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siilent-wanderer · 2 months ago

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Your Argument, My Weakness

Summary: She wasn’t supposed to matter. But between late-night practice debates and quiet stares that last too long, Wonyoung realizes her greatest challenge isn't winning — it’s not falling for her partner.

Genre: slow-burn, rivals-to-something-more??

Word Count: 1.7k words

debater!Jang Wonyoung x reader

A/N: always thinking about law student!wonyoung so it's time this escapes the drafts

The first time Wonyoung really noticed Jeon Y/N was during a philosophy lecture. Not because Y/N was loud — far from it. In fact, Wonyoung had never heard her speak before. But that day, when the professor posed a question about moral relativism, Y/N had responded so quietly yet so decisively that the entire room had gone silent.

"It’s not that morality is subjective," Y/N had said, her voice steady despite the sudden attention. "It’s that humans are subjective in how they interpret it. We like to believe we’re rational beings, but emotions cloud even our most logical choices."

Wonyoung, who had been half-listening while scrolling through her phone, looked up then. She studied Y/N for the first time — the way she fidgeted with her pen, the way her gaze flickered downward like she wasn’t used to speaking up. She was the kind of girl people overlooked, the kind who blended into the background.

So why was Wonyoung suddenly unable to stop looking at her?

Later, in the campus debate room, Wonyoung found herself distracted. She was the star of the university’s competitive debate team, the reigning champion who rarely lost an argument. But as she sat across from her teammates, preparing for their next tournament, she wasn’t thinking about strategies or counterpoints.

She was thinking about Y/N.

The way her voice had been so soft yet unshakable. The way her words stayed, pressing against Wonyoung’s mind like an unsolved puzzle.

"Earth to Wonyoung?" Liz, her teammate, waved a hand in front of her face. "You good? You’re never this quiet."

Wonyoung snapped back to reality, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she leaned back in her chair. "Obviously. Just thinking."

Liz narrowed her eyes. "About?"

Wonyoung smirked. "None of your business."

But as much as she tried to brush it off, Y/N ran in circles in her thoughts. And when Wonyoung set her mind on something — or someone — she didn’t let go easily.

Y/N had never been one to seek the spotlight. She preferred to sit quietly in lectures, taking meticulous notes and absorbing every detail while others eagerly raised their hands. It wasn’t that she lacked confidence — she just didn’t feel the need to broadcast her thoughts unless necessary.

Which is why she wasn’t expecting it when Professor Choi called her name.

“Miss Jeon, your insights during class discussions lately have been exceptional. Have you considered joining the university debate team?”

Y/N blinked, feeling the weight of the entire classroom’s attention shift onto her. “Um… not really.”

Professor Choi smiled knowingly. “I think you’d be a great addition. You have a sharp mind, and we need more critical thinkers. Why don’t you attend a practice session and see how you like it?”

Y/N hesitated. Debate? That wasn’t exactly her scene. But before she could decline, she caught a glimpse of Jang Wonyoung from across the room.

Wonyoung, the untouchable it-girl of their university, star of the debate team was watching her. Not just watching — scrutinizing. Her sharp gaze was unreadable, but it sent a shiver down Y/N’s spine. It wasn’t the first time Wonyoung had looked at her like that, either. Cold. Analytical. Almost as if she were dissecting her every move.

Y/N had never spoken more than two words to Wonyoung, but she was certain of one thing — Wonyoung didn’t like her.

“Alright,” Y/N heard herself say before she could stop. “I’ll give it a try.”

The professor beamed. “Great! The team meets every Wednesday evening. I’ll let them know to expect you. Miss Jang?”

“Okay, sir,” Wonyoung replies with a smile before turning back to look at Y/N.

As class resumed, Y/N felt someone's gaze bore holes through her head. She turned slightly, only to meet Wonyoung’s piercing eyes once again. But before Y/N could react, Wonyoung looked away, expression unreadable.

What had she just gotten herself into?

She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting when she first stepped into the debate team’s practice room, but the sharp, assessing gaze Wonyoung shot her certainly wasn’t it. It wasn’t outright hostile — just cold, calculating, like she was already mentally picking apart every possible weakness Y/N had before she even said a word.

Wonyoung was a force in the debate team, known for her poise, her ability to turn any argument to her advantage, and her ruthlessness in dismantling opposing viewpoints. Y/N, on the other hand, felt like she had stumbled into the lion’s den with nothing but a notebook and sheer nervous energy.

“Welcome, Miss Jeon,” the debate adviser said, smiling warmly. “For today’s practice, you’ll be participating in a mock debate. We’ll split into teams, and since we want to see how you perform under pressure, you’ll be arguing against Jang Wonyoung.”

Y/N’s stomach twisted. She was debating Wonyoung? Already? In front of everyone? Wonyoung, whose mere presence in a room commanded attention?

Across from her, Wonyoung arched a brow, clearly unimpressed. “Fine by me.”

Y/N barely managed a nod before everyone took their places.

The debate started, and to Y/N’s surprise, her nerves settled as soon as she began speaking. She had always been good with words, and though Wonyoung was sharp and quick, Y/N refused to be intimidated. They went back and forth, their arguments clashing like swords, neither willing to back down. And for the first time, Wonyoung found herself actually challenged.

By the end, Wonyoung was silent, watching Y/N with something unreadable in her gaze. It wasn’t irritation. If anything, it was… intrigue.

The adviser clapped. “That was excellent. Y/N, you have potential. I think you and Wonyoung could make a strong pair for upcoming competitions.”

Y/N’s breath caught. She had to work with Wonyoung? But she had barely even started?

Wonyoung, meanwhile, didn’t protest. She simply gave Y/N one last look before gathering her things and walking off.

Their first few practice sessions were painfully awkward. Wonyoung was distant, never speaking more than necessary, and Y/N didn’t know how to bridge the gap. Whenever she fumbled over a point, Wonyoung would sigh and correct her, but never unkindly — just efficiently, as if trying to get through practice as quickly as possible.

But Y/N noticed things.

Like how Wonyoung would subtly redirect conversations when another team member criticized Y/N too harshly. Or how she always made sure Y/N’s points were structured well before moving on. It wasn’t warmth, but it wasn’t cruelty either. It was… something.

One afternoon, as Y/N was leaving the debate room alone, she found herself cornered by a group of students near the lockers.

“You really think you deserve a spot on the team?” one sneered. “You’re just some professor’s favorite.”

Y/N swallowed, trying to step past them, but another blocked her way.

“Maybe you should quit before you embarrass yourself against actual competitors.”

Before Y/N could respond, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“If anyone’s embarrassing themselves, it’s you.”

Wonyoung.

She stepped in with effortless confidence, her cold gaze sweeping over the bullies. “Y/N earned her place. If you have a problem with that, take it up with the adviser. Oh wait, you can’t — because none of you even qualified for the team.”

The students muttered amongst themselves but ultimately backed off, scowling as they disappeared down the hallway.

Y/N exhaled, still shaken. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Wonyoung rolled her eyes. “I’m not letting idiots like them ruin my debate partner.”

Y/N looked up at her, startled by the possessiveness in Wonyoung’s tone. And for the first time ever, she heard Wonyoung say her name. Maybe, just maybe, Wonyoung didn’t hate her after all.

As the days passed, Y/N started noticing small shifts in Wonyoung’s behavior. She was still reserved, but there were moments — fleeting, almost imperceptible — where she showed something softer. She started waiting for Y/N after practice, sometimes walking beside her without a word. When Y/N forgot her water bottle, Wonyoung tossed her an extra one without comment.

Then came the turning point.

They had a big competition coming up, and Y/N found herself spiraling into self-doubt. No matter how much she prepared, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t good enough.

And Wonyoung had caught on.

“Stop doubting yourself,” she said one evening, catching Y/N off guard. “You’re the only person I’d want as my partner.”

Y/N blinked. “What?”

Wonyoung sighed, clearly annoyed she had to repeat herself. “I don’t repeat compliments, Jeon. Just take it.”

Heat rose to Y/N’s cheeks, but for the first time, she believed it.

Their study sessions became more intense. They spent long nights poring over arguments, refining strategies, and somehow, learning to navigate each other’s quirks. Wonyoung was meticulous, but she also started easing up, allowing moments of quiet banter. Y/N, in turn, learned to match Wonyoung’s confidence, standing her ground in ways she never thought she could.

One night, Y/N realized something strange — Wonyoung’s gaze lingered longer than necessary. And when Y/N called her out on it, Wonyoung smirked, looking entirely unapologetic.

The competition arrived, and they crushed it. But the real moment of change came afterward.

As they walked off stage, still buzzing with adrenaline, Wonyoung turned to Y/N and murmured, “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t by my side.”

It wasn’t an outright confession. But it was enough for Y/N to know that, somewhere along the way, they had stopped being just rivals. They had become something much more.

A week later, the university put up a poster featuring Wonyoung and Y/N as the faces of their debate team.

Wonyoung smirked as she caught Y/N staring at it. “I’m sure you have that poster of us saved on your phone so you can look at my photo every day.”

Y/N scoffed. “Tss. Got quite a mouth on you now, don’t you? Someone should teach you what to do with it.”

Wonyoung leaned in slightly, her smirk widening. “Do me the favor then.”

Y/N’s breath hitched. Oh, she was in trouble.

And later, when they found themselves alone backstage after another practice, Y/N, emboldened by their teasing, tried to fire back a bold remark — only for Wonyoung to silence her with a kiss. It was quick, teasing, yet undeniably real. When Wonyoung pulled back, she grinned at Y/N’s flustered expression.

“I win this round,” she whispered.

Y/N wasn’t sure if she wanted to argue — or kiss her again.

part two here | debater!wonyoung headcanons | spinoff drabble

#ive imagines #wonyoung imagines #wonyoung x reader #jang wonyoung #ive scenarios #izone imagines #girl group imagines #fem reader #wlw

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piroulinewafers · 2 months ago

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𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: kita shinsuke x reader 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: for a man who lived by logic and labor, indulging in their strange request to tie a pink ribbon around his bicep should’ve felt ridiculous—but who is he to deny them? 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬: open.

“hah?”

shinsuke blinked in surprise at their unexpected request, his brows furrowing slightly as he processed the words. for a long moment, he simply stared at them, an unreadable expression on his face. then, slowly, a faint blush crept up his neck, spreading across faintly freckled cheeks.

he cleared his throat, glancing away briefly before meeting their gaze again. when he spoke, his voice was low and a bit gruff, tinged with the heavy accent of his home prefecture. “flex? for ya?” he repeated the words slowly, as if trying to wrap his head around the idea.

“y-yeah! can you do it… sort of like this?” they asked, glancing up at him before forming a shy little curl with their own arm, a weak attempt at a flex that mimicked what they’d seen on their phone the evening before.

shinsuke watched them attempt to mimic the pose, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. he had to admit, the sight of them trying to flex was rather endearing— almost as endearing as the way they blushed and fidgeted.

they nodded again, a little too quickly as they moved to explain their wish further. “it’s just… i saw this thing online…” they mumbled, words nearly swallowed by the warm wind. “there’s these cute partners who tie little pink ribbons around their boyfriends’ biceps while they’re flexing, and— um, i thought it was cute. so i wanted to try it, shin’.”

they held up a small, delicate pink ribbon between their fingers like an offering, a nervous, clumsily endearing smile on their face.

a beat of silence passed between them. then, shinsuke let out a short, incredulous laugh, shaking his head.

“aye, i suppose i can do that,” he said, a hint of amusement in his tone. he sighed— slow, fond and exasperated. it was such an absurd idea, but who was he to deny them? especially when they’d asked so nicely.

he set the heavy sack of soil down with a soft thud, then turned to face them fully. with a slight smirk playing at the corner of his lips and a roll of his shoulder, he reached for the edge of his black t-shirt sleeve and hiked it up further, revealing the full, sculpted line of his bicep. his skin was pale beneath his sleeve, with freckles dotting the surface like flecks of cinnamon, and his arm flexed slightly as he held it up for them, effortless in it’s strength.

“yer a strange one,” he said. “i ain’t one t’care much for trends. but if it’ll make ya smile….i reckon i can manage. go on then, if it’s so important to ya.”

shinsuke couldn’t help but smile seeing the way they perked up at his agreement, watching them as they looped the pink ribbon gently around the swell of his arm. the fabric brushed his skin delicately as he tied it into a neat bow, fingers fumbling slightly at the proximity.

it looked almost comically silly in contrast to his bicep. he glanced down at it, then back at them.

they giggled, a pretty smile on their face. “it suits ya.” they murmured, lips twitching upwards.

“hm, ya think so?” he looked down. “‘reckon if the neighbours see this, they’d think i lost a bet.”

it only illicited another laugh from them, covering their mouth with their hands.

“but i gotta warn ya, i ain’t no expert on this sorta thing, so don’t go expectin’ too much.”

shinsuke shifted his stance slightly, the sunlight catching along the damp edge of his towel and the freckles scattered across his skin like soft brushstrokes. with a slow roll of his shoulder, he lifted his arm, and bent it at the elbow, bringing flexing as they asked.

the motion was steady, deliberate— nothing flashy, nothing exaggerated. just pure strength honed from years of work in the fields. his bicep swelled beneath his pale skin, the muscle firm and well-defined, tight under the curve of his rolled up sleeve. a faint sheen of sweat highlighted the sharp lined of his build, the kind that spoke not of vanity, but of quiet, consistent labour.

he glanced down at his own arm with casual disinterest, like the flex meant nothing to him— but when he looked up, catching the wide-eyed expression on their face, a slow, amused smile settled on his face.

“like this?” he asked, his voice low and rough with that easy kansai drawl.

the pink ribbon they’d tied there shifted ever so slightly, the neat bow snug against his bicep as the muscle pushed outward. he held the pose a moment longer, not out of pride, but because he could tell it pleased them, he liked the way they looked at him when he did.

“there ya go,” he said, relaxing his arm and rubbing it to ease the faint discomfort of the ribbon being just a little too tight. “hope that’s what ya had in mind.”

they didn’t meant to stare, not really. they knew it was rude and shinsuke, ever so perceptive, would surely take notice. but the right of someone so solid, so naturally powerful, indulging in their odd little request with such quiet patience— it made something flutter deep in their chest.

their eyes traced traced the firm curve of his arm with unhidden wonder, the toned shape of someone built not in a gym, but by th honest labour of long days under the sun. rice sacks, heavy tools, long stretches of tending the earth— that kind of strength couldn’t be bought or mimicked anywhere. and he had shown it to them just because they asked.

their cheeks flushed, warm and blooming with pink. they clumsily nodded in response, finally, eyes wide and reverent. a small breathy, “…wow,” slipped past their lips before they even realized it.

there was a twinge of amusement behind his eyes, the kind that danced just below the surface— warmed by the way they looked at him like the was the world.

“y’know,” he added, voice lower now, almost like a secret between just the two of them. “if ya wanted an excuse t’call me yer boyfriend… ya didn’t need a ribbon to do it.”

their breath caught again, hitching as he looked at her— steady, unflinching and impossibly gentle. his expression wasn’t teasing or smug, but warm. earnest. the kind of gaze that made them weak in the knees.

their fingers reached up to fumble with the ends of the ribbon, moving to clumsily untie the little pink bow from around his arm. “i-i just thought it was sweet…” they murmured, voice soft as ever.

shinsuke leaned in slightly, the motion casual, but it brought him close enough that they could smell the faint scent of cedar wood and the warmth of sun-dried cotton clinging to him. the smell alone was enough to make anyone heart flutter— so distinctively him. comforting and clean, like earth after the rain.

“it is,” he said, eyes never leaving their face. “real sweet. like ya.”

they blinked rapidly, cheeks blooming a deeper shade of pink. a soft sound escaped their throat of shy surprise, one that made shinsuke hum out.

shinsuke straightened then, like he hadn’t just turned their insides into jelly, and fixed the sleeve of his t-shirt once they finished untying to the ribbon.

“now,” he said, his voice returning to the usual calm drawl as he hoisted another sack of rice with effortless ease.

“ya gonna take a picture, or are ya plannin’ on starin’ all afternoon?”

𝐚/𝐧: life is lowkey so miserable but i just remember kita shinsuke exists so im now the happiest person alive. talk to me about shinsuke to boost my morale.

#kita shinsuke x reader #kita shinsuke #kita shinsuke x you #kita shinsuke x y/n #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fluff #kita x reader #kita x you #hq #hq x reader #kita #hq fluff

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the-monkeies-girl · 1 year ago

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Savior Complex. ( Noa x Human! Reader. ) Part 9.

ack

Title: Savior Complex. Fandom: ( Kingdom of the ) Planet of the Apes. Rating: T. ( Violence, injury, blood, implication of non-consensual happenings. NOTHING NON-CONSENSUAL ACTUALLY HAPPENED/HAPPENS. ) Pairing: Implied! Noa x Human! Reader. Words: 6.4K+ Summary: Noa knew now. He needed to corrupt himself to keep you safe.

READ THE SERIES HERE.AO3 ( Working on adding the chapters. )

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“What does… Death mean to Echo?”

Noa liked to do this, you noticed in the time you had been at the Clan. Only a month or so, but long enough for you to establish relative behavior that turned into small patterns that you were able to recognize. Very much in the same vein that you knew him to wake up before everyone else, to go to the Eagle Enclosure, to hear his singing and proceeding to forget it throughout the day as you were indirectly taking in something you weren’t meant to, that was not meant for Humans, you knew his tendencies.

It was not like it was difficult, after all, Apes… Were very open as far as that went. Privacy seemed the way of the past for them, and it was exclusive to Humanity, or Echo, through and through. They shared things, their conversations all held incredible meaning even if it were simply jokes and pesterance.

As much as you tried to shove aside your feelings for it and to remain as neutral as possible given the circumstances that landed you in the Clan, it was hard not to find it somewhat admirable as your self-loathing piqued intensely at the prospect that… You were told your entire life that they were nothing more than savage beasts.

Reaching down, you let your fingers drift right over the injury on the calf you had sustained from a group of them trying to kill you. It was fading now, scab turning over a new leaf into a silver indentation, a few inches long and it was still tender but it was a stark course of the reminder of who you were, versus who they were. The first question always hit your mind at times like this, times of intense juxtaposition. Where Noa was very obviously seeking a certain answer and yours was not going to satisfy his insatiable need for you to answer it correctly. Were Apes and Humans… Able to live side by side?

Burrowing your eyebrows at the intensity of the question posed by Noa just a few seconds ago, you found yourself replaying it over and over again in your head to the point where his carefully placed phrasing and infliction all sounded sort of dull. It had a multitude of answers, you knew that. And based on the fact that Noa even thought to ask you, it meant that he had a fixed belief, most likely based upon the customs of his Clan from generations ago who planted the very seeds.

Taking your time in contemplation, you dug your fingers into the dirt that you were sitting on top of, letting your eyes drift towards the Chimp who had his back facing your own, his hand tentatively playing with the water of a small stream that seeped into the larger river near the Colony. Where life began, where life ended. Tilting your head at that thought springing to mind at the mere sight of water, silence beckoned you to follow her into an abyss where there were no logical answers and you still found yourself sifting through them in hopes that you could find one to appease him, that tiny bit of yourself convinced that he would attack if you were to answer unfavorably.

Fists drawn into themselves, your knuckles turned white out of mere frustration. Why did he have to pick such difficult questions for you to answer? Why couldn’t he just ask about… Something… Mundane? You knew that wasn’t the point of the agreement you had made, the first time your hands touched upon the understanding as you literally grasped hands to seal the deal. Flashing your digits outwards, you pulsed them to get the blood flowing again.

Death could mean nothing, you could retort with utmost confidence despite not actually knowing but that seemed abhorrently sadistic and you crossed it off the list. It could mean something beyond our control, you could be more optimistic rather than dally in the vague notions that death was truly the end of the line for all living creatures. Drawing a deep breath in, you felt your lungs expanding against your ribs and diaphragm, Noa reacting to the sound itself as he turned his head slightly to the side as you exhaled.

What do you tell an Ape expecting to hear one thing that his entire notion, his entire premise of death and the afterlining of it were not the same culturally? He had to know it was different, that whatever you were going to tell him might not be the same as what he believed his entire life. After all, here you were, Human to Ape, speaking after being torn away from the concept for years upon years of conditioning.

It could send him into a shock, into a flurry of worry and he could end up tearing apart his entire Village in search of the metaphorical answers that always fell behind the inquiry he so blessed you with this Fall afternoon. That was the bargain he made with himself every morning with Noa rose to tend to the birds, singing to them and hoping that the Elders of the past would forgive his trespasses, selfish and needy, towards knowledge that was not available to them because he wanted more. A breeze drew your scent to him, more inviting now that he had gotten to know you a bit more ardently, not on the verge of hostilities towards each other any longer, but now teetering up a delicate tightrope between occult trust and toleration. Green eyes were fixated on the foliage in front of him, trees turning from their happy Summer indentations into the more alluring oranges, yellows, darkened and flushed browns of Fall.

It was this time of year that Noa noticed his coat of fur thickening in preparation of the colder months, and he found himself vaguely curious as to what Echo did during these times. He thought to ask --- But, after contemplation and restlessly obsessing about it, he figured it was a very personal question and left it to stick on the pin-board in the back of his mind. Maybe, he thought to himself and shut his eyes pensively, the water rushing between the hardened pads of his fingers, if you were to bring it up he’d find a justification for asking you what you would do - how you prepared.

That in itself was not what was truly on his mind, Noa knowing fully well that the question he brought to the front of today’s conversation, was a very loaded one indeed. He wanted to know, his gaze drifted to the sky above, alight happily with the same blue that chased the moon away and clung desperately to the loneliness of the sun, just what it meant to someone else. Someone who shared nothing of his ideas, pressing that… That his Father was truly watched over him. That his Father guided him in life now, after promises of many lessons to teach before he was taken away.

Noa never felt intended for the name ‘Master of the Birds’ because his Father never put blind faith in his abilities, never harbored them like he should have, like his Mother often did. His Father, soaring high up above the blue sky, high above the curvature of the Earth, led a helping hand in Noa’s decision now, and that caused him to scoff it off. Deep down… He wanted to believe that maybe his Father was seeking to build a bridge that he hated in life, volatile towards Echo. It would make Noa feel better about his choice to let you stay, knowing one of the last things his Father warned him about was the danger that always followed Echo footsteps.

“Really depends…” You finally spoke up, taking the Chimpanzee right out of the trance that he had sought for in the recent weeks, riddled with guilt that he was making a choice that was not beneficial or fruitful in anyway, even though you were giving him information about the world that he knew he’d never experience otherwise. Ignorance is bliss, and Noa beat himself up occasionally thinking about how ignorantly blissful he had once been before his village was destroyed, before he met an Echo, before he fought Proximus and came out a Leader without any idea of how to lead. He sighed deeply, your eyes following the intense motion of his shoulders rising and then falling more aggressively. Noa figured there was more to your statement, you left it open for a reason.

“Death could mean a lot of things.” Turning his head towards you, eye contact was flurried as it so often was. Falling in line with the idea of trust yet taking complete hold. Noa brought his envy colored eyes back forward on a tree in front of him once again, though you were admittedly searching to look into his irises for a basis of how he wanted you to answer. “We Humans,” Sighing gently, you lifted your body and trailed in closer to him, finally dropping to your knees beside him. Noa did not react to that, but watched with acute focus as you drew your hand into the water and began mimicking his own hand movements. To the right, to the left. Against the current, with the current.

“We have a saying. That Death brings new beginnings. It’s probably a really outdated saying, but…” Shrugging your shoulders, Noa felt a shuddering in your heart beat as he gazed upon your neck, watching your jugular strain to find comprehension and words. Tears were being forced back, your lips being wetted by your tongue as you stood promptly, leaving him wondering if he had just seen a glimmer of vulnerability within you. How odd not to seek comfort when obviously pained, Noa drew his teeth together at your finishing phrase.

“I’d like to believe that’s true.”

Noa did too.

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Three Months, he told Eagle Sun with his eyes, letting his hand press against the undercarriage of the bird. You had been gone for three months and no matter how many times he pressured himself and challenged his mind to not think about you, Noa found it impossible. Even the most simple and ever-day living tasks where flooded with recollections. He hated the feeling that it left him. Hollow and swallowed out, like the walnuts that rested in twine against his cross-body bag.

Desolate and barely even comprehensible. His days were torn into politics, many meetings with the Elders as Noa accepted he needed to learn about their customs and engrain himself in them for his fellow Apes, for the future. He even went as far as to invite Soona with him on some days, just for the company. Never Anaya, he was not into politics and thought most of the Elders got crazier with age. Days were drawn to a close when he’d return to the birds, placing Eagle Sun happily upon his perch and caressing his small head in the fitted garment to help him sleep for the night.

This particular evening was mild, the breeze shooting in through the open room relaxing enough and it bristled against his fur delectably as he plucked a few blue feathers from Sun. Small beady eyes stared at him intently as he did it, Noa making a snide comment towards his feathery companion, “I do not know why you look at me like this,” His voice was soft but held animosity around the corners, especially on certain and inflicted words, “I set her free. You should be… Happy… For Clan, no Echo to bother us anymore. Apes… Can prosper without being… torn down.”

Like he was expecting an answer, he paused and brought his head down to inspect Sun’s wing a bit more closely. There was something in his wing, something slick. Must have gotten too close to something that was sticky and Noa found it amazing that his bird was even able to make the venture home as he tilted his broad body and grasped a cloth to---

That smell.

Noa’s brow ridge secluded itself from the rest of his expression as it was drawn inwards, his entire head dropping to get a bit closer to what was on Sun’s wings to inspect further. Eyes pressed together tightly as he tried to get his vision to focus in the dim lighting that was provided by the dying fire in the middle of the enclosure, often left to die on its own once Noa wrapped his duties off and trailed towards the communal nest for rest. Never enough rest, but just enough to get him through his days agonizingly.

If he was tired, it did not leave much energy to think about Echo, he was throwing chips into a game he had never played before as he lightly placed his fingers along the under wing span of Sun who let him do what he needed, either intentionally or out of submission, Noa was unsure but moved forward. From the breast of the bird and then outwards, tickling the tips of his feathers delicately. The smell itself was familiar in nature, something Noa was able to place only once or twice since the agreement was made and then faltered and you left him alone. Bringing his body into a straight position, Noa’s hand rose with his actions and he was able to see the gleam on the tips of his fingers. Green eyes were dilated, mouth falling ajar.

Red.

Not as red as freshly spilled blood and it was cold, but there was no denying. Noa was slow to rise, looking at Eagle Sun who innocently pushed his head to the side inquiring what his Master was now going to do with the information given. Noa cursed inside of his head the only way he knew how. Scolding the bird, it was the bird's fault he did not tell Noa! Then, rationally hit him once he realized that the bird could not speak and thus… Gave Noa context clues.

“Where is she?” He asked, Sun flapping his wings ardently once, twice, Noa felt the breeze of his wings against his face, “Hurt?” Eagle Sun flapped again, giving a small squawk of confirmation.

Noa was fast - he needed to get a horse prepared, knowing that he had given you his own. Anaya’s would work, it was faster than Soona’s from the aspect that Anaya really pushed his to be the fastest of the bunch as to lead them when they were out together as a trio. Raising his hand, blood smeared into the fur of his shoulder as he beckoned Eagle Sun with a pat, the bird all too eager to fly the short distance and land himself there, talons grasping Noa tightly but not so much so that he was bleeding but he wished that were the case as to spare him the ideas, the visuals of you, frail and weak in the wilderness, your blood sept around your frame and leaving the most beautiful but most heart-shattering visual of your body imprinted in the mud.

“Need to find… her.” Noa told Sun in rushed silence. “Do not… Wake Anaya… Soona… Do not know I sent her away,” He gasped, turning on his feet and shuffling to grasp a speared staff, a dagger of sorts that was slid into his front waist sitting sack. “Would… be… unforgiving of Noa… If she is dead.”

Saying it felt awful, leaving an iron-like taste in his mouth that began to dwindle with the scent of your blood hitting the back of his throat. Guilt could reach up and consume him, Noa knew that. He could stop his movements now and decide that… You were dead and going out to find you would garner him nothing other than momentous pain and agony for years to come.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he slammed one of his fists against his thigh and grunted at the dulled vibration that brought to his muscles. Dead or alive, Noa needed to find you. He needed it. He was not afraid. He was, by the highest Eagle in the sky, the long forgotten Elders that were no longer spoken of but still remained in their culture through teachings, the Master of the Birds, and he feared nothing, not even fear itself.

Eagle Sun seemed to understand the concepting of stealth as he was quiet upon his Master’s shoulders as Noa drew down the spiraling walkway. Quickened pace, but light on his feet for his weight, Noa dropped immediately to all fours the moment he hit dirt and pushed his body as quickly as it would take him. You were dead, he convinced himself of that, because if you were alive and he found you then at least he could garner some satisfaction. There was none in death, he realized, no satisfaction if he found you not breathing and if he convinced himself that it was that way from the beginning, he didn't need to rack himself with guilt that he was unable to get to you in time.

Time… Noa snapped bitterly at himself, if he had just given it more time, you’d still be here… With him… Such a foolish thing to do, sending you off on your own. Noa was too proud to admit it for the three months he spent dwelling about it and he was in the deeper throes of self-agonizing hatred that he realized it now, too late. He no longer wanted to spend night after night alone in the Eagle Enclosure, never wanting to admit to even his own Mother that he was plagued with guilt from the loss of his Father and then the loss of you. Noa came to a skidded stop upon arrival at the horse paddock, raising a hand for Eagle Sun to soar into the sky as he grasped Anaya’s horse by the reins and pulled him gently out of his slumber and into the dimly lit stable.

Good, Noa thought to himself in the scramble, unable to contain the shake of his fists and the twitching that was ravaging his face, Anaya forgot to take the saddle off just like Noa anticipated. Lazy Ape to the rescue, he thanked his friend's personality for that one and trailed outwards, horse in tow.

There was a distant neigh coming from the East.

Noa looked up upon that, thinking for a split second that it had been Anaya’s horse protesting being woken up in the middle of the night. Or… Impossible, Noa scolded his wishful thinking, heart racing inside of his chest as he grasped the saddle with one arm, and with one intended swoop of his big frame, he got himself perched upon the animal. Sliding his spear into a purposefully built sheath on the side of the horse, he grasped the reins tightly and prepared to depart at mind-numbing quickness but was torn away from another neigh, this one a bit closer.

The call was recognizable now. His horse. Frantic, feet beating into the ground and brought shards of Earth up upon impact, harder than Noa’s heart was beating against his ribs which was a feverish pace and left his organs beckoning for a break. No, Noa said. He was going to push himself to the very brink of death if he had to, just to make up for a biased choice that he should have never made out of not understanding the actual implications of the last conversation you had together. Pained, he knew how it felt to run against the hard ground, he suddenly felt empathy for his horse, how afraid she was. Noa tried to keep himself calm but to no avail. He was afraid. He was the Master of the Birds and he was afraid.

Squinting his eyes towards the sound now, he shuffled Anaya’s horse just a bit to get them to calm down as his own came barreling through the trees and into the field adjacent to where Noa was. Instinctively, Noa was fast to dismount Anaya’s animal and raced towards his own, struggling to get the reins in his hands. Eagle Sun screeched in the air.

The smell of your blood was hitting every one of his senses now like you were bleeding out right in front of him, his glance spotting the nature of your items still locked in the carriers near the rear of the horse. Given the framed light of the fire stakes around the village and the dimness that he got from the very stars above, Noa was able to see a fresh hand-print of blood atop the brown stallion, right at the cusp of where you needed to grip to get on.

He drifted towards the saddle itself. Blood upon the notch in the front that was also the pressure point you grasped on to. This was smeared, like you had tried to get on but were dragged off before you could get situated. Swallowing hard, he couldn’t put any logic to it other than you had tried to mount her, tried to get away from whatever attack was placed on you and were unable. Realization hit him harder than intended, Noa went flurrying. You couldn’t even get mounted on the horse! You were so weak and injured you couldn’t find it in yourself to get on top so she could bring you back to the Clan. Back to Home. Back to… Him.

Finally, after an intricate dance and having to calm his horse down with words of recognition that they had no means to be afraid any longer, Noa grasped their muzzle in with a tight hold and brought his other hand to the reins. Ceremoniously, his forehead touched the horses before crackling took hold on his ears and petted the side of their head to get them to calm down. Ho stupid Noa was to let you go… How stupid… Immature now… That he… Let you die… A straggled sound left his throat, incredibly guttural in nature and he roared, not a care in the world anymore if he woke up the entire village, the entire valley, the entire Earth.

He did this to himself.

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・●・○・

“Do you know what love is?”

Noa’s intense focus on his hands, tightly balling together a piece of twine as he needed to fix Eagle Sun’s mask, was drawn towards you at the draw of your words as you had been lingering near him in the utmost silence, watching as he finnicked around thinned twine with his thicker fingers. Given --- In the three months that you had now been with the Clan, he did not find you much of a talker but he still held on hope that you would eventually warm up to him and finally feel comfortable to say something outside of the realm of the conversations that he always sparked.

This--- Noa tilted his head minutely, looking at the curve of your lips as you formed the questions, freshly imprinted in his mind as he innately thought that Echo lips were intensely interesting, able to tell many emotions from just that part of the body before he was drawn back into the question, this was new, Noa noted with piqued interested and a small bit of untangled pride hit his abdomen uncomfortably making him shift in his seated position. Noa pressed his lips together into a rather flat line as he contemplated your inquiry.

“Describe to me.”

It was your turn to find his words encapsulating in every sense of the word. You knew how he talked to Soona and Anaya - Always flirtatious it seemed, brimmed with happiness, jokes and laughter. This was different, the direction of his phrasing that he used with you. Attentive to your emotions, he knew when to use certain inflictions, when to joke and when to soothe if needed. He…

Drawing your bottom lip inwards, Noa watched it for a second and let a small huff leave his nose, he was intuitive. Incredibly so that you felt a small swell of indescribable pressure lingering in your lower navel, right below your belly button as you wanted him to look at you again. He was only intuitive out of need, not want and you needed to convince yourself of that as your stares at each other were becoming more prolonged, you began yearning on the days with Anaya and Soona who had taken to you and began teaching you how to sign that Noa would help you instead.

Shifting in your seat, you looked off in the distance, trying to find a fixed point where your mind was able to wash itself of the idea that you might start caring for him if he showed even the slightest interest in you. This, after all, you calmed yourself down and drew in deep breaths, was an agreement made to benefit you both. No emotional ties, in fact, Noa often reminded you that you were indeed free to go but you stayed. The reason was not clear, but you found yourself eager in the morning to him to draw you away.

Your fingers flicked in your lap as you heard Noa growl something to himself along the lines of ‘I cannot get this to stay knotted’ and you watched another fruitless attempt as he started over again, drawing your attention his his mouth when he placed the twine onto his tongue and then pressed his fingers against it to get it to flatten and not fray around the edge. “I---” You stumbled over yourself, suddenly unprepared for the retort that you had gotten. He had to have known what it was… Right? There was love within the Apes. He obviously loved Soona and Anaya, great friends, his Mother, even to an extent, the Elders that he sparsely talked about, and even less known to you was his actual relationship with his Father. “I don’t really know how…”

“Then why ask?” Noa almost sounded amused, his muzzle protruding out a bit in focus as he brought the twine close to his face and bent it into a small circle. Almost… Almost… Growling again, he placed the item down on the bench in front of him and took a deep breath in.

“I guess its like a bond.” You explained in layman terms. You knew he’d understand, letting your gaze fall on the Eagle that was always watching Noa with the power of a thousand Suns. Maybe, you giggled in your mind and nodded slightly, that’s where his name came from. “Mutual… Respect.” It was your turn to choose your words carefully as you were unsure of which he knew of and which you were going to need to explain, putting a pin in the whole beginning question and going down a deeper rabbit hole.

“Trust. Affection,” Pausing at that one, you expected Noa to respond with another ‘what is that’ but he didn't, letting his green eyes flush against the twine in front of him as he was very obviously processing what you were saying. “It’s… A feeling. Like, you can’t live without something, like… Thinking about the thing makes you feel…” You touched your chest, right where your heart sat and Noa found that interesting.

He narrowed his eyes on it as you pattered your fingertip against your heart beat and for a moment of drawn out fantasies, he imagined himself placing his hand there before the shock of his thoughts came barreling down on him when he took note of how your skin seemed to glow in the sun peeking in through the roofing made of thin pieces of woods tied together. Echo skin, he said, always so fragile in itself. Squishy, it appeared. Noa looked away again, puffing his cheeks out. Nothing in him told him to keep looking but he wanted to just in the morbid nature that maybe he could feel your skin with his eyes.

“It makes you feel alive.” Noa’s face contorted into perplexity. He… Was alive. Right then and there as blood pounded through his body from his heart. All the way down to his toes and to the very tips of his finger. Echo phrasing, he scolded you inside of his mind, never made sense. Stupid allegories.

“Alive?”

“Like you’re an Eagle soaring through the toughest storm to get home to your family.”

Noa nodded, still not quite understanding but willing to accept that that’s what love was to you.

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・●・○・

Green eyes dilated into black upon the sight of flames erupting from the woods. Not the actual trees themselves, but… From the gait and bounce, it was someone on horseback. A group on horseback. Four, Noa was able to detect as they came to the cusp of the woods and made themselves known. Echo.

Noa’s stomach hurdled like he was going to get sick, flashing back to the night that he was too terrified to face his own Death when Sylva’s… Proximus’ hand came down on his village and destroyed them, ripping the very foundations of the clan and customs into shreds, only now a year later have they finally learned to prosper and to be unafraid of the nights that surrounded tem. Noa was unable to face it then, unable to get there quick enough to warn. His hands balled into a fist as Anaya came on his right side, followed moments later by Soona who was asking what happened - Having heard the shattering roar Noa released less than a minute ago.

Soona’s question wasn’t worth an answer as her eyes trailed where Noa was watching, the overpowering scent of blood mixed with sadistic means came to flourish against all their noses, a powerful waft from the Echo that had just arrived. Without hesitation, hackles arose along their body, fur bristling to the brim at the arrival. You--- Noa snarled, hunching his shoulders more aggressively as he released his horse. You brought Echo!

After all this time… You were still just a disgusting low… Human. Noa growled again, baring his fangs as he tore his gaze between the Echo in front of him. What was he expecting? A bed full of roses, you laying right in the middle of it? No! His mind yelled at him, scratching at the inside of his skull as aggression started to unfold. He was surely a dumb Ape, your words not his, to even comprehend that there was ever any good in you. His horse fled, going towards Anaya’s for comfort. The pair touched noses with each other, Noa saw it out of the corner of his eye but the affection made him all the more rigid with carnal and defensive strides. His breathing was hard, still through his nose and he sensed his friends next to him hunch onto all fours, ready to defend and attack when Noa gave the word. Soona thought for a second - she was able to go grasp her sling and a few rocks to inflict more damage, but she’d be okay using her teeth, hands and brute strength. Anaya was more than okay with the same premise as Soona, but did entertain the notion of grasping the spear from his horse that Noa had grabbed earlier.

“We brought your little pet home.”

Noa thought they were alluding to his horse, letting his eyes flicker to her for a moment before he was thrusted back into the Echo in front of them, their pace steady and slow as the horses trotted inwards towards the Clan. There was laughter from a female behind the male who was leading the pack as she twisted her body, contorting enough to light one of the huts on the outskirts, this one used for making threads and cloths, ablaze with the touch of the torch. Noa lurched at that, going only two feet forward as he barked at them, a bid to get them either to stop or to submit. Their choice. But, the option of not stopping was always an option and it appeared they were choosing that.

‘Two females, two males.’ Noa signed silently at Soona and Anaya who gave each other an understanding gaze. Always a benefit of knowing signs. You had the advantage of silent communications.

The male, stocky in build, Noa decided was going to be the first to take down. Take down the Leader, the rest are sure to follow and he knew that from experience. The man’s horse --- Noa would be able to take the feet down or he could lunge straight at the Echo atop the animal, the muscles in his thighs tightened in anticipation.

“Oh,” He laughed this time, watching the crackling flame of the hut that had been set on fire with acute and smiling eyes. Amused. Noa’s brow drew in on itself at the reaction, head tilting to the side. “You think I mean the horse.”

Fauxly, he slapped his forehead and with a raise of his hand, alerting the three Apes to adverse danger, the man snapped his fingers, the sound mixing with the reverb from the flames themselves “Almost forgot. Horses are your equals, I was talking about this delectable little fireball.”

You came into vision, being trailed by a female and a male on foot. 6 in total now, they had been obscured by the rest of the party. Feet sliding against the ground, arms dangling as that was the appendage you were being dragged along by. Noa was able to see the blood that was dancing behind you from both of your calves, mouth suddenly going dry at that. It was apparent from the bobbing of your head, forwards only, back and forth like you were looking at the ground and nodding, that you were unconscious.

“You know, I didn't think you Apes kept humans as pets? Did you teach her any good tricks?” The smile was arrogant and dripping with implications that Noa himself did not fully understand.

Noa looked for a sign that you were breathing anything--- He yearned just to see the shape of your shoulders rising and falling but as you were literally dragged out as a display, it was hard to garner your movements versus the rough handling you were brought forward with. “Hard to tell if this one is yours though, no collar or anything to bring it back to its owner.”

You were grasped by your hair and brought upwards to dangle, your toes barely scraping the ground, face finally coming to fruition for Noa to see and he… Wished he hadn’t. There were cuts along your chin and lips, swelling along your right eye and a pretty deep gash along the left of your cheek, from a weapon of sorts Noa had to figure it was not made by the usual tussling of fighting with hands. “ It’s a really pretty one, I hate to give it back, you know, with humanity dying and such…” Noa had no idea he had even stopped breathing upon seeing you, his breath falling out of his nose hard at the first exhalation he had at the last minute. There was crested blood along your hairline, presumably from a blunted weapon that caused you to black out, mixing grotesquely with mud and twigs from the ground below. You had fought, it was evident in the scratches he could see on your knuckles and some on the softer nature of your palms.

He had… done this… Noa drew in a bit more, a foot this time and tried to find your eyes but they were sealed shut from intense swelling. Subconsciously, upon feeling your hair getting tugged so hard, your lip did twitch giving a minor indication to him that you were alive. Noa saw nothing but red once he gauged your body and looked upwards towards the man, saliva licking inside of his mouth in preparation of sinking his canines into the Echo’s neck.

“We don’t really kill other humans, hope you understand why we didn't finish the job. She’s all yours.”

You were tossed forward, lifelessly sitting only a meter in front of Noa now. Nothing more than a heap of tangled and ripped clothing, your fingernails coated in mud from the desperation you felt trying to crawl away from the attack on your legs. He watched it, the way your body crunched onto the ground below with an absolutely stomach churning sound. His lips parted, he knew that Anaya and Soona were questioning Noa’s motives, it becoming more and more clear that he had let this happen and as a consequence, Echo were now here to take what they wanted.

‘Soona,’ Noa signed, looking over at her from his periphery. She tensed at the attention that was called to her as he got her full eyes on him with a click of his tongue. His signing was fastened and blurred, but it got the point across. ‘Grab my Echo.' Noa felt assured in that. His. ‘Take some place safe, then get Mother and help others to safety.’

Noa was prepared this time, his chest swelling as he looked over towards his other friend as Soona hunched onto all fours, cautious at first as she grasped hold of you, able with her enhanced strength to actually hike you up and trail somewhere. Anywhere. Noa watched with anticipation as you were taken by Soona, away into the woods somewhere in hopes that you would be alright. Just like you had said to him so long ago… Like an Eagle flying through the toughest storm… You were home, just not the way that Noa wanted.

‘Anaya, with Noa. Wait for command. Anaya go right.' Noa tilted his head and studied the man in front of him.

'I go right.'

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・●・○・ TAGLIST:

@ohwaitimthewriter @hera-annwn @saturnnie-03 @filliandkili

@hadesbabygurl @supergoat12 @moonchild1433

@kaenalsha @unsteady-bitch @whamsworld

@yummyfanta @nuhteyam @babylockley @edynmeyer1 @callsignwidow @moonlightnyx

#noa #noa x reader #noa x human reader #pota #planet of the apes #noa pota #owen teague #emmy writes #fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 fanfic

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husbandograveyard · 1 year ago

Text

This is my contribution to a Discord Server exchange. My recipient is @lale-txt - an honour, truly.

Henlo Lale, I am your [no longer secret] secret summer...santa? Fairy? Either way, I set out to write you a little thing and then it became a slightly bigger than little thing. I think it may actually be my longest Tumblr fic to date. I hope you enjoy it, I had quite a lot of fun writing it -it took me out of a writing slump even. You gave me SO MANY delicious prompts to work with, but I eventually settled for my very first instinct, fake dating / married with Tengen. Sending you loads of love!

Tengen Uzui x Fem!Reader - SFW - 5.0k words cw/notes: fake dating / fake marriage | mention of injuries | In series | a hint of angst but all comfort after | Readers body does not get described, but female pronouns are used, reader is referred to as wife, girlfriend, woman, etc. | Tengen has his wives, they are mentioned, but they are not actively in the story | Tengen is still an active Hashira |

“So let me get this straight…”

You were rubbing the bridge of your nose, trying to massage away the headache that was brewing. There was no way you’d be successful with the way this situation was going.

“You have not one, not two…but three wives. Yet you are asking me to pretend to be another one of your wives because…?”

“Because they are all out on their own missions and for this super-secret undercover one I have to have a partner otherwise they will not let me in.”

Tengen was smiling, eyes full of hope and sparkles, and you had to resist the urge to punch his beautiful face just to wipe the smirk off of it. He was so casual about it too, as if it was only logical, and you were the one confused about the situation.

You bit your lip, physically trying to bite back snarky remarks. An actual filter for your words, if you will, while your brain was too preoccupied trying to make sense of the situation. You sighed, taking another deep breath before clapping your hands together in front of your face, resting them against your lips and then pointing them at him, the only way to express your mixed annoyance and frustration.

“Tengen, first of all, the mission is not super-secret, we literally all just heard the details. Secondly, there are a multitude of ways for you to carry out the mission or infiltrate that do not entail you going undercover as a couple at the retreat!”

He held his hands up in defense, shaking his head at your arguments.

“That wouldn’t really be a flashy way of handling the situation. You know I need to do my work in my own way.”

You shook your head in response, but still indulged him a little by asking what was in it for you. A smile appeared on his lips, and you realized that you had just shown him your cards. You had shown a little interest in the plan, and that was all he needed to give you the final push towards agreeing with him.

“Well, you would be able to go on a deluxe retreat with me of all people”, he started his reasoning. You just rolled your eyes in response.

“It’s fully paid, and I will take care of you all weekend. Since you will be posing as one of my wives -or a girlfriend if you feel more comfortable just doing that, you will be treated the way I always treat my wives, which is a treat in and of itself.”

You raised an eyebrow, keeping up your skeptic facade, but you had to admit that it didn’t sound all that bad. Tengen may be a little peculiar, and definitely could stand to keep his mouth shut on more occasions, but you did know he was a wonderful partner, and going on a date -or this retreat- with him wouldn’t be a bad experience per se. Except for the obvious part: the demons who were the reason that this mission existed in the first place. It was as if he had read your mind though, speaking up to address your one concern:

“It’s still my mission, no worries about fighting and stuff. I will protect you!”

You rolled your eyes again, you weren’t a meek damsel in distress, you fought demons just the same. You probably wouldn’t even have minded helping out with the actual mission part. But you also knew just how stubborn Tengen could get, and if it was a mission that he’d easily do by himself, he wouldn’t let you unnecessarily endanger yourself just to help.

You were quiet for a little bit, pretending to mull it over. Your decision was already made, but you didn’t want to seem too eager. It became increasingly hard to say no to the sparkles in his eyes and his wide toothy grin.

“Sure. I’ll be your wife for the weekend. But you better spoil me.”

“Of course. I have never disappointed a woman!”

He laughed loudly, and you couldn’t help but feel a little jolt of electricity coursing through your body. Were you really that excited?

Tengen hadn’t lied about the resort being luxurious. Sure, it was in the middle of nowhere, and sure, there were barely any people around, and sure, you knew that the forests surrounding you were crawling with demons the second the sun went under… but it was beautiful, and it was clear the clientele was a of a way higher standing than the people you usually mingled with. You felt a little out of place even, and you were surprised to see just how relaxed Tengen was, how well he blended in. It made more and more sense that he had been selected for this mission.

You had been briefed on the details of the mission, but Tengens expectations of you were clear: just enjoy the weekend and be his loyal and loving wife for two days. You weren’t expected to fight or do any recon, but he would keep you updated on all the information he found, and you would just keep an eye out, the way you always do, even off-duty.

Other than that, some boundaries were established: you were to fake being husband and wife, but there was no reason for unnecessary PDA. Everything was cleared with his wives as well, and you had to admit you really appreciated his consideration and consent. The way he went over all kinds of scenarios beforehand to gauge just what you would be okay with had made you feel some type of way. It had also made you realize that you were okay with a lot of things, way more than you would expect yourself to agree to. A small voice in the back of your head kept saying: ‘If it is him, I suppose it would be okay’, which made you wonder just why you were so willing to receive affection from him, faked or otherwise.

Checking in with him having wrapped an arm around your waist made you feel more safe than you thought it would. You were strong and could fend for yourself, but that always had made past partners feel like they had to treat you like someone who was fiercely independent, someone who didn’t need as much pampering as you sometimes craved. It was nice to not even have to ask for that, feel safe and protected without feeling like he was looking down on you. He acknowledged your strength, it was just not your time right now to be strong. It was time to relax, and let him take care of you, and most of that was conveyed through simple gestures as you finished check-in and got settled in your room.

He carried your bags, held your hand or had an arm wrapped around your shoulder and opened doors for you. The way he so effortlessly fell into the role of your husband made it easier for you to take on your role as wife as well. You leaned into his touches, and you didn’t even have to fake the smile that was on your lips most of the day. You had to remind yourself to sometimes still roll his eyes and deliver a playful slap to his bicep, especially when it was just the two of you and there was no reason to keep up the act.

“It’s easier to just stay in the role”, you explained your behavior to him when he shot you a curious look after closing the door behind the two of you, “That way if someone walks in on us unexpectedly, there is no scrambling to get back into it.”

He nodded in agreement, but you didn’t fail to notice the glimmer in his eyes as he did so, slightly smiling. Did he notice something was off? Probably. But even if he did, he didn’t mention or ask anything, and you were glad he didn’t: you weren’t sure if you could tell exactly what was going on either.

Tengen was gone for a big part of the afternoon, doing recon and mission prep.

“Nothing for you to worry your pretty head about,” he had said with a grin, and he had left with a promise to come join you at the pool whenever he was done. You were allowed to spend the afternoon as you wanted, so you had grabbed a book, and found a nice spot by the pool. You settled in with a drink and a fruit platter, enjoying the sun on your face and an occasional swim to cool down before letting yourself get carried away into the fantasy world of your book again.

“Yo~ Looks like you’re having a good time even without me here?”

You were startled by Tengen’s sudden appearance, standing next to your chair. You remembered your role swiftly though, looking up at him with a smile.

“Oh you’re back, dea-”

You interrupted yourself, blinking a couple of times, finding yourself flustered and a little shocked by the sight in front of you. Tengen had changed into swimwear too, which made sense considering the environment, but for some reason you hadn’t expected to come face to face with his abs when you looked up from your book. His usual tight clothes left not that much to the imagination, but his tight swimwear took away what little fantasy you still had left. You couldn’t stop your eyes from wandering just a little, from his chest to his abs to his muscled thighs, a part usually hidden by his baggy pants, back up to whatever tiny scrap of fabric was hiding the essentials. You felt your face heat up, and opened your mouth a few times to finish your sentence, but you couldn’t, momentarily stunned into silence. It felt like hours before he moved, a few beautiful, wonderful hours, but in reality it must’ve been only a few seconds if it was even that long at all.

He just chuckled, crouching down by your side to hand you another drink, kissing your cheek, seamlessly picking up the conversation.

“I’m sorry for taking so long, I know I promised I’d only take a small nap”

You swallowed, taking the drink, the cold glass helping you return to your senses, playfully smacking his arm.

“And then you fell asleep and I had to escape your loud snoring, as always.”

There you go, you were right back into your role. He laughed in response, taking the chair next to you. You sipped some of your drink, regaining your focus and calming your senses. You were taken off guard by your own reaction to Tengen. This was all just a little play you were putting on for the sake of the mission, right? And as his wife, you definitely shouldn’t be having such an extreme reaction to seeing him like that. And yet.

You had expected Tengen to leave you the minute the sun went under, but he had surprised you by saying he’d have dinner together with you -better to keep up his cover. You’d go early enough so he wouldn’t miss out on too much of the evening, but long enough to actually lure out the demons and carry out the mission swiftly.

You were pleasantly surprised by the idea. After spending all afternoon at the pool you had expected that was as far as the act would go for today. After all, you had swum together, sat together in the pool, a strong arm around you as you found yourself trying not to focus of the feeling of his body pleasantly pressed into yours, and talked a little about your book. You found yourself really enjoying his company -way more than you expected when you had agreed to this mission-, and getting to extend this quality time, whatever the nature of it, was an enjoyable add-on.

You went back to get changed, and had to do another double take when Tengen appeared in a hibiscus violet kimono, perfectly complimenting his eyes. His hair was loose, waves still damp from your earlier activities, and framed his face perfectly. He smiled at you in your kimono, complimenting you on your looks.

“You look absolutely gorgeous tonight, my wife.”

He added extra emphasis on those last two words, in a way that was barely noticeable for anyone listening along -even though you were alone in your room. Besides that little inside joke, his words sounded genuine. You chuckled in response, waving his compliment away with your hand and shaking your head. You weren’t sure how you were feeling about your body reacting to his words, but you hoped the butterflies that had come to settle in your stomach would quiet down, so you could enjoy the food.

During dinner Tengen was a perfect gentleman again: holding your hand all the way till the restaurant part of the resort, only letting go to open doors for you and taking out your chair. The food was exquisite, dishes you had never had the opportunity to taste before, every single one tasting heavenly.

You were mostly surprised by how easily you were making conversation. Initially, you feared it’d be a bit of a hassle, considering you had to pretend to be married, and there was no way you could talk about work to not break your cover. You had started just talking about how you liked the resort, the food and then the conversation had switched to old memories, and through them you got to know each other a little better. The conversation felt intimate, sharing memories you normally wouldn’t share with just a coworker, just a casual friend. But the stories proved to be the best possible way for you to pass the time without being off topic or suspicious, and since all the stories were true, you didn’t even have to lie to make them believable.

Tengen listened to you intently as you talked, laughing loudly whenever you added a funny remark, and whenever he did so, you felt the butterflies fluttering in your chest. By now you were painfully aware of your predicament, but there was very little you could say about it in the moment without blowing your cover. Besides, you had to keep in mind that this was just for the mission. After this weekend you would go back to being coworkers, friends maybe, but nothing much more than that. It would be improper.

You weren’t sure if Tengen was this good an actor, or if he was genuinely having the conversation you were having. You only knew that he seemed a little startled when he noticed just how dark it had gotten already, and seemed a little out of it when he announced that it may be for the best for you to retreat to your room. The way he winked at you when he said that made your heart skip a beat, even though you rationally knew it was merely an excuse again for anyone who could possibly overhear. Yet, you couldn’t help but feel like he was a little disappointed to cut your date short as well.

You woke up in the middle of the night, confused and disoriented for a few seconds before you remembered where you were. You weren’t sure how late it was, but there was still no trace of the sun coming up in the distance, so you couldn’t have slept for that long yet. Tengen had gone off to do the mission work right after dropping you off at the room, sneakily escaping through the window, and you had decided to go to sleep not that long after. You asked him multiple times if he needed or wanted any help, and he had assured you just as many times that he would be perfectly fine.

Staying behind like that, while you had agreed upon it initially, worked against all your instincts: you knew you could be useful out there. It was hard not to worry. Tengen had shared some details on the mission, but had kept you in the dark for most of it, mentioning that with too many details you might come after him or try to help even though your only job today was to relax. During the day, that was not a very hard task to accomplish, but by night, especially when you were all alone here in your room, it became so much harder to ignore your very nature as a demon slayer. Especially knowing Tengen was out there risking his life. No matter how strong anyone was, there would always be a risk when you go out.

There was very little you could do right now though. You had no idea of Tengen’s game plan, nor did you know his exact location. If you went out now, you would only endanger yourself and possibly risk the entire plan failing. You knew when to stay put, so you did, but that didn’t mean it was an easy move.

It didn’t help that you were wide awake now, too overwhelmed by a mixed bag of emotions, too many of them to sort out. You were feeling antsy, muscles itching to do something, anything. You couldn’t help but feel a little worried too, listening to the quiet outside for any noises that might give away what was going on outside. But the only noises greeting you back were those of nocturnal woodland critters.

And then there were the…other feelings, by lack of a better term. You had been feeling some type of way towards Tengen today, and while you could probably define them more precisely, you weren’t sure if you actually wanted to. After all, no matter how open minded he was, it felt a little wrong to develop a crush on your coworker. Especially since he was happily married. Thrice.

Yet you couldn’t deny the spots where he had touched and held you today under the guise of your fake relationship were feeling a little warmer, a pleasant warmness that made you feel a little safer, even now he wasn’t around.

You could deny any less that the image of him in his swimwear by the pool was burned into your retinas, the mere idea making your face heat up just a little.

Your main concern now was for him to get back safely. After that you would figure out what to do with all the feelings stirring inside you. Maybe you would address them, talk to him about it. But just as well, you’d suppress them, waiting for them to eb away as you spent less time together. Most missions were solo anyway.

You looked out the window, the sky in the distance faintly changing colors from an inky black to a deep blueish purple. It wouldn't be long before those transitioned to purples, pinks and reds as the sun came up. It was later than you expected it to be, and you had hoped that Tengen would wrap up before sunrise. Either way, the mission would be paused or -hopefully- be finished when the morning started. You very consciously left out the third option: the mission had failed, and you were waiting for someone who wouldn’t return.

You felt safe, you felt warm.

There was a certain serenity that came with your current state: unbothered, ready to conquer the world. You woke up to the warmness of the sun on your face, and you had to blink a couple of times before your eyes got adjusted to the brightness of the light. Why was it light?

You jolted up, suddenly realizing you must’ve fallen asleep again. The sudden movement caused Tengen to groan in pain. Tengen. He was back.

It took you a few seconds to puzzle everything together. It was definitely day now, almost noon, judging by the position of the sun, and the brightness with which it shone. You hadn’t noticed Tengen coming back, at least not consciously so, but he was back. He was back and he was alive. A wave of relief washed over you, only to be quickly replaced with embarrassment, as you realized just how you were laying. Your futon a few yards away, your body resting half on top of Tengen’s instead; his groan had been a reaction to your elbow punching his ribcage as you got up a little too fast. He still had an arm loosely wrapped around your waist, and you had finally gained enough clarity to notice some dried up blood on his skin.

You sat up completely, more carefully now, looking over at Tengen. His eyes were still closed, but he seemed awake enough. His face was contorted into a slightly pained expression, and you noticed now that he was covered in bruises and small cuts. No injury bad enough to worry you, but still, enough of them for you to feel guilty. You really should have insisted on coming with him.

You got up to gather your medical supplies, noticing they were out and about already. Grabbing some gauze, water, a clean towel and disinfectant, you sat down next to him and started cleaning off the dried blood, disinfecting cuts and scrapes where necessary. This did wake Tengen up fully, and he sat up just a little with another groan. He didn’t stop you from your work, instead silently removed his shirt so you had better access and a better overview.

This time your reaction to his naked torso was different: you gasped when you noticed some nasty wounds, things an experienced Hashira like him shouldn’t have if the mission was as routine as he had made it out to be. Any and all admiration for his physique was immediately replaced by worry, and you immediately got to taking care of the wounds as much as you could.

It was silent for a bit as you worked, Tengen not reacting at all, except for muscles sometimes twitching as you touched him. You were the first to speak up, as you were almost done taking care of him, smoothing over a bandage with gentle motions.

“What happened last night?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. You didn’t say a word, kept your face neutral. You gave him the time and space he needed to come up with an explanation. How the demon wasn’t entirely like his recon had made him think it was. How his traps had been avoided, and how the battle was a hard fought one. He did finish the job -of course- but it hadn’t been as flashily as he had hoped, and moreso, he had taken a while to get back to the resort, the demon nearly getting away as he ran further and further away from the resort when it became clear that the battle was lost.

“When I came back here, the sun was almost up again, and I found you resting with your head on the windowsill, as if you had fallen asleep looking out, waiting for me. I will admit that made me feel guilty, maybe I should have asked you to come along after all.”

You nodded, agreeing with his words, but you knew why he had made the decisions he did. He was safe, and that was all that matters, you weren’t sure if you could handle the loss of another friend. The fact that he made you worried paled in comparison to the more joyful one that he was safe, not as hurt as he could have been and made his way back to you eventually.

“I think I woke you up a little by climbing back into the room, but you weren’t fully awake.” He chuckled now, his tone way more lighthearted than when he was telling you the details of his fight.

“You mumbled my name, and when I went to move you to your futon, you clinged onto me so hard that I didn’t get to put you down without moving you. Hence our position when you woke up earlier.”

You smiled sheepishly, apologizing for your sleeping self, feeling a little flustered at the way you must’ve acted. Tengen didn’t seem too bothered by it though, if anything he seemed amused.

“It’s okay. Very flattering to have you clinging to me like a little koala bear.”

“If you weren’t injured, I’d smack you right now.”

He just laughed in response, and the sound reawakened the butterflies. You felt the heat creep up your neck, towards your ears, and you decided to hide your state by cleaning up your supplies and already repacking your bag. You’d be going home today, after all, and maybe for the best. You weren’t sure just how much longer you could last in his presence.

The decision to go home early came pretty easy. It would be a hassle to explain how your ‘husband’ got hurt during the night, and it would be even harder to avoid stares or questions as you spent more time in the resort, especially if you would spend more time at the pool.

You insisted that Tengen get his injuries checked out properly as well, even though he was adamant that he’d be fine. You were just a little worried, and you were by no means a healer, you didn’t want him to scar unnecessarily.

The trip back was quiet for the most part, a comfortable silence, mostly broken by Tengen asking questions or talking away. Hard for a sound hashira to stay completely silent the whole way, it didn’t match his personality either. You were too caught up in your own head to truly participate in the conversations, though, and you were sure Tengen at least noticed as much.

When the time came to part ways, you lingered just a little too long, pretending to just double check your possessions. Tengen lingered too, waiting nearby, when you finally realized what he was probably waiting for.

“Here you go”, you held out your hand, returning the jewelry he had given you to match his for the mission, a little extra detail to make you more officially like husband and wife. You had played with one of the rings on the way back, twisting it around your finger a couple of times, trying to stop your mind from imagining what it would be like wearing the jewelry in earnest.

He looked confused for a second -was it not what he was waiting for? and then shook his head.

“Oh no, you can keep those. Think of them as a token of my appreciation, and a fun memory of our relationship, which lasted the full two days”, he said with a wink, making your brain a jumbled mess again with just two sentences.

“If you insist”, you managed to squeak out, and you carefully tucked the jewelry away again, slipping one of the rings around your middle finger, pleased with the way it looked. It also helped you steer your focus away from Tengen, who was still standing very close to you, and you were hoping he’d step back before you’d have to make eye contact again. He didn’t though. Instead, you felt his hand carefully cup your jaw, tilting your face just as carefully, so you could no longer stare at your fingers. His thumb caressed your cheek, and you were sure he must feel the heat radiating from your face, enough to burn that hand. Even if he noticed, he didn’t show, instead just smiling at you.

“Thank you for being my wife for two days. It really was an honor to have you by my side for a little while, and you did actually help a lot, this mission.”

You shrugged in response, painfully aware that you’d be unable to form long intricate sentences as long as he was touching you like that, looking at you like that, standing close to you like that.

“It was just a little m-mission. I barely did anything.”

He chuckled.

“No, I think you did plenty.”

He leaned down, kissing your cheek to kiss you goodbye, missing your lips by an inch, and you felt your legs almost give way as your knees buckled.

“whaoh; didn’t think such a small and unflashy gesture would have such an effect on you?” He smirked, his tone teasing. Oh, he was fully aware of what had been happening, and you just walked right into his trap.

“I- you-” You took a deep breath, not wanting to stutter your way through an explanation. You weren’t even sure what you were trying to explain. How would you even tell him that-

“Don’t you worry, I know what’s been going on. This mission may or may not have been a little push, and my wives may or may not have been in the know. I am not saying that Hina came up with the idea, but I am saying she may have been involved even more than the two others.”

He smiled while you were trying to process his words, a task too big for your brain to manage, as his lips had left you unable to properly think.

“How about I invite you over sometime soon, hm? A proper date, no pretenses. See how it goes?”

You couldn’t do anything but just nod, still processing what was going on. He smirked; that very handsome smirk again and leaned down once more to leave the shortest and softest kiss on your lips.

“I’ll contact you soon then.”

#tengen x reader #tengen uzui x reader #kny #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer tengen #demon slayer x reader #demon slayer reader insert #female reader #tengen uzui #fluff #humor #angst #exchange fic

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blushft · 9 days ago

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Gordon Freemind Isn't a Total Piece of Shit – Here's Why!

[THIS POST HAS 2 PARTS DUE TO TUMBLR'S VIDEO LIMIT. DO NOT REBLOG WITHOUT THE ADDITION.]

I bet you’re wondering why I called you here today! Or maybe not, because it says it in the title. And I didn’t call you here, you’re just reading my post. AND! I would advise you continue to do so, lest you fail to dismantle Gordon’s facade!

Getting to the point, many of us have seen fan content for all sorts of characters that fall outside of what we’d consider to be accurate. Doubly so for nuanced characters, or characters that are unreliable narrators. Unfortunately, this exposes Gordon to quite a bit of that misinterpretation.

Gordon behaves in an egotistical and self-interested manner. We all know this! Though some use this fact as leeway to imply that he’s a violent person, or somehow takes some form of enjoyment in the killing he has to do.

In canon, we see him express distaste for killing, and not all killing is indiscriminate. At times he even tries to help people! Despite the circumstances, he does make efforts to maintain some semblance of a moral code.

Hold the jeers! I hear you, I hear you. “Ian Riley, you’re insane! Gordon sucks, through and through! You can’t prove anything!”

Well that’s where you’re wrong, strawman I have inserted in the post for comedic effect! I have proof.

(Note: This is not a comprehensive list! These are things my friend, @adrian-sheppy, or myself remember/have made notes of in the past. There are likely many more circumstances in which Gordon is ‘nice’. So without further ado, the evidence.)

01 - BECAUSE I WON'T!

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Starting off, we have Gordon running extremely late, so much so that he’s worried he’ll be fired. Yet he realizes the guard is having trouble with his computer and stops to try and help fix it. He’s not even sure that he isn’t fired yet – he says “maybe [he’s] not fired.” Who knows, helping them out could push him into fire-ably late territory, and yet he stops anyway! Is he being kind or humble about it? No, of course not, he isn’t a humble person.

But on paper, what he’s doing is trying to help someone out at virtually no benefit to himself (other than looking smart, though that isn’t exactly a tangible reward). Even when he messes up, he only gets mad when they tell him off specifically for “trying to get [him] in trouble.” Gordon was trying to be nice, but his effort didn’t come across, which pissed him off. He doesn’t know how to react well to rejection.

02 - YOUR OTHER HAND!

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Another example of Gordon trying to help someone. A moment ago he was prodding this scientist for answers about a dead guard, implying that he had somehow killed him. But upon the catwalk collapsing, he offers a hand to try and help him up. To Gordon, the scientist very well could’ve killed that guard, and yet he still tries to pull the scientist to safety.

He didn’t have to do this. He could’ve walked away after realizing that the trams aren’t a way out, and brushed the death off as the scientist probably being a murderer anyway. And yet he was willing to help pull the guy back to safety – something he’s under no obligation to do. And assuming he actually suspects the scientist of murder, it would pose a threat to Gordon to save him! Yet his first instinct is to offer a helping hand.

03 - SORRY! DIDN'T MEAN TO KILL YOU!

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The people falling in the elevator are some of the first people Gordon kills. This wasn’t intentional, obviously. He’s never killed someone before this, and definitely isn’t thrilled about it. He questions what he should do about it, even though they’re dead, and logically he can just move on without needing to “do” anything.

You can’t soundly make the argument that Gordon would knowingly kill people without reason. He feels bad about this. Bad enough to say sorry to a pile of corpses, and bad enough to try and justify their deaths to himself. Hoping that at least if they sucked, their deaths wouldn’t be such a bad thing! He doesn’t like this. Killing people was never something he actually wanted to do.

(Note: The following episode opens with Gordon saying that he’s always wanted to kill people by pressing a button. He says it’s not what he was hoping for, and guesses that maybe it’s because he committed manslaughter and not murder. Gordon makes many hyperbolic statements throughout the series, and much of the “violent intent” he’s given are idle fantasies borne of frustration. He is not actually going to make a button to kill people. It’s a joke.)

04 - BIG BIG DIFFERENCE!

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In this one, Gordon is expressing concern for someone he’s just met. This scientist helped him through a few doors, but before this they’d never spoken. This isn’t someone he knows, just someone who’s helping him out. This is their last interaction, and neither of them see each other after this. They don’t intend to. The extent of help he can provide only reaches this far, meaning his welfare is the least of Gordon’s tangible problems. If he dies, it doesn’t affect Gordon at all.

And still, Gordon expresses concern, urging him to take care of himself. After this he does speak semi-harshly about him, saying it’s ironic that the one helpful guy is gonna get himself killed. He can’t do anything more for Gordon, but he’s still upset that the man is continuing to walk on his injured leg. He doesn’t want him to die.

05 - >_<

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This one is damning evidence. What kind of stone-cold killer profusely apologizes for simply scaring someone? Gordon shot the gun next to the scientist by accident, who freaked out because of the perceived attempt on his life. And yet Gordon apologizes several times in succession, seeming genuinely upset that he’d scared someone like that.

Why would someone who enjoys killing be so upset by accidentally firing at someone and just scaring them? Why would that person then anxiously apologize for freaking the guy out? Because Gordon isn't that kind of person. He isn’t enjoying this. He’s sorry!

06 - BACKGROUND CHECK

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This one gives more great groundwork for Gordon’s characterization, showing some of the cracks in his unreliable narration. The only thing on his criminal record is an acquittal for petty theft. Accused of shoplifting once. I find this one delightful. On paper he’s just a nerd. A complete dork. He talks big shit, but has absolutely nothing to show for it. He acts like someone to be feared – someone tougher than you.

But he isn’t! He’s a nerdy guy with low empathy and a penchant for edgy sarcasm. He just wants to do physics work in peace. He’s not their guy.

07 - I'LL GO EASY ON YOU

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Again, we have Gordon showing kindness to someone! This guy was trying to be helpful prior to this clip, pointing to safety and offering him supplies – though he doesn’t have much. Gordon gets mad at him because he really only has bullets to offer, and he wanted drugs. He starts complaining to the guy and getting rude, but gets closer and determines that he’s probably having a bad trip.

Upon the determination, Gordon lays off, saying he’ll go easy on him. A moment ago he was getting frustrated, but after realizing that the guy is having a tough time, backs off. Being mean to someone during a bad trip isn’t going to hurt them in any meaningful way, but he still decides against it. This man’s welfare, again, has zero bearing on Gordon and his life, but he decided to be nice regardless. He’s not trying to hurt people – not even emotionally!

08 - C'MON GORDON!

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Here we see Gordon admitting that he would feel bad about the soldiers he’s killed if his life wasn’t constantly on the line. This is just something he has to do to survive. He can’t make compromises or spare anyone when they’re all trying to kill him! He’d like to have the luxury of morality, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t feel good about killing people, it’s just him finding it difficult to be upset about it. It’s not violent behavior, it’s desensitization.

This piece is also a nice look into his domestic behavior. There’s the implication that he would go easier on someone who he keeps beating in a game – similar to how he went easier on the man having a bad trip in the previous example! Again, dismantling the “super cool” facade he tries to wrap himself in. He most certainly doesn’t want to kill people, and even reveals that he’d show a degree of kindness to others in an everyday setting.

09 - THE LEARNING PROCESS

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This is an interesting one! Gordon has had absolutely zero positive experiences with aliens. Not one. Every other vortigaunt he’s met, he’s had to kill in self-defense. And yet he didn’t shoot this one because it didn’t do anything to hurt him. The smart decision in this case – or, the one that gives him the best odds of survival – would’ve been to open fire the moment he saw them.

In Freeman’s Mind 2, he remarks that he’s glad humanity “domesticated” the vortigaunts. At this point he still isn’t aware that vortigaunts are sentient beings, but expresses no desire for them to get hurt/die. He just wants them to stop hurting him. He sees them as separate from humans, lesser, and yet he shows mercy.

10 - ETHICAL DILEMMA THEATER

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Ah yes, ethical dilemma theater! One of my favorites. Every single marine that Gordon’s come across has open fired without a second thought, or expressed clear intent to hurt him. He’s encountered quite a few by now, too. He has absolutely no reason to believe that they won’t immediately try to kill him upon realizing he’s there. But they haven’t shot at him yet. To Gordon’s knowledge these two haven’t hurt anyone. So do they deserve to die?

In most other Mind Series, the protagonist’s view on the marines shifts immediately upon realizing that they’re hostile. The killing from that point on becomes indiscriminate. Anyone else in this situation would fire immediately. But Gordon can’t bring himself to fire. They’re not hurting anyone. They haven’t done anything yet and haven’t expressed clear intent to do him harm. These are easily justified deaths to anyone else in this situation. But not Gordon. As far as he’s aware, they’re innocent. He can’t logically justify killing them.

(Note: I think the contrast between Gordon and the others is really interesting. Stark especially. Stark makes it his goal to save as many people as he can. He thinks it’s his fault, so he has to do something about it. At first he tries to talk some marines down from violence, but upon realizing they’re trying to kill him, shows little mercy. Gordon’s been shot at more at this point vs. when Stark realizes he’s a target, yet he still has this internal conflict, because they haven’t done anything wrong.)

#I Am Normal Ok.#freeman's mind #freemanverse #gordonverse #half-life #half life #mindverse #gordon freemind #ianriley

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crimsonprimrose-crime · 7 months ago

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HAJI COLLECTION

It's Finals weeks, you know what that means... time to fixate on my favorite anime character. I did promise yall lol but it's mostly rough translate coz English nor Japanese are my mother tongue lol

(he's just so beautiful yall 😔🩷)

Table of Contents.

Part 1.

Haji, Love and Destiny [Rough Translation]

An interview with Director Fujisaki, Producer Omatsu, and Producer Ochikoshi

Haji: The Main Character

Originally, they wanted to call him Kuroi Tsubasa. They even enjoyed calling him ‘Tsubasa-kun’. Saya’s character is fix as they wanted to base her from the movie Saya. But, for this anime, they wanted three male characters to be Saya’s chevalier. A high school boy, a guy who turned into a chiropteran, and a guy who’s good with swords. They ended up merging all three to turn into Haji.

The Secret Behind the Cello

They wanted Haji to have this “stalker” vibes that “will always look after her” from the very beginning but they weren’t expecting him to use the cello as his weapon. The image of Haji is just some guy who received Saya’s blood and his image to be like a murderer. But they removed the murderer image. They then thought of just having him as a punching bag, who’ll receive all blows from the enemy and David will be the one to draw them in for Saya. They think it’s better to have someone who can protect you with their body (lol). They just can’t imagine Haji fighting at first. They even considered him doing judo but they think it won’t look good.

The cello’s purpose is originally just for the plot. They weren’t expecting it to be swung around like a stick. The cello is 30kg and was meant to store swords. Again, fighting with the cello is unexpected for them. Ever since it was used as weapon, the producers said they’ve rarely seen Haji open the case.

Characterization, Visual, and Fashion

They wanted Haji’s voice to be both sexy and lustrous. But they realize that he’s a character that talk less so they ended up with the voice he has now. They made him talk with less “masu” so he wouldn’t sound like a woman. (I didn’t understand that part lol sry).

For his character design, they made him dress in a hanging, loose manner. As to fit the “If you are in the future, you are not a person of the future. You aren’t also a person of the past. You are not a person and you don’t have a place to belong. You are a strange person” kind of vibe. They also wanted Haji to compliment Saya’s beauty, in a way. Saya who seemingly look like a normal girl who then stands out with a good-looking Haji. They also gave Haji a naïve and half-asleep look.

They were planning to make him talk and laugh more at some point. But he ended up not doing it. (why though ;-; we all want a happy, smiley Haji). Though they do want him to laugh at the end. They did made him talk more at the last seasons but only talked logically. Though they think that made Haji look really good and that he feels more human. Haji then became a character that went beyond the position he was placed in.

For his image, they wanted him to look like a beautiful young man like Bjorn Andersen. Haji’s original hair is supposed to be short until it was change to a long hair. It was due to them asking female staffs which is better. They all think the long hair suits him much better. It’s effect is like when a character removes his glasses and then revealed a very much good looking person. The director even wanted him to pose with his right hand on his belt, untie his hair, and take off his jacket. (anyone wanna draw Haji in those poses????? That’s so hot tbh.) The very reason they dressed him with long costumes because it look better when they are fluttering. Haji’s fashion decision has taken more time than a small night.

(Bjorn Andersen's image.)

Haji’s Past

When writing the history [of Saya and of the Zoo], they thought of Haji’s background to be a child adopted by Amshel to be a potential bridegroom for Saya and is also his adopted son. That’s why he was able to move around the zoo. He’s not just a playmate to Saya. He also received education and lived a decent life. Also learned manners. Other than that, he is a “master geisha” because he has acquired all the skills necessary for life. He can cook, he can clean a household. Not good at fishing though.

Age and Setting

Haji’s 19 years old. He’s 15, or 2 years older than that at the beginning. He wants to surpass Saya. In Saya’s point of view, he’s a kid who suddenly grew much taller than her and turned into a good-looking older brother. Saya had mixed feelings about it and of Haji’s complicated gaze. They made him 3 years older than Saya to give him a much maturer position. As for his name, there are no other Romanian name that clicked. The word Haji has a surprisingly goo sound. A nickname-like word, close to Saya.

Haji’s Love

At first, Haji sees Saya as a close older sister. But sometimes sees his mother’s image in her. However, to bring out their awkwardness, they made them fight over trivial things and for them to also open up to each other. The director originally wanted them to just be a family than a romantic bond, like a older sister-younger brother vibe. But the producers sees the potential romantic relationship. Though they think that Saya doesn’t really Haji as a man. Haji gradually developed romantic feelings for her. But feared that if he confessed, their relationship will fall apart. The fact that he is holding back is what makes Haji so adorable. Haji’s expression of love is probably the most essential part. As he gets to know Saya, the more he gets shaken but it is his strength to control it. However, from a romantic point of view, both are very clumsy lovers. It’s hard to watch.

Haji is the most happy when he’s with Saya. If she wants him close, he is there. If she wants him away, he’ll watch from a distance. His aesthetic is to match Saya. Haji doesn’t ask for anything for himself, he takes great joy in giving or when she’s happy. He is smart, or rather, has the tendency to look at things very objectively. He looks at things from a distance which is why he can see everything around him. That’s why he thinks George is an amazing person because he was able to make Saya happy and that’s why he thought it is the right place for Saya.

The Fate of Saya, The Fate of Haji.

Everyone’s asking the director to make Haji happy but he often contemplated on what really makes Haji happy. For Haji, he believes that he only exist in the past. They hope that Haji’s longing to open up a future with Saya will be fulfilled. Haji’s wish is to free Saya from all the battles in whatever way she wants and that will make him really happy. Saya’s fate is always tied to something like that and Haji just want her free. Saya has lived her whole life wanting to be free and Haji’s putting all his energy to fulfill it. To Haji, it never mattered what he wants even if he’ll never have the kind of relationship he wants with Saya. Even if he’ll have to ‘fulfill his promise’ to Saya, he’ll be happy to do so. Though if Haji loses Saya, he wouldn’t be able to survive.

What change Haji is that he saw the Saya with the Miyagusuku family in Okinawa. He saw Saya smile. If he didn’t saw that, he would have continued that dark path of the promise. But somewhere in Haji’s mind, he saw a different path which Saya didn’t know. Haji didn’t mind to take that path even if he’ll die just to make Saya happy.

Haji is the star actor of the show. He paved the way til the end. He became the foundation of Blood Plus. Haji was the difference between Blood+ and Blood: The Last Vampire movie.

Watch out for Part 2! (Yall can correct me with other translations!)

#blood+#blood plus #bloodplus #blood plus haji #saya otonashi #please give blood plus lots of love #hajisaya #saya x haji #production i.g

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fallloverfic · 1 year ago

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Me: I read/watch Delicious in Dungeon for The Plot The Plot (spoilers for S1E17: Harpy/Chimera; CW blood and injury):

And this episode we have the absolute best problem: THERE'S SO MUCH OF IT alkdjaljda

I always loved this bit in the manga, with Kabru using logic to point out that Toshiro's frustration, while valid from a legal standpoint (and debatably from an ethical one), doesn't make any sense because he'd have done the same thing in Laios' shoes. Kabru defending Laios :3

Kabru being supportive of Laios more T-T The soft looks. Love them so much.

There's just something very compelling about how Toshiro is holding his hips in this shot alkjdlajda

I know Toshiro was miserable during this but they are really cute together T-T Poor Laios wanting to be friends and being very bad at it, which is a total mood.

Kabru protecc :3333 I just love seeing so much of Kabru's strategic mind at work this episode. He's always thinking and planning something and I love it.

This shot was just really fucking good. In the manga, Kabru's slightly cropped out of the panel, but the way Trigger like fully defines his musculature is nice. Poor Falin :( Is okay, she gets her revenge and kills him back roflmao

Blessed Plot TM.

Just Them TM. Themmmm. So good.

Couples counseling goes swimmingly alkdjaldja Also I know that Toshiro is holding Laios' leg so that Laios stops kicking his hip/ass but also that leg grab alkdjaldjalj

MEANWHILE THE BABIESSS. Just love them T-T Kabru just being like -very modest about his own abilities-, learning for future combat situations, and also, "This man is insane and dangerous." aalkdjaldj

I want it noted that this is Kabru looking at Laios, and while obviously the idea is to focus on Laios' obsession with monsters and the danger that poses were he to become lord of the dungeon, I keep think about that slo-mo pan-up shot and how beautifully Laios is posed here. Just Labru thoughts.

So soft for each other, these two. Frustration, aggravation, annoyance, pain, but also envy and softness. Toshiro's little, "That's the part of you that I envy." just kills me. Lots of Toshiro softness this episode. His Japanese VA did an excellent job showing his softness for Falin. Also Laios' constant YOU NEED TO EAT SOMETHING kept getting to me alkdjaldja

THEMMMMMMM They end meeeee T-T "I'm glad we got to chat" just ahhhhhh

I don't think Laios is going to forget you any time soon Kabru aldkjaldjalj Bless the animation of Kabru he is so beautiful and just ahhh

This episode was so fucking good. Looking forward to next week :3

Other delicious Plot:

Season 1: Episode 3, Episode 7, Episode 9, Episode 11, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17 (you are here), Episode 18, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 24

#ダンジョン飯 #delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi spoilers #delicious in dungeon spoilers #fallfthoughts #laios touden #falin touden #labru #kabru of utaya #toshiro nakamoto #delicious episode

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the-ballad-of-dr-jekyll · 6 months ago

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“which one would win in a t-posing battle of dominance?”

- Charles

I FORGOT TO ANSWER THIS SORRY

uuuh hmm

well, mind wouldnt really see a logical point to it and would ramble about how animals actually assert dominance in the wild so he's instantly a loser

soul would aggressively t-pose if it means confusing mind and heart into shutting up

heart would accidentally hit soul or mind in the process of t-posing and ultimately be victorious because of it

#chonnys charming chaos compendium #cccc #chonnyjash #cccc mind #cj mind #cccc heart #cj heart #cccc soul #cj soul

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cenorii · 2 years ago

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Theory about Chris and Wesker (RE9) [UPDATED]

Hey Tumblr, today I brought you two crazy theories. I promise you that my theories will be very interesting and will make you think about something.

Alive Wesker, BOW Chris. Actual until re9 release!

This is an updated theory, I have supplemented and edited it!

I kept them inside my head for a long time, but coming of RE9 pushes me to release these theories outside. I really love Chriskers, so these two theories are directly related to them. This is not AU, but my assumptions about the canon. I would like to warn you that English is not my native language, so there may be errors in the text, excuse me for that.

Theory about Chris

What could be his immediate future?

We already know that in Shadows of Rose (DLC for RE8) the year is 2037 and at this point Chris is still alive. So it's safe to say that after the events of RE9, which will take place in 2021, he will still be alive. He will not die, contrary to fan theories.

At the very end of RE8, Chris discovers a BSAA soldier who turns out to be a bioweapon (I'll write BOW in the future). Enraged by this brazenness, Chris goes to their headquarters to sort it all out. This will probably be the main idea behind RE9.

Below is a concept of this BOW:

I can assume that this is not an single specimen, and that all the other BSAA soldiers involved in the "village operation" look identical. That is, they are clones.

Cloning BOW is a common thing in their world, clones of Sergei Vladimir were used to develop a strain of the T-virus back in 1992, and created even earlier, so it's no surprise that someone in 2021 used the cloning method.

These BOW soldiers have a consciousness and "upbringing" close to human, because they use weapons and transportation. And judging by their calm facial expressions, they don't show aggression. They can act coherently as a team, which suggests that these BOW are not a brainless herd of armed Majini (RE5), or J'avo (RE6). Their brains must be very advanced and almost unaffected by mutations.

But now let's remember that there was already a project that aimed to create the perfect soldier with an evolved brain. That was Project Tyrant.

I brought up the topic that these BOW soldiers are clones. But whose? Some person with genes suitable for the virus should be taken as a basis. But who could be the donor in this case and have we had any information about this? I have an answer to that question.

This is Chris Redfield. At first, the similarities are barely obvious, but take a closer look at the facial features. The shape of the nose, lips, wrinkles around the eyes, a mole under the eye.

And now look at the gait. This pose is identical to the typical walking of any Tyrant.

BSAA, without his knowledge, used his DNA to create these BOW soldiers.

We can say that this BOW weapon is the most advanced version of the Tyrant, because it is indistinguishable from a human, has high intelligence and is well controlled. And it is also easily disposed of, because after the death of BOW, the soldier did not mutate into a Super Tyrant.

It may not be a Tyrant, but some new project. But the data on the Tyrant clearly formed its basis.

There are legitimate questions - why Chris? Who needs it?

Answer to question 1: Chris is a soldier with a lot of experience and the ability to survive in the most dangerous situations. He is psychologically prepared for anything. If by happy coincidence such a person is genetically suited to be the new version of BOW, then this can be exploited, for it saves "real" human lives in military operations. But that doesn't excuse the BSAA, for they took his DNA without authorization.

Answer to question 2: to guess who needs it, you just need to know Chris's environment. For whom is Chris "one of the best men"? For whom is Chris the only equal opponent? Who does Chris mean so much to that this person would want to subdue him?

I think you've already guessed.

Albert Wesker.

But you ask the logical question, "how could Wesker pull this off if he died in 2009?"

The answer is, he didn't. The theory of how he survived will be below, but for now I'll tell you his motives.

After the defeat, which came hard due to his injuries and overdose of the virus, Wesker decided to poison Chris's life. His own life was wiped out in that volcano, the results of all his research and experiments gone to waste. All of Wesker's plans are ruined by this man, as many times before, he is humiliated and revenge boils in him.

Somehow he has infiltrated the heart of BSAA, of those Chris trusted. Into Chris's "home." And he poisoned that home with a biological weapon. There may well have been some other reason for this, perhaps he had a new plan and "poisoning Chris's life" was just a nice addition to that plan, but not the main goal.

Here is a variant of the main goal:

New Mold was created by The Connections, an organization that partnered with H.C.F. back in 2000. H.C.F. is a unit that Wesker once led. It's unknown if he was involved in the creation of the Mold, but it's safe to assume he was aware of it. This could be the reason BOW were sent BSAA soldiers into the village in RE8 to destroy everything The Connections had a hand in. Perhaps Wesker just wanted to get rid of anything "useless" that might get in his way in the future. A distant future. Because it's been 12 years since his "death" and he's 61 years old himself.

But why is Mold "useless" to him, you ask? Weskers in "Project W" were raised according to Spencer's ideals, so in many ways they think like him, because the upbringing was sufficiently obsessive. And here's what Spencer himself thought of Mold:

Mold is useless to Spencer, so is useless to any of the Weskers who share his thinking.

There's no denying the possibility that Wesker may have been thinking about turning Chris into something for a long time, since he was highly successful as a soldier. He likes to "rate" Chris during their encounters. What if he was evaluating Chris to weigh the pros and cons if he suddenly decided to create something based on him? A BOW based on him? It's also possible that Wesker always spared Chris because he thought he would use him in the future. Other reasons are just excuses.

I can only decipher these Wesker facial expressions as "hmm, not bad"

I assume that in RE9 Chris will meet Wesker. But not the way he remembers him.

I forgot to mention that behind the scenes, Wesker was working on experimental weapons. He had studied various tactics to fight against the BOW and felt that weapons of mass destruction were not always effective, so he favored compact pieces that could be used by experienced fighters. It's unclear why Wesker even considered such a thing if he didn't intend to sell these developments. It's also unclear why he was working on it if his ultimate goal was a "perfect world" with no place for guns and wars. Did he come up with it… just because he could? In any case, after his death, these designs were confiscated by the reconstituted Umbrella Co. (Blue Umbrella) and after being reconstituted, distributed these weapons to various places like the BSAA.

Given the Chris cloning moment, doesn't it seem suspicious that the suddenly revived Umbrella is in the process of recreating Wesker's designs? I get that this weapon is very useful, but then why did they name it after Wesker if he's a "disgrace" to society and a criminal? He, in theory, deserves no mention, even on his designs. But someone in management has respect for him, so allowed the name to remain.

It's also odd that BSAA have taken up cloning, it's more likely the new Umbrella is the originator of this idea, or their executive (leader) who respects Wesker and his designs. Perhaps cloning Chris is one of his designs too?

I mean… literally - it's a clone of Chris with a Wesker gun. This is a very strange coincidence.

Theory about Wesker 1. Why isn't he dead?

Let's start simple, RE5 had enough budget to show the ignition effects, we could see them on the enemies set on fire. And RE5 also had enough budget to show colorfully directed cutscenes.

However, with the franchise's most famous character, we saw neither of these at the moment of his death. Wesker was waist-deep in lava, but not burning, and was also defeated without any cutscenes. A strange attitude with such popularity?

His death was not shown, a basic but not the main fact that makes me sure he survived.

All we can see are the missiles that fly past his head, failing to hit their target, they fall into the lava behind him. If you slow down the video, it's noticeable that for some reason the model of Wesker's head just disappears and the missiles fly right through. This is not done to show that he lost his head, because otherwise the missiles would have exploded in the area around his face. However, the missiles flew behind him. It's a trivial budget saving to not draw the moment of impact. But the question is, why save money in such an important scene for lore?

Character deaths aren't shown only when they want them back. If a character dies permanently, their death is always detailed and elaborate.

Capcom could have done this to avoid expending the effort and expense for a colorful scene that ends up being just a trickery for us, so that there would be a realistic opportunity to re-engage Wesker as an main character in the future.

And now pay attention to how Alex Wesker's death was shown:

Her death is final, that's why it's so detailed. Her current consciousness is now in another new body (Natalia), so it's not a pity to get rid of the old one.

Now let's talk about burning. The reason Wesker doesn't have a fire effect in Volcano could mean that his clothes are fireproof. Which, by the way, could be true, because on his concept art it says the material should be able to withstand shrapnel and other little shards. Its appearance and properties are reminiscent of modern carbon fiber, which can withstand about 300-370°C in air, while the temperature of lava in a volcano is from 1000°C to 1200°C. This means that his clothes could not ignite, because carbon fiber only oxidizes from high heat. This material could also be Kevlar, which has a temperature limit of 480°C, at which point it begins to decompose.

However, not only his clothes could have partially saved him from the high temperature, Wesker himself is resistant to it, which cannot be said about the Uroboros, for whom fire is a weak point. Therefore, it is logical to assume that the virus vaporized from his body from the high ambient temperature.

But let's get to the point, the fact that Wesker was flooded with lava after the explosion of missiles does not mean that he died, because it is worth paying attention to the fact that he was already set on fire. It certainly doesn't compare to lava, but it does give us some indication that he has fire resistance.

Judging by this point, Wesker can be set on fire, but those burns don't harm him. He also doesn't care about the fire and explosions around him.

He also just needs to shake the fire off himself, which doesn't do any damage.

There is a hint that he survived. I think few people have heard about Umbrella Corps. This failed shooter, seemingly having nothing important for the Resident Evil universe, gave us quite important information. Now I will tell you about it in detail. But keep in mind that this game is canon. The protagonist here is a certain 3A-7.

The actions of this game take place first in 2012-2013 (single-player mode), and then in 2016 (multiplayer mode). That is, AFTER the events of RE6.

In 2012-2013, according to the plot, information appears about a certain "man from the high ranks in the organization", who arrived to observe the experiment. In the course of the plot, notes about this person are supplemented with information that "this mysterious boss" was present during the events of RE4 and survived them. And as we know, only two men survived RE4 – Leon and Wesker.

After that, one of the acting characters becomes very interested in "this mysterious man", because "this mysterious man" seems trying to make a show of his own strength. This person finds it suspicious and wants to find DNA data about this "mysterious boss". He even wonders, "Who is this guy? Why is everyone afraid of him?".

I think after that it becomes obvious about "what a terrifying and mysterious person" we are talking about. About Wesker.

While playing in multiplayer mode, there is a chance to catch Wesker's phrase at the end of the match. They are different and there are quite a lot of them.

Here is an example: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe7LEaA7em8

At the end of the game, it says that there are "plans" for the main character of this game. By the way, the main character is voiced by D. C. Douglas, same with Wesker. Wesker watched the experiment on his clone? Sounds interesting, unless, of course, he is a clone himself.

So now it's time for my theories on how Umbrella Corps can be explained:

3A-7 is a clone of Wesker, who trivially doesn't know about it and is an ordinary person with a meager set of memories. But he has retained the skills of the original, making him a high survivor. And the powerful man who kept 3A-7's DNA secret is the original Wesker. He placed his clone in this experiment to quickly test it in real danger, and after success he took it back to realize plans unknown to us. In favor of this theory is the fact that in multiplayer, Douglas' tone is a copy of Wesker's, even though he voiced 3A-7 differently. Capcom wouldn't have hired Douglas to voice two characters at once if their voices weren't potentially important to the lore. The fact that no one recognized Wesker could suggest that his appearance was badly damaged after the volcano, or he changed a lot with the onset of old age, but 3A-7 is probably a copy of his youthful appearance, so he's hiding it.

3A-7 is a clone of Wesker, but after 3A-7 was taken away at the end of his story, he rose through the ranks of the organization and it is his lines that we hear in the multiplayer, because they are said several years after the events of the game. So these are not the phrases of the original Wesker, but of the changed 3A-7 from the future. The original Wesker is presumably dead, but in that case I can't speculate who the influential person who was interested in 3A-7 might be, if not him. Nikolai Zinoviev, who survived RE3? The real Hunk? It could be anyone with cold-blooded cruelty and strange goals. Also, the question remains, who created 3A-7? If it was Wesker himself, he would have used it for his plans long ago, and if it was an abandoned project, it would have been scrapped. It was done by someone outside who needs Wesker's skills badly, just like Chris' skills, which is the reason the RE8 BSAA created a BOW based on him. Ah, I wish someone would get Chris and Wesker clones to work as a team…

So, let's keep going.

One more important thing - if Wesker had died, he would have been seriously mutated. Think of all the characters who have ever had a virus injected into their body. Upon death or when seriously injured, those characters mutated uncontrollably. The same thing happened to Alex Wesker and to Carla Radames. If Wesker died in a volcano, some creature would crawled out of there. Remember when Nemesis was dissolved in acid and then turned into a huge mess. Lava might be as good a vehicle for mutations as acid is for Nemesis. If Wesker didn't mutate, that's another confirmation that he's not dead.

There is a theory that Wesker didn't become a huge monster due to his body adapting to any virus. But I can argue… I believe that after the injection his condition was unstable + a huge amount of Uroboros in his body. All of this should have set the stage for mutation, but the mutation never happened.

Theory about Wesker 2

Now it's time for real madness. In RE5 in vulcano, we killed a Wesker clone. In general, throughout the game in RE5, we fought with his clone. We could meet the real Wesker only in the DLC "Lost in Nightmares". And now I will explain why.

The events of "Lost in Nightmares" take place in 2006, 2 years before the events of RE5. In this DLC, we have the opportunity to fight Wesker, who poses a great threat. One of his blows is able to throw the player into the wall and stun, and he also has several different ways to kill the player. He's constantly trying to kill us. Instead of walking, he moves exclusively with the help of "blink". This is the most ordinary Wesker, as dangerous and unpredictable as ever.

Then we meet Wesker in 2009 during the RE5 events. This famous scene, which gave us the quote "seven minutes", must be the most harmless confrontation with him. A child's fight. Here Wesker, to put it mildly, lost his strength. He prefers to follow us instead of "blink". He trying to "show off" in front of Chris and Sheva. It is very easy to deceive him, and his blows do not cause much damage. Instead of throwing the player into the wall and stunning him, Wesker's blow pushes him away only a few meters. At the same time, here he does not have an attack that can kill the player. Is he playing with us? Alright.

Finally we meet Wesker in our last fight with him (before the volcano). He shouldn't be playing with us here, he's serious. But he's no different from Wesker from the last fight... he just doesn't have any "showing off" animations. But he is still weak and does not carry danger. He had an attack that Wesker had from "Lost in Nightmares", capable of piercing and thereby killing a player with a full health indicator. But otherwise he is not dangerous. I don't feel threatened by this Wesker, even though this is the LAST fight with him! This is his LAST chance to shine in front of Chris! But instead of being as cool as in "Lost in Nightmares", he's just a weak. Walking simulator.

How much Wesker from 2006 differs from himself from 2009 makes you think. Let's think deeper.

When Wesker kills Spencer, he mimics the old man. It may seem that he really wanted to become a God, but if you don't think about RE5, it really can be mistaken for an ordinary mimicry. Wesker wanted to humiliate him at any cost, because the most important and unpleasant secret of his life had just been revealed to him – he was fabricated. This Wesker is real and he falls off a cliff with Jill and saves her.

During the experiments on Jill, he starts working on some related project and realizes that it will take a very long time. Therefore, he creates his own clone (or maybe even several) to replace himself. And he also "hands" his clone a wild Jill with P30 in the blood, after all, the Wesker clone is clearly weaker than the original and he needs "support". Of course, the Wesker clone does not know that he is a clone, and continues to develop the idea of "becoming a God." He's a defective clone, and that's why he's so paranoid about this idea. In the end, this "clone" loses his mind and becomes fixated on the idea of "becoming a God" and everything that he had from the real Wesker in character simply evaporates. He becomes a laughing stock, macaroni monster.

And eventually Chris and Sheva kill him, ridding the world of a useless Wesker clone while the real one is alive and just hiding somewhere.

Think for yourself which theory about Wesker seems more plausible to you, anything can happen in this fandom. I really want to know WHO made BOW Chris and WHY.

Thanks for reading this madness, it will become irrelevant after the release of RE9 and RE5R, but I'm still proud of the information I've gathered. What if some of this guessed the canon? We'll find out in the future.

#resident evil #rebhfun #resident evil fandom #resident evil 9 #chris redfield #albert wesker #Resident Evil Theory #resident evil village #resident evil 5 #cenori's long posts about RE

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justporo · 2 years ago

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A Night of Song and Laughter (Final Part)

Would you look at that - I actually finished faster than I thought I would (certainly not a thing that would be admirable in all contexts, but anyway)

In this final part, Astarion have a nice (and rather) long heart-to-heart by playing a game of question for question - while they are butt naked in their bed. Do with that info what you will.

This part is probably all over the place and very rambly, but I wanted to end with something sweet. So please enjoy and thank you all for staying with me through this story!

Song choice (especially for the very end): T=0 - Tall Ships

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Astarion/Fem!Tav (You)

(Gif from here!)

The sun was well up in the sky by now – so thank the Gods for the thick brocade curtains you had placed on every one of the tall windows.

You were laying on the gigantic bed – butt naked still and all your limbs spread out. Astarion mimicked you next to you although he was missing a few things to match you: the glistening sheen of sweat on his skin for example or the full body flush. Also, he wasn’t breathing as heavily as you were.

“Holy hells”, you whispered silently between deep gasps for air. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to move a single muscle tomorrow. I don’t think I can now.” Astarion chuckled beside you and rolled on his side to watch you struggle. “Love, if you are truly already giving up, we really need to work on your stamina. I was merely starting to enjoy myself”, the elf said while leaning his head on his propped up arm and pursed his lips. You only moved your eyes to give him a look saying “you got to be kidding me” and then a really hearty yawn overcame you. You felt so pleasingly exhausted in a way that could only be caused by a night full of events that had been uncalled for and lots of really deeply satisfying sex.

“Well, then, if another go is out of the question how about we kill the rest of the wine, I might even settle for some talking or cuddling if that’s all you are able to for now.”

You flopped around to get closer to him until you were on your side, mirroring his languid pose. “Both!”, you demanded. So Astarion chuckled wordlessly and pulled you closer until you were laying in his arms. Then he leaned back just a little to allow you to actually snuggle up to his chest which you gratefully did. And then to really lock in the deal you stretched one of your slender legs to swing it over and tangle it with his.

“Gods, look how adorable we are – I might start to retch right on the spot”, Astarion said and made a face as if he were disgusted by what was happening. “You’re enjoying this”, you retorted and grabbed his face to give him a big smooch. He scrunched up his nose afterwards: “Debatable.” But you could hear the grin in his voice.

You laid there for several minutes – not talking, just in comfortable and companionable silence and held each other. You were just resting your eyes when Astarion shifted to grab the goblet of wine from next to the bed and asked: “So, what do you want to talk about, sweetheart?” He took a big swig from the wine and looked down at you askingly. You took the goblet from his hand and drank to gain a few more moments – because frankly, the night had left you empty and your mind was just blank, only filled with content buzzing.

“Talking also out for the night, love? My, my, haven’t I worked you a little too hard, hm?”, Astarion cheerfully chimed and laughed. You wanted to whack him but your hand was just so… tired. “Well then, how about… I ask you, say, five questions and you ask me five in return.” “So like I would cast ‘Speak to the Dead’ on you”, you threw in with a sly grin earning you a truly unamused stare from the vampire. “What?”, you said when he kept throwing you a death glare, finally regaining some of your wits. “I’m dead serious”, you said with another grin. “I hate you.” “No, you don’t.” You stared at each other in silence. “Can’t argue with that impeccable logic, I guess.” More silence. “Alright, like what questions were you thinking?”, you finally said to put Astarion out of his misery.

“I don’t know, could be anything, really. Something you always wanted to know about me, what I think is your most annoying habit or what my favourite colour is or what the meaning of life might be. Although” – and here he took the chalice with wine from your hand which you had forgotten you were still holding – “if you were to ask the last one we’d might need several more bottles of wine, some good few hours and also I might wanted to throw myself down a bridge afterwards.” He laughed with just a tinge of hysteria in it and took another sip of wine as if to demonstrate that he’d need it. “Please, don’t ask me what the meaning of life is”, he pleaded and made you laugh.

“So, what’s your favourite colour?”, you asked. Astarion pursed his lips at you: “That’s your actual first question?” “Yes… although I could probably guess it already.” “Can you now?” “It’s red, isn’t it?” Astarion’s mouth straightened into a line: “You are really spoiling it like this.”

“I’m really exhausted, I’m sorry, love”, you replied and leaned in to kiss him. “Better you go first – answering will be easier I feel like and then I’ll probably can roll better with it. But first -”, you said and lifted your hand to silence the vampire that had already opened his mouth to start asking “is red really your favourite colour? Because I actually need to know now.” Astarion’s face softened: “Yes, it is.” “Bit cliché for a vampire, don’t you think?” “It has always been red, love, even before I became a vampire.” That shut you right up – moments when Astarion offered up details from his life before he was turned were indeed very rare.

“Alright, my turn then!”, Astarion answered playfully and took a swig of the remaining wine than put the goblet down and started to oddly fidget. Was he – nervous?

You sat up a little because you were suddenly convinced that he wouldn’t just ask about your favourite kind of cheese or what the name of your childhood pet was. “I’ve been wondering, for some time now, actually, when – you know – I confessed to you that I had certain feelings towards you… You pretty much immediately – how do I put this – made clear that the feelings were mutual. Soo, naturally I was wondering when it was, that you had the realisation that you were… catching feelings for me?”

The way he had rambled out the question, kept fidgeting his hands and just the sincere and even kind of soft, even though not shy, tone in his voice made your heart immediately melt and evaporate completely. You reached out your hand and cupped his cheek, your thumb softly caressing his face. “So, your question is when I realised I was head over heels and I knew there could never be anybody else?”, you offered warmly and grinned at him openly. That had Astarion regain his usual cockiness. He smirked at you and looked at you through his lashes: “Well, if you want to put it like that…”

You rolled onto your back and started to remember how it had been like. It came quickly and easily – this was an easy question to answer and you were more than happy to enlighten him.

“To be honest – I at least had a huge crush on you from the very beginning – well, almost: the whole threatening me with a knife was not a turn-on.” Astarion made a disappointed ‘aww’ but kept listening. When you threw him a sideways glance you saw that he was hanging on your lips. “You were so charming and honestly the flattery, even though I figured that it must be idle chit-chat… What can I say, it worked on me. Maybe because I was desperate – and scared. Maybe, probably, because I never experienced something like this. I didn’t exactly grow up in circumstances where men – or women for that matter – would come and court me. And I never had someone, like” – you helplessly flailed your hand at Astarion – “you give me more than a simple onceover.” From the corner of your eye you could see how Astarion’s demeanour changed, but now you had to keep talking or you throat might close up.

“But when it really hit me, was after the first night we spent together. Not because of the sex – although that had also been the best I’d ever had up to that point, but because I woke up and saw you standing there, bathing in the sun light. And I saw your scars. And when I asked you about them you opened up the door to let me in, just the tiniest bit. That’s when I realised there was so much more to you then just the armour of sarcasm and flirtatious behaviour and violent urges. And I just wanted to…” – your eyes felt dangerously wet – “I just wanted for you to let me in, so I could get to know you and comfort you and stop what hurt you.”

You took a deep breath in after finishing and realised you had given quite the speech. You looked at Astarion while you felt a single treacherous tear ran over your cheek. He looked at you with a range of emotions swirling in his ruby eyes – love, admiration, even shock. He reached out to softly swipe away the tear from your face.

“I…”, he started but immediately broke off again. He took a few moments, then tried again, while carefully holding your face: “I wanted to say that I don’t know what to say, but that’s not true. Rather that there’s too much to put into words.” His thumb over your cheek, making sure there were no more tears coming.

After a small cough to clear up his throat, Astarion continued: “I’ll settle for this: I love you – deeply – and in a way I never thought I could love anything and I don’t know what I could’ve possibly done to deserve this or you but I hope that I can live up to it some day.”

Never mind his sweet, soft touches, but your tears kept coming, happy tears though. Never would you have hoped that Astarion could come this far in so little time and be so open and sincere with you. But here he was.

You sniffled and started to rub the streams of tears off your face with your hands when Astarion pulled you in and kissed you deeply until you had calmed down again.

“So”, you sniffled again “do you want to ask your other four questions and rip my damn heart out while you’re at it or are we finally done for the night?”

Astarion kept holding you for a moment longer than let go of you to just get enough space between you to be able to look at you better. He reached out again though to softly ruffle your hair. “Actually, it’s your turn, sweetheart, so do your worst, I assume?”, he said a bit hesitantly. “We don’t have to keep going, if you’d rather not.” “No, I want to keep going, but first I think it’s only fair that you tell me as well – since you made me cry and all”, you assured him and give him a small pout.

“You mean, when I first realised that I was falling for you?” You nodded. Astarion smiled at you and turned so he laid on his back, looking at the ceiling while he spoke. Talking about his real genuine feelings was still something that was hard for him – but you appreciated a lot that he tried.

“Do you remember when I came onto you that evening at camp and asked you to come to my bed again?” “Of course, I remember, I tried so desperately to be cool about it.” To that Astarion looked at you and grinned broadly: “Yet you so desperately weren’t.” Damn this man! You sluggishly swung to punch at his smirking face but Astarion easily caught your hand and held on to it, starting to play with and look at your fingers. “I still knew you were full of shit when you threw all your cheesy practiced lines at me.” “Still worked, didn’t it? And I was actually having so much fun with our little back and forth. Up until the end when I said these three little words.”

Astarion kept playing with your fingers but threw you a glance: “Because afterwards I realised that there might’ve been more truth in it than I thought and that I might’ve gotten in it over my head. And that scared me.” You squeezed his hand back reassuringly. And he threw you a loving glance before he grabbed your fingers and bit into them. “Now, your turn, my love”, he said as if nothing had happened while you yelped at him. “Ouw, what the hells was that for?” “Revenge?”, he answered and lifted his hand on which you could still the bitemarks you’d left there, “Assert dominance that I’m the one biting in this relationship?” You looked at him as if he had lost his mind. He shrugged and gave your fingers a kiss, then rolled back on his side to face you. “I’m waiting for a question, love.” “Impulsive much?” “That’s a question you can answer yourself, darling.”

Alright, he wanted a question and there was actually one thing you had wanted to know - as well – for quite some time. A stupid little thing that had kept nagging you.

“Okay, I also have a thing that I wanted to know for some time. But it’s stupid really – such an unimportant little detail tha…” “Just ask the question, love.”

You took in a deep breath: “Well, I know you love me and I know you must be enjoying what we have, I mean, physically also – at least I’m ninety-five percent sure that you are. But I was asking myself if the first time we slept together… was it bad – for you?” For the last part you couldn’t take to hold his gaze.

Astarion seemed positively outraged. “My heart – first of all, why would you even think that I’m not enjoying myself with you?” “Well, as I said I’m mostly…” “Apparently five percent say you think differently. Why?” His voice was actually angry and as you looked at him his brows were deeply furrowed. You hesitated to answer but finally gave up with a sigh: “It’s just… You have so much more experience and I don’t have that and maybe I was worrying that you might get bored or something… or that it wasn’t enough.” “Excuse me, but did I look bored to you when you completely obliterated me like an hour ago?”

Astarion’s voice was rising while dramatically gesticulating. His genuine rage at you seemingly not believing that he was having as much fun in the sheets with you as the other way around and just the way he made a dramatic scene about it finally brought back your giggles.

“Well, I don’t know you can be a convincing actor?” “Are you accusing me, that I’ve been faking it? Because: how would that even work anatomically for men?”, Astarion almost shouted while his voice jumped up several octaves.

That broke you: you broke down laughing while the vampire kept fuming. „My love, I am positive you would have noticed, had I been faking a climax, hence there would have been… missing evidence, so to speak… Also, what we have is different - I would have told you had it not been enjoyable.“

“No okay, I’m sorry, I was messing with you for the last part”, you blushed and laughed. Astarion was not calmed down though. “I’ll show you right now how much I am enjoying myself with you if that’s what it takes”, he said through gritted teeth. You snuggled up closely against your vampire again: “No, point made, Astarion, I believe you. Now answer my damn question.”

Astarion sighed defeatedly but wrapped his arms around you again. “I also enjoyed the very first night we ever spent together. I might have not noticed it back then but it was different with you from the beginning – despite the shameful ulterior motives I had back then. So, there you go.” You hummed contentedly, then lifted your head a little to look up into his eyes: “Has someone ever faked it being with you?” That had definitely been the wrong thing to say to calm Astarion down. His eyebrow twitched in annoyed manner and he pursed his lips at you. “Not to my knowledge”, he said slowly. You cackled a bit at his wounded ego. But he recovered quickly – after all he had so much of it.

“So can we get past this topic and move on?”, he asked dryly. “So, that’s your second question?”, you replied. “I’m going to throw you of a cliff, you insolent little thing.” “Don’t make promises you can’t keep”, you kept teasing which made Astarion roll away from you and bury his face in his hands. You giggled hysterically until you had calmed down after a few moments.

“Okay, listen, I’m done and I’m sorry – this night was just too long and too much.”

“I know it was”, Astarion replied while lifting his hands off his face while still laying on his back. “So, if I may, I have my second question for you.” He looked at you and went on when you nodded in approval.

“What do you think is the most stupid thing you’ve ever done?” “Hm, not taking in anything that happened in the last months I assume?” Astarion hummed in agreement.

“Well, when I was a kid on the streets I met a group of other homeless children – all boys. And I was desperate to join their group because I really needed some company and some safety, but they wouldn’t let me because I was a girl.” “How cruel”, Astarion commented with a tinge of sadness in his voice. “I told them I would do anything to let me join so they dared me to jump off of on of these very tall towers at the Gray Harbour – and I did.” Thinking of this particular memory filled you with sorrow – so you rolled onto your back also and stared off into the distance. Astarion’s mouth had opened in shock and his eyes had filled with sadness at your confession. “How old were you?”, he asked softly. “Like nine.” „Gods“, he whispered.

But you didn’t want to dwell on hurtful memories. You spent a few moments thinking about your next question and then decided to sit up in the bed to start changing the mood.

“My turn again”, you exclaimed. “Hit me”, Astarion replied. “What’s a useless skill that you have and love?”

At that the vampire’s eyebrows shot up. “So much for a sudden change in mood”, he said but you could see he was grateful to turn to more light-hearted matters. “Do you have a coin by any chance?” “A coin?”, you repeated in a confused manner.

Astarion was already up and walking over to where he had put his clothes over a chair earlier in the night. “Yes, I thought a demonstration would answer this question far better than just words”, he said while rummaging through his pant pockets.

“Aha”, he exclaimed as he produced a single gold coin and came back over to the bed – not without winking at you playfully. “You’re not going to do a magic trick, are you?” “Please, my name isn’t Gale”, the elf sneered as he sat back down on the bed, on your site now, where you had taken a cross-legged position and were curiously awaiting your partner’s hidden talent.

“Ready?”, Astarion asked with an enticing tone. You nodded and looked intently at him to go ahead. Then the vampire flicked the coin into the air with his thumb – quite high – and let it land perfectly on the back of his hand where he let it wander quickly and smoothly over the knuckles of his fingers. Back and forth and forth and back, then he flicked it up again and caught it between his index and middle finger with a soft “tada”.

You were in awe. “No way, you can do that? That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to be able to too”, you happily praised him and applauded him. “Then let me show you how it’s done”, Astarion cheerfully offered after a small gracious bow.

You spent quite some time then trying to mirror the vampire’s nonchalant moves while he kept explaining and demonstrating how to do the trick. But it seemed you didn’t have a knack for that particular little skill. “You make it look so easy”, you pouted at him at what must’ve been your hundredth try at letting the coin wander over the back of your hand instead of it simply sliding off. “I had two hundred years to perfect it, love. You’ll get there eventually”, Astarion replied and gave you a quick peck. He was being nice and gracious but somehow you had difficulty imagining that he had been just as bad as you in the beginning.

“Alright, I like this idea, so I got my next question for you. Besides this little feat, what would be a skill you would like to pick up, my love?”, Astarion said and fully climbed on the bed again, placing his back against the headboard and then pulling you onto his lap.

“Oh, that’s easy! I’d really like to play an instrument”, you immediately answered. The elf nodded approvingly at you while he held you: “Do you have a specific one in mind?” “Hmm – I guess the lute although I really can’t picture myself sitting down trying to learn it.” “I think, that would be very endearing actually.” You smiled at him. “Maybe”, he continued and cupped your cheek “if you also took up singing, you could my little nightingale.” That made you chuckle but you simply leaned into his touch and closed your eyes a little.

“You are not dozing off on me, are you?” You jolted upwards again: “No! I’m here and it’s my turn!” You had slouched tremendously and were almost laying down in his arms. You thought for a while.

“Hmm, I have another one but it might be quite the mood change again.” “Just ask, love.”

And so you did: “I know you have openly talked about having women and men before in your bed, but I was asking myself – was that of your own volition or…” You didn’t finish the question but knowing Astarion would catch your meaning nonetheless. “I’ve had men and women, yes, or sometimes people that wouldn’t categorise themselves as either.” He shrugged while you carefully listened. “But that was at least my choice and wasn’t something forced onto me against my nature.” “So – if you don’t care about gender what is it that makes you attracted to people?” Astarion cocked his head and looked at you with these sharp red eyes: “Certain people are just beautiful and enticing to me – because they’re just physically attractive to me, because of how proudly they hold their head, because of how smart and witty they are, because of how caring and kind they are. And yes, before you ask: I am talking about you, my love. Because of that and many more possible things.” You felt yourself blush at his confession and his compliments and also felt gratefulness for how openly he talked about himself.

“Does that… bother you? That I’m… pretty open when it comes to attraction?”, Astarion asked a bit hesitantly, his ruby eyes never leaving yours. You immediately and forcefully shook your head: “No, not at all! I was just curious to know how it is for you.” You leaned into him more and hugged him tightly. “I love how you are such an open-minded person in general. In fact, it’s one of your most admirable qualities, I’d never want that to change.”

“Thank you”, he whispered in answer to that silently and held on to you in comfortable silence.

“Speaking of which”, he said after several heartbeats “is there something you would actually like to change about me? The obvious thing with the vampirism aside, I mean.”

You kept hugging him while you answered: “Your scars. I’d love to take them off your body. Just make you forget they ever existed.” You softly let your hands wander onto his back, immediately finding the ridges of the atrocity Cazador had forced upon him. Your fingertips wander over them, the thought of the pain it must have caused Astarion, both physically and mentally, almost made you tear up again.

You heard Astarion let out a deep breath while he mirrored your touches and rubbed small circles on your back. “I don’t even know what to say to that really other than: I fear they are just part of me now but at least Cazador’s dead now and I won’t have to fear ending up being a token for a prize exchange anymore.”

You lifted your head up. “So, nothing left to fear anymore, right?”, you said in a half-hearted attempt to not let the mood sink again. But Astarion barked a desperate short laugh at that. “If it only were that easy, darling, but I fear as it stands I have more to fear than before.” You throw him a confused look while his hands kept caressing your back gently.

“Well, now I actually have something to lose”, he said and leaned his forehead to yours. When the meaning settled in your heart dropped but filled with warmth simultaneously. “Somebody could hurt you or take you away from me, you could become sick – or you could simply decide you don’t want to be with me anymore.” Your eyes widened while his glazed over with the last sentence. You moved to cup his face with both hands: “The other stuff maybe – but I’ll always be with you. I’ll always want to be with you! Don’t say shit like that, Astarion. I love you so much, you can’t imagine!” You softly shook his face to get some sense into the man. You started smothering him with kisses while repeating over and over what you had said. And you didn’t stop until the vampire was laughing again and his eyes had filled with warmth.

“Tell me then”, he said while holding your hand that was still cradling his face. “Last question: how much do you love me?”

Your mind started racing trying to find ways to put it into words. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes for a moment to just feel. Feel how your love for Astarion filled you, heart, body and soul, until there was nothing else.

“I love you so much, I would give up everything for you, if only it meant I could still be with you. I would burn this whole world down if it meant, I could keep you safe. I would walk with you to the end of the universe if it was what you needed to be happy. And if I ever where to leave this earthly world behind, I believe my soul would find you again – and again and again – because I’m half and only ever whole with you.”

You stare into his widening red eyes, trying to convey to him if only with a fraction how deeply you feel for him. To show him that he’s at the very core of your own being. And that he is the only truth.

And as Astarion was taking it in, he held you, still not completely understanding – but he had forever then, to figure it out, didn’t he?

And so he kissed you and pulled you close to him as you both softly leaned down onto the sheets. The bed under you feeling threateningly soft. But you kept kissing him and touching him until you finally slid into your dreams – and hoped for another night tomorrow to hopefully do it all over again.

----- The End

Tags: @daedriclys @angelofthorr @starved-kitten

Note: Are you still here? Then let me thank you again for staying with me through this story. I enjoyed writing every moment of it and I loved it even more for all the support and love I got for it - even though I wouldn't have imagined it. This all might sound very dramatic but it's been quite some time since I've last felt truly inspired to create something and that means a lot to me. This is also the longest piece of fiction I've written (to date). But enough rambling, just: thanks!

And I'll hope I'll see you again in another story!

#astarion #astarion x tav #baldurs gate #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #astarion x reader #astarion x mc #baldurs gate astarion #astarion x oc #astarion x you #fanfic #fanfiction #astarion ancunin #bg3 spoilers #a night of song and laughter #the end

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thewebcomicsreview · 11 months ago

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Oh hey, Hamsteak 2. Looks like Vriska's...back in Alternia? In a dreambubble?

they sent the thief here in search of power; the power to escape the containment i so painstakingly set up for them

Al confirmed as the Candy narrator. Also confirmed that the black hole is "containment" for the dreambubbles and non-canon worlds, and that all the ghosts falling in wasn't an accident of fighting Lord English.

the black hole could only ever shelter them for so long, and in their haste to shrug off my protection they have opened the door to something far, far hungrier.

This panel is a callback to Karkat about to open the door to the New Universe. Where there were interrupted by Jack Noir. Vriska is interrupted by-

Yoo! It's Davepeta! Who feel into the black hole and has been conspicuously absent ever since. They're the only Ultimate who is not connected to Dirk, and in some ways the only "true" Ultimate. Interesting that Al considers them such a threat, when Davepeta has never been anything but benevolent.

Looks like it's all the sprites, in fact. Why...are there two Nannasprites? Oh god, I'm being pushed to the endless limits of my ability to remember Homestuck Lore. Is one of them pre-retcon? I do not remember.

ERISOLSPRITE: wwe'vve been here for liike a miilliion fuckiin 2wweep2. DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < actually we just got here DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < this place didnt even exist until she popped in ERISOLSPRITE: gue22 ii'll fuck my2elf.

It didn't exist until a character arrived, at which point it retroactively existed the whole time, like how a planet works.

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < does that not sound insane to you fefeta? FEFETASPRITE: 3833 < 383

What? How are Davepeta and Fefeta coexisting? That definitely doesn't make sense.

Well, logic be damned, it's apparently time for a Vriska training arc.

Gah! Talksprites! Also, Vriska enters "Hell" on page 666 of Homestuck 2, which is I think the first time this comic has aimed at any kind of Meaningful Number.

God, we are full on visual novel here. I didn't know Ren'Py could export to web, but I guess it shouldn't surprise me. I presume/hope the save option is default and won't be needed here, it's 1:30am.

Tavros is here and, much more oddly, alive. I suddenly understand jack shit.

I have no memory of Tavros ever forgiving Vriska for anything...or, for that matter, Vriska even being aware she did anything that needed to be forgiven. I presume she's just lying here, though.

This line combined with this pose is the essence of Vriska

So, Vriska's being forced to "grow as a person" and her big idea to finish her character arc is to atone for her sins by getting Tavros to take revenge on her. Vriska thinks that the secret to gaining power is getting Tavros to kill her.

I wonder where she got that idea.

But that time she refused to mind control Tavros into killing her, she wanted him to grow from it, too. Now we're past that.

I felt smart for remembering the K8LL ME bit but we're being really obvious about it now so I guess they just assumed everyone would and I'm not special :(

Oh shit. Erisol wasn't kidding.

Davepeta roleplaying being a cat who dies horribly is kind of the perfect synthesis of Dave and Nepeta. What is this music. It's very toot-y.

Oh hey a text log. How convenient. So we're trapped in a time loop, then, explicitly recreating Groundhog Day. I guess that explains the infinity hourglass on the Plot Point machine.

Vriska's having a bad couple of years.

Davepeta is "countless" cool dudes and kitty girls, which I think is the first explicit confirmation they're an Ultimate Self, though that was pretty strongly implied at least. The only Ultimate to do so without Dirk's involvement.

Stop letting me intuit things and then immediately making them clear! I don't care if it's good writing, it's making my liveblog bad!

It's so weird to compare this Davepeta to the one in Homestuck OG. There Davepeta was presented as this wise sage mentor figure who'd achieved enlightenment, and here they're much more of "Dave + Nepeta's combined silliness as one character". It's a subtle difference, but go back and read Davepeta giving this same kind of talk to Jade back in Homestuck 1. I guess that's the difficulty of a character with so little screentime in the original, they're either very limited or they feel slightly off.

Oh my fucking god, a to-be-continued select screen. Shit, that takes me back in an unexpected way.

Also, from the associated news update, "the big flash" is apparently several months away (10/25?), and I have to say they might want to be careful about overhyping it, if they have small flashes and now Ren'Py novels that are just preludes. If it's anything less than a Cascade after months and months of hype it could fall flat where a surprise [S] Enter would've popped the fanbase hard.

#Homestuck #Homestuck 2 #Homestuck 2 Liveblog

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nelumbonuciferagaertn · 3 months ago

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Paris (the dummy's dummy) x Reader

Warning: injury, self-harm (not severe, it's mainly a cute story) Relationship: romantic with Paris, parental (more friendly) with Yumi Reader's gender: not mentioned Summary: you talk with Paris' knife

This is my first fanfiction, I hope you enjoy it! :)

***

You live with Yumi because you are her babysitter. You know everything about her seeing ghosts and the living toys—in other words, the puppet named Paris. You care about that, and it’s logical because it's very dangerous. Yumi often comes home terrified and sometimes injured. However, you allow her outings because Yumi has a heart of gold, which compels her to act whenever she knows something bad is going to happen to someone else. And you know that if you stop her, she won’t listen—or worse, she will blame herself for not helping the little child from her prophetic dream.

And then, there’s Paris, the puppet. Your first meeting with him was… a fight. I mean, who wouldn’t grab a baseball bat from a Trailblazer cosplay and immediately swing at an unknown figure inside their house? Definitely not you. The problem was that he was faster, stronger, and more agile than you. So, it took him barely two minutes to knock you out. Don’t worry, you were fine—it’s just to say that you trust his ability to keep Yumi safe.

But as time passed, you got to know the toy a little better, and he learned about you in return. And you have to admit—you feel something for him. Who wouldn’t? He’s handsome, kind, strong, and the contrast between his love for destruction and his care for Yumi is so endearing that it makes you fall for him.

That day, Paris had just returned from a mission, covered in mud. So he was taking a shower, and that's when, like the mischievous leprechaun you are, you entered the bathroom, saying: "I’m just taking your old clothes and leaving new ones here, okay?" "Alright, thank you."

You set down the black clothing next to the used ones and glance at the knife resting nearby, waiting for its master. Looking around to make sure no one is watching, you mischievously pick it up before calmly leaving the room. Today is the day you will talk to his knife!

Why? Well, it has eyes and mouths, so why wouldn’t it talk? Moreover, during the fight with that clown guy—what was his name again? Palovok? Polakov?—they said the knife started laughing. You don’t know for sure, you weren’t there, unfortunately.

Anyway, you figure that if it’s alive, like Paris or at least somewhat like him, you should try talking to it. It might even be a part of him. With a bit of luck, you might get some exclusive information! And so, you ended up stealing Paris' knife—leading to this very moment.

After tossing the dirty clothes into the washing machine, you run to your bedroom, shut the door, and sit cross-legged. Facing the strange knife in your hands, you begin:

"Hello?" you start.

No answer.

"So, you’re Paris’ knife, right?"

"..."

"Yeah, that question was unnecessary. It's obvious…" You let out a nervous laugh, not entirely convinced by your own words.

"I see you have eyes and mouths. Does that mean you can see or talk?"

"..."

"You can't?"

"..."

"You're not very talkative, are you?"

"..."

"Do you mind if I take a look at you?"

"..."

"I’ll take that silence as a yes!"

You begin examining the object in your hands. First, you look at the blade—its brightness catches your eye. But you decide to save the best for last. So, you turn your attention to the handle. It’s not exactly dark—more of a gray color. But when your shadow covers it, it turns much darker. For fun, you move your hand back and forth a few times.

However, on the third time, you stop. This time, you touch it. Your fingers graze the surface—it’s both smooth and rough at the same time. Perfect for gripping during intense fights, even with sweaty hands! Not that Paris can sweat anyway.

You grip the knife tightly, as if preparing to attack, and strike a few cool poses.

After playing around, you shift your focus to the blade. The first thing you notice is its brilliance. It’s almost shocking how a knife regularly used to cut through people (or whatever they were) is still so sparkling clean.

You also observe that the eyes and mouths appear and disappear. For example, when you took it from the bathroom, there were only a few. But when you swung it around, more appeared. And the more you talked, the more they vanished. You assume that when the knife gets bored, the mouths and eyes disappear. That would explain why there were only a few in the bathroom—Paris had just returned from a fight. When you took it unexpectedly, you piqued its interest, but as you kept talking, it grew bored.

Pleased with your first assessment, you gain confidence, which leads you to gently skim a finger along the blade’s edge—your index finger, to be precise. The cutting edge is so sharp that a small cut appears on your skin. But for some masochistic reason, you don’t stop there.

"Well, let’s see what you got!"

You hold up Paris' knife triumphantly. Heading to your desk, where some random objects are lying around, you grab a piece of paper. With a slow movement, you slice through it effortlessly.

"You're very sharp, aren’t you?"

In response, the mouths on the blade curve into a grin, making you smile too.

"Let’s try something more resistant..."

You scan your desk until your eyes land on an apple. You pick it up and toss it into the air a few times. You don’t expect to miss your target so many times, but here you are—throwing it for the fifth time. On the sixth, you finally hit it.

Maybe the knife was getting annoyed with your misses and decided to help? Whatever the case, the apple is now perfectly sliced in half, juice dripping onto the floor. But when you check the blade, it’s still pristine.

"Let’s do it again!" you say, grabbing one of the apple slices.

The knife grins at you, and you prepare for another round—until you hear your name being shouted from the hallway.

That’s Paris.

"Oops, he noticed…"

Your door swings open violently, revealing the dummy. His brows are furrowed, and his piercing gaze is fixed on you. He looks… a little mad.

"Why did you take my knife?! It’s dangerously sharp, you know!" He snatches the weapon from your hands.

You open your mouth to explain, but he interrupts by grabbing your hand and inspecting your injured finger.

"Look at this. Come on, let’s treat it."

Still holding your hand, he guides you to the bathroom. The room is still humid, but not enough to be unbearable.

Paris opens a drawer and pulls out a first-aid kit. You sit on the edge of the bathtub while he kneels in front of you, carefully bandaging your finger.

"You know, I’m not a kid anymore…" you say as he works. He glances at you, unconvinced.

"Still, I appreciate the care!" you add with a small laugh.

"You're not as monstrous as you think you are."

You smile at him, watching for his reaction. His head lifts, and he looks at you with a shocked expression.

"You know I could kill you right now, right?"

You lock eyes for a moment—then burst into laughter.

"Oh no, you won’t!" you tease, wiping a tear from your eye.

When Paris finishes treating your wound, you use your uninjured hand to tousle his hair.

"Thank you for taking care of me! I didn’t even notice I had cut myself. Your knife is really sharp, you know!"

"That’s why I said it was dangerous," he replies, pulling away from you with an annoyed expression. But you immediately use your other hand to continue, still laughing.

"Don’t do that with this hand! I just bandaged it, idiot!"

"Come here! I need to thank you properly, my little cutie dummy!"

He growls in discontent, grabbing your hands and trying to push you away.

If he had blood, he thinks he would probably blush—more than usual—because of the proximity and the affectionate nickname you just gave him. He would be lying if he said he didn’t like you. Before, he didn’t really know what love was. He appreciated his creator, just like he appreciated many other things, but Yumi taught him what love is. She accepted him for what he was, creating a strong bond between them—exactly like a brother loves his sister.

But with you, it’s different. He likes you, he is certain of that. However, it’s not the same kind of feeling. And he doesn’t mind. It’s an enjoyable feeling. And later, he could even boast to the Darling Dolls about his new understanding of love.

"Anyway, it’s almost time for dinner. I have to cook something for Yumi and me," you say. He drops your hands, letting you moove.

You head toward the door but stop just before leaving the room. Turning back, you ask:

"After dinner, I was planning to play some games with Yumi. Wanna join us?"

He looks at you, considering your offer, then nods positively.

After dinner (you prepared apple curry—you just wanted to make Yumi happy for no particular reason), the three of you head to Yumi’s room and play different kinds of games. It’s comforting to see her having fun, especially compared to the times she came back completely traumatized.

… You lose all the games, by the way.

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