#there is something so deeply wrong w them both. and it fascinates me the same way weird bugs fascinate me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fruiteggsaladit · 9 months

Text

general consensus may or may not b that hiei doesn't and cannot cook but consider this: What if he Could and he Does.

Not because of Kurama, gtf out of here with that, I want a PROPER KOORIME ARC that isn't just "he lost the one precious thing he had and decided he'd go back to Hyouga for genocide; nvm once he heard the details he decided not to" Nobody talks abt Rui and so my mind is in two camps: mary-sue her by removing her suicidality and make her the Perfect Parental Figure, or have her be a deeply flawed character so deep she should have had her own manga.

I want her to fulfill the role Mukuro kind of fulfilled with Hiei but that she does the very dadly thing of Never Talking About Her Feelings unless through a very Traumatic Lens- wait no Mukuro does that too, anyways, I want her to parallel Hiei's belief that he needs to do something to make up for his existence. Except in Rui's case, it's not her own existence, but her actions that have made her irredeemable in her own eyes, and so "making up for it" is not the matter here, but making reparations instead, with the vague hope/expectation that her loved one(s) will abandon her after she's paid her debts.

Togashi being burnt out likely contributed to the very weak "the only way I can make up for Hina dying is making way for her cursed child (dude) to return here and kill us, starting with me", and her not even being able to kill herself on her own, instead begging 13/14-years-old-coded Hiei to do that for her. And prior to that, she had raised Yukina and eventually told her the truth about Hina and Hiei.

Also I'm sorry but the misogyny shines through in the story there too, with Hiei wanting to kill an entire race of female-coded beings he's never really known, but apparently doing nothing towards the bandits that adopted him? Not a canonical word is given about him retaliating at them for it, even though they abandoned him similarly as the Koorime did, because this time Hiei had actually known them. Its stated (by Mukuro, who as we all know is a reliable narrator and Togashi has never employed an unreliable narrator ever (lying)) that he is vengeful enough to desire death to those who abandoned him! Why make a point about genociding the Koorime and say nothing about the bandits...

RIGHT BUT THIS WAS ABOUT

_C O O K I N G_

I'm formerly big fan of Hiei-ifying Yukina to make her more interesting and less of a "perfect bean who's done nothing wrong", I've been coming around lately to Yukina-ifying Hiei?

Like, Hiei getting attached a very strongly once he's attached to someone; Going out of his way to do something for someone, even when they tell him he's being excessive (murder yes But nope that's the whole sentence; is this not equivalent to a shoujo protag exhausting herself to exhausting cleaning the house and doing the cleaning and the cooking, bc how else will she make up for the room she's taking in someone's life and home?); over-thinking himself into circles about whether or not his twin really wants him in her life...

Long concept short! Rui doesn't immediately trauma-dump Hiei and Hiei is entranced/angry with her bc HE remembers HER throwing him away and her being related to his mother in some way, but SHE doesn't? And they journey together in some way. And while Rui is choosing to stay alive, she's also not letting herself experience joys in life, especially with Yukina's absence. I'm fascinated by the concept that she embodies the journey Hiei is taking for himself, the whole-- preparing himself for saving Yukina, and once that is done, die? Wither away? -- very neat if she is doing the same, and Hiei is not introspective or reflective enough to clock that the idealised suicidality is something he intends once he leaves Hyouga. It's the hearing about a lost sister throws a wrench into that plan.

Fascinated w the idea of Hiei trying to endear her to open up by learning to cook from her and cooking for them both. Rui doesn't teach him, he watches her make it and learns from there.

Just, the preparation of food and the sharing of it. Learning how much spice someone likes and how that differs from your own, and how that isn't a matter of morals, it just is. And comparing that to how Hiei is never shown eating on-screen, or eating at all.

Hiei comparing this kind of service to what he considered a service to the bandits. But here it was through being methodical, previously it was almost reactionary. "I'm being helpful, why aren't you glad?" versus "She isn't opening up to me, I'm doing something not-right". Particularly the new state of no longer having the power levels he had prior to the Evil Eye surgery, would probably be a large reason why he becomes more introspective and careful, bc he can't afford not to be.

I just like the idea that Hiei can cook, but has an aversion to people knowing about it, esp. bc of something that happened in the past with Rui. That they did get close, but it wasn't enough for Rui to understand Hiei. Worse, that once she realised who he was, that it overrides what she's learned of him in their journey, and that her reaction to this is what makes Hiei eventually revert to the violence and the carelessness he exhibits with Kurama, until he is again betrayed in some respect, and finds yet again that he's overestimated how well the one he's begun to trust, trusts in him in return.

#yyh things #yyh rui #rui

1 note · View note

bluejayblueskies · 3 years

Note

10 for the hug prompts with JonMartin? 🥺

touches prompt list

10 - hiding their face in the other’s neck

a no-fears au where jon and martin are in an established relationship! cw for nausea and a brief mention of vomiting (doesn't actually occur)

Jon doesn’t do roller coasters.

It is not, despite what Tim says when he thinks Jon isn’t listening, because he’s a, quote, ‘old man at heart’ and doesn’t know how to have fun. In theory, Jon is actually rather fond of roller coasters. He’d watched a documentary once about the design of them, and it had been rather fascinating.

It’s not because Jon doesn’t like roller coasters. It’s…

Well. It’s probably more accurate to say that roller coasters don’t like him. Specifically, his sense of equilibrium and his digestive system. Pills help somewhat, if he remembers to take them, but the fact of the matter is that he’s much more likely to leave the ride with a feeling of intense nausea than of exhilaration. He just… gets motion sick. No way around it. He always sits in the front seat of cars, ensures that he’s in a forward-facing train seat at all times, rarely travels by boat, and… avoids roller coasters.

The fact that he is currently standing in the queue for a particularly large and particularly frightening-looking roller coaster is not, therefore, due to his overwhelming love for them. It is instead entirely due to his overwhelming love for the man standing next to him, eyes bright and excited as he explains the history of this particular roller coaster. His hand is warm and soft in Jon’s, and their clasped hands swing absently back and forth as they slowly inch forward in the queue. His curls are a shock of auburn against the sky, and when he laughs and squeezes Jon’s hand, Jon forgets his anxiety entirely for a moment, lost in a wave of affection and fondness.

“—and because it’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ride,” Martin says with a wide grin, “it’ll be running backward today! Well, all season, I- I suppose, but we’re here today, so…”

Jon has never been on a roller coaster that’s traveled backward. It does… not sound appealing.

“That’s… very exciting,” Jon says with a smile, trying to make the words sound as genuine as possible. Because he is a coward. Or, perhaps, just very in love. Maybe both.

It’s just… Martin had been so excited when he’d dropped the amusement park tickets in front of Jon a few weeks ago. And in the four months or so that they’ve been dating, Jon has found it increasingly hard to say things that will cause that wide, unabashed smile on Martin’s face to dim even in the slightest. So Jon had discretely taken several motion sickness pills before they’d left that morning and had told himself that there were plenty of other things to do at an amusement park besides roller coasters and spinning rides and other things that make it their personal mission to tie Jon’s stomach into knots.

And then Martin had spent the entire train ride rambling about the various roller coasters and how he’d always wanted to go to an amusement park but he’d never been able to find the time or the money before and how he’s never been on a roller coaster but they look so fun, and Jon just… hadn’t been able to tell him.

It’ll be fine, he tells himself as they finally reach the front of the queue, the brightly colored cars sitting empty in front of them. It’ll be… completely, totally fine. Nothing to worry about.

They sit a few rows from the front. The click of the restraints makes Jon’s stomach squeeze with nerves, and he swallows around the lump in his throat. He doesn’t realize that he’s gripping the bar in front of him with white knuckles until Martin says gently, “Hey. Is… everything okay?”

No, but it’s certainly too late to change my mind now, Jon does not say.

“Yes,” Jon says, loosening his grip with considerable effort. It’s fine. “Just… b-been a while since I was on one of these.”

Technically not a lie.

“Oh!” Martin gives him a soft smile that makes his heart stutter in his chest. “Well, it’ll be a… new experience for both of us then, I suppose.”

The car jerks into motion, and Jon’s hands tighten instinctively on the bar again. It’s a… disconcerting effect, to be moving backward rather than forward, and one that Jon is decidedly not fond of. They exit the staging area and begin to climb up the first of the many, many hills Jon had eyed warily from their place in the queue. Jon looks straight ahead and does not look down and tries to breathe through his nose.

A warm hand covers his, and Jon looks over to see Martin watching him, that same soft smile on his lips. Martin squeezes gently, and Jon relaxes, just a fraction.

Then, the car tips over the peak of the hill and begins to accelerate, and Jon’s world blurs into a mess of colors and sensations.

The only part of the ride that Jon enjoys is the fact that it’s over quickly. By the time the car rolls to a halt—after a terrifying sequence of loops and drops and harsh curves and tight spirals—Jon feels as if his insides have been scooped out, stuffed in a washing machine, tumble dried, and then pushed back into him at all the wrong angles. Martin’s hand is still gripping his, somehow, and it remains there as they exit the car and make their way down the ramp and into the main thoroughfare. Jon’s legs feel boneless, like they’re made of jelly, and he is deeply afraid that if he opens his mouth, he is going to empty the contents of his stomach onto the pavement below.

Gentle hands are on Jon’s shoulders then, and Jon finds himself guided onto a metal bench just a few meters away from the exit ramp. Jon tries to protest that he’s fine—they have limited time here and he doesn’t need to take a break—but his stomach rolls and he pinches his lips shut before he manages to form a single word. When a hand settles on his upper back and presses down gently, he finally gives in to the urge to bend over and tuck his head between his knees in an effort to alleviate some of the lingering vertigo.

“Breathe, Jon,” Martin says, and Jon does. He takes a few deep breaths, and when a particularly powerful wave of nausea overtakes him, he can’t help the groan that escapes him. “I know,” Martin says softly, moving his hand in soothing circles on Jon’s back. “Just keep breathing, Jon. We can get some water in a bit, just… for now, let’s sit.”

Jon is too nauseous to be properly embarrassed by the coddling. That situation changes quickly as the minutes pass and Jon’s stomach begins to settle. After what must be nearly ten minutes, the nausea has faded entirely, but Jon keeps his head between his knees so he doesn’t have to look at Martin’s face.

“Feeling any better?” Martin prompts, and Jon lets out a slow breath. He nods once, and—with the help of Martin’s hand on his arm—straightens slowly, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the ground as he does so.

“Sorry,” he says, so quietly he isn’t sure Martin can hear him over the din of the crowd.

“You don’t have to apologize for- for feeling sick,” Martin says. He rubs a thumb against Jon’s arm and says, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I- I didn’t think… it would be this bad?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jon sees Martin give him a look that very clearly expresses his skepticism.

Jon sighs and puts his head in his hands again. “I just… didn’t want to disappoint you, I suppose.”

Martin is, of course, sharper than Jon gives him credit for sometimes. “Because I said I’d never had the chance to go on a roller coaster before?”

Jon nods miserably. “I-in my defense, I thought you would start with something significantly less… gravity-defying.”

“Jon,” Martin says, kindly and patiently yet with a chastising edge to it. “You could have waited by the exit.”

“I—I didn’t…” Jon feels the tips of his ears grow warm. “I didn’t want to leave you.”

“Oh,” Martin says, his voice pitched a touch higher than normal. “That’s… um, r-really sweet, actually.”

Jon is glad that Martin can’t see his face because he’s sure whatever expression would have crossed it just then would have been utterly sappy and mortifying.

“B-but I—I don’t want you to make yourself sick on my account,” Martin hastens to say. “There are loads of other things to do here. W-we don’t have to ride the roller coasters.”

Jon uncovers his face and looks at Martin. “But you want to ride the roller coasters.”

Martin worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He doesn’t deny it. Instead, he says, “I… also want to spend time with you, Jon. D-doing things we both want to do, not… not just me.”

Jon stares at Martin and thinks, not for the first time, that he loves him. But it’s still too early to say it, probably, and he’s certainly not going to do so sitting on a sticky metal bench surrounded by children and tired-eyed parents. So all he says, in the end, is, “If… if you’re sure.”

Martin takes Jon’s hand in his and squeezes gently. “I am.” Then, he gives Jon a wide, soft smile that has Jon’s stomach twisting all over again. “So. What do you do at amusement parks, then?”

Jon flushes. But Martin doesn’t laugh at him when he mumbles that he’s actually quite fond of carousels. Instead, he takes Jon’s hand and walks with him across the park—staying away from the more crowded sections, stopping to buy some horrendously overpriced bottles of water on their way—until they’re standing in front of the carousel, painted in lovely pastel blues and yellows.

Jon, for a moment, feels self-conscious and more than a bit childish. But then Martin squeezes his hand and says, without a hint of teasing, “So, what animal do you prefer?” and the tension in Jon’s shoulders melts away in an instant.

Jon learns that Martin likes the classic horses, manes painted gold and plastic saddles a bright cherry red. (And Martin is entirely unsurprised to find that Jon chooses the cat, every time.) He learns, as they continue to explore the amusement park, that Martin likes caramel apples but hates how they get stuck in his teeth. (He purchases one anyway, rolled in peanuts and little rainbow sprinkles, that gives Jon a toothache just looking at it.) He learns that Martin does not appreciate his explanation that the monsters on the haunted house ride are ‘just dummies’ and ‘obviously fake’ and ‘really, Martin, that’s not even the correct number of bones in a human skeleton.’ (Though he secretly treasures the way that Martin clings to his side in the car and hides his face in Jon’s neck, his curls tickling the sensitive skin just underneath Jon’s chin.)

And Martin, apparently, learns that Jon is strangely good at midway games.

“You know those things are totally rigged, right?” Martin says, staring at Jon in disbelief as he tries and fails to adjust his grip on the frankly enormous plush teddy bear the midway worker had begrudgingly surrendered to him. And the medium-sized plush cat he’d won earlier. And the dozen or so little plushies and trinkets and accessories he’d acquired along the way. “You’re not supposed to be able to win.”

“Yes, well.” Jon gives up on trying to find a comfortable way to carry his prizes and extends the massive teddy toward Martin. “I suppose I’m just… lucky.”

He is certainly not going to admit that he spent a good three days researching what to do on a carnival date, came to the conclusion that it would be romantic to win an enormous stuffed animal for Martin, and committed himself to memorizing which games were easiest to win and what strategies he should employ in order to have the best chance at success. That would be… well. A bit much, he thinks. Best to just… not mention it.

Martin carries the teddy all the way back to his flat, his cheeks flushing a lovely pink whenever an occasional curious glance is thrown in their direction. It’s only once they get there and Martin tries to pass the plushie back to Jon with a sheepish, “Suppose I better give this back now,” that Jon realizes he had… indeed not been very clear about his intentions.

“It’s… for you, actually,” Jon says, ignoring the way his cheeks are growing steadily warmer. Then, Jon takes a breath and pushes the rest of the plushies rather unceremoniously into Martin’s arms, save for the cat which he’s… grown rather attached to in their short acquaintanceship. “Th-they all are. Er. F-for you.”

“O-oh.” Martin looks down at the collection of brightly colored things in his arms, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. “I—I… really?”

Jon hugs the cat tightly to his chest, feeling something like embarrassment curl in his stomach. “I-if you don’t want them, I—I can—”

“No!” Martin says quickly, curling his arms protectively around the plushies. “I—I do. W-want them.” He looks down at the teddy sitting by his feet, then up at Jon with a warm, shy smile on his face. “Th-thanks, Jon.”

I love him, I love him, I love him.

Jon nods, pinches his lips together, and tries to keep his affection contained. He doesn’t want to come on too strong, after all. That’s… something he’s not meant to do, he thinks.

Then, when they’re both lying in bed and Martin’s chest is pressed against Jon’s back, his arm curled around Jon’s middle and his nose buried in Jon’s hair, Martin murmurs, “I love you,” and Jon’s breath catches in his throat.

“I… I love you too,” he whispers. And it’s such an easy thing to say that Jon wonders why he’d ever worried at all.

Martin makes a sleepy, contented noise, burrowing closer and wrapping Jon more tightly in his arms. And because he can—he can, he can, Martin said it first, so he can—Jon says again, so quietly he isn’t sure Martin can hear it: “I love you.”

The words are sweet on his tongue, like candy floss and funnel cakes and caramel apples.

#tma #the magnus archives #jonmartin #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #my writing #my fic #i know nothing about british amusement parks so if this is painfully american... forgive me #hawkfurze

271 notes · View notes

sebstanseabass · 3 years

Text

Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 4

Previous chapter links:

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

CHAPTER FOUR

The cab ride towards the White Wolf was much faster and louder than you anticipated. The cab driver's blaring music from the radio was so loud it felt like you were inside a rave. You and Bucky had to yell over the music for you to talk about what has been happening in your lives for the past few months. You couldn't summarize everything in a five-minute cab ride. So far, these were just some milestones you both gathered (well, more of his): while Bucky was in different parts of the world (Greece, Macau, Amsterdam, Monaco, Aruba) managing interrelation business and hosting nightly parties and whatnots, you were just in New York tending to drunkards (and that includes Peter sometimes) and taking photos of whatever products that come your way.

At that moment, you saw your life pass by in black and white, while Bucky's in color -- just a parade of rainbows trailing behind him wherever he goes.

Yet he still found the things you did interesting.

You wondered what the word interesting meant to him. Of course, you didn't bother asking him that. Perhaps he just felt sorry and wanted to make you feel good.

The moment you got out of the cab, you guys took a deep breath, thankful that that awful ride was over. The music floated away as the cab sped up in the streets.

"What a dick." Bucky commented, watching the cab race through the streets. Any more speed, the cab would've flown in the air.

"I know." You snorted. "God, that was an awful ride. I felt like I was at a frat party."

"Funny. You don't look like someone who would go to one." He joked.

"I went once." You defended. "With Parker."

Bucky raised his eyebrows at you and stared. Blue eyes piercing right through you in disbelief. "Okay." You sighed. "I picked his drunk ass up at that party. But I really have been to a party with Parker." You left out that detail of you and Peter making out at that party. That was just between you and Peter and you wouldn't want to include his stepbrother in it. Or perhaps Bucky knew about it. You did just found out they talk to each other almost every night. But as you told Bucky about that party, you received no reaction whatsoever which meant he knew nothing. You felt good about that.

You and Bucky stood in front of the White Wolf, trying to shake out the ringing in your ears. Stupid cab ride. Why you couldn't just walk here was because of Bucky. Apparently, he was still a bit hungover. You wondered what would take him to get fully sober.

You stared at the wolf headstone once more, admiring it for the second time today.

"I commissioned an artist for that." Bucky spoke, poking his finger on his right ear. "Just found him on the subway one day. He was selling some sculptures he's made. Asked him if he could make me one and ta-da!"

"It is beautiful."

"I have others he has made inside." With this, Bucky started to walk towards the inside of his hotel.

The uniformed man greeted you on the steps. You sent him a knowing smile once his eyes landed on yours. He smiled back as you introduced yourselves to each other.

"Is she still in my room?" Bucky asked the uniformed man who you now know goes by the name Leonard.

"Yes, sir." He replied. "She said she'd -- "

"I know what she said." Bucky groaned, remembering what you'd told him earlier. "I'll call you from up there if anything goes wrong, okay Leonard?"

"Yes, sir. I'll be on alert."

You watched the exchange in utter fascination. It was like watching something straight out of an action movie: "I'll be on high alert" "I'll tell you when the coast is clear" "Roger that" "I'll call you when something goes wrong"

The only thing was, this wasn't some action movie though Bucky did have a plan. You just never knew about it until you got in the elevators.

"Here's the plan." He started. "We go in holding hands, I'll introduce you as my girlfriend. Maybe fiancé! When she sees you, tell her you're my fiancé and when she tells you that she slept with me, I'm going to deny and you're going to believe me because as my fiancé, you deeply love me and believe everything I say."

"Ew, it's like I'm a sub."

"Wow, you're a dom?"

"I can be." You winked at him.

"Huh, I honestly thought you're a virgin. You know, that type of 'never been kissed, never been loved' type."

In your head, you started singing the rest of the song. "I'm an angel in the streets and devil in the sheets, Bucky." You joked which he took seriously seeing it on the look on his face. "Anyway, your plan?"

"Right! She'd yell and go nuts until she gives up and then leaves the hotel -- "

"Then we get married and let Peter pay for our honeymoon!" You finished for him with a sarcastic smile on your face.

He smirked. "I like the way you think, Aria. But I don't think Peter's gonna want that."

"What do you mean?"

"W-well, he's not gonna afford it is what I meant."

"You're probably right." You gave him a low chuckle. "You're rich. Pay for our honeymoon." You joked.

"As soon as we get this bitch out of here, yes I will, doll." He scrunched his nose up and winked at you right before the elevator doors opened. Swiftly, Bucky grabbed your hand and intertwined your fingers. "Let's do this."

Hand in hand, you stepped out of the elevator. What stood in front of you was the same woman from earlier this morning. Body still clinging to Bucky's shirt. Faint red lipstick still smeared on some parts outside her lips. Blonde hair still disheveled. If you didn't know any better she was just here in the penthouse, waiting, not moving even a single inch.

You put your hand on Bucky's arm, hiding a faint expression of how big it felt against your skin. "Honey, who is this?"

"I-I don't know!"

The unnamed woman managed to step forward, looking Bucky in the eyes. "What do you mean you don't know? We slept last night!" Then, she looked at you. "Who the hell are you?"

"His fiancé." There was a sly smug tone in your voice. Even on your face.

"Fiancé? He didn't tell me anything about a fucking fiancé!"

"What the hell are you saying?" Bucky yelled. His grip tightened on your hand. "I've never even met you! How did you get in here?"

"We spent the night together, what the hell, Bucky!" She bellowed like a monster, then her voice softened. "I-I told you I love you."

"You're crazy."

"Call security." You said. "Now, Bucky!"

While Bucky grabbed for his phone, the woman pleaded, still trying to convince you that she slept with your fake fiancé. "If he says he doesn't know you," you responded, "then I believe him." Bucky slipped away from you, probably calling Leonard from downstairs. He gave you a knowing look, as if ushering you to unleash some kind of hell on his one-night stand. "You need to go, lady, if you don't want to be banned in every hotel here in New York. Yes, my fiancé can do that. So better get your ass out of here or -- "

"Okay, okay!" She held up her hands, giving up. "I'm out of here! Jesus fucking Christ -- " She mumbled more under her breath as she took of Bucky's clothes, revealing a white tank top underneath. She picked up her heels that were scattered on the living room: one shoe on the couch, the other near a foot of a small table. Picked up some pair of jeans on the carpet before stepping inside the elevator.

"I wish you luck in your fucking marriage." She said, tone filled with rage. Then, she proceeded to flip Bucky one last time before she disappeared behind the elevator doors, eyes boring into Bucky's.

"Okay, she's going down. Tell her to never come here again. Thanks, Lenny." Bucky dropped the phone call and gave you a smile. "And thank you for your performance."

You bowed, like how actors bow after a play ends, and flashed him a smile. "Why, thank you."

"Thanks to you I'm never gonna see that woman again in my life."

You turned your back on him, seeing the place for the first time without a tainted image of the woman. A line of little sculptures near every wall (perhaps the ones he commissioned from that subway artist). Family photos, albums and trophies took up a whole cabinet. You shifted your gaze towards the living room where a nice brown couch sits on top of a beige rug, which faced a huge flat screen television. Two pairs of love seats sat across from each other. A glass table set in the middle. On the back wall was a photograph of Bucky which took the whole space. He wore a neat, well-pressed grey suit, sitting on what seemed like a throne inside a home office, one leg stretched outwards and one leg just resting normally on the floor. He had this head tilt on one side, right hand under his chin, blue eyes looking directly at the camera. On its floor were stacks of magazines, and papers.

Even you couldn't deny how good Bucky looked in the photo but the photograph itself? You knew you could do better than that.

You turned around and found Bucky nowhere. "Bucky?"

He then emerged from what seemed like a kitchen because he was carrying loads of food and trod towards where you were and placed everything on the coffee table. "Yeah?"

"If I wasn't here, what would've you done?"

He shrugged, and opened a yogurt. "Probably stay in your apartment forever."

"Wow," you sat on the couch, watching him devour the food on the table, "seems like you've planned everything out."

"Seems like it, yeah."

"Do you always do this, Bucky?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have sex with girls, then make up a lie to get them out of your life."

"Oh, that was the first time." He replied. "Those three words really freaked me out. I've never heard that come from someone besides my family. Never even told anyone I've loved them, again, except my family."

You nodded in response and looked around the penthouse some more, admiring some paintings, big and small, on the walls. Perhaps some were real, perhaps some were just school ofs. On your right, was a draped curtain covering a whole glass wall that overlooked New York city. Bucky clicked some button somewhere which let the curtains open, letting some of the New York sun inside. From here, one could see the whole view of New York. All its pleasure, glory, grime, and lowliness.

Oh, the things you would give to live in a place like this. If you wanted to take in the beauty of New York, you had to climb up on the fire exit towards the rooftop. And the view from up there wasn't as pretty as this one. All the pretty spots were behind million dollar skyscrapers.

You looked at Bucky once more who leaned against the love seat, then closed his eyes. That same fuzzy image, which you thought you had buried at the back of my mind, resurfaced.

"Bucky?"

He shot straight up. "Yeah?"

"Have we... met each other before?"

A frown formed on his face, his blue eyes meeting yours, his gaze intense; as if he was trying to put a finger on something, on you. But then he gave up, telling you perhaps you'd just seen him somewhere here in New York the last time he was here, bumped into him. Something like that.

You agreed. Maybe that was it.

Again, you pushed that image at the back of your mind, hoping it would never come up while Bucky was still here.

You were about to ask Bucky how long he was planning to stay in New York before partying in every country outside America when your phone rang.

It was Steve. You picked it up immediately. "Hey, Steve. Is everything okay?"

Bucky shot his head towards you, perhaps wondering who this Steve was.

"Hey." He replied. His voice was groggy, like he just woke up. "There's been some misunderstanding with the shipments. They thought I said drop them in the morning. Long story short, the shipments are just outside the pub's door."

"What? They can't do that!"

"They have a lot of deliveries today so they had to. I told them to wait for you but those are impatient bastards. New shipment boys."

You cursed then stood up. "I'm actually not in the apartment right now. I'm somewhere else. Not important. I'm on my way."

"Get there fast, Aria."

"I will, don't worry. Bye, Steve."

Once you got off the phone, you told Bucky the whole situation.

"Let's go then!" He said with much enthusiasm. "Those drinks are no good sitting out there. How else am I going to make you the best drink you'll ever have, darling?"

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes smut #bucky x y/n #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes story #fan fic #fan fiction #bucky barnes fan fiction #thank u so much 4 all the support ily all #chapter 4 yay

65 notes · View notes

therealsaintscully · 3 years

Text

Mary and butterflies - the inevitability of death, murderous calling cards and collectors

Some ramblings with links to other people’s excellent meta, in which I suggest that butterflies (and/or moths) symbolize Mary as Moriarty’s reincarnation and or calling card, while also hint at her inevitable death.

Disclaimers: credits are below the cut. I’m not an expert in any of these topics. Thank you, @thewatsonbeekeepers for the beta. In this post I’ll be using moths and butterflies interchangeably, apologies to any entomologists.

Mary’s appearance in the show brings with it new imagery we haven’t seen prior to The Empty Hearse - butterflies. Once Mary’s in the picture, there are butterflies in some very strategic locations, all are either visually or subtextually leading to her. The show has done that previous to season 3; Moriarty is connected to some well established symbols like magpies, apples and IOUs.

When I first started reading meta I used to think these themes were a bit of a stretch, but I’ve since accepted that this is a show that puts barely noticeable phoenixes in a restaurant scene that shows us Sherlock rising from his death.

Here are some of the butterflies I spotted so far:

Butterflies (and in the case of this piece of meta, moth) symbolize most commonly resurrection, change and renewal. Behind the symbolism stands the transformation of a small, ungainly creature into something full-grown and unbound. In that case, in the simplest way, one could argue that butterflies were chosen to symbolize her because the ‘Mary Morstan’ persona was a stillborn’s identity that was stolen and used ‘reborn’ to create a new person.

But more than this simplistic idea; butterflies carry multiple symbolisms. When it comes to Sherlock, I and many others tend to look at Victorian symbolism, considering the detective’s Victorian roots.

I find the appearance of butterflies interesting in Mary’s context, much like I find the skull interesting in Sherlock’s. The skulls, in Sherlock’s case, serve plenty of purposes, but one of them is the idea of memento mori.

Memento mori (Latin for 'remember that you [have to] die') is an artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. These are representations that can appear in any form of art such as paintings, literature, poetry etc. It’s a concept that existed in many ancient cultures but is also deeply rooted in early Christianity. It serves to remind people of the inevitable; that even if we choose to ignore it, not think about it, it’s always there lurking, and the purpose is not to scare us but to encourage us to make good use of our time when we’re alive. Memento mori was the philosophy of reflecting on your own death as a form of spiritual improvement, and rejecting earthly vanities.

Victorians were obsessed with the concept (weren’t Victorians obsessed with everything?). They would take photographs of the dead and keep locks of hair of those who died in mourning brooches. It is said that they found these practices comforting.

Another expression of the ‘remember that you must die’ concept was vanitas art; vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. The Latin noun vanitas (from the Latin adjective vanus 'empty') means 'emptiness', 'futility', or 'worthlessness', the traditional Christian view being that earthly goods and pursuits are transient and worthless. It alludes to Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8, where vanitas translates the Hebrew word hevel (הבל), which also includes the concept of transitoriness.

This concept reminds me, most especially, of the skull used in The Abominable Bride, which is actually Charles Allen Gilbert's 'All is Vanity' Illusion art.

Back to butterflies - butterflies are a staple component of vanitas art - paintings executed in the vanitas style were meant to remind viewers of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. They also provided a moral justification for painting attractive objects - in a way, it’s a justification for the vanity, or the human need of enjoyment of beautiful things. Below is a vanitas by Jan Sanders van Hemessen:

But butterflies are also considered an omen of death:

“Butterflies and moths were associated with death, sometimes merely as omens, sometimes as the soul or ghost.” These butterfly omens came in many ways. For example, in the nineteenth century United States, some people thought that a trio of butterflies was an omen of death.” [x]

Oh.

But I also think there’s more to the butterfly symbolism than Mary’s imminent death; I suggest that, in keeping with @loudest-subtext-in-tv M-Theory (suggesting that Mary was planted in John’s life by Moriarty), they symbolize Mary as Moriarty reincarnated following his death in TRF. That Moriarty had indeed not disappointed Sherlock - there was a posthumous game after all! That Sherlock was supposed to understand that while one form of Moriarty died on that roof, another had emerged, continuing the mission of burning Sherlock’s heart. Mary is Moriarty’s calling card, left behind in the crime scene. They’re different, but not separate, which is why Sherlock is so obsessed with Moriarty between HLV-T6T; he’s both wrong and correct at the same time.

So far, what I’ve suggested is that in Sherlock, skulls are Sherlock’s symbolic memento mori - the skulls are associated with Sherlock in some very significant ways.

However, Mary’s character was doomed from the start - she dies during Sherlock’s hiatus in ACD canon. I believe many fans assumed Sherlock’s Mary expected the same fate when she was introduced to the show. Although the story of Samarra is told by Sherlock, who expects his own death in T6T, Mary is the one who ends up dying.

Butterflies in ACD canon

Searching for the significance of butterflies in the ACD and BBC canon led me to a number of interesting directions in meta written by others.

The first and probably the best place to start is this meta post by @tendergingergirl, which I strongly suggest you read in full: Butterflies, Sexual Deviancy & The Bloodline Theory in The Hound of The Baskervilles.

Stapleton also has a hobby. He collects bugs…Butterflies, to be exact. This can often be seen as purely academic, but depending on the actions of the hobbyist, they can indicate more disturbing things. That of holding something vulnerable captive, treating it as your hostage, pinning it down. The torture of animals has come to be a good indicator of someone who would do this to a human. He had already shown callousness by laughing as he recounts to Holmes of ponies wandering onto the Moor, becoming trapped, and dying. In 1974, there was a release of a new edition of Sherlock Holmes stories, with the forward of The Hound of The Baskervilles written by British author, John Fowles. He is responsible for several well-known works, including The French Lieutenant’s Wife. Another, was a novel that Mason finds himself wondering why Fowles doesn’t mention in his introduction, since the villain is such a close parallel to Stapleton.(but as we have learned through the study of ACD, most writers will not come right out and say where they got their inspiration. They like for you to guess!)

A lonely young man, works as a clerk, and collects butterflies, becomes obsessed with a pretty young girl, Miranda, an art student. He chloroforms, and kidnaps her, taking her to his cellar basement, to add Miranda to his collection. That book was called The Collector. But what else does it sound like?

“So yes, I googled. From an article on the release of the movie’s Documentary. "The docu proves a poor reference point for anyone who wants to understand the literary and movie links for “Lambs.” There’s no mention, for example, of how Harris partly based the butterfly-loving Bill on John Fowles’ kidnapper in “The Collector” …And here I thought Mofftiss added allusions to Silence of The Lambs into Sherlock just for fun. SMH.”

@tendergingergirl also added this photo to their post:

So what we have here is a chain of metatextualities/inspiration, starting with ACD’s THOB, where Jack Stapelton inspires a book about a disturbed butterfly collector (The Collector by John Fowles), which inspires a the author of Silence of the Lambs in creation of his character Buffalo Bill, a serial murderer who inserts a death's head moth into the victim's throat because he is fascinated by the insect's metamorphosis. Silence of the Lambs served as inspiration for Sherlock as analyzed by @garkgatiss in Bond, Hannibal, and Holmes (I suggest you read the whole Hannibal section) .

Let’s look again at some imagery from His Last Vow. Mary shoots Sherlock’s heart, essentially burning his heart out, and who does Sherlock meet in his Mind Palace in a very cocoon-like straightjacket? Yes, the dead dude who encourages him to die already (“one more push, and off you pop”).

What’s the next thing we as an audience see once Sherlock opens his eyes? Mary coming to the hospital to hear that Sherlock had, in fact, survived. And what is she wearing? Her butterfly scarf, one which will another appearance later in the episode, during the tarmac scene.

I also find it interesting that in the context of Sherlock and Silence of the Lamb, there’s an element of gender-switching between Moriarty and Mary. Buffalo Bill, the murderer from Silence of the Lambs, skins bodies of women to create himself a woman’s 'suit’; in Sherlock, Moriarty is a man-villain who transforms into a female-villain in the form of a bride and/or Mary.

By the way, who else is obsessed with his suits?

Also, let’s not forget the worms, maggots and other such crawlers in the grave scene:

Now, let’s go over some of the photos I included in the beginning of this post a bit further.

Mrs. Hudson’s butterfly tea set is first shown in TEH - she uses it to serve John tea when he comes visiting her and tellis her about Mary. We also see it near John’s chair on the day of the wedding. This isn’t Sherlock’s set - his set is different, featuring the British Isles. Moriarty drinks from it in TRF. The next tea set we see, now that Moriarty is dead, is the butterflies one. In TLD, Mrs. Hudson uses Sherlock’s tea set - the butterflies are gone.

Mary’s bedroom wallpaper is very feminine, with flowers and butterflies, both complementing symbols while also very common in vanitas art. Much like Mrs. Hudson’s wallpaper in Baker Street, Mary’s wallpaper is supposed to show the contrast between Mary’s flat/Mary and Sherlock’s flat/Sherlock.

There’s an interesting moth reference in The Empty Hearse, which in my opinion, is Mary & Moriarty related. In short, in a previous piece of meta I wrote, I suggested that the Jack the Ripper case in TEH is subtext alluding to Mary’s skeletons, which Sherlock ignores because he’s upset by his reception by John. And what’s one of the first things Sherlock notices about the skeleton? New mothballs smell, hinting at an attempt to get rid of moth/butterflies - maybe a hint to the fact that Sherlock has a chance to discover the truth about Mary but misses it. Also, in the context of Mary and the Jack the Ripper case, notice this transition:

Transitions are important on Sherlock - they’re nearly always there to draw our attention.

This, I think, is perhaps the most telling about a possible connection between Mary and Moriarty: we have both magpies (a Moriarty hint) and butterflies together here. This isn’t the only hint of Mary’s past we get in the wedding; there is, after all, the telegram from CAM.

Mary’s scarf is colorful, and it appears by the time Sherlock’s subconscious suspects Mary. Mary’s black butterfly dress - an ominous dress, I’d say - is the one she wears during the labour scene in the car. The third photo is a behind the scenes photo uploaded by Amanda Abbington, although I’m unsure whether this necklace is AA’s or Mary’s (but I couldn’t pass on including this).

Interestingly, the butterflies do not appear in Rosie’s context - either because it’s a telling sign that Mary won’t be with us much longer, or because Rosie is spared being considered a part of the ‘burning Sherlock’s heart’ plan. Sherlock, on the surface, seems to love Rosie and accepts her.

Also, another BTS photograph I came across during my research which I’ve never seen before and ties nicely to the vanity topic is this one (found here):

The Death's-head hawkmoth and ‘Death with Interruptions’

You’ll recall that I referenced The Collector and Silence of the Lambs, both featuring butterflies on their cover art.

The Silence of the Lambs cover features Acherontia atropos, otherwise known as the death's-head hawkmoth. It gets its name from the sinister-looking skull shape on its back. In many cultures it is thought to be an omen of death. In a bit of another coincidental but stunning piece of symbolism, all three species of the Death's-head hawkmoth are commonly observed raiding beehives of different species of honey bee; A. atropos only invades colonies of the well-known western honey bee, Apis mellifera, and feeds on both nectar and honey. They can move about in hives without being disturbed because they mimic the scent of the bees and are not recognised as intruders.

Anyway, the use of Acherontia atropos reminded me of the book ‘Death with Interruptions’ by Jose Saramago. Interestingly, this is another book about a deathly collector with a butterfly on the cover:

In Death with Interruptions death is a woman, and she falls in love with one of her future victims. She decides to spare his life: Every time death sends him his letter [notifying him of his imminent death], it gets returned. death discovers that, without reason, this man has mistakenly not been killed. Although originally intending merely to analyse this man and discover why he is unique, death eventually becomes infatuated with him, so much so that she takes on human form to meet him. Upon visiting the cellist, she plans to personally give him the letter; instead, she falls in love with him, and, by doing so, she becomes even more human-like.

It’s pretty common to read theories about Mary who maybe was one of the assassins due to kill John both at the pool and in front of Barts. So we have a death harbinger trying to kill someone twice and failing. She then falls in love with him.

But how does the butterfly fit in?

Well, at some point in the story, death (that’s her name, sans a capital d), contemplates that using the death head butterfly, instead of a violet piece of paper, would have sent a much stronger message to those whose death is coming for.

And here’s another last bit of coincidental reference to Sherlock: I’d argue shades of purple, among them shades of violet, are associated with Mary and her secrets. There’s the purple dress she wears in TEH, her bridesmaids’ dresses include various shades of purple (including what I would argue was a violet sash) and let’s not forget:

Oh and, by the way, remember the song Donde Estas, Yolanda from TEH, about a woman called Yolanda? Always thought it was a bit of an odd choice for a song?

Yolanda is a female given name, of Greek origin, meaning Violet.

Thoughts?

Credits: thank you @lukessense for directing me to @tendergingergirl meta about butterflies. Episode screenshots are from kissthemgoodbye.net.

@sarahthecoat @tjlcisthenewsexy @devoursjohnlock @inevitably-johnlocked @shylockgnomes @possiblyimbiassed @raggedyblue @ebaeschnbliah @gosherlocked @waitedforgarridebs @helloliriels

#mary mosrtan #butterflies #silence of the lambs #the collector #meta #sherlock meta #tjlc #johnlockendgame #jim moriarty

88 notes · View notes

teeztheflag · 4 years

Text

─────────────────────

Wolf!Ateez Reaction to the daily life with their pregnant mate

warnings: strong language, argument, angst, inappropriate behavior, impregnating kink, violence, suggestive

a/n: this is connected to the other wolf!ateez reaction to finding their mate; I hope you like it anon! also I included some action

─────────────────────

k i m h o n g j o o n g

Hong Joong is a natural leader so he would try to plan and control everything including your daily routine. You know he normally wants you safe and sound but now that you’re in the sixth month and your bumb is becoming bigger he doesn’t really realize that the tasks are just too much for you.

Everyone in the town is super happy that you’re giving them a future leader or maybe a little princess. The pack members always want to talk to you or give you presents which made a normal shopping tour impossible by now. You can feel the pressure they’re inflicting on you and for gods sake just want some last months of peace but that won’t be possible with the alpha’s brilliant plan for you.

Today was also an enormous stressful day as all the grannies of your pack planned out a full five hour ceremony for you and the pup. You knew some things in Hong Joong‘s pack would be different but this made you feel uncomfortable like never before.

„Y/N?“ Hong Joong sees his mate crying in the living room your head held between your hands and sobs leaving you occasionally. „What’s wrong?“ He crouches down in front of you on the ground and takes your shaking hands away to see your glassy orbs and reddened cheeks.

„I- I cannot do this anymore...“

„What?“

„The ceremonies and gifts and talks and meetings and - it‘s just all too much!“

„Are you serious? I didn’t know... I mean the ahjummas told me you are just nervous. It’s traditional for the luna - “

„Joong! I am crying in front of you and pleading for some peace and everything you can think about is the pack and your stupid traditions! I am not nervous I just don’t want to stand naked in front of some old ladies who are telling me how to raise our baby!“

The alpha‘s eyes turn into a rich golden color and you can see that his wolf is coming to the surface at your little outburst. An alpha usually doesn’t take any shit but you’re his luna and you are indeed able to stand your point in front of him (also the naked part seems odd to him, too). Hong Joong sighs and takes your hands into his ones.

„I didn’t know it was so stressful for you and our pup. I just wanted to follow the traditions of my pack and forgot about your feelings and well-being entirely... I am really sorry my beautiful mate.“

The alpha takes you into his arms and gives you a kiss full of love. „From now on you can decide for yourself what you want to do and I will try to become a better mate. Our pack loves you, they will understand.“

„Thank you, Hong Joong“

─────────────────────

p a r k s e o n g h w a

Park Seong Hwa was a calm and loving mate. He always dreamed of a family with his beloved one and a pup. When the doctor said you were going to get twins he was lost. Your tummy became so big he always feared it would hurt you in some way but you assured him it was fine.

As Seong Hwa had a reputable family background and Y/N not really you slowly became aware of the possessive behavior of his family. Seong Hwa, too, had something slight arrogant to himself but you could handle it. The gatherings at his on the other site turned into a slight inconvenient time for you.

„A boy and a girl! I am so proud of you!“ His aunt said excited.

„Yes, at least one boy.“ Of course, you already expected Seong Hwa‘s parents to want an heir for their prestigious estate but now you feared for your little girl. Growing up in a family where only your son is loved his grandparents was something you wouldn’t want for your daughter.

Your patience was soon at it‘s limit when he and his family continued praising your boy and almost forgetting about the other pup that was in your tummy.

„I am so proud of Y/N! We are going to have the best boy in the world and - “

„Park Seong Hwa, we need to talk.“ You stood up and everyone went silent when you dragged your mate outside into the garden.

„I know you only want to impress you parents but what do you think is our daughter going to feel as soon as she‘s sitting with us at the table if you continue only talking about our son?“

„I - I didn’t consider that.“

„Why can’t you be happy about our babygirl like you’re when we’re alone? I am a girl, too. We’re not any less than boys.“

„Y/N, you know I would never think like that.“

„But your family does. They only see me as the one who gives you heirs.“

„I think it would be better if you go home.“

„Seriously? You know what, I am really going home. Home as in my parents house. You should start realizing that I am the mother and I won‘t allow you and your family to hurt my family in any way!“

─────────────────────

j e o n g y u n h o

Your and Yun Ho‘s relationship wasn’t easy at all. You being the princess and him one of the rogue leaders made it hard for you to live your romance freely. You often wanted to tell your parents but seeing them fighting the rogues more and more stopped you from your plan. You wanted peace, just like your mate, too.

To end the war between the wolves and rogues meant a mind change and you felt like the moon goddess picked the two of you on purpose. Maybe it was your destiny?

When you met Yun Ho that day to tell him the news about the pup you were having he suddenly changed into his wolf out of excitement and happiness which caused tears out of joy into your eyes.

By now it was inevitable to not tell your parents about your mate. It was the right time and you didn’t tell Yun Ho something about your decision because you trusted the king and the queen.

It was a fatal mistake to believe that - your mother only cried when the king screamed and trashed around and like an insane person he ordered the guards to bring you into a prison and lock you away from the rogue leader until he killed him. What was worse, they planned you to abort the pup and marry you off to another wolf.

Yun Ho soon found out about everything and nearly collapsed at thought of not only you being in danger but their baby, too. He gathered as much pack members as possible and made his way to your estate.

„I am warning you one last time King Y/L/N! You’re going to give me back my mate or I will burn down everything here!“

„Your mate? She’s my daughter and the princess! My blood would never interact with your kind and this scum that is growing inside her is going to die like you!“ That was enough to start the attack leaving Yun Ho taking some of the wolves with him to find you down in the basement.

He once saw you like this before and it nearly breaks his heart only this time it’s worse. You lay on the ground unconscious and beaten when he picks you up and flees out of your kingdom.

„Don’t worry my love. I promise no one’s going to lay a hand on you ever again!“

─────────────────────

k a n g y e o s a n g

„Mh, mine.“ Yeo Sang stood behind you his nose deeply nuzzled into your neck and his arms holding you and your tummy.

„Who?“ You feel him smirk and are sure of it when he raises his head and bites your earlobe a little bit.

„Both.“

Today you were having a big dinner with some of the other alphas and their families again. There was one big long table where everyone sat down and as you and Yeo Sang were mates your families now sit together.

You already had a bad feeling this morning knowing your ex would be there, too, seeing your mate being extremely overprotective since you’re pregnant.

You went to the restroom and when hen you wanted to get back to the others someone stopped you holding your wrist.

„Long time no see. The pregnancy suits you, Y/N.“

„Jong Su.“

You turned around and gave him a shy smile. How everything turned out a few months ago wasn’t in your interest, too. Before you can say anything he nears you and lays his hand on your belly making you slightly uncomfortable.

„That should’ve been mine. This bastard really didn’t wait long to shoot his dna into your dirty little cunt, right?“

„Jong S - “ Suddenly Yeo Sang grabbed the boy‘s hand and smashed it into the wall next to you leaving the boy crying and rolling on to the ground holding his hand.

„You better not touch what’s not yours! I thought I taught you last time?! I swear if I see you in her vicinity one more time I fucking break your neck!“ With that Yeo Sang took your hand carefully and guided you to one of the balconies of the mansion.

„Yeo Sang, I am sorry...“

„Why are you sorry? I love you Y/N and he has no right to talk to you or about you like that!“

─────────────────────

c h o i s a n

There was nothing better for him than seeing his mate with her little tummy standing in the kitchen and baking the cake for a garden party with their friends. San sneaked up behind you and before you could stop him he already stole a berry from your topping.

„Choi San! Hands off!“ You clapped his hand away and laughed out loud when he took a berries and ran away from you.

„Mooowwwrry.“ You stood behind the couch whereas he was in front of you on the other site smirking at you while he choked down the rest.

You lunged forward and luckily he caught you with open arms causing the two of you to land on the couch. He layed on top of you holding him up with one arm and in the other hand still some berries.

„Be careful my love! You cannot be so wild with our pup inside you!“

„Ah, now you’re acting concerned? What’s with my cake, hm?“

„Sshh... - “ He pops one of the red fruits into your mouth and grins at you. When you were about to shove him off you he held your wrist still and smashed his lips onto yours.

„I love you so much.“

─────────────────────

s o n g m i n g i

You could say Min Gi was a little bit overwhelmed with the situation first but fascinated at the same time. You still remember how he asked you how this could happen and you started to explain the intercourse to him leaving the two of you laughing the whole evening.

When he first bought the most ridiculous things like clothes for two genders and 50 packs of diapers he was now doing pretty good. Min Gi calmed down a little bit and started to read books and asked friends for advise. By now you probably didn’t even need to take care about anything because he planned out every detail.

Min Gi and you got closer while exploring the forests in your wolf form. His wolf went crazy everytime he saw your grown stomach - a typical natural instinct of possessiveness. Sometimes he got so excited he nearly climbed you on your trips. He had such a huge wolf so you were afraid that some day he would accidentally crush you.

„Be careful!“

„Ah, I am sorry... I cannot control myself. I think heat‘s coming.“ His wolf let out small whines while he let himself bump on the ground.

„Aish, Min Gi... Please don’t be sad. I didn’t mean it like that and I only think it’s not a very good idea to do it in our wolf forms right now.“

„You mean, human would be ok?“

You cuddled yourself into his side and licked his ears. Suddenly he jumped up and began to heckle like a maniac.

„Then let‘s go home so I can have some fun with you.“

─────────────────────

j u n g w o o y o u n g

Although Woo Young was the wolf prince and his daily life was often spent with office work and meetings he was quite childish when being alone with you. That doesn’t mean that he’s not mature enough but he likes to make people happy and is a friend of positivity.

Oh, and you always knew when he got home because of the sentence: „WHERE ARE MY BABIES?“

Woo Young also resembled the perfect father in your eyes - every evening when the two of you sat down on the couch and watched a movie he told you about all his future goals and what he wants to do with your little son when he’s finally there.

He also helped you a lot when your stomach grew bigger and bigger and took care of the house duties when it became too hard for you.

Maybe the sweetest part of the pregnancy was how Woo Young liked to talk with your tummy. He used every chance to lay his ears on it and feel the little kicks of your pup. His eyes grew bigger every time something happened and he looked so fascinated.

After the tough time the two of you had your mate was able to make you trust him and give you the love and family you never had. All the hate was gone and replaced with harmony and safety.

„Y/N?“

„Oh god, no ‚Where are my babies?‘ today?“ You chuckled at him while planting the roses in your garden. When Woo Young didn’t respond you got up and watched him smirking at you mischievously.

„Just you wait. Someday you’re going to say it, too!“

„My prince stop being a nuisance and help a pregnant girl.“ Your mate grabbed you by your waist and turned you around so your faces were only centimeters apart.

„You’re not some pregnant girl. You’re my pregnant princess and like I said, we‘re meant for eachother and it shows.“

─────────────────────

c h o i j o n g h o

„You’re kidding me.“

„No, you can see it here.“

„Yeah, more like I can see nothing.“

Jong Ho was totally overwhelmed with having a girl instead of a strong wolf boy. He didn’t even consider it beforehand and now reality crashes down on him. A girl? He’s pretty much busy with protecting his mate and now he has to protect two females?

At home Jong Ho enters after you leaving the keys on the side table and watches how you clap your hands and jump a little bit.

„Isn’t this great? The baby is healthy for now and it’s going to be a little girl! We can chose names if you want I already have some ide - “

„You’re really happy?“

„Choi Jong Ho, I know that voice you’re using. What’s wrong?“

„Y/N, you know me. I know there are many other boys like me outside and I am afraid of having a daughter! I don’t want her to meet a copy of myself and that sounds very wrong but I hope you know what I mean...“

„Jong Ho... First you’re not that bad - I mean, you were a big playboy before you met me but, the point is, you changed.“

„Yes, after I met you. When is she meeting her mate? She’s going to make mistakes. She will meet some asshole who breaks her heart before he comes.“

„Well, I wouldn’t say that you were pretty nice to me before my birthday but that doesn’t matter anymore. And don’t believe you are the only guy, I had my experiences and they make us stronger. It’s okay, that’s life. Why don’t you use your fear to turn her into a strong and confident girl?“

„You think I am able to?“

„Of course. I believe you can do everything. You made me fall in love with you if that’s not proof enough I don’t know what’s then.“

With that you both start laughing and he whispers a small ‚okay‘ while you give him a peck on his pouting lips.

─────────────────────

↺ back to navi

─────────────────────

#ateez wolf #ateez reactions #ateez reaction #ateez wolf au #ateez pregnant #ateez mate #ateez soulmate #ateez soulmate au #ateez mate au #ateez pregnancy #ateez writings #ateez writing #ateez fic #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #ateez au #ateez impregnation

539 notes · View notes

toxicsamruby · 3 years

Note

1/7 MM okay gotcha gotcha. I was thinking about this on a smaller scale, where i don't think discussing racism in supernatural should be "fun and interesting" (phrase you used in your original post that rubbed me the wrong way b/c [hot take] I don't think racist tropes reminiscent of the Birth of a Nation and the policing of poor black communities are fun and interesting. they're horrible. but, like you said, we shouldn't shy away from horrible things), but no yeah i get what you're saying about

2/7 people showing the same enthusiasm, willing participation, and depth when talking about this stuff as w/gender&sexuality. I agree with that AND it's important to keep in mind, especially with a fanbase that's largely white, whom these analyses are for and who is writing them (b/c a white person's racial reading isn't the same as a bipoc's). But, again, that's on the smaller scale, which appears to have more to do with personal accountability and discussion norms.

3/7 AND i also get what you're saying about using the entirety of supernatural to examine "american attitudes about the Other" and how that needs to be broken down in ethnic/racial/culture identities just as it is with queer indentities and yes i agree. as for the marketing/monetary engagement thing, i may have been speaking out of turn there because i don't know a ton about marketing or audience appeal and i also wasn't invested in all the spn meta/BTS stuff until recently.

4/7 what I said was purely my observations of the very specific 'spn renaissance' tumblr circle, which appeared different from the, say, twitter circles that pay for merch and whatnot (again, this may not be accurate, it's just from what i've seen). HOWEVER, that being said, if we're speaking specifically about the long-term, /larger/ cultural impact supernatural has, I 100% agree that it needs to be recognized and condemned as a racist and all-around patriarchal show. I did forget that spn made

5/7 so many headlines about both queerbaiting and having a queer character or whatever, and the same headlines need to be made about how it treats bipoc and other minorities. Although supernatural is a mess and considered cringey and a dead horse, it still holds a significant amount of power and (at least some) reputability in media. and this is all despite its misogyny and homophobia and cisheteronormativity (this is the case for so many shows, not just spn). I guess i was just concerned about

6/7 'ok, what if mainstream starts having these conversations about racism very specifically in a way that normalizes it and makes it seem hatecrime-but we'll-allow-it,' so now we have this monster of a show that KNOWS it's racist but doesn't really care. But it's equally as terrible to not point it out. But it doesn't matter anyways, because the show is over now, and it's not like they're gonna give reparations to the actors they killed and the people they hurt. your point about us having these

7/7 conversations (in a way that does not make it seem like like fun ideas to ponder over) being the only thing we CAN do to lessen the power the White Narrative of Supernatural (both meta and in-text) really resonates, and i hadn't thought of that but i totally agree. in other words lmao, fuck this show

yeah “fun” might’ve been the wrong word choice for all the reasons u gave i really didn’t mean to trivialize racism as a discussion and i see what u mean especially w how people have responded to the homophobia of supernatural me included like saying oh its homophobic but its funny so it’s fine and ur absolutely right that we Cant allow the discussion of race to go the same way (and honestly ur intuition was right bc in the tags of that post theres white people saying we SHOULD take it as lightly as the homophobia). so yeah the phrasing was my bad

but my general point stands. like i personally find it really fulfilling and interesting to talk abt how supernatural (and other fiction) replicates these american ideas about the Other bc supernatural is a FASCINATING microcosm of american culture (and of course in part bc i Am an american other)! and that post was mostly in response to how white fans seem to shy away from these extremely complex and interesting conversations bc they consider discussion of racism a chore like something they Have to do so they can say “it was bad that they killed off kevin tran. see i engaged critically! now back to the meta that relates to Me and My experiences”

and of course the analysis that becomes generally accepted and talked abt by fans shapes the actual presence of the show in pop culture. so we should do our best to write good and thoughtful and compassionate analysis of EVERY aspect of the text, especially one so deeply embedded as the race element.

basically yeah ur right and i think we pretty much agree. fuck this show! thank you for sending me these messages by the way im glad we could talk this out :)

#i think this might actually be the most productive conversation ive ever had abt a piece of fiction lmfao #asks #crit

26 notes · View notes

dimensionwriter · 4 years

Text

The Colour of my Heart

M! Minotaur x F! Reader

Warning: none

Summary: You are assigned to do a photography project with him, but all you can focus on are his eyes.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The light cool breeze of Autumn licked your warm face as you walked down the rocky cobblestone path. Birds chirped all around you as many flew through the treetops. Small little critters hide themselves as you slowly walked past their domain. The trees danced with each other as the melody the wind played encourage them.

“Oh, there you are!” a deep gravelly voice exclaimed happily. You turned your head to see a creature sitting in a grass field. It was a minotaur with dark brown fur covering most of its body. On top of it’s head was light brown hair that went all the way to the tip of his pink nose. His choice of clothing for today was a dark red flannel with a pair of black jeans.

“Sorry, Arion, kind of got lost for a second,” you admitted walking over to him. His light pink lips pursed out before laughter spilled out of them. He threw his head back as the laughter seemed to taking over his entire body. His hair flew back and laid flat against his head. He’s so good looking...but as a friend.

“Why didn’t you call me? You know I know my way around these woods,” he said still giggling at you. He turned his face towards you and you were met with a pair of pink eyes. Wait, pink eyes?

“Sorry,” you mumbled still staring at his eyes. You rarely got to see his eyes, but you knew they were a dark brown colour. Was he wearing contacts? “Nature was being too pretty for me to think.”

“Just like you.” You didn’t get a chance to hear him due to how low he mumbled it and a flock of birds deciding to sail out of the trees. They slowly joined in the dance of the trees, but this time taking the air.

“Well, let’s get started on this project,” Arion said grabbing a bag on the ground. It was the same bag that was slung over your left shoulder right now. The two of you were both in photography class and decided to work with each other on this project. Before this, the two of you barely even talk. You honestly thought that he hated you because he was always avoiding you. When you bumped into him, by the time you would look up to apologize, he would be speed walking in the opposite direction. So it was surprising when he came up to you asking to be his partner. You had a theory that it may have been set up, because all his friends in the class grouped up without him and then pushed him over to you. You felt bad that he was forced to be with you when he could get with someone better.

“I was thinking of maybe taking a day time picture of this flower field over there and them taking one at night. And maybe split the pictures in the middle and combine the opposite sides,” he said walking towards you. You had to tilt your head pretty far back to look at him, since he was 8 feet and 9 inches tall. You were ashamed to admit that you knew this information because you overheard him say it while behind you. Luckily, it was loud enough for you to hear.

“Oh, that would look so cool,” you squealed just thinking of it. Maybe if the two of you find a lake, you could do the same thing with it, but make it look like it’s two different worlds opposite of each other.

“Would it?” he faltered turning to you. You looked at him to see his eyes were a dull grey. You swear they were just pink a minute ago. What is going on with him?

“Of course. I’ve seen your photographs and they are phenomenal. It’s a complete honour to work with someone on your level,” you complimented while bumping his shoulder. A light red blush slowly spread up his neck that he tried to discreetly rub away.

“Well, you’re pretty awesome yourself,” he stuttered out while looking away from you. You let out a small laugh at how flustered he was. He peeked over at you with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s kind of cute how flustered you get from compliments. I might do it more,” you teased wiggling your eyebrows. His eyes widen as a small gasp escaped from his plump lips. “I’m joking, but that pretty adorable.”

A burst of pink slowly spread through his eyes as he stared at you with this weird expression. His eyes were softening and a small smile was pulling onto his lips. His long elongated ears twitched a little as he pulled his eyes away from you.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve heard someone call a minotaur cute," he muttered. You were ready to tease him again, but he started walking off. Oh right, the project.

For the next three hours, Arion led you through the forest to different destinations that were honestly breathtaking. You were so fascinated with trying to capture all the beauty, that Arion had to drag you away a few times. But you were quite happy with the shots you had so far.

“Look how vibrant these flowers are,” you cooed leaning over Arion’s back to show him your camera. Arion had huddled down for a second to take a picture of a ladybug on this white flower.

“Hmm,” he asked turning around to look at you. You didn’t expect him to turn around at all, so you didn’t put much distance between the two of you. His soft nose bumped into yours, resulting in him freezing. His eyes were blue for a split second before quickly flickering to yellow.

“Ah, sorry,” you stammered out too afraid to move. One wrong move and this day will get awkward really fast.

“It’s fine,” he whispered with his eyes drifting down. You would’ve been curious at what he was staring at if it were not for his eyes turning to that pretty shade of pink. The light from the sun seemed to emphasize every shade and spec in his eyes.

“Arion, don’t move,” you whispered leaning forward. HIs eyes widen, but he didn’t move a muscle. You rested your hand on his firm chest as you stared deeply into his pink eyes. They didn’t move from you as you got closer. You lifted your right arm up as you prepared yourself.

Snap!

You dropped your right arm to check how the picture came out. You took a step back to get off him as you looked at it.

“Arion, you should’ve told me you had colour changing eyes,” you marveled looking at the picture. It was a close up on the left side of his face that reveal all the beautiful colours in his eyes. Those pink eyes are making you weak. You didn’t know that a minotaur with pink eyes could look so...so...oh no.

“What!” Arion screamed covering his eyes. He fell backwards onto his back while furiously rubbing his eyes. “No,no,no,no!”

“Arion, are you okay?” you asked slinging your camera around your shoulder as you dropped down beside him. He shook his head while keeping his hands on his eyes.That deep red blush returned but with a vengeance. His neck was covered with it and it was slowly taking over his face. “What happened?”

“Has my eyes been changing colour all day?” he groaned out. He just laid there with his hands still hiding himself. What is going on? Is his eyes not suppose to do this?

“Yeah, ever since I got here. It’s been blue and green,” he let out a relieved sigh,” but it’s been mostly pink all day.” You let out a surprise scream as Arion quickly jumped off the ground. He shook his head causing his shaggy hair to fall over his eyes. He opened them hesitantly, but all the hair was blocking you from seeing them clearly.

“Well, I think our-yeah we should- day getting quite long,” he stuttered out shaking slightly. He was so tense as he continued to ramble off different sentence structures. He seems to get more frustrated as he couldn’t form a complete sentence. “Leave-let’s leave.”

“Arion, breath,” you whispered grabbing his hand. He stopped talking and just stared down at your entwined hands. A light pressure was put into your hand as he rubbed his thumb along your skin.

“I guess you’re pretty weirded out right now,” he sighed looking down at you. You looked up and was able to see under his hair due to your closeness. His eyes were turned to a dull grey colour that was shimmering from tears wielding up in his eyes. “You didn’t have to force yourself to deal with me today. I probably made you uncomfortable.”

You felt so confused at that moment. But Arion was sad which is something that should never happen. Arion is the nicest person you know who is always helping out everyone. He does not deserve to be sad.

“I am not going to lie, but I am kind of confused right now. But what I do know for a fact is that today has been the best day I have had in awhile. You made today awesome. I barely even noticed your eyes changing colours because I was having too much fun with you. And if I am going to be honest, I think you look hot with pink eyes,” you admitted keeping your head up. You may regret that later, but Arion deserves to know the truth. He shouldn’t be embarrassed by what or who he is because it makes him him.

“Hot? Ah-well- you look hot-um always-like everyday,” his voice slowly disappeared as he slowly shrunk down. You tried to catch the end of it, but he was too quiet again. His giant hands started fiddling with the ends of his flannel.

“You don’t have to give me a compliment every time I give you one. I’m just reminding you how awesome you are,” you genuinely intoned squeezing his hand. He gave a small squeeze back as a small smile made its way up his face.

“But you deserve compliments too. I’m just bad at giving them,” he spilled out looking away from you for a second. His eyes slowly meet yours and you could see that beautiful pink coming back. It look so pretty on him. He’s so attractive. If he wasn’t out of your lead, you would try to shoot your shot.

“I’ll be fine, trust me," you quickly brushed off as you discreetly pulled your hand out of his. You need to stop this. You have had a good control over your emotions with him. You've accepted that you weren't in his lead and you've moved on. You are a changed person.

"So...are you...like is this okay?" He stumbled looking at you through his hair. You blinked in confusion for a split second before it hit you. Oh yeah, the eyes.

"Of course I'm fine with it. It's just simply your eye colour changing, it's pretty dang cool. Don't think I'm going to be weirded out by a rave happening in your eyes." You laughed a little at your own joke for a second before you realized that Arion wasn't laughing too or moving really. He seem to be frozen.

"You don't know," he whispered with his eyes changing to a dull yellow. What does he mean you don't know? Is there something else that he's hiding? Does his fingernails change colour too?

"What don't I know?" You pushed trying to get him to spill. Was it a minotaur thing or something? You knew a few minotaurs and have never seen their eyes change colour.

"It's-it's nothing. We should really be heading back," he grumbled pulling his hair in front of his eyes. He snatched his camera off the ground and started speed walking away.

"Wait, Arion," you yelled at him trying to make him stop, but he continued on walking away. "I was planning on taking some photos at night."

"Stay than," he yelled angrily before breaking into a sprint. It didn't take him long to disappear from your sight. Leaving you all alone.

What did you do wrong?

Arion was avoiding you. This was a fact. At first, you thought that his busy schedule was keeping him away from you, but you were proven wrong.

Everytime class ended and you got up to talk to him, maybe apologize for something you may have done, he would take one glance at you before sprinting away. You caught him after school at a vending machine and you called out his name, he didn't look you way as he bolted away. See him in the library, a trail of dust is all that's left of him. Pass by him in the hallways, cold shoulder. Text, call, email him, left on read.

But maybe this was his way of getting away from you. That day in the forest must have weird him out and must have been disgusted by you. Were you insensitive to some sort of minotaur's culture by not knowing what colour changing eyes meant? Who knows? It's not like you will ever find out.

"Okay, I'm tired of this." You blinked out of your reverie and looked to see a black minotaur standing in front of you. Her eyes were narrowed at you with a clear sign of irritation. "What happened between Arion and you?"

You were about to lie and say that everything was normal. I mean, you don't need unnecessary drama floating around about you two. But before you could, the girl beat you to it.

"I can tell you're about to lie and don't even try it. Arion has been moping around the house and not talking to anyone. You keep zoning out in class and staring at Arion like some kicked puppy. So, you better tell me what happen between you two so I can smack some sense into the both of you."

You open your mouth to disagree, but closed it in defeat. You haven't been the sneakiest in your quest to try to interact with Arion. You just wanted to fix things.

So, you told her everything that happened that day. How it started off so great than went bad and things were about to wrap around before it all just blew up in your face.

"I know this will seem off topic, but are you from around this area," she asked squinting her eyes at you. You shook your head no at the odd question. You moved here for college, since it was a great fine arts school and had cheap tuition.

"Great," she hissed out sarcastically while glaring at nothing. "Well, I have about 4 minutes to give you a history lesson before Arion starts doubting that I left my choker behind."

She sat on top of the desk in front of you and crossed her legs. Her black platform boots swung close to your desk like a hypnosis pocket watch.

"Once upon a time, around 300 years ago, there lived this friendly minotaur. He befriend a witch and was best friends with her. The witch believed he was giving her signals that he liked her, but she was just dumb. She jumped the gun and asked for his hand in marriage. Obviously, he rejected her and she got salty. Decided to curse all minotaurs in the area for future generations to have their hearts on the sleeve. Luckily, she didn't mean literally. Our eyes just changed colour to express our emotions, so our true emotions would always be present. Around 200 years ago, a nicer witch felt bad for us and tried to counteract the spell, but it didn't work all the way. We appear normal, but if we love someone, they can see our eyes change."

She stopped and stared at you. She seem to be expecting something. "If you are saying that Arion is in love with me, than this really seems like a prank."

A loud groan ripped from her throat as she kicked her legs in a tantrum. "You two are going to turn my fur grey, I swear. You know what, I'll give you my number. I will prove it to you. Just wait for my call."

She grabbed one of the pens off your desk before scribbling her number on your worksheet. She grabbed her bag and ran out of the room.

Glancing down at the number, you begin to ponder. How exactly was she going to prove her crazy explanation for Arion's attitude? It's not that she can go to him and be like "hey, are you in love with the human that is so beneath you and you're disgusted to see her everyday that you avoid her? No, oh whelp, should've seen that coming."

It was a set up for heartbreak, but somewhere deep deep inside of you, you had that little hope. Maybe, he truly did like you, might even go as far as to say he loved you. There was always a one in a billion chance of that happening.

But you didn't want to get your hopes too high. When you arrive home, you texted the number that it was you and she responded she would call you when it's time. She didn't say a specific time, so it was more of a waiting game.

Trying to trick yourself into thinking you were unaffected by the situation, you finished your homework and started cleaning. You didn't even keep your phone on you because you knew you would be jumping at every notification.

A soft melody sung from your phone causing you to perk up at the sound. Your unphased attitude immediately disappeared as you threw your body through the air towards your phone. You were quick to snatch your phone up before your body fully crashed down.

"Hey, don't speak," a light voice whispered quickly, it was the black minotaur's voice. You closed your mouth as you heard shuffling on the other end.

"Leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it," a deep voice grumbled. You instantly knew it was Arion's voice. "I thought you guys said we were going to have a movie night. So, why are you guys asking these questions?"

"It just you were extremely happy about Sunday to meet her, but then you came back angry with tears in your eyes. You rarely cry over something."

"Thanks for pointing it out," he snapped out causing it to get quiet for a moment. You heart dropped at hearing his tone. See, you were right. He obviously upset about something you did.

"We aren't trying to bother you or anything," the girl's spoke out again a little softer. You thought you may have heard a small sniffle. "We just want to know what happened. Did she do anything wrong?"

"No!" You let out a small squeak at how loud that was. You covered your mouth as you put your ear back to the phone. You don't think they heard you due to the coughing from Arion. "It's not her. She was perfect, as always. It was me with my weird minotaur self. She saw my eyes changing colour and didn't know what it meant."

He stopped talking as he let out a long sigh. There was shuffling before he sounded a little closer than before.

"I- I got angry at myself. I got mad that I'm not some confident human who would have a better chance with her. Instead I'm cursed beast who can barely form a word around her." Your heart dropped down as you heard his voice started to crack. The sniffling sound got a little louder and you could hear small whimpers of concern.

"Dude, I promise you she doesn't think that way. She's been trying to talk to you everyday and looks almost as sad as you when you ignore her. Plus did you see how happy she looked when you asked her to be your partner. She looked like she was floating on clouds," a deep random voice you didn't recognize spoke. Everyone let out hums or agreement. Is your crush on him that obvious?

"I doubt it's like that. She's just nice like that. Makes everyone feel like they're bathing in sunlight when she looks at them. Makes their breath catch in their throat when she smiles. That's just her," he spoke so softly, but you were hanging on to every where. He really thought these things of you. What you would give to be there with him so you could tell him of your feelings.

"No offense, but I do not get those things when I talk to her," the girl said with a slight laugh to her voice. "I think it's because she's trying to give that affect you."

"Stop trying to give me hope, guys. It's nice and I see what you're trying to do. But it'll only set me up for heartbreak in the end. It's better to accept that now," he grumbled lowly. You heard a long sigh close to the phone before you heard some shuffling.

"Well, why don't we just ask her. Hey, do you like my step brother?" You jumped away from the phone as you realized that she was talking to you. Where you allowed to speak? Maybe this was a rhetorical question.

"Wait, you've been on the phone with her this entire time," Arion voice screamed out followed by shuffling. You could hear a girlish scream followed by a male grunt. "I'm so sorry. Please forget everything you just heard. I'm-stop biting me- so sorry if this weirded you out. I'll leave you alone."

"Wait, no. Please don't. I-um- I really like you too," you admitted quickly. All the commotion on the other side stopped causing you looking at the phone. The timer was still going.

"Can you repeat that? I think I got some fur stuck in my ears and it's making me hear stuff," he asked with a forced laugh at the end. You grabbed your bed sheets and twiddle it. You just got to go for it.

"I really like you Arion, I have for a while. I thought you were way out of my lead because I'm just a simple human and you're your amazing self. But even with that thought, it didn't stop me from seeing your beautiful personality and how you are so friendly and kind you are to everyone. Not to include how attractive you look in anything you wear. I always get super nervous around you and I thought you hated me for it. So hearing you feel the same way has my heart not exactly beating in the correct rhythm." You let out a small laugh as you laid your hand across your chest. Your heart was pounding crazily, but you felt so much relief. You had been holding that in for the longest of time and to finally get that felt like a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulder.

"Oh, wow," he asked in a tense voice. You were about to ask if he was okay before he spoke again. "Would you like to go see a movie with me Friday after taking some pictures?"

"Yes," you said with a giant smile on your face. You were going on a date with Arion. You thought he was out of your league but you somehow manage to catch him.

"Cool, well if you excuse me. I'm going to pass out." A loud crash followed afterwards and was accompanied by two low screams and a high pitched laughter. There was more shuffling on the other end before a light voice spoke.

"Well, I guess that clears up things. I'll guess I'll see you tomorrow at school," she sounded as if she was about to hang up before she clicked her tongue," Oh, before you worry. Arion's fine. He somehow managed to pass out with a giant smile on his face. Only you could do that to him. Anyway, night."

A soft clicked met your ear before you were surrounded by silence. Well, not for a long. You screams and happy laughter filled the room as you threw a few objects in happiness.

You did it. You gain the courage to express yourself to Arion and he asked you out. Life was going great.

Before you went to bed, you pulled out your phone. You clicked on Arion's contact before changed his name.

Your Arion❤

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Ahhhhh, I really don't know how to feel about this one. I wrote it off a trend of people eyes changing colour and I thought it would be cute to write about so I did. I know I wrote too much as always, but I will come around soon to add a read more (my computer broke again so I'm stuck on good ole mobile). As always, please leave a Like and I do read and appreciate every single Comment I get. So please leave as many as you would like, it makes my day. Thank you for reading this. Love you guys💜💜💜

544 notes · View notes

butterflies-dragons · 4 years

Note

oh j0nryas know about balticon report, they just think he was being coy (asdjkahs same delusion with s/ns/ns), that he was rambling bc he was trying not to give spoilers. at this point he could go on live and say "no dumbasses there is no j0nrya, there won't be, there never was" (same w pedoships) and they will all be like "omg it is definitely happening in twow, look at how he's trying to divert our attentions, we are onto you george hehehe"

OK let’s review, again, chronologically, all the times that GRRM was being coy and trying to divert his readers’ attention regarding the ships you mentioned:

The “It could be very different things to each of those involved” Alternative: “Mind you!”

JUNE 24, 1999 THE HOUND AND SANSA

Moreta12: I understand, I’ve heard your opinion on that. In ACOK, it seems that the relationship between the Hound and Sansa had romantic undertones. Is that true?

GeoRR: Well, read the book and decide for yourself.

Moreta12: I’ve read the book and I’ve debated those particular scenes with a few others. Half say that it’s romantic and half say it’s platonic. I’ve taken the romantic stance.

GeoRR: It could be very different things to each of those involved, mind you

Moreta12:Yes, but it seem like evidence points towards romantic undertones. Will the Hound appear later?

GeoRR: Yes, the Hound will be in STORM OF SWORDS. In fact, I just finished writing a big scene with him.

[Source]

The “Why are you asking me about Sansa’s sexuality?” Alternative 1: “Are you really asking me when your fave male adult character can fuck a girl, 15 years younger than him, without guilt?” Alternative 2: “Why are you so gross?”

OCTOBER 05, 1999 AGE OF SEXUAL RELATIONS IN WESTEROS

The nature of the relationship between Sandor and Sansa has been a hot topic on Revanshe's board. Sansa's youth has been one focus of the discussion. What is the general Westerosi view as to romantic or sexual relationships involving a girl of Sansa's age and level of physical maturity?

A boy is Westeros is considered to be a "man grown" at sixteen years. The same is true for girls. Sixteen is the age of legal majority, as twenty-one is for us. However, for girls, the first flowering is also very significant... and in older traditions, a girl who has flowered is a woman, fit for both wedding and bedding. A girl who has flowered, but not yet attained her sixteenth name day, is in a somewhat ambigious position: part child, part woman. A "maid," in other words. Fertile but innocent, beloved of the singers. In the "general Westerosi view," well, girls may well be wed before their first flowerings, for political reasons, but it would considered perverse to bed them. And such early weddings, even without sex, remain rare. Generally weddings are postponed until the bride has passed from girlhood to maidenhood. Maidens may be wedded and bedded... however, even there, many husbands will wait until the bride is fifteen or sixteen before sleeping with them. Very young mothers tend to have significantly higher rates of death in childbirth, which the maesters will have noted. As in the real Middle Ages, highborn girls tend to flower significantly earlier than those of lower birth. Probably a matter of nutrition. As a result, they also tend to marry earlier, and to bear children earlier. There are plenty of exceptions.

[Source]

The “Unreliable narrator - Part 1” Alternative: “The much more important lapse in memory that was promised”

JUNE 26, 2001 SF, TARGARYENS, VALYRIA, SANSA, MARTELLS, AND MORE

[GRRM is asked about Sansa misremembering the name of Joffrey’s sword.]

The Lion’s Paw / Lion’s Tooth business, on the other hand, is intentional. A small touch of the unreliable narrator. I was trying to establish that the memories of my viewpoint characters are not infallible. Sansa is simply remembering it wrong. A very minor thing (you are the only one to catch it to date), but it was meant to set the stage for a much more important lapse in memory. You will see, in A STORM OF SWORDS and later volumes, that Sansa remembers the Hound kissing her the night he came to her bedroom… but if you look at the scene, he never does. That will eventually mean something, but just now it’s a subtle touch, something most of the readers may not even pick up on.

[Source]

The “Unreliable narrator - Part 2” Alternative: “It doesn’t mean what you think it means”

OCTOBER 05, 2002 SANSA’S MEMORY

[Note: This mail has been edited for brevity.]

… this is an inconsistency with ASoS more than an outright error. In ASoS, Sansa thinks that the Hound kissed her before leaving her room and King’s Landing. In ACoK, no kiss is mentioned in the scene, though Sansa did think that he was about to do so.

Well, not every inconsistency is a mistake, actually. Some are quite intentional. File this one under “unreliable narrator” and feel free to ponder its meaning

[Source]

The “Unreliable narrator - Part 3” Alternative: “Better ask yourself about Sansa’s psychological state”

NOVEMBER 27, 2007 GEORGE R.R. MARTIN ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Here’s a really particular question (which I realize means it probably won’t get asked in a general interview): In A Storm of Swords, there is a chapter early on where Sansa is thinking back to the scene at the end of A Clash of Kings when The Hound came into her room during the battle. She thinks in the chapter about how he kissed her, but in the scene in A Clash of Kings, this actually didn’t happen. Was that a typo or something? —Valdora

GRRM: It’s not a typo. It is something! [Laughs] ”Unreliable narrator” is the key phrase there. The second scene is from Sansa’s thoughts. And what does that reveal about her psychologically? I try to be subtle about these things.

[Source]

The “The answer is No” Alternative: NO!

APRIL 15, 2008 FUTURE MEETINGS, POVS, ARYA’S ROLE, EASTERN LANDS, AND ASSASSINS

[Will Sandor and Sansa meet?]

Why, the Hound is dead, and Sansa may be dead as well. There’s only Alayne Stone.

[Source]

The “He’s a lot more dangerous than he is romantic” Alternative: “BUT THERE IS SAM!”

AUG. 21ST, 2009 AS SER JORAH MORMONT… - NOT A BLOG

weltraummuell: The Hound Oh please don’t cast an old guy for the Hound, his scenes with Sansa are so romantic and erotic, I couldn’t bear if it’d feel creepy all of a sudden. Well, that’s me making demands. LOL

GRRM: Re: The Hound Old guy? No, but… the Hound is still a whole lot older than Sansa, and was never written as attractive… you know, those hideous burns and all that… he’s a lot more dangerous than he is romantic.

kestrana: The Hound Yeah its a “girl always wants the bad boy” kind of thing although Sansa seems to pull something else out of him. It feels so wrong sometimes but I want to see them together again tee hee.

weltraummuell: The Hound Hehe, George, maybe you didn’t intend it, but he turned out to be a very erotic character to female readers. Especially since he’s mutilated and dangerous. Makes him unpredictable and vulnerable which is the most explosive aphrodisiac for a girl’s fantasy. ;)

weltraummuell: The Hound And I know from discussions on other board other women feel just the same about Sandor. He’s an absolute favourite with the ladies!

halfbloodmalfoy: The Hound LOL, you’re such a man. To many of us women, dangerous *is* attractive.

GRRM: The Hound But no one has any love for poor old Sam Tarly, kind and smart and decent and devoted…

[Source]

The “That’s interesting...” Alternative: “They are deeply troubled individuals, Harriet”

22 JUNE 2012 SWORD & LASER VIDEO PODCAST

GRRM: I am sometimes surprised by the reactions, of women in particular, to some of the villains. The number of women over the years who have written to me that their favorite characters are Jaime Lannister or Sandor Clegane [the Hound] or Theon Greyjoy… All of these are deeply troubled individuals with some very dark sides, who have done some very dark things. Nonetheless, they do draw this response, and quite heavily, I think, in the case of some of them, from my female readers in particular.

Veronica Belmont: I’m a big fan of the Hound, myself, actually.

Tom Merritt: Of Sandor? Really?

Veronica Belmont: Yeah, the Hound… Maybe it’s not because I feel any compassion towards them, I’m not really sure what the attraction is. Ah, I’m not going to call it attraction, actually. Let’s just say it’s a fascination, perhaps.

GRRM: [Chuckles] Well, I mean, fascination is one thing, but some of these letters indicate that there really is like a romantic attraction going on there. And I do know there’s all these people out there who are, as they call themselves, the “San/San” fans, who want to see Sandor and Sansa get together at the end. So that’s interesting, too.

Tom Merritt: The TV show has sort of played with that a little, and probably stoked those fires.

GRRM: Oh, sure. And I’ve played with it in the books. There’s something there, but it’s still interesting to see how many people have responded to it.

[Source]

The “I guess I don’t understand women” Alternative: “I'm shook”

JUNE 23, 2015 GRRM Q&A AT THE SCIENCE FICTION BOOKSTORE IN STOCKHOLM

Question: “Is there any fan reactions that you have been surprised by, like is there a character that’s more popular than you thought or have people been shocked by something you didn’t think we would be shocked at?”

GRRM: “I’m reasonably certain what people will be shocked by. I knew that the Red Wedding would provoke a big reaction and it did. I was pretty confident that, you know, throwing Bran out the window and then killing Ned in the first book would get reactions, and indeed they did. All of those worked exactly the way it did to the extent that things that have surprised me, they tend to be smaller things. I guess I… Maybe I should not have, I don’t know. How do I phrase this without getting myself in terrible trouble… I guess I don’t understand women, but I was definitely, you know, way back when, surprised by the number of women who reacted positively to characters like Theon and the Hound as dashing, romantic figures. The san/san kind of thing took me by surprise, I must admit, and even more so the women who, and there are some, who really like Theon. So that surprised me.”

[Source]

The “Comfort level of femininity” Alternative: “That's not a reference for romance”

MAY 29, 2016 BALTICON REPORT

My con friend asked about the Jon/Arya relationship again and brought her (impressive) Game book that had all of her references marked out with little flags. She brought up the Ygritte connections to Arya that Jon saw in her. George did not directly answer yes or no if there would be anything romantic between the two.

George did say, despite what readers see as clues to a romantic relationship between Jon/Arya in the books themselves, he did not confirm this so easily but inferred that what Jon saw in Ygritte was a comfort level of femininity. <<< She and I obviously discussed these comments after the meeting and this was the general feeling.

My con friend was referring to George explaining Jon’s perception: GRRM replied, “You know, I don’t think it’s a reference for that [for romance]. It’s a reference to a certain physical type, and a certain indication of what Jon finds admirable. It’s like someone who reminds you of, you know… Other people might be put off by this, you know, hair that looks like small rodents have been living in there. It doesn’t put him off because he is used to that.”

The “I was making up shit.” Alternative: "I wish I can delete that"

MAY 29, 2016 BALTICON REPORT

After the Coffee Talk just outside the room:

My Con Friend asked about Arya and Jon again. This time GRRM gave some very pointed replies:

GRRM finished (in the hallway now) by saying that he “wished some past things weren’t such strong foreshadowing,” and that he, “wished some new things had stronger foreshadowing then.”

Friend: Ok, if you foreshadowed something in the first book, like, really cleverly hidden, would you then follow through on that hint? For sure?..

GRRM: “Well, this goes with what I said before, the story changes and expands as I write. I wish I was able to go back and make revised drafts, but that’s not going to happen.”

Here is a transcript of the outline discussion and Jon/Arya portion of the coffee talk:

[question about Jon/Arya]

GRRM: “Alright, you’ve thought about this more than I have. I mean it’s simple, Jon is very fond of Arya. They were the two odd birds in the Stark family nest, here. They didn’t quite fit in with the others, they look like each other, they both had the brown hair, you know, as opposed to the auburn hair of Sansa and Bran and Rickon and Robb. So there was always that closeness between them. And, you know, Arya didn’t mind that Jon was a bastard, and Jon didn’t mind that Arya was a tomboy, so there is that closeness there.”

[question about Jon comparing his lover to his sister]

GRRM: “If he did it, uhm… I began writing these books in 1991, and, uhm, I worked on it in 91 and then I got a tv play, so I put it aside to really work on ‘Doorways’ tv pilot and did a tv show in 92-93. In 94 I returned to it [the books] and worked on it. You know, up till then, in my career as a writer, I’d always written the entire book before I opted for sale. That’s unusual. Most writers do chapters and an outline. They write a few chapters, they outline the rest of the book, give that to the publisher and the publisher says ‘oh okay, I’ll take that’.

“As some of you may have noticed, those who have been paying very, very carefully attention, I’m not good with deadlines. And, uh, and I’m not good with outlines, either. I always hated outlines. So with Fevre Dream and with Armageddon Rag and with Dying of the Light and all my novels, I wrote the entire book. I didn’t do chapters and outline. I sat down, I wrote a whole book, and I sent it to my agent and said ‘Look, here’s a whole book, and it’s finished’. That way I ran into no deadline, it was finished before it even went on the market. And it worked well for me. And my initial thought was to do this the same way, but what happened, you know, was in 1994, uhm, when I returned to it and I’m working on it and I’m very enthused about it and I say ‘I really wanna write these Game of Thrones books as the next part’. But I was still in Hollywood and I’d just lost all this groundwork on ‘Doorways’, I was still in… The studios and networks still wanna work with me, so I’m getting other offers, like ‘We want you to write this movie’, ‘we want you to do another tv pilot’. And, you know, I took a couple of them and was ‘Oh god, I gotta have to put the book away again’. Cause I have no deadline [for the book]. You know, when you think Hollywood, they will give you a deadline, you know, they say ‘here, son, write this movie, we want it in three months’.

“So, I said ‘look, if I wanna get back to being a novelist, I’m gonna have to sell this even though it’s not finished’. So I had my 200 pages of Game of Thrones at that point, but they wanted outline. I said ‘I don’t do outlines. I don’t know what’s gonna happen, I figure it out as I go. And that’s how I always did it.’ No, we had to have an outline. So I wrote two pages, a two-page thing about what I thought would happen. It’ll be a trilogy, it’ll be three books, Game of Thrones, the Dance with Dragons, and Winds of Winter. Those were the three window titles. And, uh, it’ll be three books and this’ll happen, and this’ll happen, and this’ll happen. And I was making up shit.

“And I had thought that those two pages were long forgotten, because, of course, the books did sell. They sold in the United States and in Great Britain, both. They sold for enough money that I didn’t have to take any more Hollywood games. So I was able to say ‘no’ around. I had a few less [?] to wind up in in 94 and 95. Once I had, I said ‘no, I don’t want any more movies or tv shows, I’m going to write these books now’. And I started writing the books. And in the process, I pretty much disregarded the outline. The characters took me off in entirely different directions. So, for 20 years I had forgotten that that two-page thing even existed. And then someone in my British publisher, HarperCollins, they got a new office building, uh, brand new offices, and new conference rooms, big conference rooms that they decorated with books and stuff like that. And they named the conference rooms after the writers, so one of the conference rooms [?], and they put up these plastic display cases, including the outline. The two-page outline, yes. [?], they didn’t ask my permission, they just put it up. And in that two-page outline, Jon and Arya become a romantic item.”

“You know, I don’t think it’s a reference for that [for romance]. It’s a reference to a certain physical type, and a certain indication of what Jon finds admirable. It’s like someone who reminds you of, you know… Other people might be put off by this, you know, hair that looks like small rodents have been living in there. It doesn’t put him off because he is used to that.””

[someone says they have 5 minutes left]

“You know, I was pretty pissed that that outline got out there. It should not have happened. Outlines and letters like that are meant only for the eyes of the editor. They shouldn’t go on public display. And, uh, they also [?] my papers on [?], all my papers and correspondence. You know, I’ve been sending that stuff there for years, and it’d be, you know, available for future scholars or whatever, just like the papers of many other writers. Somehow, in the back of my head I was like ‘yeah, 20 years after I’m dead some scholar will go in and find them’. They’re going in right now!” ”

[question if he is still going with the 1991 ending]

“Yes, I mean, I did partly joke when I said I don’t know where I was going. I know the broad strokes, and I’ve known the broad strokes since 1991. I know who’s going to be on the Iron Throne. I know who’s gonna win some of the battles, I know the major characters, who’s gonna die and how they’re gonna die, and who’s gonna get married and all that. The major characters. Of course along the way I made up a lot of minor characters, you know, I, uhm…Did I know in 1991 how Bronn, what was gonna happen to Bronn? No, I didn’t even know there’d be a guy named Bronn. I was inventing him along the way when I was writing, ‘Okay, he gets kidnapped. Let’s see, there are a couple sellswords there, their names are Fred and Bronn’.

“It was actually Bronn and Chiggen, and then one of them dies, I flipped a coin ‘okay, who dies? Chiggen dies, cause his name is stupid. Bronn is a better name, so I’ll keep Bronn’. And then Bronn became quite an interesting character and plenty of these characters take on minds of their own. They push to the front till you [?] speech and you think of a cool line and you give it to Bronn because he’s trying to talk, and now Bronn is somebody who says something cool. [?]. That’s how characters grow on you. “So a lot of the minor characters I’m still discovering along the way. But the mains-”

[question if he knows Arya’s and Jon’s fates]

“Tyrion, Arya, Jon, Sansa, you know, all of the Stark kids, and the major Lannisters, yeah.”

This report appears in the following sources:

fattest leech of ice and fire blog [Source 1]

asoiaf.westeros.org [Source 2]

westeros.org [Source 3]

The “Unreliable narrator - Part 4” Alternative: “I think I had enough...”

DECEMBER 2016 ASKING GEORGE R.R. MARTIN ABOUT SAN/SAN

My question is regarding Sansa Stark. Her sexuality has evolved through every book and yet the memory that seems to stick the more with her in this regard is the night of the Blackwater. So I was wondering if you can expand on your view on what this is, since as before that night her interactions with Sandor Clegane weren't really physical.

The night of the Blackwater, yes. Ahhh... Well, I'm not going to give you a straight answer on that hahaha... Uhmmm, but I would say that ahhh... you know a television show and a book each has its own strengths and weaknesses; there a re tools that are available to me as a novelist, that are not available to people doing a television show. And of course there are tools available to them, that are not available to a novelist, I mean they can lay in a soundtrack, they can do special effects, they can do amazing things that I can't do, I just have words on paper. What can I do, well I can use things like the internal narrative, I can take you inside of territories... thoughts, which you can't do in a TV show... Ahhh... You just have the words they speak, you see them from outside because the camera is external, while prose is internal, and I have the device known as "unreliable narrator"... Ahhh... Which again, they don't have. So, think about those two aspects when you consider that night of the Blackwater.

[Source]

Most of these questions make me think of Nabokov having to clarified, regarding Lolita, that he didn’t write a romance..........

So there’s that, everyone can draw their own conclusions. God knows that in this fandom: “We look up at the same stars, and see such different things.”

Thanks for your message.

#anon ask #grrm #jon and arya #sansa deserves better #the things i have to read...#poor george #poor nabokov

69 notes · View notes

lindzem · 4 years

Text

BLACK CAT

Jack laughed as he strode down the sidewalk with his sister Emma. They'd had a normal day of school and the chilly october breeze whirled leaves all around. Emma giggled as she bounced into a pile of leaves playfully before jogging back next to her brother.

Jack pulled out his wallet and hummed.

"Ready for some pumpkin ice cream to celebrate you getting an A on your math test?"

Emma twirled and bounced.

"Yes yes yes! Its pumpkin season! Woohoo!"

Jack smiled as he kept walking with her until they both heard a piercing screech from a nearby alleyway. Emma hid behind her brother instinctively with a frown.

"What was that...?"

Jack frowned and paused also.

"The heck...? Hey, stay here. I'll check it out."

"Be careful, Jack..."

The brown haired boy cautiously walked over to the alley entrance. The closer he got to the commotion the worse he heard. A sniggering voice babbled while a few others laughed.

"Let's glue its tail to its back!"

Another voice chimed.

"No, let's pour the glue in its ears!"

Jack rushed forwards to see three male teens a few years older than him had trapped a black cat in a broken cage. They were harrassing it terribly and one of the boys had a bottle of super glue in his hand. Jack couldn't bear what was about to happen.

He yelled and rushed forwards, slamming into the kid with the glue and it crashed onto the ground.

"Leave the cat alone, you assholes!"

Flustered, all the teens watched as Jack threw himself between them.

"The hell?! Go away if you know what's good for you, punk!"

"It's just a stupid cat! Mind your own business!"

Jack growled angrily.

"Leave it alone!"

The tallest teen hissed.

"Get him!"

Jack's eyes widened and he turned around to shield the cat with his body as all the bullies began to wail on him. Jack took the blows and winced, cringing with every kick and punch until they got bored. They left and Jack slowly sat up. His body ached and stung all over. But the cat was alright. That was what mattered.

"H-Hey...its ok little fella...they're gone. Here, lemme get you out of there."

Slowly but surely Jack pried some of the cage wiring back enough for the cat to yank out of it. The feline rushed a few feet away but turned around and stared back at him confused. After a minute it ran away and Jack sighed. He stood and walked back out to Emma.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting."

Emma hugged him and he yelped.

"What happened?!"

"Oh, just had to save a cat from these jerks. You know, cool hero stuff~ Now let's go get you some ice cream!"

Emma nodded and they walked off to the ice cream shop.

The next morning Jack awoke much sorer and groaned. He tried to sit up until he saw something at the end of his bed. He rubbed his eyes and blinked. It was the same black cat he saved yesterday. He startled and jerked back, hitting his head on his bedboard. He squeaked and held it.

"Ow! Fuck-!"

The cat merely watched him curiously and calmly, swishing its tail. Jack saw it had such bright gold eyes that stared deeply and intently, but they meant no harm.

"What are you doing here? How did you even get inside my house?"

The cat stayed silent and still. Jack blinked and groaned.

"Alright you gotta go. Come on."

He slowly got out of bed and reached for the cat, but it jumped away from him onto the floor with a chirp. Emma came through the door and gasped when she saw the cat.

"Jack lets go, we're gonna be late for the movie--! Is that the cat?! It's so cuuute!!!"

Surprisingly the cat seemed content with Emma picking it up and hugging it.

"Yeah, but its gotta go. And so do we. Come on then."

He gets dressed and goes with her downstairs to the front door. They walk out and stroll down the sidewalk into town. Suddenly the cat begins to squirm and meow. Emma frowned.

"Huh, whats wrong kitty?"

It jumps down from her arms and meows at them loudly. It rushes forwards and turns around constantly to see if they are following.

"It wants us to follow it!"

Jack shrugged.

"Emma if we go that way, we'll be late for the movie."

She pouted and looked back at him.

"No we wont, come on!"

Jack sighed and followed along. The cat leads them down to the end of the block and stops in front of a black oranate metal doorway with golden painted etchings all over. The cat pushed the door open and ran inside. Emma giggled and followed.

"Wait kitty!"

Jack looked more concerned now, not wanting his sister to rush into someplace dangerous.

"Emma, wait, stop!"

He went in after her and slowed down, seeing all sorts of whacky looking artifacts and trinkets everywhere. The place was only illuminated by candles and everything was mostly the colors of black and gold. Jack was relieved to see Emma staring into an beautiful crystal ball on top of a round table in the middle of the room.

"This place is so cool, Jack!"

Jack walked over to her and kept eyeing around the room.

"Uh, yeah, but it's also a bit creepy. Never too early for Halloween I guess. Where's the cat?"

"I dunno. I lost it. Maybe it lives here! We brought it back home, yay!"

Jack gently nudged her.

"Alright, now lets get back to the movie, huh?"

Emma sighed.

"Aww but I like this place!"

Just that moment a tall man stepped out from behind a drapery of black velvet curtains. Jack gasped and instinctively stepped in front of his sister to protect her if need be. The man was lithe and draped in a gorgeous black silk robe with delicate golden lace all over the neck and arms. He also wore a sparkling golden feathery boa around his neck. His hair was ebony black and his eyes glinted gold in the candle light.

"Good afternoon, children~ How may I be of service?"

Jack felt oddly uneasy about this man and forced a smile.

"O-Oh no, we're sorry to intrude. We were just leaving, really--"

The man tisked his tongue and chuckled.

"It's no bother at all~ Im always happy to have guests. My name is Pitch and I am a fortune teller by trade."

Emma gasped and squealed.

"Really?! Jack, let's get our fortunes told! Pleeeease!"

Jack eyed her.

"But I thought you wanted to see the Perfect Princess Ponypal movie?"

"We can see it next week! Please please please!"

Jack sighed and smiled a little. He couldn't say no to her.

"Ok ok, we can. How much is it?"

Pitch smiled and motioned to the table.

"For you two, I'll make it free. Come, sit."

Pitch sat across the table from Emma and Jack. Jack sat and watched as the man sprinkled some golden powder over the crystal ball. It began to swirl around in various colors.

"Now then. Who's fortune shall we tell?"

Emma piped up.

"Jack's!"

Jack rolled his eyes and laughed a little. Pitch nodded with a smile.

"Very well~ Now let's see. Your aura is a beautiful snowy white, my boy. How interesting indeed."

Jack watched Pitch carress the crystal ball with his finger tips and the coloring inside turned all sparkling white.

"Woah, that's cool. What does it mean?"

"You put on a tough exterior show, but deep down you are as soft as the first snowfall in winter."

Jack flustered a tad.

"Eheh, yeah ok. Sure."

Pitch smiled and eyed the young teen curiously.

"I'd like to read your palms, if you'll allow."

"Uh, sure."

Jack held out his right hand. Pitch gently took it im his own and began to trace some lines softly.

"Very interesting. You're going to live a very long fulfilling life it seems. You have untold strength and destiny awaiting you."

Jack laughed a little, not believing it because fortune tellers were always just cheap parlor tricks and observation.

"Wow. Who knew."

Pitch smiled and looked directly at him.

"Give me that ring on your necklace."

Jack's blood froze. It was a gift from his departed mother. He hesitated.

"I...uhm...ok."

He slowly took it off and handed it over. Pitch accepted it and gazed for a minute quietly.

"Fascinating..."

Jack eyed him oddly.

"What?"

"This ring is a treasured memory of yours. From your mother, yes?"

Jack felt a lump in his throat and uneasyness in his stomach. How could he have possibly known that? Unless he'd been spying on them somehow. Was it something to do with that cat? No, that's crazy...

Jack held his hand out urgently, not comfortable being there anymore.

"Uh, thanks, but I just remembered we have things we need to do at home."

Jack took back the ring and stood, grabbing Emma's arm and tugging. She groaned in upset and confusion.

"Jaaack, no we dont-!"

He interrupted her sharply.

"Yes, we really do. Come on, we need to go now."

Pitch stood and eyed Jack with his own sense of unease.

"Jack, please, I didn't mean any harm."

Jack didn't answer. He knew this felt like a bad idea. Just as Jack got to the door, it suddenly locked itself. Jack's eyes widened in fear as he grabbed and yanked at the handle.

"W-What the hell-?! Unlock this door right--"

Jack whirled around, but Pitch was right behind him. It was a split second before Jack felt Pitch's hand on his head. Instantly Jack slipped into a deep sleep.

When the boy awoke he realized he was still in Pitch's home. He jerked up and looked around frantically. Why did he feel so cold? He jumped up off the bed and paused. Why wasn't he feeling sore from his injuries? In fact, he felt better than ever before, like a new energy was flowing through him.

No, he needed to find his sister. Who knows what awful things that creep could have done to her. He rushed out from the small bedroom area and down the stairs into what appeared to be the kitchen. He saw Pitch cooking some eggs and growled.

"Where is Emma?! What did you do to her, you sick bastard!?"

Pitch blinked and glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh good, you're awake! Now we can get start--"

Jack lunged and slammed into Pitch, shoving him down to the ground. The teen grasped his hands around Pitch's neck and began to choke him with a strength he never knew he had. Pitch tried to pull the boy's hands off, but he wasn't as strong.

"What did you to her?!"

Pitch rasped out.

"Sh..She's f-fine!!! Home, a-at your ho--me!"

Jack began to see frost and ice crystalize its way around Pitch's neck and face as he choked him. He suddenly let him go and backed away in fear.

"W-What the hell-!? What was that?!"

Pitch coughed and gasped for air, clutching his neck. He wheezed and eyed the teen cautiously as he rasped.

"Look...L-Look..."

Jack seemed confused until Pitch pointed frantically at a huge wall length mirror nearby. Jack glanced up and then did a double take with horrified eyes. He slowly walked over in mortified shock. His eyes were blue now and his hair was white as snow, instead of both being his normal brown.

"What did you do to me-!? I--I--! Where's Emma--the stupid fucking cat-?!"

Pitch stood up and slowly approached.

"Jack, I am the cat. Im just repaying you for saving me in the alleyway."

#blackicerotg #blackice #rotg #riseoftheguardians #pitch black #pitchblack #rotg jack frost #jackfrost #rise of the guardians #halloween #black cat #rotg pitch black

24 notes · View notes

zuffer-weird-girl · 4 years

Note

Hiiiii! Love the content on here. It’s one of my favorite BNHA blogs! If you have time, could you please write about Overhaul taking his SO on a date for the first time? Maybe Kai over does it and takes them to a really high end restaurant but his SO is barely middle class, under dresses, and very intimidated by how expensive and fancy everything is. Feeling like they don’t belong there.

You nervously patted your clothing just to prevent any possible dust to have sticked on it, Overhaul would probably be really angry if he found that, especially on something he gave it to you specific for this occasion...

It took you longer than expected to realize the young leader of the Shie Hassaikai had founf some interesting on you; actually it was rather understandable since he doesn't express anything with that face of nothing more than boreddom or irritation.

But in the other hand, bunch of people had noticed how the man looked at you with complete different eyes than normal... a certain admiration or even care expressed on the usual cold golden eyes of his.

Although... there was sometimes he was a bit... exaggerate on his way of expressing his "care".

But you couldn't help but slowly fall for this gorgeous man.

Now, you were here waiting for Overhaul to make his appearance, but when you saw him your jaw almost hitted the floor.

You knew that he wasn't a simple man at all, but you definitely didn't expect Overhaul to appear in a freaking expensive as hell black car, driven by someone else, getting out from the passenger seat.

We started well...

You already knew how he was gorgeous and magnificent but... holy shit.

Overhaul was wearing instead of his usual social black dress shirt for a white one with a black tie and to finish his open black tuxedo. His hair perfectly combed whith the usual black mask of his; it keeps away the filth don't judge him.

He was beautiful and all, but was he going to a weeding or some kind of social event instead of you guys date?

"I see that you followed my instructions." He aproached you, looking up and down at your figurine, surprisingly seeming pleased at your sign.

"Uh.. yeah. Although it isn't a bit too much for a date?" You asked with a nervous smile as he furrowed slightly his eyebrows.

"Nonsense. It's not only a perfect combination with your body and appearance in general but it's sociable acceptable. Not much, but not less either."

Was... was the first commentary a compliment?

You giggled at his actions in both disbelief and adoration at the man in front of you, while he only scoffed in irritation; hidding a certain warmth feeling in his chest and both of his cheeks at hearing that angelic laugh of yours.

"Are you going to just stand there and keeps laughing like a idiot? I will have you know I made reservations and I certainly despise being late for something." He said monotonously while walking towards the car.

"W-Wait what was that part again?" You stopped giggling at hearing that word, but your oh so sweet partner just ignored you as he oppened the door of the car.

"Come." A simple comand, but you noticed the hint of softness on his voice and couldn't help but smile.

A rather peculiar gentleman was he, but you definitely wasn't complaining the slightest.

As soon as you entered the car he close it and got on the other side pretty quickly and comanded the driver to take you two to where he planned.

You should have know...

A high class restaurant... indicated with five stars just recently.

You mentally facepalmed and instantly your cheeks went a crinson red color the moment Overhaul opened the damn car's door for you to step out.

Your chest tighten as you felt that the air in your lungs weren't suddenly sufficient at seing the huge amoint of high class people entering on that... luxurious place.

"I hope you don't bother these sick people around us. I tried to make it secluded only for us but sadly the man didn't take my offer... seriously." He mumbled while walking besides you, maintaining a certain comfortable distance.

"Wait. You can't do that with a restaurant!" You whisper yelled with wide open eyes as your mouth opened in surprise at seing the hints of a smirk behind that black mask of his even if his eyes stayed the same as always.

"Try to stop someone from the yakusa dearest. But I decided to simply let it slide... this time. I didn't want it to miss this opportunity to take you on this place."

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, so he was that serious about this, was he..?

You gulped that anxiety and nervousness down your throat in hopes it could go away... it was just a restaurant right? Just a place, nothing to worry abo-

Holy shit, how big is that chandelier on the ceiling? And there was a bunch of people playing the violin and piano on the other side of the room...

Why...?

You felt all your previous feelings coming back again, almost suffocating you at the point it was harf even to breath.

"Are you alright? You seem a little out of breath there..." Your companiom asked numbly while you yelped quietly.

"J-Just-! A little surprised at this place... it's... only high standards come in here apparently." You nervously pointed out before deadpanning at seing a couple of bunch of snobs passing by you guys front with their noses lifted up.

... gross.

He seemed to take that as a compliment as he simply hummed in agreement as he took a look at his front, where a bunch of people were sitting and eating on their neatly clean tables.

"The first time I came in here I was also shocked."

"Really? When was that, if you mind me asking?" He thought deeply for a second before he snapped his gloved fingers at remembering.

"When I was about 9 or 10 year old." You deadpanned at that.

He visited his place when he was a CHILD?! Why was he in here in the first place?! It was YOUR FIRST TIME coming to a place like this and you were already a young adult!

"Here. The waiter will lead us to our specific place." You gulped again, feeling even more nervous when walking through the bunch of rich snobs, who seemed to look you down... like they already knew.

You didn't belong in here. What the hell were you doing in here in the first place?

You need to get out... as much as it angered that you couldn't do one sacrifice for him, you needed to get out of there...

Before you could even turn away the voice of Overhaul invaded your ears again.

"Here. Just passing through this window." You eyed suspiciously before sighing in defeat... following him to the balcony of that place.

You gasped in surprise at seing a perfectly tidy table for two with even a candle holder on the middle.

Rather impressive.

The waiter dismissed himself after receiving a death glare from Overhaul, soon after the man himself pushed a chair and extended his palm at it, only looking at you expectantly.

"What a true gentleman you are!" You giggled quietly before taking a seat and waiting for him to take his as well, not missing the hearted scoff of his.

"I thought chivalry was dead now in these days." He shrugged before leaning his back a bit forward with a disinterested look but his voice was just as soft and sweet as honey.

"Well. I not a bragging man, but I certainly can say that I'm full of surprises."

You giggled again, feeling it more at ease but soon frowning slightest at seing both the menu of that place and the people on inside, who you swear were stealing glances.

"... something is wrong." The voice of his interrupted your thought before you yelped and looked at him.

"What on earth is bothering you?" For the first time you saw his expression turning into one of worry even if his words sounded a bit harsh "Didn't you found this place appealing?"

"I-Is not that!" You waved your hands in front of your body in exasperation "Is j-just..." you sighed, embarrassed of even mentioning this.

"Just..?" He lifted one of his eyebrows up.

"...Overhaul. This place is amazing and I am very grateful and honored that you invited me for a date in here." You montioned with your hand at the glorious room inside before lowering your palm with a frow on your face. "But... I am not... used to this. I'm a middle class ro low after all, so when I saw all of this I kinda panicked... and this must sound ridiculous even, but I swear I saw people inside sending judgments glares at me... like they already know that I don't belong in here, which is honestly true." You sadly mumbled the last part, catching his firm and serious gaze on you shortly after your rambling.

"It is ridiculous." He sighed while you deadpanned.

Well... at least he was honest. A bit bold and rude, but honest.

"First, its the most logical that they were looking at a man wearing a black surgeon face nask rather than yourself; second, they should keep their eyes to themselves and mind their own bussines at the first place." He sighed while closing his eyes, slightly annoyed.

You blinked at hearing his words, that actually made sense...

"Like myself." He opened his beautiful golden eyes, staring directly at yours "I keep my eyes on what only interests me or what is mine."

You blushed crinson red at his words, Overhaul wasn't a man that was good with words, but sometimes he did caught you off of guard... majority of the times.

He chuckled lowly as he looked at the color of your face changing by some words of his... fascinated.

"That blush of yours never gets old." He mused "Next time, just warn me instead of just staying in silent. Next date of ours a more simple then? I don't like crowded places anyway." He monotonously spoked, shortly half smilling at your relieved expression.

"Sounds wonderful. Although let's enjoy ourselves, since you mister, went a bit too far with your money with me... again." He scoffed at your laughing before you brought your hand to cover your mouth.

"Oh gosh did you think that they hear?" You whisper to him worriedly, receiving a eyebrow of his lifted up as response.

"If they did or not, it doesn't matter. Just focus on me for the night, just like what I'm doing."

"... you're going to leave me a mess in this place I swear." You whined while giggling as you covered your face.

He smirked at that. This was going to be way better than expected.

Bonus:

"Score for the boss!" Mimic exclaimed on the top of Chrono's head as he adjusted his binoculars.

"Be more quiet before he senses that we're here!" Whisper yelled Hari as he tried to steal a glance at the far balcony, failing miserably due to the distance.

Suddenly Mimic yelped and Chrono from the scare accidentally let both fall on the ground.

"What the fuck Irinaka?!"

"He saw us. We're fucked."

The ground started to tremble and both man cursed already knowing what was coming.

#overhaul x reader #overhaul scenario #overhaul headcanons #fanfic overhaul #overhaul #chisaki kai imagine scenario #kai chisaki x reader #chisaki kai x reader #chisaki kai #kai chisaki #mha chisaki #bnha imagine #bnha characters #bnha villains #bnha #bnha x reader #my writing #zuffer writings

175 notes · View notes

whatsseobb · 4 years

Text

Something Old, Something New (Crystal x Gigi Fanfic) - Chapter 9

AO3 Link

[A/N: I just love this Gigi look so much I had to include it here. ^_^]

Synopsis: Crystal finds an enchanting jewelry box from the antique shop. Day by day, she discovers different journal entries hidden inside the box. Where is it coming from? What exactly is the music box? Most importantly, who is G?

Chapter Nine - Your Smile

The teenage girl found herself confounded at the information she just read. Gigi. 1959. Gigi. 1959. Those were the thoughts that echoed in her mind as she stared at her laptop screen. How is that even possible? She read the whole article, looking at the pictures of newspaper articles about the art contest. She also saw some pictures during the competition, even a picture of the winner. Her hands scrambled its way through her desk, looking at the letter and the photograph that Gigi sent her.

“Smith Memorial Art Contest had been held every fall for almost a decade in honor of Doctor Charles Smith. It was mostly dominated by men for the first few years of the competition. However, a female student from the small county of St. Clair, Illinois broke the record in 1959.”

Crystal spent the night thinking of the possibility of Gigi living her life back in the 50’s. Questions consumed her mind that she forgot to congratulate the girl or greet her good night. She woke up feeling tired, dark circles under her eyes.

School and her school works weren’t able to help distract her from the revelation she just discovered the night before. It hadn’t left her mind since the last evening. She sat by her desk, staring at the picture of Gigi beside the drawing she made of them few weeks prior. Suddenly, the jewelry box started playing music, telling her that the other girl sent her a letter which she decided to read the next morning.

The letter from Gigi suddenly felt surreal. The thoughts of the other girl coming from a different era remained unbelievable for her. It didn’t feel right, but it wasn’t wrong either.

She found herself lost in her thoughts as she stared at the drawing of them on the side of her mirror. Slowly, things started to patch together, as if like slowly completing a puzzle. Gigi’s handwriting, her choice of words or clothes or the way she sent her those old photographs. It never occurred to her why she did not ask her of her phone number or anyway she can contact her online but it all made sense. She couldn’t. It was because she was from a different time than Crystal.

The next afternoon, Crystal found herself walking towards the thrift shop that her friend Jackie owned. She was greeted with a welcoming smile from the owner.

“Miss Crystal, how are you?” Jackie spoke as she put some trinkets on the shelves. “There is a new batch of sweaters that arrived yesterday. It’s just back there.”

“Do you still have that painting?” The teenager walked over the art section, scanning the place for the art piece that she had her eyes on the last time she went to the store.

“Which one? There are a lot of paintings there.”

“The portrait of a girl. It’s this smiling girl.”

It took her a few minutes before she spotted the painting. A big smile flashed on her face as she recognized the portrait that Gigi painted. Her fingers slightly stroked the edges, running her thumb on the signature on the lower corner of the artwork. It definitely was Gigi’s work.

Crystal left the shop feeling triumphant and excited as she take home the portrait that Gigi made. The memory of that dream when she met the scarlet-haired girl, the one when the other girl showed her a sketch of the two of them together. However, the reality of them being separated by time haunted her as she made her way home.

Her hands dropped on her side, the teenager walked on a field of green grass, her fingers touching the flowers surrounding her. She continued her stroll until she arrived on a clearing, a small lake at the end of her view. There, she saw a young lady, sitting down while reading a thin booklet. She moved closer towards the picnic area when she saw the same portrait she just bought from Jackie’s thrift shop.

“Finally.” The young lady let out a soft sigh as she put down her book before standing up and wrapping her arms around Crystal. “You made me worry. I am glad you are here now. I missed you.”

Crystal remained quiet as she sat down beside Gigi, looking inside the picnic basket as she tried to distract herself from looking at the other girl.

“Are you all right? Is something wrong, Crys?” Gigi’s soft voice echoed in Crystal’s ears. She looked up at the girl and gave her a small smile.

“No no. I’m fine. Congratulations on winning, by the way. I’m sorry I was just busy with school works so I had no time to send you a letter. I got caught up with everything.” The teenager tried to liven up her voice but she knew what she said was a lie. In fact, she was trying to avoid Gigi after the information she learned.

“Oh, no problem and thank you! I brought it here with me today. I was planning on giving it to you in reality. I just didn’t know how. Maybe you can send me your address and I’ll gift it to you!”

“No need.”

“What do you mean? I want to give it to you as a gift.” A hint of disappointment was heard from Gigi’s voice as her sweet smile turned into a frown.

“I… I actually just bought the painting. Your painting.” Crystal whispered in a low voice, not expecting Gigi to actually hear it.

“Bought it? But it’s not for sale… and how?”

Crystal picked up the frame and a faint smile crept on her face as she stared at Gigi’s artwork. “You did really incredible on this one, Geege. I love it very much.”

As if what she heard earlier was nothing, Gigi’s frown slowly shaped into one of her honey-dipped smiles. She was fascinated and thankful that Crystal loved her work. “Thank you. It’s actually you, in that painting. Your smile is my happiness.”

The corner of Crystal’s lips formed a bigger smile then dropped after hearing Gigi’s words. The young lady must’ve noticed the change in her mood. She put her hand on top of Crystal’s hand which the teenager pulled away in an instant.

“Crys, darling, what’s wrong?”

Silence filled the area as the teenager slowly put down the painting. She turned to look at the lake in front of them, staring at the vast horizon. It was getting a bit dark but they both didn’t mind. They were focused on just the two of them, sitting there by the lake.

“Everything. Everything’s wrong.”

The look of confusion painted on Gigi’s face as she took Crystal’s hand once more. She caressed it softly, trying to comfort the other girl. “W-what do you mean?” Her voice slightly cracked as she gazed at her.

“I think we should stop from here.”

“Stop? Crystal, I am deeply confused with everything you are telling me right now.”

“We can’t go on anymore. We have to stop this delusion. We have to stop writing to each other. We have to… end this.” Crystal’s voice broke off as she shared her sentiments to the scarlet-haired girl in front of her.

“W-what do you mean? Why? How can we stop now?”

“I don’t know. I just know that we should cut ties.”

“No. I can’t not be with you.”

Crystal covered her face in frustration as she faced the other girl. “But you have to. We can’t go on like this.”

“But I like you.”

The sudden confession from Gigi caught the teenager by surprise. She did not know what to feel as the hearing someone liked her that way especially that it was Gigi. For the first time, Crystal wanted to wake up from her dreams. She could not believe what the scarlet-haired girl had uttered and the fact that she didn’t want to tell her the truth face to face made it more difficult for her.

“No. I’m sorry, Geege.” She took a deep breathe before she continued. “We… we can’t be together.”

“What do you mean? I know it’s the 50’s and people would frown upon us. However, we don’t have to listen to them. We can be together. We’ll fight… for us.” The young lady took Crystal’s hand with her both hands but the other removed it from her grip right away.

“Do… do you not like to be with me, Crystal? I thought our date the other time went well. I thought you would have feelings for me too.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is?”

The teenager picked up the portrait and the corner of her lips showed a small, sad smile. Her eyes darted on Gigi who was wiping her tears.

“Thank you for bringing this here and wanting to give this to me. But I saw it from a thrift shop, the same place I bought your jewelry box from. And I bought it.” She took another deep breath before continuing. “We can’t be together. You said it’s the 50’s but no, it’s not. It’s 2019 already. We are years apart. We can’t be together.”

Crystal saw Gigi’s lips moving as if saying something but everything slowly became blurry. She was hearing no sounds, except the sound of someone weeping. As she touched her own cheeks, she noticed them being wet. When she opened her eyes, she was back in her room, tears flowing down her face. She looked around and saw the portrait that the other girl painted of her. A slight pain was felt on her chest as she felt more sadness inside. It reminded her of last night’s dream.

#rpdr fanfiction #crygi #crystal x gigi #gigi x crystal #crystal methyd #gigi goode #crygi fanfiction #jackie cox #lesbian au #rpdr s12 #fantasy #letters #SOSN Crygi

14 notes · View notes

chezforshire · 4 years

Text

Since i literally cannot work on something without blabbing abt it im gonna ramble a bit abt the earth c kids au i have

Rn im doodlin rosemary and davekats kids. Idk yet who gets saddle with a child first but both couples go through dealing with the strilondes fear of becoming their guardians. Karks has his reservations too. Thinks he's too much of an asshole to really rear a kid and being a parent is like being a leader, sorta. Some loser wriggler hangs onto your every word and you try your best to guide em where they should go. Previous experiences have shown him to have failed in that regard so imagine his trepidation over having to do that for longer than a few weeks.

Kan's prolly the only one of em who has her head about with the whole child rearing business bc well she was hatched for this shit ya know

Anyway the kid rosemary has is a maryam descendant and rose just goes 'well, she's sorta ur kid genetically speaking and we're married so she's my kid too ig so... we should raise her????' And they do and she's sweet and smart and terrifying in that she keeps alluding to murdering you if you so much as look at her or her parents wrong. Her name is Astrea Maryam-Lalonde and she loves her moms a whole damn lot and she thinks theyre the absolute shit. She's fascinated with fashion as is the Maryam staple though she only cares abt her appearance if she's being seen by people outside of family. When she's at home she just wears ratty tshirts and shorts or sweatpants that have more than a few holes in it. This makes Kanaya sigh with exasperation and just say 'like mother like daughter' as Rose flops on the couch next to their daughter in clothes under the same state.

Dave loves the shit out of her ofc bc he's a great uncle but also bc she loves drawing a whole buncha shit. Most of the time she draws people so she could slap some sick as shit dresses she designes on them. Dave talks abt SBaHJ w her and she's just That sounds Highly Stupid where can I see it and so they spend an afternoon just talking abt it and she genuinely finds it funny and wonders more than once if one day she could make her own comic. Though hers, no offence to Dave, would be much more serious and plot heavy and maybe gay and has romance bc seriously she's a Maryam-Lalonde have you seen their library? And Dave encourages her abt it and has become her editor/soundboard/ whatever the fuck when she has ideas for stories and makes quick drawings abt it.

Im not set on how davekat gets their kid yet but it's an ectogoop hybrid of the two of them. His name is Kagang Vantas for now bc Dave still hasn't gotten around to marrying Karkat wc is fine bc it's not like it means much to either of them but he does playfully call him husband every now and then. Anyway, the little dude is a human/troll hybrid and don't ask me any questions abt that yet im working on it. He's a bit of a brat but is a nice kid. He's a little hard of hearing so he doesn't always notice his voice but that's fine bc Dirk teaches him sign and makes him some hearing aids that he asks to have customized to look sick as shit when he grows up. He's got a lotta energy and spends a lot of his time playing outside w John, Jade and Jake. He's really attentive too and picks up on tiny details rly fast which makes him pretty great at handling upset ppl. He rly likes music just like Dave and that spurs the god into buying even better acoustics every year so his son can feel the vibrations much better. Contrary to Dave, however, Kagang rly likes classical music mostly bc Rose spent a whole lot of time playing her violin for both him and Astrea. He picks up the instrument too when he grows up and Rose is all too happy teaching him.

Dirk is apprehensive arnd the kid given what he knows of who he can become w Dave but he truly deeply loves the kid. He's distant for a few years and Kagang inevitably thinks it's his fault bc Dave and Karkat are both vry rejection-sensitive people and sadly that got passed down to the kid but dw it takes one to know one so the dads know how to get him through it. Dave talks abt it w Dirk and Dirk is floored bc jesus i was trying to make sure the kid wouldn't feel bad arnd me and fuck whatever i do its just a fuck up huh and Dave just shooshes him and goes bro dude dirkles it's fine you can still work on it. Now u know what's up and why u can work to make a better relationship. I know u love the shit outta my little dude but sometimes that ain't enough. Ya gotta show it through words and actions now come on let's hang out w Kagang and u can slowly mend that bridge. And he does and fuck he /can/ be a good person, these past few years has thought him that, and by fuck will he make sure that his nephew knows that he loves him and cares for him and thinks he's the shit

One can say Kagang and Astrea have a moirailgance but it's a lot more like siblingship rly. They poke fun at each other, mess w each other, would hide a body for the other all that shit. It's a lot like Dave and Rose but w a lot less layers of cool and aloofness to hide the fact that Dork+Dork equals Mega Dork.

#chersonal #homestuck #homestuck ocs #earth c kids au #fsofjridkdifnskfb im too tiredto keep foing sry

11 notes · View notes

shannen-writes · 4 years

Text

Underrated ships - #5 Angel and Darla (Buffyverse)

This is the fifth post in my underrated ships meta series. All posts in the series are tagged as #underrated ships.

Angel and Darla are a ship that I didn’t fully appreciate until I watched AtS. On BtVS we weren’t given a full insight into their history and relationship, but AtS fully explored their connection and uncovered just how important Angel and Darla were to each other. Like many of the other ships on this list I haven’t included Angel and Darla on this because I think they had a healthy relationship or were true love, but because of the complexities of their dynamic and how much I enjoy watching the many facets of their relationship unfold on-screen.

As with all of the ships in this series, lets go back to the beginning of Angel and Darla’s relationship. The first time Darla saw Angel (or Liam, as he was better known then), she was attracted to him. She saw a darkness, recklessness and strength in him that appealed to her.

She sired him and quite literally created Angel/Angelus as we know him. In this respect Darla was his mother in addition to being so many other things to him.

Julie Benz beautifully described this aspect of Angel and Darla, and the many layers of their relationship which is part of why I love them so much.

As Julie rightfully says, Darla waited a loooooong time to create a mate. It’s not a decision she took lightly. She saw something in Angel that spoke to her soul (ironic choice of words since she didn’t have a soul), and from that moment onwards they became a part of each other. Soulmates, in many ways.

In the beginning, they were soulless vampires, so they were inherently evil and wreaked havoc together. They had a very passionate relationship and found excitement and thrills in being together.

This was Angel and Darla at their best, because everything was simple and uncomplicated. They were just two soulless monsters gratifying themselves and living off their base desires and instincts. They were partners in death and the darkness in Darla was matched by the darkness in Angel and vice versa. They were the same and there was complete understanding between them; they saw and accepted each other for the monsters that they were. What they had wasn’t love, it was companionship and passion. That was demonstrated by the way in which they abandoned each other so easily.

It wasn’t surprising or out of the ordinary for Darla to sacrifice Angel and leave him for dead to save her own life, because they were vampires and that’s what they did. They enjoyed their life together, revelled in creating misery and leaving death and destruction wherever they went. However, there was no love in their relationship because they were simply incapable of love.

When Angel got his soul everything changed. It was unheard of for a vampire to have a soul and Darla’s immediate reaction to finding out Angel had been cursed was fear, disgust and rejection. It’s no surprise that she’d turn her back on him so easily. A soul represents everything that is wrong in the world to a vampire and part of why Darla and Angel worked so well together is because they were both evil and soulless.

What’s so interesting about Angel in the early days of being cursed, is that he actually sought Darla out. His entire life and being was intertwined with her, and although he knew deep down that him having a soul had changed everything he tried to go back to Darla and resume their lives together because it’s all he’d known for 150 years.

There’s so much debate in the Buffyverse around the concept of soulless love, and with Angel and Darla, in particular, most fans would agree that they didn’t love each other (I’ll explore this in more detail later). But regardless of love, Angel was deeply connected to Darla. She sired him, they were together for over a century, she’d seen parts of him and shared a life with him that no one else had. As a result, she was the one person that was able to get under Angel’s skin and vice versa.

No matter what, Darla always provoked strong emotions in Angel. He reacted to her whenever she was near and that’s why W&H specifically chose to bring her back in AtS season 2 - because they knew she was the one person that could get into his head (both metaphorically and literally).

Speaking of which, I find the dreams Angel had of Darla in season 2 fascinating. Despite the manipulation by Darla and lack of consent involved in the sexual contact that took place, those scenes showed that Angel carried some semblance of positive emotions towards Darla.

Angel was content in these dreams and although it was a manipulation, I believe that the joy and relief we saw from him was authentic. In fact, he wanted to sleep more so he could continue having dreams about Darla (whether this was also part of the forces Darla was using to get into his head, I’m unsure, so forgive me if I’m wrong about this).

When Darla returned in season 2 as a human, Angel and Darla’s already complex relationship became even more complex. Angel naturally struggled to be around Darla and interact with her because of their history and the fact that she took pleasure in playing with him and taunting him. Part of the reason Angel was so averse to Darla is because he saw himself in her. Darla was his past; his creator; a reflection of Angelus who represented the worst and darkest parts of Angel that he desperately wanted to forget. This meant that Darla knew Angel better than anyone and understood Angel/us in a way that nobody else ever could.

For Darla, Angel had always been the centre of her universe. He was the first and only vampire she ever sired; in her eyes Angel was hers (notice how she often referred to him as “my boy”) and whether she was a vampire or a human she believed they belonged to each other, that they were eternally bound.

And so regarding whether Angel and Darla loved each other, my answer is yes. They didn’t love each other in the way you or I probably understand love because they were vampires.

Their love wasn’t consistent; instead it was characterised by moments of intimacy or connection underlined with history, understanding and honesty. But it was love nonetheless. Despite Angel and Darla’s relationship being twisted and toxic, it was always honest. They never pretended to be anything other than exactly what and who they were when they were together.

Angel often denied what he felt for Darla; he undermined it and passed it off as being meaningless because he didn’t have a soul when he was with her. But once Darla was human, that changed.

The deep passion, connection and history Angel and Darla had meant that there was the capacity for them to love each other. Darla becoming human, having their son and the significant experiences they shared in seasons 2 and 3 were a gateway to that love.

Angel and Darla became completely consumed with each other in season 2. Initially, this stemmed from a desire to destroy each other, but in the end, their bond drew them to each other. Darla, for the first time in centuries, was human again and experiencing the many complex and overwhelming emotions that go with that. Naturally, she sought comfort and understanding from Angel, who was her life partner and the one person in the world who understood what it meant to have a soul after not having one for centuries. And Angel, as a champion and empathetic person, couldn’t turn Darla away. When he learned that she was human and dying, he devoted everything to saving her, because he cared for her but also because he saw himself in Darla. He saw her facing the same struggles and torment that he went through when he was re-ensouled and by saving her and help her get her redemption, he would in a sense be saving and redeeming himself also.

Angel was willing to give his life for Darla’s and following this sacrifice, they shared one of the most heartfelt, emotional and tender scenes they ever have. A moment of love.

There’s no doubt in my mind that during this scene there was genuine love between Angel and Darla, which was reciprocal. As a human, Darla had a soul and was able to connect with Angel emotionally. She could empathise with him for the first time in her life and that’s a huge deal. After rejecting him for having a soul and shutting him out, she was now able to understand what it meant to have a soul. And having that soul enabled her to feel how much he loved her and how much him being willing to sacrifice his life for her meant. His vow to stay by her side until the end only affirmed how much he cared and strengthened their connection in this moment. It’s a raw and emotional moment between two individuals with a long and complicated history who have been ripped apart and been on polar sides for so long coming together in a moment of empathy, compassion and love.

After developing a genuinely affectionate and (dare I say it) human bond in season 2, Darla becoming a vampire again destroyed Angel and sent him to the darkest place he’d ever been with a soul. After being sired, sharing a life with this woman for over a century, connecting with her as a human and giving everything to keep her safe, he lost. It’s such a huge blow for Angel and his reaction to it showed the depth of his feelings for her at this point. It’s the most distraught angry, lost and hopeless we ever see Angel, the only exception being after Connor is kidnapped by Holtz in season 3.

Angel had to force himself to go over to the dark side in order to do what he felt was necessary and kill Darla (or put her out of her misery, as he saw it). But throughout this process Angel completely lost himself and ironically wound up in Darla’s arms.

It’s hardly surprising that in his darkest hour Angel turned to Darla, because she was always the one that Angel shared and lived in the darkness with him. This moment is the opposite of what they shared in ‘The Trial’. There’s emotion involved, but mostly it’s about the physical act of sex and what that represents for both of them. For Angel it’s about hitting self-destruct and attempting to lose himself in the darkness completely (or as Angel describes it, trying to feel something “besides the cold”). For Darla, it’s her fulfilling the need she’s always had for Angel and believing that he’s going to lose his soul as a result.

Them sleeping together meant very different things to each of them. Darla believed Angel “surrendered” to her completely and described it as being “perfect”, because she thought that her boy, Angelus, had returned to her.

But for Angel, it was “perfect despair”. It was him hitting rock bottom and afterwards being awakened; finding his way back to the light and having the epiphany that earns the episode its title.

Despite the fact that they were on completely different pages after this encounter, in a strange way they were set free. Or at least as free as Angel and Darla were ever capable of being from each other. Darla was finally forced to accept that she couldn’t provide Angel with true happiness and that Angelus would never return to her. And Angel realised that everything he had been going through as a result of Darla coming back into his life was more about him than it was her. He viewed her as being as one with himself and therefore felt that her life and redemption was directly connected to his. But after this moment he finally realised that wasn’t true and was able to separate himself from Darla for the first time in his life. They were able to accept that they’d shared a genuine connection, but that it had passed and it was over. They were able to walk away without feeling any love or hatred, just acceptance; acceptance for what was. Ironically, this was the exact moment that they cemented their eternal connection through the conception of their child.

When Darla turned up on Angel’s doorstep pregnant with his child, things changed between them once again. In season 2 Angel forged a connection with Darla as a human with a soul, this time he forged an entirely new connection with her as a vampire who was the mother of his child.

I believe completely that Angel and Darla’s child was conceived in love. Not necessarily in the moment of conception, but it was only made possible by the great sacrifice that Angel was willing to make for Darla in ‘The Trial’ when he offered up his life in exchange for hers. Angel, although reluctant and hesitant about the baby and Darla’s intentions, fully embraced what was happening. And as soon as he realised their child had a heartbeat and therefore a soul, he devoted himself to Darla and the baby. Through carrying their child, Darla began to feel his soul inside her and was able to connect with Angel in what I consider to be the second most heartfelt moment Angel and Darla share.

This scene is so emotional and one of my favourites between Angel and Darla. Darla had already experienced what it was to gain and lose her soul in season 2, and now she was faced with the same thing but under completely different circumstances. Previously, Darla wanted to lose her soul because she’d rather be an unfeeling, soulless monster than face up to the pain and conscience that went with having a soul. This time, however, she wanted to keep her soul because of the love she had for her child. It’s the most human we ever see Darla (ironic considering she’s a vampire); it’s a mother who loves her child wanting to protect, nurture and love it.

In this scene, Angel and Darla connect in a new and more profound way. Angel understood Darla’s turmoil over feeling the influence of a soul, her fear of losing those feelings but most of all he understood the love she had for her child - their child - because he shared that love. Over the 150 years Angel and Darla had known each other they fought, they disagreed, they hurt each other, even killed each other, but this time they are in complete agreement and united. For the first time they’re able to put aside their relationship and personal feelings for each other to focus on the baby. No matter how much affection they had for each other in the past, they were almost always at odds, but Connor changed all of that. He became their priority, the greatest and truest love of their lives.

Angel and Darla’s final moment together is poetic and heartbreaking. In the ultimate sacrifice Darla kills herself for the life of her son.

Her words are true - Connor was the only good thing to come out of their relationship. They caused so much destruction, pain and devastation, but through all of that they created a life together, a human life. And Darla didn’t just kill herself so that her baby could be brought into the world, she did it because she knew she couldn’t have lived as a vampire mother without a soul. Without the capacity to love and care for her child, her life was meaningless to her. With Darla’s sacrifice Angel became more determined to protect his son and completely devoted to honouring Darla’s dying wish. Connor wasn’t just his son, he was a piece of Darla; the best and only good thing they ever did together.

Angel and Darla’s story is a long, complex, unique, rich and emotional tale that spanned across nearly two centuries and two great shows. From the moment Darla sired Angel they became eternally bound. They had a great passion for each other and as vampires were a perfect partnership, only matched in their ruthlessness and evil by the other. No matter how much they fought or how much they believe they hated each other, they had an undeniable connection which drew them to each other time and time again. In the moments they shared where they both had souls they were finally able to feel genuine affection, empathy, compassion and love for each other. And after all the pain and darkness that defined Angel and Darla’s relationship, their time together ended with love and hope as they brought their son into the world.

*not all of the gifs used are mine*

#angel the series #buffy the vampire slayer #dangel #buffyverse #angel x darla #ats #btvs #ats meta #btvs meta #tv #tv meta #mine #mine: ats #mine: btvs #mine: meta #underrated ships #ship analysis #mine: ship analysis

30 notes · View notes