#I hate using the same image twice but oh my god it’s literally him
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
tsuwumugiaowoba · 1 year ago
Text
Tumblr media
51 notes · View notes
sugar-omi · 27 days ago
Note
Before I say anything else, I swear to god I’m not a purist or one of those weirdos who value virginity or think premarital sex is wrong
BUT do you think Rockstar Cove would feel bad (not exactly guilty, unless you like him pathetic like that like I do, but more like regret) about being a hoe before meeting MC? Like yeah he fucked around a lot for fun but now he knows none of it could measure up to doing it with MC, who he would literally move heaven and earth and kill his lifelong dream for and his first time would’ve been so different if it was with the one he loved
Bonus if MC is a virgin because I think that would definitely make him feel guilty for not “waiting” for them and not “giving” them his first time (again, not for religious reasons or anything, just because of emotional intimacy)
I love torturing him and wanna see him in distress hahaha 😈
first of all- SAME. i feel like, i might come across as religious sometimes, all imma say is dont ask me SHIT abt the bible or religion or anything. i fell asleep every time i went to chruch and god is SICK of me using his name in my filthy smut fics, i know it
BUT OMG YES. this this this...
i like to imagine he doesn't sleep around too much, he needs a bit of a connection for that, plus he's a celebrity so he can't sleep around nearly as much unless he's trying to get a fan pregnant or get a new stalker. so his body count isn't through the roof, but it certainly isn't low...
but he is at the very least a flirt. he'll flirt with you up and down the street, maybe even eat you out/suck you off, and if you're really lucky, get your back blown the fuck out.
when he meets MC though... all of that is over the second you make eye contact. he's obsessed with you, cant get you out of his head and he needs to see you again, needs to hear your voice and your laugh... he's totally done for, all he wants is you now and he's never felt like that before...
doesn't really know how to act because he hasn't been a long-term or one-person man until now but he absolutely cannot let you go.
if you've never been in a relationship before, it's been awhile since your last date, or only in one or two relationships that were more or less serious, he's anxious about being perfect for you.
he doesn't wanna scare you off, as if his fame and public image isn't bad enough.
oh my god if he learns you're a virgin though... he's dead. his heart has stopped...
immediately asks if you're serious, and what the fuck, and now he's worried you won't wanna have sex with him, would you trust him to take your v-card? has he slept with too many people for you to be comfortable with sleeping with him? is or would he be taking advantage of you? what if you hate having sex with him?
he's spiraling. he's thinking too many thoughts and its up to you to bring him down and tell him that you trust him, you wanna have sex with him and you are sure you won't hate it.
omg when he tells you how he wishes he could've given you his virginity, that he wishes he waited for you. you have to laugh, he's so silly... because how was he supposed to know that he was gonna meet the love of his life? if he knew, would he have believed it and waited or laughed and went about his business?
when you do finally decide to have sex... cove goes the full 9 yards, takes you on a lovely vacation, buys you anything and everything you look at twice, gets the most expensive hotel room he can find and spoils you absolutely rotten.
has the lights down low, candles lit and flickering gently along the absurdly luxurious room and he takes care of you.. slowly undressing you, kissing every inch of skin and whispering sweet nothings.
pulls you apart with his tongue again and again until you're weak and trembling, begging him to hurry up and just move onto the good part...
he doesn't fuck you, he makes love to you. it's all so sweet and intimate that even he can't help but feel like it's his first time again, his heart beating nervously and he's a bit shaky, moving automatically in ways he knows from experience.
he would cry, he has his arms around you, hardly moving his hips in a way that's satisfying to your long aching body because he's so intent on being gentle with you, treasuring you and tending to you...
cries and tells you how much he loves you, how much he treasures you and that he'll take care of you forever. that you're his soulmate, begs you drunkenly not to leave him and be his forever, to stay with him and love him and let him love you and spoil you. that he'll give you everything he has, materially, mind, body, and soul, everything is yours.
he promises that you're the only one for him now, that no one else will or could ever take your place and that he's always going to be yours in the end.
if this is what your first time is like.. jesus fucking christ, imagine him proposing to you.
51 notes · View notes
hils79 · 1 year ago
Text
Hils Watches My School President - Ep 1 (part 1)
Time for another Thai drama. I don't know a huge amount about this one other than it's a BL and a few friends have said it's good.
Tumblr media
Should be surprised it's a college drama. Most of them are. Waiting to see which of them is an engineer and which one is an architect :D Anyway, I'm familiar with a lot of this network's actors because they tend to use a lot of the same ones in their BLs but I do not know this guy!
Tumblr media
Apparently there has been band drama. I'm assuming we're going to jump into a flashback at some point
Tumblr media
Even more drama!
Tumblr media
Why does this guy look more like a stripper than a security guard?
Tumblr media
OH! BWAHAHA! That'll be why!
Tumblr media
Ah! The title character!
Tumblr media
Oh it was all a dream! Of course!
Tumblr media
I thought music club was where the cool kids hung out
Tumblr media
Aww I miss The King's Avatar
Tumblr media
So, the dude on the left got into a fight at battle of the bands because a rival band was hitting on his girlfriend. And their punishment is...to win the next battle of the bands? Amazing.
Tumblr media
Ah, hence the nightmare about getting shut down at battle of the bands. And I think they might be high school students rather than college students given the shorts. God I feel a million years old.
Tumblr media
Haha! Oh no the vice principal who wanted to shut their club down for the fight is now the principal.
Tumblr media
Oh no the principal's son is hot. Where's my popcorn I think I see where this is going...
Tumblr media
Harsh. What do you consider a benefit to the school to be?
Tumblr media
I wonder who the school president is...
Tumblr media
Oh, wait, apparently there isn't a school president yet
Tumblr media
Haha! He has such supportive friends
Tumblr media
Of course the principal's son is also running for school president. God, I have no idea what anyone's name is yet
Tumblr media
Even his friends think the other guy is hotter
Tumblr media
Is this supposed to be a bad thing? I would totally join a club that sits around streaming dramas. Who among us hasn't wanted to watch their fave show 8 times in a row?
Tumblr media
All of this is just making their club sound cool, my dude
Tumblr media
Somehow everyone is cheering for the boring dude. Maybe because his mother is in charge?
Tumblr media
Boring dude won! Was it rigged because his mother is the principal?
Tumblr media
He sounds like a cop!
Tumblr media
Good lord this episode has been on for 17 minutes and we've only just hit the credits
Tumblr media
Ah I forgot how blatant Thai drama product placement is. Mind you it was pretty bad in The King's Avatar too (I see you Pepsi)
Tumblr media
Oh no he's mocking them with tasty food!
Tumblr media
Okay, the school president cop is called Tinn. That's one name learned.
Tumblr media
Wow you have literally spoken twice, he hates you, and you're hitting on him. I mean points for trying.
Tumblr media
I'm sorry they're a what???
Argh fuck I've hit the image limit and I'm only halfway through the episode. I guess I'll split it into 2 parts. I forgot Thai drama eps are almost as long as k-drama eps
Part 2
11 notes · View notes
makeste · 4 years ago
Text
BnHA Chapter 295: So How Are You Holding Up (Because I’m a Potato)
Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi randomly and graciously decided to answer all of our long-standing questions about Mr. Compress, including “is he secretly hot,” “is he secretly related to that Robin Hood thief guy,” and “is he ever going to use his quirk to chain chomp a hole right through his ass??” with the answer to all three being “yes, of course.” As for our follow-up questions, “sir, is Mr. Compress going to die,” and “holy shit,” his answers were, respectively, “wait and see,” and, “I understand, really I do, but that isn’t actually a question.” Well, he’s got us there.
Today on BnHA: Horikoshi finally ends the War arc with the speed and grace of an overworked college student scrambling to BS their entire midterm essay with five minutes left before the deadline. Deku’s Spidey Sense is all “what up, I exist, p.s. you’re in danger kid” like oh shit, no, you think?? Compress is all “I’m not gonna die but I am going to pass out and be captured” and honestly, at this point I’ll take it. Spinner is all “Tomura you can have this one last Souvenir Hand I found that was in the oven for too long” and slaps it on his face because HE’S JUST TRYING TO BE HELPFUL, SHUT UP. Dabi is all, “[currently in a marble].”Tomura is all “actually, I’m AFO.” AFO is all “hahahahaha” and summons all of the remaining Noumus to cart him and Spinner and Dabi off to safety. Deku is all “DAMMIT TOMURA I’M REALLY MAD AT YOU FOR KILLING, AND I QUOTE, ‘AN UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE’, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, GET THIS, I TOTALLY WANT TO SAVE YOU TOO! LMAO ISN’T THAT WILD.” Fandom is all “OH MY GOD, NO WAY, is what we would say if we had literally never met Deku before, I guess.” And then the arc just ends, lol. See you in the new year, kids.
WAKE UP, LINK... I MEAN, DEKU
Tumblr media
jesus christ Vestiges, not a one of you guys has got any chill at ALL. LISTEN TO ME. THIS CHILD IS DEAD. HE IS DECEASED. LOOK AT HIM. HE’S LYING THERE ALL DAZED WITH HIS ARMS AND LEGS TURNED INTO GREEN PUDDING AND YOU’RE ALL “GET UP LAZYBONES” LIKE I SWEAR TO GOD. CAN HE JUST REST?? CAN YOU ALL JUST CALL IT A DRAW WITH THE VILLAINS ALREADY SO WE CAN FINALLY END THIS TRAUMATIC ARC AND MOVE ON TO THE NEW “TRIAGE AND ROBOT LIMBS FOR EVERYBODY” ARC INSTEAD
LIE BACK DOWN YOU IDIOT!!
Tumblr media
no you didn’t pass out because of a ~heatwave~, you passed out because he set you on fire while you were out here shooting Blackwhip out of your mouth with your SPINDLY ACCORDION LIMBS dangling uselessly from you like WINDCHIMES you RIDICULOUS BOY
“where’s Todoroki-kun” oh shiiiiiiit. right. god I hope someone caught him. BAKUGOU OWES HIM A FAVOR, HOW ‘BOUT IT
OH NEVER MIND HE APPARENTLY CAUGHT HIMSELF??
Tumblr media
Todoroki Shouto has really highkey been the MVP of the entire fourth quarter of this arc. he deserves the world, and odds are all Horikoshi’s going to give him are lasting trauma, and a souvenir shirt that says “I survived this stupid arc and all I got was this t-shirt”
anyway now Deku’s being hit by a Lightning Bolt of Realization or some such? idk what’s going on, but I bet you it’s related to Tomura waking up again
OH SHIT??
Tumblr media
LOL WHAT. THAT’S IT?? SPIDEY-SENSE?? I mean we all predicted Spidey-Sense being one of his quirks like ages ago, so Well Done, Us, I guess
but also, seriously?? all of that drama and intrigue about the fourth user’s quirk and this is what we end up with? what was All Might being so cagey about then? how did this dude die? I need answers goddammit. new, better answers lol
maybe it’s something to do with the fact that Deku keeps talking about how his head hurts?
Tumblr media
I mean, for Deku of all people to be all “ouch that hurts”, it must really fucking hurt, you know? like oh my god Deku are you dying
lmao and SPEAKING OF PEOPLE WHO APPARENTLY DON’T FEEL PAIN
Tumblr media
this man is out here FROLICKING, half-naked and half-torsoed, AND STILL FEVERISHLY RATTLING OFF HIS MONOLGOUE. YOU HAVEN’T EVEN ESCAPED YET YOU DINGUS. did watching Dabi pour bleach over his head inspire you to think of interesting new ways you could abuse your own body for the sake of Theatrics?? why are villains Like This
anyway so now Mirio’s punching him, because what else are you even supposed to do in this situation
Tumblr media
I read this speech bubble three times in a row very carefully this time around just to make sure I was reading the words right. and then looked for a T/L note below. and there was none. whatever RHA, at least you all are out here enjoying yourselves
wait what?
Tumblr media
I guess he hasn’t woken up yet after all?? so then wtf is Deku’s Spidey Sense getting all worked up about. I mean to be fair there’s danger all around them still so having a Spidey Sense in this kind of situation is kind of like bringing a smoke alarm to a BBQ
now what
Tumblr media
wait did he put them back in the marble?? or is that panel just meant to show us how they were in the marble earlier?? Horikoshi please make this less confusing, I’m already having trouble staying focused as it is. and on top of everything else Compress is cascading blood like Niagara Falls right now and I’m starting to wonder if you really are going to kill him off
anyway so Mirio is still in mid-punch, and now he’s reaching out to punch Spinner with his other hand. heh. Mirio please be careful Tomura is right there, and I swear to god Horikoshi IF HE LAYS A HAND ON HIS SWIRLY BLOND HEAD SO HELP ME I WILL MAIL YOU A VIAL OF MY TEARS
okay seriously what the hell is happening
Tumblr media
when you attach?? everyone?? to your body?? whose body?? who is this??
oh wait okay it’s a flashback to Tomura talking about his Hands
Tumblr media
lmao this is so disjointed, I can’t tell what’s a flashback and what isn’t and whose thoughts these are lmao I give up. I’m just going to fire up a bunch of question marks until this starts making some goddamn sense. ???????
??????
Tumblr media
????????
-- !!!!!!!!!!!
Tumblr media
okay hold up. so did Spinner just slap Tomura’s last remaining Signature Fashion Hand onto his face just now for absolutely no reason?? is that what’s going on?? and fuck me but it actually worked too, lmao. is your buddy unconscious and unresponsive to stimuli?? no problem, just slap ‘em in the face with a burnt and shriveled severed hand. works every time
p.s. I SWEAR TO GOD HORIKOSHI. IF YOU TOUCH MIRIO!!! HE’S A GOOD BOY LEAVE HIM ALONE
??????????
Tumblr media
OKAY WELL. I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WTF IS HAPPENING, BUT AT LEAST MIRIO’S NOT DEAD. KACCHAN GOT BLOWN AWAY THOUGH SOB. HOW IRONIC THAT THE GOD OF EXPLOSION MURDERS WOULD BE MURDERED BY AN EXPLOSION WHILE I WAS BUSY SAYING “OH MY GOD”
ohhhhhh, okay. so this is AFO’s narration
Tumblr media
and that’s a partial answer to the question of “why did AFO bother raising Tomura up as his heir if he was planning on taking over his body the whole time.” apparently it makes it easier to control him. joy :’)
also this image of a potato wearing a Tomura wig is sending me fjkllkhl
oh my god he summoned all the Noumu to him like Aquaman and his sea creatures. this whole situation just keeps on getting better
-- oh hell no. oh fuck me, fucking shit
Tumblr media
SHIT SHIT SHIT. I’M SORRY SPINNER, TOMURA CAN’T COME TO THE PHONE RIGHT NOW
oh my god. I fucking hate everything right now oh my god
Tumblr media
I GUESS WE FIGURED OUT WHAT DEKU’S SPIDEY SENSE WAS WARNING HIM ABOUT, THEN ಠ_ಠ
fucking great!! so I guess nobody is getting a happy ending today, then. the heroes got their asses handed to them (sorry Compress, it’s a figure of speech, didn’t mean to be disrespectful); Deku and Kacchan died; Shouto’s evil brother came back from the dead to ruin his life; everyone and their dog lost various limbs; and the villains have now lost Twice (dead), Compress and Machia (presumably going to be captured), and now their fearless leader’s body has been completely taken over by AFO, which is such an unsexy development that it managed to completely undo all of the Mr. Compress Sexiness from last week. goddamn it
DAMN IT HORIKOSHI ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO END IT LIKE THIS
Tumblr media
up close Hadou’s face is looking pretty rough. :/ that’s going to scar over isn’t it. at least she’ll look like a badass
meanwhile I appreciate that Horikoshi drew what looks to be a little puff of air next to Kacchan’s mouth, just to reassure us all that he’s not actually dead. that’s fine. you just lie there then. also his wound really is in the exact same place as All Might’s and it’s giving me all kinds of feels you guys but whatever I’m not gonna sit here dwelling on it all day
AND POOR SHOUTO. IS HE STILL CRYING OMG. AND ENDEAVOR, WAY TO DO NOTHING STILL. THE ALL TIME CHAMP OF SITTING AROUND AND STARING, GOOD FOR YOU
ARE YOU FOR REAL, ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW
Tumblr media
(-‸ლ)
lol
Tumblr media
“peace out, loser.” “SHUT YOUR TRAP, HO.” quality encounter right here
anyway so he’s blasting Deku with something and Deku’s just flying back all unconscious-like. so then, what even was the point of all that, huh
oh I see, it was to lead us into one last Deku monologue to close this arc out
Tumblr media
oh my god Deku if you say you’re going to save him I will turn around and do a cannonball into a ballpit of feels right now, don’t do this to me
OH SNAP I THINK HE’S GONNA THOUGH
Tumblr media Tumblr media
DID HE LOOK LIKE HE NEEDED SAVING?? I MUST CONFESS YOU AND I ARE OF A MIND HERE, YOUNG BROCCOLI. YES IN SPITE OF ALL THE MURDERS. WHAT CAN I SAY IT’S COMPLICATED
by the way I just have to point out here, that after all of those impossibly pretty close-ups of Hawks’s unconscious face, Horikoshi really did my child dirty here lmao
Tumblr media
he looks like a squished cockroach. THAT’S MY BABY BOY
and it looks like the cavalry is finally on its way too! took them long enough. so I guess they can take care of any of the remaining Noumu stragglers, but first let Deku finish his speech. listen up Deku I really need you to say something cool and iconic to cap off this thus-far admittedly underwhelming Last Chapter Of The Year, here
AHHHHHHH YES HE REALLY DID IT HE SAID THE THING
Tumblr media
well he thought the thing, anyway. close enough. I’ll take it!
so this is really the end of the arc then! or at least I hope, good lord. anyways, all right then so let’s do a quick status check:
it looks like the Noumu are hauling Tomura and Spinner away to safety, but it doesn’t look like they managed to save Machia or Compress. this honestly might be in Compress’s best interests though. the heroes can get him some medical help along with Kacchan and Endeavor and everyone else
Dabi is apparently hidden inside Spinner’s scarf, but do they have any way of releasing him without Compress there to undo the quirk? will he be all right in there. like how is he going to get food and water and air and stuff lol. does it wear off after a bit? can Compress undo it when he wakes up, even if he’s in custody? is there a distance limit on it?
and Skeptic was presumably turned into a marble as well, but Compress didn’t bother mentioning him at all. nobody cares about poor Skeptic lol
and bonus AFO theories status check:
Dad for One - AFO called Deku worthless and hasn’t seemed to take the least bit of interest in him despite getting to see his fancy SIXQUIRKS up close and personal. so if he is his dad he sure as heck is a terrible one, that’s all I can say
All for One for All/Deku is a horcrux - well the Spidey Sense seems to offer an alternative explanation to why Deku could sense AFO’s presence, but on the other hand it doesn’t explain why AFO was able to sense Deku’s as well (seeing his dreams and such). still thinking there’s a connection there, guys, idk
AFO is the final villain - five words for you: “EVERYTHING IS FOR MY SAKE.” is that concrete enough yet lol. pretty sure this arc marked both the beginning and end of Tomura’s brief stint as the Big Bad. Deku’s got it in his mind to save him now somehow, and we all know what happens when Deku starts getting determined to save people. look out AFO
as for the heroes, they’re all varying degrees of Fucked and I think it’s honestly too much to even take stock of at this point. maybe if I get a rush of hyperfixation in the next couple days or so I’ll do a separate post analyzing the impact of this arc and where things currently stand and where they might be headed from here
but in the meantime, ngl, this chapter was kind of a hot mess lmao. but whatever, I don’t even care because at least he managed to get all of it done within the allotted 17 pages, meaning that next week (or rather two weeks from now, sob) we really can get moving onto the aforementioned Triage arc! BRING ON THAT ANGST. I am so fucking hyped goddammit
277 notes · View notes
djarinbarnes · 4 years ago
Text
🕷️ october 4th - breeding kink - b.barnes 🕷️
Tumblr media
Author: dina @softboibarnes​
Word Count: 3.2k
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader
Warnings: non-con, breeding kink, stalking, yandere elements, mentions of porn, kinda slow burn.
A/N: okay i got a bit carried away with this one. this one is written from Bucky’s point of view. this is a dark fic. 18+ proceed with caution. your media consumption is your own responsibility.
masterlist
Tumblr media
If there was one thing that turned Bucky on, it was pregnant women. He didn’t know what it is specifically, but there was something about the way their faces glowed, and their stomach swelled.
It had always been like that. Not that he was always turned on by pregnant women, but he had admired them for longer than he could remember. He remembered how his mother’s stomach swelled with his little sister, how it was hard, yet soft to his touch. How her feet kicked against his hand as he laid it on his mother’s stomach during the last trimester.
How the pregnant women at the supermarket cradled their stomachs as they admired the next thing they would add to their baskets. The way some of them adorably waddled like penguins during the last month of pregnancy, and the way you could still tell the woman had just had a child, even a few months after.
When he discovered pornography at the age of 13, he felt like he’d hit a goldmine. He could watch the videos for hours, admiring every little detail about the pregnant women getting fucked in so many ways for hours. What turned him on the most, though, was how they would come so quickly, so hard. He knew that the women had to be more than sensitive when pregnant.
Whereas those thin, playful girls who took huge cocks in their every hole could last for hours with no end, the pregnant women were easily pushed over the edge, in what appeared to be mind-blowing orgasms. Bucky didn’t understand why the guys in his year thought those skinny whores was the best of the best.
He never talked about what kind of porn he watched after Brock bullied him in the 9th grade, after he accidentally slipped out that he had seen the most sensual porn with a pregnant woman. To Brock, porn was anything but sensual.
He told Bucky how he liked to watch women who were tied up, gagging on whatever, bring punished in whatever way the master deemed appropriate. Apparently, it was amusing to watch women get big unidentified objects into whatever hole was available. It made Bucky shudder.
He did find it interesting how a female body could go through such a wild transformation though and turn back to normal. It made his interests peak and his cock hard. As he got older, it turned into an obsession for him.
He knew he wanted to get a girl pregnant. Watch her swell with his seed, carry his baby for nine months. He knew he wanted nothing more in the world than to make use of the sensitiveness that followed with the hormones, the breasts full of milk and the soft stomach straining against his hands.
God how he longed to reach out and caress a popped belly button, to feel a child kick against his stomach as he pounded into the woman carrying it. He knew he would do anything to make it a reality.
The first time he’d had sex with a girl, she’d begged him to wear a condom. He’d hesitantly agreed. He hated every second of it; the uncomfortable feeling of latex against the sensitive head of his cock, the tight ring choking his cock at the base.
He knew he had to restrain himself though. He knew the good girls these days were more than careful with their partners, and he just had to take his time to charm them warm. He knew that one of them, someday, would give into him and let him fill her womb with his seed. It just never happened like he wanted it to.
Tumblr media
When he first saw you at the supermarket, he knew he had to have you. It had been way too long since he’d had anyone. He felt his heart as well as his cock swell as soon as you had let out a delightful little laugh, your hand coming up to brush your hair over your shoulder.
He walked just a little closer to you, leaning against one of the shelves stuffed with different kinds of chips. You were crouched down in front of a small child, holding out a pack of popcorn you had retrieved from one of the higher shelves, giving the little one a soft smile along with a “here you go, sweetheart.”
Bucky watched as the kid took off running, back to their mother. He felt his heart swell in his chest as you turn to face him, the soft smile still plastered on your face. He knew in that exact moment, that you felt the same way about kids that he did. And he knew, in that exact moment, that you would be the one to carry his children, no matter the cost.
You jumped slightly when you noticed Bucky smiling at you from a few feet away, not having noticed him before. You approached him, a smile coming back on your lips before you walked right past him, to where the employees had their back room. He felt his heart fall in his chest, before making a quick decision, turning on his heel and letting out a small “excuse me?”
You turned back to him, your hand on the swing door, ready to walk through. “yes? How may I help you?” your smile had already embedded itself into his brain. He was so fucked.
“I was wondering where you kept the wines? And if you had any good ones?” he stuttered out a makeshift lie, watching as you pursed your lips, thinking over his question. You smiled before walking back towards the shelves, motioning for him to follow you. You both stopped before the shelves filled with white, rosé and red, looking over the countless possibilities.
“Anything you can recommend?” He cleared his throat, watching you out of the corner of his eyes. He felt his heart pick up the pace as you bit your lips, turning towards him with a frown.
“I’m sorry, I don’t drink. I need to be healthy and… Sorry, that’s none of your business…” you blushed before looking down at your feet, your cheeks reddening slightly.
“No, it probably isn’t… Well, then I guess I wouldn’t have much success in asking you out for a glass of wine?” Bucky smiled down at you, watching as your head shot up, your eyes wide and doe-like. He felt his heart flutter in his chest, noticing how you had the smallest of rips in your bottom lip. He knew you had to bite them a lot.
“Oh, I… No, I guess not.” You let out a small laugh, your arm coming up to grab your opposite elbow, shielding yourself. He felt the disappointment bubble just under the surface before you spoke again. He muttered out a quiet thank you for your time, before turning on his heel to leave. “But… I do like tea. And pastries?”
He turned back to you with a smile playing on his lips before nodding. “Alright. When are you off?” he looked at his watch. 3:49.
“At four. Unless Tony asks me to work overtime, again.” You sighed, before hoisting your phone out of your pocket, handing it to Bucky. “You can… add your number. Then I can reach out to you when I’m off.” You smiled softly as Bucky grabbed your phone, clicking on the home button before it opened, without a passcode. Too damn easy.
“Alright. I’m Bucky, by the way.” He quickly typed his number into your phone before sending himself a text, so he had yours. You told him your name as he handed your phone back to you. “If you want, I can wait out front until you’re off? Then we can go to this place I know. They have some really good pastries.”
“Oh. Yeah! That sounds alright.” You giggled and blushed at his question. “It’s a date.” He watched as you turned around to walk back where you came from, turning once, twice, three times to look at him still standing there in the aisle, a smile playing on his lips as a plan formed inside his head.
Tumblr media
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but you mentioned you didn’t drink?” Bucky asked as he watched you swirl your spoon around your cup of earl grey, one teaspoon of sugar now blending in. He admired the soft tint of your cheek that appeared when he asked, letting him know it was something very personal to you.
“It’s just… I really want to be healthy, you know? For when I’m one day am going to bear children. I don’t want to ruin my body with unnecessary consumption of alcoholic beverages. So I’ve never had a drink in my life.” You softly grazed the spoon over the rim of your cup, letting the tea run off before you put it down.
“That’s smart. I admire you for that.” Bucky smiled as he brought his cup of coffee to his lips, blowing on it slightly before taking a sip. He watched as your eyes lit up in admiration, along with a rounding of your cheeks as you smiled. God, you were literally perfection. “How many do you want?”
“Two or three. I don’t want my child to be an only child, because I know how lonely it can get.” You sighed, biting the inside of your cheek. “How about you?”
“I guess I’ll know how many I want when my hands are full, and I can’t take anymore.” Bucky let out a heartful laugh, getting a small giggle from you in the process. “I want a big family. I have a lot of love to give.” He looked you directly in the eyes as he said the last sentence and noticed how you suddenly squirmed in your seat.
You nodded before blushing, maintaining eye contact as you licked your lips. “Just need to find the right partner.” Bucky felt his cock twitch in his pants as you spoke, countless images running through his head at that point. You sucked in a breath before biting your lower lip. Bucky expected a you wanna get out of here? But instead he got a “I better get home…”
He felt his heart drop in his chest, feeling both the sadness and anger overcoming him. He smiled though, rising from his seat as you did from yours. You offered him your hand and he shook it, a courteous nod from him. “It was a pleasure, y/n. Maybe I’ll see more of you soon?”
You smiled with a small nod before collecting your things, leaving the small café. Bucky threw a few dollars on the table, following you out of the café, but keeping his distance. This was where his plan would go into motion. He pushed his hand into his deep coat pocket, feeling both pairs of wrapped up handcuffs laying securely in the fabric.
He followed you as you turned corners, watching as you smiled at strangers, handing over a few cents to a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk. You are really something else, he thought. He hid behind a set of stairs as you walked up to an old apartment complex, pushing your way through the front door and disappearing into the building.
Bucky walked up the stairs to your complex warily, looking at the different buzzers and doorbells before squinting his eyes. He sighed when he found only letters of first names and full last names. He scurried down the stairs, making his way into the alley on the side.
He found the fire escape quickly and hoisted himself up, hoping he was on the right side of the building.  He looked through the blinds of the first three floors, coming up with nothing. He let out a small laugh when he ended up in front of the fourth-floor window, slightly ajar, hearing a soft humming under the sound of a shower running.
He lifted the window open wider, sliding into the warmth of your apartment before sliding it closed. He looked around your personal space, kicking off his shoes before making his way to your bed. He lifted a pair of your stockings off the railing before bringing the garment to his nose, inhaling the sweet scent of you.
He looked over his shoulder to where the bathroom door was barely open before walking up to the headboard. He unraveled the handcuffs from the silencing fabric, clasping the metal around the metal frame of your bed. He smiled before making his way closer to the bathroom door. He halted in his steps as he heard the shower turning off, the rings of your shower curtain being pulled back.
Your soft humming continued as he imagined you drying off your hair, drying your dreamy body. He shrugged off his coat and hung it over one of your chairs. He walked over silently to the big, brown armchair in the corner of your apartment before sitting down, crossing his legs.
He waited with anticipation for a few seconds until the bathroom door swung open, revealing your towel-clad body. You let out a yelp when you noticed him seated in your armchair, a smug smile adorning his face. You clutched the towel to your body, the fear blossoming in your stomach.
“Bucky? What on earth are you doing in here? How did you even get in here?!” you shuffled backwards as he rose from his seat, walking towards you with silent steps. You scrambled backwards to your wall, Bucky quickly pressing against you, trapping you against the wall.
“I want to clarify a few things, doll…” His hand came up to grasp your throat while his other hand fumbled with where your towel was tied around your breasts. The towel fell in a pool around your feet and you shut your eyes, feeling both exposed and humiliated. Your arms hang limply down your side. You were too shocked to fight him.
“First off… God damn baby…” Bucky leaned in and breathed in your ear, making you whimper as he tightened his hold on your throat. He leaned back slightly, looking up and down your body with hungry eyes. He admired the way your nipples hardened into tight buds from the slightly cool air and how the goosebumps rose on your skin.
“Second…” The fingers on the hand that wasn’t clutching your throat found its way in between your legs, swiping through your folds before pushing in slowly, one knuckle, then deeper, until his pointer finger was buried within your tight heat. He watched as you turned your head away from him, tears wetting your eyes.
He tightened the hold on your throat. “Eyes on me.” He growled out, inserting another finger into you. You whimpered out as his fingertips played with your cervix, your eyes reluctantly looking back into his blackened eyes.
“I’m gonna fuck you. You want that, hmm?” He felt how you slicked up on his digits. “Gonna fill you with my cum. Watch how you swell with my seed.” Bucky moaned as he imagined you with a baby bump. His baby. “We want the same thing, doll.”
A whimpered no left your lips, and Bucky saw red. He tightened his hold on your throat as he yanked you forward, forcefully throwing you on the bed. He let go of your throat shortly, clasping both your wrists within the handcuffs. You whimpered as you strained against the handcuffs, fear overtaking your body even more.
Bucky watched you as he undressed himself, watched as you squirmed on your bed, the handcuffs clinking against the metal of your headboard. When he stood naked in front of you, his cock full of desire and his balls full of cum, you started to panic. He could tell from the way you started thrashing about.
He looked around your apartment as you started screaming. He grabbed the stockings he had previously inhaled the scent of; pushing the garment into your open mouth, muffling your screams. Your legs kicked about, hitting him in his stomach.
“Shouldn’t have done that, baby doll.” His strong hands gripped behind your knees harshly, pushing your knees to your shoulders. The tears streamed down your cheeks so prettily, he noticed as he sat between your legs on his knees.
He looked down at your cunt, his cock twitching painfully. He needed you desperately. Just like you needed him to fill you with his cum, needed him to bury a child deep within you. He kept his hands locked behind your knees in a painful, tight grip as he spit on your pussy, making sure everything wasn’t too dry for him.
He shifted on his knees, leaning over your body, looking up at your face, hearing your whimpers through the stocking. “You want me to fuck you, huh?” You whimpered, mumbled, looking up at Bucky with wide eyes. “You want me to fuck you hard?” He smirked, hearing your whimpers again. “You want me to knock you up?”
He angled his hips slightly, thrusting forward, his cock sliding through your wet folds. His hands wrapped around your knees, spreading your legs and pulling your legs on each of his shoulders, entering you in one swift thrust.
He watched as you shut your eyes tightly, tears streaming steadily down your cheeks. It was so beautiful. He groaned as he slammed his hips against yours, burying himself to the hilt. You strained against the handcuffs, twisting your body violently. Bucky’s grip tightened on you, his hips retracting before slamming into you again, hitting your cervix.
You screamed, throat strained, body tired. “We could’ve done this the sensual way,” he told you through gritted teeth, his hips slamming against your ass in a steady rhythm. “You could’ve gotten pure vanilla,” he groaned out, your walls tightening against his cock. “But instead you decided to act like a brat!” His hand briefly left your knee to slap your breast.
“Gonna have to show you how to behave.” He pushed your knees to your chest again, folding you in half, leaning over you. He kissed your wet cheeks despite your attempt to turn away from him. His hips ground against you, his cock burying itself deeply inside of you. “Gonna fuck you full of my babies.”
Your eyes rolled back in your head, orgasm overcoming you as your body started shaking violently. You breathed out harshly, your face red but so beautiful. Bucky felt his balls tighten uncomfortably. He pushed into you faster, harder, before he finally let out a yelp as his hot cum spurted into you, his scrotum convulsing more violently than he’d ever felt before.
He caressed your cheek as you kept crying, sobs racking through your tired, worn out body. Bucky slipped from you, pulling back, helping your legs laying comfortably against your bed. “You gonna be a good girl for me?” he asked, his hand stroking over your hair. You nodded, sniffing. He reached down and pulled the stocking from your mouth, watching as you coughed.
“Please Bucky.” You whimpered, looking up at your restrained hands. Bucky knew you would be good for him. He knew he had a good chance of succeeding this time.
When you’d handed over your phone, he’d bugged it. While he waited in his car, he checked your Flo app calendar. It was perfect timing. You were at the peak of your ovulation cycle. He had no time to waste. You just needed a push in the right direction.
Bucky hoped this was it.
552 notes · View notes
sassycassie-s-writing · 3 years ago
Text
My Favorite Smile
By: SassyShoulderAngel319
Fandom/Character(s): DC/BatFam - Jason Todd/Red Hood
Rating: PG-11/T- (this one has a couple ✨swear words✨ in it lol. I don’t usually write them out, but sometimes you just gotta say what you mean)
Original Idea: X (Obsessed with this channel right now)
Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) 2,182 words... it’s a longer one again. I casually wrote this in, like, two hours. @welovegroot @jason-redhood @jason-todd-squad
^^^^^
Holding his coffee and croissant, Jason looked around the crowded café for a place to sit. Every table was occupied by at least one person, and the rules of personal space in public said the couches were full, with one person sitting on either end.
His eyes fell on a table with a single occupant.
His heart stuttered to a stop. Wait… is that her? Damn, she looks good this time. He scoffed at himself. Who am I kidding? She looks good every time. Should I talk to her? Should I tell her? She didn’t believe me last time… and I don’t know if I can stand another lifetime without her… but last life we didn’t meet till I was almost fifty. I really wasn’t expecting to find her this early.
He straightened up and strode over to her table. “Excuse me, is it alright if I sit here? The café’s pretty crowded and the other tables are full.”
She looked up and Jason’s brain stopped working as she met his eyes. She was just as incredible as she always was. Thousands upon thousands of years, and he still never got over how beautiful she was. “Sure, go ahead,” she said with a smile before going back to her phone.
“I’m Jason, by the way,” the man said, sitting down.
I glanced back up and gave him my name in return.
He smiled. He had a handsome smile. Just looking at him… something tugged in the back of my mind. “That’s a pretty name,” he said.
My ears warmed and I looked away. “Thanks,” I muttered. I looked back at him. “Sorry if this sounds… weird—but have we met before?” I cringed but smiled. If we had…oh it’d be so embarrassing if I’d forgotten him. And a man as handsome as him—how could I have forgotten?
But a look of delight crossed his face, before being replaced by one of neutrality. “Not in this lifetime,” he replied.
“Kind of an odd way to word it,” I remarked before I could overthink whether that sounded really rude or not.
Jason’s ears turned red. “Well… yeah I guess so. Sorry.” He looked down at his coffee cup and croissant and chose to take a sip of his drink. After swallowing, he looked back up at me. “This is probably gonna sound really creepy, but please just hear me out for a few minutes. Do you believe in soulmates?”
I reached up and scratched an itch just behind my ear. “I mean… kind of? I think maybe they exist for some people, and other people could be matched equally well with multiple potential partners,” I said.
His shoulders slouched with a sigh of what might have been relief. “Thank goodness,” he said. He met my eyes. “Because… we’re soulmates. You and I. Sometimes—very rarely—two people are so destined to be together, that they’re reborn over and over to stay together throughout thousands of years’ worth of lifetimes. Sometimes we both remember, sometimes only one of us does. I don’t think there’s ever been a lifetime where neither of us remember. Besides the first, I guess. Back when we didn’t know we’d be reborn. We never look the same twice—different bodies, different backgrounds. But we always have the same soul.”
A reasonable person would have thought he was making up a really long, bad pickup line. But I stared at him with rapt attention. Like some missing puzzle piece I’d been looking for my entire life fell into place. It just sounded… right.
“How do we find each other, if we look different every time?”
He took a deep breath. “Well… when one or both of us remember, we can… kind of sense it? Kind of see it? Like, right now, I see you, but I also see every face of yours that I’ve seen across every lifetime.” He cleared his throat. “Sometimes we don’t. Find each other, I mean. The distance between where we’re born or the timing of our rebirths keep us apart. But there’s only been… three of those, if I remember right.” He laughed. “So glad you believed me this time. It would have sucked if you got a restraining order—because those are a thing now—and I had to spend this life without you.”
I leaned forward, shoving my phone in my pocket. “Tell me more,” I said.
“Where do you want me to start?”
“Um… I don’t know. The beginning? Our first life?”
He nodded. “Ancient Greece,” he said. “Like, really early in Ancient Greece’s history. The gods blessed us. Bound our souls for eternity. Your hair is actually the same color now as it was back then. Kind of a… nostalgic favorite of mine. You’re absolutely stunning every time I see you, but I have some favorites. You do too.”
I snickered. “Oh really? Like what?”
“Well… I always think you’re adorable with dimples or freckles. Green eyes are a favorite of mine too. And your current hair color is my favorite. There were also a few times where you were a little taller than me. Those were nice. You’re most comfortable to hug that way. But, without fail, every single lifetime I see your smile and I think, ‘That one. That one’s my new favorite.’” He chuckled. “As for you, you’ve told me that you like me best with brown eyes—even though you don’t like brown eyes normally. Um… you also like it when my hair is curly.” He gestured to his black hair, slightly curled, with two white curls arcing down the center of his forehead. “You told me… seven lifetimes ago? That you like me best with piercings and tattoos, but when I brought it up last lifetime you said even when I have them I still look like, and I quote, a ‘giant nerd.’”
We both laughed. Jason sighed and shook his head.
“Then again, you said that was your favorite during our pirate lifetime. And I can also say hot damn you looked good with tattoos and a big hat.”
I gasped out a laugh. “We were pirates?”
He laughed too. “Yeah. Well, you were. To start with, anyway. You and your crew were visiting my town and you, absolutely drunk, stumbled into my house. I was a carpenter that time. Thank the gods we both remembered that lifetime or I probably would have shot you. You spent half the night drunkenly blathering about how much you hated my hair when it was long the way it was and that you’d cut it off if I didn’t. The next morning, when you’d sobered up, you apologized. And I’d said it was fine. And… you asked me to come with you. I’ve spent dozens of lifetimes endlessly in love with you. So, like the lovesick fool I am and was, I said yes.
“It… was not a long lifetime. Pirates rarely made it to old age. We were both killed when a Royal Navy ship attacked us. I went down first. You told me in our next lifetime that you single-handedly killed half of that crew’s sailors in revenge even though you knew you’d see me again—because you’d been having so much fun that life and they ruined it. Eventually their captain killed you himself.” He took a bite of his croissant.
It was certainly a lot to take in. But everything he said was so vivid… I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination coming up with the images or… memories that had merely been locked away somewhere deep inside. The sea. The deck of a ship. An octopus tattoo on my left forearm, tentacles reaching to the back of my hand, a similar one on his tanned, scarred neck. Curly auburn hair, a scruffy beard. Brown leather coat and blood under his nails. Pierced ear and eyebrow. A tattoo of a mermaid with a face and wild hair that I knew must have been mine on his right thigh as we found alone time together in my cabin—a pile of leather clothes in a heap on the floor, topped by a big hat with a big feather.
I met his eyes again. “Tell me about another one.”
He smiled. “Well… there was another time I was a soldier. You remembered. I didn’t. I passed through your town on my way to report for duty, and the weather got bad. Your family owned a tavern that doubled as an inn. So, that was where I stayed. You didn’t tell me. I fell in love with you anyway. You would tell me stories and sing for me and make me food in private. When the weather improved, I went off to war and, miraculously, I survived. Even though I spent most of my time that fight thinking about you. I came back to your inn and asked you to marry me. You said yes. We were married soon after. I had to leave a lot. Fighting battles I didn’t care about. Eventually, I came home injured and dying. You held my hand and promised you’d see me soon. I thought you meant heaven or just said it to comfort me. You never told me we were endlessly-reborn soulmates.
“When I was about fifteen my next lifetime, all my memories came back. We both remembered that time, actually. When we ran into each other again we got into such a big argument about you not telling me. Literally picked up right where we left off. Two twenty-year-olds bickering like the old married couple we were. The life after I don’t remember is always a bit of a wild ride as all my memories come back. I imagine it’s similar for you. It’ll be similar for you.”
He reached across the table and took my hand. I squeezed his fingers. Our hands fit together perfectly. I wondered why I’d told him I liked him best with brown eyes when his blue eyes were absolutely gorgeous. “So… what now?” I asked.
He made a face. “Beginnings are always hard when one of us doesn’t remember. Because I have thousands of years of love for you, and you don’t even know me.” His fingers tightened around mine. “I’d like to take you out on a date, if you’ll let me.”
“Does it count as a first date?”
He smiled. It was a sad smile. “It can. It does for this life.”
“Have we… ever had children? Together?”
Jason regarded me thoughtfully. “We have,” he said. “But our bloodlines never last long. Usually we’re lucky to get great-grandchildren. We’re blessed to be together forever, but our families die off quickly. You speculated once that it’s the blessing’s attempt to make sure we’re not reborn into our own bloodline.”
“So we have no living descendants.”
“No. It’d be a little weird if we did. Like ‘Hey, kiddo, you’re our great-great-great-grandson! I know we’re younger than you but trust us!’” Jason laughed.
I could get drunk on that laugh. “I’d… I’d like to go on that date.”
He looked elated—and relieved. “Me too. I’d like to get to know you again.” He glanced around the crowded café. “What do you say we get out of here and go somewhere quiet and I can tell you more stories about our lives? You’ve always been the far superior storyteller, but I learned from the best.”
I smiled. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here. I want to hear everything.”
He helped me to my feet. I gathered my jacket, cup, and phone. “Great. I can’t wait to tell you about the time I was a magician.”
I giggled. “My place or yours?”
“Mine. I have a memento from our most recent past life that I tracked down. I’d like you to have it.”
“What is it?”
Jason didn’t answer immediately. Just held my hand as we left the café. Gotham’s overcast autumn sky was chilly. “I… I want it to be a surprise but I’m also too excited to tell you.” He bit his lower lip, staring at me. “Gah. Fine. It’s your wedding ring. I found it at an antique shop not far from where our oldest niece lived. We didn’t have any kids, last life. We didn’t meet till I was forty-nine and you were forty-three. We both decided it was too late for kids. But I had a few nieces and nephews. Our oldest niece was in charge of our estate. We died in the eighties. But I found your ring. You can use it again, eventually, if you want. Or we can get you a new one.” His face reddened. “I don’t mean to presume. But I don’t know if I can live without you this lifetime after having you for such a short time last life.”
I squeezed his hand. “Let’s try that first date first. I feel this pull toward you I can’t explain, but we’ll build up to the soulmate thing. Okay?” I smiled at him.
Jason couldn’t help but stare at her. Those eyes, that stunning face. This one, he thought. This smile is my favorite.
44 notes · View notes
srirachvbi · 4 years ago
Text
Kageyama and Bokuto taking their kids to practice headcanons !
request: hihi i was wondering if you can do a continuation of the bringing their kids to practice with some of the other haikyuu characters? i’d love to see it with kageyama especially but honestly you can pick anyone! thank you :)
a/n: i AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG... I have no excuses, i was too sad about haikyuu e wording but i have read threads on how to write characters on twitter and i am thriving... so n e ways i was looking for a reason to write more of these because i just... love the idea of this so tsym for requesting!! if i write more parts, i might do hoshiumi, hinata, atsumu, and... maybe oikawa? i’m a huge bokuto stan so his might be longer than kageyamas im sorry <3 and and ik that kageyama goes to italy but for the sake of i want to write other characters, i will be using the adlers oops. i will also be only doing probably two characters per post for these because i write so much for it. LMAO ALSO these are super unrealistic this would NOT be allowed during pro sports practices but for the sake of entertainment, let’s just... do it warnings: manga spoilers
Tumblr media
Bokuto Koutarou
He had been wanting to bring Kaori to practice for a while but each time he tried to, you would be like no bitch </3 
heart been broke so many times
When you told him that you had to go into work and couldn’t schedule the nanny in time, he was like “I’LL TAKE CARE OF HER!!!”
Honestly you were only against him taking her because you were still mad at him for leaving her in the high chair for a while and you came home to her crying and him just knocked out 
Like... Kou, pls <3 
He had brought Kaori into post game interviews before but you were always there so this would really be the first time he’d take care of her by himself for a period of time longer than an hour
He’s a good parent dw !! he had just spent the whole night thinking about the most random shit and he ended up sleeping like three hours 
He was thinking about horses cause Ushijima brought them up in an interview >:0
You were still mad tho 
It had been a while and he had actually shown to you that he could take care of her by himself so you were fine with him taking her to practice
He was super pumped and was practically shaking in excitement (he was texting Akaashi the whole morning asdlfjskdf)
Bokuto-san AGHASHEE!!!!! Y/N IS LETTING ME TAKE KAORI  TO PRACTICE!!!!!!!!! AGHASHEE Congrats, Bokuto-san. 
That conversation but every two minutes
I’m sorry Akaashi <3 
He also texts the whole group chat and Hinata’s equally as excited
Kaori and Hinata were best friends !!!! She literally loved him
Like he would put her on his shoulders and they’d run around for hours
How he has so much energy goes beyond everyone but it’s fun to watch 
You lectured him for half an hour about what he should do in certain situations and unlike most times, he listened really well because :(( the baby cares about Kaori
Both Kaori and him actually walked with you to the train station and saw you off before heading to practice !! 
He normally drives to practice because he has a super nice car and it’s easier to drive with Kaori instead of public transportation
When they get to the gym, he goes running in with Kaori on his shoulders 
“WE HAVE ARRIVEEEED!!!!!!!!” 
cue Hinata cheering super loudly
Kaori’s giggling and being all cute omg i love her
She was being carried in on her dad’s shoulders so Bo lets her down and she immediately runs (read: waddles quickly) to Hinata
“Hinata-nii!!!!”
Hinata starts crying-- jk, no
He goes “Kaori-chan!” and scoops her up in his beefy arms 
BEEFY HINATA BEEFY HINATA BEEFY HINATA
Sorry
She’s giggling and she like kisses his cheek and everyone’s like “so cute...” ohmyogd babies
Similar to her dad, she’s super friendly!! and a bit simple minded
It’s literally in her blood to not actually hate anyone so she gets along with EVERYONE at practice
She even makes the coach super soft omg
Atsumu’s just watching her and being like “child. want. child-- oh god, i need a kid.” cause she’s just so god damn cute
Lol atsumu having twins cause it’s a gene or smth idk biology
I barely passed bio please spare me <3
I actually got an 80 smth on my final last year don’t listen to me
Sakusa being hesitant at first to be near her but she’s actually super sweet to him!!
CAUSE LIKE HER DAD SHE’S ACTUALLY REALLY EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT AND CAN READ PEOPLE REALLY WELL
like she saw Sakusa’s face and was like “oh!! I remember what dad said!!” 
Kou talks about his teammates a lot and somehow Kaori remembered him telling her about how Sakusa’s a germaphobe so she’s like
“Sir!! I washed my hands!! I’m not dirty!!” and he
He just 👁👄👁 
He thinks she’s cute and treasures her now
Suddenly Kaori has a whole team of dads
it’s okay
Bokuto itching to let her play volleyball but at the same time worrying about her if she does
It’s like the angel and the devil on his shoulders
One sides like
let her pLAY!!!!! LET HER PLAY (read it as if it’s the LEt ME INNN meme)
While the other sides like
👁👄👁 (y/n) will kill me if she gets hurt and i’ll kill myself if she gets hurt and hinata will kill me if she gets hurt-
In the end he gives her a volleyball after she asks once and he’s like ‘PFFT KAORI-CHAN IF YOU INSIST’ while she’s like
dude i asked to play once and normally someone disagrees with me tf are you on, sir? 
she tries to pick the ball up but it ends up being half her size and it’s just... such a cute image
Bo takes a picture of it and sends it to you!!
You reply back in seconds lol
Kou-kun ❤💖 [image.jpeg] LOOK AT HER!! FUTURE PRO (Y/N)-CHAN!! (Y/N) MY LOVE ❤💕❤💕💕❤💕❤💕 be careful letting her hold that it’s too big!! but so cute!!! have fun taro <3
He ends up taking the ball away after a bit because she can’t walk while holding it
Eventually practice has to start tho so he asks her to sit on the bench and she’s an obedient angel and does so !!
The whole time she’s like swinging her legs and watching her dad practice
It’s fun for her to see him play 
Okay but like I’ve said, she’s similar to her dad
At one point at practice during a break, she stole Atsumu’s water and was running around the gym with him chasing her
He was ofc not actually chasing her cause he found it cute that she was trying to steal his stuff
Lol Sakusa being like “oh, you can’t catch up to a child? are your knees getting bad, old man?”
Atsumu’s like “bro, we’re the same age”
Sakusa ignores him
She ends up TRIPPInG AND ATSUMU’s LIke “Oh fuck” 
SHE CRIES
omg Bokuto’s like “tsum tsum-- do you want to die 👁👄👁🗡” because she just got hurt because of him
Atsumu picks her up and is apologizing so god damn much
This is the first time anyone’s seen Bokuto remotely irritated
Kaori: WAAAHHHH
Atsumu: please, child... i don’t want to die today... please... shhhhhhh
He lets her down and she walks (read: waddles) over to her dad and is giving him puppy eyes omg
Bokuto stops being mad and scoops her up and he’s like “did Kao-chan get a boo boo” and she nods, sniffling
Ohmygod dad bokuto dad bokuto dad bokuto stop
suddenly I actually want kids
no
Shion ends up getting a first aid kit since Meian asked (woah more black jackals players except I don’t really know how to write for them??? woahhh)
Shion roasts Atsumu with Sakusa for letting her fall and suddenly Atsumu’s the bad guy
lol
By the end of practice tho Kaori’s fine !!!
She’s back to her regular happy self so cute :(
She asks Bo to call you and when you pick up she shows you her bandaid on her knee and is like “Miya-san was chasing me and I fell!!”
Suddenly Atsumu feels a cold chill and knows you found out lol
Hi this is (y/n), and you’re watching disney channel-
good luck, atsumu *stops camera*
Tumblr media
Kageyama Tobio
He
sigh
He would be equally as confused as a father as Ushijima
It’s okay, he’s trying his best
You normally work from home so you guys haven’t really hired a nanny! 
And if you needed someone to watch your guys’ son, Sho (which can mean to fly oho see what I did there I’m so smart), you just drop him off at your parents’ house or Miwa’s!
WAIT SHO... SHOYO... WAIT I DIDN’T EVEN DO THIS ON PURPOSE IM LITERALLY
However, today was the only time you had to go in for like the next few months and both your parents and Miwa are busy
So, you enlist in your husbands help
“Tobio... I need you to watch Sho...” 
He spits out his milk “wHAT” cause like,, he’s hardly taken care of Sho by himself and normally had either his sister or you around
He doesn’t actually spit out his milk-- you’d kill him if he did because it would be a pain in the ass to clean up <3
It takes a bit of convincing being he’s really nervous about taking care of Sho!!
Okay but he’s a great dad dw it’s just he’s nervous about having another human being literally rely on him completely
You also just remind him that Romero’s a father so he won’t be completely on his own while taking care of Sho
So he somehow gets to the gym with Sho in one piece but he’s literally so stiff like bro, i need you to relax
Hoshiumi yelling “KAGEYAMA SHO!!!!!!!” and Sho (who has actually met the team like two times) goes like “HOFIUMI-SAN!!!!!” 
Sho’s a bit of an energetic bby-- he’s less emotionally constipated than his dad <3
He’s... he reminded you guys of Shoyo and well, you thought it would be nice to name him after his god father
No this isn’t a kagehina post i swear i love them but this is me saying that i love their friendship sm omg stop im gonna cry 402 really just popped into my head again
Hoshiumi getting mad when he sees that Sho has actually grown even though he’s a grown ass man and the little toddler would not, in fact, be catching up that soon
“KAGEYAMA SHO HAVE YOU GROWN >:0000!!!!!” 
Sir, pls... sit down
The Adlers all love Sho since they’ve come into contact with him like twice at games before 
Ushijima just... doesn’t know how to interact with Sho
He just stares down at him and honestly Sho stares back up without fear
Kageyama Sho: no (0) fears 
I think it’s cause his father gives a similar stare sometimes and he just... got used to it
Ushijima gives him that stare and Sho just goes SIGH this again
Jk he’s a baby
He literally looks up at Ushiwaka and gives him this cute ass grin and Ushijima’s like “oh, children are very cute.”
Thank you, Wakatoshi-kun
Romero does, in fact, give Kags some tips about fathering and ends up showing pictures of Rubens to the team (love that) 
OKAY BUT LIKE OFF TOPIC FROM THE PRACTICE BUT
Sho being such a big fan of Hinata and being like “woAHHH!!! I’M NAMED AFTER HIM!!!” 
Hinata rubs it in Kags face because Sho practically idolizes him
anyways
Practice starts and Sho’s just sitting on the gym floor with a volleyball in his hands cause he
Kags just giving newborn Sho a volleyball and expecting him to become acquainted
It worked
Sho’s used to holding onto volleyballs and even tries to hit it but everytime he did, he’d fall backwards onto his lil bum and would be like :(
Kageyama watching from the other side of the gym and his heart just goes AHHHHHHHHHH
He’s about to cry that is the cutest thing he’s ever seen
Sho making sure he doesn’t interrupt practice!!! and like chasing after the ball to make sure it doesn’t go onto the courts!!!
Cute babs is so good :(
He ends up tripping tho and starts to tear up and Kags is watching during practice and goes “OH GOD”
He’s literally whipping his head from Sho to his coach and has this desperate look on his face 
he’s saying “JUST ONE BREAK!! JUST ONE, SIR!!” with his eyes and his coach just gives in
Kageyama going from one side of the gym to the next at insane speed
Sho: dad :((( i hwurt my knee :(((
Kags just picks him up and cradles him to his chest (he does this after making sure there’s no blood or anything-- it’s literally just a little bit red) 
Kags being a good dad just... WEAK
Only like two minutes later, Sho stops sniffling and is like “!!! go back to practice daddy!!” 
Kags does and he can’t focus on Sho anymore cause his coach would yell at him asldfjlsf
At the end of practice, Sho is like “dad i wanna play voweyball!!!!!!” and Kags heart just CLENCHES
He grabs his heart like that meme or smth 
You call them cause you know when practice normally ends and Sho’s just talking a lot and it’s so cute
He’s super excited and you’re like !!! My CUTE CHILD !!!!
Lol you tease Kags cause he was worrying about nothing
“Maybe I’ll let you take care of him by yourself more often Tobio” “Pls, I lost ten years of my life when I saw him fall pls not yet <3″ 
698 notes · View notes
piraticalarchive · 3 years ago
Text
Tumblr media
okay so for everyone who hates big corporations and management who takes advantage of their employees.. this one’s for you. it’s long but .... i find it completely hilarious.
so a brief recap: amy got fired back in march from a huge international retailer, yes? when things first started like they were going south, i worked on really re establishing a relationship with my brother who is like one level below C-suite (cfo, ceo, etc etc) of that same company because i had an idea in mind. March rolls around, amy gets fired .. and I’m like .. okay. time to put this in motion. but stress and depression obviously took the motivation away from me, but i continued to keep that line of communication up with my brother. we started talking weekly, sometimes twice a week via an actual call. well, i’m finally feeling better .. so this week i finally put my plan in motion. here’s how it went
stage 1: i sent a text to my brother asking if i applied to the store in my area if i could use him as a reference. he said, of course but every store is hiring so i’d look at any store besides that one. (which is already fucking hilarious but i digress) ... so i call the store and one of the managers who sat in on amy’s firing answers when i ask to speak to someone involved in hiring (oh lucky day). I start off with “hi! I’m sorry to bother you, but I’ve been looking for a job thats a bit of a change of scenery and my brother is the *insert position name* and works in *insert headquarters location* and he recommended i give the company a try despite that I had a less than stellar experience last time”. And this manager FALLS OVER telling me they are hiring for so many positions blah blah blah and then at the end when i’m like “thanks for the information! I’m definitely going to apply!” she’s like “of course! I’ll give our hiring manager your information so she can pull it immediately. Whats your name?” and i give my name and suddenly its just dead fucking silent... because they know who I am and they know that I’m in a relationship with amy and that i know what they did. But she recovers and is like ‘can’t wait to see your application!’ .. so.. okay. stage 1 was a success. but then, enter...
unexpected event: the store manager himself calls me. Starts off with some small talk, finally gets around to saying ‘so I hear you’d like to come back and work for us? I was looking at your previous application and I didn’t see any mention of the relation you talked about when you called”. And I’m like “oh, yeah... I don’t like using stuff like that because I’d prefer to get in on my own merit  and skills and not by a family member’s position. Plus its like that show undercover boss, you know? I get to see what the place is like before they know. BUT given with what happened to amy, I was unsure if I’d even be considered without a reference like that” and he laughs nervously and is like “i totally get it. So did anyone know that you had a brother in that position?” and I’m like “oh i mentioned it once in passing to [amy’s manger] but I just said my brother was in corporate and there are a lot of levels so i think he just left it at that” and the store manager is like ‘haha yeah different levels but thats like ... its own level...” and we talk a little bit and he’s like “what made you want to come back?” and I’m like “like i mentioned before, the amy thing really threw me off. I was angry and the good thing about siblings is you don’t have to sugarcoat stuff. So I went to my brother and was like this is how you treat people?? are you kidding?? what about job security?? and i sent him the picture amy had snapped of her discharge papers where it listed the reason and he told me that, and everything else I yelled at him about,  wasn’t the company’s way and that the store had seriously violated something. So for one, I now know that isn’t actually something that should have happened and  two, i inadvertently brought this store to corporate’s attention and there are a lot of good people who work here, and they don’t deserve the consequences of that, so I want to help make it right” and he’s fucking sweating yall, I can hear it over the phone. and he’s like “fill out your application and put whatever you want down and we’ll call you and talk about positions and we can find a way to give you what you want” and I’m like “oh, don’t tell me that nick because your chair is looking awfully good right now” and he did a nervous laugh. SO, unexpected event made my plan even better. Then we get to:
Stage 2: I apply. I check literally every management position, including the one they fired amy from and also some hourly positions and put down ridiculous hours. I pass the manager test with flying colors and when it asks why i said i want to be a team trainer i wrote down ‘thanks to knowing the home office, i know how things should work and I want to help this store raise its position in the district and I know what policies aren’t being followed to help make that raise smoother.” I submitted the application, called the first manager I had spoken to and told her I had done so and she was like “I’m sure we’ll give you a call tomorrow!” ‘Tomorrow’ came and by 7 that night, they hadn’t contacted me. So I went to the ‘we’re hiring’ image they had posted on their facebook page like an hour previously and tagged my brother and was like ‘dude this is one of the positions at my store i was telling you about. think i could pull it off?” AND BAM ! they sent me a request for a phone interview at 8am the next morning. I scheduled my interview for later that afternoon at 2:45 and we enter Stage 3.
Stage 3: Amy and I go to the store to pick up a few things. It’s suddenly fucking spotless. There are no gaps in the shelves, the floor has been cleaned since the last time we were there (monday night and i called them tuesday and it is now white and shiny as hell) and they have the lights turned up all the way so you can actually see. EVERY FUCKING AISLE is perfect. Cat food? perfect. Funko pops? stacked and lined up perfectly. Video games? Filled. Clearance aisle? Perfect order. Like its super obvious they did a mad dash and tried to get the store in shape. So amy and I walk down every single aisle and point things out and kind of put our heads together and talk and I take out my phone and act like i’m texting etc .. basically we’re just fucking with people’s heads because the managers are nearby and they can see what we’re doing. 
Stage 4: So later we’re home and 2:45 comes and goes with NO word. No phone call, no email, no hey can we reschedule. they FORGOT about the interview. I’m dying because they’re making it even better and even easier to fuck with them. So I text my brother (who KNOWS my mental health has been in the trash) and I’m like “I filled out an application just to see and they set up an interview and blew me off. You were right .. not a great help when it comes to the blues” and he was like “yep...i’d look at literally any other store” and talked to me a bit more about it. He was irritated that they’d do that and kept saying they were on thin ice.  Finally at 5 they text me and they’re like “hey, this is the [insert store] and we’re sorry we missed your interview. I wanna apologize. Can we reschedule?” And I wait like an hour and a half (i was napping, i’ll admit it) but I respond with “I apologize for the late response, I had a prior commitment I had to take care of. Unfortunately, I reached out to someone [they know who it is. they know]  in the off chance I had misunderstood the process since I hadn’t heard from you guys and I was encouraged to pursue opportunities at other branches in the area. Thank you for the original consideration and I hope you have a great day!” and they waited until 11am the next day to reply back which I’m assuming is because they were waiting for the higher up management to return to the store.
Come to find out the managers are still basically pissing themselves and freaking out because not only did they a) fire someone against company policy and now know the people at the top know and b) drop the ball and forget to interview a family member of said people at the top ... I got to add salt in the wound one more time by mentioning that my brother dropped in a lot (he doesn’t) and that I’d love to show off the store since it’s such a huge part of the community and it was looking better than I’d ever seen it look. And that it would be nice because he’d get the real experience since it wasn’t a formal, announced visit .... but, of course, that he’s salary .. so the policy is that he’s always ‘at work’ and obligated to take note of things.
so basically, i feel justified. Six and a half months of careful planning and maneuvering was totally justified. 10/10, I’d do it again. Let this be a lesson that patience in planning vengeance is completely worth having and I hope I helped make the store better for employees who aren’t management by putting the fear of god into them with the idea that my brother or anyone else from his office can just drop the fuck in whenever they want with a totally casual visit that could still fuck the management over completely. This is a good week, mates .. a very good week. Am I petty? yes. Do i hate their guts and feel like it was an entertainment that was totally worth it given what they did to the love of my life? also yes.
7 notes · View notes
vanaera · 4 years ago
Text
Defining Epilogues (ksj)
Tumblr media
Synopsis:  Seokjin thinks he could always see the end of something before it even comes. When an annoying girl starts to rent the weirdest books from his shop, all Seokjin could see is how she will be the one to end him.
Characters: Seokjin x Female Reader
Trope/Au: Book rental shop owner!ksj x animator/artist!you (onesided enemies to lovers)
Genre: Fluff, comedy that’s close to crack
Wordcount: 6.3k
Warnings: Books with weird titles and secondhand-embarrassment-inducing sfw sex jokes (PG-15 Rating)
A/N: Happy birthday to my best girl @sophrosinn!!!  This is my gift for you! This fic is done with the great help of the ever wonderful @senfleurs who edited this story and stayed with me for the past 24 hours while I cry, laugh, and panic writing this fic! This fic also ended up helping me ride out a massive writer’s block.
            If Seokjin ever prides himself for something, it’s on his ability to tell how things will end the moment he sees them. He can tell when someone is about to fail their exam. He can sense a fight within a crowd before it even happens. He can stand at the end of the street and know the woman with the umbrella is about to break up with her boyfriend. And it always ends with Seokjin being right.
          Seokjin’s thankful for this skill because he’s been able to learn when it’s the right time to pursue something or when it’s time to give up. If it weren’t for this ability, he would have not been able to accomplish his dream of having a book rental shop that actually sells. Seokjin just didn’t expect he would have to start thinking twice about this skill soon after his shop’s opening. All because of a Y/N L/N who appears in his life like a wild Pokemon.
          From the start, Seokjin was already certain of one thing: Y/N is far from his type. For one, he didn’t even like having her as a customer.
            “Hey, I think that girl’s been staring at our way for three hours now. Are you sure I’m not supposed to go help her out?”
            Seokjin turns around to face his assistant and he hates that he’s able to see that girl from his peripheral. Seokjin shakes his head and turns back to the new books he’s been putting on the database, “I’m sure, Jungkook. Go back to work.”
            “Are you really sure? I think she’s the type who’s too shy to ask for help and instead, hopes to send a telepathic message by burning holes on our heads.”
            “I’m sure, Jungkook,” Seokjin repeats with a sigh. “Now why don’t you try working on that next book instead of stalling?”
            “I’m not stalling—”
            “Hello. I want to borrow this book.”
            Seokjin looks up from his counter. The girl stands in front of him, staring straight into his eyes as she pushes the book his way.
          Natural bust enlargement with total mind power: How to use the other 90% of your mind to increase the size of your breasts by Donald Wilson.
            Seokjin looks back at his work and sighs, “Jungkook, get this.”
            Jungkook picks up the book. He must have been taken aback as he looks at Seokjin, confused.
          Seokjin closes his eyes and waves him off. “Don’t even ask. Just do the usual.”
            “Okay,” Jungkook says. “Uh, ma’am, please write your name here. Okay, so Ms. Y/N L/N, you’re gonna return this—wait, you’ve been borrowing this book for three weeks?
            “Yes. Why?”
            “U-um, n-nothing. Just curious. It only has 141 pages and you’re not, um, finished yet?”
            “Well, I want to learn more about how to mind control my breasts to make them bigger.”
            “Uhh…”
            “Alright,” Seokjin stands up and nudges Jungkook away. “Ms. Y/N L/N, you’ll need to return this book five days from now, on March 23rd.” Seokjin slams his date stamp on the paper. “If you fail to return this book on time, we’ll have to charge you $1 for every day past the due date. And if the copy gets destroyed or lost, we’ll also have to charge you. Understood?”
            “Yep.”
            “Now, that will be $17.”
            Y/N places the money on the counter and heads for the door. But she doesn’t leave without sending one last stare into Seokjin’s way.
            Seokjin plops back down on his seat and clicks his tongue. “She didn’t read the book again.”
            Jungkook rolls his chair next to him and asks “Aren’t you being judgmental? Maybe she’s just a slow reader.”
            “No, she does not read it. The author didn’t mean literal mind control as she said. The book is about conditioning your mindset to a more positive view of your body image.”
            Jungkook looks at him with his forehead scrunched, “Wait, you’ve read that book?”
            Seokjin’s lips turn into a frown and he rolls his chair away from his assistant. “Don’t even ask.”
            When Seokjin first met Y/N L/N, he was convinced that she’d be the type of customer he’d hate the most. The type that comes in, picks a book, stays for god knows long, and leaves without borrowing anything. She used to do this back when she first came to his shop within its first week of opening. She kept the tradition strong for a solid month, and Seokjin was convinced that some highschoolers noticed her behavior and attempted to use his shop as their new hangout spot. He’s glad his shop was getting packed as the days went on. It’s just a different story when a hoard of teens started flocking around his shop without renting anything and prevented actual renters from entering his shop. Seokjin had to put up “No loitering” and “Maximum of 3 hours stay” signs on his windows to end this money-ripping tactic once and for all. 
          That didn’t seem to stop Y/N, though, as she would still come to his shop to pick a book to read right in front of his face without ever renting it. This time, however, she made sure to follow the three hours maximum to avoid getting called out. This went on for another week until Seokjin decided he had to talk with her about this. That didn’t end as well as he had hoped, as Y/N just looked at him straight in the eye and left immediately after he got his last word out. 
          Seokjin remembers getting so embarrassed at how he unknowingly did a monologue to a single-person audience. He wasn’t left mulling over it for long as Y/N came back the next day and actually began to rent a book. She still stays the three hours max limit most of the days but she doesn’t let a week pass without renting a book. She also manages to lower her ‘miser’ type level to the ‘weird borrower’ level in Seokjin’s annoyance scale. Having a customer with a renting history surrounding the most ridiculous-sounding books is much better than having them rent none at all. 
          Albeit, that’s a bit of a stretch, too, as Seokjin finds out that Y/N’s not exactly the weird borrower type, but the weird borrower who comes again on time just to rent the same book for weeks. And she doesn’t even read them. Seokjin confirms it one night when Y/N came to his shop a minutes-breadth away from the closing time.
          “Wait!” Y/N screams, running towards the shop.
          Seokjin stops pulling down the metal gate to give her a glare, “I’m already closing, L/N. Come back tomorrow.”
          “But I have to borrow something!”
          “Oh no you don’t—”
          It’s too late though, as Y/N slips under Seokjin's elbow and pushes the unlocked glass door open.
          Hearing his bell on the counter ring for consecutive times from the incessant taps of the infamous L/N, Seokjin knows he’s already lost the fight. He sighs as he makes his way back to the counter.
          “What do you want?”
          “This,” Y/N smiles. 
          The Beginner’s Guide to Sex in the Afterlife by David Staume.
          Seokjin eyes her as he picks up the book, “This again? You’re still not done reading 164 pages after, what, two months?”
          Y/N gulps as she clasps her hands in front of her, “Well, um, I still don’t get how people engage in sexual intercourse in the afterlife.”
          Seokjin decides not to reply and continues to do his job.
          “If they believe in a god. Or gods. Wouldn’t they worry about their god seeing them do...lewd stuff?”
          Seokjin feels his right eye start to twitch.
          “Unless...their god is a sex god?”
          Seokjin closes the book louder than necessary. He pins Y/N with a glare. “Look, Y/N. This book is about sexual energy transcending material life and even moving to the astral world. Just like how people pass away. What made you think that this book was about literally having sex in the afterlife?”
          Y/N looks at him with wide eyes, “You read the book?”
          Seokjin scowls. “Don’t turn this on me. We’re talking about you. Why do you keep borrowing books you don’t even read?” 
          Y/N looks at him then back at her clasped hands. “You don’t have to know,” she mutters under her breath, taking Seokjin by shock when she slams the payment on the counter and leans over to stamp the renting slip with the due date herself.
          Seokjin tries to call after her retreating figure by the door. “Wait, I didn’t even tell you the—”
          “Yeah, $1 for each day after the due date and you’re gonna charge my card if I destroy the book,” Y/N yells over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna come back on time!”
          Seokjin pales in his seat. Her announcement sounded like a death sentence.
          He wishes he wasn’t so easily bothered at the slightest of things Y/N said. He wishes he didn’t spend too much time deciphering a way to stop her. Most of all, he wishes he didn’t become too intrigued by her to the point he’s started to care about what she’s actually doing.
          And Seokjin hates it. He hates how he stresses himself reading the books Y/N borrows. He hates how he wastes his time trying to re-arrange the books in the shelves just so Y/N would start picking books with titles that actually made sense (which he learned is futile as Y/N had a penchant for finding weird books around his shop whenever and wherever). And, Seokjin hates how he basically studied her long enough to memorize her pattern. Long enough to realize that underneath all that weird borrowing behavior, Y/N just comes to his shop to stare at him. Moreover, Seokjin hates how he confirmed it with a friend.
          “Y/N must be making you quite busy, no?” Jimin asks over a mug of coffee.
          “You know her?” Seokjin asks in disbelief.
          “Yeah,” Jimin nods, “I’m friends with her. I consulted their animation company for the ad I told you I was making for Books to Tell. She was the one who assisted me and we just clicked. Especially after I learned that she’s also friends with Namjoon.”
          Seokjin’s eyes go wide, “She’s also friends with Namjoon?!”
          “Yeah, they kinda knew each other in college. Why are you so shocked? You were in the same major as Namjoon. You could have seen her with him around uni.”
          “Uh, no, I didn’t.”
          Jimin rubs his chin and shrugs, “Well, it’s a small world then. So, how is she? I actually told her to go visit your shop when you first opened.”
          Seokjin chokes on his coffee and Jimin hurries to pat his back. “God, why are you like this today? Is something wrong—"
          “How come you’re just telling me all of this now?!” Seokjin cuts his friend with a glare, making Jimin jolt in surprise.
          “W-what? Was I supposed to tell you about this earlier?”
          “Yes! Y/N’s been annoying me for four months now!”
          “I…didn’t know about that,” Jimin steps back and sits in his chair. “I just told her to take a look at your shop and she said ‘okay.’ She didn’t say anything after that so I figured it left her mind. I didn’t know she was a regular in your shop. She just brought it up again yesterday when she told me how…” Jimin zips his lips and shrugs.
          “How what?”
          “...how she likes your face.”
          Seokjin chokes again. This time on his own spit. He should have seen this coming. He was long aware that some of his renters only went into his shop to get a look at his face. Even if he had to suffer through the tedious cycle of rejecting their queries for his number and offers of coffee, some of them ended up as his regulars. Seokjin didn’t mind. Money is money after all. He just didn’t expect Y/N to be like them after all the months he spent trying to decode her actual intentions.
          Seokjin tried to brush Y/N off just like he did with the previous renters. Although she hasn’t pulled off anything yet, Seokjin believes it’s better to set things straight before it happens. The sooner he ends this, the faster he’ll find his peace again.
          Seokjin hired his neighbor, Jungkook, who’s been bugging him for a part-time job for so long and made him his assistant. He entrusted him with entertaining the customers so Seokjin wouldn’t have to deal with Y/N bugging him anymore. And like always, that plan goes down the drain because Y/N always, always ends up in front of Seokjin even when he’s countlessly told her to go to Jungkook.
          Seokjin’s tired of stressing over her so he forces himself to ignore her and the ridiculous books she borrows. But even that proves to be hard when Y/N hasn’t even done anything untoward but to stare at him from time to time. And give him a headache with the books she borrows like The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America by Julian Montague, 50 Sad Chairs by Bill Keaggu, and Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich by James Yannes. For after all the progress he thought he’s put in, Seokjin still finds himself reading these books all because of a goddamn curiosity he couldn’t put down.
          It becomes harder when Namjoon and his friends pick up Seokjin’s weird setup with Y/N. And mutual friends being the annoying mutual friends they are, Namjoon and the gang begins to invite him and Y/N to hangout.
          “Why is she here?” Seokjin mutters to Namjoon the moment he sees their table.
          “Who?”
          “You know who.”
          “Oh, Y/N,” Namjoon prolongs the syllable as if her name is the most amazing thing ever. Seokjin grimaces. “Why? You got a problem with her?”
          “No,” Seokjin instantly denies. “I’m just asking why you invited her. It used to be just us for so long.”
          “Yeah, it’s always been just us that’s why it became boring.”
          “Boring?”
          “Yeah, I’m getting tired of your face,” Namjoon chuckles, stepping ahead of Seokjin. “Besides, what’s wrong with adding a new friend? Y/N is cool.”
          Oh hell yeah, Y/N is cool. She beams at Seokjin like she always does as if their legs weren’t just casually touching after their friends made it a point to choose a cramped barbecue restaurant and sit the two of them next to each other.
          “So Seokjin, I heard you and Y/N are getting close,” Namjoon starts and Hoseok hoots in support.
          Jimin, being as annoying as ever decides to ride in too. “Yeah, why don’t you tell us how you met.”
          “I was doing my business and Y/N just rented a book. That is all,” Seokjin says dismissively as he grabs his shot glass and downs the gin in one go.
          “Are you sure, that’s all, Seokjin?” Rose leans forward, grinning, “Maybe you’re hiding something from us.”
          “I’m not—”
          “He’s not hiding anything. That’s true.”
          The table pauses as all eyes dart to Y/N. A wave of self-consciousness washes over her and she directs her focus back on her clasped hands on the table, “S-Seokjin’s right. I just rent books from him.”
          Seokjin glances at Y/N then back at his drink. It’s the first time she actually addressed him that night after engaging animatedly with Namjoon, Jimin, and Rose for the past hour. The table nods slowly and Seokjin guesses they’re already about to drop the subject. Seokjin’s lips tug in a small smile. Maybe tonight’s not gonna go as bad as he initially thought.
          However, Jungkook,  being the ever-living oblivious fuck that he, must’ve not gotten the memo, decides to stir up the subject again.
          “No, I don’t think so. Seokjin and Y/N do have something going on. I catch Y/N constantly looking his way and Seokjin for some reason, knows every single weird-ass book Y/N borrows.”
          Seokjin’s lips part in shock. Jeon Jungkook did not just give him away like that. “Of course, I’ll know those books. I bought them to rent them to people. That’s my business!”
          Jungkook blinks. “But you know every single detail about them.”
          The table goes silent. It doesn’t last very long, though, as Rose and Jimin break into simultaneous laughter while Namjoon repeatedly slaps his thigh. Hoseok shoots, “Oh my god, you must’ve kept on buying books with weird titles just to keep Y/N borrowing!”
          “What? I did not!” Seokjin yells but his voice is lost in the sea of laughter and teasing. Seeing as there’s no hope in making his friends stop anytime soon, Seokjin decides to lean on his seat and cross his arms in silence. His friends are going to jump onto another topic eventually. Looking at his empty plate, his eyes glance at the person who’s equally quiet next to him.
          Y/N is busy fiddling with the seams of her jacket. She looks up from time to time to their friends to wave off their playful jibes at her with a laugh.
          Seokjin feels an annoyance prick on his skin. His friends invited him over just to tease him. Seokjin is sure it’s only him because he’s the only one who’s gotten frustrated over this debacle while Y/N sits chill beside him. Y/N doesn’t even break a sweat laughing with the others as if she hasn’t been bothering him for months now. Seokjin swears he’s gonna decline the next time his friends invite him again. Or at least try to, because he’s gullible to their promises of “Hey, they’re giving out free drinks. Free is free!”
          It’s the same as that one fateful night.
            Seokjin stops in his tracks and grabs Hoseok by the shoulder. “Why is she here again?”
            “Who?”
            “Y/N.”
            Hoseok raises a brow, “Why do you keep asking this question when you already know the answer?”
            “I don’t,” Seokjin shakes his head. “I don’t know why you keep inviting her whenever I decide to join you guys.”
            “Oh, don’t be such a grump. Y/N’s our friend, too.”
          Feeling Seokjin still in his spot, Hoseok turns around and sighs, “Hey, we only see each other ‘bout twice a month, you know. Let’s have some fun, okay?”
          Seokjin should have known Hoseok’s definition of ‘fun’ is far from his as he sits across Y/N in the restaurant. All their friends out of sight.
          Hoseok started a game after dinner where everyone had to draw a piece of paper from the cup being passed around. The partners would then have to leave together in a form of a friendly date. It’s similar to seven minutes in heaven but messed up because instead of seven minutes together, they had to spend the rest of the night with the person they’ll end up picking.
          Seokjin should have known that this was all planned when Namjoon oh so coincidentally pulled Rose, who everyone knows he’s been secretly crushing on. Meanwhile, Hoseok, Jimin, and Jungkook obviously ended up drawing each other’s name just to purposely get Namjoon and Rose together. And well…him and Y/N together. Seokjin sighs as he stands up. He just had to get this done and over as quickly as he possibly could.
          “Look, Y/N—”
          “I know a good place near here.”
          Seokjin halts. He looks at the girl who’s already looking up at him with wide eyes. "There's a cafe down the block and I heard it's really nice."
          "Uhh, that sounds amazing. I guess. Look, Y/N-"
          "They let you play with board games and borrow books, too."
          Seokjin scratches his head, "Uhh, I don't know about that, Y/N. I haven't had the time to check them out yet...I mean...if those cafes are good...or bad," Seokjin internally cringes at his words. Making believable excuses was never really his forte.
          "Oh, it's good!" Y/N smiles, “I’ve tried it before and I had a really good time."
          "Uhh-"
          "It's really good. You can trust me on this.”
          “No, I can’t,” Seokjin says before he could think about it and he immediately feels the guilt pang in his heart when he sees Y/N’s eyes drop to her feet
          “That’s…okay. I'm sorry. I just wanted to make up for the days, and uh, nights I probably made you uncomfortable. I thought, maybe you'd enjoy having a few drinks at the cafe since I always see you with a to-go cup on your counter."
          Seokjin looks at her with surprise written on his face and Y/N flushes. "Sorry. I tend to observe... stuff. I’m sorry," she repeats again, voice dripping with remorse.
          Seokjin bites his lip. He didn’t mean to make her sad. He just wants to…run away from her. The reason? Well…Seokjin doesn’t exactly know why. Maybe it had to do with the feeling that nagged at him since the night started. The feeling that something may happen tonight that he wouldn’t like. He tends to prioritize his disposition because more often than not, his gut feeling has saved him countless times from unnecessary drama and unpleasantries. But for tonight, Seokjin decides to shake them off. It wouldn’t hurt to take up Y/N’s offer, right? It’s just some coffee.
             “Okay. Um, I forgive you.”
             “You do?” Y/N perks up, lips curving up again.
             Seokjin looks away, “Yeah. I think I’m being difficult, too. I’m sorry if I also made you uncomfortable.”
             Y/N waves her hands, “Oh no, don’t apologize. You don’t make me uncomfortable. Far from it, actually.”
             Seokjin doesn’t know what to say to that so he clears his throat, “Okay, so...let’s go to the cafe?”
             “Sure,” Y/N grins.
             It feels weird to walk side by side with Y/N when he’s gotten used to having a counter between them. It’s even weirder that he actually enjoyed their time together inside the cafe. The cakes were delicious, the coffee was amazing, and the books and board games were a wonderful addition. Seokjin didn’t know he'd actually have fun playing scrabble against Y/N.
             “I can’t believe I lost again!”
             Seokjin chuckles at her, “That’s because you kept using short words.”
             Well, it really is fun when he’s winning.
             Y/N pushes the game to the side, “I don’t want to play scrabble anymore.”
             “That’s okay,” Seokjin chuckles, “I can find another game I’m sure to win again.”
             The two of them fall in a comfortable silence. It’s the first time Seokjin felt this way around Y/N. For all the months she came to his shop, he did nothing but be forever on his toes around her.
             “You know...I really like your face.”
             Or maybe not. Seokjin tenses up in his seat.
             Y/N puts her hands up, “Oh, I didn’t mean it like, in a bad way. I mean, I like your face. It’s so...expressive.”
             Seokjin looks at her, confused. Expressive?
             “You’ve asked me before about why I keep on borrowing books I don’t even read and I told you that you didn’t have to know. It seems right to tell you the reason behind it now..” Y/N fiddles with her hands, “Since you’re now paying attention to me.”
             Seokjin knows this isn’t true but he doesn’t say anything.
             “You see...I’ve been fumbling around my work for so long. Well, it’s more like a personal project for now. I’ve been meaning to pitch in the idea of a lighthearted romcom series to my department. I just wanted to have a solid draft first so I could at least let them see my vision. I’m pretty bad with words. I need things to be spelled out completely and I don’t think I can do it with this one so I will have to get the drawings complete instead,” Y/N scratches her head. “I want this pitch to have a solid chance. I’ve been working on it for almost three years now. I just can’t seem to finish it because I didn’t know what to do with my lead male. Until I heard about you from Jimin.”
             “Me?” Seokjin points to himself.
             “Yeah. You have this look in your face that just exudes…greatness. It’s like you’re telling me...‘I’m a star.’”
             “Huh?”
             “What I mean is, your expressions are perfect for a leading guy!” Y/N squeals, “Oh my god, I just found the right words.”
             Seokjin laughs nervously, “Y/N, just so you know, you’re not making any sense right now.”
             Y/N cautiously fixes herself again, “Uh, what I’m trying to say is, you have this aesthetic around you that’s just perfect for the male lead I am envisioning. It’s easy for you to make various expressions that stretch from annoyance to glee and beyond. I’m really surprised at how well you could do that. If you think about it, you can be an actor if you’d like. You’re even handsome.”
             Seokjin flushes at the sudden compliment.
             Y/N continues, “And that’s that. You became my muse and I kept visiting for inspiration because I obviously couldn’t take pictures without your permission. That’s illegal.”
             Seokjin should be appalled. He’s never met a person before who said such...things aloud in the open as if they’re just talking about the weather. But here he is, looking at Y/N, and feeling at peace. Maybe it had to do with him finally getting the answers he’s been looking for for months.
             “Well, you should have just told me from the start. I wouldn’t have been...too weirded out by you.”
             “Yeah, I’m sorry. My bad,” Y/N softly laughs.
             “I thought you’re purposely messing with me with the way you pick the weirdest titles from my shop.”
             Y/N awkwardly shrugs, “Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.”
             Seokjin chuckles but halts. Why does Y/N bother to pick the weirdest titles when she can just pick from the hundreds of normal-looking books he has? She won’t even read them anyway.
             Seokjin clears his throat, “Um, Y/N, why do you always borrow the weird-looking titles?”
             Y/N’s eyes grow wide. She darts her eyes at her lap, “Uhh, I just, uh, do.”
             Seokjin isn’t convinced. No one spends time finding the weirdest of books in a shop ‘just because they do.’ Seokjin feels the familiar itch of his curiosity. He needs to know why. Only then will he probably stop finding a pattern in the ridiculous-titled books Y/N borrows.
             “Okay, you can keep doing your...inspiration thing.”
             “What?”
             “I’m not angry about what you said. You don’t have to worry. Everyone has their own inspiration. You can keep coming to my shop. After all, you’re my regular renter.”
             Y/N’s smile immediately grows into a grin, “Okay. Thank you, Seokjin.”
             Seokjin feels his chest lighten with satisfaction. But at the same time, he can’t deny the feeling that he’s probably signed himself up to something he’s unprepared for. He presses his lips together. His gut feeling was right. He doesn’t like this night.
          Seokjin confirms this when tomorrow comes as well as the following days. Y/N comes in like usual in the afternoon, maxes her three hours, and finds a book with a weird title to rent. Nothing had changed much except now, Seokjin had to see her stare at him openly and not behind a book, as she intermittently looked towards his counter then back to her sketchpad. He regrets having ever welcomed Y/N because now he thinks he’s the one who’s weird for feeling his heart pound in delight whenever Y/N looks at him.
          Seokjin hates what he’s become. He hates how he simultaneously dislikes and likes Y/N’s presence in his shop. He likes how Y/N has begun using her three hours to tell him another story from work. He likes how she makes him laugh even when her jokes don’t make any sense. He likes how easy it is for him to tell her his own stories—his dreams, his fears, his past relationships. He could even say the most ridiculous musings he ever had without feeling ashamed of it because Y/N understands. But at the same time, he can’t help but dislike how he’s started to constantly wait for her return in his shop. He hates how he instantly feels so down when he realizes Y/N won’t be able to make it to his shop. He dislikes how he finds himself oversharing stuff without feeling any guilt when all his life, he made it sure not to say to let people know too much. The more they know, the easier it is for them to inflict hurt. Because they know what part is gonna hurt the most. And so, Seokjin tells Y/N everything other than the things he feels about her. The things he really wishes to say.
          All his life, Seokjin has always anticipated seeing how things will end up. Because he knows he’s right. And he always almost is. He knows that this relationship he has with Y/N is purely transactional. Y/N just kept coming because she needs someone who’ll give her inspiration. Seokjin knows if he ever lets his feelings out, he’ll only end up breaking his own heart. He knows how this will end and yet he can’t but wish he isn’t always right. Now, he sits fearfully in anticipation of the day Y/N stops her visits as soon as she finishes what she started coming to his shop for.
          Turns out, Seokjin didn’t have to wait very long. Because on one Thursday morning, he finds a copy of Y/N's final draft on his counter and no presence of the girl. Y/N doesn't appear during the following week. Or the week after that.
          "What do I do?" Seokjin mumbles. He covers his face with his hands as he slumps on Jimin’s dining table. The rain thundering outside fits his current mood so well. Seokjin hates it.
          "Well, you shouldn't have been so hostile to her from the start," Jimin says with crossed arms.
          "Don't you think I already know that? I've already played through all the different things that could’ve happened if I didn't pick on her borrowing habit."
          "It's not that," Namjoon says. "We meant how you usually react when we invite her over to our hangouts."
          "Yeah, you always look so stiff next to Y/N even after we set you guys up on a date," Jungkook remarks. "Anyone would have looked at you and would’ve commented on how uncomfortable you looked right next to her."
          It's true. He felt uncomfortable whenever he sat beside Y/N. In his defense, it no longer felt like the uncomfort he felt when they had first met. This feeling of uncomfort felt different, it’s brought by the heat that fills his body when Y/N's leg brushes against his.
          And it didn't help that earlier that day, Y/N pulled quite a stunt on him.
          "Hey, you have something on your hair," Y/N points at his head. But before he could pick it up on his own, Y/N had already leaned over the counter and picked it away for him. She came so close that Seokjin could clearly see how long her lashes actually were and how pink and soft her lips looked. He feels his Adam's apple bob up and down.
          "There," she smiles, "All handsome again."
          Seokjin feels heat rush to his ears as he looks away.
          Seokjin looks at Jungkook, “Well, I can’t control how I feel. You know how bad I act when I’m not okay.”
          “So you’re not okay being by her side in public but you’re okay when you guys are alone?” Jungkook eyes him, “Don’t you dare deny it because I saw you guys getting chummy across the counter.
          Seokjin gulps. He knows what Jungkook is talking about. He didn’t know where and when but somewhere along the way, he and Y/N started to blur any nuance of personal space around each other. He just found it natural to tuck her hair behind her ear when it falls on her face as she draws. He found it natural to let his fingers brush on Y/N’s own as he grabs a book from the upper shelf for her.
          “You must have been watching too many romantic movies.”
          “Why?”
          “You’re really acting like a main lead now. You’re making me feel as if I’m the female lead.”
          Seokjin freezes and tears his eyes away from Y/N. He pulls the book and unceremoniously pushes it to her. “Here’s your book,” he mutters before walking back to his counter.
          “Hey, don’t just leave me here!”
          And Seokjin found it natural to let his actions do the talking for him instead.
          “Do you trust me?” Y/N asks as she looks up at him. “I already made you look good on paper. What more if we go to this amusement park together?”
          “I don’t trust you,” Seokjin says but his hand grips on hers tighter. 
          “Of course, I’d feel better when we’re alone,” Seokjin grunts as he grabs his coffee, “Who would want to see two people touching each other in public? Not to say people who engage in PDA too many times will eventually break up since the pressure from the public-”
          “We’re not telling you to engage in PDA,” Namjoon cuts him. “What we’re trying to say is that, why do you refuse to act on your feelings?
          “Yeah,” Jimin seconds, “It’s obvious that you like her. You wouldn’t keep on buying weird books and reading what Y/N borrows just to check if Y/N will indeed read it. You wouldn’t keep asking me if she’s alright at work whenever she doesn’t show up or leave you any messages under the pretense of ‘ensuring she wouldn’t come to your shop to disturb you’. You keep asking me because you’re worried about her. You keep buying her weird books because you’re happy seeing her smile happily about them. You keep welcoming Y/N into the shop even when you hate getting distracted because you like her!. It’s so obvious! Why can’t you say it?!”
          “Because I know how this thing between us will end. What we have is purely temporary. Y/N came in to find a muse and that’s that. She comes to my rental shop just to finish her project. Y/N never intended to stay long, and I made sure she didn’t. I knew she was leaving the moment she finished. If I said I liked her then, it would’ve only made us awkward and I would’ve ended up absolutely miserable.”
          “Well, she already did leave,” Namjoon deadpans. 
          “And you didn’t say anything but you’re still miserable,” Jungkook says.
          Seokjin closes his eyes and nods. He’s fully aware that Y/N is gone, but it’s not like he can act like nothing happened. It was his fault, after all. “Yeah, I know now. I’m stupid. I’ll just have to deal with it on my own and move on.”
          “You don’t have to deal with it on your own.”
          Seokjin jolts at the familiar voice. He turns around and finds the very person he’s been missing for weeks. Y/N. With the deep bags under her eyes and her hair all mussed up, she looks far from Seokjin’s type. But she’s still the most beautiful person he’s ever seen in his life. 
          “Okay, I guess this is our cue to go.”
          Seokjin whips his head to Jimin, his eyes wide, “You planned this?”
          “Obviously. It looks like you still needed a little push after the last stunt we pulled. Jungkook, stand up from your goddamn seat.”
          Y/N stays in her spot until their three friends leave them alone. Seokjin looks at his feet as shame and self-consciousness mingle in an unsettling mix in his stomach. Y/N is here and he must look like the stupidest idiot in the world right now.
          “Did you mean it when you said you liked me?
          “Yes,” Seokjin sighs.
          “Then why didn’t you say so from the start?” Y/N says in a soft voice. “You kept blocking my advances. I was trying to let you know that I liked you, too.”
          “You like me, too?” Seokjin asks, shocked and confused.
          “Of course! Did you really think I just picked weird books out for fun? Okay, I did have a lot of fun picking them — but the point is, I did all of them to get your attention!!! For god’s sake, did you think I sat through your lecture on divine afterlife intercourse “just because”? No!! Okay,” Y/N closes her eyes, I first went to your shop for inspiration. But that all changes when I started liking you. You’re just so hardworking and smart and even if you’re grumpy on bad days, you actually care so much. I just want to stand out at least a bit so you could see me, too. And just when I thought I had finally succeeded when you agreed to let me draw your face, you started giving me mixed signals. You’d come near me and touch my hand and would let it go right when I started to talk about it. You’d act so affectionate then say the exact opposite. Do you know how bad it hurts when I ask you if you’d trust me—even when I sound like I’m joking—and all you’d ever answer is ‘no’?”
          “I thought...you already knew the answer.”
          “No, I don’t, Seokjin. I told you I’m bad with words. I need things to be spelled out. I-”
          “Y/N, I trust you. I thought you figured it out already when I told you everything about my life.” Seokjin looks at his hand, “But it turns out it wasn’t enough. I’m sorry we had to take the long route like this because I couldn’t say what I really wanted.
          “And what is it?”
          “You.”
          Y/N flushes at his sudden confession. The surprise in her eyes morphs into a satisfied glint as Y/N’s lips curve into a soft smile. “It’s okay. You have me now,” She steps into his arms and Seokjin immediately engulfs her in his embrace. For the very first time in his life, he doesn’t anticipate anything. His mind doesn’t conjure any endings. All he could think of is how he wants to prolong this moment as much as he can. Seokjin smiles into her neck as he tightens her hold on her. This must be what it feels like to be finally at peace.
          “So you like me now, huh?” he feels Y/N murmur at his chest.
          “Yeah.”
          “And you trust me now?”
          “2000%” Seokjin grins.
          “Good. I’ve been wanting to try out something that I read.”
          “Oh, so you’ve finally read something,” Seokjin chuckles by her ear.
          Y/N giggles, “Yeah. I wanted to do it right this time for this book.”
          “What book?”
          “Edward Jaye’s The Cookie Sutra.”
          “What?”
          “Cookies and Kama Sutra.”
A/N pt. 2: Hello my dear @sophrosinn. Happy birthday! First of all, I love you. I LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH. AND MY LOVE FOR YOU CANNOT BE CAPTURED ENOUGH BY THESE WORDS. You’ve been with me for four years of my life and I couldn’t believe it’s just four years when it feels like I’ve been living my whole life with you. Yeah, you made a super large mark in my life and I couldn’t imagine what my life would have been if I didn’t meet you. You’ve helped me out in so many difficult times of my life. Through all the shits and slumps I had in school, in my family, and in my writing journey, you’ve stayed with me throughout all of those things. Gave me the advices I needed to hear. You’re still here, helping me heal from the pain I’ve suffered and still suffering. You’ve always been a rock of support in my life, @sophrosinn, and I wouldn’t have come this far if it weren’t you. When I look at you, I still wonder how life managed to let me meet such an astoundingly wonderful person like you are. These days have been tough but I hope you know you don’t have to suffer through it alone. I and @senfleurs will always be here to hear you rant, listen to your basog moments, and help you lighten your load as much as we can. Whenever life brings you down, I hope you always remember I will be here for you to give you an ear that will listen to you, to give you a shoulder you could cry on. I want to also be your rock of support you could always go to without hesitation just like you’ve always been for me. So Happy happy birthday my dear best girl! You have gotten a year older today but don’t worry, you’re not gonna be alone. I and @senfleurs will be by your side as we grow old with you! Here’s to more amazing years! I love you!
P.S. Yes, this fic is inspired by this reddit post you sent to us.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
I just changed it up a bit bc my mind went blank when I first drafted the “we’re married” concept. Hope you like it, anyway! I tried writing both your serious and quirky sides through Seokjin and the OC!
P.P.S. I’m sorry I couldn’t get this fic out much earlier. My writing slump is still as bad as it can be but oof, I managed to get it out just before August 11 ends! I hope the wordcount and the feels and laughs make up for that   > u <
All Rights Reserved © Vanaera. Reposts, modifications, and translations of content are not allowed without direct permission
160 notes · View notes
iam93percentstardust · 4 years ago
Note
I'm bombarding you with those prompts, so I fully understand if you just ignore all those you don't like, lol. Would WinterIronFalcon be an OT3 you're intrested in writing? Some established WinterFalcon with Tony pining helplessly after them, not believeing he could have a chance? With a dash of angst in it? Thank you ♡
There isn’t much angst in this but there is hopeless pining so yay?
Also on ao3 here
~
“Share Bear, it’s not fair,” Tony whines into the phone.
“What isn’t?” his cousin asks, sounding patient but also kind of amused. He takes the phone away from his ear and squints at it. Is she making fun of him? She probably is, Sharon always makes fun of him. She’s mean like that; he’s pretty sure she gets it from Natasha.
“They’re so fucking gorgeous, I can’t stand it.”
“Oh. Them again. Seriously Tony, didn’t you used to have better taste?”
“Excuse you,” he says, offended. “My taste is perfect.”
“They think arguing is foreplay.”
“It’s bickering! And it’s cute!”
“Gross,” Sharon says cheerfully.
“God hates me,” Tony says dramatically, flinging his hand over his eyes. “That’s why he cursed me to work with two such beautiful humans who are already dating each other.”
“Tony—”
“I know Bucky stays up to date with the fandom,” he continues, going a little quieter. “He’s gotta know that tons of people ship the three of us. But he doesn’t say anything about it. Share Bear, why doesn’t he say anything?”
“Probably because for every person who ships all three of you, there’s twice as many who ship just you and him,” she admits. “I know that if someone were shipping Maria and Nat and ignoring that I even exist, I’d be pretty upset.”
“Yeah,” he says glumly.
“What’re you filming today anyway?” she asks.
“True Crime. We were supposed to be doing an episode of Supernatural at the Odinson Mystery House, you know, over in Norway where the son found out he was adopted and then got super into Norse mythology and supposedly disappeared into a rainbow?”
“Oh yeah, that guy was crazy.”
“Wasn’t,” Tony insist stubbornly. “There are three different eyewitnesses and they all saw the same thing.”
“All three eyewitnesses tested positive for meth.”
“It was trace amounts and ruled irrelevant to the case. Anyway, there’s some sort of blizzard so our flight got canceled. We figured we’d get a jump on this season’s True Crime episodes instead.”
“What are you doing this week?”
He scowls into the phone. “Fandom episode. They voted for Captain America.”
He can practically hear Sharon wince. “I’m sorry. That fucking sucks.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, not least because both of them know exactly what happened to Captain America. He was recovered from the Arctic back in the 50s and went on to live a very happy and fulfilling life with Aunt Peggy. But that’s a very closely guarded state secret; the U.S. government can’t let it get out that Steve Rogers survived nearly a decade in the ice. Technically, Tony and Sharon aren’t even supposed to know but Aunt Peggy had insisted she be allowed to tell them after she took custody of Sharon and Tony moved out of Howard’s and into her home. It’s kind of cool actually, knowing that Uncle Steve is really Captain America. He’s a pretty great guy. It just kind of sucks that he can’t tell anyone about it and now he has to do a whole episode about it when everyone knows he’s a shitty liar.
He’d talked it over with Uncle Steve and Aunt Peggy when the results of the vote had first come in. Aunt Peggy’s advice had been to act more manic than usual, throw even more outlandish theories into the mix, and really make this episode about the banter between him and Bucky. “Direct their attention away from Steve,” she’d said. “They’re already going to be looking at you. Just make sure they’re doing it for the wrong reason.”
He kind of wants to kiss Bucky. That would definitely draw attention away from the episode. But that’s not fair to either Bucky or Sam, who are very happy with their relationship and don’t need a homewrecker like Tony throwing a spanner into the mix.
“Good luck,” Sharon tells him before they hang up. “You’re gonna need it.”
“Wow, thanks,” he mutters but she’s already gone.
~
Marvels Unsolved was never supposed to be this popular. It started off as a novelty webseries about Tony trying to convince Bucky about the existence of the supernatural—he firmly believed that if science could turn Uncle Steve from an actual shrimp to the god of muscles, then magic had to be out there—and then they’d started talking about an unsolved crime from the early 20th century after filming an episode one day, forgetting that the camera was still rolling, and had ended up with enough footage to make a second episode about real crimes. They had stayed pretty unknown throughout that first season but then true crime podcasts had exploded in popularity and Unsolved along with them.
Now they have a fandom and merchandise and actual fanfiction written about them, which is the craziest thing. They both have several often-quoted gifs floating around the Internet and Bucky has somehow become the poster child for being unimpressed by literally everything (he actually makes some of the best faces when something genuinely scary happens but they always end up editing those parts out—he has an image to maintain after all).
They brought Sam on once they started gaining in popularity. Tony, by that point, already had a pretty well-established crush on Bucky. He’d even thought that he had a chance with his co-host, small as it may be, and at first, it hadn’t seemed like Sam was going to change anything. He and Bucky argued all the time so Tony had been absolutely stunned when he’d stumbled upon them making out like it was the end of the world.
They had just finished filming their second season. Sam had suggested going out to a local bar. He’d suggested it for all three of them but Tony had, inexplicably, felt like a third wheel all night as Sam and Bucky bickered. At one point, Sam had disappeared off to the restroom and a couple minutes later, Bucky had followed him. Tony doesn’t know how long he had sat there waiting for them but he’d eventually gone looking for them only to find Sam pressing Bucky up against a wall.
And that had been that.
Three years later, Sam and Bucky are still going strong, Tony is as smitten with Sam as he is with Bucky despite knowing how hopeless both crushes are, and the fandom seems convinced to either write Sam out of Tony and Bucky’s relationship or write Tony into Sam and Bucky’s. He wishes they would stop. He stays pretty up to date with the fandom as well and they have all these meta posts about the way Bucky looks at him or something. It just keeps giving him hope but, well, it’s been three years. If Bucky wanted him, or if Sam did for that matter, they would have done something long ago.
~
“Hey, you doing okay?” Sam asks him as they’re setting up.
“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?” He avoids meeting Sam’s eyes, focusing instead on adding creamer to the coffee. Marvels had presented them with these mugs last year to congratulate them on four years of Unsolved. They’ve got their most iconic quotes printed on them, Bucky’s with “Obviously I killed JFK” and Tony’s with “I’m the dramatic bitch your mom warned you about.” Sam has one too with his one and only line in the entire show printed on it (“Why did I agree to work with you?”) but since he’s always behind the camera, he doesn’t have to use the same mug for each episode.
“You just seem a little off.” The worst part is that Sam genuinely looks concerned. If they didn’t care about him, he thinks his crush might be easier to manage but they do because they’re just nice guys like that. “I know you weren’t too thrilled when we announced this week’s case.”
“Howard worked with him, practically hero-worshipped the damn guy. Of course, I’m not excited.”
Sam winces. They know all about Tony’s shitty relationship with Howard after his dad called Marvels furious that his son was hosting a webseries instead of coming home to grovel at his feet and take over the business. The whole team had been brought in to listen as Fury tried to placate him. By the end, Bucky had been furious on Tony’s behalf and Sam had berated Fury for twenty minutes for making Tony listen to the vitriol his dad had spewed. It had cemented his crush on Sam, then just a passing fancy, into something real and permanent.
“Seriously, Sam, I’m fine. Might be a little off today but I would have said if I didn’t think I could do it.”
Sam doesn’t look convinced but he agrees anyway. Tony sits down next to Bucky and passes him his mug. Bucky shoots him a grin and murmurs, “Thanks, doll.”
Tony doesn’t blush but that’s only because he has five years of practice. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Sam counting them down and he turns to face the camera, settling his hands in front of him.
“This week on Marvels Unsolved True Crime and in celebration of our 100th episode,” he begins, “we asked you what you’d like us to investigate and you came back—”
“—overwhelmingly,” Bucky interjects.
“Many, many times,” Tony agrees, “with a topic near and dear to my own heart: Captain America.”
“That’s right,” Bucky says, sounding surprised though Bucky had been the first to point out that maybe they shouldn’t do this episode because of Tony’s connections to Project Rebirth. “Your dad helped turn Steve Rogers into Captain America, didn’t he?”
“And he never let me forget it!” Tony says cheerfully.
“One hundred episodes,” Bucky says slowly, enunciating each word. “Can you believe that, doll?”
Sometimes, he wonders why the fans ship them when Sam is right there. Other times, Bucky says things like this and he understands completely.
“Not even a little bit, Bucky Babe.” Okay, so maybe he doesn’t help.
“One hundred. The big one zero zero.”
“We tried to do something extra special and get Sam in front of the camera for you guys—”
“—so you could see what a hunk he is—”
“—but Sam said that he didn’t trust anyone else to film us properly—”
“—which makes sense because Tony? If you put him in the wrong light, he’s practically a gremlin—”
“Hey!”
“I’m just telling the facts.”
“Well, the facts are wrong.”
“They’re facts, sweet thing, they can’t be wrong.”
“Can too. Anyway, since Sam refuses to join us—”
“—and that just breaks my heart because Sam, he’s one of my favorite guys, you know?”
Tony pauses. It’s not like Bucky to say anything nice about Sam. Usually, it’s all good-natured insults and bickering. He must really be fed up with the Starkbucks shippers to say something like this when they’re still this early in the show.
“Only one of?” he asks curiously.
Bucky shoots him one of those filthy grins that their audience loves so much. “Well, it’s hard not to include you on that list,” he drawls.
He’s not going to blush.
He’s not going to blush.
He’s not going to—
Damn it.
Whatever. It’s no big deal, that’s what editing is for. So what if Sam has never edited out one of Tony’s blushes yet? Maybe Tony will get lucky and he will this time.
“You know, I was actually named for Captain America’s sidekick?” Bucky asks, getting them back on track.
“Wow, that is deeply unfortunate,” Tony deadpans.
“Yeah, Dad’s a fanboy. His whole troop was pinned down and rescued by the two of them. He tells the story all the time—kind of like your dad.”
“Except my dad goes straight past into fanboy and directly into obsession territory.”
“…Fair enough.”
“Really? That’s all you’re going to say?”
Bucky shrugs and takes a sip out of his mug. “I’ve been inside your house. I’ve seen the Steve Rogers shrine. I’m not going to argue with you.”
Tony thinks about that for a moment. “It is kind of a shrine, isn’t it? Anyway, we’ve got some great stuff for you today. We’re going to crack open this cold case, show you some never-before-seen footage courtesy of my mom sneaking my dad’s old war tapes out of the mansion, and then we’ll talk a little bit about the theories out there.”
“How many of them are going to be ridiculously outlandish and physically impossible?”
Tony glares at him. “None of them. I have never once presented a ridiculously outlandish and physically impossible theory.”
“Right because alien abduction is a valid—”
“Aliens are real!”
“You said that crabs might have eaten Amelia Earheart!” Bucky shouts over him.
“It’s a valid theory!”
“I take it back, you’re not one of my favorite people anymore.”
“That really hurts me, deep inside,” Tony says sarcastically, trying to cover up that maybe that does send a small pang shooting through his chest. He likes the thought of being one of Bucky’s favorite people. He doesn’t want to lose that.
“How deep?” Bucky asks and winks.
“Very deep. Way, way deep down. Practically in my—”
Bucky’s eyes widen and he nearly chokes on his coffee. “Okay, that’s enough of that. Let’s get into the facts.”
“Hey, that’s my line!”
~
“With a missing plane and pilot and so much redaction in the files, we’re lucky to even have a name, let’s get into the theories.”
“Actually, wait, before we do that,” Bucky says, “I want to ask if you’ve ever noticed that your voice changes when you’re doing the voiceovers.”
“Wait, what?” Tony asks. He glances at him, to one of the cameras, then back to Bucky. “What do you mean?”
“You know, it gets all deeper like you’re trying to voice movie trailers or something.”
“No it doesn’t.”
“Sure it does.”
Tony shakes his head. “There’s no way.”
They both turn toward Sam, who thinks about it and then makes a ‘sort of’ motion with his hand.
“Told you!” Bucky says triumphantly.
“You’re such a child,” Tony sneers.
“Yeah, that’s why you like working with me so much.”
Behind the camera, Sam silently snickers and Tony glares at him before telling the camera, “If you’re watching, let us know in the comments. Is my apparent movie trailer voice okay or does it need to go like Bucky clearly thinks?”
Bucky goes paler. “Hey, wait, I didn’t say it had to go.”
“It was implied when you brought it up,” he argues.
“No!” Bucky insists. “I was just wondering if it was on purpose.”
They both turn toward Sam, who thinks about it and then makes a ‘sort of’ motion with his hand.
“Aha!” Tony says triumphantly.
“Traitor,” Bucky mutters into his coffee.
Sam signs, “I’ll make it up to you when we get home tonight.”
“And that was more than I ever wanted to learn about Sam and Bucky’s love life,” Tony lies through his teeth. “Let’s get into the theories. I only have two for you today, one of which I think Bucky will particularly like.”
“Oh no.”
“Our first theory is that Steve Rogers died in a plane crash on December 16, 1944. Winter months in the Arctic are known to be particularly stormy. There would have been low visibility due to the high latitude and time of year and with the waters and surrounding land being well below freezing, it’s possible that, even if Captain Rogers survived the impact, he would have frozen to death in the stormy seas.”
Bucky thinks about it for a second. “Yeah, that seems plausible.”
“In addition, Howard Stark, a known Captain America aficionado and the father of Marvels Unsolved’s best host—”
“You lie like a rug!” Bucky howls.
Tony snickers and then when Sam signs, “He’s really not,” bursts out into full-out laughter.
Once he’s recovered, he continues, “Howard Stark has spent the first fifty years after the crash of the Valkyrie and the last twenty funding searches in the Arctic in the hopes of recovering Captain Rogers’ body. He has found no evidence that Captain Rogers survived the crash although he did find part of the remains of the Valkyrie and has since stated that, ‘No human could have survived that crash.’”
The expeditions are a scam and have been since Howard first found the Valkyrie crash site and Uncle Steve along with it. He hadn’t been planning on continuing the expeditions—too costly, as he claims—but when Aunt Peggy had told him that Uncle Steve’s survival had to remain a secret, he’d kept them up for pretense’s sake.
Bucky is saying something about how it sucks that the first superhero is gone and when he finishes, Tony grins and says, “Then you’ll like our second theory.”
“Somehow, every time you say that, I end up completely hating it. Wonder why that is.”
“Our second theory is that Steve Rogers survived the crash and is still alive but cryogenically frozen in the ice. There—”
“Bullshit!”
Tony starts laughing but he tries to continue on over Bucky shouting that it’s complete nonsense. It’s hard and he knows that Sam will probably have to do some editing and maybe make Tony do some voiceover work in order to make the theory audible but he thinks he manages to do a pretty good job.
Bucky is pouting by the end of it, arms crossed over his chest. “What fucking bullshit,” he mutters.
“The supersoldier serum—” Tony starts to point out.
“Isn’t a miracle drug.”
“That’s exactly what it is.”
“No, it just made him big and strong. It doesn’t just magically keep people alive when they should have died.”
And then they’re off into familiar territory, arguing about the merits of either theory. Tony’s actually feeling pretty good about himself, convinced that he’s doing a decent job of steering the conversation away of anything classified, right up until Bucky says, about halfway through the episode, “I’m surprised at you, Tony.”
He wrinkles his nose. “Surprised?”
“Usually, you have some absolutely batshit, off-the-walls crazy theory but these have actually been pretty normal for you.” He pauses and then adds for effect, “And you’re usually much better at your research than this.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh come on, even I know that there’s one more theory.”
He starts tapping at his chest nervously, almost wishing that he had a pair of sunglasses. Aunt Peggy always said that his lies are in his eyes, that they’re too expressive to hide the truth. When he was living with Howard, in the spotlight, he always had a pair of sunglasses to hide his eyes but he hasn’t wanted to use those since he moved out. He wishes he had them now.
“And what’s that?” he asks, feigning a casualness he doesn’t feel.
“That Steve Rogers lived and came out of the ice at some point and has been living out his life in anonymity.”
He barks out a nervous laugh. “I didn’t mention it because even I know that that theory is completely impossible.”
“Hasn’t stopped you before.” Sam nods agreeably. Bucky nods back at him and adds, “Even Sam agrees with me.”
“He’s your boyfriend, he’s practically required to.”
Both Sam and Bucky laugh at that one and yeah, okay, it was a pretty ridiculous statement. Anyone who knows them knows that being boyfriends is less likely to make them agree with each other.
“Look, Steve Rogers didn’t come out of the ice alive. Howard would have known for one thing and if you think, he could keep something like that quiet, then you don’t know him very well.”
“Maybe the government insisted it be a secret,” Bucky suggests, shrugging. “There have been plenty of people who have claimed over the last couple decades to be Captain America.”
Tony scoffs. “Oh come on, by that logic, anyone could be Captain America.”
“Maybe they could be.”
“No,” Tony says flatly. “It’s like that crazy conspiracy theory guy over on Reddit who’s convinced that Bruce Wayne is Batman.”
“Maybe Bruce Wayne is Batman.”
“Ooh do the butts match?” Tony says mockingly. “I mean, really, Bucky Babe, if we’re going off of lookalikes, then my fucking Uncle Steve is secretly really Steve Rogers, which is ridiculous because the guy’s like practically ancient and faints at the sight of blood in PG-13 movies.”
That sets off another round of arguing that lasts the rest of the episode until finally Tony wraps it up with, “Whether Steve Rogers died in 1944 or is still alive today is a mystery that will remain unsolved.”
They both pause for a moment to provide time for Sam to edit in the theme music and closing title. Usually, there would be some lighthearted bantering afterwards, maybe a joke about something they said earlier in the show. This time though, Bucky says thoughtfully, “The thing is, though, I’ve met your Uncle Steve—”
Tony goes cold.
“—and he really does kind of look like—”
Tony panics. That’s the only explanation that he has for declaring, “I’m done waiting,” reaching across the tables and grabbing hold of Bucky’s shirt, and yanking him forward to kiss him.
For a moment, Bucky is too startled to do anything but then he melts into Tony, mouth opening under his, tongue pushing forward to meet his. Bucky’s arms come around him, pulling him up and out of his chair and settling him into his lap. Tony makes a small greedy sound, swallowed by Bucky’s kiss, and then they’re both pulling away. Bucky’s lips are very red; Tony can’t stop staring at them even as he’s filled with dismay.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I shouldn’t have—”
“Why not?” Bucky demands.
“You—Sam—” He glances toward the camera but Sam isn’t standing there anymore. His heart drops into his stomach—has he just ruined Bucky and Sam’s relationship? But then he hears someone drop to their knees behind him and when he turns slightly, Sam’s fingers are on his chin, gently turning his head.
“How long?” Sam asks.
“How long what?”
“How long have we been wasting our time when we could have been kissing you instead?”
Three years, two months, and fifteen days. “Too long.”
Sam kisses him then, mouth gentler than Bucky’s but no less consuming. Bucky is a hard, hot line against his front; Sam is warm against his back and Tony? Tony loses himself in the storm that is the two of them, sparks shooting through him as Bucky’s hands find their way to his hips, as Sam’s tongue slips into his mouth, as Bucky whispers into his ear, “We’re not wasting any more time.”
~
Marvels Unsolved’s 100th episode shoots to their most watched, most liked video in less than a day and when asked, maybe the smallest handful of viewers could have said what it was about.
The day after it posts, only a week after it was filmed, Tony’s phone rings.
“Kill it with fire,” Sam says sleepily.
Tony, however, recognizes Aunt Peggy’s ringtone and he rolls over to grab it before Bucky can throw it at the wall. “Hello?” he asks groggily.
“Congratulations on not blowing Steve’s cover,” she says.
“Oh yeah,” Tony mutters. “Can I go back to bed now?”
“One more thing, duck.”
“What’s that?”
“Congratulations on the new boyfriends.”
75 notes · View notes
the-secret-life-of-bi · 4 years ago
Text
Oh man. Oh man oh man. Okay. I don't know if any of you listen to twenty-øne pilots, but there's some real drama happening on Twitter with front man Tyler Joseph that I feel the need/desire to speak up about.
I saw these tweets first:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
[ID: two tweets from Tyler Joseph, @tylerrjoseph. The first states, "my tweet wasn't suppose to be about human rights. so in case you are wondering where i stand: Black Lives Matter. i just wanted to take a moment to raise awareness about something else that had meant a lot to me for a long time. but now I see there is no room for that right now." The second tweet, a reply to the first, states, "im truly sorry if i hurt anyone. here is a link to a lot of great info that i stand by." The thumbnail of the link is titled "Ways You Can Help" and lists several kinds of resources to help the Black Lives Matter movement. End ID.]
Of course I was like, "...okay, wtf is happening?" So I scrolled through his Twitter feed and found an essay about mental health awareness week and suicide prevention--all things he's been a vocal supporter of since I started listening. I figured, okay. Some people are upset he's talking about this issue and not BLM. Understandable to some degree, I guess, since it's so easy to just...say you support BLM, and maybe retweet a link about ways to help (which he eventually did), but no one necessarily deserves that from him. He's welcome to support whatever causes that he wants, and equally welcome not to mention others. And as his fans, you're welcome to be disappointed about that, but I was still confused. Why all the hate? That seems like a severe overreaction, no?
But then I saw it. The first tweet that people are actually upset about:
Tumblr media
[ID: a tweet from Tyler Joseph, @tylerrjoseph. It states, "you guys keep asking me to use my platforms. feels good to dust these bad boys off." Below the text are two images of Tyler wearing white platform sneakers. End ID.]
OH. MY GOD.
How fucking tone deaf can someone possibly be? It is one thing to comment on the issue of mental illness in the same supportive way he always has, and also to not discuss Black Lives Matter for whatever reason. I would support him if that's what this was, I really and truly would! Do I feel that someone with such a massive platform should do the bare minimum to show support on such an important issue? Yes, but I also don't feel like it's my right to demand that of him. However, it is an entirely different situation to openly mock his fan base for asking him to speak out on an issue that is causing so much turmoil worldwide, and especially within his own country. Saying nothing at all, or even saying 'no' to calls for his support and claiming personal reasons, would have been better than this piss-poor attempt at a joke. And worse: he doubled down! Literally, in his own words. Before his apology that I provided at the beginning of this post, he tweeted this:
Tumblr media
[ID: a tweet from Tyler Joseph, @tylerrjoseph. It states, "this isn't a notes app moment. i'm doubling down on my platform tweet. it was fantastic." End ID.]
Yes, Mr. Joseph. It was fantastic. As in, it must come from a fantasy, because I cannot believe this really just happened in the year of our lord 2020.
So, I don't know if he'll ever see this, but I think it needs to be said. And I feel the need to say it.
A brief and open letter to Tyler Joseph:
I do not even know where to begin with this, so instead of some fluffy, dramatic opener about my feelings, I'll just be blunt. The reason people reacted poorly to your tweets was not because "there is no room for [other issues] right now." It is because your original tweet was crass. It mocks people who are hurting, who just want some validation from people who have a larger platform which they've used to speak about important issues before. You didn't necessarily owe them your validation, but they didn't deserve such blatant disrespect for their feelings. Now they have to think twice, if you really do care about them the way you claim you do.
And to be honest, that's why I've always respected you--you really seemed to care about your fans. You reached out through your lyrics to people who were hurting, myself included. You've been vocal about mental health as long as I've followed you. As someone who has struggled with suicidal depression for over a decade now, I've always admired the way you've discussed mental illness in your music. I have found comfort in so many of your songs. So I cannot even begin to fathom how you thought that the original tweet was funny or harmless in any way. It was hurtful, plain and simple, and it seems like it was intended that way. I have lost a lot of respect for you today, and that makes me sad, and mad.
I'm not mad that you want to spread awareness about mental illness--many of us have always appreciated that about you. I feel that very few people are actually mad about that. What I'm livid and a little heartbroken about is that you felt the need to make a 'joke' at the expense of some of your fans in the process. If you can't see how callously uncalled for that first tweet was, I can't help you. Just know I'm very sad today, because you've proven not to be the kind of person I thought you were. I hope to see better from you in the future.
39 notes · View notes
emms-jules · 4 years ago
Text
The Beautiful Lady Without Pity
ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26894881
He remembered Orpheus, who made a deal with Hades to get Eurydice back, as long as he doesn’t look back until he is in the mortal world. Orpheus, who grew impatient and turned to look back at Eurydice, sending her back to the Underworld. He never understood the man’s impatience until now.
(A retelling of the story of Andrew Blackthorn and Lady Nerissa in Julian Blackthorn and Emma Carstairs.)
Note: Hi! The comparison between Andrew & Nerissa's love story to Blackstairs has been on my mind for a while now, so I decided to put it into words. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
He met her when he was seventeen. A soldier, born to defend the world from the wrath of demons and other creatures rogue. He, along with his fellow Academy students and a teacher, were tasked to go and retrieve a Nephilim child taken into the lands of the fey.
The Fair Folk were a mysterious race, which was why the Clave despised anything that had to do with them and their place. These creatures are part angel and demon, hence their heavenly looks and mischievous schemes. The lands were rich with mountains, seas, plants and animals —a literal fairytale, if there was one. However, don’t be fooled by their beauty, for according to the Clave, “They will paint a beautiful picture of what awaits you there, but its beauty is false and hollow.” Find yourself drawn, and your demise is guaranteed, though its time is not. 
The Courts, Seelie and Unseelie, were places out of time. Upon entering the land of the Fey, a day in would mean thirty days for the real world, or thirty months, or thirty years, or thirty lifetimes. One will never know, until he escapes Faerie, which is impossible, and realizes what he’s lost.
For years, this has been the image of the Fair Folk to those not of its realm. Now, entering the throne room of the Seelie Court, Julian Blackthorn repeated the same beliefs on his head. The path toward the room was covered in resin, preserving numerous flowers and butterflies in its walls. The double doors were a set of intricately woven vines overlapping each other. The Seelie guards threw them open, ushering the Shadowhunters in. Sitting on the throne was the Seelie Queen in all her glory. Julian averted his eyes to the Queen’s right, and his breath was taken away. All thoughts on his mind went blank.
Standing beside the Queen was a Faerie gentry, he knew that much. She stands and exudes power the way a gentry does. Brown eyes met Julian’s blue-green ones. Such beautiful eyes, he thought. The fairy woman was clothed in silver flowers, the petals hugging her figure and trailing from her chest to her hips, flowing from there to a long trail. Such a beautiful dress, he thought. But what got his attention was her hair, a mass of golden locks that ended up to her waist.  He itched to touch it. Such beautiful hair, he thought. 
He remembered Orpheus, who made a deal with Hades to get Eurydice back, as long as he doesn’t look back until he is in the mortal world. Orpheus, who grew impatient and turned to look back at Eurydice, sending her back to the Underworld. He never understood the man’s impatience until now. 
He heard the Queen talking, but it was incoherent in his ears, as he strides towards the same brown eyes that were regarding him with confusion and astonishment.
Julian Blackthorn kneels and bows his head. “I pledge myself to you, oh fair lady.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He learns her name easily after, when the Fair Folk and his fellow Shadowhunters in the room were in a frenzy. His classmates asked what he was doing. Was he poisoned? Was he tricked? Was he threatened? The Fey warriors rushed to block him from the gentry. The Queen was shouting at him. Is this some kind of trick? What is he trying to do to Lady Delia?
Delia, Julian pronounces, trying the name from his tongue. Lady Delia looks at him for a long moment, before telling the guards to stop. Everyone freezes, even the Queen. The warriors warily moved out of the way as Delia sauntered to him. 
He stands up, and sees that he is taller by a few inches, but that doesn’t diminish the thrumming of his heart. He did not know what he was nervous about, of his sudden pledge to the Lady or her possible choice of shunning him. Delia looks at him thoughtfully up and down, before meeting his eyes once again. She seems to be searching for something there, and found it, because what she did next made no sense and made him fall for her more. 
She smiled, not the grin Faeries often do that results in trickery, but a genuine one. Julian feels his heart sigh. 
She turns to his fellow Shadowhunters, before turning to the Queen and bowing her head politely. “I believe that since he pledged himself to me, I shall pledge myself to him as well.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One day, the Shadowhunters said. Julian Blackthorn will only remain in the land under the hill for one day. After that, he shall be brought back to the mundane world, and continue his duty as Nephilim. They did not know what they agreed to, for time works different in Faerie.
On his first day, Julian was introduced to Lady Delia. She learns that she’s a daughter of a water nymph, and indeed a princess of the Seelie Court. Delia showed her powers to him using the element of water. He tried to do it himself several times too. It led to them both soaked by the end of the day. The night ended on their first kiss and his first chance to touch her fair hair. You are not hard to like, Julian Blackthorn, she said with a shy smile. 
In the first week, Delia taught him the culture of the fey, bringing him in revels and parties. He enjoyed these celebrations, and they danced their hearts out every time. During these times, Julian was not left out by the folk, as he usually felt.  It did not matter anyway, for Delia’s company was everything he needed. The week ended with their first night together, her golden hair in tangles. She was at her most beautiful to him that time, so raw and vulnerable. I love you, Delia, I am yours, he whispered in between pants and gasps. 
In the first month, the princess brought him to his first Faerie meeting. The Queen, though reluctant with his presence, did not say anything, as well as the other Faeries. He offered solutions and actions, his Shadowhunter skills exuded. This made him some friends but still more enemies. It did not matter, though, for Delia was proud. He has fully earned her trust. The month ended with Delia whispering amongst her moans, her hair like waterfalls gripped by her lover, I love you, Julian Blackthorn, I love you more than starlight.
In the first year, Julian and Delia left the Court for a while and decided to reside in a cottage by the seas. They enjoyed their endless private hours and taught each other a lot. Delia taught him how to swim, what fruits can be eaten, how to catch pixies, and how to read the stars. Julian taught him of the classics and myths, told her stories of his youth, told her of his brothers and sisters, who he dearly missed. It did not matter though, for he was happy with her. After a few months, Delia thought it was time to share something of herself with him. Her real name. Emma, she said, it means universe. Julian tried it off his lips, brushing it against her hair and ears, Emma, he uttered, my universe. 
In the second year, they got married. It surprised the whole Court, for marriage was a heavy commitment that many do not wish to even dwell on, even more so with a Shadowhunter. Many have asked the princess if she was certain, and Emma did not think twice before saying that she is countless times. I am not deluded, she says with steel in her expression. Despite the feys’ reluctance, the wedding was held, and a celebration took place all over the Seelie Court. Some congratulated them, while others continued throwing Julian looks of hate, for his Nephilim blood and their jealousy of not getting the princess’ favor. He did not care, for it was the happiest day of his life, and no one can ruin that for him. Julian and Emma never got to finish the party, opting to retreat back to their cottage by the sea. They made love countless times, pronouncing words of adoration and love. Emma Blackthorn, my wife, he says, tucking her golden locks behind her pointed ears.
In the third year, they tried to conceive a child, to no avail. It was hard for Faerie women to reproduce, and to carry a child with Shadowhunter blood was harder. This led to a lot of tears and sadness for Emma, but Julian stood by her. He was fine with having no children, for Emma was enough. But they did not give hope, for having a child would be the manifestation of their love for each other. Julian soothed her with comforting words and visions of the future. One day, we would have little ones with my blue-green eyes and your hair like sunlight, he says.
In the fourth year, Emma bore a child. They received the news with cries of happiness, from Emma most of all. She thought she was barren, but thankfully she was not. The gender they were yet to find out, but Julian was already excited to become a father. He started telling her of what he would teach their son or daughter. I would tell him stories of gods and heroes, and teach him how to hold a crossbow, he told his wife in delight. Emma’s smile faltered a bit.
In the next two months, Julian treated Emma the best way a husband can treat his pregnant wife. Human pregnancy is not far from faerie ones, as it seems. There were times when she cannot stand up herself, so he carries her around the cottage or the Court, wherever they are. There were times when she empties out her stomach, and he is there to rub her back and keep her hair away from her face. There were times when they would wait for the child to kick Emma’s still small stomach, and he would exclaim in delight, uttering promises to the kid and kissing his wife’s belly. Once you’re out there, I’ll teach you a proper kick, so that you’ll be able to fight demons soon, he states. Emma swallows the lump in her throat.
In the third month, Emma watches Julian sleep peacefully beside her. He’s laid on his stomach, exposing his bare back and the countless dark and faded runes that cascade his skin. He is a Shadowhunter. She touches his brown locks, causing him to stir but not waking him. She notices the growing small stubble on his jaw, and remembers the other truth she kept neglecting for so long. He is mortal. She looks at her small bump, and feels tears burning her eyes. One day they would leave me, she thought.
On the same day, she asks him if he ever wants to go back to the mundane world. Julian freezes from his cooking, and turns to look at Emma. She was expressionless, and he knows that whatever his answer would be, she will not judge him. He carefully approaches her and holds her hand. I love the life that I have here, with you. Nothing will ever change that, he says. Emma hugs him and cries, but not out of relief. One day they would have to leave me, she thought.
On the same night, they made love again and again and again until they were both exhausted. Emma kept declaring her love, in word and in deed, surprising Julian, making him both happy and confused at the same time. You don’t need to exhaust yourself, my love. We have the rest of our lives for this, he says. Instead of stopping, Emma continued until dawn. I’m in love with you, Julian Blackthorn, were the words repeated over and over again.
Emma did not sleep after that. She couldn’t sleep, and she has no time to do so. With one last kiss to his lips, she entered his mind. She saw the past years on his head, never-ending ending images and memories of her and the life they’ve spent together. Emma couldn’t help but cry. They were all lovely, and she loved him more for what she’s seeing now. And because she loves him so, it explains her next actions. Emma took all of these memories from his mind, and twisted them to false ones. In the new memories she crafted, Julian was held captive by her, and doomed to be hers for eternity against his will. He forgets her real name, forgets that they will have a child, forgets that he loves her. She planted a plan of escape on his mind, which will be successful, because it was orchestrated by her.  With the worst of her sobs over and all good memories of her gone, she wakes him. 
Those blue-green orbs of his that were filled with love hours before met hers with hate. Emma felt her heart break into a thousand pieces, but she wore the mask that Faeries put on. Julian quickly stands and dresses himself, before finding a dagger on the bedside table. He grabs it and viciously points it to Emma, or Lady Delia, in his memories. He shouts and slashes, asking what she had done to him, and she weakly dodges his attacks, before letting him plant the dagger on her throat. I detest your kind, and most of all you, he declares with scorn and pure hatred, before fleeing Emma’s room, escaping.
Emma feels the weight of the dagger on her throat, but bears it no mind. Her heart was in more pain, and she was crying because of it. She slowly takes the dagger out and shakily heals herself. The dagger was intentional, and she knows that he will hurt her with it. I should have let him kill me, instead of bearing this sadness for the rest of my days, she thought as she lays on the floor and weeps. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Clave spread the news of Julian Blackthorn’s captivity and escape in Faerie. The story was that he was bargained to stay in exchange of the Nephilim child taken by the Folk. That the Lady Delia, a princess of the Seelie Court, grew interested and took him for herself. She made her drink enchanted potions that made him think he loves her. Some might say that they had an affair, or he was tortured to please her, or he was her plaything, anything but the truth Emma removed from Julian’s mind. Emma heard the news of what her image was to the Shadow World now. It does not matter, she says to herself, putting her hands over her grown belly. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emma gives birth to their child. It was a girl, with her hair and Julian’s eyes. As she holds the crying baby to her chest, she remembers a sweet and painful memory. One day, we would have little ones with my blue-green eyes and your hair like sunlight. She tears up and kisses her daughter’s forehead. The manifestation of our love, Salacia, she whispers.
Emma gave birth to another child, who she bore just a few months after giving birth to her daughter. This time it was a boy with chocolate hair, and when it opened its eyes, another set of ocean orbs looked back at her. She fell in love once again, the pain still fresh as if it was just yesterday. You’ll be as handsome as your father one day, These, she whispers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She hears from a source that he is already married, and currently resides in the Los Angeles Institute. She smiles weakly at the thought that he chose a home by the sea. Some memories may be too strong to kill. Despite her better judgement, she decides to see the place herself one day. She hides by the rocks where the waves hit. It was morning, and the Institute was a silent building towering the quiet shore. She hears the front door open and hides herself, her eyes peeking over the rocks. She gasps.
There he was, older and more built, but instead of a rougher exterior, he exudes a softer aura. Emma did not have to think why, because the reason came right out of the door after him. Behind Julian came a woman, a small dark haired one with a kind face. She was holding a baby in her arms. 
Emma feels tears falling from her eyes, though unsure if it was of happiness or sadness. The couple walked by the shore and took turns holding the child. Their child. In those moments, Emma saw what he could have been for their children, if only she let him stay. Emma shook her head. No. Making him stay in the land under the hill would be selfish of me, she thought. However, she could not help but think of how unfair she had been to her children for not being with their father. With one last look, she made another heavy choice and left.  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Julian heard the bell of the Sanctuary ring. He stops from cooking breakfast and tries to look for his wife, Mia Trueblood, a Shadowhunter born and bred from the Los Angeles Institute. Seeing as she may still be asleep and no one else was around, he turned off the stove and hurried to the Sanctuary. 
Walking inside, he saw no one, only a pair of large baskets by the outside doors. He peeked at both and froze. Inside each was a baby, both with pointed ears and the familiar Blackthorn blue eyes. One was a girl with golden-hair and one was a boy with familiar brown hair. There was no message or anything else with them, but Julian already knew what they were doing here. 
He dashed to the Sanctuary entrance doors and opened them, seeing a blonde figure hurriedly walking towards the sea. He shouts her name, the one he knows of.
She freezes and turns her head. She swallows her emotions. I love you, she wants to say. Take care of them from now on, she utters instead, before being swallowed by the waves. 
Julian stood stunned by the Institute, before going back to the kids. He watches them both for a while, in awe of how they both resemble him and Lady Delia. He felt a surge of love for them both. Despite the hatred on his mind, his heart was telling him to do as she says. Ultimately, Julian takes both children out of the baskets and carries them to his room. Mia was already awake, and was confused by the presence of the babies. My children, he answers. I love you more than starlight, he thought, but the voice in his mind was not his.
17 notes · View notes
taptroupe · 4 years ago
Text
evergrace chapter 10 final part YAY I AM NOW FREE FROM SCHOOL FOREVER MAYBE
Tumblr media
A well trained body covered with armor.
Aside from red ornaments, entirely in black - and whatever clothes could be seen underneath, a grassy colour.
His hair couldn’t be seen underneath his helmet, but instead a rough face tanned by the sun. Brown eyes, with hidden strength reflected within.
And then, a huge scar across his cheek.
The counteroffensives of Morea.
this finally wraps up chapter 10. may the next chapters not take months to finish please oh god lmao. this finally brings the introduction of ralbadora, the assassin who killed darius’s parents, and then a heart to heart between darius and olsdflsfjl, and then.............. the moment before the final fight.
“You.... YOU!”
Bitter, painful memories came back to Darius’s mind upon seeing the man from his nightmares appear in front of him again.
He swung his sword, once, twice, three times, but the man would not retaliate. He retreated backwards, out of the room, but Darius leapt forward to strike.
“Darius, what are you doing?!”
Orlsjfldjf, still at the lever, dropped it and positioned himself behind Darius - grabbing his arms and pinning it behind his back.
Tumblr media
darius gets two wrestling moves performed on him this chapter LOLOLOL
“This man rushed to me and Medina’s safety! Without him, we wouldn’t even be alive right now!”
“I don’t care what he did! He’s the bastard that killed my parents!”
“Bastard?” (the word used here is 仇 , implying grudge, super hated enemy)
In a moment of confusion on ordsldrsj’s side, Darius shook free of his restraint. Both his sword and his words were pointed at the man with rage.
“It wasn’t just Sharline... You, you survived too!”
The counteroffensive of Morea shook his head.
“Darius of Solta, to you who bears the Crest. For killing your parents, though I desire to apologize, an apology would never make up for what I’ve done.
But, your father raised a knife to the neck of our Mother - and that is something we could not allow to happen.”
“The Billiana forest?! You’re telling me that those trees mean more than a person’s life?!”
“That’s right. For Billiana is the source of all life.”
“I’m tired of hearing that bullshit!”
“We wanted your father to change his mind, at least for your sake, but he would not listen to our words...”
Somehow, the man he held a grudge against all these years... Was far different from the image he had created in his head. Darius felt his anger dissipate, and what arose was confusion.
“But... Why... Why would you save the son of the man you killed? I... I don’t understand...”
“Our mother’s enemy was your father and your father only. But, what I had done to your mother... Was my grave error.”
(”omae no haha made te ni kakete shimatta koto” is kinda like “what i did by my hands concerning your mother” also implying it was a mistake. kinda vague but probably on purpose. they know what happened. it was axe)
“Then.... Then you should’ve just killed me back then, too!”
“.......We couldn’t. Our rules dictate that a Crestbearer must never face the edge of a blade. But, to leave you alive would leave you with nothing but pure hate. Yet at the same time, to kill you... Would result in punishment for myself.”
“......”
“I have committed a sin I must atone for. At that time, that girl who stood in front of me, and to the you that stands in front of me now, I will protect you both.”
“Sharline, too?”
“She sacrificed herself in place of my sin.
Darius, until that girl’s safety is guaranteed, this life of mine is yours to use as you see fit.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
The man stepped in front of Darius. He raised the sword Darius held to his throat.
“My name is Ralbadora. I can only offer this oath and my life, with the Mother of All Things as witness. To Darius and Sharline, I promise to protect you both until this life of mine is extinguished.
Darius, my life is now in your hands. You may do what you wish.”
Ralbardora stared firmly at Darius with a long silence. From the (very stiff) back, Orladin lets go of Darius’s shoulder, to Medina raises her disapproval.
“My prince, what are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re not going to stop them, are you?”
“If it’s a sacred oath like that, there’s nothing that people like us can do.”
The blond haired youth took a step back and watched the two quiet men closely. Medina watched with a tight lip, but shook her head as words of incredulousness suddenly burst from her mouth.
“No... Killing each other isn’t.... Darius, don’t do it! If... Yes, if Sharline were here, she’d tell you to stop it too!”
The cold, frozen expression on Darius’s face (and probably body too) slowly disappeared. 
Turning into one of intensity. And as he clenched his teeth, he slowly...
Lowered his sword down.
“Ralbadora, until we reunite with Sharline, I’ll let you live. But if you even dare direct your sword at me, I WILL kill you without mercy.”
Ralbadora nodded.
“For that much I am already grateful. I swear on this oath to never forget it.”
As soon as the tension in the room slackened for a moment, Darius’s wounds came back to remind him of his battle, and let out a small grunt of pain. Orladin helped to keep him steady.
“These injuries will take some time to heal. Let’s rest here for a bit.”
“No, we can’t afford to rest here... It could be a trap, and I’m sure Morpheus already knows we’re here.”
“That could be true, but, your...” Orladin looks to Medina.
“...Is there any other weird contraptions up there?”
“Not really. Between the teleporter to the secret lab, and the stairway upwards, you shouldn’t get lost or anything...”
“Okay, then you should stay here.”
“Wait, but there’s just a little bit left...”
“No. [i don’t wanna translate this but i think orladin is implying in the nicest way that she’s a burden and could be easily used for any trap morpheus has lying around, which is mean and i wish medina would stay but that’s how the cookie crumbles. sigh]”
Medina looks to Darius and Ralbadora, who silently seem to agree with what Orladin said.
“...I understand. I’ll go back, then.”
“I will accompany you to the gondola.”
Said Ralbadora, who stood beside her. Medina gives a smile of appreciation, and goes with him. As her back shrinks into the distance, she suddenly stops and turns around.
“Prince Orladin, Darius... Do you think we can meet again?”
Tumblr media
Darius could only frown. Orladin nodded, and started to speak in a happier tone.
“We’ll do our best, so that we may hopefully do just that.”
Medina gave a faint smile, and soon she and Ralbadora disappeared from view.
Tumblr media
RIP MEDINA WE NEVER SAW HER AGAIN 2000-2000 
just kidding. we’ll see her later i won’t spoil anything more. but ;___; i’m happy this novel gave medina a better role than that of the game. i quite appreciate her, sickly yet determined. she really does have a life of her own. to you medina, who accompanied this whole chapter with intellect and kindness, who wanted to talk to your grandfather, who wished the safety of trandin and sharline.. know that you will have a happy ending. ....... well
Well.
ANYWAYS
As Medina’s profile disappeared, the smile on Orladin’s face disappeared. A sullen face resurfaced as he took a small pin from his leather bag on his belt. He handed a life elixir off to Darius, to which he finished in one breath. A warm strength returned to him, clearing away the pain of his injuries. Finally, he could breathe a long sigh of relief.
He gave a nod of thanks to olselfks, but noticed that he was frustrated - biting his lips, even.
“...Orladin, is there anything wrong? At all?”
“Just disgusted in myself.”
Sitting upon a pile of junk, he couldn’t help but punch [doesn’t say what but let’s say he punched himself LOL jk probably just punched his open hand]
jk it’s his open hand ya
“Why, why couldn’t we have stopped Morpheus before all this... We knew he was up to something, we should’ve known that, and if we took action, I wouldn’t have lost everything... If I hadn’t been wrapped up in myself, then... I’m just disgusted.”
“...You’re not a time traveller, Orladin. I don’t think normal people could’ve predicted something like this.”
Completely healed of his injuries, Darius sat down on the floor of the room, and [rubbed his right belt. i’m serious. i don’t know what this means. he does have a bag on that side but uh. idk]
“It’s like how I lost Sharline, and what I did after that. Like how Medina wants her humanity back, and what Morpheus is doing. I think I understand it now. 
Somehow, life is all about picking up the pieces of what others did. Or your own. Kinda like ass wiping.”
“Ass wiping, huh...”
[full disclosure the idiom is shirinugu, which means to clean up a mess usually others but literally it’s ass cleaning so yeah. it’s also used jokingly in the beginning of the novel which is probably where darius decides to use it too but REALLY DARIUS. IF YOU’RE SAYING EVERYTHING YOU DID IS LIKE EXPLOSIVE SHITS OR SOMETHING IS SHARLINE LIKE A TOILET PLUNGER]
Upon hearing Darius’s anecdote, Orladin laughed.
“Lots of people run away at the sight of shit, huh? ...Well, myself included, I’ve run away from many things. Even with all my willpower now, it’s barely keeping me from running.”
Taking a breath, Orladin sat quietly for a bit, before looking down slightly as he spoke again.
“Darius, I feel like I can trust you. You really are my last resort against Morpheus.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. The mercenary thing and all, no worries, I get it.”
“....No, it’s not that. I’m just... Annoyed at myself [again lol] for having to rely on you, you and your... That thing... 
I... Your... I’m afraid of the power your Crest has.”
“I know, I’ve heard that plenty of times. No matter how nice people are, they’ll always say that when they see it. Not really a lot of people who get along with Mister Plague here.”
“......Darius. I told you a lie earlier. 
The one who defeated the Legendary Mercenary... It was you.”
“What did you say? But he knocked me out, didn’t he?”
“Yes, you were...” Orladin looked up at Darius with a straight face.
“But, after that, you got up... And started floating. And you started fighting again. And you won.”
“I... I did?”
“Mhm. Krisalis somehow, she knew about it too. Even the Legendary Mercenary, who could break huge rocks with ease, he saw your power as equal to his... 
Crest... Krisalis... Demon... That power that surpassed normal humans... I was terrified. And so, i hid in your shadow, for what did I know? 
Though I wanted to fight Morpheus, to use you instead...! It’s all a mess.”
Using the hidden power he didn’t even know he had - and Krisalis knew this too. Is that why she followed him around?
Darius couldn’t find any words to say, only looking aimlessly at the ground. A painfully long silence hung in the air... Until Orladin broke it again.
“Sorry, I.. I shouldn’t have said that. I know you don’t really want to think about your Crest, and all...”
“No, it’s better that I know this.” Darius looked down at his right hand, wrapped in a tight fist. Eyes of anger looking at his mark of anger.
“The fact that i didn’t know before, and this thing led me around possessed, I’m sorry.”
Tumblr media
THEY SHOULD’VE BANGED NOT GONNA LIE ANYMORE
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard. A shadow from afar, Ralbadora’s, approached the two silent men. Darius got up, and looked at Orladin.
“What should I do now?”
[“Well.. You were the one who said that Morpheus knew where we are, and that he’d rush to our location immediately. I thought he said this i was so smart until google translate made it make more sense]
“Well, you’re the one who brought us this far. We’re going to fight Morpheus, aren’t we? Though I don’t have a shred of royal honour anymore, I can’t guarantee I can protect you with that...”
Darius raised his right fist lightly. “All because of this scary thing, huh? Come on, decide like a proper royal, won’t you?”
Orladin was silent for a moment more, then as if shaking something off, quickly got up from his spot.
“Of course I’ll go along with you. And it’s fine to forget about me in the middle of the battle - I’ll try my best to protect you [or at least do something about it]”
ONE PAGE LEFT TO GO HOO. SORRY IF I BLUDGEONED EVERYTHING ORLADIN AND DARIUS SAID
As the three walked a short length, they found the next room to be narrow, long, and probably a storage room. The area contained another kind of transfer device like the previous one, though without a hint of Palmira energy and equally just as quiet. 
THIS IS ALL JUST BUILDING DESCRIPTIONS. THERE’S LIKE NICE ENGRAVINGS ON THE WALL. THERE’S STAIRS THAT LEAD UP AND DOWN. DARIUS GOES UP WITHOUT LOOKING BACK. THE STAIRS TURN AND KEEP GOING UP. WHAT IS THIS EVEN LIKE THE OH MAYBE IT’S THE FINAL FLOOR BEFORE THE LAB YEAH MAYBE I KNOW THIS. THERE’S DOORS BUT NO ONE CARES
Aside from the difficult breathing coming from the three, the only thing they could hear was the wind that beat down on the stairways. Even the monsters were too afraid to attack, and as they reached the final steps, a door engraved with the Alcrest stood before them.
The door didn’t seem to have a lever anywhere to open it. Darius curiously touched the door, to which its left and right sides opened...
The three men, who held onto their weapons tight, were greeted with green skies and a sea of clouds beneath. The wind whipped up the clouds into a haze of white. Beyond the door and before the green skies stood the tower with a rocky path leading to it, and at the path’s end was a building... A small round building. And there were somemagicalthingsidklikeacircularsdiskIDKBROIDK
“If it’s as Medina said, then up ahead is Morpheus’s secret lab.” 
okayok darius nodded and then walked briskly but the glowing letters on the DISK THING IDK IT GLOWED SO ORLADIN WAS LIKE
“OH NO DARIUS BE CAREFUL YOU’RE GONNA BE BLOWN OFF”
so he grabs onto him but ralbadora just backs off he knows things apparently
“Medina said that this transport device will take us to the entrance of the lab. from there there’s rooms for reference, etc, idk man, stuff for experiments, smaller rooms, idk, idk BRO IDK”
“But, once we enter, it’s the rooms on the sides that’ll have the people we need to save.” IDK
ralbadora is quiet as orladin probably continues on what he needs to say
“There’ll probably be those monsters there protecting Morpheus, too. That kid from before. So, Darius, we’ll have to depend on you. Ralbadora and I, we’ll rescue Sharline and Sienna (who are on opposite sides i think as the game is). If we can’t find them in those rooms, then we’ll rush to the back to find them. And once we do, we’re taking them back out to safety.
...Is that okay?”
The three men nodded, and entered the magic circle. The circle glowed with soft yellow light, surrounding the men and TELEPORTED THEM OR SOMETHING
HOO
IT’S DONE
AFTER LIKE
FIVE MONTHS
2 notes · View notes
serendipityjxmn · 5 years ago
Text
I Hate You, Park Jimin!
Chapter 3
Words Count: 2.7k
TW:
Link to Chapter 2
Link to Chapter 4
Tumblr media
I was done with classes for the day. I glanced at my watch. Ah Young should be done by this time too. We had the same class this morning but she had taxation classes just now while I took financial reporting. I texted her but there was no reply so there I was standing awkwardly in front of my locker looking at my empty phone.
I sighed as I looked up. About 3 metres away, I noticed a familiar back, Park Jimin. He was at his own locker, and seemed to be forcing his books into his locker. Beside him leaning against the locker was Kim Taehyung, his ultimate best friend and absolute partner in crime. He too had the divine visuals, perfectly sculpted features. Damn those jawlines. A combination of Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung were very dangerous.
At that moment, Kim Taehyung’s eyes flickered at me. I froze. Is it possible that Kim Taehyung can read minds? Then he looked at Jimin. He said something and there’s a high probability that it was about me because Jimin stopped whatever he was doing and turned around, his eyes finding me.
My eyes widened. Shit. Thank God I was saved from the embarrassment of staring at the two Godly handsome men by Ah Young running towards me.
“Hana!” She said as she flung herself towards me, breathless. “I’m sorry I was late! I got called by Professor Kay on my essay.” She rolled her eyes as she opened her locker door and stacked her books inside.
“It’s fine,” I said. My whole body still tensing because I was unsure whether Jimin was still staring at me. I sneaked a peek. And yes- I regretted it instantly. My eyes met his. Immediately I looked down at my shoes.
“Hana-ya.” Ah Young nudged me.
“Hmm?” I said without looking up, pretending to be particularly interested in my shoes today.
“Hana.” She called me again.
“Hmmm..”
“Park Jimin is staring at you.” Her voice went serious.
As if my whole body could get anymore stiffer. “No, he’s not.”
“He. Is. Coming. Here.”
“What?” I looked up and momentarily I thought I forgot how to breathe as Jimin made his way towards me.
Suddenly I felt a firm hand clasped my elbow and the last thing I saw before I was whisked away by Jimin was Ah Young’s shocked expression with her mouth wide open. He steered me away for a good five minutes and I could see other students turning twice at the sight of us. He pulled me into an empty lecture hall and after closing the door carefully behind him, he turned around to face me.
Wait, I was mad at him right? So I put up the coldest expression I could.
He cocked his head to one side and I swear he looked so hot. I cursed my own brain as I felt my anger evaporated effortlessly. “You’re bad at being angry.” He smiled in amusement.
I snorted. “What do you want Park Jimin? I don’t think we have any business with each other anymore.”
“Let’s do it.”
What? My eyes went round. “What did you say?”
“I said let’s do it.” He calmly repeated.
I regarded him for a moment. Was he trying to pull a prank on me? “Why?”
“I need to graduate and there’s nothing for you to lose I guess.”
I considered his point. It was true, there was nothing for me to lose. The amount of money offered to me as mentioned by Ms Choi was lucrative. Triple the amount I earned from my part-time job at the cafe. Does Jimin know about my financial situations? I mean, I can live by but it would be nice to have savings or being able to afford nice gifts for my mom. But I wasn’t going to let him get his way so easily. “No thanks.” Before turning on my heels and making my way out of the lecture hall, I could see his shocked and confused expression. Oh, how I want to picture and savour the image of shocked Jimin forever.
The next morning I woke up feeling content. As I brushed my hair, I smirked as the image of shocked Jimin crept into my mind. The rude, obnoxious, vain, self-centred and full of himself Park Jimin. Park Jimin, THE bad boy. And to think that I somehow managed to put a shock expression on that Godly features of his face.
I arrived at the campus feeling giddy. I don’t have the same classes with Ah Young this morning so I was saved by her infinite inquisition, for now.
As soon as I was done filling my bag with the next subject’s books, someone shut my locker door. I looked up to see Ah Young. She crossed her arms.
“What?” I said, feigning innocence as I turned on my heels. I knew what was coming.
“Oh no girl. You’re not running away.” She blocked my path.
I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “What?”
She threw me an incredulous look. “You need to spill the tea, sister! You and Park Jimin. What is going on?” She was almost half screaming and her hands were now on both side of her waist.
“Oh my god- keep it low!” I glared at her as I glanced sideways, making sure no one was paying attention to us. I dragged her to the cafeteria and chose the furthest seat available away from any other human in existence. Then I told her everything. I was dead serious but I almost couldn’t suppress my laugh each time Ah Young ‘oohh’ and ‘ahhh’ at the appropriate time.
“What the fuck?!” She was literally hyperventilating.
I nodded as if saying ‘I know right.’
“Oh my god! I can’t believe it. This is your chance to get into his dick!” She shrieked while vigorously tapping the table.
My eyes widened. “Ah Young!!!” I glanced around. Thank God no one had their eyes on us.
She seemed oblivious to my state of panic. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t have a slight crush on him? He’s a fine piece of ass.” She stared into space dreamily. “I wonder how rough he is in bed.”
“Oh My God!!” I quickly clasped my hands on her mouth, afraid that she would drop another bomb. Trust my best friend to be this straightforward.
“Hhvgrnkk-“ Her voice muffled below my hands.
I chuckled but released my hands anyway.
“But I said no to him.”
At this, her mouth went agape. “Are you kidding me?”
I shrugged. “He was getting too cocky! I am sure as hell not going to feed his ego.”
“You can’t be serious! You have this golden opportunity to get his dick and you’re throwing it away just like that?”
“You’re making me sound like a slut. Girl, it’s just a study session.”
“I know. But it can always evolve to something else.” She winked at me.
“Yah!” I wanted to hit her but she was quicker. She stood up and ran away, laughing.
Days passed and every single day I caught Jimin trying to catch my gaze. He seemed pissed off that I’ve been trying extra hard to avoid any eye contact with him. Ah Young kept telling me to stop my act already though. Apparently I am throwing my chance away of getting into the divine man that he is, Park Jimin’s pants. I ignored her every single time. I smiled satisfactorily. This is my victory.
I was happily skipping my way out of Ms Choi’s room after I submitted my assignment that evening when I felt my wrist being pulled by someone and the next thing I know I was in an empty lecture hall.
“What the-“ I almost cursed when I saw Jimin pushing me against the door. The close proximity was making my breath uneven. Park Jimin with orange hair was illegal.
“So you thought it was fun to test me?” He said, his voice low. His hands on both side of my head. His face inching closer to mine.
“W-what are you going to do?” Damn it, I stuttered. I looked away.
“I’ll show you how fun it is to test me.” His tone laced with threat. I gulped. What is he trying to do?
He inched closer and closer. When I felt like he wouldn’t stop, I mustered as much courage and pushed his shoulders away while closing my eyes.
To be frank, I was scared of his next action. But I didn’t sense any movement so I slowly open my eyes and I saw Jimin blinking at me. His face confused as he stared at my palms on his chest and back at my face.
“I-“ I began but no words came out. I felt my cheeks reddening and I pulled my hands away.
He smirked. “I haven’t even laid a finger on you and your face is already this red.” To my relief, he backed away. “So, I guess if you don’t want anything of this sort happening again, I suggest that you accept the proposal.”
I considered saying yes, I really did. But my pride just won’t let me especially when he tried to threaten me with what-? Trying to touch me? Park Jimin is indeed a jerk. So, naturally and firmly, I replied, “No.” My pride stood up, clapped loudly and bowed with a flourish. I smirked at him and turned on my heels immediately.
Days after that, I think Jimin had sort of gave up trying to earn a simple ‘yes’ from me. I couldn’t care less. I was happy enough that he practically had to beg although obviously he didn’t because he tried to threaten me but it’s his loss so I just continued to fan my ego.
Ah Young on the other hand seemed to disagree with me. “You’re probably the only person in this world who dared to say no to Park Jimin.” She said as she shook her head at me.
Lunchtime that day, we both decided to eat outside near the bleachers. There were a few boys playing basketball at the court. We sat there munching on our food.
“You know, I really think it’s time for you to say yes to Jimin now.” Ah Young said as she took a huge bite out of her Subway.
I rolled my eyes. “Not again, honey.”
“I mean seriously! How long do you think you can run away from him? He may be hot as fuck but he is also scary as hell.” She reminded me.
As if on cue, we heard some noises that caught our attention. We searched the court to find the source. We sat quite far at the bleachers so I zoomed my eyesight to my best ability and could make out some boys were fighting at the court.
“Holy shit- see? I told you Jimin is some scary shit.” Ah Young said, her eyes fixated to the court.
What? I squinted my eyes. Holy fuck- I could see Jimin was in a fight with one of the boys playing basketball. I did not realize he was one of the players just now. The way he threw his punches mercilessly.. I shuddered. Perhaps Ah Young was right, I should probably stop messing with him. He’d beat me into a pulp in an instant if he wanted to. But would he? Another voice popped in my mind. I never see him beat girls. But best not test his patience Kim Hana. The small voice in my head nodded in agreement.
That evening, as soon as I was finished with my classes, I stood waiting at my locker. Jimin’s classes finished at four too today. I watched his locker like a hawk, waiting for his appearance while also trying to remain inconspicuous. A few minutes after that, he walked past me and went straight to his locker. Beside him was Kim Taehyung.
I had no idea since when did the prospect of talking to Jimin become so easy, I found myself taking strides towards him. Jimin had his back on me while Taehyung leaned against his locker. When Taehyung saw me, he gave a signal to Jimin. Shit, now that I’m here it felt like my legs had turned Jell-O. He turned around and there he was, his visuals blinding me as usual. I struggled to remain composure.
He raised his brows at me. “Yes? What can I help you with?”
Shit. Am I going to say it? Have I really decided this? My mental war must’ve gone on for quite some time as Jimin had now propped his elbow on his locker door. “Let’s do it.” There, I said it.
He then leaned in closer and closer to me I had to step back. “Are you sure about this?” He asked, his voice low. I cursed because it’s unfair to how sexy he sounded.
“Yes.” I answered.
He raised his brow as if perplexed by how easy I came to a conclusion.
I drew a breath. “I’ll tell you when to meet. Since this is very sudden, give me some time to prepare-“
“Tomorrow.” He cut me.
“But I haven’t-“
“2 PM. Library.” He finalised, already turning on his heels while Taehyung followed suit after regarding me for a moment.
Link to Chapter 4
Posted on 200505 09:53PM
33 notes · View notes
ffamranxii · 5 years ago
Text
Okay folks, I am all caught up with Tokyo Mew Mew Au Lait chapters 1-3 and Tokyo Mew Mew 2020 Re-Turn chapters 1 and 2 so I am Doing A Thing! Buckle up, bitches!
MASSIVE SPOILERS IF YOU’RE WAITING FOR THE OFFICIAL ENGLISH RELEASES (whenever the hell those will be). Thanks to @berrychanx​, @hikayagami​, and @ribbonstrawberrysurprise​ for the scans, English translation, and hard work putting the translation onto the manga so neatly.
Tumblr media
LEADERS
MOMOMIYA ICHIGO AND SHIBUYA AOI
Honestly this is the biggest difference between the 2020 Re-Turn reboot/original series and the magical boy tribute. Aoi is in no way like Ichigo once you get past that they’ve both been injected with Iriomote cat DNA. Whereas Ichigo is cheery and bubbly and cute, Aoi is withdrawn, suffers from low self confidence, and sort of breaks the fourth wall during nearly every fight, freaking out at how catchphrases and such just seem to burst forth from him after he transforms. (It’s honestly a funny highlight.) Their respective crushes are also treated differently, with Aoi falling hard for Anzu (though of course saying nothing) almost immediately, almost a love at first sight sort of deal, and Ichigo already having this crush on this boy when we start vanilla TMM and already deeply committed to him in the reboot. In civilian form, (using vanilla Ichigo here, it’s not fair to compare Aoi to 2020 “been a magical girl for years” Ichigo), Aoi is a lot more unsure of himself, and seems almost to be in this Mew Mew thing for Anzu, whereas Ichigo immediately had a “I’ll do my best” acceptance mindset from the start. (Both freak out over their cat ears appearing at random moments, even Ichigo in the 2020 reboot, and I think I can finally give poor Aoi a point over Ichigo here. It makes him uncomfortable but he just wears a hoodie and hopes no one notices. It makes Ichigo freak out more lol.)
Tumblr media
THE LOVE INTEREST / DUNGEON NAVI / SECONDARY PROTAGONIST
AOYAMA MASAYA, HINATA ANZU, SHIROGANE RYOU
Anzu is a precious peach and she occupies such a weird role here that I almost couldn’t make her a neat little graphic. She doesn’t fit neatly into a “oh, they’re a genderbent so and so” like nearly everyone else, and it’s fascinating. On the one hand, several panels in the first chapter of Au Lait make it clear that the writers are setting her up to be Aoi’s love interest. Every magical girl anime has a love interest, so why wouldn’t a magical boy manga? But that’s where she diverges. Unlike Masaya, who is a very clear tribute to Sailor Moon’s Tuxedo Mask (with the exception that he’s a cute bean as a civilian, he’s nearly the same person. No past, gets kidnapped, magical form to protect the magical girl, evil form to fight the magical girl [this happened in PGSM, and he’s been brainwashed several times]), who has always been a secondary character, Anzu actually starts the Au Lait manga. She wasn’t even featured on the promo images, so when I opened the first chapter in a zip file I thought I’d downloaded the wrong one. My rudimentary Japanese confirmed I hadn’t, but I was like “well who tf is this chick?” I waited for an English translation to be sure and yup - Anzu is being treated almost like a secondary protagonist. Well that’s new. It’s as if the Au Lait writers smashed together the characters of Ryou and Masaya and named their love child Hinata Anzu. She’s intelligent, she knows more about this project than she should, and, like Ryou in vanilla, she’s out and about and helping the boys, not just as a civilian, but in every battle. She doesn’t have powers (that we know of), but her smarts and knowledge of animals have served them well time and again. Au Lait seems more like, as one reader put it, Anzu And The Dork Squad than Aoi’s team. 
Masaya in 2020 Re-Turn is adorable. He is at odds with Quiche over Ichigo (or more like, he dislikes just how much Quiche likes Ichigo), and in a moment of panic he uses his leftover remnants of Deep Blue’s power to... change his clothes. I’m not sure what actually happened there. (Note: Thanks ribbonstrawberrysurprise: Deep Blue manifested to float the chimera anima/train and its passengers to safety.) But I love that he was so concerned for Ichigo, who at that moment desperately needed help, that the being who created his body and didn’t like Ichigo wanted to protect her. Ryou was his standoffish self, but even he seemed to have a hint of a lingering crush. He organized a party for the Mews and then took over in cafe duties so Ichigo could meet her man at the airport, unable to quiiiiite meet her eye while saying so. I always did like Ryou/Ichigo.
Tumblr media
THE SASSY RICH BITCH
AIZAWA MINTO AND YOYOGI SHIZUKA
First of all: SAILOR JUPITER TAUGHT ME THAT PINK EQUALS FLOWER HURRICANES AND CAN I JUST SAY THAT I AM DISAPPOINTED AS FUCK THAT SHIZUKA ISN’T PLANT BASED AND CAN’T DO FLOWER HURRICANES THAT IS ALL.
Admit it. When we saw the promo image, we assumed certain things. One of those things turned out to be true: Aoi would be the Iriomote cat, because of course he would be Ichigo’s counterpart. Shizuka is wearing glasses, and his costume had the little tail, which meant he must have been a fish or a marine mammal and therefore Retasu’s counterpart, right? RIGHT. But also very, very wrong, my friends. Shizuka is indeed water based like Retasu - he’s an Amazon river dolphin (the pink ones!) - and that’s where all his similarities to our gentle green girl end. Instead of making everyone exactly the same but gender flipped, Au Lait is going in a slightly different direction, and I really like it. Shizuka is actually the most similar to our resident princess Minto! They both attend prestigious elite schools and generally act better than everyone else, but the real gem here is their interactions with their leaders. Shizuka has some truly snappy one-liners - such as discovering Ryuusei (”that’s the power of an idiot”) - and his reactions to Aoi are gold. He considers himself a genius, and indeed he’s very intelligent according to Natsume (and his school seems to be for smart people, it’s not prestigious for music or anything like that), and he makes little quips at Aoi all the time about how Aoi isn’t. I could totally see him spending an entire shift reading a book at Cafe Mew Mew while Aoi does all the work, only for him to stand up and someone to scream “HOLY CRAP, SHIZUKA’S UP, SHIT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN.” 
Minto is also full of snappy quips at Ichigo in the reboot, mostly about how Ichigo should handle the biggest, strongest enemies since she’s the leader, and can’t Ichigo even keep them in place so Minto can shoot them down? (And yeah, someone totally said the above comment ^ when Minto stood up at Cafe Mew Mew.) Minto was always one of my favorite characters, and I love that we saw a lot of close ups of her in the reboot, and that she seemed to be second in command.
Tumblr media
THE CHILD
FONG PURIN AND KANDA RYUUSEI
Oh my god these two. I refuse to believe they aren’t related. I know Purin is Chinese but you cannot take this headcanon from me. 
Purin is my favorite character in OG Mew Mew and Ryuusei claimed my heart the second I saw the Au Lait promo. NEITHER OF THEM DISAPPOINTED ME, I AM SO IN LOVE.
While I WILL say that I in no way care for Mew Pudding’s redesign (I hate literally everything about it. I miss her jumpsuit. I hate the little pigtails at the top of her head. I hate the ribbon. At least she still has her fingerless gloves), I love that she got an entire panel of just her being badass. She stood in the middle of some train tracks, facing a runaway speeding train chimera anima, with that ^ fucking look on her face, and was like “where you going, na no da?” Purin from like, ten years ago wouldn’t have done that. She has matured so much, but she’s still the young, goofy little acrobat monkey who provides for her tea-themed siblings (who criminally do not make an appearance) and I just love her so fucking much, you guys.
RYUUSEI. Guys. He’s an idiot. Oh my god. He’s a cute lovable idiot. “What’s a gomodo dragon? What’s a kodomo dragon? What’s a condo dragon and why does it need a house?” Anzu was in love with him for like five seconds until she learned he’s a dumbass, and Aoi was jealous as fuck, and no one ever told him what his damn animal was, and I laughed my ass off through his entire last couple pages. He also had his jacket hand embroidered with the kanji for dragon, BUT IT’S MISSPELLED. It’s missing a stroke! XD 
Ryuusei is the KOMODO dragon (which is Anzu’s favorite animal), and komodos are badass. He also either always had weird animal powers, or just never noticed that he suddenly got super smell. Komodo dragons, by the way, can track their prey for literally MILES by smell alone, for DAYS. It’s absolutely terrifying (thank you for the nightmares, Wild Thornberries), and Au Lait made it fucking comical. I can’t even. HE CAN SMELL THE RED DATA ANIMAL ON PEOPLE. I love it. He’s super strong and super cute, apparently lives with his grandparents, and is Purin’s counterpart in every single way, except I think SHE might be more mature than him. I love him. He is my baby. 
Yellow is my favorite color and yellow never disappoints. 
Tumblr media
THE FAMOUS
FUJIWARA ZAKURO AND ROPPONGI AYATO
Zakuro had next to no presence in the reboot. She occasionally made some panels look pretty. She twice had a half page to herself, one per chapter. I am sad. I love my wolf lesbian. In semi-related news, I feel I have solved the mystery of Zakuro’s red data animal, something that has plagued the TMM community for years. The grey wolf is not endangered at all, yet Zakuro is injected with one, right? I read somewhere (either in a TMM blog or a conservation blog) that there is a subspecies of grey wolf that IS critically endangered. I believe it’s the Mexican grey wolf? I headcanon she was injected with DNA specifically from a Mexican grey wolf. 
Moving on. In Chapter 3 (which was a DELIGHT), we met Ayato. Chapter 3 was the most frustrating chapter because let me tell you, Au Lait marks the first time I have ever read a manga chapter by chapter as it was being released in Japan. So I’m waiting Nakayoshi to publish the chapter, then I’m waiting for someone to scan Nakayoshi, then I’m waiting for someone to translate it, over and over and over, and omg I can’t believe this is what people DO. I’ve waited for full volumes before, but CHAPTERS? This is torture. Ayato, I haven’t had enough TIME with you!
Ayato seems to be an actor (in a really... really weird stage play), and has very few lines in his first appearance. I’m not sure what I make of him. He says about six sentences, which is actually a lot for a character introduced on a cliffhanger, but... I can’t decide if he’s said them in a mysterious Sailors Neptune and Uranus way or a flamboyant Sohma Ayame way. I ALSO DON’T KNOW WHAT ANIMAL HE IS AND I AM VERY ANGRY. BB Ryuusei said he smells like yakitori (a type of grilled chicken), which confirms he’s a bird. But. WHICH BIRD, DAMNIT? 
CHAPTER FOUR WHERE ARE YOU?
Tumblr media
THE FUNDING
AKASAKA KEIICHIRO, HINATA NATSUME, SHIROGANE RYOU
Hello again, Ryou! The boys here were wallpaper (though cute wallpaper) in the reboot. Natsume is 100% a troll. I love her. She admits in chapter 3 she literally just injected hot boys for her Mew Mew project. Even Ryou wasn’t that blunt. I mean, if you gotta save Earth and stare at people while you do it, they better be cute, right?
Tumblr media
IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL THE FANDOM
MIDORIKAWA RETASU, SHIRAYUKI BERII, AKAI RINGO
Aside from her two half panels as a Mew Mew per chapter, this is the only good cap of Retasu as a civilian in the reboot. D: I believe Hiroo Taichi will be her counterpart in Au Lait.
I never liked Berii. There, I said it. She got TWO animals. She was some random newbie and she got to be leader just like that? And she was clueless and dumb and the writing in A La Mode wasn’t great. But I really like 2020 Berii. She’s cute, she seems more rabbit than cat, and she seems more intelligent and less of a blonde Ichigo clone. I don’t know if she’ll have an Au Lait counterpart.
WHERE IS RINGO? THE REBOOT WAS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO PUT HER IN THE STORY FOR REAL AND SHE JUST... WASN’T THERE?! THIS IS BLASPHEMY. RINGO IS THE BEST MEW MEW. BEST GIRL. JUSTICE FOR RINGO.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
THE RELATIONSHIPS
MASAYA & ICHIGO VS AOI & ANZU
ZAKURO & MINTO VS AYATO & RYUUSEI
Nearly all of 2020 chapter 1 focused on Ichigo seeing Masaya again. I’m guessing this took place after he left for London. Ichigo left with him after A La Mode, and some time between then and Re-Turn came back to Japan, and now Masaya is back. They are still as lovey as ever, but not as sickeningly cute as Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru or anything. Phew! Their counterpart in Au Lait seems to Aoi and Anzu. (Look at that height difference! Poor Anzu, her poor neck.) Aoi already has a massive crush on her, but Anzu, bless her, is oblivious.
AND NOW FOR THE GAYS.
I think Zakuro and Minto is probably one of the most popular TMM ships and holy lesbians, Batman, they were well fed with this GORGEOUS panel at the end of chapter 2. Look at it. Zakuro had literally no panels, save for her two intros, to herself, and barely any panels at all in the reboot, and then BA-BAM, this beautiful ending shot. I swear Ikumi did it on purpose. Speaking of gays - is Ayato/Ryuusei the new Zakuro/Minto? Ayato seems to be at least bisexual (he also hit on Anzu), but this was literally his second panel. He is in a (terrible, TERRIBLE) play, and the actors are walking in the audience looking for the villain. Ayato walks into the audience and HITS ON RYUUSEI. His first goddamn words are “Do you want me to keep you, my cute little puppy?” to Ryuusei. He says fuck this acting shit, I see a SNACK. I think I ship it. I think I ship it hard.
Tumblr media
THE STORY
*Au Lait is just getting started, so typical magical girl boy anime manga: Let’s find the others! Shenanigans! Some fillers! It’s cute, I love it, go read it.
*2020 Re-Turn is actually REALLY GOOD and chapter 2 reminds me of just how unique Tokyo Mew Mew was and still is among not just magical girl series, but animanga as a whole. Quick, what was the last environmental series you remember? Mine was Captain Planet - in the 90s. Preachy, in your face, after school special about things like pollution and endangered species and littering and honestly it was really cool, but very much a product of its time. Even now, magical girl animanga is still focused on bad guys, but bad guys are generic and represent something created for the series. Here, the bad guys are US, other human beings, who traffic animals, who endanger them, who wreck our planet enough that animals are barely clinging to life. There’s a very poignant scene featuring the adorable snow leopard up there (who’s the secondary protagonist of the reboot) ^, showing his mother being shot and himself being snatched by poachers, and he’s terrified, and has no idea what’s going on or where he is, and Ichigo is terrified for him. We need more series like this - not just of the magical girl genre, but of ALL genres. To make it accessible in this way, for people of all ages, something enjoyable, that people can fangirl over and love and its creators clearly put a lot of love and thought into. We need another Captain Planet, but less preachy, less after school special-y. We don’t want to be like the aliens (who remember, are descendants of humans who fucked up Earth so badly they had to leave it). 
Behind all the cute of this manga and its reboot, and its new spinoff, Tokyo Mew Mew has a powerful message that we should all be following. It’s not even subtle. Get yo shit together, peeps. 
88 notes · View notes
0poole · 4 years ago
Text
Bloons
Tumblr media
Honestly the entire Bloons series has been some of my favorite flash/other-than-flash games out there, and I feel like it’s worth bringing it up since I just crossed the 365 day threshold for BTD6. Maybe in the past, but nowadays I definitely don’t feel like I ever play a game daily for a year straight. Chances are it was a little desperate when I first started playing, but as of now literally every single day I open the game up and play the daily challenge just for the sake of it. Plus, since the chest technically resets every 9 hours or so instead of 24, I could’ve cheesed it a bit, but I didn’t. That’s a pure 365 days of playing the game.
And even apart from that, the entire Bloons series has been in my mind since the first one and my middle/elementary school Coolmath Games days. Even though the puzzle, pure form of Bloons wasn’t as much in my interest, the staying power of the Tower Defense version is crazy. Flash Tower Defense games are plenty, and yet the one with the stupid monkeys throwing darts at balloons was the best.
I went back semi-recently and played a round of each BTD, and I gotta say, it was fun seeing where everything came from. 1 is absolute garbage, forcing you to just spam Super Monkeys if you want to get anywhere, but a good starting point obviously. I honestly know nothing about the people creating these games, but obviously it wasn’t made by a AAA crew, so you can’t expect everything to be put in place in the first iteration. 2 and 3 feel much better, but obviously not much after being so used to the modern stuff, and 4 and 5 are the ones that really shine the most, apart from 6 obviously.
I definitely was one of the types of people who initially reacted poorly to the artstyle change of 5 and 6, but I’ve definitely turned over. I don’t know if the whole BTD community rioted at that point, but I at least was like “ew, they’re cute now” when I first saw it. Thankfully I turned over, and realized the current designs are the absolute best out of the entire franchise. Also, I love their cuteness, as I love cuteness in general, so basically just call it character growth. Even though 2D art always is more interesting for games than 3D in general, the entire art direction of 6 is genuinely really good, being so bright and cartoony (at least before the fifth stages of upgrades) really fits the cartoony idea of monkeys popping bloons. 5, and the entire franchise before it, really is proof enough how horrible a pure top-down perspective is. On the title screen, you can see what the monkeys are supposed to look like, but in-game they literally look like weird blobby scorpions. Even though in the back of my mind I knew what they were supposed to look like, the pure top-down perspective completely ruined the image. Not to mention the OG designs for the monkeys was really weird and bad anyway. Even if you wanted a goofy fat kind of monkey, there are a million better ways to achieve that than how it used to be. Again, of course, they weren’t exactly AAA game-level quality, so you can’t expect such perfect character design.
But, oh my god. One of the things about this game that must’ve kept me through 6 was the character designs. If you know anything about me, it’s that I love a good character design, and 6 is full of them. It’s so interesting to see how they extrapolate the main concepts of each tower into their three different paths. The generic Superman-based monkey can turn into a Batman-based monkey, a Terminator-based monkey, and a fucking ancient god of the sun. The seemingly chill Druid can smite people with the power of Zeus, become the much more expected forest-based type, but also turn into this completely out-there being of pure wrath. I could go on and on about that, but needless to say for so many of them look and are designed so great. I think the tower with the coolest level 5s of the game is the Ninja. It’s hard to explain, but they all just look really cool while also not deviating too much from the cartoony-cute art style. I think my all-time favorite level 5 is the top path of the Wizard, mostly just because he looks really cool, but also because the parts of the path before it show him aging and growing out his beard. I also have to say the 2-0-3/4 Wizard also looks exactly my style, with the dark purply-ness and gold rims. Also, if you haven’t noticed, the Magic monkeys are my favorite type, and not just because their signature color is purple. That’s part of it though. Magic is also just cool in general. My main RPG-class of choice is almost always a mage/wizard.
Also, the heroes are also really fun. As someone who often creates species of aliens/monsters, I always feel like I want to create a dedicated character out of them no matter what, so I feel like the heroes are basically just that. And, of course they have good designs too, and of course as you can probably guess my favorite is Adora, basically being the same thing as the 5-0-0 Wizard with the Sun God aesthetic. Since she has her own stage and a special interaction with the True Sun God/Vengeful Monkey, I think she’s a pretty big deal anyway. I will say that I highly slept on Gwen, but then for Easter they gave her the Harlegwen skin and I fell in love. It’s insanely good stuff. Apart from looks, it does feel nice to have some sort of interchangeable tower that you basically just place and forget about, aside from using their powers. Plus, it makes a really easy type of thing to periodically add to the game to keep things fresh, even with the skins in general. It definitely is much better than the stuff they had in 5, where you had to use Monkey Money to buy each one, and you could only use them once per stage. Obviously 6 has the extra powers to help you out, but they feel much more optional and cheaper than the heroes of 5. Since I barely buy anything with Monkey Money to begin with, and since I’ve obviously had 365 chest openings, and AND since I barely use them to begin with, I’m completely stocked up. I only ever use the farmer and sometimes the tech bot if I get lazy. I did use the portable lake I got from my 365th chest opening after I got it, just for the sake of celebration. That’s literally how my mind goes.
6 does have the slight tinge of a mobile game artstyle, but in this case it’s really just better. I’m not into mobile games, and especially not the generic artstyle they have, but it is really pleasing to look at anyway. It did chase me off before I converted, though. That, and the fact you had to buy it now. Like a true gamer, I was put off by the fact that something that was once expected to be free now has to be paid for. But, then, I realized that the entire franchise has provided much more than 10$ worth of entertainment to me throughout time, so it was extremely fair to pay that. It is still kinda weird how 5 has to be paid for for mobile, when it is just free online, though. However, unlike a true gamer I think the microtransactions of the game are extremely fair. Considering they just give you things that you don’t need, and can get for free otherwise, I think it’s completely fine to have them. It sounds bad on the surface to have to pay for the game and have there still be microtransactions in it, but since they’re completely optional there’s no good reason to hate it. I think people assume that means that you have to pay for the game, and pay extra for different major parts of the game, and that sours their opinion on everything. Gamers are a strange, irrationally angry breed. I do hate using my phone for pretty much anything, though, so once I bought 6 on Steam I haven’t played it on my phone since. It’s just so much better in every single way...
I bought the game around the time of one of my family’s semi-annual trips to England because I thought it’d help when we were traveling between wi-fi spots, and it really did wonders for me then. Probably looked like some asshole teen to strangers who don’t know I barely ever use my phone for anything, since I was playing it so much. My sister even saw me playing it and bought it for herself, although I don’t know how much she’s played since then. 
For the sake of stats, I have 235 hours played of it on Steam alone, and in game I’m level 115. My most complete map is Monkey Meadow with all medals except CHIMPS, which I put the effort in because it’s the default map, and definitely not because it’s an easy/good map because it’s just kinda bad compared to so many other ones. My Dart monkey has a total of 4 million XP, and the only towers that haven’t crossed a million are the Ice, Heli, Alchemist, Druid, and Spike factory monkeys/tower. I think the farthest I’ve actually gotten round-wise is 200 once or twice, but I don’t remember if I’ve actually beaten that level and continued on or lost there. I think I might’ve gotten past it once, but just sort of lost interest in micro-managing my powers and let myself lose. I probably got there once after that and lost on it. As someone who didn’t look up the optimal strategies for things until very recently, I think that’s pretty good. It definitely feels like the kind of game where if you know the best strategies, you can literally just replicate that over and over and win really easily, but that just sounds kinda boring. Since I pretty much only do daily challenges nowadays, it forces me to use a limited amount of towers, so I either go much farther because it forces me to build up less towers more, or it makes sure I can’t even pass round 90 because it just was made to get you to round 40 and that’s it. When I have the full range of towers to use, I feel like I try to get the instant satisfaction of getting a new tower to increase DPS instead of making the few towers I have/need reach their full potential, which seems to be the better option. I also don’t really sell anything when I don’t have a limited number of monkeys to place, which I think is also a good strategy if you can eliminate the major money loss in it, since it can give you a massive boost in cash to get you the better upgrades quicker. I may or may not try to learn the strategies to wipe the rest of the game clean eventually, but right now I’m fine with just doing the dailies.
But yeah, that’s like the whole thing with Bloons Tower Defense and me. Something something reject modernity, embrace monke, or whatever the kids these days are saying.
I will say that if I didn’t have so many OCs to work with and could just pump out animated shorts on the reg, I’d love to do some sort of Bloons shorts. They’d all lean into the ridiculousness of it all. Like, the first one could do the 2001 thing with the monkeys learning to use sticks, and as the main one is bashing the ground with one or whatever and throws it up, an ancient, leathery patchwork bloon flies overhead and accidentally bumps the stick such that it lands back on the main monkey’s head, knocking him out. Cue the monkeys around him to go berserk and start throwing other sticks at the ancient bloon, and once they pop it using a sharp stick, they realize what they must do. Cue a long montage of the different stages of war and invention using the monkeys finding better ways to fend off the bloons, with the whole idea being that the monkeys are getting irrationally angry at the bloons, who are just sort of around and not actually sentient, even though they assume they’re malicious because of their history and upbringing. Absolutely no political message in there whatsoever. Just comedy.
Other short ideas could include, for the start of the modern time story, it could be the backstory of some sort of chiseled veteran main character, which would involve a bloon floating into his town, and from the people’s panic someone knocks over a lamp post that sets his town ablaze, only for him and his people to blame the carnage on the bloon, causing his classic edgy character motives for fighting against the bloons. Another, much more golden idea, would be an interrogation scene, where a bunch of monkeys capture a bunch of bloons for interrogation purposes. They’d obviously do the whole “Silent treatment, eh? Well, we have ways of making you talk...” thing, except the “way to make them talk” is to strap them to a wall with one dart guy on one side to systematically pop them to try and extract info. But, of course, it would look and play out exactly like the classic Bloons puzzle game. That’d be the fun part. If not that, then it could be like the classic carnival game that likely inspired the idea of using darts to pop balloons. I really just think this weird world of monkeys and bloons is perfect for some good comedic content. Watching the monkeys severely overreact to the bloons sounds extremely fun, and I’d love to see someone do something with it some day.
5 notes · View notes