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tange-my-rine · 8 months ago

Text

saying something stupid (like I love you) || Tangerine × gn!reader

Summary: With Lemon's guidance, you take the initiative and confess to Tangerine. He kept saying he felt the same, and wouldn't shut up until you did it. So, in a moment of weakness, you told him. You kind of knew what to expect: either reciprocation or rejection. Easy. But when Tangerine instead physically runs away from you, you have to admit you weren't expecting that.

TW: angsty (with a happy ending), crying, cursing (it's Tangerine), and avoidance (Tangerine is really bad at feelings, what can I say).

[[A/N: yes this is based off that one song. It's so GOODDD. And also something Tangerine would totally do. Peep the Little Women reference. Enjoy :)]]

"C'mon," Lemon urged, "-'s not 'at hard, mate."

You rolled your eyes, absent-mindedly chewing the inside of your cheek, "You say that as if you've ever been in a relationship. Ever."

You had known the twins since middle school (probably), both raised with shitty parents and even shittier lives. When you saw them for the first time swindling a boy out of his money in a go-fish game, you essentially blackmailed them.

('If I don't get a share, I'm telling the teacher.')

You actually even knew their names, and them yours, but you preferred the codenames -you were the one to come up with them afterall.

Tangerine almost popped a blood vessel when you met that day, but Lemon smiled big and bright and pulled a five out of his brother’s hand. You and Lemon were fast friends after that; Tangerine took a lot more time.

That being said, when you were finally friends -near high school, he started to... fill out his form. Naturally, being close to someone who is handsome, you find yourself in... certain states of mind. And what started as a little crush your senior year, snowballed to now.

Where you were in love with him.

You probably told Lemon after a few years of it not going away. But, you'd find that every day after you'd regret that decision.

"Sally Jones," Lemon offered up, seemingly in defense of himself.

You scoffed, "The girl you dated for a month?"

He nodded his head.

"You didn't even like her," you clarified, "-you liked that she had cable so you could watch your fucking trains."

"So?"

"So-" you said a little loudly, turning to the bedroom where Tangerine slept and drastically lowering your voice at the distinct absence of shuffling, "-Lemon. We have been best friends since we were kids, that's... That's a lot to mess up because I'm... because I have feelings."

"What so-" Lemon starts, "What if he gets married one day? What are goin' to do? Just... Just fuckin' bury it down?"

"First off, he's too much of a dick to get married, secondly-" you paused, letting out a big sigh -something in your chest twisting, "-yeah. I mean, it's what I've done for all of these years, isn't it?"

He frowned for a minute, hand finding its place on your shoulder, "You ever think ya deserve to get it off your chest? 'At maybe you deserve the happiness it'll give ya?"

"Might give me," you corrected.

"Look, I know my brother," Lemon argued, brown eyes layered onto yours, "-and I know he's been fuckin' crazy about you since you stole that fuckin' five dollars on the playground."

"I didn't steal it," you clarified, a little defensively "-we made a deal. We negotiated-"

"Y/N," he refocused, "-I just wanna see the two of ya happy, yeah?"

"I know," you spoke, softer, "-I know, Lemon."

Before another word could be spoken and it really seemed like Lemon wanted to, Tangerine stepped into the living room -hair still sleep-mussed, and clothes far more casual than what he'd wear normally. Not that it was new to you, but it still made your heart flutter a little.

"You 'avin' a fuckin' pow wow without me?"

"Morning, sunshine," you smiled with a sing-songy tone.

"Fuck you," Tangerine muttered (a tiny little smile quirked onto his lips), before slinking off into the kitchen -most likely in search of coffee.

When you stayed seated, eyes flickering over whatever reality TV show was on -Lemon nearly burned a whole in your side.

'What?!' you mouthed, exasperated.

He was wordless, brown eyes darting from you to the kitchen -a few times in a row actually.

'Now?' you mouthed back.

'The sooner the fuckin' better,' Lemon mouthed back, shoving you further down the couch.

Well, you debated to yourself, it would get him off your back, and that would be nice.

But, you didn't feel so scared then -not like all the years prior. It was like something... something had shifted in you and you just wanted it done.

Shit, you thought, maybe it is time.

You took a deep breath in and with raised hands (in mock surrender), stood up.

'Fine.'

Lemon seemed taken aback a moment, shock, like he'd never actually expected you to cave; to be fair, you were a little surprised too. But... you were tired, and if heartbreak was to come of it -you wanted to get it over with now.

'But if he doesn't...' you mouthed, '-you owe me everything in your wallet.'

He neatly nodded in agreement.

You swallowed, squeezing your hands together and with the timidness of a doe, entered the kitchen.

The kitchen in the apartment was small, but modern-looking. It was all sleek metal and plain colored cabinets, looked like something out of a magazine. That being said, Tangerine fit right in.

Your eyes unwillingly went to his hair, the unkempt curls, and you briefly wondered if they felt soft.

"Hey, Tan?" you echoed out -trying to keep your voice level and calm.

He held up a finger -as if to say 'one moment', before fidgeting with his coffee. He took it basically black so it didn't take him too long to do so. Just a dash of both sugar and milk, he spun around to look at you.

You supposed you hadn't thought about the idea that he had to be looking at you while you said it. His eyes were always so... bright and distracting -you could hardly handle it when he looked at you so intensely on a regular day. How could you do that today? Right now?

You cleared your throat, wringing your hands together, "I, um, I need to tell you something."

Tangerine pursed his lips, looking you over -leaning slightly on the counter with his cup in his hand. His eyes dashed over yours with a curious sort of question there -scanning over you like he was trying to figure out just what it was.

"Ya alright, love?"

You blinked, trying to clear your head, and opening your mouth to respond. In what way, you weren't sure but any at all sounded good-

"Get fuckin' on with it, mate," Lemon yelled out from the living room -apparently hearing everything in here he could.

Tangerine was just looking at you -blue eyes just looking.

Something in you snapped.

"Jesus Christ, fine, Lemon," you hissed in frustration -words coming out before you could stop them, "-Tangerine, I'm in love with you."

Tangerine froze.

You weren't even sure he was breathing.

"Tangerine," you stepped forward, concerned, "-are you okay?"

Before you could so much as touch him though, he, without a word, beelined out of the kitchen. So fast you were left reeling in his dust, blinking a little deliriously.

You instantly spun around your heels and rushed to the living room -just in time to see Tangerine swipe the keys (the car keys) off of the little table near the door and promptly leave the apartment.

The sound of the door slamming shut echoed into your mind -like a pin dropping into silence.

Something swirling up into your chest, you swallowed -something heavy on your tongue and even heavier on your heart. You blankly stared at the door, like if you wished hard enough he'd come back and tell you he loved you. That all of it had just been a gut reaction.

After a few minutes, that did not happen.

"Lemon...?" You croaked out, eyes suddenly blurry and heart pounding in your chest -had you really just ruined it all?

"Lemon-" you let out a breath and it somehow turned into a sob. It felt like your chest had been cracked open and your heart crushed to dust.

God, you'd lost him. You fucking lost your best friend because you decided to be stupid and fall in love with him-

You don't know when you fell to the floor, crying, but you do remember Lemon rushing over to you -brown eyes guilty and somewhat confused.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

He kept repeating it, over and over, but all you could see in your head was Tangerine frozen and all you could feel was a loss. You were grieving him, there was no way anything could go back to normal-

You'd have to get separate jobs, live on your own-

"I'm not leavin' you," Lemon said suddenly, and you realized you must've been muttering, "-My brother can shove 'at idea up his arse."

Without another breath, you pushed yourself into his arms -wrapped around him into a hug.

"Liked you much better anyway," he muttered, and there was a laugh that burst through your chest.

You and Lemon ended up staying at that apartment for about three more days, waiting to see if Tangerine would return. All of his clothes were here, and you weren't entirely sure he even had his wallet in his pajamas -but he didn't show back up.

Not that he hadn't been in contact, Lemon had been both answering and not answering phone calls from him almost by the hour. He always ran to another room to answer them though, and you respected the privacy -it's not like you wanted to hear from Tangerine anyway.

Even though he was your friend and you were worried, you knew it best not to talk to him.

"You're a fuckin' idiot, mate," Lemon hissed out -bitter and disapproving, "-none of it makes any fuckin' sense, I swear you were-"

There was silence for a minute, you assumed Tangerine interrupted him.

"Are you really fuckin' serious with me right now?" Came back with a much harsher sentiment and the tone of it chilled you to the bone -Lemon was mad.

Which you'd really only seen once or twice, in grade school, either when someone picked on you and you cried (both boys reacted similarly to that) or when someone, unprompted, hurt Tangerine.

You were suddenly flashed back to your senior prom when a guy had asked you but it had all turned out to be some joke. 'He's fuckin' stupid not to like you, love,' rang through your head -familiar blue eyes and arm wrapped solidly around you pulled you into his side, '-doesn't deserve you anyway.'

There was a bitter taste in your mouth.

Lemon pulled you out of your thoughts, "What were 'ey supposed to think, mate? That you were so joyous you couldn't stay fuckin' still?!"

You rubbed your hands up and down your arms, mindlessly packing your bag. The next piece made you stutter to a stop. Hands lingering on a long-sleeved button-up, one you'd borrowed from Tangerine and he'd never asked for back, your heart sunk to the bottom of your chest.

No more crying, you thought.

With not a word, you took the fabric in your hands, leaving your room, and shoving it into Tangerine's bag.

You did stay in the room for a moment, breathing in the... Tangerine of it all.

And then, you left.

"No, no, mate," Lemon laughed, incredulously, "-I'm not doin' shit for you. You come 'ere and do damage control yourself."

You pulled your bag up on your shoulder, it was just a little duffle -you didn't carry much job to job, and trailed into the living room.

Lemon immediately straightened, cutting off Tangerine, "I've got to go, brother. I think you know 'at to do."

With the precise press of a finger, he hung up.

Letting out a big sigh, Lemon turned to you, "Let me get 'is stuff, and then we'll leave, yeah?"

And you did.

You're not sure what the last call was about, but after that one, he started calling you too.

Lemon had decided to cool off on the jobs, just visiting a few cities out of want -kind of treating it like a tourist. It was weird, but not unwelcome. One of those nights, it started.

You were eating on the couch, some sort of reality TV show distracting you with Lemon -when your phone vibrated on the coffee table. You unhesitatingly went to pick it up, eyes smoothing across the name-

'Tan 🍊'.

Staring at it for a moment in disbelief, you quickly declined and set your phone back on the coffee table.

He didn't call you again until late that night when Lemon was asleep in his room; you weren't asleep, to be fair, just staring up at the ceiling.

The name flickered across your screen, and with a little hesitation, you answered.

"What the hell do you want, Tan?"

He was silent for a minute, slow to respond -speaking a little in disbelief, "Hey, love."

"Tangerine, don't-" you started, something breaking in your voice -you cleared your throat, "-That's not fair."

"Love-"

"You're being mean," you echoed out, tone a little broken and weepy -it was all you could say.

He was silent for a long while then, almost exhausted, "I'm sorry."

"It feels like," and you could feel the tears bubbling up, "-it feels like when that stupid guy ditched me at prom," your voice got much quieter -a little pathetic but you didn’t care, "-but you're not here, Tan."

'I want you here,' went unsaid.

"I'm sorry," he repeated -but this time a little more dim.

"Don't you think I deserve to hear that in person?" You offered -swallowed back a sob, you were crying by now, just silent tears down your cheeks, "Don't you have any respect for me-"

"I never meant to-"

"Save it," you interrupted -tired and exhausted, "-I need to sleep."

Before he could say another word, you hung up.

And if you cried yourself to sleep that night, that was between you and the apartment walls.

He didn't stop after that night, calling you more than Lemon -he still answered. You didn't. You had nothing to say to him, until he decided to apologize, in person. Or even just come back at all. He couldn't run forever. No matter how much he didn't want to reject you, you needed to hear it.

Couldn't he understand that?

Because every day he didn't, there was a traitorous little part of you that held onto the hope that maybe he had just been overwhelmed. Maybe he just wasn't ready.

And that hurt more than anything else. That he wouldn't come to tell you otherwise, when you already knew it.

There were a few times he'd call you, and Lemon would call him back: 'Just leave 'em alone, mate.' And then, he'd disappear off into a room -ready to talk about whatever they did.

And then, about a month after the start of it all, you heard a knock on the door.

It was a normal day, where you and Lemon ate takeout and watched whatever show was on -which was often shitty. He didn't talk about Tangerine, so the conversations were more lighthearted -made you feel better.

But when you heard the door, you froze.

Lemon seemed to be looking for your reaction, brown eyes darting all over your face. And for a moment, you were relieved that he was okay but then your face settled into something strained.

You told him you loved him and he ran away. You didn't think it could get much worse than rejection, but it did.

Lemon took the look as a sign to gently rub your shoulder, comforting, before standing up and heading to the door.

Deciding to focus on the TV and eat, you did so. You only flinched when he swung open the door, and in quiet whispers, you heard his voice again. It felt like your whole world was crumbling, you thought you were ready for this -the rejection. But you still loved him so much-

You blinked away tears, determined not to let him see you cry. You wouldn't accept pity, not from him.

You knew his footfall, knew exactly where he stopped behind the couch and you even felt his hand come to clutch it right by your head. You ignored him.

"Y/N," he started and his voice seemed a little wrecked.

Not knowing entirely why (or maybe knowing exactly), you turned to meet him.

Tangerine was disheveled, hair messy like he'd been running his hand through it for days -which you knew he did when he was nervous, and his new suit messy. He did look a little like he'd been in a bar fight, and won. You also knew he did that when he needed some stress relief.

Was that why he was here? For refuge?

"I-"

You abruptly stood up, food falling from your lap, and somehow safely onto the couch, "I'm too tired for this."

Tangerine looked at you for a moment, and you thought it was a little desperate but you smushed the idea without hesitation.

This time, you were the one to run away from him.

You found immediate solace in your room, slinking against the door and breathing so quickly -your eyes fogged up. Needing something to do, you decided to unpack your bag.

Unwillingly, you heard a mutter of voices, and even Lemon's footfall as he disappeared into his room. Tangerine took a bit longer, but when you heard the door shut, you let out a long sigh of relief. Not tonight.

Before you could finish with your clothes though, you heard his steps again -slow and hesitant. You thought for a second that maybe he was leaving again, and something in your stomach twisted.

Instead, though, all you hear was them booming closer. You stilled.

You had the off thought to run over and lock it, but it was too late then. The door opened slowly like he wasn't sure if you were asleep. And you chastised yourself for not thinking of that.

When he opened it all the way, his eyes landed squarely on you. You waited for him to say something, anything, so you could shut him down and go to bed.

Instead, he simply extended his hand forward.

Your eyes darted to it, his hand clutching a shirt -the shirt you had shoved back into his bag. How did he even know it was different?

"Take it," he spoke, voice quiet.

"Tangerine," you countered, swallowing back the heaviness in your voice, "-that's yours."

"'S not," he explained, "-I fuckin' gave it to you."

"You let me borrow it," you clarified, tone wavering slightly, "-I'm just returning it."

"You didn't fuckin' borrow it-"

"Tangerine."

"Take the fuckin' shirt, love," he reiterated, "'s not mine anymore."

"Tangerine," you sighed out, "-can you not? It's late, and I'm tired-"

"It's your shirt," he interrupted, something in his eyes but you couldn't quite label it, "-take it, and I'll fuckin' leave you alone, yeah?"

"I'm not-" you exhaled, closing your eyes for a moment -trying to bat away the tears, the frustration, "-Tangerine, I don't want it."

"Well, I want you to fuckin' have it."

"Do you think about what I want?" you echoed, "-Ever?"

Tangerine opened his mouth, but you were on a roll now.

"I..." you laughed incredulously, looking up to stop your tears (you blinked them away), "-Tangerine, it's been a month."

He tried again, but you didn't let him.

"You. You left," you sniffled slightly, clearing your throat -prolonging the inevitable, "-Tangerine, I... I told you that I loved you and you ran away."

"Love," he started, small and barely there.

"Stop-" you swallowed, "-Don't call me that, it's not... it's not fair."

"How is it not fair?"

"You don't-" you groaned, swiping at your eyes -you were crying now, and out of the corner of your eye you saw his hand twitch (like he wanted to comfort you).

He stood in silence waiting, patient.

"Tangerine, why didn't you just tell me then?" You asked the question that bounced around your mind ever since he left.

"Fuckin' tell you what, love?"

You flinched, ever-so-slightly, at the name again -something twisting in your stomach, and squeezed your eyes shut. Breathing a big breath in through your nose, you started.

"That you don't love me," you clarified, and now your voice was shaking and your eyes were blurry, "You could've-"

Tangerine seemed to be processing something, a flicker in his eyes.

"You could've made it so much easier if you'd just-" you frustratingly wiped your eyes again, "-said that. But instead, you ran away, and all I could think about was what I had done wrong for you to-"

"You didn't do anythin' wrong."

"Then why didn't you just tell me the truth?" You practically begged, "-Why don't you tell me now? So I don't have to... So, I know."

"That's not..."

"Tangerine," he looked at you -and you but back a sob, "-I deserve the truth. Just say it. I know you're scared you'll hurt me, but I... I've survived worse."

"What makes ya think it'll hurt you?" He offered, and your heart in your chest started beating loudly -ringing in your ears.

"Because you ran away," you repeat, wiping at your eyes again, "-I think that makes the answer pretty clear."

"Y/N-"

"Just fucking reject me!" you exclaimed, not loud enough to bother neighbors but enough to bounce around the room (Lemon probably woke up to it), "-It's not that hard, Tan, you've practically done it before."

He seemed to flinch at that, grimace even, at the mention of what he'd done. You were glad he felt some kind of guilt. Still, he remained quiet.

"For the love of god, Tangerine-" you echoed out, shaky now and your heart on the floor -vulnerable, "-just say it. It's not that hard."

"I fuckin' can't," he finally answered -something bubbling up in his tone; his hands clenched by his sides -shirt still clutched between his fingers.

"Can't," you questioned, voice shaky and tears building in your eyes, "-or won't?"

"Can't," he reiterated.

"This is ridiculous, Tangerine," you whimpered -swallowing back a sob, "-you can't give me fucking peace?"

"Y/N-"

"Give me a reason," you interrupted, brash, "-give me the reason you can't reject me right here right now."

"It's not 'at fuckin' simple, love," he remarked, low in tone, but you could tell he was getting frustrated.

"Nothing ever is!" you reasoned, "-Just tell me, that's all I want."

"It's not..."

"Tangerine, please."

He swallowed, eyes dipping to yours -scanning over you with your no doubt red eyes and shaky hands. Like he was thinking, deciding on what to say. All you could see was reluctance.

He let out a big long sigh, fidgeting with his hands (and the shirt in the mix).

"Tangerine-"

"'S not how I feel."

You furrowed your brows, "What?"

"I can't..." he trailed off, eyes off you and flickering toward the ground, "-I can't reject you because it's not what I feel, love."

Your breathing halted in your chest. Heart twisting into something so complex, sad and angry and hopeful.

There's no way, he- Why the hell did he run away?

"That's not funny, Tangerine."

"It's not a fuckin' joke," he responded, eyes finally back on yours -and you tried to read them all you could.

"Stop, no," you echoed out, shaking your head, "-don't pity me, just tell me the truth-"

"I am," he reiterated.

"No you're not," you laughed incredulously, "-it makes no sense."

He pursed his lips, exhaling through his nose, "I was scared."

"That's not-" you started, before clearing your throat, "Do you not think I was scared? That I wasn't putting everything on the line to say that? I thought I was going to lose you and then I did-"

"You didn't lose me," he spoke, softer, "-you could never lose me, love."

"I did, Tan," you sniffled, "-I lost you."

"No-"

"Tangerine," you echoed, "-you left. And I thought, I thought that my best friend was gone. I thought that because I had stupid feelings I lost you. You ran away, Tan!"

"They aren't stupid," he responded and it seemed that he was deciding on whether to step closer -you took a preemptive step back.

"At least," you sighed out, voice cracking, "-at least you knew the truth, I... I didn't know shit. You could have never come back-"

"I did," he interrupted, "-I did come back, love. And I know I'm fuckin' stupid, Lemon has been drillin' it in my head for weeks. I regret walkin' out of 'at fuckin' room so much."

His eyes were shiny with tears now, as he stepped forward into your room -hands reaching forward like he'd wanted to touch you, but he stopped.

"How the hell am I supposed to believe you? What if you just-" you sniffled, "-run away again?"

"I won't," he spoke -unwavering, "-I swear on whatever fuckin' god is up there, 'at I won't do it again."

"I don't-" you whispered out, clutched at your arms.

"I never meant to hurt you, love," he echoed out, stepping closer, "-I fuckin' hate myself for doin' it. I will never fuckin' do it again."

"Tangerine, this isn't-"

"I'm fuckin' madly in love with you," he finished, laughing a little -slowly placing his hands on your arms. You didn't move away, and he seemed to smile at that, "-'ave been since we were kids, and you pulled 'at greedy shit on me."

"It wasn't greedy," you defended.

"Most certainly fuckin' was," he tsked back, moving one hand to your face -thumb wiping back and forth.

Your heart fluttered in your chest, but there was still something heavy in your stomach. Tossing like waves.

"I'm sorry," he said, finally, "-I got fuckin' scared and ran away. It wasn't fair to you, and-" his hand brushed against your cheek, "-I'd beat myself bloody senseless if I could."

You laughed at that for a moment, and his smile got a little wider.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" you asked, something clawing up your throat again.

He frowned, allowing his hand to fall to his side -sighing, "I'm a fuckin' coward, love."

You opened your mouth to say something, anything.

"You confessed to me and it was so fuckin' brave," he looked at you like you were the sun then, bright and warm, "-and I... I couldn't spit out a fuckin' word. I just went into autopilot and..."

"Ran away," you finished, swallowing.

"Yeah," he spoke, confirming, "-ran away."

Before you could hold your tongue, words slipped out, "That is pretty cowardly."

Tangerine laughed, a big one, and something in you warmed -a smile perking onto your lips.

"It is," he agreed, "-I'll give you fuckin' 'at."

And then he paused, eye flitting over you -seeming to detail all your features in his head. Tracing over your nose, your eyes, your eyebrows, your lips-

"Are we okay, love?"

It was soft and hopeful, and something in you softened -your hurt letting up just a smidge. It wasn't gone, not yet.

"Yeah, we're good," you hummed out, taking a hand and pushing a strand of hair behind his ear, "-but you have a lot to fix."

"I know," he hummed back, blue eyes soft and affectionate, "-I'll do it. Whatever you fuckin' want."

"Well," you smiled, so close to his face -merely a breath away, "-I think I've got my first idea."

"Do you?" He offered with a smirk, hands coming to hold the sides of your face.

"Yeah," you brought your hands up on top of his, "-kiss me, please."

Tangerine didn't hesitate after that, pulling you closer with the grasp of his hands -still somehow gentle. His mustache tickled your upper lip, and you laughed a little -a grin spreading along his own lips in response. And after, it was slow, languid, each press of the lips just a touch more desperate -like you were his oxygen. Fingers pressed into your skin, your head went a little fuzzy -fingers twisting around his palms.

Speaking of oxygen, you parted.

Before you could so much as say a word though, Tangerine pressed a small one to your lips -simple. You laughed a little.

And then again, and again, and again, and again-

"Tangerine-" you laughed out, "-I can't breathe."

"Fuckin' fine," he muttered, before taking a deep breath of his own.

And then the thought crossed your mind that he would leave eventually -go back to his room. Sleep. But, you had lost so much time. You didn't want him to leave yet.

"Tan?"

"Yeah, love?" He gave you all his attention, eyes focused on you.

You pursed your lips for a moment, "Will you sleep in here with me?"

Tangerine opened his mouth.

"I don't want you to leave yet," you clarified, hand loosely twisting around one of his own -held limply between the two of you.

"I don't want to leave either," he breathed out, "-ever, preferably."

You smiled, "Is that a yes then?"

"Oh," he laughed, "-love, 'at's much more than a yes."

#tangerine bullet train #bullet train #tangerine x reader #tangerine x y/n #tangerine x you #tan's things #tangerine #tangerine bt oneshot #gn!reader

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markrosewater · 4 months ago

Note

Hey Mark, I just wanted to say you've always seemed like a really cool guy. I've played magic for over 4/5ths of my life, since the early 2000s when I was only five years old, I even met most of my long time friends through it. But I think I finally feel alienated enough by it to drop it entirely.

I always enjoyed every aspect of this game, from the deckbuilding, to the flavor, to the color pie and the possibilities it presented. I loved the fantasy of it, of planeswalkers and wizards, dragons and castles.

Universes Beyond really was the end of it, all the way back then. When i heard the announcements I was terrified, I knew where it would lead even then. I loved the world of Magic, and it feels silly to say about a card game but I truly felt immersed in the world when I played, even with the different planes, everything cohered to an internal set of rules that seemed unbreakable.

For a while I continued, our local scene created a variant format that banned Universes Beyond cards so I was able to ignore them, but then came Neon Dynasty. It felt strange to me, like it was breaking what I had come to expect out of the game. Most people disagreed, said it was still Magic enough, but I wondered just how far it would be pushed before Magic lost any identity of its own, anything that separated it from Fortnite or any other crossover soup known entirely for the things it borrows rather than the things it is.

When I saw the first spoilers for Duskmourn, I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back. When I play at the table with my friends, I enjoy the fact that all the cards feel like part of one larger universe. And when I see cards with televisions and smartphones in them, with modern clothing and internet references, I just can't fit them together in my mind. It seems like a cool world, much like a lot of the crossovers are cool worlds, but I play Magic for well... Magic. If I wanted to play Fallout or Warhammer 40k, or watch Insidious or Walking Dead, then I would. But when I play Magic, I want to see magic.

And it's canon, just as canon as Innistrad or Alara. We can't excise it like we can Universes Beyond, and if we can't, then what's even the point of trying to "protect the tone" with those bans? What tone are we protecting, that's already been shattered from within?

More and more it feels like the game just isn't for me, doesn't want the kind of player that feels strongly about cohesion and immersion. And that's fine, it doesn't have to cater to me, and the current approach seems to bring in more people than it drives away. But it still just makes me sad, on a deep personal level, to give up on what has been such a major part of my life.

In all likelihood, I'm an outlier, and you could easily say that Magic getting even broader in what it covers is only a positive thing. Take my critiques only as the lamentations of a single person. But when you can put anything in a piece of media, when there's no unifying idea of what is and isn't possible, then it just starts to feel meaningless.

I'm sorry, I know you'll probably never read this, I mostly just needed to get it off my chest- and you're the closest thing to a human face Magic the Gathering has. Thank you for all the work you've put into it over the years, and I'm sorry that I can't enjoy it anymore.

Thanks for writing. From a big picture, Magic excels at creating variety and does poorly at consistency. The core idea of a trading card game is we make lots and lots of pieces you can play with and then you, the player, customize your game as you see fit. History has shown us, the wider we spread the potential of what Magic can be, the more people find something they enjoy and are attracted to the game.

Think of it this way. Each player has a different sense of what Magic is to them. There's no cutoff point where we make the majority of players happy. In fact, for many players, it's the ever-expanding quality to the game that they enjoy most.

This does mean though that we might make choices that don't connect with what you personally enjoy, and I respect that. If Magic isn't providing what you want out of it, that's okay. My only recommendation is don't get rid of your cards. Many Magic players rotate in and out of the game, and the number one complaint I hear from players who rotate back in is them having gotten rid of everything when they rotated out.

Magic might not be what you need right now, but maybe a few years from now you've changed in ways which makes it something you will enjoy. Or maybe Magic will evolve in a way that speaks to you. The only constant I know is you and Magic will both change. Just leave yourself the possibility of reconnecting.

Thanks for playing all these years, and I hope to see you again.

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undreaming-fanfiction · 8 months ago

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Thinking of a modern AU when the kids get to be kids after it's all over and they go to the movies, they play games, hang out, all that. And of course, Steve drives them everywhere. He vouches for them in front of their parents, watches them like a hawk, tries to tell them about the adult stuff he's learned so far and chases Robin and Nancy to give them info on uni application and the things he feels he's too dumb for. Still, when Robin and Nancy are away and one of his kids needs something, he'll grab that legal document and either stare at it long enough to get a migraine or begins hounding the smart people who stayed in Hawkins (Mr. Clarke is Steve's go-to person and Mr. Clarke won't say it, but he's so proud of Harrington's progress).

So, Steve's life is basically nonstop work and babysitting (with lots of complaints and grumbling from the teens), they ask him to drive them somewhere and he'll bitch about it, sure, but he will get up after 4 hours of sleep and do it anyways. Dustin often reprimands Steve for not taking care of his health, but he doesn't see why.

When Encanto comes out, El really, really wants to see it, and how can Steve say no to her? He drives the whole gang to the movie theatre (some of them stacked on top of each other, some in the trunk on a pile of blankets) and decides to join them. He doesn't really like animated stuff, but Robin loves these movies and he wants yet another reason to call her and talk through the night.

He didn't expect to enjoy the movie so much, but it's colorful and catchy. The songs are nice and the characters are relatable. He makes a lot of mental notes to discuss with Robin. He thinks she will love Mirabel.

And then "Surface Pressure" starts playing and Steve wonders why he suddenly feels like crying. "I'm pretty sure I'm worthless if I can't be of service" hits especially hard. He's just sitting there and feeling incredibly stupid for tearing up at flying glitter-covered donkeys.

When they leave the movie theater, everyone is pretty excited and discussing which characters and songs they liked the most (even if some feel like rolling their eyes at a kids' movie, El's excitement stops them from doing that). They all start discussing to who they relate the most, El feels with Mirabel for being left out and different, even if she actually is the only one who has a gift, Will dares to utter that he really sympathizes with Dolores, Dustin loves Bruno for trying to fix the cracks in Casita.

And then they turn to Steve and someone makes a jab at him, saying he resembles Mariano the most. Steve is ready to shrug it off, there's some truth in that with what happened to his relationship with Nancy, but El just shakes her head and says: "No. Steve is our Luisa."

Everyone goes silent. There's a lot of hmmming and "well, he did get up to drive us when he had a night shift..." and "we could have just biked...". Steve tries to make them feel better about it, joking that he really has nothing better to do, but the drive home is full of whispering, and the party actually diligently thank him when they leave his car.

The next day is Sunday and Steve is ready for his usual routine, making himself busy until someone needs something. But there's a knock on the door to his small apartment and when he opens it, he sees his group of kids, proudly presenting a tray of muffins and two cartons of orange juice.

Out of all of them, it's Mike who speaks up. "Nancy said you often forget to eat breakfast," he states in his usual annoyed tone. "She also said that you like chocolate muffins, so we are here to ensure you don't die from hunger. Now move, I'll get the glasses and plates."

Steve just watches in awe as they swarm his flat, Will smiling at him and producing a DVD of the latest Spider-man movie. "This one was a tip from Robin, she says you haven't seen it yet."

Max is standing in the kitchenette with her cane, watching the pile of meds Steve has to take after his injuries with disdain. "This has to take forever for you to find what you need. Don't argue, I remember how shitty it was for me. Let me help you build a chart and thank me later."

El and Lucas are rearranging Steve's couch and placing pillows in front of the TV so everyone can sit comfortably. El also ensures the blinds are closed so Steve's eyes don't have to fight against the light.

And if that all wasn't more care than Steve has known in years, Dustin grabs his elbow and sits him down, threatening him with violence if he even thinks about working on Sunday.

As the opening titles start, Steve is surrounded by six teenagers in his tiny and cheap flat, chewing on a subpar muffin with an orange juice that probably never saw the actual fruit, and he thinks that there's no greater happiness than this.

#steve harrington #steve harrington drabble #the party #stranger things #stranger things drabble #stranger things au #encanto #healing and understanding your roles through movies is awesome #steve harrington is and will be loved

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captn-trex · 3 months ago

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gone, but not forgotten

Fives x F!Reader

word count: 4.4k

description: you're a bartender at 79s when the 501st gets back from a gruelling campaign. the clones make a game out of seeing who can successfully hit on you, but the one that catches your eye is the one that doesn't try at all, the one whose shoulders are weighed down by a painful loss.

warnings: nothing much, a little fluff & sad fives (post citadel), mentions of death and war as expected, non-established relationship

a/n: i'm probably gonna do a part 2 to this because it was originally gonna have a lot more to it and I still kinda wanna see that play out, but anyway, enjoy :)

part two here: how to feel again

The low lighting and heavy bass that shook the very bar you were working at were no match for the ruckus that was caused whenever the clones of the 501st entered 79s.

You watched their entry from behind the bar with a small smirk. You spotted their Captain, already shaking his head at his men and bringing up the rear as the men filtered into a booth near the entrance, clearing out the clones who were already sat there.

You were familiar with a handful of the clones of the 501st, and when one of them - Jesse, if you’re remembering correctly - caught your eye, he sent you a wink. You instinctively rolled your eyes, though there was no animosity behind it. Working at a clone bar, people expected you to be sick of the clones, but you couldn't help but find them generally endearing. Sure, they all tried to hit on you, but most of their attempts were so harmless or pathetic that you couldn't find it in yourself to be irritated by it.

As you served a variety of customers, clones and nat-borns alike, you could see the 501st boys looking over at you and then talking amongst themselves, and you quickly realised that you were to be privy to some kind of game of theirs. Between pouring drinks and cleaning glasses, you watched them with suspicion, and you noticed that there was one particularly sullen looking clone among them, one that you hadn't met before. He didn't seem to be interacting with them much, just sitting back with his arms crossed over his chest and a far-away look in his eyes.

The first to approach the bar was Kix.

“Hey there” He said your name in a flirtatious tone, “What's a pretty lady like you doing working in a place like this?” He leant over the bar a little as he spoke, a charming smile painted on his face. If his words weren't so utterly ridiculous and overused, you might have even fallen for it.

“What should I be doing if not working here Kix?” You asked back innocently with a hand on your hip, playing into his game. For now.

“I'm not sure, but someone with a smile so radiant is surely made for greater things” He smiled triumphantly, as if he had just said the most flattering thing and not insulted your career.

“Hm” You tapped your finger on your chin a few times, as if thinking hard about something, “Yeah, it didn't work, nice try though. Can I get you something to drink now?”

“Ugh” Kix slumped down to his elbows in a huff, “I'll just get a fizzbrew”

You laughed at his defeated tone as you reached into the cooler below for his drink, “Come on, did you really think that was going to work?”

“I did! And it's true! Your smile is radiant” He argued as he took his drink from you.

You screwed up your face as he reiterated the compliment, “Kix stop, you failed already, go sit down”

“Alright alright, thank for this” He smiled with a small chuckle as he dropped his credits into your hand.

“No problem”

The next to try it was Dogma.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have the most wonderful hair?” He leaned on the bar and tipped his head to the side a little with a wide grin.

“Oh maker Dogma, that's awful. Is that really the best you've got?” You couldn't help but laugh at his attempt.

“Uh-” He rubbed his neck sheepishly, “Maybe”

You smirked at him and took a glass from the back, “Krilliz?”

His eyes lit up, “You remembered”

“Of course I did, nobody else orders this nightmare fuel”

“Hey! I like it”

“And I'm glad, here” You handed him his drink with a smile, “Enjoy”

He thanked you with a sigh and headed back to the snickering of his squad mates.

Over the next hour, almost every member of the group came up to the bar and tried to flirt with you in some way, and you honestly couldn't figure out what game they were playing. Though, it was hard to know, as you shot all of them down almost immediately.

When it came time for the last clone of the group, you were a little bit worn down by it all.

“I'll get a shot of that Shesharilian vodka stuff”

The regularity of the statement was refreshing, you almost weren't expecting it.

“You're not going to tell me how my hair is so wonderful or my smile is so radiant?” You asked with a smirk, earning a chuckle from the clone in front of you, but it held no mirth.

“I would be blind not to notice, but no, I'm not a part of their little game” He admitted, but you don't entirely buy it.

“Which one are you after then?”

“Which what?” He asked, confused by your question.

“Which lady?” You clarified, nodding out into the bar.

“Oh” He chuckled lightly, if a little sadly, “I'm not after that tonight”

“What are you after then?” You asked, and he paused for a moment before sighing.

“A strong drink”

You could see that there was a certain sadness behind the request, and realised that this was the dejected looking clone that you had noticed earlier.

“Coming right up” You said, offering him a gentle smile.

You sorted the drink, stealing glances at the man, noticing the way the coloured lights along the bar seem to make the bags under his eyes more pronounced. You placed the drink in front of him, but when he went to hand you some credits, you stopped him.

“It's on the house”

“What? I can't-”

“Don't worry about it” You smiled and pushed the drink further towards him, “I can tell you need it”

He looked at you for a moment and offered a thankful smile.

“That's… Thank you…” He trailed off, and you told him your name, tapping on your name tag. He repeated it with another thanks, and told you that his name was Fives.

“I couldn't tell” You smirked, pressing a finger to your temple, where he had an aurebesh tattoo. He chuckled lightly and thanked you again, taking his drink back to the 501st table.

You watched as his brothers all patted him on the back, and he rolled his eyes with a small smile as he settled back into his seat at the edge of the group. You wondered if he had just used the sad boy approach to appeal to your better nature, and win whatever game they were playing, but you soon forgot all about it as you got on with your work.

The bar was particularly busy tonight, so you had your hands full when it came to making drinks. It seemed that there were quite a few clone legions back on Coruscant at the moment, including the 104th, who got roped into the 501st game quite easily. A flurry of clones adorning grey armour sauntered up to you, offering a variety of compliments, and getting more ridiculous each time as you rejected each one of them. Truthfully, there were a number of them that appealed to you, but you weren't going to entertain their silly idea of a good time.

At some point between all the compliments and rejection, the sad clone you now knew as Fives had settled into a seat on the end of the bar. You noticed him sitting there as the bar area became more sparse, most people opting to make their way towards the dance floor.

You slid up to him and leant on the bar, your jaw resting in your hand as you address him. “So Fives, is this wistful look in your eyes authentic, or was it just so you could win this little thing you 501st boys have going on?” You asked with a cocked eyebrow, and he looked up, the ghost of a smirk crossing his lips.

“I meant it when I said I wasn't a part of their game, not that they believed me after you gave me a free drink” He replied matter-of-factly.

You chuckled slightly, standing up straight, “Can I get you anything?”

He looked behind you at the bar for a short moment. “I probably shouldn't, I hear drowning your sorrows isn't a healthy thing to do” He smiled sadly.

“Why ever else would you come to a bar when you're sad?” You teased slightly, and he huffed a laugh.

“Because I was dragged out of bed by my brothers”

You laughed with a warmth, “Ah well, how about just some water then?”

“Sounds good” He smiled genuinely.

You got him the water from the tap and he thanked you for it before you went about sorting drinks for the other patrons that had approached the bar in the time you had been talking to him. You kept an eye on him out of the corner of your eye as you did so, and he just drank his water at a slow pace, watching his brothers dance ridiculously with a small smile and that same far away look in his eye.

As the night went on and he settled into the chair at the bar more and more, a Pantoran woman approached him, and started flirting with him unashamedly. Fives replied to her questions, not wishing to seem rude, but was too distracted by his own thoughts to entertain the kind of ideas that she surely had about the night. You watched as the Pantoran started getting a bit handsy, placing her hands on his arm and his chest as she talked to him. You saw that Fives didn’t react to this very much, but then she got very close, her lips close to his ear, and he backed away a little.

As she was speaking into his ear seductively, he looked over at you and saw you watching. You averted your eyes as you saw his smirk grow, knowing he caught you looking.

You went about busying yourself with cleaning glasses, facing the back of the bar. When you turned around to serve a customer that called for you, you caught the Patoran woman dancing with another clone on the dance floor. You smiled at the sight, she got what she wanted after all.

Fives was still sat at the end of the bar as your shift came to a close and customers were dwindling a little, so you approached him again.

“You didn't fancy the Pantoran?” You asked and he looked to you from the dance floor, turning his body.

“Didn't want to make you too jealous Cyar'ika” He leaned forward with a smirk and you chuckled.

“How considerate” You rolled your eyes a little as you grabbed a cloth and begun cleaning up the bar. “How come you're still here? Doesn't seem like you're really enjoying yourself” You observed and he released a small sigh.

“Just distracting myself really” He admitted, and you felt yourself wanting to ask more.

You approached the subject tentatively, speaking in a gentle voice, “If it's not too much to ask… what are you distracting yourself from?”

Fives paused, and with a deep sigh, looked to your eyes, seeing only an honesty in them, “I lost a brother a week ago, my twin”

“Oh, I'm so sorry, this must really be the last place you want to be then” You offered him a truly sympathetic look, and he smiled a little.

“I don't know, the company's not so bad” He let his smile grow and you reflected the gesture back at him.

“You're not so bad yourself” You grinned, then your mouth dropped as you became more serious, “But seriously” You placed a hand on his, “I'm really sorry about your brother, I know how hard that is”

He gave you an appreciative smile and turned his hand over in yours, giving it a light squeeze, “Thank you, I really appreciate that”

You smiled, and continued wiping the bar, trying to ignore the warmth that lingered on your hand from his touch.

You started doing little chores before you headed off, sweeping the floor behind the bar. As you were doing so, a rather inebriated clone approached the bar.

“Hey there pretty one, three shots of dark lum please”

“Of course” You replied with a gracious smile, and took three shot glasses from below the bar. As you were pouring the customer's drinks, they tried to talk to you some more.

“Say, when do you get off work tonight beautiful?”

You chuckled, “In a few hours”

“How many hours?”

You shrugged dismissively with a polite smile, “A few”

He kept pressing, but Fives interrupted him before he could really embarass himself.

“She's already got company tonight brother” He told him, a hand on his arm to pull him backwards slightly.

“Fives! I didn't see you there” The clone said, surprised, only earning a grunt from his brother. “Alright, good for you man, nice score” He chuckled and took the shots away as Fives rolled his eyes.

“Sorry about him” He shook his head.

“Its alright, I'm used to it” You shrugged, an appreciative smile directed at him.

“I'm sure you are, but I'm still sorry. Some of my brothers can be a bit… crass”

You laughed at that, “I'm aware”

You watched Fives for a moment, then leant on the bar looking at him intently. “So what are we doing when I get off work then?” You said with mischievous glint in your eye.

“Oh, sorry about that, I just said it so he'd leave you alone” He spoke awkwardly.

You tutted, pursing your lips, “That's too bad, I was rather looking forward to it”

Fives’ eyebrows raised, “You were?” He unconsciously leaned forward a little.

“Perhaps” You said, then pushed back, leaning against the back of the bar, “If you were only joking though-”

“Hold on now, I didn't say that” He challenged, and you bit the inside of your cheek, trying to decide if what you had in your head was really a good idea.

“If you fancy it… there's a place I go when I want to be alone. I know there's not many places like that on Coruscant but I figure you could maybe do with some peace and quiet, just to think, grieve, whatever you want. I was thinking of going there anyway” You shrugged as if it was the most casual thing in the world, offering this almost stranger your safe space.

“That sounds nice” He said genuinely, a smile on his face “I'd love to”

“Alright, well I actually get off in 5 minutes, so be ready” You confessed and he laughed, standing from his seat.

You finished cleaning up and took your apron off, hanging it up in the store room out the back. When you exited the building, Fives was waiting, and when he spotted you coming towards him he pushed off the wall he was leaning against, “Where to?”

You gestured your head towards your speeder bike close by to him and got on. As you began getting it ready to drive, you noticed that Fives was just standing next to you.

“Well get on” You laughed and his ears tinged pink. He climbed on behind you, and you were about to depart but then you turned to him, “Are you gonna hold on or…”

He rolled his eyes a little, “Just trying to be respectful” He mumbled as his hands snaked around your waist holding your abdomen gently. You couldn’t deny the way his touch sent a shiver up your spine, a warmth spreading over the area where his strong arms brushed against you.

“Well you won't get the chance if you fall off, so hold on tight”

The speeder zoomed off as you rolled your hands forward on the handlebars, and Fives’ arms tightened around you as he pulled himself into you. The sensation of him being pressed up against you made you a little breathless, despite the thick layer of armour that separated you from the warmth you could feel emanating from him.

It served as a sudden reminder of the strangeness of the situation you had put yourself in. You saw clones in the bar every day, and while you certainly found them attractive, it had never occurred to you to actually seek any kind of companionship from any of them before. You weren't even certain that was what you were doing right now, every decision you had made up to this point suddenly seemed entirely spontaneous, misguided even.

Halfway through the journey, Fives gently leaned his temple onto the back of your head, and your stomach did a flip. Even at the high speed you were going, you could feel his warm, steady breath ghosting over the back of your ear, and you had to really try not to shudder at the feeling of it.

After around 15 minutes or so, you arrived at your destination. You brought the speeder bike into an alley, and lead Fives to the apartment building you were headed towards.

“Was this just a ploy to get me to come back to your place?” He smirked slightly, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

“No” You chuckled, “This isn't my building” You spoke confidently, walking through the front door. Fives followed after you, entirely confused.

“Hey there doll, late shift again?” The Gran on reception called to you as he noticed you enter.

“It was, I'm so tired” You said dramatically, and Fives' face contorted to one of utter amusement and confusion.

“Got someone with you tonight, that's new. Lucky man” The Gran winked at Fives and you laughed slightly awkwardly.

“Indeed” You said, giving a smirky side glance to Fives, who just stayed quiet throughout the exchange. “See you later Faadu” You called as you made it inside the elevator.

You didn't listen out for the answer, and after the doors closed, Fives turned to you, “I thought you said this wasn't your apartment building”

You smirked and shrugged “He doesn't need to know that”

Fives smirked back at you, and your stomach flipped as you realised how close he was to you in the somewhat confined space. You continued to look at each other, inspecting each other's features. There was definitely a certain charm to Fives that inexplicably drew you to him more than the other clones. His eyes were a deep brown, and as you found yourself lost in them, you couldn’t find it in yourself to remember that they were identical to the ones you so often saw in the bar. Fives went to say something, but the elevator pinged and the doors slid open.

“This is it” You stepped out into the darkened hallway, and traced the steps that were so familiar, though you hadn't been here in a long time.

You made it to the end of the hallway, and hooked your fingers into the door, struggling slightly as you pulled it open. You walked into the empty apartment and made your way over towards the balcony, already captivated by the familiar view out of the large windows.

“Woah” Fives spoke quietly, following you to the balcony.

“I know right” You pushed the doors open and walked up to the railing, leaning your weight onto it, “It's the tallest building in the district, but no one lives on the top floor”

Fives joined you, coming to rest beside you on the railing, and you both looked out on the cityscape. There was a gentle breeze, and you felt your hair shift gently. The view was undeniably beautiful, and being able to look upon the city from above was truly something spectacular, though it held some complicated feelings for you. You were glad that someone was here with you, it was nice to share the space.

“I just find that… When I'm here, it makes my problems seem small, insignificant. Like, I see all these tiny little dots that are really people, and all these different lives, and it brings me… comfort, or perspective, I guess”

Fives watched you confess with interest and you turned to see his expression, full of an emotion you couldn’t quite place your finger on.

“Not that your problems are small, they're not, but-”

“I know what you mean” He smiled, a hand resting on your forearm. He left it there as he recalled something you had said earlier, “How come you were coming here tonight?”

“What?” You asked, swallowing as you felt the warmth of his hand through his glove.

“Before, you said you were coming here anyway” He reminded you.

“Oh, I- um” You looked down to your feet, “I lost my brother a year ago today”

Fives viewed you with a newfound reverence and understanding, and his hand found its way down your arm. He interlaced his fingers with your own, and started rubbing circles on your hand with his thumb. It was certainly a welcome feeling, and it kept your tears at bay, staying as a glassy outer layer to your eyes.

“I know it's not exactly the same as with your brother, but… I came here a lot when I was grieving” You looked up to him, “If it would help you, feel free to come here whenever you want. I mean, it doesn't belong to me anyway” You said, ending in a chuckle and looking out to the view again.

“Thank you, it really means a lot” He smiled, though you weren't looking at him. He followed your lead and looked out to the city as he spoke, “Being in the GAR, losing brothers is part of the deal, and you're expected to just move on, but… It's not that simple, especially with-” He swallowed, “The brother that I lost, we'd been together since we came outta the tube, I don't know what life even means without him next to me” He admitted, and you looked to him to see that his eyes were full of sadness, his eyelids half closed as if weighed down by his emotions.

“What was his name?” You asked, and he looked up to you.

“Echo”

“Why was he called that?” You asked. You knew that often clones’ names held some kind of meaning, or a story behind them at least.

Fives chuckled sadly, “He was always driving us mad by repeating the orders we were given”

You smiled, “And… how did you get your name?”

Fives grinned, “Guess”

You thought for only a split second, “You have a lot of fives in your CT number?”

“Bingo” He smiled, then faltered, looking away wistfully “yeah, ARC-5555”

“You're an ARC?” You asked, a small smirk fighting its way on your face.

“Mhm”

“That's kinda hot”

“It is?” Five turned to you with an incredulous look, and you couldn't help but let your smirk grow.

“Oh yeah, I mean, it's not like, Captain or Commander or even Lieutenant-”

“Alright alright” He rolled his eyes, and your smirk transformed into a genuine smile.

“Was Echo an ARC too?”

His amused expression faltered a little bit, “Yeah, we got promoted together” He sighed, a fond smile gracing his features, “He was always more serious about everything, kept me in check”

“You don't seem like someone who needs keeping in check” You said, tilting your head as you looked at him.

He smirked, “I'm not always this reserved. On any other night I would've been performing for your attention like the rest of my brothers”

“That's ironic I guess” You chuckled.

“How so?”

“You're the only one that did get my attention” You admitted, blushing slightly, now feeling a little sheepish under his gaze.

Fives just smiled subtly and brushed his thumb over your knuckles, reminding you of the fact that he was still holding your hand, “I guess I've gotta keep up the sad and lonely act then”

You laughed, “I don't know about that. It worked on me but I'm not sure that other women are into it”

“That's alright, I wasn't really thinking of trying it on other women” He said, dropping his voice just a bit so that it held a slightly gravelly tone.

You bit back a smirk, “Smooth Fives, very smooth”

He chuckled, “I wasn't kidding, I don't just hold hands with anyone”

“Mhm, I'm sure” You shook your head slightly, looking away from his intense gaze.

The two of you fell into a comfortable silence, letting the noise of the city replace conversation. You could hear the whizzing of speeders and other transports passing by, the noise of the people below very feint from the height of the building. You sighed deeply, remembering your brother, the reason you had come here in the first place. Fives’ thoughts dwelled on the same thing, his own brother.

“Thank you for talking to me about Echo” He spoke just above a whisper and you turned to him, “Most people just give me a sad look and a hand on the shoulder at most. It's nice to actually talk about him”

“I know” You offered him a sad smile, silently telling him you knew how he felt, “Anytime”

Fives smiled and gave your hand a small squeeze.

Being here with Fives was nice, a relief to the mental torment you found yourself enduring when you had been here grieving your brother just after his death. His presence was calming, soothing, and his hand in yours even more so. You found yourself hoping that this wouldn't be the last time you shared this experience with him.

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imagines--galore · 4 months ago

Text

||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-One

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: Another filler chapter! Hope you enjoy!

"Katara! Wait!"

Seeing the Water Tribe girl walk away as soon as lunch was finished, Orora was quick to dump her bowl on Sokka, who was on clean-up duty, and race after the girl. She finally caught up to her, the both standing a little ways away from the rest of the group.

"Look, I really am sorry about what happened. I should've tried more to stop the battles from happening." Orora stated, gesturing to the still partially destroyed rooms. In a way, Orora admitted that she was to blame for things getting a little out of hand.

Aang had made a new rule though: No bending battles in the Temple. At least no Earthbending. They could all go to the cliffs above for that.

The younger girl frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she gave Orora a disapproving look. "Yeah, you should have." She stated, her tone cold, prompting Orora to blink at the girl in surprise. "If you hadn't been so bent on showing off, maybe you could've avoided the entire thing altogether." Katara claimed, to which the other girl only stared at her.

"Show off? What're you....?" She trailed off, a crease appearing between her eyebrows as she tried to make sense of what Katara was trying to say. Though her fellow Waterbender even give her a chance to finish her statement. "But then I can't expect anything from you now. Not when he's here." The venom and utter hatred behind that one pronoun had Orora staring open-mouthed at her friend. That icy anger was still in Katara's eyes, and it seemed to project across her features as well.

It was strange, and slightly disconcerting, to have Katara look at her that way.

"What're you talking about, Katara? Is something wrong?" The older girl asked, a look of concern crossing her features.

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say.

"I'm talking about you deciding to forgive Zuko after what he did in Ba Sing Se."

The emotion behind her words was so strong that both her own and Katara's waterskins burst, water splashing to the floor, leaving the two girls with wet shoes. Orora's mouth fell open, her eyes widened. Slowly, she turned her head to glance behind her.

Just as she had thought.

Katara's voice had been loud enough to carry her words to the rest of their camp mates who were frozen in place. Teo with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth, the food slipping from between the wooden sticks and dropping back into the bowl. Toph and Haru, who had created rocks that were smoothed out, pausing in whatever game they'd been playing, with the latter staring at the both of them. Sokka with his arms elbow deep in soapy suds, not realizing he was cleaning the same bowl over and over as his nervous gaze flitted between the two Waterbenders. Aang looking just as nervous as Sokka, meeting Orora's gaze, before he turned to glance at Zuko.

Zuko.

The only person who hadn't looked up from his task of drying the bowls. Though he had stopped, and even from where she stood Orora knew he was listening and was tense about what was happening.

Turning back to look at Katara, and seeing that anger merging with a look of betrayal, the older girl sighed. "Katara, I know its hard for you to understand, but I've spent a long time thinking about my decision. It wasn't easy bu-"

"Oh but it was." Katara cut her off, pressing an accusing finger against Orora's chest as she continued. "It was easy for you, because you don't care about Aang's or anyone else's safety like I do."

A surge of anger flashed through her ice blue eyes as Orora's look of calm understanding shifted to one of fury. "Don't you dare question my desire for my family's safety Katara." She growled, her fingers flexing as she unknowingly pulled up small strands of water to coat the tips of her fingers.

In very sharp claws.

"I care about Aang's safety just as much as you do." The girl stated, her tone icy as she glared at Katara. The younger girl wasn't even deterred by Orora's shift in tone and body language. Instead, she seemed to grow even stronger in her resolve as the water on the floor trembled with the intensity of her emotions.

A sarcastic smile pulled at Katara's lips. "Oh really? Well it sure didn't look that way when you were cozying up to the enemy." This time Katara glanced over Orora's shoulder as she said the words, and despite her effort not to, the older girl followed her line of sight.

Only to see Zuko standing there with a look of resignation, acceptance and shame on his face.

Something inside Orora's chest splintered as she turned back to Katara. "Zuko is not the enemy." She hissed, her voice somehow echoing for the entire courtyard to hear. "He is the only chance we have of defeating the Fire Nation once and for all. And if I can get past what happened, then so can you."

With that Orora stalked past Katara, leaving the younger girl to stare after her in utter fury and contempt.

————————–

Half an hour later, Aang found her sitting on an open balcony in one of the many upside down towers of the Temple.

"Woah, you really did want to get away from everyone." He stated as he landed next to her and snapped his glider shut. Orora didn't glance at him, opting to pick up a loose piece of rock and throwing it into the yawning abyss in front of her. The sun was beginning to set, casting hues of orange and red all around.

While the orange had reminded her of Aang's robes, the red had reminded her of Zuko's.

She sat with her legs hanging off the side of the balcony, since it didn't have a railing. A safety hazard really, but then again it was built for people who could fly at a moments notice. Aang came to sit next to her cross-legged, his hands folded in his lap. "Katara kind of stormed off after you did. Don't know where, but I'm sure she'll be back." Aang added, glancing at his older sister. "Sokka went after her, to try and talk. Though now that I think about it, he might say something that would make her even angrier." He pressed a finger to his chin as he thought over his decision, regretting it a little.

"Was she right?" Orora asked, cutting off whatever Aang had started to think about. The young Avatar turned to look at his friend, the concern evident in his wide grey eyes. "Was I really too quick in forgiving Zuko?" It wasn't that she regretted her choice or would go back on it. It was more reassurance that she needed. And while Sokka had helped provide that, it seemed like Katara's words had made her question if maybe people saw her to be too quick to forgive and let go.

The moment the words were out of her mouth, Aang shook his head. "No." He stated, his voice firm and stern, prompting her to look at him in surprise, not having expected his tone. "What happened in Ba Sing Se was......horrible, I admit." She tried hard not to glance at his back, where she knew the scar from the wound Azula had inflicted on him with her lightning still marred his skin. A small gust of wind had her inhaling deeply, bringing a semblance of calm about her troubled heart.

"But you and Zuko both paid for it for weeks after that." Seeing her frown of confusion, Aang continued. "You were both apart from one another, heartbroken and barely able to function. Zuko told me how he would have visions of you being at the Fire Palace with him. And lets not forget how you nearly went into a catatonic state because of the grief you felt."

The memory of those dull, lifeless days had an involuntary shiver running down her spine. Aang, sensing her discomfort, went on. "Even Zuko had his moments of heartbreak, he told me all about them." At her questioning look, he gave a sheepish grin. "We were trapped together for hours. Had to pass the time somehow." A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"My point is, you and Zuko have gone through enough and I guess, you thought the same since you finally decided to forgive him." His eyes dropped to her finger, where her string glowed a warm red. Of course, he couldn't see it. Though somehow, Orora had a suspicion that Aang knew it was glowing with color.

The Waterbender sighed, leaning back to lie flat on her back as she stared up at the passing clouds. "I was just so tired." She admitted, sensing Aang laying down next to her. "Tired of all that anger and sadness." A pause. "I just wanted to be happy again." She admitted, her voice breaking.

Didn't she deserve to be happy?

Couldn't she be a little selfish?

Didn't Zuko deserve to be happy?

Was it always going to be like this?

Someone disapproving of their bond just because he had been the enemy once.

Or someone disapproving of their bond because she was a Waterbender and he was a Firebender.

Or someone disapproving of their bond because she was a Noblewoman from the Water Tribe and he was the Prince of the Fire Nation.

So many obstacles.

So many hurdles.

"I get that." Aang said, his voice matching her tone, though his was low and soothing, while hers was heavy with the realization that Fate had really dealt her and Zuko a rather difficult hand of Pai Sho Tiles.

"When I found out what the Fire Nation had done to my people, I was so angry. I went into the Avatar State and nearly destroyed the Southern Air Temple and blasted Sokka and Katara off the side of the mountain." He admitted. Sensing the sadness in his tone, Orora reached down, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze of assurance, trying to comfort him in her own way.

He squeezed back, indicating his appreciation for her gesture.

"I realized that in order to keep my power under control, I had to let go of that anger." His voice trailed off, before picking up as he went on. "It wasn't easy, but I did it because letting all that anger fester in me for so long would start to effect me. Turning me into someone........else."

She turned her head, looking at him, trying to imagine him being someone else. Someone who wasn't bright and brilliant.

Someone who wasn't ready with a few wise words and a smile.

Someone who never failed to protect the people he loved, and fight for the good of the world.

And she found, she couldn't.

"You say you let go of your anger because you wanted to be happy again." Aang spoke after a brief moment of silence. He turned his head to meet her gaze, before pushing to sit up. "Letting go takes more strength then holding on, and I'm actually proud of you for doing that."

And seeing that pride in his eyes, an emotion she had only ever seen in her Master's eyes, Orora couldn't help the choked sob that escaped her as she launched to hug her little brother close. He returned the embrace with a small laugh and with just as much ferocity as she held her to him, the two teenagers drawing comfort and strength from one another.

"I understand Katara's anger." Her voice was soft as she sighed in his shoulder before slowly leaning back. "She blames Zuko for what happened because you nearly died." They both flinched at the memory. "Shes just afraid of loosing you again."

She pulled back, holding him by the shoulders at arm length.

Blue met grey.

"Maybe the two of you should sit down and talk about your bond? If you reassure her that nothing like that would happen again, she might not worry so much about you." Orora offered. Aang looked away, unable to meet her gaze as uncertainty crossed his features.

She waited patiently, knowing he would eventually answer her.

Though when he did, she wasn't exactly satisfied with it.

"I'll try."

But she didn't push it.

They both sat there in silent contemplation for a little while longer. "I should get back and talk to Zuko." Orora said, as always, unable to sit still for too long unless she was meditating. "He's probably blaming himself for Katara's behavior towards me." She was sure of it.

Why?

Because Orora knew her Soulmate well enough to know that he somehow found fault in things that didn't even involve him. Sure the situation between her and Katara did, but that wasn't the point. The sun was well on it's way to setting now as she glanced down at her string, following where it led her. She frowned. "I think Zuko walked off somewhere too." Came her observation as Aang stood as well, gripping his staff.

"Well if you act as the navigator, I can get you to him in no time." He stated with a grin, to which Orora gave him a confused look.

"How're you gonna do that?"

Aang grinned.

————————–

As soon as Aang had gone off to look for Orora, with Sokka following his sister's trail, Zuko had walked off as well. Though he had no destination in mind, and was content to being alone rather then have company with him. Not that he was bothered by his new friends, but because he wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a little while.

Not a good combination.

Him and his thoughts.

Alone.

Especially since he tended to stray into a rather dark part of his mind. A part he wanted to let go of, but was finding it hard to do because it had been hammered in him for so long that he wasn't good enough that it was hard to let go of it.

He walked until he physically couldn't go any further. The Temple came to an end in the form of natural rock wall, leaving him coming to a stop in a series of small courtyards that jutted out on top of the chasm that opened in front of him. Maybe this had been used as a landing point of sky bisons, he mused to himself, spying a series of, what looked like, stable-like structures a little further into the space.

Distracting himself with his exploring could only last so long. Though he did till near sunset, but it didn't matter. In the end his mind began to think those dark thoughts again and he allowed himself to.

He wasn't bothered by what Katara had said. What she said about him was true. Zuko was, or rather had been, the enemy. No one would have any reason to trust him. Least of all Orora.

Especially after what he had done.

And yet she had forgiven him. Had told him that there was a chance. A chance for the both of them to be with one another. To accept the bond they shared and become something..........more.

Though it seemed Katara was against Orora's choice to forgive him.

Zuko knew Orora well enough to know she would not go back on her decision, not after all that she had laid bare to him just last night. Not after the soul-searching she had done to come to her decision.

But would her choice result in loosing Katara?

He didn't want that. He didn't want her to loose part of her family. Not when she had been without one her whole life. Zuko had at least known his mother's love, as well as his Uncle's. And yes, there had been a time when his relationship with his father and Azula could be defined as normal.

Orora had never had that.

Like he had done with Aang, he had to make amends with Katara as well. It would be hard, but he wasn't one to give up easily. After all, Orora had claimed him to be the most stubborn person she had ever met.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" Came his Soulmate's voice, high pitched, terrified, distant and echoing.

Speaking of......

Zuko frowned, walking towards the edge of the very last landing area, surprised to see a rather familiar figure flying towards him on a glider. Though there was another addition to it.

That of Orora as she clung to Aang.

"We're almost there!" He heard Aang say, just as Orora let out a shriek. "Aang! I'm slipping."

"Just hang on!"

Feeling Orora's grip falter, Aang knew he had to act quickly lest she fall. Doing a quick loop in the air, which jostled Orora enough to loose her grip on him completely, Aang sent a burst of air aimed at Orora's back. The gust sent her flying through the air, her screams of terror echoing off the silent walls of the Temple.

Aang had targeted her towards the nearest landing area, which was also the one Zuko occupied.

It all happened so fast that he didn't even have time to think.

All he saw was Orora flying towards him, prompting him to throw his arms out to try and catch her. It was instinct really. However, Zuko failed to add in the strength of the air gust that was propelling Orora towards him.

Her body smacked into his, sending them both tumbling back in a tangle. They rolled at least seven times, though neither of them counted, before they came to a stop. For a moment all Zuko could do was try to focus his head which was still spinning, and his body that ached all over from being slammed into the hard ground over and over.

"You guys alright?" In the distance he heard Aang call out, prompting him to open his eyes with a groan. A heavy weight resting atop his abdomen kept him from getting up. Inclining his head, Zuko saw Orora, laying across him diagonally. She too groaned as she lifted her head where her face had been smushed into the dirt covered floor. "I prefer flying on Appa." The girl grumbled, slowly pushing herself off him so he could sit up.

Aang stopped a couple feet from them. "Well considering it was your first time flying on a glider, properly, it wasn't that bad. Though you gotta work on the landing."

That last part earned him a death glare from the Waterbender, prompting the young Airbender to gulp in fear. "I.....erm......oh whats that Sokka? I'm coming!" He held a hand to his ear as if he could actually hear Sokka calling for him from so far away. "Sokka's calling. So, I gotta......" He trailed off with a nervous laugh. "Bye!" And with that he ran off, propelling himself forward with a gust of air.

All to avoid the wrath of an annoyed older sister.

Orora sighed, shaking her head as she stood. "Honestly, its a Spirit send miracle that boy hasn't gotten himself or the others killed with the way his brain works." As she dusted off the front of her shirt, Zuko stood as well, straightening his clothes as he did. "Well he has come close, and I've witnessed it plenty of times." He said, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips at the dead-panned look Orora shot him.

"What're you doing all the way here?" She asked, pushing back the few pieces of hair that had escaped her comb, and turning to him with a frown. He shrugged. "I just thought everyone needed some space, so I walked off." Better walking away then staying and feeling their eyes at him whenever he turned away.

She sighed. "You don't have to go away just because someone has a fight Zuko. Doesn't matter if it involves you or not." Running a hand over her face, the girl grimaced at the obvious layer of dirt coating her. "You alright?" Zuko asked, his eyes looking her over, trying to see if she were hurt anywhere. She nodded, turning her head to give him a smile of reassurance. "I'm fine. What about you?"

Reaching up she brushed at his cheek, just under his scar, where a few tiny rocks were stuck to his skin. A silent nod was his only response, since he was still a little winded.

Though was it because of the tumble they'd both taken, or because she had her hand on his cheek, he wasn't sure.

Seeing the turmoil in his eyes, Orora sighed. "Don't let Katara get to you. She just needs a little more time to trust you again." She reassured him, her thumb gently stroking along his scar. The small act of comfort had him closing his eyes and leaning in her touch, savoring it just as he had done last night.

"I don't blame her. I did some pretty horrible stuff." He said, his voice low and full of shame, to which Orora bit her lower lip. "You only did it because you were misguided Zuko. You wanted to go back home and prove to your Father that you were worthy." Reaching up with her other hand, she cradled his face in her palms, smiling at him.

"Those actions, the person who did them, that's not you anymore." Sure he heard her words and he responded to them with a small nod, Zuko was more focused on her eyes. The shape and color so familiar, and yet he found he would never get tired of just looking at them. Looking into them.

"Now you're just a Prince who left his entire Nation to help a ragtag team of kids, with more issues, trauma and problems then you, save the world. Not exactly a great move but hey," She threw her arms out at her sides, grinning at him. "Welcome to the party!"

He blinked, staring at her as his brain tried to comprehended exactly what she had said.

And once it did, he burst out laughing.

He continued to laugh, the sound echoing against the empty walls of the courtyard. Her grin morphed into a tender smile as she watched him. Zuko rarely laughed. Orora could count the times he had on one hand, and that sent a pang of sadness through her heart.

He looked adorable when he laughed.

As the sound of his laugh tapered off, Orora found herself simply staring at him. And Zuko found himself doing the same. The smile on his lips, and the mirth in his warm gold eyes remained, as he reached up to flick at a loose tendril of hair that brushed against her cheek. Her beautiful blue eyes followed the movement of his fingers, before returning back to meet his gaze. He didn't look away, as he gently brushed the soft white piece of her hair behind her ear, his fingers gently grazing her temple and the shell of her ear.

As always, the intensity of his gaze was what had her shying away from him, a blush razing across her cheeks as a nervous smile formed on her lips.

"Well now that you're feeling better." She turned on her feet, already starting to walk away to begin the trek back to their camp. "We should head back. Dinner will be ready soon an-"

But Orora only got to walk a few paces before she came to a halt.

Because she suddenly found a pair of strong yet familiar arms wrapped around her waist from behind. They pulled her back against a firm chest, trapping her.

Her eyes widened, her lips parted as a gasp of surprise escaped her. "Zu-" She trailed off when she felt his head lean against her shoulder, before he turned to bury his face in her hair. Orora could now feel the blush burning across her face. Feel her heart thundering in her chest. She even felt his heartbeat as her back pressed even more to his chest. Her arms came up to lightly wrap around his, the colors of their skin a stark, yet poetic contrast. Her response prompted Zuko to smile against her hair. And even though she couldn't see it, she somehow felt it.

"Thank you." He whispered, his voice hoarse and barely audible as he memorized her scent all over again. The thickness of her hair prevented his skin from brushing against her own, but she did feel the warmth of his breath when he whispered.

And she tried very very hard not to ask him to do that again.

Instead, she held still, barely breathing. Zuko was no better. He held her to him in an embrace that was certainly not meant to be shared in public. He should walk away more often, he mused to himself, if it meant Orora coming after him, talking to him, making him laugh, touching his scar.

Anything to have her close. Anything to show her that he had changed and wanted to be with her more then anything. Though it had only been a day, Zuko was afraid that this was one of his dreams and he'd wake up any moment, back in his bed at the Fire Palace.

Alone and bereft.

"Do you want to stay for a bit?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, as if she felt that if she spoke any louder, the dream would shatter.

The tightening of his arms was his only response.

And she accepted it with a smile, her head tilting to rest atop his as the both of them simply stood there, drawing comfort from the other's presence.

A rather insignificant thing.

And yet for the both of them, after so many days apart, it felt like coming home.

————————–

The next morning was no different.

Orora had started her day by greeting Katara, but had been ignored. After that, every time she tried to include the other girl in any conversation, she would either be shut down, or Katara would snap at her with some rude comment.

Needless to say, by lunch time, Orora was beginning to loose patience, and Katara had reached the limit of her restraint from holding back and telling Orora to just back off.

The breaking point came when Katara made some snide comment about Zuko and Orora very nearly tackled her, only stopping because Toph held her back while Aang shot a look of warning in Katara's direction.

"Alright that's it!" Sokka exclaimed, standing up with soup spilled all over his front. Apparently when two Waterbenders got upset and allowed they emotions to run unchecked, anything containing some form of water broke. So far the victims had been, their waterskins, two jars of water, and several bowls of soup. Honestly Sokka was getting sick of the fighting, and loosing his meal only made him cranky.

"You two are coming with me!" He pointed towards the two Waterbenders, before walking off towards Appa. Glaring at one another briefly, both of them followed. "Where are we going?" Katara asked her brother as he climbed atop Appa. "Shush!" He commanded, prompting his sister to scowl at him.

Glancing back at the rest of the campers, which included Toph, Aang and Zuko, he gestured for them to climb as well. Haru, The Duke and Teo had gone off to forage for some fruits a little ways away from the cliffs.

Once everyone had settled, with Orora and Katara sitting at opposite ends of the saddle, Sokka guided Appa to fly away from the Temple and towards the nearest water source he had seen on a wall map of he Western Air Temple and its surroundings.

Not even five minutes later they were landing near a wide stream with enough room on the banks to house several sky bisons if need be. A wide yet small waterfall was the source of the stream, with several rocks jutting out of the surface of the water, an indication that if one were to stand even in the middle the water would only come to the waste.

And it was the perfect place.

"Excellent, this will do." Sokka seemed to think so as well as he slid down from Appa and looked around, his hands on his hips. "Er....what're we doing here Sokka?" Toph asked, sliding down next to him, her toes wiggling in the soft sand of the bank of the stream.

Turning around Sokka crossed his arms over his chest, glaring first at Orora, then Katara. "We're here, so that these two can work things out once and for all, and so I won't have food exploding in my face again." He stated in a serious tone, prompting Katara to roll her eyes at her brother.

"Sokka, you're being ridiculous." She said in that annoyed tone she adopted whenever her brother was being just that, annoying. Zuko climbed down from Appa as well, Orora landing next to him. Sokka held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just saying if you two let off a little steam, maybe you'll finally sit down and talk properly."

Aang, who had been a little skeptical about the idea gave a small nod. "You know, he's not wrong." Katara shot him a look of betrayal before turning and stubbornly refusing to get down from Appa. Orora rolled her eyes at the younger girl's behavior, sliding off her shoes and throwing them to the side as she walked towards the water, sighing in relief when the coolness of the liquid washed over her feet.

"Katara as your older brother I order you to fight Orora!" Sokka called out to his sister, glaring up at her, just as she glared down at him. Zuko, having followed Orora, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should annoy her into fighting you?" He suggested, nodding towards the bickering siblings. Orora raised an eyebrow at him. "You're suggesting I take her on?" She asked, to which he shrugged. "Sometimes fighting physically helps resolve things. I mean it did got us to talk didn't it?"

Orora pursed her lips, squeezing her eyes shut before releasing a breath. Her shoulder drooped and she glanced at Katara. "But I don't want to fight my sister." She said in a low sad tone. Zuko nodded in understanding, reaching out to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I know, but trust me, fighting with your sister, tends to be life-altering."

And he was speaking from experience.

Nodding, she pressed her lips together, a determined look on her face as she turned to walk further into the stream.

"Get down from the bison Katara!"

"No! I refuse to take part in-ARGH!"

The rest of her words were drowned out in a splash as a bubble of water dropped down from the sky and on top of her head. Everyone blinked in surprise, before all eyes turned towards Orora who stood knee deep in the water, one arm crossed over her chest, while the other held another bubble of water aloft.

Dripping, Katara finally slid down from Appa's back, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Sensing the impending battle ahead, Appa quickly lumbered to the side, while Aang, Toph, Sokka and Zuko stood on the grassy area of the clearing, watching the two Waterbender size one another up.

"You really think these two fighting is the answer?" Toph whispered to Sokka who shrugged. "Worked out for Zuko and Orora didn't it?" He reminded, to which Zuko just sighed, nodding in agreement. "Can't argue with that." He muttered under his breath.

"Did you just throw water at me?" Katara demanded, furiously swiping at her face to get rid of the water still trickling from her hair and into her eyes.

"I did." Orora stated in a matter of fact tone. No sooner had she done so when another bubble of water dropped on Katara's head, soaking her even more.

"And I did it again."

There was pure rage in Katara's eyes now. Raising her arm, she swiped it along the top of her head, gather whatever water was there and pulling it away to create a short water whip in her hand.

"Alright then." She said, finally stepping into the water as Orora shifted to bend her knees to balance herself properly. "Lets see who the real Master Waterbender is."

For a moment everything stood still. The birds quietened, the wind slowed, their friends on the bank of the stream froze. All either of the Waterbender focused on was the flowing water underneath, the rushing waterfall, and each other.

Katara moved first, lashing out with a water whip that caught Orora's ankle, throwing her a good few feet in the air. The older girl didn't miss a beat. Her arms pushed upwards, pulling a tunnel of water skywards. She landed in the center and slid down into the stream. Crouching there, Orora pushed herself up to the surface, arms flying out to send a wall of water towards Katara.

The other girl parted the wall like one would a curtain, pulling a bubble of water from it which she quickly shifted to ice daggers. The tips of it gleamed wickedly as Katara shot them through the air towards Orora. Without missing a beat, Orora created a shield, reminiscent of the ones Water Tribe Warriors used in battle. The daggers shattered on impact, and one the onslaught stopped, Orora threw the shield up in the air, watching as it shot down, only to jump and deliver a roundhouse kick that sent the solid shield through the air and towards Katara.

Though Katara brought up wall of ice to prevent being hit, Orora's shield still pierced the wall, shattering it on impact, and sending Katara flying back, where she landed in the water.

Anger flickering in her eyes, Katara didn't even bother to stand properly as she pushed herself to her knees and began to pump her arms in the air, creating wide circles, pushing multiple arcs of water towards Orora.

Each of them thinner and sharper then the last.

Her speed was remarkable, and Orora found herself a little winded as she dodged and swiped at each of the arc, while also trying to land a hit. Gaze shifting towards the waterfall, the older girl made a run for it. Katara followed, creating a small wave which she rode with a disc of ice under her feet. She raised her arm towards the sky, creating a wall of water in Orora's path, trying to cut her off. But Orora would swipe through the wall either using her arm or her leg. Her feet barely touched the water as she raced towards the waterfall.

Briefly, she turned, arms shooting out in front of her to send an arc of ice daggers towards Katara who merely surfed out of the way. The angle gave Katara enough momentum to swipe a stream of water towards Orora. Using the water from the waterfall. The pressure of the waterfall plus the force of Katara's bending slammed Orora in the chest, sending her flying back down the stream where she landed in the water with a loud splash.

Her teeth rattled and she was pretty sure she bit down on her tongue when she tasted blood in her mouth. The muffled sound of her name reached her ears, but she was barely bothered by it. Her body screamed with pain, and the back of her head probably needed to be looked at, but that didn't deter her. Rising on shaky legs, the girl glared at the approaching Katara, who was still surfing on her wave.

Spitting the blood out of her mouth, Orora raised her arms in front of her. She dug the heels of her feet into the gritty floor of the stream, before she clenched her fist and pulled. The ice board Katara had been using was swiped out from underneath her. Katara fell face first in the water, the surf she'd been riding dropping as she did. Not wanting to give her time to gather herself, Orora jumped, twirling in the air, a circle of water following her movement, before she dropped to her knees, her arms out. The circle of water flew straight through the air, colliding with Katara's chest where she had just sat up, sending the girl flying back just as she had done Orora.

Panting, Orora moved forward, still alert as she watched Katara's figure as she sat up. Though the minute she felt the temperature drop, the older girl knew she should've struck. Twin pillars of ice rose in the air, encompassing her hands, leaving her unable to use them for bending. She struggled, but Katara held on strong, her brow furrowed in concentration as she approached her older sister with a grim yet determined expression on her face.

"Had enough?" Katara asked, her tone mocking as she smirked at her. Orora stopped struggling, dropped her head briefly as she caught her breath.

"Nice move Little Sister. But you're forgetting one thing."

Katara frowned. "What?"

Orora looked up, smirking. "I can bend with my feet too."

So saying she kicked her leg out, creating a pillar of ice around Katara's lower body, pinning her in place. A cry of surprise left Katara's lips as she tried to get free. But just as she held on to Orora's hands, Orora held on to her lower body.

"Give up." The older girl grunted. She could feel her hands start to go numb. If that kept up, she might get frostbite. It would take awhile, since she had practiced enough to not let ice burn her, but she wasn't skilled enough yet. Then again neither was Katara. She would have to give up if she didn't want to have frostbitten toes and legs.

"No." Katara spat back, just as determined, stubborn and hard-headed as her sister.

Their battle came to a stalemate.

Aang seemed to think the same as he stepped forward. "Alright that's it you two. Give up before both of you loose a hand or a leg."

And when neither gave in, the Avatar scowled at them each in turn, quickly using his own Waterbending ability to drop their ice pillars and freeing them both.

Panting Orora raised her hands to her line of sight, wincing when she saw the tips of her fingers had gone slightly blue. Nothing too serious, but it would be awhile before they returned to her normal dark skin tone.

As the three of them walked out of the stream, she rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them. Though as soon as she stepped out of the water, she found her hands being enveloped by Zuko's.

Whose hands were amazingly warm against her cold shivering skin. He must've done something to his body temperature, since Firebenders could regulate it.

Whatever it was, as feeling began to return to her fingers, Orora let out a soft sound of relief. "Thank you." She whispered to Zuko, who smiled at her. Katara was inspecting her toes, surprised to see them unharmed.

"Why aren't your toes blue like Orora's fingers?" Sokka asked, a look of confusion on his face as the Waterbenders glanced at one another.

Inquiring eyes turned towards Orora who cleared her throat, looking back to where Zuko's hands covered her own, before speaking. "The pillar was mostly water and only a thin layer of ice. I used the pressure from the water to keep her from getting away." She revealed, not having had any intention to actually hurt Katara.

And yet somehow, that last part was heard loudly even though it wasn't even voiced.

"Boy, you sure have picked up on things haven't you Ice Princess?" Toph said, grinning. "I felt that stance you did before you stopped Katara. That was one of mine wasn't it?" Orora nodded. "Yeah, I figured it would help me keep my ground."

Aang, ever the peacemaker, stepped forward. "Maybe you could teach me and Katara that move some day?" Lifting her eyes blue eyes, Orora saw Katara purse her lips. The two girls looked at one another, before Katara's eyes dropped to where Zuko still held Orora's hands. The moment she felt his hands begin to slide away from her, Orora scowled, stopping his movement by turning her hands over so she could grip his palms.

And when Katara turned and walked away without another word, Orora let out a breath of relief.

"She's still upset." Sokka stated, hands on his hips. "But hey, not scowling at the two of you is a start right?" He asked, grinning. "And its all thanks to me. I should conduct these Bending Battles more often. I can call them, the Bending Rumbles - Bend your Anger and Stress Away."

He sounded way to excited about his little plan. Pulling her hand back, Orora flexed her fingers, getting them to move properly again as her skin took on its normal hue. Seeing Aang watch Katara as she walked away, the Waterbender came up next to him.

"Go, talk to her." She urged with a gentle push to his back. Aang shot her a slightly nervous look, which she returned with an encouraging smile of her own.

Rolling his shoulders, the boy took a deep breath, before following after his Soulmate.

Orora smiled, before turning her attention to where Toph was animatedly offering Sokka her services to helping people Bend their feelings away.

A therapist like Toph would certainly send people running for the hills.

"Hey Toph!" The girl called, a smile pulling at her lips as Toph turned in her direction.

"Time to hold up your end of the bargain."

Toph's shoulders dropped and she winced.

"Monkey feathers."

————————–

It took a little while, correction nearly the entire afternoon, for Orora to convince and reassure Toph. And now finally, she was ready.

"Do I have to?"

Aside from one last minute bout of nervousness.

"If you don't then I will. Would you rather I take charge?"

"You're as stubborn as Firebug."

"Oh trust me, I'm way more stubborn then Zuko. Now go!"

With that, Orora all but pushed Toph out from behind the pillar they'd both been whispering, and into the direction of The Duke who sat on a small stone, whittling something with his knife.

Orora saw Toph pause, her foot in midair. The bling girl turned. "Maybe I shou-"

But her older sister wasn't having it. Gripping her sister by the shoulders, Orora all but pushed Toph halfway towards The Duke, and only retreated when she saw the boy look up from his knife and smile at the Earthbender.

"Hey Toph!"

The Waterbender darted back to the pillar, crouching behind it as she peaked out, hoping to see what was happening even if she could barely hear what was going on.

"Is she talking to him?" And impatient voice whispered from behind a rather large piece of rock. Orora rolled her eyes, not even glancing back. "I can't hear anything." She responded to Sokka, who peaked out as well, a little glum. "Ask Aang to use his Airbending to hear."

The round bald head of said Airbender popped up from where he had been hiding in an overgrown shrub. "Zuko's with me too." He whispered, prompting the Prince's head to appear beside his, leaves and twigs trapped in his hair. "Way to be discrete Aang." Zuko shot at him. Aang looked like he was about to make a comeback, but fell silent when he saw Katara, hiding in a corner near Sokka, gesturing for him to listen.

Sighing, the boy turned his head, calling on the wind to blow in his direction so he would be able to hear better.

Of course that all amounted to nothing when suddenly The Duke, jumped down from his perch and wrapped his arms around Toph in a hug.

Mouths fell open, shoulders dropped and eyes widened in disbelief.

"That was.....anti-climatic." Zuko stated, unable to comprehend just how easy it had been.

"That's it?" Came Sokka's voice, as he blinked in confusion.

"That has to be a record in our group." Aang glanced at each of them, scratching the back of his head as he did. Nothing was ever easy for any of them, and yet the Soulmate business had been so easy for Toph.

Toph of all people!

"How can we be sure they accepte-wait never mind, they're holding hands." Katara corrected herself, spying the two youngest members of their group with their fingers intertwined.

A sudden laugh from Orora had everyone looking at her in confusion.

"After all that," She said, her voice gentle, as she smiled from ear to ear watching Toph and The Duke walk away hand in hand. "In the end she had nothing to worry about."

————————–

Tag List - @wavesofchaos @violet-potter @rennysketch @emma-andrea1 @lovesammikinzz @fuzzyfestcat @msrawog @notsaelty @lust-for-pan @aces-tattooartist @jinxxangel13 @lotr-got @bitterspoons @realrintaro @gatorgirl151 @inutheangel @heartfully10 @lucaaahhh @juniper-july19 @anuttellaa @gfksz @bussyvussy @punksnotdeadbutiam @ablofftoneverland-blog-blog @slut-for-menn @vyliie @army-moa75 @juwhls @aqlodun @lovelybaka @glowyruby @niktwazny303

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pitchouna · 6 months ago

Note

Hello!! I just loved your work!! So may I ask for a scenario where something happens to the reader and Goku becomes overproctective??

Love ya and take care❤️❤️

Overprotective Goku x reader!!

HELLOOO!! I totally did not expect a request that fast damn but hey ig Goku fans are as down bad as much as I am 😔😔 you did not say what genre is the reader so I've done a general!!

Warnings : CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT / Reader is traumatized / Angst / Comfort / mentions of SA Words : 2154

Goku is far from overprotective.

He knows you're strong and trusts you! Plus he's too dumb to understand.

But sometimes, he'll definitely feel it if you are uncomfortable.

And you definitely don't wan't to be the person he'll take care of.

Definitely not.

Today you and Goku planned to hang around the City to change a little. Everything was perfect!! He picked you up at your house and took you on a ride with the Nimbus cloud!! You both enjoyed the ride a lot and the atmosphere was very peaceful. Just how you love it.

You guys went shopping, (you forced him of course, but he actually enjoyed it!!) and even bought him some casual clothes because let's be honest right there he looks damn fine in casual clothes. You did not told him of course...

After you two were satisfied with your shopping, you decided to sit on a bench wondering what you guys will do next.

"So what you wanna do now?" Your relaxed voice startled Goku who seemed lost. Of course you noticed it. Because you're a smart-ass ofc ofc. "Goku you fine?" you asked in a confused tone. He looked alright all this time! Was he faking?? Those insecure thoughts you wanted to forget came back. "Hm? Oh yeah I'm alright! I'm just wondering what we should do next!!" Goku said in his usual happy tone making your worries vanish. He was actually thinking how great you looked in those clothes you bought today and looked further in seeing you in these more. As you both we're thinking what to do next you spotted an Ice cream truck catching your attention. It wasn't that close but it was still on your eyesight. "Oh! There's an ice truck over there!" This has immediately picked Goku's attention as sparkles appeared in his eyes. "Woohhh! Let's check that out Y/n!!" Goku said excited as both of you walk towards the Ice-cream truck and taking your hand in the process making you yelp in surprise and blush a little. But his enthusiasm just made you happier "Alright!! I hope it's not that expensive though and it better be worth it.." You said chuckling "Heheee... It'll be fine I guess~" Goku hummed.

As you both finished taking your orders you've ordered a Strawberry Banana Ice cream, and Goku have taken a Watermelon Grape mix. "What kind of mix is that?.." You said in a disgusted tone questioning the weird Saiyan's choices. "Don't know.... It sounded great!!.." Goku whined sounding disappointed. You hum in happiness as you're very proud of the mix of flavors you've choosen. "Hmmhh!! It's so good!! You should try Strawberry Banana next time!! How does yours taste?" You've asked the Saiyan as he takes a bite of his Ice-cream. "Uhmm.... It's okay... I guess... But Watermelon doesn't taste very well.." Goku said as the disappointment was obvious on his face. "Well it's not like I've warned you-Oh-Hey!!! Give it back!!" Goku has taken your ice cream and took the biggest bite ever leaving you with barely nothing left. "Hmmhh! You're right it tastes amazing!! I'll definitely listen to you next time!!" Goku says with a big smile on his face as you dramatically cry for your ice cream. "How could you.... How could you do this to me..." You dramatically cry as Goku's making fun of you "Heheee... You can take my Ice-cream instead!! It's better than nothing-Ouchh...!! That hurts!!" Goku whined his head hurting making you laugh like an antagonist. "Hahaa!! Deserved!! That's for stealing my Ice-cream you big monkey!!" Goku dramatically acts offended, joining in your little game "Heyyy!! That's not really nice of you you big!.... Big...... Uh.... I don't have any ideas... Ouch!!.." Goku still holds his forehead as the brain freeze just seems to get worse making you laugh. "I guess using your head will just hurt more.. Meh now you know you don't have to steal my food anymore." You said patting his head even if he's taller than you. "Yes yes..." He cried disappointed, as if he wanted to do that again. "Well what do you want to do know?" You've asked Goku before you heard sirens and people screaming immediately catching your attention. Your head turns at the direction the screams and you see a car driving extremely fast as the police chase them. "Damn what kind of people drive this fast?.." Goku asked "Suicidal people I guess." You've replied sarcastically not noticing the doors of the cars opening as it makes it's way behind you. You then fell a hand on your waist and on your mouth pulling you inside. Time went slow for Goku as his eyes widened processing what was happening. But before he could react the car was already far away. "Y/n!!" he has screamed so loud that you heard it, before your vision faded away. He quickly summoned the Nimbus cloud to follow the car.

You woke up tied up in a chair with a tissue covering your mouth. Your first decision was to look around knowing that struggling was pointless and it would just waste your energy. You seemed to be in a garage that you do not recognize. There are graffiti all around the place and some used dirty furniture. You heard a door opening immediately putting you on guard. What seemed like Gang members went inside, they were 17 they had weapons and seemed easy to fight one by one. But if they were all attacking you you won't stand a chance. Which made you forget the idea of beating them up. But before, you had to find a way of untying yourself. "Oh so that's the chick you've taken? She's smoking hot! We'll have a lot of fine with her.." One of the guys spoke. The way he talkedade your face twist in disgust predicting what's going to happen next. You're mentally preparing yourself to face it. Because you know you won't be able to escape it easily." Wait a second I want to hear her voice.." Another guy spoke. He seemed stronger than the others. So you assumed he was the leader. He removed the tissue covering your mouth and spoke.

"Hello there~ How come we've never seen you around pretty one?.." The leader said in a flirting tone that disgusted you. "Get away from me you pig!!" You replied screaming wanting to let them know that you don't want to do anything with them. The leader only smirked as the other men started to approach you. "And what if I don't?~" He said grabbing your chin and caressing your hair. Leaving you surprised and waiting for the worst. You decided to stay quiet. Knowing screaming will only make thins harder and more painful as tears starts to appear in your eyes. "Awhhh! What a cuite She's already crying !" You've heard a couple men saying in union. "awh... If you cry now how will you act when we'll break you?~" Your eyes widened not wanting that to happen. "N-no... You don't mean..." You say with a shaky voice making the men smile even more. "Hehe.. C'mon guys, let's start the party..." And the last things you've heard was horrible laughs.

It was horrible. Ohh soo horrible. You were traumatized. To say the least. You didn't even had the energy left to cry. You were undressed only left with your bra and your panties. You wanted to forget everything. You wanted to wake up. You refused to believe it was real. You felt dirty. You still had the sensation of their hands touching everything on your body. You'll always remember how their lips felt on your body... On your face.... On your lips. The sounds of laughter of the men echoed in your ears. It was unbelievable. You'll never forget this day. You wanted to sleep and never wake up again. You closed your eyes. Hoping that the next time you'll open them you'll be in your bed, then spend the day with Goku and everyone else like the usual.

Instead what you've heard is an explosion. You slowly opened your eyes, puffed due to the many tears you've cried. But the door was behind you. So you couldn't not see what was happening. And you were too traumatized to move right now. You could just hear muffled voices and screams.

"I'm really mad right now. I'm going to kill you all." You heard a familiar voice say. But you didn't care. "Someone please help !!" You didn't care. You've heard many many pained screams. But you didn't care. You've heard many many sounds of bone breaking and liquids spilling. But you didn't care. You smelled a strong scent of blood. But you didn't care. It last for a very very long time. But then it stopped. You didn't care. You heard footsteps coming towards you. But you didn't care. You felt someone lifting your body but you didn't care. You then fell unconscious. And you didn't care.

It was unbelievable. Goku was full of blood, holding you on his arms still shocked about what happened. Oh when he saw you undressed on the floor oh how mad he became. Even after taking care of theses rotten garbages do this to you ?? Oh he was so mad. Putting them on their place killing them was not enough. He contacted Bulma that has reunited the dragon balls for a project, and asked if he could have a wish. Bulma accepted. Goku went on her balcony with the Dragon Balls reunited and said, "Show yourself Shenron! And grant my wishes!" the impressive dragon got out of the Dragon balls as the sky darkened. "Express your wishes human." The Dragon said with his deep voice. Goku looked at your unconscious face before granting his wish. "I want Y/n to forget everything that has happened today!! Including everything her body felt!!" Goku exclaimed. "Nothing's easier." Shenron shined and immediately your expression looked more peaceful. Goku felt a wave of relief. As if the weight on his shoulders has been lifted. He sighed happy that you'll remember nothing about this. "You have 2 wishes left. What else do you want?" Goku looked at Shenron who forgot that he was there. "Bulmaaaa!! Come do you wishes I'm done here!!" Goku said hoping on the Nimbus cloud with you in his arms. Bulma ran to the balcony screaming "Goku!! Tell me what happened to Chiya!! And why is she undressed!??" as her tone holds very noticeable worry for her best friend. "It's best to not know!!!" Goku yelled already in the sky. Yet Bulma heard it. She sighed irritated, but if Goku told so maybe it was better to not speak about it.

You woke up on your couch as the first thing you see was the TV showing a random anime about martial arts. You've noticed a bowl of snacks and pop corn. You realized you were on Goku's lap. You've gave him a confused glare while he was just smiling. "W-what happened? I don't remember anything..." You've switched for a sitting pose but since you were still tired you decided to put your head on Goku's shoulder. "Don't remember? We were shopping but then you felt tired so we've come back to your place. And I waited until you woke up." Goku said with a soft voice that replaced his usual energetic one. Maybe he felt tired too?? "Oh well... I still don't remember anything.. What time is it anyway?" You yawned as Goku looked at the clock. "It's 6:26 PM.. Why?" Goku asked tilting his head. "Wanna go to restaurant? They serve tasty rice!" You' said with a big smile seeing how Goku's eyes sparkled at the mention of rice. "Yess!! Let's go now!!" Goku took your hand and ran towards the exit of your home. You two were already dressed so you didn't mind.

At the restaurant you both ordered a lot of bowls of rice and ramen. Because you two were very hungry. For Goku it was like always. But you've rarely eaten this much, which was one of the many things you noticed was weird this evening. Why did you ate more? Why was Goku calmer? Why did he put a hand on your shoulder or on your waist protectively all the time as if something might happen? Why did he glare at every men near you? "Wahhhhhh!! This was so good!!" Goku exclaimed patting his stomach as you looked at the bowls. He had taken 15 bowls while it's usually 20. It added something on the list of what was weird thus evening. "What do you want to do now?" You asked him expecting him to say that he'll do his usual training of the night. But he replied with something else. "Hmmm what about we watch series and play games?" Goku said leaving you shocked. Okay. What was wrong this evening??! And why did you felt that Goku saved you from something you'd never forget?... You just decided to brush it off and enjoy the evening with him.

(Honorable mention of him hugging you while you were sleeping <33)

WOOOHHHH TTHAT TOOK SO LONG TO FINISH WTH?? But I again had so much fun writing this!!! I totally did not expect to write again so soon but the request seemed so fun I just couldn't ignore it and I definitely did not expected to get one so soon!! But I hope you guys enjoyed!! I'll probably make a request rule soon because there are some things I won't be uncomfortable writing.. Anyways Take care!! <33

#goku x reader #goku imagine #son goku #goku #x reader #dragon ball #dbs #dbz #dbz goku #viral #elysia #headcanon #headcanons ;#Dbz Scenarios

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mono-dot-jpeg · 1 year ago

Text

child support - kafka & himeko

summary; you miss your parents but it's okay, you got new ones now.

genre/extra tags; fluff, found family, himeko & kafka give me divorced couple energy but in a good way, possibly ooc kafhime, almost mute! reader, kafka pays the child support, comfort vibes only, slight angst ig????

[gender neutral reader] [platonic] [7-8 yrs old! reader]

[warnings; implied child abandonment, describing hypothermia symptoms (in the first-ish half)]

word count; 1.1k

a/n; you know it took me a solid few moments and a google search to figure what kafhime was bc i forgot that shipping exists for a moment. i don't really engage in shipping especially when i know that some people,,, transfer over to games from the same company they like and those people can be... weird or in my face about shipping. but who am i to judge. also kaf and hime can be interpreted as just two rude besties or just platonic (/hj) this fic is more long winded than i expected. idk, it was a little bit difficult to figure out. but hope you enjoy!

cold. everything was so cold.

how have you even managed for so long? you thought you were a goner. the people who first found you almost thought you were a goner with how despondent you were stuck in the old rickety house you once lived in. you were so tired, so gone in your mind, you couldn't feel anything. you were lucky to live, that's what you heard from the doctors.

why did fate leave you like this?

"hello dear. are you feeling any better?" a gentle motherly voice rings in the warm room. the room was a bit warmer than the rest, maybe it was just for your sake or this was just a normal thing. you weren't sure. you lived out in belobog after all. a palace of ice and a hundred winters. but it's not like you remember much of what even got you out in the dangerous cold in the first place.

you feel a hand press against your forehead. "colder than winter itself. poor kid." the same voice speaks again. "perhaps she can help me out for this." the hand moves away from you, making a weak cry leave your lips. "sorry. sorry. i guess it isn't warm enough for you in here." she apologized. "perhaps pompom can find some more fluffy blankets."

you twist and turn as her open thought chatter starts to wake you up more. you turn to rest on your side and find an unfamiliar woman as you're in an unfamiliar room. you choke up in fear as you struggle to get up and keep yourself far away from her.

"dear, you're barely even recovered! don't move too quickly!" it's too late for her words and you can't even get that far away. your tiny body is heavy and you only manage to move not even 2 inches away. the red head doesn't make any move to startle you. "i know you must be scared. i'm here to help you." she lowers herself to face eye level with you. "do you remember anything?"

you don't say a word and stare.

"we don't have to talk about it. you don't need to say anything. just nod or shake your head, does that sound okay?" she smiles gently, hoping to appear as not as scary to you.

you hesitantly nod.

"thank you for answering. you must still be feeling cold, right?"

nod.

she grabbed a nearby blanket, "is it okay if i drape this over you? won't touch you or anything." she glances at you, making sure you either nod or shake your head.

you slowly nod, remembering how cold you are.

she doesn't make any fast movements, noting your flinchy behavior. she wraps the blanket around your shoulders gently but you still flinch when it touches you.

"now what's this about a little child?" you flinch at a new voice. another feminine voice that you find a bit more melodic than the warm tones of the other. then another lady enters. you inch towards the farthest corner of the bed.

"kafka, you're going to scare them."

"aw, don't be so mean." she pretends to sound hurt but her voice is teasing. "where did you find the kid?"

"in belobog. outside of the city. well, trailblazer, march and dan heng found them. they were stuck in the freezing snow." kafka's face grimaces at the thought of seeing you stuck in the snow helpless without anyone able to find you. "but anyways, you should head out, lest the others know about you being here so suddenly."

"i paid for the items you're giving to the little star, at least let me stay for a little while longer." himeko sighs before realizing.

"i forgot to introduce myself-" the red head looks over at you who is covered in blanket, attempting to hide yourself. "see, you did scare them!" she muttered to the other. "i'm sorry about her, dear. my name is himeko. this is kafka."

"sorry for scaring you, little one. i tend to do that." kafka hummed. "well, that aside, miss himeko over here and i, we want to take care of you. but we can't be doing that when you're stuck in your little cocoon." she gently chuckled. you slowly get out of the blankets, head peeking out to look up at the lady. "well, that's a start. have you eaten yet?" she asked.

you don't say anything but your belly grumbles.

"i know what would take care of that." himeko smiled. you hear the knocks at the door but no figure enters but you hear shuffling. "pompom got some food for you, himeko!" and you find yourself face to face with a cute living rabbit in a conductor's outfit. himeko gets up opening the door and grabbing the plate of food.

"thank you pompom." himeko hummed as she closes the door. kafka soon moves to sit by the bed. you still stay head peeked with the blankets as you stare at the plate of food and then himeko. himeko walked over. "this is for you, dear. you can stay on the bed if you want. me and kafka will be right back." the redhead places a hand on kafka's shoulder, slowly pushing her as they both leave into what you assume is a bathroom. once they do, you can hear them talking but you're too focused on eating to care about the conversation.

you finish eating and you're feeling much better than before but it doesn't stop you from keeping away from himeko and kafka. it makes them a little sad but they're so patient as they converse with you as if nothing's wrong.

you don't really answer or say anything really. you just nod or shake your head depending on what they ask you. and they seem satisfied with that.

"can you give us your name? unless you're still uncomfortable."

you tell them your name weakly.

"what a lovely name. now. i'm sorry that we have to get a little heavy but, have you always been living out of the city in your home?"

you give a small nod.

"what about your parents?" himeko speaks softly and carefully. she watches as your eyes water and you shake your head. "oh, sorry, sorry. let it out." she moves to sit by you in the bed. kafka sighs.

"of course we couldn't have known about that but would you like to stay with me and himeko? i know himeko wouldn't want to leave you in a state like this."

you think for a moment, well.. there's nowhere else to really go. you nodded. and you watch as two gentle smiles grow. you feel a bit calmer and you can feel some reassurance that you have a chance to continue your life.

#honkai x reader #honkai star rail x reader #hsr kafka #kafka honkai star rail #kafka x reader #himeko x reader #hsr himeko #himeko honkai star rail #himeko hsr

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utilitycaster · 7 months ago

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@rowzeoli replied to your post “Do you think part of the D20 journalistic bias...”:

I rarely go on tumblr so sorry if you see me spamming your posts tonight, but I really enjoy your perspective and thoughts! I think I'm the journalist you're referencing in regards to the Fantasy High Junior Year article and unfortunately 1) journalists only get access to interview subjects at very specific junctions (usually press day before the series goes out or halfway through) 2) most publications are honestly Going Through It and cutting freelance rates and just not paying to cover AP

So I'll be totally honest - I post on Tumblr because I assume it is far more unlikely to be seen and so I can vent freely (hence the fairly harsh tone of the criticism in the original post), but I guess this is a chance to clarify. I don't expect anything to change, nor do I expect you to respond; indeed, I wouldn't blame you if you block me after this. But if readership is down (and who knows? maybe it's not and I'm the outlier), this may be illuminating.

The issue with your specific article - which I brought up relatively tangential to the larger point of "at this point I think Polygon's AP/TTRPG coverage is a waste of time to read" isn't really that it's only an early look at the series; and because Fantasy High Junior Year is at this time ongoing, it's honestly entirely valid that there hasn't been a follow-up. It's, well, the "surface-level and factually wrong" issue.

Dimension 20 was by no means the pioneer of remote recording as you claim in your article; that had long been the default of smaller recorded AP shows well before pandemic lockdown for the simple reason that if you're not a media company the overhead is very low - no need to have a dedicated space or even cameras beyond decent laptops. Burrow's End's puppetry? Critical Role's Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace did shadow puppets in 2019. They had diagetic audio on the main campaign as early as 2016. I don't even like Kollok, but that's had complex set design since 2019. Meanwhile premise of the article is yet another rehash of Polygon's "Dimension 20 is CHANGING THE GAME" constant drumbeat, while your actual pull quotes from Brennan Lee Mulligan are him musing that this is simply an entry in an ancient tradition of storytelling and isn't, in fact, terribly novel. The interview fails utterly to back up your point and indeed contradicts it; I get that the timeline was probably tight but this is outright incorrect in multiple places and your argument isn't just unsupported; it's outright dismissed by the very person you claim is proving it. If the premise came before the interview, it needed to be reworked afterwards, and if it came after the interview…I'm not sure what to say, really.

This isn't your article, and I'm putting it here to illustrate that this has been a pattern for Polygon's AP coverage specifically. This article about Worlds Beyond Number is perhaps my favorite example of "this is not serious journalism:" Rusty Quill Gaming, The Adventure Zone, Friends at the Table, and NADDPod are all theater of the mind long-running podcasts (RQG's campaign lasted a whopping 7 years of real time) and that's just off the top of my head; the idea of a long-running edited audio podcast being novel is laughable. RQG and TAZ both started at level 1; I'm not personally familiar with Friends at the Table. I don't actually think starting at level 1 vs. 2 is terribly important in storytelling in the first place other than that a few D&D classes pick their subclass at L2 and that choice can be narratively relevant, which it was in TAZ; however, some classes pick a subclass at L3 so you can still achieve this with a level 2 start (as Critical Role's second campaign does). Both Emily Axford of NADDPod and Griffin McElroy of TAZ have long been composing their own music and RQG is heavily sound designed. These are not obscure pulls, either; these are some of the more well-known names in the space.

At this point, Polygon AP/TTRPG articles - by multiple different writers - simply feel like madlibs: "(actual play show) is groundbreaking in its (thing that other shows have been doing for 5+ years); I especially liked (visual effect) and (incorrect understanding of TTRPG mechanics)."

The people I allude to in the post you responded to as having egregiously uncharitable and sanctimonious takes on Daggerheart (within, again, hours of its publication) are a frequent Polygon contributor and a Rascal editor and they further my mistrust of those publications: There is this constant insistence that everything they like be "groundbreaking" and "innovating" and they will claim this even when it's demonstrably not the case, as the above examples note. As Mulligan says in your article "it’s important to keep new artists with new experiences and backgrounds flowing in," and yet by focusing intensely on high production values (difficult for smaller indie upstarts to have) and by incorrectly claiming that a well-established media company within the space like D20 invented a number of things it flat out did not, this journalism is actively, if unintentionally, working against that goal. As I put it elsewhere, Polygon's bizarre pedestaling of Dimension 20 and simultaneous putdowns of Critical Role (which turn into wild contortions when D20 mainstays like Mulligan or Aabria Iyengar collaborate with CR; for that matter others besides me have observed that Polygon acts like Spenser Starke is two different people, the genius who created Alice is Missing and the knuckle-dragging moron who put out Candela Obscura and Daggerheart) coupled with the obsession with production values over story has the whiff of claiming they're the champion of the little guy for sticking it to the 700 lb gorilla in the space and then focusing on 500 lb gorillas while making it impossible for smaller monkeys to compete because most brand new shows without the name recognition of someone like Mulligan involved can't exactly hire Rick Perry to do their models or Taylor Moore to do sound design.

I suppose a good way to put this, since I've run into this in many spaces, not just AP/TTRPG or even journalism, is that bias on its own in a subjective medium isn't inherently bad; but if something is so nakedly biased against something I love, I will, naturally, turn to it with a far more critical eye, and if its arguments are not ironclad I'm going to start noticing every structural issue in every argument and every tiny mistake. Sure, as a fan of Critical Role, and as someone who feels that Kollok was nigh-unwatchable and that Burrow's End was promising in parts but deeply flawed, I disagreed with Polygon's nonstop mud-slinging towards the former and glowing, verging on fawning reviews of the latter two. But that's not entirely damning on its own; I do get that not everyone will like Critical Role and that some people will love Kollok or Burrow's End for valid reasons. What's damning is the journalism itself is riddled with factual errors and the analysis is so weak that to call the arguments a flimsy house of cards would be generous. The opposite is also true; if Polygon's lead editor were out here repeatedly misspelling the name of one of the main characters in Worlds Beyond Number (note: this has since been corrected) but the articles had compelling arguments, even ones I disagreed with, I'd be far more forgiving, but as is? It's offering me absolutely nothing: it's poorly researched, it's poorly structured, it's poorly written, it's poorly copy-edited, and it shits on things I like seemingly just for clicks. I'm done giving clicks.

I am deeply sympathetic to the pressures facing digital journalism and media and the arts in general; as someone who is fortunate enough not to personally face those pressures and has the income to be a patron, I would love to help in my small way (and I do, at least, financially support a number of the AP shows I love). But the quality of some of this journalism is truly so bad that I can't bring myself to support the institutions putting it out; it's "dead dove do not eat" until such time as someone whose analysis and opinions I do trust cites them (or, perhaps, until there is a sea change of lead editorship). I know that this won't help the crunch, and may make it worse, but I just can't because the quality is so poor. I don't have a good solution to how to write about something that takes a lot of time to watch and process and about which the articles pay very little in return, but the current strategy of bouncing between uninformed provocateur and utter sycophant depending on the show and creators; of drooling over such surface features as shiny production and falsely claiming everything is "groundbreaking" while getting the most basic facts wrong has driven me away.

#rowzeoli #i'm leaving this rebloggable but other people...try to be respectful i will turn off reblogs if need be.#long post

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sonnet009games · 18 days ago

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I just finished reading the new chapter - a tiny bit late for once since I was busy with stuff - and damn... I'm actually sitting here and legit crying.

I know you won't be able to respond to it for a few more days for spoiler reasons but...

Yeah, it was such an awesome chapter. I love how it was as expected when it comes to the detective, and that the appartment - in the case of mine - became even more empty and sterile than before. And it was just so... incredibly emotional to just see that spark of life come back in the morning, at the end of the chapter.

Also, I really enjoyed the gorta fight! AND the fact I managed to deduce who was the culprit, even if I didn't know the full truth about what was happening. It was the fact Flea mentionned he disappeared right when HE came into the picture that tipped me off! But back to the fight, it was really cool to see that with time, the detective DOES become better at fighting demons. And that "oh shit" moment with the blood? Brilliant. The slight moment of delay between the "well that's a hunger demon for you" and "DAMN we know just WHAT are the effects of incubus blood" was perfection!

The whole tone of the chapter was so so bleak, especially with a detective who feels so extremely guilty and is so openly depressed about the whole thing. I guess the tone is quite different for a detective who betrayed Flea, but mine didn't so it was just plain awkward but without "true reason" (well, obviously there are a lot of reasons for the awkwardness, but neither Flea nor my detective did anything bad per se).

One thing that amuses me to no end is to imagine the sheer shit Ted is going to give the detective when he learns about Flea actually moving in. I'm sure he'll go feral over it with the teasing. Though I imagine he'll be happy too.

Oh by the way, I have a question this time - a proper one, not only gushing over the new content! It's a bit of a random one though, not directly related to this chapter's content (I don't mind waiting for the moment you can actually post this though). So, we know incubi and succubi are called different words depending on gender. But so far, it seems it isn't the case for the other demon types we've met. Now, obviously I imagine from a writing PoV you just did it that way because these are demons we know and "it's like that" in reality. But I wonder if in the setting of your IF, some other demon types are called different names based on gender, or is it exclusively an incubus/succubus thing. Yeah, it's the most random of questions, I know!

Anyway, just thank you for this chapter (and this whole IF, really)! I can't even begin to describe just how many emotions each chapter brings me. It's without any doubts one of my favorite IF - and even one of my favorite games I've ever played!

I was thinking about tropes I really love and if/how I might be able to fit them into the game, and ‘sex pollen’ was right up there on the list. I’m glad I got to use a variation on one of my favourites. ^_^

As for your question: You’re right that having incubi/succubi separated by gender was an out-of-universe choice based on the recognisability of the terms. In-universe, sex demons (all demons, in fact) are on a broad gender spectrum that will at times defy binary classification.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful messages and kind words! <3

#asks

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athenaswrath · 9 months ago

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Hello, I hope you are well ✨

I was wondering if you could write something with Sebastian Aho please, whatever you want.

thank u 🤍

@yangofyang I'm sorry it took a while to post I hope you like it🫶🏻

Fishy being engaged is so heartwarming, so here's a little something about that (kinda) and also Jarvy being his clueless self

Word count: 1,355

You knew before you started working in a coffee shop near the PNC arena that it was going to be packed at times. What you didn't know, was that the hockey team was going to be there daily, too. You never considered yourself a hockey fan, but you knew about them—city legends, after all. Even if you hadn't known them, they were hard to miss, most of them passing 6'0.

The first time I saw them, there were only three of them: Brady, Bunting and Sebastian, are the names they gave you for their orders. "You're new here, never seen you before" said Bunting while the other two turned to look at me. It was a very calm day so they were the only ones in the coffee shop. "Yeah, I'm new pretty much everywhere around here actually, I just moved in" I said softly. It was hard not to get intimidated by them. I wasn't exactly short, but they could make you feel like you were 3'5

"So you don't know who we are?" said Bunting faking a hurt tone "I mean, it would be hard not to know when your faces are all over the city." - "It's a pretty face though, isn't it?" he said in a flirty way. "You're so full of yourself, I swear" Brady told him while giving him a playful shove before adding "I hope you're liking it here so far, we're gonna be around here a lot so anything you need, let us know, right Fishy?" he smirked and gave Sebastian a side hug, Bunting laughed, Sebastian's face heated, and I felt like I missed something.

What started off as a simple thing became a daily occurrence, Sebastian now would go for a morning walk and stop by the coffee shop before making his way to the arena. He enjoyed his new routine, getting a coffee, talking to y/n, and having a smile plastered on his face as he walks back to his morning training session.

After a couple of weeks, Sebastian finally asked you out. He could tell there was a bit of hesitation on your part but after watching those cute eyes of his, you couldn't really say no to him.

"So who's got you smiling like that all the time now, Fishy?" Necas asked him one day when they were changing into their gear “Don’t start" is the only thing he said, “Oh c’mon, there has to be someone. Serious, sometimes grumpy Fishy, grinning like a fool every day?”

“There is no one” Sebastian said, but he could feel his face heating up, remembering last night's event with you, “Are you going to watch the game tomorrow?” he asked “wouldn't miss it” - “well, in that case, I'll need my good luck kiss, can't risk making a fool of myself” he teased. Closing the distance, you placed your lips over his, and when you went to pull away, his arm snaked around your waist, his hand finding its way into your hair.

Jarvy snapped him out of his thoughts when he said "You think Mr. Aho has time for someone? He's probably been coming up with new ideas on how to be the best in the team". Necas just raised his hands in defeat, but he was not the least bit convinced, at the back of the room Brady and Bunting looked at each other while trying to hold back their smirks.

You two have been dating for 3 months now. Sebastian was away for the last week, so the day he arrived, he asked to see you, to which you immediately agreed. What you weren't expecting was for him to formally ask you to be his girlfriend. He was the sweetest guy you've ever met, so your response was an immediate yes

Sebastian was sure you'd met everyone by now, and even when they didn't know you were officially together, they could see how much you meant for each other, especially because of the special treatment you receive from him. They knew Sebastian was a kind man, but he didn’t treat anyone else like this. So they would abstain from teasing him because you were just so good for Fishy, and they wanted him to be happy.

To say you were nervous the first time you went out with the team and their girls was an understatement, you weren't sure you were going to fit with them. The first to notice you was Jarvy, whom you could tell had already had a couple of drinks. "Oh, hey y/n, I'm glad they all invited you over." Slavin who was nearby, shook his head but immediately introduced you to his wife. After a couple of minutes of being introduced to everyone, you felt yourself starting to relax. All the girls were just as nice as the guys.

A couple of weeks later, you attended your first game with the wags, and everyone was delighted just by watching Sebastian being that happy. Some of the girls were there already, so he knew what you were going to be wearing, but the minute you entered the room with his number on your jacket, he felt himself fighting for air. He could see the blush on your face, along with that cute smile of yours, and he promised himself that he would do anything in his power to keep it there for the rest of his life.

Jarvy, entered the room at that moment and stopped for one second after he noticed you, "huh, I thought only their girls got to wear that, but you look great" he gave you a thumbs up and left the room with a bunch of snacks in his hand.

After what probably was their best game of the season, you rushed to meet Sebastian after he was ready to go home. "Hei rakkaani (hello my love), let's go home, yeah?" Sebastian said, giving a peck to your lips. You were almost outside the room when you heard a confused Jarvy say, "Wait, are they dating?"

...

5 years have passed since you started dating Sebastian, and you remember every single minute you've spent together, from the moment you saw him for the first time; when he asked you out, and you hesitated, worried that he wouldn't take you seriously or that you wouldn't be enough for him, even though he's spent this entire time showing you how much you really mean to him.

There were rough periods where those thoughts came back, like a couple of days ago you two were laying in bed, and he could feel the tension pouring down your every pore, so he said, "I don't get how you are the only person who does not see how amazing, how kind, smart and beautiful you are. I see it, the team sees it, everyone who's been lucky to meet you sees it, and still I find you doubting yourself over and over again."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to come out as ungrateful..."

"No, rakkaani. I didn't say it to make you feel bad; I'm saying it because you are my world. But I promise I'm always going to be here to reassure you, and to give you all the love you deserve"

You couldn't stop the tears running down your cheeks, or the smile breaking through your face. You swore this man couldn't make you any happier, but then he looked at you in the eye and said "Marry me, please"

...

When everyone on the team saw your ring, they couldn't help but be the happiest for you. They knew the moment they met you, that you and Fishy were perfect for each other; they've never seen him as happy as he was when you were close to him.

"What are we celebrating?" asked Jarvy. When you showed him your ring, he took your hand and said, "Oh, it is a nice ring indeed; I didn't know y'all guys were into jewelry", the group broke into a fit of laughter, and you just hoped Jarvy realized what was really going on before he got the wedding invitation

#sebastian aho imagine #sebastian aho #nhl oneshot #nhl imagine #nhl fic #Sebastian Aho x reader #Sebastian Aho oneshot #Sebastian Aho x y/n

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theinnerunderrain · 2 years ago

Text

Happy End

Note: Yandere themes, disturbing images, depiction of violence and mental health, if you're familiar with Doki Doki literature club you should know what to expect. Be aware and take caution.

Characters: Xiao, Venti, Kazuha & Kunikuzushi.

Venti as Monika - As the President of the Literature Club, he functions as the game's motivator, encouraging club members to produce poems up until the club festival. Venti previously belonged to the debate club but left as a result of the internal politics and turmoil, expressing his desire for harmony, freedom of discussion, and goodwill.

"To be honest, I can't stand all of the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events... I'd much rather take something I personally enjoy and make something special out of it. And if it encourages others to get into literature, then I'm fulfilling that dream!"

The first thing you noticed about Venti was that he was a charming and intelligent young man who seemed to be brilliant at whatever he did, whether it was writing poetry or playing the piano (he offered to teach the piano after school, isn't that sweet of him?). To have someone with such potential in the school is truly great, don't you agree?

"As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

Everything appears to be operating smoothly. Everyone was cheerful, and they were all getting ready for the club festival, which was coming up soon.

But something about Venti began to change.

He remains fairly friendly, but his remarks and encouragement appear to take on a more passive aggressive tone. He appeared irritated with the other members, acting sarcastic when asked for advice or even going as far to ignore them. The fact that Venti had an epiphany before the game began and was given the authority to modify the game's variables also isn't revealed until much later. As a direct consequence, his sentiment toward the other boys was altered because he realised they weren't "real" boys.

When the other boys make it impossible for the player and him to spend time together, he starts acting in a drastic manner.

Drastic.

Perhaps the word drastic truly undermines his behaviour towards the other members.

I wouldn't say it's just drastic.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, (First Name)."

Venti only had the capability to modify parameters within the play and did not wish to immediately delete or eliminate the other boys owing her lingering attachment to them, so he starts attempting to render the other boys unlikeable by changing their attributes out of desperation. He starts with Xiao since he was the childhood friend of the protagonist and he was seen as the biggest threat. Then he would gradually shift between each character, making sure they were all as horrible as possible, in the hopes that you would be sufficiently terrified to reject the others.

Yet you remain unmoving.

Therefore, it wasn't his fault that he had to choose a worse alternative; you can't really hold him responsible for having to get rid of Xiao when you're the one being demanding.

"Yay, you picked me! We can meet at your house this weekend. I promise it'll be fun. Is Sunday okay with you?"

He grows increasingly bitter over not playing a love component in the game as a happy ending wasn't envisioned for him. He also makes it clear that he is in love with the player and begs them to invest additional time with him. The fact that all of his poems are about the player or his epiphany emphasises how consumed he became with achieving this goal as a result of his ambition and determination. As a result of them not being "real," he also begins to ignore and exaggerate the features of the other characters.

Why should he possibly care about these manufactured beings who can't even truly appreciate their freedom? His morals abruptly changed and his sympathies for the other members grew colder.

"Sometimes it feels like you and I are the only real people here. You know what I mean? But it's weird, because in all the time you've been here, we've hardly gotten to spend any time together. Ah...I mean... I guess it's technically only been a couple days…"

Venti may seem optimistic in the Literature Club, but it becomes increasingly clear that he is essentially depressed and lonely as a result of comprehending that everything in his life is just a simulation.

However, can you really hold him responsible for his actions?

Would you be so happy to learn that you didn't even live as a character that was relevant?

Would you be satisfied with yourself?

The worst thing is that he will never be able to experience what is referred to as "happiness" since his route will never be finished. He is obsessed with winning the player's love because they are the only thing that is "real" in his life.

"...Oh...Oh... ... Ahahaha! Well, that's a shame. Wait, were you here the entire weekend, [First Name]? Oh, jeez... I didn't realise the script was broken that badly. I'm super sorry! It must have been pretty boring... I'll make it up to you, okay? Just gimme a sec…"

"..."

An error has occurred. If you continually get the same error, try loading a different save file, submit a bug report, and/or check the Support Forums for assistance.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤[Yes]

A̯̠͔͍̬̪ͅṉ̝͉͚̯̦̩ e̮̘̖r͍̰͚̩̥̯r̪͕̤̺o͇̺̺̺̼͙r̩ ̮̝̗͓̤͔ͅh̦̹̠̤a̯̭̜͔͚̘͚s̟͉̰̗̯ ̗̙͇͙̺̥̞o͔͍̩c̱̰̺͉̟͕c͈̳u̬r̼̼͓͙r͍͉̦̜ed͈̣͉̺.̗̤̹̦̥̟ ̤̥͙̣͚I͔̳̰͇f̗͇̠ ̟̬̙̟͇̼͈y̬o̦̪͎u̫ ̜̻̭̞̻͚͚c͍ͅo͍͕̞͓ͅn͙̘̞̗̥t̯̣͇̝ͅi̙̙̦͇͔̙͕nual̞l̥y̭̻̗̠ ̠̺̣̺̟ge̗̠͎̪t̥̥̟̰͍ ̘̭̟th̗̳̞̗e͎̹̻̪͉̤ ̦̮̙sa̞͎̙̯̺m̜̩̟͓̭e̻ ̩̮͓͓e̞̹͈r̖̭̳̥͖r͚̼̤o̜͍̪̰̥͇̻r͓̲̰͖,̪̼̮̖̲̲̻ ͉tr͖̭̼̘y̱͚̹ ̲͕̥̥l̤̱͍̖o̟̻̻̝̗a̙͎̲̤d̖̜i̞̳̼͍̱͎͕n̜̠͚g̩̟̞̪͓ ̫a͓ d̝i̪̭̱̰̹̰͙ff͎e̹r̹̞̜͍ͅẹ̫͔nt̟ ͕s͕̝͇͕̹͕̰a̞̖͚v̟̯̪͈͍e̗̮̪͔ ̰̯f̝̭̞̝̭i͔̞͙̥͎͚̟l̘͉̙̫̳͎̘e͓͈,̱͕͓̭ ̙̝ͅs̗u̠b̮͎̟m̰̩͎̠̲̼i̞̟̲͈͕̦t̖̠̖̱̞͉ ̯͔͎a̤͙̱̮͕ͅ ͖ḇ̝̳̱ͅu̲̖g̘̪̫ ͍͇̰̤r̮͉̗̠̣e͙p͍o̯̞r̻̮̗̬̝͇t̖̰,͚̞͚͔͕͕͔ a̪̯̥̩̥n̖d̳̦̥̺/͇̘̳̘̘̱o̞̯r̥̗͖̬͓͕̘ ̬̠̭cͅh̙̥̝e̠͓͖͔͎͕͇c̬̦̩ͅḵ̗̯͇̪̯̬ ͉t̼h͙̰̪͈̜e̻̠̜ S̱̱̺̬u̬̪͇p̘̟͉̳̼ͅp̖o̖̩͙̲̫̹̫rt̙̳̘̜͚͍ ͎͇̹F̻͈or̗̪͓͎̰ͅum̹̭̝͔̗s̹ ͉ͅf͙̲o̙͇̥̞r͇͚̠̰̘ ̼̹̮̗a͖̺̻̳̥s̥͓͓̺̪͚͈si͍̩̖̰̞̮ͅs͇̺t͍̼̰̺͓̳a͔̹̘͙nc̝̯͓̜̪̤̱e͖̱̹͕̝.̩͈̘̤̘̦

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]?

➤ [Yes]

Are you sure?

➤[Yes]

"..."

Let's continue on.

Xiao as Sayori - As the vice president of the literature club, he likewise wishes that more individuals would join in order to increase their interest in poetry. Now, I know Xiao is an odd pick for Sayori considering their contrasting personality and you would probably assume Kazuha to be a better match. But there are similarities and I thought he would be better for the childhood friend role.

Since you and Xiao have known one another since you were young, it is difficult for you to recall your initial impression of him. Along with thinking of him as your sweet but reserved friend, you were relieved to learn that he took an interest in writing and that he enjoyed studying literature and writing poetry because these activities allow him to express his emotions.

"Hey, [First Name]....Since we're already here, do you want to walk home together?"

Regardless of the fact that the two of you had known each other since you were children, his question concerning walking home nevertheless came out as rather tentative and scared. Even though you've known each other for a long time, you would tease him about his timidity by marveling at how silly a question it was for him to ask. Later on, it is discovered that he battles severe depression and puts a lot of effort into making everyone around him happy in order to deal with, among other things, his own lack of self-love.

So you shouldn't be teasing him too much.

"Even if it's just a bit…I..I wanted to spend more time with you. I know it seems stupid but.."

He seems to feel unworthy of love because of his depression, but he still desires to be loved, particularly by the protagonist, who he has a crush on.

He only wants your affection, nothing else.

Xiao seems to suffer when the player choose to follow one of the other boys since he subconsciously wishes that the protagonist fall in love with him while also feeling terrible for initially feeling that way.

Xiao will commit suicide the day before the festival regardless of the player's decision.

Don't cry.

Isn't it just a matter of fate?

He feels that if he makes everyone else happy, he won't have any reason to be miserable at all, therefore his relationship with the protagonist and other people's happiness are his main coping mechanisms. Although he tries, he is unable to make you happy.

He's not enough.

He will never be enough.

"You know, [First Name]... It's nice that I get to spend time with you in the club. But I think seeing you get along with everyone is what makes me the happiest."

"..."

An error has occurred. If you continually get the same error, try loading a different save file, submit a bug report, and/or check the Support Forums for assistance.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [Yes]

Are you completely sure?

➤ [Yes]

Even after witnessing Xiao's death?

➤ [Yes]

I'm not responsible for anything, [First Name]. You know that, right? Should you go to bed? It's quite late.

Would you like to continue?

➤ [Yes]

"..."

As you wish.

Kunikuzushi as Natsuki - The third member of the Literature Club, an enthusiastic manga fan who occasionally feels self-conscious about it (particularly in light of Kazuha's frequent taunting).

Just be careful not to tease him too much. He might die from humiliation.

Just kidding.

Your first conception of Kunikuzushi seems to be one of a cocky, outspoken, irritable, and even conceited young man. Venti, though, categorises him as the true tsundere given his rather charming, softer interior. Due to his diminutive stature and sour disposition, it's a little difficult to hold back from gushing about him since he's just so cute.

"Well everyone has their own opinion. But my opinion is the best opinion. I'm sure you've figured that out already."

While impetuous and prone to speaking without thinking, Kunikuzushi genuinely cares about his friends and, despite having clear anger management issues, dislikes getting into fights or confrontations with other people (at least ones he can't win). Despite his persistent bullying tendencies, Kunikuzushi had displayed some gentleness by asking you to his house to bake despite his concern about being discovered by his mother.

He would not, however, elaborate on his reasons for being so wary of her.

"Take your stupid poem. If you wrote it for someone else, just don't show it to me!"

Together, the two of you frequently bake, and at one point, you teasedly nibbled on some frosting that was apparently his finger. He gets angry right away and starts ranting about how you shouldn't do that with other men because they might perceive it differently.

Such a cute little thing isn't he?

"Why didn't you come read with me today? I was waiting for you. I was waiting for a long time. It was the only thing I had to look forward to today. Why did you ruin it?"

Selecting Kazuha would irritate him, and when you try to read Kunikuzushi your poem, He would chase you out right away. Xiao will congratulate Kazuha and Kunikuzushi on their writing and capabilities if the player asks him to diffuse the tension. After that, the argument will end, and Xiao's answer will satisfy Kazuha and Kunikuzushi. He also makes a comparison between his and Kazuha's physique, which leads the main character to claim that some individuals are attracted to someone with a little frame.

By now, you should be aware that Kunikuzushi detests being referred to as cute.

"Do you like Kazuha more?"

Even though he acts cute and does cute things, Kunikuzushi despises the label "cute" and will fight any accusations made in this regard by others. However, once he is confident that no one will make fun of him for it, he feels much more at ease showing off his sweet side. Whether it's in regards to his work, his interests, or simply his general demeanour, Kunikuzushi detests it when he isn't treated seriously. He probably developed a sense of guilt about himself and his interests as a result of how his peers treated him and because his mother was allegedly abusive, making his brusque demeanour a coping mechanism.

He liked you so much because you were compassionate and capable of comprehending him for this reason.

Not Xiao.

Not Kazuha.

Not Venti.

But just you.

"I think you're better off not associating with HIM. Are you listening to me? KAZUHA IS A SICK FREAK. That should be obvious by now. So just play with me instead. Okay? You don't hate me, do you? Do you hate me? Do you want to make me go home crying? The club is the only place I feel safe. Don't ruin that for me. Don't ruin it. Please. Just stop talking to Kazuha. Play with me instead. It's all I have... Play with me. PLAY WITH ME."

"PLAY WITH ME [FIRST NAME]."

"PLAY WITH ME"

An error has occurred. If you continually get the same error, try loading a different save file, submit a bug report, and/or check the Support Forums for assistance.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

I'm sorry you had to witness everything like that. Kuni was a miserable kid who couldn't even feel safe at home in his own house, what an unfortunate person.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

Come on, [First Name], stop playing this little game. You should put your phone away and go to bed.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

How annoying—no matter what I do, I can't manage to get rid of this text box. Especially irritating when it keeps interrupting our chat. But aside from that, you appear to be really worn out in front of that phone camera.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [Yes]

I see.... In spite of all the terrible things you had to witness tonight, I think you would want to keep going. I guess there isn't much I can do to stop you...

Kazuha as Yuri - The fourth member of the Literature Club, and is widely regarded to be one of the most brilliant writers. Capable of authoring the most exquisite poem and crafting the most magnificent statements which may well render your heart to skip a beat as if wildflowers were continuously overflowing from his tongue.

He's quite the charmer, isn't he?

"Thanks for keeping your promise, [First Name]. I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it…"

When you first encountered Kaedehara Kazuha, you considered he was a very gracious young man with manners above and beyond those of a high school student. His voice was as soothing and pleasant to hear as his poetry, sweet and delicate and able to move one's heart. Kazuha, despite having a gift for words, was relatively quiet in comparison to the other members. A quality which you liked considering the amount of noise you had to constantly put up with.

But just because he remained silent doesn't mean his affinity for literature has become less profound or anything. One can even contend that Venti's passion for literature and the arts was akin to his own, particularly in those instances where he would get irate about seemingly inconsequential remarks made by Kunikuzushi.

You somewhat fear that their banter may turn physical one day.

"W-Wait! There’s a reason why we have such deep and expressive words in our language! It’s the only way to convey complex feelings and meaning the most effectively. Avoiding them is not only unnecessarily limiting yourself...it’s also a waste! You understand that, right, [First Name]?"

However, as the game progresses. Kazuha's seemingly timid personality took a rather strange tone. As if some sort of glitch had overridened his personality, bringing out the most negative aspects of his personality.

"I-I don't know... I'm kind of indifferent, I guess... WHO CARES ABOUT THAT OBNOXIOUS BRAT?"

Venti intensifies Kazuha's undesirable personality qualities in Act 2, which causes his devotion for you to turn somewhat unhealthy, bordering on an infatuation.

Your pens started to disappear, as if someone had deliberately broken through your desktop and backpack. Alternatively, if the thief returns the stolen materials, they would leave behind a trail of evidence in the form of persistent bite marks on the pencil, suggesting that they have a penchant for chewing them.

Naturally, you would toss them away, just to have someone eventually pick something out of the trash and put it back into your backpack with a little note, always written with most obscure messages.

The culprit behind the theft wouldn't be revealed to you until the very end of the game, when Venti would snicker and explain Kazuha's peculiar behaviours, mentioning how Kazuha had a propensity of looking through your possessions and touching himself with the collection of pens he gathered from you, even going so far as to injure himself with the jagged corners.

Which would explain the constant amount of bandages wrapped around his flesh.

"I mean, I like how nice and quiet the club is right now... And I'm just... happy with you here... But still! I'm the Vice President... It's not right for me to ignore my responsibilities like that... NOBODY WOULD CRY IF HE KILLED HERSELF. I should do my best to consider everyone's perspective and make the decision that's right for the club."

He started using far harsher language than the typical Kazuha, interfering with and beinglittleful to the other club members, and tormenting Kunikuzushi nonstop. In spite of his enjoyment, Kazuha feels horrible since he knows that something is wrong with him and that his statements and behaviour are inappropriate.

Yet he can't bring himself to stop.

Regardless of how hard he struggles, he eventually is unable to regulate his obsessive outbursts. It gets to the point where, regardless of whether the player embraces or refuses his love, he ultimately stabs himself to death, leaving a bloody mess on the classroom floor, with a distressed smile on his face as he begins to fade out of existence.

Nothing could be done but watch helplessly as his body rotted away in the school for three days until Kunikuzushi eventually discovered it.

“Why is this happening to me? I feel like I’m losing my mind... I can’t make it stop. It even makes me not want to read... I just want... ...to look... ...at YOU.”

“...Haah...”

.̵̢̟͎̂̋̈̈́̓.̶̞̬̤̀̋̓̓̕.̵̧̮͒ͅḨ̶̡̩̼͎̒̄̓́́a̸̬̣̣͐̋̃͛̈́ä̷̢͎̦́͜h̸͔̱͋̍̉̚͠.̵͕̳͎̩͚͂̀.̶̡̩͎̦̠͗̆̓.̵̼͉͐̆̈́͌”̷͚̦̾̄̆͂̊͜

̵͚̹̝̓̚͝

“̶̛̩̠͕̰̻̮͓̠̦̥͍̪̗̝͓̰̆̈͘.̵͉̮͚̆̋̈́̽.̸̢̨͔̬̖͙͈̥̘̞͕̖͎͎̟̎̏͂̏̽͐͋̈̑́͋̑͌̎.̵̬͉͕̈̈́̏̔̉͗́̈́̑̊̂Ḧ̷̢̙̩͈̰̰͈́̎̄͛̑͝͠ã̵͖̤̞̜͙̥̈́̈a̸̼̺̭͖͓̣̪͙̪̗̖͍̞̍͗̿́̔̊̚͝h̸̢̛̻̪̯̰̠̭̲͎̰̩̾͑̋̒̀̿̀̈̎̀͊̂͝ͅͅ…̵̡̰̟̞͎̹̙̺͉͓̜͖̗͉̂̓ͅ”̸̣̤̘̜̱̳̥̖̹͙͉̼͕̫̌͆ͅ

A̯̠͔͍̬̪ͅṉ̝͉͚̯̦̩ e̮̘̖r͍̰͚̩̥̯r̪͕̤̺o͇̺̺̺̼͙r̩ ̮̝̗͓̤͔ͅh̦̹̠̤a̯̭̜͔͚̘͚s̟͉̰̗̯ ̗̙͇͙̺̥̞o͔͍̩c̱̰̺͉̟͕c͈̳u̬r̼̼͓͙r͍͉̦̜ed͈̣͉̺.̗̤̹̦̥̟ ̤̥͙̣͚I͔̳̰͇f̗͇̠ ̟̬̙̟͇̼͈y̬o̦̪͎u̫ ̜̻̭̞̻͚͚c͍ͅo͍͕̞͓ͅn͙̘̞̗̥t̯̣͇̝ͅi̙̙̦͇͔̙͕nual̞l̥y̭̻̗̠ ̠̺̣̺̟ge̗̠͎̪t̥̥̟̰͍ ̘̭̟th̗̳̞̗e͎̹̻̪͉̤ ̦̮̙sa̞͎̙̯̺m̜̩̟͓̭e̻ ̩̮͓͓e̞̹͈r̖̭̳̥͖r͚̼̤o̜͍̪̰̥͇̻r͓̲̰͖,̪̼̮̖̲̲̻ ͉tr͖̭̼̘y̱͚̹ ̲͕̥̥l̤̱͍̖o̟̻̻̝̗a̙͎̲̤d̖̜i̞̳̼͍̱͎��n̜̠͚g̩̟̞̪͓ ̫a͓ d̝i̪̭̱̰̹̰͙ff͎e̹r̹̞̜͍ͅẹ̫͔nt̟ ͕s͕̝͇͕̹͕̰a̞̖͚v̟̯̪͈͍e̗̮̪͔ ̰̯f̝̭̞̝̭i͔̞͙̥͎͚̟l̘͉̙̫̳͎̘e͓͈,̱͕͓̭ ̙̝ͅs̗u̠b̮͎̟m̰̩͎̠̲̼i̞̟̲͈͕̦t̖̠̖̱̞͉ ̯͔͎a̤͙̱̮͕ͅ ͖ḇ̝̳̱ͅu̲̖g̘̪̫ ͍͇̰̤r̮͉̗̠̣e͙p͍o̯̞r̻̮̗̬̝͇t̖̰,͚̞͚͔͕͕͔ a̪̯̥̩̥n̖d̳̦̥̺/͇̘̳̘̘̱o̞̯r̥̗͖̬͓͕̘ ̬̠̭cͅh̙̥̝e̠͓͖͔͎͕͇c̬̦̩ͅḵ̗̯͇̪̯̬ ͉t̼h͙̰̪͈̜e̻̠̜ S̱̱̺̬u̬̪͇p̘̟͉̳̼ͅp̖o̖̩͙̲̫̹̫rt̙̳̘̜͚͍ ͎͇̹F̻͈or̗̪͓͎̰ͅum̹̭̝͔̗s̹ ͉ͅf͙̲o̙͇̥̞r͇͚̠̰̘ ̼̹̮̗a͖̺̻̳̥s̥͓͓̺̪͚͈si͍̩̖̰̞̮ͅs͇̺t͍̼̰̺͓̳a͔̹̘͙nc̝̯͓̜̪̤̱e͖̱̹͕̝.̩͈̘̤̘̦

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [No]

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [No]

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [Yes]

"...."

"..."

ᗷEᕼIᑎᗪ YOᑌ.

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