#For those unaware I do TWO New Years events for the blog
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"I made some Chun Juan, if anyone wants to try them? Want to get these perfect before the New Years."
#Here Comes Monkey King | IC {Sun Wukong}#Give It All You Got | {Open Post}#Wukong VC: Once more NOT made from my hair...e3e;;;;#Wukong VC: I haven't cooked in so long tho; sooooo trying to get this perfect before the big day~#For those unaware I do TWO New Years events for the blog#The Western New Years and the Chinese New Years UwU#And Wukong is prepping for Chinese one now UwU
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Tea on the rooftop garden ☕
@heroes-villains-side-blog★@tratieisdabest★@just-a-space-rabbit
TW: Past Traumatic Event Mentioned, Serious Injury
❘〣❘〣❘✿❘〣❘〣❘
“Thank you for inviting me over for tea, Kim,” Mender said as she took another cinnamon roll.
Kim smiled in reply. “Well, tea and cinnamon rolls are always better when you can share them, and sorry for the spontaneous message.”
They were sitting on the terrace of Kim's apartment building. When Kim had moved in they'd asked the landlord if they could make a garden on the rooftop, and they were allowed to, but on the condition that they would get half of everything Kim produced.
But despite that, Kim liked spending their free time tending to their little rooftop garden. And since it wasn't harvest season yet, the two strange friends were enjoying the last of the summer sun in Kim’s little green haven.
“Don’t worry about that,” Mender said, munching away. “These last two weeks have been so hectic, I really needed this break. And to just get away from all the hard work with the agency for a bit.”
“I can imagine it’s been hectic, dealing with Dragonfly and all that. I mean, Nizorro Blimp News still hasn’t stopped talking about you!” Kim said with a light smile, but when Mender was not smiling back they pivoted, “Sorry… guess it’s been a lot. Is everything okay?”
“It’s getting better,” Mender answered after a small pause. “Because of the prolonged exposure to the Desolite in the power suppression cuffs, I had to spend two nights in the med-bay, though one of those days was just for observation. Still, I don't think I’ve ever felt that ill and weak before in my life.”
Mender looked back up at Kim, who had remained silent, and part of her wanted to ask them about that night. Mender wanted to confirm her suspicion that it was them who had actually sabotaged the weapon, which helped to save both her and Shadows... But she knew that Hirra had already tried talking to Kim about that, and that they had denied doing it. Although Mender certainly didn't believe that Kim was telling the truth, she knew that she was not going to get Kim to talk about it yet. “Just glad that Lady Alexandria took all the interviews for me, so I didn’t have to,” she finally said after the small silence.
“Well…” Kim said, “let’s just hope the worst is over and that you get a nice event-free week.”
“Ha! In this city? Keep dreaming!” Mender said, smiling.
Meanwhile, only one block over, Hirra was sitting on another rooftop, spying down at the two with her binoculars. “I can’t believe this!” she grunted. “That crime-stopping, goody two-shoes of a hero sidekick! That's my sibling! You sibling-thief!” she yelled as she saw the two laugh at one of Kim’s jokes, still unaware of her presence. Finally, she whispered, “Time for some sneaking!” and began to move closer.
“What recipe did you use for the cinnamon rolls?” Mender asked Kim just as she was about to take another one. “They taste so different from the ones my family makes.”
“It’s a Northern recipe,” Kim answered, “it’s less sweet and has different icing. Shadow and I have been making these for years. I can give you the recipe if you like–”
“NO! YOU. WILL. NOT!” Hirra jumped down in front of the two.
Mender immediately took a battle stance, startled. But didn't get out of it once she realized it was just Hirra. While the two were sort of friends after the creating the sidekick club, and regularly had study sessions together, the two were nemeses… ish. Anyway, to prevent harm to either friend, Kim quickly got in-between them both. “Hirra? How long have you been spying on us?”
“Long enough! How dare you? You can't just give out Shadow's secret recipe like that!” Hirra said, tone clearly indicating outrage.
“Secret recipe? Oh, Hirra…” Kim said, trying to calm their sibling. “Shadows and I found that recipe online! It’s not a secret.”
“It’s secret as far as I'm concerned! ALSO!” Hirra yelled even angrier, before mumbling quietly, “Why did you only invite her…?” She looked over at Mender, who now felt awkward and confused.
“Because,” Kim said, while planning their words carefully, “sometimes it’s NICE to only have one person visiting at a time. Like, as a completely random example, a movie night with homemade stew and snacks this Friday.”
There was a silence that fell over the trio before Hirra let out a single “Oh… you only invited me?”
“Yup!” Kim said, slightly sarcastic but still gentle.
“Right…” Hirra said before turning to Mender. “HA! You only get a dumb tea party with Kim, while I get a full movie night!” But before Mender got to make a comeback, Hirra had already gone for the cinnamon rolls “But I’ll still take those!”
“OI!” Kim yelled as Hirra jumped off the building and ran off, “HIRRA! Get back here with our cinnamon rolls!” they yelled, but it was too late, as she was already gone.
“Do you want me to go after her?” Mender chuckled, as she looked down to the streets below.
But Kim only smiled before turning away, “No, you’re still on break! Now, if you'll excuse me for just a moment.”
“Where are you going?” Mender asked as Kim opened the doors to the stairs.
“Getting more cinnamon rolls! I always make a double batch of them. I’ll be back in just a moment!” they answered as they closed the door behind them.
Mender was just about to sit back down before Kim suddenly got back out again. “Hey!” they said, grabbing Mender’s attention.
“Yes?” Mender asked, slightly disappointed that Kim had come back empty-handed.
“Do you want to watch a movie? As revenge on Hirra for the stolen cinnamon rolls,'' they asked, grinning.
Mender grinned back; they would absolutely love to watch a movie, and rub it in Hirra’s face.
So, a few hours later, as Hirra finished munching the last cinnamon rolls, she got a notification on her phone. It was from… Mender? She rarely sent Hirra texts. What if she and Kim were hurt?! She quickly clicked on the notification to see… A SELFIE OF THEM AND KIM WATCHING A MOVIE WITHOUT HER and… MORE CINNAMON ROLLS??? Those backstabbers…
Then again, maybe she should have seen it coming that Kim would do something in retaliation for their stolen snacks…
“Touché.” she mumbled to herself.
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#heroes and villains#young hero#young villain#snippet#hero sidekick#villain sidekick#sidekick#henchman#the sidekick club#Kim#Sadie#Hirra#TW Past Traumatic Event#TW Serious Injury
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Plot Drop 003: The Trial of Tabitha Spencer Part 1
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER...
Two shots rang out on the night as the sun finished it’s rotation around the sun. To say 2023 started off with a bang to anyone outside the Midnight Underground would earn a laugh, but for the people within it they knew just how true of a statement it was. Hollis Fiala, one of their candidates, had been shot at Thaddeus James’ new year celebration event. Word spreads like wildfire and by the time the Unaware police have finished scoping the scene and been properly frightened or bribed away by those with money to burn, rumors have already been in wide speculation.
A young wolf named Tabitha Spencer, the sister to Damian Harker’s nephew, has been detained for suspicion of attempted murder. The only people near the gun were her and Mayor Jose Alves Cruz. It comes out quickly that Jose was injured in the attack, a thrall to Hollis themself, and the tide turns just as soon. Before there has even been a trial many of those in the Underground have decided her guilty. What other sense would there be in it?
Our inhabitants, as those trained to be ever vigilant and paranoid are swift to do, construct elaborate theories about the crime and its motivations. Perhaps Karlha had orchestrated the entire event in hopes of making competition less steep. Or maybe Damian had promised his pseudo-niece something for the same. Sympathy turns to the injured heir with their iron bullet wound and you can hear whispers and praise of the elegance with which they handled the night. Even those outside the wild circle are want to give them credit lest they seem suspicious in a conspiracy themselves.
The people do not know of what you know, my dears, for they are never the wiser of The Oracle’s visions of a doomed world consumed by darkness after Karlha’s death. To them it is an isolated incident. At least, for now.
You are charged with determining, and perhaps proving, Tabitha’s innocence during the night. The charges for these crimes are heavy and it would likely be off with her head.
THE FATES ARE CRUEL AND KIND...
When asked to roll for something, the DM:
They rolled....a 19 (critical success): The people of the Midnight Underground take Hollis’ side and believe Tabitha is the shooter.
When asked to roll for choice:
Kellan, Connor, Nora, and Esme rolled highest: They were chosen as the emissaries for their respective circles.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE GAME...
We have our Emissaries who are to be conducting interviews and collecting evidence to the best of their abilities. Should you be conducting interviews with NPCs, we will be posting the information for you on the NPC blog in interview format for you to look. Should you be conducting interviews with a PC, please decide with that person how you’re going to conduct the interview so we can compile what was said by them somewhere for eyes to look upon. For physical evidence, such as the gun, we will be opening up a channel in the discord for our four emissaries to interact with it. Below is an indication of who each Emissary will have to interview. Those bolded are NPCs.
Connor: Connor Talbot I, Catherine Talbot, Rina Mochizuki, Rosemary Loup, Matthew Coleman-Reyes, Karlha Whitlock, Tabitha Spencer, and Lilith Gaumond
Kellan: Dr. Henry Jones, Cameron Kiskadden, Elias Hart, Jose Alvez Cruz, and Damian Harker
Esmeray: Hollis Fiala and Carmen Blakely
Nora: Chloe Li, Yasaminia Ahmadi, Thaddeus James, and Sebastian Harker
Good luck my darling dears. Try not to look too closely or you’ll spin yourselves into a tizzy.
Sincerely,
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I may have found the Claro's latest designs and took it as an excuse to talk about my universe so here we go~
These three exist in two different universes, both fantasy-typed, one medieval-typed and the other more modern if not wholly futuristic, so there are minor differences in backstory and MAJOR differences in evolution
So let's present these three idiots (both affectionnate and derogatory)
The claro siblings, in order of designs Baku, Mairù and Akira, are among my most powerful character in all universes they appear in. Mairù is quite literally a reluctant prophet, to tell you the truth, and the twins are black mages.
Black magic deserves a whole other rant on my main blog tbh but let's put that aside
They went through a lot of shit and probably were among the character that got their backstory rewrote the most. At the time, Baku and Akira weren't even twins, they were two parts of a horribly cliché system created by little emo me, that fortunately realised the error of their ways
The current version is a watered down version of the one they held the most, but let's just say we got here an horribly dysfunctionnal family, terrible usage of magic, Akira being in coma almost braindead for the first 8 years of her life because her soul was too weak to wake up and for the most part fused with Baku's, and Mairù isolated from his peers since his mother died in childbirth. Funny isn't it ?
In both universes their starting personnality stays the same, sooo.
Let's start with Baku. Probably the luckiest out of the three at the beginning. I mentionned Mairù's mom died in childbirth ? Their father resented his first son for it and completely coddled Baku for like five years. And then his mother, the new wife in here only for power, took advantage of Mairù deep resentment to put the siblings against each other and try to unlock Baku's magic potential. Painfully.
He resents his brother for it since Mairù, forced, took part in that, but developped a soft and gentle personnality. Baku, in his normal state, is simply incapable to even hurt a fly, and had a tendency to let people trample on him before meeting Lina, who helped him gain assurance.
The main problem of his personnality is caused by Akira themselves, but I'll come back to that later.
He's a healer, and a powerful one. His black magic granted him immortality (he absolutely hates it but won't ever be able to ask someone to kill him directly), but his main power is mostly powerful healing spells, able to withstand the course of an epidemy or partially recover someone's eyesight. Powers that he takes very seriously, and in the beginning of each story he's studying to be a doctor.
He's also the most emotionnaly mature of his siblings. Very empathic and perceptive of his environment, serial shipper and an excellent listener, he's the best friend people could ever have. Mostly.
Mairù, now. And oh boi do I have things to say.
Mairù's species is basically called "masters of magic". Yep, litteraly. Other termes employed are magister magicae, cycle change harbingers, and Creator's prophets. Those creatures are only born one every couple centuries at most, and each time they're tracked, worshipped, or took part in big ass historic events. See the weight he has to bear ?
Mairù never wanted to be a prophet. He's just a guy whose mother died birthing him, whose dad absolutely hates and whose stepmom tried to manipulate him into her weapon. Isolated since birth, he's unaware of many things in the world, which is both an advantage since everything the others took for granted he could be critical about, and an inconvenient.
His main problems are that one of the characteristics from his race is that the powerful magic he bears basically destroys him from the inside, eating away his organs resulting in numerous organ failures and mental ilnesses (he's probably borderline by the standards of our world), and his social isolation made everything worse. His attachments to people are violently powerful. Especially love.
In Lysara, he gets worse and worse every rejection, to the point where he thinks people only see him as a tool or a monster (and the monster part gets... somewhat true at some point) while ignoring his extremely gay for him partner in war crimes Kal'Dithryon right next to him. In Azilis, he's already really bad since Azilis's Empire put more weight on his prophet status than the Divine Mandate in Lysara, and has to relearn EVERYTHING after a huge ass shock.
Despite that, he still has a strong personnality. Straight in his boots, confident in his opinions (less on himself, he always ends up hating every fiber of his being at some point), sarcastic little bitch and a litteral genius in physics and generally science (he ends up being the LITTERAL GOD of science in Lysara), he's also a fucking idiot in emotions. His are strong af because mental illness, but he can't understand other people's.
Some examples ?
In Lysara, Kal is gay as hell for him since a LONG time because Mairù is the only one he can rely on, and he didn't see that AT ALL. Lina, his ex-qpp in the current version, broke up with him because they grew apart, she got closer from Baku and he from Asura, but he took that at not being good enough. He also couldn't see said Asura huge ass crush on him until somewhere during the war, and realised Desire, his current partner, was REALLY interested in him like. Seven years after she KISSED HIM.
In Azilis, that's more tragic. He couldn't see coming the litteral worship his army created on him, took for granted Asura's affection to the point where he used it to obtain someting decisive (obviously she would NOT resent him for it /sarc), didn't get the signs Lina, here just a comrade, was deeply afraid of him and so on, and so on.
And now, Akira.
The worst one of the three.
Akira is Baku's twin in the current version. Problem ? Lore's (their mother) black magic fused their souls together in the womb and Baku got the most part. Akira, who was baptised under an other name at birth for information, was in coma for the first eight years of his life, but his part of the soul gradually got more conscious to the point where he was communicating with Baku in his head, and both being trapped in another's body and the fact Baku possessed more and more of their common soul grounds made him grew increasingly frustrated.
The occasion to free himself came after Baku's biggest shock, following three years of being the target of inhumane spells and experimentation. Trying to shut himself from the pain, Baku inconsciously let the common part of the soul to his sibling and Akira finally gained enough power to awaken in his own body for the first time.
Problem ? He was still feeling incomplete. So his solution for that was trying to seek serotonine and adrenaline. and the best combo was revenge.
He attempted to kill both his mother and his big brother, revealing at the same point his black mage powers, among the most terrifying : He's what the people call a nightmare harbinger, a master of fears and eternal sleep, power extremely rare and dangerous even among black mages. A gift dangerous enough for the timeline overseer of his world to intervene and put him to sleep again, forcefully waking Baku up.
After that everything went downhill. Baku acquired by the common grounds of the soul the nightmare harbinger's powers, and Akira tried everything in his reach to wake up again and feel something. He got so murderous than the confrery had to use a powerful sealing ritual to kill him without reporting his part of the soul on Baku.
He didn't actually died, tho. His part of the sould was sealed away, and in both worlds served as exchange goods for a very needed service (not gonna elaborate). Akira became a sealed soul, and was able to grew up further apart of Baku, developping his own feelings and realising he's nonbinary (having taken his chosen name way before. Idiot /affectionate).
Problem ? Lina, who was the one sealing him away, made him fall in love almost instantly. And since it was the strongest emotion he ever felt... He started pursuing it. Putting Baku in danger and rekindling their soul link to an extreme in the pursuit of his love and happiness.
His dev took two wholly different directions depending on the universe. Starting in both as a murderous, emotionless brat discovering love, in Lysara, being idle for too long made him impatient, sassy and even more bratty, growing his sadistic side. In Azilis, tho, he took a path towards absolute cruelty for the sake of his goals, still emotionless but this time by will of ignoring grief and pain, and an EXCELLENT politician, willing to do whatever it takes, even waiting twenty years, to reach his ultimate goal.
She's still a manipulative, cunning bitch in desire of power and individuality tho.
#hel art#hel ocs#lysara#lysara ibru'ael#azilis#azilis chronicles#claro siblings#chara desing#today in heavily dysfunctionnal family
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𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 - tim drake
— 'you were so sure you didn't know him, but somehow you felt the need to hug him and heal his bruised heart.'
- immortal!tim drake x reincarnated!reader - warnings: mentions of death, a realllllly wonky reincarnation thing going on, idk tbh, sobs, set twenty years in the future. - written with gn reading in mind! the reader is an orphan
this is the first prompt of a writing event im doing with @irenica and @damianwaynesproperty !!!!!! both of them are awesome writers and people, be sure to check their blogs out!
prompt: you died, i saw you die so i died with you, but standing here, right now, why does it feel like i know you from a whole nother world? "you seem familiar but this is the first time we've met."
a/n: aaaaaaaaaaaaa this one has my whole heart in it <;3
there's something so familiar about the church's roof, you almost feel at home.
it's weird really; the church is abandoned, known for its hauntings but still, whatever you seem to do you cannot keep away from it, even after your friends warn you about the death of a young person there.
according to them, the person's name was the same as yours--which makes you automatically cool--and around two decades ago, they died here.
the funny part--it's funny to you but gruesome to everyone else--is that the church had security cameras in every corner, yet the footage of all of them is blurred out like someone is avoiding seeing the person's death and now it's a ghost story
not one person in new gotham can figure it out.
the typical gotham part stays the same, the person (a lot of people called them y/n which is weird for you because apparently, the orphanage decided to name you after a ghost)
none of the stories you've heard has stopped you from climbing onto the roof here for sure.
thinking about it, it should have at least freaked you out; someone with the same name as you died here, all the evidence was erased and then no records of that person who shared the same name as you ever existed, it was incredibly easy to brush them off as rumours.
but your orphanage owner knew them apparently.
he would look at you with a sad smile more often than not, telling you how much you were like his passed friend, that’s why you were named as such.
you called it unable to move on but all to their own.
sitting here right now, you suddenly feel the urge to pay your respects to the y/n that passed, feeling somewhat responsible for continuing their legacy. it’s silly when you think about it, but they apparently passed the same year you were born.
you silently vow to live your life, not just for yourself but for your namesake too. history won’t erase you, not this time.
out of an old habit--and pure instinct--you throw a coin into a dried well beside you.
normally, people are surprised with the gorgons here, but you weren’t surprised at the number of gorgons and the one well here; this was kind of old gotham, what you’d heard was there were a lot of them.
almost too many.
but you liked them so you weren’t complaining. even right now, they feel comfortable, and you are sure if they were alive you would hug them.
just as you look around them though, you spot something inscribed on the wall of the church.
curiosity calls at you and you walk towards it, completely unaware of the sudden appearance of a man wearing red, glaring at you through the shadows a few feet away.
-
tim doesn’t like it anyone coming to the place where his lover died, and he especially hates it when they make it a ghost story, throwing a coin into the place where the two of them had all those years ago.
if being a ghost story, a shadow of who tim drake used to be, is needed to make sure teenagers are kept out of this site, then so be it. he’ll be the haunting lover of the old church in gotham, he’ll protect your last memory with him until he dies until time tears him into whatever they’ve made of bruce.
until he can forget the smell of chocolate cake and coffee on the night before your death, he will haunt this place. until your face is nothing but a blank, he will protect this.
so he attacks once again.
warning the person who walked into the place he lost the most important person of his life by dragging his bo-staff across the old brick walls, creating a noise you hated.
“timmy!”
he shakes himself from the same old walking nightmare of your scream.
it’s been more than two decades but he can’t get rid of that goddamn yell of his name that lingers in his brain, he can’t get rid of your last lingering touches, or the media blaming it on him. blaming it on red robin.
it’s all his fault though. everything that happened here is. it’s his fault, all his fault. all his fau–
it’s when the person turns to where he’s scratching the staff.
you look just as beautiful as you did when you died in his arms.
-
the church inscriptions are weird.
most of them have your name written and crossed out, with some having yours in a heart with the name of another person. ‘tim drake’
you don’t know who that is, but the name fills you with a feeling of safety you’ve never felt before. it makes you feel like coming home to chocolate cake waiting with a cup of coffee and a lover, even if you’ve never had any of those things.
it sounds like metal being dragged across a brick, textured wall and you hate that noise. you despise it more than you’ve hated almost anything else.
so you turn to make sure it’s no prank.
when you do turn, you walk over to the ledge to look at something, hoping it's a prank from down below rather than here. you don’t want to believe the ghost stories, you’re better than the ghost stories.
but you’re not better than algae apparently, so in the most cliche way, you slip on some of it, almost tumbling over the edge. on instinct, you scream, not recognising the name you’ve yelled.
‘tim!’ maybe you screamed for him just because you’d read the name earlier. it doesn’t matter anymore though because you’ve lost all balance.
you’re sure your heart stopped for a moment, as just as you’re about to accept death again, a scream of your name is heard from above and just before you can fall off, two arms reach for you, pulling you back to safety.
the guy is breathing harshly, keeping you flush against him in a tight grip, like he’s afraid of letting you go.
eventually, you tap on his shoulder and the stranger stumbles back with a confused look.
“thank you for the save here.” you awkwardly shuffle your feet, smiling at the person. “i’m not scared of ghost hauntings, but algae definitely terrify me now. i’m y/n, y/n l/n, you are?”
he blinks like he didn't expect that, and there’s a certain look in his eyes that makes you want to go over and hug him or at least have his arms around you again, missing the warmth you had when he held you.
you shake them off; the guy is attractive. it’s just a once-in-a-time crush, nothing else.
“tim.” he hesitantly speaks, almost like it pains him to do so.
you laugh when he does. probably rude but it was funny to you, okay? “ how funny is it that both of us have the same name as the ones on the walls? think this was destiny?”
you’re only joking around, it’s obvious with your laughter, but a part of you is upset when he smiles slightly, acknowledging it as a joke. you offer one last smile to tim before starting to walk away.
tim’s shadow makes it look like tim wants to reach out to you with a hand outstretched but when you turn back, he’s standing normally. not wanting to make it awkward, you smile at him again, “i’ve got a biology test tomorrow, so i should get going, but i’ll see you again, yeah?”
he’s lost in a daze before he nods back, and you walk away, missing the stranger once suddenly.
-
fate hates him. it’s playing a game with him.
someone who looked like the love of his life, yelling his name, falling over the same ledge you fell over all those years ago, it’s a sick game he cannot get out of.
so he rushes to catch them.
tim does what he wished he did when you fell twenty years ago and he catches you and hugs you tight. tim blinks off the violent imagery of you falling, of you being killed by someone down there while he’s tied over the ledge and forced to watch.
he tumbles back when he realises he’s hugging this person, his heart breaking when they speak.
that’s y/n. but is it his y/n? are they the same one he fell in love with? he doesn’t know for sure but when you talk about your biology test, he curses the fates again for this game they’re playing.
he doesn’t know who he’s angrier at; himself for doing this or whoever controls this hellscape now for letting either of you rest.
maybe it’s both because seeing you here is somewhat of hell on its own. the only difference is that now instead of the scream he heard twenty years ago, he’s got a new fresh scream that sounds exactly like yours haunting his days.
#tim drake x reader#rose's thorns#batsy's world <3#tim drake#tim drake x you#tim drake x fem!reader#tim drake x y/n#tim drake imagine#red robin#red robin x you#red robin x reader#red robin x y/n#red robin imagine#batfamily#x reader#dc x reader#dc imagine#gotham
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Life Update!
Hi, my lovelies!
I know I’ve been pretty MIA on this blog the past few months. I do want to let you know that I haven’t completely abandoned it or anything like that. (I still very much am following Connor’s career, still adore him, still always want to talk about him lol), I am however not posting any new fics right now. This is not for a lack of ideas, but because I am using these ideas for more personal writings.
For those of you that are unaware, I published my first novel, Love in the Classroom, earlier this year, in April. Since then I have been focusing on writing my novels.
I have two more coming out at the beginning of next year. One on January 24th, and another on May 31st. January’s release is titled You Were Never the Plan, and May’s is My Boy(s) of Summer.
All three of these stories hold a very special place in my heart, and if any of you happen to be missing my writing and are wanting to support, all three books are available on Amazon. Love in the Classroom is currently available in both paperback and on Kindle (and if you do read it, the characters may seem a little familiar...). The other two are only available to pre-order in the Kindle version, but will be available in paperback on the release date.
I also now have a website that you can check out. It tells you a little bit about me, my works, where to get them (Love in the Classroom is also available on Barnes and Noble’s website!!), and some extras/sneak peeks into my new releases.
If any of you are interested, I’ll leave the link below and you can get a sneak peek into January’s release, and maybe even pre-order if you’re feeling a little crazy. My website also holds links to order and pre-order under the “Works” tab.
I also just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart because if it wasn’t for your continued support on my writing, I wouldn’t have been able to publish my first book as soon as I did, or at all. You have all been so amazing, and I am truly grateful for everything that you have done for me, and the friendships that I have made on here.
I will keep you guys updated on any other life events (and a two books series about twin musicians that I’m working on as well.🤫)
Thank you, and I love you ! 💙💙💙
https://www.storitellerwriting.com/
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Silent
Warnings!: Cheating, angst (not sure if it's heavy but it's angst alright), implied sexual content [Feel free to skip!]
Note: This is slowly turning into a very Kita-centric blog and hhh forgive me for this one. I just want to push all the sudden need for angst waves outta my system.
Kita knows the kind of person you are; reserved, calculating, and straightforward. A few traits he finds himself sharing with you. The first time he sees you was when you sat next to him at the opening speech for the start of the school year. Unlike him, your mind seemed to be wandering around, barely paying attention to the speeches presented.
The two of you were just first years back then, new to the school environment, trying to transition from middle school mentality to high school mentality. You were someone who he didn't really pay attention to, only acknowledging you as his fellow classmate. That is until you had the nerve to tell a few third years off for ganging up on you.
"I really cannot comprehend why you feel the need to target me for 'batting my eyelashes at your boyfriend', I bumped into him and blinked when he offered his hand to help me up. I'm not even sure how you jumped into that conclusion. Could it be a miscommunication with your boyfriend? I suggest you talk it out with him. Or maybe you or one of your friends saw? Might I recommend glasses? It may help you in the long run, senpai."
He remembers you saying those exact words that day. At first he just thought of you as someone who's genuinely unaware of the event the upperclassmen had dragged you into, that is, until you added to your statement.
"Or maybe… we're just not allowed to blink? In that case that's a very odd rule for you to add, senpai. Or do you just not know that it's a human's requirement to wet their eyeballs? In that case, I recommend a quick google search on the topic. Hopefully you are able to comprehend the explanation provided."
Kita remembers how your face didn't change throughout the exchange, but he did notice how you exhaled in relief after. He also noted that was the most you've spoken despite being in school for a decent amount of time.
You were and still are a silent person. You move about your day quietly, preferring to stay away from most things but still somehow knowing what's going on, slipping in and out undetected by people despite how you look. It took him some courage to approach you and start a conversation. It wasn't even anything remotely unusual, he was just asking for your assignment the teacher had asked for him to collect.
You've always been a silent and straightforward yet roundabout person. You wouldn't hesitate to call people who wronged you out while you insult them in a roundabout way. He found that interesting and it compelled him to get to know you.
Contrary to popular belief of your peers, it was easy to get to know you. All it took was an open mind and a great ear to listen. Through the conversations he had with you, he found out how you were actually quite opinionated despite your aloof attitude. While you were still a bit reluctant to start conversations with him, he made the effort to get to know you, no thanks to him growing attached and having feelings for you.
The day he professed his feelings for you that one autumn day during your second year, you had shed your reserved and aloof mask for the first time. An out of character blush rose to your cheeks and your lips twitched into a small, shy smile, contrary to your usual frown. He remembered smiling softly as he heard you stutter out your answer, a yes to his confession.
"Ah, um... Kitashin..." You mumbled, your soft smile falling a little from your lips. "Um... if ever we get into a big fight, promise me we'd talk it out. I'll usually step away from the conversation if I feel my emotions starting to take over... um... yeah, I'd usually hold a hand up... just so you know."
You took a deep breath once more, lifting your head up and looking at him in the eye, gone was the soft smile from your lips, instead, a serious expression overtook your features. "And if you ever find yourself growing tired, bored, or falling out of love with me, please tell me immediately. I would prefer you be upfront about it."
Kita's expression matched yours, showing you just how serious he took your request, holding your cold hands tightly. "I promise, [Name]. I will try my hardest to avoid hurtin' ya in any way."
From then on, people regard you as quite the power couple of Inarizaki. People wouldn't dare try to get on your bad sides, avoiding your sharp tongues and pressuring glares. To everyone you two were perfect, as an individual and as a couple. You two never did extreme PDA, opting for quick, domestic shows of public affection. Whether it's him putting a stray strand of your hair in place or you tidying up his school blazer's collar; people would say you two are practically married already.
Kita has always been a secret romantic a trait he shamelessly shows you. One day, you showed up with a necklace laced around your neck, the beautiful pendant resting in between your collarbones. Kita had given you that present as a commemoration to your first year anniversary as a couple.
You, while you're still reserved, did everything in your power to keep him happy. You would smile more around him, be attentive of a lot of his needs, and be there for him. Everything was going smoothly, everyone, even Kita himself thought you'd last a lifetime.
So, why did it go so wrong? How did it go so wrong?
Kita doesn't actually need to ask that question. He knows exactly how he fucked everything up.
You two had gotten into quite a heated fight that time. One where you had to step out and cool your head before you're able to jump back in. As much as he's able to control his emotions, sometimes it can go haywire, he is human after all.
That day he stayed behind in the lecture hall to focus on some work. He knew times were stressful for the both of you, with your projects starting to pile up, the ruthless deadlines not giving you mercy, you aren't able to give him any attention. His situation was also not helping, with grandma Yumie being sick, he had to constantly check up on her, he was concerned of her health and he needed comfort which you weren't able to give at the time as you work yourself to the point of burnout.
A lecture-mate of his walked up to him, batting her eyelashes and tracing up his arm seductively. She continued to flirt with him, whispering sweet nothings and the comfort he craved. That night, he lied to you, saying his grandmother needed him when in reality, he let himself fall into another woman's arms.
Your fight was never resolved.
He swears it will only be a one time thing. That he regrets ever betraying your trust, but again and again he falls into the same pit. The woman gave him the comfort and affection he craved while you tirelessly tried to make ends meet with your piling projects.
He feels the guilt bubbling up. He remembers the promise he made when you two were still in your second year, he wanted to tell you, he wanted to respect you. But he's been seeing the other woman for months now and he knows he's dragged your entire being through the mud.
Kita tries to keep everything under wraps, acting as if nothing changed. He would be out more sure, but his reasons were always valid and you always trusted him. Everything went on as usual even if the other woman had entered into his routine.
Maybe that's why he didn't notice when your things started to slowly disappear from your shared apartment.
He failed to realise how your favourite kitchen utensils would stop appearing in the cabinets. How the books you enjoyed started disappearing from the bookshelf. How your hygiene products were replaced with the smaller sizes rather than the usual large sizes you'd get. How you would stop sleeping with your comfort item. How your clothes gradually decreased.
You had acted as usual, despite you being tired you still took care of him as much as you can; giving him tired smiles and cuddling him every once in a while. He hadn't noticed how your features would be laced with pain when you pulled away however.
When he noticed the changes around him, it was already too late. Nothing of you remained in the apartment you shared. Your clothes, favourite kitchen utensils, hygiene products, everything he can think of. Gone.
He searched the apartment in a state of panic, calling out to you until he had confirmed you had left without a single trace, as if you hadn't even existed in his life. The weight of his actions started to feel heavier as he came to the realisation.
You knew. You knew of the other woman the entire time.
He walked around the apartment endlessly, still hoping to wake up from the nightmare he allowed to happen. He sits himself down on the sofa, one he remembers you picking at the furniture store. A glint on the coffee table catches his attention and he shuffled over to see what it was. It was the necklace he gave you on your first year anniversary.
He buries his head in his hands as tears trickled down his cheeks. His sobs are louder than ever, hoping you would hear and come to him, cradling him in your arms as you whispered your forgiveness. But reality is harsh and unforgiving, leaving him to deal with it alone.
The next time he sees you is years later. He's stayed single ever since you left him, unable to get into another relationship while you continued to plague his mind. How he never saw you during the remaining time of university, he doesn't know. But he mustered up the courage to approach you, tapping your shoulder and catching your attention.
You blink owlishly at him, turning around to give him your full attention. "Kita-san! Never thought I'd see you around here." You greet, a bit too casually for him.
"Yeah... was just deliverin' rice to the area." He answers, trying to drown out the pang in his chest from you calling him by his surname.
"Business is going well, I hope?" you ask, tilting your head.
"Yeah, it's goin' well." He says, averting his eyes. He swallows the lump in his throat and looks back up, determined to apologise to you. "Um... I would like to apologise for what I've done years ago, I know it may be long overdue for you but please believe me when I say I tried my hardest to find you." He says, bowing in a 90 degree angle. If he could, he would get on his knees and kneel in front of you, but considering you're in a public place, you would have preferred this.
He hears you sigh, his heart thumping loudly at what your expression might be. "Kita-san, please stand up straight." You say.
The face you have was not something he anticipated. It's soft and apologetic, not one of anger or one that expresses displeasure. "Whether it's true or not, I accept your apology. I... also would like to apologise... for not giving you the attention you deserved and for leaving like that. I suppose I wasn't thinking logically that time." You say, laughing bitterly.
He sighs in relief at you accepting his apology, maybe... just maybe. "Uh... [Name]--"
"[Name]!"
The interruption catches both of your attention, both of you turn your heads to see a man Kita feels familiar with walking over to the two of you, carrying a child in his arms. A child that looks like mix of you and the man. His feels his heart drop to his stomach as he looks at you, giving the man a warm and loving smile.
"Eita! Sorry for taking a while, did Hayase act up?"
Gone was your attention on Kita as you walk over to the man. A man Kita remembers facing during nationals. One of Shiratorizawa's setters, Semi Eita. Kita searches your left hand, feeling his heart stop at the addition of a simple golden band wrapping snuggly around your left ring finger.
"Kita-san, I suppose you remember Eita? I think you've faced him a few times back in high school." You ask, brushing your son's fringe out of his eyes.
Kita meets the eyes of Semi, seeing the latter narrow his eyes into a glare. You notice this and lightly hit your husband's shoulder, silently scolding him. "I'm so sorry to cut this short Kita-san, but we have to head home. I'll see you around." You say and nod your head.
He watches you walk away with your family. You don't even give him your new number, well of course you won't, your husband wouldn't allow it after knowing what you went through.
Kita ponders the mistake he made all those years ago, how if he had just held himself back and stayed true to you, he would be the one in Semi's place, your name would be Kita [Name] rather than Semi [Name], you two would have lived happily ever after if he had just turned his head away from the other woman or hell, if he had just told you immediately what he had done, he knows you would have forgiven him, you were always nice even if your image didn't give off the vibe.
But he didn't, and he knows he can't turn back time. He has no choice other than to move forward.
You had always been a reserved and calculated person, but maybe you aren't as straightforward as he thinks you are. After all, the months leading up to you leaving were silent. You made no noise in slipping out of his grasp and when he realised you were gone, the silence was deafening.
End note: I'm so sorry. Please spare me some forgiveness.
#kita x reader#semi x reader#kita x y/n#semi x y/n#kita x you#semi x you#kita shinsuke scenario#kita shinsuke#shinsuke kita#kita angst#semi eita#eita semi#haikyu x reader#haikyuu!!#haikyū!!#haikyuu angst#semi eita scenario
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Goo Hara's story is one of the most tragic and rough in kpop history. And in light of the recent events, I'd like to share it.
It's pretty possible that most of you (ppl who weren't around for 2nd generation prime) dont know Goo Hara or her legendary group KARA. The group was among the top three girl groups nation wise, and number one in Japan.
But when KARA debuted it wasn't very popular, so when one member left, the company saw the opportunity to revamp the group and they added two new members. One of those was Goo Hara. She was introduced as main dancer and visual.
Hara's integration helped the group. Her innocent beauty in contrast to an effortless sex appeal caused men and women, children and adults, to fall in love with the idol, and this new fandom catapulted the group. Even though before debut she already had many fans, she already had antis too. A big portion of the original fandom rejected the integration of Hara. So from day one Hara had a strong individual fandom, but the group's fandom hated her.
Hara became the it girl of the moment, getting all the commercial contracts - this generated animosity from the fandom that questioned why she was the only one who was given the opportunities and why she did not participate in the commercial activities of the group. This did not weigh much on Hara at first, since she was somewhat accustomed to hate for no reason - in high school she was the victim of such extreme bullying that she had to change schools several times. She had the general public in her palms, so a portion of the fandom hating her was manageable.
But the love and support from the general public didn't last long, as netizens searched the internet to find something to destroy her and succeeded. They found Hara's teenage blog from before she was and idol, and in it they found photos of her in a hostel on her 17th birthday with her boyfriend at the time. They published them saying that Hara had had a romantic stay at the hostel and therefore she had sex while being a minor. And although the company denied it and Hara's friends said it had been a group trip, the netizens sought witnesses to support their accusations and thus began the gossip that Hara was promiscuous. This accusations gained notoriety when her relationship with Junhyun of B2ST became public. And so netizens invented her love affairs with many idols.
The situation reached a climax in Radio Star, when the MC asked KARA what topic they didn't want to talk about, to which Hara replied "dating." The three MCs started joking with Hara's promiscuity in a rather heavy way. And although it is well known that this type of image is harmful to an idol (mostly female idols) the MCs continued with the jokes. Hara tried to laugh it off but it was a comment from Kyuhyun that made her crack, being the gossip expert on the show, he said "if I said what I know, her career would be over." It was then that Hara threw him a bottle of juice playfully and then broke into tears. Hara was accused of being violent, unprofessional and disrespectful by netizens. And when one of the MCs came out in her defense and apologized for what they had done, the netizens said that "Hara's tantrums had forced him to apologize" and they hated her more.
Shortly after this, KARA disintegrated. But despite everything, Hara made a fortune as a commercial model. And there is nothing that netizens hate more than a successful, independent and wealthy woman. Especially if she achieves so despite public hate. And even more, if this successful, independent and wealthy woman is best friends with another successful, independent and wealthy woman (Sulli) that netizens also tried to destroy. And so, Goo Hara moved on with her life, even though the hate never stopped.
On September 4, 2018, Goo Hara (who is 1.64 and is so thin that she has been accused of being anorexic) was accused of beating her boyfriend. For the following week there were no signs of Hara, while the boyfriend appeared in the media several times a day giving interviews about it, and saying that she had gone crazy when he tried to end the relationship. He said he wasn't going to go public at first but when he got home he realized she had "disfigured" him and his face "is a big part of how he makes a living" (he's a hairdresser) so he decided to let everyone know the type of person she is. At some point the guy gave an interview in a hospital gown and connected to serum, despite having given interviews without these things several days before, and the hospital records shows he only had scratches. But despite being suspicious, the netizens did not need more, and cited what happened on radio star, her promiscuity and her friendship with Sulli as evidence of her violence and imbalance, and demanded jail time for Hara.
Time after that, Hara finally appeared on the media, which she had not done because she had been hospitalized due to the beating that the boyfriend (the alleged victim) gave her. Attack that damaged her internal organs to the degree of causing severe bleeding. Incidentally, there was damage to her intimate organs, so a rape is suspected, although it was never confirmed as such. And although Hara presented evidence and a witness, the netizens did not believe her, they said that she paid the witness and that, because she was promiscuous, her word had no worth. It was then that Dispatch revealed that the boyfriend had offered them the premise of the matter, then screenshots of the guy blackmailing Hara with an intimate video that he filmed against her will came to light. Just then the netizens decided to listen to her. The witness (Hara's roomie) came out to give her version of the facts: the guy had entered without permission with the access code and had woken Hara by kicking the bed. The witness and the messages proved that Hara had broke up with him and he wanted to blackmail her with the intimate video and threatened to end her career, Hara tried to take the video, and the guy beat her up. After that, he destroyed averything and anything he could find at the apartment, while Hara begged him not to publish the video. In the week that Hara was hospitalized the guy sent her threats and fragments of the video as blackmail.
For a while Hara had the empathy of the netizens, but the case was never resolved judicially, and the public eventually forgot what happened and attacked Hara again. This year Hara uploaded a photo to her social media for the first time, thanking the support she received in those difficult moments. And the netizens accused her of attention seeking, they said that if she was really hurt she shouldn't be on social media after what happened, and accused her of being unaware of the damage she caused her ex - who could no longer show his face in public. Soon she went to Japan to fulfill previous contracts and they accused her of fleeing, of indifference and said that what had happened hadn't been so serious if she was already working and she had made a big drama for nothing. Meanwhile the ex is active in social media and opened a new beauty salon, which was very successful. And as if that were not enough, the ex-boyfriend, Junghyun (B2ST) ended up entangled in the Seungri/Rising Sun scandal. And although it has been said that he was not an active participant beyond commenting on the videos that JJY sent, the netizens insisted that there were videos and intimate photos of Hara in the infamous chats.
After this, Hara uploaded a picture and netizens accused her of getting plastic surgery. Hara said that she had eyelid surgery for medical reasons and asked people to stop attacking her, but the netizens ignored and attacked her for the surgery.
May 25th 2019, Hara was found unconscious in her apartment. It was said it had been a suicide attempt. This incident, unlike others in the world of kpop, did not have a wave of positive and empathetic comments wishing her recovery, but the comments were insults, offenses and ridicule towards Hara. They even reproached her for her lack of success in committing suicide, accused her of faking it, said that the news were false to get attention and attacked her more than ever.
Soon after that Hara los her best friend.
This news were devastating but they were not a surprise, at least to me. I made a post about Sulli's passing asking people to support Hara, because I knew that she would be next. She had already tried. And she got hate for not succeeding.
A lot of the kpop fandom now wasn't around for most of the second generation mess. We had idols poisoned, attacked, and destroyed by netizens. There still are many idols victims of slave contracts and abuse but back then you saw the proof of those things regularly. With idols passing out and stuff.
Korea, specifically its treatment of celebrities is crap. Its inhuman. As international fans we should spread love for idols. And ask the companies to care for them, we should watch for their best interests as humans. What Hyuna and Edawn are doing, going on variety shows and doing photoshoots together as a couple is huge. What Mamamoo has been doing is huge. What Holland is doing is huge. Please support the idols who are actively fighting to change Koreas celebrity culture. ITS IMPORTANT.
And its important to know the stories of idols like Hara, Hangeng, T-ARA... because this idols were victims and where given nothing but hate. Hate that ended their careers or in Hara and Sulli's case, their lives. Hate kills. Haters kill. Not allowing people to live a plenty life, kills. Not allowing people to make mistakes, kills. I hope you read Hara's story and pay attention to female idols with a bad reputation, they're vulnerable in so many ways. And I hope that, in the future, when an idol survives a suicide attempt y'all wont ignore it like you did Hara.
REST IN PEACE🙏💔💔🙏
#how many more#goo hara#kara#tw suicide#tw rape#long post#sulli#f(x)#korea needs to wake up#idols are human#kpop#rip#rest in peace#rest in power#second generation#female idol#depression#mental health#netizens#girl groups#kyuhyun#super junior#suju#junhyun#b2st#seungri#rising sun#bullying
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“Snapchat Memories”
(Calum Hood X Reader || Fluff)
A
Summary: Y/N is in denial about the new romantic feelings towards the bassist of 5SOS. Luckily, Snapchat keeps their memories alive.
Warnings: Strong Language, mentions of the pandemic and quarantine, nicotine addiction and alcohol. bad English (not my first language, sorry)
Word Count: 2.7 K
A/N: My first Calum Fic on my first post on my new blog! So exited!! Please comment and reblog if you want 🦋 Feedback is always welcomed!
You’re sitting in a black leather couch. It doesn’t bother you that it’s old and in dyer need of cleaning. You were with him and that’s all that mattered now.
When Calum invited you to the studio today, your immediate response was ‘yes’. It’s been weeks since you have seen him. After the pandemic, the guys went on tour almost immediately, not trying to waste anymore time without being on stage and seeing their fans. So you didn’t have much time to catch up in real life.
You were always in touch though, always FaceTiming and texting… But you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss him to death.
Calum has been your best friend for years. He tried to flirt with you once at a party years ago and it backfired horribly when he spilled his drink on you. He was mortified, but you laughed it off. Ever since that day you were inseparable.
You were there for all the major events, the concerts and tours. You became close not only with Calum, but with the rest of the boys as well, they practically adopted you as one of them by now and you couldn’t be prouder of how far those 4 Australians idiots came.
But being so close to them came with also being shipped with them, specially Calum. You brushed it off at first, saying ‘we’re like family!’ Time and time again someone asked. And it was true at the beginning, but lately something’s changed.
Lately you would wait by the phone, hoping his name would show up. You found yourself smiling like an idiot every time he texted you or you were just thinking about him and all the moments you spent together, trying to decipher if, maybe, he thought of you as being more than just friends. At first you thought it was just your quarantined brain making it all up, that it was impossible for him and you to have romantic feelings for each other.
But you couldn’t deny the way your heart stopped every time you saw him, or the way your eyes lingered on his body when he’s playing, or the way the sound of his laugh could make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside…. You couldn’t deny it, but you were determined to push them away. It’s not like he felt the same anyways.
You smiled while you watched him play with some random notes on his bass, immerse in his own thoughts and smiling a little bit when he heard something he liked. It was a sight for sore eyes seeing him so free and joyful while doing something he loved. He lived for his music and it showed.
“You’re about to burn a hole on him if you keep staring like that” you heard a voice say next to you.
Michael plowed down next to you on the couch, waking you up from your daydream. You looked at him and rolled your eyes.
“I’m not staring”
“Like hell you’re not” He stated, laughing “You were undressing him with your eyes a few seconds ago!”
Okay, that earned him a punch in the arm.
“Shut up, Clifford! I’m just thinking” you said annoyed.
“Yeah, ways to take off his pants…”
You blushed at his comment and got your fist ready to punch him again, this time to actually hurt him a little bit. But he quickly catched your fist before you could actually touch him.
“Oh, c'mon Y/N! I’m only joking”
“Well that joke’s getting old now, Michael. It’s been going on for years, so get over it. And besides…” your gaze met the floor “We’re only friends, nothing more”
“Yeah? Keep telling yourselves that” He said. But before you could ask what he meant by that, he was already up and entering the recording booth.
He said something to Calum that made him look up at you and smile.
You’re sure that only an angel could smile like that.
An hour passed and you found yourself outside the studio, cigarette on your hand and a nicotine cloud around your head.
You were trying to quit, but it’s easier said than done. You took another puff and released the smoke towards the sky, your eyes got lost on the scenery for a while. There were no sunsets like the LA ones, that’s for sure. The sky seemed photoshopped, you could see how the clouds were puffy and light and how the colors pink, orange and purple mixed together the perfect ethereal sight, they were saying goodbye and hello at the same time.
You could’ve watched the sky forever, but the ding of a new notification on your phone kept you from doing that.
It was a Snapchat memory from a few years ago. You opened it, curious of what you might find and if it was worth remembering, hoping it could distract you for a while.
On the first video you saw yourself in a car, you had that stupid filter that made your voice high pitched and widen your mouth and eyes. You were singing along to a random Ariana Grande’s song when you suddenly moved the camera towards the person next to you. Now it was Calum’s face the one with the filter, but his face was serious.
“I’m not gonna sing it, Y/N!” He said trying to sound stern, unaware that the voice filter made him sound anything but.
“Cal! You promised”
“No I’m not gonna…. This is the part where I say I don’t wanna…” he sang to the camera when the chorus came blasting through the radio.
You smiled at the memory of you two singing together, completely out of tune and messing up the words until you heard a “Shut up” from one of the boys, probably Ashton.
Then the story continued, this time it was a picture of you pouting with a message that said: “When your friend puts you on time out for something you didn’t do”
You tapped the screen and another video came up. It was clear that you were backstage of one of their concerts, Calum was standing in the middle of the dressing room talking to Michael when your voice cut him off.
“Can I please be free?” You tried to plead.
Calum turned to you with his signature ‘are u kidding me’ face and said:
“Not until you think about what you did and say you’re sorry”
“I didn’t eat your chocolate! I swear” you most definitely did, unknowingly yes, but it wasn’t something you’d admit.
The video ended when Michael started laughing at you and you flipped him off.
You giggled to yourself, happy that Snapchat existed and had all your memories storage. You were going to move on to the next part of your story when a voice next to you made you jump.
“So, did you or did you not eat my chocolate that day?”
You didn’t notice that Calum was beside you until he startled you. He was leaning up against the wall, his own cigarette lighted up as he looked at you with an amused face, making your heart flip as you took him in.
“You should quit, you know?” You said pointing at his cigarette, trying to sound unbothered by the loud beating of your heart.
“I’ll do it when you do it”
Calum’s eyes were fixed on yours. His smile never faded.
“But you’re changing the topic”
“I’m not changing the topic” you answered “I’m avoiding it”
“So you did eat it!”
“Calum, it was years ago! I don’t remember”
“Well someone’s a liar” he laughed “Whacha doing?”
“Snapchat‘s just showing me some memories of a few years ago. I think it’s that concert on Phoenix”
Calum came closer to you, laying his head on your shoulder. You swore you stopped breathing for a second there, but forced yourself to control it. He was just your friend.
The story continued with some concert videos you took from backstage. You felt your face get warmer as you noticed that most of them were of Calum giving his all on stage, but he didn’t seem to notice.
The last video was of the boys stepping out of the stage, each one of them giving you a high five when they passed you by. All of them except Calum. When he saw you, he started running towards you and lifted you up over his shoulders, carrying you towards the dressing room again.
“Ugh, let me go you sweaty boy!” You said of camera, mocking a disgust tone.
“Never! Sweaty or not, you love me”
You let out a defeated sigh before answering softly “Yeah, I guess I do”
The stories ended with that last bit, leaving a bittersweet taste on your mouth. Calum lifted his head off your shoulders and you shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“Yeah” you nodded “It’s my fault for not bringing a jacket”
Calum smiled and in a quick move he took off his jacket and put it around your shoulders, adjusting it a little bit.
“Cal, you don’t have to do that” you said lowering your gaze.
But he was still standing in front of you, hands adjusting his jacket around your frame.
“But I want to, Y/N” he said softly.
In a brave move, you shoot your eyes up, only to find his already looking at you, taking you in. Almost like he wanted to remember you like this.
“Y/N, I…”
He started, not taking his eyes of you or stepping back. You were holding your breath, scared of what he’s going to say.
“I really missed you”
You smiled softly, trying to hide your disappointment.
“I missed you too, Calum”
“No, I really missed you” he said more seriously “Not only when we were in quarantine, or when we left for tour. I’m talking about when you’re ten minutes away in your home, or when we’re at the same party but at different ends, and even ten minutes ago when you came here to smoke. Everytime you’re not here I find myself missing you more than I should, even if you’re in the same building”
You stared at him confused, it saying anything. He took it as a que to continue.
“I find myself thinking of you and needing you more than I should. And I don’t know why I’m saying this now, what made me brave enough to say it. Maybe because, after seeing those videos something clicked and I realized that I want that with you. I want you to be with me, to be part of my life as long as possible”
“Calum, I’m always going to be there…” you said quietly. But he shook his head, bringing you even closer to him.
“Y/N… I know that and I don’t mean it like that I’m just” his voice suddenly sounded weak with the last few words, shifting his gaze from your eyes to your lips, looking at you almost pleading “I’m afraid of screwing the best thing in my life”
“What do..?” But you couldn’t finish the questions as Calum brought his lips to yours.
You were taken aback at first, but you kissed him back as soon as your head wrapped around on what was happening. His hands were on the jacket as he pulled you close to him. His lips were soft and tasted sweet on yours. It finally happened, you kissed your best friend and it was everything you’d hope for.
You hummed into the kiss, giving him more access in your mouth. There was no battle for dominance, but rather a dance of your mouths together, enjoying the intimacy. Your hands flew directly to his hair while his went down and grabbed you by your waist, molding you together as one piece of a whole. You realized in that moment that there was no other place you’d rather be than in Calum’s embrace.
After a while, you were the first one to pull away when the lack of air was apparent. Calum chased your lips when he felt them apart and rested his forehead against yours.
“Y/N, I don’t know if you noticed but I don’t want to be friends anymore” he said, eyes closed and trying to catch his breath.
“Well, that’s a cruel way to say it” you teased with a smile.
Calum gave you a small giggle as he stood straight, looking at you properly.
“I should’ve done that a long time ago” He said caressing you cheek with his hand.
“How much long ago?”
“Honestly? Since I threw that beer on you the first time we met”
You both laugh and you pulled him close to you again, wrapping your arms around his waist and hiding your face on his chest.
“But seriously tho, I should’ve said something a long time ago. The boys were right to tease me about it”
“The boys?” You asked, looking at him without moving form the embrace.
“They all knew I had a big crush on you for the longest time. Always teased me that I was being too obvious but didn’t do shit about it and that it was painful to watch”
“Well, it wasn’t that obvious. I didn’t know a thing” you laugh “But if it makes you feel better, I also had a huge crush on you for a long time and they teased me about it as well”
“Our friends are assholes” he said laughing with you.
“Hey! Don’t call us that!” You heard someone yell.
Looking up, you saw your other three best friends watching you two from a window, smirking like idiots.
“It’s about time you two!”
“Y/N and Calum sitting in a tree K I S S I N G”
Calum flipped them off as they started singing, pretending to be annoyed “Fuck off!” but his huge smile betrayed him.
“How about we get out of here?” You asked
“Great idea” he said, bringing you closer to him once again, and kissing you softly for a moment “I’ll bring your bag and the keys of my car. Wait for me?”
You smiled.
“I’m not going anywhere”
Calum went inside once more. You looked up to see three smiling faces smiling back at you.
“You really love that boy, don’t ya?” Asked Luke.
“Yeah, I guess I do”
#calum hood#5 seconds of summer#5sos#calum 5sos#calum imagine#calum hood imagine#calum hood fluff#calum blurb#calum hood smut#5 sos imagine#ashton irwin#michael clifford#luke hemmings#calum x reader#calum thomas hood#imagine#love#fanfic#luke 5 seconds of summer#ashton 5 seconds of summer#michael 5 seconds of summer#calum 5 seconds of summer#coolguycal#newpost#5sos lockscreen#5sosfam#luke hemmings smut#ashton irwin smut#michael clifford smut#cashton
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Kaguya-sama Blind Reaction/Analysis: S1E1
Hello everyone, this is my blog which I am currently using to react to and analyze Kaguya-sama: Love Is War much more seriously than I should analyze any romcom.
I have only seen the first episode of the anime, which this post shall explore using far too many words. If I'm feeling particularly motivated, I may read the manga as well.
My analysis will contain spoilers. If you're thinking of watching this show and haven't seen it yet, I recommend you at least go check out the first episode yourself before reading any further. I don't know what the rest of the show is like, but what I've seen so far has been both entertaining and thought-provoking.
I'm going in mostly blind, but not entirely blind. There are a few images of the anime and manga that I have been exposed to, although without the attached context. Due to cultural osmosis and the sheer popularity of this work, perhaps that was almost inevitable.
Figure 1.1.1: Why did this guy write an essay about a single episode of an ongoing romcom?
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
Season 1 Episode 1
I Will Make You Invite Me to a Movie / Kaguya Wants to Be Stopped / Kaguya Wants It
Power dynamics in relationships
Figure 1.1.2: Immediately, the mangaka's tastes become clear.
I heard a saying once that really stuck with me: "The partner who cares the least has all of the power."
In the world of dating, I often sincerely believed this saying. You may yearn for someone's affection, but the other person need not give it to you until they are willing and ready. No matter how much you want it, you can't make someone more interested in you, unless you resort to being roundabout, such as adding some mystery and intrigue to your courtship. But is that excessive?
I once felt a potential lover slipping through my grasp, and before I knew it, I found myself chasing after them. As I was yearning for their attention, I felt as if I'd lost my dignity. It was humiliating. Painful. Was it just that they weren't the right person for me? Or was I not funny enough? Not charismatic enough? Not interesting enough? Too clingy? Too talkative? Should I have been more distant and given them more space? Did I seem too weak? Too eager? How should I have maximized my desirability? Regardless, I had surely lost. Perhaps they wanted the satisfaction and validation of conquering me. Playing me for a fool and asserting their superiority by being so distant. Isn't that right? Or is that just insecurity speaking? At what point is it ideal to cut one's losses and walk away?
If someone desperately wants the object of their affection to desire them, does that make them pathetic? Does it make them a loser? If you show more vulnerability and desire than the other person, does that truly make you the weak one in a relationship?
These questions plague our two protagonists and seem to be a driving force behind the main conflict. Since I have also grappled with how much to reveal my own feelings of desire, I find Kaguya-sama: Love Is War to be a particularly fascinating show.
Desire without action
Figure 1.1.3: Our protagonists are gifted with impressively high academic intelligence paired with impressively low emotional intelligence.
The show wastes no time in introducing us to our two main protagonists. Kaguya was born into a family of high stature (and says "ara ara" frequently enough to power a small country of weebs), whereas Shirogane is a "commoner" (Kaguya's word, not mine) who worked hard to reach the pinnacle of the student body. Like timid schoolchildren, they're crushing on each other, and yet they refuse to admit it due to their pride. Instead, they focus on getting their "opponent" to confess their love first.
What stuck out to me immediately is how they both have different ideas of what their relationship would be like. Shirogane envisions Kaguya as blushing, shy, and conventionally cute, whereas Kaguya (thankfully) envisions herself taking absolute dominance over Shirogane (which plenty of people should see coming as a character trait after the anime's very first scene). The bad news about this is that their two fantasies are at odds. The good news about this is that the mangaka has fantastic taste -- you can learn a lot about a storyteller based on the characterization of a love interest or lead character of the author's preferred gender.
In the event that the two of them become an actual couple, I wonder how on Earth they'll reach a compromise as to how they'll treat each other. Perhaps they will have to figure that out before they can even get that intimate.
I appreciate that we get to see both of their perspectives. It hammers home how everyone has a different truth in regards to what they desire and what they experience, and the show does not hold back when it comes to showing just how different these truths can be -- such as a certain lunch-themed sequence that I will talk about later. This works to great dramatic and comedic effect.
That said, when you spend your time fantasizing about what could happen instead of actually taking action, time is not so friendly to you.
Half a year passes.
Figure 1.1.4: Two geniuses dedicate their pride to wasting their life and energy.
Immediately, I got the impression that whoever wrote this segment of the story knows what they're doing. This is too real. And by "too real", I mean I very much appreciate the realism. How many of us have waited for ages (or for eternity) to confess our feelings to a specific someone?
This is the curse of having a crush and being incapable of acting on it. It's also why I hate having crushes.
Manufacturing affection in others, AKA the extraction of vulnerability
Figure 1.1.5: A plan is devised to weaponize jealousy in the name of affection.
To express your truest feelings means being vulnerable. That implies taking a risk and feeling responsible for any potential consequences of rejection, as well as putting our dignity on the line. It would be so much easier for the object of our affection to make themselves vulnerable instead. So instead of being direct and honest, we act indirect. We drop hints. We act suggestively, but not explicitly. We may even place them in situations where we think they are more likely to confess. If they don't pick up on it, we can pretend we didn't mean anything by it. That way, we don't have to risk our dignity. We can just wait for them to make the move.
It sucks.
Incidentally, it sucks even more when both you and your love interest are thinking that way.
It sucks infinitely more when both you and your love interest are COMMITTED to thinking that way.
Someone has to break the deadlock, whether that's immediately or eventually.
If this show isn't one of those romcoms where the status quo never changes ever (judging by the quality of writing, I have faith that it isn't), then at some point, either Shirogane or Kaguya is going to have to be explicit about how they really feel. And it's going to feel scarier to them than anything else they've ever done.
It's gonna be great.
If we could all grow up and live in environments where it's safe and encouraged for all of us to be honest about how we feel and what we want, surely love would be much less painful for so many people.
Chaos theory
Figure 1.1.6: If your prospective lover won't protect you, then your friend definitely will.
Chika is the ideal wild card and agent of chaos in this arena of love.
From a writing perspective, Chika is immensely useful. The mangaka probably could have gotten by without a third character in the mix, but she serves as a catalyst and an unknown element, able to create unpredictability and subversion of expectations. For a comedy-oriented story, this is invaluable.
Blissfully unaware of the mental turmoil that plagues our two lovesick dorks, she is able to unintentionally invalidate whatever schemes that Kaguya or Shirogane spent so much mental energy on, which adds extra comedy and tension for the audience. She is also an effective vehicle for Kaguya's jealousy and projection, as seen in the lunchbox scene which I have so graciously foreshadowed.
Figure 1.1.7: We have confirmed visual on an unidentified fourth person. Chekhov would love this. From their posture, I wonder if they'll be a gloomy character?
Misunderstandings and assumptions
I've heard that most interpersonal conflicts in life emerge from misunderstandings. In the absence of communication, assumptions are born and give rise to misunderstandings.
You may know where I'm going with this. Let's talk about the lunchbox sequence.
Figure 1.1.8 (not pictured because tumblr wishes to deny me of my image spam): Kaguya is too prideful to admit she thinks that a couple is doing something cute.
Figure 1.1.9: Pride is considered a sin for a reason.
From a writing perspective, I was impressed by the lack of romantic intentions in Shirogane in this whole sequence. Not once did he try to get Kaguya to show vulnerability to him. Instead, Kaguya is the only one spinning the situation in a romantic way, while Shirogane's driving force is the misunderstanding that Kaguya is looking down on him for what he eats. Because of this misunderstanding, Shirogane doubles down and makes his food even better, making the situation even more complicated and more stressful for Kaguya. This was definitely my favorite comedy sequence from the first episode.
I appreciate that the show has demonstrated the ability to create these scenarios where one of the characters doesn't even have love on their mind, but there are still romantic thoughts coming from the other character which drives the drama. It gives me a lot of faith in the variety this show will have to offer, and makes me excited to watch more.
When it comes to comedy rooted in misunderstandings, it is important to have miscommunication or lack of communication. In order to resolve a misunderstanding, you need to talk about it. For a pairing as dysfunctional as Kaguya and Shirogane, expecting healthy communication sounds highly unreasonable, which makes them prime material for a whole world of misunderstandings.
Misunderstandings are rooted in assumptions about what the other person meant when they said something or made a certain gesture or expression. When Kaguya glared at Shirogane and his food, he didn't even think to ask "What's the matter?" He just made an assumption about how she felt. I wonder if trying to understand Kaguya's feelings would be considered a sign of weakness by Shirogane?
A prerequisite to initiating an emotional conversation is the desire to understand or be understood by the other person -- assuming that your assumptions haven't already built a narrative for you. It is far easier to make assumptions than it is to attempt any sort of understanding.
In the end, Shirogane fled, unwilling to confront or attempt to understand the intense and passive-aggressive Kaguya. Kaguya feels that she cannot directly ask to try his lunch, so perhaps this is the closest she can get to initiating such a conversation with him at this time. Despite their mind games where they imagine the reactions of their opponent, they still have a lot of difficulty understanding each other.
I am curious to see if this prospective couple's communication skills and emotional intelligence will improve over the course of the story.
The burden of potential romance
Figure 1.1.10: Even the infallible genius Kaguya succumbs to superficial jealousy. It's "mind over matter" versus "matter over mind". That's how the saying goes, right?
Chika is a free spirit, able to ask Shirogane for whatever she wants without being neurotic. That is the power of not being bounded by a crush. Kaguya, who lacks that degree of freedom, briefly loathes her for experiencing something that Kaguya cannot ask for. It's amazing how much someone's feelings for a friend can change without a single word being spoken between them. All it takes is an action, unintentional or not, combined with the raw strength of insecurity. Just as quickly, the status quo can return back to normal too, with the act of properly making up.
To Chika, asking for food from someone doesn't mean anything at all, whereas with Kaguya, it is an admission of defeat. In that sense, a relationship that will only ever be platonic brings peace of mind, whereas a relationship that can be potentially romantic brings leagues upon leagues of anxiety if the outcome is of great concern.
Love is neurotic.
Is love worth the pain? For some people, it is not. For others, the reward is immense -- but only if you can make sure your relationship with this person doesn't end up being a nightmare for your emotional health.
Love and self-identity
The final scene of the episode surprised me in a good way. It's a brief departure from the comedy, and reveals a more heartfelt side of the show.
Kaguya's servant asks her an insightful question. It is substantially more insightful than I would expect from any romcom: "If you fell in love some day, would you wait for that person to confess their love, like now? Or would you confess your love?" I found myself immediately curious to hear Kaguya's answer, since I knew it would be highly informative about her character.
"If that time comes, I would consider the risk of someone stealing him first and come to the one rational conclusion." Even in the realm of love, Kaguya seems precise and calculating. It's as if she hesitates to give a straight answer, but then she confirms: "Of course I would go."
Figure 1.1.11: "Please understand."
It is not embarrassment or rejection that Kaguya fears; it is the absolute destruction of her identity and sense of self. Kaguya is the daughter of a family that practically runs the country. In her mind, everyone yearns for her and wishes to serve her. Turning that around and reaching out to another person to express her own desire would be a direct contradiction of that. It is probably a similar situation for Shirogane, where the infallible self-image he has built up is being put at risk during his romantic duels against Kaguya.
Kaguya clearly feels trapped. She and Shirogane see each other as threats to be conquered, but in reality, they both share a mutual enemy that is much more imposing and insidious: their own simultaneous disgust at the idea of vulnerability.
Their freedom is dominated by their insecurities, and so, even despite their impressive stature, they are still very human. Their upbringing that has lead them to become so accomplished may be more of a curse than a blessing, due to the resulting pride and self-image they likely feel pressured to uphold.
It is hard to cast aside a lie that you have bought into for your whole life.
If our two protagonists wish to have a chance of establishing a healthy romantic relationship, they have a lot of their own demons to overcome first. If they cannot set aside their pride and reach mutual understanding, they have no hope.
Until then, they will both remain trapped in a hell of their own design, however tragically comedic it may be.
My hopes for this story's future
I can tell that the mangaka, unlike far too many writers all over the world, actually seems to have a solid understanding of romance and the conflict that arises within. I've watched too many anime that place huge focus on the "will they or won't they" crap which never runs any deeper than one or both of the characters being too embarrassed to just say what they're thinking, without any sort of convincing mental blocker. In that case, it's clearly just manufactured drama which is designed to pad out the story and waste your time rather than pose interesting questions and themes. In the case of Kaguya and Shirogane, the two of them have substantial communication issues which are depicted in a comedic yet mature way, which I have found engaging.
I very much hope that the show will more deeply explore the themes and questions surrounding the ideas of vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and superiority within relationships. Kaguya and Shirogane have been set up to be great vehicles for such exploration, and I hope the mangaka can capitalize on that, especially if our protagonists can confront these issues directly.
My impression is that the ending will make or break this story. If the mangaka can pull it off well, I can already believe the payoff will be hugely satisfying.
Of course, in order to get to that point, we'll have to see a certain something. It has to do with the most sacred word amongst romcom enthusiasts: "progress". Indeed, after spending chapters upon chapters watching two characters bumble around amidst the same exact status quo, those little signs of advancements in a relationship are highly rewarding.
Underneath all of their aggression, if we can see Kaguya and Shirogane slowly open up to each other and realize the benefits of vulnerability, I think we could witness something really beautiful and really emotionally cathartic.
I've still only seen one episode, but I believe the mangaka has laid a fantastic groundwork for a series and can do a great job developing upon what I've seen so far. On that note, I will surpass our prideful protagonists by opening my heart to this story and entrusting it with my vulnerability, believing it can deliver satisfying development and resolution. You can do it!
Closing thoughts
I did not expect to write so much about a single episode of an ANIME of all things, but here we are. If only I could conjure this kind of power back when I actually needed it in high school English class!
The first episode alone is already so rich with characterization and themes that I managed to find quite a lot to talk about. Given how much I found myself relating to the characters and some of their situations, it's clear to me how this show became so popular. Not only are the animation, direction, and writing excellent, but also many people can probably relate to love feeling like a battlefield.
I do not want to believe in the idea of winners and losers in relationships. That idea creeps into my head whenever I'm having trouble keeping the interest of a new date, and I find myself wondering where those thoughts even come from. Lately, I have been reflecting on the way I relate to other people. Perhaps I've started experiencing this show at a time in my life when I most needed it, and that's why I felt driven to write such a large analysis.
This show poses some very interesting questions about romance that I do not actually know the answer to at the time of writing. I do not know yet how much the show is actually going to explore these themes. Regardless, I appreciate how this show is helping me reflect, and I am curious to see if and how the mangaka will answer some of the questions brought about by the story's themes.
This is a show that I'll most likely have to pace myself with. There was so much to process in this first episode alone. If I went any faster, I'm not sure if I'd even catch all of the details and character moments. I'm excited to move onto the second episode soon.
A highly subjective footnote about my cultured tastes
I'm glad that Kaguya is a sadistic dom with a gentle and vulnerable side, solely on the basis of that being my favorite personality type in a love interest. It also helps that it makes Kaguya's fantasies that much funnier with Shirogane acting so out of character. I feel like this show was made for me.
What was I writing about again? Oh yeah, writing a gigantic wall of text about an anime romcom. Somehow, I spent an entire day on this essay. Hopefully someone got a kick out of it.
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slither of optimism left : s.r
brief summary: along with bucky, after steve was presumed dead you were taken by hydra and made into their weapon. after seventy long years, you’re used in a mission to infiltrate a shield base, unaware of who exactly is inside
word count: 2.6k requested: yes by the very very patient @carinacassiopeiae - honestly you’ve waited so long for this, i really hope you like it warnings: none that immediately come to mind, but if there are any do let me know
(everything on my blog is my own writing. if it is shared on another page or website without being credited, it has not been approved to be shared by me. all rights reserved. - thank you to everyone who helped regarding the wattpad situation, you’re all amazing)
masterlistin’ / permanent taglist
You had no idea what had happened after that man approached you. Pieces of the events that took place that night haunt your memories as you picture a man holding a knife, muttering words that made no sense to you then, but soon would become your entire life.
Before everything, you were a young girl with ambitions to work for a company upstate. You’d been well educated, as best you could for a woman and had it all planned out. But that was before the war, and before you lost two of your closest friends to it all.
To the world, they lost Captain America and members of the Howling Commandos. Yet you lost so much more than that, you lost Steve Rogers, your first and only love alongside your best friend, Bucky Barnes. The duo was always there for you, on hand to cheer you up whenever required. Bucky would always encourage you to say something to Steve, ensuring you the feeling was mutual.
It took a long time for you say anything to Steve about how you felt, but once your feelings were shared you never looked back as he returned a new man, one you adjusted to, but loved nonetheless.
They promised it would be one last mission and then they’d be home, and in truth, it was their last mission; just not in the way they anticipated it.
*
“He, he can’t be.” You tremble as the words leave your lips with despair hanging from every syllable.
Lifting your eyes up, you see her red lips locked in a straight line as she nods, remaining silent. Men stand behind her in a line, holding their hats at their chests as their eyes avoid yours.
“I’m so sorry, Y/n.” Peggy sits beside you, her hand resting on your upper arm. “He truly cared about you.” A smile ghosts Peggy's lips, remembering Steve’s last words before they lost connection to him.
“I, I never got the chance to say a real goodbye.” The realisation hits you in the chest, sending you back as your heart begins to numb. “He, he’s never coming home.” Tears fall from your eyes as you stare straight ahead, forgetting the presence of Peggy and the soldiers as your mind remains in an easier, simpler time. *
The meeting that took place with Peggy didn’t end as it should have. You were escorted from the building as you tried to hold your head high, stop the tears cascading down your cheeks. But you only made it a few feet from the doors before you felt a pair of hands cover your nose and mouth, seeing your eyes widen to the knife before they blurred.
When you first woke up, everything hurt. Never before had you felt the intense burning throughout your body like that. You’d often ran after Steve after pinching a loaf of bread and catching a ride back into town on the end of a truck, but that burn was filled with satisfaction. What you experienced initially was pure fire through your veins, itching to be released.
You had no idea what time it was, who had held you or where you were. The questions that plagued your mind weren’t answered for almost several days as you were starved inside of a cell, your left wrist chained to the wall.
Once you met the figure behind everything, the events that took place are faint in your mind, but the evidence lines your skin. You were taken, beaten, tortured for information on Captain America. *
“I told you,” You cry out. “I don’t know!” You scream as another blade is sliced across your thigh as you wish to curl up and hideaway, but the chains and ropes you’re attached to leave you fully exposed for their fun.
“You do know, Y/n.” A soldier tuts as he wipes the blood from his knife along his sleeve, the HYDRA logo never tainted in the process. “We will get the information from you, one way or another.” He tickles the knife along your temple, moving it away before it penetrates your skin with a sick laugh.
You’re released from the restraints and dragged back to your cell, left once more to suffer in silence along with those hidden behind the large doors that line the corridors you pass every time. *
Years of your life were lost to the restraints of HYDRA, even when you were put into cyro you could hear the things being discussed. You were stuck, without a way out.
At least, that’s what you thought.
It was going to be another mission, alongside the infamous Winter Soldier you heard plenty about. Yet, despite his ranking, your paths had never crossed.
The doors to your room were opened and three men walked in. “Miss.” The man with the green eyes nodded, and you swiftly followed behind him in silence.
You were led down various corridors you knew hid their experiments, many having been performed on you. “Here,” Green eyes motions to a large wooden door with the HYDRA symbol etched into the oak. “he’ll be in there, waiting for you.”
Without having a chance to question who, the doors are opened for you. Someone pushes you inside and shuts the doors before you’re able to process.
“So, you’re her?” The hairs on the back of your neck rise as you mutter nonsense under your breath. “We can’t stay here, we’re needed on the jet.” He instructs, not caring about you keeping your back turned to him.
Slowly, you turn around and catch a glimpse of their Winter Soldier, your oldest friend, Bucky Barnes.
You sat in silence on the jet as you listened to the plan in question. No one was to survive on the opposing side, SHIELD was too much of a threat to spare anyone involved.
Occasionally, you glanced over at Bucky, but he wasn’t the same. You heard the stories of what HYDRA did to him, but knowing it’s him breaks your heart all over again.
“Stop staring.” He tells you bluntly, ignoring your quiet apology before looking up at you. As Bucky focuses on you, something inside of him is screaming out. “Do, do I know you?” He asks as the soldiers remain out of earshot, and he watches as you lift your head up quickly.
“A long time ago, yes.” You mutter. “Do you know who you are?”
A glimmer of hope fades from your gaze as he shakes his head, hiding himself away once more as the soldiers return with the weapons of choice.
“You don’t get out much, do you?” Bucky questions, still keeping his gaze averted from yours.
You knew you shouldn’t be talking to him, not this version of him in this situation. HYDRA kept a close eye on him, and entail, a close eye on you. “Is it that obvious?” You try to joke, but it feels disingenuous. “They mostly keep me asleep.” You mutter, focusing your attention on your gun as you place it into your holster.
“It gets easier with time.” Bucky mumbles as he rises to his feet, you following suit as the barriers descend, revealing a man in a black suit before you both.
“Soldiers.” He nods curtly to the pair of you, a title you’ll never fully adjust to. “All we need you to do is get intel and leave, do not engage with that inside of the SHIELD base. Is that understood?” His eyes fixate on you, the cold green sends a shiver through your spine.
“Understood.” You respond whilst Bucky simply nods, taking out his gun as he walks ahead without you.
“Watch him closely, we don’t want to lose another soldier, Y/n.” The man comments as you walk past, ignoring the cold smirk across his lips as his eyes follow you.
Following closely behind Bucky, he stands beside a tall window. “Get up.” He holds his hands out, but you flinch away. “I won’t hurt you.” He mutters, his eyes on yours and you swear you can almost see a glimpse of Bucky, your Bucky.
“Okay.” You whisper, forcing back every image of the guards grabbing you, the Doctors experimenting on you, torturing you and throwing you aside like dirt.
Bucky hoists you up and you silently climb through the window, disabling the alarm whilst Bucky finds another route in. Cover as much ground as possible, but leave together- that was a requirement, not an option.
Looking around, all you can see are tall grey walls, some painted with numbers as the evening lights illuminate the flooring. “I’m on the 3rd floor, soldier.” You mutter through your comms unit, but Bucky doesn’t respond. “Soldier?” You repeat yourself, only hearing static.
As you turn the corner, you see three armed guards in front of a large metal door. They’re all engaged in conversation, making for the perfect and easiest of targets.
Sliding across one of your tasers, you take a step back as you press the button linked to it as it fires up at the three of them. “Oops.” You mumble as you step over their unconscious bodies, facing the door in question.
It didn’t take you long to override the system, but as you do a series of alarms begin to blare.
“Soldier, what’s your status?” Bucky barks through the comms as you push the door open, immediately seeing files upon files stored.
“I’ve found some files, I’ll gather what I can.” You tell him as you begin to rifle through documents, seeing what exactly could be of use to HYDRA and what is worthless.
Flicking through one file, you glance back into a filing cabinet, filled to the brim. Unable to stop your intrigue, you pull out the file seeing it labelled as ‘Captain America.’
You can feel your heart in your throat as you open it up, seeing a picture of your Steve, the Steve you’ll never forget, no matter how many times you’re brainwashed by HYDRA. Steve was someone locked into your mind, unable to be erased.
“If you wanted to know more about me, just gotta ask.” You tense up as a voice interrupts your thoughts.
Keeping your back turned, you reach for your gun hidden inside of your suit before turning around and aiming it at the man in question.
But as you turn, you lower it from the man's face. “Steve?” Your voice can barely be heard above a whisper as you focus on him. “No, no you, you’re dead.” You tell yourself, more than him as you raise your gun, trying to hide your shaking hands in front of the imposter.
“It can’t be,” Steve speaks up, stepping closer as his shield remains in hand. “I was told you were gone, presumed dead. Y/n, I, it’s me.” He tells you, feeling his heart thudding against his chest at an alarming speed, even for him.
Unable to hold back a short laugh, you smile. “Well, looks like we both got it wrong, Stevie.” You comment. “I, I don’t want to hurt you,” You focus on his eyes, how many nights were spent in his arms looking up at them. “so please, let me leave.” You clear your throat, holding your gun back into position.
“Wait, Y/n, no.” Steve tries to move closer, but you take off the safety. “Are you, are you with them?” You can’t ignore the disgust in his tone or the horror in his eyes as you nod.
“I have no choice, Stevie.” You tell him as tears line your eyes.
“Soldier, mission status?” Bucky chimes in through your comms, and you let out a small gasp.
“They have me, Steve. But, they’ve also got Bucky.” You try to explain. “I know it all sounds insane, but we can’t leave here without information. If, if we don’t come back, they’ll hunt us down.” You plead with Steve, something you didn’t imagine ever having to do.
Steve shakes his head as he reaches out. “I can’t lose you, not when I just got you back.”
“You have to let me go, Steve.” You can’t stop the tears from falling as you fire your gun behind him, shooting a guard as he falls to the ground. “I’m sorry.” You whisper before releasing another enhanced taser, watching as it encaptures him and his shield falls to the ground. “I’ll always love you, Steve.” You hand glides across his cheek as he tries to fight the restraints, but it’s no use.
“Soldier, mission status!” Bucky yells as you grab the files on Captain America, firing at guards and dodging bullets before finding an exit.
“I’m out. Where are you?!” You’re screaming to Bucky as you see your ride out of here insight.
As you run you can feel yourself being weighed down. Not physically, but emotionally. All you can picture is the look of betrayal on Steve’s face, your Stevie after all this time.
“I’m on the jet.” Bucky tells you and you let out a sigh of relief, seeing a figure waiting for you.
But no sooner does the figure raise an arm, it’s encapsulated by an explosion, knocking you back.
“NO!” You scream, looking up at the flames, oblivious to a pair of arms grabbing you, all you can hear are your cries for Bucky as your ears ring senselessly. “Bucky!” You cry out, coughing violently as you look above you, seeing blonde hair covering his forehead.
“You’ll be okay, Y/n.” You listen to his faint voice but focus on his eyes. “We’ll keep you safe.”
*
“So, she’s an old friend, huh?” A voice questions with a light laugh, one unknown to you as you begin to come round.
As you begin to open your eyes, a hand rests on your shoulder, but you’re too weak to fight it off. “Hey, you’re okay. Just, take it easy.” Steve mutters, still trying to comprehend how you’re even here.
Steve watches as your eyes dart around the room, scoping out every possible exit. “B,Bucky?” You stutter, looking up at Steve as you remain tied down to a hospital bed.
Your eyes glance over to another man who lowers his head. “We couldn’t find his body.” Steve tells you, and all you can do is nod, hoping that he might be out there somewhere, away from HYDRA.
“What’re you going to do with me?” You question bluntly, raising an eyebrow, ignoring the pain searing across your forehead.
“How’d you feel about working for us?” The stranger asks you. “I’m Sam.”
“Is this a joke?” You scoff, but as Steve mutters your name, you sigh. “You’re not joking.”
“Y/n, you’ve been under HYDRA’s control for almost seventy years. We know snippets of your history, what happened in there. But, but we want to help you, I, I want to help you.” Steve explains, his fingertips brushing across your cheek.
“They’ll kill me.” You comment, moving your head to remove Steve’s soft touch you once loved. “I’m not the same Y/n, Steve.”
“And I’m not the same Steve, Y/n.” He retorts. “Just, let us help you. If you’re not comfortable, you can go. We can help you start again.”
Focusing on Steve, you can still see the boy who refused to back down from a fight in the alleys of Brooklyn. There’s still something in there that reminds you of home, of what once was. Maybe there’s hope for you, that you can have a fresh start, that you won’t have to return to the restraints of HYDRA.
“Okay, Stevie.” You nod to him, smiling up to him as your hand reaches out for his, feeling his fingertips resting on yours. “I’ll give it my best shot.”
t a g l i s t (thank you for the support!) link in my bio and at the top of this piece to add yourself☺️
@biss-stuff @psychicforest @lourightm @mywinterwolf @justsomedreaming @stanlux17 @supermoonchildbroski @xrosegoldwolfx @courtneychicken @marvelsangels @supraveng @tommy-lee-81 @fandom-princess-forevermore @sarge-barnes-sir @pleasantlysecretdream @decaffeinated–fangirl @howdyherron @kirby-boo @florencxs @eldahae @handmesomecoffee
#steve rogers#steve rogers imagine#steve rogers imagines#steve rogers fluff#steve rogers oneshot#steve rogers angst#steve rogers x reader#steve rogers writing#captain america#captain america imagines#steve rogers au#captain america imagine#captain america oneshot#captain america x reader#captain america au#captain america fluff#captain america angst#avengers#avengers imagine#avengers imagines#avengers fluff#avengers angst#avengers oneshot#avengers x reader#marvel#marvel imagines#marvel imagine
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my number neighbour : part two
brief summary: after a few months of talking back and forth, it’s finally time to meet one another in person. and what a better time to meet than on new years eve in new york city?
word count: 2.4k requested: yesss by so many people! i’m so glad to continue this story :) warnings: literally none. i just love this so much
* masterlistin’ / masterlistin’ 2.0
(everything on my blog is my own writing. if it is shared on another page or website know it isn’t me. all rights reserved. - i have to start doing this as I had some shit on my other blog with plagiarism)
P A R T O N E
when this goes live i’ll be out at a party with friends so I hope you all have a wonderful new years celebrations whatever you may be doing! and thank you for such a memorable year. none of this would’ve been possible without you guys supporting and here’s to 2020 - maybe Ilya will finally notice me lmao. Love you all, stay safe. x
“Okay, so who is down for Miami?” David asks as he draws a line down the whiteboard, making a note of potential locations for everyone to go for New Year's Eve.
Looking around, David makes a note of those holding their hands up. “And those for LA?” Jason speaks up, and David copies down those names again with a small sigh.
“What about Hawaii?” Corinna suggests and a few voices cheer in agreement. “Or Vegas? New York?” Her voice pauses as she raises an eyebrow to David who clears his throat, making a small note at the bottom of the board for these new potential locations.
“Yeah, those sound good.” David mutters to himself, unable to shift his eyes from New York and it does not go unnoticed by the others.
“I think New York sounds like a good option.” Jeff states, smirking as he glances to Jason who gives him a knowing nod. “I heard there’s someone there too that would like to meet you in person.” He adds, and David smiles to himself as he continues to face the whiteboard.
Eventually, David turns around with a smaller smile. “Yeah, she, Y/n is wondering what my plans are.” David shrugs his shoulder, trying to play it off like it’s no big deal when internally, his systems starting shutting down when you asked.
“How long ago did she ask you this?” Jason questions, sitting upright as David focuses on his feet.
“About three hours ago.” David mumbles, unaware of the shared looks of excitement and adoration for his newfound interest in his number neighbour.
“Well,” Jason rises to his feet, standing beside David in front of the whiteboard. “we can’t disappoint Y/n, so those interested in going to New York?” Jason speaks up, and David lifts his eyes to see the majority of hands raised.
Jason pats David on the shoulder, trying to distract David from overthinking the fact he’ll be able to meet you at last. “New York it is.” David says with a smile as he turns around, rubbing off all the other potential locations and circles New York.
*
Rushing around your apartment, you kept swearing under your breath.
“What’s got you all flustered?” Nick questions as he leans against your doorframe, seeing your room having been turned upside down.
You remove your head from the dark depths of your wardrobe as you let out a long sigh. “I’m looking for this one dress. It’s that ivy lacy one, you know?”
Nick chuckles to himself, nodding. “Your slutty but not slutty dress?” He rephrases, watching as you rest your hands on your hips. “But super flattering and makes your ass look great dress?” He forces a smile, seeing you roll your eyes.
“That’d be the one.” You respond before returning to your wardrobe. “I just can’t find it!” You groan and Nick appears by your side.
“Probably because you lent it to your best friend.” He trails off as realisation hits you.
“FUCK!” You yell, collapsing down into the wardrobe in defeat. “Of course she had to go and move to Liverpool.” You shake your head, burying your fingers into your hair.
“Why’d you want the dress so bad anyway?” Nick helps you sit upright, removing you from the dangerous void your wardrobe is. You glance up at him, and watch as it clicks into place in his brain. “No,” He raises an eyebrow and your prolonged silence answers for him. “he, he’s coming to New York?!” He yells and you laugh happily.
“I think so?” You say with a hint of confusion in your tone. “Well, I invited him and his friends,”
“You invited the vlog squad?!” He yells once again, gripping your shoulders tightly. “If you don’t get me a chance with Corinna or Zane I’ll move out.”
You roll your eyes. “You have such a varied taste, Nick.” You joke, ignoring his rambles of how perfect he’d be for any of his friends. “But, he didn’t respond about it yet.” You add, and Nick’s shoulders drop in disappointment.
“He’s missing out if he doesn’t come. New Year’s at ours beats any shitty attempt LA has to offer.” He speaks proudly, ignoring the look you give him.
“Nick, you passed out two minutes after midnight and barely remember any of the party.” You remind him, chuckling as he glares over jokingly.
“Well, I’d remember more if David came so I could finally meet the guy who has you digging up a dress you’ve not worn in two years.” He states and you can’t argue back, knowing it’s true.
You didn’t intend for this to happen, but when you first FaceTimed him, he seemed like a genuinely sweet person. He was kinda shy which you liked, but as your conversation went on the more grounded you both felt talking to one another.
Since the first FaceTime you two had, it became almost daily. Eventually, he told you more about his line of work and it clicked where you knew his voice from. You introduced David to Nick, and Nick screamed down the phone which made you laugh hysterically. Since then, Nick has been a cocktail of love, support and amazement that your number neighbour is David Dobrik.
The sound of your phone pinging made your ears perk up as you resurfaced from old jumpers and darted for your phone.
You manage to narrowly beat Nick, and you squeal as you read David’s message.
“Well?” Nick asks eagerly as you type a response before turning back to face your flatmate.
“We’ve got just over a week to find me a new dress.” You say with a smile as you laugh, feeling Nick lift you off the ground as he hugs you tightly.
*
Fidgeting, you’re barely able to stand still as guests start arriving. You agreed to take a few shots with Nick to help your nerves, but your body seems immune to anything besides growing anxieties.
“Hey, he’ll be here soon.” Nick smiles softly to you and you nod in response, knowing if David would cancel, he’d have the decency to message you first.
A loud knock starts on the front door, and you remain blissfully ignorant as you stand with your back turned, talking to some old friends.
“I gotta admit, I blacked out last year.” One friend tells you, causing you to laugh remembering the whole ordeal.
Sipping your drink, you shake your head. “You and Nick were clearly shot buddies last year then.” You say, watching as she retells the events she can remember, hoping to not repeat them tonight.
As your friend reminisces on 2018 New Years Eve, Nick opens the front door to see David stood with a bright smile and camera in hand.
“Holy fuck.” Nick mutters as David chuckles.
“Hey, Nick.” David speaks up and Nick stutters over his own breath. “I brought some friends with me. This is Zane, Carly, Corinna, Matt and Jeff.”
Everyone waves politely as Nick barely manages to raise his hand to wave back. “It’s good to meet you guys.” Nick manages to force his words out, oblivious to David’s eyes darting around the room in search of you.
“Can we come in?” Corinna speaks up, smiling to Nick who chuckles under his breath before moving aside.
Across the room, your friend's attention is immediately diverted. “Hold on,” She holds your arm, staring straight past you. “you never mentioned him bringing hot friends.” She says with a humourous scoff as you remain cemented on the spot, too afraid to turn around.
“She’s just over there,” Nick moves to stand by David, able to fully compose himself. “you can’t miss her, she’s a stunner in that red dress.” Nick comments with a slight wink as David smiles.
“Thanks, Nick.” David says before Nick walks off in search of Corinna to try and swoon.
Taking a deep breath, David pushes back all the nerves that have built up over the past week. Now is his chance, he flew to come see you, just you. After all this time this is the moment he’s been waiting for since you replied to that first dumb message. Yet, it feels fake, but for once it isn’t a prank.
Walking toward you, David watches as you begin to turn around.
Mentally, you were psyching yourself up for the moment, not sure what to expect.
Neither of you was aware of the eyes pausing, having heard the stories about you two - the number neighbours whose friendship has the potential to blossom. You were the Twitter thread’s idea of fate working its magic.
Facing him, you opened your mouth to speak, but David mirrored your exact actions. “I, erm, hi.” You manage to force the words out, glancing out of the corner of your eye to see Nick facepalm.
David chuckles softly, realising you’re even cuter in person. “Hi, Y/n.” He says softly before bringing you into a hug.
Being in his arms, you began to relax your body from the tension you were holding in. It was comfortable, it felt right being close to him after almost two months of speaking through a screen.
“Oh my god if they don’t end up together I’m going to scream.” Carly comments as the others nod in agreement as you two walk-off elsewhere in the apartment, engaged in conversation.
Whilst talking to one another, hours passed by like minutes. You felt like you had known him your entire life, and the feeling was evidently mutual.
“I can’t believe you’re actually here.” You repeat for the tenth time, and despite your nerves having died down, there is still a small part of your system that is in a permanent state of shock.
His hand slipping down toward yours, David smiles to himself as you intertwine your fingers with his. “I’m glad you invited me. Otherwise, I’d most likely be in some bar in Vegas.” He comments, hearing you scoff lightly.
“How painful that would’ve been for you, Dave.” You joke, hearing him laugh in response.
“So painful. Having to accept free drinks and see Zane drunk,” David sighs heavily. “it’s a hard life.” He comments with a shrug of his shoulder before returning his attention back to you. “But I’m really glad to be here, really.” He squeezes your hand lightly, watching as a smile ghosts your lips playfully.
“I’m glad you came. I mean, I knew we’d meet eventually but, but I’m glad you came for New Years.” You lean against the kitchen counter, looking out from your windows at the hectic citizens thriving below.
David focuses on the features he couldn’t see crisply on video or through photos. He couldn’t see the small dimples or freckles dotted across your face. The iPhone camera never did you the full justice, you’re more beautiful in person than he could’ve anticipated.
“Well, if it means one less single for 2020, I’m all for it.” He comments but as he listens to the words leaving his lips, your hand drops from his. “Wait, I, I meant,” He rambles, but you shake your head.
“I didn’t wanna assume,” You start, both of you stuttering and struggling to find the right words.
“Oh god,” Corinna cringes, looking up to Nick who winces at the sight. “they’re hopeless.”
Nick rests his hand on Corinna’s shoulder for a second, a lightbulb moment occurring. “I’ve got an idea.” He says with a smile. “With Y/n, actions speak louder than words.” He states, glancing to his phone to see the time. “The countdown will start any minute.”
Moving through everyone at the party, Nick walks toward the pair of you. “Oh, hey Nick.” You welcome the interruption, breaking the awkward silence between you and David.
“Hey Y/n, David.” He says with a smile. “Okay, everybody!” Nick claps, offering his hand to you to join him on the kitchen counter.
As you stand beside him, David moves back into the crowd, finding Jeff who looks at him with excitement, only to see it quickly fade. “What happened, dude?” Jeff questions, seeing David looking like a lost puppy.
“I think I fucked it up.” David states, sighing heavily.
“I’m sure you didn’t, David.” Jeff says, patting his back lightly. “I mean, look at her, she can barely take her eyes off of you.” Jeff mutters, motioning up to you as you desperately try to not stare at him.
“So, it’s nearly midnight so everyone pair up!” Nick cheers and everyone rummages through the crowd whilst David nears you, helping you down.
His hands rest on your waist. “I, have you got a kiss at midnight?” David questions, slowly feeling his sense of confidence return around you as you smile to him.
“Is this your way of asking me, Dobrik?” You ask in return.
“If you say yes, that is.” He retorts playfully, watching as you nod.
“I’d love to.” You tell him before moving into the crowd as the countdown begins.
One minute left of 2019, of the decade.
“Do you feel like it’s been worth it?” David turns to face you, wanting to drown out everyone else and focus just on you. “Do, do you regret answering my dumb message when I sent it?”
You scrunch your eyebrows together. “Of course not.” You say as if it were obvious. “You, you coming into my life happened at an almost perfect time. I, I secretly look forward to our calls, knowing you will find a way to make me laugh at something stupid.” You ramble, feeling your heart hammering against your chest.
“After tonight, would you like to go on a date with me?” He questions, but the one thing he’s been wanting to ask you all night is drowned out by the countdown.
“THREE, TWO ONE.”
As everyone reaches one, you rest your hands on David’s cheeks, pulling him closer into you.
The sound of cheers and confetti surrounds you as David deepens the kiss, his arms resting on your wait pulling you closer.
“Happy new year love birds.” Nick yells to you both as you pull away, smiling like idiots.
“Hey, Dave?” You ask, looking up at him. “I’d love to go on a date.” You reply, before kissing him softly. “Happy new year.”
The rest of his friends walk over, joining in the celebrations as the party continues.
But all David can think about is how grateful he is to some dumb trend on Twitter, that he’s able to start a new year with you.
#happy new year!#im really happy with the outcome so thank you for reading#david dobrik#david dobrik oneshot#david dobrik imagine#david dobrik imagines#david dobrik fluff#david dobrik angst#david dobrik x reader#david dobrik writing#vlog squad#vlog squad imagine#vlog squad imagines#vlog squad fluff#vlog squad angst#vlog squad x reader#vlog squad writing#vlog squad oneshot#vlogsquad#vlogsquad imagine#vlogsquad imagines#vlogsquad fluff#vlogsquad angst#vlogsquad x reader
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I’d go so far as to say that the nomination probably saved the site, in fact. For those who need a little background: despite being a small voluntary project the site was nominated for the 2014 Publication of the Year award by Stonewall, the UK’s largest LGBT charity, just nine months after its inception. This was a landmark step in Stonewall’s positive new direction on bi issues. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time Stonewall had specifically nominated a specifically bi publication or organisation for an award. At this point my co-founder, who was taking care of the business side of things, had recently jumped ship and I was seriously considering packing the whole thing in. I won’t lie, I was astonished to read the email.
I’d worked on a publication which won the award under my editorship a few years previously. Unlike Biscuit, however, g3 magazine – at the time one of the two leading print mags for lesbian and bi women in the UK – had an estimated readership of 140,000, had been going for eight years and boasted full-time paid office staff and regular paid freelancers. Biscuit, by contrast, was being dragged along by one weary unpaid editor and a bunch of unpaid writers who understandably, for the most part, couldn’t commit to regularly submitting work.
Little Biscuit’s enormous competition for the award consisted of Buzzfeed, Attitude.co.uk, iNewspaper and Property Week. We didn’t win – that accolade went to iNewspaper – but the nomination was nevertheless, as I say, a huge catalyst to continue with the site. I launched a crowdfunder, which finished way off target. I sold one ad space, for two months. Then nothing. I attempted in vain to recruit a sales manager but nobody wanted to work on commission. Some wonderful writers came and went. There were periods of tumbleweed when I frantically had to fill the site with my own writing, thereby completely defeating the object of providing a platform for a wide range of bi voices.
The Stonewall Award nomination persuaded me to keep going with the site
The departure of the webmaster was another blow. Thankfully by this point I had a co-editor on board – the amazing Libby – so I was persuaded to stick with it. And here we are now. I don’t actually know where the next article is coming from. That’s not a good feeling. But, apart from for Biscuit, I try not to write for free anymore myself, so I understand exactly why that is. As a freelance journo trying to make a living I’ve had to be strict with myself about that. I regularly post on the “Stop Working For Free” Facebook group and often feel a pang of misplaced guilt because I ask my writers to write for free, even though I’m working on the site for free myself, and losing valuable time I could be spending on looking for paid work.
Biscuit hasn’t exactly been a stranger to controversy, in addition to its financial and staffing issues. Its original tagline – “for girls who like girls and boys” – was considered cis-centric by some, leading to accusations that the site had some kind of trans/genderqueer*-phobic agenda. Which was amusing, as at the height of this a) we’d just had two articles about non-binary issues published and b) I was actually engaged to a genderqueer partner, a fact they were clearly unaware of. Now the site is under fire from various pansexual activists who object to the term “bisexual”. To clarify – “girl and boys” was supposed to imply a spectrum and, no, we don’t think “bi” applies only to an attraction to binary folk. The site aims the main part of its content at female-spectrum readers attracted to more than one gender because this group does have specific needs. But there is something here for EVERYONE bisexual. Anyway, it’s a shame all of this gossip was relayed secondhand, and the people in question didn’t think to confront me about it (which at least the pan activists have bothered to do). We damage our community immeasurably with these kinds of Chinese whispers.
Biscuit ed Libby, being amazing
Whilst trying to keep the site afloat, I’ve also been building on the work I started right back when I edited g3, and trying to improve bi visibility in other media outlets. I’ve recently had articles published by Cosmopolitan, SheWired, The F-Word, GayStar News and Women Make Waves and I’m constantly emailing other sites which I’ve not yet written for with bi pitches. Unfortunately, although I am over the moon to be writing for mainstream outlets such as Cosmo about bi issues, it’s been an uphill struggle trying to persuade some editors out there that they have more readers to whom bi-interest stories apply than they might think. It’s an incredibly exhausting and frustrating process.
Libby and I are doing our best with Biscuit. I can’t guarantee that I would be doing anything at all with it if Libby hadn’t arrived on the scene, so once again I would like to mention how fabulous she is. But we desperately need more writers. We need some help with site design and tech issues. We need a hand with the business and sales side of things. We can’t do it without you. And if you know any rich bisexual heiresses who read Biscuit, please do send them our way. 😉
Grant Denkinson’s story
denkinsonpanel
Grant speaks on a panel chaired by Biscuit’s Lottie at a Bi Visibility Day event
So first of all, explain a little about the activism you’re involved/have been involved in.
“I’ve been involved with bisexual community organising for a bit over 20 years. Some has been within community: writing for and editing our national newsletter, organising events for bisexuals and helping others with their events by running workshop sessions or offering services such as 1st aid. I’ve spoken to the media about bisexuality and organised bi contingents at LGBT Pride events (sometimes just me in a bi T-shirt!). I’ve helped organise and participated in bi activist weekends and trainings. I’ve help train professionals about bisexuality. I’ve also piped up about bisexuality a lot when organising within wider LGBT and gender and sexuality and relationship diversity umbrellas. I’ve been a supportive bi person on-line and in person for other bi folks. I’ve been out and visibly bi for some time. I’ve helped fund bi activists to meet, publish and travel. I’ve funded advertising for bi events. I’ve set up companies and charities for or including bi people. I’ve personally supported other bi activists.”
What made you get involved?
“
In some ways I was looking for a way to be outside the norm and to make a difference and coming out as bi gave me something to push against. I’ve been less down on myself when feeling attacked. I’ve also found the bi community very welcoming and where I can be myself and so wanted to organise with friends and to give others a similar experience. There weren’t too many others already doing everything better than I could.”
How do you feel about the state of bi activism worldwide (esp UK and USA) at the moment?
“There have been great changes for same-sex attracted people legally and socially and these have happened quickly. Bi people have been involved with making that happen and benefit from it. We can also be hidden by gay advances or actively erased. We still have bi people not knowing many or any other local bi people, not seeing other bisexuals in the mainstream or LGT worlds and not knowing or being able to access community things with other bis. We are little represented in books or the media and people don’t know about the books and zines and magazines already available. The internet has made it easy to find like-minded people but also limited privacy and I think is really fragmented and siloed. It is hard to find bisexuals who aren’t women actors, harmful or fucked up men or women in pornography designed for straight men. We have persistent and high quality bi events but they are sparse and small.”
What’s causing you to feel disillusioned?
“I’m fed up of bi things just not happening if I don’t do them. Not everything should be in my style and voice and I shouldn’t be doing it all. I and other activists campaign for bi people to be more OK and don’t take care of ourselves enough while doing so. People are so convinced we don’t exist they don’t bother with a simple search that would find us. We have little resources while having some of the worst outcomes of any group. I don’t want to spend my entire life being the one person who reminds people about bisexuals, including our so-called allies. I’m not impressed with the problem resolution skills in our communities and while we talk about being welcoming I’m not sure we’re very effective at it. I’m fed up with mouthing the very basics and never getting into depth about bi lives and being one who supports but who is not supported. I’m all for lowering barriers but at a certain point if people don’t actively want to do bi community volunteering it won’t happen. Some people are great critics but build little.”
What do you want to say to other activists about this?
“Why are we doing this personally? I’m not sure we know. How long will we hope rather than do? Honestly, are there so few who care? Alternatively should we stop the trying to do bi stuff and either do some self-analysis, be happy to accept being what we are now as a community, chill out and just let stuff happen or give up and go and do something else instead.”
Patrick Richards-Fink’s story
085d4de So first of all, explain a little about the activism you’re involved/have been involved in.
“Mostly internet – I am a Label Warrior, a theorist and educator. Here’s how I described it on my blog: “One of the reasons that I am a bisexual activist rather than a more general queer activist is because I see every day people just like me being told they don’t belong. It doesn’t mean I don’t work on the basic issues that we all struggle against — homophobia, heterosexism, classism, out-of-control oligarchy, racism, misogyny, this list in in no particular order and is by no means comprehensive. But I have found that I can be most effective if I focus, work towards understanding the deep issues that drive the problems that affect people who identify the same way that I have ever since I started to understand who I am. I find that I’m not a community organizer type of activist or a storm the capitol with a petition in one hand and a bullhorn in the other activist — I’m much better at poring over studies and writing long wall-o’-text articles and occasionally presenting what I’ve gleaned to groups of students until my voice is so hoarse that I can barely do more than croak.” So internet, and when I was still in school, a lot of on-campus stuff. Now I’m moving into a new phase where my activism is more subtle – I’m working as a therapist, and so my social justice lens informs my treatment, especially of bi and trans people.”
What made you get involved?
“I can’t not be.”
How do you feel about the state of bi activism worldwide (esp UK and USA) at the moment?
“I feel like we made a couple strides, and every time that happens the attacks renewed. I hionestly think the constant attempts to divide the bisexual community into ‘good pansexuals’ and ‘bad bisexuals’ and ‘holy no-labels’ is the thing that’s most likely to screw us.”
What’s causing you to feel disillusioned?
“It is literally everywhere I turn – colleges redefining bisexuality on their LGBT Center pages, news articles quoting how ‘Bi=2 and pan=all therefore pan=better’, everybloodywhere I turn I see it every day. The word bi is being taken out of the names of organisations now, by the next group of up-and-comers who haven’t bothered to learn their history and understand that if you erase our past, you take away our present. Celebrities come out as No Label, wtf is that. Don’t they make kids read 1984 anymore? It’s gotten to the point now that even seeing the word pansexual in print triggers me. I’m reaching the point now that if someone really wants to be offended when all I am trying to do is welcome them on board, then I don’t have time for it.”
What do you want to say to other activists about this?
“Stay strong, and don’t give them a goddamned inch. I honestly think that the bi organizations – even, truth be told, the one I am with – are enabling this level of bullshit by attempting to be conciliatory, saying things that end up reinforcing the idea that bi and pan are separate communities. We try to be too careful not to offend anyone. Like the thing about Freddie Mercury. Gay people say ‘He was gay.’ Bi people say ‘Um, begging your pardon, good sirs and madams and gentlefolk of other genders, but Freddie was bi.’ And they respond ‘DON’T GIVE HIM A LABEL HE DIDN’T CLAIM WAAHHH WAAHHH!’ And yet… Freddie Mercury never used the label ‘gay’, but it’s OK when they do it. And he WAS bisexual by any measure you want to use. But we back down. And 2.5% of the bisexual population decides pansexual is a better word, and instead of educating them, we add ‘pan’ to our organisation names and descriptions. Now, this is clearly a dissenting view – I will always be part of a united front where my organization is concerned. But everyone knows how I feel, and I think it’s totally valid to be loyal and in dissent at the same time. Not exactly a typically American viewpoint, but everyone says I’d be a lot more at home in Britain than I am here anyway.”
#bisexual activism#bisexual activist#bi tumblr#bisexual tumblr#bisexuality#bi#support bisexuality#bisexuality is valid#bi pride#pride#lgbtq pride#lgbtq#lgbtq community#bisexual education#bisexual nation#bisexual rights#support bisexual#bisexual people#support bisexual people#respect bisexual people#bisexual injustice#bisexual justice#bisexual youth#bisexual women#bisexual men#bisexual representation#bisexual#bisexual community#bisexual facts#bisexual info
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Jolene
Pairing: johnny x reader
Genre: jealousy + angst
Warnings: affair, unhappy ending, self conciseness.
Word Count: 1886
A/N: pretty obvious what inspired this lol also, this is a repost from my marvel blog (@sgtduckybucky) so this isn’t plagiarized!
»»————- ♡ ————-««
You and Johnny have been together for nine years now. Four of those nine years, you’ve been married.
You had met in an intro to business class in your freshman year of college. And in your senior year, he had proposed to You. After the both of you graduated, the two of you were married by the sea. It was a beautiful ceremony that involved all of your close friends and family.
You didn’t have any kids yet, but that’s okay. The both of you were happy being married for this long and when the time was right, You knew You’d be pregnant soon as long as the both of you loved each other.
However, things began to change between you.
It all started about a month ago when Johnny returned home with a smile on his lips and a slight bounce in his step.
“Well, look at you all happy and bouncy.” You had commented while placing the salad bowl on the table.
“Hmm, work was good today.” He commented absent minded, stealing a piece of bread and tearing it in half before shoving one half in his mouth.
It wasn’t unusual for Johnny to have a good day at work. He worked as an investor and, although it can be stressful, Johnny loved his job. So it would make sense that he would be happy after work.
“That’s nice, what happened?” You asked, happy that your husband was happy. You listened to his retelling of his day at work, commenting when necessary showing that You were listening and were supporting him.
After that day, everything went down hill. He’d come back home late, claiming that the meetings he was attending lasted longer than they were scheduled.
You bit your lip as your instincts whispered to You that he was lying and that he was hiding something from You, but You ignored it and brushed those thoughts aside.
One day, You decided to go to his office and drop off his lunch, Buchimgae, a favorite Korean dish of his childhood.
“Good morning, Mrs. Seo.” Johnny’s secretary, Jennifer, greeted You brightly, a kind smile on her lips.
“Good morning, Jennifer.” You greeted back with a smile of your own, “Is Johnny available?” You asked.
Jennifer looked down at her notebook then at her wrist watch, “He should be coming out from a meeting right about now.”
“Thank you! Say hi to your mother for me.” You waved at the young woman before making your way to your husband’s office, greeting every worker You recognized.
You turned to the corner and stepped into the hallway that led You to Johnny’s office, but your smile faltered at the scene before You.
Johnny, holding a file open, was standing beside a redheaded woman, laughing at whatever they were talking about. It seemed innocent, yes, but she was standing dangerously close to Johnny, her hand resting on his arm. And the fact that You’ve known your husband for nine years, You could easily read his body language. He was relaxed, and enjoying her company.
Your heels clicked against the wooden floor was You walked to his office, knocking on the door twice before letting yourself in, interrupting the two.
“Honey!” Johnny greeted merrily, failing to hide his surprise of your arrival, “What are you doing here?”
You looked between the woman and your husband, forcing yourself not to sneer at the woman, “I brought you lunch, Your favorite.” Instead, You smiled and extended your hand that was holding the steel container.
“Awe, you’re an angel.” Johnny leaned forward and pecked your cheek, his hand taking the container and putting it on his desk.
“Whose this?” You asked when he pulled away.
You noticed the slight hesitation before Johnny answered, “This is Jolene, the new CEO of the company.” He gestured at her.
“Jolene, this is my wife, Y/N.” He placed his hand on your waist.
“Nice to meet you.” The redheaded woman extended her hand, her fake smile was obvious since it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Like wise.”
»»————- ♡ ————-««
Later that night, You sat in your bedroom, remembering the events of the day. Jolene was a beautiful woman, far more beautiful than You were. It would be unfair to compare the two of you.
Her flaming locks of auburn hair were sleeked back into a professional looking bun. Her skin was an ivory color and her eyes were of emerald green that were more captivating than your own eyes.
You didn’t leave Johnny after being introduced to Jolene, You stayed there a bit longer to try and understand the relationship between your husband and the new CEO.
The two seemed to have their own inside jokes that left Johnny red in the face whenever he laughed too hard, something that You’d never seen before.
She didn’t laugh, only smiled. And her smile, gosh her smile. Her smile was like a breath of spring. And her voice was soft like summer rain. She didn’t sound or look real at all, she reminded You of those robot wives from the movie Stepford Wives with how well dressed she was.
You tried not to blush in embarrassment earlier that day at how simple you looked compared to her. Your hair hung loose, reaching to your mid-back. You were wearing a simple yellow dress that was meant for indoor purposes only. You had no make up on, just a few accessories. You looked like nothing compared to her.
Two months after meeting her, Johnny would return even later than he usually would, later than his “late meetings.” He would return well past one o’clock in the morning.
You’d pretend that You were sleeping as he clumsily and noisily undressed and get under the covers to lie next to You then kiss your cheek.
As he fell asleep, You forced yourself not to cry as your nose was invaded by the strong perfume, the perfume You remember smelling on Jolene when You first met her.
You would stay awake for hours, sat up in bed and just watched as Johnny slept beside You, unaware of the silent tears that You shed.
Unaware of the fact that he talks about her in his sleep. Unaware of the fact that You were silently hyperventilating as he called another woman’s name, her name. Jolene.
It was easily understandable how this happened, how Johnny would return home smelling of her and calling for her in his sleep for she was a very beautiful and charming woman.
»»————- ♡ ————-««
The next day, You decided to meet with Jolene.
You were dressed in all white, lips painted in deep red, lashes coated in mascara and eyelids lined with black eyeliner.
You waited at the reception as Jennifer called Jolene, uncertain on why You wanted to drink coffee with a woman You barely knew.
But Jolene came to the reception, dressed in all red, making her skin look paler and her hair even redder than it is.
Your heart clenched in pain at her beauty, feeling self conscious of your own appearance.
Things were quiet at the cafe. You were tensed while Jolene was awkward, though she made sure not to show it.
“Jolene,” You called her name in a raspy voice, You cleared your throat as she gave You her full attention, “I…I know what you and Johnny are doing.”
She looked unsurprised by this, she looked…bored.
“And I can easily understand how you could easily take my man but you don’t know what he means to me, Jolene.” Your heart was beating faster and faster with every word You uttered.
Johnny, the man You’ve loved for the past nine years, meant the whole world to You. He was your everything. And this…this woman just waltz in and takes him away from You without knowing about the damage she’s causing.
“Jolene, I’m begging of you please don’t take my man.” Your voice broke off at the end as your throat ran dry at the thought of Johnny leaving You for her, “Please don’t take him just because you can.”
Jolene didn’t say anything. She wanted You to let everything off of your chest and let You have your moment. After all, she had Johnny wrapped around her finger and the fact that You came to see her is evidence for her that Johnny would be making a big decision soon. She made sure not to smirk at that fact.
“You could have your choice of men.” You stated, eyes roaming over her body and her beautiful face.
She chuckled awkwardly while not unkindly rolling her emerald green eyes.
“But I could never love again,” Your voice sounded weak, “He’s the only one for me, Jolene.” You reached your hand across the table and held onto hers.
You’ve loved Johnny for so long that You weren’t sure how You could move on from all of this and love someone else. You’ve never loved anyone before Johnny, never even been in a single relationship before being with him. You were sure that, if God forbid, he divorced You, it would end You.
“I had to have this talk with you, my happiness depends on you and whatever you decide to do, Jolene” You clenched her hand tightly, your eyes begging her with the words that were difficult for you to utter.
Please don’t take Johnny away from me. I would die without him, he’s the world to me. Please, Jolene.
Jolene lowered her gaze to her hand being held by yours then locked gazes with your eyes, eyes that were filled with desperation and pain.
Wordlessly, she let go of your hand and stood up to leave the cafe.
You sat alone, stunned. Positive that she would take Johnny away from You. An affair was one thing, but him leaving You for another woman, now that was too much.
Quietly, You too exited the cafe and stepped out into the rain.
»»————- ♡ ————-««
“Honey, is that You?” Johnny called out from your bedroom while You closed the house door and hung your raincoat.
“Y-yes.” You cleared your throat.
“Did you go somewhere?” He asked stepping into the living room while tying his tie.
“You’re leaving?” You asked.
“Yeah, we’re having dinner with important clients.” He answered while standing in front of You, his tie loose and crumpled.
Quietly, You gripped his tie and began tying it.
You inhaled sharply as Johnny wiped away your tear with his thumb. He cupped your cheeks, bringing your face upwards and kissed your lips for a few seconds, mouth unmoving. A soft pop reached your ears as he pulled away.
You dropped your hands once You finished with his tie.
He looked down and smiled at your work.
“Gotta go,” He pecked your cheek.
“I love you.” Johnny said before quickly exiting your house.
“I love you too.” You said hoarsely, numbly walking to your bedroom and sitting on your bed.
One, two, three tear drops landed on your hands before You brought them up to cover your face and cried, cried loudly at your marriage falling apart.
When You were done crying, hiccuping every few seconds, You wordlessly got up and took out one of the large suitcases You kept under your bed and dumped all of your clothes into it. Numbly, You put on your coat and left the house without looking back.
#kwritersworldnet#johnny x reader#johnny seo x reader#johnny seo scenario#johnny seo imagine#johnny x you#johnny seo x you#nct imagines#nct scenario#nct x reader
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Do you think you will ever write more dimension hoppers?
Due to popular demand and because I have no self-control here is part 6 based off the wonder fic C’est La Vie by the ever-talented @cywscross which everyone should read since it’s in my personal opnion the best Harry Potter fic out there.
Neville watched as Black and Evans walked around the courtyard with narrow eyes, keeping himself out of sight ( and hopefully out of smell/hearing range as well) behind a second-floor pillar near a window. Evans was saying something that might have been humorous if Blacks quirking smile and shaking shoulders were any indications.
It was still mind-blogging to see Black laugh. Neville could count how many times he saw the Black Heir openly laugh throughout their five-year feud and still have some fingers left over.
Sure, the werewolf didn’t show much emotion around crowds but over the time in which the Golden Trio has been stalking them, he’s gotten glimpses of broad smiles and chuckles that he hadn’t been aware of the other male could even do. (Wasn’t that just a nauseating thought? Neville had to remind himself that Black was Potter’s partner in crime otherwise he fell like a monster for allowing that to happen)
And it was all due to the student with the highest possibility of being the Heir of Slytherin.
Neville didn’t mean to suspect the new transfer, really he didn’t, but ever since Halloween students people have been getting petrified left and right with no leads on who it could possibly be. Ron had been the first one to point out just how convenient it was that Evans arrived this year with a werewolf and a trio of Slytherins of all things at his side.
More so how utterly calm he was when the first attacked happened. No one could be that unaffected by such an event unless they knew about it beforehand in his friend’s words.
Hermione was still on the fence about that theory seeing as Evans didn’t sound like a Pureblood name, which means it was highly unlike he was attacking other muggle-born students but she did admit he could be a Halfblood who had terrible morals regarding muggle-borns and out of everyone he seemed to be the only student smart enough to pull it off.
Neville could agree. One had to be completely unaware of everything around them to not notice just how advance the second year was. He excelled at nearly all his classes with frustrating ease, dazzling all the teachers with his brilliant mind and his ability to finish homework packets in one night instead of the week it took others.
He also has uncanny charisma.
The first time they spoke face to face, Neville had watch his green eyes travel up to his forehead taking in the lightning scar. He expected the other boy to turn in a fumbling fanboy but instead Evans had stuck out his hand, introduced himself and acted as if though The-Boy-Who-Lived title meant absolutely nothing.
To him, Neville Longbottom was just Neville Longbottom, nothing more, nothing less.
It was a refreshing change.
Evans then took this wonderful change a step further, having noticed Creevy chasing Neville around with his horrid muggle camera during one of their shared classes. The muggle-born apparently got a kind but firm talking to about invading Neville’s privacy from the Hufflepuff and the kid actually listen enough to even apologize to the Griffindor’s face.
If Evans didn’t keep such troubling company, maybe they could have even been friends. But Ron was right. Just because Evans didn’t seem to be on Potter’s side - that wonderful nose breaking fight at the beginning of the year came to mind whenever he needed a smile- didn’t mean he could be trusted. The redhead claim that he knew something was off about the transfer the moment he shopped at his family store.
He watches you Ron had said during Evans’ sorting He keeps track of everything you do, the bloody creep.
If one of his best friends didn’t trust the Hufflepuff then Neville would be wary of him too. He hadn’t been all that suspicious of him being the Heir until Colin Creevy turned up petrified. When he was found the first year had been clutching a bowl of grapes and an envelope addressed to Evans.
No one but the green eye teen knows what was inside that envelope.
Then after an argument in the dueling club where Justin Finch-Fletchley had repeated some less then favorable words regarding werewolves in Evans’ earshot the boy was discovered petrified in the hallway alongside Nearly Headless Nick who had invited Evans to his Death Party.
if all the victims were connected to Evans then it only made sense that he was the Heir running around hurting people. Neville just had to prove it.
“Come on,” Ron says looking down the hallway from his right making sure no one was around. Lowering his voice he contuined “Hermione has the polyjuice ready. If we’re going to do this, we need to do it now.”
The two boys quickly made their way to the girls’ bathroom, ducking in quickly with the pieces of hair they managed to steal off of Zabini and Nott (Neither could get close enough to Malfoy). Hermione had stolen some from a first-year Ravenclaw that Evans like to talk to even though the girl was a loon.
“We have one hour” Hermione warns them once she completed the potions. “Evans usually spends his free period reading Ancient Runes books on the third-floor window sill waiting for Black’s class to be over. Its the only time he’s alone.”
“Right. All we have to do is get him to confuse to being the Heir but Evans is smart. Don’t be too pushy or he’ll figure out something is wrong” Neville says looking at his best friends, “He’s dangerous and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
The three chugged their potions in separate stales, emerging after minutes of gagging and changing. They eyed each other for a moment in wonder at the fact that it works before quickly making their way up to the third floor. Zabini is taller then Neville, everything from his point of view looks different and it was downright bizarre to be able to see over people’s heads.
He hopes he can be this tall someday because while strange, it’s cool to be tall.
Finally, he spots Evans. The Hufflepuff is right where Hermione said he be, casually reading an Advance Runes Academic Journal that was recently published with a content little smile. Next to him, on the window sill are papers and an open muggle notebook.
He didn’t seem like a sociopath but they never do, do they?
Neville opens his mouth to greet the other second year as much as Zabini fashion as he could. But he doesn’t get the chance to make a sound since the book is snap close in an instant.
Evans looks up sharply at them when they approach. It’s such an intense stare the three stumble a little and his green eyes feel like fire. For a moment, Neville feels like he��s a fumbling foot soldier standing before a war-general and he’s lacking in anything intelligent to say.
Ron-as-Nott makes a nervous noise that sounds shockingly like the real deal when he asks. “Is something wrong Evans?”
It seems to be the right thing to do since Evans relaxes smiling at them in …amusement? “No nothing at all. Sorry, Theo you just surprised me, is all. Why aren’t you in class?”
“I wanted to chase the Crumple-Horned Snorkack,” Hermione-as-Luna says airly having thought up her excuse long before Ron and Neville. Both boys were just going to claim to need the bathroom or something. “I saw them run this way. Have you seen them, Hadrian?”
Delight blooms on the transfer’s face. “No, I didn’t see where they went, Luna. But we can try looking for them together if you want? It’s not a good idea to run off by yourself what with the attacks and all.”
Oh boy. He’s brought up the attacks so quickly! This might be easier then he thought.
“We don’t have to worry about that now do we?” Neville-as-Zabini tried to say as snobby as he could. He’s never heard the other boy speak in anything other then a stuck up tone though to be fair Blaise Zabini didn’t really talk. He was quite like Black.
Evans’ face twitches. It’s difficult to say what the ripple of emotion going through his expression is but Neville is almost positive it’s straight-up amusement. He then dips his chin with a soft hum. “You might not think so Blaise, but whoever is attacking people seems to be going after anyone alone. It’s better safe than sorry.”
What?
“If you say so,” Ron says rolling his eyes like Nott does when a teacher lectures the snakes on something. “I just don’t want to go back to class anytime soon. I hate this block.”
“I thought Charms was your favorite class Thoe?” Evans says with a raised brow.
“I-it is! I just…today lesson is boring that’s all. I already know it and I can’t understand why we waste time going over it again and again” Ron tries to cover his mistake. “Probably because of those Gryffindorks.”
Neville wants to slap his forehead but that’s not something he thinks Zabini would do. Next to him, Hermione shifts around, playing with a lock of Lovegood’s hair and tilting her head upwards as if though she was seeing the creature the strange blond claim she saw.
Evans smiles. “That makes sense. Also, I thought we agree you wouldn’t be using that word anymore.”
Ron blinks in confusion so Evans tacks on “Gryffindorks. We agree you stop using it.”
Right this conversation was really going off the rails, time to get everyone back on track because they didn’t have time to go over the fact Evans apparently tried to get the Slytherins to stop using certain words. That was a thought for another time.
Maybe one where Neville wasn’t feeling bad that Evans was evil because he seemed like an okay kind of bloke.
“Do you really think we be in danger?” Neville asks scoffing at the end of his words. “Especially you Evans?”
“I might not be muggle-born, Blaise, but being Half-blood still puts me in danger,” Evans answers mildly. He is cleaning up his stuff which allows the Golden Trio to trade confuse looks behind his back. “My mom being muggle-born might be close enough to attempt to petrified me.”
“Your mom is a muggle-born?” Hermione blurts confuse then quickly realizes she needs to act loonier so she adds “Did that mean she was surrounded by nugglerals?”
Evans looks over his shoulder at them as he swings on his shoulder bag “Yes. Before she died”
“Oh.”
There is a pause before Ron seems to want to move on. “Do you think they deserve it? Those M-mudbloods?”
He only stumbles over the word a little but Evans still turns around with a glare that could freeze over hell. “I just told you my mom was a muggle-born and you dare to use that word?”
Oh, Merlin, they’re going to die. Evans is pissed and it’s terrifying. Neville barely holds back a whimper as the other boy marches towards them with death in his eyes but he walks by them with a huff. Ron, who had frozen up in terror, relax with a sigh of relief.
The Hufflepuff leaves without a single word, his anger quite and cold. For some reason, Neville feels sick to his stomach as if though he just upset Gran.
“I think that didn’t go as well as we hope” Hermione sighs.
“No.” He agrees, hand over his stomach “No it didn’t”
Three days later Orion Black releases a noise that sounds very close to a wounded and outrage animal when Hadrian Evans’ body is found curved over Luna Lovegood’s terrified expression in an obvious attempt to shield her from whatever petrified them.
It’s a good thing he did, because, according to Hermione she would have died the moment a second later for looking into a Basilisk’s eyes unprotected. Thank goodness she was able to piece it together and the Trio was able to find the real culprit soon after that.
Who knows what would have happened to Ginny if they were a few days too late?
The werewolf is the one that sniffs out Ginny for them, as the Golden Trio is forced to create a shaky alliance with the teen who is determined to avenge his pack. Hadrian is apparently the only person outside his parents that Black counts as pack and it doesn’t take Neville long to realize it’s due to his crush on his best friend. It breaks his heart a little to see Black’s devastated eyes when they visit the victims in the medical wing.
He fights against Tom Riddle just as wild and as vicious as his condition makes him.
Neville can only hope they all come out of this alive. He can’t die without apologizing to Evans for deceiving him. Especially after finding out Evans had been doing his best to defend the Boy-Who-Live against the other houses who thought he was the Heir.
Orion kicks Tom Riddle between the legs as hard as he can sneering and Neville can’t find it in himself to even wince. That werewolf strength makes the crack sound and the scream from mini-Voldemort all that much more satisfying.
#Harry Potter#Anonymous#Au: Dimension Hoppers Store#Part 6#c'est la vie#OrionXHadrian#Neville's pov#So Hadrian made himself some enemies for being friends with Slythrian firsts#He could tell right away those three were the Goldren Trio#He reconized thier footsteps#This is more plot base#Yes I know Hadrian would be able to beat the Basilisk#But Luna would have died and he couldn't let that happen#Neville is a good bean#ORION IS OUT FOR BLOOD#Once Will hears about his heads are going to roll#16 year old Tom Riddle is not prepared for pissed off Werewolf#I lost track of this one#Sorry for the long wait!
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Week 2 Blog Post Due 9/2/20
How is slacktivism present in 2020?
According to the reading, slacktivism is “feel-good online activism that has zero political or social impact” (Fuchs 2017). The Black Lives Matter movement has received more attention this year more than ever. So many lives have gone without justice, such as Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Many people were on social network accounts like Instagram to like posts regarding how to get justice for these individuals. Those likes had no political or social impact. To continue, many people did share petitions on their social network accounts but did not sign them. Folks share these posts for about a day or so and then stopped, which shows they felt this was a trend. Currently, Breonna and George have still not received justice, and more black folks are being killed due to systemic racism within this country. Slacktivism is present in 2020 because folks are only reposting and liking links to political change but are not putting in the effort towards the political change. Many people feel good after reposting or liking a specific post but fail to understand there was no political or social impact. The energy of reposting and liking a post should go into signing petitions and calling representatives and demanding justice for individuals like Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
How do social network sites go hand and hand with resources?
The reading compares frequently accessed websites from the year 2000 to the year 2013 and finds a difference in the list of websites. In the reading, the author found “the difference is that these platforms now include social networking sites” (Fuchs 2017). Social network sites have become even more popular in 2020, such as Instagram and Twitter. Instagram has made it easier to access resources to specific links like petitions by allowing users to attach links in their bio and on their stories. Also, Instagram has even made resources available in their stickers for stories. Currently, Instagram has included a register to vote sticker, which allows people to register to vote by clicking the sticker and following the link. Twitter has also made ads where you can click to access links to COVID-19 websites with test site locations. Social network sites go hand and hand with resources by creating fun ways such as stickers on stories be attached with links to resources such as voter registration.
How are people still unaware and misinformed of current events even though we have so many news outlets?
In “News for all the People” the authors describe how “we are literally drowning in news and information” (Gonzalez and Torres 2012). In 2020 many people get news from so many different sources such as the newspaper, radio, tv stations, magazines, and even social networks. Twitter has become the most popular social network where people get their news from due to topics always trending. People are still unaware of current events due to not using resources like social networks such as Twitter to get their information. Also, people are misinformed about current events because they do not look for reporters, journalists, or news outlets that they like or share a connection with. Many people settle for televised news because it is convenient due to there being hourly reports. However, people instead need to look for news outlets that do not have a particular bias, whether it be racial or political. I have found two news outlets I like, such as NPR and Five-Thirty-Eight.
How have news outlets pulled away from racist views?
Referring to “News for all the People,” the author claim “newspapers, radio, and television played a pivotal role in perpetuating racist views among the general population” (Gonzalez and Torres 2012). News outlets vary across the country, and some are openly racist, especially in certain cities where racism is common. However, news outlets such as NPR are located in Washington, D.C, where they strive to pull away from racist views. NPR reports news from both liberal and conservatives viewpoints in terms of politics. Also, NPR has many BIPOC reporters on their team. Also, in terms of television, more shows are including more BIPOC actors and actresses such as the show POSE. Television has also pulled back from portraying racism to be acceptable and instead challenges racist ideas within tv show characters.
González, J., & Torres, J. (2012). News for all the people: the epic story of race and the American media. Verso.
Fuchs, Christian. 2017. Social Media: A Critical Introduction. 2nd Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
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