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universalitgirlsblog2 · 6 months ago

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🧁🍥SONGS FOR SELF-CONCEPT/SELF-LOVE🍥🧁

🧁ME TOO BY MEGHAN TRAINOR

" If I was you,I'd wanna be me too"

🍥7 RINGS BY ARIANA GRANDE

" I see it , I like , I want it , I got it "

🧁I AM THE BEST BY 2NE1

" I am the best "

" Who? You are better than me ? No No No na na na"

" I am hot hot hot hot like fire "

🍥FANCY BY IGGY AZALEA AND CHARLI XCX

" I am so fancy "

🧁ESPRESSO BY SABRINA CARPENTER

" I can't relate to desperation "

" My " give a f**ks" are on a vacation"

" Walked in and dream came trued it for you"

🍥IT GIRL BY ALIYAH INTERLUDE

" I-T G-I-R-L , You know I am that girl "

" While y'all busy hating, I am flying across the country "

🧁YES AND BY ARIANA GRANDE

" My tongue is sacred, I speak upon what I like "

" Yes and ? "

🍥I AM BY BABY TATE FT FLO MILLI

"I am healthy, I am wealthy, I am rich, I am that ,I am gonna go get that bag and I am not gonna take your s-"

" I am protected, well respected, I'm a queen, I'm a dream I do what I wanna do and I'm who I wanna be 'Cause I am me"

🧁HEY , MICKY BY BABY TATE

" Oh, Mickey, you're so fine! So fine, you blow my mind,Oh, Mickey, you're so fine! So fine"

🍥ON A ROLL BY MILEY CYRUS/ ASHLEY O

" Hey, yeah, whoa-ho, I'm on a roll , Ridin' so high, achieving my goals"

🧁QUEENCARD BY G-IDLE

" Queencard, I am hot , my boob and booty is hot"

" I am a star,star , star "

"Look so cool, look so sexy like Kim Kardashian Look so cute, look so pretty like Ariana"

🍥AFTER THE STORM BY KALI UCHIS

"Whatever goes around eventually comes back to you So you gotta be careful, baby"

" But everybody's gotta go on , Don't they? (Yes, we do, baby), So if you need a hero (if you need a hero) , Just look in the mirror (just look in the mirror) No one's gonna save you now,So you better save yourself"

" But you just can't give up now, 'Cause you gotta save yourself"

🧁FEARLESS BY LE SSERAFIM

"I'm fearless a new bitch, new crazy climbing up, next one"

" If my scars are a part of me, I got no fear, no fear"

🍥BORN TO BE SOMEBODY BY JUSTIN BIEBER

" I was born to be somebody, Ain't nothing that's ever gonna stop me,I'll light up the sky like lighting,I'm gonna rise above,Show 'em what I'm made of,I was born to be somebody,I was born to be, And this world will belong to me"

" Feel it , believe it , Dream it ,be it "

🧁KNOW YOUR WORTH BY KHALID

" Find someone you know will put you first ,Find someone who loves you at your worst"

" Gotta keep, gotta keep, gotta keep your head up"

🍥WATCH ME SHINE BY JOANNA PACITTI FROM LEGALLY BLONDE

"I will prove I can conquer anything,So from my head to toe I'm taking full control"

" Better watch out,Going for the knockout,And I won't stop,Till I'm on top now,Not gonna give up,Until I get what's mine,Better check that I'm about to upset,And I'm hot now,So you better step back,I'm taking over,So watch me shine"

🧁WHO SAYS BY SELENA GOMEZ

"Who says, who says you're not perfect?Who says you're not worth it?"

" Who says you don't pass the test?Who says you can't be the best?Who said, who said?Won't you tell me who said that?Yeah, who said?"

🍥DANGEROUS WOMAN BY ARIANA GRANDE

"Don't need permission,Made my decision to test my limits'Cause it's my business, God as my witnessStart what I finished,Don't need no hold up,Taking control of this kind of moment"

" Somethin' 'bout you,Makes me feel like a dangerous woman"

" Nothin' to prove and I'm bulletproof andKnow what I'm doing"

🧁LOOKING AT ME BY SABRINA CARPENTER

" If you think they're looking at you,They're looking at me"

🍥FASHION BY BRITNEY MANSON

"She's so gorgeous, she's successful "

" Style icon, size zero,And my boots from Valentino,I'm a self-made runway queen,And my dad is Alexander McQueen"

🧁LOVE DIVE BY IVE

" Narcissistic, my God, I love it"

🍥TOMBOY BY DESTINY ROGERS

" I'm a girl's girl, I'm a boss in a man's world"

" My mama said, "Marry a rich man" ,And I was like, "Mama, I am that rich man"

🧁LOOK AT HER BY SELENA GOMEZ

" Of course she was sad,But now she's glad she dodged a bullet"

🍥KILLSHOT BY MAGDALENA BAY

" Can you make my heart stop, Hit me with your kill shot baby"

🧁CONFIDENT BY JUSTIN BIEBER

"She's got my attention, she's confident"

🍥GO HARD BY TWICE

" We just go hard,We just go hard till we see the light"

" Even if the waves hit and sprinkle thorns, I'm the winner in the end,Even if you shake and push me, I'm unbreakable,My opponent is Woman in the mirror,I told you no matter how much the world tries to put me down,You make me feel special"

🧁PROMISCUOUS BY NELLY FURTADO

" I want you on my team,So does everybody else"

🍥UNSTOPPABLE BY SIA

" I put my armor on, show you how strong I am,I put my armor on, I'll show you that I am"

" I'm unstoppable,I'm a Porsche with no brakes,I'm invincible,Yeah, I win every single game,I'm so powerful,I don't need batteries to play,I'm so confident,Yeah, I'm unstoppable today"

🧁GOD IS A WOMAN BY ARIANA GRANDE

"When all is said and done,You'll believe God is a woman"

🍥TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW BY SELENA GOMEZ

"Everybody tells me that it's so hard to make it It's so hard to break in, there's no way to fake itEverybody tells me that it's wrong what I'm feelin'I shouldn't believe in the dreams that I'm dreamin'I hear it every dayI hear it all the timeI'm never gonna amount to muchBut they're never gonna change my mind, noTell me, tell me, tell me something I don't know"

"I'm on my way,I know I'm gonna get there someday,It doesn't help when you say, "It won't be easy"

🧁ANTIFRAGILE BY LE SSERAFIM

" Riding over the trail of thorns,You made me boost up "

" Walk like a majestic lion,Eyes glinting with so much desire "

" I'll climb higher,Top of the world I itched for ,No biggie if I were to fallI'm antifragile, antifragile "

🍥I WANT IT ALL BY ASHLEY TISDALE FROM HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

"Imagine having everything we ever dreamed"

" You've gotta believe it"

" Bigger is better And better is bigger?"

"You've got to have your star on the door,You want the world, nothing less,All the glam and the press,Only giving you the best reviews"

🧁OBSESSED BY MARIAH CAREY

"And I was like, "Why you so obsessed with me?"

🍥KINARE BY MOHAN KINNAN FROM QUEEN

" Even if all the boatmen together become strangers to us(that is, even if everyone turns against us)Then we will become oars ourselvesand cross (the sea) on our own"

"Why others, we'll ask ourselves only,about the path to followWe'll find it here somewherein the waves only"

🧁SUE ME BY SABRINA CARPENTER

"So sue me, For looking too pretty tonight"

" But I'm not gonna dull myself because you dull yourself"

" Feelin' myself can't be illegal, illegal"

🍥SUCCESSFUL BY ARIANA GRANDE

" Yeah, it feels so good to be so young,And have this fun and be successful, yeah,I'm so successful, yeah"

🧁I AM BY IVE

"That's my life is a beautiful galaxy, Be a writer, the genre is fantasy"

🍥ECOUTE CHERIE BY VENDREDI SUR MER

"Écoute chérie"

I don't know about lyrics but I like vibe of the song !

🧁GIVE IT TO ME BY NELLY FURTADO AND TIMBALAND

" I'm the Wonder Woman, let me go get my rope,I'm a supermodel and mommy, sí, mami"

🍥THE HYDRA BY LE SSERAFIM

" Do you think I am Fragile?"

"I am not afraid of storms,For I am learning how to sail my ship"

🧁CHERI CHERI LADY BY MODERN TALKING

I LOVE THE VIBE OF THIS SONG !!

🍥ECSTACY BY SUICIDAL IDOL

This song vibe reminds me of those mog edits lmao , you can listen to this song to upgrade your beauty self-concept!

🧁BARBIE GIRL BY AQUA

" Imagination, life is your creation"

🍥DANCE THE NIGHT BY DUA LIPA FROM BARBIE MOVIE

" Diamonds under my eyes"

🧁JUST LIKE MAGIC BY ARIANA GRANDE

"Manifest it (yeah), I finessed it (I finessed it)"

"Just like magic ,I'm attractive ,I get everything I want 'cause I attract it"

🍥16 SHOTS BY STEFFLON DON

AGAIN THIS SONG MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A BAD BITCH !!

🧁COPINES BY AKAMURA

I LOVE THE VIBE OF THIS SONG !!!

🍥MY SATISFACTION BY IVE

"I'm just in love with myself,Crush on me "

"I'm sure of myself every moment,I'm more confident than scared,I'm unaware about fear,I hope you and I will always shine"

"Trust me more than anyone else ,I make myself shine "

"Love myself so that I don't lose myself,I don't mind such prejudice that never end,I'm satisfied with myself reflected in your eyes"

"I'm my own wannabe,I'm a masterpiece for me"

"The confidence in me shines more on me,You always shine on your own,My satisfaction that will make me shine more perfectly"

🧁BEAUTIFUL LIAR BY BEYONCE AND SHAKIRA

It is all about the vibe !!

🍥BABYDOLL BY ARI ABDUL

" Call me babydoll "

This song can help with beauty self-concept.

🧁WASABI BY LITTLE MIX

"Love to hate me, praise me, shame me,Either way you talk about me"

"I'm glad to be your inspiration.Who, baby, who's (guess who?)The topic of your conversation?,I am "

🍥GIMME MORE BY BRITNEY SPEARS

I don't even need to explain this one lol !

🧁LONG WAY TO GO BY CASSIE

GOOD VIBES !!!

🍥QUEEN BY TWICE

"I know what you are,Uh you’re a queen"

"You are the main character,You are the bright one,You’re a queen"

"No matter what anyone says,By yourself,You’re a queen"

🧁IDOL BY BTS FT NICKI MINAJ

"I know what I am (I know what I am),I know what I want (I know what I want),I never gon' change (I never gon' change)I never gon' trade"

"You know I've been a boss for my whole career"

🍥PERFECT DAY BY HOKU FROM LEGALLY BLONDE

"On this perfect day,Nothing's standing in my way,On this perfect day,Where nothing can go wrong"

🧁BOSS BITCH BY DOJA CAT

"I'm the whole damn cake and the cherry on top"

"I'm a bitch and a boss, I'ma shine like gloss"

🍥MALAMENTE BY ROSALIA

I like the vibe of the song !

🧁SHE LOVES CONTROL BY CAMILLA CABELLO

"She doesn't cry anymore, no looking back"

🍥I HAVE GOT MAGIC BY BARBIE

"Life has its dings,Oh, thanks for the wings!"

"It is my fate to be so great!"

🧁BADDIE BY IVE

"I'm a baddie, ba-ba-baddie, baddie,Pretty little risky baddie"

🍥SOLO BY JENNIE

"This time I'm only lookin' at me, myself and I,(I'm goin' solo) I'mma do it on my own now"

"Like the flowing wind,Like the stars above the clouds,I want to go far away, I want to shine brightly"

🧁BARBIE WORLD BY NICKI MINAJ AND ICE SPICE

"All of the Barbies is pretty (damn),All of the Barbies is bad,It girls (It girls) and we ain't playin' tag"

🍥KICK IT BY BLACKPINK

" Never needed nothin' else,Just a lil' love from myself"

🧁CIRCUS BY BRITNEY SPEARS

"Don't like the back seat, gotta be first"

"All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus"

🍥FOCUS BY ARIANA GRANDE

"I know what I came to do,And that ain't gonna change,So go ahead and talk your talk,Cause I won't take the bait,I'm over here doing what I like,I'm over here working day and night"

"Let's find a light inside our universe now,Where ain't nobody keep on holding us down"

🧁ANSWER:LOVE MYSELF BY BTS

"You've shown me I have reasons,I should love myself"

🍥KITSCH BY IVE

"I live the way I want, what more do you want, That's my style

"Who cares if I only do what I like, huh,This ain't your life,Useless thoughts can go away"

🧁MONOPOLY BY ARIANA GRANDE FT VICTORIA MONET

"Bad vibes, get off of me"

"Treat my goals like property,Collect them like Monopoly"

🍥MIKROKOSMOS BY BTS

"You shine brighter than anyone else One"

" Shine , dream , smile "

🧁SHAKE IT OFF BY TAYLOR SWIFT

"And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate,Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake,I shake it off, I shake it off "

🍥SUPERMODEL BY JILL SUBOLE FROM CLUELESS

"When I'm a supermodel,And my hair will shine like the sea,Everyone wants to look like me"

"Cause I'm young and I'm here and so beautiful"

🧁OUTRO: WINGS BY BTS

"I believe in myself,My back hurting is for my wings to come out,I believe in you, even if things are bleak right now,The end will be great"

"I made a decision, I will have unconditional trust"

🍥THAT'S MY GIRL BY FIFTH HARMONY

"You've been down before,You've been hurt before,You got up before,You'll be good to go, good to go,Destiny said it, you got to get up and get it"

"Get mad independent and don't you ever forget it"

🧁MANEATER BY NELLY FURTADO

" You either wanna be with me, or be me"

🍥RICH GIRL BY GWEN STEFANI

"If I was a rich girl,See, I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl,No man could test me, impress me, my cash flow would never ever end,'Cause I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl"

🧁STEP ON UP BY ARIANA GRANDE

"You say I'm sexy,So bad, they should arrest me"

🍥FEELING MYSELF BY NICKI MINAJ AND BEYONCE

"Feelin' myself, I'm feelin' myself, I'm feelin' my"

🧁FABULOUS BY SHARPAY EVANS FROM HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

"The whole world according to moi"

"All things fabulous,Bigger and better and best"

🍥CONFIDENT BY DEMI LOVATO

"I'm the boss right now"

🧁I'M THAT GIRL BY BEYONCE

"It's not the diamonds, it's not the pearls,I'm that girl, it's just that I'm that girl"

"From the top of the morning, I shine"

🍥PRETTY & RICH BY SASWEETIE

"Y'all study my fashion, it shows in your pics"

"I look better in person, you'll see when we meet"

"I been in my Birkin, I stay on my grind,I stay on my hustle, I stay on your mind"

"Ooh, I'm so perfect, I make them nervous"

"Prettiest out here, that shit for certain"

🧁HARD WHITE BY NICKI MINAJ

"I'm the trophy of the game, everybody tryna win me"

"Uh, I'm who they wishin' to be"

"I'm a prodigy, R.I.P Thun-Thun '

🍥BO$$ BY FIFTH HARMONY

"C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T,That's me, I'm confident"

🧁SUPER LADY BY G-IDLE

"I am the top, super lady"

"Those irresistible eyes are savage, got all qualities of a Queen, The Baddie"

🍥NICE TO MEET YA BY MEGHAN TRAINOR FT NICKI MINAJ

"I am blessed by the Heavens"

"Now I'm givin' myself,Nothing but love"

"Please, no comparisons, 'cause you know they can't"

🧁PERFECT NIGHT BY LE SSERAFIM

"I got all I need, you know nothing else can beat,The way that I feel when I'm dancing with my girls,Perfect energy, yeah, we flawless, yeah, we free,There's no better feeling in the whole wide world"

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f1daydreamers · 4 months ago

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𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 [𝐓𝐀𝟔𝟔] 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏

gif credits: @trenty

Pairing: Trent Alexander-Arnold x Fem!Reader

Summary: Arne, in hopes to focus on his team’s mental health as much as their physical, recruits a younger but just as educated psychologist to work one-to-one with the more reserved players. Trent is one of them.

A/N: This is me writing in hopes to distract myself from that abysmal final! Just to preface that Lee Richardson is the performance psychology consultant at LFC :) Also, I feel like Trent’s quite shy so I don’t think he’d be as rude as he is in this fanfic but for this to be a kinda enemies to lovers, I upped his rude boi energy by like 100% lol

There's no age gap btw! In the UK, it's doable to become a licensed sports psychologist in 6-10 years. If it took Reader 7/8, that would place her around 25 or 26 years of age. So, both Trent and Reader are of similar ages!

Warnings: psychology but nothing too in-depth, Trent’s rude in this :D, angst, very tense energy

Word Count: 1.9k words (6 mins reading time avg)

…

You checked your watch once, twice, then three times within a mere five minutes.

The sterile office, with its minimalist decor and muted lighting, seemed to magnify your impatience. Your eyes wandered to the vacant chair opposite you, and you sighed deeply.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was now fifteen minutes late for his first appointment.

“Not the best start,” you muttered under your breath.

Jotting a quick note on a pink Post-it to purchase a digital clock for your desk, you flipped the pen and clicked it shut, placing it down with a resigned finality. The email that landed in your inbox felt almost comically timed. It was from Lee, wishing you luck on your first official day.

You’d been in and out of the training center for the past week, organising your office, which had previously served as a spare room, often only used for the odd meetings.

Boxy and unfamiliar, it was a space you intended to transform into something warmer and more inviting with time. But any attempt to distract yourself proved futile; even the mental image of your office becoming a cozy haven couldn’t quell the unrest you felt inside.

Trent’s absence was more than a minor inconvenience; it felt like a deliberate message. After what Lee had disclosed about his rather aloof attitude, you couldn’t say you were entirely surprised.

Locking your office behind you, you ventured into the heart of the training facility. As you passed by groups of players and staff, your shoulders tensed imperceptibly. You adjusted your pace, trying to find a balance between caution and confidence.

Every corner turned, every nod exchanged with passing colleagues, felt like a small test of acceptance. Your mind raced with thoughts of proving yourself here. While a flicker of self-doubt danced across your features, you masked it beneath a veneer of professional composure.

You eventually found Trent tucked away in the far corner of a sparsely populated gym. A few exchanged ‘good mornings’ and ‘hellos’ momentarily eased your stress, but your tension returned as your gaze settled again on the man who had been purposefully late.

With a deep breath, you started heading towards him, weaving your way through the labyrinth of gym equipment.

You skirted around the treadmills, their rhythmic thudding echoing your own anxious heartbeat. Passing by the clanking weights, you dodged a few stray dumbbells left on the floor. The aroma of rubber mats and iron filled the air.

Finally, you rounded the weightlifting machines and found Trent on a mat, engrossed in his exercises. His headphones were still firmly in place, and his expression remained inscrutably focused, as though he was blocking out the world around him.

When you finally reached him, you hesitated, wanting to wait until he finished his set so as not to disturb his workout.

However, Trent spotted your reflection in the mirror in front of him as he came up. He stopped mid-crunch, the beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He looked down, knowing exactly what this would be in regard of. He’d seen you around the training grounds enough to be familiar.

His elbows rested on his knees as his arms folded inward. He exhaled deeply, trying to regulate his breathing.

He wiped the tip of his nose with the pad of his thumb, then pulled his headphones off and let them rest around his neck.

“What?” He looked at you with mild irritation, craning his neck to see you standing just a few steps behind him.

Your lips pressed together in a courteous and tight-lipped smile.

“Hi, Trent. I’m Y/N, the new psychologist. We had an appointment scheduled for twenty minutes ago.”

Turning back to face the mirror, he stretched his arms out in front of him before reaching for a hand towel to wipe the sweat from his brow and neck.

Then he shrugged, his indifference palpable.

“Yeah, I know.” Your eyebrows furrowed at his response as you studied his expression in the mirror. His face shifted subtly, but the changes were too fleeting to decipher.

“Then why didn’t you show up?” you asked, your tone calm but firm.

"I don't see the point," he responded flatly.

In one fluid motion, he planted one palm firmly on the ground before twisting his torso and hoisting himself up with a push, turning to face you as he rose gracefully to his feet.

Your eyes locked inevitably, the proximity of his body left you no choice but to gaze up at his face, your chin tilting ever so slightly upward.

Beads of sweat glistened from his forehead, and his mouth was slightly parted as he scrutinised you from head to toe. A scoff escaped him before he turned away, sliding off some weight plates and placing them methodically beside his mat.

"I don’t need some shrink telling me how to play football," he asserted dismissively, the hints of his accent colouring his defiant tone.

You took a moment to consider your response, your gaze tracing the broad shape of his shoulders. Despite the urge to react defensively, you couldn’t shake the awareness that someone might be listening in from behind you.

You cautiously approached him, aware of the tension hanging in the air, his eyes flicking to your reflection in the mirror.

"I'm not here to tell you how to play football," you began calmly, letting the weight of your words settle between you. "I'm here to help you navigate everything off the pitch that might impact your performance on it."

"Well, thanks, but no thanks," Trent said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I've managed fine so far."

“Have you?” you questioned, quickly scanning the room for any prying ears, relieved to find everyone engrossed in their own routines.

Trent rose up, clutching a 15-pound weight plate between his hands.

"Because from where I stand, the club thinks you could use some support. And honestly, there's no shame in that." That was a saying your professors had instilled in you from day one.

Trent's jaw tightened, and for a moment, you thought he might ignore you. Instead, he pivoted to face you once more, his presence suddenly palpable.

"Look, I get that you're just doing your job, yeah? But don't expect me to pour my heart out to some stranger. Especially on someone else's schedule." He emphasised.

You blinked, but maintained eye contact, refusing to back down. "Fair enough. But I'm not going anywhere, Trent. Whether you like it or not, I'll keep trying to reach you."

He studied you for a moment, then shook his head slightly, leaning in just a bit closer.

"Good luck with that, psychologist."

…

"I think that's our time wrapped up, thank you so much, Conor." You hoisted yourself up with the armrests of your chair and gave a warm smile to the man opposite you.

"Yeah, no worries. I'll see you around." Conor said as he turned, rounding the chair he was just sitting on, giving you a final nod and smile before leaving and closing the door behind him.

You waited until it clicked shut before you sinked into your chair again. Your work was deeply important to you, one of few things in life you were immensely passionate about, but man, it took its toll on longer days.

You rubbed your temples in a poor attempt to alleviate the dull ache that had formed from hours of conversation. As you tried to gather your thoughts, the interruption in the form of a new email snapped you back to reality.

It was from Lee, asking you to come and see him when you were free.

Your head rolled back for a brief moment of respite. Trent had been on your mind ever since your confrontation earlier, lingering in the back of your thoughts throughout the day, despite the overall improvement as the hours ticked by.

Resigning yourself to more work, you pushed yourself up with a temporary surge of motivation. Straightening your blouse and combing your hair with your fingers, you headed towards Lee's office across the hall.

The door stood ajar, a silver name plaque bearing his name neatly affixed. Lee's office exuded an air of scholarly authority, with shelves lined with books, framed certificates adorning the walls, and strategically placed pieces of Liverpool memorabilia.

He glanced up from his desk as you knocked on the doorframe.

"You asked to see me?" you inquired, your head tilting slightly as he closed the folder he was reading, sliding it into the filing cabinet behind him.

"Yes, come in," Lee replied, gesturing toward the chair positioned across from him.

You smoothed down your skirt as you settled into the chair, intertwining your hands on your lap.

His demeanor exuded encouragement, warmth evident in the gentle lines of his smile. As he gathered his thoughts, your eyes fell upon a framed picture on his desk. Lee stood on the far left, flanked by several players including Trent and Curtis, their bright smiles frozen in time.

Your own smile deepened at the sight, noting how much younger they all appeared in the photograph. But as today's events replayed in your mind, your gaze momentarily lowered before returning to meet Lee's.

"A few years ago, that one," he pointed briskly at the photo, though he didn't give you time to respond before changing the topic - a relief, in your opinion.

"So," Lee clasped his hands together, "first official day? How'd it go?"

Pushing back thoughts of Trent deliberately, today had gone rather well.

"Good, honestly. Wataru and Conor were a little shy at first, but I think I was able to break through by the end of our sessions. Curtis was quite bubbly and a joy to talk to. We had some positive discussions too." You truthfully answered, giving a polite smile to round off your answer.

He nodded, impressed. Without a word, he turned to squint at his computer screen, his glasses perched atop his head. "And Trent?"

You cleared your throat, your tongue swiping over your bottom lip nervously. After a moment's hesitation, you shook your head once before answering.

"Trent didn't show up." You admitted with a wry smile. "I found him in the gym and brought it up but I wouldn't say that was a positive discussion."

Lee chuckled softly, his voice carrying a gentleness that belied his words. "Trent’s a tough nut. He’s got a lot on his shoulders and doesn't easily trust new people. But that's why you're here."

You nodded resolutely. "Absolutely. I don't intend on letting up."

"If you want me to step in-" He began but you shook your head again, halting him in the middle of his sentence.

"I respectfully don't think that's going to help. He's not exactly trusting of me right now, and I'm worried about the impression you stepping in might leave. I'm fortunate he's at least talking to me and sharing his feelings." You said with a measured tone, your words careful and tinged with a hint of apprehension.

"Well, you're the pro," you smiled at his joke, exhaling a sigh.

"I'm relying on your guidance, Lee. I can only hope he'll start working with me."

Lee nodded thoughtfully. "Trent respects effort and authenticity. He's introverted, sure, but once he's comfortable, he's a lovely lad."

"I'm sure," you blinked, fiddling nervously with your fingers.

Once he's comfortable.

That shouldn't take too long, you lied to yourself.

...

Part 2

Masterlist

Comment below if you want to be part of the taglist! Once you are part of it, you'll be reminded for every part of the series until its completion!

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minniepetals · 2 years ago

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cry me a river | the unprepared

— summary: no one is ever prepared to be broken, even if they think they are, and breaking again and again does not make you numb to the pain

— pairing: bts x reader

— genre: angst, mafia!au

— word count: 7.0k

— warnings: slight ptsd trigger

— PART 23 / previous post / masterpost

“Would you be able to send this letter to the address written on it? Personally?”

The girl you saved is named Ester, and without fail, people whose lives have been saved often feel indebted to their savior, so you know it would be right to have a little faith in her when you give her this task.

And as expected, she’s nodding without question and goes on her merry way.

It was the first thing you asked of her after all, because when you told her you had no need for the help she wanted to offer you with the injuries you sustained at the party along with wanting to help you feel comfortable in Alexander’s mansion, you could tell she was immediately angsty and in need of wanting to do anything you asked of her.

Nice girls like her often get taken advantage of.

Well, that’s none of your problem.

You take care of yourself with the treatment Ester provided for you, treating the cuts from where the bullets managed to wheeze past you, and bandaging yourself up before leaving the room provided for you.

Little Kiwi comes barking at your feet before you even reach the grand living room and despite not one to give or show affection, you pick the little thing up albeit reluctantly.

“Kid, isn’t it about time you head to sleep? And don’t lick me again, please, that’s quite rude.”

You hear a gentle chuckle from a familiar deep voice and finally walk into the living room to find both Alexander and Asher already there.

“Dogs don’t necessarily understand rudeness, though he listens to you quite well,” Alexander notes at the obedient puppy in your arms. He doesn’t wiggle around or bark and remains nestled where you hold him. When you take your seat on the sofa with a small space between you and Asher, the old man speaks again. “I heard you refused treatment from my people.”

You clear your throat awkwardly. “Forgive me, I’m not used to foreign touches.”

He knows you don’t mean “foreigners” per se and narrows his gaze slightly, possibly out of curiosity. “You have quite the skills, young lady, for having an unknown name.”

“My name is Y/N,” you tell him, sitting up. “I am a Reaper, the Grim Reaper of South Korea. My father passed away about a year ago, he was a good friend of your son Karl.”

“Karl.” He rubs his chin thinking about it. “So why have you come to Norway? To meet up with Karl?”

“Karl and I have never been that close, sir.” Of course not, you hate that man. Seeing his face alone will make you want to punch him but you know better than that. So keeping yourself calm, you look away to the side where the windows are, covered by pretty rose gold curtains. “I came here because I quite like the way the sun never sets during this time. It brings me peace.”

“You’re on vacation?” He raises a brow, doubtful, and looks toward Asher for confirmation but the man just shrugs without giving him an answer.

“You could say that,” you reply, and the old man clears his throat.

“It takes someone special to dodge all those bullets without managing any fatal injuries,” he returns to the topic of the matter as he leans back into his seat, an ankle propped onto a knee. “My son never mentioned someone like you, or his good friend.”

“The skills I acquired were not from my father, sir.”

“So you had a different master?”

“I was trained by a Yakuza master. He goes by the name Kitagawa Daisuke.”

Kitagawa Daisuke. Anyone who lives in the darkness knows the name. It’s almost like saying Shakespeare and an immediate ding pops into one's head. Your master is that famous in the underground world.

“No wonder..” Alexander looks at you with fascination now, a small crooked smile curling along his lips, eyes brightening. He knows not just anyone can call themself a disciple of Kitagawa Daisuke and it just further proves a point as to how dangerous the mission will be when you finally go up against your master. That is, if time will allow it. Who knows if you’ll even survive this mission.

You’re just dancing around with death at this point and he’s leading the moves.

“Now that you mention it, you have a sort of aura that you exude in the way I’ve seen with Master Kita. You live up to his name, no disciple of his would have let the enemies’ move confuse her.”

He must be talking about how you managed to recognize the motives of the enemies when you realize the focus was not on Alexander himself but his grandson, Asher Larsen.

You give the man a small glance before looking down at the puppy who’s now slowly dozing off in your lap. You give him a small scratch behind the ear, doting on him a bit. Who would have thought even the enemies knew the life of a dog mattered more to Alexander than his own grandson.

So Asher was right when he said Alexander doesn’t have favorites, which means that if someone does manage to gain his favor, it wouldn’t just be in your favor but you’d have more eyes on your back more than before.

Sounds like a headache.

But it’s the only way you can get rid of Karl. Because if you gain Alexander’s favor, it’ll mean he won’t blink an eye when you tell him you want his own son dead.

“Master told me to always keep my senses heightened no matter the situation.”

He hums at the answer and in a way, you hope this little attention you’ve gained from Alexander is enough to gain a bit of his favor. They say Alexander doesn’t like people who deliberately kiss up someone’s shoes to get to where they want. He’s probably had enough of those people. He also likes people who have a backbone and knows how to protect themselves.

“How would you like to be my new caretaker for Kiwi?” The proposal Alexander gives has your head perked up his way, feeling a bit dumbfounded and surprised, but he continues before you can reject or accept the offer. “You’re here on vacation, aren’t you? I’m sure Kiwi would love to continue seeing you until it’s time for you to return home.”

Perhaps he knows a bit of your plan. Perhaps he doesn’t. Either way, he’s giving you a great opportunity to remain seen by his side.

“I know it may sound a lot asking a mafia boss but I quite like you, Miss Y/N.”

“No, it’s quite alright,” you shake your head lightly and look down at the now sleeping puppy in your lap before giving Alexander the answer. “I’d gladly accept.”

He smiles, satisfied, and when he leaves after taking the sleeping puppy from you, you’re left alone with Asher who had been silent the whole exchange between you and Alexander.

“I’m impressed, that was quite the feat. No one’s ever gotten this far this fast.” When you look at the man who’s finally speaking up, there’s a small curl up his lips when he looks your way, and you guess this man is usually stoic for the most part. How great you’re earning a bit of favor from both the grandfather and the grandson.

“I guess it’s just in my nature to have people join my side.” You give him a simple reply, one he does not refute, and the day ends with that.

You don’t get a wink of sleep at all staying there in that mansion and you know it’s because you’re in an unfamiliar place. You’ve never been good at adapting to something new. It took some time for you to settle into the Bangtan manor when you first moved there years ago, but unlike how it was there and back at your own manor, Alexander’s mansion gives you some sort of comfort you’ve never had before.

It’s probably the fact that night never comes. Your room has windows placed at a good spot, where the sun seems to shine through even though there are clouds blocking part of it. It isn’t as bright as it was when you first arrived at the airport but when it still lights up the sky around three am, you’re grateful for being here, in Norway.

Norway is pretty in a way Korea has never been and being here, despite the mission you’re on, gives you a sense of peace and calmness Korea has never given you. It’s a foreign country and yet something about it, something about the sun not being allowed to set and give way to the stars and moon, to the darkness, you have the urge to stay here if you could. Forever if possible.

But peace can never truly stay forever as long as you live this life.

You have people to go after, a revenge plot you’re on. Maybe when everything is over, if you manage to survive in the end and meet your last victim without dying, maybe then you can return here.

But first comes earning Alexander’s favor.

“You’re going to be in charge of taking care of his dog?” Hoseok’s face is a bit comical when you relay them the news once morning comes and you arrive back at the place Namjoon has provided for you. “Just what do you know about taking care of dogs?”

“Not much,” you admit as you scroll through your phone in hopes of learning, “but Alexander’s given me a bit of trust so I might as well take the opportunity. Ah, speaking of,” you put your phone down for a second, looking between the two Bangtan men, “don’t the two of you have some experience in taking care of dogs? You’ll teach me, then.”

It’s a request that comes out of nowhere, especially after just dropping the bomb on them, but it’s not like there’s anything else they can really do.

Namjoon sent them here in support for you and despite the awkward air around each of you, you’re one to ignore all signs and pretend everything is and has always been alright.

“Well an important part of a dog’s routine is taking walks,” Jungkook speaks up after being quiet for a while. His brows are slightly furrowed, thinking. “Mr. Larsen has actually given you quite the task.”

He’s right.

Taking a dog out on walks means being out in the open air where enemy eyes are everywhere. If last night proves that Kiwi serves more purpose to Alexander than his own grandson — and the enemies know that — then being the dog sitter isn’t just any mere maid’s job.

They have to be smart, agile, quick, and strong because they’re looking after what equals an heir.

You’re basically Kiwi’s bodyguard.

“Maybe this is his way of testing me.” It has to be. He couldn’t just have trusted a random stranger to take care of something that clearly means a lot to him. Though that begs the question as to why.

Is it because you mentioned Kitagawa as your master? He’s quite well known after all, and well respected at that.

Still, something’s a little weird.

But if you’re trying to get close to the old man, you might as well take advantage of this while not forgetting to remain cautious.

No one can ever be trusted fully. There is always an ulterior motive behind one’s action.

“I have a question, sir.” When you return to the manor a little later that day, the first person you go to is Alexander, who easily allows you into his proximity just minutes after you asked for his time. You thought initially it’d be a while until you get your reply, after all, he’s a Godfather who’s probably busy with all sorts of things, which is why it’s surprising the reply came so soon and was received well.

His butler didn’t lead you to an office, rather, you found yourself walking into a pretty greenhouse that sort of reminds you of the one back at home.

It’s massive in size though, that’s a difference, but you can clearly tell it’s being taken care of well in the way your Reapers takes care of your greenhouse.

“One moment, Miss Y/N.”

Alexander has his back turned to you when you find him towards a corner, with a water can in hand as he personally feeds the plants the amount of water needed with a serene expression on his face.

Kiwi, who had followed you when you were led by the butler, walks over to respectfully nuzzle against his master’s foot.

“Pretty, aren’t they?” The old man comments with a smile once he’s done watering the plants and places the can back in its place.

“It’s a surprise you’re able to keep them alive here,” you utter as you take another look around at the greens all around you. “I have one back in Korea, though my Reapers take care of them.”

Alexander takes a seat on a bench and Kiwi jumps over to lay on his lap. “Taking care of things personally brings me peace.”

“...Does it, now?” In a world where things are always chaotic, you suppose having somewhere to go to for peace is ideal. “I don’t have a greenhouse for personal taste though.”

“Do you grow poison?” He asks and there’s really no use lying.

“Amongst other things.”

He falls silent for a moment, a serene silence, and it’s strange the way he looks at you in a way no one’s ever done before. You’ve seen creepy old men before, met a couple of them personally against your will, but Alexander doesn’t remind you much of them. He stands out further, but in a way that isn’t bad at all and for some reason that brings you another sort of uncomfortable feeling you don’t think you’ve ever felt before.

It’s strange and foreign, and perhaps he understands the effect he’s made on you because he lets out a light chuckle.

“I used to be just like you, little one.”

Your brows furrow at his words, confused. “I’m not sure I know what you mean, sir.”

“Always in a rush, never stopping to revel in the scenery.”

Because there’s no time for that. Time doesn’t wait for anyone and the enemies certainly don't. You’ve finally gained some sort of peace after your father’s death but even then, letting yourself go in order to be free from the chains isn’t exactly as easy as one may think.

You’re rushing because you want to reach peace, because you want a moment in time when things finally slows down and you’re okay with it, with the clocks existing, with the time ticking.

Peace doesn’t come to just anyone willingly.

“You’re anxious,” Alexander notes and perhaps you’re uncomfortable because he sees through a part of you that only people you allow in sees.

This is why you hate old people.

They can tell so easily because they’ve been through things.

“If I let time catch up on me, there will be nothing left in front of me.”

“Is that what you believe?” He asks, a hand running through Kiwi’s fur as the little dog begins to fall asleep. “What if what you want is already in front of you? Perhaps you just don’t want to face it because you’re afraid.”

Afraid?

Afraid of what?

But maybe he’s right. Maybe you know exactly what he’s talking about.

“You’re running away.”

Yes.

This man certainly does make you uncomfortable.

Not like the creeps, not like Leehyun, but not like Mister Butler either. Though in a way, there’s something familiar that you sense in him in the way you’ve felt with Mister Butler. As if he has a window to see through your soul.

But you’re sure not all old people know everything. They can only guess from what they’ve been given and seen.

You decide to keep your guard up.

“The question you wanted to ask,” perhaps he felt you trying to run from him so he changes the subject, “What was it?”

Right.

“When I take Kiwi out on walks, I’m sure you realize there may be people out there who will take advantage of those times. I don’t know the streets well and I don’t know who means well and who wants Kiwi dead. So I wanted to ask; the people that decide to come after me during Kiwi’s walk time, do you want them dead or alive when I bring them to you?”

So blunt and straight to the point, Alexander chuckles at that, amused.

“I’m sure a disciple of Master Kita will come to understand who poses a threat and who doesn't. I don’t care about the lives of those who want my little puppy dead. It doesn’t matter who they are, if they come after him, kill them. After all,” his eyes are gentle when he looks down at the puppy, though there’s a glint of danger that flashes in the light of his eyes, “only people with evil hearts will want to hurt an innocent puppy.”

Evil hearts. What a strange way to put it that way.

You get too curious not to ask; “Do you believe we aren’t evil? A little kid might subject us to the same category as them. We all kill after all. It doesn’t matter what, it doesn’t matter who. Killers are all evil in the eyes of some.”

He doesn’t think much on it when he answers your question. “In my eyes, many of us, like you and I, kill only for survival.” You and I, he says. “If an apocalypse were to happen, you’d kill a zombie for survival, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t just it bite you and you certainly wouldn’t let them bite someone you care for. You’d kill them. For survival.”

He looks up, eyes as clear as day. “This business we’re in…we’re in the same boat.”

Killing to survive.

Killing because there is no other choice.

You don’t think you’ve ever met a man like him who seems so sentimental on life as if a part of him is satisfied with what he’s gone through but he also holds some regret, things he knows beyond you, years he’s lived more than you, and has gained wisdom from all the experience.

No one from this business has ever looked in the same lens as he does on life and you hate it.

You hate how it makes you feel.

So you drop the subject and leave the greenhouse, feeling that creepy sense of goosebumps on your body as you go.

When Kiwi wakes from his nap a little after, he comes to find you and you take him out on the walk you promised him before that meeting with Alexander.

The walk is nice, the scenery different from that of Seoul, and the breath of fresh air it allows you to intake with a piece of mind helps you remain calm and collected. Kiwi walks beside you without a leash, his little feet taking you down the paths as if he’s done this a thousand times before, with his little nose curious at every little thing around him.

He doesn’t ever stray away and you guess perhaps even the little one understands the dangers of what it means to be himself. In all honesty, you prefer cats over dogs but you have to admit this isn’t so bad — well, being in Norway helps, you guess.

In Seoul, the streets wouldn’t forgive you for taking a walk so carefreely like this.

But of course, Norway has its own dangers. You are taking care of a prominent figure of a powerful mafia after all.

For the most part, you had been following Kiwi and letting him guide you where his nose leads him, but when the two of you come towards a lake where lies a bridge at the center, the little puppy suddenly stops in his tracks, sniffs the air, before retracing back to you.

Your brows furrow slightly when he steps up to your feet, hiding in between them, and when you hear a small noise out of the ordinary and look up with a calm gaze at the sudden new presence that has now surround the both of you, an exasperated sigh leaves you.

So much for peace and quiet.

“Hey lady, what’re you doing with that dog?” A man asks in Norwegian.

“Dog sitting,” you reply in English.

They look amongst one another, confusion plastered on their faces probably because they’ve never seen you around before and when Kiwi grinds his teeth and growls lowly at them, you put a foot closer to him, trying to ease the little puppy.

“What happened to the old sitter? Dead?” He speaks up again, a brow raised your way. Perhaps he’s testing your ability to understand him so when he speaks in his language, you continue replying in English with perfect understanding of one another.

“Not dead. I’m just a temporary sitter.”

“And who are you? I’ve never seen you around Alexander before.”

“Just a common girl.” You take a small step back seeing the way he reaches for something in his pockets.

“You should know that the streets are dangerous.”

A little chuckle leaves you. “I wouldn’t be trusted with Alexander’s dog if I didn’t know that, now would I? Still, that’s a very bad idea,” you beckon at the gun he pulls out. “You wouldn’t want to do that.”

The corner of his lip curls upwards as he brings his gun forward to his face, playing with it just as his friends start to close in on you. “And why not? Are you afraid, little common girl?”

“Afraid?” You tilt your head back, laughing. “No, no, it’s not me who should be afraid.” He sends you a furrow in his brows at the way you look so relaxed and so you go on. “Alexander has already given me permission to eliminate anyone who poses a threat, which means I don’t have to go easy on you or spare your lives.”

“Really?” He scoffs, taunting you. “One against seven, you really think a little girl like you can take us?”

“Oh no, I’m not talking about me, though you’d be surprised I can totally take you.”

“What?”

“You should learn to heighten your senses, old man, maybe then you’d realize we aren’t the only ones here.” With that signal, someone from the group has their neck slashed from behind and another one gets shot right in the head.

One by one, they fall as you calmly pick up the scared little dog and stroke along his head to calm him down. He leans into your touch as the two of you ignore what’s happening around you, and once he finally seems alright again, you turn back to where Jungkook and Hoseok are standing, the enemies all dead on the ground.

You take one glance down at the dead bodies before checking the time on your watch. “I’ll inform Alexander and have his people clean this up,” you say as you reach for your phone. “Meanwhile, would one of you like to accompany me back to his mansion? Take on the role Taehyung took back at London?”

Jungkook comes along while Hoseok stays back and the walk back for the most part lies in silence.

Drama only occurs once you return to the mansion, hearing the sound of a familiar voice you haven’t heard in some time now. He shouts angrily you hear it through the halls and when you walk into the living room, you find Karl Larsen with three of his men behind him, reprimanding poor little Ester with Asher standing off to the side, looking bored and exasperated of his uncle.

No one stops him.

“Are you that incompetent? Just how useless are you that my father has to choose a stranger to take over your job? I told you to keep an eye on that mutt and you can’t even do that?”

Huh. Who would have thought Ester was actually Karl’s servant who had been assigned to look over Kiwi before you came in to take over temporarily? Though from the looks of it, when she cowers in fear under his demands, her head lowered, eyes tightly shut, shoulders trembling slightly, she doesn’t like this man so much.

Who does after all?

But she did look a lot more carefree living in this manor, looking after Kiwi under Alexander’s commands. Alexander isn’t known to bring just anyone in to work for him, which means Ester managed to gain his trust. He’s good at knowing who to trust, he wouldn’t just be easily swayed by his own blood’s opinions, so if given the chance, you believe that Ester wouldn’t hesitate to betray Karl.

She’s a sweet girl, you don’t doubt that.

Asher on the other hand, you aren’t too sure if a man like him deserves the benefit of the doubt.

He senses your presence though, unlike Karl and his men, and when he looks up to meet your eyes from the entryway of the living room, he stands up a little more straight, a small curl turning upwards upon the corner of his lips.

Maybe he’s just bored with petty family affairs and has no say in what his uncle wants or does. Family positions are important in the mafia after all.

“Where is she? The new girl?” Karl’s voice snaps back, his eyes bulging and you step towards them despite Jungkook’s caution, knowing the signs of that man. “Bring her to me now, you useless—”

His hand raises in the air and before it can come down at the young girl’s head, you grab his wrist mid-air with your left hand, stopping him successfully. “If you’re really that upset about the change, why don’t you bring it up to your father, spoiled old man?”

His brows furrow tightly when he looks your way initially, before his expression begins to cool and soften when he realizes just who it is that dared to stop him from punishing his subordinate. The strength of his arm weakens and he brings it back to his side, fixing the cuff of his suit, while a smirk plays on his lips as he keeps his gaze on you.

“Y/N,” the way he says your name makes you want to vomit and though for a second looking at that familiar, disgusting smirk on his face causes your mind to want to resurface the memories of all the things he’s done, you keep them back in, focusing on other things to not trigger it. “Look at you, you’ve grown so much since the last time I saw you. What are you doing here in Norway? Came to pay me a visit?”

He doesn’t know what happened to your father, you realize through those words, which is a bit surprising because of how close the two of them were, but then again, after the wipe of your father and his people, it kind of makes sense Karl never got word of your father’s death.

Both Asher and Jungkook are confused about the way Karl is acting so friendly and close to you, as well as the way he just naturally turns his attention from being angry at Ester to invite you to take a seat.

You follow him and settle Kiwi in your lap and see the way he glances at the puppy, a slight bitterness contouring his features before it disappears all too quickly.

He doesn’t like Kiwi, that much is clear, and with the way he addresses you, you can tell this man still thinks you of the naive little girl who would submit to just anyone without fighting back.

“Your words are a lot sharper than they used to be,” he notes, remembering the way you spoke to him. “Seems you’re finally growing into the woman that your father trained you to be.”

With a hand stroking the fur of Kiwi’s, you take a look at his three men. One of them is someone you recognize, the other two are completely new faces.

“Tell me then, how have you been since I left Seoul?”

One year, he came and left — not even one year but a summer, four months — and that was all it took for him to do all the things he’d done.

“I have news to give you, sir,” you say and he tsks at you.

“Come on now, call me what you used to call me. We were close, weren’t we? Don’t treat me like a stranger now, Y/N.”

He puts a hand on your shoulder and you bite your tongue back, resisting the urge to run from his touch. So with a tight grin, you give him the news he’s been needing to catch up on. “I am the Grim Reaper now..uncle.”

That amused expression on his face falls slightly, masked with surprise and confusion, and he takes one look at Jungkook who stands guard behind you, before returning his gaze back on you, flabbergasted.

“Your father’s dead?” He breathes, not believing it. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? How’d he die?”

Telling him the truth now would lead to an outburst from him and you can’t have Jungkook seeing that. Karl is a madman and if he knows of the truth here before strangers outside his and your people, he will definitely forget about the way your true relationship with your father is supposed to be kept a secret from the public.

“I apologize, uncle, preparations for his funeral and my succession took longer than expected.” Jungkook knows those words aren’t true but thankfully he knows to keep quiet.

“I could have helped,” Karl insists and you give him a pressed smile.

It’s strange the way he can’t comprehend just why the daughter of his friend whom he’s hurt many times did not want him involved in her family affairs, but you guess the minds of psychopaths are just like that. They can understand human emotions but they cannot feel them, and so they cannot emphasize with others.

“Do you not remember all the things you’ve done to me?” You want to ask him. “Do you not recall what you and father had done? Why would I want your help?” But you bite your tongue back just as Kiwi stirs from your touch, probably sensing a change in you.

The more you face the people who have done you wrong, the harder it is to keep the facade, you realize. Namjoon once said to stop before it all breaks you and you told him broken things cannot be broken even more but perhaps they can.

They can.

You’ve reached your breaking point before, not just once or twice, and yet it seems the world has just proven to you that glass can keep shattering and shattering until there is nothing left but dust.

Are you prepared to turn into dust?

You are. You’ve said it before.

“A broken glass can never mend itself to the way it used to be, the only thing it can do is break even more.”

You were prepared, your body was, but is your mind prepared? Will your mind ever be prepared?

No one is ever prepared to be broken, even if they think they are, and breaking again and again does not make you numb to the pain.

Kiwi whimpers on your lap, his head nuzzling into the palm of your hand when you stop stroking him. They say that dogs can smell human emotions and in turn, adopt them as their own, and hearing the distress whimpers, you try to return to Karl and give him a reply and yet nothing happens. You can’t even open your mouth to speak. You feel frozen on the spot.

Why now? Why now, whynow, whynow,whynowwhynow?

Footsteps are heard upon the silence of the room. “What’s making my Kiwi sound like that?” A low rumble demands an answer but you remain still, unable to move.

You feel paralyzed.

Kiwi looks up at his master’s voice for a second before going back to nuzzle against you and lend you his warmth, and while the people in the room stand up straight at his presence, Karl even going up to greet his father, you remain planted on the sofa.

Alexander ignores Karl to walk over to where his puppy is. He takes a glance your way, with Asher confused and Jungkook concerned and a little panicked because of the state you’re in, but rather than making this a big deal and reprimanding you for causing his puppy to sound the way he does, Alexander instead remains calm.

“Come here, Kiwi,” he calls, and though the pup hesitates at first, looking between you and his master, he eventually jumps up and into Alexander’s arms. “Karl, I’ll deal with you later. Right now I’m too busy to entertain guests.”

Though Karl looks like he wants to protest at first, he nods in reply, knowing he cannot talk back to his father. You were hoping he’d just leave it at that and go ahead with his men but for some reason, he just has to turn to you.

“My deepest condolences, Y/N. Let’s have tea to catch up next time, yeah?” Unable to grasp the situation, he reaches out to place a hand on your cheek, a smile on his face, before he arches his back straight again to bid Alexander goodbye.

In that moment, you stand, though it’s only because staying on that couch feels disgusting now having to sit still and do nothing when he reached out to touch you. You hate the touch, it burns you, but you remain silent when you stand a little behind Alexander, nodding Karl goodbye, and only once he leaves does the room feel a little easier to breathe in.

Just a little.

“Should I call Mingyu?” Jungkook asks when you return to the room Alexander prepared for you that first night you met him. He watches you with keen eyes and observance as you walk further into the room, away from the door, eyes still refusing to look anyone in the eyes, silent with a blank expression. “Or..should I leave the room?”

You don’t give him an answer but you’re thinking.

How far is it from here to the manor Namjoon prepared for you? A couple of minutes away by vehicle, which means it wouldn’t be that difficult for him to come here. But him coming here would mean a hassle because then you’d have to let the people here know that Mingyu’s one of yours and you don’t feel like interacting with anyone right now. A letter in your handwriting wouldn’t suffice either because they don’t know your handwriting.

You could honestly call Ester and describe Mingyu’s face to tell her he’s with you but that would mean interacting.

Jungkook could leave the room and yet the thought of him leaving gives a small dread in the pits of your stomach because you hate being alone and left in an unfamiliar place and right now he’s the only thing that’s familiar to you.

Familiar.

How funny that this familiar person left you to fend for yourself and gave you his cold shoulders when you needed him most.

And yet there’s no other choice.

So just like back in London when you familiarized yourself with Seokjin’s warmth and kindness for that split second, you turn around to face Jungkook.

He stands far from you, having not moved from the door since the two of you walked in, and a part of you hates that despite what he’s done to you, you know Jungkook is a man with natural kindness and would never do anything that would harm you on purpose. You see it in the way he keeps his distance, in the two questions he asked, how he doesn’t try to approach you, that unlike Karl who doesn’t know how to take a hint, he understands your fear of being touched by men even though you did allow Yoongi to hold you and poked Seokjin slightly on the shoulder.

He respects your boundaries. He always had, he always did.

So why did it have to end with him giving you the cold shoulders and pretending he hated you? Why did things have to turn out the way it did?

You’re so tired. Tired of everything.

“Come here,” you call for him, and you hate how even when you give him permission to come close, he still hesitates, concerned for the state of your mind.

When he approaches, his steps are slow, and once he’s inches away from you, you hold out the palm of your hand.

“I want you to help me with something,” you say, “you don’t have to do much, just..stay still and…and give me your hand.”

His brows are knitted, eyes staring down at your palm as if this isn’t a good idea. “I’m sorry,” he tells you, feeling conflicted. “Hoseok should have been here, we should have switched places. He would’ve been a better choice in—”

“I know Hoseok would have been the better choice but we can’t turn back time now can we?!” Your patience is starting to wear thin and when he flinches a little at the way you raise your voice, your own eyes widen at what you’d just done. Shocked at how easy it was to lose control, and when you begin to spiral out of fear for raising your voice at him, you put your hands in your hair, trembling.

“I’m sorry, please just…just help me, Jungkook. You have to replace what he did. I hate it, I hate his touch, and right now I’d rather feel your touch than his so please…please?” You look up at him, not caring that you’re pleading and looking desperate.

When he sees it, sees the way your eyes gloss over with a glaze of water, at your panicked tone and your begging for his help, he gives you his hand.

You take it and press his palm onto your cheek, over that burning feeling from where Karl touched you, and the peace that you yearned for doesn’t come right away. You struggle for a bit and your legs almost give in from the weakness but Jungkook’s right there to hold you up and bring you over to the bed so that you don’t have to rely on your legs.

He remains standing before you, watching as you rest your eyes while keeping his hand pressed to your skin.

It takes some time for the storm to wash away and for the calm to walk over but it comes, eventually, and when it does come, it isn’t in the way it is with Mingyu. Jungkook doesn’t give you the sort of calm that your second in command gives you, though you expected it because no one can replace Mingyu’s warmth.

The sort of calm Jungkook gives you follows with pain and grief over what had been lost all those years ago.

His warmth, his presence, his puppy-like self following you around, willing to do anything and everything for you. He’d always been such a quiet man who follows the rules well, who does everything with great effort, who is sometimes too naive and gets roped up in Jimin’s antics and gets scolded for things he didn’t do.

Always there to lend you his jacket when you shivered in the slightest way, always there to protect you from anyone that bothered you, noticing the smallest things, and though you relied on him for a lot of things, he relied on you in turn as well.

You understood him in ways the others couldn’t, the two of you in love like those two innocent little kids who were finding out what it meant to love someone for the first time. Soft and gentle, a bit awkward and clumsy.

“They didn’t have the drink that you like but I got you…” He walks back with a hand holding onto a glass of something for you to drink, but in the middle of his sentence, Jungkook’s expression falls. “...Something happened.”

Immediately, he’s shifting his head around to try and find who it was that approached you tonight but before he can get too far, you’re grabbing ahold of his arm and pulling his attention back on you.

“It…nothing happened,” you insist with a bit of panic on your expression, afraid of what Jungkook might do out in public like this, all the while trying to see if you can catch of glimpse of Namjoon anywhere on the floor. Thankfully he isn’t around, otherwise he’d be able to also tell something was wrong with one look your way.

There are days when hiding your emotions are easy and there are other days when it’s a little more difficult. Like on the days when people make you uncomfortable and you just can’t seem to hide it well. Those days are hard.

And Jungkook, who looks back at you, clearly doesn’t buy your little protest. “Y/N, I need you to just point out—”

“Please.” You squeeze his biceps, holding yourself close to him, pleading with your eyes as you look up at him, and Jungkook immediately recognizes just what those eyes are trying to tell him;

‘Don’t leave me alone.’

You’re frightened, he realizes, and after a small look around the room to check his surrounding, he brings you in close to him and keeps you by his side as he takes your hand and brings you around to an empty space where the two of you can be left alone together.

“Is there anything you need?” Is the first thing he asks you as he sits you down on a seat in the empty room, but you simply shake your head and squeeze his hand tight.

“Just you,” you say in a quiet voice, and Jungkook stays with you that night without ever leaving your side, all the while you simply hold onto the touch of his hand, the feel of it a comfort unlike any other.

His touch reminds you of those memories, of the past and the tears and the smiles, and though you hate the pain that it resurfaces, you’d rather revel in this pain than the pain of remembering the memories with Karl.

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novafire-is-thinking · 7 months ago

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Makeshift vs. Soundwave: what if?

I’m thinking about these two again >:)

Before the war, Makeshift was known as 777. He was a gladiator from Kaon who knew Megatron:

from Transformers: Exiles by Alexander C. Irvine

It’s possible that Makeshift fought Megatron at some point in a non-lethal match.

However, it’s also possible that Makeshift fought Soundwave too.

Imagine…

Soundwave’s in the middle of a match. He has the upper hand, but then his opponent begins to change shape—and not in the usual way.

Before Soundwave knows it, he’s staring at a familiar frame.

He’s staring…at himself.

The crowd loses its mind.

It’s a Shifter. Here. And they’ve just made this a Soundwave vs. Soundwave match.

Meanwhile, the real Soundwave is (a) surprised for the first time in a very long time, and (b) waiting to see what will happen next.

He searches the Shifter’s mind and picks up on a single thought:

“Surprise!”

Soundwave dodges as his opponent lunges at him. It takes some time for him to adapt, but he soon realizes that, although the stranger has his body now, they don’t know how to fight in it yet.

With this in mind, Soundwave makes quick work of subduing the imposter. After all, their fighting style hasn’t changed since the shift, and Soundwave knows his own physical weaknesses better than anyone.

Beneath Soundwave’s blade, the Shifter reverts to their base form and waits.

After a tense moment, Soundwave pulls away and offers his hand.

The Shifter gets to live another day.

And that’s the story of how Makeshift got an invitation to join the Decepticons. /j

(In all seriousness though, it would have been so fun if things happened that way.)

#transformers prime #tfp #maccadam #what if: tfp edition #tfp makeshift #tfp soundwave #aligned continuity #tf aligned novels #nova’s nerding out again #definitely using this in my AU heheh

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lomltrentarnold · 1 year ago

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❛ alleged girlfriend. ❜ — trent alexander-arnold

❪ part one / part two ❫

‣ warning : fem!reader, somewhat fake relationship au but not really, trent and reader aren’t really dating but there are rumours 👀 and they are not denying anything sigh, flirting, i think they like each other idk 🤷‍♀️

‣ hana’s notes : i really liked writing this concept idk why 😭 it was making me smiling and shit 😭 maybe i’ll do more fake relationship au with trent!! hope yall enjoy this mwah 🫶

MAIN MASTERLIST

━。゜✿ฺ✿ฺ゜。━

trent never really liked parties. sometimes its way too loud, way too stuffy, and way too many people. if it was his teammates or friends he was fine. but sometimes it was strangers that just loves to ask too many questions that he feels like he’s in an interview more than a conversation. some just wanted to hear the drama about the transfers and relationships rumours.

“so trent, the fans want to know if you’re seeing someone or not.”

speaking of relationship rumours.

trent involuntary scrunched his face. if he hears that question one more time or anything related to that he is going to go crazy. the amount of times he has to dodge answering that question this night alone was insane.

it all started with a viral tweet recently that went out on how trent was always “seen” with this one person, a girl specifically, over these past weeks. everyone went haywire with assumptions. articles were posted, people were flooding his dms and his ig posts are full of comments about this mysterious girl.

who? when? how?!

“hello, pardon, i’m so sorry to interrupt, but can i steal him for a bit.”

timing couldn’t have been anymore perfect.

he snapped his head towards you so fast, you can positively hear his neck crack. with the sound of your voice, he could suddenly feel the clouds clearing, the room felt less stuffy, the birds were chirping and everything seemed fine.

your hands wrapped around trent’s forearm, moving to stand close to him, as you smiled politely at the person in front of him.

in all honesty you have been keeping your eyes on him ever since you saw an interviewer that you recognised speaking to him. with trent’s body language, anyone could tell that he wanted to get out of that conversation. so you excuse yourself from your friends and made your way to trent, a strategy already in mind.

the person nodded their head quickly, “yes, yes of course miss.” before they cheekily added, “wouldn’t want to keep you away from your man.”

trent internally cringed, he doesn’t want you to be embarrassed but instead he heard you giggle, your hands squeezing his bicep tighter. but trent knows you, he knows that was not your real laugh.

but when he turned to look at you, he can see that your eyes were sparkling, you were wearing an adorable smile that pulls on his heartstrings, the lights of the room making your skin all glowy and he thinks he might pass out.

as you both bid your goodbyes, trent immediately rested his warm hand at your back, guiding you through the room. you both ended up in a secluded area, hoping that it was out of the eyes of other people. but that proved wrong because you could feel every pair of eyes on you and trent as you both walked together.

leaning against a wall, you turned to look into his brown eyes that you have become fond of. you smiled at him, eyes involuntary dropping down to his rose tinted lips as he licked them, before it curls into one of his pretty grin that never fails to make you swoon.

suddenly you look over trent’s shoulder, you saw a group of people taking picture of both of you.

you can already see the tweets.

trent alexander-arnold seen with the same girl at a party last night!

trent alexander-arnold getting cozy with someone?

is trent alexander-arnold in a relationship? or is it just casual?

is trent alexander-arnold no longer single?

you smile dropped, and trent grew concerned, “what is it?”

you looked at him, an apology ready in your mind. “i’m so sorry. you just looked uncomfortable and i thought i’d came in and save you. but i am so sorry if that was crossing a line. because with the way it looked we aren’t beating the rumours anytime soon.” you rambled.

trent shook his head, a chuckle leaving his lips. “nah, it’s fine. thank you for savin’ me.” he smirked, at your relief face before a teasing look appeared on his face, “but, ya didn’t say anything when the guy said i was ‘your man’.”

you rolled your eyes, trying to ignore how your heart was beating like crazy, —this gorgeous man was standing right in front of you. you could smell his cologne, you needed to calm down— “you’re very welcome by the way.”

with the smirk never leaving his face, he took a step forward towards you, closing in on your space. you could see his dimples better like this.

“aren’t worried that people are going take our pictures together? with the rumours?” you voiced out, concern plastered on your face.

he shrugged, “nah, not really. reporters say a lot of things, doesn’t really bother me.”

you slowly nodded your head in understanding, lips pursed as a second of silence passed. “so…”

“so…” trent coughed out, he moved between the balls of his feet, “wanna get out of here?” he whispered, scrunching his nose in a way that has you smiling like a lovesick fool.

your nervously looked to the crowd, seeing if anybody was still staring. when you were positive no one was, you looked at trent, nodding with a smile, “yeah, okay.” you took his hand in yours, missing the way his eyes went wide and a shy smile appeared on his lips.

he interlock your fingers together, “let’s go, then.”

you don’t think you’re going to beat the allegations anytime soon.

tell me what you think babes <3 also part 2 ?? update : i posted pt2

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judes-hoe · 10 months ago

Text

Again Really ~ TAA66

Parrings ~ Trent Alexander-Arnold x reader

Summary ~ When Trent comes home you show him a picture and he makes you forget how jealous you were.

Warnings ~ p in v, rough sex, slight choking, slight slapping, overstimulation.

A/N ~ I’ll show y’all the picture of which this imagine will be based off of.

Inbox is open send request

~~~~~~~~~

When you saw the photo, you were jealous. Why, because what’s under his shorts are for your eyes only. You knew you couldn’t help it, he didn’t know; but you were still jealous. First he flashed his ass to most the world, now there’s a photo were you can see his outline.

When Trent got home he could feel your jealousy coming off your body. He also could tell something was up because you didn’t greet him at the door. He sat his bag down by the stairs, walking into the living room where you were sat, scrolling on your phone.

“Hey baby” he said as he sat down next to you and went to give you a kiss. You dodged it. “Hey” you responded coldly. “What did I do” he asked with an apologetic look. You just looked at him and opened your phone to the picture. “Come on Trent, first your ass now this, it’s for me only” you spoke, just a hint of sarcasm in your voice that Trent couldn’t make out.

He just stared at the screen, he could sense your jealousy. “I can’t control that baby, I can tell your jealous though, maybe I should make you forget about that picture” he said as he started to kiss your neck and rub his hand up and down your thigh. “Trent..” you moan out. “Yeah, want me to make you forget about that photo” he asked again, his hand now playing with the hem on your flimsy shorts. “Yes, p-please” you moan out. “Your so wet baby” he said with his hand now in your shorts, his fingers feeling that small damp patch on your underwear.

Trent kept teasing you on the outside of your underwear, he took his other hand cupping your jaw and making you look at him. He smashed his lips on yours making out all sloppy. He pushed you underwear aside, his middle finger rubbing up and down your slit. You moan into the kiss, you yelp as he stops his movements and picks you up taking you to the bedroom. He places you on the bed going back to kissing you and putting his hand back in your shorts, that same finger teasing you again.

“Please, T-Trent do something, need you” you said moaning in between sentences. “Awww, you want me to fuck you baby, with this cock that just for you only” he said mocking your words. All you could do was nod and hum out answer. “Baby, you already look fucked out” he said smirking.

Trent finally pushed his middle and ring finger into you making you let out a whimper. He slowly kisses down your body, making his way to be face to face with your pussy. He kisses you inner thighs, before he finally attaches his mouth to your clit. You let out a loud moan, your hands finding their way to his head.

If you had to say one thing Trent was good at during sex, it was eating you out. You lift your hips up to try and grind against his mouth, only for him to hold your hips down. “T-Trent I-I’m gonna” you moan out. “I know baby I feel you clenching my fingers” he said into your pussy, the vibrations making your teeter on the edge. “Come on baby cum in my mouth and my fingers” he mumbled. That set of vibrations sent you over the edge as you cummed on his fingers and in his mouth. Your thighs closing around his head from how intense it was.

He stood up kissing you, taking his clothes off. “You can give me one more right” he said and he pulled his boxers down and giving his dick a few strokes. “Y-yes” you muttered out. “Good girl” he said giving you a kiss before slowly pushing in.

He starts to speed up after letting you adjust. Yeah you’ve been dating for years and still can’t take it. “I bet your the only one of notice and your jealous for nothing” he said kissing your neck. “I-I dont c-care, it’s s-still mine” you moaned out your sentences. “My girls greedy and jealous, your mine and I’m yours that’s all that matters” he said groaning as your clenched around his cock.

Trent starts thrusting faster, whispering the dirtiest things in your ear. “C-can I p-please cum” you moan out. “Y-yes god yes cum I’m right behind you” he groaned. Once you heard yes you were cumming in an instant, Trent still thrusting but they became sloppy. He did one last deep thrust cumming deep inside you.

Trent stay like that for a minute before going to get a cloth to clean you up. Once you were cleaned up and in fresh clothes, you cuddled into Trent’s side. “I know the jealousy was an act” he whispered. “You could have just told me you wanted a good fucking” he said laughing. You lightly hit his arm. “I know just wanted to see what you’d do” you said smirking. “You played good today though” you said tracing you his abs with your finger tips. “Thank you my love, but we should take a nap, we have 2 weeks to just lay in bed” he said kissing the top of your head.

~~~~~~~~~~

#trent alexander arnold #liverpool fc #lfc #judes-hoe😚

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deusvervewrites · 2 months ago

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Defending Goku's "stolen" arsenal... The near totality of martial arts are stolen ideas due many martial artists not being stupid enough to ignore a good idea when they see it. To give just one such series... Taekwondo is basically Shotokan Karate adapted to the principles of the old Korean martial arts suppressed by the Japanese during their occupation, Shotokan Karate adapted its kicks from Savate, Savate straight out copied them from Kalarippayattu, and Kalarippayattu was adapted from Pankration (observed during Alexander the Great's invasion of India).

Goku did the same, he saw the Kamehameha and few other techniques and developed them to the point he didn't need to invent new techniques aside for the niche Dragon Punch (first used against King Piccolo, but rarely used because most enemies could easily dodge it).

Yeah Goku is a warrior. I expect him to do whatever works

#asks

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alexanderautosalesinc · 2 years ago

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scotianostra · 5 months ago

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Bruce and de Bohun, were fightin’ for the croon,/ Bruce taen his battle-axe and knocked de Bohun doon.

An old Scottish rhyme handed down through the centuries, it's origins were from the first bit of action recorded at The Battle of Bannockburn on 23rd June 1314. In the 1930′s Wishaw firm, Battleaxe confectionery marked this by putting this verse on the wrappers of their Battle-axe toffee, I love the patriotism of firms like this.

The rhyme tells of the Bruce dispatching of the 22 year old English Knight Sir Henry de Bhun had given the Scottish troops a massive morale boost.

On the first day two English cavalry formations advanced towards the Scots who were positioned beyond the Bannock Burn. As they crossed the stream, the English formations encountered a body of Scots, among them Robert the Bruce himself, the most notable knights in these type of situations were recognisable by their attire, our King would have stood out among those around him with the Lion Rampant in red with the rest or tabard being a bright yellow, as seen in the pics.

As soon as the English sighted the Scots without warning, Henry de Bohun, the nephew of the Earl of Hereford, raised his lance and charged at the unsuspecting Bruce. Bruce turned to face him and, at the last moment as the two passed side by side, he swiftly pulled his pony aside, dodged the lance and split Bohun's head wide open with his battle axe. The effect of seeing the English knight fall dead at the feet of their King raised the Scots’ morale incredibly. The Scots then rushed upon the remaining English who struggled back over the Bannock Burn.

After being chided by his generals for risking his life in single combat, King Robert’s only regret was that he had broken the haft of his good axe in the duel.

If de Bohun had killed or captured Bruce, he would have become a chivalric hero. So, spurring his warhorse to the charge, he lowered his lance and bared down on the king. Bruce, an experienced warrior, didn't panic, but mounted "ane palfray, litil and joly" and met the charge. Dodging the lance, he brought his battle axe down on de Bohun's helmet, striking him dead. Elated, the Scots forced the English cavalry to withdraw.

Two of Edward's experienced commanders, Sir Henry Beaumont and Sir Robert Clifford, attempted to outflank the Scots and cut off their escape route – very nearly surprising the Scots. At the last moment, however, Thomas Randolph's schiltrom dashed out of the wood and caught the English cavalry by surprise.

A ferocious melee ensued. Without archers the cavalry found they were unable to get through the dense thicket of Scots spearmen, even resorting to throwing their swords and maces at them, until the Scots pushed them back and forced them into flight.

The Scots had won the first day. Their morale was high and Bruce's new tactic of using the schiltroms offensively rather than statically, as Wallace had used them at Falkirk, appeared to be working. Yet Bruce must have been contemplating a strategic withdrawal before the set piece battle that would inevitably follow in the morning.

For the English the setbacks of the first day were disappointing. Fearing Bruce might mount a night attack, they encamped in the Carse of Balquhiderock. The following day they still hoped to draw Bruce into a full-scale, set-piece battle where their decisive Welsh longbowmen could be brought to bear rather than let Bruce return to guerrilla warfare.

At this critical moment, Sir Alexander Seton, a Scots noble in the English army, defected to Bruce bringing him vital intelligence of Edward's army: its confined position and the low morale within the English camp. Bruce decided to risk all in the morning and face Edward in open battle.

At dawn the Scots ate their breakfast and advanced out of the wood to face the enemy. Medieval battles were seen as the judgement of God; it was important to have the saints on your side, and so, in the midst of the Scots schiltroms, Abbot Bernard of Arbroath carried their ancient lucky talisman, the Breccbennach (or Monymusk Relquary), which held the relics of St Columba.

Bruce himself made a speech invoking the power of St Andrew, John the Baptist and Thomas Beckett. Then, according to the chronicler Walter Bower: "At these words, the hammered horns resounded, and the standards of war were spread out in the golden dawn."

Abbot Maurice of Inchaffrey walked out in front of the army, led mass and blessed the Scots as they knelt in prayer. On seeing this, Edward II is reputed to have said: "Yon folk are kneeling to ask mercy." Sir Ingram de Umfraville, a Balliol supporter fighting for Edward, is said to have replied: "They ask for mercy, but not from you. They ask God for mercy for their sins. I'll tell you something for a fact, that yon men will win all or die. None will flee for fear of death." "So be it", retorted Edward.

An archery duel followed, but the Scots schiltrom rapidly took the offensive in order to avoid its inevitable outcome. Edward Bruce's schiltrom advanced on the English vanguard, felling the Earl of Gloucester and Sir Robert Clifford, while Randolph's schiltrom closed up on their left.

The English knights now found themselves hemmed in between the Scots schiltroms and the mass of their own army and could bring few of their archers to bear. Some broke out on the Scots flank and rained arrows into the Scots ranks, but they were quickly dispersed by Sir Robert Keith's Scots cavalry; the rest were badly deployed, their arrows falling into the backs of their own army.

In the centre of the field there was ferocious hand to hand combat between knights and spearmen as the battle hung in the balance. At this crucial point Bruce committed his own schiltrom, which included the Gaelic warriors of the Highlands and Islands. Under their fresh onslaught, the English began to give ground. The cry "On them! On them! They fail!", arose as the English were driven back into the burn.

The battle's momentum was obvious. A reluctant Edward II was escorted away. As his royal standard departed, panic set in. The Scots schiltroms hacked their way into the disintegrating English army. Those fleeing caused chaos in the massed infantry behind them. In the rout that followed hundreds of men and horses were drowned in the burn desperately trying to escape.

The battle was over. English casualties were heavy: thousands of infantry, a 100 knights and one earl lay dead on the field. Some escaped the confusion: the Earl of Pembroke and his Welsh infantry made it safely to Carlisle, but many more, including many knights and the Earl of Hereford, were captured as they fled through the south of Scotland. Edward II with 500 knights was pursued by Sir James "the Black" Douglas until they reached Dunbar and the safety of a ship home.

The capture of Edward would have meant instant English recognition of the Scots demands. As it was, they could absorb such a defeat and continue the war. For the Scots it was a resounding victory. Bruce was left in total military control of Scotland, enabling him to transfer his campaign to the north of England.

Politically he had won Scotland's defacto independence and consolidated his kingship – as former supporters of Balliol quickly changed sides. In exchange for Bruce's noble captives Edward was forced to release Bruce's wife, daughter and the formidable Bishop Wishart, who had been held in English captivity since 1306. For the Scots soldiers there was the wealth of booty left in the English baggage train and the exhilaration of victory.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;

See the front o' battle lour;

Today a different Army of Scots are making knew alliences in Germany at The Euros, let's hope and pray the National Football team show just a wee bit of the Spirit of Scotland and beat the Hungarias so we can celebrate and hopefully move forward into the next round for the first time ever.

#scotland #scottish #history #medieval history #medieval warfare #england #Robert the Bruce

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