#this is also my tribute to the two people who made the first half of 2020 worth living

[forcemeanakin]

ᴠɪᴄᴛᴏʀɪᴀ'ꜱ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ᴀɴɢᴇʟ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x ʜᴀʏᴅᴇɴ ᴄʜʀɪꜱᴛᴇɴꜱᴇɴ

Okay so this is a alternate of @hanasnx starlet!reader but with my own little twist because I just love the scenery and the glamour of the shows <3 So I present to you: VSangel!reader x Hayden Christensen (let's ignore the fact that I've been working on some of these scenarios for YEARS now).

This is hella long and nsfw, so beware. 3K.

Previous inspo: Link

BACKGROUND:

Hayden has probably seen you in a big billboard before, maybe an ad on TV, but didn't remember your name. He thought you were hot though. A pretty little thing that was probably out of an old man's league anyway.

You are in your 20's, so you grew up with the Star Wars prequels and without a doubt Anakin Skywalker was your childhood crush. Posters on your walls, watching other movies Hayden was in just to see him. Most of your classmates probably made fun of your Star Wars obsession because you were only into it because of the hot guy in Revenge Of the Sith. How wrong they were!! It was also because of the hot guy in AOTC!

Also you're like a total SW geek, but we'll talk about it later.

THE BEGINING: How did you two meet?

Considering that both of you are from different areas of show business, you had to meet in a common ground. I don't see Hayden going to a fashion show before you (and then that's the only place paparazzi can catch him for sure <3). So after a lot of thought, you two met at an Award show (my mind goes automatically to the Tiff Tribute Awards). Or more specifically, the after party.

I picture Hayden saying hello to a couple of people he knows before heading to the bar and sticking around there, just sipping on his drink and greeting whoever comes along to shake his hand and pat his shoulder.

You already saw him back on the red carpet, making your best effort to not get your drooling face captured by a paparazzi. Your stunning dress and detailed makeup made you look like a million dollars !!!

And he noticed. Fuck, did he notice.

Walking by the bar, after pep talking yourself into talking to him for like half an hour, you pulled up right beside him to order yourself a drink. A cosmo or some shit like that. Very fancy and pretty, like you.

He was hypnotized by you the second he saw you up close. Actually, the second he saw your ass swinging his way.

That was it. You two were done for the moment your gazes crossed.

He made the first move, saying a polite "hey" and offering to call the bartender for you.

You were batting your eyelashes, grazing his biceps with your long nails and giving those "fuck me eyes" that worked every time. Someone so much more mature and wise, you didn't think he would want you for something besides fucking, so why did it matter if you were a bit sluttier than you were used to?

But you started talking and it was an actual good conversation. He seemed interested in getting to know you and his jokes actually made you laugh. He was all smooth with his compliments and subtle stares at your dress.

I feel like he would give you a nickname from the very first night. Something related to your attire or the sparkle of your eyes, accentuated by the glittery eye shadow.

It would be a downright shame to let that amazing chemistry go to waste for a meaningless hookup. Luckily he didn't let that happen.

Like a true gentleman, he walked you to your car, using the back door and called it a night. Not before asking for your number and teasing a goodnight kiss.

The next day, while you were getting ready to shoot a campaign, you receive a text from an unknown number, but you immediately knew who it was.

"Hey, starlight." There's a whole other version of this with them meeting over a smoke break, but I know that's not everyone's cup of tea.

BEFORE AND AFTER YOU:

Okay so let's set some things straight. Hayden's not a public guy. he hates having his private life printed on newspapers and he's not a fan of social media. At all. Heck. he doesn't even like to leave his house on weekends. But after you? He had to get used to it. You're this generation very own Gisele Bündchen. You're everywhere. You're everything. You are the fashion world. So paps are very much included in every moment of your life.

BEFORE GOING PUBLIC:

You tried to keep it hidden as much as you could. It was not very hard with you traveling almost every day and him living in LA, at his new house. And whenever he could, he escaped to his own little paradise in Canada.

So texting was basically everything you could do.

He even learned new lingo just to keep up with you :)

But you both craved more, so the next time you were in LA, you were going to grab dinner.

The damn paps got a few pictures of you and that's when the rumors started.

At first not many people recognized him, mainly because the pictures were taken from behind him, but the curls and the outfit ratted him out to a few observant fans.

But media didn't believe them, I mean, why? And the selected group that decided to run with that narrative used headliners like: "how the fuck did the awkward guy from SW pulled y/n's ass?"

After weeks of trying to be low-key for his sake: going on coffee runs using his caps and sunglasses so people wouldn't recognize you, having dinner dates at his house and/or choosing far away locations to stroll with a bit of privacy; you gave up. Your already public life was catching up with you two. So it was better to ride the wave than to escape it and fail in the process.

BUT BEFORE ABSOLUTELY GOING PUBLIC, I love the idea that interviewers were trying to drag the information out of you. Maybe at a red carpet or at an interview with a digital magazine, people would throw you some questions to see if you bite the bait:

"So, Y/n, who's your favorite SW character?"

And you would grin knowingly but never backing down. Your answer would vary from Obi-Wan Kenobi (to mess with Hayden) or R2 when you felt like sharing some of your SW passion.

But right before you two decide to go full-on public, you decide to mess with them, for your own entertainment: "You know, I do have a soft spot for Darth Vader."

PEOPLE GASPED AT THAT CRUMB OF CONFIRMATION.

GOING PUBLIC:

It was at a red carpet

You two went in separate cars

Hayden walked first, having his picture staken and signing autographs while you barely arrived at the event

The second you entered the carpet the cameras went off on you, total focus on getting pics of your designer dress

You were posing like an absolute goddess, answering some questions with wit, trying to spot your boyfriend with the corner of your eye

Finally you locked eyes and he raised a dubious eyebrow, like saying: "Are we seriously doing this?"

And you gave him a bright beam, stretching your arm to him as he walked to you, taking your hand and kissing the inner side of your forearm before placing it on his shoulder. Fingers dropping to your waist and pulling you to him while you laugh, his mouth lowering to your ear to whisper: "You always get your way, huh?"

You chuckled and kissed his cheek, you two turning to face the cameras, just for a few seconds before moving on.

DATING:

I'll not get into the heavy details of how you two managed to make your relationship work, with your traveling and photoshoots, because fuck that. I'll only say that there was a lot of sexting and he was a fucking natural at it. Mile high club as well.

You two would still try to remain unrecognizable by the paparazzis but more chill this time.

That meant having more pictures of you on your candle lit dinners or your fun Sunday mornings in the park out there.

I JUST KNOW THERE'S A PICTURE OF YOU KISSING IN THE PARK. YOU ON YOUR TIPPY TOES WHILE YOUR ARMS ARE AROUND HIS NECK. BIG GRIN ON YOUR FACES, LIKE IT WAS TAKEN SECONDS BEFORE YOUR LIPS MADE CONTACT.

The media would still release some mean headliners but thanks to the dilf culture cultivated in social media, some were actually rooting for you. Oh, and fans were torn between you; hating you because you were clearly fucking him and loving you because since your relationship started, you gave them more Hayden content.

The SW questions were constant in the interviews and talk shows, to the point that you were always brought some type of SW merch: a Grogu plush, a kids lightsaber, a little R2 replica. Whatever it was, it was always pulled whenever the question about you and Hayden was brought up.

You still kept answering "Obi-Wan" with a laugh and no additional information. "He has the high ground." You shrugged your shoulders, shaking your head with a cheeky smile.

Later in bed, when Hayden was giving you your daily dose of healthy cum :))) pounding into you with an admirable expertise, he whispers: "Who has the high ground now, baby?"

CLICHE BUT LET ME HAVE THIS

You never revealed to Hayden that he was your childhood crush, I mean, you could have mentioned it the first night but you didn't want to approach him like a fan. And then you didn't want to look psycho so you just let it be. And now it was too late.

But then

In the middle of an interview, a girl that actually gained your honest trust, asked you the anticipated question:

"How does it feel to date Anakin Skywalker?"

And... (the next bit was written by Indy during a brainstorm and I just wanted to share the exact words <3)

"in the interview you’re visibly nervous, rubbing on your knee, leaning forward, adopting a slackened posture. “yeah..” big grin, “he was actually my childhood crush.” “no!” the interviewer says in awe. “yeah! yeah,” you kinda laugh and cover your mouth. “i didn’t tell him. is that bad?” you put your nail in your teeth to fidget, putting on a little lovable twist to your face"

And then he sees the interview and he shots you an immediate text with the link like: "Oh???"

You know what you'll come home to

He's sitting on his usual chair, reading a book when he hears the door creak. You showed up with a shy smile, his arms opening up to let you crawl on his lap. Knowing that he'll bring it up, you hide on his neck, blush all over your cheeks. Hayden is caressing your thigh up and down, while he hugs you with his other arm and snorts: “did you keep that from me on purpose?” with a little swat on your ass (Indy, 2023).

THE REACTION OF PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER THE INTERVIEW. you cackle at the comments: "Not Y/n admitting she is dating her childhood crush!! She's one of us!!!" “HE WAS NOT” “bro no 😭 i thought she was single” “darth vader. you win again” (Indy, 2023).

Also dragging you to hockey games <333 you start to love the sport because of him but at first you didn't understand shit

He laughed at your reaction when you saw the first fight in the rink

"Do they just... start beating each other up and the ref let them?" You winced exaggeratedly.

"Yup." He laughs, drinking a sip of his beer.

KISS CAM KISS CAM KISS CAM

Also opening the car door for you after a date night, protecting you from the paps???? That's a head canon I'll take from starlet!reader and apply it here because YES YES YES

FASHION SHOWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA

ofc he goes to your fashion shows !!!!! front line baby !!!!!!!! And he is so fucking proud of his beautiful girlfriend.

So motherfucking supportive it hurts.

He comes home and peppers kisses all over your face, praising you for a job well done.

"I would buy all the clothes you sell, baby"

Or if you wore something he particularly liked, he would be desperate to get home and show you just how much he loved your teeny tiny dress on the runway.

He even learned how to dress appropriately to match with your outfits. NEVER LEAVING THE CAPS BEHIND OFC !! But his personal style improved so much, we are proud of him :)

ALSO whenever he is out and spots an ad of yours he takes a picture of it and sends it to you. Maybe with a little heart or smile, or a little text like: "so proud of you baby." Sometimes he takes a selfie with the campaign!!! such a dad selfie, his head tilted back and kind of blurry because he's trying to get the right angle !!!!

also social media with him !!!! again, he doesn't have any active accounts but you do. For his sake, you don't post a lot of things about him, however, some things are too adorable not to share. And fans love you for the little crumbs you give them

A list of photos I think would be posted on this reader's insta stories:

A photo of him in the garden, checking his tomatoes. I KNOW HE HAS TOMATOES

A photo of your shadows during a coffee run. Bonus points if it's Tim Horton's and it has the Canada location tag

A photo of his back while he's making breakfast

A photo of the view from his house. Bonus points if it is from the bathroom window. Extra points if it has any indicators that you two were previously fucking in there, like steamy doors.

A casual photo of you on his couch and you can see the famous chess game

a video of you two watching the prequels and you can hear yourself saying: "omg who's the handsome guy?" when he appears and he laughs.

A photo of you with one of his caps. Bonus points if it's the Toronto Maple Leafs one.

VS FASHION SHOW

OH YES. THE GOOD PART. THE FUN PART.

He never thought he would be in this position. Front line at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. But he is. And he's there to support his girlfriend. Heck, that still sounds funny to him-

You're out there, strutting your gorgeous figure for the world to see: with your six inch heels, your pretty wings and tiny lingerie- You're a fucking dream. His dream.

He's there at the front line with the Proud Boyfriend club, along with Adam Levine (I know but he got us fooled for half a decade) and Caleb from Kings of Leon.

His heart is pounding hard when your face appears in the initial video where they present all of the models walking

The first time you walk, he stands up, cheering loudly and smiling brightly at you. You were opening the show!!!!! how huge!!!

You focus on the cameras and getting the pose right but when you turn, walking on the side he's in, you point at him, even blow him a kiss.

The other two times you walk, because the initial pressure is off, you can focus more on him, and shoot him a playful wink and/or wave at him. He's grateful that you're giving him that attention, now he can brag around with hard evidence. :)

They dressed you up in a very flirty little piece, a pair of panties with a black bow on your rear side. When you get to the end of the runway, you turn around and show it off, maybe even playfully shake a little.

You know you'll pay for it back home

You will also pay for flirting with the music guest in the middle of the runway

I mean, you were not flirting, just doing the regular thing of pointing at them and dancing with them for mere seconds. But the music guest really focused on you and your strut. Maybe you did take advantage of the moment to get him all jealous and get some angry sex out of it

He could understand that part of your job. It didn't mean he liked it. He made sure to send some backhanded comments in the after party to make sure the musical guest got the picture. That you were taken.

It was so fucking hot.

He loved loved loved your police woman outfit, offering to pay for it himself so you could take it with you.

He was a fan of your angelic look with the enormous big, white wings. Almost drowning you in feathers but making you look like a real life angel. You were to him at least :)

You take such cute pictures on the pink carpet <3 he's looking like arm candy, an absolute accessory of yours. And he was happy to do it ! It was your night and he couldn't be any happier to be there with you !

Although the paps did catch him while he was staring at your spilling boobs. But could you blame him? That dress was TIGHT.

Hayden also has a photo of one of your VS campaigns in a giant frame in his office <3 you were so ashamed at first but you secretly loved that he paraded you around like that <33333333

you can catch glimpses of it during online interviews

LAST BIT

You are in a talk show, talking about the VSFS 2025, when the interviewer gets all serious and jumps:

"Last question, Y/n... is it true you and Hayden Christensen are engaged?"

You open your mouth in bewilderment, scoffing loudly.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Rumors are all over the place... but is it true?"

"No! Of course not." You squealed, acting offended before cracking a sly smirk. "We are married." And you show off the rock on your left hand.

PEOPLE GO WILD.

AHHHHHHHH- I could do this forever but I need to shut up :) also let me know if you want more nsfw content about this couple :)

Also some of these are stolen from my hockeyplayer!Anakin Skywalker / hockeyplayer!Hayden Christensen private headcanons. :)

Last pic because this is how I imagine this reader and Hayden backstage:

[runningfrom2am]

cold nights // part twenty-six

summary: you were back in the capitol, and you would be damned if you didn't try your hardest to make it worthwhile.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 7.3k (WOAH)

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: tribute!reader and mentor!coriolanus, r is very sweet (too kind for this world. literally.), sunshine x grumpy trope kinda, he falls first, violence typical for the source material, depictions of mental illness, also she's is very smart (as she should), district twelve!reader.

a/n: sorry i made you guys wait so long for this omg!! i have been booked and busy this week but we are so back :)

my asks are also open to talk about this series! (i do have emoji anons open now too!)

send me any and all of your thoughts! here!

series masterlist // playlist

It's your first day of university, and you don't know if you're more excited or terrified.

It was the beginning of the rest of your life, which is thrilling considering just two months ago you thought you had days left to live. At the same time, though, you knew no one here besides Coryo and Sej, and you didn't share a single class with either of them.

But, staying positive was a must. It would only be a few hours away from them, and you had planned to meet up for lunch with Coryo between your classes, since he had found some for you that started and ended at the same time as his. While you drape your scarf over your shoulders and tuck both ends around the belt at your waist, you smile to yourself. You take a last look in the mirror, to double-confirm that you like the look of the scarf worn that way over your white dress and when you're satisfied you grab your bag and leave your room. Of course, Tybalt is right on your heels.

Walking down the hall, you can hear their grandmother singing the national anthem in the other room, as she always does. You've never loved the anthem or what it stood for, but starting your morning hearing singing is nice nonetheless. Even if the woman who started her mornings with song had decided just to completely pretend you didn't exist, ignoring you at every turn. "Good morning!" You smile as you enter the dining room, Tigris and Coryo already sitting to eat.

"Morning." They both smile at you at the same time as you drop your bag down, sitting next to Coryo. "Are you excited?" Tigris asks as you reach for some apple slices. There are more fancy pastries spread out on the tray as well, but you'd much rather stick to fruit in the morning.

"I am." You grin, biting the slice in half. "A little nervous, though. I must admit."

"You don't need to be nervous." Coryo tells you, and his smile does relax you. But you know he doesn't understand. "I'll walk you to your classes, and I'll see you during our break. It'll be easy and you'll adjust very quickly."

"Aren't you nervous?" You ask, picking up your cup of tea and taking a sip. "It's your first day too."

"Not really." He shrugs, reaching up to mess with his hair. It had only been a few weeks since he cut it, but it was growing back rather quickly. "More excited."

"Oh, well, I'm excited for you too." You hum, taking another bite of your apple and smiling as he pats your leg under the table.

Pulling up to the campus after Coryo insisted that their driver take the two of you, you notice immediately that there were tons more people. Most were people around your age, which you expected. You wonder how many of them are Coryo's other friends, it would be nice to make more friends here. Just like the games. You find yourself thinking. "Safety in numbers", is what Coryo had told you. You needed allies here.

"There's a lot of people." You comment as the car comes to a stop, and Coryo gently squeezes you with the arm he has over your shoulder in the backseat, still shielded by the tinted windows.

"Yes, just stay close to me." He tells you, kissing your cheek. You nod and push the door open, thanking the driver quickly as you climb out with Coryo on your heels.

It's obvious to him almost immediately that you don't fit in. While there isn't a uniform like there was in the academy, he was still wearing dress pants and a button-up shirt- which seemed to be on par with the level of dress all the other students were donning. Mentally, he curses himself for not thinking of that. It didn't even cross his mind- all that did was that you looked beautiful. More done up than he'd ever seen you, and you don't look insecure about it, at least not immediately. Outside of what he can discern of just average nervousness as you seem to shrink in on yourself while you look out over as much of the campus as you can see.

"So, your class starts in twenty-five minutes. Usually, it's a good idea to get there early, that's what I've heard anyway." He tells you as he starts walking down the path toward the doors, and you follow quickly after him.

"How long does it take to get there?" You ask as you catch up, holding onto your bag over your shoulder.

"You tell me." He smirks, jutting out his elbow to gently nudge you. "I have you the tour, where are we going?"

"Oh." You laugh, looking around. "It looks a lot different now. Probably... ten minutes to get to the arts building?"

"About that, yeah." He nods. "In no time you won't need me anymore."

As you approach the entrance to the main building, it doesn't go unnoticed by him that you're being stared at. No doubt every other student here recognizes you, it would be jarring to see a tribute walking among them at school. Let alone be in a class with them. He wonders if they'd feel unsafe with you- he knows he would have without knowing you.

Not necessarily unsafe, considering even watching the games anyone could tell you wouldn't hurt a fly, but... uneasy, is a more accurate descriptor. It even begins to pool in his own stomach, growing more as you link your arm with his. They weren't just staring at you. They were staring at him, too.

"I'll always need you, I'm sure." You giggle, squeezing his arm.

He can practically hear all of their whispers now.

'Is that Coriolanus Snow? That District girl is all over him.'

'She's probably going to give him rabies or some other gross District plague. I won't be surprised if he starts a Monkey Pox outbreak.'

'I heard him and Sejanus Plinth went to District Twelve just for her. They probably came back half animal- no wonder he sees nothing wrong with this.'

Suddenly, he does. Your hold on him, while friendly, feels so sickeningly isolating. He pulls his arm from yours with the excuse of rolling up the sleeves of his shirt while he speaks to you. "Well, we may not always have aligning classes."

"That's true, I suppose." You agree. "An awful shame though, I'll miss being able to have lunch together."

He just hums in agreement, picking up his pace as you move through the halls and out the back exit to be able to access the art building.

"This is you." Coryo says as he stops outside the door to a lecture hall, looking inside briefly before turning his attention to you. There were a few students already inside, reading or organizing their notebooks.

"Oh, thank you." You smile at him. He didn't have much to say on the walk to your class, but you sum that up to him being in a hurry to get to his own. The art building was certainly out of his way, if you remember where all his classes were supposed to be.

"You're welcome." He says, making an effort to match your smile. He could only really focus on the stares you were getting from people walking past, making wide circles around you. You don't seem to notice as you look up at him. "I'll come back to get you after class, so just wait for me, okay?"

"I'll wait right here." You nod, wrapping your arms around him and leaning your head against his chest. "I'll miss you, though."

You feel him tense up under you, and he awkwardly pats your back. You don't clue in until you hear gasps and whispering. You quickly take a step back, cheeks red.

Coryo chuckles nervously. "It's alright, uh..." He leans down to whisper to you. "They're just strict about that kind of stuff here. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." You reply, looking around and smiling apologetically at the few people still staring as they walk past.

"I should have told you, that's my fault." He admits, standing up straight before leaning down to talk to you again. "Good luck in your class. I love you, and I'll see you for lunch." He whispers and is satisfied when that brings your normal smile back.

"I love you too." You whisper back, and he grins, giving you a quick nod. "See you later."

You wave as he walks away, and you take a deep breath before walking into the lecture hall.

Now, you're presented with your second big problem of the day. Figuring out where to sit.

You scan the room quickly, deciding the easiest would be the front or second row. There were a few students already sitting down there, and one girl who was sitting alone. She had blonde hair, and red lipstick that you think would match Coryo's coat that he sometimes wears quite nicely. She looked nice.

You smile as you make your way over to the front row, sliding into the seat next to her. "Hi! My name is Y/N, what's-" You whisper, wanting to stay quiet in the already silent room and before you even finish your question she's shoving things in her bag and getting up. "Oh." You frown, looking around as she quickly moves to a different seat. The shuffle caused everyone who wasn't already looking to stare at you, so you just quickly turned to face the front.

You didn't mean to scare her off, you just thought she might want a friend if she was sitting alone, and you definitely wanted one. She didn't even look at you for more than a second.

You quietly pull the notebook Coryo had given you out of your bag, placing it on the table in front of you and looking up at the clock. There were still fifteen or so minutes until your class would start, so surely by then, someone would sit next to you.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. By the time the man you assumed was your professor entered, every other seat was taken besides the ones next to you. And behind you. There was this glaringly uncomfortable circle of emptiness surrounding you right at the front of the room. It was mildly embarrassing, but at least you didn't have to see everyone staring at you since almost everyone was behind you. But you still had the afternoon class, and the rest of the year to let people warm up to you. It would be okay.

"Okay, I hope everyone is here." Your gaze follows your professor as he shuts and locks the door. "If you're late, that's too bad. I expect everyone to be on time. This door will be locked at nine on the dot. For anyone who doesn't know me, my name is Dr. Nero."

You sit up straighter in your seat. He looks young, probably only ten or so years your senior with well-trimmed but present facial hair and a semi-casual suit. He must be relatively new to the position, and clearly, he took it very seriously.

"Alright, the department wants us to do icebreakers, so we'll get it over quickly. When I call your name on the attendance, tell us something about yourself and what your career goal is."

Shoot. You definitely didn't have any solid plans yet.

As he goes through the list, you wrack your brain for an answer. What did you want to do? Nothing specific. Maybe you'd write a book, maybe open a daycare back home where parents could leave their young ones with you by donation while they went to work. Maybe you'd be back at the library, but you really wanted to do something good with your education. You make a mental note to ask Coryo during lunch what kind of career you can have with a literature degree.

You look around, trying to remember as many names as you can as the other students answer.

"Teacher", "Artist", "Museum Curator", "Gamemaker".

Your eyes are still locked on the student who said that, a boy with dark hair and brown eyes. His name was Cancor Crane, if you remember what the professor had just called out correctly, and he was staring back at you. He was staring at you with such a vile expression that it looked like he wanted to gut you. A chill goes down your spine.

Then your name is called. You turn quickly, smiling nervously. "Hi..." You say, clearing your throat of the dryness that overtook it. "So, my name is Y/N... something about myself is that I have a cat, his name is Tybalt. Um, because my favourite book is Romeo and Juliet." You look around, then quickly back to your desk. "And I am not sure about my career, in all honesty. Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door." You shrug, smiling hopefully at him.

"Interesting." Your professor says, tilting his head at you and leaning back against his desk. "I expected your fact to be that you're a Victor."

"I- well, yes. I am." You reply nervously, twisting your pencil in between your fingers.

He hums. "Congratulations."

Congratulations on being the only one to walk away with your life.

"Thank you." You settle on, voice hardly more than a whisper.

"I've never taught a Victor before. This should be an interesting class for all of us."

You took as many notes as you could through the syllabus overview and first lecture. You were pretty pleased with yourself, everything looked organized and you felt prepared for the rest of the course- besides the textbooks that you needed to pick up. Another thing to ask Coryo about.

You don't see him at the door yet, after all, he had to walk all the way back from his class to yours and if he was let out at the same time he should be here in about ten minutes.

"Miss Y/L/N, do you mind staying for a moment?" Dr. Nero asks as the lecture hall steadily clears out. "I'd like to chat with you."

You quickly gather your things, making your way over to his desk at the front centre of the large room.

"Dr. Nero." You smile, bag tucked under your arm. "I really enjoyed today's class. I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester."

A grin tugs at the corner of his lips. "Thank you."

He doesn't say anything else, and you're left wondering what he wanted you to stay for. "I just need to get my textbooks, but I have the list that you gave us so I'll see if I can grab them this afternoon. I'll have them for Wednesday." You say, just wanting to fill the silence.

"Good." He nods, leaning back against his desk and tucking his hands into his pockets. "I watched your games. When they told me that you enrolled in my class, I was immediately intrigued."

"Oh." What are you supposed to say to that? He watched you at your literal worst, that doesn't make you feel very comfortable at all.

"In a good way, I assure you." He says, sensing your nerves. "I feel as though you know more about English literature than anyone in this city. Maybe even more than me."

"I wouldn't say that..." You chuckle nervously. "I just like reading."

"Yes. With an unprecedented level of comprehension for a District-born child."

You want to scowl and argue with him about how the opinions of the Capitol citizens are based on nothing but their own superiority complex fuelled by their win in one war that cost the lives of many, but instead, you just smile and nod. "Thank you, Sir."

"Although, tributes are not given much of a chance to prove that they are more than animals when they are treated as such from the moment they arrive until the moment they die, wouldn't you agree?"

You tilt your head at him. His motivations and opinions are suddenly unclear and confusing to you. "Yes... I-I would."

"Well, I hope to learn more about your experience while we get to know each other." He tells you. "Thank you for coming."

"Yes, thank you." You say quietly, looking toward the door. "I'll see you on Wednesday."

"Yes, good luck in the rest of your classes." He nods to you, and you take that as your dismissal and head to the door. You would just have to wait for Coryo in the hall.

You wouldn't have to wait long, considering he was already there, right where he had left you earlier.

"Hi!" You smile, waving at him but being mindful of keeping your distance.

"Hello." He grins, already starting down the hall as you join his side.

"How was your class?" You ask excitedly.

"Good." He shrugs. "What about yours? That's what I'm more concerned about."

"It was good!" You smile. "I mean, I tried to talk to people but everyone was pretty quiet. And the Professor was nice. I think. He seemed fascinated by the fact that I'm a 'Victor'." You accentuate your point with finger quotations, bouncing between looking up at him beside you and ahead of you to make sure you don't walk into anyone. They seem to be keeping their distance, though.

"Of course he is." Coryo scoffs, shaking his head. "But that's what we want. He may favour you, so go along with it."

"Oh, okay."

Tigris was nice enough to pack you both lunch for the day, yours consisting mainly of fruit. Something you have noticed over the last couple of weeks you've been here is that some of the food scares you- which is something you never thought of. If you can't somewhat accurately identify what it is just by looking at it, you're tempted to steer clear. Coryo insists you'll "get used to it", something he tells you daily about a wide variety of things, but Tigris doesn't mind packing you fruit for lunch or meals you don't help prepare yourself, which you appreciate.

Even for a September day, the sun is beaming down on the courtyard so you decided to eat outside. After all, Coryo says the weather won't be this nice all winter. You rarely got snow in Twelve, so you were excited for the holidays. Secretly, you hoped you could go home for Christmas.

"It's a beautiful day today." You comment, taking a bite of the fresh strawberry you pulled from your lunch container. The strawberries here were something that shocked you as well- they were bigger than the homegrown ones back home. Not nearly as sweet, though.

"It is." Coryo nods, leaning back on his palms in the grass. "Do you like it here so far?" He asks, squinting from the sun as he looks over at you.

"I mean, I've only had one class as you know, but so far it's great." You grin. "I'm excited to actually dive into the readings and such."

"I mean, like, in general." He chuckles. "Also, I have never heard anyone ever say they were excited about homework."

"A precious, mouldering pleasure it is, to meet an antique book, In just the dress his century wore; A privilege I think." You shrug, smiling at him as you place the rest of the strawberry on your tongue.

Coryo scrunches up his nose in disgust while you chew. "You eat the leaves?"

Quickly, you're covering your mouth with your hand to speak. "You don't?" You ask, voice slightly muffled with the slightly sour fruit on your tongue.

"No!" He laughs, shaking his head.

You swallow what remains of the strawberry in your mouth, preparing to defend yourself when you hear someone call his name. You both turn, and your eyes land on a girl with long, dark hair as she walks toward you. With the shoes she's wearing, she only slightly struggles on the grass.

"Clemmie." He smiles, quickly standing up. You follow suit, brushing the stray blades of grass off of your legs and dress while he gives her a hug. A hug? That must be allowed outdoors. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"Yeah, well, they let me out of my cage for the occasion." She replies sarcastically. She must be hot, wearing a white turtle neck in this heat. Then she looks at you, lifting up her dark sunglasses and resting them in her hair.

She has the eyes of a snake.

You're in shock for a moment, but you quickly recover. "Hello, my name is Y/N. Are you a friend of Coryo's?" You ask, extending your hand to shake. You were just happy to possibly be making friends.

She doesn't take it, something you're used to by now. "Yes, we've known each other our whole lives." She answers, looking down at your hand as you slowly lower it back to your side.

"Y/N, this is Clemensia Dovecote." Coryo says, deciding to introduce you properly, since his classmate didn't want to oblige. "She was a mentor as well."

"Oh, congratulations." You grin, biting back the sickness you felt suddenly bubbling in your stomach. "From what I have heard, even being selected for the opportunity is a large accomplishment. You must be proud."

"Yeah, well, I'd certainly be happier if my tribute won." She shrugs.

"Clemmie-" Coryo hisses at her, and she looks momentarily horrified at her own statement.

You look down, nodding slightly with a nervous smile. "It's okay." You insist, laughing slightly and pretending to readjust your scarf and tighten it around the belt.

"I didn't... Not like that. I'm sorry." She apologizes quickly after Coryo had jumped to your defense.

"No, it's alright. I understand." You tell her again, attempting a reassuring smile. "Would... would you like to eat lunch with us?"

"I have to get going, actually." Clemensia replies, looking between the two of you. "I was just on my way to my next class and thought I'd stop to say hi. It was nice to meet you, Y/N."

"You too." You grin, and she nods at you before walking away.

Your eyes stay trained on her as she crosses the courtyard, and Coryo is once again close enough to speak to you quietly so no one else would hear. "I'm so sorry, she didn't mean it like that."

"No, I know." You insist again, already sitting back down. "It's okay." You smile up at him, patting the patch of grass next to you so he would join you.

"She was supposed to be Reaper's mentor." He tells you as he rejoins you on the ground. "But... something happened before the games. She couldn't participate."

"Oh."

He moves closer. "Do you remember that day we went to tour the arena?" He asks and you nod. "And I was late, and you asked me what was wrong, and I told you nothing?"

You do remember that, and you never got answers, but you remember being worried it was your fault. You almost kissed him the night before, and you had made things weird when he just came to do something nice for you; bringing you a book and some birthday cake. You felt horrible. "Yes, I thought I had done something."

"You? No." He quickly shakes his head. "We had to write a proposal for Dr. Gaul, the head gamemaker, about things that could be done to "improve" the games. Like the bets, donations, sending food, and when we were speaking with her Clemmie got bit by one of the snakes."

You gasp, covering your mouth. He looks around, making sure no one is paying attention. Yes, people were staring, but no one would get close enough to be able to overhear.

"I thought she was dead, but they sent me straight to the arena to meet you." He explains. "And like she said, we've been friends forever so I was... quite upset."

"That's horrible." You frown, resisting the urge to reach for his hand as it sits on his lap next to you.

"Yeah." He agrees quietly. "But I saw her in the hospital after the bombing, she was alive but... different. Crazy."

"Her eyes?" You ask and he nods.

"And she was hallucinating, they wouldn't let anyone see her except me because I was there. She was angry with me because I didn't visit her enough."

"Survivors guilt." You smile sympathetically. It was a feeling you knew all too well.

"That's why she's wearing that shirt." He whispers, nodding to her just as she enters the building ahead of you. "She's got scales."

You cringe at the mere idea of it.

"I know." He laughs slightly. He doesn't look away from his hands in his lap, and while you can see he's smiling and laughing, it's doing little to convince you that he isn't upset. "It was kind of my fault, though."

There it is.

"No, most certainly not." You frown. You just want to hold his hand, surely you won't be caught if you do. You were outside, just for a moment isn't likely to get you in trouble. Especially if he was just hugging Clemensia. "Why do you say that?" You ask, settling instead for resting a hand on his arm.

"I... It's difficult to explain." He tells you, and you say nothing, willing him to continue. "So, our proposal was in the tank. Dr. Gaul told us if the snakes knew your scent, they wouldn't bite. But I wrote the paper, not her, and she made Clemmie reach into their tank and pull it out."

"That's not your fault." You tell him, gently squeezing his forearm.

"I should have stopped her. She would have hated me for telling them she didn't help write it, but none of that would have happened."

"Well, she's okay, isn't she?" You smile hopefully.

"Yes, but she just as easily could have died." He insists. "The only thing that makes me feel slightly better about it is that in a way, she saved you."

You cock your head at him, mouth falling open in astonishment. "I... what?"

He looks up from his lap to check your surroundings again.

"I put the letter you wrote to me into the tank." He whispers, and you have to lean in to hear it. "Because I knew if they knew your scent they wouldn't hurt you."

"You... never told me that." You state the obvious, retreating your hand back into your own lap. Part of you wishes he hadn't done that. They didn't quite catch you getting up into the rafters, his warning had been enough, but you should have walked to your death the following morning when you climbed down and found the note in the first place.

"I just... I don't know, I thought it would be worth more if it stayed a secret. I didn't want you to feel... indebted to me, or something." He admits. "But I'm still trying that thing where I tell you everything I'm thinking. Especially about this stuff."

You nod, putting your focus on picking pieces of grass at your side. "Thank you."

"Please don't thank me." He frowns. "I told you. I had to. I knew I loved you even then, Y/N/N."

You give your head a quick shake, already sensing the spiral it was about to fall down. "Let's not speak about this here." You mumble. "Please."

Immediately, Coryo understands. "Of course." He watches you run your fingers through the grass slowly, and realizes quickly that you are counting them. Now was not the time or place for another attack, and he felt foolish for even bringing the topic of the games up. "What books do you need?" He asks, hoping to get you in better spirits. "Anything that looks good? You said you were excited for the readings."

Your lunch doesn't feel like it lasts long enough, even though you had an hour and a half between your classes. Once you got to talking about your books, the time seemed to fly by and Coryo agreed to take you to the bookstore on campus the following afternoon so you could get all your books at once. He had a few to get as well.

He walked you to your next class, a few floors up in the same building and this time you were mindful to not hug him goodbye. He told you he loved you, very quietly, and you said you loved him too before entering the room. Another lecture hall, slightly smaller than the last one.

You mentally prepare yourself to play this game again. Where to sit, and preferably, finding someone willing to sit next to you. Looking around, you see a couple of girls in the middle of the room chatting away. They looked nice enough.

Preparing your smile as you walk up, you slide into the seat next to them. "Hi there, my name is Y/N." You grin, keeping your voice low. You really didn't want to scare them off. "Can I sit here?"

They look at each other with an expression unreadable to you, before one of them nods. "Yeah, we can't see why not."

"Oh, thank you!" You say excitedly, pulling your bag up onto the desk to grab your other notebook out of it.

"You're the Victor." The other girl comments, and you realize they're both staring at you still.

You suck in a sharp breath through your teeth, nodding. "Mhm."

"So... why are you here?" The girl closest to you with a brunette ponytail asks.

"Oh, well, Coriolanus, he was my mentor, he came to visit me back home and convinced me to come study here." You explain. "I want to have a career. Help my family."

"Oh, we know him." She says, and they look at each other again, chests shaking with laughter they're attempting to conceal.

"You do?" You smile. You knew starting with his friends was a good idea, this is just a happy coincidence that you had decided to sit next to two of them already.

"Yeah, we went to the academy with him." The girl's friend explains. You notice then that they have a very similar hair colour, but hers is cut short and curled just above her shoulders. "He always had such a stick up his ass. Took everything way too seriously."

"That's what my brother said, too." You giggle. You weren't sure if they were being genuinely mean or not, but you decided to air on the side of caution. You wanted friends. "But he is truly lovely. Do you know him well?"

"You could say that." One of them answers vaguely and you just smile, tucking your bag back under the table. "Your bag is... interesting. Where did you get it?"

"Oh!" You say excitedly, lifting it back onto the table. "My Ma made it for me. Isn't it pretty?"

They laugh, and your smile fades. You thought it was very nice, made from pieces of scrapped linens that she had used in other projects, stitched together into a pattern that made up your shoulder bag. It was perfect for carrying your notebooks and pencils, you had brought it to school back home all your life.

"It's... something else." The girl with the short hair nods.

"Does your Ma hate you? That's so sad." The other girl pouts, resting her chin on her hand.

You quickly hide the bag away again at your feet. "No, of course she doesn't." You weren't sure what to say. Why were they being mean? They had been nice to you a moment ago.

"Did she make your dress, too?"

You just nod, chewing on the inside of your cheek.

"Wow, yeah, I could tell." You look down at the words, unsure as to what she could see that could be wrong with it. This was one of your favourites.

Admittedly, it was a little short on you, similar in style and colour to the one you had worn to the Capitol the first time you came. But now, looking at what she was wearing and her friend, both with button-up shirts similar to Coryo's and different coloured blazers with a matching skirt, you realize that your attire is very different. Different vastly from everyone in the room as well, as more students are trickling in.

You didn't think it mattered until now.

You don't get the chance to come up with anything in defense of your dress before she reaches out and grabs at the material of your scarf, rubbing it between her fingers. "This is the scarf you had with you in the games. It doesn't look like your mother made it, though. This is mulberry silk."

You jump a little at the unexpected contact, and they laugh. "Uhm, no, she didn't." You clear your throat. "It's a family heirloom. I'm not sure where it came from." Not entirely a lie, it just wasn't your family heirloom.

"Neat. So, where are you staying?" She asks after a moment.

"With Coriolanus and his family. They've been very kind to me." You smile. Their eyes go wide and they look at each other again.

"You mean, on the Corso?"

"Yes, that's what he told me it's called."

"Wow, you really made yourself comfortable here, huh?"

"Well," You laugh slightly. "It's been an interesting transition, but he's made it much easier. He helps as much as he can."

Simultaneously they pick up on the pink flush of your cheeks as you remember the amount of times he's come running when you had a nightmare, only to bring you water and back to his bed to sleep after. Weirdly enough, he made you feel safer now.

"Oh my god." The girl with the bob laughs. "You like him, don't you?"

"Of course I do. He's my friend." You smile, a little confused. That only makes them laugh more, and you pick up on what they were implying. Quickly, you turn even more pink in the face. "Well, I mean, um..."

"Y/N." You turn your head at the mention of your name, looking up at the girl now standing in front of you. She was smiling, and immediately seemed to have a kinder spirit than the girls you were already sitting with. "Come sit with me, Coryo asked me to save you a seat."

"Oh, okay." You nod, grabbing your things again and standing. You were eager now to get away from those other girls.

"Lysistrata, come on. We were just talking to our new friend." The girl with the ponytail pouts, and you look back at Coryo's friend. She just stares at them, something akin to a warning in her expression.

"Where do you want to sit?" You ask her, still recovering from their mildly embarrassing comment as you stand up.

She just nods toward one of the upper rows and starts walking. "It was nice to meet you." You smile at the girls nervously before following behind her.

"Oh, and Twelve?" You stop and turn when the girl with the ponytail speaks up again. "Good luck with Coriolanus, though I hate to tell you I have a head start. We're actually engaged. But like I said, good luck!"

You feel your face pale and you just nod, quickly turning away and focusing your gaze on the long dark braids belonging to the girl leading you up the stairs.

Your mind is absolutely reeling as you follow her to some seats near the back. You didn't know he was engaged. Honestly, you thought you were kind of his girlfriend. He told you he loved you not ten minutes ago, for god's sake! But maybe it had meant something different to him all along. Was this something they did in the Capitol? Because back home if you kissed someone that meant they were your one and only, but maybe that was very different here. So many things are very different here.

"They aren't engaged. Don't listen to her." Coryo's friend, Lysistrata you think her name was, says as you sit down.

You look over at her. "They aren't?"

"No." She scoffs. "Livia just thinks they're getting married because her daddy wants them to. They hardly ever even talk."

"Oh." You reply quietly, looking down the rows at the girls you were just with. That does ease your panic. "Not... not that it matters to me."

"It's okay." She smiles kindly at you. "To be honest, he hates her." She whispers. "I think you've got a much better chance. He speaks very highly of you."

You blush, smiling back at her. "I don't believe we've met properly. My name is Y/N."

"Nice to meet you." She smiles, and for the first time today, it feels genuine. "I'm Lyssie."

"Did you go to the academy too?" You ask for the sake of making conversation. She seems lovely, and you're excited at the idea of actually having a friend in one of your classes.

"I did." She smiles. "I was Jessup's mentor. Coryo and I worked a lot together during the games."

You chew on your lip, nodding slightly.

Today was just full of draining conversations.

"I'm sorry." She adds quietly. "You all deserved better."

"I'm sorry I didn't stay with him." You whisper. "I regret it every day."

"Don't. You did what you had to do, no one holds anything against you. I think you did the right thing."

You just nod, opening your notebook. You have to hope that once you get all these impossible conversations out of the way and people know you better, you'll have other things to talk about. And maybe one day, the topic won't make you want to cry, throw up, and jump off the nearest building all at once.

"He was one of the best of us. He should have won." You say quietly.

"Don't say that." She smiles sadly at you. "I'm glad it was you if it couldn't be him, and he was very sick. He wouldn't have made it much longer anyway."

"I had to go home and see his family." You felt comfortable talking to her, like she wouldn't judge you. It was a relaxing feeling. "My heart breaks for them, they're good people. And they needed him."

"You know his family?" She asks.

"Not really. We've crossed paths here and there, my Ma helps them on occasion with fixing their clothes." You shrug. "Still, though. From what I know, they try to stay in life. Instead of weeping when a tragedy occurs in a songbird's life, it sings away its grief. I believe we could well follow the pattern of our feathered friends."

"Would you happen to know their address? I would love to write to them. To apologize, that is." She explains and you smile, nodding before scribbling it down in your notebook and ripping out the page to hand to her.

"Thank you."

Another two hours, another "icebreaker", and more stares. You hoped that your classmates would eventually get tired of staring at you, you imagined it would make it quite difficult to take notes or pay attention to the lecture.

You felt almost guilty about it. Coryo didn't tell you that everyone would be so shocked but you shouldn't be surprised. Looking down at your clothes and the scarf that had almost entirely been cleaned of the blood stains it carried back to Twelve, you thought maybe it could have something to do with how you dress. Obviously, it would be distracting if you stood out so much, so maybe fitting in would be better. As much as you love your handmade clothes, maybe they would have to be reserved for time spent at the apartment or on rare days out.

Coryo is waiting outside since he got let out a few minutes early. There was no use in starting a lecture when going over the syllabus took a full hour and a half. When students start pouring out of your room, he looks at everyone waiting to see your smiling face. Well, hoping to see you smiling.

Lysistrata walks out first, and with no sign of you with her he grabs her arm to catch her before she turns the other way.

"Thank you for doing that." He says, smiling sympathetically at her.

"Of course." She grins. "She's lovely, we talked for a bit before class."

"Yeah, she is. Anyway, thanks." He nods at her, dropping her arm and with a kind nod, she's back on her way.

He counts his blessings that he had run into her after leaving you for that class a few hours earlier.

"Hey, Lyssie." He grins, stopping her in the hall as she was on the way to class.

"Coryo. How are you?" She smiles and he shrugs.

"I'm alright." He replies quickly. "What class are you going to?"

"Uh..." She looks briefly at her notes. "Geography. B217."

He sighs in relief, and she looks at him confused and lets him pull her to the side of the hall. "That's Y/N's class, would you mind sitting with her? She told me that this morning that no one would and I know she just really wants to make some friends... Could you do that for me?"

"Y/N? As in Y/N Y/L/N, your tribute?" Her eyes go wide and he nods. She didn't pay any attention to gossip and focussed more on getting from one class to another. She didn't even know that you were here.

He chews on his cheek while he waits for her to respond. If anyone was willing to make that social sacrifice, it would be Lyssie. School was never a popularity contest to her.

"Of course I can. Yeah."

When you walk out not long after her, he's quickly joining your side. Earlier, he felt so uneasy having you all over him with people watching and by now he just missed you. If he didn't know better, he would have decided he didn't care- but he has to.

"How was it?" He asks and you smile, as per usual, but he notes that now you have untucked your scarf and are instead using it to drape back over your shoulders and around your arms and back.

"It was delightful." You say happily, following his steps along the hall. "And yours?"

"Delightful?" He asks, smile tugging at his lips. He can't help it. "That wouldn't be a word I would use, but I would say it was okay."

"Okay is better than awful." You shrug.

"Certainly is." He agrees, leaning down to speak quietly into your ear in the loud hallway. "Missed my girl, though."

"Is that me?" You ask, allowing him to open the door to the building for you.

"Of course it's you." He chuckles as you pass him. "What do you mean?"

You laugh. "Well, I met a girl named Livia in my class and she told me that the two of you were engaged."

Coryo groans, letting the door fall shut as he follows behind you. "No, ew. She's... no. Absolutely not. Maybe if I planned on marrying someone I absolutely despise, then she would be the perfect candidate."

"But that's not what you look for in a woman?" You ask, turning to walk backward in front of him.

"Nope."

"I'll take your word for it." You giggle, seemingly nonchalant about Livia's apparently blatant attempts to scare you away. Coryo wouldn't let that happen, and he's glad you didn't see it that way.

He smiles at you as he rejoins your side.

"Coryo." You say, breaking up the peaceful quiet of your walk home. He looks at you. "I think I shall look for a job."

"A job?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at you. "You don't need a job, we talked about this. Just focus on school."

"No, I know." You say quietly. "But I think I would just like some spending money, perhaps get some new clothes. Wouldn't that be nice?"

His heart sinks unexpectedly. As much as he would love to see you blending in more and embracing the culture that came with living in the Capitol, it didn't feel like that would really suit you. If he wanted a Capitol girl, he could have had one. Apparently, that's not what he wanted anymore, but the more you blended in and became "one of them" like he promised Dr. Gaul you would, the more likely people would be to accept the extent of your relationship. However undefined it may still be.

"If that's what you would like, but you don't have to work for that." He shakes his head. "I told you I would take you to the mall, the one with the ice cream shop. Maybe we can go on Friday." Friday was the first day of your weekend- the one day during the week that neither of you had any classes.

"That would be fun." You smile up at him. "I'll just have a look around, see what people are wearing. Get a better idea of what to save for."

"If that's what you want, love."

taglist: @soulessjourney , @that-veela-girl ,  @dreamyysouls, @rockstarbfs, @maysileeewrites , @baybieruth , @kitscutie,  @fratboyharrysgf0201 , @totallynotkaibiased , @stelleduarte , @secretsicanthideanymore , @bejeweledreverie , @drewsandsebastianswife , @niicole-87 , @queenofshinigamis , @innercreationflower , @nallasstuff , @iovemoonyy , @thatmarvelchick19 , @wearemadeofstardust0 , @regulusblackcore , @puredreamagination , @fantasticchaosthing , @becauseseaotters , @secretsicanthideanymore , @strawberryflavouredkisses

okay suddenly tumblr isn't letting me tag more people than this so i just made some cuts unfortunately :') i just left the max amount of people i could whose users i recognized and see in my notifs all the time :) if you're not on here and you should be i'm so sorry!

also this taglist is closed now!! if you’d like to get a notification when i update, turn on my post notifications!! i promise i won’t spam y'all :,)

[oweninadaydream]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 ||𝐇.𝐀𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲

summary : Haymitch finds solace in a friendship with young (Y/N). Now Haymitch is outside, watching. (Y/N) is in the Arena, fighting.

song inspo: "There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair" - The Great War by Taylor Swift

pairing : Haymitch Abernathy x fem!reader (platonic)

word count : 1.8 k

contains : angst, hurt no comfort, betrayal, found family trope, violence, some gore, death, this story is set way before Katniss and Peeta's games. Also, first time writing for this character so probably a bit OC Haymitch hahaha.

a/n : Here you have my first moodboard !!! I wanted to try and capture the vibes of the story in three images and I'm pretty proud of myself. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story :) PD: shoutout to @sarahisslytherin for being so supportive everytime I have a crisis hahaha. Comments are always appreciated 🩷

“I think it’s time I have another dose of that medicine they've sent'' she said as a cue for him to get up from his spot and hand her the remedy inside the metallic jar. (Y/N) had been sick for a day and a half and, even though it was the boy's fault that they had encountered the monster that had bitten her, she wasn’t holding it against him. She knew she could trust him ; at the end of the day, the male tribute from her district had made an alliance with her and she had been doing everything in her power so that he didn’t die. He stood up and handed her the jar. 

Haymitch had awoken suddenly after falling asleep on the couch while watching the games in the room designated to the mentors. The constant worry was affecting his sleep schedule and his appetite detrimentally. Not for the boy, no ; he didn’t give a shit about that brat who had skipped all the training sessions and had dismissed his mentor every time he tried to give them valuable advice. He was anxiously picking his lips for her, for (Y/N).

People thought Haymitch had met her after the Reaping, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ever since (Y/N) was little, she roamed the District streets in solitude, as her mother had died and her father was extremely neglectful towards her. A younger Haymitch had recently become the District 12's victor and was beginning to develop a certain addiction to alcohol when, one cold afternoon, he encountered a young child by the gates of Victors Village.

Her sparkly eyes caught his tired gaze and a stare contest began. "I don't have time for this bullshit" he crankly thought while looking away. She asked him his name and that if that big house was his. He turned around and wondered whether he should engage in a conversation with the child who obviously had no better place to be at. He noticed the kid was underfed and didn't wear any winter clothes. The heart that had stopped beating after surviving the Hunger games came back to life , like a phoenix being reborn from its ashes. From that day on a very special bond was created between the two unfortunate souls. He was still very grumpy and had a little problem with drinking, but (Y/N) made him want to do better. She was incredibly smart and her sarcasm was one of the very few things that made the former tribute laugh. Their talks and dinners were a secret to the rest of the world ; he couldn't risk hurting the girl he had grown to love as a daughter.

He soon discovered her birthday was the day after the Reaping. This year she would turn 19 and the panic the Reaping used to cause her would finally end. Just one more year of not getting chosen and she could live a peaceful life, just like she had always dreamed of. The latter year Haymitch had been talking about taking her in as his daughter, as her father had also passed away. But before that could happen, the most disgustingly ironic thing happened.

"(Y/N), (Y/N) (Y/L/N)" 

One day, she only needed one more day. But it seemed useless to whine about something that would not change anyway. The other tribute was a boy nobody really talked to, so neither she nor Haymitch had any idea of what to expect from him. To say that the mentor was devastated was an understatement. But he could not show it, his face impassible as ever instead. 

He was there for every meltdown before the dozens of events, for every doubt she could have about how to make it out of the Arena alive, for every nightmare about what fate had planned for her. Haymitch observed with a worried frown how nobody approached (Y/N) during training week ; she was very astute but her mentor had stressed the importance of making alliances in order to have more chances to survive, and seeing how she was going to be all alone out there compressed his chest with acute pain.

He did everything in his power to prepare her for the multiple dangers she could be facing out there. Still, Haymitch’s mind couldn’t help but explore the darkest scenarios ; optimism was never one of his qualities. In the end, the apathetic boy from 12 decided to make an effort at the end of training season and he turned out to be a magnificent and stealthy climber ; he also started to get close to (Y/N) and they decided to team up. The change of attitude shocked Haymitch but since (Y/N) was much more calm and focused, he didn't put too much thought into it.

The District 12 mentor stared at the bright screen in front of him and watched how (Y/N) was sound asleep. The last 3 hours had been pretty dull on their part of the prefabricated habitat : he had gone out to collect some wood and after he had returned, he lit a fire and offered to watch out for any intruders while she slept. 

Suddenly, Haymitch noticed how the young male had started pacing back and forth in a nervous manner. His instinct of suspecting of everything anyone does kicked in very quickly. The tribute started sobbing heavily as he wielded the dagger he had managed to obtain from the cornucopia a few days earlier. His shaky hands lifted the weapon in the air and, with all the strength the teenager possessed, he stabbed her. 

The blade of his dagger penetrated her back with disturbing ease. He felt as if someone had put him on autopilot and, despite (Y/N) turning to feebly try to defend herself from the unexpected attack, he kept her still against the cold ground and continued to inflict the fatal wounds.

Her shuddering screams reached her assailant's ears like a distant echo. On the television, however, (Y/N)'s last words were perfectly understandable. His name. She was screaming his name. Haymitch couldn't quite detect whether the screams were a conscious call as a hurried form of farewell or a primal instinct in search of comfort triggered by a delusional pain that caused her to abandon all logic or coherent thought. If he had to bet, he would go for the second option, considering how quickly she was bleeding to death and the panicked expression on her face as she realized her life was rapidly coming to an end.

The stabs were becoming significantly weaker and that could only mean that the adrenaline rush that had originally enabled him to act in favor of his secret plan had slowly faded, only to leave him stranded in the tragic reality he had created. The screams stopped quite quickly, as she was choking on her own blood. The lack of cries caught the attention of the aggressor, who looked down and saw how (Y/N) breathed out for the last time. His shirt was a crimson mess. However,  nothing could compare with the bloody puddle that was coming out of her body. 

Leaving no time to mourn or process the scene in front of him, the Careers appeared and found the violent scene already over. Without an ounce of remorse or repulse, one of the District 1 tributes made their way towards the paralyzed teen and the corpse.

“There’s no time to waste. Give us her supplies, we’ll take them to our hidden spot in the skirts of the mountain. Meanwhile, you must go to the Cornucopia and bring some more food and weapons. You’ll join us later” The commanding voice of the male tribute intimidated the boy from 12 who obediently began to hand them what used to be (Y/N)’s : the matching axes, the food she had collected and had determined to be safe to consume, the medicine that was supposed to help her heal from the bites of the venomous creature. 

Haymitch beheld the horrific scene shown on the gigantic TV totally disassociated from reality ; he couldn’t move but the uneasiness crawling up his skin created a tight and uncomfortable feeling that he urgently needed to shake off. How could the boy be so stupid, so naive ? The Careers would kill him after he had completed the tasks they had ordered him to do; he was just a pawn in their master plan to win that hellish competition.

The camera pointed towards the interior of the cave where the body of the young woman laid still. Haymitch could barely recognize the corpse; that could not be the girl that brought light back to his life after living in the dark for so long or the young adult who respected him but also held him accountable when he messed up. No, that was not her. His brain could not assimilate the idea of her dying in such a vile and miserable way. That scum, poor excuse of a man would regret breaking his word, backstabbing his daughter like only a coward would.

He wished him a slow, painful and sanguinolent death. Actually, he wished he could have entered that damned Arena and done the job himself ; if you want something done right do it yourself, right? After a couple of seconds, the sound of the canyon and the image of (Y/N) projected in the sky appeared on the TV and as fast as they came, they disappeared from the screens, moving on to something much more entertaining for the expecting audience. 

He quickly excused himself from the room before anyone could begin to notice the grief in his expression. In the quietness of his private room, he started wailing and throwing everything in his way around, tearing all his belongings to pieces as a way to channelize his pain. After a while, he stopped only to approach the drinks cabinet provided by the generous Capitol, and he poured himself one of the many drinks he would have that night and the days to follow.

His heart began to develop another stone wall around itself, but this time it would never ever be destroyed, not like (Y/N) had managed to all those years ago. This time he would drown all his sorrow and any kind of emotion in all the types of liquors he could find. He would close himself to the world ; nobody would carve him open again, nobody would get so close to the real version of himself. He vowed then and there to abandon all hope and just let the years go by until the arrival of his final day. 

He exited the room only to sit on the balcony floor. While staring at the night sky, he felt a tear rolling down his left cheek ; after releasing a shaky breath, he raised the glass that contained his numbing remedy and murmured : 

" 'till we meet again, sweetheart"

[onwhatcaptain]

hi i didn’t know what Star Trek was until i came across your fic it’s so. Real. poor McCoy bruh nobody’s gonna know what he went through …I guess it’s not entirely gone, but still. He didn’t get the three socks metaphor.

YOU TRICKED ME. canon divergent LIEEE LIEEEE

The way you omit time travel as a tag is craaazyy (I love time travel) AND AND THE SUNMARY BEING

“About men who love each other” LIKE NOT TWO MEN but all THREE

I do have one question though. If McCoy said “tell him you missed him” and set up the holo night, then in the first timeline had McCoy already gone back at that point and failed?

Hi! So I saw your comment on AO3 (please forgive me if it takes a moment to reply, I have an enormous backlog of comments to get around to after I took a break when the fic ended!) and I knew I absolutely had to ask you these burning questions: how did you find my fic if you didn't know what Star Trek was? What inspired you to read it?

I am beyond thrilled that you enjoyed the story and so touched that you read it all the way through without having seen Star Trek, but I absolutely have to ask what the story behind this is if you're willing to share with me!

It's definitely still canon divergent in a sort of way! At least in my figurative and literal book if you know the episode that inspired this novel, it would definitely be considered divergent:) I wanted to keep things as spoiler-free as possible to retain the surprise and emotional weight of the story, so I made the decision early on to not tag where the plot or ending was going, which definitely threw a lot of people off! Sorry for the trickery!

I ADORE that you pointed out the summary. I was actually shocked when I was reading this ask, because it was absolutely intentional and a huge part of the foreshadowing, but you're the only reader to my knowledge that has consciously noticed that choice, and you haven't even seen Star Trek!! Amazing!! I have such a big smile on my face right now!

More below because I realize this is getting long already!

As for poor McCoy, it is truly tragic nobody will know what he went through. In Star Trek, a lot of fans (rightfully) emphasize the love between Kirk and Spock, which I feel is only kept alive because of McCoy's quiet love for them both in the background as he takes care of them. In a way, it's a tribute to love that goes unnoticed, unseen.

With regards to your question, it's a great question! And I don't have a perfect answer for it, because it's entirely paradoxical. The first half of the story can only happen if the second half happens, because Kirk and Spock would not act on their feelings without the existence of the holo night and McCoy's intervention. But in the original timeline, they still die even though McCoy's actions in the latter half of the novel seem to exist. It's totally circular. It's expounded on somewhat in Forever and a Day, where McCoy tries to make sense of the same question and concludes that even if he does succeed, they will still die.

McCoy tries not to think about the horrifying implications. The knowledge that no matter what he did, he could not undo their deaths. To live, they would always need to die.

This doesn't necessarily mean that McCoy has gone back before, but it raise some serious questions about metaphysics and leaves a lot unanswered, because the two events now cause each other, and they also contradict each other. I actually took a stab at explaining the metaphysics in way greater detail in the fic originally, but my beta reader (correctly) told me this would confuse readers. So because it's confusing, I later just wave my sci-fi authorial wand to try and convince you to go along with it! :)

"And I like how the paradox makes no sense.” “I reckon it’s not meant to. They never do."

I do have to say, I recommend giving Star Trek a watch if you were interested! I think it's an amazing show. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read a whole novel about a show you had no idea about!!

[jennyboom21]

In 2023 actor Sophia Bush made headlines when she filed for divorce one year after a storybook wedding. By the fall it was public knowledge that she was in a new relationship. With a woman. The internet seemed to be foaming at the digital mouth for a scandal, but to those who knew her, it was clear she’d never been more herself. Here, in her own words, Bush speaks to the power of finally learning to listen to her intuition.

In April of 2022 I was close to calling off my wedding. Instead of running away, I doubled down on being a model wife. In 2023 my now ex-husband posted a lovely tribute to our first anniversary on Instagram. When I saw it, I felt the blood drain from my face. Fans and friends were telling me how exciting this milestone was and how happy I looked. I felt nothing. Things hadn’t been easy at home, but everyone says marriage is hard, right? As the day wore on, I felt mounting pressure from strangers online waiting for me to post something—what a strange part of public life to have to navigate—so I sat myself down and chose a picture.

It was a black-and-white photograph of us running away from the camera. Yes, I see the bittersweet irony now. I wrote a really nice story about the people in that picture. Except it was just that: a story. I typed something about how incredibly happy I was and tried to drown out the familiar voice in my head. Make it look easy. Make it look perfect. If your smile is shiny enough, maybe no one will notice that up close all of your teeth are broken. But sometimes broken is just broken.

I hit post. And then I walked into the bathroom and threw up.

I believe in people and ideas so deeply—and those feelings are often so powerful to me—that I hadn’t realized I’d spent the last two decades moving through life showing up for others but often turning my back on myself. This time things felt different. Maybe it’s just cold feet, I told myself. Maybe I was too sensitive. Maybe this was the feeling you get when you settle down later in life and have to make space for another person. There have been moments in my life when it feels like the universe is screaming at me to pay attention. This was one of them, but I didn’t listen.

I kept repeating the adages we all know so well: Relationships are hard. Marriage takes compromise. You know the rest. And so I got married. We threw one of the greatest wedding weekends ever. We had an amazing time with our closest friends and family. It was truly one of the best parties I’ve ever been to, and we raised a ton of money for charity. I don’t regret any of that.

But after the wedding I found myself in the depths and heartbreak of the fertility process, which was the most clarifying experience of my life. It feels like society is finally making space for brutally honest conversations about how hard and painful any fertility journey is, but I kept mine private. I was trying to get through months of endless ultrasounds, hormone shots, so many blood draws that I have scar tissue in my veins, and retrieval after retrieval, while simultaneously realizing the person I had chosen to be my partner didn’t necessarily speak the same emotional language I did.

As I lost track of how many examination tables I had lain on alone, I felt something in me seismically shift. Six months into that journey, I think I knew deep down that I absolutely had made a mistake. It would take my head and heart a while longer to understand what my bones already knew.

And that’s why, when I got an opportunity to do a play in London, I had to go. I had to get out of our house. I had to get onstage. I had to get back in my body. Maybe that could shift things. Maybe that would jump-start the joy I’d been chasing. The play slowly began to put me back together. It was grueling, and it was also the most exhilarating experience. I loved every second of it.

But the book doesn’t lie. The body does, in fact, keep the score. When half of our company went down with a virus, everyone recovered fast except for me. I continued to decline. I would put every fiber of my being into my performance onstage, and then be packed in bags of ice as soon as the curtain closed. I spent multiple nights in the hospital, I was pumped with endless amounts of fluids, I underwent cardiac testing and organ monitoring. It was clear that my body was screaming and I had to listen. It was hard for me to accept. I was part of a team. But I needed to go home, where my doctors (and, truthfully, my health insurance) could get a better handle on my symptoms. My time in London was over. So was my marriage. It all came crashing down at once.

During the summer of 2023, I moved back into my empty home in LA. I was separated and preparing to file for divorce, and groups of women in my life started opening up about issues they were going through in their own homes. It seemed like every week there were more of us, including [former US soccer player] Ashlyn [Harris], whom I’d first met in 2019 and who was in the process of figuring out her own split from her wife. She’d been such a kind ear for those of us who opened up about our problems during a shared weekend of speaking engagements at a fancy conference in Cannes, and soon it became clear that she needed our ears too.

For those of us who had no solution in sight or Hail Marys left, having this community changed everything. We really wrapped one another up in support. It was tragic and hard. But it was also beautiful. There were moments of incredible sadness because no one signs up to get married thinking it’ll end. The days when we knew people needed to laugh, we sent inspirational memes and silly TikToks. We read books written by great therapists and shared emo quotes from poets. Our “Begin Again” Amazon shopping list, which we created for the ones moving out and starting over, has now been forwarded to so many other women.

I didn’t expect to find love in this support system. I don’t know how else to say it other than: I didn’t see it until I saw it. And I think it’s very easy not to see something that’s been in front of your face for a long time when you’d never looked at it as an option and you had never been looked at as an option. What I saw was a friend with her big, happy life. And now I know she thought the same thing about me.

It really took other people in our safe support bubble pointing out to me how we’d finish each other’s sentences or be deeply affected by the same things. When you’re so in the trenches of hardship—plus you have the added weight of having to go through it on a public stage—it can be hard to see anything but what’s right in front of you.

It took me confronting a lot of things, what felt like countless sessions of therapy, and some prodding from loved ones, but eventually I asked Ashlyn to have a non-friend-group hang to talk about it.

And that meal was four and a half hours long and truly one of the most surreal experiences of my life thus far. In hindsight, maybe it all had to happen slowly and then suddenly all at once. Maybe it was all fated. Maybe it really is a version of invisible string theory. I don’t really know. But I do know that for a sparkly moment I felt like maybe the universe had been conspiring for me. And that feeling that I have in my bones is one I’ll hold on to no matter where things go from here.

But there was a lot that quickly turned ugly too. People looking in from the outside weren’t privy to just how much time it took, how many painful conversations were had. A lot of effort was made to be graceful with other people’s processing, their time and obligations, and their feelings. What felt like seconds after I started to see what was in front of me, the online rumor mill began to spit in the ugliest ways. There were blatant lies. Violent threats. There were accusations of being a home-wrecker. The ones who said I’d left my ex because I suddenly realized I wanted to be with women—my partners have known what I’m into for as long as I have (so that’s not it, y’all, sorry!).

The idea that I left my marriage based on some hysterical rendezvous—that, to be crystal-clear, never happened—rather than having taken over a year to do the most soul crushing work of my life? Rather than realizing I had to be the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, on a public stage, despite being terrified to my core? It feels brutal. Just because I didn’t want to process my realizations in real time on social media and spell them out for the world doesn’t mean the journey wasn’t long and thoughtful and exhaustive.

It’s painful to be doing deep work and have it picked apart by clueless strangers. Everyone that matters to me knows what’s true and what isn’t. But even still there’s a part of me that’s a ferocious defender, who wants to correct the record piece by piece. But my better self, with her earned patience, has to sit back and ask, What’s the fucking point? For who? For internet trolls? No, thank you. I’ll spend my precious time doing things I love instead.

I don’t believe it’s my place to discuss details of Ashlyn’s circumstances or her children, but I will say that I am absolutely in awe of her relentless integrity. The way she prioritizes and centers her kids, not only in her life but in the core of her being, is breathtaking to behold. Falling in love with her has sutured some of my own childhood wounds, and made me so much closer to my own mother. Seeing Ashlyn choose to not simply survive, but thrive, for her babies has been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed a friend do. And now I get to love her. How lucky am I?

I sort of hate the notion of having to come out in 2024. But I’m deeply aware that we are having this conversation in a year when we’re seeing the most aggressive attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community in modern history. There were more than 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills proposed in state legislatures in 2023, so for that reason I want to give the act of coming out the respect and honor it deserves. I’ve experienced so much safety, respect, and love in the queer community, as an ally all of my life, that, as I came into myself, I already felt it was my home. I think I’ve always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum. Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. I can’t say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great.

Would I have liked to make the public part of this journey a choice for myself, and not have it taken from my lips and set ablaze by gossip blogs and bottom-feeder online bots? Of course. I’m very aware, though, as we discuss bullying and harassment and being outed without consent—that I’m incredibly lucky this happened in my adulthood. I really love who I am, at this age and in this moment. I’m so lucky that my parents, having spent time with Ash over the holidays, said, “Well, this finally looks right.” I know it could have gone differently.

We’ve all learned about kids who have taken their own life after being outed or who have been killed simply for being who they are in a place or time that is threatened by their expressed joy. I am so lucky to be here, now. I have real joy. It took me 41 years to get here. And while I marvel at it, I will also make space for people’s pain. But I will not carry anyone’s projected shame. When I take stock of the last few years, I can tell you that I have never operated out of more integrity in my life. I hope that’s clear enough for everyone speculating out there, while being as gentle as I possibly can be.

After the news became public, my mom told me that one of her friends called her and said, “Well, this can’t be true. I mean, your daughter isn’t gay.” My mom felt that it was obvious, from the way her friend emphasized the word, that she meant it judgmentally. And you know what my mom said? “Oh honey, I think she’s pretty gay. And she’s happy.”

I finally feel like I can breathe. I don't think I can explain how profound that is. I feel like I was wearing a weighted vest for who knows how long. I hadn’t realized how heavy it was until I finally just put it down. This might sound crazy—but I think other people in trauma recovery will get it—I am taking deep breaths again. I can feel my legs and feet. I can feel my feet in my shoes right now. It makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time.

It is so, so scary to do the brave thing, to say, “I’m just not happy.” Especially if you’re in a partnership and you have to say it first. But if you do it, you get the chance to be happy. To find your joy. I turned 41 last summer, amid all of this, and I heard the words I was saying to my best friend as they came out of my mouth. “I feel like this is my first birthday,” I told her. This year was my very first birthday.

[riaaanna]

Queen Fanclub Convention 2023 Part 1: First Impressions

Hello again! This will be another series of posts on my time at the Official Queen Fanclub Convention 2023! This is the first time I've ever joined the convention, and I signed up as a member last year just to be able to go here.

The convention ran from 6-9 October 2023 and took place at Haven Golden Sands Holiday Park, Mablethorpe. Mablethorpe is in the east, which I've never really been to and trains don't really go there from Manchester. Apparently this has been the traditional venue over the years. It's a holiday park by the beach where we stay in caravans and the main events took place in a big hall. I was a bit wary of it at first because it was unfamiliar but it turned out to be quite nice.

Travelling there would have been a chore from Manchester. I would have had to take a total of four(?) hours of train with two changes and get off at Skegness before taking an hour of shuttle to the venue. But fortunately I didn't have to, thanks to my friend and saviour Ian who very kindly allowed me to tag along from Stafford (only an hour from Manchester) all the way to Mablethorpe. He was the reason I survived the entire convention so big cheers to him from here on!

Here's the full programme for the convention! As you can see lots of fun things ahead - but we'll cover the first welcome night for now!

I decided to arrive as per schedule but it was already so crowded and I struggled to find a spot, until I managed to get one at the back near the bar. So learned my lesson from then on to always come in early if I ever want to get a good spot to see the stage and screens clearly (and avoid the horribly noisy bar). While a good portion of people were properly paying attention to the event there was also about half the room who were just chattering among themselves and catching up with each other. So from early on I could already tell that the place is full of regulars, treating the event as a reunion more than anything. (Looking at photos from previous years, you can tell that "Queen Convention" banner on the stage has been reused too many times lol)

It was a bit intimidating to come in as a newbie (and I missed that newbie welcome session too). I told the reception desk I was new and they were very welcoming. I didn't expect them to do anything for me but then just before the event started, Queen Fanclub president herself Jacky came up to my table just to say hello to me the newbie! She was so nice and really made sure I felt welcome. The picture below is from a later night but here is she!

It was about an hour ish of meeting new friends (including Cilla who ended up being great company through the entire weekend - big shoutout to her!! 🥺💖) and chatting before the event started. Jacky made a lovely welcome speech, which specifically made sure newbies feel welconed right after our chat! And we received a welcome video from Brian - filmed on the first day of the QAL tour in the US just before they went on stage. Credits to David Taylor for the first part of the video which I merged with mine (Brian's part).

Afterwards there was also Doug Bogie (left) making an appearance on stage. He is apparently an active regular at the Queen Convention, being involved behind the scenes and everything, which I didn't know and is pretty cool. Aside from him Barry Mitchell was also quite active but has apparently recently taken ill (right), so we all sent him well wishes (and later on wrote on a huge get well soon card for him).

And finally - the band of the night! Live Killers (a Queen tribute band) took the stage and this was the second time I saw them live, the first being in Montreux. They were with a different vocalist iirc, but they were just as fantastic! And as a bonus... Tim Staffell made a surprise appearance on stage and sang Doin' Alright with the band!

Overall a great first night! I didn't want to stay up too late so I could prepare for the next full day. The next few posts will mostly focus on each guest panel, as they're the highlights and main reasons for me coming to the convention. As always thank you for reading!

[mmkin]

Home from the Sea/Get You Some Arlong - final chapter

Sniffle, sniffle. My very first Arlong story is now complete. I feel a little sad but also proud. This was my first ever Canon x Reader story and I'm really pleased with how it turned out, it was a lot of fun to write and was also a unique challenge for me to write a Y/n. It also got me deeper into the One Piece rabbit hole, lol.

Link to AO3 here, also under the beautiful Arlong pictures here.

All feedback/reviews/comments are very much welcome and appreciated!

Content warning - some smut, mention of violence, but nothing readers of this tale have not already seen.

XI

o0o0o0o

Arlong has sunk a fair amount of ships over the years. Marine, pirate, or otherwise. To support the ever-growing Arlong Village, he’s sent fishmen into the depths to salvage what they can of said ships. On occasion, a treasure or some other stash is found. And when the Arlong Pirates capture ships nowadays, he’s more inclined to keep them than just sink them. After all, he no longer leads just a crew, but an entire tribe of seafolk, and he takes his responsibility to care for them seriously.

It also gives the humans forced to pay Arlong tribute an easier way to come up with that money. They can come to Arlong Village and sell their wares, instead of having to venture outside of Arlong’s territory. It used to be that keeping an influx of money coming to the Arlong Empire, Arlong had to let the humans travel overseas to sell their wares. Wily bastard he was, he only gave out these permits to humans who had loved ones who remained on the islands. The message was clear. Fuck up, or contact the Marines, and bad things will happen to your loved ones.

Brutal, but effective. But hey now there’s Arlong Village, so the nearby islands don’t have to travel as far to make the money needed for their tributes, and you’ve also convinced Arlong to allow the towns to pay some of the tribute in crops, to make it easier for Arlong to feed his growing tribe.

You and Arlong are out for a casual stroll in the village, looking over the most recent construction projects. It’s a beautiful and sunny day, and the birds are singing. The waves are crashing against the shore and piers, and there is a mild breeze. Your mate is at your side, and you feel secure in his presence.

“I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner,” Arlong grumbles as he looks around at the fishmen strolling about happily.

“All things in good time,” you quip as you hook your arm around his. A few people greet or chat with Arlong and you remain near him while you look around, enjoying the sights and sounds. There’s a small but bustling market, and several fishmen relax in lawn furniture. A couple is coming up the streets, and you see the husband has a baby slung to his chest in a wrap, a strong arm curved under the baby for extra support. The infant babbles softly, grabbing his father’s collar with a pudgy webbed hand.

The couple greet Arlong and he chats with them for a couple of moments. They came here half a year ago from the Fishman District and have made no secret of how better they consider this place than the dumping ground of Fishman Island. The wife had been heavily pregnant back then, and knew she didn’t want to raise her child in the District.

You all move along, and when you look up, you see a wistful look on his face. It’s not too hard to figure out what he’s been thinking about after seeing that baby with its father.

o0o0o0o

You’ve only known Arlong for two years. From what you’ve heard, he had plenty of anger and hate in his youth (and yes, he still holds onto a fair amount of it) but it seems like he’s mellowed out a bit. Many of his tactics remain the same, but he’s changed or honed others with your advice. The Arlong Empire is relatively small compared to the entire world, but it is now a solid presence in the East Blue. With some humans seeing that there is a chance to get promoted in the Arlong Empire, this increases the support in Arlong’s favor, even if by only a few points.

Twenty years ago, Arlong would have scoffed at this notion, but as he’s come to learn over the years, not all humans deserve to be crushed underfoot. He’s still pretty hateful, but he’s learned how to better channel that hate into something productive rather than self-destructive to himself and his goals.

o0o0o0o

Although things are mostly peaceful within the Arlong Empire, there are times when Arlong resorts to violence. There’s only so much you can do to rein him in after all, and when it comes to would-be slavers trying to kidnap fishmen, or Marines coming to challenge Arlong, all you can do is stand back and let him and his warriors do what they will. And you have to admit, it’s sexy to see your mate in action, defending his nakama and tribe.

o0o0o0o

“You looked absolutely sexy out there, swinging your Kiribachi,” you say with a purr as the two of you savor the crew’s latest victory. The crew is at Arlong Park, having a party, but you and Arlong have decided to sneak off to be by yourselves.

He basks in the glow of your praise as you cup his angular face in your hands. And he really does look sexy when his strength is on full display. Shark on Darts, or throwing water at humans, or swinging his sword, eyes wild with warrior’s spirit as he takes down the people who would enslave his people or try to take territory away from him.

“Thinking about it gets me all hot and bothered,” you growl into his ear as the two of you grope one another.

“I can tell,” he replies with a chuckle as his hand moves between your legs.

“What are you going to do about it then, big boy?” you tease, seeing the glint in his eyes.

“What the hell do you think I’m going to do, Y/n?” he replies with a throaty growl, his fingers curling up against you. You shudder and arch against him. Oh yes, you know the answer only too well… There are different ways you can phrase it, but they all have the same end result.

You moan his name as he sinks into your hot, receptive tightness.

“Mine, all mine,” he growls softly, swaying his hips against you. His large, webbed hands lift your legs up, pushing them back so he can press into you more firmly, grinding against you and causing you to whimper in agreement at his words.

“I need you, Arlong,” you moan when there’s a pause in the frenzied rhythm and you’re able to speak coherently. “Need you so fucking bad. My sharkman.”

“You have me, all of me, and I’m going to pound every inch into you until you can’t walk.” And yes, that’s exactly what he’s doing and will continue to do.

“Hey… don’t threaten – ah! – me with a – hngh! – good time!”

He gives you a mock threatening growl, snapping his teeth at you as he continues to pound into you. You snap your teeth back at him, and he grins.

“Yes, take it all, Y/n.”

“All… and more…” you manage to gasp before he gives out a short, sudden growl, his fingers digging into the back of your thighs as he releases his pent-up load into you. He growls softly against your ear, breathing against it before nibbling along the side of your face.

“Mine, all mine,” he growls as he continues to kiss and nuzzle you, mindful of his nose.

“Always?” you ask with a pleased purr, clenching around him as he remains inside of you, running your fingers along his back and fin.

“Always and forever.” He presses his lips along your shoulders, his hands sliding from your legs to your hips as he holds you. “Sweet Y/n, do you think I would ever let you go?” he asks half-teasingly.

“I certainly hope not,” you shoot back as you nibble along his jaw and ear. “You’re stuck with me.” Your tentacles wrap around his middle, and he gives out a playful growl.

It doesn’t take much to renew his ardor when he’s in this sort of mood, and he’s pounding into you again.

“Keep going like that,” you moan as you arch against him. “Fill up my womb.”

His purring growl fills your ears as he does exactly what you ask.

o0o0o0o

You are in the pool, a floating noodle under your knees and another one under your shoulders. The park is closed so only the highest-ranking members of Arlong’s crew can roam around at these hours, so besides you, there’s just Chew and Hatchan, taking the opportunity to relax as well by lounging in the poolside chairs and sipping the drinks they’ve mixed for themselves.

None for you though… at least not for the time being. You rest your hand on your gravid belly, feeling a kick as Arlong’s child asserts its presence. The pregnancy wasn’t too bad at first, but as your belly grows bigger, so does the inconvenience. You’re looking forward to motherhood, but you wish that the journey was at least a little easier. Nowadays, you’re more comfortable in the water, where your belly doesn’t feel so heavy.

A fin slices through the water, and Arlong appears at your shoulder before swimming around you.

“Do you know how sexy you look, floating around in your swimsuit?” he asks with a soft purr. You let out a small scoff of disbelief, and he smirks at you before reaching out and resting his large hand on your stomach.

“I know you’re ready for this to be over. But I’ll admit you look cute like this. After all, it’s my child you’re carrying,” he says with pride in his tone. “And we had fun making it, didn’t we?”

You can not help but roll your eyes a little at that. But you know he’s right. And he is also providing a safe place for you and your baby, surrounded by your nakama and friends.

“We have fun regardless of what the end result is,” you tease him back.

“Mmm,” he agrees, pressing kisses along your shoulder as he remains at your side, floating with you contentedly.

o0o0o0o

This story has run its natural course. In the future, I might be inspired to add another chapter or two here, but right now, I am satisfied with what I have done with this story and want to end it on a high/sweet note.

This started out last year as a collection of smutty headcanons for the sharkman when I started simping for him after watching OPLA. But as the story and Arlong’s relationship with Y/n developed (and I started watching the anime and the Sabaody and Fishman Island arcs) it became much more than just headcanons (although the headcanons were incredibly fun to write!) and I wanted to see what could happen if I wrote about an Arlong that never lost his park and actually managed to have some wisdom and character growth despite being an asshole because let’s be real, you can’t have Arlong without at least a bit of assholery, lol.

But don’t worry, this is not the end of my Arlong fangirling. I have started a new story, the Siren’s Shark, which is about Arlong after he loses Arlong Park. Squid has taken on such a life and personality of her own that I no longer call her Y/n in my head, so I have christened her with the name Yolande. If you’re into the whole Marvel and DC multiveral mayhem that seems to be the cool thing nowadays, you can consider the new story a multiversal alternate reality version of Arlong and his squid. It will be less sweet and fluffy than this story, but will have the usual quality fishman love you can expect of me :)

All feedback/reviews/comments are very much welcome and appreciated!

[piper-mcqueen-ask-blog]

Lost Trio/ Hunger Games Victors au

Details under the cut for y’all that wanna hear my ironic and parallel backstories and how they won [TRIGGER WARNING]:

Leo: He's from District 2 [Masonry and Weapons manufacturing] and his arena in the Hunger Games was an active volcano sight. The cornucopia was really just the ring of the volcano. He paired up with a girl called Hazel from District 12 [Mining and coal] for a little while until she was buried underground after an earthquake. Leo's shoulder was burned badly from the first eruption and he lost all hearing in his left ear. The other Tribute from District 2 was a career named Nyssa, who was stabbed in the back by Silena [District 1, Luxury].

He disassembled the mines where the Tributes start and skirted around planting them in peoples hideouts while they fought each other. He also rolled them down the side of the volcano onto the Careers pack led by Octavian, who killed the girl from his district, Gwen, less than a day into the Games. Leo blew up fifteen people and a guy called Beckendorf, who saw the trap and stayed by the bomb anyway until Leo set them all off and won The Hunger Games.

Jason [+Thalia]: He is part of the only family to have two Victors.

Thalia Grace won her games years before by leading the careers pack. Her Games became famous as the last eight Tributes were all female. This is because she and the female careers killed most of the male Tributes. The boy she came with, Luke, stepped off his platform before the Games started in protest towards the Capitol. Her arena flooded after a dam burst and she climbed a pine tree to escape. There were electric eels in the water that killed her ally, Percy [District 4]. Percy had killed a girl from District 12, Bianca, and his death left Thalia the soul survivor.

Jason is a Tribute from District 5 [power and electricity] who was dragged into the Careers pack until it fell apart a day into the Games. This was because his Arena was a desert without food or water that pushed Tributes back into the centre using electric storms and rabid animals. He allied with a boy called Frank, and Reyna, who was from his District, until she was impaled by one of the cacti that burst from the ground spontaneously. There were riots in District 5 when she died. Jason and Frank buried her in the sand. The boys were driven to caves in the dunes by a lightning storm that wiped out a lot of Tributes, including Dakota, who went made halfway through the Games.

Mutts cornered them in the cave. Frank got rabies from a bear hybrid and Jason got it from him after Frank chewed off his arm. He killed Frank and the rest of the wolf mutts. He then ripped apart three other Tributes and lost half his other arm. He was eventually knocked out by a brick thrown by Hylla, who came with Reyna. Hylla died of blood loss, as Jason had bitten her throat. He fell into a coma and was awoken as Victor four hours later.

Jason sustained permanent amnesia and remembered nothing.

Piper: Piper is from District 1 [Luxury]. She is a Career and it was rumoured that her father, who was in a position of power in the Capitol at that time, rigged the Reaping. No enquiries were made, and Piper went through to the Games.

She was part of a quarter quell.

All of the Tributes had had a sibling die in another Game.

This changed the one boy one girl rule. Piper and Drew went in together, as Silena had been attacked by a Mutt snake the year before in an arena based of the Capitol city. Before they got into the Arena, Piper allied with a boy from District 12 called Nico and Clarisse from District 2.

There was a reference to each dead sibling in the Arena, which meant random terrain, a lot unhinged animals, and freakish natural disasters. If a sibling had been killed by another Tribute, it was still worked into the Arena.

A boy called Harley was blown up by a landmine, as well as Connor. His brother Travis was dragged into a pit by a flock of birds that latched onto his feet. He didn't come back out. Castor ran through a lightning storm until he reached the Cornucopia, where Piper had set up base after Drew was dissolved in a lake of acid that Piper had pushed her into. More Tributes gathered at the Cornucopia as ally's. Nico had stabbed a blind boy called Tyson with a trident that he'd been sent into the Arena holding, and then Clarisse was taken down by a pack of mutts with rabies. She killed six of them with her bare hands until the GameMakers had to send more in and one of the mutt snakes got her in the heart.

Piper filled up everyone's water bottles with the acid.

She killed seven of them that way.

Piper slit Annabeth's throat herself, with a jagged bone sword that Annabeth had been sent up with. Her brother Malcom's bones had been torn out by Will, the victor of those games, who was sent in again for the quarter quell with a Trident matching Nico's. Will drank the acid on purpose.

Finally Nico requested to be buried in the dirt after he asked to be killed with the trident. He wanted to die like both of his sisters. There were riots in District 12 after Piper obliged. All three of the mayors children had died in the games.

Piper won her games and went to the capitol afterwards, where she had a string of fancy lovers.

[thestylesindependent]

Harry Styles has had one hell of a year, ensuring that going forward his career will never be the same as it was. In addition to the release of his third solo studio album, Harry's House, which debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 200, he hit movie theaters in both the paranoia thriller Don't Worry Darling and gay romance My Policeman.

In addition to drawing notice for his first leading roles on the big screen, Styles made headlines (for many reasons) with his press tours for both movies as they premiered at glamorous fall film festivals. Then, there's the world tour, which has been entertaining flocks of screaming fans since September 2021 and isn't slated to end until next summer.

To honor the former British boy bander as one of EW's 2022 Entertainers of the Year, Big Mouth creator Nick Kroll — who acted opposite Styles in Don't Worry Darling — pays tribute to the pop and movie star.

If Harry Styles were just to put out an album or just go on tour or just put out one movie, that would be an accomplishment. The fact that he is able to do all of these things in the same year — and then, still be a human being who you can drop in and have a real conversation with — is incredible. The elephant in the room is all the noise around his personal life. To navigate all of that, stay above the fray and to continue to try to make his art, it's a tightrope to walk. He is able to navigate it with a ton of class and grace.

When you watch him on stage, there's a buoyancy. There's clearly real joy in his performance. That's not dissimilar to how he is as a person. When you're with him, it doesn't feel like you're getting a show. It feels like you're getting a chat. On set, it surprised me how genuinely connected he was to everyone he came into contact with. Oftentimes people who are super unbelievably famous have to create some emotional boundaries. There was not a wall up, which frankly there often has to be just to make it through a day without having all of your energy sucked out of you. There wasn't a day where he didn't show up on set with coffee or donuts or extra vitamin C packets for people. He was always providing for people in a very nice way. One of the things that I enjoyed about him as an artist — but also now as someone who I know — is that he really doesn't take himself, or any of it, too seriously. When you're someone in his position, that's hard.

As an actor, I really wasn't surprised that he was so natural. One of the biggest performers in the world would be a great performer. He was so collaborative and open and fun to watch and play with. If you're used to performing live, there's nothing better than finding other people who enjoy spontaneity. In almost every scene that I was in with him, there's a found moment.

There's a moment the film where I back up, we're going in our car and I salute him and then give him the finger, and then he looks back at me and gives me the finger. The best thing you can do is find someone who wants to feel alive in a scene with you. Anyone who's watched him perform live has seen that. He feels very present, whether you're in a conversation with him or you're in a scene with him or you're watching him live on stage. It's why he's so f---ing charming — you feel like you're watching someone who is in the room with you at that moment.

He's somehow able to be an actor in two very different films, and while all of that has been going on, he has been on a world tour for a year and a half getting hit with Skittles. It's a weird thing to say, but he made me much cooler with my nieces and nephews (and many, many people) by very publicly kissing me at the Venice Film Festival. I want to rewrite the story where Prince Charming kisses a frog. I'm the frog, and I become a frog with a little crown on top. It was one of the most surreal moments in my life. That was not planned. We kiss in the first scene of Don't Worry Darling, but nobody had seen it, so it just appeared that Harry Styles had grabbed me for no reason and kissed me. No matter what I accomplish in my life, it will probably go somewhere in my obituary: "father, comedian, creator, and also someone kissed by Harry Styles." I gotta say, I ain't mad at it. That's his power.

[irisxstardust]

We'll All Be Here Forever » teaser

synopsis: You know a lot of things. You know that the grass is green, there are 5 thousand feet in a mile, and limes are gross. There's only one question you can't answer. What is your purpose? You had time, you've always had time to think about it, but now you're in your last year of high school and this is it. Will it be all you've ever hoped for? Or will we all be here forever, just like everyone else?

May 27th, 2020

127.2 square miles, of which less than half is ocean, is the total size of your town. You'd memorized every twist and turn on the remaining 72.5 square miles of land at the fresh age of fourteen, after moving into an old creaky house with your mom, retaining the hills and valleys in your mind like it was the back of your hand. There were a total of 837 people living in town and you knew all of them, almost as well as you knew the land; although, there were a few people you knew the complete ins and outs like it was a second nature.

It only got worse when you first saw her, barefoot, in beige overalls, hair tied low, a pearly white shell necklace tied behind her neck with black cord. She was fishing alone, but the rod wasn't like the ones your dad kept tucked away in the back of the garage--not like it even mattered, you hadn't even heard from him since the divorce. Unlike those sparse fishing trips with your dad, every time she cast out the long line she would put the end of the pole into her armpit and pull the line back to her.

You didn't really want to say anything to her at first, but at the nod of her head when she finally looked over and noticed you, you'd decided to walk over. Susie, your long time best friend and family dog, followed suit. One too many times you had to step off the rocks and into the wet sand to finally reach her on the other end of the beach, but when you did reach her, she greeted you and Susie with a large grin.

"Pretty warm day for a sweater," she commented, eyes grazing your sweater before meeting your eyes again.

"What kind of fishing pole is that?" You asked, eyes trained on the long pole.

She shook her head and tsked, "it's not a fishing pole; it's a fly rod. You use it for fly fishing."

"Oh," you shrugged, "cool."

There was a long, awkward pause between the two of you before the girl whipped her rod forward and casted again.

"So you're the new girl? From the midwest?" She asked, eyes now watching the long line trailing from her rod.

You nodded, as if she could even see it, before you said, "yeah... Michigan." Her head bobbed up and down but she didn't speak, didn't look at you.

You stood there for a few minutes, hesitation leading to awkward silence before you turned to leave.

"Do you like seashells?" She asked, head bowing as she reached into the ankle deep water and pulled out a shell, cupped like a dish and white as stone, and handed it to you. Susie's head reached up towards your hand, still holding the shell, before she turned her head down and stuck her nose right into a patch of seagrass; you and beach girl laughed.

You didn't learn until much later that the seashell was called Noah's Keyhole Limpet and that this was her way of truce, offering up a little shell she'd noticed in the water, as if it was made just for you.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . •' . * .

A/N: posting the teaser anyway to prep for the full official prologue and the first part soon😚 so excited to get this out of Google Docs and onto my blog, the whole thing has been rotting my brain tbh.

this is also my friendly reminder that, to me, everything has meaning and i love to put easter eggs into my writing. this first one was easy if you knew who the lyric "we'll all be here forever" belongs to (cough cough* noah kahan). i love noah kahan, so of course i had to add my own little tribute to him in the form of a little shell commonly found in maine💞

[kipperlillycopperkettle]

wip snippet ask game

was tagged by @grasslandgirl my beloved fellow mutual in long unfinished fics and a million wips <3 thank you so so much for tagging me <3333333 this is also only my fic folder bc otherwise this list would be a million times longer and it's already long enough. also stealing from sav and putting the fandom in parenthesis next to the titles. also i chose not to include the wip titles that got asked last time that i have made absolutely no progress on in the last year and two months because i have made no progress on them and have nothing new to say about them :(

“Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag people! This isn’t just for writing either. Sketch titles? Comics? DnD campaigns? If you have an unfinished project, it counts!”

bad ends for hardwon & moonshine (naddpod)

marvel fic (thg)

bad kids parent issues

never tasted as sweet a poison as you have. (thg)

d20 rarepair zine original (d20, acoc)

i fought and fought hard and i should've died. (thg)

callieder fic (naddpod, c3)

i know there's something waiting for us in the light. (d20, tuc)

penny fic (d20, the seven)

die trying right now. (incryptid)

and it's hard to be at a party when i feel like an open wound. (d20, spyreverse thg au)

delly tribute au fic (thg)

fig & being a tiefling (d20, fh)

the bad kids road trip (d20, fh)

please tell me someday i'll at least be able to sleep. (d20, spyreverse thg au)

thg daemons (thg)

cashmere fic (thg)

the kind of radiance you only have at seventeen. (thg)

i spend nights stitching up the loose threads of my soul. (d20, spyreverse thg au)

patia fic (exu calamity fic)

fate is to all appearance more unavoidable than unexpected. (thg)

evil pete fic (d20, tuc)

we must be killers. (the old guard)

i can take a hit i ain't scared of the pain. (thg)

let's raise a glass to all the people you're not speaking to. (d20, aso)

everyone thinks that they're too young to die. (d20, spyreverse thg au)

pamelia fic (d20, acoc)

haymitch fic (thg)

[first house discord exchange fic] [*this is not the actual name of the doc i just needed to redact it for spoilers reasons bc i can't talk abt it yet] (tlt)

katniss sole victor au (thg)

cytherea and pro (tlt)

only code it knows is rote survival. (thg)

og lyctor secret history (tlt)

caramanda (d20, acoc)

kasya fic (d20, acoc)

my titles are so simple (unless i actually manage to name the fic before i finish it) mostly bc i have a million docs in my google drive and i want to be able to find what i want to write quickly. i say this as though half the time searching a character's name won't get me to the doc i want faster than digging through my google docs but still

tagging: @cav-core, @dubiousfruitsalad, @browncesario, @aberfaeth, @nakdraws, @thelongestwalk, and anyone else who wants to do it (this means you who is reading this) <3333 also if i tagged you and you don't want to do it do NOT feel obligated mwah love u <33333

[thefloatingwriter]

I feel like i submit a lot of asks so I apologise but oh my god do you have any more beetee and wiress thoughts individually or as a couple idm id be blessed with anything. I've never met someone who is also passionate about them and it makes me SO HAPPY

absolutely never apologize for sending me asks, especially if they’re about beetee and wiress. seriously they make me physically ill i’m so obsessed with them. honestly i just appreciate that i've found other people who are also insane about them!! send me as many asks as you want, i will always answer and i love you for them 💗💗

okay if you really want to hear me yap you should go to this post, which is basically every single thought i have ever had about district Three and all of its inhabitants. i am also working on my D3 tribute list, which is taking a lot of time and work since it’s really depressing to have to work on it but i’m working on it! <3

Beetee:

all of my beetee hcs and thoughts (well, most of them) will be compiled in my fic about him. but i’m sure i can think of some more without spoiling everything…

he really liked superheroes when he was younger. he thought that the idea of someone whose sole purpose in life was to save people was really cool.

he tends to hyper-focus on things when he’s stressed, agitated, or trying not to think about something.

his aunt on his mother’s side and uncle on his dad’s side both went into the hunger games, the 16th and the 14th respectively.

his hair can get really long during the off season or when he’s not in the Capitol. his prep team always has a heart attack over the “state he let his hair come to” as if he had let a bird lay eggs in it or something.

in relation to that: adeline sometimes braids it when she needs something to do with her hands.

in terms of victors, he was preceded by Paris Sanford of One and succeeded by Stella Fairchild of Four.

he’s particularly close with Paris (see this post!) honestly, their relationship is really important to the general plot of… everything basically.

Wiress:

she was considered a knife expert in Three, especially with throwing knives, due to it being an activity she performed at her mother’s circus. for obvious reasons, it helped her a lot in the games.

she got a training score of nine. the only reasons she wasn’t immediately chased by careers was because of the girl from seven’s training score of ten.

she has insanely long hair, like almost hitting the top of her thighs long. she had to crudely use a knife to chop most of it off during her first games, but she grew it back out after she won.

her district partner was her ex-boyfriend who had cheated on her. she refused to shake his hand when their escort told them to since she “didn’t know where his hand had been”.

she’s either dressed extremely regally with gowns and expensive jewelry and heels or she looks like she just rolled out of bed. there’s absolutely no in between.

she’s addicted to shitty capitol reality tv.

she’s preceded by Zircon (“Conner”) Lewis from One and succeeded by Wattson Amott from Five.

Beetee and Wiress:

the most important thing to remember about beetee and wiress’ relationship is that they started as the strangest situationship in the history of mankind.

half of the victors are also convinced they have never left this stage of their relationship, but a lot of the younger victors are like convinced that the two are just really good friends and haskell is just like ??? no???? it’s common knowledge that they’ve been fucking for like two decades?????

but anyways… wiress couldn’t sleep after her victory and for some reason beetee was the only person who made her feel safe enough to fall asleep for more than half an hour so they both started sleeping in the same house, same room, same bed… before they were even close to the romantic stage of their relationship.

wiress catches feelings because… well, it’s wiress. but beetee is completely emotionally repressed (we love that for him) so he just pretends he doesn’t notice.

beetee has a lot of trouble accepting love from anyone, and it takes him a few years before he gets used to the thought of anyone being in love with him. and, of course, it’s even more complicated in practice…

basically it takes them like nine years for beetee to finally be like “hey… i think i’m in love with you…” and of course wiress is completely flabbergasted by this while everyone else is like “that’s been painfully obvious for at least five years where have you been??”

i mentioned on a post a few days back that their relationship is really complicated in a lot of people’s eyes and here’s why: the capitol doesn't know they’re together. like at all. i mean snow does but snow knows everything so that’s obvious. but seriously there’s a running debate with beetee fans (you can not tell me that capitol citizens don’t have favorite victors bc i’m right) over if he’s dating anyone and if he is who. and then the top answers are always either paris or wiress… so those two fanbases just absolutely despise each other. and so everyone expects wiress and paris to hate each other… honestly it’s just a convoluted mess lol.

wiress wore her wedding ring during her interview for the 75th hunger games and the capitol absolutely went batshit over it. (and caesar flickerman probably lost like twenty years on his lifespan that night too lol).

then beetee follows her, talks about how the quell should be examined for legality for about five seconds, then just starts yapping about how amazing his wife is and caesar is just sitting there like 🪑😶.

thank you so much for the ask!! seriously never hesitate to come rant in my inbox, i love receiving asks especially if they’re about these weird scientists in love 💗💗

[x-authorship-x]

Shisui and Kisame being on opposite sides/enemies kinda made me think of a Hunger Games AU. Just imagine the type of chaos two tributes from different districts allying and sticking by it would cause on the capitol 😭(also the angst potential??? Jesus) 

But that begs the question, would the stunt that EverLark pulls with the nightlock berries even work with KisaShi in this scenario?

I think they “allowed” it in HG because they were from the same district, but I think that would be harder to achieve in this AU.

Not to say that I think that these sacrificial idiots would not do the stunt fully expecting to die, because they absolutely would.

( They did kill themselves in canon for the causes they believed in, so if there was a possibility that them dying that way did more good that harm, i think they would take it)

(Also i have no ideia who's Katniss and who's Peeta in this scenario, i think they both have the potential to be either them)

(Also also, i have thoughts about the reaping itself but i didn't want to derail the subject away from KisaShi, so let me know if you wanna talk about that lmao)

And, would KisaShi even manage to end up playing the romantic act? I feel like they would lean more in the friendship thing because Peeta an Katniss had known each other before the games, so that gave them something to work it, but Kisame and Shisui literally would only have assumed hostility. I feel like it would suit them more to have romance later.

Anyways, so sorry this is so long, the revival the HG fandom got in tiktok just got me really happy

(Do you have any thoughts on this AU? Maybe even another duo that would be interesting to see as Peeta and Katniss? Would love to hear opinions! No pressure though! ❤ )

xoxo

Nalyvia, babe, I haven't interacted with HG in a long time so its very dusty in my mind... But, frankly, I love this.

You should also know that I am (affectionately) cursing you.

I was never a fan-fan of HG (I'm always a bit more happy-escapist, I say like I don't write angst and read non-fiction 🥴) but you unlocked my brain with this one. This was written via voice-transcript because the brainstorming wouldn't stop and my fingers aren't fast enough. It took half an hour to edit this 🤣

To feign normalcy for a moment, I agree that romance would be amazing later. If they somehow both survived, maybe the crowds at the Capitol rioted or something, then can you imagine the tension and looks across rooms? The winners don't exactly socialise amongst each other, probably for fear of collaboration, so it's just glimpses at functions and shit....ARGH

At the same time my horrible goblin brain would LOVE a lovers speed run, like imagine an adrenaline kiss and then it's all angry and they bite and the crowd is going BALLISTIC 😵👀

Okay, back to my honest reaction to this ask.

I lost it, like dropping a ball of yarn and it won't stop rolling and unravelling. Except I didn't expect to lose it so imagine I didn't know the yarn was there and went flying when I tripped on it. Except the yarn is a daisy chain of writhing poisonous snakes and they're also on fire and I'm on fire and everything was very much out of hand ✨🥹

Disclaimer: I planned this so much, it's basically begging to be written. However, my interest in delving into HG is extremely low (ha!) so if anyone would like to collaborate on this idea, then DM me.

To fit the Narutoverse characters into the HG social structure... We need to rethink exactly why the districts are shaped and viewed the way they are. Also only one champion per reaping because I can't be bothered with thinking about expendable people and having them clog up the plot.

Konoha is the first village. It's the biggest, the winner of every war, it's the largest and probably the richest. It is District One: Lumber, Military, Agriculture, mercantile goods.

Who is District Twelve? I would say Ame. It's poor, there very little there, small population, overlooked until it's too late. Nagato (volunteering for Konan) was be the first and only champion to win for this district (Yahiko was killed for resisting the Reaping and inciting civil unrest when Konan was called).

Kiri is somewhere in the middle. They are where the capitol's Naval fleet is based and all funding goes to public offices there, leaving the locals to forge weaponry and build ships or starve in poverty. They have a long history of revolutionary excitation and this means the Capitol are particularly brutal with them. District Six.

Plotline background!

Shisui survived and won the games when he was a preteen. He was picked, he trained hard (as all District One Champions are), and he absolutely demolished the competition. Because winners are so common from the top few districts (in keeping with the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the others are Uzushio (hold your horses, wait for it), Kumo, Iwa, Suna, with Kiri as the problematic straggler) they have policies in place to give the champions higher social status. Shisui is chosen to be the bodyguard of a local Elder, Danzo.

When his young cousin Itachi is chosen at a Reaping a few years later, Shisui defies his new social status (snubbing the Elder Danzo) and volunteers in Itachi's place. There is absolute scandal and Shisui is threatened by the Elder and Peacekeepers (ROOT) into allowing Itachi to compete as intended and not make waves. With the support of some of his fellow District One winners (Kakashi, who was traumatised that his fellow competitor and best friend Obito was killed off by the organisers because they both couldn't win, and Tenzo, who was personally trained in one of Elder Danzo's fight rings to ensure he won money and political favours that year) Shisui stands firm.

Meanwhile, Kisame has grown up in the shipyards of Kiri. His parents were both killed in failed uprisings and he had to mature quickly. Because he is so tall and strong, he has survived where many of his peers haven't and he was able to get his hands on food and shelter because he could work so hard. He has grown up with the mutterings and stories of the disillusioned around him and he truly hates the Capitol (and, to a lesser extent, the Top Five Districts, who are considerably richer and more successful than the rest and seen as largely complicit). When he's chosen, the shipyard community descends on him and he's stuffed into a secret underground collective that are looking to make yet another run at revolution. They need Kisame to not only win the games but provide them access to the Capitol. He needs to survey how the whole city functions, how to gain access to the main buildings both in Kiri as well as in the Capitol, and he needs to incite revolutionary fervour in the other districts if he can. Zabuza and Mei, two previous Champions, are able to swing themselves onto Kisame's 'prep team' and the trio set off for the Capitol.

Plot thickens!

In the Capitol, Shisui is the clear favourite. He's their darling, a familiar face and a proven good bet (he shocked them all as a kid, but now he's a man and only more talented/skilled, as well as old enough for sex appeal to also factor into his campaign). He is constantly playing an act, even in his rooms, because every single member of his team is in Danzo's pocket and Shisui knows that Danzo is going to control him and punish him if he's not extremely careful. However, one of the guards subtly does let him breathe a little more.

Shisui wows the crowd at the parade by wearing a richly decorated silk kimono (as Konoha includes luxury fabric and mercantile goods) that appears to blossom with real branches and flowers before bursting into flames (Shisui looks very hot when on fire ok) (I wanted to do the Katniss moment, it's a need, and also Shisui IS an Uchiha and it is KONOHA so fire has to be in there, let's say the fire is because.... Forest fires? They burn fields every year and it's visible from the Capitol? Idk let me have this)

Kisame, however, absolutely robs the show for District Six because, in his ship-shaped chariot, he's (done a Finnick) draped in just a bit of net and oiled up like a sea god. He's blue (because I say so 😤) and tattooed to high heavens and... It's a lot of muscle, a lot of man. The dark horse, if you will.

Kisame isn't one to lie or deceive, that's what the officials and Capitol do, but this is justice to turn it back on the lot of these rich fuckers. Mei has way too much creative license. Zabuza is making a lot of bets to ensure they get as much money as possible as well as sneaking off at every chance to scout the city. The crowd are so delighted that two Kiri champions have stepped up to prepare this new one, it's very fun to see familiar faces again.

They are massive rivals. Shisui is trying to play a political game here and fuck up the whole party. Kisame is trying to incite a revolution and Shisui is part of the enemy in his eyes.

They get into the arena. Its a labyrinth outside of the capitol that they have to escape. Closest to District Two, Uzushio.

Lots of hunting, killing. Shisui starts causing problems because he's so fast that half of the others are tracking him and failing spectacularly. Kisame, meanwhile, is killing the hyperagressive ones without mercy whilst trying to form alliances with the more downtrodden districts.

Cutscene to Mei and Zabuza who are fucking around and finding out with the capitol and meet elder danzo who lets some stuff slip about district one and shisui and shit.

Cutscene to one of Danzo's guards, that had been making life horrible for Shisui, pushing another over a balcony to terrible injury. Another bodyguard is sent from District One. It's revealed to be Kakashi in disguise, with Tenzo (who has a history as one of Danzo's private fighters) having been the one to maim the other guard and who was the friendly but silent guard watching Shisui's back~

The President (I completely forgot lmao) is Kaguya! Games organiser is Zetsu I guess

Kisame meets contestant Anko (they met during the rallying at the Capitol before this, obvs, but just bear with me dammit), from the newly formed Sound District (she was previously from Konoha but, when the new district was formed for medicinal and scientific manufacturing shit stuff blah blah then she was transferred) and manages to recruit her before realising that she's originally Konohan. He belatedly remembers her strange behaviour (exchanging secret messages) with Shisui and she reveals to him that it's not what he might assume. Anko goes off to help the other (subtly because cameras, so want to make a statement but also don't want to get nuked by the organisers) converted competitors and Kisame finds himself facing Shisui at last (they squared up in the Capitol obvs but that was brief posturing and UST), who was secretly watching on to make sure Kisame didn't kill Anko.

They fight.

It's badass.

(Small scenes of various Capitol reactions. Danzo is smug, thinking Shisui will put Kisame down and quiet whispers about political dissent as well as his own disobedience. Kakashi and Tenzo watch from behind Danzo's shoulders, hidden by Danzo's personalised Peacekeeper helmets. Zabuza and Mei watch with wariness for Shisui's professional skill/speed compared to Kisame's strength and creativity, as well as growing realisation -from the interactions with Anko etc - that more districts might be on side if they try hard enough.)

Shisui guesses what Kisame is doing with the revolution and he's right. Kisame goes to attack him but Shisui decides to return that transparency (even if Kisame's wasnt exactly willingly shared) and reveals that he's actually been scouting the perimeter this whole time.

And he thinks, combining the differing specialities of different districts and competitors together, they can break out. And survive getting to the Capitol.

Cue the slow progression of wary allies to friends to pining counterparts to lovers!

In the Capitol, Kakashi and Tenzo team up with Zabuza and Mei. They also make friends with married couple Minato and Kushina, previous winners from Uzushio (District Two, power station and security of the Capitol) who have become such favourites that they are welcome guests each year... But they hate the system and have secretly been running a smuggling route for years~

They also meet Orochimaru, the first (and only) winner from Sound, who has wiggled his way into being the President's private doctor.

Lots of shit happens.

The competitors break out, Kakashi (who has become extremely close with Minato and Kushina) is subsequently devastated when Minato nearly (aren't I nice) dies when taking one for the team and sabotaging the Capitol's security network to allow the districts to rampage and help the competitors make it back to the Capitol alive.

The districts rise up, it turns out that Nagato and Konan of District Twelve have been preparing since before Yahiko died, and the Capitol is quickly overrun. The people rise up, the President begins to flee!~

And this my brain starts to get mushy 😅 hmm, something-something Obito didn't die but Zetsu saved him and squirrelled him away as like a "Super Peacekeeper" (Winter Soldier parallels whoops lol) as an ace in case he needed personal protection/as a crowd shock factor as games organiser (gotta think of the views, even in a civil war!) And there's a huge thing blah blah Kakashi breaks the indoctrination, the President is killed by Shisui and Kisame Eternal-Honeymoon-Dream-Team and society is restructured.

Turns out Itachi's mom (and dad, who is forming a proto police force) took the chance to lead the District One revolt, and Itachi is like the poster child/mascot of the revolution there lol mikoto is pregnant with Sasuke and kushina is pregnant with Naruto!

Happy ending all around! (And look at that, none of my favs died, amazing 🤩)

This got out of hand and I wrote it in one go so now my brain is dead, if you couldn't tell by how...wonky... Things started to get at the end 🤣 it only took me.... Uhh two hours PFFFT-

"Do you have any thoughts on this AU?" Nalyvia, darling, don't JINX IT look what happened?!

[zarinthel]

dvd ask meme; nobody is asking about impel downer so clearly i have to. i think i’ve read this fic in it’s entirely three times so i’d wanna interrogate you about every chapter, but I’ll pick ch8 times up. there’s a lot i like in here, sybil and akainu’s “fight”, sybil’s last prophecy to akainu as they think they’re about to die (is it a prophecy, a threat, a hope, or. last fuck you, all of the above), canonizing oars death in a heartbreaking way that fits into your plot, more hints at sybil’s backstory (which i’m always dying over will we learn more) in her conversation with shanks and the doctor and their awkard silence reaction to just casual mention of how excessively fucked over sybil has been by the world government

ch8 of impel downer, Time's Up! what a throwback. i loved writing this chapter. now let's see what i remember of something i wrote (checks date) over two years ago lol.

one of my favorite things of shifting between povs in this chapter is that nobody is happy. not garp, not shanks, nobody. not a single person in this war except for blackbeard gained more than they lost.

shanks negotiations. the thing is, he doesn't want to fight. he's not actually interested in swinging the balance of the world any further, but he's also not willing to back down-- he wont let them have whitebeard's body. he won't abandon sybil to marine custody just because it would be "easier".

garp is actually helping him with the offer. but who knows if he'd actually go along with it if sybil hadnt broken their time clock while the arguement was still ongoing.

sybil and akainu. sybil has the strength of a properly made paramecia-- if you make the right circumstances, they can hit way above their level. but there's no way for them to actually hurt him, lol. sybil doesn't really have offensive skills. well, they could probably develop them, but they don't have them. so its a cat and mouse game where the most important things are this

they want to live

akainu wants them to die; its unthinkable to let someone ruin a marine admirals rep like that and live. the problem isn't that they didn't get clobbered but that they did in a way that made him look really bad and ineffective. Lol

"Everything..." They mumble, giving up on running as they focus all their energy into the venom of their voice. "Everything you build. It's gonna crumble. The seas will bleed red with the blood of your enemies, and it will be for nothing. The seas will part, the sky will fall, the---"

the prophesy/curse/fuck you.

sybil's got a lot of stuff their unsure of. a lot of memory problems. inconsistent recall. so maybe they don't know for sure, /memory wise/, that that will happen. but because they believe that they live in a world where Monkey D Luffy will become Pirate King, it's a prophecy. they say it and they believe it.

Oars Jr.

you know, i write a lot of tragedies, but i don't actually write a lot of death scenes. im the type of person who kills people off screen and then writes reactions. so, this one...

i hate when i kill off a character and its less impactful than the original canon. so i thought, this has to be at least as sad as when Oars died in marineford, and that scene was AWFUL.

but i was genuinely sad, you know. i saw the pieces come together, realized how sybil was going to get out, and i, the author, had to realize that oars wasn't going to live. even though i'd half thought he might. thats what happens when you put the puzzle together and then realize what it shows.

you can't save someone like ace and not lose /anything/. and not lose almost everything. you just have to think its worth it.

so, sybil's backstory. this is the first time they even lay most of it out-- we've met them at the start of their adventures in the grand line, but theyve been having a rough decade or so

a watchmaker in west blue, a bad, unlucky run in with a celestial dragon, a failure to pay the Heavenly Tribute dominoed off the original bad run in, a stay in Impel Down dominoed off that. and then, the part they've failed to explain after that of how a civilian who should have been floor 1 had ended up at floor 5.5. the circumstances around their devil fruit. a lot of stuff..

how can a seer not have contempt for the heavens?

how can a prisoner not despise their chains?

and despite all that, they saved ace not for grandiose reasons, but for personal ones. do you think your death would improve the world? Even if the answer is yes, it's fine if you still live!

oh, and then the bounty. that was fun. you know, i actually picked 99 million BEFORE i realized that was the same number as th rest of doflamingo's subordinates. lmao

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Legend of Vox Machina: The Sunken Tomb (2x03)

Liam O'Brien, how dare you...

Cons:

This isn't really a con, so much as a point of confusion... where did Kash and Zahra go at the end of the episode? They seemed to find Purvan's tomb and wander down it, but then Percy also found the tomb? So they're in the wrong place? It just felt strange that they ended up somewhere else with no resolution or cliffhanger for those characters. I guess we'll find out in episode four?

Pros:

Such a good blend of tone in this episode. So many funny moments, and then mixed with such abject tragedy... the basic structure of the plot is just that the gang goes on a journey to find the Deathwalker's Ward, which is the first Vestige of Divergence they've been told about. Along the way they banter, they fight weird fish people monsters, they have a not-so-friendly rivalry going with Zahra and Kash...

There are lot of moments I could shout out here, but a few of my favorite comedy beats include when Kash tells them about Purvan, they all start laughing and making stupid jokes, and then Kash just says "wow, you guys suck." In that same scene, I loved Grog celebrating his new beard, and when Kash is dismissive of it, Grog gets furious and in his face. Kash... immediately backs down and says it's really cool.

Zahra and Vex... perfection. This vibe between them started up in episode two, but this episode we really got to see it in action. They're totally playing it like they're bitter exes who still find each other sexy and I am living for it. Such good energy, and a natural extrapolation from the vibe they had on the original stream. I  loved when they were fighting over who got to be the hero and save the other one. And Vex's exasperation when she realized Zahra had run off was so funny.

The whole fight sequence was good fun, everyone teaming up and being bad-ass. Kash falling off of Scanlan's hand made me laugh too. The only hint of real worry in these scenes is Grog, whose bloodlust seems to be a little more intense than it should be, as he's using that hungry, hungry talking sword... Pike seems to pick up that something isn't quite right, but she can't figure out what's up just yet. Also, as I said, we finally got our bearded Grog! I've been waiting for that guy to turn up.

A couple other details: Pike has a vision to check in on Emon, and sees Thordak ruling the roost, demanding tribute and burning humans alive when they run out of shiny things to give him. So that's not great. Also, in Trinket news, he actually got to be useful in a fight for once, which was exciting to see!

And then there's the stuff with the twins. I mean. Where to even begin with all of this. It was so good. Pitch perfect. Liam and Laura fucking knocked it out of the park. The episode has flashbacks showing them younger, during an incident in which their father yelled at Vex for breaking a tiara, calling them worthless because of their status as half human. Vax decides they should storm off, and they do, but it's clear Vex didn't really want to leave. She gets mad at him for always trying to protect her and tell her what to do, and then we cut to later, where Vax is sobbing because his sister has left him. Vax says that it's not that Vex needs him, it's that he needs her.

Just. If you know where this is going it's just... just... the perfect distillation of the whole thing with the twins. They were so cute and squishy as little baby half-elves, and their dad sucks so hard.

The episode also cleverly builds up the fact that the Matron of Ravens' temple is full of traps. We see Grog discover one, we see Vax checking ahead to be sure, we see Trinket sniffing out a hidden latch in the floor that raises up a tomb... it's all very treacherous. Obviously I knew this was coming, so every time Vax insisted that everyone wait and be cautious, I was getting more and more tense. It happens so suddenly, so unceremoniously. Percy reaches in to take the Deathwalker's Ward, and it sets off a trap. Vex is caught in it. She falls to the ground. Dead.

Again, just... LIAM. With the full on SOBBING. I cannot deal. It's so raw and real and I'm beyond excited for the consequences of this one moment to follow us through to the very end of the show. It's gonna hurt so good.

So yeah. This episode was fantastic. I'm eagerly awaiting more, and can't believe I have to wait a full week to see it resolved. Even knowing how it all turns out isn't enough to calm me down. This was excellent TV; I continue to be so happy and so blown away by what these folks have managed to pull off with this adaptation. Can't wait for more!

9.5/10

[camgoloud]

a couple days ago the lovely @nancywheeeler​ tagged me to do an ao3 wrapped here! i have had a Very busy weekend so i am only now getting to actually posting, but here are my belated responses:

Works published: 5 at the moment (with at least 2 more i’ll be putting up before the end of the year; possibly one or two more than that if i can get my act together and finish up the treat(s) i’ve been chipping away at in exchange to my main assignments in a couple holiday exchanges. busy end of the year for me!)

Words written: 41510 posted this year so far—more than i thought!

Hits: 3647 on my 2022 fics

Bookmarks: 118

Most popular by kudos: Do my friends think I’m dying? (or do I just need to go to sleep?), my singular to-date contribution to the ted lasso/colin hughes fandom and first foray into redditfic (which by the way was SUCH a blast to write that i think i’m going to have to do it again sometime soon. i ought to be more sorry about that than i am)

Most hits: look at the desperate man (omg rip to this fic... worked on it for a little bit this summer when i was feeling particularly angsty about Some Stuff i was dealing with. ran out of angst steam halfway through the final chapter because my life improved lol, got re-possessed by various locked tomb wips around nona release day, and now i kind of just don’t ever want to look at it anymore. maybe i’ll finish it someday?)

Longest: same as previous

Shortest: shovel talk (in f major) (most of which was hurriedly written in one day as a last-hurrah before nona came out to smash my entire life into bits!)

Most comments: inside problems which people have been VERY nice to me about agghhhh

Fic that made me cry: any discussion about the fics that did maximum emotional damage to me MUST mention syntheseas’ INCREDIBLY ambitious and well-written nothing but dark and sound, which i reread following its most recent update. if you’re a locked tomb fan and you’re not already keeping up with this fic... well you need to be. basically. shoutout also to @forjodssake​’s feeling good was easy when he sang the blues, which i just read this thursday and have STILL not recovered from—AMAZING character work!!!

Fic that made me smile: so many! but my favorite comfort read for the last year and change has been @nancywheeeler​‘s four weddings and no funeral. melts my heart every time! cannot recommend highly enough :)

Gifts: does this mean gifts given or gifts received? unclear. anyway in terms of gifts given—do my friends think i’m dying was my tribute to @nancywheeeler​‘s excellent good old-fashioned lover boy, and i’ve got exchange fics i’ll be posting for a few people shortly. for gifts received, there’s whatever comes out of those exchanges!

Collaborations: none this year—or ever before, actually! BUT i am very very interested in the prospect… 👀 friends/mutuals/likeminded individuals active in any of my fandoms, if you’ve ever got an Idea you want to bang on about together or are particularly interested in fleshing out any of the half-formed Concepts i toss out into the void, hit me up and maybe we can make something happen! (well, hit me up whenever my dms are working again, anyway… the shadowban glitch which i’ve been living under for going on a MONTH now is a curse upon this earth)

Events taken part in: yuletide 2022, and the 2022 locked tomb holiday exchange!

thanks again em for the tag! in turn i will tag @aberfaeth​, @rnanqo​, @palamedes-sextus​, and anyone else who’s interested! (and who actually sees this—unsure if any of you will get a notification when i post this, due to the aforementioned shadowban :/)