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merrybrides · 3 years ago

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28 Marriage Deal Breakers to Avoid

There's a certain degree of give and take required for a marriage to last, and we each have our own individual level of tolerance. For some people, it doesn’t take much in the way of bad behavior to want out. For others, they routinely handle bad behavior with little apparent impact until it inevitably boils over. Either way, there is a point where bad behaviors become a marriage deal breaker. If you want to keep your marriage as strong and healthy as possible, do your best to avoid everything on this list.

Read on for 28 marriage deal breakers.

A Spouse Who Doesn't Have Your Back

Does your brother treat you like dirt in front of your husband and he says nothing? Does your mother criticize your husband and you allow it to continue? It’s always your job to have your spouse’s back.

A Spouse Who Doesn't Take Responsibility

Whether it’s a refusal to change a diaper, take the trash out, or say “I’m sorry” when one is clearly in the wrong, each spouse has to be able to take responsibility for their actions (or lack thereof).

A Spouse Who Can't Be Vulnerable

As husband and wife, you should both feel safe enough to share deep thoughts and emotions with each other in order to truly have your needs met. Allowing ourselves to be emotionally vulnerable is also a tremendous source of strength and the only way we can truly connect in our most personal relationships.

A Spouse Who Doesn't Make an Effort to Make You Feel Special

We all want to be cared for by the one we love. If your husband washes the dishes but doesn’t wipe down the countertop, thank him for washing the dishes. Don’t criticize because he didn’t wipe down the countertop. If your wife works a full-time job and still contributes to taking care of the home and kids, let her know her efforts are appreciated. At the end of the day, we all want to feel like we are seen, heard, and we matter.

A Spouse Whose Behavior Causes You Doubt

Does he say he’ll fix that leaking faucet but, three months later, it is still leaking? Does she say she’ll try harder to show an interest in sex but after time, she is still withholding? It’s the seemingly small behaviors that promote the growth of major mistrust in a marriage—don’t let the small things take root.

A Spouse Who Doesn't Account for Their Whereabouts

There is no need to check in every hour on the hour, but if you’re going to be two hours late getting home from work, let your spouse know. It's common courtesy to stay in communication and not cause one another unnecessary worry.

A Spouse Who Can't Hold a Job

If you live in a household that requires two incomes to thrive, like the majority of households these days, you and your partner both need to find a steady way to earn income. Do your part and contribute.

A Spouse Who Consistently Lies

You stopped off for a few beers with the guys on the way home from work, but you told her the boss asked you to work late. She went shopping and spent way too much money and hid her purchases in the trunk to keep you from knowing. Small lies eventually come out, and when a spouse deals with one lie after another, don’t be surprised when you find yourself married to someone who doubts everything you say. Trust is fragile. Secrets and lies jeopardize trust and can damage us and our relationships—sometimes irreparably.

A Spouse Who Takes the Other Side

In a partnership, it's important to make the other person feel like they are heard and their feelings matter. If they are upset over the actions of another person, it’s your spouse’s feelings you should be concerned about, and vice versa. Neither of you should ever feel ganged-up on.

A Spouse Who Keeps Breaking Promises

If you promise your spouse something, keep your promise. It's that simple. Don't claim you never made one to get out of something, and don't put up with those kinds of excuses from your spouse, either.

A Spouse Who Brings Outside Influences Into the Marriage

Keep outside influences where they belong—out of your marriage. It's unfair to bring friends or family into the picture to show the other how wrong they are.

A Spouse Who Disrespects Your Property

Just because one of your prized possessions is inconsequential to the other, doesn’t mean it should be treated that way. Always be respectful.

A Spouse Who Refuses to Socialize With Your Friends and Family

If friends and family hold a special place in one's life, the other person should at least make the occasional effort to connect with them on some level.

A Spouse Who Is Jealous of Friends and Family

Jealousy over a partner's relationships or time spent with close loved ones is typically a sign of feeling threatened and insecure. It's important to know that it is considered unhealthy and abusive behavior to actively try to keep someone away from them.

If jealously is an issue you can't seem to work through, considering talking with a therapist.

Work on yourself. Work on building your confidence in yourself and your relationship.

A Spouse Who Constantly Talks About Their Ex

If a spouse is still angry over an ex, they are not emotionally divorced from their ex. It shouldn't be anyone's job to play therapist or attempt to fix past relationship issues. Everyone deserves a spouse who is adult enough to let go of anger and focus on the relationship they are in now.

A Spouse Who Walks Away From Arguments

Problems don’t get solved if your spouse is unable to engage in conflict and work with you to find a solution. It’s a bad sign when one is unwilling to stand their ground and fight for the relationship.

A Spouse Who Cheats

Cheating is one of the most common causes for a break-up. Unless you’ve agreed, together, to have an open marriage, cheating can definitely cause irreversible pain and damage the trust that is crucial to a strong relationship.

A Spouse Who Hits

The first time a hand is lifted to harm another should be the last time. No questions asked. If you are on the receiving end of physical harm, confide in someone you trust and seek whatever support you can to walk away from the marriage before it's too late.

A Spouse Who Screams, Yells, and Curses

Verbal abuse is as serious and destructive as physical abuse. Verbal abuse doesn’t leave physical bruises, but it does eventually break the other person and, ultimately, the marriage bond. It is always important to pay attention to how the other person makes you feel. If you're on the receiving end of this behavior, confide in someone you trust and seek help.

A Spouse Who Doesn't Respect Your Personal Boundaries

We all have personal boundaries and deserve to have those respected by a spouse. It can be a small thing, but never ignore the other's request. When you establish your boundaries and are respectful of your partner’s boundaries, you can both feel safe and secure and will more likely experience love toward each other.

A Spouse Who Doesn't Stay Out of Your Business

Privacy is an important need and boundary that should be mutually respected. As adults, we should all be able to fight our own battles and clean up our own messes. There is no need for the other to insert themselves into unnecessary drama that does not directly concern them.

A Spouse Who Forgets Birthdays, Anniversaries, or Special Holidays

Each partner should make the effort to show the other that special milestones are just that–special. Putting just a little thought into those dates can really go a long way.

A Spouse Who Is Addicted to Drama

Some people live and die by how much drama is going on in their lives. If there isn’t any drama, they will manufacture it. Remember that marriage is a marathon, not a sprint. Focusing on what's working instead of stirring the pot is the best bet for relationship longevity.

A Spouse Who Threatens Divorce Often

A spouse who constantly threatens divorce needs to bolster their conflict resolution skills. There is no place for threats, ultimatums, and intimidation tactics in a healthy marriage.

A Spouse Who Drinks Too Much

Alcoholism can definitely put a huge strain on a marriage. It is a destructive behavior that requires outside counsel. If the alcoholic refuses to seek help, it may be time to reevaluate the marriage.

A Spouse With Low Sex Drive

It is common to experience dry spells when daily life gets demanding and exhausting, especially when children are in the mix. If sex dwindles to nearly nothing, it is the couple's responsibility to make an effort to spark that fire again. Never underestimate the basic intimate needs of your partner; everyone deserves to have a satisfying sex life.

A Spouse Who Has Poor Hygiene

A common mistake is "letting yourself go" after tying the knot. As hard as it is, try to resist the urge to live in sweatpants and stop bathing. Make the effort to go on regular date nights and occasionally dress up for your partner the way you did in the early days. It's essential for keeping the passion alive.

A Spouse Who Dismisses Your Thoughts and Desires

Marriage is a partnership; treat it as one. If your husband tells you, “No we can’t afford a new car,” take his concern over finances seriously. If your wife says, “I need you to chip in and help with the kids while I cook dinner,” just do it. Acknowledging your partner's feelings and desires is a basic form of respect.

#marriage advice #emotions #emotional health

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meantforinfinitesadness · 4 years ago

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-blushes furiously- People like the vibes we're giving out. -hides my face in my hands and moans in horror- I'm about to ruin that into the ground.

I have an absolute favorite vinyl. It's actually a story, called "The Point" by Harry Nilsson. In fact, someone animated it, and it's a very VERY good story, I cannot recommend it enough. My dad burned it onto a CD about a decade ago, and I listen to it in lieu of the local radio because honestly, sometimes I need the memory to keep me from doing something crazy, like change lanes without a turn signal.

I didn't have friends in high school. Not until I was a senior. I was pretty heavily bullied. I've got scars from some of the things that happened, and it changed me in ways I don't want to go into. My 18th birthday my parents invited all my bullies (because they were in my church (that I didn't want to attend) as well as at my school) over, and surprised me. My parents forced me to interact. It took away any and all pleasure of my Dad making it for my 18th birthday when the last one he'd been home for was my 14th. My senior year though, I'd kind of given up, and I was thinking seriously of doing irreversible things, and I was exhausted and no longer cared about anything. One day, I was out for a hike with the youth group and lagging in the back because then my bullies wouldn't see me but I could step in if they were ganging up on someone else, (I wasn't in a good place that day. I am pretty sure I kept my head down and kept slogging because all of my bruises HURT) when all of the 12-13 year old boys fell back and surrounded me, laughing and chatting. They lifted my mood, made me smile for the first real time in a very long time, and that was that. They forced me to be their friend. Anytime we had a group activity with the boys and girls of all age groups, they grabbed me and dragged me off. The adults weren't happy about it, because I was 18 and they didn't think it was appropriate, but those kids buoyed me. Turns out that they hadn't noticed on their own, they'd had a visit from a specific Marine who had been actively trying to save my life for 4 years and was leaving soon, and he wanted me to be watched out for. So he set the boys on me. None of those boys kept in touch after I made it out of the house, but it was still good. It was what I needed at the time.

I don't have co-workers I actually work with. I don't miss it. I get to hang out with my discord friends if I feel up to it instead. MUAHAHAH!!!

Hopefully this Ask doesn't sadden you. It was a long time ago, and I'm in a way better place now. The scars of then will always be around, but I've learned to take them in stride. Spilt milk, all that. It might be one of the reasons why I prefer my imaginary friends though. So I envy anyone who has friendships from when they were kids. Mine never were, or are gone. I've lost people in my journey through life, but that's more because they joined the military and died overseas. Gives me a skewed perspective I suppose. Something I've never lost though is my capacity to love, or my willingness to give my love and affection to others, knowing full well that some day they'll be gone, and I'll no longer be with or near them. I remind myself that it's the cycle of life and change, that the time we had together should be beautiful, and should be cherished. And so that's what I've been doing with these weirdish asks. Giving you the only thing I can of myself, my time, my interests, and my affections.

I'll have to listen to that. I'm always interested in other people's interests. I like to know what they like. It, I don't know, helps me connect better with them. I really will have to listen to it.

Oh, I'm so sorry. People are cruel. I don't understand why they bully others, why they seem to think themselves better than others. I'm sorry you went through that, but I'm happy it turned out for the best. I'm happy there were people watching out for you, that helped you out, made you feel happier. No one deserves to be bullied. No one deserves to be hurt so horribly by others. I wish the world was a better place. I hope you're still doing alright. I hope you know that I enjoy talking to you.

Honestly, I get that. I like to kind of stay to myself. I like being with people sometimes, but it's always nice to have time for yourself. My job has made it so I have to be with people. I've met some nice people and some not nice people (retail, what can you do?). Oh, but that's so good you've got your discord friends!!!!

I'll admit it did make me a bit sad, but that's how I am. I'm happy that you've taken it all in stride. Those that never lose their capacity to love are some of the most amazing people. You've got scars, but you're taking them in stride. Yes, those younger years were not kind, but you're kind. You're sweet. I can tell that you're full of love and affection. It's sometimes hard for me to know that someday the people I know will be gone. But, it's just life. I agree that we need to cherish this time. Cherish those we love and the time we get with them. Thank you for sending me these asks. I seriously love them. It's wonderful to know that you're alright with telling me about yourself, giving me your affection and your time. It's lovely. Thank you

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lady-literature · 4 years ago

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what a lion cannot manage chp 2

dadmight here we gooo!!!

Ao3 | chp 1 | chp 2 | chp 3 | chp 4

Izumi’s home is a small place. Not suffocating or anything, but the town is too nosy for its own good and word travels fast. When someone new comes to town, it’s not long before everyone is talking about it.

The whispers of a man renting out the old cottage at the edge of town piques Izumi’s interest.

No one’s interacted with him much and he seems to keep to himself, but lack of information has never stopped the gossip mill from running before. He’s kind and polite from what the shopkeepers have seen when he leaves his house for food. That and he is, apparently, absurdly tall.

Besides the mystery of it all, there’s nothing really eye-catching about this particular rumour. Nonetheless, Izumi finds her ears pricking to attention every time he’s mentioned. Unbearably curious, despite herself.

***

For a while, the man seems like more of a ghost story than an actual person. Only showing up at the shops when they’re least likely to be busy. Only walking through town when he must.

Then, out of nowhere, it’s as if he can’t bear to stay in his rented house for anything other than sleep.

***

Toshinori has always been restless. Always moving and fighting and becoming

And here, hidden away in this sleepy town with no villains to fight or people to save, with a wound in his side that aches with every breath, he feels as if it’s clawing at his very skin.

He’s here to recover, far away from the action in Tokyo or Hosu or any place where he's actually needed so he won’t be tempted.

The doctors recommended he take it easy for six months. Mirai—Nighteye, he should say now—told him to retire.

As if that was ever actually an option.

Toshinori agreed to stay out of Heroing for two months, and that’s only because of the combined efforts of Torino and Recovery Girl and David.

He’s not even sure how David found out about it, what with him being on I-Island with Melissa (but Toshinori has a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with Nighteye). The trio were persuasive though, and Toshinori never stood a chance when David pulled his trump card: Melissa’s puppy dog eyes.

It’s nice that they care and worry, but Toshinori isn’t made for sitting still.

He’s restless and the phantom cries of victims he’s not there to save ring in his ears like bells as he tries to relax.

Finally, he decides enough. If he sits still for even a single second more he’s going to tear out of his own skin.

***

He’s been in town for perhaps two weeks (twenty-nine days since he defeated him, twenty-five since he’d woken up in a hospital bed, twenty-four since he realized he’ll never be the same) and it’s not enough time for him to be walking around as much as he is but he can’t help it.

He’s not staying cooped inside for two months.

Toshinori keeps to himself for the most part, stays on the outskirts of things like he normally does when he acts civilian.

Since the beginning of his career, he’s carefully kept Yagi Toshinori and All Might separate. Two different people as far as anyone outside a select few are aware. He’s gone years as unrecognizable from All Might and while he’s not quite worried someone will recognize him, old habits die hard, he supposes.

Even now, when he looks like death warmed over, there’s always a chance. He doesn’t normally stress about it so much, but he’d rather hide the fact that the number one Hero is hiding away in a tiny farming village along the coast. And that means not drawing attention to himself.

He’s only partially successful.

***

The first time Izumi sees him, he’s walking through the park.

She’s walking on her hands across the balance beam because she and Kacchan started taking gymnastics. (Kacchan wanted to take a combat class but was shot down by his parents until they could trust him not to attack another child with his newfound fighting skills. So Izumi got to choose their activity instead.)

The man is hurt. Badly. The heavy tang of blood hangs off him like a coat even from all the way on the other side of the park and she almost falls off the balance beam with the force of it.

But, what almost seems worse is that… underneath the smell of blood and pain and hurt, there’s only… him.

No lingering scent of others, of people who should care for him. Just the cinnamon earth of his own scent drenched in blood and the stale smell of strangers. Even humans, people who don’t purposefully scent their family and friends, smell like each other just by the nature of being close.

Izumi can’t imagine being that lonely. Can’t imagine living in solitude like that, with so many people around her and yet none who are close enough to touch and-

And, well. Izumi’s known around town for sticking her nose in places it doesn’t quite belong. She figures this is just much of the same if you think about it.

***

There are few people Midoriya Izumi has met that she didn’t like and fewer still who didn’t like her in turn.

If asked, Izumi will say this is because she is very good at making friends.

If asked, Katsuki will say it’s because she’s a goddamn freak.

(He won’t say so, because he’s not quite that articulate, but what he means is that there’s not a person dead or alive who can withstand the sheer strength of her will. Not a goddamn person on Kami’s green earth who can be near her for longer than a few minutes without being irreversibly changed.

It’s just a law of nature.

The sky is blue. The grass is green. Reality and the people within it bend to the desires of Midoriya Izumi.)

***

Toshinori has seen this girl running around town, normally with that loud boy at her side, but sometimes on her own. He’s heard about her more.

Everyone he speaks to seems unable to keep themselves from bringing her into the conversation.

She’s the one who plays chess with the elderly at the park, and who climbs up trees for kittens and always seems to be the first to look for runaway dogs. She reads to the younger kids at the library and helps out with craft activities.

He knows so much, Toshinori feels as if he’s already met the girl.

He continues to think that all the way up until he actually meets her and realizes he’s barely scratched the surface.

***

Izumi is good at patterns. Her mind is a bright chaotic whirl of thoughts and ideas and information at all times and it’s laughably easy to put it all together and find repetitions and relations.

Figuring out when the lonely man is going to be passing through the park again is no different.

He sits on that same park bench again, practically collapsing down onto it. His breath is short and his heart is pounding with the exertion of just walking. Izumi briefly wonders what happened to him. Then, she wonders why he’s pushing himself so much because that seems more pressing a matter.

She skips up to him and the smell of blood and pain is enough to make her dizzy but Izumi is determined, okay?

“Hello!” she greets brightly, hands clasped behind her back and smiling.

The lonely man startles. “Ah, hello?”

“Hello!” she repeats, “People call me Midoriya Izuku. Do you like checkers?”

“Uh…” The lonely man blinks, clearly taken aback. “Yes? Do you-?”

She hops a bit in place, excited. “Great! Come play with me!” she reaches up to grab his hand and tugs him over to the stone tables set up for the games. She’s very careful about the amount of strength she uses in that action, just like Nona taught her to be.

Normal little girls shouldn’t be able to throw around things twice their weight.

The lonely man moves easily, probably because he’s surprised by the action. He follows her though and that’s what matters.

He’s confused and a bit awkward at first which Izumi thinks means he doesn’t spend a lot of time around kids. Maybe he doesn’t know what to talk about. What do adults talk about? Her skulk normally talks about magic and whatever new creature has decided to snoop around their forest, so that's out. And he doesn’t smell like he’s a farmer.

So there goes most of her reference points for this kind of thing.

They’re four moves in and she can tell he’s trying to ‘let’ her win. Her ears flick in annoyance and she sets herself up for a move that will wipe him out in seven turns without taking any of his easy captures.

Maybe he likes Heroes? That’s what Izumi normally defaults to and it works most of the time. Who doesn’t like Heroes?

“Who’s your favourite Hero?” she asks, watching him move a checkers piece without even really thinking about it. He’s not even trying.

“Oh, uh,” he clears his throat. “I’m not really sure. I don’t… don’t really keep up with them anymore.”

Izumi blinks and tilts her head. She doesn't miss the ‘anymore’ part.

“Come on. You had to have a favourite at some point,” she insists. “Someone you looked up to and admired! And you can’t say All Might because, obviously. I mean, he’s my favorite but there are a bunch of other Heroes! Like Ectoplasm! Or Gang Orca! Or! Or! There’s even all those American Heroes? Like the Hulk! Or there’s Spiderman. He’s new but he’s super friendly from what people have seen! He goes around helping people even if it’s not villain related and just generally interacts a lot with everyone. There’s a lot about him on the American forums despite him being so concentrated on a small area. I would-”

Izumi stops, realizes she’s been rambling about nothing again and blushes. “Sorry. I get excited.”

The lonely man is quiet for a second and then laughs. It’s quiet and huffing and sounds a little like it hurts but it also sounds happy and that makes Izumi happy. She giggles too even though she’s not quite sure what they’re laughing at.

“All right,” he gives, raising his hands in surrender. “You’ve convinced me. If I must choose, I’d say I have a… fondness for Titania. She’s a little before your time but-”

“Oh! Titania the Strong? Or the Fairy Queen?” she asks because sometimes Heroes have the same name. People reuse them or pay homage to someone they liked or carry on a legacy. There’s been an active Dread Pirate Roberts ever since the second generation of Heroes.

She tries to think if there are any other Titanias. Ones who stopped Heroing before she was born. She can’t think of any, but back when quirks first popped up and people started calling themselves Heroes they weren’t all that good at documenting them.

They’ve only just started to get better at that.

The lonely man stares at her in surprise and oh. Right. He doesn’t know.

Most people in town do, but he’s new. He doesn’t know of her fascination with Heroes or how her memory is near eidetic. The knowledge bank in her mind is massive and a large part is dedicated to Heroes (to their quirks, to the power they wield, to the ways they use them because it’s always best to have plenty of tricks up your sleeves).

“…The Strong. Young Midoriya, how do you-?”

“I like Heroes,” she says before starting to rattle off what she knows about the Hero. “Titiana wasn’t very well known outside her prefecture but those in it were said to love her. She saved a lot of people and interacted with civilians regularly on patrol. Personable and kind. If she didn’t confine herself to such a small area it’s likely she would’ve become quite popular even without a flashy quirk.” Izumi pauses, “She reminds me of my mom, actually. Only funnier. They say Titania liked to make jokes.”

The lonely man is quiet for a long moment as he moves another of his pieces into a position that makes him easy pickings. Izumi ignores it as she takes her turn.

He clears his throat, then, “She did.”

Izumi snaps up to look at him so quickly her neck cracks. Her eyes are wide and amazed as she looks at the lonely man. “You met her? That’s so cool!”

His lips quirk at the corners. “I did. She was…” he clears his throat again and it’s then that Izumi notices he smells… sad. That’s not what she wanted! “She was one of the best women I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

“Oh.”

Izumi feels bad now. She didn’t mean to make him sad. And he sounds like, like he misses her. Izumi’s heart breaks, just a little bit and she hops down from her chair to stand in front of him.

Did he used to smell like her? Is she why he stopped getting close to people? Did he lose her?

Izumi’s mind spins and spins and spins. She doesn’t know. Too many variables. She needs more data.

But not now.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad,” she says. “When I feel sad, I get hugs and it makes me feel better. But some people don’t like hugs so Mom says I’m supposed to ask first. And, and you’re sad and I think you need a hug so do you want a hug?”

“I- I don’t-” the lonely man looks flustered now. Wrong-footed. Izumi tries to smile at him reassuringly.

“Mom says I give the best hugs!” she encourages. “So I’m sure you’ll feel better.”

After a long moment, the lonely man softens. “Well I- I suppose a hug wouldn’t hurt.”

“Great!”

She has to stop herself from launching at him, wary of how he’s still hurt and smells of blood. She’s not quite sure where it is but she’s very careful of where she puts her hands and is careful not to squeeze too tightly.

After a few seconds Izumi asks, “Do you feel better now?”

“Yes,” he answers, like he’s surprised by their truth. “Yes, I do. Thank you.”

She nods, satisfied. “Good.” Then, she turns and barely looks at the board before clicking her piece in a series of jumps that takes out half his side and leaves her at his home base. “Queen me, please!”

The lonely man blinks, opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again and laughs. Then, he does as she asked.

***

They play four more games after that with the lonely man actually trying after his sound beating in the first round. Izumi even lets him win the third one.

They talk about random things, Izumi driving most of the conversation by bouncing around random topics and babbling aimlessly. The lonely man doesn't seem to mind too much, and comments on things whenever she pauses long enough for him to get a word in edgewise.

By the time Izumi has to go home for dinner, the lonely man doesn’t smell as sad and Izumi finds she really likes him. He even ruffles her hair before she goes scampering off into the woods. He flattens one of her ears unintentionally but she can forgive that. He can’t see them after all.

He’s also familiar in a way. Almost like Kacchan was familiar, but just a bit different. She’s not quite sure what it is, but he’s nice and friendly and Izumi likes him.

“Did you have a good day, sweetie?” Mom asks her when she gets back home.

Izumi smiles up at her with all her teeth and says, “Yeah! I made a new friend!”

***

Her lonely man introduces himself the second time she finds him.

He calls himself Yagi Toshinori but his name tastes strange on her tongue. Not quite a lie, but not a truth either.

Yagi Toshinori may be his birth name, but it is no longer the name that holds power over him, at least not completely.

Izumi calls him Yagi-san and wonders what he called himself for so long that it changed his very being.

***

It’s somewhere around week two when Yagi-san first coughs up blood around her. He was laughing, a sound she takes such joy in creating, when he suddenly began coughing. A second later, the smell of fresh blood, thick and heady, filled that air and Izumi nearly had a conniption.

They’re in the park and her worried exclamations and mother henning draw the attention of most, if not every, parent in the vicinity.

They’re all rightfully worried and it takes a while before everyone’s calmed down enough for him to give some story about a swollen throat and how it’s already being taken care of.

He’s lying about it, Izumi knows, but he’s uncomfortable and concerningly red from embarrassment.

She lets him get away with it this once.

The parents give him wet wipes and napkins and well wishes that he gets better soon to his utter surprise. Like he hadn’t expected to be given kindness so freely.

Izumi smiles as she waves them all away, thanking them for helping and thinking, not for the first time, how much she loves her town.

***

She goes home smelling like human blood that day.

It takes almost half an hour for Izumi to calm everybody down enough to explain what happened without worrying them more. And even after that, all her cousins (all at least a decade older than her and all starkly human thanks to the curse everyone will only mention in passing) crowd around her and fuss for hours.

She manages it with only resigned exasperation because they did the same thing when she killed the kelpies causing havoc in the lake last month. (She isn’t sure what the big deal was then and she’s less sure now. Killing supernatural threats is basically her— the skulk’s— job.)

***

She spends six hours that night researching diagnoses where patients coughing up blood is a symptom, and as a result, completely ignores her homework.

She doesn’t like a single word she reads.

(Kacchan yells at her the next day about it but they're both weeks ahead of the rest of their class. He’s really only upset because he can’t compare their answers for the physics homework.)

***

It’s a badly kept secret in the skulk that Izumi will be the next Matriarch.

It doesn’t matter that she’s the youngest or that she’s hardly fox-like at all. Because that’s not how skulks work. They’re not human royalty and it is not about lineage.

Foxes are selfish creatures.

They aren’t quite known for their loyalty, not when there are wolves of legend who will beat themselves bloody for their packmates. That doesn’t mean foxes aren’t loyal, it just means they’re craftier about it. Sneakier and cleverer than their brutish cousins.

(Secrets are more easily kept when fewer people know of them. Loved ones are safer if no one knows to go after them.)

Skulks are just as close and beloved as packs, and the one who reigns at the head of a skulk is not there on power alone, not like the wolves’ alphas.

A skulk’s head is chosen, not fought for. And Izumi has been marked thrice over, by Magic and Fate and her own choices as she grows from girl to woman. Izumi has the will of a leader, the heart of a mother and the ability to inspire all she meets.

Midoriya Izumi will one day rule the skulk, the forests, the whole of Japan.

There is no one else it could be.

***

Days turn to weeks and Izumi keeps tracking Yagi-san down whenever she can. Sometimes they sit and just people watch and other times she demands he play games with her, something that makes him sit down and relax because while she doesn’t know specifics, it’s obvious he’s badly hurt.

All those books she’d scoured say the same thing: that he should be taking it easy. Something he is not doing himself so she does it for him.

He’s also been getting thinner since she met him. Cheeks growing gaunt and limbs becoming bony, like he’s losing muscle mass. Izumi, once she notices, starts bringing him snacks whenever she can. Random things at first that he turns down half the time to her disappointment and frustration.

It must show on her face one too many times because after a while, he sits her down on their bench and explains in fits and starts about his condition.

Yagi-san was badly injured and lost his stomach. He can’t eat like he used to and isn’t really hungry anymore. His lungs are damaged, which is why he coughs up blood and can’t breathe right.

He tells her a laundry list of trauma and Izumi listens but can’t quite help the horrified look on her face; she’s still too young to have learned to school her expressions.

“That’s… that’s awful,” she whispers, eyes trained on the part of his abdomen he kept gesturing to, the place of such horrific pain.

“It’s okay,” he reassures her and her eyes flick up to meet his. He’s smiling, something warm and wide and so familiar but can’t quite place. “I’m a tough one, my girl. I’ll be alright.”

Izumi presses her lips together and lets him change the subject. But while he speaks, her mind is a whirl of plans and ideas and things she needs to do.

***

Her mom ‘accidentally’ runs into Yagi-san at the market one day.

(Things like that are never accidental for a fox, nevermind that her mom’s as human as Kacchan. She was born in a skulk and that makes her other in a way normal humans aren’t).

Yagi-san sees her first and his face lights up, “Little Izumi!” he greets.

She waves at him, head tilted back almost all the way as she grins up at him. “Hi Yagi-san!” she yells because he’s so tall. It must be hard to hear her, especially with his human ears. Those miss everything interesting.

His eyes turn onto her mom and he gets very red suddenly. Embarrassed and shy, like he was when she first met him. “Ah, apologies,” his hand rubs the back of his head, “You must be her mother.”

Mom smiles, but her eyes are studying him, flicking over his form, quick and analytical.

“I am, people call me Midoriya Inko,” her mom offers her hand. He shakes it. “You must be Yagi-san. It’s nice to finally meet the man behind the legend. Izumi talks about you a lot.”

Yagi-san looks delighted at that. “Does she?”

“Oh, yes. It feels like I already know you with how much she goes on,” she tells him then turns to Izumi. “And you’re right, sweetheart. He really is too thin.”

“Right!” Izumi exclaims, causing Yagi-san to startle. “That’s why I needed all those bentos! He doesn’t like to eat on his own, so I have to make him.”

After he’d told her about his injuries, she’d very carefully read and researched what one should do after a gastrectomy like his and came away with a thousand and one rules for eating he most definitely was not following.

It made her more than a bit upset that he’s not taking care of himself like he should be. That he acts so cavalier with his health.

Her mom nods gravely, very serious. “Of course. It’s important to stay healthy.”

“See!” Izumi spins on Yagi-san who looks frozen in mortification, “Even Mom agrees and she’s always right.”

His eyes flick between them both for a long moment before his shoulders slump and he grins, small and wry at them both. “Well if two Midoriya women are telling me that, how can I hope to argue?”

Izumi grins with all her teeth because she’s won and you can’t spend excessive time around Kacchan without picking up some habits.

Mom and Yagi-san talk for a while longer, mostly probing questions from her mom disguised as boring grown-up stuff and small talk. Yagi-san answers them all correctly as far as Izumi can tell. He doesn’t lie once which is good because even if Mom can’t hear his heartbeat she knows how to tell when someone lies.

They leave that day with Mom’s stamp of approval and a skip in Izumi’s step.

***

Mom must have given some sort of signal because now Yagi-san can barely walk out of his house without being accosted by her skulk.

It must be really confusing on his end, all these random people coming up to him suddenly. Not all of them even look like Midoriyas because the townspeople still think there’s only half as many of them as there really are and they want to keep it that way.

They all come away liking him though, some enough to continue interacting with him regularly. Which is good, because he needs more friends. Though, Aunties Emi and Isami tease him so much she’s not sure he’ll ever stop being flustered.

(The best part though, in Izumi’s opinion, is that they all help her keep an eye on him. And, more often than not, they’ll place some sort of fruit or snack in his hands before running off and leaving him in confusion. Izumi laughs whenever she’s there for it to his utter confusion.)

***

Aoi plops down next to her on the couch one day, arm thrown over her shoulders and bright pink pixie cut hair tickling her cheek as she bumps her head into Izumi’s temple and hums lowly because it’s the closest her human vocal cords can get to purring.

Izumi’s classifying plant life for biology, something she normally doesn’t stop doing until it’s finished, but she looks away from them now because Aoi’s her favourite cousin. She’s never said so out loud because she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings, but the entire skulk knows anyway.

“He’s weird like you,” Aoi says with no lead-up or explanation.

Izumi grins as Aoi ruffles her hair because she understands immediately and takes that for the compliment it is.

***

Yagi-san touches her casually now. Ruffling her hair, guiding her with a hand on the shoulder, tugging lightly on her wild curls. It’s like he was waiting for permission or something.

It’s nothing she’s not familiar with. Her skulk does it all the time, both to scent mark and provide comfort, and Izumi spends most of her time invading Kacchan’s personal bubble for those same reasons.

Yagi doesn’t know about scent marking like she does because he’s human, wholy and cleanly even if Izumi can sometimes feel a nuclear reactor humming with all the energy hidden away in his chest. (And isn’t that just another reason he’s so strange? Izumi wonders what his quirk is sometimes, but never asks. She doesn't think she’d get the real answer if she did.)

He doesn’t know, and doesn’t seem like an overly touchy person but he touches her and it feels like when her mom pushes her bangs back and presses a kiss to her forehead. Affectionate and soft and Izumi can’t help leaning into every gesture like she’s starved for it.

***

The next day, Izumi greets him with a hug and he smiles that oh, so familiar smile and Izumi feels like she swallowed the sun.

***

The townspeople whisper, carefully outside of Izumi’s range of hearing for once, about the man she follows like a duckling and the growing bond everyone can see.

They were wary at first. They knew so little about this odd stranger.

But with Izumi running around him like a tiny, babbling dervish, unintentionally dragging him into every conversation she starts, it doesn’t take long for them to get a read on the man. It’s almost amusing how he had tried so hard to keep to himself only to fail the moment she crashed into his life.

A month and a half after he showed up, the townspeople can confidently say that Yagi Toshinori is good people. Earnest and kind in all the same ways Izumi is and uniquely awkward and well-meaning in others.

The townspeople whisper, and laugh, and can’t help but think how good it is that little Izumi’s found herself such a lovely father figure.

***

He asks her, one day, why she spends so much time with him when she has so many friends her own age.

The look she gives him makes him feel like he’s asked a stupid question. The words that come out of her mouth immediately after make him breathless.

“Because I like you,” she says as if it’s just that simple. As if Toshinori hadn’t spent decades interacting with people who only liked him because he’s All Might. As if this little girl, hidden away in this idyllic town, saying she likes him as Toshinori, isn’t the most important thing he’s heard in years.

“Ah,” is all he says to that and Izumi goes back to eating her popsicle, only now she’s unashamedly leaning into his uninjured side.

Something warm in his chest blossoms and Toshinori can’t help wondering what exactly he’s gotten himself into now.

***

She brings Kacchan to meet Yagi-san not long after that. She’d been waiting for her skulk to stop harassing him so much, so it had taken longer than she wanted.

Kacchan was starting to think she’s purposefully keeping things from him—which she is, but not this. And the things she is keeping are mostly not her secrets to tell anyway (not that it makes her feel any less bad for having them).

The two know of each other, of course. It’d be impossible for them not to know with how much she babbles at them both about the other.

Kacchan is… unimpressed at first. Loud and disrespectful and really just himself in a bad mood because he’s bad at meeting new people.

Yagi-san takes it all in stride even as her best friend swears enough to make a sailor blush. She can see he’s wondering why Izumi picked him, of course, because everyone does after meeting Katsuki.

She watches from where she’s lying along the top of the monkey bars as they circle around each other, curious and trying not to show it. That is, until Kacchan grows bored with that and starts challenging Izumi to ridiculous contests.

She sighs but accepts every one because, while Kacchan is indeed the self-destructively competitive one, he doesn't hold a monopoly on that trait within their friendship.

Yagi-san gets roped into playing referee and rewards the winner with head ruffles and blinding smiles. Well, he at least tries to. Izumi accepts the affection just fine but when he reaches for Katsuki, her best friend snaps his teeth at him the moment contact is made.

Yagi-san pulls back immediately, eyes wide, but Kacchan hadn’t screamed at the top of his lungs or exploded something so Izumi knows it’s all mostly for show.

She'll have to explain that to Yagi-san later.

***

There’s a saying, in Izumi’s family. A saying that falls from the lips of every fox in the world. A silent oath one whispers from the day they’re born with magic in their veins.

Shual Nephesh, serve thou for thyself.

There’s a duty every leader picks up when they are placed in power, but it is only foxes who truly carry its weight with them. A shimmering gem tied tightly around their throat, both great honour and deadly noose combined.

Matriarch, be thou for the skulk.

There’s no oath for a Hero to take. Nothing regulated or standardized besides the flimsy laws riddled with loopholes and flaws that Izumi could dance around with her eyes closed. So, she makes her own.

Hero, be thou for the people.

***

There is no new weight to her wrist, no new gemstone to tell of her Promise.

The shackle she wears like a badge of honor has been there for years already after all.

***

Two months come and go and Toshinori… stays.

Torino and David both called the day before he was planning to go back to Tokyo, to go back to being All Might, and they begged him to stay just a bit longer. Well, David begged. Torino yelled at him for ten minutes until Toshinori could get a word in edgewise.

After a long pause, Toshinori agrees, to all their surprise.

He wasn’t going to leave, even before they called to beg and he knows what the reason why is, even if he won’t admit it.

He’ll have to leave eventually. Sooner then he might like because he can’t just stop being All Might… but he can stay a little longer.

The world hasn’t fallen apart without him yet.

***

He does call into his agency, of course, and requests as much paperwork as possible be faxed to him.

He’s still restless and antsy and even if he’s not in the field there is plenty of administrative work that needs to be done as All Might. He’s been ignoring it for too long.

Rika, his manager of all things relating to All Might’s image, is no doubt having a fit about his abrupt and continued absence, but he can trust her. She’s no doubt handling the media circus with an iron fist and cunning mind like always.

She doesn’t let him touch his social media accounts or anything really relating to PR, but she does send him a list of charities to choose from. He’s always like picking which ones to send donations to and make scheduled appearances at.

She also sends him a veritable mountain of things that need his signature, half of which are for merchandising and things like that.

He signs them all without looking.

He’s also faxed the backlog of Assistant Heroes—not ‘Sidekicks’, there were few words he disliked more than that old relic—applications that have piled up in his absence to sort through. Even with the rigorous standards themselves and what few Heroes All Might does have at his agency sorting through the applications before they ever arrive in front of him, there are still dozens that have piled up.

People who work with him have to uphold certain standards. That's something both him and Rika agree on. They can’t have some Hero with a lousy attitude associated with All Might. The press would have a field day with that kind of scandal and Toshinori can’t stand those types of people anyway.

The employees at his agency are held to a higher standard than others. It’s why it’s so prestigious in the first place. His Heroes have to be brave and kind and put the people first above all else.

They may not ever be pillars like him, but Toshinori will be damned if they aren’t beacons of good.

Toshinori is, was, and always will be, firm on this stance.

He, of course, has to hide all that paperwork from Izumi—because that’s a thing she does now. Knock on his door and spends time at the cottage he’s renting. She does her homework at the kitchen counter while he keeps himself busy doing the less flashy sort of Hero work.

The problem is, she's a curious sort of child, and interested in most everything her eyes land on. She’s made a habit of poking her head over his shoulder while he’s sorting through sensitive documents, keen eyes dancing over the page, and scaring the shit out of Toshinori.

She stares at him with those all too knowing eyes as he scrambles to hide it from her. After the third time it happens she thankfully stops but there’s a contemplative look in her eyes that’s sure to give him stress headaches.

***

“What do you think he’s doing?”

Kacchan doesn’t look up from the math homework he’s checking for her. He also doesn’t ask who she’s talking about because there’s really only one person it could be. “Kicking ass, probably.”

“Kacchan,” she pouts from her place sprawled across his living room floor (they never hang out at her house, for all the obvious reasons). “Be serious.”

“I seriously think he’s kicking ass.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

Kacchan looks up to glare at her. “Why the fuck would I be? Izu, it’s All Might. He never loses. He’s fine, you goddamn bleeding heart.”

Izumi guesses he’s right. All Might’s never lost a fight. It’s what makes him so amazing. It’s just. There’s something at the base of her stomach that won’t let her let go of her worry. It’s been three months without a single sighting.

That’s… unheard of.

“Stop moping!” he yells, the sugar-burnt crackle and pop of his quirk jolting her from her melancholy.

“Careful, Kacchan!” she shrieks. “You’re going to burn the paper.”

Kacchan snaps his teeth at her but there’s no real heat in it. It’s playful, or as close to it as he gets. “I am not! And stop slacking and check my fucking history worksheet, you freeloader.”

She sighs and flips back onto her stomach. “Yes, Kacchan. Of course, Kacchan. Anything for you, Kacchan,” she gripes fondly.

“And don’t you fucking forget it.”

***

“Young Midoriya?”

“Huh?” Izumi startles from her thoughts for the third time this game. Realizing what she’s done, she blushes and hides behind her hand of cards. “Oh! Sorry, Yagi-san. I can’t seem to focus at all today.”

He smiles, warm and bright. “Not a problem, my dear.” He sets down his hand, choosing instead to give her his full attention. “Something on your mind?”

“Yeah. Just… I’m worried, I suppose.”

He hums encouragingly. “About?”

She blows out a heavy breath. “It’s been three months since anybody has seen All Might.” Yagi-san’s shoulders stiffen. Talking about All Might always makes him uncomfortable but she needs to get this off her chest and he’ll listen. “He’s never disappeared like this before.”

Yagi-san coughs into his fist. “Ah, well. Perhaps he is doing undercover work?”

Izumi gives him a look like she thinks he’s being particularly thick. “He almost never does undercover work. He’s not suited for it and there’s plenty of underground Heroes who can do a better job. He normally respects that.” She pauses, thinks that over. “And even the few times he was recorded to be associated with undercover jobs, there had been plenty of credible sources saying he’d been seen doing small acts of heroics. Community service, charity work, helping people cross the street, things like that. But, right now, it’s practically radio silence. All Might’s never just,” she waves her hands helplessly, “cut himself off from the public before.”

Yagi-san blinks at her and, when there doesn’t seem to be an answer to that forthcoming, Izumi keeps going.

“I just- I can’t stop thinking maybe he’s hurt? Or that something has happened to him? Kacchan says I‘m worrying over nothing but sometimes I just get these feelings, right? Like there’s someone out there who needs my help and… and this is one of those times.” She huffs a humourless laugh. “But again, Kacchan says I’m being dumb because why would All Might need my help? I’m ten! What can I do?

“But I just keep thinking how Sir Nighteye is still in Tokyo and hasn’t said anything official about his whereabouts and David Shield is still in America and there’s just nobody else that All Might has to lean on, at least not to public knowledge, and if those two people aren’t there for him then who is?”

By the end, Izumi has to take a deep breath because she hadn’t breathed once while she word-vomited all her worries at him.

When she looks up, Yagi-san is staring at her with an expression she can’t really read.

Quieter, she says—because she’s never been able to leave well enough alone and if Yagi-san doesn’t understand then who will?— “He saves everyone, but who’s there to save him?”

Yagi-san laughs.

Not a mean one, not like he’s laughing at her, but more like he was so surprised by her that he can’t contain the sound. Uncle Kazuki did that sometimes. Probably because Uncle Hikaru is more than a handful and he made the mistake of marrying him, or so they say.

“You truly are one of a kind, my girl. I’ve never, in all my years, met someone with a heart as big as yours.”

Izumi blushes to the tips of her hidden ears at such a high compliment and picks up her cards just to hide behind them. “I think we should finish our game.”

He gives a quiet chuckle but picks up his cards. “Okay, okay. But, for the record, my dear?” Izumi looks up at him and finds him smiling at her, small and soft. “I think there’s a lot you could do to help him.”

***

He watches Izumi and Young Bakugou run around each other, playing some strange amalgamation of tag and marco-polo where Izumi’s blind folded and only allowed to use her hearing and sense of smell to sniff out her friend.

It’s quirk training made into a game, something ingenious only she could come up with.

Izumi is doing well at locating Bakugou, head swiveling in whatever direction he’s in despite the blind fold, but she keeps tripping over and running into things, paying too much attention to her friend and not enough to her surroundings.

She does eventually catch him, pouncing on his back and sending both of them to the ground. Toshinori smiles despite himself as it immediately transitions into a wrestling match.

Not for the first time since coming to this fantasy of a town, does Toshinori think wistfully of a world where things were different. If he didn’t need to hold up the world, if people were kinder, if the world was safer. If, if, if.

Toshinori wanted a family once, before he picked up all these mountains he should’ve climbed. He still wants a family—doesn’t think he’ll ever stop—but he’s practical enough to know it’s too late. To see it’ll never work out.

(He ignores the part of him that says it’s closer than he thinks. Ignores the way any thoughts of his future—the ones where he forgets he’s going to die in eight years at least—all have a child in them. A little girl with wild green hair and freckles and a heart big enough to cradle the world.

His mind ignores them, but his heart is soft and weak and tucks it all in his chest, safe and sound for those rainy days.)

***

Time skips along, as it’s wont to do.

Izumi dances into eleven years old with all the joy and brightness of a girl on top of the world.

Her magic grows more with each day and after the fourth time she comes home dragging some sort of creature behind her, the skulk starts whispering about having her begin training before the traditional fourteen years old.

She joins aikido at the suggestion of Yagi-san while Kacchan gleefully dives into kick-boxing after hounding his parents for three months. Izumi keeps up with gymnastics but Kacchan drops out to join the wrestling team.

It’s all vaguely concerning from an outsider’s point of view but it’s nice that he has an outlet.

For all that she’s growing up, Izumi is still much of the same. Still sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong and dedicating most of her time to helping other people, no matter how important the task, and staying at the top of her classes with Katsuki right next to her.

What little free time she allows herself is divided between all the people she loves. She’s busy, but she’s always been busy. Always right at the thick of things when they happen which is just how she likes it.

It’s the best three months of her life, a bright summer she enjoyed to the fullest. Her magic has been practically singing in her veins because, until she becomes a Hero, until she takes her rightful place at the top, as a Protector, this is as close to perfect as she’ll get.

That, of course, means it can’t last.

Because perfect things never do.

***

Yagi-san leaves, because he has too.

She’d known that for a while now. His job is important, even if she’s not quite sure what it is he does.

He always dances around the question when she asks. Saying he works in relation to an important agency that helps keep people safe. He’s always adamant of how much he loves it and she can see the wistfulness in his eyes sometimes. Like there’s places he wants to be other than here.

And so, Izumi resigns herself to watching him leave her. Braces herself to lose this growing, fragile thing in her chest she can’t put a name to.

He leaves the week after her birthday and she’s there at his house to say goodbye. She expects this to be the last time she sees him, she expects him to leave and not come back just like the father she never met and doesn’t want to.

What she doesn’t expect is for him to press a phone into her hand, a single number already programmed into it, and tell her he’ll keep in touch. She doesn’t expect him to get on his knees so she can look him in the eye as he Promises to visit, to come back, whenever he can.

She tries hard not to cry, because her lonely man gets so flustered when she does, but she can’t help it. She sobs and throws her arms around his shoulders, clinging to him because even with the Promise she knows it will be too long before she sees him again.

She has so many things she wants to tell him. So many things to say and do and none of the time.

His lips press against her forehead. “I’ll miss you, my dear girl.”

But, perhaps she’ll still get the chance. Just… later.

“I’ll miss you, too.”

***

Kacchan, Aoi, and her mom all gang up on her the following days, trying their hardest to cheer her up and get her mind off things.

Her mom makes her favorite foods and Aoi teaches her magic tricks she’s not supposed to learn until Nona officially begins her training and Kacchan only grumbles a little when she takes to clinging to him like a heartsick koala.

It’s the last one more than anything that makes her realize how worried they must be. How badly she must be moping for them to be so worried.

Kacchan may not actually care about how much she’s in his bubble, but he does like to complain about it, loudly and vocally. He’s really very mean and if Izumi couldn’t always tell when he’s lying she’s sure she’d never made it to being his best friend because she’d be crying too much.

But she’s worrying everyone and it’s not like she can’t text or call Yagi-san. He gave her the phone for a reason (though a whole new phone seems a bit much).

Izumi tries not to be so sad.

It only works a little.

***

Two days after Yagi-san leaves town, All Might saves thirty people from a hostage situation, rescues two potential kidnap victims and stops three robberies all before two in the afternoon.

Izumi sees the news articles almost immediately because even if she’s sad and breaks into tears every couple hours, she’s been keeping her ear to the ground about any sign of All Might for weeks now. There’s pictures and videos and stories of his escapades everywhere and all anyone is talking about is where he’s been.

Izumi finds a video of him, barely thirty seconds long, of him apologizing for his absence. Some official story that’s nothing but lies falling from his tongue because it had taken Izumi all of five seconds of hearing his voice before everything clicked.

Izumi is smart and clever and sees things no one else does and she can’t believe she’d been so blind.

All Might’s face smiles at her through the screen but Izumi can’t hear what he’s saying because all she can see are bright blue eyes. Bright, familiar eyes and a familiar smile and familiar laugh and and and-

And her lonely man is the number one Hero.

She closes her laptop and screams.

#bnha #my typewriter #wlcm

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shainlov · 5 years ago

Text

New Years Exchange!!!

@the-sociopathic-jacket I was your gifter! And this is... longer than it was supposed to, I’m so sorry.

Nemuri never forgave herself, but life moves on.

A year before Midnight joined UA staff, she had a difficult case including her family members that no hero should've go through but it’s just such a common trope.

Nemuri Kayama was forever convinced that the case of Sosuke’s killer was going to forever stay her hardest one. Even five years later, she still grieved the boy she didn’t know until a few brief moments before his demise.

If she were to guess when it all began, it would be when she got involved in the case. Though… Sosuke’s... parents would point at her pathetic hero career and shout that it was then when she went to the hero school when she started... she doomed Sosuke to death... because anyone else would’ve done a better job and saved him.

If she never went to the hero school, Sosuke would’ve never attracted the attention of that villain. Or any villain at all.

If she were a smarter woman, a braver-- If not for her incompetence he'd… well, either way, she’s never been the same.

Kayama saw horrible things, but the death of the young boy taken it’s greatest hit on her yet.

She couldn’t bear the guilt alone... she was very bad at handling her feelings on her own. She depended on people to help her to take care of herself when she was at her worst.

Of course, those people weren’t either Present Mic or Eraserhead, they barely held their emotional baggage. It was her wife who helped her through awful episodes each time.

Midnight was ever so slightly jealously looking at a monitor, watching a disgustingly romantic scene playing out between Ms. Joke and Eraserhead - it was the origin of Emi’s “marry me” joke that she repeated endlessly tormenting both Nemuri and Shouta with.

Both of her... friends were very good actors - convincing enough to make Midnight envious, even a little worried about whether they were genuine. She had to pinch herself to calm down and tell herself that Aizawa Shouta was gay. A few times.

Shouta would never answer to the advances of a person he wasn’t attracted to. Shouta would never try to hurt Nemuri either - hell, he asked many times if she was alright with his part in the operation because he knew of her silly crush.

Other than three of them at the scene, there were also two other underground heroes and a nearby police station on alert, waiting tensely for a signal. One of the extra teammates was inside the bar as an immediate back-up, while Midnight was waiting outside with the other guy. Shouta said he's never seen either of them before. It made Midnight wonder about how big the Underground Agency was.

That’s when Nemuri’s mobile meant for hero-related stuff rang. Excusing herself, she stepped out of the van, gladly distracting herself from the monitors.

“Lovely," She murmured to herself, "who’s this?” She answered in her "Midnight" voice, she didn’t recognize the number. Her fans liked to get her phone number from her agency’s site and call her. Some were sweet, while others just plain creepy.

“Mistress Midnight,” The voice on the other end of the line striked her immediately as someone dangerous. She was pretty good at reading people based off of their voice alone. Nobody in her agency had this voice and only those people addressed her as Mistress. “I’d suggest you come to your office quickly and pick it up, you have a very important message there." The person sounded almost giddy, like a little child who got a treat, or rather, in this situation, left someone a treat and wanted to see their reaction to it. With years of hero training and experience, she formed a suspect’s profile. "Time is extendable, but I don’t have forever.” This could be another freaky fan, but her gut was giving her especially bad vibe. “Ah, and don’t worry, we’re going to meet soon.”

Kayama was confused as to what the hell was that supposed to mean, but for now, she returned to the van. She was still on her mission and she had to keep the watch in case of Shouta and Emi requesting a back-up. Stepping back into the van, she bumped into the underground hero guy.

He shouted at her to get out there and "do her thing" because the operation was going to shit.

Alright then.

Nemuri counted herself as a part of the case ever since the villain called her phone which led her... home. The home of a naive pretty little girl who grew too fond of heroes and aspired to become like them.

Which resulted in the pretty little girl getting kicked out.

At 4 AM, about five hours after apprehending the villain gang and sending them into jail, Nemuri was sitting in her office.

Her leg bouncing as she looked at her phone. She had only a few saved numbers - only people she trusted were there, but there was an exception. There were two numbers saved of people she didn't trust one bit, and the missed calls came from them.

Back then, the agency building was her only home - she had a side room off of her big office - where she lived. Her office was modest, the only pieces of furniture were a desk, three leather armchairs, and her chair on wheels. The walls were covered praising articles and her posters, and also a sue for "too revealing outfit". She won that lawsuit by saying that the costume-regulation laws weren't established yet. They served as amusement for her bad mood.

In her desk's drawer, there were letters from her fans, police officers, some secret admirers and not-so-secret ones. She never responded because of her brand, and the other reason was... well, she was irreversibly lesbian. Male advances flattered her, but she wasn't interested.

"Hard to get" was helping her to sell more merchandise.

Below that drawer, she held some private things - like embarrassing photos of her cousins and aunts - and her identification documents. Only a small fraction though, she knew how things could get messy, and the most important stuff were kept in the side room, where she was the sole person who had access. It was relatively small and consisted of a pull-out couch and a wardrobe, and a small kitchen, and it connected to a bathroom with a shower and bathtub.

She used the shower at around 1 AM and ever since has been sitting motionlessly only changing the object that she was blankly staring at. The leather armchair in her office already dried from the water her wet tangled hair left.

Two notifications read:

You have missed 4 call(s) from Father

You have missed 17 call(s) from Mother

...and Midnight was… puzzled.

What was she supposed to do? The Kayamas have disowned her ages ago! What could’ve they wanted from her? They had everything! She was their disappointment! Her parents disowned her when she got into the hero school because she didn't want to play "status", and "power", and "house".

She disobeyed and went against what her parents thought was best for her. What was she even to them after all? A doll? They've married out of love and she was supposed to be sold? What's fair in that?

Pretty face, no brains and talented at dress-up games - that's what she started as. She still had little to no brain, but she wasn't useless anymore.

Surely, there was no emotional attachment to her. After all, they threw her out of her--their home. Well, not officially, and since that wasn't legal and they didn't want to be labeled as child abusers by abandoning her, they got her an apartment, moved her things and paid for it until she was 21.

She got her act together, unlocked the phone to look at dozens of missed texts.

Most of them were demanding to call back as soon as possible. When that list ended, she noticed the gap between this flood of texts and the last ones she sent them on New Year’s Eve back when she was 22 and hoped that she could fix their relationship... somehow.

So, not minding the hour, she called. It took two attempts - each to different parent - before Mother picked up. Her voice sounded… weary.

“Hello?”

“What happened?” Midnight didn’t quite sit well with the fact she was talking to her parents after promising herself to not look back.

“Nemuri?” The surprise in the woman’s voice that answered the phone was no wonder - she didn’t hear Nemuri’s voice for straight-up over ten years.

“Yeah. Why were you calling me?”

“Well… it’s about Sosuke, yo-- my son.” Nemuri flinched at that.

Of course, her parents wouldn’t know about her being aware of who Sosuke Kayama was. Her mother didn’t tell her she was pregnant, she officially hasn’t met him, she never talked with him. Nemuri was disowned sixteen years ago, and Sosuke was fourteen.

When she heard her mother went into labor, she sneaked into the hospital to greet her replacement and wish him good luck, but after that, she didn’t make any effort to contact him.

“What about him?” She kept her voice flat.

“He’s been kidnapped and it’s your fault.” Kayama Saori’s voice was sweet in her perfume commercials, but now it made Nemuri want to throw up. She leaned forward with her ear pressed to the phone. The heroine didn’t know whether she wanted to start apologizing or to throw the phone yelling that it wasn’t her fault.

“It’s not. Did you call to send me hate mail?” For the first few moments, it didn’t reach Nemuri that she was talking about a kidnapping over a phone. She never came to accept that her mother and father rejected her. So now, thoughts processed slower than usual.

“They want you to be the one to find him. You HAVE TO do this.”

“They?” Nemuri frowned, slightly surprised her mother hasn’t broken into wails yet. That was unusual…

“Yes. Whoever did this.”

It’s a game then?

Midnight bit at her thumb frustrated. Her little brother-- Sosuke was in danger because of her hero career? Was that true?

“I’ll call the police to question you, I am not a detective.” She said simply going for the disconnect button.

“No police or else he will be killed. Hurry.” Her mother hissed before she hung up. That left Nemuri frozen in her seat. So it was because of her.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21848440

#midjoke #midnight x ms joke #bnha #bnha new years exchange #the gift #uwu

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sugarsourgoat · 6 years ago

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All of the 90s (& 80s) Anime You Need To Fill Your Nostalgic Heart

There’s is no greater feeling than running into something that makes you remember a fun time in your life. For me, that is the 90s. Even though I didn’t experience a lot of the 90s, I still have those times where I feel like getting out some popcorn and indulging in the things that make me feel as though I am back in that time. One specific way for me to do that is through watching anime that came out in the 90s.

The typical art styles of 90s anime are something I sometimes wish was still a feature in today’s animation. The haziness of the animations (mostly because of the lower quality resolution of televisions during that era) takes me back to a time when I was a child.

In this post, I hope that you will find an anime with a story that will pique your interest, as well as help you feel as though you are back in the 90s (or the 80s because I couldn’t help myself). If you were born in the 2000s, then hopefully this list will help you understand why some of us began to love anime in the first place or will open you to anime you never heard of.

If you have any 90s (or older) anime recommendations, let me know! I’m always happy to watch some old anime.

xx, Sai

1. Oniisama e

When 16-year-old Nanako Misonoo enters the prestigious all-girls Seiran Academy, she believes a bright future awaits her. Instead, the unlucky girl finds herself dragged into a web of deceit, misery, and jealousy. On top of that, she is chosen as the newest inductee of the Sorority, an elite group whose members are the envy of the entire school. Having none of the grace, wealth, or talent of the other members, Nanako quickly draws the ire of her jealous classmates—especially the fierce Aya Misaki. To cope with her increasingly difficult school life, Nanako recalls her days through letters to her former teacher, Takehiko Henmi, whom she affectionately calls "onii-sama" (big brother). She also finds comfort with her four closest friends: her childhood friend Tomoko Arikura, the sociable but erratic Mariko Shinobu, the troubled musician Rei Asaka, and the athletic tomboy Kaoru Orihara. An impassioned drama about the hardships of bullying, Oniisama e... chronicles a young girl's harsh life at her new school, as she endures cruel rumours, heartless classmates, and countless social trials.

Aired: Summer 1991

2. Angel’s Egg

In a desolate and dark world full of shadows, lives one little girl who seems to do nothing but collect water in jars and protect a large egg she carries everywhere. A mysterious man enters her life... and they discuss the world around them.

Aired: Fall 1985

3. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

In a world filled with planes and airships, Sheeta is a young girl who has been kidnapped by government agents who seek her mysterious crystal amulet. While trapped aboard an airship, she finds herself without hope—that is, until the ship is raided by pirates. Taking advantage of the ensuing confusion, Sheeta manages to flee from her captors. Upon her escape, she meets Pazu, a boy who dreams of reaching the fabled flying castle, Laputa. The two decide to embark on a journey together to discover this castle in the sky. However, they soon find the government agents back on their trail, as they too are trying to reach Laputa for their own greedy purposes. Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa follows the soaring adventures of Sheeta and Pazu, all while they learn how dreams and dire circumstances can bring two people closer together.

Aired: Summer 1986

4. Sailor Moon

Usagi Tsukino is an average student and crybaby klutz who constantly scores low on her tests. Unexpectedly, her humdrum life is turned upside down when she saves a cat with a crescent moon on its head from danger. The cat, named Luna, later reveals that their meeting was not an accident: Usagi is destined to become Sailor Moon, a planetary guardian with the power to protect the Earth. Given a special brooch that allows her to transform, she must use her new powers to save the city from evil energy-stealing monsters sent by the malevolent Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom. But getting accustomed to her powers and fighting villains are not the only things she has to worry about. She must find the lost princess of the Moon Kingdom, the other Sailor Guardians, and the Legendary Silver Crystal in order to save the planet from destruction.

Aired: Spring 1992

5. Akira

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after the nuking of the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists, and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural powers suddenly manifest. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

Aired: Summer 1988

6. Burn up!

To the unsuspecting eye Maki, Reimi and Yuka may not look like ace crime fighters, which might explain why they're stuck on traffic patrol instead of more "exciting" police duties. All that changes when Yuka gets herself kidnapped by a white slave organization run by a politically connected businessman who's got the rest of the police cowed. Now it's up to Maki and Reimi to don skin-tight battle armor, liberate a tank, and make sure that a certain slaver learns that when you play with fire, you're going to get your ass burned!

Aired: Winter 1991

7. Neon Genesis Evangelion

In the year 2015, the world stands on the brink of destruction. Humanity's last hope lies in the hands of Nerv, a special agency under the United Nations, and their Evangelions, giant machines capable of defeating the Angels who herald Earth's ruin. Gendou Ikari, head of the organization, seeks compatible pilots who can synchronize with the Evangelions and realize their true potential. Aiding in this defensive endeavor are talented personnel Misato Katsuragi, Head of Tactical Operations, and Ritsuko Akagi, Chief Scientist. Face to face with his father for the first time in years, 14-year-old Shinji Ikari's average life is irreversibly changed when he is whisked away into the depths of Nerv, and into a harrowing new destiny—he must become the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01 with the fate of mankind on his shoulders.

Aired: Fall 1995

8. Battle Angel Alita

Doc Ido, a doctor, and mechanic who lives and works in the hellish, post-apocalyptic "Scrapyard", finds the—miraculously preserved—remains of a female cyborg in a junk heap. After he revives and rebuilds her, the preternaturally strong, amnesiac "Gally" begins to forge a life for herself in a world where every day can bring a fight for life.

Aired: Spring 1993

That’s all for my nostalgia-giving anime list for now! If you have any suggestions for me on what anime I should watch send me a message! Let me know if you will/have seen any of these anime and what you think about them! Also, feel free to suggest topics you’d like to see from Sailure Artemis in the future (you can also submit posts).

See you next time!

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murasaki-murasame · 5 years ago

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Thoughts on Sarazanmai Episode 9: “I Want To Connect, But I Can’t Express It”

We’ve officially reached the point where the tonal ratio of the show has shifted to 10% comedy, 90% “try not to cry. lay on the floor. cry a lot :(”

Thoughts under the cut.

Oh boy this episode sure was a lot all at once. Thankfully it managed to successfully juggle all the different character arcs and plot points it was dealing with.

Starting off with Reo and Mabu, it seems like Mabu has gotten good enough at cooking that Reo’s now finally convinced that he’s ‘back to his old self’, and he even sings Sara and Keppi’s little song about being the ‘ultimate couple’ while bringing home wine and pancakes for Mabu, in case anyone needed it spelled out even more explicitly that they’re in a relationship, lmao. But then things take a turn for the worse when Reo finds out that Mabu’s off being maintained, which leads to Maximum Cucking when he walks in on it happening, and the sexual element of the maintenance gets made as clear as ever. And of course Reo misunderstands the whole situation and Mabu’s feelings and motives, and now he’s back to even more aggressively rejecting Mabu as he is now. The visual of him standing in the circle diagram thing that’s usually used to show kappa zombie victims being ejected from the circle of society is very worrying. Let’s just hope he can realize what’s really going on before it’s all too late.

I’m kinda worrying more and more as this goes on that Reo and Mabu’s relationship and it’s nuances might not be getting across properly to anime-only people, since the anime hasn’t really given them a whole lot of screen-time, and like 99% of their backstory and prior relationship is just shown in external media. Maybe I’m just worrying too much, but I’ve definitely been seeing some people be confused about some of what’s going on with them. Though tbh I do also think that the whole maintenance scene in this episode was a little confusing in general. But still.

Over on Kazuki’s side of things, pretty much all of his scenes were about setting up his decision to go after Reo and Mabu to reclaim the stolen dishes of hope so that he can use the wish to save Enta’s life. Thankfully he’s finally starting to truly realize how important his connections with Enta and Toi are. It also looks like he finally remembered his meeting with Toi after Haruka showed him that poster of the soccer player they’ve been mimicking, so hopefully those two get to reunite before this all ends.

I don’t know if Toi is going to want to try and get the plates for himself, but we’re at least definitely looking at a conflict between Reo and Kazuki, who both in this episode have resolved to steal the other person’s plates so they can make a wish to save someone else. In a lot of ways this episode really hammers in the parallel going on between Reo-Mabu and Kazuki-Enta, but I still do think that, out of the two of them, Kazuki probably deserves the wish more, since Enta’s in a genuinely life or death state, whereas Reo just needs to accept that Mabu is still Mabu. The synopsis for ep10 [which was accidentally leaked in place of ep9′s synopsis last week, lol] spells out that Kazuki is going to infiltrate the otter hide-out to retrieve the plates, so we’re barrelling head-on into endgame territory. In a lot of ways I think this show would have benefited from more than 11 episodes, but at the very least I think they could wrap things up pretty nicely with just two more episodes.

And over on the topic of Toi, he and his brother sure ended up being the tragic MVPs of this episode. It wasn’t exactly the most unexpected thing over, but they really drove home the tragedy of Chikai’s inevitable death. He was just too far gone, with too many enemies to ever be able to live a normal life. And the idea of crossing a line you can’t go back from is something that Chikai seems completely aware of, since throughout this episode he seems to be trying to give Toi every chance to change his mind and go back, while reminding him that if goes through with this, it’ll be irreversible. I think that even the whole scene at the end of him putting a gun to Toi’s head was his way of trying to scare him into going back to his old life once and for all.

Chikai’s a really morally grey character, and I think a lot of people are gonna hate him after this episode, but I think he just serves as a tragic example of what Toi’s life could turn out like if he ‘crosses the river’ that he can never return from. I don’t think he exactly enjoys any of the criminal activities he’s been doing, but he just doesn’t have any options left, especially now that the cops are onto him and the other gang people he knows are turning on him. Even when he killed Masa, I think he only did it because he could tell that he might have leaked out the fact that Toi was the one to shoot that gang leader four years ago, which Chikai’s been taking the blame for to protect him.

And on the whole note of moral ambiguity, Toi also literally kills at least one dude in this episode. I’m pretty sure he at least killed one of the gang members in this episode, if I’m remembering right. And we found out that he’s been holding onto the real gun he used to kill the gang leader dude, after having previously thrown out a copy. Though I guess we knew right from the start of the show that he still had the gun on him.

The whole sequence before and after the credits of Chikai dying on the boat and Toi remembering their childhood together and then angrily throwing away all of his cash was absolutely heartbreaking, and so much more emotionally blunt than I expected. I’m very curious to see if he’s going to want to take the plates for himself to revive his brother, or if he’s going to accept his death and move on with his life, for better or worse. He’s at least at the point where he still has a chance to go back to his old life, especially now that everyone who knew about his more criminal acts are dead [except for Kazuki and Enta]. Considering the whole ‘crossing the river’ theme, it’s pretty fitting that Toi’s on top of a boat sailing through the middle of the river when Chikai dies. He’s in this transitory space where he still has one last chance to step back before he fully crosses over.

I have a feeling that the big showdown will just be between Reo and Kazuki, but I think Toi’s still going to be important to the last two episodes, and he’s probably going to reunite with the trio again before it ends. So I’m curious to see how that all turns out.

I’ve never really cared too much for shipping any of the main trio, but I could honestly see Kazuki and Toi ending up together at this rate, with how the story as a whole is building up.

Before I forget, there’s also the whole thing with how Keppi was able to apparently turn Enta into a kappa so that he can presumably help Kazuki with getting back the plates, even though he’s on a time limit before he dies once and for all. Which sets up some pretty tangible stakes for these final few episodes. I’m at least glad they got to hug, though. That was really cute, in a sad way. I still hope that Enta’s able to properly let Kazuki know how he feels about him before this all ends.

The next episode synopsis also seems to imply that we’ll get more backstory about Reo and Mabu’s connection to Keppi, so that’ll be exciting. There’s still a lot of aspects to their role in the otter-kappa war that’s still confusing and unclear even to people who’ve been keeping up with all the side material for the series, so it’d be good to get that sorted out. And with how surprisingly blunt a lot of the exposition and backstory has been in this show, I wouldn’t be too surprised if it does all get spelled out in the next episode.

Most of all I’m still hoping that the anime delves into Reo and Mabu’s connection to Sara, since that hasn’t really come up at all, aside from the vague references to Sara knowing them and thinking that they’re good people. I’m pretty sure it’s been said multiple times that the manga [and the twitter] aren’t alternate universe stories, but actually part of the timeline of the series, so it’d be a bit weird if the whole aspect of them having raised her doesn’t come up.

I’m still keeping in mind the possibility that the manga might be some sort of an epilogue where the anime [hypothetically] ends with time being looped back, and Sara choosing to insert herself into Reo and Mabu’s lives. So it could still be ‘canon’ to the anime without being a conventional prequel.

Anyway, we’re firmly in the final arc of the series now, and pretty much all of the previous patterns and recycled sequences have been abandoned in favour of more important plot stuff. I wouldn’t be too surprised if we get one last Sarazanmai no Uta and/or Kawausoiya sequence for good measure before it all ends, though.

#murasaki rambles #sarazanmai #this episode ripped out my heart and threw it into a river :)

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fictionescapism · 5 years ago

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Fanfic Rec #26 Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal) part 3

Starts Small by twoseas Hannibal and Will were together until a breach of trust ended things spectacularly. Brought back into Will's orbit, Hannibal fully intends to rectify the situation. Featuring bitter ex Will Graham, a regretful Hannibal, Alana being a far better friend than Hannibal deserves, and the casual presence of murder and cannibalism.

The Borderland State by nekosmuse Three years after Hannibal's arrest, Will Graham stands on the front porch of his Georgian seaside home and watches twin headlights navigate the winding stretch of his lane. There is only one reason Jack Crawford would travel all this way, in the rain: Hannibal Lecter has escaped from prison, and no one knows where he is. Written for the Hannibal Kink Meme prompt: Will figured out Hannibal was the Chesapeake ripper, resulting Hannibal's imprisonment and a complete breakdown for Will. A few years later, Hannibal escapes from prison. Despite the risk, the first thing he does is go after his Mongoose. Give me obsessive, possessive, creepy as hell Hannibal who still wants Will for his own.

Shinkon by iesika Courtship and marriage among killers and cannibals.

Redemption by houseofcannibals After very publicly (some would argue theatrically) losing his mind and murdering three young women in an unconscious state, FBI consultant Will Graham is sentenced to serve three consecutive life sentences in the notorious Shawshank State Prison. Upon arrival, he is unsettled to find himself in a cell neighbouring that of infamous serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter. Having already spent twelve years incarcerated, Dr Lecter has established a fearful reputation for himself inside the prison walls, and amuses himself by dealing in fine contraband.

When Will approaches Lecter with an unusual request, the two gradually strike up a friendship which, over the years, develops into a powerful infatuation that will change them both irreversibly. But prison is no fairy-tale world, and there are dangers lurking around every corner - the violent captain of the guards, Jack Crawford; the scheming warden, Frederick Chilton; and the brutal gang known as the Sisters, led by the murderer Francis Dolarhyde.

And then there is the secret which Will is hiding in his cell. A secret which, sooner or later, will change everything.

Carmen Cygni by SLq Will Graham and Beverly Katz are partners running a Private Investigator bureau. Will Graham's reputation brings Agent Jack Crawford of the FBI to his door, seeking his professional touch in proving that Dr. Hannibal Lecter is the notorious Chesapeake Ripper. Apparently, that involves Will dating the man. Will is not thrilled, until he is. Then everything goes to hell in a handbasket.

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whipped-for-kpop-fics · 6 years ago

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Protection Squad - Ten

10/15

A kind woman offers you a place of work at the animal shelter she owns and one of the animals seems to take a strong liking to you. You thought Suga was just like any other cat you happened to meet in therapy. You realise how wrong you were when he reveals his true self to you in order to do everything he can to prevent anything hurting you ever again.

Pairing- Reader (Y/N) x Suga [or is it… :)) ]

Genre - Shapeshifter!BTS & magic AU

Warning- multiple possible triggers; Mental disorders talked about and portrayed (depression, anxiety , suicidal thoughts and acts) abuse . near death . plus possibly more . If you are uncertain if you can read, privately message me about what you wish to avoid and I’ll tell you if the story contains it.

Protection Squad Masterlist

Shelter Layout

All at once, consciousness greeted you. The first thing you noticed was that you couldn't feel your hands or any of your left arm. For a moment, you panicked, thinking some kind of irreversible damage had occurred to you but then you shuffled and realised you were laid on your arm which is why it was dead. A little more movement told you your hands were tied together behind your back, a little too tightly hence the lack of feeling. As carefully as you could, you resituated your body until you managed to sit up, realising that your ankles were also tied together. Looking down, you saw rope making your restraints.

A low groan made you jump and your eyes shot up to see a naked male on the floor opposite you. Your eyes widened at the sight. Much like you, he was restrained but in comparison, your rope and tied limbs looked like paradise. He had metal chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles, what looked like barbed wired threaded within the chains. It was only then you noticed the dried blood on his body, especially around where the metal touched his body. Another loop of barbed chain wrapped twice around his slim waist, either end either connecting to the chains on his wrists or ankles.

Pure horror shot through your veins, turning your blood to ice finding three loops of barbed chain wrapped tightly around his throat.

"Ohmygod." You breathed out in a distressed whisper, your hands automatically coming up to cover your mouth, afraid of who might hear your words.

As you realised what had lead you to this moment, the male in front of you suddenly mattered so much less and your head whipped from side to side in search of your companion that you could only hope was still breathing.

Hobi was nowhere to be found and fear welled further up your throat making you feel sick to your stomach.

"No no no no, where is he?" You spoke shakily, forcing yourself up onto your knees to look around the area.

The place you were in didn't even register in your mind. You could've been in a castle and you still wouldn't have noticed, you were too preoccupied with thoughts of Hobi.

As it happens, you were not in a castle but unlike most kidnapping horror stories, you were not in a dingy run down warehouse located in some remote place far away from civilisation with blood stains on the floor. The walls around you were white, the floor and ceiling too. On the other side of the room stood a large metal bench, one similar to the one in the medical office at the shelter but this one had multiple thick leather restraints attached. Behind the bed stood tall a cupboard from floor to ceiling. Beside that a wall mounted rack full of terrifying tools, some looked medical, some looked made for DIY and some pure medieval torture devices. But, you didn't notice any of that.

You realised that besides you and the naked man, the room was empty. As hope began to tingle within at the thought of having a fighting chance, your eyes finally settled on the bars surrounding you and the man. You were in a cage that took up half the room. A crude toilet in one corner consisting of a bucket with a roll of paper beside it.

"Fuck, no." Your voice turned desperate and you fell back against the wall to sit on your backside, holding your knees up against your chest. "What the fuck am I going to do?"

The man groaned again but you were too busy both internally and externally panicking to pay him any attention, at least until he yelped in pain, shocking you back to the present situation.

"D-don't move." You managed to stammer out and he froze. "It's barbed." But, he didn't listen and turned, rolling painfully on the chains, wincing as the spikes dug further into his flesh just so he could look at you. His eyes widened and you could see nothing but fear and pain in his orbs.

"No...Y/N..." He whispered and your heart stopped for a second. "No, why did they have to take you too?" He shuffled closer to you on his side but you moved further away causing him to stop. "I won't hurt you, fuck, the last thing I'd ever want is to hurt you."

"How do you know my name?!" You demanded, all rationality flying out the window. This naked man before you was a complete stranger, you were certain you hadn't even seen him fleetingly in the streets. Strangely enough, though, his voice struck something within your mind, it sounded familiar but for the life of you, you didn't understand why.

"Oh...shit." Realisation washed over his features and he pushed himself up carefully into a seating position, once again ignoring the metal piercing his body. "This is never how you should've found out."

"Found out what?!"

"About me, about Yoongi, about Jungkook and Jimin and Namjoon and Seokjin and Taehyung."

"Y-Yoongi?" Despite the situation being so dire, at the mention of his name, your heart hurt. "Y-you know him?" He nodded. "Who are you?" Your voice was quiet again. You didn't have it in you to yell anymore.

"I'm Hoseok." Your eyes blew wide at the mention of Yoongi's best friend. "Has Yoongi mentioned me?" It was your turn to nod. "Okay, that's good." He smiled awkwardly. "I never wanted to meet you like this." He motioned to his body, only then realising he was naked. "Ah, that's even worse." Somehow, he laughed lightly and you wondered what kind of guy could find any kind of humour in the situation you found yourselves in.

"What about you all?" You prompted. "Are you guys involved in something? Is this gang stuff?"

"What?" He barked out a laugh and you frowned. "No, Y/N, we're not involved with the mafia or gangs or anything bad. We're all just normal guys well, I mean, ignoring our nonhuman sides."

"Your what?"

"We...We're all shapeshifters, Y/N." You stared for a moment before glaring angrily. "I know, we should've told you a long time ago but Yoo-"

"Fuck off." Hoseok clamped his mouth shut. "What kind of a fucking idiot do you take me for? Fucking shapeshifters?!" You laughed humourlessly, the sound is only dry and dark. Hoseok swallowed at the noise, you had never sounded like that and he wanted it to go. Honestly, angry Y/N kind of scared him. "This isn't a movie, Hoseok, fuck, is that even your name? Are you one of them, working to try and get something from me? Well, I can tell you, I have nothing of worth to anyone. If you want to kill me, just do it, I'm done with my life."

"W-what?" He paled at your confession. "No, Y/N." Ignoring your shuffles to get away from him, Hoseok moved over to grip your hands in both of his, his eyes suddenly looking so broken and distraught. "No, you can't be done with your life. You have so much to give. Seokjin-hyung is going to teach you to be a vet. You can help so many animals like you helped Bob!"

"H-how do you know that?"

"I told you, I'm Jung Hoseok, best friend to Min Yoongi." He smiled but it was full of pain. "He'd hate to hear you talk like this."

"He'd hate to hear me talk full stop, Hoseok." You scoffed. "But none of this is important, tell me the truth, Hoseok, none of that shapeshifting bullshit."

"It's not bullshit, Y/N, I swear. All seven of us are shapeshifters." You only stared at him, still not believing his words, jaw tense. "We weren't born this way, we were human at one point but something happened to us all and now we have animal DNA within us. We can take on the form of the animal but it's all us, we just have their bodies. At first, the animal is sort of a quiet presence in our heads, like a humming, but it fades with time." He could see that you didn't believe him and looked down at his hands, pulling them from your own. "You see this?" He showed you the mark on his right palm. It looked eerily familiar to you. "You recognise it, don't you?" An honest nod moved your head in confirmation. "Every shapeshifter has this mark somewhere on their body in both forms. Mine if on my right palm and my front right paw." Then it hit you, why it was so familiar. Your eyes snapped back up to him and he smiled softly. "Yeah."

"Hobi." You muttered and he nodded. "No way."

"I'm Hobi, Y/N. I've been by your side almost every day for months. I was with you at the park, I saw him approach you from behind and tried to run to you but the other guy, he roped me and tranquilised me."

"Why? Why would they do this?"

"Shapeshifters are insanely fucking valuable on the black market. It's partly an ownership thing and partly some fucked up fetish. Some shifters can just change part of their bodies on demand so cat and dog-shifters are especially highly sought after, for the ears and tails."

"Furries." You spoke without even meaning to and Hoseok cracked up.

"Yeah, furries." He grinned, no longer noticing the wire digging into his throat every time he spoke or moved. You did though as fresh blood trickled out from the wounds and down his bare skin.

"Why would they do this to you? This is barbaric." You reached up to run your fingertips just under the bottom row of spines in his throat.

"I can't shift without ripping myself apart." He explained. "But don't worry too much, once it's off, I'll heal fine, the spikes aren't too deep in, nowhere near far enough to do any major damage, I'd not get them money dead or badly damaged."

"Why are you so calm about this?!" You shrieked in disbelief. Practically all fear had left Hoseok and he looked pretty much indifferent.

"Freaking out won't benefit me. It'll only use up energy and make you freak out too."

"Oh..right." You nodded and although it felt practically impossible, you started to calm down. "Do we know anything about the situation?" You asked, looking around to really take in the room that time knowing that Hobi/Hoseok was right in front of you.

"No." Hoseok frowned, turning to look around too. "I imagine they'll torture me for information. You're innocent in this and they figure you know nothing."

"Okay." You nodded before speaking again. "They'll kill me when they get what they want from you, won't they?" Hoseok didn't answer so you looked back at him. His whole body was stiff. "It's okay, I'm not delusional, I know that I'm a liability, that's the only reason they brought me along. They couldn't leave me at the park, I'd alert people to your kidnapping and I saw the guy that grabbed you, I could point the finger and get them caught."

"I don't want to admit how right you are. I don't want anything to happen to you." Hoseok looked desperate at the thought of any harm coming to you but you just shrugged and looked back around the room. "Do you-do you really not care if you die?" You only answered with another shrug as you had spotted a blanket just outside of the cage and got up on your knees to shuffle over. "Y/N." Hoseok's voice reflected his desperation for your safety but you ignored him to squeeze your arms through the gap to grasp the material.

It took a good few tries before you managed to have a good enough grip and pull it through the bars. You went straight back to Hoseok and carefully wrapped the material around his body.

"You take it, shapeshifters run higher than humans," he muttered, trying to fight your hands weakly but you glared at him. He quickly lowered his arms to allow you to finish bundling him up.

"You're naked, Hoseok, you need this more than I do." He made a face showing he was uncertain. "Fine, if not for the sake of warmth, keep it for the sake of me not having to see your penis flapping around everytime you move."

"Oh." Red painted his face and he had the decency to look away in embarrassment while clutching the blanket tighter to his body. "Sorry."

"Not your fault." You settled back down, eyes still scanning the room for anything that could be of use to you two.

"Actually, it is, I never wear clothes when I know I'm going to shift." You looked at him curiously. "The others do but, I prefer to just be naked anyway no matter my form." He chuckled.

"You can wear clothes when you shift?"

"Yeah. Of course, you can never see them but they become like another layer of skin under fur or whatever."

"Oh, they don't get damaged?"

"Only if we get injured." You made a noise of consideration but said nothing and returned to your task of looking around. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something useful."

"There's nothing, they won't leave anything close enough that could benefit us in any way."

"Blanket."

"That's different."

"How?"

"It's not a weapon or escape tool."

"We could wrap it around someone's throat and strangle them to death," Hoseok said nothing so once again, your attention returned to him.

"Honestly, I think I'm kind of more scared of you right now more than our kidnappers." He chuckled and your lips twitched up into a smile. "You're taking this all pretty well."

"Like you said, no point freaking out, it'll only use up energy and rub off on the other."

"You're trying to plan an escape."

"Well...I've got to do something. I can't just sit here and not keep my mind busy or else I will go crazy."

"True." Hoseok moved closer until he was sat shoulder to shoulder with you and also looked out around the room.

For a good ten minutes or so, you both surveyed the room carefully, discussing potential ideas but inevitably shooting them down upon talking them out until the dead end.

A click of a key echoed around the room so you both looked over at the door as it opened. In walked the man you saw grab Hobi. Your body tensed up at the sight of the man and Hoseok moved closer to you, placing his hand on your high comfortingly so you calmed knowing getting angry would not be worth it. But the second the next man entered the room, nothing Hoseok could do would possibly calm you.

"J-Jeremy?"

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kpopcentralau · 7 years ago

Text

First Love // Junmyeon

Admin : Kris

Pairing : Junmyeon/Suho X Reader

Genre : Mafia AU ; Angst

Word Count : 806

Note : Ayee it’s Kris here with her first ever scenario on the blog ;) Hope you guys like it!

Junmyeon sat by the hospital bed, holding her hand. It was clear that the end was near, but he still had hope she would wake up. Tears welled up in his eyes and silently coursed down his cheeks.

“Please wake up,” He said, choking with grief as he recalled the night’s event that has caused this terrible irreversible change in his life. The day started like any other ordinary day..

“Junmyeon-ah.. Please take a break. Go home and spend time with Y/N” Jongdae said as he watched Junmyeom trying to master his new fighting move that he recently had learnt. “Hyung, I can’t. I have to get this move right” Jumyeon said as he focused on his move “Junmyeon, it’s two am, don’t fight me” Jongdae said as he crossed his arms. “Fine” The leader said, annoyed. He packed up his things and slowly drove home, leaving the accomplished member all alone in the warehouse. Y/N’s pov Sitting on the sofa in the night, waiting for the love of my life every night is exhausting. It wasn’t like this a few months ago. A few months ago, Junmyeon would take me on little dates, he would try his best to cook for me, he would always make me happy. But now, everything from a few months ago has disappeared. There was a new gang that was formed and rumours were going around saying that they were strong and was thinking about attacking EXO. So, Junmyeon wanted to train harder to protect his loved ones which resulted in coming back home at ungodly hours. He was even neglecting me, not replying to majority of my texts and he didn’t even say ‘good mornings’ or ‘good nights’ to me anymore. I was tired of feeling neglected so I decided to confront my feelings to him once he gets home. Click The front door opened. I shot up, running to the door to see a sweaty Junmyeon. He closed the door then pushed me aside and went to the kitchen to get a drink “Junmyeon-ah, i have to tell you something” I started to say to him as I followed him. “What do you want now?” he asked coldly, sipping his drink while avoiding eye contact.

'Here we go..’ I thought to myself.

“I know you’re really busy but, I feel really neglected lately. Like, you always come back home late, we don’t communicate that much anymore and it’s just that, I really hope you can make some time for me, for us, please..” I let out a big sigh as I waited for a response. . Junmyeon stared daggers at me before he yelled in anger, “Y/N. Do you know how busy I am? I work until late at night just to protect you and EXO and i have to train hard to survive. Shut up and be considerate of what I do for a living!” “I know but- if you keep neglecting me, I might as well break our relationship” i cried out as hot tears rolled down my cheeks. “Then do it” He shouted at me as his face became red. He was like a bill that was red. I ran out of the apartment with tears in my eyes. I couldn’t take it anymore. The memories of him treated me like a piece of rubbish were running through my mind. My vision was blurred but I still ran to wherever my legs could carry me. I just needed some time alone. Suddenly, i heard a scream, everything was blurry, I felt a sharp pain against my right hip before I heard a familiar voice called out to me. “Y/N! Look out!” - KJM’s POV

As I watched her as she ran out of the apartment. I reflected on my actions that caused this situation.

I reflected on the things I did to her.

Those times when I used to think she was a nuisance when she did something funny in public. Those times when I thought she was annoying when she asked if I had eaten yet. Those times where she actually showed love and care for me.

I felt a wave of emotion wash over me.

I was feeling guilt, anger and regret all at the same time.

I had suddenly realised what I had done.

'I have to get her back’ I thought to myself.

I grabbed my coat and ran out into the streets to find Y/N. It was cold and silent in the streets of Seoul. Probably because it was about three am..

As I ran down the street, I looked left and right for Y/N. I felt sweat running down all over myself.

Suddenly, I saw a familiar figure running into the road. It was dark and I couldn’t make out the figure properly.

'She looks really fami- Wait.. That’s Y/N!’ I thought to myself as I felt a smile crept on my sweaty face

I slowed down my pace and started to follow her.

Out of the blue, a speeding car drove past me. I cursed loudly, trying to focus my mind on Y/N and how I was going to apologise to her.

Just then, I heard a screeching sound, and a scream. I turned my head to face to see what was happening and it was the same speeding car, about to hit a woman.

A familiar woman.

Y/N!

“Y/N! Look out!” I shouted loudly but..

It was too late

KJM’S POV > PRESENT “I’m so sorry, Y/N!” I cried out as if she could hear me. I squeezed her hand as I listened to the beeping sound coming from the moniter beside me. My whole world came crashing down on me as I thought of the memories of me and Y/N actually being happy together but it only made me cry even more harder than before. “Damn you for making me feel this way!” I cursed as I leaned back onto the wooden chair and started at her. I felt a vibration coming from my pocket and pulled out my phone. Jongdae was calling me. “Junmyeon! I heard what happened! You’re all over the news! The police is coming to get you but we’ll block them off.. Just, do what you have to do, ok?’ Jongdae let out in one breath as he ended call. I smiled as I slowly put back the phone into my pocket. I looked back to Y/N as her chest slowly rose up and down. Then, it happened. Reality happened.

beep-

A flat line was heard from the moniter. And now I realised I was too late.

You were my first love, and my last.

#exo #exo imagine #suho #exo suho #suho imagine #suho scenario #my love #kim junmyeon

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chloewrites · 7 years ago

Text

The Rules of Robots and Love: Chapter 1

Pidge closes her eyes, the round glasses that perennially perch on her nose closed and grasped in her fist. And her brain begins to stir.

Fog.

Colours.

The shadow of someone holding her hand.

She has Voltron, standing before her, fully formed and ready. The lions are tall, proud, as brightly coloured as their names. Controllers, screams, people.

She sees the Galra Robotics Club dismantled and taken apart, the ruins of their mini-Zarkon on the ground at her feet, irreversible damage. Probably done by her.

She sees five, no, six people before her.

Shiro, looking as regal and leader-like as ever, ever the dad friend,

Hunk, his best smile on his face, arms outstretched and beckoning,

Keith, wearing that stupid cropped jacket and hint of a smile on his stupid face,

Coran, mustache perfect as usual, smiling and holding a cup of coffee,

Allura, gorgeous, eyes showing off the intelligence that many didn't see on the surface,

and...

Lance.

Pidge quickly opens her eyes, letting the world back in, slipping on her glasses and running off into the distance.

~~~

The cafe that Voltron Robotics currently occupies would be very nice and peaceful, bolstered by the chirps of birds in early morning, cool winds and smell of fresh coffee brewed by Allura and Coran, but-

"You told your mum what?!" Shiro screams, completely and utterly surprised.

"Since when did Pidge have a boyfriend?!" Lance and Hunk exclaim in perfect unison.

"I don't!" Pidge butts in, silencing a eager Shiro. "My mum just assumes I do, considering most of the people I hang out with are male. To her, that means like fifty potential suitors."

Pidge collapses in her chair, her tiny body perfectly occupying the area. Apparently, hanging out with the opposite gender meant sexual attraction. Assuming meant making an 'ass out of you and me', so Pidge never felt more frustrated when her mother would think a friend was her boyfriend. At least she wasn't normally 'traditionally feminine' enough to be mistaken for one of the boys' girlfriends by anyone else. Not that being feminine was a bad thing.

"Does she even know you were pretending to be a boy to join our club?" Hunk questions. The five attend Altea High together, Shiro being the oldest and Pidge the (prodigious) youngest. But there was a rather stagnant robotics club, handed down by traitorous member Zarkon. It seemed like it was going to only be Shiro, Keith, Lance and Hunk, but it turned out that Katie Holt, now Pidge Gunderson, wanted to join without anyone else knowing who she was outside of the club.

"Nope." Pidge, satisfied, reclines in her chair. "Hey, c'mon, I'm more clever than you think."

The four raise their eyebrows at Pidge.

"Since when have we ever even underestimated you, smol bean?" Lance jokes, fluffing her already fluffy hair. Pidge smacks his hand away, shooting him a glare.

"There's an obvious underestimation."

"Stop it, Lance. Pidge, why the hell did you let your mom think you're dating someone?" Keith interrupts, shooting Lance a equally strong glare. Lance makes a face back.

"Do you think I wanted to bring home a boyfriend?" Pidge Gunderson complains, pushing up her large round glasses with one hand. "As if I'd even want to date. I'm perfectly happy with just my computer and cryptids, thank you very much."

Keith gives her a high-five.

"I'm just going to tell my mum that I'm never going to have a boyfriend. Then dad won't expect someone to play catch with and I'll be left alone."

"Pidge, dear," Allura sets down Pidge's favourite peanut butter and chocolate muffin, special of Castle Cafe. "I pity the boys that will never get a chance to date you."

What boys, Pidge thinks. If she were like Allura, with her silky white hair, perfect curvy figure, and a face that shone brighter than the sun itself, yeah, there would probably be boys throwing themselves at her. Look at Lance, and more secretively, Shiro. But she was Pidge. She wasn't in search of attention for looks. She wanted recognition for the robotics she knew she could do. And that's the only reason she was in Voltron. Yep.

"Yeah, who would pass up this cutie~" Lance fluffs Pidge's hair again, much to her annoyance, but she can't stop that little pink tint that colours her small cheeks. Allura smiles, throwing a wink at Shiro, handing out the rest of the food and leaving.

Pidge looks at Shiro's napkin and almost laughs.

"Well, no more talk about faux dating. We need to think of the robotics contest!" Pidge quickly changes the subject, much to Lance's amusement.

"C'mon, Pidgeotto, it's a Saturday. Let's go to a beach or something, not work!"

Lance's suggestion irks Pidge for a moment, because all he wanted to do was probably ogle tall, voluptuous girls in bikinis rather than actually hang with the Voltron gang. But sure.

"I'll pack the picnic!"

~~~

The beach is as warm and sunny as Pidge expected with June rapidly approaching. The minute they reach, Pidge sees so many of Lance's would-be targets. Lance had even put on his lucky swin trunks, blue with little duckies on them. Pidge had changed into a swimsuit, the only purpose to not ruin her clothes.

"You changed into an actual, real, made-for-purpose swimsuit?" Hunk notices. "You never do that."

"Well," Pidge replies, "I think it's a little smarter than sacrificing perfectly good clothes."

Shiro looks like he's about to burn, his pale skin starting to redden rapidly with barely five minutes of sun exposure. Now that Pidge looked properly, Keith looked like he was going to be set on fire, tongue out and panting.

Pidge carries her laptop and headphones in a canvas bag, also having a beach blanket and small umbrella. Yes, she had grown used to random beach excursions and therefore kept a beach bag nearby, no, she did not like the beach. She only went along for the friends. At least today there was some decent winds that somewhat combated the UV rays just tearing away at her patience.

Why would anyone want to bake in hot sun, get sand everywhere, get perfectly good electronics wet from the sea? Nah, you could probably tell Pidge preferred the sanctity of her room at home, geeking it out with her family.

Hunk hands her a large jar of peanut butter, other hand offering a large spoon and a big smile on his face.

"Hunk, you are my freaking saviour."

Pidge digs out a huge scoop and sticks it in her mouth. Hunk sits down next to her on her green rug.

They stare at Lance, eagerly running from woman to woman, throwing numerous pick-up lines and sleazy smiles their way.

"Does he know how stupid he looks when he does that?" Pidge asks Hunk, who looks like he's about to throw up his hearty lunch.

"Either he doesn't know, or he seriously doesn't care."

If anything, Lance probably thinks his 'stupid' behaviour was attractive, and it most certainly was not. At Altea High, Hunk, Pidge (over there referred to as 'Katie') and Lance were in the same grade, while Keith and Shiro were in the grade above. So yeah, Pidge wasn't sure whether Lance was really a friend. She preferred to stay distant from most of her classmates, Lance and Hunk occasionally being the exceptions. Voltron made them grow a bit closer, she'd admit.

"Girl, you've already activated my-"

Pidge spits out her peanut butter.

"LANCE!"

Shiro tugs Lance by the ear, apologising profusely to the poor Nyma that walks away, confused.

"Did you see the face on that one?!" Pidge cracks up, laughing so hard that she doubles back onto Hunk, equally riled up.

"Hmph." A disgruntled Lance sniffs at the sight, rather miffed. "She was so all over me, until SHIRO DECIDED TO BREAK US APART."

"You know she's been with Rolo for a year right?" Keith points out, gesturing to a muscly guy that had an arm wrapped around Nyma.

"STILL-"

"Face it Lance, there isn't a girl out there who's actually susceptible to your charms."

Lance's eyes glint, and suddenly Pidge felt like she'd gotten herself in a big pile of Kaltenecker poop.

"Well, Pidge, Pidgey, Pidgeon, Pidgeotto-"

"Pokemon Go is over, face it , McClain." Pidge cuts in. Shiro sits by, eyes glinting too. Keith too. Hunk too. Wait, what the hell was going on?!

"Since you seem so adamant to the fact that I will never have a girlfriend-"

Pidge looks up at the substantially taller Lance, eyes focusing on his and not wanting to go any lower down for her own self-respect.

"At least you admit it's a fact that you will never have a girlfriend," she smirks. Keith high-fives her again.

"Hey!" Lance exclaims, pouting. Hunk laughs loud, giving a Lance a big bear hug.

"Aww, did someone hurt your non-existent heart, Lance?" Pidge jokes. Lance pretends to be shot, falling on the sand.

"You've wounded me so, fair maiden, now help me out!" Lance's arms flop uselessly to his sides. Pidge jabs him with her elbow, hard, smirk plastered on her face, making him jolt skyward with eyes blown wide.

"Pidge!"

~~~

Lance never did end up finishing that sentence, whatever it was supposed to be, even on the car drive back in Shiro's minivan("You're such a dad, Shiro!"). But Pidge could definitely feel something had changed. She wasn't really sure what, but Lance seemed to be behaving slightly...differently.

As per usual, Pidge sat on someone's lap (or even sometimes, lay down on multiple ones) because of the cramped nature of the car's backseat. ("It's a freakin minivan, Shiro, can't you be a good suburban mom and choose one with actual space!") And of course, as the smallest person, she'd been chosen to stick it out in random places in the car.

Some days she would be on Hunk, probably her best friend after Matt. But most days she would sitting on Lance, because she knew he would think nothing of it. And the height difference made it less uncomfortable slash awkward. Today, she sat on Lance. (Inconveniently,

Normally all would be fine. In the van, they would chat, discuss the next robot project, make jokes about each other ("Look, Keith's back in the 1980's with that hairstyle") and everything was so casual with each other. No problem at all.

But now, Lance just looked different, and it frustrated the analytical Pidge. He looked like he was...actually thinking for once. Like there was something actually going around inside his head. Weird.

"What's up with you, Lance?" Pidge whispers, her voice indistinguishable behind the banter going on with Shiro, Keith and Hunk. Something about Hunk's new girlfriend, that also happened to be Shiro and Keith's classmate in the higher grade.

"Ooohh, Hunk's dating an older woman!"

"No-nothing's up with me, Pidge. Nothing."

Lance's eyes shift and flit everywhere, so fast that Pidge can't really comprehend where they're going. From up, down, but Pidge wonders why. After all, she's blocking most of his line of sight, so where are his eyes even going? Her head rests next to his, as she adjusts herself to be more comfortable.

"You sure?"

"What makes you so worried, Pidgeon? You don't usually ask."

Lance smiles, actually, smirks. Pidge returns the smirk, the two breaking out into laughter.

"I think it's just nothing then." Lance lets out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, Pidge feeling it through her slender back. He seems nervous, tense, something.

Pidge doesn't know what it is.

~~~

"We've got some news."

Shiro stands at the front of their small borrowed workshop, bulky arms folded and eyes stern. Pidge isn't really listening, preferring to fiddle with the little robot she'd finishied after spending some time on the design. Rover, she finally decided to call it. Rover. Lance had said the name was cute, just like her.

Why was it suddenly so uncomfortably hot in here?

"Zarkon has decided to join the Galra Robotics Club as their new president."

Well, shit.

"They're planning to join the Inter-School National Robotics Tournament. Just like we were."

Well, good to know that one of the most brilliant, charming and intimidating students was electing to join a college where everything was invested into their robotics and the like. Zarkon was someone that from their, lowly, five people club perspective, seemed invincible.

"Can't we just kick their asses at the next competition?" Lance drawls, confidence dripping from his words, sitting back in his chair, feet propped up. "I mean..." He gets up, dramatically shoving the chair behind him.

"First up, we have Takashi Shirogane, our unspoken but obvious leader with much experience in unarmed bot fighting and piloting." Lance's lanky arms shoot out to point out at Shiro, who uncomfortably rubs the back of his neck.

"Second, we have dreamboat Hunky Garret, a wonder with engineering and cooking the best beef tacos you'll ever find."

Hunk grins, returning Lance's fist bump as he flits over to Keith.

"Here, we have My Chemical Keith Kogane. I don't know what we use him for, he's pretty useless now that I think about it-"

Keith coughs, shooting Lance a glare.

"Do you mean our robot weapons expert, management and controlling expert?" Hunk asks. Lance shoots him a look.

"Thank you, Hunk. And he is absolutely right." Keith responds, grinning with snark at a ticked-off Lance McClain.

"Over here, a little downwards-"

"Hey!"

"-we have Pidge Gunderson, AKA Katie Holt, AKA multitalented robotics student. Like, how does anyone engineer, control, program, and study all in one! Especially the studying part!" Pidge has to fight the urge to slam her face into the table, messing up her auburn ponytail. Instead, she settles for gently placing her face on the table, hiding the blush that tints her cheeks pink.

Wait, what?!

"And of course, I've saved the best for laaaast!" Lance cheers, dragging out syllables. "Introducing Lance McClain, expert controller and logician for all kinds of robot competitions!"

And in comes the jazz hands, the dramatic karate kicks, the large grins and smirks free of charge from Lance himself.

"Since when have you even had a little drop of logic?" Keith questions, stood in the corner. He looks unamused, bored, and done with Lance's shit. "Like, you say we should just kick the asses of one the best funded, supported, and famously powerful robotics clubs in the nation? Such logic," Keith scoffs at Lance, who starts screeching back at Keith indignantly.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to put some positivity back into this team, Mr.Negativity," Lance fires back. "At least I'm trying to bring our spirits up into the new plans rather than dragging them down like a certain someone-"

"Stop it, Lance." Pidge scolds, punching him lightly on the arm.

"But he started it!-"

"Pidge's right, we've got to focus on creating the robot for the next championship." Shiro steps in, shooting both Lance and Keith a look.

"Sorry," they both mumble. Pidge punches him harder.

"Oww! What do you do, karate?" Lance groans.

"Wanna test that theory?!" Lance's eyes shoot downwards, seeing that Pidge's knee was aimed uncomfortably close to his dick, eyes glinting.

"Okay, now, Pidge, cool it-"

Lance's face flushes red.

"Okay, okay, that's enough banter for now," Shiro tuts, successfully pulling Pidge up and off the floor by her jacket, plopping her down right next to him.

A moment of silence.

Pidge looks up at Shiro, and in that moment, Shiro knew he was completely and utterly fucked.

"SHIIRRROOOO!"

"Pidge is so light that Shiro can legit just pick her up with one hand-oh my lord!" Hunk actually screams, falling on the floor as they watch Pidge actually climb on Shiro and hang on his shoulders. And even better, even while hanging, Pidge's toes still wouldn't touch the floor.

"Holy shit-"

"Shut up."

"HOLY SHIT!"

"I swear to god, Lance-"

Yeah, they didn't get anything done that day.

#plance #therulesofrobotsandlove #pidgance #lidge #voltron #voltronlegendarydefender #lance mcclain #pidge gunderson #katie holt #pidge #lance #vld

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theconservativebrief · 6 years ago

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In the past decade, David Lowery has made movies about thieves, runaway kids, ghosts, and giant dragons. But really, they’re all about the same thing. Whether Lowery’s films are set in the past, the present, or the distant future, they’re all suffused with a gentle melancholy about the irreversible slip of time. What we lose and who we love shape whoever it is we will become. But no matter what, we can’t go back.

“Nothing truly is ours. The cyclical nature of history consistently reveals that,” Lowery told me following the release of last summer’s A Ghost Story. “Things keep getting built up and then falling apart, because nothing is permanent.”

That’s why all of Lowery’s films feel elegiac — none more than his newest, The Old Man & the Gun, which stars Robert Redford in what the actor has said will be his last role. Now 82, Redford is not just a Hollywood legend but also a key figure in the history of independent American film as the founder of the Sundance Film Festival.

In The Old Man & the Gun, both Redford and Lowery are returning to their roots. For Redford, a role as a lifelong bank robber feels like a fitting cap to a career effectively launched half a century ago with his role alongside Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

And Lowery’s career was launched when his second feature film, 2013’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It’s about a pair of thieves in love, seemingly modeled on Bonnie and Clyde; when their life of crime comes to an abrupt end, they’re forced to figure out a way to keep living.

So The Old Man & the Gun — which, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, is based on real characters — is a natural fit for both star and director, and in Lowery’s hands, it feels like both an homage to the past and a gentle step toward the future.

Sissy Spacek and Robert Redford star together in The Old Man & the Gun. Fox Searchlight

Lowery adapted the screenplay from a 2003 New Yorker article about Forrest Tucker, a career bank robber who simply refused to stop “working,” even after 18 successful escapes from prison. (David Grann, the New Yorker staff writer who reported on Tucker, also wrote the article on which 2016’s The Lost City of Z was based.)

The real Tucker died of lung cancer in prison in 2004, at the age of 83. The Old Man & the Gun picks up late in his career — he’s said to be in his “late 60s” — when he robs a bank with his gang of aging thieves (Danny Glover and Tom Waits), in the most polite way possible. Yes, he threatens the bank teller by quietly showing a gun. But then he compliments her and smiles at her, and he does it in such a gentle manner that she’s stymied and kind of charmed, and he gets away with it, as he has for decades.

On his way out of town, being chased by the cops, he stops to help a woman (Sissy Spacek) whose car broke down by the side of the road. (Among other things, the vehicle provides good cover from the cops.) She’s a little skeptical of him, but he seems gentlemanly, and when he offers her a ride, she accepts.

Her name is Jewel; her husband died a few years ago, and now she lives alone on a ranch. In one single scene in a diner, she explains her past to him; he tells her, in so many words, what he does for a living, though he doesn’t reveal his real name. They fall in love in the blink of an eye, and we witness it happen.

Sissy Spacek and Robert Redford in The Old Man & the Gun. 20th Century Fox

Redford and Spacek’s chemistry is easy and lived-in, though the two have somehow never been in a film together. Their characters connect in a way that makes sense for two people who’ve seen most of life and know the precise nature and contours of its hard knocks, yet retain just enough idealism to fall in love.

Watching them together is the greatest pleasure of The Old Man & the Gun, especially because Lowery chooses to settle the film in the 1970s visually as well as narratively, with the kinds of long, slow takes and zooms and the sort of film grade and coloration you’d see in a film from that much earlier era.

Of course, both Redford and Spacek (who is 68) were much younger back then, so we haven’t had the opportunity to watch either of them act through that particular, literal lens. But it’s easy to imagine they’d have starred in this film if it were made in the 1970s and they’d been stars from a much earlier age.

So the effect of The Old Man & the Gun is pleasantly disorienting: It looks old, but the actors in it are old now, which gives it the feel of having been made in some alternate timeline, or of an homage to both something that could have happened and something that did.

But The Old Man & the Gun isn’t just a love story. Tucker is being chased by a police officer and a family man named John Hunt (played by long-time Lowery collaborator Casey Affleck), who becomes moderately obsessed with Tucker’s case once he realizes that Tucker and his gang have been pulling off ultra-polite robberies all over the country, from Texas to Oklahoma to Missouri. Tucker and his crew carry guns, but they never hurt anyone. At one point, someone tells Hunt that if Tucker said he’d never fired his gun in his life, it’d be easy to believe.

What makes Tucker so interesting — and so dangerous — as a character is how he upends what people expect of a bank robber. The gentleman thief is a long-established character in fiction, and robbers, thieves, and celebrity outlaws were among the most famous American celebrities in the 19th and 20th centuries, virtual household names. John Dillinger, Jesse James, George “Baby Face” Nelson, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, and Butch Cassidy himself were all familiar figures, their movements and exploits and arrests tracked breathlessly in the papers and, eventually, turned into films.

Some of them did actually hurt civilians. But in scene after scene, Tucker’s victims speak to Hunt admiringly, even gratefully, of the way he robbed them. He was so charming! He was so friendly! He was kind. He was a gentleman.

Redford as the gentlemanly thief Forrest Tucker in The Old Man and the Gun. Eric Zachanowich/20th Century Fox

Of course, Tucker is a rascal and a criminal. He’s a thief, not to mention a liar. He doesn’t tell Jewel his real name, even after multiple conversations in diners and on her porch. She suspects as much, but it doesn’t quite sync with what she knows of Tucker the man, who is attentive and interesting and gentle and funny and strangely honest about a lot of who he is.

That’s probably why watching The Old Man & the Gun also feels like an exercise in cognitive dissonance. Technically, Forrest Tucker is more of an antihero than anything else. He is the definition of incorrigible, and he’s a criminal who takes advantage of other people not because he can really justify it, but because he just really likes doing it. He has to face the consequences, sometimes, but he’s skilled at escaping them, too. Even at the end of the film (no spoilers!), he’s barely changed in this respect. The Old Man & the Gun is not a movie about the redemption of Forrest Tucker.

What it is, in typical Lowery fashion, is a longing look backward at a bygone era, with a cocked eyebrow. From where we sit now, it seems incredible that someone who escaped from prison so many times and robbed so many banks just kept getting away with it over and over, when many others — especially others who weren’t friendly, charming old white men — couldn’t imagine doing the same.

But the glamorous-thief-as-celebrity — someone we’re fascinated by and root for, even as we see them doing something bad and getting away with it — is an American institution, because we gravitate as a culture toward the alluring rogues who just refuse live the life they’re expected to live. (The 2018 analogue is probably our clear fascination with grifters.)

So there’s an element of privilege running through the story. And when The Old Man & the Gun puts Tucker up against Hunt — a younger, law-abiding man who isn’t quite as besotted with the rogue’s failure to face consequences as everyone else — the film’s generational contrast comes into focus. In showing the ways Tucker’s life both attracts and hurts Jewel, The Old Man & the Gun suggests that thieves can be fascinating and cruel, glamorous and deadly, charming and loving and incapable of really being connected to anyone. (That’s in line with Lowery’s take on the Bonnie and Clyde myth in his film Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, which depicts the toll that a life of crime can take on a romance, a family, and a life.)

It’s a gentle inversion of the glamorous thief trope, so gentle that if you’re not paying attention, you might miss it. But in his typical fashion, Lowery both pays homage to older films with thief heroes and bends the ending around to make us think. It’s his best film yet, a fitting marker for his first 10 years of filmmaking. And as a capstone for Redford, it’s a stellar finale: A man who started out playing a thief ends by playing one again — one who hasn’t grown any wiser, but maybe the world around him has, a little bit.

The Old Man & the Gun opens in theaters on September 28.

Original Source -> Robert Redford bids farewell to the silver screen in the pitch-perfect The Old Man & the Gun

via The Conservative Brief

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