#writing in third POV

[3hks]

A Quick(ish) Comprehensive Guide to Writing in Third Person Limited

When we write, one of the very first aspects we consider is the perspective of the story. Is it in first person? Second person? Third person? Third person point-of-view is arguably the most flexible perspective, but that also makes it difficult to fully grasp and harness.

~~~

INTRODUCTION

Let's begin with the fundamental questions: what is third person and why do people use it?

> What is Third Person POV?

Third person POV is simply a narrative style in which the narrator has a broader view of all the characters and their thoughts. Unlike first person, which is seen through the eyes of one person, calling for the use of pronouns such as I, me, or my, third person uses pronouns such as he, she, or they to refer to everyone, including themselves. As the reader, we aren't meshed into the main character and viewing the story that way. Instead, we're moreso hovering from above and observing collective events, actions, and even thoughts.

There are three MAIN types of this perspective: third person omniscient, third person objective and third person limited.

Omniscient is where the narrator knows everything about the characters, events, and emotions, revealing many, if not all, of these aspects of the readers.

Objective is when the narrator focuses solely on the actions and behaviors of the characters, without providing insight to thoughts or emotions. It's an objective narration style.

Limited is where the narrator focuses on one character (which would likely be the protagonist) and centers the story around that character.

> Why Use Third Person?

To put it simply, third person can allow you to write more. You have access to multiple POVs and there is often less bias. In first person, the narrator is the character, which can cause warped views influenced by their bias.

However, for third person, the narrator is an external voice (oftentimes you), so while there can be some bias depending on the character you're hovering, there is significantly less.

***

THE BASICS

In this post, I won't be talking too much about third person omniscient because it's more uncommon in writing. Instead, I will be talking about a popular variant of third person limited in which we use the POVs of multiple characters one at a time.

> Using the Correct Pronouns

In first person, we use the pronouns "I, me, my, we, etc." to describe the narrator. In second person, we use the pronouns "you, your, etc." to describe the protagonist. In third person, we use the pronouns "she, he, they, etc." to describe the protagonist.

Avoid using first or second person pronouns unless you're writing thoughts or dialogue.

> Making the POV Clear

Since we're using the perspectives of different characters (at different times), it's imperative to clarify who the perspective belongs to. You can do this simply by listing the POV before writing the part or by starting a new paragraph, which begins with a sentence starting in active voice by the focused character.

EXAMPLES

Lexi's POV: She was astounded when she realized that... V.S. Lexi was astounded when she realized that...

Both examples are in third person and evidently centered around Lexi.

> Be Consistent

Be consistent with pronouns; unless you're writing thoughts and/or dialogue, make sure you're always using third person pronouns to address everything. It's easy to let it slip, but it's important not to.

Ex:

WRONG: She stares at the mirror. My hair is kind of messy, so I grab the brush. CORRECT: She stares at the mirror. Her hair is kind of messy, so she grabs the brush.

Another thing to consider is keeping the type of third person POV consistent. If you're writing in third person limited, don't suddenly switch to omniscient. Granted, many readers may not be able to identify this kind of mistake, but it's good to practice consistency!

***

GENERAL TIPS

Now, let's discuss some general ideas to keep in mind when writing in third person limited.

> Use Names

You might be thinking what? No duh I have to use names, but I'm being dead serious. In third person, you might find yourself writing out names of characters more often than when you might be using first person. This is because pronouns get confusing. If there are two girls talking, then which one is 'she'? Remember that your protagonist is also an outside character.

Use names, use different ways to identify people (the taller student, the younger employee, etc.), because even if you know who is who, the readers might not.

> Objectiveness

One of the pros of using third person to storytell is the objectiveness that it grants. First person comes with many biases, which can warp how the reader views the characters, actions, and events of the story.

However, in third person, you want your narrator to be as unbiased as possible. Be objective. Describe things as they are. Sure, sometimes a character's opinion might influence the story, but it shouldn't be too excessive.

> Be Descriptive

I'm sure I've said this only about one million times now, but third person POV is broad. You can talk about anyone, anything, and you can even explain events unrelated and outside of your protagonist's bubble, which you normally can't do in first person.

So be descriptive. You don't have to worry about how a specific may view something because we're in third person. There's so much more for you to describe, you just have to take advantage of it.

You can describe your protagonist's enemy with both distaste and detached neutrality; you can describe minute details of a tree without making your main character seem overdramatic--you just have to do it.

***

ADDITIONAL TIPS

> When to Change Perspectives

In third person limited POV, it's common and often necessary to change the character the narrator hovers around. This is because only following the protagonist is, well, quite limited. So, when do we change which character we follow?

Show Events Outside of the Protagonist: If you have part of the cast (such as the antagonist) that's taking action outside of what the MC is aware of, and you want to show what's happening, this is a good time to switch perspectives! ----

Show Different Reactions to the Same Event: Let's say an intense incident just occurred that affected multiple people. Switching perspectives here can be quite useful because it allows you to show how different characters handle and view the same situation. This also helpful because it gives the reader deeper insight to the characters!

> Incorporating Character

I talked about this alone in a separate post, but I'll reiterate it again. Many people believe that third person POV is less interesting because there's "less personality" in its writing compared to first person.

This is mainly due to the standard objectivity that comes with third person, but it doesn't mean you can't include hints of character within your writing outside of dialogue and thoughts.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to word choice and a bit of sentence structure. Different words and phrases have different connotations, and though it seems like a very subtle detail to focus on, it does impact your writing.

Try to use vocabulary that fits the character you're hovering. Vocabulary that they might use.

If you're writing from the perspective of an angrier character, maybe you'll use cruder language during their section. If it's a more dramatic character, perhaps you'll use more theatrical language and flowy sentence structures mixed with choppy ones.

EX:

1. He felt stupidly annoyed at the man's assumptions. 2. He felt irritated at the man's assumptions. 3. He felt fed up with the man's assumptions.

Those three examples all have similar meanings and identical sentence structures. However, you'll notice that there are slightly different connotations per each sentence.

For number one, it sounds like the character is upset that he's so annoyed. This offers the idea that the character feels he shouldn't be as annoyed as he is, quietly hinting that he isn't the type to get ruffled easily or at least, not towards such assumptions.

For number two, the statement is very direct. The character is irritated. He might not be as displeased as number one or three, but he is still annoyed. However, the forwardness of the statement might suggest that he's a pretty straightforward guy who's expresses his emotions frankly.

Lastly, for number three, the character sounds more tired and possibly angry. He's done with the assumptions. It can be assumed that he's the type who's more likely to take action than the other two.

Now, these are really simple examples, but you can see that the word changes do slightly alter the meaning of the sentence and evoke separate emotions based on the character of the perspective's owner.

If the character uses the word "excessively" instead of "very," we might think that the character is more eloquent.

Yes, all of these descriptions technically belong to the narrator, but there's no linear way to write the narrator. In this case, they act like a mirror, reflecting the voice of the character.

CONCLUSION

We're at the end! This was a MUCH larger post than I expected to write, so kudos to anyone who's read more than 50% of this LOL.

All in all, third person POV isn't actually terribly difficult to get the hang of. You'll need some practice, as with anything, but you'll understand it better the more you work on it--with or without my help!

The biggest point is to make sure your pronouns are in check. Don't use "I, me, my or you, yours, you're" unless you're writing dialogue or thoughts!

Hope this has been helpful! Reach out to me for any questions; I'd love to answer them!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[rimatsu]

alcoholic hallucinosis

bucktommy, m, 2k words. read on ao3 Alcohol has dulled his sense and alertness enough that alarm bells don't immediately go off when the camera tilts back to reveal a wider shot of Buck's wooden headboard. It's only when the video shakes and refocuses on a familiar head of chestnut curls that Eddie begins to regret every life decision that brought him to this particular moment. (In which Eddie receives an unsolicited, accidental sex tape.)

Eddie is 12 hours into a 48 off when his phone pings with a new text notification.

Outside, the blue haze of daylight has lifted to reveal the moon. He's been languishing on the couch with a drink and bad TV as his sole company for longer than initially planned. There's a tiny gulp of amber liquid left at the bottom of his Glencairn glass where grains of charred wood have started to sediment. It's the barrel-proof stuff, casket-aged and bold and explosively flavorful, pricy and usually reserved for special occasions.

Eddie isn't the type to indulge for no reason, but he figures he deserves a treat after dealing with Gerrard's machiavellian schemes at work and withering familial radio-silence courtesy of his son. The text he's sent this morning — three whole paragraphs detailing his week and asking about Christopher's new friends and the robotics club he's joined — had only garnered a thumb-up in response

So it's 9:48pm and Eddie is 2 fingers away from buzzed, and he's watching fictional characters make mistakes more disastrous than his own stupid blunders with a pleasant fog cushioning his thoughts, eyelids heavy and guards down, and naturally that’s when Buck decides to send a cryptic video his way.

Eddie is used to receiving pictures and random factoids and links to obscure forums whenever Buck descends into one of his manic research deep dives, but they usually come with some key context. The newest addition to their chat log is a lone clip, with no caption or introduction or explanatory details. It's about 12 minutes long and the preview thumbnail is mostly indecipherable: brown, blurry with motion and too close to the lens for identification.

Against his better judgement, Eddie shrugs, mutes the TV and taps play on the video file.

Alcohol has dulled his sense and alertness enough that alarm bells don't immediately go off when the camera tilts back to reveal a wider shot of Buck's wooden headboard. It's only when the video shakes and refocuses on a familiar head of chestnut curls that Eddie begins to regret every life decision that brought him to this particular moment. His eyes bug out as he tries to compute what he's seeing unfold in rapid increments, something like dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

On his screen and in his hand and in HD resolution, Buck’s right cheek is smashed into a pillow, face sweaty and so red his birthmark no longer stands out against the backdrop of his skin. His mouth is an open wound gasping for air, and there are thick-knuckled fingers twisted in his hair, keeping him down. His brows are furrowed like he's in agony, except that's not pain twisting his features; it's not the expression that haunts Eddie from a half-dozen near tragedies and hospital visits — no, that's a face crumpled in uncomplicated pleasure.

“Arch up, sweetheart,” comes out of the tiny speakers, and that's Tommy's voice, laced with something unrecognizable, low and warm and whiskey-soaked like the scotch Eddie has been sipping all evening; loud because he’s holding the phone this was filmed on, because that's his hand cradling the back of Buck’s skull, big and proprietary and unrelenting. “Give me something nice to look at.”

Eddie's entire central nervous system shuts down after hearing that request, and he’s left gaping at his screen, stunned stupid, staring unblinkingly and in morbid fascination the way passerbys might gawk at a car crash, awful but ultimately fascinating.

Distantly, Eddie wonders if he’s perhaps experiencing some acute form of alcoholic hallucinosis.

Now, he’s borne witness to his fair share of disturbing sights throughout the years — viscera and gore, absurd accidents and gruesome deaths. With two military tours under his belt, he’s developed quite the steel core; Eddie knows how to push past shock to go through necessary motions. Still, no amount of training and field experience could've prepared him for this, because in the next second the video frame shifts again, pans down Buck’s neck and the broad expense of his back and along the sine wave of his spine—

And yep. That's definitely a POV shot of Eddie’s best friend taking it up the ass.

When his synapses start firing again a heartbeat later, horror cuts through the petrified and intoxicated daze clouding Eddie’s brain like a punch to the sternum, sudden and sobering.

“Oh my God!” he screams, shrill and panicked and undignified, and then does the instinctual thing, which is to toss his phone across the room like it's contaminated by the bubonic plague.

It lands facedown near the TV console with a loud thud. Unfortunately, the distance does nothing to muffle the telltale, slick and rhythmic noises of skin-on-skin or the pornographic grunts of masculine pleasure coming out of the loudspeakers, resonating against the walls of his too quiet house.

Eddie stares at the mobile device like it’s radioactive, the tip of his ears burning hot in embarrassment and delayed indignation.

What kind of sick fucking joke is this?

Badly-lit, homemade, amateur porn. Of the gay variety. Starring Buck and his boyfriend — his two closest companions these days. That's what Buck shared with him tonight for some depraved, incomprehensible reason. Because he's apparently a lunatic with no understanding of the concept of privacy or boundaries or socially acceptable behavior. Either that or Buck is experiencing a stroke, or being hacked, or this is his way of letting Eddie know he’s been kidnapped, or maybe it’s all a huge mistake they’ll maybe laugh at ten years from now when Eddie can remember this moment without wanting to gouge his eyes out of their sockets.

Eddie presses the heels of his palms into his lids until stars replace the afterimage seared onto his retina, and then prays for deliverance from this wretched, godless existence.

"Daddy," he hears, rough and saliva-garbled and pleading, and nope.

No.

Absolutely not.

Eddie scrambles for his phone so he can put a stop to the auditory torture. Since his life is a joke, the jump over the coffee table he attempts in his haste proves to be too perilous for his tipsy, uncoordinated limbs. His toes get caught in the folds of his area rug and he ends up a screeching, scandalized heap on the floor.

"Ow!" Eddie yelps, a few feet from his phone that is still taunting him with moans.

Once he finally manages to press the side button, Eddie collapses back on the ground, hands shaking with residual adrenaline. His screen is cracked and his knees are throbbing from the force of his fall, but silence sounds so blissful Eddie can barely find it in himself to be irritated.

He flips on his back and stares at the ceiling, suddenly exhausted.

Maybe Eddie is the problem. Maybe he’s an enabler who invited his own misfortune.

Buck has always been prone to over-sharing, but there had been a time early in his relationship with Tommy when he had acted unusually tight-lipped. In the spirit of unconditional support, Eddie had reiterated that nothing had to change between them — that Buck didn’t need to censor himself just because he was seeing a man.

(“So you want the details?” Buck had asked, eyebrows raised skeptically.

Eddie had made an unimpressed face in answer. “I never want the details, but it’s not like that ever stopped you before.”

“Your funeral,” Buck had said with a grin and a shrug, and then spent the next few minutes recounting the epic tale of his ‘tumultuous journey to rid himself of his gag reflex’. Eddie had listened in a mostly dissociative state, doing his best not to wince at the very descriptive portrait painted before his eyes until he’d realized Buck was messing with him by testing the limits of his tolerance.)

That had been only fair, since Buck is the type to readily lend an ear for ex-nun girlfriend troubles — and with minimal judgment to boot — but now Eddie is starting to regret the gesture. Maybe Buck had heard ‘you don’t have to keep it PG for my sake, I'm totally down with the queers’ and understood ‘if you ever need constructive criticism on the angles of your sextape, I’m your guy!’

Eddie briefly entertains the idea of sending Buck a vindictive voice message demanding he explains himself, maybe even relay the various ways he wants to throttle Buck for his crassness and his exhibitionist tendencies and his wild disregard for the sacred bonds of pseudo-brotherhood, but he still feels off-balance, and in the end Eddie chooses to resort to a less confrontational coping mechanism: drinking the trauma away.

He ignores the abandoned glass sitting on his side table to take long gulps of whiskey straight from the bottle instead. It's not the kind of liquor made to be chugged down, and the alcohol burns his throat all the way down his stomach, but he welcomes the flame, grateful for the physical distraction.

He’s working himself into an inebriated stupor when his phone starts vibrating like a hummingbird's wings, pinging madly with texts after texts.

When he unlocks the mobile with the apprehension of a soldier stepping into a minefield, it’s to find 42 new messages from Buck.

Eddie takes another fortifying swig of booze and opens iMessage.

The first ten text bubbles are strictly comprised of delirious keysmashing, confirming the inadvertent mistake hypothesis. That’s a relief: Buck hasn’t temporarily lost his mind to jealousy again and didn’t try to mark his territory because Tommy had taken Eddie to a WBC championship last week. Thank God for small mercies.

Eddie scrolls past them to read the more coherent ones.

OH FUCKKKKKK

ASFHJBCAVKJVCHK

NONONONONOOO

THIS CANT BE HAPPENING

THIS IS LIKE EVERYONES WORST NIGHTMARE

EDDIE

EDMUNDO MIDDLE NAME DIAZ

DO NOT

I REPEAT DO NOT WATCH THE BIDEO

IT WASNT MEANT GOR YOU

IT WAS A MISTAKE!!!!!!

NOT ON PURPOSE

SERIOUSLY DONT OPEN THE VIDEO

it will hurt your fragile relapsed catholic sensibilities and send you into cardiac arrest

IT WAS MEANT FOR TOMMY AND NOT FOR UR PRUDISH EYES

SERIOUSLY SCROLL PAST

SPARE US BOTH THE HUMILIATION I BEG OF YOU

you were the last contact i texted

my big fat thumb must've slipped

shittt the read receipt

welp it's so over...

ig that's done and over with

sorry

when you're done pouring bleach over your eyes

let me know you're still alive so i can sleep at night with a clear conscience knowing you didn't lobotomize yourself or something

again I'M SORRY

A HONEST MISTAKE that's surely mortifying for the both of us but mostly ME

please tell me i didn't irreparably damage our friendship

just so you know tommy’s been laughing for the past 10 minutes. i’m glad SOMEONE is enjoying this shitshow

You owe me an emergency therapy session with Frank

And a screen repair

did you freak out and break your phone

I threw it at the wall

ok drama queen 😂

No. There's nothing funny or dramatic about it

I'm not gonna be able to look you in the face for the foreseeable future

I'll have to ask Gerrard for a transfer

Ravi says the B-shift is very welcoming

Maybe I'll find a new buddy there. One that doesn't send me his nudes unprompted

Hell maybe I should move back to El Paso

This could be a sign from the universe to take matter into my own hands instead of waiting idly for Christopher's forgiveness

you don't believe in signs

Maybe I do now

Maybe your little fuck up was the catalyst needed for change

c'mon man

play it cool

if you get embarrassed then i'll get embarrassed

and if we're both embarrassed then who's flying the plane

Your apologies suck balls

just like me

What the hell Buck

WAY TOO SOON

sorry

shame is an emotion i refuse to feel so i’m just owning it now

ok can we just agree to forget this ever happened

and maybe delete the vid from your cloud

Yeah ok

Way ahead of you

My phone has already been scrubbed clean

Do me a favor and check twice the next time you send Tommy a dick pic

dw lesson learned

so.......

did you watch the full thing or

be honest

it’s okay if you did you can still be straight

Scratch that

Consider our friendship irreparably damaged NOW

I’m blocking you

EDDIE NO

I WAS JOKING TO DIFFUSE THE TENSION

EDDIE!!!!!

[bleedingichorhearts]

Ok so in it reader just wants to go home and sleep because what went down on 4546b had left them all around exhausted not to mention jumpy which results in them not realizing how long it's truly been ending up in front of the emperor's castle which leaves reader confused but also amazed because 1 place is pretty and 2 they don't know if their navigation system is fucked where they ended up somewhere else or it's been so long someone ended up buying the area then made the castle.

"Alright, let me see what my brain can cook with this cross over. Somethings are shifted to make more sense. I also used Subnautica's time era." - Ichor

Summary - "You eventually make it off of planet 4546B with the Primarch: Vulkan in tow. Only to figure out that so much time has passed and evolved without you."

"@kit-williams, @egrets-not-regrets, @bispecsual, @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan, @sleepyfan-blog.”

“+@c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @marcela2000.” - Tagged

TW // Light Angst, Hint Of Roboute Guilliman.

|°𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕃𝕚𝕤𝕥°| {𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐈}

Your brain is absolutely frazzled.

You haven’t expected humanity to have evolved so much from when you were stuck on planet 4546B. The time on the planet was definitely different from the galaxies time, and to see yourself in a practical, different time? It was bamboozling you. Your brain just barely hanging around in your own skull with this highly praised Primarch: Vulkan by your side, leading you to new adventures.

Honestly, you didn't really believe that he was some sort of leader, but you were proven quickly wrong with how his followers, his sons embrace him once the both of you were pinpointed down by their systems. Their own heights towering, just like him. It was... it was rather amazing. It almost reminded you of the Sea Emperor...

Looking over to your ship for a moment, you remanence on it. Thinking of all the hard ships you have gone through just to get... here on what they call terra, and by the gods what it impressive and massive. Though, you preferer the architect from planet 4546B. You have lived on it for so long that you considered it home... You accepted that you would be lonely on that planet and wouldn't meet another person, especially with that Quarantine Enforcement Platform that shot down the Sunbeam with ease.

You accepted that you would die alone on that planet.

"Little one, are you alright?" The deep voice of Vulkan spooks you from your thoughts. Your form jumping in your spot as he placed his hand on your shoulder that nearly engulfs the side of you, but you have grown used to the size difference over time. Your eyes glancing back up to him.

"Fine." You simply say, looking around you once more. His... sons that gathered around, looking down at you in what seems to be curiosity. Did they have the same kindness their... father has? "Everything seems... new? Evolved?"

"New? Evolved?" One of his curious sons questions you, stepping forward a bit. The many eyes of the sons making you shift in your spot, underneath Vulkans' hand. "Just what time era did you come from?"

"...Uh, 22nd century?"

"22nd century?" A mutter goes through the group as some look at each other in confusion. They have never heard of such a time era, and well... you didn't know theirs to give a proper answer. You could only give them of what you remembered with honesty.

"What did your time look like?" They press, still looking curious. Your gaze flickering up the Vulkan in worry and suspicion. Were they going to try and pry what you barely even know anymore? It's been so long...

"Answers will come in time, my sons." He addresses them and dismisses them at the same time. His hand lifting for your shoulder while he looks out to his sons, or what you remember calling them "his Salamander's." "Let it be known this one is under my arms."

"Yes, Lord Vulkan." They all nod in sync, giving one more questioning look your way before departing to do their tasks that had been set for them. Their armors giving soft thuds on the ground on the ground as they walk away.

"22nd century?" Vulkan then starts to question you himself once the stressful situation of having a group well... questioning you all together. His eyes looking back down at you and giving you one of his charming smiles. "There is still more I don't know about you, little one."

You shrug your shoulders in response, unsure how to really answer that. Your eyes' glancing around you once more, taking in the... blue version of the salamanders, and gold? Were they different ones? They did have a different logo on their pauldrons... Was that a good sign or bad?

"Brother, you have returned-" You don't really pay attention to the newcomer. Your eyes roaming the area around you curiously, and maybe a bit of longing. Not for the... evolution of the place, but for remembering how "old" you have become. How the world always went off without you. This... new stuff almost scares you, almost. You have felt the same when you first crash landed upon 4546B and you were forced to adapt despite your cries of desperation. To not feel that abandonment. That loneliness. The Sea Emperor was your only true friend, but even then...

"This little one helped me, brother." You can hear Vulkan address you. Gesturing over to your form that seems in lost in thought again. A pang of worry coursing through him. You seem very different now from when you were on that water planet. Were you... homesick? Even when it wasn't a home, but your survival. Just how long were you on that planet that you started to believe that it was your home? Do you even remember what your... past life was like? Before the crash?

"Is that so?" His brother: Roboute Guilliman questions him with a risen brow. No doubt thinking of how a little baseline was helping him out within this water planet he was telling him of. His blue gauntlets resting on his gorget.

"Yes, brother." He nods with confirmation. Shifting his weight as his tone switches to more protective. "You have no idea what horrors laid on that planet: good and evil, and they have braved it through. From little hypnotizing fish to the biggest leviathan."

"Leviathan? Hypnotizing fish?" Roboute sounds like he was in a bit of disbelief, but he trusts that one of his most resilient brothers was not telling a lie. "If I didn't know you any better, brother. I would have assigned you an Apothecary."

Vulkan simply laughs at his words. His head throwing back, amused with his words but also grateful of them. It was nice to know that his brother trusts him. "No, I am perfectly fine brother. Just telling you have the new planet the little one called: 4546B. They were the only survivor on it."

"Only survivor?" His bother once again questions him again. His eyes sparking with a bit of interest until he shifts to look down at you approaching him and it seems to surprise him. Never was one bold to come close and touch his armor curiously. (You were to most likely to get back handed.) "My, you are a bold one."

"You are smaller than your... brother." You comment, slowly trying to comprehend everything around you. Your words exiting another laugh from Vulkan. "Look quite different too. Were you born from different mothers?"

"Ah, no." The big blue answers you with a bit of casualness. His eyes flickering over to Vulkan in more questioning. Just what kind of baseline did his brother pick up? "More like... we were created."

"Created?" You perk up at his words, more innocently curiously and it sways big blues hearts a bit. Maybe that is why Vulkan took and sheltered this baseline? For their innocence of the world? "So... what exactly are you then? You look human, but it's clear you are more then, well, a human."

"Thats a curiosity that can be answered at a different time, little one." Vulkan buts in, saving his brother from possibly saying something wrong to you. He knows you would distance yourself if one were to say something, a hint of dislike towards you. He figured that out on one of the days he was on that water planet with you. You have taken that "Cyclops" down into the deep without him knowing, and it stressed him out to no end. He had to give you credit for own resilience on being able to go out on your own, and you were lucky that day however, that you didn't return injured.

"Alright, doesn't hurt to ask." You nod, stepping back from the blue Primarch. Your eyes looking him over. "You remind me if the calm of the sea."

Roboute shifts at your innocent comments and... complements. A Primarch known to have some sort of praise from generals and nobles as it was known they could absolutely destroy them, but yours was different. Yours for some reason felt... pure. "I- may I ask what that means, for you?"

"I'm just saying you remind me of the calm, that you are calm, but it doesn't mean that a storm is hidden beneath." You shrug your shoulders as if what you're saying won't affect anything. "Your brother reminds me of a chirping forest. I haven't seen one of those in a long time..."

"Are they a poet?" Guilliman asks his brother his eyes watching you as you seem to look out in the distance again. His mind trying to figure out what you are, who you are. You are certainly an interesting baseline.

Vulkan shrug his own shoulders in response. Smiling at the smooth introduction that happened between the two of you. Glad that his brother was being reasonable. "The unknown is still precenting themselves. Even for them."

"Even for them?" Roboute repeats his words before deciding to test you on something. Shifting his weight as he gives you his attention. Saying something about a difference in the world, and his words seems to change your face while you cringe at them, seemingly not liking them. You honestly looked like you were in a crisis, or when Roboute himself begins his paperwork.

He figures though, that you were certainly not from their time. You were definitely older than them.

[juuuuunaaaaaooooo]

She's Different

Thanos x fem reader : Angst, fluff, smut, mention of drugs, using of drugs, mention of death, blood, gore. The reader is a virgin. Happy ending! English Version! THIRD POV!

Chapter 1/? : Prologue

Thanos awoke to the sound of music worthy of a military camp. He ran a hand through his purple hair and straightened. He looked around, and saw a hundred people, all dressed in the same green jogging suit, and a number. “230.” He looked down at his sweatpants and winced. He stood up and made his way to the center of the room, stretching slightly, when a door opened and masked men dressed in pink burst into the large dormitory. The one in the middle, with a square on his face, spoke. “I would like to extend a hearty welcome to all of you. Everyone here will participate in six different games over six days. Those who win all six games will receive a handsome cash prize.”

After this short introduction, some participants started asking questions. To be honest, Thanos didn’t give a damn who they were, or why they were so mysterious. All he cared about was, where his shoes had gone.

“What’s with these shoes? My shoes are limited fucking edition. They’re hard to find! You going to replace them if they get ruined?” Fuck! They had also cost him a fortune.

He grunted. They’d better give it back to him intact at the end of the game. Another player protested, insisting that he needed to follow the crypto market in real time. The man in the square pressed a remote control, and a video appeared on the screen.

“Player 333, Lee Myung-gi. Age 30, used to run a YouTube channel called ‘MG Coin.’”

Thanos tilted his head to spot Player 333 in the crowd. The bastard was there too. Perfect, now he could beat the shit out of him. He was sure that he wasn’t his only victim. Maybe he’d find some allies soon. His proud smile vanished when his face appeared on the screen. He lowered his head in shame, watching the reactions around him. Seeing himself on the video and hearing the amount of his debt made him think back to that day, on the bridge. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, it was painful. Once he’d found out the final prize pool, and the giant pig, which was empty for the moment, it was time to officially signed up by signing the “contract.”

Thanos had just met player 124, Nam-su. The latter had also been MG Coin's victim. While waiting his turn, Thanos saw Nam-su approach MG Coin, who had just finished signing the paper.

“The amazing Myung-gi from MG Coin? Is that you?”

Thanos stepped out of line to join him. Player 333 took a few steps back when he saw him coming. He hadn’t even said a word to him, and this weakling was already scared... Interesting.

“Who are you?”

“You may not know me, but I know you. MG Coin. I was subscribed to your channel. And I lost a shitload of money, asshole.”

“So, did I.”

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

The little bastard dared to deny it, although his name had been mentioned loud and clear. He tried to get through, but Thanos put a firm hand on his chest to pull him back.

“I watched your content all day, every day. Now I even see you in my dreams, motherfucker.” He put his arm on his new ally’s shoulder. “Was your name Nam-su?”

“It’s Nam-gyu. From Club Pentagon.”

“Right.” He didn’t give a shit. “Thanks to you, I bonded quickly with Nam-gyu here. Because we shared the same pain.”

“What do you want from me?”

Furious that he was playing innocent, Thanos grabbed him by the back of the neck as the other players looked on in amazement. “What do you think? Give me my money.”

Myung-gi withdrew his hand, as best he could, freeing himself. “Did I force you to buy that coin?”

“You told us to bet it all, you fucker. You swore it’d shoot up. You said we’d be fucking idiots if we didn’t buy it!” He was very close to sticking one in his face.

“You are responsible for the final decision on your investment. Didn’t you hear me say that at the end? You said you watched every day.”

This time it was too much, he couldn’t hold back any longer. The big jerk was out to get him, making him look like a fool. Thanos raised his fist to punch him, but a soft voice stopped him dead in his tracks. “Technically, if you exerted any psychological pressure, you can be considered responsible.”

Thanos turned and looked at the young woman, a small smile on his lips. He slowly lowered his fist. “You see, listen to the lawyer.” She looked away, as if she regretted her intervention, but answered him anyway. “I’m not a lawyer.” Thanos’s smile widened. “Listen to the pretty, intelligent señorita.” “I didn’t force them to invest.” She approached slowly. “If in each of your videos, you push people to believe you by calling them idiots. By hearing it repeatedly again, they’ll trust you, even if they have their doubts.” Myung-gi, didn’t back down. “Everyone knows that trading isn’t an exact science.” He wanted to have the last word.

She let out a small sigh. “Sure. But if you didn’t take the time to specify it in every video when you know it very well. And if, on top of it, you put that pressure, you become responsible for it. You almost become a hustler, and they, the victims.” Thanos laughed out loud. He pushed Player 333 aside and approached the young woman, walking oddly. “If this asshole doesn’t make enough money, I’ll hire you to be my lawyer on the way out. To sue his ass.” This time she lowered her head, unable to look him in the eye. “Like I already told you, I’m not a lawyer.” Thanos raised an eyebrow, and watched her walk away, a smirk hovering on his face. He was amused and intrigued.

~~~~~

What’s happened in her brain to make her be noticed in the first hour? She had always stayed in the background, preferring to observe rather than speak. And yet, she had intervened in a story that was none of her business. She had opened her mouth, drawing attention to herself. Something she hated more than anything. After moving away, she sat down on the bed she’d woken up on, hoping that no one would come to make conversation, waiting for the first game. But she couldn’t help observing the purple-haired man. It was hard not to notice, with his style, the way he walked and talked. His confidence and charisma could break through the screen. He was so dramatic that it made her laugh, even though he was supposed to look dangerous. There was something else about him. Something she couldn’t define, but it intrigued her. That’s why she’d come between the two men earlier.

~~~~~

Thanos slowly approached the young woman, who was sitting on one of the beds, her back against the wall, her head bowed. He could see that she was fiddling with her fingers, pulling at the skin around her bitten nails. “Yo, señorita.” She shyly raised her eyes to him, but didn’t answer. She just looked at him curiously. Thanos clung to the bed frame on either side so he could climb onto the empty bed next to hers. He imitated her position, his back against the wall. But instead of crossing his legs, he bent one, his foot flat against the thin mattress, and rested his forearm on his knee, in a position that could be described as cool and relaxed. “Admit it, that was bullshit.” She finally looked up at him. “No, it’s all true.” “Really?” He raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

She shrugged. “I suppose so. At least in cop shows, that’s the truth.” He let out a small laugh. He placed his index finger on her mouth, and placed his second on her lips. “It’ll be our little secret.” She couldn’t help smiling against his finger. “Okay.” “Hm...” He tilted his head into his palm, looking at her as if she were interesting. “What else have you learned in your series?” She looked at him very seriously and said. “How to get rid of a body, and especially, how never get caught.” This time, he burst out laughing. His painted nails came to hold his chest and little crow’s feet formed around his eyes. A little more comfortably, she continued. “You’d have to be a real idiot to kill someone in your house with a hammer, with all that blood splattering on the walls. Oh, the worst are those who have an accomplice, and send a message like... ‘It’s done.’” “You’re really something, beauty lawyer.”

The way he said it, with his exaggerated accent and brilliant smile, made her feel a pleasant warmth that spread throughout her body. She felt the blush rise to her cheeks, her shyness resurfacing. “I...” She cleared her throat to regain her composure. “I’m not a lawyer.” He shrugged. “I know, bitch.” She should have insulted him at the nickname, but instead she almost snorted like a pig. It sounded so funny coming out of his mouth. And the look on his face! He tried to act tough, but he just looked comical. She didn’t know if his craziness was contagious or if she felt like she could be herself around him, but she added, raising her hands. “Okay... Bitch.”

His eyes widened, surprised at first, then he let his head fall back, laughing out loud. He was a ball of red energy, while she was a tiny blue crescent. He was her opposite, and yet she had the feeling that, if she dug deeper, they might be a lot more similar than she thought. The whole situation was crazy. It was, like, fourth dimensional. But it was pleasant and calming. She felt much lighter and less stressed before starting the first game. They’d just arrived, and maybe she’d already found an ally, which was cool.

This is my first characters x reader fic... Ahhhh!!!!! Please, be kind <3

You can read it on ao3 here : https://archiveofourown.org/works/64543561/chapters/165760486

[goldensunset]

‘x the canon player character of a game’ and ‘x reader’ are different. DIFFERENT!!!

[writtenroses1813]

Tbh I don’t rlly get the whole “1st person vs. 3rd person” debate on reading/writing because I don’t have a preference they’re just…different ways of storytelling.

When I’m reading 3rd person, I’m sitting around a campfire with an elder as they cast shadows about and the fire dances and they tell all the children the great feats of the heroes

When I’m reading 1st person, I’m on a lunch date with my best friend and they’re telling me the crazy shit they just been through

[lovesick-x-prince]

Don't think about how in Nobody Feels Like You the Third Life map takes a few days to walk across. Don't think about how Grian and Scar knew one of them would have to kill the other during that journey home at the end. Don't think about what they said during that walk. Don't think about how they felt over those days. Don't think about it.

[bayetea]

I think it's really annoying that leo has completely falsified memories of jason too and this is barely acknowledged in the books

[lemonyinks]

In case you were wondering, Jiang Cheng has never once raised a hand to his nephew, nor has he ever thought about it.

chap 10

chap 81

chap 99

chap 102

And I'm positive Jin Ling knows with absolute certainty that his uncle would never hurt him; he has never been scared of his uncle, not even once.

chap 35

chap 47

chap 110

Don't let anyone tell you Jiang Cheng is abusive when it's just not something supported by canon at all in any way shape or form. He is literally the best uncle in the whole world. I cannot for the life of me see why other people seem to think otherwise...

[rowanisawriter]

overripe

rook/lucanis, food as a metaphor for love and ust, 2.3k words

.

Lucanis spears a piece of peach with his fork. There is no resistance. The peach is soft enough to fall apart with just a look. “I think perhaps the fruit was overripe. Just a touch. It isn’t a concern,” he adds quickly. “It still tastes good.”

Fahad frowns down at the pie. “What? We tested all the fruit.”

“One bruised piece must have passed our notice. This type of thing happens when I’m at the market with others.”

“Did I distract you?”

Lucanis shrugs. “Perhaps we can say this small piece of bruised fruit is a price to pay for your company. And,” he adds, looking down at his pie. “I would pay the price every time.”

[3hks]

Adding Personality Into 3rd Person

Some people find third person point-of-view boring in comparison to first person because "it lacks character". Well, I'm here to tell you that's not true! You can most definitely infuse personality into your 3rd person limited narrative (beyond just thoughts and dialogue); it's SUPER easy, and I'm here to inform you how!

For starters, identify the character that's being focused on in the story. More often than not, it'll be your main character, but that's not always the case. Sometimes, the perspective shifts.

The key here is to pretend like it's that character who's telling the story. They're narrating themselves, like in 1st person, only, y'know, it's in 3rd.

Why does this matter?

Words, words, words. How we use them determines not only our story, but also the mood and tone, which is crucial to understand right now. With that being said, the vocabulary used can both subtly and blatantly add personality to your writing!

For example, let's say the "focused character" is more likely to use the word "super", instead of "very" or "really", so they use it once or twice when "narrating".

The sky was super dark that night.

The mirror was super shiny.

The man looked super suspicious.

And guess what? That's already adding your character's voice INTO the text! The use of the word "super" added a more childish tone to the text, avoiding what otherwise could have been rather flat.

Let's look at some more examples:

❀ Maybe your character is more serious. This might lead to a more "standard" style of storytelling, but it's something nonetheless!

❀ Maybe your character is more negative, so their pessimistic viewpoint may affect and/or warp the actual, objective situation!

❀ Maybe your character LOVES a certain show(s), so they occasionally drop references when comparing stuff!

So, if you ever feel like your writing is getting a bit plain or repetitive, this might help you out!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[lylacynth13]

And the Universe Said You Are Not Alone

Word count: 3803

An ambush leaves Kanade in the clutches of the Zoo Rangers, and it’s up to the rest of the Fussy Eaters to bring her back.

It only took three words for Rui’s blood to run cold.

“Boss was captured.”

He was on his feet immediately, the invention he was tinkering with swiftly forgotten. Activating his Coda, Rui practically sprinted through the door. No time for transformation sequences, he thought, before turning his attention back to Ichika on the line.

“What happened?” She’d had enough insight to send her coordinates before calling, meaning he wouldn’t have to waste time figuring out where she was. “Who’s over there right now?”

“We were facing the Zoo Rangers when FOW joined in and caught us off guard. Rin and I were able to slip away but Boss got caught,” she said hurriedly. Rui frowned for a moment; an ambush of this scale was unusual. “There’s no sign of White Crow, though. Or HopeHopeHeart.”

“Where are CBNEL and Devoted Evil?”

“Nearby, in hiding. We’re all waiting for a plan.”

So the odds weren’t hopeless. Rui quickened his pace, mentally composing a course of action.

“Tell CBNEL to create a distraction that will lead away FOW,” he told Ichika. “And send Devoted Evil out to find HopeHopeHeart and keep them away from the Zoo Rangers.”

There was a bit of shuffling on the other end, and Rui could hear Ichika tell Rin to relay his instructions to the other groups. “What about White Crow?” He paused. It was rare for White Crow to not be there, but they’ve always been able to handle her in the past.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Do they seem to be doing anything?” 

“Nothing but ask her questions,” Rin said suddenly, taking over the phone. “They’re trying to get her to reveal information about the villain league.”

“Alright. I’m almost there, we can talk more once I arrive.” Rin and Ichika both let out a noise of acknowledgement before ending the call.

Rui couldn’t help the dread that sunk in as he approached the location Ichika sent him. As a whole, the Fussy Eaters were more than capable of handling the Zoo Rangers. It was practically routine, even. Letting Kanade handle things on her own was different. Reliable as she may be, Instant Boss could get reckless if she was dealing with a situation alone.

That’s our Boss, I suppose. Rui chuckled to himself humorlessly. Despite being evil she’d never do anything careless that could put a fellow villain in harm’s way.

He could only hope she wouldn’t do anything that would put herself in harm’s way before they could reach her.

🎵🎵🎵

Admittedly this wasn’t Kanade’s proudest moment. Restrained and unable to use her powers, Kanade could do nothing but warily eye the heroes surrounding her. They’d been trying to get her to reveal information to them for the better half of an hour, but seemed to finally realize they weren’t getting anywhere. Instead they took to standing around, trying to figure out what to do with her.

“Hey, are we sure this is Instant Boss?” Orange Eagle turned to the rest of the Zoo Rangers. “Looking at her now she seems kind of…I don’t know, pathetic?”

“Urk…” Kanade winced at the words like they had physically slapped her. 

 “Of course, Orange Eagle!” Pegasus Man Red let out a laugh that managed to shake Kanade to her bones. Just how loud could one person be? “She was with Bread Eater and Picky, so she must be Instant Boss! Though, it's unfortunate that the other two managed to escape…”

I guess that’s one good thing about this, Kanade thought to herself. At least I know that they got away. Speaking of absent team members…

“Where’s White Crow?” Her question made the heroes turn to her in suspicion, but her curiosity was genuine. It was odd for Mafu- no. For White Crow to be a no show.

“She’s on her way!” Salmon Pink was quick to speak up for her absent teammate. She stared at Kanade with wide eyes filled with determination. Maybe it would be a good idea to recruit someone with this much enthusiasm…

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Orange Eagle moved to stand between Kanade and Salmon Pink, as if protecting his fellow hero. He quickly led her away, but Kanade could still hear him whisper to Salmon Pink, “Ignore her. We just need to wait for the rest of ‘em to show up. Doesn’t mean we need to strike a conversation.”

Having lost the attention of two Zoo Rangers, she turned towards the members of FOW. Internally, she wished she had paid more attention to their files. Cafe Master and Teardrop…I don’t remember if they have any food dislikes. What did Rui tell me about Cute Ribbon? Something about hot food? No, that’s too broad. Vivid Rum…tomatoes I think?

“Say, Vivid Rum,” Kanade started, drawing the hero’s attention. “Are there any foods you absolutely can’t stand?”

“Hm? Well I guess there’s-“ Vivid Rum cut herself off suddenly. “Hey, wait, if you’re trying to recruit me it won’t work!”

“But what if I told you we could get rid of all the food you don’t like?” She implored. “Including dishes that incorporate tomatoes? If you help me, then we could make sure you never have to worry about them ever again.”

“How did you- wait, a world without tomatoes…?” Vivid Rum paused, sounding almost mystified by the idea. “Maybe…no. I won’t join your side!”

“Why not?” She was so close…Kanade didn’t understand. “Why wouldn’t you want to live in a world where you’re free to eat whatever you want?”

“Well I sorta already live in that world,” Vivid Rum explained. “Tomatoes aren’t difficult to avoid if you ask for them to be removed. Besides, I have a duty to protect!”

How noble, Kanade thought. But that nobility is getting in my way right now!

Sensing the end of the interaction, Vivid Rum turned to talk with one of the other heroes. Sighing, Kanade tugged experimentally against the binds around her wrists. She knew they were magic but couldn’t determine much else. Maybe they were connected to the Coda? Rui would probably know more. 

Aside from being able to block out her powers, the restraints didn’t feel any different from a normal rope. A well-timed strike and they’d probably come right off. 

That may be exactly what I need, she considered. They’d left her legs unrestrained, probably because they assumed she wouldn’t try anything while surrounded by heroes. If she could get them to throw an attack her way…

Kanade bolted suddenly, aiming for a space between the heroes that was large enough for her to weave through.

“Wah!” Salmon Pink let out a cry of shock. “Hey! Come back!” As soon as the words left the hero’s mouth, an abrupt boom echoed through the street. Four more immediately followed.

She risked a look back as she ran, seeing five towers of smoke rising in the distance. CBNEL’s calling card.

“Now of all times…?” Kanade heard Vivid Rum mutter. “We’ll deal with it! Get Instant Boss!”

The members of FOW took off as the Zoo Rangers gave chase. A guttural shout was Kanade’s only warning as a blast of heat shot past her, grazing her arm but just missing her restraints. Orange Eagle.

“Careful!” Pegasus Man Red scolded his teammate. “That fire is dangerous! If you don’t watch out you could seriously damage something!”

“Is now seriously the time to be yelling at me about this?” Orange Eagle shot back. “Instant Boss is gonna get away!”

“Not if I can help it!” Salmon Pink declared. Vines and roots shot out of the ground, reaching for Kanade. 

She tripped as one of them grabbed her foot, hitting the ground with a harsh thud as her face collided with the pavement. A metallic taste filled her mouth. She must have bitten her tongue when she hit the ground. Wearily, Kanade lifted her head. The Coda is meant to boost my stamina and endurance…but I guess there wasn’t much to boost in the first place...this is definitely going to bruise…

She turned to face the heroes as they approached before stopping as her gaze landed on a small bramble bush.

Salmon Pink must have summoned it, she concluded. If I can reach it then maybe…

“Wowww!!” Pico-Pico Rainbow let out an ecstatic cry of awe. With the Zoo Rangers’ attention turned towards the blue-haired hero, Kanade reached her wrists out towards the thorns. “That was so cool, Salmon Pink! The way you made the planties burst out like that! Can you show me how to do that?”

”Oi, you know that controlling plants is part of her Coda only don’t you?” Orange Eagle scoffed. “Besides, we don’t have time for- hey, what do you think you’re doing?!”

Kanade let out a yelp as she was roughly grabbed by the collar of her outfit. Orange Eagle picked her up with ease, keeping her away from the bramble.

“Agh! I’m so so so so sorry!” Salmon Pink let out a hurried stream of nervous apologies, quickly doing away with the bramble bush. “I should’ve put that one away! I didn’t realize she was going to try to cut her restraints! Forgive me!!”

“Yeah, yeah, calm down,” the orange-clad hero grumbled. “It’s fine. No harm no foul, right?”

“That’s right!” Pegasus Man Red loudly chimed in. “Besides, it was your swift action that managed to stop her! Your work should be rewarded!”

“R-really? You mean it?” He nodded. The salmon themed hero turned to look at Orange Eagle, her expression asking for his approval.

“I said it’s fine, didn’t I?” Orange Eagle sighed. He turned his head to look at Kanade as the others started a new line of conversation entirely. Something about stars? It was probably better to tune them out.

“…could you let me down now?” Kanade couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at being handled like this. She was a respectable villain, not a cat to be domesticated!

“You think I’m falling for that again?” came Orange Eagle’s reply. “You obviously can’t be trusted not to run off. Better to just keep you like this until the rest of your group mates show up.”

“Oya? It seems we’ve arrived just in time then.”

That voice…! Kanade raised her head and immediately spotted Rui descending from the skies, standing atop a drone. Ichika and Rin were nowhere to be seen. They must be hiding somewhere close.

“About time, Death Veggie!” Pegasus Man Red let out a hearty laugh. “Have you finally come to surrender your ways as a villain? We have your boss after all!”

”Keeping a hostage?” A grin spread over Rui’s face. “Fufu~ Sounds like villain work to me.”

“H-Hey!” Salmon Pink protested, shaking her arms around wildly. “We’re not the bad guys! You’re the ones always causing chaos around the city!”

“Oh?” The drone lowered closer to the ground, and Rui jumped down when it reached a safe height. “And here I thought two wrongs don’t make a right. Honestly, what sort of example are you hoping to set for the children you perform for?”

“That’s not what we’re getting at and you know it,” Orange Eagle growled out. “Where are the rest of you? There’s two more of you Fussy Eaters, aren’t there?”

“They’re scheduled to arrive soon.” Rui let out a mischievous chuckle. “I’m sure they’ll be here in a flash.”

As if on cue, a burst of light appeared from behind Rui, hitting all of the heroes and Kanade. Orange Eagle let out a cry of shock and let go of Kanade, momentarily blinded. Dazed from the light herself, Kanade could do nothing to stop her fall.

Suddenly, two pairs of arms wrapped themselves around her, grabbing her and leading her away from the heroes. As the stars in her eyes faded, she could make out black and yellow hair.

“Ichi- er, Bread Eater?” Kanade’s vision began to clear more, letting her fully see Ichika and Rin’s concerned faces. “Picky?”

“Boss!” The two of them cried out simultaneously, faces morphing into expressions of relief. Ichika quickly took notice of the burn on her arm as Rin got to work on her restraints. “You’re hurt!”

“It’s not urgent,” she tried to reassure. She looked around them. It looked like the two of them had sought out safety in a hidden alley. “Where’s Death Veggie?”

“He brought his army of robots,” Rin said, finally doing away with the binds around Kanade’s wrists. She rubbed them, the restraints having made them sore. “He’ll be fine.”

“He’s alone with the Zoo Rangers?!” Kanade stood up urgently, stumbling slightly. “We need to go help him!”

Ichika caught her arm before she could run off. “Boss, wait. Are you sure you can handle going back? Rin just said Death Veggie has his robots, he’ll be able to handle the Zoo Rangers just fine.”

“What kind of boss would I be if I let one of my own face the heroes by themself?” Ichika and Rin exchanged worried glances before looking back at Kanade.

“Alright,” Ichika relented. “We’ll all go.”

Kanade nodded, satisfied. She let Ichika and Rin lead the way; she wasn’t actually sure where they had brought her. As they reentered the street, it was clear that Rin and Ichika had been right. Rui stood on one side, smirking smugly as the heroes chipped away at his robots on the other end.

Reaching for the shadows with her Coda, Kanade willed them to wrap around and restrain the Zoo Rangers. Startled, they flinched away from the darkness, but couldn’t stop it from restraining them.

“Boss?” Rui looked at Kanade with worried eyes, but his voice betrayed his relief. He gave her a tense smile. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be content with leaving me here. Forgive me for not having more faith in you.”

“It’s fine-“ Kanade began, before an arrow embedded itself into the ground just next to her foot. She stared at it in shock before recognizing the design. “White Crow…”

The hero in question emerged from behind her fellow Zoo Rangers, who took advantage of Kanade’s surprise and freed themselves from her shadows. “You’re late.” Orange Eagle bristled, annoyed. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry,” White Crow responded, not sounding particularly apologetic. “I had some trouble slipping away.”

A wave of understanding washed over the Zoo Rangers, and Orange Eagle’s demeanor softened slightly at her answer. Unbeknownst to the heroes, the Fussy Eaters also caught onto the implications of White Crow’s response. They were perhaps the only villains to know of the hero’s true identity, and they went to great measures to make sure no one knew they had this knowledge.

Whether White Crow herself was aware of the fact that they knew her identity was uncertain, but as far as they knew she had never brought up the topic with the other Zoo Rangers. 

“Boss.” Rin tugged at Kanade’s sleeve. “What’s your Coda level at?”

Kanade grimaced internally. Between keeping up the identity protection glamour, containing the damage of the burn, and her shadow manipulation just moments ago, her Coda levels were running thin. If I told her that then she’d insist I sit this one out. It’s better if she doesn’t know.

She gave Rin what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” Rin frowned, unconvinced, but let the matter drop.

“Let’s deal with this as quickly as possible.” White Crow shot off another arrow towards Ichika, who managed to swiftly move out of the way.

“Little late for that, don’t you think?” Despite his irritated words, Orange Eagle readied himself into a fighting stance.

Kanade locked eyes with Rui and gave him a nod. At his command, the small army of robots advanced. Immediately, White Crow and Orange Eagle took to the skies while the other Zoo Rangers fended off the robots from the ground.

Ichika willed the sunlight to lessen, allowing Kanade to bend the newly made darkness to her whim. She directed a shadow beam towards Orange Eagle, who deflected it with a burst of firelight. White Crow let out a barrage of arrows, forcing the Fussy Eaters to back away in order to avoid them.

One arrow whizzed past her head, catching her off guard and making her lose her balance. Seizing the advantage, White Crow prepared another arrow and fired it her way. It grazed her shoulder and Kanade winced at the sudden sting. Before she could fall, Rin caught her, helping her stand properly.

Kanade’s eyes widened as she noticed a cut across Rin’s cheek. “You’re bleeding!”

“So are you,” Rin pointed out. “If you’ll be fine then so will I.”

Unable to argue, Kanade turned her attention back to the fight right as Ichika shot a beam of light towards White Crow and Orange Eagle. It clipped one of Orange Eagle’s wings, and he faltered in the air for a moment before landing with a grimace. White Crow masterfully dodged the attack and fired off one of her own.

Rui threw a device towards the arrow, and it formed a shield around Ichika as soon as the objects collided. Ichika shot him a grateful look before the two rejoined the fray. While all of the other Zoo Rangers battled on the ground, White Crow remained hovering above them, eyes narrowed and locked onto Kanade and Rin.

“Picky, you need to step back,” she warned. “Your illusions won’t be able to protect you here.”

Before Rin could respond, the sound of an arrow flying towards them caught their attention. The two turned to find the projectile responsible for the noise headed their way, aiming straight for Rin. Without another thought, Kanade released a burst of shadow that simultaneously destroyed the arrow and burned through the rest of her Coda.

The glamour dropped, revealing her identity to anyone looking. White Crow, being anyone, did nothing but stare at Kanade with wide eyes.

White Crow’s not just anyone though, she thought as panic began to settle in. She’s Mafuyu. And now she knows.

Rin wasted no time in setting up an illusion of Kanade’s outfit. It wouldn’t fool the Zoo Rangers forever, but it was a substitute glamour that would last long enough for them to escape.

Not that it matters. Not now that Mafuyu knows.

Kanade felt distant, like her soul had been separated from her body. The world around her turned fuzzy. She could hear Rin’s voice call for a retreat, but it sounded far away. There were hurried movements all around her, leading her away.

When the movements finally stopped, the voices began, too blurred for her to fully make out what they were saying. Something about a smoke screen  and the Zoo Rangers and Mafuyu-

“She knows…” Kanade muttered, almost deliriously. The voices around her went silent. “Mafuyu knows and she’s going to hate me-“

“-oss.”

“-I told her she could trust me but now she’s never going to trust me again-“

“Boss!”

“-but I can’t just leave her with her mom! This is all my fault, if I hadn’t gotten captured, if I’d managed to get away on my own, if I’d done something right for once-“

“Kanade.”

Startled by the sudden use of her real name, Kanade paused her mad rambling. Lifting her head, (when did she start looking down? What sort of leader becomes so out of it they lose track of their whole body?) she looked up to see Rui, Ichika, and Rin watching her.

Ichika and Rui smiled softly at her, but she could see the worry in their eyes. Rin, meanwhile, wore her concern clearly. Her knuckles were white from how tightly they were grasping the fabric of her skirt.

“I’m sorry.” Kanade blurted out. Her hands shook as she clenched them into fists. “We had to retreat because of me. You should’ve left me there instead of coming to rescue me.”

“Enough of that,” Rui softly chided. “We would never leave you behind. You’re our Boss. And above that, you’re our friend.”

Ichika nodded in agreement. “Us Fussy Eaters have to stay together.”

“Kanade.” Rin stepped forward. Slowly, as if waiting to see if Kanade would back away, she let herself lean into the white-haired girl, pulling her into a hug. The physical contact said everything the normally touch-averse girl couldn’t.

Shakily, Kanade lifted her trembling arms up and wrapped them around Rin. Her vision blurred for the second time that day, this time with unshed tears. “What are we going to do…?” Kanade whispered. “She knows.”

“We’ll figure that out when we get there,” Rui said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “For now, I say we all get some rest. Today turned out to be much more stressful than any of us anticipated.”

As if to disagree with Rui’s suggestion, Kanade’s communication device rang. Rin detached herself with a frown. She pulled out the device, but hesitated as she hovered her finger over the call button.

Rui extended a hand. “Would you like me to take care of it?”

“Yes.” Kanade nodded. ”Could you…put it on speaker please?”

Rui made a hum of affirmation as he picked up the call.

“Boss?” [E]’s voice came out from the other end of the line.

“It’s me,” Rui responded. “Boss can’t come to the phone right now. There’s been a bit of a…complication. We’ll explain more later. Did something happen on your end?”

“[C] got hurt.” [E]’s voice was shaky. “She’ll be alright, I think, but I don’t know if she should go back to her house tonight. She seems like she’d rather not be there.”

“Bring her over to Safe House Gamma,” Rui instructed. Kanade startled as she finally realized where they had brought her. “We can assess her injuries and share information here. I’ll tell Devoted Evil to head this way too.”

“Alright,” Ena agreed. “We’ll be there soon.”

The call ended and Rui stepped away to update Devoted Evil of the situation. A wave of exhaustion hit Kanade all at once, and she could feel her eyelids grow heavier. This didn’t go unnoticed by Ichika or Rin, and the two led her over to one of the safe house’s couches.

“Get some rest,” Ichika told her. “We’ll wake you when everyone gets here.”

Despite how tired she was, Kanade felt obligated to wait for the others to arrive. She tried to protest but was quickly stopped by Rin, who looked up at her with worried eyes. “Please? For us?”

Hesitantly, she laid down on the couch. She closed her eyes as Ichika hummed a gentle melody and Rin carefully placed a blanket over her. Distantly, she heard Rui’s footsteps, and he let out a soft chuckle as he approached. Finally drifting to sleep, Kanade couldn’t help but smile.

Their company…it makes me feel warm.

[cherryapplefish]

90 days isn’t enough.

These are the thoughts in my head as I watch you hunch over the table, putting together some new model kit you’d bought before you made your way here. You’d let yourself in with the key I gave you, walked right into my apartment like you did my heart so many years ago.

You glance up at me, eyes the color of sunrise meeting mine, and I inhale sharply. It’s odd because before, I’d never reacted in this way. I don’t really remember my breath stuttering nor my heart fluttering in our youth and yet everyday since you’ve been back, all I can think about is the way your breath had felt on my neck when we hugged for the first time in over a year.

You’d somehow grown taller. As if you needed to do that. And as if to prove my point, you break into a smile and stand, walking over to me and towering.

There’s a pinch in my neck as I tilt my head back to look up at you. I know you notice because I flinch just slightly and your smile twitches as if fighting to keep from widening.

“C’mon pipsqueak,” you call as you reach out. Your hand is warm around mine. Bigger. Always bigger. It’ll always be bigger because you’re older than me, you’ll remind me. For a moment I pause, glancing down at where your fingers are curled through mine.

“Pips,” you call again, a question in your tone and I smile. It feels like something blooms in my chest, a flower, my heart, affection? I’m not sure but seeing the look in your eyes has me on cloud 9. Since when had I yearned for your gaze to always be on me? Only be on me?

I see it in your face too. You feel the same things I do and you always say you’re better at pretending you don’t care but Caleb, deep down, I’ve always known of the affection you held for me. I’ve always known of my place in your heart.

“Caleb,” I call softly, watch the way affection blooms from your chest up to your face, turns your cheeks red at how gently I say your name.

“Thank you for coming home.”

[lovesickeros]

☆ from gold, i am undone

{☆} characters tsaritsa {☆} notes cult au, yandere, drabble, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings blood, implied self harm, implied suicide attempts {☆} word count 0.9k

You weren't meant to be here.

You can feel it in the marrow of your bones– it weighs you down like heavy shackles, gold bleeding from your pores until it is all you know. The taste of ichor on your tongue, the warmth of its invasion beneath your skin, that gleam of gold that lingers in the color of your eyes like specks of dust.

You are changed, and you are whole.

But you are so unbearably broken.

A shattered piece of porcelain hastily put back together with gold to fill the cracks.

Decoration, in the end, for you are not fit to walk as "mortals" do. This gold had filled every empty crevice of your body, spilled the red into your frantic hands and made you bleed so it's callous gold could make room inside your body. It has taken from you many things, given many more, but you scratch and bite and tear until it drips onto the floor and even then it never leaves. It stains the floor no matter how hard you scrub– a permanent reminder of the sickening gold that molds you into something that used to look like you– that does look like you. Desecrated, yet so horribly divine.

All you see is a monster.

Something new, something old.

A hollowed out shell, wounds left to rot and fester until you suited the image of the Creator they bore upon statues and murals, the Creator worshiped in prayers spoken in hushed whispers and joyous chants praising your magnificence.

But what magnificence is there in detachment? What joy is there to be found in carving a God out of a human? They kneel like lambs before the shepherd, but the flock has made you– and you want to unmake them. Unweave the tapestry of their being stitch by stitch until it all falls apart and the world knows the cost of casting molten gold into the shape of a human, knows the price that has been left unpaid.

You want to take it from them. Watch them squabble and pray, blind sheep stepping into the wolf's open maw– to tear the seams of their being until the world is unwound by your heavy hands.

But you know it will not satisfy you.

Nothing does anymore.

You are no wolf. Only the shepherd who guides.

And with every drop of blood spilled, they ripped the humanity from your very bones until your body was the cast in which they made something anew– something gold, something horrific. A monster as much a God, a beast as much a man.

There is nothing left but absolute authority.

You try again and again to mend this act of desecration, to peel back the outer shell and rend the gold from your marrow– but your body cannot, will not, die. It mends itself back into place no matter how damaged, and all you feel is the uncomfortable tug of your body forcing itself to live. You cannot die, but were you ever truly alive at all?

Yet with every cycle, you know only one constant besides the thrum of golden ichor in your veins– cold.

Ice that burns, ice that spreads and festers and devours. Claws that pull you apart until the gold runs thick, teeth that burrow into your bones and rip it out from the source..eyes that witness the fall of a God with reverence– hungering, all consuming reverence.

You welcome it.

It is the first time you felt pain since you were cast into an image of a being you were not meant to be. The sting of cold upon your skin makes you shiver, your body tries to reject it, but you want to welcome it– for a brief moment that lasts only as long as it takes for you to blink, you see the glint of something familiar in the reflection of her empty eyes. Something achingly, horribly familiar– something human, all the more terrifying for it.

Even when Teyvat itself crumples like paper beneath the weight of her sins – of this desecration anew, this wretched heresy – you allow her hands to do it again. You grasp her hands in yours like chains, willing her to shackle you, willing her to pull you apart and make you whole again. To break you until the gold cannot put you back together again.

You long, each time, for those eyes like spears that lodge into your skin– burrow deep and sting deeper, making gold flow like water. You long for the biting tongue, the cutting words and those teeth like weapons– long to see the spite and anger and impure disgust aimed at the woman of silver who leads you down a hall that ends only in damnation. You follow each time like the lamb led astray by the wolf, but you do not wail in betrayal when she sinks her teeth into your throat and devours you whole.

For is it a sin if you welcome it? Has their God sinned, in the eyes of the flock, for welcoming such heresy with open arms? For allowing the wolf into their home?

Is it a sin to be broken beneath the only hands that have loved you?

Is it a sin to want to love, too, those hands and teeth stained in gold?

Then you shall be damned, you swear it. Damned, but gold no more.

For death is the closest you have ever felt to being human.

[juuuuunaaaaaooooo]

She's Different

Thanos x fem reader : Angst, fluff, smut, mention of drugs, using of drugs, mention of death, blood, gore, mention of attempt suicide. The reader is a virgin so... Loss of virginity. Happy ending! THIRD POV! The Reader isn't Korean!

Chapter 3/? : The Second Game (Chap 1/Chap 2)

Summary : Reconciliation and rapprochement.

AN : This baby is more than 5000 words (very proud of it^^)

A loud noise and insults roused her from her meal. She looked up to see the crypto player leaning over Thanos. Player 124 tried to push him, but failed. Thanos didn’t need any help anyway. With a punch to the face, he knocked him to the ground. Then, as he stood up, he gave him a second hit, then a third, his gaze filled with hatred. She didn’t know which one was worse. The fight, or the fact that absolutely no one had any intention of stopping them. Until she heard a loud, imposing voice. “Boys, what are you doing in the middle of mealtime? No fights during mealtime. There are elders present. Mind your manners.”

This should have been the signal for Thanos to calm down and come to his senses. But no... He apparently preferred to make enemies, which was the stupidest thing to do in a game where your life was threatened.

“Dude, stop running your mouth and take care of your own damn kids.”

She growled deeply. Was this the real Thanos? All she wanted to do was slap him for his insolence and viciousness. But she didn’t have to, because Player 001 grabbed him by the throat. Thanos tried to rebel, but was quickly taken down, his throat pressed between the older player’s large hands, then released to the applause of the other players. Not hers. She wouldn’t enjoy seeing someone get hit, even if, in this case, it was deserved. She sighed again, shaking her head in disappointment at all this violent behavior.

~~~~~

Another new room. This time, there were two round tracks, in rainbow colors, and windows on the walls, giving the impression of being in a children’s park with houses all around. Contrary to what player 456 had said, it had nothing to do with a choice of shape. Who could blame him but morons? It was logical that games should change from one year to the next.

“Welcome to your second game. This game will be played in teams. Please divide into teams of five in the next ten minutes.”

Damn! She’d rather play solo than put her life in the hands of complete strangers. But she had no choice. No group, and she’d be dead before she even started fighting. For this kind of alliance, she had two major weaknesses. She was a woman, and she was very shy and reserved. Despite the situation, she wouldn’t be able to initiate a conversation. She didn’t want to be mocked for having the audacity to think she’d be on someone’s team. She knew it was just paranoia, but she couldn’t help it. She wandered slowly, head bowed, hoping someone would notice her and offer her to join their team. A few minutes later, which seemed like an eternity, she was approached by a young woman with a piercing on her lower lip and nose, and a young man who seemed as reserved as she. Players 333 and 125. “Hi. Do you want to join us?” She raised her head and gave her a sincere smile. “Yes, thank you.” She didn’t have time to introduce herself before a voice interrupted them.

“Senorita, excuse me? Let’s play the game together.”

She froze at the sound of his voice, then clenched her fists at her sides. With him, a lost girl was immediately replaced. She wasn’t special. None of them were.

“Well, why should I?”

“I, Thanos the great, will protect you.”

“Right, Thanos. So have you got all the Infinity Stones?”

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She didn’t want to capture his attention. Thanos hadn’t seen her because she was hidden behind Se-mi and Min-su.

“Of course. I’m going to destroy anyone who gets in my way!” Yeah, she had no doubt about that. “Just stick with me, and you’ll be safe. Okay?” And to her, would he have said the same thing?

Se-mi wasn’t impressed by the rapper. “I’ve already offered two people to play with me.” Thanos looked at Nam-gyu, and counted on his fingers. “That’ll be five. It’s perfect! Who’s that?” When Se-mi moved to reveal them, she saw Thanos lose his confidence for a second. As for his lapdog, he lowered his head with a sigh. Poor pussy, he was going, to team up with two women. Thanos approached them doing one of his many tricks, almost flashing her a smile.

“Welcome to the Thanos world.”

He gave Min-su a boy hug, as if he’d known him all his life. She saw him hesitate as he turned to her, as if he wanted to hug her too. Worst of all, she’d probably have let him. She was sure his body was warm and strong. A hug from him would be comforting. And fuck! She could use one. Instead, she cleared her throat and muttered. “You four go ahead, I’ll be fine.” She started to turn to leave, but a large hand grabbed her wrist. “Señorita.” She tore her arm from his grasp, as if he’d burned it. “Don’t call me that!” The nickname wasn’t meant for her personally, and it hurt more than she wanted to admit. Thanos let out an almost inaudible sigh, but stepped back. “Forget it, man.” Player 124 gave her a disdainful look. Upset, she returned it. When the voice of the loudspeaker began counting down, she knew she had no choice. She sighed, then followed them to sit in the center of a round.

~~~~~

Thanos was so mentally out of it that he didn’t even see the first two groups get killed. He felt like he was in the dressing room before one of his concerts, practicing his hand movements. He smiled as he moved his head to the sound of a hip-hop rhythm he remembered.

But his bubble burst when Nam-su, who was sitting next to him on his left, tugged at his sleeve. He replied, not because he wanted to, but rather to get him off his back so he could return to his world, where he felt more at home.

“What?”

“Can you... Can you please give me one of those?”

“Those?”

“The thing you took. You’re keeping them inside your cross.”

Thanos looked at him, wide-eyed. He’d forgotten that he’d seen him take a little yellow candy earlier in the dorm.

However, he didn’t want to share. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“If I get nervous and lose the game, we’ll all die.”

Thanos looked at Nam-su’s trembling hands. For this second day, it was a team game. He’d accept losing solo, but not because of a guy like Nam-su. No way! He looked around, opened his cross, and handed him a blue dose, which Nam-gyu quickly stuffed into his mouth. The two men were unaware that the other three members of their team had heard them.

~~~~~

As Player 333 and Player 124 sent insults at each other, she whispered to Thanos, who had started dancing again. “You want to get us killed?” He turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “Huh?” She shook her head and reached for his cross, pulling on it. Thanos shrugged, as if it were nothing. “It helps me.” “To what? Getting us killed?” Thanos froze. His expression became serious again, as if he’d come to his senses, or the effect of the drug had worn off, even though she knew it hadn’t. “On the contrary. To making us live.” She was stunned by this revelation. So much so that she dropped his cross, her mouth opening slightly.

She’d seen him during the first game, he’d been terrified before taking one of his pills, but she didn’t think he’d say it out loud. She calmed down immediately, and lowered her head, almost ashamed of her judgment. While waiting for their turn, she couldn’t help glancing at him. This time, she smiled when she saw him waddle at a non-existent rhythm and gesture with his big hands, as if he were on stage. It was as if all her anger had evaporated. He was in his own world, unaware of what was happening around him. What better death than not being able to feel it? Perhaps, he was the smartest of them all.

~~~~~

Thanos was overexcited. Watching the third team pass the first two games in less than a minute and a half was thrilling. He felt like he was at a horse race, with a cheering crowd, bets in hand, praying that their order of arrival would be the right one. He felt a hand grab his right arm and turned to his “beauty not lawyer”. She was screaming, shaking her fist, and tugging at his sleeve passionately. After the third mini-game, they stood up to cheer the team on, but when, on the fourth, they only had thirty seconds left, he saw her clasp her hands in front of her, like a prayer. He raised his hand to put it on her shoulder, but changed his mind. He didn’t know if she’d forgiven him yet.

“Pass.”

This time, she raised both fists in the air, screaming. Thanos, amused and ecstatic, imitated her. Hearing the final validation, they turned to applaud the team and encourage them to cross the finish line before time ran out.

“One, two. One, two. One, two...”

With one second to go, both competing teams snatched the ribbon from the finish line, victorious. Squeals of joy rang through the hall. With their confidence boosted by these two victories, they knew they too could do it, and be saved again.

Thanos watched her clap her hands in Se-mi’s and Min-su’s, jumping up and down like a child. He would have preferred her to clap in his, but he wasn’t going to complain. All that mattered was her smile. A smile so contagious that he let out a real, sincere one. One he hadn’t had in a very long time. She made him experience emotions he’d never thought he could feel again. He’d been right, she was special. And if they got out of here alive, he’d make sure she became his special girl.

~~~~~

When it was their turn, the stress was still there, but seeing team after team win the game had given them a huge boost. When they sat and the various challenges were announced, they agreed that she would start with the Ddakji. Se-mi would do the stone throwing, the biseokchigi. Min-su would follow with what she considered the most difficult game, gonggi. Nam-gyu would spin the top and Thanos would finish with jegichagi. As her right foot locked onto Se-mi’s, her stress returned. If she missed, she could cost them a precious time. Time they didn’t have. One of the men in pink placed a red square on the ground and handed her the blue one. She took it with shaking hands. When the starting signal sounded, she concentrated and threw the folded blue paper with all her strength. The red square lifted off the ground, but didn’t turn over. She bent down to pick it up as quickly as possible, and did it again, with the same result.

“Shit!” Despite Se-mi and Min-su’s encouragement, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Then she heard him, his deep voice, speaking directly to her. “It’s all right, señorita. Don’t worry. Just breathe and go.” She looked up at him, his intense eyes locked with hers. He gave her a reassuring nod. She took a deep breath and threw the blue ddakji at the red one, who turned around. “Yes!” It was Thanos expressing his joy by shouting. Without waiting, they sang in rhythm. “One, two. One, two. One, two. One, two. One, two.”

Before the game began, she had unfairly thought that if one of them failed, Thanos would have been venomous and insulting, but in reality, he had been quite the opposite. He encouraged the others in his own way, and screamed with joy when a round was validated, even congratulating the person. On Se-mi’s turn, he showed her how to throw the stone, and pretended to throw it with her. In one drop, they were able to move forward. Min-su had more trouble with the biseokchigi, and the fact that Nam-gyu was yelling at him and insulting him hadn’t helped. But Thanos had told him to calm down, in a threatening tone, and had encouraged his new “bro”. Shortly afterwards, Min-su had succeeded in his turn. When Nam-gyu was about to throw the spinning top, Thanos had even given him a dance of encouragement, waving his arms in circles. Once again, with a single spin, it was all over. Thanos had hit the jegichagi as if he’d been doing it all his life. He had bounced it five times in a row, at lightning speed, allowing them to cross the finish line, safely, with thirty seconds left on the clock. She was sure that the positive energy he’d instilled in them throughout the game had helped them win, and save themselves.

~~~~~

Back in the dorm, happy but exhausted, he saw his shy beauty leaning forward, head bowed, her hair falling in front of her eyes. “Thank you for taking me on your team. And thank you for... everything.” Thanos noticed that she let her attention remain on him much longer. A small smile played on his lips. It grew larger, when she looked over her shoulder at him again, as she walked to her bed, without another word. He stood there, watching her as she sat cross-legged on the floor. Her head was resting in her palm. Her index finger tapped against her cheek as she slowly moved her head from side to side, her eyes closed. She seemed more relaxed than at the end of the first game. A voice brought him out of his thoughts. “Are you coming?” It was Nam-su. He watched him walk away with the rest of their little group. He started to move toward them to join them, but changed his mind and, went the other way, toward her. “Later, man.” He didn’t see Nam-gyu’s frown or dark look.

~~~~~

She let out a small sigh of relief. Miraculously, she was still here, and although she had to feel sorry for the dead, the only thing she could think of was that she was alive, and so was he. Speaking of the wolf... Either he had great instincts, really good timing, or his ears had been on edge. “Hey, still mad?” Fuck! She wanted to, but she couldn’t. Was it because of his stupidly brilliant smile, his fiery personality, or his oversized self-confidence, which she secretly envied? Or because, without him (and the others), she’d be dead. Or his honesty and attitude during the game? She didn’t know. On the other hand, she did know that she was no one to make a judgment on anyone in this room. After all, they were all there, at least the ones who remained, for the same reason. A debt. They all had their demons, their own despair.

In this game of death, they were all on the same level. Perhaps everything that happened within these walls had to stay there, like Las Vegas. The human being was an extremely complex (and selfish) being. Each person reacts differently to an imposing amount of stress. In this case, add death and a colossal sum of money, and a man could turn into a bloodthirsty, lawless beast. They’d only played two games, but if they went any further, she herself might be led to betray people, or worse, just to save her skin. Kill or be killed. Fuck! All emotions were tenfold. You could go from love, to hate, to fear, to euphoria in a matter of minutes. It was terrifying and uncontrollable. She hated it. She looked up and gave him a small smile, followed by an almost embarrassed pout. “Not anymore.” She thought she saw something light up in his eyes, but she must be dreaming. Why would he be happy that she wasn’t mad at him anymore? He had fans, and a bodyguard who followed him around like a dog. Thanos sat next to her, as he had done during their first conversation. Apparently, he didn’t resent her. They remained in a comfortable silence until she decided to engage in a conversation, which was quite an exploit for her. “How did you get here?”

“Long story.” She shrugged. “We’ve got until tomorrow, or longer, so...” He turned his head toward her, and tilted it. He almost looked like a cat. “Don’t you think the crosses will win?” She let out a soul-splitting sigh. “Unfortunately, no. And to be honest, as much as I want to go, the amount we’ve raised isn’t enough.” “Hm. How much do you owe?” What she liked most about him was that he gave her the impression that he was genuinely interested in her answers. “Fifty million.”

Thanos looked up and pouted, as if he were doing some complex calculation in his head. But his answer was unexpected. “Is that all?” She let out a laugh. “Sure, with a debt of over a billion, it’s nothing next to mine.” She saw his eyes darken and bit her lip. She wanted to punch herself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. It wasn’t...” “Don’t worry, señorita.” He told her with a smile. A smile she returned. “So... I guess you’ll be voting cross?” “Are you going to be mad at me if I do?” His voice, usually so sure, was almost shy. “No.” She answered without even thinking, because it was true. Thanos seemed satisfied with her answer because he gave her a beaming smile. “So, how did you get here?” “How about you?” “I asked the question first.”

This time, he looked at her with sparkling eyes, and a shit-eating grin. She looked away, unable to maintain eye contact. Especially not with him. She was sure he could read her like an open book. At his silence, she pushed her shoulder against his, with a pout. “You’re really something, my beauty lawyer.” She couldn’t stop the blush from rising to her cheeks. She still wasn’t a lawyer, but the nickname did something to her. Because, unlike señorita, it was meant for her and her alone.

She didn’t have time to reply as the men in pink came to announce the result. Thanos stood up first. He held out both hands to help her do the same. She didn’t hesitate for a second. His hands were soft, although she could feel that some of his pads were slightly calloused. Her hands looked so small in his. His polished fingers were long and slightly thick. The cold metal of his rings contrasted with the warmth of his palm. She wondered what it would be like to feel his fingers on her skin, on her stomach, her thighs, her breasts and inside... She shook her head sharply from side to side to chase away her thoughts. This game was to blame. Being trapped and playing for her life were driving her crazy. Thanos didn’t appeal to her at all, with his stupid purple hair, his idiot rap, his irresistible shiny smile, and his sexy fucking tattoos. No! No! No! Stop! She had to concentrate. The only thing that mattered was the result, then the votes.

~~~~~

Thanos had held her tiny hands in his longer than necessary, but they were so soft. He couldn’t help it. And she didn’t seem to mind. This time, 110 players had been eliminated. That left only half of the candidates. The total prize pool was twenty billion won. But per person, that meant around eighty million won. Thanos looked at her small form. “You’ll be able to pay off your debt.” She offered him a smile. “Yes.” Her smile faded. “But you won’t.” Thanos closed his eyes and let out a laugh. She really was too nice and sweet for this world. He shrugged and reassured her. “It’s all right. But you should stop worrying so much about other people.” “Why?” “Because... In a world like this, people take advantage of other people’s kindness and naivety.”

She frowned. “I’m not naive.” He looked at her with his head bowed. “I’m not!” She crossed her arms over her chest and puckered her bottom lip into a pout. Thanos chuckled. “All right, all right. If you say so.” He nudged her hip, making her laugh. They separated again, as the voting began. Thanos was on the side of the circles, and she was on the side of the crosses. It didn’t matter that they disagreed on their choice. They both had good reasons to vote one way or the other. Even if they weren’t on the same team for the votes, it wouldn’t stop them from fighting together in future games. Unsurprisingly, the rounds won again, with 139 votes to 116.

~~~~~

After the votes, it was time to eat. She collected her food and went to sit on the floor in front of the beds. Thanos joined her for a few seconds later with his famous walk, and sat next to her. She burst out laughing when she saw his discomfited expression at their meal of the day. “Seriously? A roll and a carton of milk.” “We’re playing child’s games, what did you expect? Steak?” He shook his head gently and sighed. “Come on, you need your strength back.” Thanos bit into the bun as if it hurt him personally. “Fuck! It’s not even stuffed.” She shook her head, amused. “I think this children’s snack is very appropriate for you.” Thanos looked at her questioningly, not getting her joke, until he did. “Hey!” A breadcrumb landed on her jacket. She dusted it off with a disgusted face, which made him laugh. “Besides, you eat like a pig.” “A what?” He chuckled. “A pig!” “You sound like an old mother.” This time her mouth opened in indignation. “Hey!” Thanos tapped her chin with his fingers to close it.

They continued to tease each other as they ate until Thanos’s gaze settled on something, or rather, someone. With a last bite, he finished his bun. He drank his milk in one gulp and stood up. “I’ll be right back.” She looked at him, surprised by his change of mood. She said nothing, just nodded. She didn’t take her eyes off him until he left the room to go to the bathroom. She hoped he wouldn’t do anything stupid in there, and incur the wrath of the other players.

~~~~~

Thanos had had to leave his beauty to finish her meal alone. He had to take care of something in the men’s room. He’d seen Myung-gi, the traitor, go in there. It was time for them to have another little chat. Thanos pushed open the bathroom door and headed straight for player 333, who was relieving himself. He grabbed the red velcro with the white cross on it.

“You traitor. How can you take a piss under these circumstances?”

Myung-gi tried to walk away, but Nam-gyu stopped him once again. “Just finish. You’ll get an infection if you stop midstream.”

Myung-gi pushed him away and went to the other side of the room to wash his hands. Thanos, who had followed him, turned off the tap. “Were you really trying to get out? What can you even do with 70 million? That’s not even enough to pay me back. You need to pay me back, and also compensate for the damage you did to my soul.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? That con’s price did go up. You held out for more cash but didn’t sell at the right time. And I have the freedom to decide if I want to leave.”

“I don’t care for your fucking tone.” For once, Thanos agreed with Nam-gyu. That he dared to raise his voice drove him crazy. “Hey, should I just rip his mouth off?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, on the contrary, but he knew that if he did, his señorita would probably be angry with him.

“You have the freedom? You don’t have such a thing. You’re my slave until you pay me back. My slave. So you have to keep playing the games until the end. And who knows? You might win the entire prize alone.” He invented a little rap. “Then I will get my money back, and you will get your happiness back.”

“If I won the prize alone, that’d mean you’re dead. Why would I pay you back if you were dead?”

Yeah, well, this time he was right, but that wasn’t what he’d meant. Whatever, he’d pissed him off, and he’d understood himself. That’s the most important.

“How do you even remember your lyrics?” The little bastard was starting to step on a slippery slope. “Oh, right. You forgot the lyrics in the show’s finale.”

Fuck! This time, it was too much. This was the sensitive subject not to be broached with him. Everyone had memory lapses, even the best. Thanos mentally apologized to his señorita, then grabbed MG COIN’s throat, preventing him from breathing. “You son of a bitch. Got a death wish?”

Just then, the elders burst into the bathroom. Thanos reluctantly let go of Myung-gi. “I’m watching you.” He left the bathroom, angrier than ever. He wanted to punch a wall.

~~~~~

It was time to sleep, she was physically and mentally exhausted, and yet she couldn’t do it. She tossed and turned in her small bunk, sighing. She was no stranger to insomnia, and she knew it was useless to insist. On the contrary, it made it worse. She got up slowly, not wanting to wake the other sleepers. She got out of bed gently and crept across the room to Thanos’s bed. In her short way, she noticed that other people had not been swept off their feet by sleep. Particularly, player 456, who was chatting with another player. In the dim yellowish light, she saw that Thanos wasn’t asleep either. He was lying on his bed, one arm behind his head and the other playing with his cross. His eyes were closed, but his lips were moving, as if he were singing, and his head moved gently from side to side. As if he had sensed her presence, he opened his eyes and looked at her.

She gave him a shy smile. “May I?” Thanos shifted to give her some space. She came to lie down next to him. “Thank you.” Since the beds were made for one person, their bodies touched at the shoulders, hips, and thighs. Sincerely she wasn’t going to complain about it, and neither was he. “Trouble sleeping?” He whispered to her in a husky voice. “Yeah. You?” “Yeah.”

“Does this happen to you often?” “Hm... Yes. But lately it’s been okay.” She didn’t tell him that it was thanks to medication that she could finally enjoy long, peaceful nights of sleep. “You?” “No.” She turned her head toward him. His hand still held his cross. “Are you... high?” He looked at her, a small smirk on his face, but she saw the fatigue in his eyes. “No. I save it for the games.” “Do you think you’ll stop if you get out of here?” She bit her lip. She felt like she was being too curious, but she wanted to know more about him and his demons. He let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, that’s not really planned.” He paused and added with a mumble. “It’s the only thing I’ve gotten left.” If she hadn’t been glued to him, she probably wouldn’t have heard him. “Don’t you have any family?” She didn’t want to push him or break his boundaries, but she couldn’t help it. “I have a mother, but...” She heard him let out a sigh. “She must be sick of my bullshit.” “Did she tell you that?” “Nah.” “Then I’m sure she didn’t. You’re still her son.”

His shoulders slumped. “A son addicted to pills and over a billion won in debt.” She shrugged, as if it were a detail. “Nobody’s perfect.” He laughed, shaking his head gently. “If you say so.” She nudged him. “I’m the smart one here, I remind you. Then you should listen to me.” His laughter grew louder, but she put a hand over his mouth to hush him. “Sorry.” He patted her head with the tip of his index finger. “What about you? My pretty, smart girl, what’s your story?” She sighed softly. “As you can see, I’m not Korean. I came because I needed a change of air... of life.” She huffed. “Talk about bullshit. I didn’t think it could get any worse.” “How crappy was your life that you decided to leave it all like that?” “It wasn’t that horrible. I was just tired of feeling like shit, and not being able to get back on track. And it was hurting my family.”

Thanos gave her a compassionate look. Not because he pitied, but because he knew exactly what it was like. “I was going to jump off a bridge.” She turned her head so fast she thought she was getting whiplash. “Then this guy showed up with his djjaki and his card. I’m not religious, but I thought maybe it was a sign.” “I know it’s twisted, but... I’m glad he found you at that moment.” “If you knew me from the outside, you wouldn’t say that.” She repositioned herself. She lay on her stomach, her head, turned toward him, resting on her crossed arms. “Thanos?” Thanos turned on his side, facing her, and rested his head in his palm. “You can call me Su-Bong, you know?” She felt her heart beat faster against her chest. She felt... privileged. She gave him a bright smile. “Su-Bong?” “Yeah, smart beauty?”

“If we get out of here, can we see each other again?” Under his intense gaze, she blushed. “I mean... as... as... survivors.” She wanted to punch herself, it didn’t mean anything. Thanos gave her a shit-eating grin. He loved to see her stammering, all shy. “Oh, would you miss me?” She hid her crimson face in her arms and mumbled incomprehensible words. She lifted her head. “Forget it.” Thanos’s smile faded momentarily. “I’m not sure you’ll want to anymore once you’ve seen who I really am.” “I think I already know.” She stroked his cross with her fingertips. “Su-Bong.” Thanos was arrogant, self-centered, addicted to drugs, with a violent streak. Su-Bong just looked like a sad, even sensitive, soft man who needed someone to help him get his life back together. At that moment, she told herself that she wouldn’t mind being that person. She didn’t want to change him for herself, but for him. Because before he was Thanos, the rapper, he was Su-Bong, the man. This man already existed. He just needed to take back the upper hand on the double that served as his wall. If he wanted to, she’d be there outside to prevent him from falling back into his old habits.

~~~~~

Two days ago, she was still a stranger, and yet she seemed to know and understand him better than any of the people he’d come in contact with, since the beginning of his career. Probably because those “friends” were only interested in the rapper, not the person he was. But she saw beyond that. He doesn’t know if he’d have had the strength to stop all this bullshit, walking out of here, without her. His so-called friends might not even have noticed his absence. Then, they would have offered him new things that would have made him forget everything. But now he wanted to be himself again, as Su-Bong and not as Thanos. He wanted to clear his debt, reconnect with his mother, and create a new circle of friends. Most of all, he wanted to say goodbye to all the crap he was taking. He knew it wouldn’t be easy. But he was no longer alone. He’d found his special girl, and he never wanted to let her go. He would never ruin her, she was too precious and innocent. As he watched her sleep, her arms wrapped around him, he knew he’d let her take care of him. And he would return the favor in his own way. Thanos let out a sigh of relief. He wrapped his long arms around her small body and closed his eyes. Like her, a few minutes earlier, he fell asleep.

You Can Read It On AO3 Here And Here

[kabr0ztrousers]

Idk if you’ve done something like this yet but I’d love a story on a vampire and werewolf not realise that each other is vamp/wolf!

Lovers to enemies to lovers again 🤍

During the day they date, during the night, they’re trying to protect their respective territory

Kabr0z Writes Episode 82: Creatures of the Night

Find the rest of the Kabr0z Writes anthology here!

CWs: violence; transformation; knotting; enthusiastic consent

A/N: More vampires, but this time it's not World of Darkness flavoured, instead I'm taking a trip back to the Innistrad-inspired setting

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Lavinia loved flying. Soaring through the air by will alone. Noiseless, she scythed through the air to her lover. Travelling like this almost made up for never being able to see the sun again. Almost.

She landed just outside the village, barefoot in the grass. Her long robe clad her in dark, blending seamlessly into the gloom of the overcast night. Not that the dark mattered to her any more. He was stood a few yards away, oblivious to her in the pitch black. Despite the dark, she could see him perfectly. The scratchy stubble on his face, the greatcoat he wore against the cold, how he fidgeted with one of the buttons. He was calm, relaxed, but his heartbeat was as loud in Lavinia's ears as a bass drum.

She tapped him on the shoulder, he jumped a little. "Lavinia? Is that you?"

"Yes Gehrman, it's me"

They embraced. Lavinia held her husband, and he held her back. She hadn't seen him since she was turned, the Baron demanded she cut all ties from her former life, but how could this be wrong

"It's been weeks, Lavinia, I thought you'd died... And to ask we meet so late? What's going on?"

A gust of wind stirred the night as Lavinia tried to find an answer. How does one even go about explaining to your lover that you died? You died, and now you're what he feared most in all the world, an accured predator bound to drink the blood of innocence, a vampire.

The clouds were breaking, the night lightening as moonlight cast over you both. Fear flashed across Gehrman's face. He doubled over in pain. Bones snapped, his cries of pain turned to howls as his clothes tore over rippling, swelling muscle. His face twisted, yellow eyes staring at her, strong jaws slavering.

Lavinia rose a few feet in the air, nails growing into bladed claws, fangs lengthening, blood magic crackling through her. She may be the youngest childe of the Baron, but she was more than capable of showing an upstart werewolf his place.

They stared at one another, both apex predators sizing each other up. Imperial majesty and primal savagery, claws and fangs bared, neither backing down.

Gehrman howled, leaping at his wife. She dodged, raking with her claws. A spray of blood leaped into the air. He caught her in the rebound, jaws locking around her ankle. A blast of sizzling magic threw the beast off her. They stared, both bleeding. Both panting.

Lavinia surveyed her foe, disgusted at what she saw. Jaws incarnadine, twisted limbs and coarse-furred. He crouched, naked as their wedding night all those years ago. A smile crossed her face.

Gehrman saw her smile, the leech floating a foot off the ground, his gore dripping from her fingertips. He could smell the blood on her, the damp of catacombs, the perfume she always used to wear.

The two approached one another, slowly this time, circling slowly as they did. They fell into each others arms, ancient enemies remembering a time when they were not so. A time when they were simply Lavinia and Gehrman, a happily married couple living in a backwater village.

Lavinia kissed him. Holding her bestial husband to her. He returned the embrace, pulling her down into the long grass at their feet. They rolled back and forth, laughing like they did as teenagers, fooling around in their courtship.

Gehrman landed on top, Lavinia smiling up at him. She could feel the growing heat between his loins, and sense the moisture between hers, rising up to meet him. She lifted her robe, exposing the pale skin of her thighs to him, lifting her hips slightly. Gehrman didn't need any convincing, bucking his hips into his wife, claiming her body all over again. She moaned his name, feeling the werewolf enter her. He rammed into her over and over, hips pumping with all his might as her voice wavered. She held him to her, wrapping her legs around the werewolf's hips as he buried his knot deep inside. Her body shook underneath him as she buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing out her release into him as he filled her with his seed.

He collapsed onto her, buried deep in his lover. There they stayed, locked in one another's embrace until they both needed to leave. Would they see one another again? Should they? Neither knew the answer. Perhaps fate would be kind

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I decided to write this one a little less blue today, a little classier than the usual filth. Did you like it, or do you prefer when I'm more explicit? Poll below