety will surely to come at a large cost – that you already know. But for your husband, you were willing to have yourself at Yoongi’s disposal, whatever the price may be. You stand up once more, turning away from Yoongi. You presume he isn’t one to give anything for free.

“And at what is the price I have to pay for your assistance, perhaps?” He doesn’t see you gulp.

Yoongi sets his cup of wine down, simultaneously darting his tongue out to moisten his lips. Slowly, he pads over to you until he’s almost pressing into you. Close, but not asserting his certainty of having the upper hand now. “I think you already know what I want, Jungjeon-mama,” Yoongi whispers salaciously, words ghosting against the shell of your ear.

It’s shameful how agonizingly hard he is under his pants – but he couldn’t help it – he finally had you in his arms. This proximity alone shouldn’t have affected him that much, but he couldn’t help it. All those years of pining after you, watching you in secrecy back at the Southern palace as you went about your royal duties, sneaking glances at you when you visited the training grounds where he studied sword fighting.

Tonight he wanted to get himself on you, to fuck you until you won’t even remember your own name when he finishes - this was your payment and it is not for your wish for him to send Seokjin reinforcements.

This was your payment for making him long after you, even after all these years and after all the women he’d met – he still chose you in a heartbeat.

He hated that you had to leave the Southern City, he hated how your stepmother had to treat you so badly, giving you enough reason to run away from the palace, he hates how everything he had done in the past just to get close to you was all in vain. He hates how he ran after you that night, only to see you already in Seokjin’s arms. He hates Seokjin for having married you, being proclaimed as the perfect husband when he could have done a totally better job at it. Yoongi could’ve worshipped the ground you walked on, but yet here you were alone in the palace while your own husband just left you with the responsibility of taking care of the whole nation just like that.

He hates the fact that you’ve completely snatched his heart from the day he first saw you, accompanying your father to the training grounds. You had shot arrows straight into the sack targets with no trouble, easily beating the rest of the boys training in the field. As cliché as it sounds, it had seemed like you shot an arrow through his heart as well.

But most of all, he despises the fact that he loves you. And he hates it all the more that he knows his own brother had fallen for you too.

Snagging your hair between his fingers harshly, you let out a gasp as he makes you look into his eyes. His hands move to discard your robe and wildly grope at your chest. A smirk grazes his lips when he feels your nipples harden under his touch.

He highly doubts that he has the same effect on you as you have on him, but at this point he couldn’t care less. He wanted to get himself off on you, intent on making you feel at least a hint of what he’s felt throughout the years.

Yoongi smashes your lips together, the bittersweet taste of wine on his mouth pressing roughly against your own. He grinds his erection against your lower stomach, effectively causing you to gasp one more time. Taking advantage of your surprise, he closes the distance one more time, slipping his tongue inside your wet cavern.

The king of the south pushes you further towards the bed until the back of your knees hit the edge, instinctively making you sit on your bed.

“Undress me,” he orders, placing his hands on his hips, likewise pulling his top upwards for your convenience. You glare at him through your eyelashes, and returning your eyes to his crotch. As you see his dick twitch beneath the confines of his pants, a smirk etches onto your face. Two can play at this game, and you’re going to make sure he gets a taste of his own medicine.

Languidly, you lightly trace the outline of his dick, watching intently as it twitches one more time you feel a small wet patch near the waistband of his silk pants. You continue trailing the pad of your finger against the smooth fabric.

“I don’t like being teased, princess.”

“The queen doesn’t like being ordered around.”

Sending him another glare, you give in to his whims, pulling his pants down his legs. His cock springs free, standing tall and proud. The pale expanse of Yoongi’s skin is a sharp contrast against the angry, red tip of his dick like it’s begging for your attention.

“Like what you see?” the man says from above. You don’t answer, unwilling to give him the satisfaction he thinks he deserves. Yoongi shivers as you take the base of his cock in your palm. You revel in his responsiveness, loving the way he basically shudders under your touch.

He doesn’t know if he’s going to last as long as he wishes tonight, but he swears to the gods above and to all his ancestors that he was going to try. He hates the fact that this is the only way he was going to have you, that never in a million years would be willing to give yourself to him.

Yoongi is drawn back to reality as you place a light kiss on the bulbous head of his cock, you languidly pepper kisses along his length. Yoongi looks down on you with hooded eyes and a swollen bottom lip that he’d bitten down on for so long.

He taps the tip of his shaft against your lips, coating them with the semi-transparent liquid that’s veiled the tip of his length. With bated breath, he nudges the head against your mouth, urging you to part your lips for him. “Open up, jagiya.”

You comply, letting his dick slowly enter your mouth; he pushes his length inside until he hits the back of your throat. He withdraws and pushes his cock back inside, inhaling sharply as you graze your teeth a little.

“You take my cock so well, princess. Fuck,”

He pushes you roughly to lie on the bed, as his hand busies itself with fisting his cock as he waits for you to get comfortable. “Did I tell you to place your legs on the bed?” Yoongi tsks at you, spanking each of your breasts as punishment.

The king of the south harshly spreads your legs and without warning, Yoongi begins to impale you on his cock at a merciless pace, hands hooking under your ankles to bring your legs to rest against his chest. “You like that being fucked roughly, don’t you jagiya?” He doesn’t give you time to answer as he bends forward, bringing your legs to rest against your chest this time as his hands wrap around your neck. The rings on his fingers are cold against your heated skin, and the way he experiments and pressing his fingers tighter around your throat as he matches it with his pace. The combined pain and pleasure just seems to bring you closer to your high.

“I’m not done with you, ______. Don’t you dare cum just yet.”

He lifts you from the bed with no trouble, and you feel the rippling of his muscles even underneath his top. Without having to pull out of you, Yoongi settles you down on a table with the height just about Yoongi’s thighs so he could enter you at a better angle.

Miraculously, Yoongi slows down his pace, and you’re unsure if it’s in consideration of his or your welfare. This position doesn’t help with your impending orgasm as with every languid roll of Yoongi’s hips he easily hits that particular spot. He toys with your nipple, tweaking and twisting the bud between his calloused fingers. With nowhere to hold onto, your hands shoot up to his arms silk-clad arms digging tiny crescent moons on his skin even with the fabric separating your nails from his skin.

Yoongi was willing to fuck you against every piece of furniture if you’d let him, and if he’d have enough stamina to last for quite some time because the thought of having you writhing under his touch can easily bring him to cum.

Still not satisfied with this position he carries you toward a the wooden foundation in the middle of your room. He needs to have you begging for him, moaning endlessly on his cock.

“Tell me you want this, princess. Tell me you need me.”

He needs to hear it fall from your lips, because he knew this was only ever going to happen once, and he wanted this one moment to forever be engraved in his brain, because he knows you’ll never be his.

“Yes, fuck Yoongi, please,” you mewl, dragging your nails against the pale expanse of Yoongi’s back. As he continues to slam into you, your fingers find purchase on his hair, giving it a harsh tug as a particular thrust hits that sweet sweet spot inside of you.

You momentarily wonder at how Yoongi has managed to hold you up all this time and not lose momentum at all. As if on cue, Yoongi lifts you higher again, the hem of his top brushing against your clit. You were so, so close. You moan loudly at the sensation, letting your head fall onto Yoongi’s shoulder.

“Oh, you liked that princess didn’t you, hmm?”

He pushes you further against the foundation, if that was even possible, and takes one of his hands holding up your ass to transfer to the front, looking for your clit. Yoongi finds your nether bud in no time, and starts rubbing circles with the pad of his thumb.

Shortly after his punishing thrusts and the abuse on your clit, you reach your high, a high-pitched sob piercing throughout the room. Your body continues to tremble with the intensity of your orgasm as he cums inside you, rope after rope of white coating your walls.

Jungkook hears, sees, and feels you moan one more time, the lewd sounds of your fucking still ringing loudly through his ears. With a deep exhale, he turns on his heel, leaving the spot he’d stayed at for the rest of you and Yoongi’s… The captain couldn’t even bring himself to say the words.

Subconsciously, his feet bring him to a familiar hanok he has not visited for a while. He silently slides the doors open and heads to the room of someone he hasn’t paid attention to for the past few days. He takes off his boots and his scabbard, setting them down in a secluded corner of the room.

He spots Haesoo’s sleeping form on the floor. He joins her, hooking an arm around her waist. The young court lady wakes at the action, a scream escaping her lips. Jungkook is quick to place his palm on her mouth, pushing her shoulder backwards so she can properly see him. She relaxes at her realization, turning her body so she could face him.

“What brings you here Captain?”

“I missed you, is all.” What a lie.

“If you really missed me, why won’t you talk to me during the day?”

“You know we can’t, jagiya. Besides, can’t I just visit my favorite girl without having questioned if I really miss her or not?” Lie. Again. One more and Jungkook might just spend the rest of the night challenging himself how many more times he could lie in such a short time span.

Haesoo shies from Jungkook’s gaze, but Jungkook places a finger on her chin and makes her face him again. He inches toward her, lips not meeting just yet, each of their shallow breaths fanning against their faces. Haesoo takes initiative, pressing her lips against Jungkook’s own. The captain easily deepens the kiss, lightly biting on Haesoo’s bottom lip that effectively makes her part them instantly.

Jungkook quickly shuffles to get on top of her, grinding his erection shamelessly against Haesoo’s crotch. She gasps at the sensation, fingers quickly toying with the waistband of his pants.

“You really miss me that much, hmm?”

“Of course, darling.” Another lie. Third time’s the charm right?

Jungkook rips apart the sleeping robe Haesoo has on, his mouth instantly connecting with her breasts, groping and sucking harshly at the hardened nubs. He wasn’t usually this messy and urgent, but he badly needed to cum – painfully hard under his pants only because of you.

The captain doesn’t even bother to prepare Haesoo, plunging himself into her pussy without warning. Jungkook pounds into Haesoo unapologetically, fucking her into oblivion, just as Yoongi did to you earlier. He imagines that it’s you moaning his name right now, chanting his name fervently like a prayer, chest heaving like it was your last day. He wishes that it was his cock buried deep inside your cunt earlier instead of his brother’s and he knew he could have done a far better job at pleasuring you than Yoongi. The captain hooks his palm under Haesoo’s thigh, raising her leg up so he’s hitting her cervix at angle pleasurable to them both.

He’d fucked Haesoo on the floor, he’d fucked her against her closet too, and similar Yoongi, he’s fucking Haesoo against the wall too.

Jungkook ruts into her endlessly, with a silent wish that he flushes you out of his system with every snap of his hips, he wishes that he had never met you in the woods in the first place, he wishes that he didn’t have to join the King’s royal guards, he wishes that he wouldn’t have to see your pretty face the whole day, he wishes that you weren’t desirable at all – that way maybe he and his brother wouldn’t have fallen for the same girl.

He wishes he wasn’t in love with you.

Of course, another lie.

A single tear trickles down his cheek, and he hopes that Haesoo won’t notice with the fine sheen of sweat on his face. He feels his thrusts falter just like his resolve. His chest constricts once more tonight and it’s definitely not because of poor stamina, but because of his emotions overwhelming him.

“I love you,” he whispers breathlessly, resting his head against the wall. Haesoo hears.

“You love me?” Haesoo takes his face in her small palms, pushing his head backwards so she can take a proper look at him. She swipes at another tear that rolls down Jungkook’s cheek.

“Of course, jagiya.” Jungkook sends her a sad smile in her direction.

Maybe if he keeps lying, it’ll all come true at some point. She gives him a lingering kiss this time, resting her forehead against his. “I love you too.”

[taglist] : @aretha170 @strxwberri-milk @vivpurple7 @wheredoiwhaaat25 @hodginss

Korean vocabulary used will be posted on a separate post for easier viewing!

#bangtanhq #ficswithluv #btsgoldnet #btswritingcafe #btsguild #hyunglinenetwork #bangtanarmynet #btsghostie #bts smut #bts fluff #jeon jungkook #kim seokjin #min yoongi #yoongi smut #jungkook smut

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blackfemmecharacterdependency · 4 years

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BFCD Reviews by Nesha: Grace Monroe & The Infinity Train on HBO Max

Disclaimer: Post includes spoilers and also, this viewer does not deem Infinity Train as a children's show and my views are not subjected to the idea that this is a children's show, but I do regard the characters as children.

I’m not a psychiatrist. I haven’t taken a psychology class in many years. My work with children has been primarily trauma centered children, and I haven’t worked with typical children for a decade, so most of my opinions are from my personal life experience, my work experience, my children’s rights advocacy and activism, and the guidelines from my childcare specialist work for children in the system in the state of Texas. I don’t have a lot of information these days on typical children and I don’t know the culture of children all over the country or world, but I basically know a little something about traumatized children.

And as always, be nice, because I can be mean too (and will). 😉

Special thanks to @i-am-a-passenger for listening to me and being a SOUND sounding board for my thoughts through this experience that was season 3 of Infinity Train.

To be honest, I thought that it was extremely brave of the creators to go the route that they did with the story line. Not everybody can be saved is a take that we don’t see nearly enough, and whenever we do, usually a POC, oftentimes a Black girl is on the losing end of the tale. That didn’t happen here and despite some problems with some of the way that things played out in front of us, it was STILL a monumental moment for many fans and Grace’s redemption arc was valid and reasonable, so I loved it and I live for it. Now, I’m gonna give my review of the season and what I noticed about the characters...

First off, I think that the writing of this season was phenomenal. The style of the way the story was told impressed me from start to finish. There were moments that I didn’t expect, but I understood from a writing standpoint and for the characters presented. I’m not a professional writer, but it’s been a passion since I was 7 years old, so I have some experience with passion for writing and stories and a great narrative is my WEAKNESS, and I do believe that Infinity Train provides great narratives.

This season has been my favorite thus far. I would have appreciated it for the story content, even if they had switched the characters’ arcs or went in a different direction with the redemption arc, but the fact that I was able to see an example of a Black girl being able to BE HUMAN, at my age - 38 - is still such new content that I was honestly overwhelmed by the simple fact that the creators decided that this Black girl was worthy of not only redemption, but the attention to detail and consideration was enough for me to love this season.

The girl in question: 18 year old Grace Monroe, whose been on this train for something like 7 years.

It’s rare to see a dark skinned, brown skinned, Black girl with natural hair be shown in anything but stereotypes and/or plot devices for other characters. This character has a story of her own. A beautifully written and fully realized story of a child who got confused, made bad decisions, did terrible things, learned the truth, and sought to change.

Whenever we first meet Grace and Simon, she’s announced as the leader of the Apex, and Simon is announced as her second in command and given the credentials from her, “I trust him with my life.” Something that is later a bittersweet thought as he becomes the biggest threat of her life since she got onto this train. They’re clearly very close and only seem to disagree on how they respond to negativity.

One of my favorite things about Grace was that she was given layers. One of my LEAST favorite things about Grace was that she was given unfair head canons by the fandom extremely early on (all of which nobody ever proved but remained diligently devoted to believing).

In this season, when the two are taken out of their comfort zone and traveling with outsiders, Grace and Simon are faced with lives that they haven’t thought about previously and wind up choosing very separate paths. Honestly, these paths they went on made perfect sense to me. I see both of them as traumatized children without any guidance and while one of them is very careless and reckless (Grace), the other is deliberate about what he does and has goals and plans.

The biggest influence, I think, was their interactions with denizens prior to forming the Apex. Grace admittedly never got to know any while Simon was betrayed by one whenever she left him behind to potentially die. Simon carried this rage inside of him while Grace had nothing but apathy to guide her attitude of the denizens. Grace needed attention and she was able to get that from Simon and the Apex, so she made a life built on what that gave her.

While Grace tends to seem to try to sweeten the issue or charm people. Simon is more short with others and a bit rude. They handle things much differently, though they have created a lifestyle together and formatted a society of children that they lead.

All too frequently, if a character looks like Grace, she is there as fodder for whoever her (usually white) counterparts are. But Grace has a unique situation in which she shares center stage with her white male counterpart and we watch them develop together from two peas in a pod to mortal enemies. It is a sad separation, but one that felt necessary for the direction of the story. But here’s why Grace matters so much, despite the fact that she and Simon built a child army and killed we don’t even know how many denizens:

Grace changed for the better. When both of them met and got to know a denizen, she began to change. She didn’t understand it at first and took some time to admit to herself that she was even changing. She thought that something was wrong with her because her number was going down and that wasn’t supposed to be how it was. What she thought was that it made her look weak and she didn’t want Simon or the Apex to see her that way.

And saying that Grace changed for the better is sort of shaky, too. Because Grace wasn’t a bad person to begin with. She was a child who got on the wrong track. Going from being extremely alone to having one friend to having hundreds or however many Apex kids of followers changed her for the worse, but she was a good kid at her core. She was lonely in the real world and she acted out, then wound up on this train, had a life changing event by having to see “The Conductor” and translate what happened to her as someone saving her, and she went on to help save others, or so she thought, to some degree.

Whenever she saved Simon, she had literally no reason to, other than she saw a kid in trouble and she knew she could help.She had just as little life skills and social skills as this kid in front of her, but... he was crying and she reached out to try to make him feel better, reminding him that even though life on the train was hard, he was alright now. Then, another life changing thing happened - Simon noticed that her number was higher and asked her how she got it so high. She knew just as much as him, and said that she was really good at life on the train, and the way she took that ghom out - she wasn’t completely wrong, but them being children and having only time and their limited views started a cult.

What I found interesting about this memory was the fact that Simon was telling Grace’s story for her. She tagged her charm onto it, but Simon (the writer of their laws and apparently a trilogy that not even Grace, who likes to read things wanted to read while they were besties) is telling the story to the kids. Probably embellishing, and Grace loves to be noticed, so she keeps this up until they’ve formatted an entire belief system. It was basically just I presumed whenever I questioned the reputation this fandom gave Grace as a manipulator who filled Simon’s head with hatred for denizens and Apex theology.It confirmed that people were wrong about her, which unfortunately didn’t make them change their minds, but they ain’t gotta. Grace lived and Simon died and that’s how this turns out sometimes.

I was able to at least acknowledge that his death was atrocious and it’s very unfortunate that he didn’t change for the better. He wanted control. He wanted power. He wanted to reign. Those things were more important to him than believing anything that went against his ideals. They were more important than Grace and his relationship with her. Meanwhile, Grace, up until even after he was gone cared about him. She defended herself whenever he attacked her, but she tried not to hurt him. She even tried to talk to him and he once again refused to listen. She saved his life AGAIN, and he still tried to kill her. Despite it all, when he was gone, she cried. Her friend was gone. Another life had been taken, and life meant something else to her now.

Even paper birds mattered now, and thanks to that difference inside of her, she didn’t die. But, I expected her to. Not even because it would’ve made sense or helped the story in any way, but because that’s how it usually goes for characters like her, characters who LOOK like her. The fact that it didn’t brought tears to my eyes. This season was amazing. This ending was amazing. This character was amazing. I’m so pleased with it and it was more than I expected, because instead of setting expectations, I let them tell me the story. They did an excellent job.

I've been asking people since she first appeared in season 2 why they thought that Simon was some helpless and she was this dominating figure that bossed him into this lifestyle and mostly it came back to her higher number. i didn't think we were being shown that, so I've been suspicious every time someone has suggested that Grace got Simon started in this or taught him this and now that it's been debunked, I'm even more irritated with the suggestion that her redemption doesn't make sense or wasn't right.

The thing about Simon was that he seemed fine. He seemed innocent, at times. He seemed like someone to sympathize with... What a lot of his fan base doesn't seem to realize is that is the case with every abuser. That is the case with many killers. Bad backgrounds and hard times coming up don't make for an excuse. Just because I GET his personality, doesn't mean he deserves respect or consideration. But then, we have Grace, on this other end who can't even get the recognition she earned through her decision making when she literally had the same childhood as him whenever they got there. Idk. Shit feels suspicious to me to not acknowledge Grace's redemption as well written. And the idea that Simon was doing these things for or because of Grace was proven as untrue, so there should have been a shift in her favor and there wasn't and my god that's some top shelf bullshit to me...

People frequently speak of Grace's manipulating Simon, possibly because they haven't had to try to use what you have to smooth someone over. The fact that Grace has been consoling Simon since they were children (THEY WERE CHILDREN), Because I see "Simon is a child" everyday, and always speak of his trauma, like Grace had none and like she's not the same age or near it. But, that's another thing that gets done to Black girls - they're aged up in people's prejudiced minds and expected to be more accountable than their peers. This GIRL has been repeatedly blamed for the issues of her friend.

And her "betrayal?" A lie she told to preserve life.

Simon proceeds to use her tape against her, leave her trapped inside of it (knowing it was dangerous, because the cat told him), sow lies about her in the Apex, pressure children that she knew to kill her, literally tried to beat her up and murder her, and kicks her as hard as he can after she saved his life AGAIN... He still gets more grace than Grace from the audience. I don't think people see Grace's humanity. People even assumed that her number was higher because she killed so many denizens... Like literally every wrong move doesn't affect numbers. And when faced with the story, which gives us a vulnerable Grace with flaws but also compassion, she's still been sidelined by fans of the show and nobody has given me any good reason as to why, so you already know, like we been knew. 😒

People have even tried to downgrade Simon's toxicity towards her because she led the Apex (and these people pretty much had similar things to say as people who didn't believe that my ex sexually abused me because of some examples of me being strong while arguing with him)...

THIS was triggering as fuck, but I've barely seen a PEEP about it. I'm going to presume that problematic takes of Grace are from a place of discrimination and dehumanization against another Black girl character like fandoms usually do.

But that just makes her matter more.

Good job, Grace. I knew there was good in you all along, and I didn't have to make up anything about you in my brain. ♥️♥️♥️

*Grace mourning a man that just tried to destroy her multiple times for telling a lie to keep him from killing a small child...

SPEAKING OF... The man double kicked her off that damn train in front of the kids AFTER they all saw her rescue him. Them kids might be messed up because of the Apex, but you can't tell me that Simon ain't further fuck them up with his reign. At least we know Grace was always nice to them. I'm glad they'll have each other to figure it all out.

#BFCD Reviews by Nesha #Infinity Train #Nesha Watches Infinity Train #Grace Monroe #Nesha Watches

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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How Stargirl Uses the Justice Society’s Strangest Member to Tell a Very Human Story

https://ift.tt/3yhm2Cm

The following contains Stargirl spoilers.

Stargirl Season 2 Episode 3

Ever since that pink pen showed up back in Stargirl’s third episode last year, we’ve all pretty much been waiting to see who would claim Johnny Thunder’s infamous genie-summoning accessory. In “Summer School: Chapter Three” we find out – though likely not the way that most of us expected.

Perhaps we should have guessed that Courtney’s stepbrother Mike was destined to find some way to be part of the Justice Society of America. After all, the entire Dugan-Whitmore clan not only knows about Courtney’s secret identity as Stargirl, they’re all actively helping her with her quest to rid Blue Valley of both supervillains and generally nefarious criminals. It was only a matter of time, right?

Sure, none of us probably thought Mike would essentially become Mike Thunder, thanks to the pen that Courtney conveniently never returned to Pat. But it sort of makes sense. I don’t think Mike was ever going to become an expert in hand-to-hand combat or anything, and this is the sort of “power” that would have let him use his obviously clever mind. It’s not the worst fit in the world.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

And for a while, it seems like it might actually work. On the surface, this episode is peak Stargirl silliness. It’s hard not to smile while watching a hot pink CGI genie who interprets your wishes in the worst way possible and drops stop signs on unsuspecting teens who like to bully Girl Scouts. It’s fun – and that’s what this show excels at.

But it also excels at telling stories specifically grounded in teenage experiences, and that’s what “Summer School: Chapter Three” ultimately turns out to be. Thunderbolt chooses Mike because he’s lonely and sad, and he feels like that because he’s afraid he’s being left behind. That the rest of his family is developing a whole new relationship separate and apart from him, one in which he isn’t allowed to participate (or really even acknowledge). That his life is spiraling in a way that he doesn’t understand and can’t control

It’s a feeling Pat himself should remember well – the episode opens with another example of “Stripesy” being written off as a simple sidekick, someone whose job it is to keep the car running, but never save the day in his own right. (Or even get the chance to help protect the people he cares about.) He was also constantly belittled and left behind, and the fact that he doesn’t recognize that his own son is feeling the same way he once did is a reminder that Pat’s as human as any of the kids he’s training.

How Stargirl Finally Brings the Green Lantern to the DC TV Universe

By Lacy Baugher

Supergirl: Inside Kara and Zor-El’s Return to National City

By Delia Harrington

We may be just three episodes into Stargirl Season 2, but this show is punching well above its weight when it comes to wrestling with the sort of big moral and philosophical issues that are part and parcel of life as a superhero. Beyond the question of whether Mike has the right to make his own choices about whether or not to participate in what is essentially the new family superhero business, there are other big emotional arcs happening with the other JSA members. Rick seems to be attempting to atone for his fight with Solomon Grundy last season by sneaking him snacks in the woods.

And I’m not sure I ever saw Arrow’s Oliver Queen wrestle with killing a bad guy in the same way that Yolanda has done so far this year, and her desperation to find a kindred spirit in Mike – who also killed one of the ISA in last season’s finale – is strangely moving. (Though, admittedly, I’m not sure if we’re meant to take Mike’s explanation that his killing of Icicle was little more than an accident at face value or not. Is it a better story if he just wasn’t bothered by it the same way Yolanda is?)

Interestingly enough, Mike only relinquishes the Thunderbolt pen by accident – thanks to an ill-timed throwaway statement that he “wished it was in better hands” causes it to disappear. Prior to that moment, he’s fully ready to accept his superhero learning curve lumps the same way Courtney did, and out of the many options on the table, I think “giving up Thunderbolt” was not the one that Mike would have ever directly chosen.

Granted, we’ve all basically known ever since he offhandedly mentioned the name of his friend Jakeem that Mike’s fellow paperboy would most likely end up part of the new JSA. But the fact that his powers are going to be a direct result of Mike’s actions – actions which crushed his own dreams of being an official JSA member himself – well, one has to assume that’s not going to be something that’s particularly easy for him to get over.

At the end of the Season 2 premiere, when Mike’s photo is revealed as one of the people Cindy Burman is hoping to recruit for her new reconstituted Injustice Society, it’s hard to imagine how such a plan could possibly work. Mike is a Dugan through and through. He loves Courtney. He desperately wants to be part of her superhero team. Heck, he already even knocked off a supervillain!

But after “Summer School: Chapter Three”, it’s suddenly a lot easier to see how Cindy’s plan could actually be successful. Mike was already feeling isolated and like the odd one out in his family. Now he’s actually gotten a taste of the belonging he wanted so badly – to be a hero the way his (step)sister is, to be so special that he has to be included in the group’s crime-fighting activities, to finally feel like part of the team. Now he’s not only lost it all, but he actively threw it away with both hands, Not on purpose, obviously, but the end result is the same. Does that sound like a person who might be susceptible to Cindy’s supervillain sales pitch? Maybe? And that outcome feels a lot closer than it did when this episode started.

We officially meet Jakeem – now officially Jakeem Thunder, I suppose – at the episode’s end, in a cliffhanger of sorts that feels like it’s another piece of the larger Season 2 puzzle that began with “Summer School: Chapter Two’s” introduction of new Green Lantern Jennie. It doesn’t necessarily feel like we’ll see either of these characters next week – or maybe even in the next couple of weeks – but it certainly seems as though we’re far from done with either of them.

The post How Stargirl Uses the Justice Society’s Strangest Member to Tell a Very Human Story appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/38hN1mJ

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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writingithink · 4 years

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In Case You Don’t Stay Forever Pairing: Ten x Rose Rated: E Wordcount: 25,627 (aka a potential scrolling nightmare if I posted the whole thing here) Summary: His eyes drifted back down to the box. Really, she was horrible at packing. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it. Granted, he didn’t know a lot about packing - it’s not like he’d ever actually had to do it - but still. Maybe he could help her. The Doctor was pretty sure that generally all of the clothing should be in it’s own spot, not mixed in with tangled jewelry and frayed earbuds and the little mirror she always kept in her purse.

Absentmindedly he picked up the mirror. His face appeared to be much more pale than normal, and the visage was not improved by the tiny crack he noticed running through the reflective glass. Rose’s hand suddenly covered his and the mirror. He jumped slightly and looked up.

“What’s going on? Really?” she asked and he didn’t understand how she couldn’t already know. Sure, he sometimes missed the subtleties of this kind of thing, but Rose normally excelled in this area.

How could she just … not acknowledge the fact that she wasleaving? And how was he supposed to say something about it if she wasn’t? If she didn’t think it mattered? Notes: This is my fic for @doctorroseprompts spring fic bingo, for the prompt 'clean'. And it's very late. But better late than never, right? (My pitiful defense is that I thought this would be a 3k fic, rated G - life did not go that way, the characters had other ideas).

There are not enough thanks I could possibly give to @hey-there-juliet for not only betaing, but listening to all of my rants, helping me to finally make an outline over 2/3 of the way in, and coming up with a real title when my brain went offline after editing. All the love <3

All mistakes are definitely mine, and also I own nothing.

Preview:

While they’re in the TARDIS, time is relative. That being said, the Doctor had gotten used to dealing with human circadian rhythms. He’d have to be, at this point. So even with time being relative, the Doctor couldn’t help but notice that Rose was much later coming into the console room than usual. And he was bored.

You know what isn’t boring, he thought, the Rhibelini Festival on Neghlyvryn.

He had already checked the galley to see if Rose was up having tea. She wasn’t. Or at least, she hadn’t been. It had been about 6 minutes since he’d checked … you know, relatively. It couldn’t hurt to check again.

Of course, he could check her room. But she might be sleeping. Or getting ready. The Doctor didn’t fancy getting told off for waking her (again), and the one time that he had tried to talk to her through her ensuite door over the sound of her shower it had been a complete waste of time.

So, he checked the galley again. Still no Rose.

Deciding it to be worth the risk, he made her a cup of tea - a peace offering in case he did interrupt her sleep. Rose Tyler is not a morning person (relatively) - something the Doctor had learned very early on.

Once he had the tea made, he walked down the corridor to Rose’s room and was surprised to find her door propped open by some cardboard boxes sitting in the hall. They weren’t taped shut, and he couldn’t resist opening one up. He regretted doing so immediately.

Inside of the box sat a sheet set he had seen on her bed, the old boombox that had been on top of her dresser along with a handful of CDs, and a few articles of clothing that he remembered having seen her wear. It seemed like a rock had lodged in his stomach.

Sitting down the cup of tea, he opened another box to find more of Rose’s possessions.

“Whatcha doin’?”

His entire body froze as he jerked his head up to see Rose standing in front of him, holding a pair of joggers and an empty picture frame.

“Doctor? What’s wrong?”

It occurred to him, vaguely, that he must be making her uncomfortable - that he was too still, too silent. Unnaturally silent. His respiratory bypass had kicked in, and he knew that he could breathe, should breathe, but yet … what could he possibly say to her once he did start breathing again?

READ THE REST ON AO3 (copy & paste link under cut, because I hear the update has not helped in the link department)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25274986

#doctorroseprompts #ten x rose #tenrose #ficandchips #timepetals #dw fanfiction #ten x rose fanfiction #doctor x rose #fic: in case you don't stay forever #fandom: doctor who #pairing: rose x doctor #my fic

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thebrownbabywitchisback · 3 years

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A Relationship Reading For Those Meant To See It!!!

I originally made this spread to help predict when an upcoming romantic encounter would take place and what the nature of the relationship would be like. However, I have found that this spread can work well with deity, familial, and friendship readings. So, as you read this, broaden your expectations, as the spread is not limited to romantic relationships!

Also, before we get started, I want to ask that if you relate to any significant portion of this reading, your feedback would be incredibly useful and appreciated by me!

1) Who is the person in question? 4 of Swords, Ludo

The 4 of Swords can represent someone who is wise and isn't afraid to move slowly. This can be a very positive attribute. It shows that they are someone who works at a steady pace and isn't afraid to follow someone who knows a little better than them. This doesn't mean that they are perfect. Like Ludo, we are all capable of lashing out at the wrong people as he does upon first meeting Sarah. However, once this person can identify that a person means no ill-will, they have no problem putting their trust in them.

This person might have a history of trauma. They might have gone through troubles regarding family, work, financial, or health troubles recently. Because of this, sometimes they prefer to work out their problems alone. They like to step away and really evaluate what's going on with themselves and determine the best way to tackle their problems themselves. This is nothing against you, by the way. Some people just work better alone when it comes to these kinds of things. Personally, I feel like it's okay to check in on this type a person. A simple "Are you okay?" or "Is there anything I can do to help?" is fine, but if their answer is that they are okay and they prefer to be alone, it is best to respect that.

2) How does this person see you? 9 of Wands, Jareth and Sarah

The 9 of Wands suggests that this person sees you as resilient and strong--No matter what obstacles life throws your way, they find you still standing and they admire that about you.

This card, however, also comes up when a person has trouble setting boundaries. Being admired by others can be great, but it could also often put you on the receiving end of jealousy or high expectations. Some people might try to attack you or they might not understand that you are a human and not perfect. This could mean the person in question might have trouble understanding personal space or realistic expectations when it comes to you or it might mean they recognize this in others who surround you.

It is interesting that Jareth and Sarah in the ballroom scene is pictured on this card, as Sarah has high expectations for Jareth (as he rants about later in the movie) and Jareth has trouble when it comes to boundaries with Sarah--So, this might be something to keep in mind with this person.

3) Where or when do you meet/does this person have the strongest influence over you? 8 of Pentacles (reversed), Wise Man

You likely will meet/have met this person at a time when your focus was self-improvement. This card could also mean that this person is there to cheer you on when you find yourself at this point. This card also tends to suggest not to strive for perfection. A teacher once told me to always strive for excellence rather than perfection, because perfection is impossible while excellence is obtainable. This person might be there to let you know when you are working too hard and they might try to divert your attention away just to encourage you to take a break. It could also be you that does this for them or maybe both of you fulfill this need for each other.

I think the Wise Man's words fit perfectly with this card: "The way forward is sometimes the way back. Quite often, it seems like we are not getting anywhere when in fact, we are!"

Don't work yourself too hard when you feel like you are not getting anywhere. Don't feel afraid to step back for a while or retrace your steps when you feel lost. You'll get to your goal soon! Try not to worry too much about it.

4) What is the nature of your relationship? Queen of Cups, Sara

I LOVE that this card showed up for the nature of your relationship. This card means that one or both of you is really passionate and caring. Obviously, this is a good quality for a relationship. One or both of you has really good intuition and can sense the needs and feelings of the other person. One or both of you is incredibly giving, but you also recognize when too much is too much. Judging by the appearance of 9 of Wands, however, I'm going to guess that this more describes the other person in the relationship.

The appearance of Sarah on this card, I think, is fitting, especially with the scene she is in. She might follow her heart in searching for Jareth in the masquerade, but when she is given a reality check by the chime of the clock, she knows to break away. Ultimately, at the end of the movie, she defeats Jareth by the phrase, "You have no power over me!"

I think this is important to keep in mind in your relationship. One or both of you might be passionate about caring for the other, but that doesn't make the other person a doormat. It is always important to establish boundaries and respect them!

5) What are the obstacles of your relationship? 5 of Swords (reversed), Jareth

This card reversed indicates to me that one of your main obstacles might be that one or both of you is/are very opinionated. Perhaps things can get so heated that one or both of you will argue to the end with hopes of "winning" the argument, but this is no good. In these situations, there is no gratification in winning, as someone is going to likely end up hurt.

This card can also mean that one or both of you has had some struggles in your life recently and the trauma from those struggles is following you into this relationship. Judging by the 4 of Swords showing up to represent the other person in your relationship, my guess is that this likely describes them. These past traumas might present a challenge to your relationship. Since this card could also suggest the opening of an old wound, I think it's best if I give you a warning: At some point, you may do something to trigger this person and their reaction may match that of someone who has been triggered! This doesn't mean that you do it intentionally, but their reaction might cause discomfort and tension. Your initial reaction might be to get angry at them. Words might be said by one or both of you and things might be done by one or both of you that are regretted later. If you both are mutually interested in keeping the relationship moving forward, it is best for you both to cool off, talk through your problems, and most importantly apologize and discuss how you can handle the situation better in the future.

It's fitting that Jareth appears on this card. He's a very charming character who is obviously interested in Sarah. However, he is constantly putting Sarah in danger because he believes this is what she wants, which explains his exhaustion by the end of the movie that Sarah isn't responding positively to the way he shows his interest in her.

6) The outcome of the relationship. 10 of Swords, Jareth

Yikes! It looks like someone is going to get hurt at the end of all of this!

The 10 of Swords comes when something is going to end in pain. Someone is going to be or feel betrayed. It also might suggest that your initial reaction to this pain is to curl up and accept the role of victim. I think this is okay, because when we are hurt, we are the victim. However, even if the other person hurts you, this card is encouraging you to pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of the other person, and move on as a stronger person with more life experience. And of course, this is not going to be easy, but you will eventually move on a better person.

Keep in mind that you might be the one doing the hurting too, so it's important if this is the case that you take time to allow yourself to acknowledge what you did wrong. It can be easy to poin the finger and play the blame game, but doing this helps no one (especially yourself). The feelings you have surrounding this are important to keep in mind when moving forward. Think about how it feels to hurt another person and to see them hurt, and know this is not something you want to repeat again.

Again, don't be like Jareth. At the final showdown between him and Sarah, he is quick to point fingers and point out everything he feels that she did wrong and how everything he did to put her in danger was for her. Obviously, as an outsider, we can see this is incredibly manipulative. Don't do this!

Also, I want to add that I don't believe card readings are ever set in stone, so even though this spread *today* says this relationship will end in pains, there is always a chance that something could interfere and change the outcome. However, it might also be good to keep this ending in mind to soften the blow if it eventually does happen. Another option is if you want to maybe avoid the potential pain to keep this person at arm's length. Ultimately, you have to decide what is most comfortable for you moving forward. Go with what your instincts say first and *maybe* consider what this reading says.

#general reading #cartomancy #relationship spread #pop culture magic #pop culture witchcraft #witchcraft #witchblr #card readings #playing card readings #witchy things #readings #labyrinth #jareth #sarah williams

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daresplaining · 4 years

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[ID: Excerpt from Bendis’s Daredevil run. Matt Murdock and Milla Donovan are alone in Matt’s office at Nelson & Murdock, talking.]

Milla: “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. But I-- I just couldn’t think of any way to approach you other than this.”

Matt: “It’s just that you are mistaken about my being Daredevil. That story just isn’t--”

Milla: “I can’t stop thinking about what happened the other day. When you saved me from that truck-- it really... I mean, I know you are in situations like that... every day... but I am not. Nothing like that has ever-- This is hard to say out loud... The whole situation-- It-- it had an effect on me that I can’t describe. I can’t describe to you why I came down here. I have never done anything like this before and I certainly have never spoken to someone-- Someone I don’t know-- Like this before... In fact, even with you pretending that it wasn’t you as Daredevil who saved my life... this is as intimate a conversation I have had with a man since college. ...I just need to speak with you again. To-- Thank you for saving me. Hmm... This-- this is very embarrassing. I’m going to go.”

Matt: “What do you do, Milla?”

Milla: “What do I do?”

Matt: “For a living.”

Milla: “I work at the Hell’s Kitchen Housing Commission.”

Matt: “You find poor people a place to live...”

Milla: “And we do a lot of environmental testing. Lead and soil. You wouldn’t believe how some people have to live.”

Matt: “Milla... Do you see a logic in that even if, let’s say, I had been the one that [...] tossed you into that clothing store-- Do you see how I wouldn’t be able to tell you that? Do you see how admitting something like that would be very... dangerous for me and for you.”

Milla: “Do you eat food? [...] Would you like to... have dinner with me tonight?”

Matt: “Milla, I can’t take responsibility for you."

Milla: “I’m sorry?”

Matt: “This tabloid mess I’m in. With everyone thinking I’m Daredevil. It’s created a situation around me where no one is really, truly safe. Everyone who works in this office. Everyone in my life-- as long as there’s this feeling that I might be Daredevil... There are people-- vulgar people who could-- I just can’t take responsibility for you.”

Milla: “Hmm, well... Are we still talking hypothetically?”

Matt: “Oh, yes.”

Milla: “Well, hypothetically, can you imagine a situation where a girl, like myself, might have known all about this before sucking up the courage to walk in here and approach someone, like you, like this? The way I see it-- a girl doing all that is clearly taking responsibility for herself. I don’t live in fear. It is funny how you immediately took my responsibility on yourself... But I guess that’s a topic we could talk about over dinner.”

Matt: “Can I think about it?”

Milla: “Sure. But just for the record... I never mentioned anything about a clothing store.”

Daredevil vol. 2 #43 by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Matt Hollingsworth

I hesitated about posting this whole scene because it’s long, particularly when transcribed (Bendis really loves dialogue), but I decided that cutting it up or condensing it would be doing it too much of a disservice. It’s a great scene, and there’s a lot going on, and I wanted to include all of it.

Part of what I like so much about Milla is how ordinary she is. This is true of many other Daredevil side characters as well, but always only to a certain degree. Karen Page is a successful and glamorous actress for a while. Heather Glenn is a wealthy heiress. Glori O’Breen is a revolutionary. Dakota North is a supermodel-turned-private eye. Rosalind Sharpe is... Rosalind Sharpe. Kirsten McDuffie comes close, but there is still something polished about her-- her effortless snark, her ability to kick butt when needed. There’s nothing wrong with this-- I love it, in fact (see my thoughts on Glori’s character development in particular), but it is the nature of many non-superhero characters in superhero media to still feel slightly larger than life, and so it’s nice to find one who is more down-to-earth.

Another major factor in this is the use of perspective. Matt is the protagonist, and thus we see (“see”) most of his co-stars from his point-of-view. We are in his head, experiencing their behavior. This is particularly true of his romantic interests-- yes, we see scenes of them doing things on their own, but for the most part, the lens of Matt’s perspective and knowledge is always present. But Milla is engaging because-- while we do spend a good amount of time in Matt’s head when she is around-- there are some very hefty scenes in which we are made clearly aware of Milla’s perspective too. Her introductory scene takes place before she has even met Matt (thus, we know her better than he does), and their first meeting is much more from her point-of-view that it is from his. We watch her experience that encounter, and we see the effect it has on her even though Matt does not. This is followed up by a very candid scene of Milla awkwardly discussing her interest in Daredevil with a friend, who laughingly teases her about it. Again, we are getting to know Milla on her own, separate from Matt. Bendis excels at crafting characters who feel real-- partly through, yes, his dialogue, which breaks many of the dialogue-writing conventions but does so in a way that, when it works, makes his characters sound extra genuine. We see Milla’s infatuation, her discomfort, and that makes it very easy to feel for her and identify with her, because even if we haven’t all had a crush, or tried to ask a superhero out on a date, we have all had embarrassing interactions with people, and this leads us to root for her.

All of this carries over into the pivotal above scene, in which Milla insinuates herself into Matt’s office and asks him if he eats food out on a date. I love this scene for a whole list of reasons.

1. It’s super awkward. I mean, it gets better, but a person walking up to someone they’ve never officially met and thanking them for saving their life while the other person repeatedly insists that they did no such thing is going to be awkward no matter what, and Bendis makes the excellent decision of leaning into that reality rather than trying to soften it. It says a lot about Milla’s personality that in spite of this awkwardness, she still goes through with this and says what she came to say, and I then love her extra-humanizing “Hmm... this is very embarrassing. I’m going to go” when Matt just wordlessly stands there. (I also love “What do you do?” “What do I do?” Bendis is a master of this style of conversational humor.) They are both super uncomfortable, which causes us to sympathize with them, places them on equal footing, and makes the rest of the scene-- when they manage to work through the awkwardness-- all the more satisfying.

2. It undercuts Matt’s secret identity angst. We all (I assume) love Kirsten McDuffie’s playful handwaving of Matt’s insistence that he isn’t Daredevil, and this scene is the spiritual predecessor to all of that. Milla is convinced that Matt is Daredevil-- so convinced that she has put herself in this uncomfortable position to talk to him about it-- and so she has no interest in even acknowledging his denials. She just ignores them. And it’s really funny. It has been said before (on this blog, and elsewhere) that Milla exists in this arc as the anti-Daily Globe. She figures out his secret identity and the results are positive. Matt has spent issues denying, arguing, scrambling to defend himself against prying journalists eager to lay his secrets bare, and then in strolls Milla with “I know you’re Daredevil, and I’m taking you out to dinner.” And then she gets that smooth calling of his bluff on her way out the door, which is just... fantastic.

3. “I don’t live in fear”. And of course, we get one of Milla’s biggest character-defining pieces of dialogue. In some ways, it’s fairly standard-- Milla has a backbone, she isn’t frightened by the idea of hanging out with a superhero, and “I don’t live in fear” is an obvious reference to Matt’s own “Man Without Fear” epithet. But it’s a great, empowering speech, and it feels important. It gives Milla control in this conversation, and more than that, it gives her control in the relationship. She has chosen to seek Matt out, she has chosen to ask him out, and she has done it with the knowledge that it might not be safe. As the story goes on, we get the sense that whatever understanding she might have thought she had wasn’t quite accurate-- that she has definitely gotten in over her head. But in this moment, in this scene, it’s a powerful statement of intent and a comment on her character-- as a civilian, as a blind woman, and as a Daredevil love interest who is stepping into a legacy that’s drenched in blood. And I appreciate the facial expressions that Maleev gives Matt. You can tell that he is completely smitten with her, and that this speech has floored him. It’s fun to see him in this position, and it builds a strong grounding for the rest of their relationship.

I could go on. The artistic choice of placing a flowy, sensual painting behind Milla versus a closed window behind Matt was clearly intentional. I love the implication in the last panel that Foggy and Jessica were listening through the door. “Do you eat food?” always makes me laugh. This is one of my favorite Milla scenes, and with this creative team there’s always more to dissect.

#Daredevil vol. 2 #Daredevil #Milla Donovan #Matt Murdock #Commentary #Milla Appreciation Day #Looong post. Dammit Bendis.

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fantasyinvader · 3 years

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Kamen Rider Saber: Finale and Series Review

Okay, before I start disemboweling this series I want to give the finale two points of props.

It was nice to see the main trio fight the big bad together rather than it just being the lead Rider.

The ending really feels nostalgic for me. It's like one of those old games or anime that tried to do something like Evangelion, mostly Star Ocean 3 comes to mind.

I was going to add another point: how the ending didn't have to rely on a cosmic retcon to turn things into a happy ending like Build or Zi-o did, leaving those who died dead and having some level of maturity. I was going to give the show that point, even if it felt like it was leading into Touma essentially becoming God, but then the show did it and...I'm going to be honest here, I was saying fuck you at the screen. Multiple times, kinda like when Doctor Who's 50th anniversary where it turns out Gallifrey wasn't destroyed, the Doctor sealed it away and just couldn't remember it. Like, that is the level of bullshit I was calling out, and with Doctor Who I only said it as an “oh fuck you” rather than just “fuck you fuck you fuck you” until I noticed I was doing this and stopped myself.

Got it? Good. Now let's put Kamen Rider Saber on the examination table, rip it open, and see what went wrong with it.

Oh my god, where to begin with this series?

You ever see a show or movie that tries to do too much for it's runtime? Maybe a book that has some ultimately good ideas, but it never fleshed them out properly? That's my biggest feeling with Saber. Individual parts of the story, some arcs and characters are good on paper. Not to mention, Touma has two incredibly sexy upgrades (the Ryuki-inspired Draconic Knight and the berserker Primitive Dragon). But there is just so much in here that, given the proper focus could have carried the show if properly developed. It's a case of quantity over quality.

But the main problem comes to it's central McGufffin, the Omniscient Tome. This book is supposed to have all knowledge and later on all stories contained within it. It's what powers Wonderworld and the Wonder Ridebooks that are the main collectable trinket of the season. But when you stop and think about it, Saber is a world where there is no free will and the antagonists are all rebelling against this in their own way. Kento's dad (former Kamen Rider Calibur) went rogue in the backstory because he was given a vision of the future through his sword, and it led to the former Saber taking up the role of Calibur and going rogue in order to learn the truth. When the other riders are turned against Touma, the argument is over how he's destined to become more powerful, making Touma seem like he's seeking power and could be a future threat. When Kento returns from the dead, he's haunted by visions of the world ending in multiple variations, leading to him trying to seal the Sacred Blades in order to stop it. But then Master Logos is revealed to be buttfucking insane, wanting to rebel against his position in the world. Then it turns out the monster faction's leader, was a former poet who lost hope when he learned that all his creations were already in the Omniscient Tome, so he decided he would end the world his way rather than the predetermined ending. And even then, the world still ended the way it was always fated to end, even with Touma disappearing to nu-Wonderworld if only for a year.

The world wasn't saved, it was destroyed and then rebuilt because Mei wrote an online post that encouraged people to share their stories, which they did in oblivion even though these guys shouldn't have seen the post at all and instead just heard her voice.

Like, maybe the nu-World has free will. I'd buy that. But when applied to the 47 episodes I've spent the last year watching (alongside the Zenkaiger crossover episode), it felt pointless because it ended the way it was foretold in the Omniscient Tome. It didn't matter that Storious was defeated, fate was not averted. It's like, the complaints people have about the MCU post-Loki. It doesn't matter that Tony decided to sacrifice himself, because he didn't have free will. He was always going to sacrifice himself. Thanos was always going to snap away half the universe, and it would always be undone because choices didn't matter before Loki's ending.

And that's not even going into how they final arc reveals that Touma can somehow create stories not present in the Omniscient Tome. That he can somehow, because the personification of Wonderworld choose him as a child, that for some reason he's the only writer in history that can do this. His catchphrase is about how he'll be the one who'll decide how the story ends, but with the idea that everything was set into stone? It's laughable.

Like, my problem with Zero One's ending was the last scene. Aruto had learned a lot about the Humagears and was an advocate for them finding their own dreams as they became self-aware AI. So him trying to treat a new humagear as just an amnesiac Is and try to help her “remember”? That felt like a betrayal of the character and what he stood for. But the post-series movie revealed that Is left a copy of herself in the Zero Two driver, and merged with the non-self aware nu-Is who the movie kept reminding us wasn't the Is we knew. Aruto even had a sobbing scene about what he was doing, lowkey acknowledging what he was doing but without overtly calling him out. It fixed Zero One for me after that last scene left me with a bad taste in my mouth that overshadowed an otherwise excellent show.

You can't fix Saber with a single movie, that's what I'm getting at here.

So, with that out of the way let's go into my thoughts on each character.

Touma: Is one of the blandest main riders in the franchise. His sense of style is probably one of the worst I've ever seen though. Like I know they like to try and give the main riders their own look rather than having them dress like normal people, like Aruto wearing a hoodie under his suit jacket alongside with his very bright shoes, but this wasn't a W or even something like Ghost (where honestly I really liked Takeru's robe-like shirts). What they eventually settled on with Touma was a stupid hat, really baggy pants, and shirts that look like they came out of a stern librarian's closest. You know, the type with her hair in a bun and their horned-framed glasses on a chain.

Rintaro:Is one of those cases where he's meant to be the secondary Rider of the series, but is overshadowed because the writer likes to use someone else more. The idea of him having to turn against the organization that raised him (like a child soldier) could have worked really well if the series had a more free will-direction. But alas.

Kento: Kento's the one character I found I could really like. His arc was more interesting during the first quarter, his return as Calibur, but then he returned to being Espada and, as much as I love that suit, he just became Touma's main cheerleader. Really, I felt like towards the end it was a waste of him, especially since he doesn't get any power ups like Rintaro did to solidify him as one of the main three. He definitely feels like a victim of rewrites or just the writer not knowing what he was doing.

Mei: The female lead. Honestly, I just found her annoying most of the time. A womanchild to match Touma's more manchild moments, with a potential romance with Rintaro thrown in to only be confirmed in a future movie. Really, she should have taken over as Espada after Kento disappeared early on (especially since she's one of the three in the Ending dance while Kento isn't).

Daishinji: I'd say best boy, but he became a background character pretty quick.

Ogami: An older Kamen Rider who is also a father to a young child? Cool, and could even have worked in contrast to Rintaro's raising as essentially a child soldier. But alas, it was not to be.

Ren: OMG. A somewhat psycho younger Rider, idolizing Kento, and his social Darwinist beliefs on strength leading to conflict as Touma gets more powerful, leading to him abandoning the team to train with an enemy monster? HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT NOT WORK! I swear, Ren should have been the secondary Rider of the series, with his changes in beliefs being used more effectively.

Yuri: One of the most competantly written characters in the entire show. One of the original swordsman who became his sword, returning after 2000 years and not only feeling the culture clash of then and now but even how the idea of what makes a hero has changed? Good boy. Also loved him using a shadow body early on during fights.

Sophia: Why are you even here?

Reika: Oh boy, the swordswoman who leads the rest to distrust Touma under the orders of Master Logos, and doesn't sway from this until he's proven to be batshit insane? And even then, reluctant to join the others? Could have been better, especially if her relationship with her brother didn't come across as incesty. Though, could we please return her to Magine in Zenkaiger? Reika hugging her was really cute, in a socially awkward type of way.

Ryoga: Reika's brother. With his powers being something out of Jojo, time manipulation powers which are a bit hard to explain. He starts them and to his opponents things seem like the fight is continuing as normal, but he really exists outside of that and then can attack from a blindspot? Could have been really good with if the series had gone Team Free Will is all I'm saying.

Master Logos: What I mentioned above, but his Rider suit is one I'm in lust with. Just laughs like a madman and you're wondering why Reika and Ryoga don't rebel against him earlier.

The Megid: Two are a waste who I never bothered to learn their names. Fall out of focus for a bit and only return to be beaten, with the sad fact that they were once human. Storious is the exception, but even then I felt he was a little too late to save the series.

Tassel: Bon Lecture! I still hate you you weirdo, even if your death scene made me feel a little sad. The fact that you treated the early parts of the show as a story you were reading? Have you seen my other complaints?

As for the message of what the show tried to say? I don't really mind it. It's encouraging people to love stories, even if they are copies (considering the controversy of Time Paradox Ghostwriter and Cheat Slayer within recent memory, I'm trying not to make jokes about Saber encouraging plagiarism). And I don't think that's a bad thing in itself. Hell, how many stories take stuff from older stories and just tweak elements to make them their own? I love the Elric saga, but that was based on old legends and meant to subvert the likes of Conan the Barbarian, and some other stories I've liked have borrowed elements from it as well. The idea that stories can be used to pass on our hopes, thoughts and dreams to others is pretty nice as well, rather than writing being a form of masturbation on the author's part.

But in the shadow of the Omniscient Tome and it's implications, I really feel the story should have taken another route.

A lot of Riders start of weak, having to introduce the plot as well as the main release of whatever trinket they want kids to gorge themselves on this year. But they usually start getting better towards the end of the first quarter, while maybe stalling a bit towards the end of the second/third. Saber was a series that I felt never really found it's legs. Too many bareboned plot threads on the go, dropping some for a while only to pick them up again after they've been forgotten about. This is not a good series, to be honest I think Zi-O and even Ghost were better, and really feel it would have been better handled in the hands of someone who could actually write.

Not to mention, this gave me flashbacks of Power Rangers Megaforce over how much this series relied on fight scenes. Throw in greenscreen everywhere, lack of civilians...oh god, it is Kamen Rider Megaforce. And it felt like Saber was trying to have a story, unlike Megaforce, but it has the same “it’s a kid’s show, we don’t have to try that hard” energy.

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a-nonny-mouse-0 · 4 years

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Jin Sibling Au Part 3

Okay before I start on day three of writing the next three pages of this outline I wanted to make a quick note. I noticed that my current blog may not be best place to put my writing in. It is eclectic with humor and politics along with story ideas that I’m still working on. So I may make another blog and just reblog this along with the other Jin Sibling Au. Just a heads up, I just need to come up for a name.

Welp ¯\_(ツ)_/¯on with the outline

Meng Yao meets Wen Qing. It takes a bit of finagling, but he convinces her to help him. It takes a lot of finagling! Especially when Wen Ning helps Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. As far as he knows as long as they can keep Wen Ning safe she is fine helping him. She doesn’t know what he is doing with some information, but she finally gets an idea, but it’s too late. If she tells Wen Rouhan, her brother may suffer the consequences. All she can do is help Meng Yao and hope it helps her in the long run.

Notes: Meng Yao sees how Wen Qing protects her brother while Wen Ning is nothing like her.

He asks Wen Ning if has ever been jealous of Wen Qings forceful personality. Wen Ning say’s no because he knows his sister cares and loves him. In fact, he compares it to a warm blanket of love that he can’t get enough of. Meng Yao thinks it’s too gushy ￣へ￣

This is right after Wen Rouhan’s defeat:

After Wen Rouhan’s defeat, Meng Yao becomes Jin Guangyao. Both brothers have not talked, but Guangyao knows that Jixuan may be upset with him.

The news about Meng Yao formally accepted into the Jin sect is met with mixed reviews. A majority thinks this is wonderful, including Xichen who know’s how hard Meng Yao Jin Guangyao worked to have Sect Leader Jin to acknowledge him.

Nie Mingjue is skeptical but keeps his mouth shut. He still remembers the actions that JGY did.

He tries hard to please his father (he did an excellent job with the banquet) but is conflicted when he’s tasked to ensure the elimination of the last Wens. He speaks to Jin Guangshan that he could not have done this without the help of certain Wen’s but his father would not hear of it.

Jin Guangyao is now hesitant to talk to Jixuan. Jixuan however has become quite stubborn and meets face to face with his brother. They argue first about not sending each other letters (they both agree that maybe it’s pointless to fight about that) Then Jixuan pleads to please be careful about following father’s every whim. He says’s he can talk to mother and convince her to have him under her care.

Guangyao refuses, he knows Madam Jin would rather swallow needles than protect him, and states he just needs to do what father order’s showing he is worthy. He’s trying to convince both his brother and self. Jixuan doesn’t accept his choice and runs off. Guangyao has trouble swallowing the guilt he feels. He shouldn’t feel guilty, after all the Wen’s aren’t family and his brother surely won’t know what he’s about to do, right? He’s now part of the Jin Sect, he can finally spend time with his younger brother and he’s sure he can get father’s love.

Jixuan meets Yanli who is there to help her brother’s. They end up talking which is sweet and say’s he envies Yanli. This makes her confused until he states that even though her brothers are a terror for him, he can see how much they love her and what they will do for her.

Yanli states that yes, her brothers are a handful but they are wonderful to be around with and is grateful to have them in her life.

There is a lot of blushing and Jixuan may have wondered what it is like to hold her hand a lot. Then he remembers that he has yet to give her a formal apology for his accusation during the war. Yeah no, that simple apology is not good enough she deserves better.

Meanwhile, Xichen realizes that Guangyao is upset and suggests that they walk to talk in private. It’s okay, thinks Guangyao, after all it’s great to catch up with a friend.

They end up talking, which leads to a sweet, unexpected kiss. Xichen is excited and confused. He didn’t expect his feelings to lead to this, but it makes him happy. With Guangyao, however, he feels horrified. This will not work. His father will find out and cast him out and the cultivation world will have another reason to look down on him, after all he is the son of a prostitute (seriously his issue with this irks me, but I can see why he is hung up about it. It pisses him off no matter how much he tells Jixuan to not worry about it, however it will still be something that bothers him. I will unleash the sibling love from Jixuan as soon as they both stop arguing!)

Guangyao leaves abruptly, leaving a brokenhearted Xichen. o(TヘTo)

Nie Mingjue still does not trust, even though Lan Xichen tells him that he needs to give Jin Guangyao a chance. Mingjue is quick to bring up how Guangyao is now ignoring him. This does hurt Xichen but makes no comment on it.

In order to ensure that he can keep an eye on his competitors, Jin Guangshan wants Jin Guangyao to talk to them.

In an act of desperation Xichen asks for the vow of brotherhood Mingjue agrees and Guangyao is forced to smile and agree.

Xichen: Want’s to at least have a connection with Guangyao. He may not be interested in him romantically but maybe still be there for him as a friend and show Mingjue that he is a good person.

Mingjue: Knows that something is going on and believes that Jin Guangyao is planning something.

Guanyao: Follows his father’s wishes to have some sort of alliance and keep an eye on both sects. He refuses to think about that kiss, even though he has taken a few careful glimpses towards Xichen’s direction.

Even though Jixuan is upset with Guangyao, he does end up going to him for advice:

“Guangyao, I need your assistance!” Jixuan winces. He didn’t mean to make it sound like an order, but for sure his brother can tell not to take it to heart. The courtesy bow proves him wrong.

“Of course, How may I be of service? (❁^◡^❁)” Jixuan frowns. This was not going how he thought it was going to go. ಠ_ಠ

“Stop that!” He orders placing his hands on his brothers arms, maybe a bit too forceful, so he did not have to bow. “I may be mad at you, but you're still my brother, not a servant.”

Guangyao surprised but nods. Jixuan goes back to the topic at hand.

“Anyway, help me, please.” Guangyao laughs. Jixuan looked embarrassed, it must not be easy for him to also for help, the question is why? He never had trouble asking for help on his education or phrases he did not understand in the common folk.

“All right, I will help you, brother. Now what can I do to help.” Guangyao replies, interested to find out why his brother is so nervous.

“Better! Well, I need help-” he gets nervous visibly, hands behind his back, looking everywhere but Guangyao as he paced back and forth “-normally I go to mother but I don’t want to hear her nag at me again. I know you will too, but it won't sound as irritating.”

“What does Madam Jin-” Begins Guangyao then instantly puts the pieces together. “Does this have to do about Lady Jiang Yanli?” Jixuan is silent, stopped pacing to look at his brother but his face is red. Guangyao laughs at him and retorts at him.

“I told you so!”

Jixuan looks betrayed and then grumpy. Is this how brothers really interact? You fight with each other, but can still talk to one another and then betray you when you ask for their help?

Once his teasing is done Guangyao smiles at him. “Tell me what do you need help with exactly?”

“I need to woo Yanli, I did her wrong and accused her unjustly. I apologized, but only simply. Now I want to do her right, that apology doesn’t feel enough.” Then in a rather meek voice, “Please help me.”

Something in that voice, how Jixuan is treating him now (no he’s done it before just never in public but wasn’t for the lack of trying) warms his heart. It also reminds him of how Xichen Zewu-jun treats him. No, that’s wrong. Is Jixuan looking up to him? That’s a little ridiculous. Shaking his thoughts away, he agrees to come up with a proper formal apology. Who knew he would seriously take his advice with ‘I’m sorry’. He may need to be careful with his teasing.

Okay, So I wrote more of the outline but still need to figure out some kinks here and there. I almost had a few events mixed in, that I had to consult the wiki. I love the web series, but I am not spending a lot of time going through it. So I do know that Jin Jixuan is older (Thank you @minutemarch for the correction :-D), but in this au universe he is now younger! You can thank my confused self who misread the wiki page and other sources.

So yeah, love interest for both siblings but still a hot mess for all parties involved. After all, Yanli may have received an apology, but after all the indifference she received from Jixuan, he will need Guangyao to help him. Especially with Yanli’s brother’s in her corner ready to defend her. (I don’t mean to make them sound horrible but this is in the point of view of Jin siblings so it comes across that way ಥ_ಥ)

And we are not forgetting Guangyao and Xichen. I feel that it will be extremely angsty at their end too. Tbh I have more written for them but I keep finding myself adding more for Jixuan and Yanli.

Next part: Jixuan tries his hand at helping Guagyao with Xichen... you should probably ask the right people and not the ones who’s sister you’ve made upset.

Note: the next part will be on my new blog @lolmouseywriting

#the untamed au #the untamed #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #mao dao zu shi #mo dao zu shi #jin sibling au #meng yao #jin guangyao #Jin Jixuan #Lan Xichen #nie mingjue #a bit of Wen Qing and Wen Ning #jin guangshan #xuanli #xiyao #Jixuan/Yanli #Xichen/Guangyao

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reds-self-ships · 3 years

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🔍 The Adventure of the Detection Club

Chapter 12: Opening Arguments

Table of Contents & Trigger Warnings

⚠ Chapter Specific Warnings: Contains allusions to spoilers for The Great Ace Attorney 2, as well as passing references made to blood and gore.

The next morning Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey Defendant Lobby

Ryunosuke Naruhodo quickly sorted his way through a stack of papers that made up the official court record for the case, shuffling his way through at such a speed that he looked as though he was certainly doing his best not to drop any.

Redford took a long drink from the flash of cocoa that Iris had specially prepared for him, whilst Susato kept a watch over Ryunosuke.

The door swung open with a loud crash as Sholmes barged his way into the room. “Morning, folks!” he roared.

Ryunosuke gave a yelp as he promptly dropped the pages of the court record across the floor. “Sh-Sholmes! Look at what you made me do!”

“Oh I’m terribly sorry about that Mr. Naruhodo—”

“Just help me pick these up!”

Ryunosuke fell to his knees, along with Sholmes, frantically picking them up and trying to re-organise them, all whilst Ryunosuke swore several oaths under his breath in Japanese.

“Apologies if I sound rude or anything, Susato, but is Ryunosuke always so…‘jumpy’ before a trial like this…?” Redford asked quietly.

“No…well…at least not that I’ve ever seen before…” said Susato, carefully playing with a loop of her hair.

“Me neither,” said Iris. “Normally when he’s a little anxious, his eyes dart around the room like no tomorrow. But this is definitely a new one…”

“Well it explains the way he was acting during breakfast this morning. With the way his eyes were rolling about in his skull, I thought they were going to roll out of his head or something. If I were trying to maintain eye contact with him, I think I’d’ve ended up giving up.”

The bailiff suddenly appeared from the entrance and called: “Now hearing the case of Regina V. Ninate, will all parties please report to courtroom no. 3 immediately!”

Just in time, Ryunosuke managed to get the papers together and get the court record back into its cardboard folder again.

“That’s our cue, Mr. Naruhodo,” said Susato.

“Well, I’ll be cheering you on from the dock. Good luck, you two!” said Redford with a bow.

Sholmes flicked the front rim of his hat. “And likewise, we’ll be cheering you on from the gallery!”

Iris flicked the front of her own forehead. “Good luck, everybody!”

——————————

The judge hit his gavel several times to bring the chattering of the gallery to a close, before clearing his throat and pushing his pince-nez glasses up his nose.

“Court is now in session for the trial of Redford Ninate!” he announced.

“The defence is ready, milord!” exclaimed Ryunosuke with a start.

“The prosecution is more than prepared, milord,” said Abidon, looking over the top of his half-moon glasses.

“And you,” continued the judge, “our six members of the jury, randomly chosen from citizens across the city of London, are you ready?”

The first juror, a young woman with her short and curly brown hair tied up with a red and white spotted handkerchief, rolled up a sleeve and flexed her bicep. “Ready and riveting to go!”

The second juror, a rather frail-looking old man dressed in a black suit and tall top-hat, stroked his sharp triangular chin with a bony hand. “I’m ready to commit the facts of this case to loving memory…kept in the grace of God’s right hand.”

The third juror, a familiar-looking Japanese man in a brown kimono with messy black hair and moustache, with several cats climbing over him, struck various poses. “I! AM! READY! BANZAI!”

The fourth juror, a tall man with black finely-combed hair in a widow’s peak and an aquiline nose, removed a pipe from the pocket of his dressing gown and began to smoke it. “I am ready to perceive the truth behind this case.”

The fifth juror, a man in a black tuxedo, top-hat with a purple band and a matching-coloured waistcoat stroked his moustache after he fiddled with his monocle. “I, the great Horace Velmont, will give everything that I can to this case!”

Finally, the sixth juror, a young girl with a black and white striped sweater, a mask covering the top part of her face and a black knitted cap on her head, said: “Yeah! I’m ready to go, guv’na!”

The judge nodded his head. “Excellent. Prosecutor Abidon, isn’t it?”

“Yes, milord?”

“You may begin with your opening statement.”

Ryunosuke looked around the courtroom nervously.

(It’s been a while since I’ve last been here. I just hope I’m able to get Redford off of these charges…for his sake…)

He looked over to Redford, sat in the defendant’s chair in the dock. And as he did so, Redford winked.

(Oh my heart…!)

“Mr. Naruhodo? Are you sure that you’re OK?” whispered Susato. “You’re looking at Red in the face.”

“Eh—sorry?”

“I said: ‘Are you OK? You’re looking a little red in the face’.”

“Is everything alright, defence?” asked the judge.

“Defence, you are aware that talking over the prosecution whilst it is attempting to make its opening argument is rude, arrogant and something that could lead to you being removed from this courtroom for contempt of court?” said Abidon with a glare. “I’m not sure how you Japanese like to do things, but it is the way we British people do things in this sacred court of law, and it is to be respected and heeded.”

“Sorry!” exclaimed Ryunosuke with a start. “Carry on. As you were…”

(Oh great! A smaller, jumped up, discounted-version of Lord van Zieks…that’s just what we really need right about now…)

“As I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted…” said Abidon as he unfurled a scroll and held it in front of him. “The victim in this case was a Mr. Harris Thomas, a member of the same organisation as the defendant—known as ‘The Detection Club’, an organisation for crime writers to meet and work on their crime novels I believe.

“The victim had been expelled from the club for missed payment of membership fees, and a new member, Dexter Collins, was due to be inaugurated into the club the day before yesterday through a special ceremony. A ceremony that the defendant himself was placed in charge of organising and arranging.

“The defendant arranged ahead of time that he was to meet with the victim to formally inform him of his expulsion at the same time as began these ceremonial preparations. The prosecution, therefore, asserts that the defendant did, with malicious intent and malice of forethought, met with the victim beforehand and killed him unlawfully.

“He did so by hitting him repeatedly over the head with this—” Abidon reached under the prosecution’s bench and took out the alleged murder weapon, holding it high for the benefit of the court. “—this skull, which serves as a mascot for the club, affectionately referred to as ‘Norman’.”

“Oh my! An actual human skull? How frightening!” exclaimed the judge. “Still, how can you assert that it was the defendant who committed this horrifying crime?”

“Because, milord,” replied Abidon, “the defendant was the only one who had a key to this locked room mystery—the only door to the room is several inches thick and designed to be entirely impenetrable, as is the rest of the room. The windows are only able to open a few centimetres in width, and the entire room is located on the third floor of a building on High Window Avenue. And a cursory investigation has proven that there is no way for anybody to hide themselves within the room.”

“Very compelling evidence, I must admit.”

“HOLD IT!”

“If that is the case,” said the second juror, “I believe that we may finally be able to put this matter to rest. Dearly beloved, let us join hands together in prayer to mourn this defendant’s hopeless case. A truly, tragic death, indeed!”

With a knock of his hand against the jury bench, a fireball flew through the air and landed into the “guilty” side of the giant set of scales behind the judge, tilting them towards the right.

(Yikes! Already it’s not looking good!)

“An excellent opening argument indeed, Sir Prosecutor, but not necessarily one that would be enough to force a conviction in my opinion,” said the fourth juror, tenting his fingers together. “However, I would wish to hear more on this matter. It is only whenever we have eliminated every possible lead that we may know for certain what, exactly, has transpired.”

“I am inclined to agree with Juror #4,” said the judge with a nod.

Abidon nodded back in response.

“I acknowledge that particular fact, milord. As such, the prosecution would now like to call its first witnesses to the stand—Detective Athelney Jones of Her Majesty’s Metropolitan Police Service and Dr. Yujin Mikotoba, the police’s current acting chief coroner and medical examiner.”

#the adventure of the detection club #stories #fics #self insert #OTP: Red Dragon

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disneydreamlights · 4 years

Text

Across the Stars: Chapter 3

AO3 | FFN

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Summary: Tensions between the Separatists and the Republic are climbing as the Senate debates whether there is need for an army. Anakin Skywalker, Senator of Tatooine, has recently returned to Coruscant to speak against its formation, resulting in an assassination attempt that forces him to reunite with long time friends Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and the newly knighted Padme Naberrie for his own protection. [Anidala]

(Or, an Attack of the Clones Roleswap AU)

"Track down this bounty hunter you must," Yoda said. After last night's chase, there had been no more threats on the Senator's life, thankfully, but that didn't change the fact that their assassin had been hired by another to take Anakin's life, leaving them with more questions than answers, and leading to Padmé and Obi-Wan standing before the council, waiting to hear more details on their mission.

"More importantly, find out who he's working for," Master Windu added, waiting to see what the two Jedi Knights would say.

Obi-Wan frowned. "What about Senator Skywalker? He'll still need protecting."

"Investigate the bounty hunter, only one of you will."

Master Windu took over moments later. "Padmé, while Obi-Wan is looking into who hired the bounty hunter, you'll escort the Senator back to his home planet on Tatooine. He'll be safer there. I trust you and Obi-Wan will be able to come up with a plan for this."

"An-Senator Skywalker," she corrected herself moments later. They may have been friends, but it didn't mean she could simply slip up like that, "won't be easy to convince to leave the capital. Not so long as the bill is still up for debate in the Senate."

"Until caught this killer is, our judgement he must respect." There was a finality to Yoda's words. There would be no debating with them.

"See if you can get Chancellor Palpatine to convince him otherwise. He was willing to listen to the Chancellor earlier when accepting your protection. Perhaps he'll be able to get Anakin to leave Coruscant for now." With Master Windu's words, she and Obi-Wan were dismissed.

Anakin was definitely not going to be happy to hear this.

-x-

"I will talk with Senator Skywalker. I know he is temperamental, even he won't be able to ignore an executive order if the need arises, not if he wishes to remain the senator for Tatooine." Palpatine smiled at Padmé as she stood next to him. Their shared planet of origin may have been the reason he'd reached out to her, but a mentorship had formed in its own way between her and the kindly old man, and she appreciated his presence.

Padmé bowed to him in respect. "Thank you, Your Excellency."

"None of that Padmé." Palpatine smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "We've been friends for far too long to need that. I'm much more interested in hearing how you're doing. I hear you've finally become a Jedi Knight."

"I have." She smiled back. "I'm sorry I hadn't told you sooner, Chancellor. I finished the trials and then Obi-Wan and I were immediately sent out to negotiate with the Separatists and protect Anakin." She'd known the life of a Jedi would be busy, but before all this started she and Obi-Wan had definitely had more time on Coruscant. So had the rest of the Jedi.

Palpatine simply gave a laugh and another kind smile for her. "It's not a concern, I understand things are busy for the Jedi right now, as they are for us all."

The chancellor's understanding was a relief to her, if she was honest. Though their shared heritage from Naboo had been the starting point for their bond as he told her stories of her home planet, their friendship had been invaluable, and she was worried he'd be offended by her inability to visit lately. "We are. I'm grateful that up until now they've let me stay with Obi-Wan. With things as tense as they are, I don't want to make a mistake that will throw us all into a war."

"Nonsense, my dear. You need not worry about the chances of that, you have all the skills you need to continue to succeed and flourish. You simply need to continue doing what the council asks of you, and have more confidence in your own abilities." Palpatine walked away from the window, prompting Padmé to follow him. "And after that, it won't be long until you've earned the title of Jedi Master, and a seat on the council yourself." She smiled. She knew it was simply a compliment and some advice, but the idea that she could be closer to her aspirations than she'd seemed was a nice thought.

"Thank you, Chancellor." She bowed her head, continuing to follow Palpatine out so she could pass on the message to Anakin.

"Don't thank me, my dear." Palpatine stopped for a moment. "I'm afraid I've left the hardest task, dealing with the Senator, right in your hands. But I trust you'll be able to handle him. He is a close friend of yours, after all."

-x-

Padmé sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Anakin packed the last of his senatorial outfits into a suitcase, ready for travel to Tatooine to continue serving as Anakin's bodyguard, as per council mandate. "This is unfair. I've spent weeks going over everything with Bail. Weeks. And I've had to sit and listen to the other senators go on about how important it is to have an army to go against the Separatists like I actually believed what they were saying." Just as she'd expected, he was unhappy, to say the least. Fuming might have been a better way to describe the Senator as he raced from one end of the room to the other.

"As opposed to doing what…?" Padmé asked, more than a little amused at the senator's irritation, but still wanting to know what he would've been doing instead of listening to the other senators. She knew Anakin could be slightly temperamental (another reason he had likely been denied admittance to the Jedi after he'd arrived with them on Coruscant) but watching him upset like this was a new experience for her.

It seemed her asking the question to try to get his mind off of all this seemed to simply irritate Anakin more, as he assumed she wasn't taking him seriously. (Which she wasn't, if she was honest. He was throwing a tantrum.) "I'm serious about not wanting to go back home. I need to be here to try to stop this bill. An army's not an answer, especially not a drafted one like we'd need if we went to war and–"

He stopped his rant as Padmé put a hand on his shoulder. "Anakin, Bail will take care of this. He's a good politician. Obi-Wan and I have worked with him before, and if he's helping you with this, I doubt he'd just let the bill pass when he's been fighting against it too. And your mom will be representing Tatooine. She'll make sure to represent you well." Shmi Skywalker was amazingly strong from the few times that Padmé had worked with her. Anakin's cause was in good hands.

"It's not easy to accept though." He looked up, as though hating to admit it. "I'm not used to having to sit on the side lines." It was why he had decided to organize and lead an entire slave rebellion when he was barely a teenager. It was why he was fighting so hard now.

"I know, but right now you're safest on the sidelines, and you can't just let your pride make you take unnecessary risks. I can't leave you to throw away your life like that." As stressful as his plan had been earlier, there had been at least some kind of reason for it, with a good chance of his survival. What Anakin was planning now would've been suicide with things in Corsuscant as they were. Deep down, he had to know that too.

He looked up at her and smiled, zipping up the suitcase and sitting down on it. "It's a good thing I have somebody as reliable as you serving as my bodyguard, then."

"Obi-Wan would be better at this, he's been a Knight longer." But Obi-Wan would be getting to the bottom of who was hiring a bounty hunter to take down Anakin. And it was a job that needed his talents a lot more than a guard mission.

"Obi-Wan may have been a knight longer, but I wouldn't want anybody else." Just like before, when he'd pulled her aside to talk to her about the security detail in more depth, Anakin's blue eyes met hers, and she found herself unable to look away. He was so...he had so much faith in her despite having only recently been knighted. So much trust she'd had yet to prove she deserved.

But despite that, there was something else in those eyes. A passion, born from the desert, a fight that only Anakin had in him. It drew her in in a way nothing else could, a passion that seemed like it was dedicated to nobody but her. Like she hung the stars in the sky. She didn't want to look away. It was a look like she was the only person that mattered in that moment.

He wanted her, and under the intensity of his gaze, it made it difficult to avoid wanting him just as much.

...she broke his gaze. That was ridiculous. She was a Jedi. She couldn't, not like that, not like what he wanted. "Please, don't look at me like that. It makes me uncomfortable."

Immediately, Anakin looked away. "Sorry." She appreciated the apology, giving him a smile in return.

"Finish packing. I'll check with Obi-Wan to see how we'll be making our travels." She needed to get away from him, at least for now. To get herself under control. He didn't seem to question it, instead nodding and standing out of the way.

"As soon as I'm done, I'll meet you outside." And with that, she was out of the apartment and back in the elevator, trying desperately not to think about what had just happened between them.

She started taking deep breaths, attempting to deal with the knots around her heart from how Anakin made her feel. He was attractive, she could acknowledge that much even as a Jedi. He was also sweet, and gave everything his all. He was caring and she still remembered how brave he was when he'd stood up to Jabba, just before…

No, she'd stopped thinking of that years ago. It was her past, her regret, not for her to think about now. She buried those memories of her second time on Tatooine, choosing instead to return to her current predicament. Anakin was a Senator, and he loved so wholly that there was no way she could even consider a potential relationship with him. He demanded love so completely that she would need to give him everything she was, something she would never be able to do as a Jedi. Rather than continue to think on it, even entertain the possibility of feeling something for him, she chose instead to release those feelings into the Force. The knots in her chest that had begun to form with Anakin's look unraveled, and as she stepped out of the elevator she was able to greet Obi-Wan with a smile.

"Done packing?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised at the appearance of just Padmé.

"I left Anakin to finish alone. He's definitely capable of handling things by himself." She smiled. As a Jedi, she didn't have many belongings to take with her, and she was honestly more useless than not helping Anakin prepare himself for his trip back to Tatooine anyways. "I figured I should get the full briefing."

"Very well." He pulled up a holo-projector after making sure nobody was watching and pulled up a large ship for Padmé to memorize the look of. "A refugee ship will be taking off in about three hours. You and the Anakin will join their numbers as though you're seeking shelter in Tatooine, in disguise. I'm sure the senator will have something in his wardrobe you can hide your Jedi robes under while on the trip."

Padmé looked over the plan. "And we'll take that to Tatooine?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Once you arrive, report in to the council. I'll be unable to do so because I'll be doing some investigations of my own. You'll be required to send in a report daily, but do not mention where on Tatooine you are. The less people who know where you and the senator are, the less likely somebody will be able to launch an attack."

"Understood." Padmé gave a salute and turned off the projection before turning to Obi-Wan. "You're sure this will work?"

"Not at all, but I get the feeling I'm the one with the more challenging mission. Tatooine will be twice as protective of their senator than anybody on Coruscant would be." Obi-Wan smiled a moment later. "I get the feeling that the person who will be the hardest to deal with will be Anakin anyways. You might have your hands full protecting him from himself, rather than more bounty hunters."

He...wasn't wrong, if Anakin's behavior the night before was anything to go by. She let out a small laugh "I'll make sure to keep the senator out of trouble."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Are you sure you'll be the one keeping me out of trouble?" Anakin appeared at the entry of the building, wearing a poncho over his traditional Tatooine outfit. "I'm pretty sure I had to help keep you safe when you first arrived."

"I was fourteen."

"I was nine." Padmé huffed at his response, which caused Anakin's teasing smile to just get bigger. "I'm assuming our chariot awaits, my lady?"

"I'll be with you in a second as your escort." She bowed to Obi-Wan, abandoning the conversation with Anakin for the time being. "May the Force be with you Obi-Wan."

"And with you." He bowed to Padmé, a sign of respect that brought a smile to her face. As she went to turn to lead Anakin away, Obi-Wan grabbed her wrist. "Be careful."

"I will be." She turned to Anakin after Obi-Wan let go, offering him her hand. "Well, Senator, shall we head to the ship?"

"At your command, Master Jedi." Anakin took her hand, and she led the way to their transport.

-x-

The shuttle transport to Tatooine was a lot more cramped than Padmé had expected, but she shouldn't have been surprised either. Anakin had mentioned as they were boarding that since being freed from Hutt control, the planet had become a hotspot for refugee activity, protecting them from anybody off planet who might hurt them.

Which left them in cramped spaces, making the most of the small amount of privacy they could find with their single astromech guard and having light and easy conversation.

"So, what's it like being a Jedi?" Anakin asked, having finished a tale of his highly exciting adventures in the Senate, dealing with those who were resistant to change. "I can't imagine there's a dull moment."

"Not with Obi-Wan as a master." Padmé smiled, thinking back to her Padawan days. "But I suppose I didn't help. I was probably a handful for him."

"You, a handful?" Anakin gave a surprised gasp, playing up his overdramatic nature. "I couldn't imagine that, you've always seemed to have everything under control. I would've thought you were the perfect Jedi."

"Unfortunately, although I did learn from one, I made my fair share of mistakes. Like the time I accidentally used my lightsaber to set Master Yoda's robes on fire." She watched as Anakin's face lit up at that information.

"How did you manage that?"

"Jedi secret." Padmé put her finger over her lips, not telling him anything more on it.

"Oh come on Padmé." He pushed for a few more minutes, but she refused to budge. Telling about it happening was one thing, explaining just how she managed to do it was absolutely another. "Okay fine, if you won't tell me that, at least tell me some things about the Jedi."

"I thought you weren't interested in being one anymore." He'd said so much last night at least.

"Maybe not in being a Jedi, but I do want to know more about the world you and Obi-Wan live in." Padmé searched for signs of deception in him, but he was surprisingly being earnest. "I know it's been a while before circumstances forced us to talk again, but I do think of both of you as some of my closest friends. You can't blame me for wanting to know more."

Padmé couldn't, if she was honest. "So long as it's not one of our Jedi secrets, I can answer."

Anakin gave a grin, happy to have gotten some confirmation on getting answers. "What's life like at the temple then?"

Padmé remained silent for a moment. It had been a while since she'd just spent a decent amount of time there. After thinking on it for a minute or two, she answered, "Peaceful. It's a lot like coming home to get to go there. I used to spend a lot of time learning lessons from Obi-Wan, but lately I've been trying to get to know the younglings. I've been thinking of asking for a Padawan, and it wouldn't hurt to get to know them now."

"Planning on teaching another kid how to be a perfect Jedi like Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked. At first she'd thought he was teasing, and refused to answer. "I'm serious, I'm surprised you want a Padawan. I think I'd hate having to teach one."

That was...oh. "It's rewarding. When you get a Padawan, it's like getting to add another member to your family. A sibling or a kid. It's also the only way you can become a master, and get on the Jedi Council." Admittedly, having a seat on the council hadn't always been her dream, but Palpatine had told her that she'd make an excellent Jedi Master if she set her mind to it, and the idea had stuck out in her head ever since as something to aspire to be.

Anakin seemed to latch onto the family bit however, looking at her with confusion. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to have family or love like that?"

An unfortunate misconception. Anakin should have learned based on watching her and Obi-Wan interact, but it wasn't something he internalized. "We love differently. The people we love can never be more important than the galaxy, but we're allowed to love. Obi-Wan's my brother, and Master Qui-Gon was practically his father."

Anakin remained silent after that for a moment, as though taking in what she had said. "Does that include romantic love?"

"It's allowed, but we can't settle down with anybody. Not if we want to stay in the Order." It hadn't bothered her, if she was honest. She knew if she found somebody, they'd understand that. They'd let her go.

Anakin frowned, trying to reconcile that with the information he had. "Because if you have that kind of bond, it'd mean you'd put them before the galaxy, right?" Padmé nodded. "I couldn't imagine living like that. There's very few things I'd put above my mom."

Above his mom? "Like what?" Padmé asked, her face leaning into her hand as she looked at the Senator, who had chosen to lay down on one of the benches.

"You." Anakin's answer was simple, and Padmé swallowed, once more a little uncomfortable as the feelings she'd tried to bury just hours earlier started swimming to the surface. She waited for him to add on.

"Anakin, I'm flattered really, but–"

"Padmé, you're the one who forced Obi-Wan to come back to Tatooine when he couldn't take me as a Padawan." Oh this wasn't about anything like that. "If it wasn't for you, my mom would still be held by Watto, and there'd probably still be slavery on Tatooine. It's a life debt I can't repay."

Subconsciously, Padmé found her free hand had grabbed one of Anakin's, and at that moment, she didn't care about appearances, or anything else. "I didn't realize I meant that much to you."

"You always will." Whether it was platonic or romantic, Padmé wasn't quite sure what Anakin's intent was. Before she could ask, he changed the subject. "So what was that about burning Master Yoda's Jedi Robes?"

"Anakin!"

-x-

As they disembarked from the ship, Anakin offered his hand, allowing for Padmé to take it as she left the ship, smiling at him. It had only been a few years since she'd arrived last on Tatooine, but in spite of that, the desert planet had a different, less oppressive feel to it. The two suns still beat down on the harsh sand, but it felt cleaner in the hanger, less dangerous.

"Come on." Anakin turned to Padmé. "I have one stop for work, then afterwards we can focus on lying low."

It took Padmé a moment to process what he said. "Anakin what?"

"My step brother's girlfriend will have a comm I can use to reach my mom. If nothing else, she should know we got here safely." Padmé hesitated at that for a moment, but realized she had to relent. Making Shmi worry for the sake of Anakin's safety did seem wrong.

"Wait a second, step brother?" Since when did Anakin have any other family?

"My mom married a moisture farmer a few years ago. They live in Anchorhead now with her when she's on planet. He had a son, Owen, who has a girlfriend." Seems like things had changed a lot since Padmé had last been on Tatooine. "Beru's nice. She was very involved in helping get slaves away from their owners and removing their chips. She helped remove my mom's."

Right, that made sense. Padmé struggled to determine if there was any occasion where she might have met the girl. "And that's all you're going for?"

"I might also be hoping to check in on the Military Creation Act," he admitted, albeit with some reluctance.

"Anakin!"

"I'm not going to be there to do anything bad, just give her some thoughts I've had that she can pass onto my mom."

Padmé sighed. "You're determined."

"I have to be." Anakin smiled, although it was clear it wasn't easy for him to admit. "Somebody has to make this galaxy a better place, so slavery doesn't slip through the cracks again on another planet. If I don't stand up for people, who will."

"Is that why your people were so eager to have you take over for your mom as Senator once you turned eighteen?" Anakin looked at her, more than a little confused. "I kept my eye out for you on the holonews and the holonet."

His face lit up at that, like he hadn't expected it. "They wanted me to take up the seat sooner, it's why I did so much in the Senate. But my mom insisted that I was too young and they could take her if they wanted a Skywalker in office."

"And so you can't let them down." She saw where this was going, and smiled.

"Not if I want to keep the faith of everybody on Tatooine." Anakin pulled her away, leading her into one of the newer buildings of Mos Espa, or at least one that had recently been cleaned up, judging by the significantly cleaner buildings.

As they stepped inside, it was clear to see just how busy Anakin's team was with getting everything working. Each of the desks held a different resident of Tatooine, with refugees and others scattered around in a panic. Sentients of a million different species seemed to scatter about from place to place, and the building was a madhouse of people. Anakin led her right through the lobby and up to the second floor, opening it up to a wide, less chaotic office with a young blonde girl doing some paperwork. She looked up at the door in surprise. "Anakin?"

"Hey Beru." He waved and fell back in surprise as the girl gave him a hug, one he quickly returned.

"I didn't expect you to come back so soon to Tatooine." She smiled before turning towards Padmé. "Who's this?"

"This is Jedi Knight Padmé Naberrie, the Jedi who helped free my mom." Anakin introduced her. "She's serving as my protector until the threat on my life has passed."

Before Padmé could say anything more, she found herself also pulled into a hug. "Thank you, for helping free Shmi, and helping keep Anakin safe. I don't know what any of us would do if it wasn't for you."

Padmé smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad Ani managed to find people like you to be a part of his family."

"Family that includes you now, too." Having addressed the Jedi protector, who was surprised at the inclusion in Anakin's family so easily, Beru turned her attention back towards Anakin. "Why are you back here?"

"Sa–"

"Safety. It's not safe for Anakin on Coruscant so long as people are still after him, so Shmi is filling in on the Senate and Anakin is staying here until it's safe for him to return."

"I can answer for myself." Anakin was indignant for the interruption, but seemed to let it go. "I was hoping you could pass on a few messages for my mother before we head out to the farm."

Beru looked at him in surprise. "You want to hide out there?"

"It's far out of the way, and nobody's likely to catch me on camera there." Anakin grimaced moments later though. "It's not the best or biggest place to be, but if I'm going to hide out it's probably one of the safest. I can always help with the vaporators too, make sure they're ready for the next harvest."

"I'll let Owen and Cliegg know. They left for Coruscant a few hours ago with Threepio." Beru paused, as though something had sunk in while talking. "That must have been why they left. They're going to keep Shmi company."

Anakin nodded. "Probably. So you agree it's a good idea?"

"Of course." Beru smiled. "Nobody associates the Whitesuns or Skywalkers with the Lars family. Nobody will think to look there." Padmé nodded in agreement. "Now then, what messages did you have for your mom? I'm assuming it's not just to tell her you both arrived here safely"

Anakin chuckled. "Of course not. You always were able to see right through me better than anyone." He turned to Padmé. "Do you want to stay for this?"

"I believe the council told me not to let you out of my sights." Padmé smiled. "I suppose I'll have to though for this, since I have to call the council. I'm sure you can take care of yourself for a half hour?"

"If not, then you can kill my dead body, Master Jedi."

Padmé laughed. "I'll be back." And with that, she left the room for a small hallway nearby, pulling out her comm once more.

"Master Windu. Master Yoda." She bowed as the two Jedi appeared. Though she couldn't see them, she assumed most of the council was present as well.

"Knight Naberrie. I'm assuming you and Senator Skywalker have arrived on Tatooine?" Mace asked, looking at her.

Padmé nodded. "The Senator's talking with a relative. After he's finished, we'll be going into hiding, just as planned."

"Done well, you have." Yoda's praise made Padmé smile as she realized that she'd at least so far been successful. "Senator Skyawlker's safety insured will be."

"How's Obi-Wan's investigation going?" Padmé asked. Perhaps it was too soon for him to have found anything, but it'd be nice if she had some good news for Anakin.

"Found a lead, Knight Kenobi has," Yoda answered. "Left for another planet, he did."

"We'll let you know as soon as developments are found." Mace nodded. "For now, your objective remains the same as it has."

"I'll let you know if my situation changes then." Padmé smiled, hanging up on the two council members. If Obi-Wan had a lead, perhaps they wouldn't be in hiding out on Tatooine for as long as she thought.

[Next Part]

#Star Wars #Anakin Skywalker #Anakin #Padme Amidala #Padme #Obi Wan Kenobi #Obi Wan #Anidala #Heather Writes

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