#All three of these stories were completely different yesterday btw

[kakusu-shipping]

More B-Sides for @probably-some-goat’s Self-Insert Fanfic The Dragon and The Fox

This one got way longer than the last one, but I still kept it three stories to a chapter, so everyone’s just gonna have to deal with it. Also I gave each one a title.

In which we are experiencing the mundane

-Sharp cold, sharp stare, sharp blade-

Genji’s deadly stare stabbed across the market alley the four man Shambali crew had found themselves in, landing directly on Emile who was committing the heinous crime of standing within proximity to the ninja’s little brother, while Genji himself was stuck across the way from them besides his Master, Zenyatta, who was currently complimenting the craftsmanship of a quilt.

Emile had grown rather use to Genji’s protective stare at this point, and despite the Ninja’s seemingly endless collection of sharp objects on his person at all times, the human couldn’t help himself from wanting to see how far he could push it.

So here they stood, in their split teams of two, looking over bedding and blankets and pillows for Zayne, who had spent nearly an entire month now in what use to lay claim as Emile’s bed and room.

The plan was simple, locate a comfortable blanket and pillow set for Zayne that can still fit into Emile’s bedroom, as it is the only room in Master Mondatta’s house with proper heating (a fireplace).

Emile rocked on his heels to glance over at the beautifully knit fabrics Zayne was currently touching with the tender stroke of someone who cared more about a blanket’s texture than it’s warmth. He glanced again cross the way at Genji, who had shuffled only slightly down the road to keep close to Zenyatta, who was known to wander and get lost in the market if left to his own devices for too long.

A smirk crossed the mechanic’s face as he leaned barely a centimeter closer to the short man beside him. Genji’s shoulder’s tensed and his glare sharpened ten fold. If he could explode Emile with his mind, he would. This only encouraged him.

Emile gave Zayne’s shoulder a little nudge, the slightest brush, just bump enough to get his attention before reaching around him to point at another blanket, saying something just soft enough for Genji not to hear.

Oh how it burned the ninja up. His face was no doubt red under mask and fabrics he cloaked himself in to hide what human he had left. He knew Emile would never do anything bad to his brother, the little man was a monk blatantly and unabashedly in love with Zenyatta. He couldn’t hurt a fly. And yet Genji’s hand rested on a blade he’d put to his hip as he continued to stare.

“My student,” Zenyatta’s voice flinched Genji out of his spiteful concentration, the monk was holding two soft blankets, one white and one brown, “Do you think he would like these? They are rather soft.”

Genji glanced between the two blankets, the white one was covered in a hand dyed pattern of snow foxes, the brown one had one large image of a musk deer on it. Genji shifted how he stood to better face his master, with his left arm hidden from the view of his brother, he tenderly rested his hand on the fabric. It was soft. It reminded him of the blanket they’d shared as children, covered in a childish dinosaur pattern, the perfect amount of warmth for Hanamura winters.

Zenyatta tilted his head slightly as Genji gripped the blanket in his hand, a weak shaking to his grip. Before the monk could press his student, a call came from behind the ninja, the other group approached rather loudly.

“Winner winner!!” Emile shouted, as he and Zayne ran in tandem. Genji quickly hid himself in his robes once more and swiftly turned around. Emile and Zayne ran practically cheek to cheek, wrapped together in a thick futon draped over them, the two’s cheeks and noses red from the cold.

Zayne broke from the warmth of what is meant to be used as a mattress and ran up to Zenyatta, taking hold of the white blanket, “It’s adorable! And so soft. Where’d you find this?”

Zenyatta chuckled and began to show Zayne the stall he was looking at, the two chattering with the stall owner about her adorable patterning.

Emile, meanwhile, was left covered in a heavy futon with a blade to his neck, with Genji folding himself over the mechanic to keep the threat a little secret just between them.

Truth be told, Emile didn’t really think Genji would kill him if it came down to it. He wanted to believe that anyway. So despite the blade to his neck, Emile gave a chuckle and smiled up at Genji.

“Lucky find, huh? This futon wasn’t all that expensive either, and it’ll fold up under my bed pretty easily.”

“I’ll kill you.” Genji’s threat rumbled in his throat, and Emile did what he could to not take it seriously.

“Can we get your brother out of my bed first? I’d like to die comfortably in my sleep, at least.”

“Now now you two, there is a time and place for such brazen affection and the market is not it.” Zenyatta’s teasing voice chimed, followed by a laugh from Zayne. Genji quickly sheathed his blade and whipped around to face his master, glaring down at the monk for daring to insinuate something between himself and the foolish mechanic that would toy with his brother like this.

Emile shouldered past Genji, “Zen it’s cooooooold.” He whined, pressing his red fingers into the monk’s exposed shoulders, sighing at the immediate warmth from Zenyatta’s systems.

“You should wear gloves.” Zenyatta spoke, moving Emile’s hands to his cheeks, “Master Mondatta bought you gloves for this very reason.”

“Zayne’s wearing my gloves.”

“My gloves now.” Zayne wiggled his warm, gloved fingers at Emile teasingly, making the mechanic whine. He complained to Zenyatta about how mean Zayne was taking all his things. Zayne laughed and countered that Emile offered them to him. Zenyatta commented they should both give up their worldly possessions and live as nature originally intended.

“Naked?” Emile questioned.

“Precisely.” Zenyatta answered.

Genji watched his brother and Emile shove into one another as they walked, again wrapped under the futon for warmth, though now with Zenyatta as their walking heater in the center. He listened to his brother laugh, genuinely and joyfully as Zenyatta and Emile doubled down on teasing him. He watched him walk ahead back to the Monastery together with them, cheeks red from cold and from smiling ear to ear the entire time.

Genji watched his brother, despite the past, move into the future with a smile on his face and friends by his side,

and felt a little lonely walking on his own steps behind

-----------------------------------------------------

-Just Tea-

Zayne sat stiffly, legs folded under him in a seiza style, as he’d been raised and taught to do. His hands rested in clenched fists on his knees, which were held tightly together. He stared directly into the hot cup of green tea before him that had been served in a yunomi, no doubt an attempt to bring comfort of his home into the room, though all it did was remind him of a past best forgotten.

“Thankyou for agreeing to have tea with me, Zayne.” Mondatta spoke across the tea table, holding a cup of green tea himself, though unable to drink it.

“Agreeing” probably wasn’t the right word for this arrangement. Mondatta had caught Zayne off guard this morning after he’d finished cooking, just coming into the kitchen to talk to Emile about something, ask a question about something, Zayne doesn’t remember. He wasn’t able to listen well. Until his name was spoken, and Mondatta asked if he had a free moment that afternoon, if he might join Mondatta in his room for some tea.

It was an invite Mondatta meant to give Zayne a choice to, he could say no. But something about it felt more than just a chat over tea. It was a summon by the Master of the household, no more a request than being enlisted into the army. There was no other option. In Zayne’s head, anyway.

So here he sat over a hot cup of tea, shaking in terror for no logical reason across a short table from Mondatta, Master of the Shambali. He felt he might throw up. Maybe that would be enough of an excuse to leave.

Mondatta had clear, peaceful body language. He sat with his legs crossed in a burmese style, clearly not able to get up quickly if he needed to. His hands were visible, resting just above the table holding his tea delicately with his fingers, the palms of his hand resting on open air. He was still, even as he spoke, which normally he would punctuate with tilts of his head, he remained unmoving.

Yet despite all of this Zayne’s brain, bruised and battered by a man now buried six feet at the Shimada family shrine, still registered Master Mondatta as a threat to be on edge near.

Mondatta hummed softly, “I left the door open encase you felt the need to leave during our visit, but it made the room rather drafty. Are you keeping warm? These mountains can be rather brutal.”

“Yes, sir.” Zayne’s response came stiff and automatic, making him sound more robotic than the Omnic he sat across from.

“Good. Have you settled in well? My brethren can be rather excitable about humans, I do hope they didn’t overwhelm you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And that shadow of yours, he is doing well, I assume?”

“Yes, sir.”

Mondatta gently placed his tea on the table, and Zayne flinched at the sound, light at it was. He feared he may have done something wrong, responded incorrectly, angered the monk across from him.

“Well then, would you like to join us, Shadow?” Mondatta asked to the open door behind Zayne.

On the other side, against the wall Genji flinched at being caught for the second time now evesdropping on his brother’s and Master Mondatta’s private moments. His face flushed as he sunk to a squat against the wall.

“No thankyou...” He spoke.

Mondatta chuckled at his dry answer, “Ah, perhaps next time, then?”

“Probably not.”

Mondatta continued his light laugh, once again picking up his tea cup, “I see, a shame. Do let me know if you change your mind, little shadow.”

“M-.. Mondatta, sir...” Zayne’s voice croaked, his shoulders seemed a little less tense, and his shaking had calmed ever so slightly. He still refused to look up, but this little moment, hearing someone give Mondatta such a simple answer as ‘no’.. It reminded him this man was not Sojiro, was not an unreasonable tyrant, he was Mondatta, a man who can take a no.

“M-May I- Could- Pl-PLEASE EXCUSE ME.” Zayne finally said, much louder than he expected, leaning forward to bow, his forehead hitting the edge of the table with a loud Thunk.

Mondatta gave a soft chuckle, “Of course,” the monk had more to say, but Zayne got up and took off for the door faster than he was expecting, “Oh- But if you’d do me a favor,” He’d just barely managed to say before Zayne was out the door and around the corner.

The man turned to look at Mondatta for the first time sense he’d entered this room, the beautiful white robes and metal plating of the Omnic were now stained with tea from the monk’s and Zayne’s cups, both of which were tipped over and spilling out over the table.

“Would you mind seeing if Emile is free?”

--------------------------------------------------

-The Mechanic’s Morning-

“And where are you three off to?” Master Mondatta’s voice called at the steps to the main temple as three of his students escaped down the stairs.

Emile, the only human in the Shambali and one of the three escaping evening meditation early, came to an abrupt stop at Mondatta’s voice, and if it wasn’t for his compatriots grabbing him, he certainty would have tumbled down the stairs.

“Just escorting the human to the restroom.” Zenyatta, the smaller of the two Omnic runaways lied quickly, pulling Emile back to a stand, “You know how humans are with their. Fluids.”

“I see. And you both need to go with him?” Mondatta pressed, hands folded behind his back calmly.

“Yes, of course.” The largest of the three spoke. An Omnic of rare craftsmanship, Ramattra could be picked out of the rest of the Shambali crowd rather easily, “You are the one who tells us to never travel alone, Master.”

Mondatta gave a hum, in hindsight it was clear he wasn’t buying these excuses, but in a moment of compassionate weakness for his younger brothers, he allowed the three to escape without much more a fight.

The human, a little man with white hair and red eyes, no older than 15, darted down the temple stairs, his fellow runaways in toe. It may not be apparent by appearances, but the three were all the same, childish age at the time. They sat impatiently in meditation, and laughed running through the monastery streets, all as you’d expect children to do.

Together, free from evening meditation, the three climbed on the roofs of the monk village, watching the sun set over the mountains that surrounded their homes. They laughed and shoved free in a quiet village together, and when Emile tripped they’d laugh at him as they helped him up, and he’d laugh along with them, shoving his snow cold hands against the warmth of their metal systems.

But those days are over now

Emile yawned awake, finally back in his own bed after an entire month of sleeping in his work room. He stretched, and smiled at the framed photo of the Shambali group photo beside his bed, easily finding Ramattra in the crowd of Omnics.

It’s a good thing he stuck out so much, Emile thought to himself as he stood and began to get dressed, pulling on two layers of robes he’d been given from Mondatta. He glanced under his bed, Zayne’s futon was already neatly folded underneath, his blanket rolled into a nest for his invisible fox friend.

“Please excuse me.” Emile spoke, though he didn’t know if the fox was there at present, and scooped the empty candy rappers out from under the bed, throwing them into the slowly dying fire. He’d be sure to throw some wood in when he got back.

He met Zayne in the kitchen, eating a quick breakfast of toast with butter, despite the ninja’s offer to make him something more. 

“I’ll be late to morning meditation. Are you coming?”

“Pass.” Zayne said, poking at his food.

“Good. Then you can start laundry.” Emile hummed as he turned to head out, running face first into Mondatta’s chest.

“Oh- easy there, my student. Are you alright?” Mondatta gently moved Emile back, checking him over quickly.

“Master Mondatta!” Emile beamed, more than use to banging into solid metal face first at this point, “Good morning! How was the sunrise?”

Mondatta chuckled, “Beautiful as ever. Heading to morning meditation?” Emile gave a nod that caused Mondatta to look him over again, “Have you already eaten? And is that all you are wearing? It is rather cold this morning-”

“I’ll eat more after meditation, and I’m plenty warm, we’ll be late, Master.” Emile reminded the worrying monk, pushing past him to rush out the kitchen door.

 Mondatta watched the human go, then turned back into the kitchen, “Ah, Zayne, good morning. I was wondering, would you happen to be free this afternoon?”

Emile ran through the Monastery’s village square, passing already empty homes of monks who were on time to meditation, leaving only one still remaining.

“Good morning, Emile.” Zenyatta greeted, only just now stepping out of his house to get moving to the temple.

“Zenyatta! Good morning!” Emile waved as he approached, an attempt to slow down so he could walk along side Zenyatta was made, and unfortunately resulted instead in the mechanic tripping just a few inches from his destination at Zenyatta’s side.

Emile hit the ground with a hard splat, not an uncommon occurrence, and laid there still for a moment, listening to Zenyatta attempt at holding back his laughter as the monk extended a hand to assist him up.

As he took Zen’s hand, Emile glanced past the monk, “Still no Genji?”

“Still no Zayne?” Zenyatta countered, pulling Emile to his feet and assisting him in brushing the well trotted snow from his robes.

“No winner today, it seems.” Emile stretched, shaking the sting from his hands as he and Zenyatta began walking side by side to the temple.

“A shame. I was looking forward to hearing a song about what a good teacher I am.” Zenyatta cupped his cheek and shook his head to add a little extra drama to his dry comment. Emile laughed and elbowed him.

“Yeah right this bet’s hardly fair, you’ve had Genji way longer than I’ve had Zayne.”

“True. I am also a better teacher, I really do have every advantage.”

“Oh that’s it,” Emile gave Zenyatta a harsh shove knocking him into a snow drift on the side of the path, causing the small Omnic to vanish into the pile. The human laughed in victory, until a robotic arm shot out of the pile, grabbing a hold of the collar of his robe, and yanking him into the dirft with him.

The two laughed, pushing and throwing snow in the pile, missing the crunching of snow approaching them.

“Well, aren’t you two lively?” Asked Master Mondatta, hands folded neatly behind his back as he glanced down at the snow drift. “Come now, or we will all be late.”

Emile and Zenyatta both pulled themselves from the snow, still giggling slightly to themselves as they started down the path once more, taking turns stepping in and out of the footsteps their master left behind as he walked ahead.

Yes, those days are over now. They’re 5 years older, 5 years wiser, one brother less and two brothers more, but they still laugh when they fall and run in the streets and throw snow and fidget during group meditations, because they are still themselves.

And no matter how much time passes, they are still Mondatta’s precious family.

[griddlegold]

semicoherent bitching under the cut about a personal situation

lol so my friend i hooked up with right before they left (to go home to a different province) in april who then ghosted me and our entire friend group for four months called me out of the blue the night before lectures started like "heyyy how're things did classes start today" and it turns out that they were 1) still in their home province and 2) had declined housing and unenrolled from all their courses two weeks prior and not told any of us. they'd called because they'd changed their mind, and then changed it BACK and were regretting the original drop. and this entire phone call is them going "i miss you so much, i still owe you dinner, i miss [other mutual friends], i'm gonna see how i can come back because i miss you guys" and me listening to this like. you didn't talk to any of us for four months and didn't tell any of us you'd essentially dropped out. but yeah fine. so they come back yesterday. only a couple days in. i find out when they're back from our friend r, not from them, but Fine. i go to r's for their birthday dinner, which they postponed partially so that this friend could be back for it. friend hugs me for like fifteen seconds and keeps on with the "i missed you so much" thing. Fine. i'm Fine. they tell a couple different stories about people they hooked up with over the summer. n like. i knew they were pretty casual about that kind of stuff. i wasn't under a different impression. they slept with two different guys in the two or three days between when we got interrupted and when we actually hooked up. but like. could we Fucking Address This. Please. it's bad enough you ghosted all of us in a group but could i get any kind of like, particular acknowledgement over the fact that you slept with me and then immediately got on a plane and didn't fucking text me for FOUR MONTHS and then expected me to somehow magically solve your rash fucking decision that you didn't ACTUALLY TELL ANYONE ABOUT. YOU WERE GOING TO LEAVE THE UNIVERSITY ENTIRELY WITHOUT EVEN GIVING ANY OF US A HEADS UP. you were going to leave all of us behind without even a "hey btw" and we're all supposed to just go along with this. and i KNOW that you don't think it's a big deal and i think you think we're on the same page about that, but there's a difference between thinking being physically intimate with your friends doesn't need to be a huge defined deal and thinking it's fine to literally fly across the country six hours later and not talk to that friend for the next FOUR. FUCKING. MONTHS.

and the worst part is i will absolutely do it again if they want. would love to have more self respect than that but unfortunately i spent four months in near-complete social isolation so the minute they look at me with their stupid giant doe eyes i'm over

[lqfiles]

🐣🐣🐣 anon hereeeee. ok??? why’s haechan so cocky i hate him 🙄🙄😒😒 who does he think he is… (he’s hot) i liked the chapter a lot btw i love all your smaus (two i think) ☹️☹️ sometimes i search for a smau and js find really ugly ones (no offense i truly mean no offense with this) while yours are js so… accurate to the real app? like for imessages and twitter they look EXACTLY like the app itself

ok enough, yesterday i was about to fall asleep and i asked myself whether or not, after how popular stg got, did u choose the title to ptp thinking of what “abbreviation” (idk if thats the right word in english) people would use with it? like whether it would sound good or not?

i hope you’re doing great again and having a fun or light week. if you find yourself in a position of struggle, a break is always a good idea. be mindful of your own worth and make sure to not let people make you feel less than what you deserve 😠 take care and be healthy, goza de salud y amor!

about my ppt and test… i can say that thursday and friday were the worst ones. on thursday i have 5 classes, from which i did 4 “tests” (idk how to say it in english but i mean 4 different ways to give me a grade), PE saved me that day. at friday i was supposed to have 3 classes and 3 “tests”, but my personal bff (art teacher) gave us one more week to deliver the project so yay, i did ok in my spanish test and the history ppt was ass.

ok i got a little mad here sorry for the rambling

i had to speak on the URSS’ economy during and after WW2 but my other classmates took 3/4 of the whole class for their own fun presentations so i had to keep my part going after bell rang :( ugh i was so stressed and i messed up and made a weird noise like “eek” and the whole class laughed… that was embarrassing. also we use canva for presentations like these and my friend (A) kept telling me that my completely normal slide was ugly and that she would change it, i told her not to and she kept insulting me… my other friend (M) defended me tho. then the next morning my other friend (R) changed the ENTIRE presentation —not just my slides— and my best friend (J) got mad at her and protested (which is something i cant do cause im a little shy or ashamed to stand out for myself), but R yelled at her and insulted the way her slides looked, J changed her tone but wasn’t screaming, at this point i didn’t gaf anymore but i got mad at the fact that R was disrespecting J, so i screamed a little too hard at R scolding her for not being able to defend herself without screaming… i think i made her feel bad bc all of my friends stayed quiet after that :( im struggling cause at some point she kinda deserved it for being so rude, but at the same time maybe i got too carried away ☹️

but i did well on most of my “tests” this week! i like to think it was all thanks to you and your good wishes :)

do you ever get strokes reading my messages? im sorry if u do… i get nervous when sending u asks :( i swear im better at english than u may think… also i think i talked way too much im sorry if it bothers u, dont feel obligated to answer 💗💗💗🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

- love, 🐣 anon ! <3

ps: i think this is my longest ask yet… maybe longer than the first one i sent u about how much i loved stg? the long ass one……… idk! i hope u have fun reading my beef ig…….. love ya!

you might think i’m lying but truly, that’s not what crossed my mind while coming up with the title loll. i knew that i wanted a witty title that related to the story and the genre of the story just like stg was, and the whole concept of ptp is that y/n moves to a cheaper apartment where she can pay the rent while also having to deal with haechan. pay the price = LITERALLY pay the price of her apartment but ALSO paying the price that is having haechan disturb her peace, pretty witty right? it was honestly just a coincidence that it ended up being three words as well as having a nice abbreviation lmao

he’s hot and i he will be hotter in the future too unfortunately. thank you for liking it so far tho as well as my other smaus (literally only stg) ALSO I FEEL YOU ON THAT PART tbh i’m so accustomed to the social maker twitter lay out and messages that whenever i see another format it catches me off guard lmao, but people are just using what they can, and it’s the story that counts in the end i guess.

you’re always so cute i can’t help but smile :)) i’m doing good and i have a two week holiday soon so i’m even more happy, i would never let anyone make me feel less than i am, but if i ever do i’ll remember your words!!!

THAT SOUNDS LIKE ACTUAL HELL omg exam season is so stressful, i hope you don’t feel too much under pressure 😭 i’m happy your art teacher gave you guys extra time for your work, MAKE SURE TO USE YOUR TIME WISELY IM SERIOUSSS you don’t wanna give your worst and face the consequences!! and i’ll even personally pray for you ^^ YOU GOT THIS LOVELYYY and im glad you did well on your others :)

what the fuckkk :(( first off all, that’s such an unfortunate situation to be put in, your classmates are immature as hell for that but i wouldn’t believe that they were laughing at you, perhaps it was just the awkwardness but i’m sure it wasn’t meant to belittle you, still, that’s mean and immature as hell. your supposed friends need to learn how to respect you because if you told them that you didn’t want your slides changed, there really shouldn’t be an issue with that like wtf why would she insult you as a response.. weird. i personally don’t think you’re in the wrong, clearly friend R thought they could boss you guys around and was seeking issues for no reason, all that WHILE being mad for some reason like no need to raise your voice. i hope you’re okay :( don’t think about it too much you’re amazing and i’m sure you’re slide was fine ^^ i have used canva before too and it’s not like you can make the most outstanding slides on there anyways so WHO CARESSSS

whenever i see your asks i just smile because your words are always so sincere and it’s the fact that you go out of your way to type it all even if english isn’t technically your first language, NO STROKES DONT WORRY! i would feel shitty if i didn’t respond to you, i would always respond don’t worry ^^ this was long but i don’t mind, again it’s really cute YOURE SO CUTE ANON

[sasstrash]

Please forgive me I've been super focused on school

The Silent Queen 6; A Royal Morning

Raven woke up the same she always did - quietly. No one ever really noticed her until she was outside her room and hallway back in the castle but at school, people smiled and waved at her the second she left her dorm with Maddie. She guessed that the news of her arrival had spread and a lot of people wanted to know the daughter of the Evil Queen. Raven grimaced at the thought, she would have preferred not to be known at all. To just be a minor character in a smaller story. With a happy ending. But that wasn’t who she was, she was Raven Queen and this was her life.

Walking down the corridors to the castleteria was mostly uneventful aside from all the other students who continued looking at her and pointing things out. It was times like these that she wished she could hear. But then again she wasn’t sure how well she’d adjust to suddenly being able to hear. The castleteria itself is big and crowded with white lighting that made everything look brighter than what Raven was used to, many eyes looked over to her and Raven felt herself subconsciously tug at a lavender streak in her hair. This was going to be a long school year.

Cerise stood up and waved over at the pair of newcomers from her table where she sat with Cedar, Hunter, and a few girls who Raven vaguely remembered from yesterday who had been with that blonde- Apple, Apple White. The next Snow White, the one Raven would eventually have to poison. Raven stopped moving for a second at the thought of her destiny. Eyes wide she almost started to shake until Maddie lightly poked her shoulder, pointing to the castleteria’s food table. Raven straightened and followed her roommate and best friend to grab breakfast.

At home, she usually just walks into the kitchen. Chef made pancakes most mornings with berries from the nearby forest and honey on top. Raven always loved those pancakes, even if she had them almost every day. Raven quickly put a few slices of bacon on her plate smiling at the staff before grabbing some fruit salad and a couple of waffles and left to follow Maddie over to Cedar’s table. Most people moved out of the way to let the two girls pass through in order to get to their table. If Raven was being honest she had expected more students to run away from her when she arrived, and yet they all seemed to be completely enamoured by her. Weird. Maybe it was because she hadn’t shown up for regular school until this year, or because no one knew what she looked like (she avoided mirror phones and rarely left the castle grounds), or maybe none of them knew much about deaf people. Or maybe all three. By the time she and Maddie sat down, Raven was already exhausted, and she hadn’t even gone to class yet!!

‘Morning Rae, how was your first night at EAH?’ Cerise signed over to her childhood friend. Raven smiled at the nickname, Cerise had given it to her when they were about six, very soon afterwards Raven and Cerise began talking more over chats with their mirror phones as Cerise started elementary school while Raven began to be castleschooled. The two would work on video chats every now and again to keep sign language in Cerise’s vocabulary, (usually with a little help from Ramona too, but it’s not like they could talk about that it was a secret!) so the two stayed connected no matter where they were.

‘It’s been good Cher,’ another nickname that had come from their younger years ‘you know after the whole Headmaster situation me and Maddie set up our dorm. It was definitely different from the castle or your place’ Raven concluded before picking up her fork. She really was hungry after skipping dinner last night. As the others smiled at her she felt a warm fuzzy feeling wash over her, these were her friends, some through childhood, some through the others and they all loved her. She was loved, at least she was now but once she became, that she wouldn’t be. Her smile began to dim just a tad as she bit into her waffle. She shook it off before looking at the three girls she didn’t know the names of. ‘Oh sorry I almost forgot, I’m Raven, and you guys are?’ she asked the brunette in pink, the platinum blonde in white and the ginger with green eyes. Each one smiled at her as brightly as her friends, if not a bit brighter, they were probably princesses, Raven thought to herself before each one signed their names.

‘Briar Beauty’ The girl in all pink signed with slightly tired eyes. Raven immediately made the connection to the Sleeping Beauty Story, it took a lot for her not to frown, that was always such a sad tale, sleeping for a hundred years would mean losing the people she loved. Even still Raven could see that something else was turning in her mind, maybe she’d get to see what that was.

The ginger signed after ‘Ashlynn Ella it’s nice to meet you!’ she had the brightest smile that Raven had seen from the trio. Cinderella’s daughter her mind added in, another story with a happy ending but a tragic beginning, she couldn’t imagine losing both of her parents. Then again it was better than being imprisoned in a mirror, or being forced to dance in hot iron shoes until death, or being crushed by a boulder after falling off of a cliff. Raven’s thoughts were broken as she saw that Ashlynn was sitting very close to Hunter, who seemed to be completely focused on her, the dork had a crush, which seemed to be mutual. If Raven could speak well she would have laughed.

‘I’m Darling Charming but you can call me Darl for short’ The Platinum Blonde signed last as she gave a simple polite smile. Like the one that Raven had been taught to use for visitors and knights when she was younger. A female born Charming? She had heard of it before but it wasn’t common, most of them became small-time princesses with small kingdoms, or took over for the Charming Kingdom when the time came. It would be interesting Raven thought to see where her destiny leads her, after all, Darling definitely had the most open book story out of all of them.

‘It’s nice to meet all of you’ Raven signed before continuing ‘So.. has anyone gotten a schedule, I still haven’t’ It hadn’t been a big surprise to her though, she supposed no one had accounted for her deafness and they might have had to remake her schedule. After she mentioned it though she saw Cedar hit her head with her hand. “Ugh, I almost forgot,” she muttered to the group before pulling out a piece of paper. ‘Here Raven, I passed the headmaster and he asked me to give this to you, don’t worry he only had to reschedule two subjects!’ she finished passing the note over. Raven sent a grateful smile to her friend thank goodness for Cedar on the top of the paper a note was written with a schedule underneath. It read:

Dear Ms. Queen; first of all, I’d like to apologize for not being aware of this sooner, in the short time we’ve been given I was able to find some students to help you translate in each class. However, just in case most classes have an extra student who understands sign language. Below is your schedule, I hope you enjoy your time here at Ever After High.

Sincerely,

Headmaster Grimm

Breakfast: 6:30-8:30

Block one: Geografairy with Professor Jack B. Nimble (assisted by Cerise Hood) 8:45-9:30

Block two: Beast Training and Care with Professor Poppa Bear (assisted by Dexter Charming) 9:35-10:20

Block three: General Villainy with Professor Badwolf (assisted by Ramona Badwolf) 10:25-11:10

Block four: Math with Dr. King Charming (assisted by Ashlynn Ella) 11:15-12:00

Lunch: 12:00-12:45

Block five: History with Professor Rumpilstilskin (assisted by Madelyn Hatter) 1:00-1:45

Block six: Spellcasting and Potions with Professor Baba Yaga (assisted by Cedar Wood) 1:50-2:35

Block seven: Grimmnastics with Coach Gingerbreadman (assisted by Darling Charming) 2:40-3:25

Block eight: Art with Professor Card (assisted by Meshell Mermaid) 3:30-4:15

Dinner may be had at any time after this, as can counselling with Baba Yaga or Mother Goose. Lights out is at 10:30

Raven smiled at the schedule she only didn’t know two of the names on here. She was nervous to start her time at EAH but as long as she had good grades and a clear head she was sure she would do fine.

Notes:

I am really sorry this took so long, I kept forgetting about it because of school and COVID. btw if anyone knows how to make a master post and pin it could you please let me know? I would like to be able to do that. I also just got an AO3 account so I might post on there.

Taglist For The Silent Queen:

@virgil-is-a-cutie @justafanwarrior @bee-a-garbage-shipper @spicybelladonna @starrry-nites @tired-butterfly @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @themagicmistic @a-star-with-a-human-name @futursworld @pepelachanel @me-with-a-z-and-double-the-e @wolf-for-life

@iz-bell-saiah @thebookwormfairy @fantasiame

[seventeenlovesthree]

“Shall we go together?” (23/24) | A Taishirou Christmas drabble countdown

Just a little Taishirou-centric Christmas fic I’ve been meaning to write all year long, so here we are. The plan was to post 12-24 drabbles to complete telling the story and the Christmas spirit succeeded in the end.

🧡💜

Chapters: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

Characters: Koushirou Izumi, Mimi Tachikawa, Sora Takenouchi, Hikari Yagami, Tentomon (mentions of other Chosen Children)

Main POV: Koushirou Izumi

Genre: Friendship & romance

Rating: K

Wordcount: 669

A/N: This drabble also has a little callback to a comic I drew back in August - even if the circumstances aren’t exactly the same, I simply had to include a bit of Hikari being a Christmas angel on duty.

December 25th, 08:30 AM

  ~

  While Koushirou’s night had been just as disrupted as Taichi’s, he tried his best to work through the tiredness in his bones. Not having slept well for two nights in a row had really messed with his perception – especially since he was still feeling somewhat on edge as well. He frantically typed on his laptop to gather news articles about the events of yesterday – and whenever he heard an unusual sound, he found himself flinching, being awfully sensitive due to his body craving some rest.

  There had been three instances in particular that had increased his heart rate – each of them related to the sound of arriving text messages he received from three different people.

  Mimi’s Christmas greetings had been the first, as they were sent pretty early in the morning due to the time difference between Japan and the USA.  

  “I saw what happened in the news, what the heck was going on there?! 😰 I’m glad you all seemed ok in the end tho, not that I expected anything else. 🤗 HOWEVER, don’t think I’ll let you get away with how you just ditched our pre-Christmas party without giving me a reason, you still owe me an explanation! 😤 Hope to see you at the post-Christmas party soon then, hehe. Merry Christmas, Koushirou-kun, make it count! 🥰“

  He couldn’t help but reread the text a few times, pressing his lips together. Apparently, there were quite a few people he owed an explanation to by now… And whatever she had meant by ‘make it count’, it felt both threatening and encouraging at the same time.

  The second message had arrived a little later; it had been a reply from Sora, whom he had asked whether she had arrived home safe – a few floors above him – as well.

  „All went well, sorry if I was worrying you, I was fine. Just thought I’d give Taichi the chance to make up for what he had said to you. You know, one to one. I hope he succeeded in doing so? 😌Yamato sends his regards too btw.“

This one had made him smile. Both because it seemed more than plausible that Sora had intentionally stayed behind with Yamato for several reasons – and because Taichi definitely had succeeded in making him fall for him even more.

  If only he already got the confirmation…

  The third message that had just arrived was actually the most surprising – and the one that almost caused his heart to stop beating entirely.

  “Merry Christmas to you once again, Koushirou-san. 😊 Please don’t let Onii-chan know that I’ve sent you this, okay?”

  Hikari had sent him three messages to be exact. Two text messages – and a photo.

  A photo of Taichi, completely fixated on the tickets he held in his hand, expression being somewhat between shock, fondness, happiness and confusion.

   “He stormed out of the flat a minute ago and is on his way to you, I thought I’d let you know, because he seemed very excited after seeing your present. 🤭”

  “He did what?”, Koushirou almost shrieked out loud, making Tentomon – who had still rested on his bed – swirl around.

  “What happened?!”

  Panic was overriding all common sense and before he could even form any more words than “An emergency!”, his legs had already pushed him out of his chair. He wasn’t sure whether to stay or to just storm out of his room.

  He knew how fast Taichi could run when it counted – and thus he was certain that he didn’t have any more than five minutes max until the doorbell would ring.

  Panic was then joined by a glimpse of childlike anticipation – he had miscalculated again, but this time, it didn’t really bother him. He should have known that the person he had laid his affections on could be awfully unpredictable – which was one of his best traits.

  Even if it meant he now had to improvise and go off schedule once more – he hoped everything leading up to this point had been worth it. 

[deiliamedlini]

WIP Wednesday

I wrote this last night and really don’t know where I’m going with it because I wrote another section of this that’s completely different from this first part, but I’m having too much fun so this might become a long oneshot or like a two/three chapter short fic eventually. I signed into my Guild Wars account for the first time in forever to watch the chat and apparently Lion’s Arch isn’t as interesting as it used to be. Not that any of that is really relevant. 

This is Zelda and the Champions as internet friends playing a MMORPG video game called Hyrule Warriors. 

~

Zelda Harkinian loved Fridays. Not that it was a rare thing to be obsessed with the weekend, but she maybe loved it a little too much. After a week of lesson plans, and cleaning the classrooms, and sneezing students, and emails asking for an extension on a paper that wasn’t even due yet, she relished the escape the weekend provided. Granted, she still had to grade about a hundred tests, but that was a problem for Sunday or even Monday.

Smiling down at her roommate, a kitten she’d raised when she found it in the street all alone, Zelda fed her girl—whom she’d named Duchess because she had every intent of treating her like royalty—and played with her for a bit before throwing down her bag in her room and then grabbed a water and a granola bar before heading to her desk. She flipped her laptop open and booting up Hyrule Warriors, her favorite open world MMORPG.

Her internet sucked, so she grabbed her phone to aimlessly scroll to see if there was any news or updates. But it was pretty dull.

Instead, she thought back to how this whole weekend ritual began.

She’d been in a cavern just off of Death Mountain for about three days killing fire keese, lizalfos, and beamos. As a mage, her AOE skills made short work of the larger groups, hitting them all at once. It was especially useful here because her main specialties were water and light, but she struggled when boss fights came out. The NPCs weren’t great teammates, and she constantly found herself resurrecting far from the boss, only to make a long run with a health penalty that ended with her getting killed again, until her heath penalty was maxed out and she had to restart for any hope of succeeding. As a mage, her light armor made her vulnerable to physical attacks, and this boss was very physical.

Zelda didn’t like interacting with people in this game. It was massively popular, and the chat was always running. Sometimes, she’d just sit at an outpost and watch people talk. Her favorite interactions were often the random ones. She’d begun to look up the acronyms everyone used in chat just to understand them better. WTS= want to sell.

Indigo2421: WTS: Guardian Short Sword 4k rupees

Indigo2421WTS: Guardian Short Sword 4k rupees

Indigo2421WTS: Guardian Short Sword 4k rupees

Britneigh4Horses: WTS My mother. 1 rupee. Will pay postage fee.

But after her days of suffering in the lonely caverns in Death Mountain, she relented.

A quick search had her hands shaking, but she typed quickly so she couldn’t back out after she’d hit enter.

xPrincessZx: LFG Dodongo’s Cavern

Holding her breath, she’d waited in the hopes of a private message being sent to her.

One did.

(PM): ThunderstruckQueen: What missin are doing there?

(PM): ThunderstruckQueen: Mission*

(PM): xPrincessZx: I have to kill the Dodongo boss for the main story

ThunderstruckQueen would like to join your party.

Biting her nails, she’d accepted.

(PM): RockRoast12345: Still need someone?

(PM): xPrincessZx: Yes! That would be great! Thanks!

RockRoast12345 would like to join your party.

That had been how it started: A goron warrior with a Warhammer and some serious defensive moves joined as the tank to take as much damage for the team as he could stand, and a Gerudo Paladin had joined her party. Zelda was jealous of the purchase-only red hairstyle the Gerudo had for her character. She had a sword and shield, but her body flickered with elemental lightening magic. In-game purchase effects.

They’d defeated Dodongo with ease, and had gone on several missions together that day, taking down their storylines with relative ease. But they couldn’t function with the NPC healer who barely functioned at all.

So, ThunderstruckQueen had taken to the map chat and put out a request.

ThunderstruckQueen: I found someone. She’s a Zora Cleric. Level 40

RockRoast12345: Let her in! I want to get this one over with

Rutella Zoran IV would like to join your party.

After that, the four of them realized they worked so well together that they’d formed a guild. The Champions. ThunderstruckQueen paid the guild fee, bought a hall, and began decorating it with merchants, and chests. Zelda still shuddered, wondering what she did to have so many rupees ready to go. Needless to say, she made herself the leader.

Some days, they didn’t play together. Other times, only two of them were on. But on weekends, they all came together.

But it had been a Monday when Zelda played, and she’d been alone. Having already tossed her tissue box across her room in frustration, she debated making a new character with more defense, but she sucked it up and went into the Castle Town map, ready to ask for help. She couldn’t wait until she could get to be a higher level. As it was, she’d only gotten to these level 40 areas as a 32 because of Rutella.

Suddenly, a random Hylian man in green with a fancy sword and shield ran up to her and bowed. Zelda scoffed at her computer screen, unsure if she was supposed to respond.

She didn’t need to.

(PM): WildKnightOut2: Hey Princess

(PM): xPrincessZx: Hello?

(PM): WildKnightOut2: Jst wondering if u have a spare flower crown from yesterday’s festival. Missed it. Will pay

Zelda pulled up her inventory, forgetting she was still wearing her flower crown from the Flower Fest. It must have been what tipped him off. In fact, she had four spares.

(PM): zPrincessZx:  Yeah, I do. Come to the chest and I’ll trade.

(PM): WildKnightOut2: Thx

She’d never done a trade with anyone who wasn’t in her guild, so she’d felt nervous running to grab it.

(PM): WildKnightOut2: How much u want?

(PM): xPrincessZx: Actually, I’ll give it to you free if you’re willing to help me with a quest? Or 10k.

WildKnightOut2 would like to join your party.

She accepted and watched his character appear in the corner of her screen.

WildKnightOut2: That’s a rip off, btw. Crowns are with 15k at least. Don’t undersell

xPrincessZx: Thanks. I didn’t realize. I’m still kind of new.

WildKnightOut2: Howd u get out here then?

xPrincessZx: I had a run from a friend in my guild.

WildKnightOut2: Got room for a warrior in there?

Zelda introduced him to the other Champions when they’d signed back on, and after a few weeks, Zelda had leveled up enough that she didn’t need to constantly rely on a teammate. But still. She liked Wild the best after ThunderstruckQueen.

They’d brought in a Rito Ranger named TheBestYouveNeverMet, which immediately set Wild off.

(PM): WildKnightOut2: should I aggro a group over so he has to fight them for us?

(PM): xPrincessZx: No! Don’t do that! I’ll get sent over to deal with them!

(PM): xPrincessZx: HEY! I SEE YOU ON THE MAP!

(PM): xPrincessZx: WILD GET BACK TO THE GROUP

On the mini-map, she saw a hoard of red coming at them and rolled her eyes before joining TheBest to kill them with area attacks. Rutella stayed back to heal them, but Thunder and Rock both continued on, unfazed.

ThunderstruckQueen: Wild you’re an idiot

But that was then. This was now.

They’d been together for months as a guild, and now, the six of them knew how the others worked.

If Wild or TheBest took off on their own, no one would follow. They’d both been killed numerous times in an attempt to piss the other off. Zelda had learned to stay with Thunder and Rock. Rutella flitted between running back to revive the idiots, or sticking with the smarter members while letting them heal on their own.

(PM): WildKnightOut2: u wound me

Zelda chuckled, but he wasn’t done.

(PM): WildKnightOut2: After all ive done for u

(PM): WildKnightOut2: u leave me to die

(PM): xPrincessZx: Don’t run off next time

It was a Wednesday when she and Wild were playing alone, so they freely used party chat for ease. She’d surpassed his level, and towered as a 93 while he was an 87.

WildKnightOut2: Hang on. Fuzzball wants food

Zelda stared at his character on her screen, wondering if he looked anything like that avatar. Blonde hair, muscular, piercing blue eyes. She’d made her character look like herself, so it wasn’t hard to imagine others had. Plus, he was the only Hylian. She highly doubted that RockRoast12345 was actually a giant rock-man, or that Rutella Zoran IV was a short fish lady.

She knew everything about these people except their names, faces, and voices.

She knew that ThunderstruckQueen was a single mother who called her daughter Ri on chat. She was a chief of police, and had a few hundred of her force to look out for. Still, she wanted to quit soon to join the military reserve forces now that her daughter was getting older. Devoted and loyal, Thunder occasionally snapped when everyone would start fighting with each other, though it was usually directed at TheBest and Wild, the annoyance sometimes extended out to others.

She knew that RockRoast12345 was older than all of them and had a young grandson. He’d bonded with Thunder over their children at first, and then, without meaning to, they became the parents of the group. Recently, Rock had retired from working as a supervisor in a mine, and gaming had become his way of relieving some of that boredom. But he told the best stories when they were idling around, just stories about anything, and they were always captivating. Also, he was afraid of dogs.

She knew that Rutella Zoran IV was the daughter of a politician. She cared for her little brother like he was her own, and sometimes, he took control of her character, proudly revealing that his real name was Sidon. She was in school to be a doctor, and that made her family prouder than anything. She lived and breathed for her family.

TheBestYouveNeverMet was a pilot. His schedule was the most hectic out of everyone’s because of the flights, but he was sarcastic to the core, and sometimes, the sarcasm was simply rude and definitely didn’t translate well over chat. He was superior, and since he’d been playing the game longest, he thought it entitled him to make more decisions. But Zelda knew from her private conversations with him that deep down, he was sweet and caring. He’d always be the first to ask her how her day was, and he’d learned some of her students’ names to ask if they’d been nuisances.

But Zelda spent the most time talking to WildKnightOut2, so she knew the most about him. At first, they’d bonded over the fact that they both had cats. His was called Fuzzball, an orange, fat cat that needed to exercise more. He’d tried to leash him, but Fuzz wasn’t interested. Sometimes, Fuzz would crawl over the keys, send Wild running, and send chat a long stream of letters.

He was funny and made comments in her private chat while they were playing that had her roaring at times.

He was a rock-climbing instructor and in his free time, he was a free solo climber. When she’d looked it up, she’d been horrified to see that he basically climbed mountains without a harness or ropes, and a fall could kill him. She’d asked if he was good at it, or just did it for fun, and his answer had been an ambiguous “yes.”

She knew about his family. He didn’t live near them, but he kept in contact with his grandparents, his father, and his little sister.

WildKnightOut2: k back. Where we going princess?

xPrincessZx: I need to farm for new armor out in the Haunted Wasteland. Do you need to do anything?

WildKnightOut2: I need to help u farm in the haunted wasteland. What do you need?

xPrincessZx: 10 Rubies

WildKnightOut2: damn ok I have 2 u can have so u only need 8

xPrincessZx: Thanks. How’d that party go last night?

WildKnightOut2: Sucked

xPrincessZx: Cool details

WildKnightOut2: If ud been there, ud have hated it

xPrincessZx: Why?

WildKnightOut2: Bunch of self-absorbed idiots. Like TheBest is

xPrincessZx: Lol. He’s not that bad.

WildKnightOut2: if u say so

They headed into the Wasteland looking for red poes that had rare drops for rubies. She and Wild took out a few groups before they started to struggle. Neither could play and talk at the same time fast enough to warn the other that something was happening, and they both ended up at the shrine of resurrection more times than they cared to admit.

xPrincessZx: Hey Wild. This might sound weird, but do you have that gaming app where we could just maybe voice chat?

xPrincessZx: Unless you’re not comfortable with that. We can invite the others, and when we play together, and it would probably make life a thousand times easier

xPrincessZx: But it’s okay if you don’t want to

WildKnightOut2: yeah I have it

Oh, Zelda thought to herself. That was easy.

xPrincessZx: Do you want to add me? I have the same name

She watched her phone like it was food in the microwave, only occasionally glancing at her computer to see if Wild had sent her another message. She drummed her fingers and her leg started to bounce until her screen lit up.

WildKnight has sent you a friend request.

She hastily hit accept and grabbed her headphones from the drawer before typing into her phone.

xPrincessZx: Your name is missing a few things here.

WildKnight: Yeah HW already had someone with this name so I added on

xPrincessZx: The meaning completely changes

WildKnight: which do you like better?

Zelda froze, unable to make her fingers type. Was he flirting? Was that how people flirted online? She was really good at reading body language cues, and that was always how she knew someone was flirting. But this? There was no context! How was she supposed to know?

xPrincessZx: Which fits your personality more?

That was a safe way of getting out of answering while still sounding maybe like she was flirting. Right?

WildKnight: this one

Zelda’s face warmed up and she put her head in her hands, unsure how to respond. How does she respond to that? What if he wasn’t flirting? What if he was.

[writerfae]

Happy World Building Wednesday!

What's the general world history of your world? How does mythology say it was created versus how was it actually created?

And tell us about Maya’s backstory!

from @bloodlessheirbyjacques (:

Hi @bloodlessheirbyjacques! And thank you ^^ I apologize for the late reply, I was so tired yesterday I forgot to answer this after work 😅

My world has a history of creation! And since it’s a fantasy story and the gods mentioned really exist, the lines between myth and truth are blurred.

In the beginning, there were two ancestral forces: light and shadow. They were more of an essence rather than gods, but they had a consciousness. They stood for all things contradictory and they could only co-exist.

The first things born from this ensemble of light and shadow were the three great goddesses, Ghriana, Thala and Gheala. They created the two worlds out of light and shadow, what makes the two forces the matter of what all life is made of (fun side fact: that’s why fae believe nothing and no one can be fully good or bad, we are made of both after all).

The first world is home of mortals and the second is home of all things magical. Now why there are two worlds is something people aren’t quite sure about. They’re just there. And pretty much like light and shadow they co-exist. One can’t exist without the other - even when nowadays the worlds barely interact (it used to be different).

There is however a legend, an ancient rumor if you will, that long before the fae the gods created an other folk that used to life in the magical world but fell from grace. There are many stories about this folk and what happened to them, one of them being that while their leaders were punished by being turned into what we now call forest demons, the rest of them were banished into a second, magic-less world and that’s why there are two worlds now. (That would btw make humans the descendants of those fallen people.) But that is just a legend (is it true? even I don’t know).

Anyway, the great goddesses created the two worlds, made land and sea, forests and mountains, plants and trees, animals and all kinds of creatures, some magical and some not.

Other deities were born, minor gods and nature spirits that came into existence as the worlds started to form. The six mighty trees were born like that - the trees that keep everything in balance.

They were the six original trees, the very first trees in the magical realm (and creators of the fair fae). I probably have to say that the fae in my world are divided in two folks: the wild and the fair fae. Unlike the fair fae, it is not clear how exactly the wild fae were created, but they are older than the fair folk.

As for humanity, it’s about as old as the wild fae, created by the great goddesses as well, but there were times in world history where they disappeared almost completely and came back at one point.

After their creation, the worlds went through two or three significant changes that I haven’t really thought out, major events that happened under the influence of light and shadow and changed the course of the worlds.

So you see, myth and actual story of creation are pretty much the same here. At least from the fae’s perspective. I like to think that though my creation story is really mythical, the scientific aspect of how the world was made is still there. Light and shadow for example are sort of a metaphor for matter and antimatter, at least in my head…

As for Maya’s backstory, I’ll make a separate post some time this week if you don’t mind, because I think otherwise this ask would get too long 🙈 I’ll gladly tag you when I make the post though (if you want that is), so you get a proper answer to your question 😌

[monstersandmaw]

Male changeling (Dunnock) x female reader - Part Two (sfw)

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

I had not intended for this to get so long, and the story is now three chapters in total! The last part just needs a bit more adding (it's nsfw btw) and some editing, so it shouldn't be as long between this and the last part as it was between the first and second. It’s been up on Patreon for a while, since folks there get it on early release as usual.

Catch up with Part One (sfw) here (Tumblr link | Patreon link)

Content: more fluffy bonding and memories with our childhood friend, a bit of talk about the reader's father, and of Dunnock's origins/background, and preparations for the little village's Spring Equinox Festival...... Wordcount: 2886

As dawn filtered through the thin, light-degraded fabric of the hut’s old curtains, you became gradually aware of the warm, solid presence of Dunnock’s body behind you. After sharing the evening and your food with him for supper, you’d fallen asleep on the soft hearthrug beside him, and apparently he had dozed off as well. Over the course of the night, as the fire had died down to little more than ashy, red embers, he had shifted to tuck you tightly against his chest. One massive arm dangled over your waist, clawed hand resting limp and relaxed in the space beside your stomach, the other arm pillowing his strange head.

In the moments before he stirred too, you stared at him. The monumentality of just what his existence meant stunned you for a second, and you swallowed thickly. He was every bit as real as the solid floor beneath you, and yet your mind screamed at you that he was impossible. The smoky grey fur swirled around his closed eyes in a pattern that made you ache to trace your finger along it, just to feel the contours of his face, the strange plains and angles that weren’t quite wolf and weren’t quite bear; they weren’t quite anything that you could relate to, and yet there he was.

Perhaps sensing the shift in your breathing as you slid from sleep to wakefulness, perhaps sensing nothing at all, Dunnock inhaled more deeply and blinked himself awake. His long-lashed eyelids fluttered for a moment before they revealed the deep, cornflower blue of his eyes and you smiled. He, however, appeared to crash back to reality with a jolt. The moment he realised where his arm had been lying, he retracted it with the speed of a striking viper, ears flattening and eyes widening.

“Sorry,” he murmured, voice rough and thick with sleep. “I… I didn’t… I didn’t mean…”

“It was nice,” you smiled honestly, half rolling and half shuffling to look at him a little better. More than one part of you felt bruised and sore from your night on the hard floor, and you probably had makeup smudged under your eyes or something, but there was a look in his steady eyes that made you not want to care at all. They really were spectacular eyes after all - the brightest and most vibrant blue.

He blinked slowly, left eye closing fractionally before the right, and you grinned as you recognised it as something that the little barefoot boy in the woods had done too. In a flash, you saw him standing in a glade and beaming at you with a handful of dirt and a tiny hazelnut that had clearly been stashed by a squirrel and subsequently forgotten and left to sprout. His freckles had enchanted you as much as his eyes had, and you found yourself tumbling unbidden down the verdant banks of memory lane in an instant.  

“What?” he rumbled.

With a chuckle, you reached a hand up to his cheek and trailed your fingertips over the impossibly downy fur there. A quiet, almost wheezing rumble left him, and those eyes, so clear and intense, disappeared again as his eyelids fluttered down, unable to look at you as you touched him with such tenderness.

“What?” he repeated in a hoarse whisper without opening his eyes.

“Just remembering the little things, is all…” you said. “You really are the same, you know?” you added a moment later as you dropped your hand again.

At that, he did look at you, surprise evident in the set of his cervine ears.

“I mean… sure, you’re about as different as it’s possible to get, physically, but you’re just the same otherwise.”

His lips tugged into a wonky smile that revealed sharp canines, and he rolled onto his back to stretch. He lay there for a while with his hands resting lightly on his chest and his legs stretched out like a hound luxuriating by a fire.

“How’s your leg?” you asked as your eyes travelled down the length of his strange and beautiful body.

Flexing his foot experimentally, the pads of his paws spreading rather sweetly, he grunted and nodded. “Fine. All healed.” Shooting you a cheeky sidelong look, he added, “Told you.”

Breakfast was bacon butties, something that Dunnock hadn’t had since your father had died, and he clearly relished them.

“He used to bring me one sometimes,” Dunnock confessed after practically inhaling two soft white rolls filled with hot, crispy bacon that you’d offered him. “I’d always smell them when he made them on Saturdays, and sometimes he’d see me between the trees and make me an extra one too.”

Something ached at the thought of Dunnock knowing your father almost better than you had.

As if he’d spotted the thought on your face, the changeling looked away and then added, “He used to talk about you a lot.”

“Really?”

“Mn. If he’d recently come back from visiting you when I saw him, he’d tell me about how you were getting on. I think he knew I missed you too.”

Guilt twisted your gut and you felt your breakfast curdle as you stood by the kitchen window and gazed out at the empty bird feeder on the edge of the clearing near your car. “I should have come back here, but I just never seemed to find the time… between studying and taking care of mum - at least to start with - and then juggling work experience and a part time job to pay the rent…”

“He understood,” Dunnock supplied quietly from behind you, and you sensed that he wasn’t just speaking for your father.

“That… That doesn’t make it easier,” you said. “I’m glad he did though.” After another pause you said, “I loved him a lot.”

Dunnock bobbed his head and grunted softly. “You’re a lot like him.”

“Mum always said I’d end up working for the wildlife service or something. Speaking of… I’d planned to take a hike today. You don’t know of any good trails, do you?” you asked with a grin.

“Oh, I can think of a few nice routes,” he chuckled, heaving himself onto all fours and shaking his dense fur out. “I’ll let you get ready and meet you just up that little trail where you found me yesterday.”

The hike with Dunnock brought back a relentless flood of memories.

He led you down the network of endless paths that the two of you had forged together as children, taking in all the old haunts from the Neolithic quarry nestled between tall mossy pines, to the small bog at the edge of the forest where the heath drained down into a treacherous, peaty swamp, dark and stinking and full of tannins. Here there were butterflies and glittering dragonflies that made crazy loops through the reeds, and rabbits with twitching noses snuffling through the underbrush. Further out, you saw stocky, bristle-brush ponies on the moor, and the larks burbling above, and although the walk drained you, physically, it began to recharge something mentally that had been empty for so long that you’d failed to notice it any more. Even your boss had seen it, but it had evaded you for the longest time.

That evening, Dunnock stayed with you again, and he remarked on the life returning to your eyes, which made you blush and thump him on the shoulder. In turn, he just rumbled another chuckle.

“Dun… Tell me about the Fae then?” you asked after you'd both eaten. With Dunnock tucking into your food as well, you were almost out of the modest supply you’d bought on your way in, and the next day you’d have to go to the store in Iska’s Well.

A ripple of tension shuddered almost imperceptibly up his spine, and he seemed to have braced for an impact that you couldn’t see. Sitting beside the fire that you’d decided to let die down early that night, he then sighed and half shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know much about it. I’ve never lived with them.”

“But… how do you know what you are?” you pressed carefully.

Taking another huge lungful of air, he shifted slightly and gave another noncommittal shrug. “The family - whose human baby my parents stole to bring up as Fae - raised me until I was about five I think, and I must have shifted for the first time around then. I don’t really remember them very well, but I remember that they were frightened of me. The woman was… she… I think she knew about the Fae in some way because the moment she saw what I was, she drove me to the forest and left me there. I won’t repeat what she said, but she knew that I wasn’t human. I don’t know what the man thought of what she did, but no one ever came for me.”

He didn’t seem particularly upset by any of what he’d just revealed to you - just awkward - but you sat there with your mouth hanging open in horror. “Dunnock…”

“What?” he asked, blue eyes searing with a frank confusion that stunned you.

When you blurted, “You were abandoned twice?”

He just snorted. “I suppose so, but the forest took care of the rest. And I include your father in that. He knew I was different when he found me riding the wild ponies across the heath. I must have been six or so, completely naked and thoroughly wild… I think he gave me some of my earliest clothes…”

It was your turn to snort. “I can’t believe he didn’t try to take you to a hospital or a police station like any sane person would have done.”

“I shifted in response to what I thought was a threat,” Dunnock laughed, shaking his head as he fondly recalled the events of his first meeting with your father.

“And he just… accepted it?” you asked, amazed. From what you recalled of your father he had been a patient man, but not very… imaginative. He’d entertained no ideas of religion or of a world beyond. For him to accept that Dunnock wasn’t from this world painted him in a new light. You wished you could talk to him about it now, and that thought brought unexpected tears to your eyes.

Dunnock startled at the change in you and surged silently to his feet, nuzzling his head and cheek against your neck where you sat on the floor with your back to the moth-eaten couch behind. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Shaking your head, you told him it was fine. “Being here - and learning all this - it’s just… stirring up old feelings, you know?”

“I know. How about you tell me more about the animals you care for? I’d like to hear what happened to the Rottweiler that wouldn’t be adopted without the rabbit…”

You knew he was distracting you, but you were only too happy to tell him that one.

Yet again, Dunnock stayed the night, but this time you both curled up on the mattress in the corner of the room. There was no need for a sleeping bag with the warmth that Dunnock’s body threw off, and you curled gratefully into the curve of his body while he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around you this time.

As you drifted on the shores of sleep some time near midnight, having talked each other hoarse again, he gave a cavernous sigh and tugged you a little tighter, murmuring in your ear, “I missed you…”

The next day you woke late and headed into Iska’s Well in the car while Dunnock returned to the woods alone. “I’ll know when you’re back,” he said quietly. “That infernal jay will probably come tattling to me first.”

“Really? Do they actually… you know… speak?” you’d asked, cheeks hot with embarrassment.

He shook his head. “Not with words like we are now, but they have their own way. I got pretty good at listening, besides… I can… feel when you’re in this part of the wood.”

You’d petted him gently between his ears and listened to his brief but happy rumble before he’d risen onto his hind legs and brought his finger to the underside of your chin. Leaving with an obviously affectionate little stroke there, he disappeared into the shadows in a mere few paces, and you blinked in surprise. It was as if he’d vanished completely and you swayed on the spot.

“Dunnock?” you whispered.

“Mn?” came his curious response from the depths of the trees. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah… don’t worry. See you later,” you breezed. He really was something Fae about him after all.

Iska’s Well was busy that lunchtime, which was to say that there were all of three people in the general store, and they were all talking animatedly about the Spring Equinox Festival. The owner of the shop, a portly woman in her early sixties with soft grey hair and a motherly look to her, glanced away from their little huddle as the brass bell above the door tinkled a welcome, and she smiled at you. “Hello dear!” she called. “How’s the old cabin treating you? No squirrels in the roof?”

“Nothing of the sort, thank you,” you replied, warily eyeing the other three women who had suddenly taken a very keen interest in you.

“Oh that’s good,” the shop owner exhaled dramatically. “I was wondering after you left last time if we’d have to send Steve down to help you out with anything. I’m pleased to hear that your father’s place is being lived in again.” She turned to the other three gathered conspiratorially at the end of the counter and added, “You remember our dear ranger? Well, this is his daughter. She’s only up here for a short while though, is that right?” she asked you and you nodded.

One of the women brightened visibly, her initial suspicion of an outsider evaporating now that she had a context for you, and she said, “Oh! How long are you here for then? You should come to the Equinox Festival tomorrow. It’s the highlight of the spring! Isn’t that right, Martha?”

The shopkeeper nodded. “Our Sam is going to be playing with his little band, and there’s a hog roast and dancing… You’ll never want to leave, I promise!”

“Sounds ominous,” you quipped, but the women only laughed.

“We’ll see you there then?” the second asked.

She looked like the kind of woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer where hospitality was concerned - in fact they all did - so you just nodded and smiled and said you’d probably be there. That seemed to do the trick and you were allowed to continue your shopping in peace, leaving fifteen minutes later and heading back to the cabin.

Dunnock wasn’t there when you drew up in the little gravel parking area in front of the house, and he didn’t reappear until sunset which saw you sitting on the porch step, idly watching the birds flit back and forth from the pines to the bird feeder.

“No wonder everyone’s here,” came Dunnock's deep, rough voice from between the rough trunks of the nearby trees. “Sunflower seeds at this time of year - what a treat, eh?”

You couldn’t help smiling, and in a heartbeat you found yourself on your feet and walking towards him. It felt as though he were reeling you in, pulling you closer by the sheer force of his presence. Everything about this felt natural and right and you didn’t pause to think. He leaned his tall body against the last of the trees and waited for you to join him, watching you approach with his steady, forget-me-not blue gaze.

Hanging on the branch beside him you noticed two fresh trout, and you raised an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. “You’ve been feeding me since you got here. Thought I should return the favour. Do you not like fish?”

“Oh, they’re fine,” you grinned. “You’re lucky my dad taught me how to deal with them though. Not everyone knows how to gut and bone a fish…”

Something flashed across his face but he hid it behind a chuckle.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“That was definitely a ‘something’,” you pressed playfully.

Dunnock just shook his head stubbornly and took the fish off the branch with a claw and into the cabin for you.

As you ate that night, Dunnock easily lounging on the floor and you at the little scrubbed wooden table in the kitchen, you were reminded of the equinox festival. “Have you ever been?” you asked when you brought it up.

Dunnock shook his shaggy head. “No,” he said, easing back a little and leaning a fraction closer to the wood burning stove. Apparently, despite the thickness of his pelt, he really enjoyed the heat it threw off. “I’ve heard it going on most years though. Sounds like it could be fun.”

“You think I should go?” you asked and he grinned.

“If you want,” he shrugged. “I think most of Iska’s Well show up for it. You’ll have no shortage of dance partners, that’s for sure.”

With a snort, you inhaled deeply with the satisfaction of a full stomach and easy company and murmured, “Maybe I will go after all…”

Part Three

___

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[wlw-lovestruck-fiction]

This is the last ask ill send because im honestly tired of this whole thing

I dont know why you brought up the anon hate you got when that’s no part of the discussion. Even if it isnt your intention, you’re making yourself out of to be the victim when you arent. You say you want to get better but each time something gets pointed out you get on the defensive. I dont know why you decided to bring it up, but now that you have: Piama is indeed whitewashed on your drawing. “Warm lighting” doesnt change peoples undertones like that. Compare it to Piama’s last two cgs if you really don’t believe me.

Even if you aren’t affected, you need to be able to recognize it without poc having to tell you in order to be a good ally. I wouldn’t want a straight friend that lets people make homophobic comments about me in their presence and then hear them say “it doesn’t affect me so i couldnt tell it was homophobic so thats why i didnt defend you”. If you aren’t able to recognize it then you’ll inevitably repeat the same rhetoric. Racist rhetoric is everywhere and spewed every single day so you cant expect poc to be with you all the time and take you by the hand to tell you whats racist or not. Those are the reasons why you need to learn how to identify it by yourself, be listening to poc, by developing critical thinking skills, by not surrounding yourself with only white people. If not there’ll be more unchallenged asks such as one i saw recently that pinned poc that complained about yet another white route “stupid because they dont get that lovestruck releases routes by demand”. As if we have no concept of nuance.

No one is obliged to accept an apology, especially after what happened. I dont know where you got that idea from, especially when it concerns something that hurts people this deeply. And I didn’t point it out what happened just to be petty, I pointed it out because it isn’t an isolated event but a pattern of behavior of unchecked racist comments. That was simply the worst case: It was handled poorly, considering mod viv herself never apologized and again, swept it under the rug. The apology I saw from mod wrath was vague, didnt address the situation directly, was posted on this blog so no one knew what was going on, and was later deleted. So yeah she can apologize ten times and it still doesn’t mean we have to accept it. Especially if it’s that catastrophic because it looks like its more about saving face rather than feeling remorse, even if she did feel bad. You’re too eager to call it just “a mistake” and pin me as the unreasonable one.

And I want to ask you, have you truly seen with your own eyes an interaction where someone said to the other “if you like vinca you’re racist” and was completely serious?Or have you heard it from someone else saying that they were told that? Because considering that other anon watering down a woc’s criticism of lovestruck as “she doesnt like white people or this blog” then yeah i wouldn’t trust anything else coming from their mouths. People are getting too pressed over the millionth white woman in the app. Hell even if it happened, it’s probably what, one, two people? But you’re lumping all of us together as if its been a wave of saying that. The valid criticism surrounding Vinca is interconnected with Nahara’s release (one of the few dark-skinned women in the app) considering people kept saying they’d rather have a Vinca route when Nahara’s was announced. They’re not even willing to support it just because they want Vinca’s and that sends a message to voltage. So it simply doesnt boil down to “well its a difference in personalities”. Im gonna go as far as to say that if a woc had the same attitude as Vinca, people wouldnt be frothing at the mouth for her or they’d delve into the realm of fetishizing (as some people are bordering the line with Piama). But thats a whole other topic. And since people want to act stupid: all of the white characters in lovestruck are white because voltage made them that way. They could’ve quite easily made them a poc, but they rarely do. Think about what that means then, if youre really trying to defend yourself by saying “well they put out whats popular”

Lastly, you should really evaluate the content and beliefs you put out when racist people are still comfortable following and interacting with you. This is why i want this discussion to be public: your followers need to read this and apply it to themselves. Because considering the amount of anon hate you said you got yesterday towards the other blogger, theres a bunch of your followers who need to get off their phones and learn to care about other people and stop being racist assholes.

Believe me, I’m tired of it as well.

I brought up the anon hate because I didn’t want you to wonder why I was posting your asks in this form.

And no. Piama is not whitewashed. I took a dropper tool and took the color directly from her sprite, and if you’d looked at my blog, you would’ve seen that I sent screenshots as proof in response to that ask. But you obviously didn’t, so I’ll send them here again. (1. Without lighting. 2. With Lighting.)

If you still don’t believe me, you’re welcome to call me on Discord and I’ll share my screen and show you the entire process. And as an artist: You’d be fucking surprised what lighting does to colors.

Well, yes, I need to be able to recognize it indeed. The thing is: I can’t always. I try my best on this, and there will be moments and issues that will come up, mistakes I will make because I’m not perfect and not a machine. And in those moments, I’d love to have a friend that affectionately slaps me and says “JD, that was shit.” So I can apologize and notice it the next time. I have had multiple friends be transphobic to me in certain ways. I’ve informed them about it. They apologized and haven’t done it since. We’re still friends to this day. I do try to educate myself on racism and put in some work. I don’t expect POC to do all the work for me and explain to me how to be an ally correctly, and still - I hope they help me just as I help my cis friends with trans stuff. I can’t magically change all my behaviors and overcome internalized societal racism with the snap of a finger. If I could, I fucking would have already done it multiple times. The way it is, I’m working on it. Again - I’m sorry I didn’t point out the racist comment in the ask. I should’ve done that, and I’ll make sure to do it in the future.

You’re right no one is obliged to accept an apology. You’re right this hurts people deeply. And as I said - Mod Wrath apologized three times, including one on her personal blog which was a lot less vague. Mod Viv also apologized - to the person in question, in private. Just because you didn’t see it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And the thing is - if you refuse to accept her apology, that’s one thing and fully your right. And the thing is: If an apology is not going to make you forgive her, if ten are not, what do you need in order to forgive? Will you never forgive? Will you always argue it’s going to be an apology to save face when you don’t know the fact she does feel remorse? How will you see that she does?

I did hear the Vinca thing from a friend of mine. Whom I trust. Because seriously, why would you make things like that up? Who would even get the idea? I’m against the idea of believing my friends would lie to me for attention or whatever. And yeah, the criticism of that anon was unfitting - I’ve visited the blog they claimed was doing that and I found nothing of the sorts, so that comment was unfitting unless I missed something. I never intended to say that it’s all of you saying that. I intended to say that some people are handling the issue wrong. I’m sorry it came off that way. I do believe though that it’s people’s full right to say they’d have preferred Vinca over Nahara. I would’ve preferred Vinca. I still read Nahara tho. However, it’s not yours to dictate which routes other people have to support and which not. I will however agree with you that people should give Nahara a chance - it’s quite the sweet story. And I for my part would enjoy a POC Vinca just as much as a white one. (Also, side note, you’re making it appear as if everyone would either fetishize or rage over her, which is very much putting all of the “white” fanbase into the same bag, the same thing you critizised me for earlier. It’s understandable from a psychological point of view, tho, so I’m not gonna comment further.)

Yeah, Voltage makes the characters white, and that’s an issue people can only fix by demanding more POC in the ask posts and comments. Which many do, btw. They put out what is popular indeed, they put out what is demanded, and I fucking demand more POC. I want it. They could’ve made so many LIs POC and they haven’t and I’m fucking unhappy about it too! I’m not even trying to say anything else.

Yes, making this public to arouse thinking is a good policy. The followers need to read this indeed. And we didn’t get anon hate for the other blogger. We got anon hate towards us. Tons. Comments that went as far as telling mods to kill themselves. And while I agree with lots of the things you say - some of the ways you’re acting actively spark this type of hate. There is being loud about the issues you face, and then there is calling people racist assholes based on a comment they made instead of talking to them personally and telling them that’s not okay, giving them the chance to improve themselves instead of always having them stamped as a racist. Just because you’re the one who’s hurt, the one who’s morally correct, does not mean anything you say or do is good behavior. 

You told me I whitewashed Piama when you, with a minute of research, could’ve found proof I didn’t. You obviously wanted the internet to see, maybe hoped I’d get exposed? Could I get an apology for that? And I promise, I’ll accept it because I’m willing to believe you’re a good person.

Summary of everything:

You’re right with lots of things.

I behaved wrong and I’m sorry.

Lovestruck has an issue with racism that we need to change together. 

Together. Without toxic behavior from any side.

- Mod JD

[your-world-with-nct]

— 2020 has been a wild year for all of us and let me start this off by saying well done to us all for simply making it through this crazy ride - if surviving this year was your biggest achievement, that’s completely okay, and i am so proud of you for being here today !! despite the many, let’s say, mishaps, that have occurred this year, both nct and nctzens have been key in my 2020 and i couldn’t be more grateful for them, so i decided to make a little appreciation post of my own before the year ends 🥰

— to my followers ;

my petals !! i can’t believe i started off this year with around 300 followers and i’m now nearing 600 🙈 this account has grown so much this year and it’s all thanks to you. if you’ve ever come across my blog, liked or reblogged a piece of mine, sent me an ask, or pressed that follow button, i want you to know that i am so grateful for you and thank you for enjoying my works 🥺 hopefully 2021 will carry the same positive energy here on your-world-with-nct as it has this year and i’m hoping that you’ll be seeing a lot more fics in the near future 👀 once again, i love you petals <3

— to my dearest mutuals ;

@emistoomultifandom

em bubs !!! i know i could easily do this on any other app or even irl but i just wanted to thank you for making my year 🥺 my lockdown wouldn’t have been the same without us constantly texting and fangirling and our ty track/bfc reunion on my birthday was elite. and obviously this new school year has been an adventure and a half so far, with all the lunch time shenanigans, revision sessions, and exam stress, but i can’t wait for the rest of it 🙈 i am so grateful that i had you by my side during 2020 and i am eternally thankful that i’ll be able to go into the new year with you by my side once again 🧡💚💜

@misfitneo

bella - my first mutual, my tumblr mum - it feels like just yesterday that you wrote a beomgyu blurb for me after seeing my pink theme; now you’ve finished college and i’m applying to colleges 🙈i know we haven’t been able to talk as much recently but that doesn’t mean i appreciate your presence any less - i’m so proud of you for getting into med school and pursuing your dream 🥺🥺 i hope that this year treated you well, and that 2021 treats you even better 💞

@nsheeteeish

loml, almost birthday-twin, fellow leo and xiaojaem stan, fave writer - what do these things have in common? they all apply to v, or, yeet anon, if you remember the days where i ranted to you about my crush and you were a baby stay 😪 not only have you delivered such amazing content on ur writing and gif blogs, but you have provided so much comfort and joy to me whenever we message with dilay 🤧 i look forward to checking your blog every day for new posts and my twt and insta notifs in case you’ve sent me something or you’ve seen what i sent you 🙈 the fact that you think of me when you see certain things just warms my heart and you’re just such a caring person in general, thank you for being a part of my 2020 v, all the best wishes for your 2021 🖤

@cloudyangers

dilay !!! my resident yangqi and the person i think of straight away whenever i see yangyang 😚 i remember when you first requested that e2l chenle blurb back in 2019 and now the only chenle stan between us is v 😁 finding you on this app again after i forgot what ur skz blog’s url was, was just amazing and i don’t know what my tumblr experience would be like without me being able to reconnect with you 🥺 thank you for being able to make me laugh effortlessly with our lack of geography knowledge and our random antics, i will always look forward to seeing the username @cloudy_____ on my dash and screaming over renhyuckyang (+ sungchan 👀) with you for years to come 🤍

@nctsoftarchives

andi bb, my fellow dad!johnny stan 🥺 seeing you post a jaemin birthday blurb for me after your return to tumblr was so sweet and i can’t believe your first post after coming back was dedicated to me 🤧 i remember the day i first messaged you and you were gushing over how you were a big fan of mine and i said the same about you - we were just going back and forth about how much we love each other’s work 😌 you are such a talented writer and you are so full of love - wishing all the best for you in the coming new year babie 🥰

@jensungf

coming across leyna’s blog after reading that jsmr fic was the best decision, because not only have i befriended a brilliant writer, but also a jensung enthusiast who is just the kindest 🥺🥺 i think now would be a good time to tell you that despite jeno’s bias wrecking antics back in august, i actually bias jisung now 😃 i know we haven’t talked in a while, because of our busy schedules, but i hope you’re resting well and i hope that 2021 won’t be as hectic for you 💟

@doyoungcore

joyce, i know we only started talking recently but the serotonin boost both you and your works have given me this year is just incredible and i am so thankful for your warm personality on your blog and for your amazing fics 🤧 i started off as a silent reader who gushed about your writing in the tags but now i’m friends with such a talented writer and we just casually ramble about doie and jaems biases and writing struggles,,, wow 🤯 (btw took some of ur tips on editing headers 🙈) i hope that next year we can expand our friendship and that i can continue to give you the feedback you deserve 🥺💕

— favourite reads of the year ;

i have reblogged all of these to my main @/lovelycharm05 before, but i just wanted these masterpieces on here with everyone since these fics are so memorable and enjoyable to me <3 (beware there is lots of me gushing over how f&%#ing good all these writing techniques and plot devices are - can you tell i’m an eng lit nerd)

@nsheetee - moonlight café

obviously v released so many iconic pieces this year but this series was just *chef’s kiss* coffee shop au’s are the cutest to me because you can do so many different things with them, and you truly showcased that through each members’ part. although i am nahyuck biased (out of all the 00 liners), i have a soft spot for jeno’s part 🥺🤧 but that doesn’t mean i’m not obsessed with jealous jaems and cocky hyuck 🙈

@notnctu - to all the j’s i loved before

the very first work i ever read of yours, joyce 🥺🥺 i remember seeing an nct network reblog this and after reading through the summary of the series, i was enticed by the plot and i read most of your masterlist whilst waiting for the next parts 🤧 the main character’s relationship with each ‘j’ was unique to them and their interactions were just so sweet to read (except jaemin’s >:( why did my ult’s part have to be the angsty one 😤 jk jk i loved it anyways) special mention to ‘cupid’s arrow’, because that fic was an emotional rollercoaster and i loved that almost as much as i love bestfriend!jungwoo in the last part 😌

@misfitneo - lee haechan’s pride

it would be a sin if i didn’t include this in my top reads this year, pun intended 😌, especially since i have a weakness for mafia aus. i haven’t had the time to read mark or renjun’s parts yet, but from what i read in this fic, i’m sure theirs are just as good, if not better. the storybuilding and the development of the plot are so detailed and intricate and that is what i love in a fic. i already reviewed this on my main with a lengthy description of my favourite parts so i’m gonna keep this short and sweet - if you love haechan, mafia au’s, and enemies to lovers, you need to read this !!

@jensungf - passing clouds + only forever

these fics hit different now that i bias jisung 😭 ‘passing clouds’ was pure angst and as much as it hurt, it was written so beautifully and i loved it so much. ‘only forever’ healed the jisung shaped hole in my heart and made me fall in love with him all over again. the first love vibes he gives off is unbelievable and that innocence was presented perfectly in this 🤧 side note: never let jisung bake for you even if it’s as a peace offering 😖

@hyucksie - in the long run + second first kiss

although ‘sweet talk’ and ‘silent treatment’ are also contenders for some of my favourite fics of the year, these two have taken the cake 😌 the concept itself of time travel and mark and y/n seeing their future child was so creative and the mixed emotions that the characters experienced seeing their future were executed so well and the ending when their actual future selves remembered the day they time travelled 🥺🥺 not to mention the sequel doesn’t feel forced at all, the story flows well, and jealous mark is a cutie 🥰

@luvdsc - not clickbait

i’ve been following cat after i first read ‘i turned my best friend into an e-boy!! (and kissed him)’ and ever since then every piece of hers that i’ve read is simply breathtaking and so engaging. her style of writing is so unique and whenever i read anything of hers i feel so immersed in the fic. the dreamies as youtubers and tiktokers was such a cute concept to me and the little comment section at the end of each fic is probably my favourite part 😳 the way each member’s fic connects to the plot of another is perfect and their cameos in one another’s fic >>> (jisung telling y/n about the tiktok challenge in mark’s fic + cameraman jisung in chenle’s) i could keep talking abt this series for a lot longer but i’ll end it here, also i can’t wait for norensung’s parts 💞💞

@pwarkhans - the neo academy

i’ve probably mentioned my love for ‘the umbrella academy’ before but THIS !!! this series just made me love it even more 🙈 despite yangyang’s part being the only one that’s out, that and the prologue are interesting enough and seeing the 00 liners in this alternate universe is honestly amazing jxjwjxkw jaemin as three and hyuck as two is everything. the brothers’ relationship, especially in yangyang’s part, is so complicated yet so cute and i can’t wait for the rest of the members’ parts 💘

@yongtxt - vintage

when i first stumbled across this series, i was immediately intrigued by the plot, and not just because it was about rapper!mark and singer!y/n🧑‍🦯🧑‍🦯 the side characters (dreamies + doie and jisoo) were so funny and well-written and the plot >>>> i was so invested in the twists and turns of the story, the relief i felt when the conflict was finally resolved and we got our fav musician couple !!

@byunbaekby - apartment b23

i only found this series recently but wow am i invested in the plot already 😭😭 the conflict in the story is realistic and feels like something you could actually relate to. norenmin’s friendship/bond is so strong and evident through the story and the side characters are my babies (heejin, shuhua, lia - ily 🤧) i can’t wait for the rest of this series since i am a sucker for the perfect balance of angst, fluff, and crack in this 🥰

— favourite works of the year ;

unfortunately i haven’t had enough time to release any fics this year, and i’m hoping that that won’t be the case next year, but here are my top 5 favourite blurbs that i enjoyed writing and reading <3

1:48pm -> dad!johnny

one of the most popular blurbs on my blog to this day 🥺 honestly i get why, who doesn’t love dad!johnny? hyejoo is literally so adorable here and the family dynamics make me soft all over again whenever i reread this piece. also everyone’s reactions and replies to this are so heartwarming because everyone’s just whipped for the suh family 🙈

1:05pm -> soulmate!taeyong

i love soulmate au’s but something always irked me with the permanence of your soulmate like ,,, what if you end up falling out of love with them? then what? that inspired me to write my own take on soulmates, where they aren’t found, but made. taeyong’s character here is just so full of love and you know how much i love lovable boys 🤧 (ever wondered why i ult na jaemin...?)

12:13pm -> boyfriend!mark

7dream!!!! i don’t usually write domestic fluff even though it’s one of the genres i indulge in the most 😔 but when i do, i go all out because everyone needs to know how soft i am for my boys >:( mark’s love for the dreamies is so unique and i love their friendship so much, i had to write about it when i first heard about the 7dream announcement which i definitely did not cry at

11:40pm -> boyfriend!jeno

this was one of the first requests i ever got and i was just so touched than someone personally requested something from me AND it was jeno 🥺🥺 everytime i read the tags under this, everyone is just gushing over jeno and like,,, same 🙈 this type of fluff >>>

waking up with wayv -> wayv reaction

when em first requested this, i didn’t exactly know how to write something for each member without being too repetitive, but in the end, i loved the mini plots i wrote for them and it’s just one of my underappreciated faves 🥰

— favourite releases of the year ;

just a few of my favourite albums that got me through online school and revision sessions for offline school 🥲 ft. lots of nct + october albums bc that month was PACKED

nct 2020 - resonance pt1 + pt2

nct 127 - neozone: the final round

nct dream - ridin’

wayv - awaken the world

superm - super one

enhypen - border: day one

twice - eyes wide open

txt - minisode1: blue hour

seventeen - semicolon

stray kids - go live + in life

itzy - not shy

conan gray - kid krow

if you’ve managed to read all the way to the end, congrats for putting up with my lengthy and very sappy sentiment and sorry that you had to go through all of that 😭😭 thank you for being a part of my 2020, i hope that the new year allows us all to have a fresh start and brings us the opportunities we didn’t have this year. happiest new year to you all 🥳 (even tho it’s not 2021 yet when i’m posting this :))

[spaceseinensam]

Denki Kaminari is the traitor and I can prove this through his character design

I actually wanted to analyze all of the character designs of class 1-A, but this theory has been burning in the back of my head for weeks, so now I’m doing the shortened version with just looking at Denki’s part. Hey-ho let’s go.

1.       Lists

First off, we have to create an analytical basis. In my opinion, the students of class 1-A can be separated into 4 different categories in regard to their overall “importance” to the story (I know that sounds rude and I personally hold all the kids very close and dear to my heart, but from a storytelling perspective you got to admit that there are some characters given less screen time or story beats than others and as a result tend to be less important than characters who have lots of flashbacks etc.). The categorization is based on an objective view of the series and I will try to explain why I put certain characters in certain categories along with naming the categories.

1) prime primary characters (100% not the traitor)

Deku, Bakugou, Shouto

These three are the main focus of the series, the protagonists if you will. They get the most screen time, the most flashbacks, and the most backstory information and are untouchable pillars of the story’s groundwork. All two (or three) of them have their own personal character arcs that span longer than just one story arc (see Bakugou slowly learning not to be an absolute gremlin, Deku’s long journey of becoming the hero he wants to be, Shouto learning to deal with his father’s abuse and family situation). Even if you’d say that i.e. Shouto is not important enough to be counted as one of the protagonists, he is still one of the most recognizable characters of the series and definitely on the forefront when it comes to fleshed out characterization.

2) primary characters (70% not the traitor)

Ochako, Tsuyu, Iida, Kirishima

These four characters are the main group surrounding the protagonists and are fundamental as the supporting cast. These include the first two real friends Deku made at UA, Ochako and Iida, as well as Tsuyu and Kirishima. Ochako is here because of her connection with two characters from the prime primary category: she is one of Deku’s closest friends in addition to being clearly framed as his main love interest, as well as being in one of the more important fights from the Sports Festival against Bakugou. Iida is connected to two characters from prime primary as well: like Ochako he’s close friends with Deku, but also shared a lot of spotlight with Shouto during the Stain storyline. Kirishima seems to be only connected to Bakugou at first (being the first one to try to befriend him, reaching out to him during Kamino, being reminded of his strength through Bakugou during his own backstory flashback), but with the recently finished Overhaul arc in the anime he also had his time to shine alongside Deku during that arc. Tsuyu was a bit of a tough case to categorize as she did not have any flashbacks or bigger story arcs for her own (yet), but she is also one of those closest to Deku and did share an emotional moment with him and Shouto after the Bakugou rescue mission. She is also a very recognizable face for the series (so much that my friends who have never touched a piece of BNHA media named her as one of the characters they think are in the series “there’s the protagonist, then this boy with the split hair colours and...That weird frog girl, right?”). Characters in this category have backstory and flashbacks like those from the prime primary category, though these are dealt with and then accepted as a staple in the story, and not ongoing plot structures. Examples for this are the mention of Ochako’s motive for becoming a hero, Iida’s revenge plot and Kirishima’s backstory during the Overhaul arc. These are important story beats that flesh out their characters, but once the arc reaches its end the character growth for the character in question slows down a lot or comes to a halt entirely. Counter example is Bakugou’s ongoing character growth throughout the series, which will remain as an arc throughout the whole thing because of his status as prime primary character. If one of these characters were to be the traitor it would not be a series destroying move, though in my opinion it’s still very unlikely, since these all have proven themselves to be close friends with the prime primary characters, shared emotional moments with them and gave us all a look into their motivations and backstory to a point, where I just think it’d be highly unlikely for one of them to do a 180 and turn out to be ‘evil’. For those already typing that that’s the point, that we should think the traitor is not this close to the protagonists to then be surprised by the reveal, I have to tell you that that is not how story-telling works. If you put a character in a story, make them best or very good friends with the protagonists, make them save and/or help them during tough situations, make them have flashbacks to their own childhood or develop backstory with the prime primary characters by their side, and then reveal them to have betrayed them the entire time without setting it up beforehand, you are not a good writer. Neither Iida nor Ochako nor Kirishima nor Tsuyu have had a situation in which they did or said questionable things or acted in a way that would make one stop for a moment and think about what just happened.  They also all have a very high recognisability for the series and turning one of them ‘bad’ would be way too ground breaking for BNHA. (I know that Hori likes to subvert shounen tropes and such, and I admit that he manages to surprise me a lot, but he still largely follows the main story beats, plot structures and character functions other shounen writers before him did, so I assume that he won’t pull the reverse Uno card and make for example Tsuyu the traitor, because that simply goes too much against the current of shounen and other media of the type).

3) secondary/support characters (very likely to be the traitor)

Mina, Kaminari, Aoyama, Tokoyami, Jirou, Momo, Sero

These characters are sort of there to fill the classroom, but are designed and set up in a way to potentially have backstory and character growth. These are characters that have had small arcs mostly connected to the prime primary and primary characters that weren’t really that in depth or emotional, but are a great set up for more growth. One of them is most likely to be the traitor in my opinion because they kind of stand in the middle: they are recognizable for the series (see for example Mina, Tokoyami, Jirou) and have had short touches with backstory (see Aoyama talking with Deku about him not being compatible with his quirk, Mina having a small part in Kirishima’s backstory), or character development (see Momo showcasing her skills during Joint Training, the current small arc in the anime of Jirou learning to save people through music), but are ultimately kept in the background. To sum it up, they are very clearly meant and designed to be secondary to the main cast of prime and primary characters.

4) full-picture characters (too unimportant to be the traitor)

Hagakure, Koda, Shouji, Ojiro, Sato, Mineta

These are characters which are in my opinion very clearly designed to “just” be background characters, or as I call them “full-picture” characters (in the sense of them filling empty spaces in a class picture). This does not mean they will never get any development, though they are very likely to stay in the background and act as very minor supporting characters to prime and secondary characters. These characters are designed to be very simple and often have a constant joke that goes with them (see Mineta being a pervert, Ojiro being plain) and are meant to create a basis for interactions between prime and secondary characters. They are literally too unimportant to be the traitor, meaning if it was suddenly revealed to be one of them, there’d be no screen time, no real dialogue and no backstory to back it up (up to now). Characters can move from this category to the secondary character category, though this is currently still unlikely. 

Possible spoilers from here on out!

2.       Look at these characters and tell me their personality

Ok, now that I’ve categorized all my precious hero kids into their story-level importance, I think it’s time to point out something that hit me yesterday at 1 AM: I noticed that the more important a character is for the series, the more ‘human’ their character design is. I’ll try to explain: in the world of BNHA it’s very common to have a sort of ‘mutated’ body, most times to accommodate for a quirk, though sometimes the mutation seems a bit random. However, the series is filled with people who have multiple body parts, highly deformed body parts or otherwise bodies that deviate from the to us normal human form. Now let’s look at our kids and their importance levels: all the prime primary characters have completely ‘normal’ human bodies (btw, single-colour colourful hair will not be counted as deviating from the normal human form, this is still an anime we’re talking about). They are all average heights for boys their age, no extra body parts, no deviation from an average anime boy face. Yes, there’s Shouto with his two-coloured hair and two-coloured eyes, but the split only applying to his hair and eyes makes him still look very much like an average human, as opposed to i.e. if his skin was also two-coloured and split in the middle. I think it’s not that surprising for the three main characters of a shounen to look like normal teenage boys, since it’s still a series meant to appeal to a widespread audience and I don’t think that could have been achieved if Deku and his two prime buddies were all heavily mutated. For now, let’s look at the primary characters: Ochako is very humanly designed, no weird mutations or crazy design elements aside from the pads on her finger tips. Iida is also very human, no deviation from the norm in face or body aside from his engine pipes in his calves. Kirishima also looks like the average anime boy, the only time he looks rather ‘inhuman’ is when he fully activates his quirk and goes into Red Riot Unbreakable. Tsuyu is the only one out of the primary characters whose body and face deviate more heavily from the normal human form (though the deviation is also not that crass or remarkable). And what did I say while categorizing her? She is tough to categorize because she hasn’t played that big of a role in the story yet, that she had a few emotional moments with the prime primary and primary here and there, but ultimately she does not have a backstory or major story elements yet. This stands in contrast to Ochako, Iida and Kirishima, who have all had major story beats, flashbacks and important interactions with the prime primary up to now, and are all very much humanly designed, aside from minor deviations that don’t affect their overall picture. Compare Tsuyu constantly standing a bit hunched over, her big feet and hands, her comically large eyes, her large and uniquely drawn mouth and her tongue sticking out to Ochako, who looks like an average anime girl except for the small pink pads on her finger tips.

Hold on. From the 7 characters in the prime primary and primary category, only one deviates a bit more from the human form and coincidentally that one is also the one character out of the 7 who has not have major character growth, backstory, flashbacks and/or the kind of specific interactions with the other characters from the categories yet? Now I’m intrigued. To me it seems the more important a character is for the series, the more human is his character design.

And now, to ask the question we’re all here for: if Hori did not scrap the traitor plotline, wouldn’t it make sense to make the traitor as human as possible? Since the possibility of a traitor was treated very serious during and after the UJ incident, as it posed a threat to the security and well-being of UA, I figured that whoever the traitor is shouldn’t look too, or be connotated with the words ‘joke’, ‘inhuman’ or ‘silly’. Not only would it make the most sense for an average, human looking student to be the least suspected, but it would also make the story-wise hit and drama from a traitor reveal that much more captivating, both for main characters and audience, since then the traitor is not someone they are completely detached from look wise, but someone who looks very close to them or someone they know. If the traitor were to be a student with blue skin, a trunk and six legs, I think it would just take away from the impact of a reveal and make you wonder why nobody noticed the questionable actions of the literal alien.

Since I think we can all agree that the kids in the prime primary category are 100% not the traitor, and the kids from the primary category are also very much not likely to be the traitor because of their major involvement with the protagonists (and the absolute bullshit it would be to make the characters who were established since page 1 to be nice and helpful turn to the bad side without beforehand character development in that direction), that leaves us with the kids from the secondary category and the kids from the full-picture category. The latter I described as being designed for the background; characters who could potentially rise in category once given character development, but who are without backstory or character growth up to now. Let’s look at them: Mineta, Sato, Ojiro, Shouji and Koda all deviate heavily from the standard human form set by the prime primary characters, either by their body size, mutated body parts or facial deviation. As much as it pains me to say this, they are all designed either too far from being ‘normal human’ to be the traitor, and/or have a joke attached to them and their character that would make a possible reveal come off as too comedic or inappropriate. Hagakure is a special case. She has deviations from the human form (having no visible body) but this is a minor deviation compared to the other five in the category. Still she has a joke attached to her (not being visible) and is also kept in the background of the series without having major story beats on her own and, like the other five, acts more as a supporting character to the secondary characters. Overall, the 6 kids in this category all have heavy deviations from the standard human form and a joke attached to their character, which makes them very unlikely traitor material.

Let’s look at the secondary characters in more detail: without revealing too much, the characters in this category are design-wise on the same level as those of the primary characters with very minor bodily deviations from the human form and only some of them have a joke attached to their character. Mina and Tokoyami have the most prominent bodily deviations with having pink skin/horns and a bird head, but let’s take a look at their role in the overall story: Mina is very much a Genki Girl, an enthusiastic bouncy girl, and acts as a support especially to Ochako and Tsuyu. She also played a semi-important role in Kirishima’s backstory, which let us have a look at her childhood/middle school self. That, plus her deviating human form makes it clear: a character like her is very unlikely to be the traitor. Tokoyami has a more severe deviation from the human form, plus he has a semi-joke attached to his character (constantly being serious or dramatic, holding speeches about darkness in archaic language). He also got captured during the Training Camp incident and is friends with Deku since the Sports Festival. Deviating human form, constant joke connotated with character, taken advantage of by the villains: in my opinion, very unlikely to be the traitor. Two characters in this category with very little deviation from the human norm are Jirou and Sero. Jirou has her earphone earlobes as the only deviation, while Sero has his elbows and almost constant big-toothed smile as his bodily and facial deviations. Jirou is one of the counterparts to Mina’s Genki Girl type and also acts as a supporting character for the rest of the girls. While Ochako, Mina and Hagakure can be characterized as enthusiastic, bouncy and happy, Momo and Tsuyu are more of the intellectual and tactical types, with slight tendencies to get bouncy when excited. Jirou is a middle part among the girls, being cool and reserved and not as bouncy as Mina, but also being slightly more brash and offensive than Momo or Tsuyu. She has no real joke attached to her character, but the fact that we have seen her parents and the recent arc in the anime is all about her realizing she can save people through her music (overall being a more light-hearted arc) add to my opinion that she is very unlikely to be the traitor. Sero has his elbows and smile as his deviations from the standard human form and as a member of the unofficial ‘Bakusquad’ he serves as a supporting character to Bakugou, Kirishima and Kaminari. There is no joke attached to his character, but sadly there is also not much more to his character up to now. He’s had minor roles in the Sports Festival and Training Camp Arcs, and often acts with Kaminari as a duo, but compared to him, Sero has had very little overall screen time, very little meaningful dialogue and almost slides off into the full-picture category. The only reason I did not put him in that category is because of his only minor human deviations, but overall he just is not prominent enough in the story to be considered for the role of the traitor. That leaves us with two characters with absolutely no deviations from the human form and one with slight facial deviations, the latter of which is Aoyama who has a very unique facial design among the class. He also has constant jokes attached to his character, one being always looking into the “camera” and breaking the fourth wall, the other being often talking about his fabulous self and acting out in bizarre ways. Another point that paints him very unlikely traitor material is his recent small arc in the anime: starting out with ominous signs towards Deku and acting more weird than usual brought many to the conclusion of Aoyama being the traitor, but as it turns out he was used as bait. The real background for his weird behaviour was him telling Deku about his own quirk, Navel Laser, not being compatible with his body, which is why he needs his support belt. Him and Deku form an emotional bond after this and Deku considers Aoyama his friend from that point forward, and after this incident, Aoyama returns to his usual (though still bizarre) behaviour. If Aoyama would be the traitor character, all the character clues, small flashbacks and emotional development that led up to his scene with Deku would have to be repeated and changed to form the basis for the traitor characteristic. As this is very unlikely to be the case, and Aoyama has had his small brush with character growth, also not forgetting the jokes attached to his character, I think it’s overall given that he will not turn out to be the traitor. That leaves us with Momo and Kaminari.

Momo has no human derivation to herself, as well as no joke attached to her character. She has had small encounters with character growth during all the exam arcs as well as in Kamino, which also sort of is the breaking point for traitor theorists with her: During the attack on the training camp she created a small signal device and got Awase from 1-B to attach it to the villains. This signalling device would later help the Bakugou Rescue Team she was also a part of help to succeed on their mission. There was no need for her to create that device and/or join the rescue team if she was the traitor. I mentioned that there are no jokes attached to her character, though that is not entirely true. There is actually one joke that is sometimes applied to Momo, though it is not constant or particularly deprecating: it is her upbringing as a rich girl, which sometimes makes her detached from the monetary struggles her classmates go through, though this is more treated as a quirky characteristic than a joke. In regard to her being rich, she also invited some of her classmates to her house to study in Season 2, which gave us a look into her home. All the above mentioned facts speak against her having traitorous tendencies, despite being the only complete standard human girl.

3.       The Case for Denki Kaminari

That leaves us with Kaminari Denki, the only boy in 1-A other than some of those from the prime primary and primary categories who 1) has absolutely no deviation from the standard human form, 2) has no constant joke to his character (we’ll talk about his whey in a second) and 3) has enough interaction with characters from both prime primary and primary to almost be considered a primary character. He really looks just like the standard human boy looks in BNHA; the only thing making him stand out look-wise is his hair, which is styled slightly spiky and has the black lightning bolt on his bangs (which is btw not dyed but there since his birth). His trait of ‘being flirty’ is as minor as Momo’s rich girl tendencies and also treated more as a characteristic and not as a joke. Now, I know you’re all pointing to his whey right now. Whenever Denki overuses his quirk and releases too much electricity it fries his brain and he goes dumb for about an hour, sticking up his thumbs, making a dunce face and only being able to talk very slurred. But is this really a joke? Is it not more a supposed additional characteristic of his quirk? Because if you think his whey-phase is a joke, then Tsuyu hibernating when it gets cold is also meant to be laughed at and Momo going tired after creating big things as well. Not to mention that, as many have mentioned before, his whey is something very easily fake able. But let’s jump back to his hair for a second. I know, it’s the most minor thing one can talk about, but isn’t it strange that Jirou and Denki are the only ones out of 1-A other than Shouto who have two-coloured hair? And people have been brushing this off, but the two-coloured hair is like, a major character trait for Shouto and not only represents his two sides and his two quirks, but is also symbolic for the split he feels inside of himself and the colours are representative not only of his parents’ hair, but also of the quirk each side can handle. So why can’t it be symbolic for the other two? Putting Jirou aside, what does the black lightning bolt-like strand in Denki’s hair represent? His quirk? Very plausible, since his quirk is based on electricity. But why is it black? You see, Jirou has a small ECG line in her hair, which is also representative of her quirk (and maybe of her hidden emotional and passionate side), but its colour does not deviate much from her original hair colour (her normal hair is dark purple, the line is light purple). Denki could have had a lightning bolt-like shape in any colour in his hair; he could have even had his hair completely black and the shape in yellow to emphasize it, but he doesn’t. He could have had a completely different hair style, with his hair being styled wildly in all directions away from his head to be symbolic of having an electric shock for example, or his hair having multiple small lightning bolts in it, but he doesn’t. Why is his hair completely blonde, except for the small shape symbolic of his powers in pitch black, almost lying like a dark shadow on the bangs slightly obstructing his face?

Moving away from the hair: if he is really meant to be a rather jokey secondary character with no important backstory, character development or role in the series, why is he designed so humanly and close to the protagonists? He could have had the constant whey-look on his face, be very tall and lanky to resemble a lightning rod, have the before mentioned ‘shocked’ hair-style, have lightning shaped markings on his skin, have antennas on his head that act like TV antennas; he could have had a very wild and from the norm deviating design and it would have fit perfectly for a minor full-picture character. But Denki looks the way he looks and I can’t help but point out that there has to be a reason he looks like that, because character designs have meaning in a story. Why did Hori make Denki such a pretty boy, without any bodily or facial oddities, and have it not matter up to this point? Because let’s face it: out of all the boys without any immediately noticeable deviations from the human norm (Bakugou, Deku, Shouto, Kirishima, Aoyama, Iida, Ojiro, Sero, Denki), Denki is the only one that

1) doesn’t turn out to have major deviations and/or several constant jokes attached to his character (leaving Bakugou, Deku, Shouto, Kirishima, Iida, Sero, Denki)

2) wasn’t pushed into complete irrelevancy due to his role in the class (leaving Bakugou, Deku, Shouto, Kirishima, Iida, Denki)

3) isn’t considered the main protagonists (leaving Kirishima, Iida, Denki)

4) hasn’t contributed majorly to the storyline already plus clearly showing his antipathy for anything villainous and/or helping the main characters in a major situation against said villains

If you take all the above mentioned into consideration and add it to the major points of the Denki-Traitor-Theorists, it all comes together. His ‘initial’ character design for example? Too villainous, too obvious, he needed to look more human to take on the role of someone infiltrating a school and leaking its secrets. Why is Denki designed the way he is? Why is he prominently featured in a lot of promotional art despite seemingly being such a minor secondary support character? Because the groundwork for the revelation of his character is already rooted in his design and his actions.

I’m too tired to talk about all the Traitor!Kaminari points, you gotta look those up yourself if you’re interested.

This is my take on it for now, if y’all want I’ll talk about his hero costume and brand of character some more (which only adds to him being the traitor), but now I just want to get this theory out.

[star-whores-a-new-hoe]

Fast Friend//Obi Wan X Reader

Forever series:Part Two

Summary: As you get to know Obi Wan better the situation takes a twist.(Jesus Christ! Thanks for all the support on the last fic! I plan for this to be at least ten parts btw)

word count:1600

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Like three cuss words, Typos.

You laid on the soft sheets, eyes still closed. You could feel the early morning light shining through the window and warming your skin. You kept replaying the events of yesterday in your mind, still unable to believe them. I’m not really on another planet. You thought. When I open my eyes I’ll be in my room at home. You took a deep breath and opened your eyes. You were still in the strange blue bedroom. You groaned and rolled over, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. This is fucking insane. There was a quick knock on the door. Hugging your pillow tighter, you wondered if you should just pretend that you're asleep so you wouldn’t have to deal with crazy space stuff. It’s probably Obi Wan you thought. you got to your feet and shuffled over to the door. When You opened you immediately jumped back in shock at the creature that stood before you. “Jesus Christ!” You shouted.

“Please do not be alarmed.” The robotic creature said in a monotone voice. “I am medical droid 2-1B, I have come to complete your medical examination.” You calmed down slightly when you remembered that the Window guy had mentioned a medical droid. You nodded and moved out of the doorway for the droid to come through. “Um, yeah come on in.”                                                           *** Obi wan watched the city grow smaller through the glass elevator doors as he rode up to the apartment. Early that morning, when he had deemed it safe to leave you, he had left to go consult the only person he felt like he could about this matter. Anakin. “This is quite an unusual situation master but I doubt it’s anything that you and the other Jedi masters can’t handle.” Anakin said. “Yes, I agree yet...” he paused and stroked his beard, as if in deep thought. “There is something very different about y/n.” He recalled locking eyes with you last night. The sense of calm and connection that had washed over him was like nothing he had ever experienced. The elevator reached its destination and Obi Wan walked briskly to the apartment doors. he knocked but there was no answer. He tried again. Nothing. His thoughts immediately turned to danger. He had only left the apartment briefly and had been checking surveillance very diligently. Obi Wan was aware that Windu had sent a medical droid for the examination but besides that, The chances that someone had gotten in the apartment without his knowledge were very slim. His shoulders tense, He unsheathed his lightsaber and slowly opened the door so as to not be heard. When he entered the grand blue living area of the apartment. He could hear the faint sound of your voice coming from the bedroom along with the soft strumming of an instrument. Hearing no panic in your voice or any sound of violence, he put away his lightsaber and walked towards the bedroom. When he reached the doorway, He stood there in utter confusion at the sight before him. You sat on the bed next to the medical droid who was holding your ukulele while you directed it. You looked up when you heard Obi Wan’s footsteps and grinned at him. “Hi!” Obi Wan leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms in front of him. “Di- did you try to teach a droid to play an instrument?” You sat up proudly. “I didn’t try to teach a droid ukulele, I did.” You turned your attention to the droid. “Show him what I taught ya.”both you and Obi Wan watched as the droid strummed a few chords. You took the ukulele back from the droid. “Not bad for a robot with three fingers and a siringe.” Obi Wan looked at you with pure astonishment “Well, that’s a first.” Gently, you laid the instrument down on the bed and stood up. “Did the droid complete the medical examination?” You walked over to where Obi Wan stood and leaned against the opposite door frame, mimicking Obi Wan’s pose. “Yeah like thirty minutes ago, I got bored so I showed him some stuff on the uke.” Obi Wan noticed that your eyes were red and puffy. From lack of sleep or crying he did not know which and frankly, he was too afraid to ask. He nodded. “How long have you been playing that?” “For a good while, I teach kids to play at my local music store on the weekends. Thats where I was walking home from when... this all happened.”

You felt your chest tighten as you talked about home.The thought that you might never get back home had been haunting you, and it was truly terrifing. You leaned  your head against the door frame. “You play any kind of space instrument?” 

Obi Wan let out a short laugh. “I’m afraid  I don’t have time for such hobbies, I have however worked with young ones.”

“Really?”

Obi Wan explained to you what a padawan was, He told you about Anakin and his experience training him.

“Man that Anakin sounds like he was quite the handful.” You laughed

“Ohh believe me, he still is.” He smiled fondly, remembering Anakin as a youngling. “I am lucky enough to help out with the younglings in the jedi temple from time to time. It's very rewarding to see them grow into such fine jedi.”

“Yeah, I have a few kids that i’ve taught since they were like five. It’s really awesome to see how they’ve grown up, how their music taste and skill has changed and stuff.” You stopped for a moment, not sure how to phrase your question. “You know, I was thinking last night, how can I understand you? Like, you’re not speaking English right, it’s some kind of space language so why can I understand you?”

Obi Wan sighed. “There is a lot to this situation that we don’t yet understand young one.” 

You turned and walked out into the sitting room. “Any news on the book?” You said plopping down on the couch.

Obi Wan followed and sat down across from you. “We have several dedicated jedi working on it, but we can not decipher the language, I don’t suppose you can?”

You shook your head. “I glanced at it but didn't recognize it.” There was an award pause.

“Might I ask,” Obi Wan said tentatively. “What is Earth like?” 

You opened your mouth to say something and then shut it again. “Hold up.” You jumped off the couch and ran into the bedroom. A moment later you came back out holding a small silver rectangle in your hand.

“This is an iPhone.” You sat down next to Obi Wan. “Your entire social status on Earth revolves around whether you have the newest one or not.” Obi Wan could not tell if you were being sarcastic or not.

Turning on the phone, You scrolled through some of your photos. When you finally found what you were looking for, You handed the phone to Obi Wan. “This is my house.” You said referring to the picture that you had pulled up.

soon enough, the sound of conversation filled the beautiful apartment. The two of you talked into the late afternoon, sharing experiences and stories. Obi Wan listened intently as you told him of your life back home, your hobbies, and the stuff you did with friends.

He told you about his training as a padawan and the dumb shit Anakin would do. He even told you about Qui Got Jin but it was clear to you from the sad look in his eyes that his late master was a touchy subject.

You watched the jedi smile at some stupid joke you made. Maybe being stuck in this space place won’t be so bad if I'm with this guy. You thought to yourself.

Obi Wan sighed and stood up. “I’m afraid that  I must be going. I have business in the jedi temple that I must attend to.”

You stood up as well. “Of corse.”

“If you need anything you know how to contact me or the droids.” He paused and looked at you thoughtfully for a moment. “Y/n, I understand that this is probably very difficult for you, and if it makes you feel better, I feel that you are handling this remarkably well.”

You beamed at him. “Thanks, that means a lot.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow young one.” He said turning to leave.

“Oh one more question!” Obi Wan turned to you, cocking and eyebrow waiting for you to continue. “Why do you keep calling me young one?”

“He shifted his weight, trying to think of how to answer. “Well, I suppose it’s a term of endearment. And well, You are a tad bit younger.”

“Giving him a sly smirk you said, “Hmm, kinky.” You turned and walked into the bedroom. “See ya!” You called over your shoulder.

Obi Wan could feel a slight blush creeping up the back of his neck. “Umm, yes.” He quickly spun around on his heel and left.

On his way to the temple, Obi Wan thought to himself, If I’m not careful, I could end up getting very close to her. 

                                                           ***

Obi Wan strode into the jedi council chambers where Masters Windu and Yoda stood waiting for him, the expression on their faces grim.

He came to a halt in front of them. “Is there something the matter Masters?” Without a word, Windu took a data pad out and passed it to Obi Wan.

“The medical results from Y/N’s examination have arrived.”

Obi Wan examined it thoroughly. Everything seemed to be in order, that was until his eyes fell on your midichlorian count.

[kinetic-elaboration]

August 2: Too Many Thoughts on The Circle France

I’ve gotten back into watching The Circle France, to perhaps too great a degree. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was thinking about it and then I had dreams about it, which can’t be good. Even before last night, I was getting some French dreams in there more generally, which I’m sure is from the show because where else.

I was a little skeptical of it at first. I think part of that was that I was a little burned out, after basically inhaling S1 and S2 of the American version, and part of it was from trying to get into the French specifically. I know enough where I feel like I should listen first and then read, but not so much that I can forgo subtitles. It’s tough, though, a lot more mental work than watching in English. My French is rusty and even at my peak proficiency I never knew that much slang--certainly not the slang of the show, which, uh, probably hadn’t even been invented yet.

And finally the first episodes were dragged down by the presence of les grandmeres, I’m sorry to say. They just weren’t good, either at playing Nicolas specifically or the game generally. I think they bit off more than they could chew. Like, Lee played a younger person in the American version S2 but he didn’t change his gender or his sexuality or even, ultimately, much of his personality--he just aged himself down. And not as far down as Nicolas, either! There’s a big difference between 20 and 28. Les grandmeres were fun as real people but, like many catfish, not as fun in their profile form, and their attempts to be 20 years old while not knowing any slang (or who Harry Potter is) were... a little cringeworthy. I feel bad saying it! But it’s true. I felt like the game opened up a lot after their elimination.

I stopped watching yesterday just when Virginie was setting herself up, so I haven’t seen her interact with anyone else (I prefer not to end on cliffhangers, @ Netflix). It’s weird to think that, assuming a final five like in the American version, there are only 3 more eliminations.

Personally, I’d like to get rid of Paolo and Nelia most. Paolo is awful. He’s so pretentious--21 year old philosophy student??? No. And he’s in his head way too much. Like most 21 year olds, he simultaneously takes the game WAY too seriously (overthinking every little thing like, dude, chill) and thinks he’s way too cool for everything and everyone else. Kick him out. Nelia isn’t quite as bad but like, again, I think les jumeaux take the game way too seriously and their overly emotional responses to everything really stress me out. Like, they take everything as a personal attack on themselves as people, which is just fundamentally not true and decidedly exhausting. I appreciate their shit stirring capabilities but they need to CALM DOWN. They’re not even stirring things up on purpose or for their own fun. They do it accidentally because they’re way too earnest about everything.

They’re both/all in a difficult spot just from how late in the game they entered. It’s very hard to make it to the finals when you’re a new person. Paolo in particular I think will be gone soon, and this isn’t entirely a blind hope. I mean I could very well be wrong but if Ines solidifies her alliance with Gabriel and Nelia, which she seems to have done, and if one person from each team ends up an influencer, it could essentially end up as a stalemate that eliminates Paolo, the only free agent (while Virginie is new). He might not be a free agent by then, but he doesn’t seem the alliance type. Too silly--he’s above it. I certainly wouldn’t trust him very far myself, though it’s sometimes hard to tell and/or remember what the contestants themselves know of each other--since they have interactions I don’t see, because of editing, and I know things they don’t, because of cameras.

If both influencers are from Team Ines, then Romain is gone. He used to be one of my faves, and to some extent he still is, because I appreciate his chaotic energy, but I think he’s been too bold and basically painted the bullseye on his own back. If Ines has the chance to take out anyone from TeamWinner it will be Romain, no question. And she has 3 chances to do it. She doesn’t even need another person from her Team sitting across from her. She just needs the other person to NOT be Elea or Valeria.

I also think that TeamWinner has started to isolate themselves, such that they may have a hard time getting to the top spots. If they’re known to look out for themselves first, no one else will want any of them in positions of power. It’s hard to predict rankings exactly when people are teamed up as they are, but I would be concerned about that if I were them. If the version of the story in which they backstabbed Gary and manipulated Ines into blocking him gets out--that’s basically it.

I’m not sure what to think of that entirely, btw... from what I saw, it did look like Gary was betraying Ines, and some things he said out loud seem to back that up. However, Valeria and Romain absolutely did set him with the express intention of getting rid of him, and even my precious, blameless Elea said in so many words that she was throwing him under the bus for Valeria, so.... I don’t know man, maybe Ines is the only real victim here. She talks a lot but isn’t effective in getting her agenda to play out, as can be seen by the decimation of her original team. Even though Romain and Elea were my faves, and still are to some degree, Ines has a great ‘revenge story’ on her hands, and there is sort of a part of me that wants to see her take down TeamWinner just because they got too cocky and played too dirty. See the underdog vindicate herself, as it were.

I don’t know who I see winning at this point. I think Paolo and Nelia are long-shots, again just because they came in later--Virginie for the same reason, even though I haven’t seen her interact with anyone yet so it’s hard to tell. She could just as easily do just well enough to fly under the radar for three more eliminations and make it to final 5. Too soon to tell. Paolo, because of his lack of alliances, I think will have a hard time. Nelia will need a lot more loyalty and closer connections than she has now, even with a spot on Team Ines. Will it matter that Ines’s other alliance, Gabriel, thinks Nelia is fake? I don’t see a strong connection between them as such--only between each of them and Ines--though that could still change.

Romain, again, I think has a target on his back. He’s becoming known as a Game Player and Game Players, like Antonio (USA S1) and Cedric, are prime targets for elimination. 

Valeria... it’s hard to tell. At the point where I am, he’s basically the most skilled subtle game player since... probably Trevor/DeLeesa. But way, way sneakier. DeLeesa was partly playing under the radar. Valeria is a purposeful puppet master. He’s managed to become le cerveau while actually convincing everyone--including Romain--that Romain is le cerveau, essentially having his cake and eating it too. People do what he wants, but no one feels threatened by him. I could see him taking that to the finals. BUT I also think one misstep could quickly unravel his whole game--much like what happened with Cedric tbh--so I wouldn’t be too confident about him making final 5 yet.

Elea I think will make it, unless Ines manages to take out all of TeamWinner. But she’d have to get 3/3 of all of the remaining eliminations, which is plausible, but unlikely. It’s conceivable she’ll take out Romain and the whole house of cards will fall. But it’s more possible that she’ll take out Romain and then alliances will shift and Elea and/or Valeria will find other avenues to the finale.

Gabriel flies so completely under the radar lol. He’s in that interesting position where’s not an OG but he’s been there significantly longer than the other recent additions. I feel like I know him as a person, but not as a profile. I have a hard time placing where he is in the game, even though as a person, I like him and wouldn’t mind seeing him advance or, at this point, win. He’s probably the least suspicious of them all lol.

Ines I think will make it to the end. That’s mostly just an instinct. It’s possible TeamWinner will get rid of her successfully--she probably is their next target--but ultimately I think she’s poised to strategize her way at least past three eliminations, if not to the top spot.

[multific]

What Others Call Love

Frat!Tom Holland x Reader

College!AU

Summary: Tom was always known for being the kind of guy who played with women. But one day the unexpected happened, he fell in love.

 Tom was always the life of the party, and believe it, he had been to a lot of those. He enjoyed the attention, the music, the crowd, and more importantly, the women. He wouldn’t call himself a fuckboy though.

One day however his whole life has changed.

He went to the library to return a book he took out ages ago, and there you were.

Just sitting there reading a book and taking notes, he went up to you to win you with his charms but as soon as you started having a rather normal conversation, like a light had been switched on in him, and just like that, he saw the world from a different perspective.

He started care about you which sounds a bit obsessive. At first, he thought something was wrong with him, but he soon realized that this might be what others call love. Something he never thought he will experience or need.

He asked you to help him with his homework and you gladly helped, even if you knew his ways, you figured he would never go for the basic girl. But oh how wrong you were to think that.

About a month ago he confessed his feeling to you and promised it wasn’t a joke or bet or anything, his feelings were genuine.

You decided that it was worth a shot and so, you two started dating.

Tom established in the very beginning that he wasn’t ready to tell about your relationship to his friends just yet, so it was your secret. He said he would make up excuses to them so they wouldn’t suspect it. And they didn’t, not even Harrison.

And it wasn’t like a really big dirty secret, you two went on a lot of dates, and you enjoyed every single moment you spent with him. Tom became the best boyfriend you ever had.

***

It was already December and Tom thought that a cute ice skating date would put you into the holiday spirit. And he also saw many movies and they all ended well with full of quality moments and great memories.

So, he asked you to meet him at the park near campus in front of the big Christmas tree. You waited there for a full of three minutes when suddenly someone jumped on you and kissed your cheek.

“Hello, Darling.”

“Hi!” you smiled at him.

“Ready?”

“Yes, but since I can’t skate you’ll have to hold me so I won’t fall.” you explained while you walked to the ice.

“No problem, you can hold onto me.”

You had a really great time on the ice. You held onto Tom for dear life, which he obviously enjoyed very much, he never stopped smiling about it. He smiled and laughed with and at you that his face hurt.

But what the two of you didn’t know is that someone was watching you.

***

“Harrison, should we go to the movies or shops first?” Noah asked Harrison as they walked through the park. “Btw where’s Tom?”

“He said he was at a family lunch-dinner thing.” said Harrison as he typed away on his phone, not looking at his friend.

“He’s been gone these days. Hell, for the past month he hasn’t been with us much.”

“Yeah, he also said that he found a goldmine basically, and he picks girls up there, but he refused to tell me the club’s name, and he couldn’t even come to our house party last week.” as Harrison said those things out loud, he only now just realized that his best friend was avoiding them.

“I’m sure he’ll come back, after all, he is T-“ Noah stopped dead in his track. “Haz.” was all he could say. Harrison finally turned around and looked at Noah, putting his phone away, as he followed Noah’s eyes he saw something he never thought he would.

There was Tom, smiling, laughing and joking around, obviously having a great time as he was skating along with Y/N.

“Is he with Y/N? The girl from the Literature class?”

“Yes. But…”

“Maybe he’s toying with her. His new girl for the day.” Noah said, trying to figure out what was happening.

Meanwhile Harrison was in deep shock. Why didn’t his best friend tell him about this, why did he lie about his whereabouts? No, Tom wasn’t toying with Y/N, Harrison only saw that smile a few times, and they were never directed to girls. He decided to call Tom and see what he will say.

“Noah, play along a bit.” Noah got the message.

Harrison watched as Tom picked his phone out and said something to Y/N, she nodded and just waited. Tom picked the phone up.

“Hello, Harrison, can you be quick, I need to help Mom.”

“Sure, I’m just out with Noah and wanted to check on you, everything good?

“Yes, yes. Absolutely.”

“Great, can we come over? I’m kinda hungry and Noah is moaning about food.”

“Toooom, feed me!!” Noah played along and it earned him a thumbs up from Harrison.

“N-not now, Mate. I have to go now, though. But maybe next week you can come over? I’ll ask Mom to make something.”

“Oh, no need for that. Talk to you later, bye.”

“Bye.”

***

As Tom hang his phone up, he let a long sigh out.

“You know, maybe we should tell them, lying to your best friend is…very bad.”

“They wouldn’t get it, Y/N. Noah only sees women as a tool to satisfy him and to have someone to dance with. Harrison is… maybe he would get it but I doubt it. He had a girl a long time ago and since she broke his heart it’s like he’s against anything serious.” Tom felt your slightly cold hand on his cheek and he looked at you.

“I’m not here to tell you what to do. All I’m saying is, you’ll go mad because of all these lies.”

You weren’t wrong, Tom hated to lie, especially to his friends, but he knew, he just couldn’t tell them.

He didn’t let that call ruin your date though, he took you to have dinner and then you went to watch a movie. After he drove you home, you just couldn’t let that day end like that, so when he kissed you goodbye, you pulled him in by his scarf…

***

The next day Tom was over the moon with happiness. He didn’t want to leave your side for the rest of the day, but he sadly promised to meet up with the guys, and he knew he couldn’t pass that.

Once he arrived and greeted them, they all sat down and started talking about things, Tom told them more about his made-up family meeting.

“Look, Tom, we know.” Harrison said, interrupting one of Tom’s stories. Tom felt his heard in his throat. “We saw you yesterday with Y/N. And before you make an excuse or anything, let me just say this. Noah and I talked about it and we figured why you didn’t tell us about her. We are not mad, at all, actually after we got over the shock and anger I must say I’m pretty happy for you actually. I’m glad that at least one of us is not a complete fuck up when it comes to relationships and girlfriends.”

“Yeah, I agree with Haz, but next time, tell us about it. Or I’ll have to punch you.” Noah and Harrison laughed at the joke and Tom was happy to have such good friends.

“Thanks, guys, you should meet her, she’s amazing.” Tom said and his best friend didn’t miss the sparkle in Tom’s eyes. As Tom proceeded to praise her girlfriend Noah got a bit annoyed that Tom was so whipped but Harrison could only smile, he was truly happy for his best friend.

***

You just finished your home assignment when the doorbell rang. You weren’t surprised at all when your boyfriend rushed to hug you and spin you around while holding you.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” you said laughing at his behavior.

“Good? Darling, I have never been better!” shortly after, he explained everything to you and told you that tomorrow after your classes were over, he’ll take you to a place so you can officially meet with the boys. You were so happy that he could finally relax and stop lying about himself. You really hoped that Noah and Harrison were as amazing as Tom portrayed them to you and they will like you and accept you as Tom’s girlfriend.

Little did you know that just by seeing Tom smile at you while you were skating, they already accepted you and they couldn’t wait to finally meet you.

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[kaleidodreams]

2020 Fanfic In Review

Idea taken from @floraone! (FYI, if you saw this yesterday, I’ve deleted the original and reposted it again now that the glitches that were plaguing my Tumblr the past couple of days have been fixed.)

1. List of fics completed this year:

Sailor Moon

Selenophilia Series Taste Test Adventures In Babysitting Better Than A Unicorn Dahlias and Coffee Real Parents Awaken Shopping Trip Usagi, Mamoru, and the Three Mattresses Bad Day Blues Meet The Grandpa The Return of Nurse Minako

A New Future

Do No Cry For Me

Distraction

Stoplight

Investigation: Mystery Date

Kaleido Star

Friends With Benefits

Heart to Heart

Yuri!!! On Ice

What Happens In Vegas

A Morning Proposal

Reunited

Taking The Plunge

Perfect Idol

I’ve Been Thinking About You

Triple The Love

Confusion

The Bonds We Choose (WIP)

And a few more fics for the upcoming YOI Rare Pair Week, but since those won’t be posted until next month, I’m not going to list them.

2. Number of words written: I don’t really keep track. Posted? Around 130,000 or so, I think, but that doesn’t count unposted stories (like the Rare Pair fics I mentioned) and chapters. Plus, some stuff I posted this year was actually written earlier, so… 150,000 to 200,000 seems like a good estimate.

3. Your most popular fic: It’s always hard for me to judge popularity because there’s different ways you could look at it, but I’d say “Distraction” was probably the most popular at FF.net and “A Morning Proposal” at AO3.

4. Your personal fav: Probably my WIP, “The Bonds We Choose”, but of the completed stories… I actually really love “A Morning Proposal” even though it’s just a short, fluffy ficlet. I’m also quite proud of my two Sailor Moon Smutember fics, “Distraction” and “Stoplight”

5. Your fav scene: This is a tough choice… Probably the scene in “The Bonds We Choose” where Otabek takes Yuri to an open house and surprises him by asking Yuri to move in with him and Mila. I’m a bit of an HGTV addict, so it was really fun to write Yuri making snarky comments about the interior design.

6. A fic or scene that challenged you: “Do Not Cry For Me”, without a doubt. Most ironic title ever, because there was a period of, like, three or four days back in August when I’d start crying if I even THOUGHT about that fic because I hated the first chapter so much. (And that is NOT a normal reaction for me, BTW. I’ve never cried in frustration over a fic before that I can remember.) Just ask everyone on the SS Bang Discord. I was a mess. It was so bad that I got to the point where I wanted to drop the fic altogether and start a new one (I came up with “Stoplight” as a backup story) even though 1) my artist had already drawn a rough draft of the artwork and 2) there was only a couple of months left until posting. With the help of my beta and a couple of others, I managed to get it to the point where I wasn’t exactly thrilled with it, but I at least thought it was okay. Then a couple of days after I finished posting it, I had another sobfest over it because only one person left a review over at FF.net (and it wasn’t really a review; just a prediction of what they thought was going to happen). Which, in hindsight was pretty silly because I know FF.net was having problems the week I posted, and I actually received the most comments I’ve ever gotten over at AO3 (thanks mostly to @teamvanessacloud and @vchanny-og being nice enough to leave a comment on all seven chapters *hugs*) and a decent amount of kudos, but something about that one single FF.net review really got to me and seemed to confirm my fears that it was a terrible fic. I don’t know… That fic messed with my head so much, y’all. (Probably didn’t help that it’s probably one of the most depressing things I’ve ever written. You guys know I love angst, but maybe that was TOO much angst.)

7. A line of writing you’re proud of: I have two picks for this, and both are actually from my Smutember fics.

First one from “Distraction” - After a weeks-long drought, they indulged in each other like weary travelers drinking from an oasis, almost frantic as they writhed together on the bed.

And the other is a piece of dialogue from “Stoplight” - “Your vow of chastity during our previous lives didn’t stop me from loving you, Rei,” he reminded her. “A lack of sex sure as hell isn’t going to stop me from loving you in this life, either.”

8. A comment that touched you: I’m not sure if “touched” is the right word, but I was really happy that a lot of people praised “Distraction” for its realism even though I actually don’t have any personal experience with sex. I guess I did all right, though! *laughs*

9. Something that inspired your writing: I can’t really think of anything in particular, honestly. Oh, wait, “Dahlias and Coffee” was kind of inspired by a piece of Taiki/Setsuna artwork! Which, of course, I can’t find anymore to link to, although I know I reblogged it a while back. I know the artist’s name was Alex Asakura, though. (EDIT: Now that I’m able to search my Tumblr again, I found it. This is the picture.)

10. Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc): Despite all the tears, I guess I am kinda proud of myself of rewriting it to the point that I no longer hated the first chapter of “Do Not Cry For Me”, and I actually do think the ice-skating battle is the best action scene I’ve ever written. Also, finishing “Friends With Benefits” – one of the reasons I decided to return to fic-writing after a long hiatus was the desire to finish that story, so I’m glad I did, even if the fandom is mostly dead!

11. Do you have any writing goals for next year?: I’d like to finish “The Bonds We Choose”. Other than that, maybe get back to one of my Sailor Moon WIPs. Oh, and maybe learn to stop hating writing kissing scenes so much? *laughs*

[voldemorthatesnose96]

RETROUVAILLES

(The final part)

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Big thanks to @dreamy-slytherin for making a drawing for this fic❤️❤️❤️

 Earthlingoddity :

Do you need me to pick you up at the bus stop?

Sterkerdanijzer :

Sander, for a THOUSAND times since yesterday evening, I’m fine LOL! Really, don’t worry too much, please😌

Earthlingoddity :

You sure?

Sterkerdanijzer :

If you asks that again, the deal’s off

Earthlingoddity :

OK OK OK! I’ll shut up now. Careful on your way. Been preparing some croques for you

Sterkerdanijzer :

You’re the best!

Btw...

Uh-oh.

Is he gonna back out now? Is something happen? Did he say something wrong just now?

Sander tries to calm his breath as he types.

Earthlingoddity :

Yes, Robbe?

Sterkerdanijzer :

Do you mind if I bring Peter Pan along again?🥺he’s gonna be good. Pinky promise!

Sander lets out a very relief breath. Why does Robbe always makes him feel on edge, though? He really have it bad.

Earthlingoddity :

Jesus, you scared me for a sec right there. Of course you can

Sterkerdanijzer :

You really are THE BEST, Mr Driesen. See you in 15 mins!!

It takes five minutes for Sander to finally comes back to reality when Robbe called him Mr Driesen. Okay, he’s been calling that many times by many people BUT it feels much different when Robbe did it. Somehow Sander can hear Robbe’s voice through his phone saying that, and... God, he doesn’t know what to think anymore. What a blessing that no human can hear each other’s thoughts; because sure as hell, Robbe will run away once he knows about Sander’s inner thought.

Yesterday, Sander insisted to pick Robbe at his flat because it’s a bit far but Robbe always declined—said that distance never really matters to him whatsoever. Maybe Sander was being overreacted but he already feels protective of this cute yet unpredictable guy, and definitely not the same feeling like he’s being protective of a friend. Yeah, maybe he should tone it down a bit. Robbe’s not a kid, he’s capable of taking care of himself.

Trying to distract himself, Sander is now standing in front of the kitchen counter, staring at the croque he just made few minutes before he sent the text to Robbe. For today, he needs to impress Robbe—from his dish to this safe haven. Sander woke up at five in the morning today after doing a morning yoga routine to calm himself from the nervousness and then tidying his half-messy flat.

“Croques, don’t let me down,” Sander pleads as he lifts the plate. “don’t let my crush down. Please!”

He almost drops the plate when he hears a knock on his door.

Shit!

Okay this is it!

Sander is half-running to the door, taking a deep breath before he holds the knob and opens it. The first thing he sees is Peter Pan excited face; he’s too excited so he literally jumps into Sander’s arms and licks his face.

“Sorry,” Robbe laughs but his tone is definitely not sorry. “he’s being so impatient to meet you.”

“No...” Sander replies in between Peter Pan’s kisses. “problem... at all.”

“Is this the croque you were talking about earlier?”

“Yep!” Sander answers as he puts Peter Pan down, watching his tail shaking left and right and a minute later he’s already out of sight to explore the place.

“Looks good,” Robbe smiles at Sander and the world stops for a second—or at least it feels like for Sander. “can I eat them now? I’m starving.”

Sander clears his throat and force a laugh, “Sure, but I won’t be responsible if you suddenly get a stomachache.”

“I’ll take that risk for you.”

Sander raises his eyebrow. His feet unknowingly takes a step closer—close enough for his hand to graze Robbe’s, but he can’t do it. Yet. So instead, he says, “don’t say something like that.”

Sander thought Robbe will back out, but to his surprise and excitement, he smiles mischievously and says, “or what?”

Sander smirks, “Or I’ll feed you this croque by myself.”

“Please do.”

Excuse me?

What did he just say?

“Go on,” Robbe encourages Sander. “Feed me. I’m waiting.”

Oh, it’s on!

All the way or no way, Driesen.

Without saying another word, Sander grab a piece of his dish and feed it to Robbe who slowly opens his mouth and bites it.

Fucking hell and this infuriating sexual tension!

Sander knows he should look away but he can’t—even when Robbe closes his eyes to savor the food, Sander finds himself more captivated by him. These lips; how does they feel like? How does they taste like? Are they gonna be as soft as silk? As decadent as the most expensive chocolate?

But he must stop. He should stop his thoughts—this kind of thoughts, to be exact or there’ll be an unnecessary trouble.

“Is it good?”

“Divine,” Robbe says, smiling softly but later turns serious. “You okay? Your face look tense.”

Of course, I’m not okay, Robbe! He thought bitterly.

“Yes,” Sander answers in a clipped voice. “Would you like to do it now?”

Robbe is clearly confuse by Sander’s sudden dismissal but doesn’t say anything about it. To be completely honest, his feeling is a bit hurt.

“Okay.”

Sander turns his back to see Robbe’s hurtful face and immediately feels bad, “sorry,” he breathes. “It’s just.. whenever I’m around you, my brain’s stop working.”

“Am I that bad?”

Sander almost laugh, “God, no. You’re far from that. You’re special, Robbe IJzermans.”

Hearing this, Robbe’s blushes hard and quick. This is the very first time he hears someone—not just someone—but Sander Driesen, the coolest guy on YouTube, actually said that he’s special. His heart’s beating really, really fast right now.

“Komaan.” Sander says as he takes Robbe’s hand to his room.

The first thing Robbe sees is a HUGE poster of David Bowie in front of Sander’s bed. It’s so huge that maybe it can be use as a blanket.

“Cool, huh?” Sander chuckles when he notices Robbe’s ‘awe’ expression.

“So cool.”

“You can stare at him all you want later,” Sander says as he sits on the floor and grabs his guitar. “Alle kom, Robbe! Sit beside me.”

Robbe do what he’s been told. Something like the ocean and summer breeze from Sander catches his nose and Robbe finds himself inhaling that scent deeply.

Perfect. Now his heart beats erratically again.

“You ready?” Sander asks, looking straight at Robbe’s eyes.

“I am.”

Sander can feel Robbe’s nervousness and knowing it’s because of his presence can do such thing to his crush, it makes him smile so wide. Before he can stop, his hand touches Robbe’s cheek, “you’ll be fine. Okay?”

Robbe nods. He takes the flower crown from his bag and wears it.

“Cutie,” Sander mumbles softly under his breath before he presses “enter” on his keyboard to start the video.

“Hey everyone, Sander’s here and I’m with someone really special today,” he looks at Robbe whose eyes are as big as a globe because he’s too shock. “Introduce yourself. Go on!”

Robbe blinks fast as he comes back to earth, “uh, yeah! It’s Robbe and I agreed to do a collab with Jack Frost beside me.”

“Jack Frost, huh?”

“Yes, you are.”

“Fair enough,” Sander grins. “What are we gonna do today?”

“Whatever you want.” Robbe answers innocently.

“I have a lot of things on my mind about it BUT we’re gonna do an impromptu song cover for now.”

“What are we gonna sing?” Then Robbe quickly adds. “Oh not Bowie or anything that we particularly love.”

“I’m listening.” Sander says seriously.

“What’s song that’s been on your playlist for awhile, you like but never really sing it out loud?”

Sander immediately replies, “Ben Howard’s song called Promise.”

The big smile Sander adores so much reappears, “I also happened to know that song! Shall we sing it now?”

Just when Robbe is about to sing, Peter Pan suddenly bursts in, quickly finds place on his lap and sleeps. They can’t help but laugh at this marvelous sight.

“Sorry, viewers. This is just my puppy, Peter Pan.”

“And he’s dead tired.” Sander adds, chuckling.

“Anyway, let’s continue. You sing first, Sander!”

The cheerful vibes between them gradually turns much calmer when Sander sings the first chorus.

“And meet me there, bundles of flowers, we wait through the hours of cold...”

Robbe continues.

“Winter shall howls at the wall, tearing down doors of time...”

Both are singing melodiously, much to their surprises because none of them really actually practice or anything. It’s purely ‘in the moment’ situation. Hundreds of comment keeps on coming, saying they look really cute together, etc etc etc. The views rapidly increases from two thousand something to eleven thousand within few minutes.

Robbe admires ardently how Sander plays the guitar in the most calming manner possible. No rush, no hesitation, no doubt—it feels like he was born to hold that instrument. These tattoos, especially the Bowie’s lightning one on Sander’s wrist is making him look even more ethereal. Bleached-blond hair with black clothes and tattoos; Sander Driesen is the perfect example of a sweetest sin that Robbe will gladly accepts.

On the other hand, Sander never truly realises how beautiful Robbe is, now that he’s finally be able to sees his face up close. Everything about him is perfect—too perfect for him. He wonders how it feels like to have their bodies wrap together, with or without clothes. How his fingers slowly but hungrily traces every inch of Robbe’s body.

“Who am I darling, to you? Who am I? Going to tell you stories of mine... who am I?” Sander sings, never breaking the eye contact from Robbe. “Who am I darling, for you? Who am I? Going to be a burden... who am I darling, to you? Who am I?” He continues when his crush is too stunned to say anything.

Fuck it! I don’t care anymore!

Sander puts his guitar aside, places one hand on Robbe’s cheek, and without thinking, without worrying about the fact that thousands of people are watching this live stream, Sander kisses him. He promises to himself that if Robbe gives him the slightest uncomfort, he’ll back down, just like that.

But the greedy monster inside him roars in victory when Robbe’s also leaning closer and deepening the kiss.

After several long moments, or maybe several moons later (okay this is too much but it does feel like it for Sander), both finally breaking the kiss to catch a breath.

Robbe breathes, “Wow, that was...”

“Amazing?”

“Spectacular?”

“Show-stopping?”

“Never the same?”

“Totally unique?”

“Brilliant?”

Sander laughs loud until his nose scrunches, “unbelievable. We just kissed and suddenly mimicked Lady Gaga’s wisdom words? Never been done before.”

Robbe laughs nervously. His lips are chapped, so does Sander’s.

“You do realise that we’re still going live, right?”

“Of course I do and I don’t care,” Sander abruptly turns to camera and says proudly. “mense, I just kissed my crush in front of you all, even the world, and I have no regrets. I’ve been dying to kiss him for months and now I finally got it. And that also concludes today’s video. See you very soon and thanks for watching!”

“I still can’t believe we actually did it.”

Sander gives him a peck, “oh but we just did.”

Robbe smiles shyly, “so, what are gonna do now?”

“Kissing, talking, kissing again, lots of kissing, talking,” Sander smirks. “What about you?”

“Just kiss me now, please.”

Sander kisses Robbe again and again then whispers, “You don’t need to say please, engel.”

Couple hours later