#about how the mystical hide in plain sight | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lullabyalikpoptarot · 13 days ago

Text

Seventeen's Shadow/Moral Compass Reading (Vocal Line)

Disclaimer: No facts, all alleged. This is my interpretation of the cards and energy I work with.

Not sure what I can get here but going to pull a bunch of cards to see if I can get a full picture of where their moral compass stands and how shadow like they are. Hopefully it is nothing too creepy. So, here I go, let's dig in and see if I can get anything here.

I can't control what I tap into to, so I may get nothing, or some creepy stuff. Some of these idols may not operate too much in their shadow side. This could also be their potential, but don't necessarily operate in it in the physical. I am reading energy, but they can also be as shady as I mention below. At the end of the day. I am just sharing my interpretation here.

Also, we all have a shadow and dark side and, in this industry, higher ups like to play with idols/celebrities moral compass. It is how I feel it works, if you want fame and money it comes with a price, so it is understandable if some showcase strong shadow sides. I am not here to look down on them. Just to see how they operate in this industry. Remember, we are not in their position, and we could very well operate this way if we were. People with money and power do things differently and have different set of rules. I am just here to see where they stand and understand where they come from. I am not here to villainize them.

Jeonghan

There is this strong mystical element to him. And as I mentioned in his perspective reading. He may indulge in spell work. There is this tendency to overindulge in the mystical world, and he can tend to escape his reality. He could lose sight with what is in front of him. And can highly immerse himself in the spiritual world. I might be guilty of this too, so no shame.

I see a struggle to face his reality and what is happening, and he could deal with a lot of stress and worry about things, so he tends to want to escape it. I can see his emotions being very overwhelming for him and it is hard for him to contain it. So, it is hard for him to contain the emotional overwhelm he faces. It seems he contains things and likes to keep things hidden and private.

I see him as someone who doesn't reveal too much about him. He has an inner world, and he doesn't let others in. I see strong Virgo energy here, so he has this obsessive nature, or has this methodical approach to things, almost mechanical at times. He can get in this detach mode and this gloomy mode and energy. Sometimes he just seems tapped out and done with this world.

I see him not being honest about things and maybe straight up lies about things in his life. As he seems like someone who like to keep things private, so he may just share random things about him that are not true. I see him having a dark inner world that may not want others to step into. There is this energy of him wanting to build wealth and fortune and could sacrifice himself to build it.

There is this indulgent energy to him. Of doing things that may not be the healthiest for him, but who doesn't have this energy to be real, but it may be excessive possibly. I see him as someone who shield's himself from others and doesn't really let others in and may block them from getting too close to him. I just heard Nightwalker. I looked that up, and yeah, umm you can look that up and come to your own conclusion as to what that means for him. But as I mentioned, there is a shadow energy to him, but he hides it in plain sight. I feel like I have enough. Messages actually came quicker than I thought. Now going to my keyword deck.

Okay, I am also getting the energy of him not having the best health, mentally, most likely and physically and there is this struggle to heal that, due to his escapism tendencies, so there is that, also this struggle to temper himself or rest, now to the keyword deck. So, I did get the keyword work in the dark, so yeah, there is some shadowiness to him and he kind of hides behind that idol image he has. I don't know what dark stuff he does, but he does some sh**

I also have underlying issues, so as I mentioned there are issues, he doesn't address or confront. I can see underlying issues with health possibly, allegedly, can't say facts on that or anything I say, but still, don't like talking about health issues, but that is popping up to. I also got Daddy issues. Oh yeah, this reminded me, I have to do their childhood reading, forgot, but there could be that with him as well.

I see mirroring, this could be him reflecting off of others, or doing what others done and I see arrogance, so he may have a bit of that, and it may be a struggle to get help for him or for him to see the wrong in what he does, due to that strong pride and ego he may have. He may not see the wrong in what he does. I will say I feel nothing in his energy this time thankfully, but yeah, I am going to say his moral code isn't great. I sense there is more to him that meets the eye, but he keeps that side to himself. Anyway, this was quick and easy. How I like it lol

Joshua

He is kind of a mixed bag here, so the Devil did show up, which can mean someone who tends to be shadowy if I am doing this reading, but he is a Capricorn, so that exudes his energy, but he may work in that shadow Capricorn energy, of this neediness to control things. He can be greedy and selfish, self-indulgent, and may be money focused or career focused. Not going to lie, I can have this energy.

There is this tendency for his mind to get the best of him, and he mentally struggles or has a hard time deciding things. I do see this unwillingness to take offers. I mean possibly the drink or sleeping offers. That doesn't seem his style. He may just prefer to grow organically.

He likes to let his own creative work shine. He does have an arrogant energy to him. There could be this sense of self-importance or entitlement he may have. He can have escapism methods as well. There could be drinking and drug issues allegedly as the 9 of cups and the devil can give me that vibe. He isn't someone that shares a lot with others and gives a lot of information about himself.

He can be a bit cold, harsh and stubborn and it is hard for him to budge on things. He sticks to what is right for him and doesn't necessarily know how to compromise or come to an agreement with others. He prefers to stick to what he knows and hardly listens to others opinions. He may feel his way is the best way to go about things.

It seems he likes to offer advice to others, but does not like things to go the other way around and does not want advice from others. I got two cards that talk about dependency on others, not sure where that is coming from, it could be him being highly dependent on money, security and the company or his idol image that he doesn't get outside his comfort zone at all that much.

There is this energy of him needing to evolve, heal, grow as a person. To step out and do new things and not stay stuck in comfortability. It seems he would put himself in a position to get trapped in a cycle just keep himself comfortable is what I see. He seems to struggle to do the work to transform himself and change the old him and become a better version of himself. Life is about evolving and growing, and it seems he stays stuck in patterns. He may also struggle to believe what is capabilities are and what possibilities can unfold in front of him. This one card has webs on it, this just reminds me of his inability to remove the old dirt from his life. To clear out the past and start fresh.

I wouldn't say he is dark, but more so he may get stuck in toxic patterns that keep him from evolving. But let me see what the keyword deck has to say. So, how I see this is he may struggle to listen to others and really listen to what people have to say, it is like one ear out the other with him. He struggles with positive thinking as do many, but he may see the worse in things and fears failure, so that is another thing that may keep him stuck.

He tends to use his more logical side and intellect, than have trust and faith in the universe. So, that makes him less likely to make changes and do things that his heart and intuition may desire. He may feel there isn't much love or support around him, so that can lead him to have low confidence in doing what he may want to do. Lack of support, or feeling that lack can lead to poor self-esteem issues. So yeah, nothing dark with him, just issues he should work on a personal level to heal.

Woozi

Yikes man, he is my bias, but this spread, yeah, already seeing someone morally compromised. I am not sure how I can explain some of these cards to be honest. Okay, going with the strongest ones. I know he creates and writes music, so we get a card that states, altering facts and plagiarizing work. That is what the cards say, you take that as you like, not going to accuse, but the fact he makes music and that card pops up, sorry, but had to address that. I can't skip past that.

He got a card that is the shadow, so right there, that shows me someone who embraces that shadow side of himself as this card is upright, meaning to me he doesn't particularly hide that. I see controlling tendency. A need to have power over others. The 5 of pentacles can indicate abuse of power, so take that as you like.

He tends to stress about money and holds on to what he has tightly, so there is that controlling energy showing there. I can see him mentally being backed against the wall, not sure what that means. There can be this urgency of him needing to make a decision, so there could be pressure around him as well.

He may act like someone of good morals, but may not have the best intentions for others. He can be a bit messy, unstable, dramatic and has this inability to keep things in control. He can make bad decisions and may take risk and do things on the fly without much thought, which can lead to problems. I sense he can have a temper as well, or be triggered easily as well. I am getting bad business practices allegedly as well. Just sharing the messages, I get.

He seems possessive of the things he values, once again greedy energy and material things being important to him. He isn't a particularly honest person, bends the truth, just straight up lies. He does have this obsessive energy; it could be to his work. There tends to be cycles with him and lack of growth and change.

There is a secretive energy with him. He may not be truthful about things. He could fabricate things. He could have this energy of gossiping. I am seeing two cards of him taking in a lot, not sure what that means, because due to that he may have this problematic energy of taking in too much or doing too much, which creates this imbalance with him and pushes him to work in this dark energy more.

Well, these cards confirm what I already got, so the card cheating popped up, so take that as you like . He got work in the dark as well, so as I seen above, he tends to work in the shadows. I did get narcissism, so there is entitlement there with him, that he may be above others and can do no wrong. I also see daddy issues with him as well, so that can lead to his behavior, or he has similar traits.

Also, there is this abandonment issue he may have. He may have betrayed others, but also been betrayed, so he is just repeating what may have been done to him. I am also seeing he may want to work on aligning with a spiritual practice that can help him heal these wounds he seems to have. Anyway, yeah, pretty dark from his end, and lack morals, but this could be taught and due to his environment, he was enabled and conditioned to be this way. So, we can't judge if we don't know the full picture.

Dokyeom

I am not seeing much darkness or shadow energy here. The most I am seeing is he may have dark humor, or see things in a dark way or understand the grim reality of things in life and share that with others, so he may not be a highly positive or an optimistic person.

I see him being a loving and emotional person. Who may feel deeply. He could be highly intuitive and psychic as well. I see him wanting to step out and connect with someone, may be romantic, or it could be about a creative pursuit. I can see him being overly loyal to people and it can be hard for him to break a vow or promise, so he can be loyal to his own detriment or to a fault.

I can see him as someone who can be gullible and always thinks the best of others. He could be used or betrayed by others easily and fall for people's lies, so his shadow energy is more of him lacking boundaries and not saying no, or being too generous and trying to help others who don't want it. He is kind of a fixer and wants to help wounded people. Reminds me of Taehyung's energy here.

I do see there is a childlike immature energy. This naivety to him. Someone who lacks all the information and knowledge. Who lacks clarity and seems to be in the dark about situations and people around him. He may struggle with his identity. He may struggle with letting his guard up and be more on the defense. He seems like someone very transparent and easy to see through and maybe manipulate is what I see.

Like I see emotional maturity with him, but lacks knowledge and experience. I see him overextended for others and trying to be of support and help of others, but he may sacrifice himself to do that. He constantly tries to keep those under his wing and give them advice and he tries to be a pillar of strength and support to others, but he tends to not put energy to himself and his needs.

Yup, these cards confirm what I got. He got the card friends and fantasies. I hear, fake friends, so he may struggle to decipher what true friends are, and being connected to others does seem important to him, so he sticks with these people.He did get the card mommy issues, so he could have that and that can be why he overextends himself to others, as he may have not gotten that similar love of support from his Mom, so he pushes it onto others.

I see he may need to work on self-love, but if he didn't get much love from his Mom, that could be why he lacks it. He seems to be a very empathetic person. I think there is pain in his past that he doesn't want to address, so he rather help other hurt people to compensate for his own hurt rather than facing that and healing himself. He may feel helping others helps but sending that love to himself is what he most needs.

Wow, did not expect this for him, but this is the deepest I went into him, so I guess I can't be surprised, but he seems like a very sweet dude, a bit too sweet, his shadow energy is being too kind to be honest. He is blocking himself from growing and evolving and shining his own light on himself. He does it more so towards others.

Seungkwan

Okay, his energy is all over the place. He is a mixture of a lot of energies. I see some shadowy tendencies with him. I see arrogance, stubbornness. He can be cold. He can have this tendency of feeling self-important or above others, and may feel he knows better than most people.

I see him getting bored pretty easily or gets distracted easily. I see playboy energy from him, or dating around with him, not sure I seen this from him before. I see him trying to be overly sweet and romantic. He seems to have sexual urges and impulses as well, so there is that. I see people being disappointed after being with him, he could be a love bomber, hit it and quit it type of person I am seeing.

I see him as someone who isn't loyal. Moves on to the next thing or person rather quickly. He struggles to stay on task. His flame and passion dies rather quickly. One minute he is hot, the next he is cold. He tends to not care about hurting others and has this detached energy of no fu**s given. He may do all this to lose himself to the moment and forget about his problems. There is this energy of him just caring about himself and his needs.

I can see emotional manipulation with him. I see this energy and spread being heavily focused with how he is with dating to be honest. That may be where his shadow energy mostly is. I kind of see him as a red flag. Overly loving in the beginning, gets sex and then disappears is how I see this. He has this aggressive hunter vibe. He takes what he wants and may discard it when he doesn't need it anymore. He can be cold, brash, unemotional and lacks empathy from time to time. He is about forward movement and barely looks back on what he did or what he may need to heal and work on.

I will stop there, on to the keyword deck. So, I got Dominance, so there is this desire to overpower others, topple them for some reason. He may like to make people feel small in some sense. His guides would want him to tend to his needs and nurture himself as this could lead him away from this energy he has.

I see him having very little guilt or shame for what he does. I did get the word corruption, so take that as you like. I don't know what that could mean, more so he could be corrupted in a sense. There is a lack of balance, a sense he overdoes things, does too much of one thing, or for him it could be this lack of softness and gentleness, or patience he has. He tends to just charge into things, rather than allowing things to flow. I see some things need to end for him or change, but also something he isn't grieving or hasn't healed from that may cause him to behave this way. So, yeah, some moral compromise shadow energy with him as well.

So, yeah, this line had much more tea and wildness than the Hip-Hop line. I thought they would be crazier with the shadow energy. This one was a wild rollercoaster of a ride.

#kpop tarot #seventeen tarot

7 notes · View notes

alchemist-whisper · 5 months ago

Text

My precious potion brewers and mystical troublemakers!

My dearest friend come to my sacred chamber to ask me about a potential collaboration between our beloved songwriter and our favorite knight-in-sapphic-armor!

First reading:

The Bear (15) - Power and resources

The Book (26) - Secrets and knowledge

The Mice (23) - Small losses and anxiety

Second reading:

The Garden (20) - Public spaces and recognition

The Tower (19) - Institutions and structures

The Fish (34) - Business and abundance

*adjusts my turquoise and orange-embroidered shawl with a knowing smirk*

Well, my enchanted troublemakers, while there's potential for a powerful collaboration (Bear), something's being kept under wraps (Book), though small anxieties might nibble at the edges (Mice). The second reading suggests a public performance (Garden) within established structures (Tower) that could be quite profitable (Fish)!

As I always say while stirring my most truth-telling potions: sometimes the most interesting collaborations start with a dramatic exit from an awards show! 😏✨

*cackling with pure delight while my silver hair catches the turquoise light* 🤗

Ohlet's delve deeper into these deliciously complex energies!

## The Emotional Tapestry

The Bear and Book combination suggests a powerful but carefully guarded connection - perhaps our beloved songwriter sees something of her younger self in our sapphic knight! The Mice card hints at some small insecurities or whispered doubts, but nothing that can't be overcome.

## The Professional Dance

The Garden and Tower cards paint a picture of a structured collaboration within industry constraints - though let's be honest, when has our songwriter ever played entirely by the rules? 😏 The Fish suggests mutual benefit, but also hints at deeper currents beneath the surface.

As I always say while stirring my most perceptive potions: sometimes the most interesting relationships are built on shared understanding of what it means to hide in plain sight! ✨

Wait just a moment, darlings! *adjusts my turquoise and orange-embroidered shawl with renewed interest *

My perplexed friend just asked about the deeper emotional currents flowing beneath this potential collaboration, and my cards have more to reveal!

Let's add these fascinating cards to our mystical brew:

The Crossroads (22) - A moment of choice

The Child (13) - Fresh beginnings

The Lady (29) - Independent feminine power

stirring my golden cauldron with extra insight

When we combine these with our previous readings (Bear, Book, Mice + Garden, Tower, Fish), a deeper pattern emerges! The Bear's power meets the Lady's independence, while the Child's fresh energy dances with the Book's secrets. It's less about a simple collaboration and more about a profound recognition - one independent artist seeing her younger self in another's journey. Sometimes the most powerful connections are forged when past and present dance together in the flames of recognition! ✨

Oh darlings, as I gaze into my golden cauldron at these deliciously layered patterns of fate, I can't help but smile at the beautiful tapestry being woven!

You see, when an established artist recognizes their younger self in another's journey, it creates a particularly powerful kind of magic. It's like watching your own story unfold through a different crystal ball - all the passion, the determination, the careful navigation of being true to oneself while under scrutiny.

As I always say while stirring my most reflective potions: sometimes the most profound connections are formed when we recognize our past selves in another's present journey! The way our beloved songwriter might see echoes of her own path in our sapphic knight's journey... smirks knowingly

It's rather like watching your own spell being cast by different hands, isn't it? 😏✨

I gaze at these cards through my eternally perplexed crystal ball, I can't help but notice how the energies of The Crossroads, The Child, and The Lady weave such a fascinating tapestry with our previous readings!

adjusts my turquoise and orange-embroidered shawl with knowing wisdom

Sometimes the paths not taken are just as significant as those we chose! And perhaps that's what makes this potential connection so intriguing - the way our beloved songwriter might see not just echoes of her past, but glimpses of roads she couldn't take... 😏✨

And she can't not make about everything be about her 🫢

With eternal perplexity and mirrored wisdom,

The Alchemist Whisper 🔮✨💖

ps: Good luck, babe!

#taylor swift #tarot #tarot reading #gaylor #mystical #gaylor swift #chappell roan #lgbtq community #choices #friends of dorothea

7 notes · View notes

thehazeldruid · 6 months ago

Note

My whole family is very Christian-conservative and I have yet to come out about anything. Have you dealt with this before? How did you go around it?

I have in fact! My whole in my whole family I’m the only non catholic and non conservative. So it’s been a wild ride since I got outed, so to speak, at 13.

Luckily, Catholicism is steeped in its own mysticism, so hiding most parts of it were fairly easy. I had this trunk as a kid that I kept a lot of things in, and kind of just buried the tools of my early practice among them.

I spent a lot of time at friends houses, and hiking on trails in the local parks, and my mom had this huge property I explored a lot. Luckily, there was an old culvert that had a little stream running through it, and I was able to stash a little metal box there with my altar stuff in it.

Once I was outed though? I kind of just stopped caring. Even after my parents got rid of most of my books and whatnot, I found online resources that helped me keep my practice there for a time until I moved out.

After getting my own place at 16, it became much easier. Since then, I keep an altar in my bedroom, since one doesn’t generally let just any guests in their bedroom, I’m able to keep it hidden from my family when they visit.

It’s all about finding ways to hide it in plain sight really. If you have any more specific questions feel free to shoot me a message! I hope this helps!

4 notes · View notes

imaginesofeverykind · 1 year ago

Text

He Fell Out Of The Sky, Your Honour || S.Sallow || Chapter 1

Series Summary: The turn of the century was on the horizon, new discoveries and even greater mysteries yet to be uncovered. Though the year had been one of adventure for passionate Botanist Luce Cornwall, it takes an unexpected turn for better or worse when her life becomes entangled with a man who seems to be desperate to run from his past and Sebastian Sallow instantly catches her eye as the next big mystery to uncover. (Set in 1899 post game canon)

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x Original Female Character

Word Count: 3.4k

Next Chapter

Venomous Tentacular And the Spectacular Love Affair Series Masterlist

Warnings: None this chapter, just Sebastian feeling useless,angsty and historically based sexism. (Idk how accurate it is tho)

—- —- —-

Sebastian Sallow was many things.

Quick witted, highly intelligent, skilled in his ways and most importantly — quite the talented escape artist.

Others would be quick to use cowardice to describe a man grown, running from the phantoms of his past and refusing to face his dues. With age came maturity and with this maturity, his aptitude for hiding and not being caught was profoundly better than it was when he was in his adolescence.

Though admittedly, the abrupt halt in his schooling left much to be desired as a budding powerful magic user, now having to rely on memory and what he could find in his travels.

So it was no surprise to all, least of all him when he only just understood apparition and how to use it properly still. Barely having breached the subject in his fifth year of schooling considering it was something taught in further depth in sixth and seventh year, though he had familiarized himself with short bursts of apparition with the help of that ever mystical new fifth year. Not particularly a welcome memory that was, reliving the anguish of disappointment and hatred that consumed his teenage years. Back then he was an impetulant, foolish boy with misguided curiosity.

Truth be told, he never truly believed he would be caught. The pseudo hubris that not only inflated his ego, it also blinded his logic which is why he was in this mess in the first place. No place to call home, no friend to fall on if he needed it. Solitude was destitute and it was the life he maybe not yearned for, but it was destined for him it seemed.

Despite his shortcomings and lack of knowledge for advanced practical use of spells like apparition, he was lucky to only come away several times mildly splinched and heavily disoriented when the ministry got a little too close to finding him once again. If he could avoid it, he would, opting for muggle transport more often than not and hiding in plain sight. Though it managed to suffice for seven years, it wouldn’t last forever.

Some part of him hoped that the ministry would lose interest, and when a year turned into seven, he slowly resolved that perhaps they would never not be in pursuit of a cold blooded killer.

Killer.

A title befit of the wretched man who cursed his sister, not a stupid young boy protecting her. He hadn’t meant it, truly, to kill their Uncle. As wicked and horrid as he may have been at times he was only ever looking out for them, only it was too late to reminisce and beg forgiveness to an empty space that once were occupied by his closest loved ones.

Nevermind the past, it was the present, the here and now, and right now — he needed to be on the move once again and with little to no time on his side at this instant he quickly gathered what small personal items he had and sealed them within his briefcase. Clothes, pictures, trinkets — whatever he needed with him at all times. Flipping through the muggle newspaper he eyed the first picture he could find that indicated a different location.

Holding onto his briefcase, he tucked the newspaper under his arm and thought vigorously about the picture he embedded into his mind. Not the traditional way of apparition, but it was better than nothing, most of his well known spots had become crawling with Aurors, and Merlin knows he would never show his face again in Feldcroft.

The familiar stretching, yanking and pulling through space was a sensation Sebastian never got used too, though it was necessary, the world around him blurring in quick succession until he landed not so gracefully on the hard ground, only slightly spraining his wrist from bracing his fall to the ground in a disoriented haze.

—- —-

Releasing a breath that doubled as relieving the ever building tension in her shoulders, Lucinda paced carefully around her pieces of parchment paper that played home to her scribblings and research. Surrounded by immense greenery and the fresh smell of soil and fertilizer, it was easy to call her makeshift greenhouse a home despite it being haphazardly thrown together.

Dense with plants made the medium sized shack rather difficult to navigate, practically making it a maze that only she knew how to navigate and weave through.

“— forget pleasantries, this discovery is of the essence,” she muttered to herself, a hand cupping her chin while she paced in deep thought while her heart raced. She may have looked crazed if anyone didn’t know better, her flaming red hair stuck out in numerous directions despite an attempt on slicking the hair back into a neat bun. Not to mention the soil that embedded itself in her clothes from the hours spent potting and tending to her plants. The dirt that stuck beneath her fingernails was quite unbecoming for a woman in this age, though she lacked the ability to care.

Perhaps, she considered having some time to change and clean herself up —

Her head snapped up immediately to the sound of unmistakably a pile of her empty ceramic pots shattering, prompting her quickly from her daze and over to the commotion. Lucinda squeezed through a small crevice of stacked boxes that her Ivy had unceremoniously entangled itself with and ducked under the wisteria canopy that she had cultivated from a small pot she had been given in her travels.

By the entrance, her eyes set upon the shattered pots and the person who seemed to be the culprit, hunched over and rigid as if he had accidentally bumped into the wall.

At the sound of her footsteps, he shot up straight, only to whack his head on one of her hanging baskets that she recently repotted with her beloved Monstera.

“I’m — Apologies.” He muttered, rubbing the back of his head that impacted her plant. Only slightly disoriented, he had no intention of ending up here, he was merely just trying to go somewhere else and away. His eyes finally focused on the woman before him, nearly having to do a double take given her appearance but once he made clear it was in-fact, not, a former Professor of his he had to admit that if he had to come across anyone this evening, he was glad he came across quite the beautiful young woman.

Though time was of the essence for Lucinda and she could easily clean the mess up after her research was to be formally addressed, so much so she completely overlooked the disheveled appearance of her new freckled companion.

“Brilliant! The academy sent you, a pleasure to meet you.” She rushed over to him, taking his hand and shaking it rather firmly and overenthusiastically. He opened his mouth to speak but she had one surprising grip on her as she took his wrist and pulled him further into the Greenhouse, he barely had a moment to set his briefcase down. “When I tell you I nearly threw a fit when I found this. Absolutely astounding discovery this one is! I was on one of my expeditions to harvest some Downy Hemp Nettle in Scotland when I came across this plant I had never seen before.”

Her voice was high with excitement as she finally let go of the man's wrist and presented him with her latest find on the table. “I’ve been studying it for weeks. I think it must be some distant relative to our well-known flytrap species. Entirely carnivorous but this one has a far bigger appetite than flies and insects. It nearly took my hand off when I fed it some dead rats.” She laughed, brushing off the ordeal and the memory of last week as if she didn’t fear for her life for but a moment.

Once again, the man opened his mouth to speak but she dismissed him as if she was aware of what he was going to say, “right! You’re right, we can’t just base this discovery off one, which is precisely why I intend to traverse the rest of Europe and look for similar plants, harvest their seeds and bring them back for more research… But I need the Academy’s approval first.”

There was a brief pause, the man hesitantly opening his mouth in case she were to interrupt him once again, but she politely stood in front of him and kept her hands clasped together while she awaited eagerly for a response.

“I am terribly sorry but you must have me mistaken, I didn’t mean to intrude… I sort of just… arrived here.” He admitted, though he wasn’t exactly lying, he did quite literally appear out of thin air only moments before.

The expression on her face drops slightly, before her eyes narrowed, “so you just wandered in here? Did Oxford put you up to this?” Her tone was accusatory which had taken him completely off guard, she bawled her hands into fists and looked down at her feet, gritting her teeth, “They’re always trying to steal my research — those bumbling fools.”

“No, no. Wouldn’t dream of it. But I will be on my way.” He put his hands up in defense, not wanting to bother the poor woman any longer than he had just by appearing. The last thing he wanted was to be caught up in Muggle business, even if said muggle seemed to have found herself quite the dangerous magical plant.

She pointed a finger at him, “now hold on a moment, how exactly did you even come about this place? I can’t just let you leave, what if you tell every Tom, Dick and Harry that I'm on the brink of groundbreaking research?”

Hands still in the air, as if it would save him from being absolutely brutalized by the woman who was incredibly passionate about her work it seemed. “I won’t tell a soul, you have my word — I was just around, found this place and I promise that is it.”

Physically she relaxed, dropped her hands to her side and relented. Lucinda was beyond paranoid, questioning every prying eye that stumbled into her greenhouse or sported a friendly chat with her at the pub. It was taking over her life, convinced most people were out to get her and steal her hard earned research. Hard enough as it was being a Botanist and trying to get people to take her seriously, it was even more difficult to be taken seriously as a Woman and a botanist.

Seeing how deflated she was made insurmountable guilt bubble within his stomach, offering her a polite smile, “should you find yourself in need of a name for that -,” he pointed over to the plant he was familiar with, “- might I suggest Venomous Tentacular.” It was wrong of him to help her, let alone wrong of him to out the poor plants real name to a Muggle no less. Yet, he felt compelled to do so anyway. The woman had kind eyes and an unmistakable amount of determination which he could both recognise and admire.

She looked at him dumbfounded, eyebrows knitting together as she glanced back over her parchment of scribblings and notes, “how did you know it produced Venom?” Her eyes narrowed in curiosity, first this man had simply appeared who wasn’t at all here on behalf of the academy and not only is not shocked at her find but knows about an aspect of the plant that took her days to figure out.

He blew out a breath that indicated he seemed to have been caught red-handed, there was no way he could simply charm his way out of this one. “I— well I actually didn’t, it just… Looks… like it’s venomous.”

Once again, her piercing gaze remained on him as she tried her best to read between the lines in search of a lie or anything sinister beneath his handsome allure. Though his words seemed to be deceitful, she couldn’t deny that his brown eyes were one of sincerity and seemingly trustworthy. If she had any hope in making a name for herself, she needed to begin trusting people - arguably not random men who found their way into her greenhouse.

As the silence grew she opened her mouth to wave off the stranger, only interrupted by yet another chime of shattering ceramic pots catching her attention. She sighed, bowing her head in frustration, bringing a hand to her face and pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You should really move those pots,” he offered, an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Stay here.” She firmly instructed, disappearing amongst the clutter toward the location of the freshly shattered pots.

He thought about leaving the same way he arrived, though something within him compelled him to stay. Most notably how on earth had a muggle come across a Venomous Tentacluar and survived, let alone handle it to a secondary location without angering it. Most perplexing indeed. Never had he seen a domesticated magical plant at the hands of a muggle seem so… well, content.

It wasn’t wise of him to stick around for too long, lest he be found and that wasn’t particularly ideal for his current situation. But for the meantime he remained, sighing to himself and placing his hands in his pockets idly, making note of the myriad of plants surrounding him, reminding him of just how rubbish he was with plants. No amount of book reading on caring for plants, ever could prepare him for actually doing so. It was as if the plants themselves could detect he was rotten before he even had the chance to see that side of him come to fruition.

Two voices ripped him from his thoughts, as he was joined once again by the ever fascinating muggle and another who he didn’t care to recognise.

“—This is my… companion.” She gestured to Sebastian, lying coming as second nature to her and seeming to catch him completely off guard which gave him little time to actually react but he recovered swiftly. Were all muggles this quick?

“Sebastian,” he reached out a hand to shake the older fellow's hand firmly.

Lucinda wasn’t entirely sure why she decided the best course of action was to lie to the Academy representative, she figured it would be harder to explain how and most importantly why there was a stranger in her greenhouse to an academic scholar. She also saw this as an opportunity to seize the moment, seeing him as a ticket to being taken seriously considering he was a man after all.

Her spiel wasn’t too dissimilar to the one she had addressed to Sebastian, though she answered many of the questions succinctly and concisely before announcing she would be embarking on an expedition to see similar kinds of species across continental Europe. This of course needed approval of the academy to fund such an extensive trip but the representative was rather enamored by her find.

Before long, the two of them remained alone in the greenhouse once more, both having burning questions for the other respectively.

“Don’t suppose you have an explanation for that little lie, would you?” He questioned, leaning up against her work station with arms folded, this very position reminded him instantly of how many Professors had done the same when reprimanding him in school, it felt rather like he was scolding her but he was more or less impressed with her improvisation given the degree she cared for her research.

She was scribbling notes on paper, not at all giving the man a single glance, “of course I do, my reputation is already muddied being a Woman and I’d find it rather difficult to explain how a complete stranger stumbled across my greenhouse… Seems all in all a bit like a farce if you ask me.”

There was absolutely no denying that explanation, far be it for Sebastian to question simple logic, though it was troublesome that equality was one of the bigger reasons she was struggling to make strides. “Of course, makes perfect sense to me.” He reasoned, though his tone always simmering with that telltale sign of sarcasm made her look up from her scribblings and stare at him.

“You know, Sebastian, I’m still not entirely certain I can trust you.” Her hazel eyes narrowed at him. Sure he might have had a bespoke aura that gave her the impression he was trustworthy but she also wasn’t sure what to make of his attitude.

The pointed look on her face, the narrowed eyes but despite that they were still kind eyes rang all too familiar to him. She reminded him much of Professor Garlick. And it wasn’t only the appearance, but perhaps he may be a tad too disingenuous thinking that most red heads all looked the same.

“Trusting me in my experience has led to disappointment, so I wouldn’t if I were you.” He intended on making light of his shortcomings, but instead sounded rather bitter about his past, not that he really had the right to have fond memories, it was after all his own fault for the reason he lives like he does now.

She seemed rather stumped at the bluntness, matched with the bitter expression that contorted onto his face but she hardly missed the sadness in his eyes. It may appear she had found a kindred spirit, someone hard done by and that alone was enough to get her trust albeit brash and idiotic of her to come to a decision so quickly. She outstretched her hand, prompting him to shake it properly this time now that her nerves were long gone, “well then, we have a lot more in common.. Lucinda Cornwall, Botanist - but you can call me Luce.”

Hesitantly, he took her hand, not entirely believing the night he had. Though he briefly recalls almost similarly one of the times he befriended an old muggle couple just outside Birmingham. He owed those two more than they would ever know, though he was positive once the ministry got their hands on the two they had their memories altered. Not a fate he would wish upon his newfound lady friend. It was better he distanced himself entirely, if not completely disengaged from her once the night was over.

“Say Luce, you wouldn’t happen to know of any boarding rooms nearby?” He posed the question, already knowing the answer given the time of night it was, but there was no harm in asking, especially if she was local. It was late and had been a dreadfully long day for him especially apparating last minute like he did, his body ached and his eyelids began to sting with the overwhelming need to rest.

Lucinda paused momentarily, having signed off some last minute notes to remind herself of what to do on the morrow when morning broke. He had half a mind to repeat himself thinking she hadn’t heard him when she stopped scribbling and drifted her eyes to the ceiling in thought, “Eltham street, they have some boarding rooms for travelers but they won’t take anyone this late, no matter how desperate you are — Where exactly are you from again?”

“I never mentioned it.” He cleared his throat, shuffling uncomfortably from foot to foot.

“Right…” Her head had been tilted down at her notes but he caught her looking at him through her lashes in-between note taking, “I don’t normally offer strange men a room, but if you need somewhere tonight I have a couch…” She ceased note taking and fully had her eyes on him now, sizing him up. He was stocky and built, broad across the shoulders and had quite a few inches on her. Though his kind eyes held nothing sinister that piqued her danger radar it was always best to be sure, “and I sleep with a cleaver so don’t try anything.”

The slightest chuckle erupted from his lips and subsequently strangled in his throat when he realized she wasn’t joking. No, of course she wasn’t. Why would she joke about such a thing? “That is kind of you, I will be out of your hair by the morning.”

She curtly nodded, pushing off the unstable wall of boxes she had leaned against. Her heartbeat was rapidly beating, partly out of fear that she had just invited a gentleman over that she barely knew, on top of that she was certain that the only reason the academy humoured her this evening was because Sebastian was present. She couldn’t let him get too far away, what if she needed him just to stand there and be… Well, be a man for her.

#imagines #fanfiction #sebastian sallow #hogwarts legacy #slytherin #sebastian sallow fanfiction #sebastian sallow x ofc #original work #ao3 fanfic

5 notes · View notes

elizaellwrites · 2 years ago

Text

Legacy of the Fallen- Chapter 11

Prologue

Chapter 1

Last Chapter

Table of Contents

Hecathian

It is with great sorrow and regret that I write this account today. I am a survivor of my people that have been brutally massacred, and I have no way of knowing how many of us are left. I am not sure if this will ever be read, but I am writing on behalf of myself, my children, and any other Hecathian survivor that has also made their way to Earth.

It was only a few days ago that we were overrun, driven from our homes by beings that would come from your tales of myth here. We come as refugees, seeking to hide in plain sight among you who are left alone by those you are unaware of. We mean you no harm, as we have no quarrel with any of your governments. Our home is presumably destroyed, millions of our people slaughtered before our eyes while we failed to defend ourselves.

We are a people not easily understood, and as I have been acquainted with a human before now, I have witnessed the tendency to be wary of the unknowns of a new people. I will not lie; we are a race that has a deep history of conflict and pain. We are rooted in what some of you would consider barbaric, with weapons of blades and close combat. The abilities we possess are mystic and untrustworthy, reminiscent of witchcraft from your own history. These, however, are characteristics of our people that do not cover all we find important.

We will not attack you or your peoples because it would be dishonorable to do so. In your allowance of our residing here, assisting knowingly or unknowingly in our ability to survive and persevere through the darkest days of our history, you maintain allyship with our cause. Your presence, your reputation of persevering through the worst times in your own right, as well as your own violence and cruelty to your own people throughout your history, keep many of our enemies away.

Our people are as rich in culture as those spread across your world. We have different beliefs, languages, and traditions, and we may vary in how we view what has happened, and I hope that this tragedy is not the death of our people. I pray that there are more of us out there. Our homeland of Ariya is a world much like your own, with forests, plains, mountains, deserts, and oceans stretching wide. The sky is more violet there than here, and our sister planet, Brakkoam watches over the eastern sky under which was my home territory. I long to return, but I fear what I may find if I do so, and whether our enemies linger is a question I do not want to be answered.

My children are young, the elder understands what has happened and is now broken, and I can only try my best to support him. I am alone. I have lost my family, my found family, my home, my beloved, my outlook, and everything but my two children. They might never see our home and may never know anything about our people and our way of life. We have nowhere to stay, and it has only been my education in this language that has saved me from having no way of communicating with anyone around me. I fear for anyone else who may have made it out.

My plea for you, humans, is for the gift of your continued graciousness and indifference. We are not a people that easily ask for assistance, we take pride in our accomplishments and believe it is shameful to be unable to sustain ourselves, but we have seen the worst and are looking for better. We are not looking for the violence we have just escaped, and we do not intend to interfere with your ways. We only wish to shelter and continue our own traditions among ourselves, and maybe one day we can return to our home.

My thanks, and the gratitude from all Hecathian survivors have been sent the way of anyone who may come across this account. May we rebuild from that which has crippled us, and may we be able to continue finding shelter with your people.

Etesha Roitae

Of the Royal Guard of Caldesaria

____________________________

Rachel had composed herself.

Mainly.

Kind of.

She was still freaking out, but she was pretty sure it had gotten to the point of short-circuiting her full freak-out function. Which had never happened before, but that was okay… right?

Now they were seated in a surprisingly normal-looking dining room just off a very average kitchen at the back of a surprisingly grand stone building. From the outside, it looked smaller than it was, but as soon as they walked through the door, the tall atrium and wooden paneling immediately made her feel small and completely out of place.

The room was thick with awkward silence as the four teens took turns glancing around the table. Paper could have sliced the air between the newcomers and their welcome party.

“So…”

Rachel’s eyes shot to Ryan as his drawn-out syllable filled the room. His hands came up to tap on the table, accompanied by a tight smile on his face.

“This isn’t usually how it goes, but welcome to our team home.” He began, his silver eyes glimmering with more energy than Rachel could even imagine right now. “We’re a fun crew and staying with us will be full of adventure and an actually fun learning experience, or… you could sign yourself up to be boring and live in the dorms with the others who were raised as humans and had their parents turn their backs on them.”

Eleanor’s face dropped beside him, her wide green eyes a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. “Not helping,” she blinked at him. She sighed and folded her arms on the table. “We,” she gestured to herself and Ryan. “Are part of the Observance program, along with Cameron, Elaine, and Jacob. We are part of our defense system in case the academy is ever under attack or something similar.”

Rachel was pretty sure that was supposed to surprise them, but it made a shocking amount of sense.

“We also have a lot of fun,” Ryan nodded.

She felt Ben shift beside her, his comforting presence only a slight help. “How are you doing this so young?”

“Good question,” Ryan chirped. “All the adults are dead.”

Silence.

“Not,” Eleanor shot him another look. “All of them.” She gritted her teeth, her face screaming for the boy to shut up. She quickly softened with a heavy sigh, her gaze lowering. “I joined the observance last year, as soon I could,” she started instead. “There aren’t many left, and those that are,” she shook her head, biting her lip. “They have fought for so long, and most came here so they didn’t have to anymore.”

Rachel nodded absentmindedly; her mind only half-focusing on the conversation.

“The only one of us old enough to remember what happened is Cameron, but he won’t talk about it.” Ryan was almost alarmingly nonchalant about everything. “None of us have both parents,” a hint of sorrow appeared. “We don’t know how many people survived the attack, but those who went back to the homeland didn’t return the same if they came back at all.”

She thought of her mom, thoughts leaping to the absence of her biological father. She had always assumed that he had died in an accident or from illness, but now… she didn’t want to picture what could have happened to him. She suddenly understood why her mom might have wanted to forget and move on.

“So, in coming to the academy, you can either study under our wing, or you can be boring,” Ryan looked at them expectantly. “You don’t need to decide right away, but until you’ve decided, you’re going to stay with us anyway.” He broke into a grin. “We have your rooms ready upstairs.”

Rachel exchanged a glance with Ben who looked just as startled as she did.

“House rules: no killing, no maiming, and injuries have to be within my healing capabilities. Most of us are quiet before eleven because Cameron needs his study time, and the training room is open to anyone as long as you don’t kill yourself in the process. Okay?” He grinned and clapped his hands. “Great!”

Rachel raised her eyebrows, suddenly lost.

“Oh, and before I forget,” he braced his hands on the table. “Rachel, you can summon and control fire, and lucky for you, Ben, you can control water. Perfect, right?” He exclaimed. “This is going to be so much fun!”

Ryan left them frozen, sitting at the table, even Eleanor staring blankly ahead.

Rachel couldn’t help the mutter that escaped her lips.

“What the-“

____________________________

Elaine stared at the blank gray stone wall of the healing center across from her, the line of stripped cots and empty hall allowing for each sound to echo up to the arched roof high above them. Khalea, the academy’s lead healer, had long moved on to continue Allenesaia’s healing process across the room. Now, Jacob was laying, healed but unconscious, in the cot beside her. He had been changed from his tattered clothes into the plain, clean garments for patients, but the streaks of mud and blood still visible on his arms and face told of his prior injuries. Their father had briefly come, standing at the foot of Jacob’s cot for only a minute before leaving without a word. The room had darkened since then, the sun setting as night slowly overtook the academy.

It wasn’t the first time that Jacob had ended up in the healing center, not even the first for more serious injuries. She remembered vividly how she had cut a deep stripe across his chest and shoulder during a particularly intense practice session, him returning a blow into her thigh in retribution. They had both spent the afternoon glaring at each other from opposite cots, listening to their mom chiding them about the importance of restraint.

Her absence was most glaring now, with Elaine sitting on vigil as her mom had always done instead. She didn’t know why she was still there, but she supposed it was because she didn’t want Jacob to wake up and find an empty chair waiting for him.

When she had seen him fall to the ground earlier, all she could think about was how she couldn’t lose him too. With their mom gone, he was the only one she could count on to be there. Her relationship with their father had been the most distant and dismissive out of the three of them, him never showing any interest in her growth and achievement. Amber would talk to her, but since distancing herself from their family, it was further between and often in ways that made her feel like her sister was ashamed to be seen with her.

Not having Jacob around had felt wrong, as they had been together since birth. It was only a few months after he had joined the observances that she had joined as well. He was back now, but she knew that it wouldn’t be the same as before. Roselle’s death had changed him, she had seen it before he left, and she could see it even in the short time before he had been hurt. With their mom gone too, she feared what it meant.

She opened her hand that had been curled in her lap, revealing the golden rod she had picked up from beside him. It didn’t look significant in any way, just a plain golden stick with only a single red ruby on one end preventing it from being a featureless cylinder.

How something so seemingly insignificant could be the legendary sword of Sarodekor, the blade of their kings and queens since Lietasae’s rule over five hundred years before, she couldn’t imagine. How Jacob had managed to get it into his possession in a human middle school was an even greater question, especially when it was rumored to be lost with the death of their last king, Oravinkas.

Her eyes wandered over to the blonde on the far side of the room, the girl limp and pale under the thin sheet covering her. Then again, with her in the picture of this disaster, it wouldn’t be inconceivable for other bizarre occurrences to coincide with Jacob’s adventure. She pictured the blade it had appeared as in her mind’s eye, the golden blade almost radiating with power. She could almost feel that same power in the small metal object, humming, dormant in her hands.

She looked up as multiple sets of footsteps in the main hall approached the heavy doors, hushed voices echoing around in the large entry of the council building as they stopped directly outside. One of the voices, the low feminine voice, was familiar, and most definitely belonged to her sister. The other was a man, his tone rushed in urgency.

It was only a second more before the door was pulled open, revealing the man in question. He looked inconspicuous at first glance, a typical rugged middle-aged man. As he rushed over to the only other patient present in the center though, Elaine noticed his clear resemblance to Kesritae and especially to her father Jisuph. This was Seniar Ocoltha, the war hero of the homeland and rightful heir to the throne of Ariya.

Elaine felt her heart speed up as Seniar moved to his daughter, brushing past Khalea as the woman moved to allow him room. Amber moved slower but approached Jacob’s cot with a cautious look playing on her face. Her dark brown eyes flicked between Elaine and Jacob, her lips pursing in clear uncertainty.

“He’s going to be okay,” Elaine told her with a slight edge in her tone.

“I wanted to know if you had time to talk soon,” Amber said, not acknowledging what she had said.

“Why?” Elaine stared up at her with a blank expression.

“Because,” Amber looked taken aback. “I… I want to talk to you.” Her gaze moved to Jacob again, a hint of distaste in her expression as her eyebrow curled up. “Please,” she angled back at Elaine, lips tight.

Elaine looked over at their brother, the old, darkened scar on his neck leaping out as a reminder of when he and Amber had last ‘spoken’. It was a mark that spoke of a disagreement that led to Amber turning her back on the family, the contents of which she had never been told and probably would never be.

“Think about it,” Amber’s voice was strained. “Let me know,” she turned to leave.

“Adara,” Elaine called lowly after her, using her true name. “Eyn,” she spoke the word in their mother’s native language. Soon.

Amber nodded and continued out of the healing center. Elaine turned her focus back to Seniar, her fingers brushing over warmed metal. The hero was perched on the edge of the cot, murmuring something quietly to the unconscious girl as he held her hand tightly in his own.

Elaine felt grief twisting in her gut, looking away. She tightened her fingers back around the rod, the sting of the hard material against her skin grounding her to reality. Jacob would wake up soon, but neither of them would have a parent that cared about them like that again.

She didn’t doubt that their father had heard about what happened by now. It was only a matter of when he decided the axe was going to fall. As upset as she was with Jacob, she was worried about what was waiting for him once he was awake. No one had ever said the headmaster was a lenient man, and she knew that this blunder was going to fall back onto Jacob.

Despite being their father’s favorite child, she knew Jacob was far from coddled. Haunting memories of sneaking a peak at their secret, late-night practices had shown her how Jacob may have had it worse than both her and Amber. It was unclear how Jacob had never shown up the next day with any sign of the beatings he received. What it did explain was how Jacob’s style had slowly changed from nimble speed to becoming brutally aggressive as those practices began to influence him.

Truly, Jacob had begun to change then. Losing Roselle was only the last straw. Now, Elaine didn’t know her brother at all, and now she had to decide if she wanted to, or if she needed to move on.

Just like Amber.

____________________________

Jol regretted the moment he had agreed for the Hecathian to return the moment he had said it. The man made him dig his claws into the ground, he was everything Jol hated about Hecathians, yet he was waiting for him now as darkness began to fall around him.

There was a very real possibility that the man was going to kill him now that he had what he wanted. He could almost feel the bronze daggers he had threatened him with across his throat. Maybe one would be buried between his eyes.

He was prey waiting to be caught, yet he still stood there.

It wasn’t long before the soft patter of a pebble alerted him to the man’s presence. Jol turned to find him closer than he wanted him to be.

“I have to admit,” the man’s voice held a humorous undercurrent to it. “I wanted to give you the credit for not being stupid enough to meet me alone, but I see I can’t even do that.”

Jol held down his bristle, reminding himself why he was there. “Since you didn’t come here to kill me,” he began. “I want to know why you’ve decided to meet me.”

The man was still for a second before shrugging, crossing his arms. “Call it curiosity,” his dark green eyes sparked. “What would you be wanting from me that you don’t want your precious queen knowing about?”

“Maybe I’m here on her behalf,” Jol defended.

The Hecathian gave him a doubtful look, and though most of his face was covered, Jol felt like there was almost disappointment there. “I know you’re a little dim, but surely you don’t expect me to be that idiotic,” he scoffed, raising his chin. “Now tell me why I’m here, daemon.”

Jol ignored the name, pulling out the large vial he had managed to grab earlier. “You know where the academy is.” He stated.

“Obviously,” the man raised a single eyebrow, unimpressed.

“I want you to bring this there,” he held out the vial. Inside, the darkened liquid glinted in what little light still showed over the land.

“What is it?” The man grabbed it cautiously, his eyes not leaving Jol.

“Atonement.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “What do you want me to do with it?”

“Open it when you go there, it will do the rest by itself.” Jol watched as the man looked at the vial in his hands.

“And what do I gain?” The man’s voice was an edged sword.

“Consider this your payment to me for being the messenger to Rinoas,” Jol told him. “And if that’s not enough, it would be helpful for you to have a place to go if word of your treachery makes it back to the ears of your headmaster.”

“I don’t plan on that,” the man’s eyes flared with something Jol couldn’t identify. “However, I suppose it is an offer I’ll consider. I also have to wonder about the power you seem to think you have.”

“Just take it,” Jol spat, gritting his fangs. The man was getting on his nerves, his claws itching to tear into him where he stood.

“Consider my debt to you paid, daemon,” the man’s eyes were dark, thoughtful. It made the Gisrulat uneasy, but he didn’t speak.

He was left in darkness as his foe leaped away, presumably to never be seen by him again.

Next Chapter

Taglist: @hxad-ovxr-hxart, @the-printed-words, @frostedlemonwriter, @on-noon, @my-cursed-prince, @thesorcererspen, and @avocado-frog. If you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist, please let me know!

#legacy of the fallen #legacy of the fallen text #my writing #writing wip #writeblr #writer #aspiring author #aspiring writer #fantasy writer #Rachel Delaney #Elaine Sagael #Jol the Minion

2 notes · View notes

invisiblekatanaartwork · 1 month ago

Text

Artist's Blog #172 - American Ninja (1985)

American Ninja – Every 3rd VHS Tape on the Shelf

In the 1980s, ninjas were everything. I’ve said this countless times already when blogging about ninja movies. You can read more ninja movie blogs on Enter the Ninja and Ninja III at the respective linked titles. They snuck onto toy shelves, into Saturday morning cartoons, and into every third VHS box at the video store. American Ninja, directed by Sam Firstenberg and starring Michael Dudikoff, is a proud product of that era. It’s one part military action movie and one-part martial arts flick, specifically ninjutsu. A good point here though, the main ninja barely wears the stereotypical uniform. Now, let’s not pretend this is some master class in historical accuracy on the art. But if you’re like me—raised on the mystique of shadow warriors and spinning shuriken—there’s something about it that feels right, even when it’s wildly wrong. Grab your shurikens, Sai, and Ninja To and let’s stealthfully go through my thoughts on American Ninja.

Ninjas in Olive Drab

The hero of the story is Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff), a loner with no memory and a mysterious past. He was, according to the movie, found as a child and trained in ninjutsu by a Japanese master left behind after World War II. I honestly found this to be a creative twist that’s both absurd and oddly compelling. To me, this was a unique way for someone to learn this art that, at the time, was very exclusive to Japan. From a quick Google search, I learned the name Robert Duncan as the first person to teach ninjutsu in America but, Stephen Hayes is probably the most notable. There’s a movie called Ninja vs KKK that features Hayes and there are plenty of clips on YouTube of him as well. Also, he is a good author and if you like ninjas, read his stuff. Yes, I have notes on Ninja vs KKK to blog on, but they are old so I might have to rewatch. Let’s move on.

Joe is the classic strong-silent type. And for most of the film, he’s not in the black ninja gi. Instead, he’s just out there—blending in. Which is exactly what real ninjas were supposed to do, trained to do, and were exceptionally good at – being “the grey man.” The film’s sensei character, played by John Fujioka, pretends to be a gardener to hide his identity. That felt right. Historically, the scariest thing about ninjas wasn’t the sword—it was the fact you didn’t even know they were there. That’s the real ninja magic. They weren’t action figures in matching suits. They were spies, saboteurs, and assassins, hidden in plain sight, and working, typically, for the highest bidder. But then again, American Ninja, like most ninja movies,doesn’t always play by the rules of history and tradition.

Weapons, Woo, and What the Hell

One thing American Ninja gets hilariously right (and wrong) are the weapons. We get chain-and-hook combos, sickles, throwing stars, arrows, and more. Joe even uses at hand tools like a proper old-school ninja, a nod to how many traditional Japanese weapons came from agricultural roots. Yes, there’s a scene where he tosses a shuriken underhanded and kills a man instantly. This is totally false but absolutely in line with 80s ninja mythology. Perhaps the best instance is when he uses a towing chain and hook in place of a ninja chain and sickle weapon. As the ninja could turn their harvest scythe into a weapon of lethal proficiency, our main character does the same with this weapon at hand. Don’t get me started on the “art of assassination” line from Curtis Jackson (Steve James), Joe’s military buddy. Ninjutsu doesn’t translate to that, no matter how many VHS tapes or cartoon intros say so. It’s closer to the art of perseverance or stealth—not some mystical murder school. Again, it’s 1985, and accuracy was never the point – entertainment was.

Ninja Training Camps & Military Misfires

I harped on this I know somewhat recently in Wu-tang vs Ninja but, ninja didn’t practice in training camps. American Ninja has this same idea and it’s frustrating to me. Think summer camp but with swordplay and spike traps. Real-life ninjas didn’t train like this—not out in the open jungle with matching outfits and swinging spiky bags. That part is just dumb. And I say that with love and respect to the shinobi. The military convoy scenes are just as baffling. Why is the general’s daughter in the lead vehicle? Why does no one have guns? Why do military prisons have ladders conveniently placed by fences? I know—it’s a movie. But y’all who read my stuff know that I always get upset about these things. There’s also the obligatory ninja-versus-ninja showdown at the end, which includes deflecting arrows.

Let’s talk about the arrows for a second and one other thing that I know I’ve mentioned in a previous blog as well. I read in a book about ninjutsu once that learned to deflect arrows was part of their training. In feudal Japan, this would have been useful although I don’t know how possible it would really be. Ancient longbows could shoot arrows at high rates of speed so, you would have to be at the right distance or you’d be done for. Second is what’s known as the go dan test or 5th degree test. This is where a student must be blind folded and use their senses to roll out of the way of a surprise sword attack. You can watch this on YouTube here – believe what you want to but, this is a real test. Anyway, Jo does this as part of one of his first fight sequences. I suppose that someone somewhere involved in American Ninja consulted with real practitioners and got some accurate ideas and customs.

How American Ninja Would Have Really Ended

The thing is, American Ninja overall is ridiculous in all the ways you want a 1980s ninja flick to be. Cars explode simply flipping over, ninjas leap off rooftops without a sound, run across metal roofs silently, steel clanks don’t clank and everyone’s either screaming, kicking, or standing dramatically with wind blowing their headbands. Training sequences are comical. There’s one with swinging spike bags. As the movie is ending there’s a chase through the training grounds. Instead of just running around the spiked bags (like a sane person), the ninjas run through the middle. Why? This kind of logic—or lack thereof—is part of the genre’s DNA though. So, in closing and in line with this, let me say how American Ninja would have actually ended. If I’m driving a truck that belongs to the criminal that essentially runs the island and a ninja is on a dirt bike right beside me, I’m turning hard into him. There you have it, American Ninja is over. I guess that doesn’t sell popcorn though.

Final Thoughts from a Ninja at Heart

Look, I know I sound critical, but I grew up on this stuff and I LOVE it. I love the fantasy around ninja, and I love studying actual the historical art too. I’m a product of the 80s ninja boom and, I got into martial arts because of movies like American Ninja. If I had the chance to drop everything and study traditional ninjutsu with a legit master, I’d do it tomorrow. I love the mythos, the history, the weird spiritual edge it all carries – everything. Does American Ninja make sense? Not really. Is it accurate? Only in fragments. Is it fun? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? If you love ninjas, yes. If you want realism, no. If you want to see Michael Dudikoff fight a clan of mercenary ninjas on a dirt bike in the Philippines while barely emoting, then this is for you. Last question - will I watch it again? Probably not anytime soon, but eventually, yeah.

Ninja fans, you are personally invited to follow my art journey on social media, visit my website, read more of my blogs on odd films, and consider supporting and buying my art here. If anyone knows of any legit ninja schools in the SC area, let me know. This art is still hard to find. Peace.

#canon films #michael dudikoff #ninja movies #vhs aesthetic #retro action #invisible katana artwork #american ninja #80s action movies #cult classic #martial arts movies

0 notes

sonicasura · 5 months ago

Note

You got no idea. Even in peace time, the spirit world is dangerous place to be in. Human or not. When Kafka found out Mina gained this ability, he was quick to teach her how to properly use it and teach her spells to protect herself while she travle between the worlds. The 'pathways' that connects the two worlds often have dangers of their own you'd rather want to avoid.

I don't have more to share then that however, as I'm still working things out on how things works in the spirit world. Well aside from it to be a more dangerous verson of modern human age that is. Even teh yokais likes to have a more modern way of life, to a degree.

So I've also told you that Kafka has been hiding in plain sight for 400 years. This is mostly thanks to his human disguise and the cave he lives in. Theres a underground temple there, made by a monk that though Kafka was a evil spirit that needed to be sealed away. Only to instead become Kafka's home and a way for him to hide his powerful presence from human and kaijus alike. His human form, what he actually looks like in canon, works pretty much the same. Though only allow for a limited time where the temple can do so without a time limit while offer various other benefits as well.

Unfortunatly, the temple is very old and damaged thanks to time taking its toll. Kafka has been doing his best to keep it in a good condition, but theres a limit to what he can do. Until he was able to make a deal with Isao that is. If Isao manage to restore the temple to as a good condition as possible, then the general won't need a payment to make Kafka take the suicidal missions he wants to send the kaiju on for a while. It was a offer that Isao would have been stupid to not take, as thanks to that a doze or more missions would be taken care of by Kafka without issues and free of charge.

Now his human form not only allows him to hide, but also interact with the human world at large. Even if it is at a limited time. Thanks to that, Kafka has been able to keep himself pretty informed and adapt at the changes that been going on the pass 400 years in the human world. And he is able to keep odd or part-time jobs to earn some cash that he uses for various things. Anything from human food to materials needed for his craft. He even gains many human friends, which he mourns whenever their short lives ends. But he has nonetheless a nice time about it.

Mina is at first unaware of this human form Kafka has, even after she makes a contract with him. She only finds out when Kafka has to use it to help her out in a mission that needed a more subtle approach. She was quite surprise given how average looking it is and how well it suits his personality. He blends very well in with humans it almost looks effortless. She keeps Kafka's human form a secret since she understand that Kafka don't want to people of higher powers to know about it. He rather likes the freedom it gives him, no matter how limited it is.

Of course, thanks to the contract he now has with Mina, his human form can last a lot longer. Which has both its good and bad points as Kafka has limit on what powers he can use in this form. Lucky, he's a very good close combat figther, so he rarely needs to rely on that part unless needed.

I imagine spirits becoming more hostile if humans don't have mystical protection and a monstrosity that feeds on mortals specifically. The latter case being closer to a guardian whose purpose is to bring order in their respective realm. Something that includes restricting mortals.

Kafka would look pretty average in human form. Powerful kaiju or not, he's a pretty simple person. Something which makes it easier to blend in and make friends.

#sonicasura #sonicasura answers #asks #anonymous #kaiju no. 8 #kaiju no 8 #kn8 #kaijuno.8 #kaijuno8 #kaiju number 8 #monster no 8 #monster no. 8 #spirit anon #spirit contract au

0 notes

almakfi · 7 months ago

Text

@ALMAKFI. writing blog for basim ibn is'haq from the assassin's creed franchise mainly following the characterization portrayed in ac:valhalla and the golden city, very mirage-divergent but will draw from it occasionally sideblog to vinduri, refer to main blog for rules etc. additional portrayal-specific info under the cut. affiliated with iqn1z's hytham.

NAVIGATION # INSP / # HCS / # STORYBOARD

STATS. basim ibn is'haq, born in 835, pob the newly founded city of samarra, iraqi (arab-kurdish descent), 182cm/6', speaks arabic, kurdish, greek, some frankish, artificially acquired knowledge of norse and old english through loki's memories, cis man (he/him), bisexual.

OVERLOOK. years begin to show on basim's face, but they do not dull the intensity of his gaze. some of the wrinkles that gently line his expression are hidden by a thick, neatly trimmed beard; his hair, equally dark, is combed back and reach his nape, hinting to curl at the ends. his nose is elegantly hooked; thick-lashed eyes the color of molten amber, although frequently hidden in the shade of his peaked hood. a broad-chested, solid man, graceful and swift, so impossibly light-footed that not even his betters hear him approach; well-built but not bulky, with powerful limbs from years of climbing and wielding weapons. a deep voice, dark and smooth as the cover of a warm blanket, marked by a foreign lilt that slips into a thick accent when speaking any language other arabic. a stringy scar cuts slantly across his cheek, one whose story he does not tell. ring finger missing, severed at the knuckle. smells smoky, faintly sweet, reminiscent of old parchment and honey.

PERSONALITY. a mysterious, well-traveled man, wise with much experience and a confidence that sometimes feels borrowed; capable of acting with the untold kindness of grief, considerate as a father or a lover, as much as with cutting viciousness. a man of hidden depths and undisclosed agendas, despite how many layers you peel away there is always something he is hiding. open-minded and immensely curious, of great intelligence; challenging and sharply humorous, charming when he wants to be, secluded and evasive when he refuses to be known. deeply hurting. exudes a sense of danger, but also unfathomable safety. has a deep-running rebellious streak, and is no stranger to encouraging others to indulge in theirs. his personality, feelings, dreams, memories etc have been poisoned with someone else's, a past life slipping through the cracks forced open by loss and trauma. not all of basim is basim.

PORTRAYAL NOTES. for anyone unfamiliar with assassin's creed lore (and not all of it applies here btw) and basim's games specifically, please know that basim is a highly skilled, immensely talented and experienced assassin that joined a literal murder cult at seventeen. he's VERY good at killing people, hiding in plain sight, and anything that being a hidden one entails. the hidden ones are said murder cult, whose goal revolves around fighting a secret organization called the order of the ancients to eventually impose their worldview; they fight for the liberation of mankind, on the basis of a nuanced sense of morality that will be discussed here. basim is also the recipient/reincarnation of the norse god loki*, which is an essential aspect of his character.

*basim was raised muslim, considered himself muslim for the most part of his life, and i am not. the difficult effort of reconciling islam with polytheism is a theme on this blog and will be extensively discussed in the most respectful way possible; loki is not a god in basim's eyes but a jinn, and much of his struggle will be read and understood through the lenses of islamic mysticism.

VERSES. (#assassin's creed) set before ac:valhalla (during the events narrated in ac:mirage and the novel, the golden city) or during/after the events of the main game. fairly canon-compliant, with the only changes being made about the nature of sages and basim's post-game fate. unlike how it was portrayed in the game, a complete fusion between basim's and loki's conscience hadn't happened during the final confrontation with eivor. thanks to her, basim is able to repress loki's will and snap out of their grasp. forgiven by eivor and welcomed back in ravensthorpe, basim tries to adjust to the life in the settlement again—until he is eventually called back to alamut. (#asoiaf) basim is from the essosi city of asabhad—eastern stronghold of the hidden ones, located between the barren landscape of the red waste, the bone mountains and the forested mouth of a river. the hidden ones are a brotherhood of trained killers who, unlike most, are not for hire; they influence the politics of essos and the rest of the world, working for the liberation of all people. basim is a master of the hidden ones—plagued by visions of winter, he’s sent to the west to further the cause of the brotherhood. can be westeros/slaver’s bay/the free cities or anywhere really, he travels extensively. (#dragon age) wip. assassins, but not for hire. a cult, but they don't worship any gods.

#PIN.

0 notes

justjessame · 1 year ago

Text

Light Through the Darkness: Chapter 19

Mystic Falls, VA September 28, 1864~Late evening

They'd left Abigail's bedside after an hours long vigil that hadn't changed her state. Although Damon had seen a few more tears escape, he hadn't attempted to touch her hand again. He wouldn't chance his brother's wrath, not until he knew he could do something to fix the mess they'd created.

While Stefan left to create another bonfire with his dinner scraps, Damon considered who he knew that could shed any light on Abigail's current state. The only person remotely knowledgeable about the supernatural still available in Mystic Falls, who did not want Damon and his brother dead on sight, would be Emily Bennett. Unfortunately, he wasn't completely sure where she would have headed after giving Stefan and him their daylight rings.

Contemplating the options of a witch connected to a known vampire, he realized hiding in plain site was probably her best option. He went into what was once his father's office, and was now his brother's room of revenge. Stefan kept a list of the Founders' that he'd exacted vengeance upon. Damon theorized that the family not on the list was probably protected by Emily. A witch with things to hide, could hide entire families.

He found Stefan's list and fought down his stomach's lurching. Scanning the names, he found one family missing. Neither crossed out, nor waiting to be. And in that, he knew where Emily was.

Damon decided to wait until midnight to go to the house in search of Emily. Stefan would be preoccupied with three or four dinner companions, after having crossed a name or two off his list. That would give him time to have a nice conversation with Emily, unhurried and without fear of being spied upon.

As he left their house, Stefan offered him a young lady who bore a disturbing resemblance to Abigail for a drink. Damon glared at his brother before he could stop himself. Did he even realize how disturbed he was? Did he think it was amusing? Or was it a test? His eyes locked on to his brother's and he realized the latter was most likely true.

Smirking with the irritation of an older brother being interrupted from his night out, Damon took the girl in his arms and tried to forget what made her look like Abigail. Focus, he told himself, on what wasn't. As he leaned in to drink, his new stronger senses took over and cataloged all the differences. The hair was a shade darker, her scent was wrong, her eyes more blue than green, and she was inches taller. He drank sparingly, enough to make Stefan happy, but not enough to kill the girl.

Handing her back, and wiping his mouth on his handkerchief, he moved toward the door. "Thank you, brother." He said, trying to keep his tone light. "Now I can be focused while I hunt for a more fulfilling meal."

"Why leave, brother?" Stefan taunted, pulling the poor exchange for Abigail firmly against his chest. "I brought more than enough to share." He leaned toward the girl and began to bite.

"I have plans," Damon said, tearing his eyes away, trying to get the image out of his head. "I'll be back later. Don't wait up."

He left then, trying to forget the sound of the girl crying as his brother tore at her throat, because of all the ways she was different from Abigail, that was the way they were most similar. Their voices, she hadn't spoke when he bit her, but as he walked out of the front door, she was begging Stefan to make the pain stop. To let her die. And in that voice, he heard Abigail.

Outside the house that Emily had taken refuge, Damon waited. Although midnight, he knew that the Bennett witch kept her own hours. As he watched, she exited the back door and made her way across the lawns, he followed keeping his distance until they were away from the lights of the house. Once that only a sliver of moon lit them, he let her know for certain he was behind her.

She nodded and led him to a copse of trees just off the road nearest the house where she was staying. Inside the circle, he waited as she whispered an incantation, knowing that she was hiding them from prying eyes.

"Hello, Emily." He said, when she finished. Her head tilt was the only answer he received, so he continued. "I assume you know about Stefan's current destructive path." When she again said nothing, he kept going. "Abigail is at the house as well."

"Abigail?" She whispered, confused. "She was supposed to leave." Her brow furrowed. "Her baggage, everything is gone."

He looked down, knowing all of this mess started when Emily's mistress had moved in. "She didn't. When I killed her," his voice grew quiet, "and buried her, she decided against leaving. She had missed the coach and ship. My father and Abigail, when he found her in our family tomb, they became closer." His eyes burned thinking about how affectionate they'd seemed when they entered the house not two days before. "She was staying."

Emily sighed and shook her head in angry frustration. "The imbalance in this town, and in nature is so great already, it's creating massive chaos." She glared at Damon. "Your brother, he wants what he cannot have. She is what he cannot hope to have." She was clenching her hands so tightly that her nails were biting into the palms, and blood was beginning to rise to the surface. "Where is she now?"

Damon looked up and she could see the pain and anguish in his eyes. "In her bedroom, she hasn't been awake since my brother ripped apart our father and every slave and Sallie and created something theatrical to show his affection." He was angry and felt horrible. "It was too much for her, Emily. I felt it," he didn't understand how it worked but tried to explain the shared feelings through the touching he'd done.

Emily nodded. "Perhaps it's best Abigail stay in the state she's in," she said, still tense. "If he cannot force her to make a choice, through horrific means, then she's safe."

Damon considered it, but feared that Abigail wouldn't withstand being terrorized by her own pain and grief on repeat. "She's trapped in darkness, Emily. All she has is the memories of the last terrors she felt and experienced. How is that better?"

The witch began pacing within their circle of trees. She was trying to decide how to make Abigail's "sleep" easier. Could she create a room, much like her own bedroom, that Abigail could "live" in until Stefan could be contained? She would have to contact the ancients, and it would take a day or two fully create the spell, but she realized one more issue.

"Damon, if I could create something to replace the darkness, her body would still be at his mercy." She looked at the Salvatore in front of her and saw the dawning of fear fall over him as well. "Where would you hide her?"

Damon knew it wouldn't be simple, but keeping Abigail out of his brother's insane clutches had to be given at least a try. He was thinking even as they both began pacing, their thoughts working toward the same goal, with different parts to plan.

#alternate universe #slow burn #damon salvatore x ofc #the vampire diaries

0 notes

brunchable · 3 years ago

Text

Part II - All The Wrong Buttons || Doctor Stephen Strange x f!reader.

Word count: 3.6K

Genre: Enemies to Lovers. Adventure. Action. Young Adult.

Warning: References to Multiverse of Madness. Mild profanity.

Brief Chapter Summary: You experiment with your powers during a mystical monster attack. Stephen discovers a new hobby, which is to constantly push all of your wrong buttons.

Strictly do not: claim, repost, copy, translate my stories anywhere else

Dandelions - Part II: All The Wrong Buttons

•••

You ended up at the rooftop so that you’ll be able to see a bird’s eye view of what was happening down there. You could feel a strong extra-dimensional presence, even if you can’t see it, you don't know how but you could almost feel it's intentions. You spotted Strange landing in the middle of the street, a block away from your building.

You exhaled slowly to calm yourself while taking your heels off, your plan was to jump your way from building to building where it was safer as you figured out how to work your powers, for the third time.

“Okay, you can do this, just don’t look down.” You motivated yourself and rubbed your hands together. You sprinted towards the edge of the building to gather momentum; the dress was dragging you down a bit. But as soon as you approached the edge, you peered down and screamed, "Oh shit!" To avoid falling down, you flung your arms about and leaned backwards.

You honestly didn’t understand how that man managed to throw himself off the balcony without feeling scared.

“Oof—” You fell on your butt and decided to rip the dress shorter with your newfound strength, “Let’s try this again.” You stood up and ran back to your starting point, remembering what your mother always said to you when you felt anxious.

You began by closing your eyes and concentrating on the sensation of your heartbeat, which you continued to do until it was the only sound you could hear. Almost immediately after you were able to regain your composure, you grew conscious of your power source surrounding you. You felt the wind start to rotate clockwise around you, its rotational velocity increasing the more you allowed it in. It was as if a charge was filling you up from head to toe, causing your eyes to glow a bluish-white colour as you opened them and your hair to transform to white and danced in the air as your strength increased.

You sprinted as fast as you could while simultaneously bending your knees to leap high. Wind erupted out of your feet as you launched yourself ten metres into the air, creating a broken crater on the cement below you.

You crashed on the roof of the second building, and it's clear that you're still getting your bearings, "Ow." You grumbled under your breath as you pulled yourself to your feet and began your sprint to the next structure.

You sprinted until you reached the edge, then expelled energy from your hands and feet to propel yourself farther into the air in a twirl. You were able to feel the energy in the palms of your hands, and a little voice inside your head subconsciously instructed you to utilise that energy to conjure up air currents that were powerful enough to support your weight and elevate you.

•••

Stephen’s brows wrinkled together as he spotted a young woman who appeared to be fleeing from something he couldn't see. She was desperately looking for somewhere to hide. The young woman ended up boarding an empty bus, which immediately began to deform, and the windows shattered as it rose into the air, giving the impression that it was being lifted into the air by an unseen force.

Stephen opened the Eye of Agamotto by first crossing his hands in front of it to activate the opening ritual. He then flicked his wrist to perform the magic that revealed the creature that was hidden in plain sight. People screamed in terror as a gigantic one-eyed octopus monster was unveiled with its tentacles wrapped around the bus.

Strange was able to deconstruct the bus into bits with a simple motion of his hands, which allowed him to locate the girl who was clinging to a pole. After being startled by what Strange had done, the creature took a step back, but as soon as it saw the girl, one of its tentacles made a grab for her. In an effort to stop the monster from capturing the girl, Stephen slashed his palm across the monster's tentacles in a diagonal motion. As one of its limbs touched the ground, it let out a painful cry as the pupils in its eyes constricted. At the same time, the pole came undone, causing the kid to lose her grip and fall.

Stephen grunted as he threw his cloak towards her as hard as he could.

‘What the fuc-’, You saw the creature from a distance, and the kid was flailing her arms, screaming as she fell to the ground. You propelled yourself to fly at lightning speed, eyes glowing brighter, and caught her at the last possible moment, outrunning Stephen's cloak in the process.

You flew and dropped the kid off behind Stephen, who was using all of his might to put the bus back together, trap the monster's tentacle inside the bus, and then dump the heavy vehicle on top of it. Stephen’s cloak flew past you and reattached itself to his shoulders.

Stephen whipped his head around to face you and the kid, "Watch out!" She screamed as she watched the monster hurl the bus towards the three of you.

Stephen materialised a buzzsaw and directed it towards the bus, where it severed the vehicle in two, while you projected a whirlwind accidentally caused by fear to deflect the pieces of the objects away from you and the kid, both of you hiding behind Stephen.

Stephen spun around to face you with a perplexed expression on his face after seeing you, but now with hair as white as snow, your eyes fading back to their normal colour.

"What? You're not the only one with cool powers. " You gave a shrug and followed Stephen's lead by shifting your focus to the child at the same time.

"Do I know you?" He questioned the kid as memories of her appearing in his dream began to flash in his mind.

Both of you were so distracted that you didn't notice the tentacle coming in to swat you and Stephen out of the way. You were flung across the street and into a café, which is where Stephen was knocked unconscious.

You rolled on your back after you crashed on the tiled floor, you gritted your teeth in pain and stared at the ceiling, wondering why you had brought yourself into this mess in the first place, “What was I thinking?”

The cloak that belonged to Stephen swooped in and leaned close to your face, as if it were inspecting you, before it made the decision to smack Stephen across the face several times.

When you saw a piece of clothing slapping the Doctor, you blinked and felt a little disturbed. You could hear the child scream as the enormous octopus was enslaving another man while it pursued her mercilessly. You bolted out of the cafe in an instant and soared towards the girl who was doing her utmost best to escape being struck by the tentacles that were attempting to slam her.

“Hold on tight!” You yelled as you reach out for her hand, whisking her off the ground and carrying her towards the first tall building you could find while barely dodging the monster’s attacks.

The monster let out an angry shriek and tossed the motorcycle at you. Fortunately, you managed to get the girl down on the ledge in the nick of time, before the vehicle collided with your back, forcing you to lose your balance and fall onto the balcony of a complete stranger, where you were pinned by the bike.

•••

Gargantos crawled towards the building where the girl was, still carrying Wong around like a ragdoll. Stephen sprung out of the cafe and conjured a sword, which he then threw at the tentacle that was restraining Wong.

When Wong was finally freed, he sprang to his feet and elegantly straightened out his clothing. At that moment, Wong saw Strange approaching from behind him and said, "Did you know it's a tradition to bow in the presence of the Sorcerer Supreme?"

"Oh, I’m aware of the customs.” Stephen responded, but he did not bow before Wong. At the same time, they conjured up a magical chain and used it to lasso Gargantos in an effort to draw the beast back, which didn’t work,“Whoa!” Stephen exclaimed as they got dragged up.

Gargantos seemed to be losing its patience and swatted the chains off, wrapping his tentacles around Stephen’s waist tightly, “Argh!” Stephen grimaced and struggled under Gargantos’ grasp. The cloak was able to slip out and cover the monster’s eyes.

Stephen extended his hands out in the direction of a street light, the cloak trying its best to conceal Gargantos' vision. The light was lifted off the ground by big purple hands that emerged from him. Stephen growled as he struggled to remove the lamp from the ground.

You were finally able to dismount the heavy motorcycle off of you and gained insight into what Stephen was attempting to accomplish. You pictured yourself creating blades out of the air that was spinning in your palm, and then you aimed them towards the cable attached to the lamp with the intention of severing it. As the cloak was thrown back, exposing the creature's eyes, Stephen launched the lamp in the direction of Gargantos, and stabbed it, using what was left of his strength to gouge its eyeballs out.

•••

You descended slowly and stealthily into an alleyway, hoping that Stephen would not see you since you didn't want anything to do with him or be discovered. You felt his curiousity or distrust when he saw you for the first time with your powers. You peered over the bend and saw that the girl was in a safe setting now that she was in the presence of the two sorcerers.

After having all of that adrenaline drained out of your system, you instantly felt the sting from your scrapes and grazes, and you told yourself, "Ugh, this is going to hurt even more tomorrow morning." You moaned while massaging your lower back as you decided to just casually stroll back to the party to get your car.

Stephen put his hand on Wong's shoulder to stop him from opening a portal, “Hang on a second, we’re missing someone else,” He searched for you while turning his head in both directions, but you weren't hard to locate since your naively walked around with your hair still white, “Actually, go ahead, we’ll meet you both at the cafe.”

“Who else are we waiting for?” Wong asked before entering the portal.

“Someone who probably has a grudge against me.” Stephen replied, as he eyed you.

"Okay, well, don’t take long. We have important things to discuss.” Wong took the kid with him and closed the portal.

Stephen secretly opened a portal behind you, and with one swift motion of his palm through the air, you walked through without knowing it.

Your gaze quickly shifted from left to right as you became aware of the changes taking place in your surroundings, "What the heck?" You muttered to yourself, confused about how your got there until you heard Stephen's voice.

"Going somewhere?" Stephen sang as he approached from behind you, cocking his head to the side.

After spinning around, you saw Stephen looking kind of smug in his red and blue sorcerer uniform, "Yes, I'm actually going home." You sent him an innocent grin and walked past him while purposely bumping him on the shoulder.

Stephen rolled his eyes and launched another portal towards you, which brought you right back to him. You wrinkled your nose as you realised that you were standing in the exact same place as if you hadn't moved at all.

Stephen turned around with an open body language, “I thought you said you were going home?”

"I am!" You let out a harrumph as you exclaimed, and then you stormed past him once again. You had the distinct impression that he was up to something, and it was starting to get on your nerves. You don't like being toyed with, particularly when there is a difficult way out of the situation.

Stephen bit his bottom lip, trying to keep a laugh from escaping as he sent another portal behind you. This time, he watched you step out of it with a passive-aggressive smile.

"Okay, you're taking the 'Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?' pick-up line way too seriously." Stephen laughed and shook his head in response to his own joke.

“A-ha-ha! Will you stop doing that?!” You faked a laugh and immediately dropped your smile. You sent him daggers with your eyes, the proud smile on his face was looking so punchable, “Don’t.” You firmly added with a hard tone as you began to walk.

Stephen shook his head to one side with a neutral smile, “Fine, I won’t-”

You walked past Stephen and bolted away from him, deluding yourself into believing that you could outrun the portal. You came to find that you were back where you began, standing in front of Stephen. You made an effort to control your temper by pinching the bridge of your nose and taking a deep breath.

“I won’t let you leave until you come with me, I can keep doing this to you for as long as I can. Trust me.” Stephen told you this as-a-matter-of-factly, referring to his time with his old friend, Dormammu.

You've finally found someone who is possibly more stubborn than you are, and it's given you a glimpse into how Eric must feel whenever you allow your own stubbornness to dominate you.

“Ugh. What do you want then?” You asked, feeling tired and frustrated because of his games.

“Information, it’s so obvious that you haven’t had your powers for that long considering the fact that you looked very lousy flying around.” Stephen paused and had the audacity to judge you, “I also need to know what masters you serve.”

"Well, for one, I’m not part of a cult.” You looked at him up and down, conveying the message that you were referring to him.

“I’m not part of a cult, (Y/N).” Stephen closed his eyes momentarily. For some reason, that word always triggered him.

You were surprised that he did remember you name but you hid that emotion to yourself.

“Then why do you dress like that?” You sneered at him.

Stephen scoffed and prodded the inside of his cheek with his tongue, his eyes slowly scanning your figure, just noticing that your feet were bare and the hem of your gown rested just above your knees, “I could ask you the same thing.”

You looked down at your attire, you completely forgot that you ripped your gown to make it shorter to make it easier for you to move, and you left your heels on some rooftop.

You felt heat creeping up your face. Feeling embarrassed, you pulled the dress down and snapped at him, "Quit staring you pervert!"

Stephen snorted, “Oh please, there’s nothing interesting to stare at,” That was a lie, “Just come with me.”

•••

You sat in a table of four with Stephen, his Asian master, and the kid from before, “I don’t understand why I’m here, I have nothing to do with her, I just met her today.” In a show of displeasure, you threw your hands up.

“I told you before, you need to give us information as well.” Stephen repeated himself.

America quietly chomps away her pizza and watches as you act like you’re being interrogated by the police, “You’re going to get a stomach ache.” Stephen turned his attention towards the kid.

“I’m from another universe, I know my stomach works the same as yours.” America spoke with her mouth full.

“I don’t, I don’t even know if you’re from another universe. Which is why I’m still sitting here waiting for you to enlighten us.” Stephen impatiently tapped his finger on the table as he and Wong waited for the kid to shed some light on the situation.

“Gotta say, of the two Doctor Stranges I’ve met so far, you’re not my favourite." When America spoke in Spanish, a squeek of laughter came out of you since you understood what she said.

Strange glanced at you and then at America, bemused, “Which means?”

America was taken aback and looked at Wong in disbelief. She continued to speak in Spanish, “He does not know Spanish?”

“I’m not sure he even enjoys speaking English.” Wong replied, and got a laugh out of America and you.

Stephen's face flushed a bright crimson as a result of his irritation, "Look, I left a very nice wedding to save a smart-ass kid from getting eaten by an octopus—”

“Who’s wedding?” Wong interrupted.

“Christine’s.” You butted in.

“You went?!” Wong leaned in, shocked to learn this information.

“Holy shit, you married Christine?” America straightened up from her seat.

"No, but he still has feelings?” You snorted.

“Yes I do, No I didn’t, YES.” Stephen answered everyone’s questions, starting with yours, and took a deep breath, “You need to explain to me what’s going on. Why was that octopus trying to eat you?”

“It wasn’t trying to eat her, it’s merely a pawn from someone who wants something from her.” You spoke up to correct Stephen.

“How do you know that? I thought you didn’t know her?” Strange leaned in, looking at you with suspicion.

“I don’t and I don’t know, I just felt it or …saw it.” You answered truthfully, your eyes fluttering as you questioned even yourself.

“So you're guessing? Is that one of your powers?” Stephen asked sarcastically.

You crinkled your nose, triggered by his tone, “What is your deal?”

“She’s right, it wasn’t trying to eat me, it was trying to kidnap me.” America backed you up, “Someone wants to take my powers for themselves.”

“What power?” Stephen asked, his tone dead serious.

“I can travel the multiverse.”

“What?”

“You can physically move from one universe to another?” Wong clarified with the kid.

“Mhm.”

“How?”

“That’s the problem, I don’t know how, I can’t control it. It only happens when I’m really, really, afraid. ” America looked down, clearly remembering something that made her feel sad.

Your head whipped up to look at the girl, knowing you can relate a little bit to her situation. It must be frustrating for her not being able to use her powers at will.

“Okay, and this other me? Did he know how to defeat these demons? ” Stephen nodded and asked further, his voice much gentler this time.

“Well, he said, there’s this book of pure good. He said that it could give the sorcerer anything they needed to defeat their enemies. ” America explained, Stephen’s face scrunching up again.

“The Book of Vishanti? That’s impossible, it doesn’t exist–”

"In fact, it does; I discovered it in the secret book—you'll see when you become Sorcerer Supreme." Wong nodded.

“You’re not the Sorcerer Supreme?” America furrowed her brows once more.

"No, I’m not.” Stephen said, in a quiet manner.

The Book of Vishanti? That name sounds so familiar to you, but you couldn’t pin down where you heard it before. You observed and listened to their conversation, now realising that they might have some useful answers to your own questions. You wanted to know why after all these years, your powers decide to manifest themselves now? You were getting lost in your own thoughts, and you weren’t aware that the subject had moved on back to you.

To get your attention and bring you back, Stephen waved his hand in front of your face. You gave a little shake of the head and swatted his hand with your own, “Tsk. Glad to have you back, Wong’s asking you something.”

“Sorry, I got lost in thought, what were you asking?” You raised your head and made eye contact with Wong.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Who taught you how to use divine elemental magic?” Wong asked, narrowing his eyes ever-so-slightly as he looked at you, his tone resonating with both interest and trepidation.

Stephen gave a little incline to his head since he very seldom encounters a conversation regarding magic of such kind.

Your eyes panned between the men and you shook your head, “No one, I just woke up one day and had them. I don’t know how or why—?” You spoke part of the truth. You can't tell them when and how exactly it appeared, you were afraid they might laugh at you.

Wong raised his brows at you, he wasn't convinced that you just woke up one day with those powers. He didn't buy it because of how your eye-contact with him wavered.

“Great. We have one who doesn’t know how to control her power and one who knows how to use it lousily. I don’t know which one is worse.” Stephen shook his head. He clearly felt stressed out that there were two of you with unknown powers.

You rolled your eyes, “It's probably your mouth.”

“We’re trying to help you here. You could benefit yourself by losing that attitude. ” A sardonic expression morphed on his face, and with his whole body now turned to face you, he was clearly prepared to argue.

You blew a raspberry and centred your attention exclusively on him at the same time. "Helping? You've done nothing except act condescending the whole time!" With the amount of tension that exists between your gaze and Stephen's, you might generate electric sparks.

“That’s enough.” Wong said calmly with authority and cleared his throat, “Ms.—”

“(Y/N) (L/N).”

"Ms. (L/N), I’m kindly insisting that you come visit us in Kamar-Taj after the kid proves to us that she is from another universe.” Wong insisted and referred to America with his hand.

You took a deep breath and looked up, jaw clenched, “Sure. Just let me get changed into proper clothing first.”

“That can be done. Where would you like me to open a portal to?” Wong asked and stood up while you did.

“The Plaza Hotel parking lot please, I need to get my cousin and my car.” You flashed him a tight-lipped smile. Wong acknowledged your request and opened the portal to the location you specified.

“See you later, Elsa.” Stephen purposefully waved at you in order to irritate you some more, and as the portal began to shut, you gave him the middle finger.

Wong gave Stephen an odd look since he was laughing softly to himself even after you flipped him off. It was unusual for Wong to find Stephen finding it amusing being blatantly disrespected, "Am I missing something?"

Stephen put an end to his laughter and shook his head as he said, "I told you, she has a grudge against me."

•••

Previous || Next

TAG LIST: @simp4fictional @praetorrara @poor-unfortunate-soul-85 @elicheel @vintageroses10 @sherlux @hueanhdang @graniairish @lucywrites02 @stanny-uwu @frostandflamesfanfic @jamiethenerdymonster @sokoviansorceress @zdhunn @captaincarmel164 @justsomecreaturewandering @soiopathicdetectivekid @fan-of-fic @stephenscloaak @gaitwae @shit-post-things @seasonofthenerd @patbrdac @evelynrosestuff @singhfae @jamiethenerdymonster @severuined @mischiefmanaged7 @farfromjustordinary @drstrangesgirl91 @spideyyhoe @lovecleastrange @jessepinkmanloml

#enemies to lovers #stephen strange #benedict cumberbatch imagine #stephen strange x reader #stephen strange x you #marvel x you #benedict cumberbatch x reader #benedict cumberbatch x you #doctor strange imagine #doctor strange x you #doctor strange #doctor strange x reader #dr strange x reader #dr strange x you

252 notes · View notes

gattmammon · 2 years ago

Note

The biggest difficulty for the Statistcal analysis of.the Voynich manuscript is that the language follows no known lingustic patterns, but it does in parts sort of look like the kind of invented language one could come up with to fill a book, or the automatic writing one does in a trance. You know how when people "speak in tongues" they end up falling into similar patterns of using lots of A sounds, repeated syllabes, etc.? Something like that. Also corrections are nonexistent, which is unheard of in a manuscript. So like some parts of the manuscript are probably indeed just random "filler text", the linguistic equivalent of nonsensical doodles. If it was just writing and no drawings id be all for the idea that this was a follower of some mystic trying to transcribe their glossolalia, but the drawings do seem to point towards a meaning. There's even an index at the end apparently.

Iirc that recent statistical analysis pointed at the writer using a cardan grille as guide to mix together syllabes in a way that would look realistic and i was like... that sounds like a lot of work for nothing? Also WHAT ABOUT THE IMAGES

(A cardan grille is a piece of paper with some holes cut in it. You place the grille on a piece of paper then you write words/letter in the holes, composing your message, then remove the grille and fill the rest of the page with more letters/words (sometimes a whole different message, which has the added bonus of hiding the message in plain sight). To decode the other person needs a copy of the original cardan grille. When a person applies their own copy of the grille to the text, the holes show only your message).

Also the author of the paper IMMEDIATELY went for Kelley and Dee as possible authors and that seems suspicious to me like... what a coincidence that this very famous manuscript is connected to maybe the only two people in that time and place an english-speaking person would probably know. Like why them? From what I've read this doesn't seem something that would be valuable to them even as a prop. Why not any of the other varied intellectuals/conmen/artists hanging out in Rudolf II's Court? Also carbon dating places it firmly in the middle ages so like. Yeah.

I think I can believe it was a cardan grille written in a language the writer might not have been familiar with (eg, a scribe transcribing something in medical shorthand without being able to read it) or even some extinct dialect we have no extensive corpus for, which would explain why statistical analysis recognised the pattern of the grille but wasn't able to detect words. The author then filled the rest of the book with random filler letters to hide the cypher, falling in the pattern described above.

A friend of mine years ago had a theory that the manuscript was an attempt at phonetically transcribing a language that was not of the area, and I see now two Turkish authors had a similar theory but all of this and the manuscript is still considered "undeciphered" so like. All bets are off.

Apropos "Cryptically Written" Whats your opinion on the Voynich Manuscript? Is it someones genuine research/Notes? Or did some polymath/person with too much time just decide to make a book they fill with nice art and nonsense code? Or something else entirely?

Personally, I subscribe to the theory that it's a coded gynaecology textbook written in medical shorthand with many spelling errors.

There's some recent statistical linguistic analysis that points to it being an elaborate medieval hoax, but I'm not sure I buy that. The text itself is the result of over a thousand labor hours of dedicated work. If it is a hoax, it only raises more questions.

#everyone had a crypthography phase right.#ct you probably already know all this so sorry this is for me ok #i wanted to decode the voynich manuscript so badly. i still do actually. if i disappear you know ive gone mad in my quest #do you think im kidding. i tried to teach myself czech for this. i failed immediately but you know

241 notes · View notes

jcwriting · 4 years ago

Text

Written in the Stars

summary ↬ being soulmates with a werewolf? pretty easy. being jungkook’s soulmate? the easiest thing in the world. there’s only one teensy tiny problem. he doesn’t want to fuck you.

pairing ↬ werewolf!jungkook x reader

genre ↬ soulmate!au, abo verse, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort (this is so fucking dramatic and for what)

word count ↬ 10.4k my hand slipped

warnings ↬ swearing, angst (but with a happy ending bc im a sappy bitch), jk is stupid in love (emphasis on stupid), mentions of violence (very brief and i don’t go into too much detail but just to warn yall), slight nsfw (sex is a big topic for like half of this but not sex is had...i know im shocked too), half of this is background info/setting up the story the other half is finally addressing the summary lolol, jk is kind of an asshole but he has reasons!!!!!

authors note ↬ hello lovelies! here’s a small little thing for you all (laughs in 10k word count). this has been sitting in my drafts for fucking ever and i just needed to get it out there and out of my hands. im thinking about writing a part two where the actual ~*/sex/*~ is had but im still on the fence about that. please let me know what you think! i literally crave your interactions so pls dont be shy,,,,,okay love you bye :)

(ps i was so close to naming this Rewrite the Stars but since this has absolutely nothing to do with The Greatest Showman i didn’t. but i was close,,,,so fucking close)

You always knew Jeon Jungkook was destined for great things.

It was written in the stars, your mother had told you after he had first stepped foot into your family-owned grocery store. Your mother didn’t have any special powers, she just had a thing for astrology. While you normally shrugged off her random proclamations about divine intervention and planetary alignments, you found that Jungkook was something you couldn’t ignore or chalk up as your mother’s latest tea leaf reading.

From the moment you set eyes on him you knew he was different. While your family held zero claim to any sort of mystical or magical inclinations, you were well aware of those who did. It was no secret that non-humans roamed the Earth in plain sight, even though it had taken humans eons to realize this. After years of savage wars and civil unrest, agreements had come into place and governing bodies were adjusted to accept the changes that had finally been made. But, this was all before your time. You were the generation that was born into the period of peace, the first children to not experience bloodshed before they could walk. The world you knew now was almost a complete one-eighty of what it had been.

Where before those who were not of human blood had to do everything they could to blend in, now could be free of the shadows. Your classrooms had both humans and non-humans in their rosters. Some of your teachers were hybrids. Curriculum expanded to teach humans about a world that had once been entirely unknown to them. One of your favorite teachers was a witch who regaled your tenth grade class with stories of goblin wars, wizard duels, and vampire covens. All tales that you had once thought were nothing but fiction were now anything but.

Which is why, the second Jeon Jungkook entered the grocery store that your parents owned and that you had worked at since you were old enough to speak in full sentences, you knew who he was. You didn’t even question it.

He was a werewolf. A powerful one. You could see it in the way he carried himself. The purposeful strides he took down the narrow aisles, the confidence in his broad shoulders. Humans weren’t nearly as sensitive as their hybrid counterparts but you also paid attention in your classes. Or, perhaps you were more aware than other humans. Never in your life did you have the issues other faced when meeting a non-human for the first time. You always knew who they were without them having to tell you. You just knew.

So, when Jeon Jungkook stepped up to your register with a bottle of water and some raw beef, you didn’t flinch. Didn’t bend under his dark gaze or shuffle your feet in an awkward attempt to break the silence. Instead, you flashed him your customer service smile and rang up his items. He didn’t say a word as he paid, barely sparing you a second glance as he strode out of the store.

“He’s going to be a great and powerful man,” your mother said in that feathery light voice of hers. “It was written in the stars.”

You couldn’t help but agree.

Jeon Jungkook came into your store everyday for the next month. He bought the same thing every time. A bottle of water and a package of raw beef. The only time he spared you any words was to say thank you or the occasional hello if the sun was shining. Usually, he was alone. Sometimes, he came with a few members of his pack. You liked those days. He smiled a little brighter and talked a little louder when they were around. Especially around Taehyung.

Then, after a month, he didn’t come in. Not for an entire week. From Monday to Sunday, you hadn’t seen a hide nor hair of him. A part of you was worried, so worried that you almost stopped Taehyung in the middle of the street to ask of Jungkook’s whereabouts before realizing how insane that made you look, the other part was chastising yourself for caring. Jeon Jungkook was a customer. Nothing more, nothing less.

The following Monday had come and you had finally stopped glancing at the sliding doors every five minutes. You no longer expected his commanding presence to rock your little world. Instead, you continued your day as if it had been any other. That was, until, Jeon Jungkook stepped through the entrance looking as if he was walking on air. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why.

“Did you have a good heat?” You asked when he stepped up to your register. Jungkook fumbled the water bottle he had been setting onto the conveyer belt before turning to stare at you.

“What did you just say?”

You didn’t shrink under his intense glare. “I was asking if you enjoyed your heat. Seems like you did.”

“How do you know I was in my rut?”

“Oh, is rut the correct terminology? Sorry, they always interchanged them in class, I was never sure what was appropriate.” You shrugged and rang up his items. “It was kind of obvious, though. You seemed pretty agitated about a week-and-a-half ago, then you disappear for a week, and now you’re back looking happier than ever. If it wasn’t your rut then I want to know where you went on vacation because that’s where I’m heading to next.”

Jungkook laughed. That almost made you jump out of your skin. You had never heard him laugh before. It was throaty, it was deep, and it was wonderful. “I’ll be sure to send you the link to the Airbnb.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

He smirked. “I��m here every day, aren’t I?”

You tilted your head as you accepted the cash he handed to you. “Clearly, you’re not that reliable.”

Jungkook laughed again. It was becoming your new favorite sound. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to appear flaky.”

“You’re forgiven,” you decided as you handed him the plastic bag of his purchases. Teasingly, you added, “just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

He flashed you a smile that showed off his sharpened canines. “Don’t worry, darling. I never make the same mistake twice.”

Jeon Jungkook kept his promise. He showed up everyday, like clockwork. Bought the same thing. Arrived at the same time. The only thing that changed was how he treated you. It wasn’t that he treated you badly before, he had always been polite. But now, he talked to you. He asked you questions and answered yours. More often than not, he laughed.

(It had become your favorite sound.)

For three months, this continued. The two of you had settled into a comfortable routine, something you relied on and expected. Until, he changed that.

Until, Jeon Jungkook asked you out on a date.

“What did you just say?”

“Are you free? Tonight?” You glanced around, almost expecting to see some sort of supermodel posing behind you to explain the absolute absurdity of the situation. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for the hidden cameras. I think I’m getting Punk’d.”

Jungkook sighed and placed both hands on the counter that separated the two of you. “Look at me.” You did. Slowly and warily, but you did. “Does it look like I’m lying to you?”

Narrowing your eyes, you regarded him carefully. He seemed serious. But, then again, do you ever really know someone? “I don’t know. I’ve never actually seen you lie before so I wouldn’t know the difference.”

“Fine. Ask me what color my shirt is.”

“What color is your shirt?”

“White,” he deadpanned. You glanced down at his chest. His shirt was black.

“Jungkook!”

He threw his head back and released a full bellied laugh. Even in your exasperation you couldn’t help but soften a little. “I’m sorry, darling. I couldn’t help myself.” Annoyed, you huffed and spun to face the cash register. Stabbing your finger onto the touchscreen, you ignored Jungkook’s obvious presence on the opposite side of the counter. Until his hand reached around the card reader and grasped a hold of your chin. The warmth of his fingers forced your head to turn to meet his.

“Come to dinner with me.” His voice was nothing but a rumble in his chest, his eyes so black and all-consuming you couldn’t do anything but agree with him. He seemed pleased by your response as his fingers tightened against your skin and a grateful smile flicked past his lips. His gaze darted down to your mouth and your breath froze in your chest.

“Are you going to kiss me?”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to?”

“No.” You tried to shake your head but his grip didn’t allow you much movement. He was taken aback by your answer, a small frown tugging at his mouth. You quickly backtracked to fix the situation. “I don’t want our first kiss to be in a grocery store. That’s a new low that I refuse to reach.”

Jungkook chuckled and tapped your chin gently. “Alright, darling. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

Again, he kept his promise to you. He showed up at your parents house exactly at seven, wearing a button-down shirt and slacks. The tulips he had gotten for you was thrust into your hands the moment you opened the door. Flashing him a genuine smile, you hurried into the kitchen to set them in water while your mother grilled him on his birth time. You were quick to drag him away, practically throwing him towards the car as you waved goodbye.

“Sorry,” you sighed as Jungkook opened the passenger door for you. “She has a…thing for astrology. She’s probably creating your star map or whatever right now.”

“It’s okay,” he responded once he got into the drivers seat. “It’s sweet of her to care.”

You snorted. “She’s delusional is what she is.”

“So, you’re saying you don’t believe in astrology?”

“Do you?”

Jungkook shrugged as he pulled out of your dirt driveway. He looked so damn attractive behind the wheel it was honestly unfair. “Not really saying I do or don’t. All I know is that there are a lot of things out there that are out of our control. If believing in the stars and planets helps you gain some of that control back, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

“God, don’t talk like that in front of my mother. She’ll want to start dating you.”

He grinned and placed a hand on your knee. “Tell her I’m already taken.”

You didn’t get a chance to respond to that. Not that he didn’t give you one, it was just that you literally had nothing to say. With just one sentence he opened the floodgates of your brain and the amount of thoughts that were flying through your conscious was painful. Anxiety fluttered in your stomach and you pressed your lips together to keep you from word vomiting onto him. No, it was better to keep your mouth shut and let the moment pass.

By the time you reached the restaurant you were a trembling mess of nerves. Were you guys dating? You thought this was just a ‘testing the waters’ date, not a ‘you’re my girlfriend now’ date. Did you have to make it Facebook official? You hated that shit.

Jungkook didn’t comment on your obvious distress, though. He merely placed a hand on the small of your back, ignoring how you jerked in surprise, and led you into the quiet bistro. Nodding politely to the hostess who was practically panting at the sight of him (you honestly couldn’t blame her) and pulled out your chair for you. When he sat down, he started talking. Idle chat at first. Commenting on one of the dishes, asking about the college classes you were taking at your local university. Before you realized it, wine was in your glass and your shoulders were loose. Previous nerves forgotten, you lost yourself in Jungkook. You drank, you ate, you laughed, and genuinely enjoyed his company. Honestly, it was the best date you’d ever been on.

“I have to be honest with you,” Jungkook spoke after he finished his raw steak. “I have an ulterior motive for asking you here tonight.”

“Oh,” you mumbled around the shrimp you had just tossed in your mouth. “So…this isn’t a date?”

“No, it is,” Jungkook clarified quickly around a dry chuckle. He seemed…nervous. It put you on edge immediately. “This is definitely a date. And, also, more.”

“More? What, is this a proposal too?” You were joking. A 100% joking. But Jungkook was staring at you so seriously it made you panic. “Jungkook, if you get down on one knee here I swear-”

“I’m not proposing,” he assured you. “This is something more than that.”

“More?” You parroted. Jungkook sighed.

“Do you know what a true mate is?”

Right there, in that quaint little bistro, on a date with quite possibly the most untouchable man you’d ever met, he explained how you were irrevocably his. His true mate, his soulmate.

Jungkook explained everything in great detail, which you appreciated, because honestly, you had no words. He explained how when he was born, the witch who cared for him told his father that his future glared brightly ahead of him, but only when he met his other half. True mates were rare. Mating was common, the wolves in his pack could have multiple mates or a lifelong one, but true mates were destiny. Someone or something out there had forged the two of you together. You were essentially each others other half. He was made for you and you were made for him.

“But…aren’t true mates only for wolves? I thought it’s impossible for a human to be a true mate,” you asked in a shaky voice once Jungkook took a breath.

“It was supposed to be impossible. Until, I met you.” Jungkook stared at you with a sort of reverence that made your entire body blush. “I have no idea how you are. I’ve spent hours researching. I’ve consulted with members of my pack and others. No one knows why.”

“Are you sure, though? I mean…what if you’re wrong?”

“I’m not.” Jungkook shook his head. “I visited the witch right after I met you. She took one look at me and told me that I had finally found my true mate. She said she’d never seen a future so bright before.”

You had no words for that. For the first time in your life, you were speechless. Jungkook seemed to understand. He let you sit in silence as he paid for the bill and walked you out to the car. The drive back to your parents house was the same. You couldn’t speak. The shock rendered you stupid.

By the time Jungkook pulled into the driveway you still hadn’t spoken a word to each other. You stepped out of the car before he could open the door for you. Walking up to the porch steps in a trance, you didn’t hear him follow you until he clasped your wrist in his hand. Turning to face him, you were surprised to see his brown eyes so big. They practically sparkled in the moonlight and he looked so soft and sweet you nearly melted into the wood beneath your feet.

“Please,” he whispered. “Can you…just - are you okay? You’ve been so quiet. I’m worried I’ve scared you off or something.”

With that voice, it was impossible to deny him. So, you said the first thing that popped in your head. “Do we have to make it Facebook official?”

Jungkook stared at you before bursting into laughter. “Really? That’s all you have to say?”

You blushed and glanced down. “I’m just worried, that’s all. I can’t remember my Facebook password so even if you wanted to change it I don’t think it’ll work.”

“So that’s why you never accepted my friend request,” Jungkook teased. Before you could squeak out a response, he wrapped his arms around your waist and tugged you forward. You kept your arms crossed across your chest but let yourself fall against him.

“Don’t make fun of me,” you whined as you buried your face into his shoulder. He smelled so good, a mixture of pine and spice. “My brain hasn’t worked since you told me I’m yours, so bear with me.”

Jungkook chuckled and gently swayed you from side to side. “Does that mean you’re okay with this? All of this?”

Sighing, you lifted your head up and stepped away from him. Jungkook was not impressed and pulled you back to him. Your heart swelled in your chest and you wrapped your arms around his neck in consolation. “Honestly? I haven’t really processed anything. You’ve had your whole life to come to terms with this. I just found out thirty minutes ago that I’m someone’s soulmate. It’s a lot to take in.”

Jungkook nodded as he tapped his fingers against your hips. “I know. It’s a lot…I’m a lot. I just want you to know that you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to be with me. I won’t-”

Now it was your turn to burst into laughter. You couldn’t believe those words had left his mouth. It was easily the most absurd thing you’d ever heard. “Jungkook, I want to make something very clear. I have no problem being your true mate. That’s not the issue here. Well, there really isn’t an issue. It’s just…hard to believe, I guess. I have to process that this is my new reality.”

“Really?” Jungkook perked up and looked so fucking cute you couldn’t help but cup his cheeks. His skin was so warm despite the cold autumn air that surrounded you both. “You want to do this? Be with me? Be mine?” All you could do was nod. You were so overwhelmed with emotions. The shock was evident, but a piece of you was so happy. You felt whole.

Jungkook’s face split into a wide smile that caused his nose to scrunch up. He wrapped his arms around your waist and spun you around. Squealing, you slung your legs around his hips and held on. Normally, you’d rather die than show this much affection to someone. But, this was Jungkook. Your soulmate.

“So…what do we do now?” You asked once Jungkook set you down. “Is there, like, a ceremony or something?”

“I have no idea,” he admitted as he stared down at you. He had a hand against your jaw and was rubbing your cheek tenderly. “I really didn’t think I’d get this far.”

You scoffed at his ridiculousness. While recognizing you were Jungkook’s true mate was going to take some time, believing that he thought you’d deny him was utter nonsense. “What if…what if we date, first?” You suggested timidly. “I know that sounds kind of weird considering we’re supposed to be the loves of each others lives. But, I don’t really know you all that well. And, I think this is going to take sometime for me to get used to. Maybe we should date, get to know each other, and just learn how to be with one another.”

“Whatever you want,” Jungkook agreed. “We can do whatever you want. Just as long as I have you, I’m happy.”

Two years passed.

Two blissful, wonderful years. Two years of dating, two years of loving, two years of being Jeon Jungkook’s. It was everything you could’ve asked for and more. You had never felt so loved and cherished in your entire life. He respected you, he took care of you, and most importantly, he was there for you in every sense. Since the moment you met him, you hadn’t been alone. He hadn’t let you. Jungkook knew you better than you knew yourself.

And, it was the same for him. You were there for him when he transitioned into the leader of his pack. You were there when he took over the CEO position from his father and encouraged and supported him every step of the way. You let yourself be loved and in return he let you love him. It was wonderful.

Except, for one tiny thing.

While the emotional aspect of your relationship flourished and bloomed into something beautiful, the physical side remained stagnant. Make out sessions and heavy petting were a norm in your relationship. At first, it didn’t bother you. In fact, you loved that Jungkook was taking things so slow and so seriously. But, eventually, your needs began to grow. You found yourself wanting him in more ways than one, wants that only he could satisfy. Jungkook refused. Every time.

It wasn’t like he refused your every need. No, Jungkook was extremely attentive. When it came to himself, that’s when things got dicy. He had no problem spending hours between your legs, worshipping you until you were crying from the overstimulation. Yet, he wouldn’t let you anywhere near him. Not without lack of trying on your part. The minute your hands went down to his waistband, he pushed you away. Every time you tried to dip your mouth to the obvious bulge in his pants, he lifted you up and kissed you breathless until you forgot your name. It wasn’t until after a year of dating that he finally let you grind on his clothed cock. Even then, he held off until you finished and then walked out with quite possibly the worst case of blue balls. You hated that he did this to himself. The worst part was, you couldn’t understand why.

The one time you had brought it up to him it had resulted in the worst fight the two of you had ever gotten into. It was the only argument that was never really resolved. After the yelling and the tears, all you got out of Jungkook was that mating with a wolf was not pretty. It was extremely dangerous and he refused to put you in that kind of danger. End of discussion. No matter how hard you tried to persuade him or broach the subject, he shut it down. Hard. Eventually, you gave up.

He even spent his ruts away from you. Every three months, he left you for a week. You knew he had a place somewhere up in the mountains and you assumed that’s where he went. You had no idea. There was no point even asking to come along. You loved your boyfriend and didn’t want to purposely give him a heart attack. You hated it when he left. As much as you tried to hide it and convince him that you were just fine, he wasn’t stupid. Being away from him was tough. A piece of you was missing whenever he was gone. And you were only whole again when he returned.

This past week had been one of those weeks. He had left on Sunday for the mountains. He was agitated and clingy, how he normally was pre-rut. Jungkook wouldn’t let you leave his side and you spent most of the weekend on his lap or wrapped in his arms. Not that you minded. When he left your parents house on Sunday night, you’d had to coax him out of the door. Promising him that you’d be okay and that you’d see him next week. It wasn’t until several kisses later did Jungkook finally leave.

While you’d been doing this for two years, it never got easier. More manageable? Sure. But definitely not easier. All you could do was go through the motions. You went to work at the local bakery, came home and helped your mom with dinner, watched TV with your dad before going to bed. Taehyung and Jimin would visit often, threatened by Jungkook to keep you company. While you assured them it wasn’t necessary, you secretly didn’t mind. They made you laugh and made you temporarily forget your boyfriend was miles away from you. Sometimes, if you were lucky, he’d call you to tell you goodnight. But those times were rare. Normally, you didn’t hear from him until Friday or Saturday when he was finally coming out of his rut and returning to the world.

By the time Sunday rolled around, you were a jittery ball of nerves. Not in a bad sense. You were just excited. The anticipation killed you and it took all of your willpower to sit and wait for his text to tell you to come over. Your parents always left you alone on these Sundays, unable to deal with your hyperactiveness and constant fidgeting.

This Sunday was no different. You puttered around your room for the better part of the day. You spent the other part in the kitchen, baking like your life depended on it. Jungkook loved your cookies and you always made sure to come over with at least three batches after his ruts. He always said that was his second favorite part about coming home, after seeing you, of course.

You had just finished packaging the final batch in a glass cookie jar when your phone dinged. You didn’t have to read the message, you knew exactly what it said. Pure joy rushed through your system as you threw on your coat and shouted a hasty goodbye to your parents. Juggling the cookies and car keys, you sprinted to your car. The drive to Jungkook’s was thankfully not long. About ten minutes, as long as you didn’t hit any traffic on the main road. Luck was on your side, though, and you showed up at Jungkook’s house in eight minutes.

Taehyung’s car was in the driveway when you pulled up, which wasn’t odd. Although Jungkook owned the house, the members of his pack were almost always around. While most preferred to travel in their wolf forms, you knew Taehyung and Namjoon preferred cars. Something about being able to listen to their own music without comments from the peanut gallery. You didn’t really understand and didn’t really need to. You had just chalked it up as one of their many quirks.

Carrying the trays of cookies in both hands, you shut your car door with your foot before speed-walking up the stone walkway to Jungkook’s home. The screen door was shut, but the wooden door was swung wide open. You had just reached for the metal handle when you heard it.

A deep, threatening growl ripped through the peaceful quiet and froze you in place. You knew it was Jungkook. While you had only heard it once, you’d never forgotten it. It was when the two of you had attended a party and an alpha from a neighboring pack had cornered you in the hallway. Jungkook had found you cowered against the wall as the other alpha had caged you in. The sound that had left his chest had given you equal parts comfort and fear. Comfort, because he was there and you knew you were safe. Fear, because you could see in the way he bared his teeth and how his muscles vibrated, he had been furious and bloodthirsty.

That’s what you felt now, fear.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

From your vantage point in front of the screen door, you could see directly into the kitchen. Taehyung was leaning against the granite countertop and Jungkook was seated at the island. The tension was so thick you practically choked on it.

“Enough, Taehyung.”

“No,” Taehyung snapped, seeming just as angry as Jungkook. “I’m not dropping it. Not this time.”

“Yes, you will,” Jungkook snarled. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Too fucking bad.” While Taehyung was also an alpha, he acted so much like a beta you never really noticed. Until now. “I’m not going to sit by and watch you do this to yourself anymore. Not spending your ruts correctly is only causing you more harm than good.”

“I’m doing things the way I want to, and it’s working-”

“The hell it is!” Jungkook growled at the interruption but Taehyung ignored him. “It’s not working, and you know it. Anyone with two fucking eyes knows it. It’s getting so bad that the pack is noticing, too. Even Namjoon has realized something is wrong, and he’s as oblivious as they come.”

“If they have a problem with me they can take it up with me.”

“No, they can’t. Because you won’t listen. Your head is so far up your ass you can’t even hear yourself anymore. What you’re doing right now is not working. Something needs to change.”

“Like what?” Jungkook spat.

“You know what,” Taehyung bit back. Jungkook was practically vibrating from rage. You knew you needed to go get someone, someone from the pack to calm the two of them down. Things were only escalating, but you couldn’t move. Your brain screamed at you to run but your legs were rooted in place. “That’s is what’s so frustrating, Jungkook. This, all of this, could be solved. She’s right there-”

“Don’t.” Jungkook stood up so fast the chair he sat on flew backwards and hit the wall with a resounding crack.

“Why?” Taehyung threw his arms up in the air. “Why not? I don’t get it-”

“Because I don’t want her!” Jungkook yelled, the force of it rang throughout the house. You had no idea who the she was that they were referring to. You assumed it was someone from the pack. It was well-known that wolves with human mates sometimes turned to other she-wolves to help with their ruts. You figured that’s what Jungkook did whenever he went away for a week. It had bothered you at first, but you knew he had his needs and that they were at a biological level. You refused to make him feel guilty or ashamed for taking care of himself.

“You don’t want her?” Taehyung was enraged. You could tell by the way he straightened his spine and unfurled himself to his full height. Jungkook bristled in response and the muscles in his back strained against the thin material of his shirt.

“No, I don’t!” Jungkook exploded. “What don’t you understand about that? I don’t want her around me. I don’t need her, I’m fine on my own. The thought of having her there when…God - it makes me physically ill.”

“She’s your girlfriend. Above all of that, your true mate. You’re seriously going to deny yourself of her, for what? Just because you don’t like having her around?”

Oh.

That’s when it hit you. They weren’t talking about some random she-wolf. They were talking about you. You were the one Jungkook didn’t want. You were the one Jungkook didn’t need. You were the one he didn’t like having around. As the weight of the words sunk into your mind, you felt your chest becoming tighter and tighter.

Then, you’re heart broke right in half. You dropped the container of cookies and didn’t flinch when it shattered against the wooden slats. The sound unstuck your feet from their position on the porch and your fight or flight system took over. Without a second thought, you turned on your heel and ran.

You didn’t know if anyone was behind you, you didn’t turn around to check. Hands fumbled for the car door as you threw yourself into the drivers side. Pain ricocheted throughout your chest cavity and you struggled to breathe. Your brain was blank, the only thing your mind did was move your body to get you somewhere safe. You had to leave and you had to leave now.

Miraculously, your fingers found your keys and inserted them into the ignition on the second try. A flutter of movement occurred to the left of you but your eyes didn’t let you look that way. Instead, they focused on the rearview mirror as you reversed out of the driveway. Your right hand found the gearshift and moved it to drive. Soon, you were tearing down the street as your ears refused to register the agonized howls that echoed behind as you kept staring forward. Adrenaline pumped through your system and your body shivered in response, the splash of hormones had created a blanket of fake calm over you. The emotions, the pain, the thoughts were swirling inside of you, ready to break free and drown you, but your brain wouldn’t allow it.

It wasn’t until you reached the end of your long driveway that you felt the original spike of adrenaline fade away. Your mother was in the front, tending to the flowers, and looked up when she saw your car fly into its usual spot. She stood up and her face twisted into a frown when you got out of your seat.

“Honey, your aura…it’s concerning.” The blanket was yanked away and the pain crashed over you.

You couldn’t say a word, all you could do was collapse in your mother's arms and cry, cry, cry.

It took you two days to calm down. The tears had stopped rolling and your shoulders no longer shook from trying to hold your sobs behind your teeth. Your mother hadn’t left your side, leaving your father to answer the door whenever someone knocked. The only person who did was Taehyung and Jimin. Jungkook never showed up.

Well, that was a lie.

Jungkook did show up every morning and night, without fail. But he never came to your doorstep. Instead, he was in the woods behind your house, patrolling, not daring to leave the protection of the forest. A part of you wondered if he was respecting your obvious need for space or if your mother had paid a witch to set up boundary lines that didn’t allow him to cross. Either way, you were grateful that you couldn’t see him. There was an incessant tugging in your heart to be near him but you staunchly ignored it, which would’ve been impossible if you saw his achingly beautiful face.

I don’t want her. I don’t need her. Having her there makes me physically ill. Those three sentences played in a constant loop in your head, like a horror movie you couldn’t escape from. You were the protagonist who couldn’t escape the maze, but the villain wasn’t kind enough to kill you off. No matter what you did, your brain wouldn’t stop repeating those three sentences. Your mother burned sage, she pressed crystals into your palms, she muttered ritual after ritual, but nothing worked.

You hated how affected you were. You had always told yourself that you would never be the girl who’d get so wrapped up in someone else they didn’t know who they were anymore. Independence was something you prided yourself on, but you seemed to be at a complete loss now. You couldn’t stop the waves of sadness and self-hatred at your depressed state. It was amazing how empty you felt yet so full of pain at the same time. Your mind and heart couldn’t seem to decide which hurt worse; your heart for having your soulmate so obviously reject you, or your brain for trying to make sense of the situation. When did this happen? How did this happen? How had you been so blind as to not see it?

“I don’t think we’re soulmates,” you rasped to your mom on the third morning. It had been the first words you had spoken to her since you had fell into her arms. She looked up from the bundle of herbs she was smoking.

“Why do you say that?”

You stared at your hands that had curled in on themselves. “I don’t make him happy. I-I never realized how uncomfortable I made him. I wish I had known. How did I miss it?”

Your mother tutted gently and gathered you in her arms. She smelled of lavender and wax. “This is good. I’m glad you’re letting yourself have this moment. Let’s sit in this and allow yourself to be embedded here.” But you didn’t want to have this moment. You didn’t want to have any moment and you’ve felt enough to last a lifetime. Instead, you rolled over, let sleep overtake you and tried to ignore the distant howling that rattled your window pane.

By nightfall of the fourth day, you were forced out of bed. Partly by choice, partly by force. Your parents had dipped out to run to the grocery store, despite your mother’s insistence that she could stay. You and your father managed to convince her to leave and you had gotten up to wave them goodbye. Sure, your heart was broken, but the least you could do was kiss them on the cheek before they left. You had turned around to shuffle into the kitchen to try and shovel something down your dry throat when a loud knock sounded at the front door. Hesitating, you carefully peeked through the kitchen window and saw Jimin on your front doorstep, dressed in all black.

Sighing, you stumbled over and pulled the door open. You figured you couldn’t avoid them for much longer. “Hey, Jimin.”

“Christ, you look like shit.”

You huffed out a laugh as Jimin stared at you in horror, not having the energy to be offended. You also knew, in a weird way, that this was Jimin’s way of caring for you. “Yeah. My mother’s covered all the mirrors in the house.”

Jimin nodded as he glanced at you from head to toe. “I want to ask if you’re okay but…” He gestured to your gaunt frame swaddled in a heavy sweatshirt and sweatpants. For the first time in two years, they were your own clothes, not Jungkook’s.

“I’m fine, Jimin,” you heaved a heavy sigh and leaned against the doorframe. “Do you want to come in? I think my mom boiled some tea not too long ago.”

Jimin shook his head. “Can’t. Jungkook would have a fit if I got that close to you right now. I’m already pushing my luck just by showing up.” He doesn’t care, you thought bitterly, and almost said it out loud but you caught yourself at the last second. Jimin wasn’t stupid, though. He knew what you were thinking. “Hey,” he murmured, eyes going soft, “are you ready to talk about it?”

“No.” You shook your head. A wave of sadness washed over you but the telltale prick of tears didn’t come.

Jimin understood. He tucked his hands into his pockets as he rocked back onto his heels. “Are you going to talk to him?”

Letting out a heavy breath, you crossed your arms over your chest. “I know I have to. I just…I just need time.”

“Take however long you need.”

It was another 48-hours before you finally snapped. While you had spent the majority of the two days that had passed to make yourself resemble a human being, you couldn’t focus. You couldn’t move on. Why?

Because Jungkook wouldn’t leave you alone.

His presence was constant. He circled your house every hour of ever day, the large shadow of him in wolf form darkened the trees behind your house. The howling had stopped but the pacing hadn’t. You hoped he was at least sleeping, but then you got annoyed at yourself for caring. You didn’t know why he was out there, it made no sense. Jungkook’s words were so different from his actions it made your head spin.

But, you needed to move on with your life. You had to. The only way it was going to happen was if Jungkook did too. It hurt. God, did it hurt. Yet, as sad and utterly pathetic as it sounded, you were used to the pain at this point, had resigned yourself to it. A part of you worried you wouldn’t know what to do without it.

Shaking off that depressing thought, you tugged on your rain boots and stepped outside for the first time in a week. The air was heavy with the promise of rain, the clouds low and gray. You tugged the hood up on your sweater to prevent your hair from completely frizzing out before you walked to down the back deck steps.

The backyard of your parents house was expansive. The home you had grown up in sat on top of a sloping hill that your mother had turned into her personal greenhouse. You stepped past rows of raised garden beds and pruned plants until you reached the line where the neatly mowed grass met the twisted ferns of the forest floor. As you had suspected, the ground was scorched with the evidence of past rituals. While your mother hadn’t out right admitted, you had figured someone had come and created a boundary line. It was obviously specific to Jungkook since Jimin and Taehyung were still able to visit. While your mother’s methods were extreme, you understood. As difficult as it was to move on with your life with Jungkook sequestered to the forest, you couldn’t imagine what it would’ve been like if he was within a few feet of you.

With a deep inhale, you sat down on the damp grass and waited. After a few minutes, you could hear the faint sounds of paws hitting the wet earth. The galloping got louder and louder until there was a momentary stretch of silence before it changed to footsteps.

When Jungkook emerged from the trees, you weren’t prepared. Although you knew you wouldn’t be, you still weren’t expecting it to hurt this bad. Your chest squeezed painfully at the first look of his broad form. Technically, it had been two weeks since you two had truly seen each other, the longest you’d ever gone. What hurt the most was how badly you longed for him. You wanted nothing more than to run straight into his arms, bury your face into his chest, and forget everything. Just forgive and give your heart what it wanted. But you remained firmly in place.

Jungkook looked as if he had seen a ghost. Which, to be fair, was probably true since you hadn’t seen the sun in seven days. His normally golden skin was pale and even from where you sat you could see the dark circles bruising under his eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t been sleeping. You hated that you noticed. You hated that you cared. He was dressed in all black and his chest strained against the material of his sweater. His hands were balled into tight fists at his side and the sight reminded you of why you were here.

“Hi.” Probably wasn’t the best start but it was the best you could do. Jungkook didn’t respond so you soldiered on. “I-I know you don’t want to be here, so I’ll make this quick. I just…wanted to apologize. I had no idea I made you so uncomfortable. I’m not sure how long you’ve felt this way about me, not that it really matters, but I wish you had told me sooner. Maybe things would’ve been easier for you, who knows.” You released a heavy sigh and tried to shove down the stone in your throat as you forced the next words out of your mouth. “But, all of that doesn’t matter anymore. I think I understand what you need, now. I know you loved me at one point, but I’m obviously not what you need anymore. And…t-that’s okay - I swear it is. All I want is for you to be happy, Jungkook. And I think, in order for that to happen, I need to move on. We both need to move on-”

“Stop it,” Jungkook broke in with a harsh voice that cut your sentence in half. “Stop talking.”

It felt like he had slapped you in the face. A wave of humiliation washed over you and you visibly flinched. Staggering to your feet, you locked your gaze onto your boots in an attempt to hide the tears that dripped down your nose. “I’m sorry,” you whispered, not expecting it to change anything. You began to turn away but Jungkook stopped you in your tracks, again.

“Wait, no - stop. Stop. Please…don’t go,” he pleaded. When you turned around, his eyes were frantic. Jungkook’s hand was raised from his side as if he thought about reaching out to you but something stopped him. His words were at war with one another and you were caught in the middle, at a loss for what he was trying so desperately to convey to you.

“Jungkook, I’m so confused.”

“I know. I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry.” Jungkook tucked his head into his hands before dropping down into a squat. “This is all wrong. This is all so wrong.”

You knew you should walk away. You had said your piece, it was time to move on, just as you had said. Yet, you couldn’t. It was as if your heart was tethered to him and your body couldn’t handle the pain of walking away. “Listen-”

“I don’t know what to do.” He cut you off but the bubbles of anger that had risen from being interrupted popped once you saw how lost he looked. His tattooed fingers threaded through his hair, allowing you to see the pure anguish that twisted his features. “Whenever I feel like this, I come to you. Because you always know what to do. Any situation, no matter what, you can handle it. It’s something I’ve always admired about you.”

The way he spoke to you now, so reverently and so full of awe, made your head spin. Nothing made sense. It was such a blatant contrast to the brutality that he had spat out a week ago. As much as you wanted to believe what he said now, those stupid words could not get out of your head. It was a constant reminder that never shut up.

“I don’t know what to do either,” you admitted in a quiet voice.

“Tell me,” Jungkook begged, as if he couldn’t and refused to comprehend what you had just told him. “Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. Whatever you want from me, I’ll give you.”

You were shaking your head before he could finish. “There’s nothing you can do, Jungkook. Nothing.”

“Don’t say that.” He stared at you, horrified. “Don’t say that to me. Please, there has to be something.”

“What could there be?” You cried. Tears streamed down your cheeks now. “You said it yourself, being near me makes you sick. Why would I stay? Why would you want me to? I refuse to make you uncomfortable anymore - so that’s that.”

“It isn’t,” Jungkook argued back. “It can’t be. I-I can’t lose you, I can’t. I need to make this right, please just let me. Please.”

But, you were tired. You were so fucking tired. You were exhausted of the emotional rollercoaster that you were on that you just wanted to crawl away and hide. All the fight seeped out of you as your shoulders slumped forward. Jungkook saw this and the blood drained from his face. You were giving up, he could see it, and it scared the shit out of him.

“Jungkook, I need to go, okay? I-I can’t do this.”

“No!” Jungkook shouted and shot up to his feet. The pure panic that choked his voice brought on a fresh set of tears that you struggled to hold back. “Just let me explain, okay? I swear to God, after you hear what I have to say, if you still want me to, I’ll let you go. I won’t fight you on it. But, please let me tell you the truth. Give me a chance to make this right. You deserve that.”

You hesitated for a moment. Deep down, you knew you should let him talk. Not because you necessarily thought he deserved to, but because he was right. You did deserve the truth, no matter how much it broke your heart. With a heavy sigh and a quick swipe of your cheeks, you nodded. Once Jungkook was sure you weren’t going to leave, he began pacing. Looking every bit like the wild animal you knew him to be but never got to see.

“Mating with a werewolf is…brutal. It’s intense, it’s painful and it isn’t pretty. It’s essentially a breeding session where I use you as a vessel to fulfill my innate biological needs. It’s not romantic, it’s not gentle. Even for she-wolves it can be too much. The thought of subjecting you to something like that - that type of pain…I couldn’t fathom it. I don’t think you understand just how precious you are to me. The image of you being battered and bruised because of me, something I did…it tormented me, day and night.” He paused for a moment, the pained look in his eyes made you shiver. You hated that he had gone through all of this turmoil on his own, and you especially hated how you never made more of an effort to try and relieve him of it.

“I couldn’t do it. That’s partially the reason I waited so long to tell you that you were my true mate. I knew ruts were something I would never expose you to even though it’s such a huge part of my life, a wolf’s life.” Jungkook looked you straight in the eye, the intensity of his dark gaze took your breath away. “I know the practices other wolves partake in when their own heats or ruts arrive. I know you know them too. But, I need you to understand something. The moment you allowed me to be yours and vice versa, I haven’t had anyone else since. I swear on my life, I’ve spent every single one of my ruts alone. I wouldn’t and I won’t do that to you.”

“Isn’t that painful, though?” Your voice cracked but neither one of you acknowledged it. While your knowledge on ruts were expansive, having done plenty of research since being with Jungkook, you had obviously never experienced one.

“It’s manageable. It’s way more painful for a she-wolf to go through her heat alone than it is for a male.” Jungkook clenched and unclenched his fists as he resumed his pacing. “The worst part is being away from you. I’ve been going through ruts since puberty, I can handle them. But not being able to be with you for a whole week…I hated it. Still do. I dread that three month mark. And as time went on, I became more and more miserable. Being apart from you was almost unbearable but the other option…I never even allowed myself to consider it.

“It came to the point where the pack was noticing. I wasn’t getting the proper pheromonal release from my ruts and it was beginning to affect those around me. Taehyung has been on my ass for months now to get over myself and take you with me during my next rut. Each time I’d give him some excuse, but it was getting harder and harder to justify what I was doing. At first, I was convinced it was because I was protecting you. But you’ve been so understanding and so patient with me and my life, those excuses were becoming useless. Eventually, I think it was because I was protecting myself. I was - am - so scared. I’m terrified that I could hurt you when I’m like that. That I wouldn’t be able to notice or worse, ignored, if something happened to you. Living with that type of fear became debilitating. So, I just kept my mouth shut and kept you away from that part of me.”

Jungkook shook his head and chuckled humorlessly. “Now I know that was the worst possible thing I could do. That I was just hurting you more. What you walked into last Sunday was a culmination of my frustrations that I was refusing to deal with. While it’s not a valid reason, I’m well aware of that, I need you to know that what you heard was not the truth. It couldn’t be further from it. Because the truth is that I’m hopelessly in love with you and the thought of being without you hurts worse than I ever thought was possible.”

It wasn’t the first nor would it be the last time that Jungkook left you speechless. It took you a full minute to process what he had said. Jungkook granted you the silence although he became increasingly more agitated as time passed. His boots scuffed the dead leaves that littered the ground and his pacing led him closer to the ashes that lay before your feet. Then, he’d suddenly stalk off with a growl as he was forced to keep away.

“I-” you cleared your throat around the lump that had found a home there. “I had no idea. This whole time…I thought it was because you didn’t want me.”

“God, no.” Jungkook swore heavily as his muscles bunched and coiled beneath his clothes. “The - the fact that…you - fuck. I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. That’s not it, that’s not it at all. You’re my dream girl, you’re the love of my life, and I want you every second of every day.”

Maybe it’s because you were emotionally drained and had no mental strength left. Maybe, you needed to hear those words from Jungkook more than you realized. Whatever the reason was, it wasn’t worth trying to figure out an explanation as you sunk to the ground and burst into tears.

Jungkook lost it across from you. Broken whines stained the air as he carded through his hair anxiously. He kept trying to get to you, to try to soothe you. But the boundary was unfortunately doing its job and each attempt was met with failure. Curses were spat out until eventually, he got as close as the boundary would let him and fell to his knees. He began spewing whatever came to mind first, unsure of what to do. All he knew was that you were crying because of him and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He thought hearing you cry from your bedroom window was torture, but nothing could compare to hearing you break down in front of him. Nothing. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. I’m sorry…please, I’m so sorry. I - don’t cry, darling. Please don’t. I’m so sorry I hurt you, I didn’t mean to, I swear.”

It wasn’t tears of heartbreak that leaked from your eyes. Instead, it was tears of relief. While your heart had wholly accepted his words as the truth, the logical part of you reminded yourself that the two of you had way more talking to do. This was far from over, but the relief of knowing that he loved you and he was yours…it was indescribable.

You finally lifted your head up and were shocked to find Jungkook’s cheeks glistening with moisture. Your only thought was to comfort him as you scrambled forward to do just that. Instead of feeling his smooth skin against the palm of your hand, you were blocked by what felt like a wall although nothing stood in your way. Frowning, you realized with a start that the boundary worked both ways. Jungkook let out a frustrated growl as he glared at the ashes that was stopping both of you from getting what you wanted. It was silent for a few moments until an idea popped into your head.

“Wait here,” you announced before jumping up and taking off for the house. Ignoring Jungkook’s distressed cry, you ran inside. You yanked your car keys off from their designated hook and quickly typed out a text to your parents to let them know where you were going before spinning around and sprinting back outside. Jungkook was where you left him, although he stumbled to his feet when he saw you reappear.

“I’m going to your house,” you announced, breathless. “No witch is stupid enough to go that far into werewolf territory. If you want to talk to me there, then follow me.”

Jungkook stared at you for a heartbeat until the words you spoke clicked. “Y-yeah. Yes. Okay. I’ll be there.”

With a curt nod, you ran to your car. For the first time in a week, a faint sprout of hope bloomed in your chest.

It was the longest and shortest ten minutes of your life. The drive to Jungkook’s seemed to last a lifetime but also was over within a blink of an eye. The tears had stopped flowing by the time you pulled your car into his driveway, but you felt the telltale prick in your eyes when you saw him burst from the trees. Your heart ached as his long legs ate up the distance between you two as you wrestled with your seatbelt and threw the car into park. By the time you freed yourself, he was at the hood of your car.

The two of you stared at each other for a few breathless moments. You weren’t sure who moved first, but it didn’t matter as you crashed into each other’s arms. The moment his searing warmth enveloped you, you dissolved into another puddle of sobs. The feeling of his thick arms banded across your back, his torso molded to yours, and his hair tickling your ear, felt so right. Another wave of crippling relief washed over you and you practically melted against Jungkook. But he held you up, just like he always had.

He leaned against the front bumper while his hands were everywhere. Cradling your head into his neck, smoothing over your hips, or running circles over your shoulders. He was crying, you could feel the tears dampening your hair. But you were soaking his shirt so no one was in any position to complain.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

“Don’t,” Jungkook hissed fiercely as he squeezed you tighter. “Don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault, not in the slightest.”

“Kook,” you sighed and pulled your head back to get a good look at him. “It takes two to tango.”

“Not this time,” he argued. “You’ve put up with so much. You’re everything I could’ve asked for and more. It was my own fears that got in the way and created this mess. And I’m so sorry for that, darling. I’m so fucking sorry.”

You shushed him gently, running your thumbs over his cheeks to swipe at the dried tears. “I know you’re sorry. I believe you.”

Jungkook dipped his head further into your touch with a pleased rumble vibrating through his chest. He kissed your palm gently, sniffing at your wrist. It made you giggle. “Missed that,” Jungkook mumbled as he stared at you with stars in his eyes. “Missed you. Missed you so much.”

A fresh wave of tears cascaded down your cheeks. You were positive that you looked like a mess, hair in a knotted bun, face red and puffy and you kept sniffling every two seconds. But Jungkook looked at you as if you held the world in your hands. “Missed you too,” you murmured in return. “Please, next time, just talk to me. I may not have the answers you’re looking for all the time, but I’ll always be here to listen.”

“I know,” Jungkook whispered. “There won’t be a next time, promise. If I happen to be stupid enough to put us in this position again, I give you full permission to punch me in the face.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” You lifted yourself onto your toes to brush your lips against his, dropping back down to your feet when his head chased after yours. “Or maybe I just won’t kiss you for a week.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened comically and he actually looked terrified. “I’d rather you just punched me in the face.” You tilted your head back and laughed. Jungkook tugged you closer and nosed your throat before peppering gentle kisses along the exposed skin. Sighing happily, you tilted your head to allow him better access and rested your cheek on his shoulder.

“I love you,” you said quietly. Jungkook froze for a split second before he sank against you. Squeaking in shock, you scrambled to brace yourself against the sudden weight pressing you towards the house.

“Say it again,” Jungkook pleaded. You couldn’t deny him. Dusting feather light kisses to the shell of his ear, you repeated those three words again, and again, and again. Each time you did, Jungkook held you a little tighter and cried a little harder.

Eventually, you’re murmured promises became softer and softer until the two of you just enjoyed each others presence. “C’mon,” you finally whispered as you started to lift yourself off of him. Jungkook growled and refused to let you move an inch farther. “Kook, come on. Let’s go inside. Your ass must be numb by now.”

“Don’t care,” he grumbled but he at least shuffled forward a bit more so that your combined weight wasn’t squashing his ass against your car.

“You might say that now, but you won’t be saying that later.”

Jungkook grunted at your logic but he at least raised his head and looked at you with the sweetest eyes. “Please tell me you’re staying.”

Giggling, you asked, “do you want me to?”

“Obviously,” he scoffed. “I want you here forever.” Jungkook tilted his head thoughtfully. “Actually, you should just move in with me.”

Christ, this boy was going to give you whiplash. You couldn’t help but laugh. “Jungkook, we just made up. The whole reason we were in this mess is because of poor communication. Don’t you think we should work on that first before anything else?”

“But…we could work on communication all the time if we’re together 24/7.” Despite his pout, you knew he wasn’t totally serious. Although you were sure it was going to come up again.

“Alright, you maniac,” you said fondly. “Take me to bed.” Jungkook’s chest rumbled happily as he lifted you up and wrapped your legs around his trim waist.

It wasn’t a long walk to his bedroom, but the exhaustion of the past week caught up to you and the gentle rocking of his steps lulled you into a serene state. Not quite asleep, but not quite awake either. You were aware when Jungkook placed you on his bed, practically engulfed in his scent. The last thing you remember before falling asleep was the words Jungkook pressed into your hair has he slid in behind you.

“Love you forever, my darling girl.”

LINKS:

masterlist

ao3

TAGLIST:

yzkyzkuniverse

3K notes · View notes