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aceofspadegrass · 4 years ago

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Superhero AU

Okay okay, listen. Imagine them being superheros/villains.

So Arisu, Karube, Chota, and Shibuki are regular adults doing normal adult things, nothing changes about that. Shibuki is a part of this because she can, she’s just pals with a group of dudes and doesn’t mind it at all because they’re all genuinely good people.

Anyways, because life wanted to fuck with them, something happens. Maybe it was a shady guy giving them weird drinks or jewelry or whatever, maybe it was a freak accident that gave them powers. Whatever the cause was, they receive powers out of their control at first and are now tasked with using said powers for the greater good of humanity.

Why? Well the city they’ve lived in all their lives has been terrorized by a villainous group, or maybe separate villains that just so happen to be in the area. Either way, the group is tasked with protecting the city or else terrible things will continue to happen. The city was already being protected by one group of heroes, but the villains are getting more and more frisky and dangerous.

So now it’s up to them to help. Yay.

Arisu and his friends do form their own mini superhero team, because there’s nothing better than fighting alongside your friends. :D

Arisu was tasked with the nice power of what can be counted as future sight and analytical planning. Basically he can track the future movements of anyone within a room as well as problem solve in case a problem has occurred. Example being that they are stuck in a rapidly flooding room with ninjas… or something like that. He’d be able to not only track the ninjas movements but also seek a way to escape the room before they all drown. When he does this time effectively stops for him, like a game where he has to make choices that appear in front of him and allow him time to think before acting.

Karube gets a sort of super strength ability. It thankfully isn’t one where he has it at full power all the time, or else some things may get a bit convoluted, but when he puts his mind to it he can punch and kick and shatter a spine if he really wanted to. He can manipulate it as well so it can fit more daily needs, like opening a tough pickle jar, so it’s handy.

Chota has the power to see through walls and record them, which can be handy in case there’s something the others needs to see but is obscured. He also can turn it off and on at will, and Shibuki makes sure he isn’t doing it for anything dirty (because this power can be used entirely for really bad intents). It at the very least makes his eyes like projectors when he shows the others the recording (which is as long as he can keep his eyes open. When he blinks it cut the recording there) and can only hold one recording at a time as the power overwrites it each time.

Shibuki gets the power of oral/written word manipulation. It’s like a super version of hypnosis really, where she can get anyone to follow her requests without much resistance. That is, unless the person has an immunity or high resistance to it. It in itself sounds like a weak power compared to the others, but words are powerful depending on what she says, and for her it doesn’t have to be in close contact or even spoken. Shibuki can induce her power into a written sentence or small paragraph and trick her victim into reading it. It all depends on her getting to her intended victim.

Together, they form a pretty formidable team together and protect the city, although they do have to work to make a name for themselves. Which gives the added bonus of villains gunning for them. How fun.

Of course they’re not the only superhero group in the city, just the newest ones. The other team, which had been previously keeping the villains at bay, end up hearing about this new team, and their leader gets interested in them.

So what ends up happening is that the leader and his right hand man meet Arisu and the others at the local coffee shop, because obviously this is super important and all important things happen in cafes or bars somehow.

The leader simply introduces himself as Hatter, and his right hand as Aguni. Arisu already knew about them from news articles, and occasionally fangames about them. Anyways, Hatter questions them on random things, mostly about their work ethics and how willing they are to put their lives into this city. Not everyone is prepared to have a whole population on their shoulders after all, and there’s always a loom of death over their heads at all times.

Of course Arisu falters for a bit, nobody wants to die an early death out of their control, but it was also for the greater good. So he (and the others) state that they were completely willing to help their community, because it meant other people can live their lives knowing that they can be safe from the threats that are outside normal human abilities.

Well Hatter loved their spunk, and he ends up inviting them to come join his little Hero Union so they could have a little less to worry about on their plates. After a bit of conversation the four end up agreeing, and Hatter takes them to an apartment building that he owns, which double as a superhero base for his (and now Arisu’s) team. The base serves as free housing and availability to weapons and immediate medical attention in case they need it. Hatter didn’t mind if they preferred their old homes instead, the offer always remains.

Especially the medical bay. Superhero business is tough work.

Arisu and his friends eventually meet up with Hatter’s team of heroes.

Hatter, the leader, has the power of what Arisu can only explain it as ‘The Power of Teamwork’. It basically works in two ways: A) Hatter can summon hordes of anything he puts his mind to, although only can keep one horde at a time, and the amount entirely depends on how many he can muster. The less energy he has, the smaller the horde. This is ridiculously powerful, but it drains a lot out of him so he can’t do this half too much. Plus he can’t control the horde that much, outside of one simple command which they will do until they perish. B) Hatter can boost his teammate’s powers. This one is much easier on his bones, but the boost again reflects on his own ability to muster it up. There’s no limit to how many people he can boost, but the more he does the less each person gets.

Aguni has plant manipulation (Mmm delicious Chlorokinesis….), and can therefore summon and control any plant in any way that he chooses. He can make them grow and move in any way that he wants them to, however he can only do so in sunlight, so he has to rely on natural strength or weapons at night. Aguni also can summon plants from his hands, although not trees, and it doesn’t hurt him as long as it isn’t a cactus. When he summons from his hand it simply undergoes a fast forwarded version of its growth, which looks cool as fuck.

Ann is the resident necromancer, as well as owning the ability to test any substance or object for origin or ownership on the spot just by touching it (It works through gloves don’t worry). She usually doesn’t act on her necromancy powers often, and when she does it doesn’t last long, only using it to temporarily gain information from the dead or heal dead tissue on a living person. Her superhero work mainly resides off-field, but she is still capable outside of it.

Chishiya has both invisibility and teleportation, which explains for itself. He can remain invisible for as long as he wishes, although is still tangible to others, and can still interact with objects. Teleportation can happen in any area as long as he is aware of the area existing. Chishiya can also teleport while invisible and remains as such, so the only thing keeping him from being a little shit for everyone’s privacy is his own morals. Anything he wears becomes invisible with him, but anything he carries does not, however will teleport with him.

Kuzuryuu has a power similar to Arisu’s future sight, however it works that he only sees a justifiable future depending on events that has been shown or described to him. Basically, he takes in what he’s given and sees what would be the best possible solution to take based on that information. It’s not perfect, as any new information given changes his future sight, even if the information is false. If he can’t disprove it he has to include it. He also can’t see any factors that he isn’t able to know.

Niragi has what basically is ‘Glitching in Real Life’. Basically any silly glitch or cheat mechanic that a game could have, he can do. It’s a bit of a broken power (literally), but it also can be dangerous if he isn’t careful because he isn’t in a game and is still human. Any object he interacts with can share the glitch ability, but only one at a time, and Niragi still has to comply with some rules of physics. So… he can’t breathe if he clips into anything solid. However it is extremely funny to watch him repeatedly jump and freeze objects in the air to stand on.

Mira has a power that counts as hypnosis, but convoluted. She basically makes everything a game, and the loser has to comply to the conditions set in place. Usually they are quick and simple games, but the conditions can be brutal depending on how she feels like. She of course is also liable to the conditions, so she finds it in her favour to win.

Last Boss gets sharp pointy summons. It’s exactly how it sounds, he gets to summon anything sharp (and by anything it means anything) and use it however he wants. It ranges from swords to glass shards to thumb tacks to just a very sharp spoon handle. Last Boss doesn’t even have to hold it, as he can summon them to shoot from the ground or specifically rain on a target.

Anyways, they have to get along and protect the city when they can. Hatter lets Arisu to continue protecting with his little group of friends, but also lets him borrow one of his people if he needs their help, with consent from the other party of course.

( Does Mira end up evil in this? No, thankfully. However every time she speaks about her past Arisu is low-key convinced she might have been a supervillain at one point and is just in retirement as a hero now)

Usagi is also a part of this, but she’s instead a solo hero who works on her own terms and slowly gets integrated into Arisu’s little friend group. She does help them on occasion, but prefers to just vibe and climb things instead of focusing all her time in hero work. Her powers are in the same vein, in that she can climb any surface she wants without risk of falling if she doesn’t want to fall.

No shame in that. She knows Arisu has all the help he needs and helps only when she needs to be. They can be friends outside of hero work.

Does she get kidnapped a few times in an attempt to be leverage for Arisu? Yeah. Does she manage to escape on her own terms a few times? Yeah. Usagi is simply trying to vibe and be supportive in this AU.

Kuina and Tatta are both normal civilians in this. Kuina is Chishiya’s friend and acts as his normalcy factor, because hero work takes a lot out of a person and even Chishiya deserves some time where he doesn’t have to think about being a hero for people he actually doesn’t emotionally feel for.

Tatta just works at the local coffee shop and occasionally as maintenance for the apartment base. He also acts as a sense of normalcy for everyone. Just a good friend all around.

#aib #alice in borderland #arisu ryohei #karube daikichi #chota segawa #shibuki saori #hatter #takeru danma #morizono aguni #ann rizuna #chishiya shuntaro #kuzuryuu keiichi #niragi suguru #mira kano #last boss #takatora samura #usagi yuzuha #kuina hikari #tatta kodai #my rambling went on longer than I expected #me: oh wells it gets the point across #yes I could've made some of them villains but today they can just all be teammates #that way any drama between them is between friends #some of these powers are better to stay on the good side because hot dang imagine the terror if they used it for bad #just imagine niragi glitching through walls because doors take too long #his glitch power also extends that yes niragi can cheat infinite bullets on his gun #kuina and tatta also get used as ransom sometimes for being associated with the heroes #but kuina can hold her own usually #and tatta.... can't #but! he also can manage to convince his way out long enough for help to come at least

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a-tiny-atiny · 4 years ago

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I Get Deja Vu

Have you ever felt yourself falling in love? In a way, have you felt it physically manifest itself? Has your world ever felt like it’s suddenly gotten brighter and you wake up every morning excited to see that one special person in your life who made you feel that way?

Because Mingi has. In fact, he feels it stronger and stronger every day. All because of one person: Jung Wooyoung.

Mingi is a loser.

Okay, he can practically hear his friends screaming at him for even thinking that, but it’s how he truly feels. He used to have higher self-esteem when he was a kid, but it’s long gone now. He used to feel pretty neutrally about himself (maybe even a little confident), but that all changed when a classmate of his came up to him at the playground when he was nine and pointed out his small eyes and crooked teeth, and everyone else laughed.

He never thought about those parts of his face before. He really never looked at himself for more than a few minutes in the mirror while conducting his daily routine before school and before bed, but it made him wonder if he should have spent that time looking at himself more carefully.

When he thought about it, his eyes were smaller than the other kids’. He didn’t think it was a bad thing before, everyone in his family has smaller eyes, but since his classmate pointed it out and everyone laughed, it must be a bad thing. Same with his teeth.

He still looks in the mirror every morning and inspects his small eyes and crooked teeth as though staring at them for long enough will cause them to “fix” themselves into something more conventionally attractive. He doubts the classmate on the playground even remembers saying that (or remembers Mingi at all), but Mingi definitely does. It hasn’t left his mind since the day it occurred.

His best friends at the time, Yunho and Wooyoung were there to reassure him that there was nothing wrong with his appearance. “Some kids say I have weird cheeks,” he remembers a seven-year-old Yunho saying, “but my mom thinks they’re cute so I don’t really care.” Wooyoung offered a somewhat different but still comforting sentiment about the kid being a “butt-face” and a “stupid idiot,” which admittedly helped cheer Mingi up a lot.

Middle school was when a lot changed for Mingi.

On his very first day of middle school, he awoke to find his skin red and blotchy, the first sign of his to-be consistent acne problem. He was covering his face when he walked into the building, so Yunho and Wooyoung didn’t even see him at first. When they finally did, they scolded him for being dramatic and promised that no one would care if his face was a little blotchy that day.

Wooyoung seemed to have been blessed with perfect skin, because he never had a single breakout throughout middle school. Maybe he’d get a pimple here and there that he would cover with some of his mom’s foundation, but that was it. Yunho had a bit of acne too, but his parents could afford the expensive creams that made it go away instantly while Mingi’s family didn’t have the time or the money for that.

Throughout his experience in middle school, Mingi noticed three key differences in his life there than in elementary school: 1) Unlike in elementary school, it did matter what you wore.

The fact that he only had a few good shirts that were usually either a size too big or a size too small and only a few pairs of baggy jeans didn’t matter in elementary school. He could wear the same shirt and pants every day and the kids probably wouldn’t notice. In middle school, they definitely did notice.

In only his second week there, someone in his class asked why he was wearing the same shirt he wore just last week, which caught him by surprise. Was that a bad thing? He owns a laundry machine, it’s not like he’s wearing a mud-covered, dirty t-shirt or something. But his choice (or lacks thereof) in clothing brought several confused and sometimes even disgusted looks from his classmates.

This leads us to point 2) Being funny wasn’t enough to be well-liked. Admittedly, Mingi thought of his humor as basically his only talent. He’s just a pretty loud and outgoing person, so that earned him a lot of friends back in elementary school. In middle school, he was labeled the “class clown” and was viewed as a troublemaker by most of the kids, which made people want to stay away from him.

Even to this day, Mingi has a hard time being open with his thoughts and feelings because he’s worried he’ll come off as obnoxious and rude, even when he isn’t trying to be.

And finally point 3) Middle school is a lot bigger than elementary school. Normally, this wouldn’t really matter. Mingi was actually really excited at first when he heard the middle school had multiple floors that he could race to be the first one to climb. The only problem is that with a bigger school, there are more classes, and more classes mean less of a chance of him being with his friends (i.e. only Yunho and Wooyoung).

He ended up having most of his classes with Yunho but hardly any with Wooyoung except for when they could sit together at lunch.

Because of this, Mingi and Wooyoung started to drift apart a bit. Wooyoung even made a new friend named Yeosang, who Mingi genuinely liked but was afraid would replace him as Wooyoung’s best friend. Thankfully, this is not what ended up happening and all that occurred was Yeosang being added into the friend group with open arms by all parties.

It was then that Mingi started noticing something…strange.

He would get a tiny pang in his chest when Wooyoung was overly-friendly with any of the members of the friend group. This feeling didn’t occur with Yunho or Yeosang, only Wooyoung. At first, Mingi thought it was probably the feeling of missing Wooyoung because they didn’t have many classes together that year.

Mingi didn’t know what to do with this feeling. He just let it be at first because it wasn’t really bothering him that much, it was just strange. But as the years went on, it got stronger and stronger until Mingi couldn’t ignore it anymore.

In addition to this weird pang in his chest, he also started to feel a weird feeling in his stomach, kind of like when you’re at the top of a roller coaster and it’s just about to drop. That’s the kind of feeling he started to get when Wooyoung started to get, well…hot.

In high school, all four boys started to grow into their features more, but it was most evident in Wooyoung. Yeosang looked quite handsome too, but that wasn’t much of a change from middle school because he always kind of looked like a Greek god in Mingi’s eyes. Wooyoung, however, he was friends with since childhood and never really registered his features as anything other than “Wooyoung” until now. Now, they were registering as “hot.”

And that’s when Mingi started to get a feeling that something was…off. He wasn’t sure what and he wasn’t sure why, but he had never really been good with feelings to begin with so it made sense to him that it didn’t really make sense. Does that make sense?

“No,” Yunho said when Mingi tried explaining this predicament to him. “You’re going to have to give me more to work with, Mingi-yah. Maybe you miss him because you haven’t been spending as much time with him? You can text him and ask him to hang out.”

The very thought gave Mingi that weird feeling in his stomach again. He groaned and said, “Whatever, it probably isn’t a big deal anyway.” So, Yunho let it slide and so did Mingi for a while. Even if he got that weird feeling in his stomach, he just tried to ignore it.

He ignored it all the way until it became time to submit college applications.

That led Mingi to let another roadblock in the path of being a loser: he wasn’t really that good at anything in particular. His grades were fine, admittedly a bit below average, but not terrible. But they certainly weren’t enough to get into any university that Yunho, Wooyoung, and Yeosang were planning on going to, which was his main concern.

The only good part of Mingi’s life was his friends. His life basically revolved around them, and it still does, so not being able to go to the same college as them was a terrifying thought. Which is why Mingi started studying harder than ever.

“Whatcha doing?” Wooyoung asked one day after noticing Mingi in the library after school. This was very unlike him because anyone who knows Mingi knows that he hated school and always wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Mingi jumped, seemingly not having noticed Wooyoung there before. “Oh! Um, just studying. You know, college stuff,” he explained clumsily. Why did he feel so nervous? It’s just Wooyoung, the same Wooyoung he’s known for his entire life.

“Studying? Since when did you study?” Wooyoung asked teasingly. Some people found that cheeky attitude of Wooyoung’s to be off-putting, but Mingi loved it because it fit right in with his sense of humor. That was part of the reason why they were such good friends.

“Since I needed to get into the same college you guys are going to,” Mingi said, the stress evident in his voice. This was obviously really weighing on him. “You know I can’t get into Sejong with my grades.”

Wooyoung frowned. It was true that Mingi’s grades were…on the weaker side, but he hadn’t ever considered the possibility of him not being able to get into Sejong with everyone. Going to college without Mingi was almost unthinkable. They had been together forever and Wooyoung wanted to keep it that way.

“I’ll tell you what,” Wooyoung said, taking a seat next to his friend. Mingi looked up at him with nervous eyes. To be fair, most of Wooyoung’s propositions were either very dangerous or very stupid or both. “I’ll help you study until the deadline for the application.”

Mingi’s eyes widened in shock and he was about to immediately refuse, but Wooyoung cut him off with an even more outlandish assertion: “And my parents and Yunho’s family are going to pay for your tuition.”

Now Mingi felt like sobbing, for so many reasons. Wooyoung actually wanted to help him and was willing to take time out of his incredibly busy schedule just to ensure that he had a fighting chance of going to the same university as his friends? Not to mention the fact that their families were willing to pay for his tuition? He actually felt somewhat lightheaded at the thought.

It’s true that Mingi’s parents had been relying on him getting a scholarship to be able to pay for his college education, but the chances of that occurring were seeming slimmer and slimmer when Minho’s grades failed to improve past a low B.

There were so many things he wanted to say to Wooyoung. Things like, “Are you crazy?” and, “There’s no way I can let you do that.” Maybe even, “Thank you.” But what he ended up saying instead was,

“You can’t do that.”

Instead of getting offended or even rescinding his offer (which Mingi both anticipated and feared), Wooyoung simply laughed. “Actually, I can,” he said, “and so can Yunho. You’re basically family to us and you know how much our parents like you. We’ve been saving up for this for a long time now and we were going to surprise you on your birthday, but it seemed like you needed a little extra encouragement now.”

Mingi wanted to thank Wooyoung and was practically forcing himself now to drop into a full bow, but what he did instead was equally embarrassing: he started crying. Loudly, too, and in the middle of the library.

But Wooyoung didn’t mind. He never minded. He always knew that Mingi was loud, and emotional, and a little silly, but he never minded. In fact, those were the things he was the most insecure about until Wooyoung started telling Mingi that’s what he liked most about him. He simply pulled Mingi into a hug as the boy continued to sob loudly, and stroked his back all the while.

It still isn’t exactly clear when Mingi started falling for his best friend, but if there was one moment he had to pinpoint, it would be that day in the library that he was sure he was in love with Jung Wooyoung.

#ateez #atiny #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #song mingi #mingi #jung wooyoung #jeong yunho #angst #hanahaki

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mfb-better-fury · 4 years ago

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Episode 2

Day

The boy from the observatory is exiting an airport on his quest to find Gingka by going to the WBBA headquarters. He momentarily stops to wonder if he should go elsewhere, but his musing is cut off as Johannes appears, forcing him into a bey battle. (Beat Lynx VS Mercury Anubius) Feeling outmatched, the boy decides to flee, but Johannes catches him easily.

Determined to find Gingka and share what he knows, the boy makes an escape by knocking numerous crates and boxes over.

At the WBBA, Kyoya is asleep in a bedroom with the new Leone sitting on the nightstand next to him.

Out in the hall, the others are gathered, having been joined by Hikaru. Gingka, Kenta, and Madoka are beginning to question Benkei about Kyoya’s condition. He is uncomfortable with this but admits there’s no point in hiding it anymore.

Shortly after the events of Battle Bladers, he had started noticing Kyoya acting somewhat strangely. Kyoya had denied anything was wrong at first, but after about a month he’d shown up out of the blue looking shaken. He’d then confided in Benkei that he was beginning to hear a dark voice in his mind. Obviously this concerned Benkei, and this worry only grew when Kyoya added it had gotten clearer over the past few days. He could now tell that it had latched on to his desire to defeat Gingka and was driving him to want more – to destroy him and Pegasus completely. Convinced this had to be L-Drago’s doing, the two of them had reached out to Hikaru and Tsubasa.

At the mention of her, the trio looks at Hikaru in surprise; she refuses to meet their eyes. She admits that what Benkei says is true – she and Tsubasa both had known about Kyoya’s issues all along. The three of them along with Benkei had decided to keep it all a secret so as to not worry anyone, though as they all knew from the World Championships that had not worked out with Tsubasa.

Madoka hesitantly starts to ask something but keeps faltering. Hikaru answers the unasked question – she’s never heard voices, exactly. For her it was a cold, crushing feeling when she launched Aquario, and nightmares when she slept. She is not eager to talk about this and quickly moves back to the topic of Kyoya.

Hikaru and Benkei explain that the reason Kyoya had distanced himself from them all after Battle Bladers was because of this voice, as he didn’t want to put them in harm’s way. Once it was loud enough that he couldn’t disobey it, however, costing him his spot in the Japanese representative team, he had decided that the only way to be free was to sate it. To do that, he had to find another way into the tournament so that he would be able to face Gingka. This is why he disappeared and formed Wild Fang.

Kenta asks if Nile and Demure know; Benkei solemnly confirms. Just as Benkei had found Kyoya with them, the dark power had spiked as it was realizing it would have a chance to face Gingka now that Kyoya was in an opposing team. It took all three of them to calm Kyoya and Benkei had confessed everything to them. There had been many more spikes during the championships, including one just before the press conference with Chandora. After they had snapped Kyoya out of it he wasn’t fit to attend, so they had sent Benkei as a way to cover their tracks and make sure no one knew something was wrong. Benkei adds with a sad smile that he is and forever will be grateful beyond words for them standing by Kyoya’s side, rather than running away to save themselves.

Gingka, Kenta, and Madoka are worried into silence from hearing all this. Hikaru sees this and assures them it’s not their fault and they shouldn’t feel like it is. As it is now, Tsubasa has broken free, and her nightmares are starting to dwindle. Benkei adds that this is the first time Kyoya has erupted like that since just after the World Championships, meaning it’s been a few months and they see this as great progress.

Even so, Gingka can’t stop himself from commenting that if he had been able to stop L-Drago when Ryuga had first reawakened, none of this would have happened to them in the first place. However, he let Pegasus’ anger about Ryo’s supposed death take control of him. He looks at the bey sadly. Benkei, Kenta, and Madoka remember the strange red aura that had surrounded him back then. Kenta says he had always wondered what exactly that was, and it makes sense that it would have been from Pegasus given the circumstances.

Hikaru is unable to provide Gingka with reassurance, not knowing what to say. She simply reaffirms that it is not his fault, no matter what he thinks.

After an awkward silence, Hikaru says she’s going to check on Kyoya and heads into the bedroom. Benkei watches her go; when Madoka asks if he’s going to follow he says no. Though he will follow Kyoya to the ends of the earth and fight by his side forever, this is one thing that Hikaru is better suited for than he is. He takes out Dark Bull to look at sadly, saying that it is all he can do to simply keep Kyoya from hurting anyone because he knows Kyoya would never be able to forgive himself if that happened.

The others are quiet for a moment before Kenta notices something and asks what happened to Bull. Benkei is caught off guard and tries to evade the question, but as he does so Bull is shown more clearly – it is rather heavily damaged.

Madoka cries out in alarm at this and demands to know what happened, before stopping herself as she remembers how Benkei had stopped the new Leone from hitting Pegasus, then proceeded to battle it. She realizes that Benkei has been going against Kyoya during these dark power spikes for months and feels horrible that she hadn’t thought to ask to check on Bull and Leone after the World Championships.

Benkei quiets her, saying that while he may not have the best tools like her or access to a bunch of new parts, he is still fully capable of taking care of his bey. During the World Championships, and even before that in the days of the Facehunters, he was the one who would clean and repair his teammates’ beys so they could continue to battle. This surprises them all as they hadn’t realized Benkei had this skill.

Even with this reassurance, Madoka begs him to let her give Bull a thorough repair while they try to figure out what’s going on with Leone. After looking at Bull again and thinking to himself that there is only so much he can do, and Bull has given him so much strength protecting Kyoya, Benkei relents on the condition that she allows him to help. Madoka agrees to this compromise.

In the WBBA bedroom, Hikaru is sitting in a chair close to the bed when Kyoya stirs. She is relieved to see him awake, but he doesn’t respond. His only action is to quickly look around then pick up Leone from where it sits.

After a lengthy silence, Hikaru gently tells Kyoya that Madoka would like to watch the new Leone in battle so they can try to learn more about it. Kyoya turns away at this. After another pause, Hikaru comes to a decision and leans forward a bit to say: “What if…”

Later in the day, the group along with Ryo is gathered in the multi-stadium arena in town. Kyoya and Hikaru aren’t present, making Ryo wonder what made them late when Hikaru was the one who told them Kyoya was ready to do the test battles and they should meet here. Though Kenta worries something may have happened to Kyoya, Benkei assures them that the two likely took a detour so that Kyoya could better clear his head before facing them. He then asks that they not bring up the incident, revealing one more thing – Kyoya hardly remembers anything that happens when the dark power spikes. The others are startled, but Ryo promises to keep quiet at least for now.

Moments later, Kyoya and Hikaru arrive. Hikaru apologizes for being late and explains they had needed to stop to pick something up. Kyoya says nothing and is clearly avoiding meeting their eyes. Due to his silence, Hikaru adds that Kyoya’s ready to get things started.

Benkei immediately offers to be Kyoya’s opponent, but Madoka shuts him down. She reminds him that Bull needs to be looked at and he should not battle until that has been done.

Gingka clenches his fists at his side and holds his tongue. Though he wants to help, he is certain that it would be a bad idea for Kyoya to battle him again so soon after what happened.

Kenta begins to offer to battle, but this time Hikaru denies it. She instead asks him to hold her tablet, then explains that Kyoya will be battling against her. Everyone else but Kyoya is shocked at this and Ryo asks if she’s certain. She responds by saying that it will be good for the both of them, then begins to head down to the stadiums without another word; Kyoya follows.

As they watch Hikaru and Kyoya take their places, Madoka expresses her concerns about Hikaru battling in a tournament-level stadium for the first time since Battle Bladers. Ryo is watching silently, hoping Hikaru knows what she’s doing.

Hikaru takes a moment to look at her launcher, then readies it. Kyoya only stares at her for a moment before speaking at last: “Are you sure?” The concern on his face is just as clear as it is on the others’ and Hikaru’s apparent confidence falters slightly. Her launcher lowers for a moment, but she then takes a deep breath and lifts it again. Her response: “I trust you, Kyoya.”

Her words hit, and Kyoya readies his launcher. In her mind, Hikaru reminds herself of something she has always been sure of: No matter what has happened to him, Kyoya is their friend. He would never hurt her.

The two count down and they both have a successful launch, which Ryo is happy to see. Madoka begins the analysis of the new Leone as it and Storm Aquario begin a steady but lighthearted battle. (? Leone VS Storm Aquario) Though troubled by everything that has been happening since yesterday, Gingka is relieved as he watches Hikaru slowly begin to relax and let herself get into it.

Outside in a park, the boy from the observatory hasn’t been able to shake Johannes. He’s now walking backward to keep an eye on Lynx but is flung back after a hard attack. Struggling to sit up the boy calls Johannes a bully; Johannes claims it’s not personal, just his job. He then calls for Lynx and the explosion knocks the boy further away. His cries call the attention of someone passing by, who considers the situation for a moment before turning in their direction.

As the boy tries to get a hold of himself, Johannes is snickering and saying that he should just give up now and go back home. Shaky and scared though he is, the boy refuses; Johannes tsks and says he tried to warn him before sending Lynx in for a finishing move. Before the attack can connect, they hear the call of someone launching their bey. Lynx is knocked away from Anubius as Storm Capricorn enters the battle, bouncing all over. Startled, the boy looks back in the direction the bey came from.

Tobio is still holding his launcher and muses aloud that he’s all about taking down a target, but there’s no point in a battle where the opponent has already lost their fighting spirit.

After a brief delay of confusion, the boy recognizes Tobio from Battle Bladers. He then hesitates because as he recalls, Tobio had entered as a member of the Dark Nebula. Then, out loud, he realizes something more important: “You know Mr. Gingka!”

Tobio acknowledges and agrees with this statement, to which the boy continues that he desperately needs to speak to Gingka as soon as possible. As Tobio gets a better look at the boy he finds that he looks somewhat familiar and wonders if he’s seen him in Gingka’s crew before. He decides it’s not important at the moment and turns his attention back to Johannes, telling him that if he wants a challenge then he and Capricorn will gladly oblige. Johannes watches Capricorn’s movements and the way it’s hitting Lynx for a few seconds, then hisses that this has become too annoying and calls his bey back. He takes off before either Tobio or the boy can say anything.

Tobio calls back Capricorn then turns to the boy, asking how he knows Gingka. The boy confesses that he’s never met Gingka but his cousin is often with him. This intrigues Tobio and he internally recalls that he hasn’t been able to pay Gingka and his friends back for helping him repair his, Ryutaro’s, and Tetsuya’s beys after Doji had made them battle Ryuga. As he looks at the boy again, he realizes why he looks familiar – he reminds Tobio of “what’s-her-face...Madoka”. He doesn’t remark on this yet, just tells the boy to call back his bey and they’ll go somewhere that he can get patched up. The boy watches him for a moment in silence before nodding, though he’s clearly wary.

In the arena, both Kyoya and Hikaru have managed to gain their footing. There is still clear hesitation in Hikaru’s calls to her bey, but she has started to smile. Kyoya has started to come out of his silence as well, though he is still fairly subdued.

Ryo observes that Leone is quite clearly much stronger than before and asks if Madoka has made any headway. She nods and begins to talk about her findings – Leone’s fusion wheel has been separated into a core and a frame, and if they rearrange these pieces, different modes are now possible to achieve. By flipping Leone’s fusion frame, Kyoya will unlock a counter mode instead of his typical defense. This is why after evolving, Leone’s hits had gained so much sudden power. In counter mode, Leone would be considered an attack type bey. On the other hand, if the fusion frame is flipped right-side-up, Kyoya should still be able to access defense-type features as per normal.

The others are impressed, but Gingka still wonders what caused the transformation in the first place. Ryo agrees with this and asks Benkei if he can remember anything strange happening before the battle took place. Madoka adds that he should share anything even if it seems insignificant.

After some thought, Benkei confesses that he may know something, though he’s not sure if it’s important. The night before last, he and Kyoya were training in Wolf Canyon. After Dark Bull was knocked out their training was interrupted by a light headed straight for Kyoya, now holding Leone. Once the light had faded and they could see again, Leone was left dimly gleaming and both bladers were confused as to what had just happened. He finishes with how since it had happened so quickly he assumed he must have just dreamed it.

Ryo is bewildered by the mention of “a light that fell from the sky” but Madoka remembers that she had seen the same kind of light pass by her window as she was working on Pegasus that same night. She then pauses and seems to contemplate something, murmuring about lights from the sky and wondering why that sounds familiar, though the others don’t hear this.

As for the battle, Hikaru has started to realize that although she is shaking, it doesn’t feel like the same cold fear that usually takes her over. No – this is excitement. She can’t remember the last time she felt this way. After taking a breath and clenching her fist, she thinks to herself that this is what she’s missed so much. Words from her mother, not from when she was a child but far more recently, pass through her mind: “At the end of the day, what beyblade is meant to be is a game. Taking it too seriously will take out any enjoyment you could get from it, and then what’s the point of battling at all?”

Hikaru knows she’s been letting her fear control her. For a while, she was too shattered to try and do anything about it. Now though, as she looks across at Kyoya who is still not quite himself, and down at Aquario which she can hear singing with the excitement of being active once again, she knows that just like Kyoya and Tsubasa have had to do, it’s her time to fight her fears.

As Kyoya is mentally noting Aquario’s attacks don’t seem to be very effective against the new Leone, Hikaru calls out and catches his attention. He finds her standing taller than she has in a long time, and she asks if he’d like to see if he can still take hits as well as he can dish them out. After a surprised pause, he manages a small smirk and wonders if she’s up to the challenge.

Hikaru tells Aquario that it’s time they let loose and have some fun, then calls for Infinite Assault. Aquario’s duplication technique goes into full effect, surrounding Leone and barraging him from all sides like waves crashing onto the shore of a small island. Noting that Leone is hardly bothered, Kyoya asks if that’s the best she’s got. Hikaru answers that she’s not done yet and she’ll make Leone lose its footing no matter what; her blader’s spirit has begun to rise around her for the first time in months. Kyoya tells Leone to stay steady; Hikaru tells Aquario not to hold back.

A pulse runs through the real Aquario, unnoticed. Before anyone can really process it, Hikaru’s spirit explodes and the stadium is engulfed in white light.

#Better Fury #Better Fury episode #BF Wild Winds Stormy Seas #Johannes #Kyoya Tategami #Benkei Hanawa #Hikaru Hasama #Gingka Hagane #Madoka Amano #Ryo Hagane #Tobio Oike #Captain Capri

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redhawtriot · 5 years ago

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Operation Unvirgin (Bakugou x Reader)

Tip Jar ☕- Not expected but always appreciated💞

I had this idea the other day that Bakugou probably would be super celibate. Like he is very goal oriented and doesn't like to attach himself to others, so I feel like he wouldn't have ever bothered with girls or even beat his meat or anything (the shit’s fucking perverted okay?! how could any decent person touch themselves?)

But he hears that Deku is boutta get laid and he gets pissed bc WHAT? That loser is gonna beat him in something?! So he goes on a mission to loose his virginity before Deku.

So I wrote the NSFW piece of this and it was UTTER GARBAGE, but I know that many of you guys are writers so think of this as a very informal request: Anyone can write the second half of this and tag me and I will repost it (except no non-con plz). It doesn’t matter how long it is.

If this completely flops I will ... sigh... post my shitty NSFW next week... (But please spare me and yourselves from that outcome)

HnM��

Bakugou never could understand all the hype surrounding the opposite sex.

The blond man would wrack his brain as he tried to remember the exact moment where his fellow peers stopped looking at girls like the enemy and started looking at them like walking deities, mindlessly floating behind them as if an invisible scent enchanted their spirits. Sometimes he felt like a lone soldier in sustaining self-respect.

In his isolated state, he only watched in disgust as freaks like Mineta and Kaminari drooled over women and reduced themselves into warm bodied zombies in the presence of a vagina. Pathetic.

He would never in a million years let a woman rule over him. He had seen how his hag of a mother treated his father, and he would rather stick his face in a vat of acid than have his soul belong to someone like that.

His stupid mom always told him that he would probably meet someone in high school that would change his mind, but there he was, the night after graduation, victorious in his pursuit of staying the fuck away from crazy broads like her.

In fact, this ridiculous graduation party that Kirishima had dragged him to was probably the last time he would see most of these extras, since he doubted many of them would make it past being D-listers or side-kicks—and that was him being generous.

The colorful beams of light took turns fading in and out of the dark room as the heavy bass of multiple speakers pounded into his body, sending a flurry of vibrations in his abdomen. Although, Bakugou would never admit this out loud, he actually enjoyed this scenery. The stomping of the music reminded him a lot of his own quirk and the lights weren’t completely hideous.

Yeah, as long as no one at this shitty party tried to talk to him or get on his nerves he would be just fine—

“Baku-brooooo!”

God Dammit.

“Hey, dude!” Kaminari threw a sloppy arm over the angrier blond’s shoulders as Kirshima, Deku and Mina all followed behind him through the dense party crowd. Now, if this had been two years ago, Kaminari just might have found himself short an appendage through an explosive altercation; however, throughout his high school career, Bakugou found that simply ignoring the idiots was usually enough to deter them from trying to converse with him.

So Bakugou swallowed the increasing rage that was bubbling in his throat and simply scoffed instead, swatting the man’s arm away from him and turning his back on him and his incoming entourage. Kaminari only laughed in response, “C’mon bro we are officially graduates! Ditch the bad boy act and loosen up a little—we are men now! Just ask Midoriya!” he slyly suggested.

The sound of his rival’s name piqued his interest, yet the stubborn man still refused to give the short-circuited idiot the satisfaction of knowing such a thing, so he continued to glare away from him as Izuku spoke up, “N-no it’s nothing really… Uraraka and I have just been together for a while. Honestly, I don’t even know if I will go for it. I don’t wanna be a jerk or anything bringing it up to her! Forget I said anything at all, actually!” the young man frantically waved his hands as his face became obviously red even in the dimly lit atmosphere.

Mina snickered as her hands found their way to her hips “The shy guy act is cute and all Midoriya, but every girl wants confidence in bed! I am sure she wouldn’t mind if the two of you at least talked about it,” she bumped the green haired boy with her hips as Bakugo furrowed his eyebrows even deeper.

Kirishima was the next to speak up “GO for it, man! There worst that can happen is that she’ll say no!” he heavily patted the concerned Izuku’s back, “But the manliest thing for you to do is respect her boundaries,” he quickly added in.

The green haired man shook his head at the ground, “I should have just kept my big mouth shut...”

“She won’t say no,” Mina sang with a mischievous expression drawn across her face.

The three boys turned their attention to her with confused glances before Kaminari spoke up, “C’mon Mina! You know something don’t you? Spill it!” he begged.

Mina looked as if she were contemplating for only a moment before he gestured for the men to come closer, “Don’t tell her I told you, but…” she trailed off for dramatic effect, “She was totally gonna try to seduce you tonight, Midoriya!!” She winked. Bakugou’s ears perked up at this statement,

“WhAT?” both him and Izuku cried out.

Kaminari and Kirishima laughed at the blond’s outburst, “So you were listening after all, huh Bakugou?” the latter questioned.

“What do you think of the situation, buddy?” Kaminari leaned into the explosive man with a smirk.

“I’m not your damn buddy,” Bakugou bumped the electrical dumbass away from him, “I think you idiot perverts need to stop worrying about whose panties you’re gonna fail getting into and worry about not being able to keep food on your fucking plates when your careers flop!” he barked as the four blinked in surprise at his sudden outburst.

Kaminari saw this as the perfect opportunity to mess with him, “Bakugou are you… a virgin?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS, PIKACHU,” the man under interrogation screeched.

“He totally is!” Kaminari threw his hands up in feign shock, causing Mina to giggle.

Izuku awkwardly shifted on the balls of his feet as Kiri loudly spoke up, “Hey guys, it’s not manly to butt into another man’s personal life like that.”

Bakugou ignored his defender and continued screaming at dumb and dumber through the loud music, “S-Shut the hell up!” his face was dusted in a light shade of red as he spoke. He tried to shake these foreign feelings of embarrassment away. So fucking what if he was a virgin?

“Deku still ain’t shit! Who fucking cares if he’s gonna get his dick dirty?! I could fuck any of these bimbos!” he loudly called out, causing a few girls crowding the area to throw him wary glances before they cautiously moved away. The group of friends noticed this and Kamari and Mina failed miserably at stifling their laughs at the scene.

“It’s ‘make love to’, dude…” Kirishima quietly correct his angry friend in a feeble attempt to save his future endeavors with women.

“NO. FUCK! I said what I meant dammit!” he yelled as he once again fought away the redness on his face, “I could fuck any one of these bitches within an inch of their life!” he furiously vowed.

“Any, huh?” Mina questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s what I fucking said, Raccoon eyes!”

“Then how about…” the yellow irises scanned the dense room for a moment before a smile split her face. She happily pointed a finger, “that one!”

Bakugou followed her finger through the crowd and found you on the other side of the room. The fading lights intermittently illuminated your features, but he knew exactly who you were— Y/N L/N. The only other person at U.A. known for being just as proud as himself if not more. Also known for having a slough of men on your heels at any given moment, but not giving a single one of them any significant time of day.

Mina snickered at Bakugou’s sudden silence, causing him to throw a glare at her. He fought of any creeping feeling of disheartened as he began a march toward your dancing figure, “Fucking easy” he roughly hyped himself up before approaching you.

“Hey,” he barked roughly. It didn’t really come off as much of a greeting and had more of a threatening tone to it, but in your shocked state you could only offer a half-hearted smile at the daunting man before returning to the conversation that you were having with your friends.

However, after a while, you noticed that your friends were distracted as their scared eyes kept darting behind you. He was still there wasn’t he?

You rolled your eyes before throwing a glare in his direction, “Do you fucking want something, dickhead?” you snapped.

“I SHOULD—” he began to threaten but he clamped his mouth shut and bottled up his feelings of rage from being disrespected before he continued, “You…” he barked, an unfamiliar feeling of uncertainty gripping at his chest, “I want you,” he said sternly. He had heard Kaminari say some stupid shit like this before and it worked. If it worked for an idiot like him then surely—

Bakugou’s thoughts were cut off as you simply threw your head back in a fit of laughter before turning your back to him to converse with your friends again, “Anyway,” you loudly began before beginning to talk to you friends again.

Bakugou’s face contorted in aghast uncertainty before he looked back to his classmates. Kaminari was giving him a thumbs down, Mina was giggling like crazy, Kirishima was beaming him a reassuring smile and Deku was no where to be found. Fuck! he probably went off to find Uraraka!

The thought set a competitive fire in his chest as he looked back toward you, “Let’s--“ he stopped himself to re-frame his approach. He thought of the words of encouragement that shitty hair might give him in this moment,

‘Treat her like a queen!’ ‘Ladies love a man with a code! Don’t tell her what to do, ask her!’

“Do... you want to dance,” he forced himself to ask through slightly gritted teeth. This was utterly humiliating.

“You think you can handle it?” you joked through a small smirk before eyeing him up and down. The man only averted his glare from you in response as he scowled at a nearby wall. You gave a small laugh at the display. It was almost childish how he was acting.

You suddenly noticed the red tint that was adorning his cheeks, sending a wave of excitement throughout your body. A sudden predacious urge clutched your abdomen at the sight.

“Okay,” you smiled after wetting your lips. You leaned into him before grabbing his forearm and leading him deep into the hot pool of dancing bodies. He stiffly followed after you.

If he thinks he can handle it then you’ll just have to show him how wrong he is...

#bakugou x reader #bakugou imagine #mha #my hero fanfic #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki Bakugou #bnha smut #mha smut #reader input

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mysterykidscasefiles · 5 years ago

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Mystery Kids and the Case of the Whispering Rock

Summary: Norman, Neil, Coraline, Wybie, Raz and Lili arrive at Grunkle Stan’s Summer Camp with the hope of having a summer of fun, or in the case of the two Psychonauts, with the intent of investigating a psychic disturbance. When they meet two twins that seem to be experts on the secrets of Gravity Falls, they find themselves reluctantly teaming up. But how much can they actually trust each other? There are secrets in this town, but more surprising are the secrets being kept from each other.

Table of Contents

Chapter 23: Lost and Found

“What? B-but that’s not possible!” Wybie exclaimed as he stared flabbergasted at the old cabin in the giant tree. “We walked away from it! In a straight line! How can we be back here?”

Coraline placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I know, Wyborn, believe me, I know.” Coraline looked miffed, but not quite as freaked out as her friend.

“This doesn’t make any sense!” Wybie continued in frustration. “I built this compass myself and we only traveled east! We couldn’t have made it back here!”

Dipper rubbed the bridge of his nose. “This happens sometimes, but don’t freak out. Actually, we’re lucky. In this forest, we could have ended up in worse places than here.”

“What do you mean?” Norman asked. “Has this happened to you before?”

“A few times,” Mabel said with a shrug. “It happens sometimes when we get lost or when we go too deep into the forest. It’s like the forest doesn’t want us to leave.”

Mabel’s tone was as cheerful as always and it seemed out of place for the situation. Raz wasn’t sure if it was comforting that she wasn’t worried, or if the girl just had an underdeveloped sense of danger.

“You two talk like the forest is alive or something,” Wybie said.

“It is alive, genius,” Lili said while rolling her eyes. “The forest is made out of trees and trees are alive.”

“That’s not what he meant, and you know it,” Coraline said, jumping to her friend’s defense. “He meant the twins talk like the forest has a conscience.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Dipper said, “But sometimes it sure seems like it… wants to keep us here.”

“What do you guys think we should do?” Norman asked the twins. “You two know the forest better than we do.”

“Well… we have to stop relying on our eyes,” Dipper said. “It’s only going to confuse us more.”

“And forget about common sense,” Mabel added. “It's useless here. Right is left and left is right. Backwards can be forwards and going in circles might as well be going straight.”

Dipper nodded. “The best thing to do would be to wait for nightfall so we can use the stars to guide us out. If we try and get out the conventional way then we’ll end up wandering around the forest until we pass out or get lost somewhere worse. We're lucky we keep coming back to this tree. One time Mabel and I wondered so far it became dark in the middle of the day.”

Mabel's smile faltered. "It wasn't a normal kind of darkness. There were no clouds or stars."

"How did you guys get out?" Neil asked with rapt attention.

Mabel glanced at Dipper, who has a far-off look in his eyes. “We’re not sure…” Dipper admitted. “To this day we still aren’t sure what happened. It was so dark that I couldn’t see Mabel even though she was standing right next to me. Luckily we had flashlights so we could walk without running into the trees. We were walking for about an hour, probably getting even more lost, when we heard a scratching sound coming to our left. When I shined the flashlight on where the noise came from we saw a small arrow scratched into the bark of the tree. It was fresh, so we knew something had just been right next to us when it had made the arrow.”

Did you follow the arrow?” Neil asked.

“We didn’t have much choice,” Dipper admitted. “Up to this point we were wandering aimlessly and I don’t think we could have gotten more lost. A few minutes later, we heard another scratching sound off to the side, but when we turned our flashlight towards it, we couldn’t see anyone. When we looked closer at the tree, there was another arrow carved in the bark. This continued to happen and we kept following the arrows until the sky started to lighten again and we could see the sun. No matter how hard we tried, we never saw who…. or what helped us.”

“I saw fur!” Mabel exclaimed eagerly. “I’m pretty sure whoever helped us had fur...I think. It was pretty dark.”

Dipper shrugged. “Those are the only things we have to go on. It might have had fur and it was obviously agile enough to avoid our flashlight.”

“You guys have seen a lot of strange things, haven’t you?” Raz asked thoughtfully.

“It’s this town,” Dipper admitted. “It’s weird… really weird. Mabel and I have seen things we can’t explain. I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can, but I didn’t want to drag you guys into it. As you can see, it can get dangerous.”

Raz entertained the possibility of searching through Dipper’s memories the way he had Coraline’s. There may be something in Dipper’s memories that would lead them to the disturbance they were searching for. However, something gave Raz pause.

He was still feeling guilty about the way he rummaged through Coraline’s memories and caused her to have a nightmare the previous night. He had wanted to find information that might lead him to the psychic disturbance, not to retraumatize her.

In addition, Raz didn’t really know what he was looking for. He knew Dipper and Mabel had seen weird things in the town, but would they really have information about the psychic disturbance they were looking for? There were also restrictions around looking through civilian memories, especially minors, Unless Raz had reason to believe they had information related to his mission, he wasn’t supposed to go through a civilian’s memories.

Raz decided that he would first try to ask Mabel and Dipper more questions about the mysterious things they have seen in Gravity Falls, as well as try and look around the town. If Raz discovered that Dipper or Mabel might know something related to the disturbance, and refused to share, then he would search through one of their memories.

“So, assuming we aren’t going to be saved by a potentially hairy monster that carves arrows into trees, what should we do?” Coraline asked.

“We are just getting ourselves more lost by wandering around,” Dipper said. “As much as I hate to be in this forest at night, we might have to wait for the stars to guide us out. That’s usually the safest way once we’re already lost.”

"We have to stay out here until it gets dark?” Wybie asked nervously, glancing around.

“I know it’s not the best plan,” Dipper agreed, sounding just as worried. “But it’s the only thing I can think of that wont get us more lost.”

“Actually, Lili is really good at reading a forest,” Raz spoke up. “The tree’s look different the farther you go in, and Lili can notice little differences like that. We don't have to wait. We can follow her out of here. After all, she was the one that knew we were going in the wrong direction from the very beginning.”

Lili didn’t react to Raz’s vote of confidence, but he could tell she was pleased. Raz knew Lili could use her herbaphony to get them back home easily.

At least, he hoped it would be easy. They had used a compass, gone straight, and still ended up back where they started.

“Hold on, it’s because of Lili we’re out here in the first place,” Coraline pointed out. "How can we trust her not to get us more lost?"

"Listen, Blue." Lili sneared. "I'm the only one that can get us out of here within the next few hours. So unless you want to wait until it gets dark and the Little Dipper can use the Big Dipper to get us home, then you'll shut your trap and follow me."

Coraline raised an eyebrow at Lili at the same time Mabel broke into a fit of giggles.

"Mabel, it wasn't that funny," Dipper said in annoyance.

"No Dip, it was hilarious!" Mabel choked out, barely able to breathe. “Little Dipper!”

"Well then..." Coraline said, a smile tugging on her lips. "I guess anything is better than nothing. Lead the way."

Lili turned around and walked past the giant tree. She was heading in the opposite direction they had been traveling in. There was hesitation from the group at first, but then everyone began following her. Raz tried to suppress the feeling inside of him that told him they were going the wrong way. He trusted Lili and she knew what she was doing.

Lili led them west, then north. Raz swore they passed the same trees that they had seen just minutes ago, but he kept quiet. There was one point where Lili led them around in what he thought was a definite circle only for them to end up in a completely new area.

Lili was frowning the entire time, a confused look on her face. She looked as lost as everyone else, but she seemed to put her faith in something other than her sense of direction.

They were traveling for a half an hour, but even Coraline held back her sarcastic commentary. Raz knew what Coraline was thinking without having to read her mind: Lili had either gotten them closer to home, or twice as lost.

Finally, the trees began to thin and Dipper let out a squeak of excitement. "I know where we are!" he shouted. "We're almost to the town!"

“How did you do that?” Neil asked Lili in awe.

“Like Raz said, I’m just really good at understanding plants,” Lili explained with a shrug.

“Man, it’s going to be so easy navigating the forest with you around!” Dipper said with a laugh.

Lili glanced at Dipper from the corner of her eyes, her eyebrows twitching upwards in surprise.

“Yeah, not bad Plant-girl,” Coraline said, nudging Lili with her shoulder playfully. “Looks like you are useful for something.”

“At least one of us is,” Lili said with a smirk.

Coraline rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. After a moment, Coraline’s expression faltered. “So umm…” she began awkwardly. “I guess I should have trusted you earlier when you said you knew the right way to go. That was my bad.”

Raz had a feeling that was as close to an apology that Lili was going to get, but from the look on Lili’s face, that was more than she had been expecting.

Lili shrugged. “Whatever, Blue. One of these days you’re going to figure out that I’m always right.”

Rax placed his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders. “And if she’s ever wrong, we’ll get the bravest or the most gullible person we know to break the news to her, so the rest of us can run for cover.”

Lili gave him a shove. “Shut it, Raz!”

Raz chuckled, stumbling a bit. He grabbed Lili’s hand in his own as they walked, and she allowed him to. This was the first time Raz noticed that Lili was slowly starting to relax around the other kids.

Raz glanced at his girlfriend and then back at the other kids. Raz knew this mission wasn't anything like what he and Lili had expected. They went into this thinking it would be a simple recon mission. They were just supposed to find the psychic disturbance and report back to Agent Nein.

Now, they were no closer to finding the psychic disturbance, but they did find a ghost of a psychic kid with false memories, a blue haired girl who was being hunted by a terrifying otherworldly creature, a magic cabin that used to belong to witches, and an even stranger forest.

Raz hoped that whatever happened next, he and Lili would be able to handle it on their own, and the other kids wouldn’t get themselves involved. However, with this group’s track record for seeking out dangerous and unusual situations, Raz wasn’t holding his breath.

End of Act 1

I actually finished act 1? It’s been how many years and act 1 is finally complete?! I’m still having trouble believing it. This story still has two more acts to it. I have a lot of Act 2 written, but it was written a while ago, so I have to do a lot of rewriting. But at least I have a pretty good outline.

Thank you all for all your comments, they really keep me going and inspire me to continue to work on this story. Let me know what you guys thought of act 1.

If act 1 is all about meeting each other, then act 2 is about learning to trust each other, and act three… well, I wont say too much there.

If you want to support me, here is the link to my ko-fi

Table of Contents <Previous Next>

#Mystery Kids #Mystery Kids Case Files #gravity falls #coraline #paranorman #psychonauts #Whispering Rock fic

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stray-inu-writes · 5 years ago

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Ko Murakami : Character Analysis

Despite being a secondary character (like most characters in WT), Murakami is part of the few chosen ones that got an actual backstory and a whole lot of defining characteristics, which lead him to be one of my favorites !

A Side Effect whose influence is more than a side effect

One thing I love about World Trigger is how Ashihara always shows the downside of what could be considered as a superpower, and Murakami is no exception to that rule. His enhanced sleep learning allowed him to rise to the top of Border without having to train as much as the others, a capacity that most students would love to have (me included). Earlier in life, he’s shown to improve quickly in every sport his friends introduce him to, and this ability was probably helpful in his academic cursus. He just needed to take a nap after class, and the lesson of the day was ingrained in his brain ; same goes for soccer tactics, volleyball moves…the list goes on. Heaven, right ? Except one little thing : social bonds are often forged through common struggles, especially during childhood and teenage years.

At this age, not struggling the same way as your classmates and friends translates to being unable to relate to them. How could Ko Murakami, 12 years old, understand why the others had to study hard to get a good grade, or forget things the teacher said in class ? It was obvious, he just remembered everything, so why weren’t the others the same as him ? When I read Ko’s backstory, my mind immediately linked it to a lot of gifted kid’s experience, where they feel isolated from their classmates. It’s explicitly stated that he lost a lot of friends to jealousy : every time they tried to teach him something (another popular form of bonding), he quickly surpassed them. Such a situation can easily take a toll on a young child or teen, and I believe that it’s exactly what happened, damaging the relationship he had with his Side Effect. Despising something that causes you isolation is perfectly normal, even though it gives you an advantage in other fields. Success doesn’t equal happiness, after all, and that was especially true for him.

The search for a purpose and a place where to belong is a central theme of everyone’s teen years and this belonging is usually found in friendship groups. For Ko, this search resulted in his enrollment in Border, most likely so as to put his talents to good use, since he had to deal with it anyway, but not in the big, shiny HQ in the middle of the city, no, in the Suzunari Branch. Ashihara mentioned in a Q&A that Murakami didn’t care to where he would get assigned to and I think he was even relieved to be sent in a newly created branch. New means that everyone is into unknown territory and it’s a very comfortable situation for someone like Ko.

However, the same thing happened : he got a mentor, Arafune, who taught him how to fight and use Attacker Triggers. In six months, the student surpassed his teacher and Ko found himself in a situation that seemed in all ways similar to what he went through during his childhood. In his mind, everything was going to repeat itself : he had made new friends, forged new bonds, but these bonds were at risk to be tainted by jealousy. As a matter of fact, this could have very well been the case, had his mentor been someone else than Arafune.

The path to acceptance

Fortunately for him, Arafune goals were very different from his disciple’s or really, anyone in Border, as he looked for a way to produce perfect All-Rounders. Ko’s experience with the effects of his ability mixed with a terribly bad timing and probably a lack of communication between them played an important role is the misunderstanding. We can see Ko completely breaking down, crying alone because thinking he lost another friend to his Side Effect was unbearable. It’s very likely that he kept this possibility in mind since the day he joined Border, and even the smallest sign that his fears may be true again was probably too much. That’s when the usual course of events suddenly shifts when he discovers that Arafune doesn’t resent him in the slightest and that Kuruma and Taichi don’t hesitate to comfort him. I can only imagine the relief he felt : for the first time, the people he let close to him didn’t reject him, in the contrary.

In Border, while there may be a rivalry between squads, everyone is working towards the same goal : protect Mikado from the Neighbors. In times of crisis, all teams come together and cooperate, because that’s what they trained from. This is even truer for the members of the same team, whose success depends on every one. Ko’s teammates don’t see his particularity as something disturbing, but as something they can all benefit from. It’s a very different perspective than his previous friends’, because another dimension was added. In organizations like the Border, people with unusual profiles and exceptional capacities aren’t seem as “too much” like it’s the case in others social situations where deviating from the norm is frowned upon.

Hence why Murakami’s own point of view of his Side Effect changed : he was no longer the weird kid, but someone who supported his team and helped others. Enhanced sleep learning went from factor of exclusion to a useful talent. Of course, Ko’s change of heart was probably gradual, because reevaluating something you believed most of your life isn’t done overnight, but that’s what made him into the Murakami we see through Yuma’s eyes.

A selfless and patient fighter

Ashihara could have gone the easy way and made him this super mysterious and edgy character – and with his backstory, he could have very well become a lone wolf ! - but he chose instead to create maybe one of the most human characters in World Trigger. Plot-wise, Murakami represents a turning point : he’s the first opponent to represent a challenge for Yuma. Our white-haired prodigy acknowledges that if the match had gone on, the losses and victories would have evened out, which is a very rare thing for him. However, Murakami is honest and doesn’t show any signs of arrogance when he gets to defeat his opponent, probably because he knows it’s because of his Side Effect and not entirely thanks to his personal skills (which raises the question : does he consider his ability to be entirely part of him or something he can separate himself from ?)

In general, the readers can see Murakami as a very humble young man, always polite, someone who could very well brag openly about his ranking but doesn’t in any way. More importantly, he’s defined by his undying loyalty to his teammates : he could have left them to get in a A-Rank unit with more prestige, but I believe the idea never came to his mind and for a very simple reason. He isn’t looking for glory, he’s looking for somewhere to belong and somewhere to be useful, and his skills fit perfectly into Suzunari-1. In a way, his new perspective on his Side Effect is that he has a responsibility, which explains why he often chooses the hardest tasks and takes the more risks : for his team. Murakami doesn’t think too highly of himself and wouldn’t mind to take a hit on his pride if that meant victory for them, something that others would be unable to do. That’s also why he trains relentlessly : he doesn’t satisfy himself of his current level, not because of his ego but because he knows he can do better for the others. (his hard-working nature has been confirmed by Ashihara himself in a Q&A !)

This unit is one of the few that consider themselves as more than teammates, as every interaction between them we get to see resemble a family’s. They all know they would be nowhere as high in the ranking without Ko, especially Ko himself, but he never belittles them. Even Taichi the klutz, who can be more of a burden than a help sometimes, is treated sweetly by him, while others may have snapped under the pressure. Other examples of Murakami’s patience are shown by his friendship with Kage. Kageura obviously isn’t an easy person to get along with considering his outbursts and his irritability.

That’s where we can notice a pattern in Ko’s friendships : they all are honest (sometimes to a fault) and simple people. He probably wouldn’t enjoy that much the company of someone like Jin who often hides his true feelings. Murakami likes real people, and it’s extremely coherent with his backstory. In the past, he had to deal with friends that let him down when something didn’t work out the way they planned, and now tends to befriend people who are unapologetically themselves, meaning they don’t conceal their true personality and thoughts behind a mask they use to be liked or well seen by the others (Kage couldn’t give more a shit about people’s opinion of him).

And of course, Murakami isn’t all serious ! He’s shown various times to be amused by his friends’ behavior or to mess with people in a harmless way, like the time when he makes Yuma believe Kage’s Side Effect is to read minds.

(does my crush show through this analysis ? Absolutely.)

I could have gone into some points in a little more depth, but that will be all ! Also, there are some moments where my limits in using the English language are blatant and I apologize in advance. Next one will be Reiji ! It will probably be shorter, since I’m always more proficient in analyzing my favorites, even though I like Reiji very much 😊

#world trigger #ko murakami #wt #character analysis #i spent too much time writing this

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braveskyered · 4 years ago

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Dames Special - Winter Holidays 2

It is highly recommended that you read Knights before reading this, otherwise you may miss some context.

SPOILER WARNING!

This reveals heavy spoilers for Knights, if you have not read Knights up to Part 14 and onward, please turn away now. Otherwise, read at your own risk.

SPOILER WARNING!

Lance misses his nephew.

He remembered the day he took Arthur in with open arms, taking the time to help him through his trauma of being thrown away from the failures that called themselves his parents. To help distract Arthur, Lance had started showing him the trade of repairing cars and his general work at his repair shop. He couldn’t help but smile slightly at the warm memory of Arthur happily working alongside him once he started to become more confident.

He took a drink.

“Still no luck in finding him?”

The sound of the mug slamming down on the table is his answer.

“…I’ll get you some water, sir.”

Lance is thankful that the bartender knew how to read the mood.

He should’ve known what was happening. That Arthur was unhappy, that he was suffering, that he was being abused and blamed for something that wasn’t even his fault. That boy had a rough life. From the unhappy childhood, his parents going through that awful divorce, to living with his uncle, and now…

Lance knew for a fact that he had failed Arthur as his uncle.

Eight months ago, Arthur, his nephew, his boy, had disappeared from Tempo. Lance was the last person to see him.

“Lance, please,” Arthur had set Galahad’s cage aide on a nearby table and looked at him in the eye, “I need this. I just, I just want to be able to think about things without anyone saying anything. I just need some time away from here. I just…” His breath hitched, “I need a break, Lance. Please. I’ll even call you once I reach my destination.”

Lance never did get that phone call.

He looked up at the TV hanging from the corner of the bar that was channeled to the local news station. Things that happen in Tempo are usually pretty uneventful, but now, as of late…

Two More Bodies in Serial Suicides – Reported to Have Similar Nightmares

It has disturbed Lance to think that Arthur could be among the dead, but from what the police had told him, his nephew has not been identified among the victims. He turned away from the TV and took another sip of the beer he had been drinking. Hopefully that bartender will be back with the water soon.

I’ll be home for Christmas… You can plan on me…

The sound of Christmas music started playing once the news ran its piece, which caused Lance to actually notice the décor around the bar itself. Honestly, it didn’t improve his mood one bit. If anything, Lance would rather have a Christmas like the one he had last year compared to this.

While last year’s Christmas wasn’t the best, it still had Arthur in it, even though it was mainly him going through treatments and physical therapy after the loss of his arm.

“Your water, sir.”

The bartender finally came back with the water, which Lance welcomed.

Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents by the tree…

Lance didn’t recall hearing this version before. Slow lyrics, gentles tunes without a beat, was it supposed to sound this sad? Well, if one were to consider the origins of the song, I’ll Be Home for Christmas…

Christmas Eve will find me, where love light gleams… I’ll be home for Christmas…

“If only in my dreams.”

Lance didn’t sing along to it, but the words did resonate with him. Tomorrow, this would be the first Christmas without his nephew ever since he took the boy in. A part of him held on to the vain hope that Arthur would come home, but with him being missing for eight months now, the chances of him being found are almost second to none according to what the police had told him.

He paid his tab and started to walk his way home.

When he returned to Kingsmen Mechanics, Lance looked over the parking lot, expecting to see his nephew waiting for him at the entrance, holding a gift or even just waiving to him.

But Arthur is nowhere to be seen.

He clenched his fists and furrowed his brow. Ever since Arthur left, things in Tempo have gone straight to hell in more ways than one. The demon that ruined Arthur and the fragile bonds the boy had, that made everyone except Lance and probably Vivi turn against him, that caused the series of events that made everything from bad to worse… and most, if not everyone in Tempo, know what happened.

Lance shoved the imagery of what happened to the Peppers out of his mind. Although they’ve lived to tell the tale, Joe and Lokia Pepper obviously didn’t deserve what happened to them, but a part of Lance felt that it was well deserved, as sickening as the thought is. The Yukino family didn’t suffer as much, but their reputations did take a nosedive of sorts. Not even the cranky old lady that managed to seal Lewis in his home on the outskirts were exempt.

The townspeople are suffering from awful nightmares. Nightmares of such painful degree that some of the more desperate would rather end their own lives instead of trying to seek out help, or maybe to escape from it. Those that keep going are disgusted with what the Yukino and Pepper families have done, which involved kickstarting the series of events that made their lives so hellish

Oddly, Lance himself never had the nightmares. Instead it’s just the sad dreams of seeing his nephew crying. Sometimes Arthur would be a little boy crying over a scraped knee or something minor, a young teenager upset about being abandoned by his parents, a young adult trying to keep it together while enduring so much undeserved punishment, or just Arthur in general wanting to end it all.

Throughout all these dreams, Lance is unable do anything to comfort him. He couldn’t protect Arthur, let alone hold him or even just say that everything will be okay.

And it’s not.

In contrast, business at Kingsmen Mechanics had been somewhat booming ever since Arthur left, but Lance would give up his shop in a heartbeat if it meant getting his nephew back. But until then, he will keep the place going. Other than making the bed, cleaning the dust off of Galahad’s long empty cage, and cleaning up some stray parts from the desk and placing them in boxes to keep them from getting lost, Lance kept his nephew’s room exactly how he left it.

Should Arthur ever be found, he will have a place to return to. However, if by some chance Arthur is found in peace elsewhere, Lance will most likely just pack his bags and join him just so he can be there for his nephew.

Eventually, Lance reached the front door of his shop that doubled as his home. Reaching for the key in his pocket, his eyes trailed over to the mailbox. He didn’t remember the last time he checked the mail earlier this week, so after unlocking the door, he looked through his mailbox and found a few envelopes. The first one that appeared in his sight happened to be a utility bill much to Lance’s annoyance.

Shivering, Lance entered the shop and locked the door behind him and checked to see if the closed sign is on. Nodding to himself, he moved further inside to reach the kitchen. A mug of hot cocoa will probably do him some good to warm up.

After Lance set the kettle of water on the stove to get it to boil, he looked through the thick stack of mail that had accumulated on the kitchen table, not counting the few he had collected just earlier. One of his employees had the grace to sort through the mail for him. A pile for bills, a separate one for solicitations, and anything that didn’t fit either were in its own category.

Sorting through the mail, Lance carefully looked through the bills and saw that all the medical bills for Arthur had been paid off somehow. He didn’t know why, but he figured that Arthur had something to do with it when he saw a patent on one design of the prosthetic arm he made in another envelope. The bills that are linked to the utilities of both his home and Kingsmen Mechanics show that the automatic payments are still going on, so Lance kept them for record’s sake after writing the dates on the envelopes themselves.

The solicitations were just basic things. Roof repair, gardening (why that’s there when his property is almost nothing but sand and cacti is beyond him), suggestions for hospice care even though he’s nowhere near ready to kick the bucket, and then one about some local election for some event he didn’t care about.

The final pile only had three envelopes. Two of them were Christmas cards from some friends of his out of state, while the last one is… odd. He flipped the envelope back and forth. It has the shop’s name and address written by hand, but no return address to be seen. He looked back at the address, and upon looking at it more carefully, he saw that the “i” in the “Kingsmen” had been dotted with a tiny star.

He immediately ripped open the envelope and started to read with shaky hands.

Hey, Lance,

I hope you’re doing okay.

I’m sorry for leaving, but I didn’t have much of a choice. Even though I’m sure you want to, but please don’t look for me.

It took a lot of self-convincing for me to do this, but I want to let you know that I’m all right. I have my own place to live and I even found a job to keep the roof over my head, so you don’t need to worry about me. I’m safe at where I am. I’m okay. Galahad is fine, too.

I won’t be able to get a reply from you, but I hope that this will be enough to put you at ease at the very least.

Merry Christmas, Uncle Lance.

- Arthur Kingsmen

- - - - - - -

“…Ah! There we go.”

She smiled in satisfaction once she saw the concoction before her reach the desired consistency. Dipping the ladle into the pot, she scooped out the liquid and poured it into a small group of mugs before adding the whip cream and marshmallows.

“They’re ready, Dad!”

“Wonderful,” her father, Tom, stepped into view and placed all of the mugs on a tray, “You always make the best hot chocolate, Elaine.”

“You’re the one who taught me how to make it,” Elaine laughed before realizing, “Oh, leave two of them behind.”

“True, but you have that kind of touch that I don’t. And sure,” Tom chuckled, did as Elaine asked and started to walk away, “You mother said the turkey should be ready in the next ten minutes.”

“Okay, thanks.”

After making sure the stove is off, Elaine took the two mugs and walked into the living room.

Elaine is currently in Mama Vivienne’s home celebrating Christmas with her family. Even though the Knights family never considered themselves religious, they still celebrated the occasion as a time of togetherness and maybe exchanging a gift or two. Although not everyone came, her parents, aunt and uncle, and her cousin with her own little family, were enough in her opinion. Less drama that way, she thinks.

It’s a shame Nana Niniane couldn’t stay for very long, but she had her reasons, Elaine figures.

She wondered if Eleanor should’ve have stayed home, since her cousin is currently pregnant with her second child. At least Eleanor has her husband with her should anything happen.

Instead of approaching any of her family members, Elaine instead walked over to where her boyfriend is. She saw him sitting on one of the old sofas, looking out the window behind him that showed the world outside with a lost expression.

The two of them have been dating for about three or four months now. Then again, calling it dating would be a bit of a stretch. It’s more of Elaine gradually asking Arthur to join her in little activities and making him feel included as per Mama Vivienne’s suggestions. That boy needs to get out of his apartment every once in a while, to get some sunshine, she once said.

“Hey, Arthur,” Elaine gently announced herself to catch his attention, feeling a little bad at having startled him, “I made you some hot chocolate.”

Arthur looked at her before directing his gaze at the mug held out to him. He just stared with a blank look before finally blinking in realization.

“Thank you,” he said as he accepted the mug from her, “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to,” Elaine said as she sat down next to him, “It’s snowing pretty hard out, isn’t it?”

“It’s definitely something I’m not quite used to seeing yet,” Arthur shivered as he rubbed at his left shoulder with his free hand, “Or feeling, I should say.”

Elaine hummed in acknowledgement as she sipped at her hot cocoa. She knew that Arthur used to live in Texas, which isn’t exactly known to have heavy snow, let alone snow in general. She felt a pang of pity when she realized that Arthur is bundled up a bit more warmly that she is. A turtleneck sweater and a somewhat thicker vest just to stay warm.

“Are the phantom pains bothering you?”

“Not really, the medication your grandmother helped me get is doing wonders. It’s just so cold.”

“Well, that hot chocolate ought to warm you right up,” Elaine smirked with amusement, “Drink it before it gets cold.”

Seeing Arthur grin is such a treasure in Elaine’s opinion. She wished she had a camera with her to capture the moment.

“It’s good,” Arthur said softly as he looked into the mug, “I think this is the best I’ve ever had. I just wish my uncle could have this with us.”

Elaine was about to straighten herself with pride before noticing the melancholy in Arthur’s voice and hearing the mention of his family.

“It’s funny,” he looked out the window again, “This would be my first Christmas without him. I guess I now understand why I’ll Be Home for Christmas is so sad.”

“We could call him,” Elaine gently suggested, “Wish him a Merry Christmas. Or a Happy Holidays.”

“I would, but I can’t,” Arthur smiled sadly and shivered, “If I did, they’ll find me. I don’t want to get dragged back there. Not even my uncle could stop them.”

…

Just how horrible was the person that did such emotional damage to this kind man? So much that he couldn’t allow himself to even get into contact with his family?

“I hope my letter got to him.”

Elaine chose to remain quiet.

I hope so, too.

- - - - - - -

P. S. – If all goes well, I might be able to write to you more often. Don’t tell anyone about these letters, okay?

Lance reread the words again. And again.

This is definitely Arthur’s handwriting. The little details that Arthur left on both the envelope and the letter itself proved it. To think that his nephew remembered the little code that Lance had taught him. Dotting the occasional “I” with a small star, the curve of the T’s and the K’s…

The note is genuine in what it’s saying.

In a sense, a part of Arthur did come home for Christmas.

But for Arthur himself to be here…

“If only in my dreams…”

Lance could only shed tears as he gingerly picked up the letter like it was Arthur himself.

#msa knights #msa dames #msa fanart #mystery skulls animated #msa arthur #arthur kingsmen #msa lance #lance kingsmen #elaine knights #fanfic #fanfiction

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todororororokiy · 4 years ago

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Voltron is trending so here’s how I’d remake Voltron: Legendary Defender

I’d like to preface this with a few things 1) I loved season 1 and 2, I was a die hard Voltron fan from the second I started watching, and while I had issue with season 3-6 I was ok with them 2) I never watched season 8 and I only watched half of 7. From what I hear, this was a good decision 3) I spent six hours straight working on this, so I apologise for any spelling mistakes or errors 4) None of this belongs to me.

Ok, basic setup is the same except for one thing, Shiro is aged down. It never made sense to me to have Shiro be 25, and the rest of them be 15-18, it seemed like a very big gap, and as we can see from Fandom it caused a lot of discourse. So every bodies aged as such, just for reference:

Shiro: 20

Allura: 22

Keith: 18

Lance & Hunk: 17

Pidge: 16

One more note, all seasons would be about 11-13 episodes long. It has never made sense to me why four of the eight season were 6-7 episodes and the rest were a normal length.

Season 1 & 2

Both of these seasons were great. Voltron was a really good show for these first seasons. There’s nothing to change here.

Season 3

Plot Changes

Nonoe at the moment. There would be more scenes added and obviously some scenes would be altered but over all the plot is intact.

Shiro’s Disappearance

In this version everyone has a different opinion on Shiro's disappearance, I never felt like they did in the show.

Keith, obviously, thinks he’s alive and so does Pidge.

Hunk and Coran remain doubtful, though they each have a little hope, Coran more so than Hunk

Allura and Lance both think the worst. Side note: this is where we see Lance and Allura properly transition from slightly awkward coworkers to friends. Their shared grief and angst helps them bond and open up a route for them to start communicating. They kind of got over him being a creep reallysuddenly, and that doesn’t happen, even if he had stopped the behaviour, I think she’d take some time before she allowed him to be her friend.

Pidge and Her Family

Pidge is super isolated in the original show. While her arc, I felt, was about trusting the team and leaning on them more for support. To come out of her shell, and be defined by something greater than her family and love for technology.

In this version everyone wants to help find Matt and Dr. Holt. Having her connect with the team by them wanting to help, and especially them wanting to help in the wake of Shiro’s disappearance feels like a logical move. Everyone’s devastated about Shiro one way or another, and they want to see Pidge get her family back. It brings the team members hope for Shiro.

Lion Swapping and My Many Issues with it

the lion swap should have been temporary. Something they had to do but would try to avoid as much as possible.

Originally everyone wants Allura to pilot Black. She’s their commander and so should take up the mantle of leader. But black refuses her entry.

In this version everyone in the team says that they’re making do with what they have. That Allura is their commander of their operation, Shiro their leader. We see in this episode there’s almost a bit more of an understanding between the paladins, we seen that each has grown to see one another for the person they are rather than the person they initially thought they were.

We see struggle both in the team as they can’t make voltron, and having no real commander as Allura’s been forced to pilot the Blue lion. We also see a major issue arise because Allura CANNOT connect with blue. Keith, Allura and Lance can fly in them, but they can’t unlock any of their elemental powers. It’s impossible. We see through this season moment where ice or fire or teleportation might be useful but the paladins have to find ways around it because of this handicap. The emphasise that the lion swap isn’t something to be taken lightly and is a real issue.

Lance and Feelings of being Inferior

Lance feels like he’s he’ll never match up to Keith throughout this season as Keith has started to prove that he’s more of a leader than Lance has.

Because lance’s friendships with everyone have deepened, they start to encourage him a bit more, be more supportive towards him.

We see Lance stand up for himself as well when Hunk and Pidge make comments about his intelligence that actually really hurt him, we see them being surprised, but then they profusely apologise and say they were joking, we see an absence of said jokes after this point. This helps build Lance’s self esteem a little

Keith and Lance’s friendship also has room to breath as Keith is y’know, around, and not off with the blade. Through this friendship Lance comes to realise Keith isn’t all perfect and that he might be holding himself up to unrealistic expectations, though he still doubts himself a lot

The Clone Plot Line/The Lance and Shiro Plot Line

The clone plot line? Loved that soooooo much, it could’ve been so good, we could’ve had so much interesting stuff, and we did, The Black Paladins is fantastic, but they did nothing else, and I feel like even in that episode the clones were set dressing.

There was also the issue of Lance breaking down into tears in season six. What was that? He didn’t have the emotional connection to Shiro I felt the show was implying he did. We’re gonna fix that.

We see Lance and Shiro become closer friends while he’s a clone.

Clone Shiro is a lot more vulnerable and less guarded with his emotions than original Shiro was, and a little more willing to joke and be more lenient, even if this can also back fire when he explodes into fits of rage.

This allows everyone to get closer to him, but especially Lance, who I feel up until this point was just always at a weird point in his relationship with Shiro where they were friends, but Lance got the impression Shiro didn’t like him a whole lot and Shiro got the impression Lance found him very intimidating and scary, and had zero idea how to deal with this.

Keith and Leadership

Keith’s time as a leader helps teach him some things and really gets the ball rolling on showing the audience that he can be a leader even if he initially struggles

season 4

Plot Changes

Keith floats between the Blade and Voltron for maybe an episode of two.

Everyone is convinced that once Shiro can fly black, things can go back to normal.

After returning from a mission the castle ship gets attacked and everyone runs to their lions. Allura and Lance pipe up over the comms on their helmets that they can’t access Blue or red. Lance runs to see if he can convince Blue to stop being like this

Meanwhile Keith has a talk with Coran and comes to the realisation that he wants to be apart of the team while Pidge, Hunk and Shiro try to deal with the threat themselves. He gets the message from Allura who comes running into the room saying they can’t access red. Lance was able to get into blue however. Keith rushes off with his mind decided, he hears red in his mind. They form voltron for the first time since shiro’s disappearance.

Everyone’s helping Pidge look for her father and brother and at the start of an episode we get a scene of them all discussing some potential clue while they train.

The episode where Pidge finds her brother follows the same outline, but everyone’s there helping her. However the really emotional scenes ie the graveyard scene and later on when they’re reunited, take place with only Pidge and Matt so the moment isn’t ruined

Instead of Keith discovering the trap at the end of the season, it’s Allura as Keith is with the Voltron team on the planet, trapped.

Shiro gives some “this isn’t the end of the line” speech and talks about how they’ve all connect more over the past few months, and they’ve become a real family and nothing can change, even if it all ends here. That causes the others to all connect with their lions on a deeper level, and it helps them raise out of the field, but only a little. Then Shiro asks black to trust him, to put her faith in him once again. He tells her he knows somethings wrong with him, that he doesn’t know how to fix it. That what they did to him was terrible- and she flashes something in his mind telling him off for such negative thoughts and they connect. Voltron rises.

Keith, Conflict, and Starting to become a Leader

The season begins with Keith still struggling to decide how to spend him time. We see more of this struggle, that starts in this episode. He’s trying to spend as much time with Voltron and as much time with The blade as he can.

He feels connected to the blade due to his heritage and believes somehow he’ll be able to find some sense of family. But he’s more connected to his team and Voltron. We, as an audience, know that he’s already found his family in Voltron at this point.

We also see everyone deeply worrying and missing him. With frequent calls and messages exchanged back and forth between everyone and Keith. He feels this worry and doesn’t know what to do, because for the first time in his life he has a family that cares about him.

As the season goes on we see Keith prove himself as a leader without being the leader of Voltron. When Shiro’s incapacitated we see him take charge and guide everyone.

One particular moment would be Keith having to command a group of alien soldiers, and get them all to follow him and help fight off some Galra from their planet. In this we see Keith struggle slightly to control everyone, before he gets the hang of it and leads everyone to victory and safety.

The Clone Plot Line

Because Shiro is a clone he cannot access the black lion. This is sort of implied to be because she knows he’s a clone and refuses to let him in because his quintessence is screwed up.

Lance and Shiro are seen to confide in each other a lot, and Shiro tells Lance things he feel he can’t tell anyone else, even Keith, for fear they’ll worry too much.

We see the start of Shiro’s headaches in this season, and Lance helps soothe them.

Shiro does eventually access the black lion, but only because of some hard core begging and Keith being back

When we see Haggar we realise she’s spying on the paladins through Shiro. Some way or another we also learn that they were able to make this clone using DNA samples from Shiro amputated arm that they preserved.

The audience can also come to the conclusion that the reason Shiro gets a headache’s is because of Haggar looking through his eyes.

Pidge’s Family

Pidge gets a lot of clues about her family and the team helps her track down Matt and Dr. Holt.

We see a lot of team bonding over this as they try to break down clues and discover where they are, and how to get to them.

The whole arc surrounding her brother and father is a little more in depth.

As this arc goes on in this season we also see Pidge being to come to see the other paladins as her family. Pidge is the last one to have this realisation and it really solidifies them as a family unit

The team all have a really sweet moment where Pidge announces that she’s glad she had the help of her family to help find her brother.

Lotors motivation: what are they?

Before we get into the next four season, I’d like to specify Lotor’s motivations, and the reasons behind why he does what he does.

Lotor is troubled. He was abused as a child. His parents were corrupted and evil, and there was nothing he could do about. He suffered greatly emotionally and physically when they raised him. He was desperate to please them.

As he grew and tried to both find a balance between acquiring large supplies of quintessence and keeping the local people of the planets they were mining happy, he was punished for these digressions. He became angry, and started to hate the Galra. Blaming them for everything wrong in the universe. Believing that without them his parents would not be like this.

Lotor wants to bring back Altea, he comes to believe that they’re absence in the universe has caused the Galra to take over. He thinks they’ll be able to undo, and fix everything bad in the universe. The problem is, there aren’t a lot left of them. There are a few, scattered, and hunted down by the empire and eventually all will be caught. It scares him and when Altea was destroyed, along with millions of Alteans so easily.

Lotor realises he can no longer try to convince his father and mother that what they’re doing in wrong. He decides to make the colony to protect the remaining Alteans. To hide them away in a far, far off planet in an odd section of space the Galra don’t have interest in.

He comes to learn of alternate realities and ways to reach through and get to them. He believes, and in his mind he knows, that what he has to do is find some reality where Alteans are the ruling class, and not any Alteans, these Alteans, the version that existed just before Altea was destroyed. He won’t bring all of them over, just some, slowly and efficiently until there’s enough to defeat the Galra empire and bring back peace to the galaxy.

Lotor comes to realise the sheer amount of power this will require however, and comes to a dark realisation. He harvests some of the Alteans for their quintessence. Because the ends justify the means. He will bring peace and harmony to the universe if it’s the last thing he does. Even if it means a few sacrifices.

Back to our scheduled programming

season 5

Plot Changes

Keith is still with the team.

Zarkon doesn’t die in the second episode of the season. Cause what was that. Like seriously.

Allura and Keith are the first to like and trust Lotor for different reasons

Everyone else is far more sceptical. They still don’t trust Lotor. He seems sketchy.

The team have more direct encounters with Zarkon and a lot of different fractions of the Galra empire this season due to Lotor. While the Galra all unquestionably follow Zarkon.

Many Galra say that Lotor “has all the thirst for power that Zarkon does, all the thirst for quintessence but none of the courage to stand up and take it” which paints him in a better light as they all interpret this to mean he’s not anywhere near as cruel as Zarkon.

We see in a sort of one off shot of them post saving a planet that Shiro still cannot figure out what’s wrong with him, while Lance tells him that there isn’t anything wrong with him. A shallow comfort as they both at this point don’t believe that.

The blade offer Keith a mission right before the battle where Zarkon dies, a mission to do with something important, and is too take place after their current mission. Keith believes it may be his mother, and Lotor and the team pushes Keith to take the chance. He doesn’t want to leave the team but Lotors words about seeing his mother for what she truely is. Lotor means this in a really sinister way we later find out. Keith asks Red to once again give her command to Lance and both Blue lion and red accept the changes.

Zarkon dies at the end of this season, a fight between Lotor and him, we see a lot of emotion, and tense fighting. Zarkon dies to his son.

Pidge’s Family

The whole thing with Pidge’s father remains, and so does going back to earth. It’ll take a long time, but Pidge’s father feels he doesn’t belong here the same way his children do. He’ll be back, they’ll see each other again some day soon.

Alongside this we get the confirmation that Pidge really does feel that the team is her family just as much as Matt, and her parents are.

The Clone

On the Shiro front, he feels terrible, things have only gotten worse for him, he feels completely unlike himself.

Because of the severity of his headaches, the team puts him in the healing pods a few times, but they do nothing, everyone is worried.

Lance especially had a few fears as he hears more and more worrying information from Shiro about nightmares he keeps suffering. Shiro asks him not to tell anyone.

While Shiro doesn’t tell even Lance, we the audience learn of his illness and his ex boyfriend and the issues that arose because he wanted to go to space.

Keith, Galra Heritage and Leadership

Keith warms to Lotor surprisingly quickly. He finds comfort in talking with someone like Lotor about his Galra heritage. Lotor is half Galra, and while the rest of the paladins are supportive. They don’t understand it in the way Keith believes Lotor understands it

While Keith does hear some worrying comments from Lotor, he ignores them, as he doesn’t want to lose this connection.

We see Keith act more as a leader this season as well, with him again leading planets of aliens, and at a few points, Voltron when Shiro’s headaches incapacitate him

Lance and Self Esteem

Through this season we see Lance come into himself a little more. As per the last season he’s been more honest with everyone and it’s made him happier

We also see Lance realise he doesn’t really want to be a big leader like Shiro and Keith. That while he can, he doesn’t want to. He prefers taking a step back. In this realisation he becomes a lot more confident in himself as the teams sharpshooter, something everyones been calling him since season one. His gun transforms into a sniper rifle with this realisations and he and the team are amazed.

being back in blue also helps reaffirm this as he and blue continue to power up together.

Allura and Lotor’s Developing Relationship

Allura warms to Lotor after some initial hesitation, as she comes to believe he wants the same thing as her, the return of a peaceful time, and harmony in the universe. He wants desperately to find some way to restore the universe and they bond and develop genuine romantic feelings.

Allura and Lotor start sorta dating in this season towards the ending, before everything goes to shit, and he slowly begins to want to reveal his true plan to her.

We also see Lotor’s many conflicting emotions surrounding his father. Him killing Zarkon at the end of the season serves to cement Lotor as a good guy to everyone, and a symbolic way of freeing him from his past.

Side note: the monsters and mana episode takes place in this season before Keith leaves and things take a nose dive into serious business

Season 6.

Plot Changes

This season begins with Voltron fighting a small army of Galra fighters.

Many Galra, in preparation for the Kral Zera, have started to prepare their armies and followers so they can take over the Galra empires at the kralzera

Lotor, with the help of Voltron takes his “rightful” place as ruler, this is because, while Shiro and Lance are still a little skeptical all the other have at least become friendly.

This season follows the paladins as they attempt to be Voltron while Keith is out on a long mission. They miss him, and just like at the beginning of season 3, we see a litany of messages and texts, and voicemails and a few videos sent to him. Even though they don’t get a response. The blade informs the team that Keith will not be able to contact them for some time. The team continues to message him in spite of this.

Lance dies. Lance fucking dies and everyone has a major freak out and there is visible grief and horro among the paladins. Allura brings him back much to everyone’s relief.

we see a lot of angry aliens in this, both over the fact they’re siding with Lotor and over the fact they’re not doing anything immediate

After they come out of the quintessence field, Lotor reveals his true plans to her. She’s horrified and disgusted, much to his chagrin and takes off in one of the Sincline ship.

At the same time as Allura is having this moment, so too are the paladins. Keith has returned with his mother, and an Altean to back up his story Shiro starts having a progressively major headache as time goes on, Lance tries to comfort him.

Allura does manage to get back to the castle of lions. In tears she tells everyone what they already know and they all share a moment of shock before Allura frantically says that Lotor was right behind her.

Shiro’s programming activates and he knocks everyone out and takes Lotor.

The black paladins is a great episode. It’s the same episode in this version. Everything else after this episode stays the same too. It’s pretty good. I’d like to note, Voltron didn’t fail because it couldn’t hit these big emotional beats. It failed because it could never hit the small ones.

The Clone

While dead, Lance sees Shiro.

Not for the first time, he worries that maybe the Shiro on his team has a point about feeling different.

Shiro and Lance have a moment where Lance is telling him as Shiro is breaking down to “look at me,” to try and give him a grounding spot, and then in this moment Shiro looks away and Honerva’s programming comes through. He knocks out everyone and we get a shot of Lance looking crushed by the realisation, he starts to cry.

Keith, Galra Heritage and Leadership

We see, just as we do in the original show, a lot of time with Keith’s mother

Keith is incredibly conflicted on her return. For one, he wants answers and she seems incredibly unwilling to provide any at all, but on the other hand he’s so great full to have her in his life.

Keith and his mother eventually talk

Keith finds himself feeling guilty about missing his team. Worried and concerned for them, and how they’re coping in the power vacuum caused by Zarkon death.

We again see Keith be a leader with far less effort now. Instead of struggling where he had before, we see Keith take being a leader in stride. Even on one of the smaller planets they pass, helping organise so that food can be brought more easily, and aiding with fending off a particularly nasty creature that has been pestering them.

Keith over this trip gets many lessons about the Galra, and finds comfort in the knowledge, event he parts he can’t stomach. It brings him some closure on this part of his life he’s been yearning to understand for years.

Lance and the Red lion

Throughout the season, we see being in the red lion, and Keith’s absence chip away at Lance a little.

He begins to once again doubt himself and compare himself to Keith.

We also see Shiro help Lance the same way Lance has been helping him for the past couple of season. With support and guidance and helping Lance once again realise he’s his own person

before Lance can truely again be confident in himself, the whole thing with the clone blows up in his face and he’s forced to suffer the consequences.

Conflict in the team

Throughout this season we see the dilemma of what they should be doing versus what they are doing. To many it seems that they are doing nothing, while behind the scenes there’s a lot of stuff going on, coordinating between multiple governments, and a lot of smaller battles occurring that few see or hear of as they don’t require Voltron.

The paladins mostly believe they should be striking a balance, but Allura and Lotor keep attempting to convince them that what they’re doing is sufficient. It frustrates the team to no end.

We see how Lotor manipulates each of them through this season too, more obviously as the audience has at this point been let on that he’s doing something bad.

However we also see Lotor very pointedly not talk about anything hinting at his real plans in front of Shiro, letting the audience know that Lotor knows something is wrong with him.

Allura and Lotor

Lotor and Allura are very close at this point. They have shared their relationship with the team, and Lotor believes she will side with him if he tells her.

Instead Allura is disgusted by what he’s been doing and tries to get away from him. She fundamentally disagrees with what he’s been doing.

Season 7

Plot Changes

Shiro’s new body doesn’t reject him

the lions are depleted of power. They’re recharging slowly according to Allura, thanks to the strong bonds the paladins share, but it’s unlikely they’ll be fully charged any time soon.

Eveyrone’s depressed and having a lot of feelings of betrayal about Lotor and mixed feelings about the fact they’ve been living with a clone for a long, long time and they had no idea.

Shiros death does a singular good thing. Shiro is more connected with Black then ever. He can now teleport

The whole scene where Keith fights Macidus is with Shiro and it shows them being back insync after being a little lost with each other.

They all find out it’s been three years. In that time Lotor has ruled fiercely, demanding the quintessence mines across the galaxy be drained as quickly as possible. Why? Because of the stunt Voltron pulled three years ago, he can no longer access the quintessence field.

Hunk off Handedly remarks that Keith could be the new ruler of the Galra empire. Keith scoffs.

The flight home takes about half the season.

Through this half season they find a few things out. One is that the rebels have splintered and lost a lot of communication between groups since Voltron disappeared. Two they learn that Lotor found the location of earth. Three Lotor has a high, high price on their heads, far higher than even Zarkon has put upon them.

The paladins eventually all come together as a team, and become even further connected and that charges the lions enough that Shiro can create a wormhole far closer to earth.

They find nothing

This horrifying realisation comes accompanied by a signal from Matt Holt who has a specific bot designed to responds only to Voltron. Lance helps Pidge get it.

The next episode is going to find Matt.

There’s a teary reunion between the two of them and they find a massive colony of those who fled earth when they realised it was to be destroyed when Lotor was attempting to find Voltron, and flew into a rage when they were not there.

Everyone’s family is safe as they were some of the first taken from earth. They have a reunion.

Shiro gets parents, and an older brother (because I did notice the show gave him any biological family) and also gets to see Adam. While it’s still Cleary over, both men get closure, and are happy to see one another alive.

The season from now focuses on Voltron sorting out the coalition and trying to organise everything.

They contact the blade and begin preparing on how to defeat Lotor.

They find some of the blade, but as previously mentioned in the series many were killed in the three years they were away. However they do find a lot of very disempowered Galra soldiers who have been treated awfully by Lotor.

Lotor discovers their alive, and makes a very public announcement that anyone supporting Voltron will be destroyed.

The season ends in a semi big battle between Lotor and the paladins, one on one in a large mech only he pilots.

Both parties are wounded.

The Clone

Everyone feels awful and has no idea what to do

Shiro too feels pained. He has all the memories of the clone in his mind, and he doesn’t know what to do with them. How to sort through them

Lance out of all of them feels the worst as he was the closet to Shiro out of all of them. He believes should’ve seen something and starts to beat himself up over it.

Hunk and Pidge both feel they should’ve done something, or noticed, though Pidge is much more torn up about it. With Hunk knowing that none of them realised and it’s unreasonable that he would’ve any sooner than this.

Keith is shocked and hurt, and worried about Shiro first and foremost. He reassures Shiro that while it may not have been him, the clone acted like Shiro for the most part, a little more personable, but the real Shiro.

Lance and Self esteem

Due to his failure to pick up that Shiro was a clone, Lance begins questioning everything that Shiro ever told him as a clone.

He questions his whole self worth and no one can seem to help him out of the whole he’s emotionally digging for himself.

While recovering Shiro notices this, however, they keep getting interrupt before Shiro and Lance can have a proper talk

Keith kicks a little sense into him and they have a pretty heartfelt conversation which helps Lance a little, but he still can’t shake the feeling someone else would’ve seen it and sorted out the issue sooner.

Lance gets the blue lion back and she talks some sense into him, and tells him he shouldn’t be so hard on himself, it kicks a little sense into him, but again, he still feels terrible and he feels like Shiro’s been avoiding him.

Keith and Leadership

Shiro tells Keith, while still recovering that he’ll be able to take over pretty soon and fly the black lion.

Keith is actually disappointed this time round and feels instantly ashamed because it is Shiro’s lion and they have a great bond.

We come to learn that Keith quite enjoyed the small amount of time her led the team and found he wanted to keep being a leader.

Keith through this season connects to many Galra soldiers and people. He comes to find understanding with them now that he knows about his culture. Many joking comments he should be running the empire.

Season 8

Plot Changs

This season is filled with small battles, and lots of talks with previous allies.

Allura becomes the commander of the Atlas and enlists several humans and other aliens alike to help her command the ship side by side with Voltron. They become a formidable force.

They begin to fight Lotor’s forces in an attempt to bring him down by weakening his army thought they quickly discover he’s dug up enormous amounts of quintessence somehow.

Lotor should become more enraged and mounts larger attacks upon them, yet he doesn’t worrying everyone.

We then discover with the team that with their return so too had the return of the alternate universes, and Lotor was planning on using all the energy he harvested.

No one knows what happened to the Altean colony, and Allura and Coran, unsurprisingly, seem most torn up about. They both hope that it’s safe, and Lotor was more obsessed with his need to preserve the few Alteans he did have if he could never get more.

The team comforts both of their friends through this best they can but they start to realise it’ll be hard to stop Lotor.

Lotor does end up ripping huge holes in the space time continuum.

The last two episode are a battle between team Voltron, Atlas, and crew coalition all battling Lotor and the formidable amount of crafts he’s able to fuel thanks to the insane amounts of quintessence he’s mined over the past three years.

Eventually he starts universe hoping and team Voltron and Atlas all rush in to stop him. We follow them through trying to communicate with Lotor and get him to stop.

Allura pleads with Lotor and says she loves him, he stops and says he loves her too but he must finish his mission. Atlas has to go back because switching universes is ultimately destroying the ship and they’ll die if they stay any longer.

Eventually after wading through a million battle fields, and see a million alternate version of themselves, they end up somewhere quiet. Lotor’s shop is destroyed. This seems like the end of the road.

Keith makes a plead to Lotor, one last stand. Lotor Denys him and tries to jump one last time. When they follow him, he isn’t on the other side.

The go back.

Unfortunately when they do, the forces have stopped fighting and time seems to have slowed greatly. Voltron is badly damaged and they all split apart.

The team lands together. Harsh winds battle ahead thankfully the lions somewhat stop this.

They’re all scared.

The battle above is at a standstill, shots caught in mid air, shuttles paused mid explosion. The faces of both friend and foe paused in a climatic battle.

The large, white wholes keep getting bigger.

Shiro looks to them all.

They all agree that they feel the same thing. The silently look around at their lions and at one another.

They hold one another tight as their lions are sacrificed to stop this.

A second later there’s no wind.

They look over.

In the vastness of space, the fighting has stopped, everyone shocked by what just happened.

Voltron is no more.

They get picked up by the Atlas

We see a planet that everyone lands on.

Somehow despite all this, at least for a second, the world is at peace as soldiers care for one another and count the wounded.

Team Voltron, now joined by Allura and Coran stand alone

There’s talk of what could be done, and what is now down.

They all smile and reminiscence

Someone calls for them. Team Voltron

They don’t need to have the lions to still be a team.

The universe doesn’t need them anymore. .

Lance and self esteem

Shiro and Lance finally have that talk at some point in mid season 8.

Shiro points out to Lance that everyone lived with Shiro every day. That they spent practically every waking moment, that they shared almost everything

Lance feels a little better and with this talk with Shiro it properly solidifies Lance’s faith in himself. He feel confident in his ability as a paladin, and as his own person. He’s the blue paladin. The sharpshooter. He doesn’t need to be anyone else.

Shiro and Lance have a hug, and Shiro thanks Lance for being there for him when he really didn’t have to be. They stay like that for longer than they really need to.

Allura the commander

Allura feels useless coming along with the paladins and Coran, he also laments that he doesn’t have the faintest clue what to do with himself.

Thus presented to them, early in this season a mech from one of the few people who are willingly to support them at the beginning.

Allura has been a commander the whole way through but in this season we see her, independent of Voltron, become that commander.

Allura’s people are alive, a few hundred of them. But alive. She becomes their ruler, and takes her rightful place as their queen, helping guide them through an unsteady time.

Keith and Leadership

Through this season we see the meeting place of Keith’s search to be a leader, and his search to learn about his Galra heritage.

Many Galra begin looking to him, despite his less than Galra apperance. He builds more connections with many Galra through his season, and with the help of his mother converts a lot of Galra to seperate from the empire and Lotor and join the coalition

With Lotor dead. We see Keith at the Kral Zera and he becomes the leader

#voltron #vld #voltron legendary defender

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artificialqueens · 4 years ago

Text

Make The Most of the Dark (Bitney) - Puppy

Summary:

Bianca is playing a babysitter for her cousin and a group of her friends at prom.

Courtney has come with someone else but they seem to have gotten distracted.

What happens when they lock eyes and meet up again?

Inspired by Madonna’s “Crazy For You”

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28301046

A/N: Merry Christmas, folks. This was for @opalescent-cheetah for a song fic challenge. I hope you all enjoy and have a happy holidays.

Swaying room as the music starts

Strangers making the most of the dark

Two by two their bodies become one

Bianca observed the dancing couples in front of her and hoped no one heard her laughing over the music. The DJ just switched to a different track: something schmaltzy and slow, almost like how that night had been. Some of the couples in front of her honestly looked ridiculous to her. Most of them were either glued together or it was very obvious it was the first time they had danced together. Were they waiting for a third person to sandwich themselves between? If they were leaving room for Jesus, the space between could have fit Him and two other disciples.

She wasn’t intending to spend the past few hours leaned against the wall of the gym counting down the minutes, but here she was: standing in a dress she sewed herself and her reddish-brown hair in a fancy updo. She’d been to cotillion, and the atmosphere was much different. If those instructors ever knew what she was up to now, they’d probably have the biggest fit.

Bianca came with a few friends, but she didn’t really have a date. One of them practically begged her to drive, but she wasn’t aware that she was bringing a whole squad. They didn’t hate her, they just needed a designated driver if/when things got too much. Knowing that particular friend group, things were to get too much.

I see you through the smokey air

Can’t you feel the weight of my stare

You’re so close but still a world away

Among the dancing couples and general modes of merriment, someone started to approach her. Bianca squinted, as one of the disco lights was right in her eye. “Do you want me to unlock the car? You have to get whatever it is yourself. Just try not to hurt yourself on the way…” She did a quick double take and, realizing her mistake, she apologized profusely “Oh my god, I am SO SORRY. I thought you were someone else.”

“It’s fine,” the other girl responded. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah… at least you aren’t one of my charges. Good thing you’re just one of those short-skirted, nice-titted, blonde bitches.” Oh shit… that definitely came out wrong. Please don’t leave me here. She hissed through gritted teeth.

“I’m one of many. Glad you think these are nice though.” She laughed; her blonde curls bouncing with every sound, and Bianca couldn’t stop staring at them. Great, she wasn’t offended. Her sense of humor… wasn’t strange, but it took some getting used to; it’s very off-putting at first listen. “Wait… don’t we have a class together?”

“Yeah! AP Lit.” The auburn-haired girl slowly nodded her head. “You’re Courtney, right?” She nodded her head. “Cool…” The tension between those two wasn’t awkward, per say but “So… what brings you over here? I’m just looking to see if those guys don’t do anything stupid,” She gestured to a group on the other side of the gym, loitering by the punch bowl. Bianca silently prayed they didn’t spike it. “And then to drive them to the after party… wherever it is. Probably some Motel 6 in the middle of nowhere…. Or some sketchy apartment uptown.”

“The apartment isn’t that sketchy,” Courtney added, then stopped herself. “Well that depends on who’s hosting this year. Is Jared hosting again?”

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. No one told me and I might not know until I get back in the car. Dory wasn’t invited, so I assume she and her friends will be crashing.”

“Wait, Dory?”

“Adore. My little cousin. She’s visiting from Azusa and she wanted to see what the scene was like. How was I to know she’d bring an entourage?”

“Oh my…”

“And you’re still dodging the question there, Court.”

“My date kinda blew me off last minute. Very last minute, now that I think about it.”

Well, that answers that question, Bianca let out a breath before answering. “Oh shit…”

“And it sucks because I drove her here! Just for her to spend all her time with someone else!” Courtney stared directly at her ditcher as she picked a few petals off her corsage. “She loves me, she loves me not.”

For a time, the two girls just stood there, wallowing in their own problems. They stared at each other, unsure of their next move. Bianca could only just take in her classmate’s beauty and the fact that she came with a date only made it better; there was nothing more beautiful than the unattainable, she always said. However, there was this chance. There was still something about Courtney that just itched at her brain a certain way. They were never really close, but there were always qualities she admired: her effervescence, the way she just lit up whatever room she was in.

“I think I should make her jealous.”

“What?”

“Why not make her jealous? She’s dancing with someone else, so obviously, I should get back.” Courtney replied, though her mind may not have been the most sound. Revenge often clouded this sort of judgement.

Some gears turned in the girl’s mind. The next song came on and Bianca pulled her classmate into the center of the gym. “B, what are you doing?” But she didn’t say anything more as the two girls wordlessly swayed along to the music, a little closer than what they had been before.

Courtney laid her head on Bianca’s chest and stared directly at her date with a look of both pettiness and regret. This may have seemed fun in the moment, but they just had to talk it out sooner or later. Maybe this was some big misunderstanding that could easily be cleared the next day. Yes, her girlfriend was great, but no one should ever feel like a third wheel on their own date. Being with this… mutual friend at best felt comforting, motherly.

The blonde looked up at her dancing partner who stared back at her. There was this gravitational pull drawing themselves closer and closer until their lips briefly met. “Sorry… I shouldn’t have done that, shouldn’t I?” Bianca quietly apologized before being shushed.

“You’re good.” The other girl hesitated a bit before continuing. “You can keep going if you want.”

“You sure?”

Courtney nodded again and reinitiated the kiss.

Sure the two had their own things to worry about, but in this moment it was just the two of them in the middle of the dance floor. Nothing else could have escaped that feeling.

What I’m dying to say, is that

I’m crazy for you

Touch me once and you’ll know it’s true

I never wanted anyone like this

It’s all brand new

#rpdr fanfiction #bianca del rio #courtney act #bitney #high school au #lesbian au #song fic #fluff #puppy

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amphtaminedreams · 5 years ago

Text

J.K Rowling & The Echo Chamber of TERFs: Why Nobody Wants your Transphobic “Opinion”

TW// Discussion of Sexual Assault and Transphobia

SO...

I’ve seen the term “allyship fatigue” going round a lot lately on Twitter, since the issues of police brutality, institutional racism, and now transphobia have taken central stage.

And it’s weird. To be honest, hearing other white cis people calling themselves “allies” has always sounded kinda self-congratulatory. Taking this to the level of martyrdom that the phrase “allyship fatigue” evokes makes me want to heave. It’s shit that anyone even has to be saying Black Lives STILL Matter, but it does seem to unfortunately be the case that every time there is a highly publicised murder of a black individual by police, the explosion of us white people calling ourselves allies and retweeting and reblogging statements of solidarity only lasts so long before half revert back to being complacent with and uncritical of a world seeped with casual racism. Is that what “allyship fatigue” is? The excuse for that? Not only does the term take the focus off of the marginalised group the movement is centred around but it makes supporting equal rights sound like some kind of heroic burden we’ve chosen to take on rather than addressing a debt we owe and being not even good but just plain decent human beings. WE are not the ones shouldering the weight here, and if your mental health is suffering, that is not the fault of the people asking for their rights. Log off. We have the privilege to do that. It just doesn’t need to be a spectacle.

At the same time, this public onslaught of ignorance and hatred that the coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement has triggered (that let me again emphasise, black people have had to involuntarily be on the receiving end of their whole lives) and the frustration and anger that comes from seeing these absolute trash takes from people with no research into the subject who build their argument purely on “what about”isms is do-I-even-want-to-bring-children-into-this-fucking-world levels of miserable. In terms of earth beginning to look more and more like the prequel describing the events which lead up to a dystopian novel, the chaos of the last 4 weeks or so (2020 has not only shattered the illusion of time but also danced on the shards, I know) is the tip of the iceberg. I saw a thread about what’s going on in Yemen at the moment, which I had no idea about, and immediately felt consumed by guilt that I didn’t know. With the advent of social media, there’s been this sudden evolutionary shift where we’re almost required and expected to know about, have an opinion on, and be empathetic with every humanitarian crisis at once. I think young people feel this especially, which is why I say that sometimes it’s worth talking to an older person before you brush them off as a racist or a homophobe and see if they’re open to hearing different opinions-in general, I think we’re a generation that is used to being expected to consume a huge amount of information at once. They are not. For a lot (NOT all) of the older, middle-class, white population, ignorance isn’t a conscious choice, it is the natural way of life. The parameters of empathy until very recently have only had to extend just past your closest circle of friends to encompass people you “relate to”. That doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of caring about other things, and sometimes we owe them a chance to change their perspective first, if for no reason other than to advance the cause of, well, basic human rights for all.

So where does J.K Rowling come into all this? I hear you ask. Why doesn’t she just stop rambling? You potentially wonder. Well, I’m getting to it.

J.K Rowling isn’t an unconsciously ignorant people. She is what I would call consciously ignorant. And of all weeks to flaunt this ignorance, she chose a time when people are already drowning in a cesspit of hatred. The woman whose whole book series supposedly revolves around the battle between good and evil didn’t even try to drain the swamp. She instead added a bucket of her transphobic vitriol into it.

Let me preface this by saying that I wouldn’t wipe my arse with the Sun. What they did with the statement she made regarding her previous abusive relationship, seeking out said abusive partner for an interview and putting it on the front page with the headline “I slapped J.K”, whilst expected from the bunch of cretinous bottom feeders who work there, is disgusting. That being said, the pattern of behaviour J.K Rowling has exhibited since she first became an online presence is equally disgusting, and just because the Sun have been their usual shithead selves, doesn’t mean we should forget the issue at hand, that issue being her ongoing transphobia and erasure of trans women from women’s rights.

As I’m sure is the case for many people on Tumblr, J.K Rowling has always been such a huge inspiration for me, and Harry Potter was my entire childhood. My obsession with it continued until I was at least 16 and is what got me through the very shit years of being a teenager, and that will forever be the case. I’m not here to discuss the whole separation of the art from the artist thing because whilst I ordinarily don’t think that’s really possible, at this point the “Harry Potter universe” has become much bigger than J.K herself. I was so pleased to see Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint all affirm their support for trans rights-I was raised on the films up until the 4th one which I wasn’t old enough to see at the cinema, and the DVD was at the top of my Christmas list. They were always my Harry, Hermione and Ron. It was only between the fourth and fifth films that I started to read the books to fill that gaping in-between-movies hole, but as I grew up, I read them over and over and over again. Any of the subtext that people are talking about now in light of her antisemitism and transphobia went completely over my head, though who knows, whilst I can sit here and write that I’m certain I didn’t, maybe I did pick up some unconscious biases along the way? The art/artist discussion is a complex one and I don’t know if I’ll ever read the books again at this point.

There was absolutely no subtext, however, in the “think piece” on J.K’s website addressing the response to her transphobic tweets. There wasn’t all that much to unpack in the first tirade, they were quite openly dismissive-first that womanhood is defined by whether or not one experiences menstruation (I currently don’t due to health issues but I’m betting this wouldn’t make me any less woman in her eyes), and second, regurgitating an article which furthers the fallacy that trans women simply existing erases the existence of cisgender lesbian women. Rowling’s initial response to the backlash was to blame it on a glass of red wine, I think? Which is such a weird go-to excuse for celebrities because not once have I ever got drunk and completely changed my belief system. If you’re not transphobic sober, you don’t suddenly become transphobic drunk. What you are saying is that you’re not usually publicly transphobic (which isn’t even the case with Rowling because this is hardly her first flirtation with bigotry via social media) but that whoopsies! You drank some wine and suddenly thought it was acceptable!

Now what is her excuse for the formal response she wrote to the backlash, dripping with transphobic dog whistles and straight up misinformation (UPDATE: and as of yesterday, blocking Stephen King quite literally for replying to her with the tweet “trans women are women”, in case you thought that this whole thing was a case of her intentions being misconstrued)? Drunk tweets are one thing but if she managed to write a whole fucking essay whilst pissed I imagine there’s a lot of university students out there who’d pay her good money to learn that skill.

Here is the bottom line. TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. There is no discussion around that. And if you don’t understand why, at the very least, you can be respectful of the way a person chooses to identify, especially when that person is an already targeted minority.

Obviously, sex and gender are complex things. Based on the fact that we don’t walk around with our nether-regions out, we generally navigate our way through the world using our gender and the way we present our gender. Gender of course means many different things to many different people; some see it as a sliding scale kind of thing whereas some people can’t see themselves on the scale at all, and choose to use terms other than man or woman to express how they identify. But, whatever gender one chooses to identify as, we live in a modern world-with all the scientific advancements we’ve made and all that we now know about the brain, using what is between people’s legs to define them is an ignorant, outdated copout. You’ll find that a lot of transphobes can live in harmony with trans women who conform, who have classically feminine features, maybe facial feminisation surgery, trans women who keep quiet about how they’re seen by cis women and don’t kick up “too much of a fuss” (which is in itself still a perfectly valid, brave and understandable way to live your life after years of feeling like you don’t fit in btw). The trans women that Joanne and her friends take the most issue with is the ones who want to expand what womanhood means and stretch the boundaries of what is and isn’t acceptable, destroying the confines of simplistic model that TERFs feel comfortable operating within. The ones who fight to be recognised as no “lesser” than cis women. Calling a person a TERF is quite literally just asserting that they are someone who wants to exclude trans women from their definition of womanhood, or in other words wants to cling to the old, obsolete model. If J.K Rowling cannot let the statement “trans women are women” go unchallenged (which we’ve seen from her response to Stephen King’s tweet she cannot), then she is by definition a TERF. It’s not a slur. It’s a descriptor indicating the movement she has chosen to associate herself with. Associating the descriptor of the position you so vehemently refuse to denounce in spite of all evidence and information offered to you with the concept of a “witch hunt” when trans women are ACTUALLY brutally murdered for an innate part of their identity is insulting, at the very least.

Let’s get this straight: despite transphobes trying to conflate sex with gender and arguing that sex is the only “real” identifier of the two, our existence on this planet and our perception of this world is a gendered experience. It is our brain, where the majority of researchers agree that gender lies, which decides and dictates not only who we are and how we feel but also how we interact with everyone around us. I don’t think it’s an outlandish statement to say that when it comes to who we are as people, that flesh machine protected by our skull is the key player. PSA for transphobes everywhere: when people say penises have a mind of their own, they are NOT talking literally. The more you know.

Gender is obviously a much newer concept than sex-it is both influenced by and interacts with every element of our lives. It’s also much more complex, in that there are still many gaps in our understanding. I assume these two factors combined with the familiarity of the (usually) binary model of biological sex are a part of why TERFS fundamentally reject the importance of gender in favour of the latter. Yes, most of the time, we feel our gender corresponds with our sex, but not always, and nor is there any concrete proof that this has to be the case. Most studies tend to agree that our brains start out as blank slates, that we grow into the gender we are assigned based on our bodies. In other words, our sex only defines our gender insofar as the historical assumption that they are the same thing, which in turn exposes us to certain cultural expectations. To any TERFs that have somehow ended up here-if you haven’t already, I suggest looking into the research of Gina Rippon, a neuroscientist whom has spent a large portion of her professional career analysing the data of sex differences in the brain. Whilst she originally set out to find some kind of consistent variance between the brains of the 2 prominent sexes to back up the idea that the brains of men and women are inherently different, she found nothing of significance-individual differences, yes, but no consistent similarities in the brains of one sex that were not present in the other. Once differences in brain size were accounted for, “well-known” sex differences in key structures disappeared-in terms of proportion, these structures take up the same amount of space in the brain regardless of sex. Her findings are best summed up by her response to the question: are there any significant differences in the brain based on sex alone? Her answer is no. To suggest otherwise is “neurofoolishness”. Not only does her research help put to bed the myth that our brains are sexed along with the rest of our bodies during development (this is now believed to happen separately, meaning the sex of our bodies and brains may not correspond), but also the idea propagated by the patriarchy for centuries that basically boils down to “boys will be boys”-a myth used to condone male sexual violence against women and even against each other on the basis that it is inherent and “can't be helped”. That they are just “built differently”. Maybe at one point in human evolution, men were conditioned to fight and women were conditioned to protect, but whilst the idea remains and continues to affect our societal structures (and thus said cultural expectations), we’ve moved on. I mean we evolved from fish for fuck’s sake but you don’t see us breathing underwater.

Gender identity is based on many things and admittedly we don’t fully have the complete picture yet. The effects that socialisation and gender norms in particular, as much as we don’t want them to exist, have on our brain are huge; there’s evidence that they can leave epigenetic marks, or in other words cause structural changes in the brain which drive biological functions and features as diverse as memory, development and disease susceptibility. Socialisation alters the way our individual brains develop as we grow up, and as much as I’d love to see gender norms disappear, they’ll probably be around for a long time to come, as will their ramifications. The gap between explaining how socialisation affects the brain of cisgender individuals compared to the brains of transgender or non-binary individuals is not yet totally clear, but as with every supposed cause and effect psychology tries to uncover, there are outliers and individual differences. No, brains are not inherently male or female at birth but they are all different, and can be affected by socialisation differently. In one particularly groundbreaking study conducted by Dick Swaab of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, postmortems of the brains of transgender women revealed that the structure of one of the areas in the brain most important to sexual behaviour more closely resembled the postmortem brains of cisgender women than those of cisgender men-it’s also important that these differences did not appear to be attributable to the influence of endogenous sex hormone fluctuations or hormone treatment in adulthood.

Maybe dysphoria is something that evolves organically and environmental factors don’t even come into it. Like I said, we don’t have the whole picture. What we DO know is that for some people, as soon as they become self-aware, that dysphoria is there, and the evidence for THAT, for there being common variations between the brains of cisgender individuals and transgender individuals, is overwhelming. You can be trapped in a body that does not correspond with how your brain functions, or how you wish to see yourself. Do individuals like J.K Rowling really believe it is ethical to reinforce the idea that we are defined by our sex and that our sex should decide the course of our lives, should decide how we are treated? That we should reduce people to genitals and chromosomes when our gender, the lens through which we see and interact with the world, could be completely different? Do they not see anything wrong with perpetuating the feelings of “otherness” and dysphoria in trans individuals that results from society’s refusal to see them as anything more than what body parts they have? In a collaboration between UCLA MA neuroscience student Jonathan Vanhoecke and Ivanka Savic at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the statistics collected pointed to what trans activists have always been trying to get at-the areas of the brain responsible for our sense of our identity showed far more neural activity in the brains of trans individuals when they were looking at depictions of their body that had been changed to match their gender identity than when this wasn’t the case; when they saw themselves with a body that corresponded with their gender identity, when they were “valid” by society’s definition, they felt more themselves. When J.K Rowling tells trans people that their “real identity” is the sex they were born with, she is denying them this right to be themselves and due to her large platform, encouraging others to do the same. YOU are doing that, J.K. And who knows why? Where does your transphobia come from? Peel back the bullshit layers of waffle about feeling silenced and threatened, which you know you are directing at the wrong group of people, and admit it’s for less noble reasons. Taking the time to unlearn the instinct embedded into your generation to see people according to the cultural status quo of biological determinism is effort, I know-but you wrote a 700+ page book. I’m sure you can manage it. Or is it an ego thing? You don’t want to admit that you may have been uneducated on gender and sex in the past, and now have to stick by your reductive position so your image as an “intellectual” isn’t compromised. I don’t know. Only you do. But your position is irresponsible and dangerous either way. You can make up bullshit reasons as to why the link between trans individuals and the incidence of suicide attempts and completions isn’t relevant or representative of the struggle that trans people face due to the hatred that people like you propagate but it is there, and you J.K Rowling, someone who has spoken in the past about the horror of depression, should know better. You should know better than to CLAIM you know better than the experienced researchers who have found the same pattern time and time again-that the likelihood of trans individuals committing suicide is significantly higher than that of cis people.

No, Rowling’s transphobia has never been as upfront as saying “I don’t believe transgender people exist” but she continues to imply that when she makes claims such as womanhood being defined by whether or not one experiences menstruation, and the completely subjective concept of whether an individual has faced sex-based violence from cisgender men. I’m sure she’d be out here taking chromosome proof cards like Oysters if it wasn’t for intersex individuals throwing her whole binary jam into a tailspin. Yep, there’s even suggestions that the binary biological model might not be so binary these days-just because two people have, say, XY chromosomes, does not mean that these chromosomes are genetically identical between individuals-the genes they carry can, and do, vary and so their actions and expressions of sex vary.

Ideally, what TERFs want to do with their language of “real womanhood” is create an exclusive club that trans women are left out of when they too suffer under the same patriarchal society that those who are born female do. Yes, they might not experience ALL the issues a person born with female genitalia do, but no two women’s life experiences are the same anyway. Trans women also have their own horrible experiences with the patriarchy, and are often victims of a specific kind of gendered violence that is purported by the idea of “real womanhood”. Don’t throw trans sisters under the bus because you’re angry about your experience as a woman on this planet-direct your anger at the fucking bus. Don’t claim that “many trans people regret their decision to transition” when the statistics overwhelmingly show that this is the EXACT FUCKING OPPOSITE of the truth (according to British charity organisation Mermaids, surgical regret is proportionately very low amongst gender affirmation outpatients and research suggesting otherwise has been broadly disproven) because you’ve spoken to a selective group of trans individuals probably handpicked by the TERFS you associate with to confirm their biases, and then have the nerve to claim that trans-activists live in echo chambers on top of that. Don’t use anecdotes and one-off incidences where “trans women” (I say trans women in quotation marks because we’re pretty much talking about a completely statistically insignificant group of perverted cis men who have, according to TERFs, somehow come to the conclusion that going through transition will make their already easy-to-get-away-with hobby of assaulting women even...easier to get away with?) have committed sexual crimes to demonise and paint as predatory group who are largely at risk and in 99.9% of situations, the ones being preyed on. It’s a point so disgusting that trans activists shouldn’t even have to respond to it, but the idea that an individual would go to the pains of legally changing their gender and potentially the hell of the harassment that trans people face, the multiple year long NHS waiting lists to see specialist doctors, just so that they can gain access to women only spaces is ridiculous. It’s worth noting here just how sinister you repeatedly bringing up this phantom threat of cis men becoming trans women in order to assault women in “women only” spaces is. The implication here is that they should use the toilet corresponding to the sex they were born as, right? Because it’s all about safety? Well, statistically speaking, far more trans women are abused whilst having to use men’s toilets than when they use women’s ones and the same goes for trans men, and yet you don’t mention it once. Your suggestion also puts people born female who identify as women but maybe do not dress or present in a typically feminine way at risk of being ostracised when THEY need to use the women’s bathroom. The idea that by ceasing to uphold values like yours we are putting women at risk is quite simply, unsubstantiated; the legislation to allow individuals to use the bathroom corresponding to whichever gender they legally identify as has been around since 2010 in the UK and yet we’ve yet to see the sudden spike in the number of women being assaulted in bathrooms you imply will exist if we create looser rules around gender identity and let people use whichever toilet they feel the need to. Similarly, in a study of US school districts, Media Matters found that 17 around the country with protections for trans people, which collectively cover more than 600,000 students, had no problems with harassment in bathrooms or locker rooms after implementing their policies. If cis men want to assault women, they will. They don’t need to pretend to be trans to do so. Don’t pretend to be speaking as a concerned ally of LGBTQ+ individuals when you’re ignoring the thoughts of the majority of individuals who come under that category.

(Just Some of the Trans Women Murdered for Being Trans Over the Last Couple of Years, L-R: Serena Valzquez, Riah Milton, Bee Love Slater, Naomi Hersi, Layla Pelaez, and Dominique Fells)

Trans women are not the threat here. Bigots like you are the threat. HOW DARE you use your platform to reinforce this rhetoric that gets trans people killed when there are so many much MUCH more important things going on right now. Two black trans women had been murdered just for being black trans women in the week you wrote your essay defending those initial tweets. This is an ongoing issue. As a cis woman, my opinion should read as sacred texts to you right, Joanne? Because I’ll say with my whole chest that I feel far more threatened by bigots like you who do not care for the harmful impact of their words than I do by trans women. I do not feel threatened by trans women AT ALL. And yeah, to me, unless they tell me otherwise that they like to go out their way to affirm their trans-ness (which I completely respect-it takes a lot of courage to be proud about your past in a world that condemns you for it), they’re just WOMEN like any other. Yes their experience of “womanhood” may be different to mine but no two individuals experiences are the same anyway and our gender related suffering has the same cause. As a rich, white, cis woman, it’s wild that you are painting yourself as the victim in this debate when trans people can face life in prison and in some places a death sentence for openly identifying with a gender different to their sex in a lot of countries. Nobody is saying that you can’t talk about cis women. Nobody is saying you can’t talk about lesbian issues either, though it’s a bit of a piss-take that you like to throw that whole trans women erase lesbian existence argument out there as a kind of trump card to say “look, I can’t be a transphobe, I’m an LGBTQ+ ally!”, an argument akin to the racist’s age old “I can’t be racist, I have black friends!”. You know from the responses you get to your transphobia that majority of the LGBTQ+ community are very much adamant that trans women are “real women” and that the same goes for trans men being “real men”, so don’t claim to speak for them. You cannot simultaneously care about LGBTQ+ rights and deny trans people their right to live as who they are, however veiled your sentiments around that may be. The whole gay rights movement of the 60s and 70s exist partially BECAUSE of black trans women such as Martha P Johnson if you didn’t know, and though it’s kinda common knowledge I’m doubting that you do because very little of what you tout is backed up by any kind of research. The articles you retweet, echoing the views of lesbians who also happen to be TERFs do not count-the idea that trans people existing simultaneously erases the existence of lesbians only applies to individuals such as yourself who don’t see trans women as women in the first place. That is the problem! Most people don’t have an issue with the fact that you may have a preference for certain genitalia, but I would argue that ignoring exceptional circumstances related to trauma or some other complex issue, relationships are supposed to be with the person as a whole, not their “organic” penis or vagina and it’s kind of insulting to anyone in a same sex relationship to reduce their bond to that.

Back to my point though, of course there are issues that cis women and lesbians face that need talking about, but trans people are affected by the same patriarchal system. You don’t need to go out of your way to mention that they’re not included in whichever given specific issue when there are also cis women who may not have experienced some of the things TERFs reference. You especially don’t need to act as if trans women are the reason we need to have these discussions in the first place. As I’ve said, as MANY women have said, repeatedly-they are NOT the threat here. It is disgusting to see someone I once had so much admiration for constantly punch down at a group that is already marginalised. It’s 2020, J.K, there’s so much info out there. YOU’RE A FULLY GROWN WOMAN. There’s no justification. We get it, you had a tomboy phase. You weren’t like “other girls”. You didn’t like living under a patriarchal system. So you think you understand the mindset of people who want to transition. You think you’re not doing anything wrong by helping to slow the advancement of trans rights because well, you turned out fine? But you clearly fundamentally misunderstand what being trans is. It’s not about your likes and dislikes and having issues with the experience of being a woman (god knows we all do but I doubt anyone truly thinks for one moment that being trans would be any easier), it’s about how you think and feel at your core. It’s such a complex issue, and all the majority of trans people are asking you to do is LISTEN to them. You may be determined to live in binaries, yet the bigger picture is always more complex and fluid and it’s ever-changing, so all we can do is keep an open mind and keep wanting to know more and gather more evidence. If you’re capable of the mental gymnastics required to retcon the piece of work you wrote in the 90s to make it seem as if you were “ahead of the diversity game”, to the extent that you are now claiming Voldermort’s snake has always actually been a Korean woman and see nothing wrong with that when paired with the fact that the only Asian character you originally included was called Cho Chang, then well…I’m sure you can put your ego aside and do the groundwork to understand what trans people are trying to tell you too. You inspired a lot of children and teenagers and even adults, and got them through some very difficult times, taught that the strength of one’s character matters far more than what anyone thinks of you. You claimed you wanted to stand up for the outcasts.

Well, stand up for the outcasts. Now’s a better time than any. And once again: TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN AND TRANS MEN ARE MEN. They shouldn’t have to hear anything else.

Lauren x

[DISCLAIMER: shitty collages are mine but the background is not, let me know if you are aware of the artist so I can credit!]

#transisbeautiful #trans pride #trans lives matter #blm #black lives matter #jk rowling #trans rights #gender identity #gender studies #trans women are women #politics #socialism #safe space #all are welcome

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sykilik101 · 5 years ago

Text

Colloyd Week Day 3: Birthday Present

“Perhaps a ring would be a good idea?”

Lloyd’s grip on his hair relaxed, sending strands every which way after having been tousled for the past few minutes. Presea’s words waltzed through his mind, bounding and ringing together as he processed them. “A ring?”

She nodded in his peripheral vision. “As a birthday present for Colette. That is why you seem so confused, correct?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Am I that obvious?”

She sat next to him on the log, folding her hands in her lap. “Genis told me that’s what you were concerned about.”

With a roll of his eyes Lloyd rested his elbows on his knees, hunching forward. “Of course he did.”

As if on cue the half-elf’s voice rang through the air. “What did you expect? It’s not like I don’t know your history with birthday presents.”

Lloyd’s eyes narrowed, cocking his head to meet his friend’s cheeky grin. “I’ve always made good birthday presents.”

“Yeah, for Colette.” The swordsman wasn’t sure if Genis’s growing smirk came from having control of the argument or seeing the ruby evidence of his fluster, but neither were doing him any favors at the moment. “A ring sounds like a good idea, by the way. You could probably even make it into a protective charm.”

Agitation melted into realization as Lloyd perked up at the suggestion. “Hey, yeah, that would be a good idea.”

Genis rested a palm on his hip, waving his other nonchalantly. “Her birthday is a few days away, you know. I hope you can make that faster than you can make a necklace.”

Lloyd grinned, holding his thumb up. “A ring is definitely easier for me to make. I’ll have it done in no time!”

“I can help if it would make the process faster,” Presea offered.

He shook his head. “Nah, it’s a birthday present for Colette. I wanna make it myself.”

“By the way, Lloyd.”

Lloyd turned to Genis, immediately wary of the way he was smirking. “Yeah?”

“You do know why guys give girls rings, right?”

“...shut it, Genis.”

xxxxx

“So what do you two think?”

Lloyd held the ring out to Sheena and Raine, silver and glimmering under the moonlight. A tiny halo was engraved along the top, with wings protruding from its sides.

“It looks really well done. I can’t believe it only took you two days to make this.” Sheena admired it from various angles, her face awash in awe. Her eyes followed it as Raine pulled it from Lloyd’s fingers, holding it up to the moon.

“Were you planning on giving this to Colette for her birthday?”

Lloyd crossed his arms, softly sighing to himself. “Let me guess, Genis told you, too?”

Raine smiled. “No, but I can’t imagine you giving an angel ring to anyone else.” Playfulness seeped into her expression. “Am I wrong?”

The boy cocked his head to the side, trying to hide his blush behind a pout. “No, but that’s kind of why I came to you two. I was hoping you could make it stronger as a protective charm.”

Sheena’s head tilted just like his. “Stronger?”

“Yeah. Professor has healing spells, and maybe you could work some really cool Mizuho stuff on it.”

The Tethe’allan shook her head with a chuckle. “‘Cool Mizuho stuff.’ Right.”

Raine, however, handed the ring back to him. “Is it because you’re worried about her?”

It never stopped being irritating how she could always sense what he was feeling, and though he wanted to complain as he normally would, Colette’s face flashed through his mind. The Key Crest necklace he’d made for her before was intended to save her, restore her soul back to her body. This ring, however, was created with the intention of keeping her safe, no matter what tried to hurt her.

“I just...it wouldn’t hurt to be extra careful.”

The two women glanced at each other before turning back to him. Sheena grinned, though it was more warm than playful. “Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll try to add the ‘coolest Mizuho stuff’ I know.”

“And I’m sure I could add a healing property to the ring as well,” Raine added.

Relief washed over him, running his hand through his hair. “Thanks, you two.” He handed the ring over to Sheena, who suddenly grew a confused look.

“Still, I gotta ask: aren’t you supposed to be the one protecting Colette, not a ring?”

“I agree. After all, wasn’t it you who designated himself the guardian of the Chosen?”

He was clueless as to where this sudden interrogation came from, but his natural defensiveness flared up. “Like I said, it doesn’t hurt to be extra careful! Besides…” Flashbacks of their journey so far sped through his mind, his hand balling into a fist. “No matter what happens, I’m always gonna be there for her.”

He couldn’t understand why the two shared another look and a giggle.

xxxxx

“Tomorrow is Colette’s birthday, is it not?”

Lloyd shook his head with a sigh. He’d given up on wondering how everyone seemed aware of his birthday present plans. Either he was more obvious than he realized or Genis had a big mouth. He’d been assured that Colette didn’t know anything about what he was up to, but given how many mouths tended to leak in their group, he wasn’t so sure at this point.

Then again, Regal was perceptive in the way Raine was, so he was willing to disregard his suspicions on this one. “Yeah. The Professor and Sheena helped me with it last night, so now it’s just about giving it to her tomorrow. I just hope she likes it.”

Regal twisted it side to side, admiration in his eyes. “It’s a beautiful gift, though I imagine Colette would like anything you gave her, Lloyd.”

He would have been more elated at the compliment if Zelos’s arm didn’t suddenly hang itself over his shoulders. The magic swordsman pulled Lloyd close, that cheshire smile plastered on his lips. “Lloyd, allow me to offer some wisdom about women.”

Even if he’d refused, Lloyd knew well enough that Zelos would ignore him anyway, so he relented and shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“The secret to winning over a hunny,” he started, fondly patting Lloyd’s shoulder, “is that earning their affection is just a constant case of ‘it can’t be that simple.’”

Lloyd cocked his head. “I don’t...really get it.”

Zelos rolled his eyes but didn’t look discouraged in the least. “Even if a ring seems simple, to Colette, I’m sure it’ll mean a lot.”

“Zelos, Colette isn’t some ‘hunny’, or anything like that,” he chided, shrugging Zelos’s arm off his shoulder.

“I know. Trust me, for you, it’ll be even simpler.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Zelos merely laughed.

xxxxx

“H-Hey, Colette?”

The girl in question turned towards him, a smile quickly blooming on her face. “What is it, Lloyd?”

When he’d placed the Key Crest on her, all his thoughts centered around his desire to save her, and his body had perspired and shivered in response. In comparison, giving her a gift - something he’d done many times in the past - should be a piece of cake. However, the thumping in his chest obviously meant that offering her a ring was just as frightening as saving her soul, and he almost smirked at how ridiculous it sounded.

“So, I know we already said happy birthday and everything, but I wanted to give you your present when it was just us two.”

Her smile grew three sizes as her hands interlaced in front of her. “A present? I can’t wait to see it!”

She wears that smile because of you.

The thought was sudden and shiny, her joy contagious as the corners of his mouth twisted upward. From his pocket he produced the ring, holding it out to her. Her eyes went wide, her fingers tightening around themselves as she gazed in awe at the glittering item.

“Lloyd, it’s...it’s beautiful. Thank you.”

Reaching forward she took it between her fingers, delicately, as if afraid it would crumble with too firm a touch. She traced her gaze along the edges, rolling her thumb over the halo and gently wobbling in place as the groove tickled her skin. Extending her fingers out she tried sliding it over her index finger, but pouted as the ring didn’t hug it as she expected.

“Oh, uh…” Lloyd scratched at his neck, “when I measured your hand, I actually used your ring finger, since that’s the finger I see people wearing rings on.”

On one hand, he figured that Colette wouldn’t question his decision making and simply play along. And yet, deep down, he secretly hoped that she’d catch his terrible lie, expose him for what his rapid heartbeat was trying to say. She looked at him, joyous eyes cradled by tints of pink as she worked her finger through the ring. Turning her palm down the cusp of tears hung in her eyes as she held the ring under the moon, seeing it glow.

“It fits perfectly. Thank you, Lloyd.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could utter a syllable she’d already pulled him into a hug. Her forehead wiggled into his chest as she squeezed him tightly, a noise of contentment squeaking out of her. Lloyd smiled and pulled here close, his heart skipping a beat as she settled further into him.

“You’re welcome. Happy birthday, Colette.”

xxxxx

This is one I wish I’d had more time with, but all in all, I think it came out okay.

#colloyd #colloydweek #colloydweek2020 #lloyd irving #colette brunel #tales of series #tales of symphonia #fanfiction #fanfic

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oh-to-imagine · 6 years ago

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Sweet Acceptance

Part One // Part Two // Part Three // (Part Four Coming Soon)

Summary: After helping Kurt escape an abusive life at the circus you offer him shelter in the hidden basement of the theater in which you work. Though both of you are uncertain of what the next days will bring, Kurt will take the chance he’s been given and live the life he wants, with you by his side.

A.N. So it’s been forever since I updated this fic but here it is! Not sure if anyone who was originally interested in this still wants to read it, but maybe this’ll get some new readers as I write and post the fourth/last chapter of this mini series. Enjoy~

PS: Amanda and Stefan are Kurts adoptive siblings in the comics.

Warnings: Mentions of abuse

Kurt held your hand during the entirety of you explaining his situation and why he was staying at the theater. He kept quiet mostly obviously a little wary of being around so many new people who were all focused on him, though none of them looked afraid or hostile towards him.

"So, you all can see why I had to help him" you concluded after explaining the whole situation to everyone. "I didn't think it would hurt anything to let him stay here...I'm sorry, Mister Xavier, I should have told you or asked for permission but..." You averted your eyes and felt Kurt’s hand give yours a comforting, gentle squeeze.

Thankfully, Charles moved closer to you and put a hand on your shoulder. "Now now, no need to be so hard on yourself. I do wish you would have come to me the day after you brought him here, but I can understand why you didn't." You felt your heart deflate with relief at those words, then Charles turned towards Kurt. "Young man- Kurt, you are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. However, I would ask that you do some work around the theater during your stay and in return we'll set you up a proper room and provide meals." He turned his eyes back to you with a small smile "I'm sure your family’s starting to notice the missing food from your home."

You offered a sheepish grin in return but managed a "Thank you, Mister Xavier."

"Yes, thank you, thank you so much!" Kurt reiterated "And of course I will work in exchange for your kindness, it's the least I can do."

"Then it's all settled. Everyone, please welcome our newest crew member."

"Welcome to the family, Kurt," said Ororo, offering him a warm smile.

One by one everyone introduced themselves, though, just as Rogue commented, he already knew some of their names from his time spent watching their rehearsals. The only one who acted oddly around Kurt was Kitty. She shied away from him and actually hid behind Pitor when he tried to shake her hand. She was the youngest in the group but you still felt a little annoyed at her reaction, especially when a hurt look ghosted across Kurt’s face for a moment.

Thankfully the awkward scene was sidestepped when Jean said, "Alright, Kurt, I think Logan and Bobby would like your help in the back room, just some light work to get you started."

Later that night you, Kurt and Ororo worked on fixing up the room the priest would have used as a bedroom back in the days of the building being an actual church. Mostly it was used for storage now, but it was easy enough to move the boxes around and dust up the cobwebs so it would be suitable for the blue sweetheart to sleep in. Logan even brought in an old cot he had used in his army days so he wouldn't have to sleep on the floor. Logan was often like that, seeming gruff and indifferent, but really, he had a good heart.

Kurt had thanked Charles twice during the full course meal he bought him and as the kindly man handed Kurt some clean blankets and pillows for the night he thanked him again.

"Really it's nothing, Kurt" Charles assured "I will be demanding a lot from you during your stay here. I always expect the best work from my employees and you will be no different."

Kurt bowed his head slightly "I will do whatever is needed and give you my very best."

"Good, now get some rest, we'll see you tomorrow." He and Logan waved goodbye to you both as they headed out.

Ororo followed but she directed her final words to you as she left "You better be heading home too, it's already dark out and I know your family will start to worry."

"Don't worry, I will soon, promise" you assured as you waved. Now it was just you and Kurt but you just wanted to make sure he was settled in properly before you left. You two started walking back to his new room as you spoke. "Sure you have everything you need?"

"Yes, Mister Xavier and Miss Munroe saw to that. Everyone has been so kind, so accepting...Though I am not sure Kitty likes me too much" he added with a little frown as he set the fresh linings on his cot and sat down.

"Don't worry, she'll come around. She's just young and soon enough she'll see how spectacular you are."

He gave you that adorable, toothy (or rather, fangy) grin and he took your hand in his own, holding it in a gentle grip. "You really think I am spectacular?"

" 'Course I do, I’ve gotten to know you pretty well, I think. It doesn't take long to see the real you and the real you is pretty amazing."

He chuckled "Your kindness seems to know no bounds..." He let his voice trail off. Then after a moment of silence he kissed the back of your hand, which made something stir in your chest- particularly the heart area. He let his lips hover over your knuckles as he said, "I used to pray to god for help and he answered by sending me an angel."

Oh gosh, why did he have to be so sweet and charming!? You could not help the trembling chuckle that escaped your lips "Oh- I'm not sure I'm good looking enough to be an angel."

To that, he smiled up at you "I beg to differ, Liebling. I think only a true heavenly being could rival features such as yours."

You cursed the girlish giggle that you answered him with. You couldn't help it, you weren't used to this sweet brand of flirting. "Well, this angel needs to be getting home."

To that, Kurt stood up again "May I walk you home? I am not fond of the idea of you going home by yourself in the dark."

"I can take care of myself, you know" you informed- with a smile to show you were not cross by any means.

"I know, but you are my friend, and I want to know you are safe."

The offer was so simple, so sweet, even that made something inside you flutter "Alright, if you insist."

That became a common occurrence, if you stayed late and it even started to look dark out, Kurt would walk you home. You didn't mind, mostly because it allowed for some nice quality time with him, even if he did have to avoid streetlamps and any chance of being seen by others as you walked.

Over the next couple weeks Kurt really took to life at the theater well. He did everything asked of him with no complaints and soon enough he even started joking around with the other members of the cast and crew, showing some of that inner charm and charisma. Not to mention his natural showmanship and flare made him a perfect fit for the thespian atmosphere. In short, everyone was slowly starting to adore him.

Of course there were some worrisome topics coming to mind more often the longer Kurt stayed. The circus was still in town, and you could tell Kurt was getting more and more concerned about his adoptive siblings, Stefan and Amanda. They had never been the subjects of Getmann’s abuse, but Kurt had recently confided in you that he feared attention would be turned on them now that he had escaped. An understandable fear, but you were at a loss as to how to help the situation. Then of course, you yourself always had a fear that Getmann would find Kurt and drag him back to that awful prison.

“Eyes up, kid!”

A sudden smack to the back of your head brought you out of the troublesome musings, courtesy of Logan. It was deserved, you supposed, you were meant to be helping install new rods for the backdrops at the moment.

“Sorry! I’ll stop daydreaming” you assured, reaching up to hold the rod Bobby was working on more securely in place.

It didn’t take much longer and when you were done and started stepping down from the ladder, you spotted Jean at the foot of it, smiling up at you with an...interesting glint in her eyes. Something like excitement and determination wrapped in one.

“Hey, got a minute to talk?” she asked as you reached the last step.

“Sure, if you don’t mind me sewing while we do.” You indicated the box of costumes some feet away, ones you were meant to examine for any holes or tears and fix up should any be found.

The two of you sat with your legs dangling over the edge of the stage as you set to work and she started on her topic. “So, I was talking with Ororo the other day and she’s ninety-nine percent sure that Xavier has already chosen what play he wants to put on after this one, judging from the way he’s been talking. And I know you’ve been thinking a lot about auditioning for our next production, so, I took the liberty of getting a copy of the script- particularly a part I think you’re perfect for, so you can practice!”

Your eyes widened as she produced a decently thick stack of papers from her bag and handed them to you. After reading the top with the production title and character name, you realized it was a secondary character, but still a rather prominent role. Quite ambitious for your first play. Though, admittedly, as you skimmed over the script, it did seem like a character you could connect with.

“And on top of that, so you’d have someone to run lines with, and because I know he’d also be interested in auditioning, I got the scene for a character for Kurt as well.”

She plopped a second stack of papers on top of the first, and after a cursory glance over the character page, you felt heat creep up under your collar and into your face. “J-Jean, these two characters are love interests. And” a flip to one of the center pages confirmed your next suspicion “and there’s a passionate- very passionate kissing scene between them!”

“Hm, fancy that” Jean was looking quite amused with your mini-meltdown as you stammered and tried to rationalize why she was setting these things in motion. “Let’s just say I think you two could easily bring the roles to life.”

A wink and a giggle later, and Jean was gone, leaving you to fluster over the character scripts in your hands. After a shake to clear your head you eventually you decided to simply set them aside and get back to work; trying and failing not to get too wrapped up in the thought of you and Kurt filling those roles.

Your turmoil only worsened when Kurt plopped down beside you “Finally done repairing the catwalks!” he proclaimed with a proud smile that sported his fangs.

“That’s-” you had to stop and clear your throat “That’s great, Kurt. You’ve been working so hard on them the past couple weeks, I know Mister Xavier will be so happy to have them finally fixed.”

Despite your attempt to keep the nervous tremor from your voice, your words still had a shake to them, which Kurt noticed immediately. “Liebchen, are you alright? Are you not feeling well?”

“Oh, I’m fine! Just...well, Jean just gave me some scripts to practice my first audition with, so just nervous thinking about that is all.” Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

His interest seemed piqued and he noticed the papers sitting at your other side. He leaned over you- practically laying in your lap as he picked the stack up in his hands. He flipped through the pages with an interested gleam in his amber eyes, his grin only widening as he went.

“Well I am not familiar with this play, but the role seems like a sweet, gentle beauty, perfect for you!” he actually flashed you a wink. Gosh was he smooth when he wanted to be. Then he weighed the other character script in his hand “Is this one for me? I was hoping you would take me up on my offer and let me help you practice the lines.”

Somehow, even after his light flirting, you were managing to calm the frantic fluttering of your heart and warmth of your face. Your voice barely even trembled as you said “Yeah it is, actually. I’d really appreciate your help, but not just that, Jean also thought you might want to audition for the play.”

“R-really?” His eyes were so wide at the idea you wondered if the thought in general had thrown him through a loop, or if he was just shocked someone else brought it up before he did. “That- that would be wonderful!”

For a moment you looked on as his eyes stared dreamily into the distance. You wondered if the true extent of not only his freedom but his acceptance among others was finally starting to sink in. Wondered if he would get used to it after all he’d been through. “I’ll do whatever I can to make sure no one hurts you like that again, Kurt” You found yourself thinking.

Then almost suddenly, the little blueberry seemed to snap back to reality, looking over at you as he set the scripts beside him neatly. “Here, let me help you with that,” he said, indicating the costume repairs you had barely started on between Jean and Kurt.

After giving him a thankful smile you handed him the silky skirt in your hands and asked him to look it over for tears and holes while you worked on sewing a button on a shirt. “With any luck, Getmann’s circus will be out of here soon and Kurt could finally rest easy.”

Setting the final prop box down into the backstage prep area marked the last of the day's work. Everything from scene dressings to costumes needed for this play were ready to be grabbed at a moment’s notice. As you stretched your arms above your head with a yawn Logan walked past on his way out.

“Better get some good rest tonight, tomorrow I’ll be asking you to help me built this crazy prop Xavier needs. You’ll be working those upper arms plenty, so don’t stay up too late with the elf, got it?”

The teasing chuckle and wink combo he threw you earned a blush as you waved him off “Alright, alright!”

He threw a goodbye wave at you as he departed, followed by Ororo and Kitty who you also exchanged goodnights with. After you grabbed your bag from the stage you made your way back to Kurt’s room, where he was touching up the paint on a couple of props to end his workday on.

Except he wasn’t actually working on them, you had no doubt he would get to it by the end of the night, but right now, he was sitting on his cot reading the script you gave him earlier.

When he heard you in the doorway he looked up with that usual smile of his “You know, I must admit, I think this character will test my acting a bit, while he is quite the wholesome gentleman, I’ll have to reign in my more flamboyant nature.”

“I’m sure you can manage it,” you said with a chuckle as you sat down beside him “would you like to go over a scene tonight?”

Instead of simple words he got to his feet, giving a dramatic bow as he said, “I am at your service!”

Finding scenes to run together wasn’t hard, the characters shared all but a few moments together, though you did have to finds one where there wasn’t too much dialog with the main protagonists. Since he had been looking it over, you wondered if Kurt had noticed that your roles were love interests yet. He likely had, and was avoiding mentioning it for some reason or another.

You also found that practicing with Kurt was...easy. You never stuttered in your lines out of nerves and the look in his eyes that spoke of encouragement and understanding made it easy to slip into the character and act your heart out with no embarrassment. Honestly, the thought that you would only take the role if you got to act with Kurt was already starting to play in the back of your mind.

Kurt needed a bit of direction on overplaying his body language, courtesy of your knowledge from seeing Xavier and Ororo correct their actors over the years, but he was, as you and everyone else suspected, a natural. However the genuine fun you two were having came to a slow halt as you two looked over another scene to do.

The sudden downcast to Kurt’s eyes drew your attention first. Then when his shoulders actually slumped you knew something was horribly wrong. Looking over his shoulder you read the scene he was skimming over.

Oh...well, you supposed all of that hit home for the poor young man.

The leading male character was Kurt’s brother, and in the scene his role had to tell said brother that he was thinking of leaving. Or rather, abandoning the family. It was little wonder why the air in the room had a sudden tinge of melancholy to it.

“Kurt…” you placed a hand on his back, wondering what on earth you should say to him.

He looked to the side, almost as if he were ashamed. “I’m sorry, I’m just…”

“It’s alright to be worried about Stefan and Amanda, Kurt. I just wish… I just wish we could do something to make sure they’re alright.”

Without a word he walked over to the bed, plopping down on it and staring intently at the ground as though deep in thought. You started to make your way over to him, but had to stop in your tracks at what he said next.

“I’m going to go see them tonight.”

“Wh-what?”

He looked up, meeting your eyes and in his amber depths, though the look was not unkind, you saw no room for argument. “I’m going back to the circus to see them. I have to know they’re alright, I have to let them know I didn’t abandon them without a second thought. If they’re still being treated well, at least I can say goodbye. If they aren’t, I’ll do for them what you did for me, now that I am at my full strength and not caged.”

“But what if you get caught!?”

“That is a risk I’m willing to take.”

You bit back any protest, knowing that he wouldn’t change his mind, but also knowing that Kurt needed this. He loved his siblings every bit as if they were actually blood-related, he couldn’t leave them without a word. Specially when they were still so close.

With a sigh, you plopped down on the bed beside him “Then I’m going with you.”

“What? No! I won’t ask you to risk yourself like that!”

“You’re not asking, I’m telling you I’m coming.”

He looked away from the sheer intensity of your unwavering gaze “I’m not sure how well two of us can sneak through the circus, even at night.”

“Then at least let me stay on the outskirts and wait for you, I’ll give you a time limit and if you aren’t back by then or if I hear a commotion I’ll know to get help.” After just a moment’s consideration you reached out and took his hand in yours, making him look you in the eyes again. “Please Kurt, let me help you. You aren’t alone and I won’t let you do this alone.”

Silence for a moment as he simply searched your expression, his eyes softening as they searched and finally locked on yours again. “Alright. We do this together, as long as you promise me to be careful.”

“Funny, I was just about to tell you the same thing.” You chuckled a bit in an effort to lighten the mood.

He continued to keep is gaze on you, not finding any reply as he took you in. Then he placed his hand over yours, the one holding his other hand. He ran his thumb over your knuckles, closing his eyes as he let out a long, almost content sigh.

“I…” Still not finding his words, Kurt opted instead to lean in and press his forehead to yours, eyes still closed, face relaxed. “Thank you. You are all I could have ever asked for and more. Thank you…”

You couldn’t help the light heat in your face, but even that was barely noticeable when you were just so lost in this moment. Lost in his closeness and this simple but sweetly intimate show of affection. You could barely admit that you had been falling for Kurt before, but now? Now you had to go straight to him likely being your first love.

After allowing yourself to hang in the moment for quite a while, you finally asked what needed to be asked, “So, what’s our plan?”

#sweet escape series #Kurt Wagner #nightcrawler #kurt wagner x reader #nightcrawler x reader #kurt wagner fanfiction #Nightcrawler fanfiction

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taki118 · 6 years ago

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Fenabela the looked over ship (a DA2 meta)

~~slight TW: mentions of abuse~~

Fenabela is one of those things often pushed to the side in the Dragon Age fandom, I find. Despite being a cannon ship there aren’t many fics or art dedicated to the pair. This is especially noted when compared to Adoribull (and the fact that the personalities of Dorian and Bull parallel Fenris and Isabela)

Now part of this is of course taste, most people having dubbed Isabela their wife or Fenris their husband and disliking pairing them with anyone other than Hawke or shipping with other npcs. To each their own I realize not everyone can multiship.

However I have noted a few general misconceptions or certain readings that get passed around and a few critics on the narrative that really need to addressed.

And I will display and counter these things here so strap in. (Obligatory sex joke)

Before that I want to state it is not my intention to tell anyone what they can and can’t ship. However I have found a good deal of unwarranted hate towards this ship and wish to defend it and explain why one might ship it. I do greatly enjoy this pair but I will do my best to remain objective.

I don’t like the characters

Of course if you don’t like characters involved in a ship you won’t like it. But Fenris and Isabela are often misunderstood or misread so I’ll go over some things for each quickly.

Fenris

Generally speaking Fenris is the fan favorite of DA2 (and I think a surprise one to the BioWare crew as I’m fairly certain they thought Anders would be the most popular).

However if you aren’t a fan of the broody archetype you likely won’t like him at least for half the game, towards the end he grows to be more relaxed and open.

Another general issue with him is his hatred of mages and support of the Chantry. While his feelings are understandable it can get grating. But again this softens as the game goes on if you weren’t an ass to him by the end he is willing to put his own issues to the back to protect mages and even stating he respects Mage Hawke or Bethany indicating mages who prove themselves to be humble and strong willed are able to earn his trust.

Isabela

Now Isabela is, at least I’ve found to be, one of the more polarizing and misunderstood characters in Dragon Age, and as such I’ll do a more in-depth meta on her at a later date. But here are some common things noted in regards to this ship.

People often think Isabela is a selfish bitch who doesn’t care about anyone but herself. However this is only if you don’t learn about her. The best quote I can give is from Act 3 between her and Anders.

Anders: I always knew you had a heart of gold

Isabela: shush don’t tell anyone.

Isabela has lived a life where she was shown that no good deed goes unpunished and as such tries to hide this aspect of herself. You gotta remember the whole reason she did the Qunari job is because she couldn’t go through with bringing slaves to Tevinter and was forced to steal the tome as compensation.

It wasn’t built up/rushed

Now I can’t be certain on this as I obviously don’t work for BioWare but it should be noted that:

1- this was the first time BioWare had a Love Interest romance and likely wasn’t sure about how much they should do. The next one was Talibrations in Mass Effect 3 that had around the same level build up followed by Adoribull that was given more time to develop naturally.

2- It seems like they wanted to do more but with the notorious 2 year time crunch by EA couldn’t. You can see this in the purposely added dialogue for them in dlc

Of course I am only guessing here but given this it sort of makes sense why it is the way it is. they were likely trying to find a balance between believable and non intrusive that was later utilized better in DAI but you gotta start somewhere.

Fenris doesn’t like Isabela or her flirting

I just um ok this is just so wrong I’m sorry I’m trying to be objective and shit but like come on.

So I know the line most go to, to prove this it’s

Fenris: From what I gather, you like a lot of things.

Isabela: Nonsense. But when I see something I like, I go after it.

Fenris: I suggest keeping your distance.

BUT that’s only if Fenris is romancing Hawke if he isn’t the banter is instead

Fenris: From what I gather, you like a lot of things.

Isabela: Nonsense. But when I see something I like, I go after it.

Fenris: Do you intend to go after me, then?

Isabela: Will you take off all that spiky armor you're wearing?

Fenris: It's been known to happen.

That’s a big tone difference isn’t it. In the first version he pushes her away as he’s interested in Hawke currently but in the second he’s flirting right back.

While yes in Act 1 he’s unsure and unused to her flirting but by Act 2 he’s willingly playing along. I mean he wouldn’t offer to play “Guess the color of my underclothes” with her if he didn’t enjoy it. It’s a safe way for Fenris to explore his sexuality and the only reason he tells her to back off at that time is because he’s serious about pursuing Hawke.

And no matter what Fenris respects her if only for one thing

Fenris: So you freed a group of slaves?

Isabela: Would-be slaves. They weren't slaves yet.

Fenris: Still, you did the right thing. Many would turn a blind eye.

Isabela: Don't read too much into it, all right? It just seemed a good idea at the time.

Like fundamentally I don’t think Fenris can hate someone who freed slaves.

It’s toxic/just about sex

I feel like this is more a jab at Isabela but again it’s over simplifying her character. Because here’s the thing most people over look when saying this ship is toxic for Fenris cause he’s a sexual abuse survivor ISABELA IS ONE TOO.

Isabela doesn’t really talk of her past much but from the dialogue given in game and tie in material we do know that

- her husband Louis purchased her from her mother young in the 10-13 age range

- he likely intended to groom her to be his perfect bride what with the lessons, gifts and such

- he forced himself on her and when isabela rebelled against him it’s implied he either did or was going to allow his friends to do so as well. To again let me reiterate a girl young enough to be his daughter.

Regardless of what exactly happened this did effect Isabela just in a different way. Isabela took autonomy of her body back once he was dead. Look some survivors of traumatic experiences are terrified of ever encountering it again but others continuously face the action head on to refuse it power, both are valid ways to deal with it. One is just less noticeable/sympathetic.

This line of thinking also ignores that literally the first intimate thing Fenris does when he enters a relationship with Hawke is have sex. They don’t ease into it just bam sex, but I have yet to see a Fenhawke is toxic hot take. which I mean I could make easily. Don’t believe me?

In the act 2 romance scene Fenris is angry, raw and emotional and taking it out on Hawke verbally before psychically pushing Hawke against a wall. when Fenris realizes what he’s done and pulls back Hawke immediately kisses him and they have sex. I could say Hawke took advantage of Fenris in his emotional state for their own sexual gratification. I don’t actually believe that but I could claim it. if you’re thinking that’s insane, you are correct but that’s the point it is very easy to twist things to fit a narrative if you really want to.

Now you might be thinking “Well it’s different Isabela just wants to use Fenris for sex” and if you think sex is just sex with Isabela you haven’t been paying attention.

Again I’ll go more into this with my isabela meta but to her sex is safe, it can’t hurt her but people can so she keeps them at arms length. With sex she can get the pyshical closeness she craves while keeping her feelings locked away in one night stands/flings. So the fact that she WANTS to continue seeing Fenris almost immediately after their first tour below deck is telling. And the fact he wants to continue just as much shows the relationship is as much his choice as it is hers.

And speaking of sex...

the memory plot hole

The main confusion I see people have with this ship is the Fenris gets memories after sex bit. And I get why it’s kinda vague but let me assure you it’s not a plot hole.

When you romance Fenris in Act 2 he leaves after having sex with Hawke due to memories returning and being unable to handle them. The confusion I see is often “so what sex with Hawke was so good it gave Fenris memories but not Isabela?” Or “why is it only Hawke?” The answer, it’s just a matter of timing.

The scene in question with Hawke only takes place in Act 2 but Fenris and Isabela don’t hook up until Act 3 and those three years in between make all the difference.

Act 2 Fenris has been free from Danarious(I will not spell his name right sorry) for at least 6 years but he’s still controlled by the man. He’s pissed at the lack of leads and when he gets one demands you go after it immediately and will straight up leave the party if you take too long. The reason is twofold he wants revenge and he’s afraid.

Fenris has only just started to carve out a life for himself in Kirkwall but he’s terrified that whatever life he has there will be torn away by Darnarious. Cause it’s happened before. So when he engages with Hawke and he’s flooded with these mostly happy memories it’s too much. He can’t handle it, at that time.

In just three years Fenris becomes a much more open and relaxed person. by Act 3 he has weekly card nights with Varric and Donnic, willingly helps Aveline and is even more relaxed about mages. The idea that he once had a life and a family before Danarious and that he can have one now isn’t as daunting or impossible to him as it was in Act 2.

It’s not that he doesn’t get the memories when sleeping with Isabela it’s only that he’s now in a place where he can handle them. Had Hawke the option to tell Fenris to take things slow in Act 2 the pair likely would not have separated. However that’s not what happened Fenris thought that he could handle it but couldn’t as he was in Act 2.

Don’t believe well Fenris himself says so to Hawke in Act 3 when asked why he left.

Fenris: the pain, the memories it brought up... it was too much. I was coward. If I could go back I would stay.

I’m not surprised people either missed or didn’t pick on this bit it happens late in the game and it is entirely possible to miss this branch of dialogue but it’s there and confirms what I stated. It’s not a plot hole only a matter of timing. Hawke had bad timing Isabela didn’t.

By Act 3 he’s in a better place mentally and is able to feel okay with the memories, with intimacy and with the idea of having a life. Whether or not Fenris and Isabela are serious about the relationship is irrelevant (though I head cannon they tell themselves it’s just a fling only to still be together years later) it’s the fact that he feels he can engage in this fashion with someone that’s important.

It should have been Isabela x Merrill

Now I can’t argue with people’s taste that’s ridiculous and I can see the appeal they’re cute. However it’s not something they could simply put in the game like Fenabela.

Let me explain. The reason it works in DA2 is cause it’s a light, flirty and fun type relationship and even if you don’t ship it, the idea is easy to chew off. If you play through their romances the idea that the two characters with huge trusts issues hooking up for fun isn’t that hard to buy.

Merrill however would require more than a couple teasing lines of dialogue. The reason being her romance plot.

The first thing Merrill says after having sex with Hawke is “I love you” if you don’t think Isabela would freak out at that and jump on the first boat she could find I don’t know but I’d like to hear your reasoning.

It takes Isabela a long ass time to be ok with saying and being told that with Hawke. It’s a big part of her romance arc.

Sooooo if one were to play through both their romances then play a game where they got together off screen it would require more dialogue than what Fenabela got otherwise it’d be a far bigger plot hole issue as the pair do not move at the same emotional speed.

Like I can’t see Merrill being into having a casual fling even by Act 3 and I can’t see Isabela being ok with a serious relationship either without a good deal of added dialogue and scenes.

Now this one is the most subjective part of the meta, I’m well aware, but with how BioWare handles their side romances Isabela x Merrill just could not be folded into the narrative as easily as Fenabela and likely would have been too intrusive for those uninterested in side romances.

So we’ve covered the main misconceptions and complaints on the ship. now to get into why Fenabela does work, and why people like this ship.

Their romances parallel each other

Something I noticed about the Kirkwall crew (and I might make a meta on it damn I got so many things to write) is that they each parallel and reflect each other (which is one of the reasons I dislike the Sebastian addition cause he kinda screws it up)

Aveline and Varric:

- Both are non romanceable

- Need Hawkes help to sort out their personal lives

- Both thrive in the friendship Hawke gives them

Merrill and Anders:

- both thirsty AF for Hawke and immediately move in

- both have blinders on in regards to their goals and ideals, Merrill with the mirror and Anders with well you know

- this also causes problems for both in their relationships with Hawke

So then we have Fenris and Isabela

- both wear a mask of indifference in Act 1 that is peeled away by Hawke in Act 3

- both runaway/try to distance themselves from Hawke and their relationship in Act 2 only to renew it in Act 3

- and both NEED to feel they can trust Hawke in order to move forward

Now unlike Merrill and Anders who’s conflict with Hawke is mostly situational (ie were it not for the mirror and being in Kirkwall aka mage torture capital of the free marches, there would be no problem) Fenris and Isabela’s conflicts are purely emotional and an emotion they share

Leading us to

They are damaged in similar ways

The main conflicts in their romances is fear.

A fear of happiness and a fear of love.

They both think that if they were to get that which they desire most they’d lose it or it’d be used against them or most of all they aren’t deserving of it and will never receive it.

And this is entirely because of what happened to them in life prior to arriving in Kirkwall.

They lived lives where love and happiness were things that could be used against them. A weakness to exploit or a reward to be taken away. So it makes sense that for their romance arcs they have to have trust to believe this love and happiness with Hawke is worth the risk.

So it’s safe to say that we’re they not romanced by Hawke it’s only natural they’d be drawn to one another. We often look for similarities in our partners sometimes it’s in appearance, others it’s values but for them it’d be their shared pain and fear.

Hawke: you’re not afraid of being hurt you’re afraid of hurting someone else

Isabela: no I look it isn’t like that it’s just easier this way

Isabela: you were right. I wasn’t afraid of love I was afraid of being loved.

Fenris: I killed them all

Hawke: why would you do such a thing?

Fenris: I felt it inevitable. My master had returned and this...this fantasy life was over.

Fenris: I’m sorry. All I ever wanted was to be happy...just for a little while. Forgive me.

Its why they are implied to have a more casual relationship in Act 3 than they would with Hawke. Hawke doesn’t have the same issues with intimacy as they do thus would take longer. And there is an appeal to the idea of two people finding comfort and support in one another even if it’s only temporary.

Isabela = fog warriors

So this is something I literally just noticed as I was working on this meta but um the Fog Warriors who helped Fenris after he first was free of Danarious whom he speaks of fondly greatly resemble Isabela at least in the traits he describes that he seems to find the most appealing.

Fenris: I had grown fond of the rebels. They bowed to no master and fought for their freedom.

Fenris: I had only been with them a few months but in that time I had felt I truly lived. They were bold, strong, free with their affections. I was in awe of them.

Like let’s take what he says here out of context for a second.

He says he was in awe and felt truly alive with someone who was

- bold - strong - free with affection - rebellious

- defiant - strong sense of freedom

That kinda describes Isabelas base personality perfectly. I can’t state that this was intentional or even if Fenris was aware but it’s not a long shot to say that Fenris would be drawn and attracted to people like this for this reason.

Their banter is cute

I mean I know it’s subjective but they do have some great back and forth and if you enjoy flirty snarky people it opens up some great opportunities in fan fiction and such. Characters who play well off each other are always more desirable and they got a great wise guy/straight man thing going.

They spend more time than we know together

A thing that can be overlooked easily it that each act has about 3 years in between them making the total run in the game about 9 years. We know from banter that the various characters interact with each other regularly regardless of whether or not Hawke is there. (Something I wish they could do more if EA got their heads out of their asses and gave us re release!)

Anyway we know from these brief moments that

- Fenris lets isabela visit the mansion

- isabela helps him out from time to time

- she’s one of the few people who’s opinion on mages he considers

- they play cards and/or make bets with each other

- they interact enough that Varric takes notice in the MOA dlc

it’s again something that’s fun to play with in fiction.

To summarize

- it’s not toxic

- they like interacting with one another

- there is no plot hole

- it’s not just about sex

- they were the easiest to pair up on the side

- they parallel each other

- share similar fears and traumas

- their personalities are fun to play with for fans

Fenabela really does not deserve the hate or lack of care it gets from the fandom. It’s the story of two damaged people finding support in one another if only for a short time and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying that.

Again I’m not saying this ship is better than any other, I’m not trying to get you to jump ship all this meta is here for is to clear up some misconceptions and unwarranted hate, and bring some much needed spot light to this ship that is often overlooked.

Anyway I want to thank anyone who read through this whole thing for their time and if you’d like to discuss any points here with me please reblog with “makers breath” first and I’ll 100% be up for talking (if you didn’t bother to read and just want to rant at me I will ignore it) I plan on making more of these as well as finishing fics but this topic has weighed on me for some time.

#dragon age #da2 #fenris #da isabela #da fenris #fenabela #fenebela #fenris x isabela #meta #isabela #da #bioware

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shipmistress9 · 7 years ago

Text

FTLOAP: Chapter 10: Now Here We Stand, Unafraid Of The Future

Prologue; Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9

Alpha/Co-author: @athingofvikings

. o O o .

THE TRAILER! WOOOOO! I CAN'T! xD I'm so excited! Just good this chapter was finished yesterday already, not sure I could have done anything after watching the trailer. I'm still not over it, so cool! And the beard! I love the beard! xD

Okay, back to normal... I'll try...*deep breathe*

This chapter became ridiculously long... again! It was only meant as a short opening scene for the last chapter of part 1, but... oh well... It became this long on its own, without the other part. As I said, ridiculous. I simply can't help myself... Not sorry! :)

. o O o .

Hiccup recognised the voices easily. He’d spend enough time with Eret to know his laughter, and Prince Daniel’s was easy to identify as well. But if those two were here, did that mean…?

Frozen like a deer hearing a twig break, his heart racing, he stood in the middle of the corridor between the two rows of stalls and stared at the closed entrance door.

All Gods in Valhalla, please…

The smaller door within the gate opened, and, as he’d hoped, it was Astrid who entered first. The moment he saw her, he felt as if some invisible weight got lifted off his shoulders. She was here. She was here, and simply seeing her was enough to soothe him and make his heart leap in joy at the same time.

When her eyes fell on him though, she visibly tensed. He thought he saw something of the joy he felt in her eyes too, but it quickly got overshadowed by something darker, worries and a cool determination.

She’d paused in the doorway when she’d spotted him. But when the voices behind her became louder, she hastily stepped inside to make space for Eret and her brother. Her face gave nothing away as she gave him a polite nod, and Hiccup fought hard to equally school his expression, even though it felt neigh on impossible to do so. What had happened to make her act reserved like this again? Surely, she could at least have given him a small smile?

But she hadn’t. She just quickly walked past him. He could hear how she cooed and murmured at the horses, and then opened the door to one of the stalls, probably Markor’s. He didn’t dare to turn and make sure.

Both Daniel and Eret gazed after her, wide grins on their faces, before they turned their attention to Hiccup. “Good morning, Hiccup,” the Prince greeted him, amusement turning into a concerned smile. “I hope your… accommodations are… well… tolerable?”

Glad over this distraction, Hiccup focused all his attention on the Prince – away from his sister and her odd behaviour. “Yes, Milord, they are,” he said truthfully. “It’s dry and sheltered from the wind, and warm enough too, with all the horses here. Straw is remarkably comfortable and I’m alone here. That’s definitely is a bonus, too.” He paused and averted his eyes, but then added without really intending to do so, “I’ve had much worse.” Glancing up, he looked into two concerned faces and scolded himself for letting those words slip. He hadn’t meant to sound so pathetic.

“That’s… good to hear,” the Prince finally broke the awkward silence.

Eret, however, simply snorted. “I told you, he’s fine here. It’s not like he hasn’t slept in some stables before. And it’s so much warmer down here, it’s ridiculous what you call winter.” He walked past Daniel and clapped Hiccup on the shoulder in greeting. Then he lifted a basket he was holding in his other hand. “I know you said you’re fine with living on apples, but I still brought you something more substantial. Father would never forgive me if I let you turn into that skinny fishbone of a man again.”

“Thank you, Sir,” he replied as Eret walked over to the side to place the basket onto one of the straw bales.

“Oh, stop that,” he sighed, rolling his eyes at Hiccup. “You’re not some lowly servant, okay? You don’t have to bow and scrape all the time, especially if there’s nobody around to act for. Not when it’s just us.”

“If you say so,” Hiccup mumbled. He stared at the ground, not meeting anyone’s eyes. He wanted to be a part of this group, more than anything else. But the simple truth was that he wasn’t. Not yet… There was a moment of awkward silence, a tension in the air that hadn’t been there the night before. Last night, the proverbial ice had been broken, but today, they seemed to have started anew.

“Right,” Daniel said after a few uncomfortable moments, changing the topic as he turned to Eret. “Which ones are the horses you said might be suitable? Not the mare or Astrid’s gelding, obviously, but I see you have five stallions here.”

He let his eyes wander along the row of stalls, and Hiccup made way to let the two men walk past him. These horses were Eret’s pride and joy, and it therefore was his privilege to show them to the Prince. There was no need for him to step in and take this work from his master. And then, there also was another advantage to them being occupied otherwise...

The moment Eret and Daniel turned away from him, he couldn’t keep his eyes from flickering to where Astrid stood in Markor’s stall. She was humming quietly under her breath, petting and scratching the big horse affectionately. Just like yesterday, the sight was mesmerising. He gazed in wonder, hoping to catch her attention. But she wasn’t looking, seemed completely lost in some blissful bubble of her own, and didn’t pay any attention to anyone but her horse. Certainly not to him. Swallowing, Hiccup forced himself not to stare at her, and focused back on the two men and the horses again as Eret began to introduce them.

“This one is Hunter,” Eret nodded toward the black beast in the first stall. “He belongs to Father. And that one next to him is my Crusher. You saw them both yesterday, remember?” The Prince nodded, and went past those two and the empty stall next to them. “And this is Chomp. He would be suitable, but I actually would recommend either Squish or Trample. Not that Chomp isn’t a great horse, but he’s a little thick-headed sometimes.”

“Chomp, Squish, and Trample?” Daniel inquired, snorting quietly. “Who came up with these names?” With calm steps he walked along the stalls, inspecting the horses within.

“Well, they kind of named themselves with their antics,” Eret replied dryly, rubbing his left arm where Chomp had bitten him once when he’d been little more than a colt, as Hiccup had been told. Eret was lucky to not have lost the arm, and the scar was pretty fierce. “But, of course, those aren’t their real names. Chomp, this sorrel here, is actually formally named Firewind Hookfang in the breeding register. But as I said, I wouldn’t recommend him. Not when you have a choice.” He walked next to Daniel past the stalls.

“Then we have this buckskin, Squish. Or Blazing Thunderstrike, as it says on the paper. And then there’s this black rascal, Trample. Or Twilight Shadowwalker. Fitting for his hide, don’t you think?” He gave his friend a sidelong grin. “Anyway, these two are the ones I would recommend to you. They, too, have a bit of a temperament, but you wouldn’t want a war stallion without that anyway.”

Daniel had listened with a raised eyebrow, but now shook his head, laughing quietly. “These names are hardly better... Let me guess, your sisters choose them again? Honestly, don’t they have other things to do than come up with those ridiculous names?” Eret smirked at that, but didn’t say anything as Daniel took a minute to give both stallions measuring looks. But it wasn’t much of a choice. Even over the small distance, Hiccup could see how there seemed to be an immediate connection between Daniel and Trample. With the usual noises to calm the beast, the Prince made a cautious step toward the black horse, and Trample let him pet his head without any trouble.

“Well, I guess that’s settled then,” Eret stated in an amused voice. “Let’s get him ready, and you can make a first test ride on the riding ring outside.” He made attempts to walk toward the tack room that lay behind a door at the side of the main stable room, but Hiccup beat him to it. Eret reacted with a heavy sigh, and, rolling his eyes, he said, “Hiccup, you don’t have to do this. You–”

“Yes, I do,” Hiccup interjected quietly. “I am your squire. And readying a horse for you is certainly part of my duties.”

Eret gave him a flat look, snorted, and shook his head. ”All right. If that’s how you see it. But don’t expect me to treat you any different.”

Hiccup gave his cousin a small smile before ducking into the tack room to look for where they’d placed Trample’s bridle and saddle the day before.

. o O o .

Astrid enjoyed the peaceful moments she was able to spend in Markor’s stall, she really did. Caring for him yesterday had been wonderful, partially because she’d been allowed to do so for once. But simply enjoying the horse’s company right now was great, too. She was leaning against the broad neck, her bare fingers scratching his hide as she’d pulled off her gloves the instant she’d entered the stall. Quietly humming to herself, she enjoyed being able to let her mind wander without anyone interrupting her… Yes, all in all, it was very enjoyable.

Or it would have been.

Usually, she was quite able to pay no mind to everything around her when she was around horses. But, of course, today nothing was ‘as usual’. All the time, she had to fight the urge to let her eyes flicker over to Hiccup where he stood a few steps away from Eret and her brother, attentive as he was supposed to be.

In a way, it was even worse than it had been last night. Last night, everything had been so confusing. And even after their shared minutes and their kisses, after their souls had melted together and everything had started to make sense, she hadn’t fully grasped it all. But now, she understood that her life was connected to his. And no matter how much she wanted to throw herself into his embrace, she couldn’t do anything to risk his life.

Sure, Ruff had probably been right. Daniel wouldn’t want to punish him. Not after how well they’d gotten along last night and the bits he and Eret had talked about earlier. But still, she had no doubts that, if her brother would ever learn about what had happened, he wouldn’t hesitate to have Hiccup killed. Daniel wasn’t brutal or sadistic... but she had noticed that the years on the battlefield were already starting to harden him. He’d developed a taste for expedient justice, and his law against touching her was only one example. Admittedly, he only executed said justice when guilt was obvious... but if he caught them together like they’d been yesterday... that would be pretty obvious.

She chewed at her lip at the thought. She wanted nothing more than to be with Hiccup, to feel his warmth, his touch, and get to know him. But she would need to be exceedingly careful. Daniel might be oblivious to romantic matters of any sort, but Eret surely was not. His teasing earlier might have been just a joke, but he’d been awfully close. And when it came down to choosing between her and Daniel, his loyalty surely lay with his future King.

Trying to keep her thoughts from wandering to dangerous territory, she listened as the men talked about the war stallions House Jag’r had brought. Unsurprisingly, Daniel decided on the black stallion as he had a preference for those, and equally unsurprisingly, Eret suggested to directly go for a test ride on the riding ring outside. She had expected as much, had counted on that, in fact. If only the rest of the day also went as she hoped. She would still need to keep up her act and come up with a believable excuse, but–

“Hey, You all right in there?” Eret’s cheerful voice came suddenly through the stall door.

She looked up to see him poking his head through the opening at the front of the stall. “Yes, I’m fine,” she replied, smiling, and ran her hand down Markor’s neck. “He really is amazing, and I can’t thank you enough.” And not only for the horse you brought, she added mentally.

“I’m really glad you like him,” he said, winking good-humouredly. “But I’m sorry that I had no chance to get his saddle so far. I promise to somehow get it here as soon as possible.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I don’t mind,” she stated happily as his words sparked an idea. “But what about you? Aren’t you and Daniel supposed to get his stallion ready?”

Eret snorted. “Yeah, well, the perks of having an overly eager squire… Makes me feel useless.” He paused, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. “But what about I show you the ‘pretty’ saddle we brought while we wait? Apparently, I have nothing else to do anyway, and it really is worth a look. You’ll love it.”

Astrid doubted that, but agreed nonetheless. She left Markor’s stall and followed Eret toward the attached tack room, but paused again when Daniel beckoned him over.

“Heh, Eret? A moment to take a look at this?” He didn’t call out loudly – mindful of the horses – but sounded serious nonetheless, concerned even.

Eret looked up with a frown, nodded, and turned back to Astrid. “I’ll see what he wants.You just go ahead and I’ll be there in a minute,” he said lightly, and left her standing.

She followed him with her eyes as he went toward the stall where Daniel stood near his new stallion. For a moment, she watched them as they inspected something on the horse’s leg, but then she shrugged to herself and entered the small and dusty room...

To run directly into Hiccup.

She gasped in surprise, a noise he mirrored. He dropped what he was holding, and she barely registered the clattering thud of metal and leather hitting the ground as she abruptly found herself in his arms.

Astrid froze as she felt his hands on her waist, her own hands bracing against his chest to steady herself. Dumbfounded, she gazed up into his beautiful face, his eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. Oh, how she’d yearned for his embrace! Their sudden closeness made her heart race, her breathing quickening. She could feel his breath brushing over her skin, his warmth soaking into her where she could feel him through their clothes.

For a few precious heartbeats, they held each other. She felt her heart with the piece of his soul glowing with joy, their connection thrumming at the unexpected closeness. It was wonderful, amazing, everything she’d wished for – and extremely dangerous!

His eyes glazed over, becoming more intense as he slightly bent his head, and for the fraction of a second she thought – hoped, and feared – he might kiss her.

The clicking of heavy boots on stone was the only warning.

Astrid pushed Hiccup away from her in an instant. She made a hasty step backwards and saw how he stumbled, a confused look on his face. But there was no time to explain anything. When Eret opened the door a second later, she stood frozen in place, unimaginably grateful for the lack of proper illumination that hopefully hid her blush and her frightened expression. Hiccup had hastily dropped to his knees, maybe to hide his face.

“And here I am again. Sorry you had to wait,” Eret said cheerfully, then frowned at Hiccup crouching on the ground.

“Is everything all right with Daniel’s stallion?” Astrid asked, after rummaging through her memories to come up with something reasonable to say.

“Yeah, nothing to worry. Daniel just noticed a scratch on Trample’s upper leg, but it’s nothing serious. You already took care of that, as I saw?”

The last words were obviously meant for Hiccup, who had just straightened up again. He was a little breathless, but otherwise seemed unperturbed, the dropped bridle back in his hand. “Yes, I applied the healing salve directly when I noticed it earlier,” came Hiccup’s sober affirmation.

“Good man. Not that I regret your decision, but you would have made a great stable master. Ah well, that’s how it is. Anyway, you can get started with rubbing Trample down right away, I’ll bring the saddle once we’re done here.”

“As you wish, Sir,” Hiccup replied, the teasing tone in his voice not hidden to Astrid.

Eret, however, sounded more exasperated. “Hiccup, I swear. If you don’t…” He trailed off, groaning, as Hiccup chuckled and then quickly walked toward the exit.

As he passed her, he politely bowed his head in her direction and murmured a short “Milady,” in greeting. This formal form of address sounded so wrong coming from him. But, of course, it was the only sensible one. Astrid secretly saluted Hiccup for how quickly he’d caught himself, for how easily he’d acted as if nothing had happened. Because all she was able to do in response to him was nod mutely. Hiccup left the small room, and Astrid let out the breath she hadn’t even noticed she’d been holding. Freya, she needed to do better than this. Sighing, she turned back to Eret – who gave her a scrutinizing look.

“Is everything all right?” he asked seriously. Frigga, why had he to be so good at reading her?

“Sure, why not?” she nonetheless tried to ward off his concern. But he wasn’t buying it.

“You seem… tense somehow. Especially around Hiccup. And… well, I understand, you know? Last night, Daniel told me all that happened. Why he thought this... this law to be necessary and all, and I see his point. But Hiccup isn’t like that. I promise. He’s a decent guy, and would never… You don’t need to be afraid of him. And… well, I’m sorry to pull you two in on this, but he really could use some friends right now. He’s been through a lot.”

Astrid stared at him, not sure whether to laugh or to cry. He was asking her to befriend Hiccup? Because he was a decent guy, and surely would never touch her? Gods, the irony was incredible. What could she possibly say to this?

“Okay.”

“Okay? That’s all?” Eret, who seemed to have expected a stronger reaction, blinked in confusion.

“Well, what else should I say?” she replied lightly. “I’m not afraid of Hiccup, if that’s what concerns you. It’s just… weird, I think. Maybe because I don’t know him at all, not like I know you or the others. But I’ll try to put in some effort to change that, all right?” It was nothing but the truth.

Eret hesitated, but then nodded and gave her a broad smile. “Thanks, Swanja. That means a lot to me,” he said sincerely. Then he beckoned her to follow him. “Anyway, that’s not why we came here. Come, what I wanted to show you is over there.” He went ahead to the far corner of the room where a narrow beam of sunlight fell through a small window and provided better illumination. With mischievously gleaming eyes, he gestured toward what could be called a saddle, except…

“What in Loki’s name!?” she sputtered, disbelievingly. What hung on the saddle rack in front of her was… hilarious!

Covered in dark blue satin, the saddle was indeed a gorgeous piece of horse-riding tack. Or it would have been if that had been all. The scenery of swans swimming on a lake – embroidered with silver and gold threads – surely was beautiful and detailed, but seemed a bit... excessive on a saddle skirt, to say the least. And the additional embellishments of brocade and stitched-on glass beads around the dual pommels was assuredly, absolutely too much. The tassels hanging from the cantle were tasteful, at least, and were done in a way that managed to suggest a swan’s tail-feathers. And the leather of the fender, stirrup and straps had been neatly tooled with more waterfowl. It was a gorgeous piece of art...

That would be ruined the instant Markor went anywhere there was a hint of dirt or mud. And while the stitching holding the seat to the saddle skirt was – yep, she checked – silver bullion wire, a ridiculous extravagance, it was at least flush with the leather. Even the seat had been embossed with a swan in flight, which just made her shake her head. And they’d clearly gone a little too enthusiastic on the decoration for the pommels; while the parts that would be touching her thighs directly were smooth leather, the rest of the pommels were embellished to the point of absurdity.

How long Astrid stared at the ludicrous, ridiculous piece of riding equipment, she didn’t know. It looked so entirely out of place in the dusty, practical tack-room, as if it had been misplaced by some absent-minded dvergr. Her expression must have been gloriously bewildered, as Eret clearly reached a point where he couldn’t control himself anymore and burst out laughing. “Yes, that’s the face I expected,” he guffawed. “Seriously Swanja, I wish you could see your expression right now.”

“How in all Gods’ names did this happen?” she asked incredulously. “I mean… Your father said your sisters did this, but… but don’t they know what a saddle is for? How is this… this thing supposed to survive even one ride?”

Eret shook his head, still grinning. “It’s not.”

“Just look at this!” she went on in disbelief, not reacting to his comment in any way. “Even ignoring the fact that whatever dress I wear is going to completely cover this saddle; as soon as I go anything above a trot, the skirt will wrap around the pommels and get ripped to shreds by the beading and embroidery!”

“So don’t go above a trot, then,” Eret said with a smirk.

This time, she gave him a sour look. “I’ll simply wear my practical and thick riding leathers beneath some discarded linen dress, thank you. That way, at least my legs will survive this saddle and none of my usual outfits gets destroyed.”

“Oh, please do! Just imagine the scandal,” Eret said with teasing glee and held up a hand as he leaned over, as if visualizing something off in the distance. “The refined Princess Astrid, riding her gift horse and fine gift-saddle from House Jag’r... while wearing a pair of worn and dirty leather riding trousers beneath rags.”

She groaned.

“Sorry to burst your bubble,” he didn’t sound very sorry, “but you’re probably going to have to use it at least once for some formal ride somewhere. Wearing a skirt. At a trot that’s so slow that you’re going to want to scream, knowing that you could be flying instead.”

Astrid groaned at the image he painted with his words. She’d been a part of such formal processions before, and they were deadly boring. But she would at least take Eret down with her...“If that’s actually going to happen one day, then I’ll make sure you’re a part of it, too. Riding somewhere behind me, just as slowly.”

“No, don’t do that! Have me locked in with my grandfather for a weekend instead!” Eret protested in mock desperation.

“What, and let you off easy?” she fired back. “Nope. Sentence is spoken. It’s that or possibly being pecked to death by swans. I can take you over to the pond and throw you in right now. Your choice.”

“Well, I suppose that might be the more pleasant choice. But then you’d have to explain things to my father, Hiccup, and Dagur,” Eret said with a grin.

Astrid snorted, making Eret chuckle. “All right, you get to live, this time,” she said, deadly serious… before she burst out laughing as well.

Laughing like this was liberating, even with the sting of her secret between them. It felt natural, normal. She knew that, once she left this small room, she would need to keep her every action in check again to not reveal how Hiccup’s mere presence affected her, to not endanger him. But when she pressed her hand to her chest, presumably to catch her breath, she knew that it was worth it. He was worth it.

Once they’d calmed down again, she continued to examine the details of the saddle’s stitchings. It truly was completely mental. There had to be a small fortune of silver thread stitched into the thing...

“You’re a sadist, and I know that you encouraged this, didn’t you?” she said after a while, shaking her head at the sheer lunacy of this thing.

“Who, me?” Eret said innocently, and then chuckled. “Don’t worry too much, we all knew you probably won’t ever actually use it. It’s more of an alibi, for you and for my sisters alike. Believe me, these days they are eagerly grasping for every excuse to claim being busy to avert any unwanted attention.”

Astrid raised an eyebrow at his words, looking up from inspecting the equally ridiculously embellished bridle. “Unwanted attention?”

“Yeah, well…” Eret scratched his neck sheepishly. “There’s been a surge in young noblemen who all came up with the same idea: marry a daughter from one of the higher Houses for the alliance and maybe a bit more power. I mean, they’re probably right. And I easily admit that this is a far more pleasant way to seek power than simply killing your rivals, especially as most seem to put honest effort into courting the girls to win their hearts and hands. But it’s become a lot more intense lately, and my sisters are grasping for every opportunity to flee their suitors.”

Astrid contemplated his words with a slight frown. “But… last time I checked your sisters were younger than I am. Isn’t it a bit… early for them to think about marriage?” She was aware of the irony for her to say these words after she’d been thinking a lot about marriage since yesterday, but still.

But Eret simply shrugged. “It’s not like Father would marry them off right away. But contracts can already be made and sealed, even if the wedding only takes place in a couple of years. Besides… waiting to get married until the bride is twenty is not a law. It’s just a custom, one you’re far more fond of down here in the south then we’re anyway. And if it serves to settle some dispute between Father’s vessels, then I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate to concur – as long as whichever of my sisters isn’t totally against it.”

Astrid nodded in understanding. It wasn’t that much of an uncommon practice after all.

“Anyway,“ went Eret on. “It’s not like it’s that likely to actually happen anytime soon. I think Father mentioned something about how he wanted to talk with your father about other ways to calm those disputes or something. And it’s not that bad so far, for us, at least. There are just a dozen or so young men around the stud farm practically every day, hoping to talk to one of the girls. Or to impress them or Father or sometimes even me with their skills in caring for the horses, trying to convince us of their suitability. Frankly, it’s quite entertaining, from my point of view, at least. The stables are cleaner than they’ve been in years.”

“You’re horrible,” Astrid chuckled as they turned to leave the room.

“Of course, I am,” he agreed cheerfully, took a black saddle from one of the racks, and added with a wink, “And here I thought you of all people knew that already.”

. o O o .

With a strained grunt, Hiccup lifted the heavy saddle up and onto Trample’s broad back. It was difficult, but he had to get used to this. House Jag’r’s horses were so much bigger compared to those he was used to. Or… had been used to… His jaw tightened at the dull ache that accompanied this thought.

Once again, his eyes flickered to Astrid for a scant second to chase away the hurtful memories. When she’d left the tack room a few minutes before, she’d been in an exceedingly good mood, laughing about some comment Eret must have made. Then she’d returned to Markor’s stall, and was now humming quietly to herself. All he could see of her were occasional glimpses of her golden hair.

And she hadn’t even looked at him again.

But that was probably just because she was cautious. Yes, that had to be it. Despite the animated discussion he and Daniel had had last night and the friendly smile from this morning, Hiccup vividly remembered the warning he’d been given. Surely, it was just because she was trying to be careful. No need to panic...

“Okay, he’s ready,” Hiccup announced once the saddle was tightly attached to Trample. Eret and Daniel, who’d stood to the side, talking quietly, looked up and came over. “I’ve left the halter on as I guess you want to lunge first. But I can quickly bridle him, as soon as–”

“That’s alright, we can do that ourselves,” Eret said decidedly, and took the bridle out of Hiccup’s hand to lay it aside for later use. “But yes, we’ll do some lungeing first. Are you coming, Daniel? Lots to do today.”

Daniel hesitated and threw a questioning look over at his sister. “Aren't you coming, Astrid?” he asked, head cocked to the side as she made no move to leave Markor’s stall and follow them. Hiccup perked up his head to look at her, just like Eret did.

“No, I’ll stay here,” she replied absentmindedly, head leaned against the horse's neck and apparently entirely caught up in her thoughts.

His heartbeat quickened at the prospect of them staying behind – alone – but he also caught the worried expression on the Prince’s face. He seemed as if he wanted to object when Eret placed a hand on his friend’s arm.

“Hey, it’s all right,” he said quietly, his voice easily carrying toward where Hiccup stood. “I get that you’re worried for her after what you told me last night. But look at her. Does she look scared or anything? She’s fine. There’s no need to soothe any fears when there are none.”

“Maybe,” the Prince replied, murmuring. “It’s just…” Hiccup practically felt how piercing blue eyes rested on him for a moment, and he tried hard to act as if he was just lounging around and not listening in.

“Listen,” Eret interjected, even quieter than before. “There’s no need to worry about him. He’s not like that creep Thuggory or that other man. I promise – no, I vouch for him. She’s safe with him. Besides,” he added more cheerfully. “You do remember the scared swan, right? She can take care of herself.”

The Prince sighed, and from the corner of his eye, Hiccup saw how he nodded. “You’re right, I guess. Okay. Let’s get started.”

They left the stables and Hiccup gazed after them, thoughtfully. Eret’s words had hit him on many levels, and he wasn’t sure about which to think first. Why should Astrid be scared of him? He hadn’t given her any reason for that… had he? No, surely not. But what had he meant by creep? It didn’t make much sense to him. And what had that been about a scared swan? It had sounded… meaningful somehow, like there was a story behind that phrase. It at least seemed to have been important enough to convince the Prince in the end. He wondered what that had meant.

But aside from those confusing comments, there had been something else that bothered him even more. Eret had vouched for him… He’d promised that Astrid would be safe with Hiccup. Gulping, he fought to calm down the troubled emotions that started to boil up inside him.

Of course, Astrid was safe with him! The mere thought something could ever happen to her made his heart cramp painfully, and in that moment, he knew that he would do anything to ensure her safety. But that probably hadn’t been what Eret had meant.

Creep.

No, the Prince wasn’t worried about something dangerous that could happen to her, some outer threat she needed protection from. And why would he be? There was not much that could actually happen to her here at the capitol. There were no Malarian raiders who could penetrate this far into the kingdom, and the only other real threat, the dragons, barely ever came this far south. No, what the Prince was worried about were some creeps, men who simply lusted after her body. And now, they’d left her alone with him, despite that fear. Because Eret had vouched for him.

Hiccup took a deep shuddering breath and closed his eyes. He’s right!, he thought to himself. He wasn’t like that, wasn’t forbiddenly lusting after some random girls like some men did. This was something different. Eret was right to leave her with him. The Prince probably would disagree if he knew about Hiccup’s feelings for her, but it was true nonetheless. She was safe with him. He would never…

As the stable door finally closed, he looked up at where she still stood inside the stall. She seemed lost in thoughts, so he felt free to gaze at her. Eret was right. When it came down to the points Daniel probably was concerned about, then she was safe with him. He would never do anything she wouldn’t want him to do. He wouldn’t venture where he was explicitly forbidden. He would never take what wasn’t rightfully his. But all Gods above, if the Prince knew about how they’d kissed last night, and how he wanted to kiss and hold her again right now, he would probably kill him on the spot.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to stay away from her. Not when they were finally alone.

He took a deep breath, grimacing as his leg tingled from standing still. Suddenly, he was nervous. He wasn’t sure how to approach her. Should he simply go to her, enter the stall and take her into his arms as he longed to? Simply being near her again? Somehow it felt weird to do so when she was so completely engrossed in enjoying her time with Markor.

He made a few hesitant steps in her direction, wondering why she wasn’t even looking at him. Hadn’t she noticed how Eret and her brother had left? That they were alone? Surely, she must have…

As he took another hesitant step in her direction, the stable door opened again, and Eret came in, his demeanour satisfied, and walked over to the hay bale with the basket. He snagged a pastry, took a bite, and then seemed to notice that Hiccup was sheepishly standing in the middle of the corridor.

“Why are you just standing there?” he asked, throwing Hiccup a confused look. “If you have nothing else to do, you can take a break and eat something.” He motioned to the basket. “This is for all of us, after all.”

“Erm… okay,” Hiccup said. He walked over to where Eret was standing and leaned against the straw bale as if to settle there, the basket in arm’s reach.

“How’s it going?”

Surprised at the suddenness of hearing Astrid, Hiccup turned to look; she’d poked her head out of the stall’s small opening, looking cheerful, her gaze entirely fixed on Eret, but Hiccup thought he could also see a certain tenseness in her.

“Perfectly, as expected,” Eret replied. “Daniel is leading him around so they get used to each other. But he won’t have any problems with this one.”

“That’s good to hear. I just hope he can keep him for a while this time.”

“Me too,” Eret sighed. “But the Malarians aren’t stupid. They know that, without the horses, our men are far less effective. It would be stupid of them not to target their attacks at them.”

“I know,” came Astrid’s despondent reply. “I just… I just wish all this pointless killing would stop at some point.”

“You’re not alone there,” snorted Eret, then waved and left the stables after grabbing a few more pastries on his way out.

Hiccup waited until the door was closed again, then stood up to walk over to her. Obviously, she wasn’t that lost in her thoughts, judging by her short conversation with Eret just now. Sure, she’d gone back to humming and scratching by now, but still...

He had almost reached the stall when she suddenly looked up after all. It was nothing but a quick glance, her stern blue eyes finding his without a moment’s doubt. She just looked, her expression unreadable, and then turned away again, her entire attention back on Markor.

Hiccup frowned but paused in his steps, confused. Why was she still acting like this when they were alone? Or did she genuinely want to spend time with her horse? That was something he couldn’t really begrudge her, considering how much she loved horses, according to Eret.

Indecisively, he paused in his steps, then turned and returned to the food basket. If that was what she wanted then he wouldn’t impose on her. Surely, they would get another chance… eventually…

Unsure what to do now, he reached into the basket and pulled out one of the pastries. He hadn’t paid attention to what he pulled out of the basket, instead just picking out something absently and taking a bite. But when the sweet taste of honey and nuts filled his mouth, his eyes closed on their own accord, savouring the divine taste. His thoughts drifted back to the night before, when he’d picked one of these by coincidence – the same one Astrid had reached for. It had felt like yet another string added to their connection, a tiny piece of knowledge about her, in that they had similar tastes in food.

Right… They were connected now. That was irrevocable. But that didn’t mean they would have to give up everything else. If she didn’t want to talk right now, if she wanted to enjoy her gift instead, well, that was okay. They still each had their own lives. Even though it felt to Hiccup as if his entire life was about her now.

Not wanting to sit around and feeling superfluous, Hiccup stood up and got the broom that was leaning against a wall. There were things he could do, something other than just oogle her all day if she was busy otherwise.

“Heh. I thought you wanted to eat,” came Eret’s teasing remark as he came inside again a few minutes later.

“Yes, and that’s what I did,” Hiccup replied, quickly searching his mind for more to say. “But sitting still isn’t all that comfortable on the long run. So I… I thought I could sweep the floor. You know, after grooming Trample...”

Eret gave him a strange look, but then simply shrugged. “Never try to make sense of a Tribesman,” he mumbled. Apparently, this was a common saying, but one Hiccup had never heard before two years ago. Eret walked past him to get the bridle from where it hung next to Tramples stall.

“Are you already done with lunging?”

Both Eret and Hiccup looked up at Astrid’s surprised remark. Again, she’d poked her head through the small opening and nodded at the bridle in Eret’s hand. Apparently, she was paying more attention to her surroundings then Hiccup had thought. She just didn’t seem to be interested in him.

“Yes, it works really well. A few rounds around the ring and that should be it,” Eret replied, and left the stables again.

Hiccup looked at the door through which his cousin had just left and then to where Astrid had retreated back into the stall, further avoiding even the tiniest contact. Not even a quick glance...

Had something happened to change her mind? He didn’t really believe that, didn’t want to believe that, but… seeing how she kept ignoring him didn’t exactly help to make him feel confident. Had she learned something or heard something and now didn’t want anything to do with him anymore? She probably couldn’t end this connection between them, but she surely could ignore it. Was that what she was doing? Ignoring him and move on?

A part of him wasn’t even surprised. Ever since he remembered, people had looked at him with disdain and contempt. For not being strong, for not being a fighter. For not being who they thought he would be. Was it really that surprising that Astrid, the beautiful Princess who could probably choose from a dozen or more handsome and rich Dukes didn’t want to be associated with a failure like himself?

He remembered how they’d collided in the tack room earlier. How she’d looked at him, not really happy, and how she’d pushed him away, hard enough for him to stumble to the ground. He’d thought she’d done it just because of the approaching footsteps, but now he wondered.

He looked down at his hand around the broom and snorted harshly. Of course, she didn’t want him. In the end, he was nothing. Nothing but a lowly servant, good for nothing but shovelling horse shit.

But that seemed to be the theme of his life. He hadn’t minded taking care of his father’s animals in his youth; he’d been far better at it than at fighting anyway. And he hadn’t minded doing so for his uncle during the past months, as it was his only means by which to pay him back for his kindness. He wouldn’t have minded doing it for the rest of his life if he’d chosen to become a stablemaster. He didn’t mind doing it while they were at the castle as it provided a perfect excuse for him not to be around noblemen who potentially might recognise him after all. And he didn’t mind doing it in the future as Eret’s squire either.

This was his life now, the life he had chosen. Granted, he’d chosen it to be with her. But even if she didn’t want him now anymore, then this was still his life. He would get used to it. Would have to...

His thoughts kept running in circles as he mechanically swept the floor. In Markor’s stall, she was humming a low tune to herself, sounding happy and content, and entirely ignorant of his misery. It was mind-jarring. Every now and then over the next hour or so, Eret or sometimes Daniel came inside, getting food or something to drink, or getting rid of their jackets as the sun rose higher. They gave friendly comments and Astrid happily chatted with them, but Hiccup wasn’t paying much attention.

Was that really it? One night of happiness, of dreaming about a life with her? A few hours of finally looking forward to the future? He gulped, and turned once more to look at her. In his mind’s eye, she seemed to radiate, to glow. She was joy and warmth and everything he wanted. And he wouldn’t simply give up like that!

He decided to approach her after all, taking the risk of her rejecting him against the uncertainty. He just had to try. Whatever it was that had changed her mind... maybe someone had told her something. Something that wasn’t true and he could set right. Or at least something he could explain. Reaching up to that burning spot on his chest to gather his courage, he went to Markor’s stall and was about to open the gate – when the front door opened again.

With brightly gleaming eyes, the Prince stepped inside. He directly went to the basket with the food and served himself, before he came over.

“These Jag’r-horses really are quite something,” he stated cheerily and threw a bit of cheese into his mouth. “The difference to the normal horses I had to ride during the last few weeks is almost ridiculous.” He shook his head in wonder.

Astrid looked up at him without a pause and threw him an amused smirk. “You’re aware of the fact that you say that every time? Shouldn’t you be used to that by now?”

Hiccup stood to the side, watching the exchange with trepidation and a rapidly beating heart. Had this been another sign? That he was to stay away? He felt numb. Maybe the rush of their weird connection had clouded her mind last night, and the light of day had made her see clear again. Maybe she simply didn’t want anything to do with him after all. If she decided to ignore their bond… Hiccup wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to cope then.

Astrid’s quiet but true laughter caught his attention again, and he put in some effort to concentrate on the here and now again. “You want to go on a ride? Through the countryside? Why am I not surprised?” she asked, amused.

Eret returned, too, leading Trample back inside. “It was inevitable, wasn’t it?” he dryly replied to her question, and tied the stallion to a ring mounted in his stall’s front. “But then, that’s why we’re all wearing riding gear, right? I’ll prepare Crusher, and Hiccup can help you with Markor once Cassie is ready. These two are far calmer, after all, that should go quickly. And–”

“I’m not going with you,” Astrid snorted, interrupting him. Three heads turned in her direction, all with equally surprised expressions on their faces. She didn’t want to go for a ride after she’d spent all morning cuddling her new horse? That didn’t really make sense. Surely, there was an explanation, but Hiccup wasn’t able to think right now. As if through a haze, he watched the back and forth around him, his numb mind trying to process.

“You’re not?” Daniel asked, bewildered. “Why? I thought you’d love to go for a ride with your new favourite man.” He chuckled, and Astrid threw him a dark glare.

“I would,” she admitted, a little miffed. “But as I recall, the proper saddle is still in the servants’ quarters. I surely won’t go for a ride on that hilarious torture device of a saddle.” She gestured toward the tack room, grimacing.

‘Ah, that makes sense,’ Hiccup thought numbly.

Eret and Daniel shared a concerned look. “I… didn’t think of that,” Eret admitted sheepishly.

Daniel grimaced, but then shrugged. “Ah, well... We can go on a ride on another day then. It’s not like we have much else to do during the next weeks until the Midwinter festivities.”

“No, don’t delay that ride,” Astrid said cheerily, turning back to pet Markor’s neck. “I can see how much you two are looking forward to it, and I don’t mind staying behind.”

“Seriously?” Eret gave her a sceptical look. “We’ll be gone for a couple of hours, I think. That could become quite boring.”

At that, she giggled. “I doubt that. You know me, I never notice much when I’m around horses. Surely not the passing of time.”

Despite himself, the increasingly pained thought in the back of Hiccup’s head commented, ‘Yeah, I noticed… not time... and not me.’

“True enough,” Eret shrugged.

“But you’d be all on your own,” Daniel threw in, worried. “I don’t think…”

“Oh, for Odin’s sake, I’ll be fine, Daniel,” she exclaimed. “Nobody ever comes here anyway.”

Daniel didn’t seem convinced.

“Hiccup could keep her company, if that makes you feel better,” Eret suggested, clearly eager to go for this fun ride they’d planned.

Daniel looked up at Hiccup, scrutinising him. But then his features cleared and he nodded. “Would that be all right for you, Astrid?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Sure, why not? If that makes you feel better.”

“You don’t mind babysitting my sister, right?” he asked, turning toward Hiccup with an amused twinkle in his eyes now. “She can be stubborn, but usually is good company.”

Hiccup swallowed, his gaze shifting from Daniel, who looked at him expectantly, to Astrid, who had all her attention on Markor again, and back again. “Of course, Milord. I don’t mind,” he said, as he thought ‘It can’t get any worse anyway.’

“Okay, then that’s settled,” Eret said, relieved.

Daniel stayed with Trample as Hiccup helped Eret preparing Crusher. They worked quickly; the past months had made them quite efficient, and shortly, Eret and the Prince led their horses back outside.

“Until later then. Don’t eat all the food, okay?” Eret called in parting.

“Have fun,” Astrid called back, and waved absentmindedly after them.

Hiccup followed them outside to hold the two black stallions in place until their riders sat in their saddles. Then he gazed after them as they rode past the paddock and finally disappeared behind a hill. He didn’t really want to go back inside, and dreaded the idea of spending hours with Astrid ignoring him like she’d done all day. But he had not much choice in that matter. He had agreed to keep her company, after all…

Those would be some long hours indeed.

But when he entered the stables and closed the door behind him, he suddenly found himself with an unexpected armful of Princess. Out of reflex, his arms closed around her, holding her, before his mind even had the slightest chance to understand what had happened.

“I thought they’d never leave,” she mumbled against his chest, her hands on his back clutching him tightly.

“W-What?” he stammered, disoriented by the sudden change in her behaviour. His arms around her were trembling.

“I knew they would want to go for a ride,” she explained, chuckling weakly. “They always do. I just had to convince them that they could leave me – leave us here without worrying.”

And then he understood. She’d acted so indifferent on purpose, so neither Daniel or Eret would think anything about leaving them alone? Because she’d known that would give them the chance to actually be alone? Gods…

Relief washed through him like a tangible warm wave, brushing away his tension and anxiety in a heartbeat. His arms around her tightened and he clutched her to his chest, chuckling shakily at his own stupidity. With her in his arms now and the already so familiar mayweed scent in his nose, he saw how pointless his worries had been. Of course she wouldn’t ignore their bond. Of course not…

“Eret was right,” he said, voice trembling slightly as he recalled something his cousin had said regularly. “Your mood swings really are dangerous.”

In his arms, she laughed lightly, the sweet sound making his heart swell. “Only if you don’t see them coming,” she replied, grinning up at him.

Despite her obviously good mood, her words dampened his own noticeably. “Guess I don’t know you well enough, then,” he replied throatily, grimacing as that fact hit him once again.

At his despondent tone, Astrid retreated to look up at him. She raised one hand and let her fingers glide over his face, as if to smooth out the lines that had formed there. Exhaling slowly, he leaned into her touch, warm and soft like sunshine.

“Well, we have a couple of hours to change that,” she said lightly, eyes soft as he looked at her. “What would you want to know?”

. o O o .

Okay... you knew the angst would come, right? I mean... it's me! Just a tiny droplet though... more to come in later chapters ;)

So, one chapter to go until the hiatus. Two warnings though: 1. Sticky-sweet, teeth-rotting fluff to come... xD 2. I sincerely hope the next chapter will be on time... But it's my birthday this Sunday, and usually, things always get a bit hectic. I'll do my best, though :)

Comments are always welcome :)

Next Chapter

#for the love of a princess #httyd #httyd fanfiction #Hiccup and Astrid #hiccstrid #hiccstrid fanfiction #Hiccstrid Medieval AU #Medieval AU #royalty au #hiccstrid royal au #httyd fandom #Hiccstrid Soulmates #shipmistress9

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jjk-emotrash · 7 years ago

Text

Blood and Gasoline - Chapter 3

Type: Mafia!AU

Group/s: Mainly BTS, Got7, Blackpink

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader (OC), Jikook x Reader (OC)

Safety: NSFW

Warnings (Whole Fic): Swearing, Violence, Prostitution, Misogyny/Anti-Feminist Views, Torture, Smut, Non-Con/Rape, Death, SOME Fluff

Word Count: 3.3k

Masterlist

Y/N was awoken the next morning to the sound of yelling. At first, she was scared and confused about as to where she was but then she started to recall everything that had occurred in the past 48 hours.

“So it wasn’t just a dream…” she whispered to herself and checked her phone for the time. 7:30 am. Pulling herself out from between the soft sheets of her new bed and slowly walking over to her door, she pulled it a jar. She was vaguely able to hear the yelling with a little more clarity but in her sleepy haze, she couldn’t register any of the words themselves.

Despite her curiosity, Y/N made the decision to stay in her room until the yelling stopped. Mainly so she didn’t get into trouble on the first proper day of her new life. Instead, she wandered back over to the bed and scrolled through her social media’s absent-mindedly. Once the yelling had come to a halt, a slam of the front door shook the household. The argument must have been important for when Yoongi pushed her door open gently 15 minutes later, she could see the rage and stress still written all over him.

“How much of that did you hear?” He asked, obviously trying to remain calm.

“None, Sir. Well, nothing that was understandable. It was all unintelligible noise from up here.” Y/N responded, trying to keep an aura of peace herself. All he did was give a curt nod before taking in her appearance. The tight shorts that could pass as underwear and low cut tank top easily made his breath catch in his throat. It definitely didn’t help that she hadn’t thought to wear a bra either, the draft caused by the open door causing her nipples to harden slightly in response. Y/N thought nothing of it, having never worn a bra to bed. He pulled his gaze away and gulped slightly before talking again.

“Go get a shower and come down for breakfast. It’ll be served in half an hour.” he made a move to leave before adding “Oh and, Y/N, wear your dance gear. You’ve got a performance tonight and need to practice with the others. You’ll start immediately after breakfast.”

After 10 minutes figuring out how the shower worked, Y/N washed and dried herself as quickly as she could. Once she was fully clothed and her hair was dry and tied up, she ventured out. She was surprised to see Yugyeom waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

“Morning,” he drawls, obviously still half asleep.

“Good morning, Yugyeom.” she giggles back as he yawns.

“Come on, let’s get you to breakfast.”

“Are you not joining us?”

“Unfortunately, no. I have some other…stuff to do before tonight”

“Stuff?” she laughs

“Stuff.” he replies, not a hint of amusement in his voice. She decided not to question him further and stayed silent as she walked by his side to the dining room. Passing the living room where she had spent the previous evening, she smiled slightly to herself. After another few feet, they reached a large mahogany door. The man next to her pushed the door open for her and gestured for her to enter. As soon as she stepped into the room, the door shut behind her, making her jump, and Yugyeom was gone.

Waiting for her, sat around a large square wooden table with an array of breakfast foods on, is Yoongi and the dancers she recognised from the club. Yoongi barely acknowledged her existence, only gesturing to the seat next to him and grumbled something that sounded like “morning” as he glared at something on his phone. She took the seat and immediately dug in, trying to eat away her nerves about meeting the girls. Over the numerous nights at the club, Y/N had noticed how snobbish the girls could be to the other people in the club. She would rather not be on the receiving end of one of their bitchy comments first thing in the morning.

“Good morning, Y/N,” spoke a perky voice that forced her to look up and face the girl that had spoken. She had hair dyed a fire orange falling to hang to just below her bust with a block fringe cut just above her large dark eyes. “I’m Lisa,” Her grin caused her cheeks to puff up a bit making her look rather cute. Y/N gave a meek smile in response.

“Lisa, do you always have to be so perky first thing in the morning?” the girl sat next to Lisa spoke, hitting her arm playfully before turning to face Y/N, “Don’t mind her, she can get quite hyper. I’m Jennie,” Jennie, had long brown hair tied up into a ponytail, her almost feline-like features becoming all the more prominent. “This is Jisoo,” she gestured to the girl on her other side who also had dark hair but it was shorter, hanging to just below her shoulders. She gave Y/N a warm smile, her softer features glowing. “And this is Rosé.” the final girl had long strawberry blonde locks tied into loose pigtails by her ears. Her sweet voice gave a soft ‘hello’. Of course, Y/N new they were beautiful, having seen them perform hundreds of times, but up close they didn’t quite look real. Suddenly a wave of insecurity washed over her and she sunk into her chair a little. Rosé noticed immediately.

“Hey? Don’t worry. You’re going to fit in perfectly.” the other three nodded in response and nattered amongst themselves about re-blocking and positions as they finished eating.

It was all rather overwhelming. Y/N had expected the girls to be catty and rude to her but they seemed genuinely excited about the prospect of gaining a new dancer. She even picked up the girls’ conversation about potential solos for her. Subconsciously, Y/N glanced to her immediate right but found Yoongi still glaring at his phone and furiously typing something. She knew it was in her best interest not to ask, especially after the yelling she had woken up to. However, she couldn’t help but let her mind drift to the many possibilities of what the shouting and Yoongi’s glare where in response to. Surely being a club owner wasn’t this anger-inducing, there had to be something- She was immediately snapped out of her thoughts as the others called for her from the door to follow.

The four girls practically dragged Y/N straight to the dance studio in the basement of the mansion. There were three doors leading to three different rooms. The door at the end of the short corridor leading to the boiler room, the door to the left was the gym and to the right was the dance studio. The second she stepped foot into the soundproofed room, Y/N almost broke down in tears at the feeling of being back in a studio after so long. The dancers understood as they each remembered their own first time in the basement studio. The entire back wall was covered from floor to ceiling in mirrors. On the opposite was a ballet barre that stretched from wall to wall. The exposed beams that ran the length of the ceiling also purposed as fixtures for lighting which could be controlled from a panel in the wall next to the door. State of the art speakers were placed in each corner of the ceiling, connecting to another control unit where all of their music for warm-ups and routines were stored. A similar system was set up in the club. Each of the girls had a photo of themselves dancing in the club on a large canvas hung up on the walls.

“It’s beautiful,” Y/N breathed as she took in the space, trying her hardest to hold back her tears.

“Yes, it is. And soon enough, your photo will be hanging on these walls alongside ours.” Jisoo responded, wrapping an arm around Y/N’s shoulders.

“Well let’s not just stand here gawking at the room, let’s dance.”

The five girls launched into a tiring warm up, consisting of intense cardio and limbering, that ended with them all sweating. Y/N was surprised that she was able to keep up. Once they were all sufficiently warm, Jennie asked Y/N to show them what she performed for Yoongi in the “audition” so they would be able to place her appropriately. As soon as she told them the track name, they all raised their eyebrows in surprise.

“Are you certain?” Rosé asked as if trying to coax Y/N into attempting a different routine, “That one is difficult to perform without feeling awkward, even for us.”

“I’m certain. Play the track.”

And so they did. Y/N took a deep breath to calm herself as Lisa dimmed the lights. She felt wild as she performed and imagined herself on the club stage. All eyes on her. By the time she was finished, her breathing was erratic and she was drenched in sweat but she felt…good. When the lights came up and she saw the expressions on her new friend’s faces, she smirked to herself and sat down to calm herself. They were all looking at her as though she had just grown wings. Complete shock and awe.

“Well fuck Y/N, it’s no wonder the Boss accepted you so quickly…” Lisa muttered to herself. Jisoo and Rosé nodded in response. Jennie looked deep in thought for a minute or so before saying,

“We’re doing this one tonight. And you,” she stalked towards me “are going to be in the focal point. Front and centre.”

“What?!” Y/N exclaimed, “But that’s your spot, why would you give it to me?”

“Because you deserve it. I’ve never seen anyone dance like that before in my life.”

The other three muttered in agreement before walking over to the newbie and sitting with her.

“Seriously, Y/n that was amazing. I can’t imagine a better debut in this business.” Rosé told her in reassurance “Trust us, we’re not going to let you fall. We’re family now.”

Y/N nodded to herself and stood up smiling at them. With that, they started to re-position the routine from start to finish. It took all morning to get it perfect but it would be worth it. That morning was not only spent going over and over and over the routine, but they also took the opportunity to get to know each other better. In between runs of the routine, they would ask a simple question that we all had to answer. What’s your favourite colour? (“Red” Y/N responded - Rosé’s was baby pink, Jisoo’s was green, Jennie’s was blue and Lisa’s was purple.) Favourite film? (She told them that it was Chicago and they all grinned, it turned out they all loved it as well.) Favourite song? (This question ended with a debate over whether Bohemian Rhapsody was as good as everyone usually thinks – Y/N, Lisa and Rosé all agreed that it was, Jisoo and Jennie disagreed) They would be spending a lot of time with each other so it was a good way to break the ice.

By one in the afternoon, the dancers were exhausted but the routine was looking good. Better than good, it was near perfect. They decided to break for lunch, before getting Y/N’s costume tailored and doing a tech run at the club. Together, they made their way back upstairs to get a quick shower each to rinse off the sweat before grabbing something to eat from the kitchen, talking and laughing as they did. Y/N didn’t know why they had been so intimidating to her before. Once they reached the kitchen, Y/N was awestruck yet again. The black tiled floors matched the black cabinets topped with a white marble worktop. The island lined with white bar stools in the middle of the kitchen was the same. It felt disturbingly modern compared to the rest of the house which had an aura of grandeur about it. She took a seat next to Lisa in front of the island, facing Rosé who had immediately started to prepare sandwiches for the girls to eat.

“Rosé loves to cook. She says that feeding us makes her happy, that it’s her way of saying she loves us.” Jennie said, resting her head in her hand. She gazed at Rosé as the chef hummed to herself. Y/N could see that Lisa had also noticed and was smirking at the sight. When the food was finished, the five sat in silence as they ate – too hungry to care about talking to one another.

“Come on, let’s go get your costume tailored.” Jisoo said with a smile once they all had empty plates.

“Okay, cool. Uhm do we need to take it to a seamstress or something?” Y/N asked and the girls giggled in response.

“No no, Y/N, I’m actually the in-house seamstress. We can get the costume tailored up in your room.” Jisoo told her and stood up, holding her hand out for Y/N to take.

Soon enough, Jennie, Lisa and Rosé (all with towels on their heads from using Y/N’s shower) were all lounged on the bed watching as Jisoo fluttered around Y/N placing pins here and there. The costume was huge and shapeless on her. According to Lisa, they always by the biggest size they possibly can for the costumes because it was easy to take fabric away than to add more to it. When Jisoo was finished, the costume would be perfectly tailored to Y/N’s body and wouldn’t fit on anybody else. Y/N was a little worried about the size of the waistband but Jisoo stated that there are elastic strips sewn into all their costumes and not to worry about it.

Once the sparkly costume was pinned, Y/N carefully shimmed out of it – trying not to get pricked by a pin. Lisa threw Y/N her dressing gown to cover herself up.

“Y/N, go have a quick wash whilst you’re waiting for me to sew up your costume.” Jisoo stated as she got to work sewing up the dress by hand. She did as she was told and headed into the en-suite. As soon as the door was shut, Y/N hopped into the shower and began to scrub off all the sweat. She couldn’t have been in there for more than ten minutes, but the warm water had soothed her aching muscles so much that she felt as though she had been asleep for hours. Just as she was drying herself, she heard the girls talking and instantly became intrigued as she heard her name.

“When do you think Yoongi will tell Y/N about-?” Rosé mused before she was interrupted

“Shut the fuck up, Ro. She can probably hear you from inside the bathroom.” Jennie stated. She wasn’t wrong.

“Shit, sorry.” Rosé lowered her voice “She deserves to know if she’s sleeping in the room next door to him.”

“Ro’s right Jen, she’s going to find out eventually.” Jisoo added

“Well, it’s not going to be from us.” Jennie argued, obviously nervous about the situation. The room went silent for a moment.

“It feels wrong though, her not knowing whilst living here.” Lisa broke the silence, sounding sad.

“I know. But it’s not our job to explain it to her. Once he tells her, we can help her get through it, of course. I know it’s shit but for now, keep it to yourself. No matter how much you don’t want to.” Jennie ended the conversation. Y/N took a moment before walking back into her bedroom, pretending that she hadn’t been eavesdropping.

The tech run went by faster than she could have imagined. Y/N was tired but excited by the time they had finished rehearsing; she knew she would need a drink, or two, before being able to dance for real later that night. Luckily for her, she now had a staff discount.

Jennie, Rosé, Lisa and Jisoo were all sat at the bar doing their makeup for the night, but Y/N was still stood on the stage. She had her eyes closed in thought, going over the routine again in her head – muttering the steps under her breath and marking them slightly with her body. Once she was certain that she would be fine she took a deep breath and stepped off the stage. Having her head down as she started to make her way over to the bar she didn’t notice the man walking towards her. They bumped into one another and both mumbled apologies before looking up to see each other. Y/N felt her heart twinge and tears form in the corners of her eyes.

“Jungkook?” she asked, not believing her eyes.

“Y/N?” the man asked, his own eyes playing tricks on him as well

“Jungkook!” She exclaimed and jumped into his arms. They immediately tightened around her waist and lifted her off the floor.

Jungkook and Y/N had grown up together, they were as thick as thieves. Best friends. Completely inseparable. Until he moved away. Y/N’s 13th birthday had just passed when they found out. Of course, after he left they tried to stay in touch but ultimately lost contact when his mother, his only relative that he knew of, mysteriously disappeared. That was when Yoongi found him. She hadn’t heard from him since she was 15 and had slowly let him go. But seeing him again after 7 years was like a punch to the gut. He had changed so much - he was a lot taller, more muscley, his jawline could cut glass. No longer a boy, but a man. He was breathtakingly handsome. Yet, in his eyes, Y/N could still see that boy she had loved.

“Fuck, Y/N…” he mumbled into her shoulder as he put her down. “What are you doing here?” He asked checking over her, checking to see if she was okay with a hint of panic in his eyes.

“I work here now.” She responded giggling at his sudden panic and confusion. His eyes widened.

“What?”

“I’m a new dancer…?”

He stiffened.

By now the other dancers were watching, perplexed as they did so.

“Y/N, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” He said, trying not to completely freak out. How is she here?! I’m going to kill Yoongi for this…

“Of course. You know how much I love performing and due to my being evicted, Yoongi has even given me a place to stay in his ‘house’ if you can even call it that it’s huge-” she rambled completely oblivious to the fury growing on Jungkooks’ face as he looked over her shoulder towards his Boss, who was sitting and staring at the pair from his booth. “Wait, why are you here?”

That snapped him out of his glaring contest. Shit.

“Oh, well, I uh…” he scratched the nape of his neck trying to find the right words “I work for Yoongi.”

“Oh…”

“Y/N,” he pulled her close to whisper in her ear “You need to be careful. Promise me you won’t get in over your head.” No response. He tightened his grip on her once more. “Y/N. Promise.”

“I promise.”

He let out a breath and loosened his grip on her, but she only wrapped her arms around him again.

“I missed you.” She whispered into his chest.

“I missed you too.”

A throat was cleared from beside them. Yoongi. They quickly detached.

“Y/N, don’t you need to be preparing for your debut?” Yoongi said dryly, seething as he stroked her cheek softly. The icy glare he then gave Jungkook was enough to make her weak but the man on the receiving end didn’t seem affected.

“Yes, Sir.” Y/N quickly responded, blushing as she did out of embarrassment. Jungkook looked slightly stunned by her words but quickly covered it. Jungkook winked at Y/N, leaving her to blush by his Boss’ side, before rounding her and heading towards the back of the club.

#blood and gasoline #bts mafia au #yoongi mafia au #jungkook mafia au #bts gang au #yoongi gang au #jungkook gang au #yoongi x reader #jungkook x reader #bts angst #angst #mafia au #gang au #slow burn #own post #original content #3323 words

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