#also do any two/three year olds talk liks this???? not really

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

So I was looking up ATLA fics where Yue lives and I went through all of the potential Yue ships on there, and man am I boring.

I only really ship her with Zuko (contrasts and parallels), Sokka (canon as the right person in the wrong lifetime), Suki (seeming total opposites with the same tastes, meaning they likely have more in common than one might think), or her just being poly with some combination of these three or all three of them.

Though I am bewildered that there doesn't seem to be a dedicated Sokka/Suki/Yue tag at the very least, even though I've read multiple fics with that ship. It seems like the authors are instead just tagging Sokka/Suki, Sokka/Yue, and Suki/Yue, but they're a trio in the fic?

IDK there's a dedicated tag for Sokka/Yue/Zuko, so I don't know why there's no Sokka/Suki/Yue tag.

She almost got married off to a guy she wasn't interested in, and he wasn't interested in her, at least not in an actual loving relationship kind of way. Let the girl live, with her two husbands and wife, who're goofy well meaning badasses.

The rest of this gets kind of long and is just me rambling about the Yue ships I don't like.

I don't ship Yue and Katara, because I do just see Katara as straight, I just can't see her with any girls. I only really even ship Katara with Aang, and like Jet as bitter exes who only tolerate each other enough to not want the other dead or seriously harmed. I didn't even really ever get into Katara being with Haru the way I know some people did. I don't ship Yue with Azula because Azula doesn't need a relationship she needs therapy. My only Azula ship is Azula/Healing. Her being in a romantic relationship as she is in canon is going to end with pain for everyone involved.

I don't ship her with Jet, because Jet's an ass and Yue deserves better after growing up in the misogynist hellscape that was the pre-Katara North Pole. Even if we're talking about redeemed Jet, he's still an ass, that's just his personality. He'd also need some serious therapy before I'd ever want to picture him dating.

I don't ship Yue with any of the adult characters, because we only ever know her as a recently turned 16 year old, before she dies and becomes a spirit. So trying to picture her with any of the adult characters instantly makes me feel like that one doofenshmirtz meme where he blasts away the guy on a motorcycle with an inator because he flirts with Vanessa.

I don't ship Yue with Aang or Toph. The age gap is a touch too big in the show which is where I primarily see them depicted as I never got into LoK, and only Toph even appears in that.

I personally head canon that Toph isn't into commitment, at least not like the marriage kind. She definitely has a few different lovers over the course of her lifetime, but she's married to her job and of course earthbending.

Toph enjoys the company of companions, but she enjoys her own company just as much, if not more a pretty good chunk of the time. I see her as maybe aromantic, or at least somewhere on the spectrum.

While Aang's been interested in Katara since he came out of the ice berg. And within a few weeks I feel like he was at least subconsciously more or less set on someday becoming Airbending Master Aang, Husband of Waterbending Master and Master Healer Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, who just happens to also be the Avatar.

From here on is basically my rambling about a Warless AU and my thoughts on that:

If the war actually failed during the original attack on the air temples, and Sozin got dethroned by his sister or one of her still living supporters... So the 100 year war and Air Nomad genocide never happened, but because Aang runs away before the attacks, he still gets frozen and then reawakens in in Katara's time.

Anyways, I'm almost certain Aang would have made his eventual goal in that timeline be becoming Katara's house husband. Or at least as close as someone literally nomadic like Aang is could manage.

Also, I know people ship Aang with other people, like Toph, or Azula, or Zuko, but I'm sorry I just don't see it. Katara is the love of Aang's lifetime. I mean they got married, which I'm pretty sure is something that wasn't even part of Air Nomad culture back before the decimation.

The only married Air Nomads I know of from canon are Aang, his son Tenzin, and Avatar Kyoshi's mom, who left the Air Nomads to get married. So I'm totally convinced Aang just altered Air Nomad culture so he could be Katara's husband.

I'm honestly convinced that if the Air Nomads survived and he didn't have the duty of restoring Air Nomad culture, Aang would have left the order the way Kyoshi's mom did to be able to marry Katara.

[meowmerson]

obsessive tom where he literally follows hermione everywhere and one day hermione has had enough so they literally play hide and seek 24/7 ????? Your tomione fics are the best!

(i want to write but im too jetlagged to focus on school days so here i am writing this)

(baby tomione. like four year olds)

Hermione loved preschool.

From the very first day her mother took her to the shops to get her brand new red backpack and filled it with her favorite stories and toys she had already decided that preschool was where she was destined to be. When she walked in those doors she saw bookshelves filled with books, toys everywhere she could see, and her teacher was kind and smart and lovely–

It was perfect.

All except…one thing.

There was a boy there. His name was Tom, he had dark hair and pale skin like snow white in her storybook, but he lacked the niceties of the princess in the story. He was rather strange, and he had very very dark eyes that were always fixed on her. 

Always.

She didn’t like him. Mostly because he called all her books baby books and they were not baby books, just because she liked books with pictures, that didn’t make her a baby, she couldn’t read the other books yet and her books were just fine. He also hated fun. And he said mean things all the time. And he insulted her cat when she brought a picture of him to show-and-tell.

And she hated him.

“Hermione.” He greeted when she walked in to her third day of preschool. She reached out and gripped the fabric of her mum’s trousers with her tiny fingers. Her mom was tying her hair up into a bun on her head before she left for the day.

“Who is this?” Her mother asked kindly. Hermione scowled. “One of your friends?”

“No.” Hermione spat.

Tom narrowed her eyes. She narrowed hers back.

“Hermione,” Her mother chided her, “Be nice.”

“Why?” She demanded, “Tom’s not nice.”

“I’m nice.” Tom said. She thinks he was supposed to be joking. His face did this funny thing where his weren’t pinched at the center and his mouth looked more relaxed almost like a smile but not quite. 

“No you’re not.” She told him.

“Yes I am.”

“No.” She said firmly, trying to mimic her mother’s voice when she gets cross, “You are not.”

“Yes I am–”

“No!” Hermione stomped her foot. “You are very not nice!”

“Hermione!” Her mother scolded, squatting down so she could look Hermione in the eye. She briefly turned to Tom with a tight smile, “Tom, why don’t you go play while I speak to Hermione.”

“I’ll stay here.” He said.

Her mother blinked, paused, opened her moth as if to insist and then pursed her lips and turned back to Hermione. “Hermione.” She said sternly, “I want you to go play with this nice boy.”

“Mummy!”

“No.” She said, “Don’t be rude. Go play with him.”

She took her backpack off and hung it up and left. Hermione glowered at Tom for about thirty seconds before pointedly ignoring him and marching toward the book shelf. 

A blonde boy named Draco had the hungry hungry caterpillar held in his hands, but when she stopped beside him to ask if she could use it when he was done, he rudely said no, so she huffed and–still ignoring Tom trailing behind her like a shadow–pulled a pretty green book from she shelf that she hadn’t read.

When she she sat down on the rug to read, she looked up and saw Tom snatch the book from Draco’s hands and push him to the ground. Draco immediately started crying, which Tom ignored as he stalked toward Hermione and sat beside her, offering the book to her.

Hermione gaped. Tom frowned and pointedly looked down at the book he was offering her.

But she didn’t really like Draco, so she didn’t say anything and just traded him books.

This didn’t mean she liked him sitting by her though, so she stood up and walked toward the tables and chairs to sit there. 

But he followed her. And then he followed her to every place she moved in the classroom. And then the teacher got toys out for the to play with and he followed her to all of the toys. And then they went out to recess and he followed her down the slide, and up the hill, and in the play house, and everywhere she went.

She tried to tell the teacher, but she just said ‘he just wanted to play with you, let him play’ and that was not an answer Hermione was satisfied with, not at all, so she just started running. 

She ran around the playground until she was sweaty and gasping for air and he was still right behind her, and then she ran some more until the teacher had to heard all the children back inside for snack time, then Hermione moved chairs four times before the teacher finally snapped at her to stay still, and still he was right there, he didn’t even say anything, he was just there always.

Hermione had enough.

Hermione hid in the cabinet in the play kitchen.

–

Mrs. Granger arrived to pick up her daughter after work and was greeted with the most terrified face she had ever seen on a teacher in her life.

“Hello…” She greeted warily, looking around the room at all of the children playing. 

“Mrs. Granger!” The teacher practically squeaked. “I um…you are here to pick up Hermione?”

“Yes,” She said, “Is everything okay?” She looked around, “Where is she?”

“Um.” The teacher hesitated. “We…don’t know.”

“…What?”

–

Tom had been searching the room for an hour.

He wouldn’t have obeyed the teacher when they asked him to go potty if he had known when he came out that Hermione would have just disappeared. He tried to ask the teacher about it, but they just got this panicked look on their face and started moving around the room very quickly, so Tom had to search by himself in all of the toy buckets and under every table to find her.

Honestly. He got in trouble for pushing Malfoy today for her and she was hiding from him? If she would just pay attention, she would see that they would make excellent friends. They weren’t like the other children, they didn’t cry every five minutes or toddle around in diapers or smash toys on other children’s heads for no reason at all. 

She was wonderful.

And extremely rude.

He checked in the empty LEGO box for the third time before trying to walk toward the part of the room that was ‘off limits’ for the moment, the part of the room that had the big play kitchen and the pretend vacuum cleaner and all of the other big toys, but the teacher intervened last minute by ushering him in the other direction.

That must be where she was, he thought. She snuck away while he was trapped in the potty on the teacher’s orders–and honestly, he knew when he needed to go, they didn’t need to order him to go every two hours like a child–and now she was hiding in there from him.

She was so smart.

It took another half hour for him to finally have the chance to sneak in, when Hermione’s mother arrived–he liked her, she understood that Hermione should be his friend even if Hermione didn’t understand it herself–and began angrily speaking to the teacher in hushed tones. He ran toward the big toys while they weren’t paying attention, checked in the play car, the tent, and finally the cabinet in the kitchen.

Where Hermione sat, crouched in the darkness, blinking up with him with wide, surprised eyes before her features flattened out into a scowl.

He took that as an invitation, and climbed in after her. 

“How did you find me?” She demanded as he shut the cabinet.

“I’m not stupid.” He informed her.

“Mum says not to use that word.”

“Do you do everything your mum says?” He asked her.

“Yes.” She said, as if it should be obvious. He raised his eyebrows.

“Well she told you to be my friend.” He reminded her, “So you should listen to her.”

“No,” She argued, shaking her head, “She told me to play with you, not be your friend, it’s different. I don’t want to be your friend. You follow me everywhere.”

“But you won’t mind if I was following you if we were friends,” He assured her, “You’d like it then.”

She frowned. “You’re not very nice.”

“I’m plenty nice.” He said. She frowned harder, “To you.” He added.

“Mum says to be nice.”

“I’m nice to you,” He said again.

“You’re mean to everyone else.” She said.

“Well,” He began, thoughtfully, “That way you can be nice like your mum says. And I can be mean for you.”

She narrowed her eyes. He hadn’t seen her do that before this morning after he did it. He wondered if she was mimicking him. “Hm.” She finally said, “How old are you?”

“I’m three.”

“You’re three?” She repeated, wide eyed. 

“I turned for last month.”

“I’m not three yet. I’m almost three.”

“I know.”

It was quiet for a moment. 

“What’s your favorite book?” She asked.

“I don’t like your baby books–”

“They are not baby books!” She was scowling again, which probably wasn’t a good sign, but he wasn’t going to lie. 

“I can bring a book for you to look at.” He told her, “You’d like it better.”

She took a moment to think about it. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

The kitchen cabinet opened then, accompanied by the teacher breathing out ‘Oh thank god’ and Hermione’s mother’s angry face.

“We’re friends now.” Hermione told them. “He can follow me if he wants.”

Whatever her mother was going to say–something angry, probably, judging by her face–was forgotten. She hesitated, then let out a long, tired sigh.

“Hermione,” She said, “Please don’t hide from your teacher.”

“Okay.”

She walked with her mother to the front of the classroom, put her red backpack on her shoulders, and turned to wave goodbye to Tom as she went. 

Draco asked Tom why he would want to be friends with someone with such ugly hair so Tom punched him in the stomach and got a time out, but it was worth it.

[spencestyles]

I’d do anything

summary: spencer is in love with y/n and y/n is in an abusice relationship. will spencer be able to save y/n? love her when she needs him most?

pairing: spencer reid x bau!fem!reader

warnings: ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP DO NOT READ IF NOT COMFORTABLE READING THIS CONTENT, normal case violence

words: 4k+

please do not read if you are uncomfortable with the content of it abuse is a trigger. be mindful of this.

enjoy!!

SPENCER'S POV

"Guys this is my boyfriend, Owen," y/n said to the team on a night out.

For the longest time she and I have been best friends, nothing more. I have been in love with her for a while now, but I have always been too afraid to tell her. Now that she had a boyfriend, I knew I had lost my chances.

"Oh my gosh!" Penelope yelled. "It is so nice to finally meet you! y/n has told us so much about you!"

Owen smiled and gave y/n a side hug, "Hopefully all good things."

"Yes," JJ quickly said. "She makes you seem amazing. Hopefully you can live up to the expectations."

"Hopefully I do not disappoint," Owen replied.

The night continued with the team asking Owen questions. I had met Owen before and he truly was a nice guy. That was the worst part. However as the night continued, y/n acted strange and almost seemed afraid of Owen. She was acting timid, something she has never done, not even in front of an unsub.

Owen went to get y/n a drink so I decided it would be the perfect time to ask y/n, "Are you okay? You've been acting strange, is Owen hurting you?"

"What?" y/n laughed. "Spencer are you okay? Of course not. Owen and I are perfectly fine."

I sighed, "Okay, just checking. Are we still on for Dr Who tomorrow night?"

"When have I ever not showed up for Dr Who?" y/n retorted. "I will obviously come. Nothing can ever come between us and Dr Who."

Owen suddenly came up behind y/n, "Wait, you're hanging with Spencer tomorrow?" Owen asked aggressively. "I thought we were going to do something?"

y/n laughed, "I told you I can't ever hang on certain Fridays because I watch Dr Who with Spencer. I also never agreed to doing something together, I would have never forgotten a Dr Who watch party."

Owen glared at me. Obviously he was angry I was hanging out with y/n.

"I think it's time for us to leave," Owen said, grabbing y/n's arm very hard. "Say goodbye to your friends." Owen walked over to the table with y/n and put on a fake smile. As they walked out the door, I noticed y/n look back at me, tears in her eyes. Something was wrong.

The whole team was sitting at the table talking about something random when I decided to speak up, "How did you guys like Owen?"

A mix of complements were thrown by the girls, but the guys, they didn't seem too impressed. JJ, Emily, and Penelope, all went to get drinks while Rossi, Hotch, Derek, and I stayed at the table.

"What did you guys think of him?" I asked.

"I hated him," Derek said simply. "I saw the way y/n acted around him, much profilers the girls are. She's acting just like someone who has been manipulated and abused."

Hotch nodded, "I agree with Derek. I know we aren't supposed to profile team members, but the girls obviously don't see anything wrong."

"Are you guys sure?" Rossi asked. "I mean he seems very nice and maybe you all just think he is not good because you all wish y/n and Spencer were together."

The guys looked at me as I began to blush profusely, "I don't want to be with y/n that much anymore." They looked at me in disagreement. "Guys I'm serious, she has a boyfriend."

"Yeah and you don't like her," Rossi argued. "Just admit that you still have a crush on her and then if something really happens I will believe you."

"Fine," I sighed. "I still like y/n."

YOUR POV

"What the hell y/n," Owen screamed at you. "What the fuck is Dr Who night? You know I don't like him."

You choked a sob, "Owen it isn't like that. I don't like him, he's my best friend. Please don't hurt me."

"He obviously has something for you and you have something for him," He yelled.

"I d-don't lik-ke him Owen," I whispered. "I promise."

This had become your normal routine. Spencer or some other male would say something and Owen would go crazy. Especially about Spencer. Owen would yell at you and sometimes things would escalate. That unfortunately is how it went tonight.

It started with a push, then a slap. Sometimes it progressed more, but that was rare.

"We are going somewhere," Owen said.

You were being dragged out of the house, "Owen, what?"

"Well since you can't be obedient, I'm going to have to teach you somehow y/n."

And like that you were knocked out unconscious.

SPENCER'S POV

I walked into work carrying a coffee for both y/n and I. I decided to get her a coffee to apologize for last night's irrational decisions. I had come to the conclusion that Owen wasn't actually abusive, I was just jealous.

Derek and Hotch though, not so much.

"Baby girl, that guy is a grade A asshole," Derek said to Garcia. "Can you please just do one background check?"

Penelope sighed, "I can't do that Derek, I promised y/n I wouldn't look into him."

I decided to ignore the conversation and wait for y/n to come in for work. After about thirty minutes of waiting I decided to ask Hotch.

"Hey, is y/n coming in today?" I asked.

"Um, no," he said, pulling out his phone. "I got this strange text though, can you look through it."

"Yeah let me see," I said, walking over to where he set his phone down.

"Agent Hotchner, I will not be able to come into work tomorrow for the case. I have an issue with my tonsils. I am sorry." I recited. "I don't think y/n typed this, maybe we should send someone to her house and to Owen's house."

Hotch groaned, "I'll send Derek and JJ, I am hoping our next case doesn't become y/n. Please continue to look over the text and I'll have Garcia look into Owen."

I nodded and put the text onto the white board so I would be able to write on it.

"Hotch, look at this," I said, Hotch walking over to me. "First, y/n hasn't called you agent Hotchner since her first day here, she usually calls you Hotch or Aaron. Also, y/n got her tonsils removed when she was 7."

"Garcia, have you looked into Owen at all," Hotch asked.

"Yeah a little, but it's all normal," Garcia answered.

Hotch glared at her, "Not enough, do a full deep dive. I don't care what y/n told you not to do, he is hiding something and so is she."

Garcia nodded and went straight to work as Hotch's phone began to ring.

"Morgan, you're on speaker."

"Okay so y/n's apartment was spotless," Morgan said. "But it was also locked, so I don't think she went home to her apartment last night."

JJ began to add on, "Owen's apartment on the other hand, was a mess. Like it looked like there was a robbery of some form. Also, y/n's purse was there."

"Garcia what do you have on Owen?" Hotch asked.

"Owen Winters, he is 42 and from Southern California," Garcia began. "As a child CPS was contacted many times and it looks like his dad killed himself when he was 8. It looks like he has an extensive amount of charges for abuse and harassment, all from his ex-girlfriends."

"Do any of them live near?" I asked.

"Yes, boy wonder, 25 year-old Vanessa Montgomery works in a coffee shop near the white house," Penelope explained.

"What is the coffee shop?" I questioned.

"The Starbucks over on Pennsylvania Ave. near the White House," she answered. "Why?"

"I know her, she is the barista that always gets our order perfect," I replied.

"Morgan and JJ pick her up on your way back," Hotch ordered. "Owen Winters is our new unsub and y/n y/l/n is our newest victim."

I sighed as I began to prepare the questions for Vanessa. I looked over at y/n's desk and decided to start looking through it for any details.

As I walked over to the desk, I looked at the coffee on y/n's desk. I wanted to apologize for something that I was right about. Why didn't she tell me? was the only thing going through my head.

At her desk I noticed some things that I guess I hadn't seen before. On her desk she has four framed pictures. One of her, Hotch and Rossi. Another that was her and the girls. One that was of her, Derek and me, from one of the first cases we had together . The last one however, was the one I had never seen. It was a picture of y/n and me from when she took me to Colorado to ski and hike.

I smiled at the memory,

"Spencer, be careful," y/n yelled as I walked closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.

I laughed, "y/n I'll be fine! Come here, let's take a picture."

"Fine! Spencer I swear if I fall, you are coming down with me."

"For you, y/n, I'd do anything."

I then began to look deeper in her desk. I felt like I was violating y/n's personal space, but this needed to be done. As I looked through her drawers, I wasn't able to find anything that could help. Until I looked in the last drawer.

In this drawer, I found papers for a restraining order that had been filed and denied. y/n was trying to get away from Owen.

"Guys, I found something," I said yelling into the conference room. The team looked at me to continue, "y/n filed a restraining order on Owen but it was denied. The date was two months ago. I was thinking back and y/n has been acting a little strange for the past five months. Owen has to have her."

"Reid, we already established Owen has her, but this ensures that he was abusive," Hotch said.

Emily sighed, "The timeline makes sense. She has been hanging out with us less and she has worn more turtlenecks in the past five months than I have seen anyone ever wear."

"Yeah," Penelope said. "y/n has ditched us for girls night for the past few months. She also got mad at me at team dinner last night when I asked why she wasn't wearing something more revealing."

"Her smiles have been fake," I added. "She smiles at us all the time to brighten our days, but they haven't been as nice, welcoming."

"Well, Reid, it looks like you were correct," Rossi said.

"What do you mean?" JJ asked.

Derek laughed, "Last night when you three went off to get drinks, Reid told us he thought Owen was acting violent with y/n and thought she was acting strange. Hotch and I immediately agreed, but Rossi didn't seem convinced. Rossi thought Reid was just jealous because he has a crush on y/n and he doesn't realize she likes him."

"Derek, not the time," I said sternly.

Emily laughed, "I can't believe you of all people couldn't see it Spencer. y/n is hopelessly in love with you and now she is dating a scumbag because she doesn't think you like her."

I sighed as I began to look over where y/n could be located, thinking about the idea of dating y/n wouldn't help us find her. We had made little progression on this, but we knew it had to be somewhere with significance to either one of them or both of them.

I decided to ask Garcia, "Garcia, have you made any progress on where y/n could be?"

"Yes 187, it looks like Owen owns a small cabin around half an hour from here," Garcia said.

"Okay let's go now," Hotch told us.

Garcia gasped, "Wait there is a live feed. I'm putting it up on the screen."

The video was horrific. y/n was tied to a chair looking almost dead. She had blood falling from above her head and looked like she had been through hell.

"Hello BAU," Owen said to the camera. "I have your dear y/n, but you wont be able to get her. y/n will never be out of my sight ever again. I will not have Dr. Spencer Reid ruin our relationship."

"It's not your fault Spence," y/n said to the camera. My heart clenched. She was in pain and I couldn't be there to help her.

"He is the one in the way of our relationship y/n," Owen yelled. "Of course it is his fault."

"Spencer isn't the issue with our relationship Owen," y/n yelled back. "You are."

Hotch started to grab his things, "She shouldn't have said that, we need to leave now. She is already in danger."

We all ran to the SUVs. I went in a car with Derek and Hotch. Derek drove and broke every traffic law imaginable, making the thirty minute car ride less than twenty. The three of us grabbed out vests and began to run to the cabin.

Suddenly, Hotch stopped me, "Spencer it isn't safe for you to be there."

"Hotch I have to go," I protested.

"Spencer, you are the reason she is there," Hotch said. "It may be Owen's fucked up mind, but you are the trigger that made him angry. y/n loves you more than him and he noticed and now we're here. Stay outside." I decided to not fight and stay outside to wait for the other team members. The other SUV pulled up quickly after us.

"Jesus Christ, that was the fastest I've ever driven," Emily complained. "Spencer what are you doing out here?"

"Morgan and Hotch already moved in, Hotch doesn't want me inside," I explained.

"I'll stay out here with you Kid," Rossi said. I nodded in thanks as I watched Emily and JJ run to the cabin. I stood staring at the cabin. Time had become slow motion. It felt like an eternity watching the movement inside.

I heard Derek yell from the cabin, "MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC!" I immediately ran into the cabin. I looked over and saw y/n in Derek's arms, barely breathing. I heard Owen yelling at me, but couldn't focus on anything besides y/n.

"y/n," I said, moving to where I was holding her head. "y/n, I need you to listen to me. I love you, I always have and I am so sorry I never told you."

"Sir, we need you to move," the medic said, trying to move y/n onto the stretcher. I began to move when I felt someone grab my hand. I looked down and noticed it was y/n. She gave my hand three squeezes. I Love You.

With y/n on her way to the hospital and Owen getting taken back to Quantico, Derek, JJ, and I all went to the hospital to keep tabs on y/n while the others closed the case.

I sat in my chair nervous out of my mind. Derek sat next to me trying to calm me down and JJ was across from me.

"Spencer, you need to calm down," Derek told me.

"I can't calm down Derek, y/n could die," I said frantically.

JJ began to laugh, "Did you know the other day y/n told Emily, Penelope, and I, that she wanted kids? Can you imagine that? y/n with kids?"

A tear trickled down my face, "She always told me she wanted two kids, one boy and one girl. y/n would be a great mother."

Derek laughed, "The thing that would make y/n such a great mother if her kids were also yours Pretty Boy. I have known since the beginning you two would have pretty kids." I laughed, but also glared at him.

"y/n y/l/n?" The doctor called. The three of us stood up and the doctor began to walk towards us, "y/n is out of surgery. It was touch and go for a while, but she is stable. There were many noticeable signs of abuse that were old, she has a broken harm and three broken fingers, all of which are old."

I let out a shaky breath, "When can I- we see her?"

"I can only let one person in at a time and I doubt she is awake," the doctor explained. JJ and Derek looked at me, signaling me to go to y/n's room. I followed the doctor to her room.

"It might be a little much to see, she may not look like herself. She is very, very fragile and has wires attached to her," the doctor said before opening the door for me. Walking into the room, the environment was tense. y/n was laying in the hospital bed with wires attached to her and much of her body was wrapped up from the surgery and from her injuries.

I went over and sat next to her bed, grabbing onto her hand, "y/n, you can't hear me but I am here. It's Spencer. I am so glad you are okay, but why didn't you tell me about Owen? I could have done something. WE could have done something. I am just so glad you are safe."

For the rest of the time, I sat there watching her sleep. Not in a creepy way, but to make sure she was safe. I was so pissed at myself for not realizing what Owen was doing earlier. I should have been able to see the warning signs. Some of them were subtle, when she wouldn't hang out with the team or was constantly checking her phone. But some of them should have been immediate red flags, the flinching in front of the unsub or how she always wore clothes to cover herself. I should have known. The team should have known.

I felt y/n's hand move and saw her shift, "Spencer?" she asked.

"y/n," I said breathlessly. "I am right here, but I need to go get a nurse. You are at the hospital, Owen hurt you."

I started standing up to leave, "Spence, no. Don't leave me."

I sighed, looking at her disheveled features, "y/n, I will be right back. You need to see a nurse."

Walking out of the room was painful, hearing her sobs in fear of being hurt again. It pained me to know I was leaving her when she needed me, again.

I walked over to her nurse, "Um y/n y/l/n has woken up, I thought you should know." The nurse said her thanks and walked with me to y/n's room. As we walked in, the sound of y/n's labored breaths became more noticeable.

"Miss y/l/n, we need you to calm down," the nurse said, running to y/n's bedside.

Immediately, I walked over to y/n and held her hand. "Sir, you need to exit the room," the nurse said, ushering me away from y/n. At that moment I didn't know what was worse, hearing y/n's cries or feeling so helpless in the situation.

Suddenly, I felt a presence next to me, "Reid, you need to leave, it's not good for you here."

Derek.

"Derek, I-I-I can't just leave," I stuttered. "I need to be there to help, she's all alone."

"Kid, you need to shower," Derek said.

"No, Derek you don't understand," I said angrily. "I can't just leave her here again. I didn't notice when she was hurt and I need to show that I care."

Derek sighed, "Reid, she knows. She's not going to hate you. No one knew that she was going through that. It's not your fault."

I was about to say something when I say y/n being moved out of her room by doctors, "What is going on?" I asked.

"Miss y/l/n is getting taken back into surgery," the doctor said. "We don't know what happened." I began to hyperventilate. I was freaking out. y/n wasn't alright. She was going to die.

As I began to sob, Derek pulled me into a hug, "She is going to be alright man. You'll get to see her again and talk to her and finally ask her on a date. Does that sound good?"

I unconvincingly nodded my head.

"No, Spencer, don't do that," he said. "Don't doubt the doctors and think about the statistics, y/n is not a statistic."

I nodded, wiping my eyes.

"There you go," Derek smirked. "Now, go take a shower at your house so y/n wont shy away at your scent. Also, maybe get her some flowers. She likes-"

"Pink roses," I interrupted, laughing. "Pink roses are the most difficult flowers to find."

Derek laughed, "At least try to find them."

"For her," I began. "I'd do anything."

After that, I ran to the SUV to head to Quantico and get my car. The car ride felt like forever and I wasn't excited for the possibility of seeing Owen. Thankfully, I didn't see Owen between the time of dropping off the SUV and going to the parking lot to get my car. The car ride to my apartment was short, thank God. I decided to take a quick shower, just wanting to freshen up. I got dressed in my home clothes, which were in fact different from my work clothes, contrary to the belief of most of my team members.

I made it to the flower shop that was down the street from my apartment. I was usually able to find at least one pink rose here, but it was typically very difficult.

"Hello," the shop owner said. "We are close to closing Spencer. Do you need anything in specific?"

"Pink roses," I stated.

The owner laughed, "I'll have to check the back, but don't get your hopes up."

I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, but I couldn't help myself. y/n loves pink roses and I love y/n.

The owner came back, "You my kind sir, are in good luck. We had one bouquet left of pink roses in the back."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," I said, pulling out my money. The owner nodded as I ran out the door to my car.

Speeding to the hospital, I made it to the waiting room. In the waiting room, I couldn't find the team. They were all there, but they weren't in the waiting room. I decided to go to y/n's room and see if they were near there.

Walking to y/n's room, I heard laughter. I looked into the room and saw the team in there along with y/n, smiling. I knocked on the door and slowly opened it.

"Spence," y/n smiled. "I missed you."

"Well I should get going," JJ began. "I need to go see my boys."

The rest of the team followed with their excuses for leaving y/n and I alone.

"H-hi y/n," I stuttered. "I brought you flowers, h-how are you?"

"I am as good as I can be," y/n laughed, obviously compensating the pain. "Thank you for the flowers Spence, I can't believe you could find them at this hour. You have always told me-"

"10 AM is the best time to buy pink roses," I interrupted. "Sorry."

"It's okay Spence, how are you?" She asked.

"Not that great," I said honestly. "Why didn't you tell us y/n?"

y/n sighed, "It was hard Spencer. I already barely had time alone with you guys and I didn't want to ruin it. Owen was also very scary- a mad man. I felt hopeless Spence, I didn't know what to do. I mean I've seen situations like this all the time in cases, but when it was actually happening I felt like there was nothing to do."

I held on to y/n's hand, giving it small kisses while she continued to talk me through her feelings, "and Spencer, I don't want to be alone tonight. Do you think you could stay?"

"Of course y/n," I answered.

"Thanks Spence, you're the best," she said. We continued to sit in a comfortable silence, watching the new episode of Dr Who on the small television in the corner of the room when y/n spoke up again, "Did you mean it?"

"Did I mean what?" I asked, hoping she didn't mean my love confession.

y/n looked at me, knowing I was avoiding the topic, "When you said you love me Spencer. Did you mean it?"

"Yes," I answered.

"I love you too," She said.

I smiled, "Maybe once you're better Icantakeyoutodinner?"

"Spencer say it slower and I'll answer," y/n laughed. "I couldn't understand you."

"Once you're better maybe I can take you out to dinner?" I asked.

"Of course," y/n said. "But no Indian, if we are going on a date I want to go out somewhere. I want to feel pretty."

"To me, you are the most beautiful girl in the world," I said.

y/n blushed profusely, "I still can't believe you found those pink roses! I bet you had to look all over."

"I did, but for you, I'd do anything."

[ererokii]

Line without a Hook || E. Jaeger & J. Kirstein

➳ Jean Kirsten x Fem Reader x Eren Jaeger

Word count: 4,517 Warnings: angst, fluff, unrequited love, cursing ➳ note: this is based off the song Line Without a Hook by Ricky Montgomery! I’ve been thinking this for a long time and I’m super excited by how it came out! Also big thanks to @reddriot​ for betaing!

➳ Synopsis: is love really worth it? Let me say, it’s not always worth it.

You can hold my hand if no one’s home.

Do you like it when I’m away?

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

It starts out simple really. A boy and a girl. Childhood friends, to be precise. Those two are inseparable. Nothing can tear the friends apart, besides their parents, of course. Like two peas in a pod. 

Jean says he knows you like the back of his hand. He truly means that. He knows your favorite boy bands from when you were younger, how many terrible phases you’ve gone through, favorite foods, and places. If he wrote a novel about the things you told him, he would be a renowned author. 

Since kindergarten to now, in the middle of your junior year, you and Jean have been side by side. You told him everything. From random vents and gossiping about the rude girls in your class to how horrible your period cramps were— even though Jean hated hearing about the last, he stuck through it for you.

Only you. 

The pavement that followed the street your house was on is memorable. Jean can recall the amount of times you’ve had races, chalk scribbles covering the grey that would be washed away by the angry neighbors. 

He listens to you as you talk about a kid getting in trouble in your Calculus class, watches how lively your motions are as you speak. Jean can’t help but smile when a laugh slips past your lips and you glance at him. There’s an unknown sparkle in his eyes, one filled with love. 

You haven’t changed one bit, he thinks as he faces back forward, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. His mind begins to wander as you both continue down the pavement, part of your routine when school ends. 

Your houses are right next to each other. You’ve been with him since you were in diapers. He was there when your first tooth came out, congratulating you, and you were there for him when he finally learned to ride his bike with two wheels instead of three. 

The bubbly lovable five-year-old back then is the same as you are now. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Oh all my emotions

Feel like explosions when you are around

A sigh of disappointment leaves Jean’s lips when he listens to Connie talk about something he has learned over the weekend (something completely stupid— he just doesn’t care). Currently, the students are at lunch, the cafeteria full with loud shouts and random noises. 

“Connie, shut up,” Sasha groans, placing her water bottle on the table, wiping her crumbs off. “No one cares that you finally figured out how to stick a spoon to your nose.”

“What do you mean?! You were the one who showed me!”

The brunette gasps and looks over his way, cream cheeks tinted with an adorable shade of pink, pointing a finger at him. The bickering between the two commence as Jean listens, slightly amused. 

As much as he indulges in their argument, he can't help but wonder where you are. 

It’s not like you to skip lunch, especially without at least letting him know. Did you stay behind to talk to a friend? A teacher? Maybe you went to the bathroom.

But it’s at least 15 minutes in. 

“Sasha,” he speaks up, slicking back his hair. The sound of her name catches her attention, making her look at him. “Have you seen Y/N?”

“Y/N?” she asks in a whisper before her lips curl in a grin, already knowing why he asked. “Do you miss her?”

“Just answer my goddamn question!”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Connie asks, looking between his friends before stopping his gaze on Jean. “Why do you need Y/N?”

“Oh, you know! He lik-”

“Shut up!” Jean shouts, catching the attention of nearby students, his face heating up as his cheeks turn a darker pigment. “Just answer me!”

“If you must know,” she taunts him, twirling a strand of hair from her loose ponytail. “I saw her talking to someone in the hallway. Must be important, she’s been there for quite some time. Might want to be her knight in shining armor and saving her, huh?” she cocks her head to the side, staring at one of the windows in the room, watching as the branches of trees sway from the harsh winds. 

The atmosphere outside was cold, breezes rushing down on anyone who was not inside. The sun was hidden by the thick grey blankets filled with rainwater, waiting to shower the world. The temperature recently has been dropping, mid 50’s at least. The weather was a shock, to say the least. 

“I didn’t know Jean likes her!”

“What do you mean?!” Sasha gasps, turning her body to face her small-minded friend. “It’s only obvious! You must be really stupid then!”

“Well, how could you tell?!”

Before Jean has a chance to interrupt Sasha, she begins to rant. He prefers to stay silent, clasping his hands together in his lap as he lowers his head, finding interest in the marbled tiles of the floor his feet rest on. 

The words that slip past Sasha’s lips reach his ear and out the other. 

It’s easy to tell, Connie. Have you noticed the way he looks at her? Can’t you see the love in his eyes? The way he will actually go out of his way to help her with anything? Here you guys are, two close friends, I thought you would have known about his crush. I’m surprised you didn’t catch on every time he ditched plans with us to go hang out with her. He’s whipped, and you’re too stupid to know it. 

His cheeks turn a shade of pink as his eyes squeeze shut, her words replaying in his head like a broken record player. Each sentence is like a knife stabbing away at his brain, causing the slightest ache to form in his frontal region. 

She’s right. Anything she just said five minutes ago, is completely and utterly correct. 

He can still hear her talking about it to Connie, but he can only focus on three sentences that stick to him like glue. 

Have you noticed the way he looks at her? Can’t you see the love in his eyes? The way he will actually go out of his way to help her with anything?

Memories of him helping you in any possible way come to mind. He can’t recall how many times he has entered class two minutes late because you had so much to carry. 

He stares at you like you’re the only thing worth looking at. It reminds him of those cliche animated movies with hearts in the character's eyes. He’s blinded by his love for you, that he never noticed any signs that you don’t feel the same way about him. His heart races miles per hour when you’re around. Sometimes he worries for himself that maybe, his heart might explode within him. 

“Anyway, lunch has about 20 minutes left...where is she?” Connie mutters, scratching the top of his head.

“I don’t know, but,” Sasha grows quiet, listening to the ongoing thunder from the outside. The lights flicker for a second, a couple of yelps emitting from other students, slightly afraid that the power might go off while school is in session. “The storm is almost here.”

“Y/N!” Connie suddenly yells, pointing in the direction of the door, your body jogging closer to the table. “Where have you been?!”

“Sorry!” you laugh, out of breath as you drop your things on the bench, taking a seat beside Jean. “I got caught up in a conversation with someone! I guess I lost track of time for a bit.”

“I messaged you like four times,” Jean mutters, glancing over at you before looking at the table, playing with the plastic straw that he used to drink out of.

“You did?” you ask, pulling your phone out from your pocket, lips puckering when indeed he did so. “I’m sorry, Jean. I didn’t even feel my phone vibrate.”

“Oh, whatever, who cares! Eat! Or I’ll eat your food!” Sasha yells, pointing a finger at you, a smile gracing her features. 

You laugh along with her as you converse with your peers, the conversation you had replaying in the back of your mind. Jean chooses not to intervene, instead would rather listen. 

The roaring thunder plays in the background, everyone paying no mind to it. What he doesn’t know is that the storm is much closer than Jean could have thought. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Listen close, it’s a no

The wind is a pounding on my back

And I found hope in a heart attack

Oh at last, it is past

Now I’ve got it, and you can’t have it

Another evening, another study session, another day of bottling up his feelings until he can no longer hold them inside.

The storm made its way to shore, raining pouring down and even some hail; not what anyone was expecting. 

Jean mindlessly flips through the pages of his English book, not even paying attention to the words as he checks how many pages are in chapter five. 

“This seems pointless,” he adds with a sigh, tossing the book on your bed along with his highlighter he uses to annotate with. “I should just find a summary online or something, I don’t want to read this.”

“And why is that?” you ask, looking up from your book, placing the hardcover against your thighs. “Is it boring to you?”

“No,” he mutters, rolling onto his back. “It’s stupid. This love crap.”

“Well...it is a romance story, the teacher told us when we got the book. But why do you think it’s dumb?”

“He writes letters for her, and in the end, she ends up rejecting him. I don’t think that’s romantic.”

“And? It’s beautiful on his part,” you close your eyes as you stretch your arms over your head, letting out a grunt. “It’s the fact that he wrote to her every day. It’s like he poured his soul into every word. The words he uses are..literally everything. It makes me swoon over him, and he’s not real. Makes me wonder if someone would do that for me.”

Jean’s head perks up at your words, one of his eyebrows raised in curiosity when he notices the bashful look on your face, eyes averted to the comforter on your bed. “Why do you have that dopey look on your face?”

“Huh?!” your eyes are blown open as you look over at him. “What are you talking about?!”

“I’m talking about that, idiot,” he points at your face, watching your eyes cross faintly to stare at his finger. “You’re acting about that guy in the book.”

The patter of the rain is the only noise that fills the void called silence in your room. His warm eyes don’t leave your face at all, waiting for your answer. You’ve been acting weird ever since you were late to lunch this past week. 

He watches your mouth open as if you’ll say something but close it right away, like you were concealing anything you had to hide.

“...well? Y/N? Are you there?”

“Yeah!” you cough into your elbow, running a hand down your face. “I-- you can’t tell anyone.”

“You know I never tell anyone what we talk about.”

You’re silent, a bit too quiet than usual. You fiddle with your fingers before blurting the words that have been eating away at you. 

Jean’s heart stops for a moment, eyes wide in shock when he processes it. His blood runs cold as he’s unable to move, frozen like a statue. The signals in his brain begged him to respond, but he couldn’t. He could hear the faintest sound of bells ringing in his ears; all noise surrounding him was now drowned out by his thoughts. 

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds. 

“You like someone?” he asks in a whisper, barely audible to your ears, but you heard as you nod shyly, biting down on your lip. “Well... who is it?”

“That’s...I can’t say it.”

“Why can’t you?”

“I’m afraid to say it out loud because I don’t want to ruin my friendship with him.”

Friendship? That could be anyone at this point.

I have to figure out who, he thinks as he draws random patterns into the sheets. “Well, tell me about him then. Is he in our grade?” he asks.

“Yeah, he is. He’s in four of my classes.”

Jean was in four of your classes. Math, English, Foreign Language, and Science. 

“That’s it?”

You huff, rolling your eyes. “Can I finish before you interrupt? Thank you.”

You pause momentarily before speaking again.

“He’s stubborn. I’ve noticed that his demeanor changes when it depends on who he is with. He seems like a hardass and looks like he doesn’t want to be bothered, but he seems like a total softie when he’s with people he loves. Not to mention he’s hot...and tall. He’s blunt and straight to the point. He doesn’t bullshit at all. He’s really sweet as well, to me. He always goes out of his way to make sure I’m okay and how my day was. He just..he seems to care for me, and I feel the same way about him.”

Jean takes every word you say into consideration. He’s stubborn, it seems that he doesn’t like to be around people he doesn’t know but loves those he does know. He knows he’s hot. Practically every day he looks at himself in the mirror and thinks about how good he looks.

He’s blunt and straight to the point. He doesn’t bullshit at all. He’s really sweet as well, to me. He always goes out of his way to make sure I’m okay and how my day was. He just..he really seems to care for me, and I feel the same way about him.

Jean can feel his doubt and worry turn into happiness and confidence as you keep on ranting, to which he’s not fully paying attention anymore. He knows it's him. It has always been him.

No one else.

Jean likes you.

And you like Jean, that’s all there is to it. 

“Do you want to tell him?”

“Yeah...” you trail off, scratching the nape of your neck. “I want to tell him on Friday after school. Do you think he’ll like me back?”

“I think he would. How could he not? He would be a total idiot to reject you.”

You hum at his reassurance, placing your hand on his, squeezing gently.

“Thanks, Jean.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Darling when I’m fast asleep

I've seen this person watching me

Saying, “Is it worth it? Is it worth it?”

Tell me, is it worth it?

Friday comes, and Jean can hardly wait for school to end. He’s not paying attention, his eyes constantly staring from the whiteboard in the front to the clock that tauntingly ticks slower than usual. 

He bites down on the pink end of his pencil in anticipation, tapping his foot repeatedly on the floor, the noise resonating through the classroom. 

Maybe I should just keep my eyes off the clock, he thinks, lowering his head back to the worksheet their teacher gave the class.

Econ class was a drag. He could care less about the differences in macro and microeconomics, the same with Communism and Capitalism. It’s just a bunch of words that don’t make sense to his brain. 

This was one of the classes he didn’t have with you, the last class. 

Instead of doing his worksheet (luckily, the teacher said it would be for homework if it wasn’t finished), Jean proceeded to think about ways he could tell you his feelings.

He could be old fashioned, tell you how much he adores you and how happy you make him feel when you’re around. How his heart can be heard from the outside of his body, how his hands got warm and clammy, maybe sweaty when he became too nervous.

Or

He could ask you out on a date. Take you somewhere, one of the places you’ve told him in the past that would make a great date for you. He smiles when he thinks about taking you downtown at night, looking at the soft lights that would brighten the streets; loving the sparkle in your orbs as you look around in awe. 

He hums, pleased with himself when he figures out what he’ll do, scratching the back of his ear. 

He wonders if you’re thinking the same thing.

-

You glance at your table partner, looking at his piece of paper before looking down at yours, displeased how his is able to look better than yours. You pick up your eraser, gently wiping the shadings away from your drawing, careful not to crease your paper.

“It’s not that hard you know, you just don’t know how to shade.”

“I know how to shade, Eren,” you reply with a huff, placing your eraser back down. “It’s just...this is a bit harder than usual.”

“All you have to do is follow the markings,” he presses the edge of his drawing pencil against the reference photo both of you are using, tracing the shape of it. “You could honestly just copy the photo, I doubt this woman would even notice.”

You chuckle at his choice of words, shifting in your seat to get comfortable. “I don’t think she would anyway. She just stares at it and calls it an A. I bet for our expressive project, she wouldn’t notice if we copied each other.”

He shakes his head with a smile, the loose strands of his hair swaying with his head movement. “No, she wouldn’t,” he rolls the sleeves of his hoodie to his elbows, grabbing his pencil again. “Then again, we are working on it with each other.”

“Speaking of that, what should we do?”

“Up to you, Y/N. I don’t mind. I’m just trying to pass this stupid class anyway.”

You relish in the silence between you as you gaze at him from your peripheral. You take notice how his hair frames his face effortlessly to the dip in his nose. It’s perfect how it forms to his cupid’s bow to his lips; not too big nor too small either. Just right. 

You clear your throat, scratching at the nape of your neck. “Why not do...stages of love?”

That catches his interest.

“Stages of love?” he asks, moving in his chair to face you, a hand propping his head up. “Elaborate?”

“Like you know...how we gain a crush on someone. We like how they make us feel, and soon we think about them some more. Maybe make little scenarios in our head. Then we gain the crush and want to be around them. You know what I mean, right?”

He’s silent, hues that represent the blue of rivers, boring into your own. At first, you think he hates your idea, but then the corner of his lips curls into his infamous grin. “Yeah, I like that. Did you have anything else in mind?”

“Maybe...rejection?”

“Rejection?” he repeats, a bit shocked at how romantic your words were, to something filled with sadness. “And why would you want to do rejection?”

“W-Well,” you stutter, unsure how you should put it. “Everyone always talks about the good in love but never the bad. And I think it could be done good, you know?”

He hums, scratching away at his chin before nodding. “Yeah, alright. That sounds oddly specific, but I like it. We can honestly get started soon, that way, we can finish faster and not worry about it.”

His smile throws you for a loop, your face heating up as you pick up your pencil, trying to distract yourself. 

“Say, Y/N?”

“Yes, Eren?” you reply a bit too quickly, cursing yourself out internally for sounding too desperate. 

“Can we talk?” his cheeks are a shade of pink, his eyes averted as he plays with one of the strings of his hood, reminding you how a child would distract themselves. The tips of his shoe nudge against yours, barely kicking gently.

“Aren’t we talking right now?”

“No, I mean after school.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

And in my eyes, there is a tiny dancer

Watching over me, he’s singing, 

Jean storms out of his Econ class with a grin, hands gripping onto the straps of his backpack as he looks down one end of the hallway before going down the other direction. The art room was three classes down his. Usually, Jean will wait right there by the door for you since you take ages to finally leave the classroom. 

When Jean finally reaches the room, he sees that the doors are locked, and the lights inside are off.

Huh, that’s weird, you’re always one of the last to leave, nor are you ever this early. 

He stands there for a few more seconds, peering in through the small glass, and sees nothing before taking a step back and quickly continues to walk down the hall. His legs are quicker, going down the two flights of stairs. 

His eyes frantically search for the yellow shirt you wore, unable to find you anywhere. 

“Sasha!” he calls out once he reaches the end of the stairs, running towards the girl and their friend, who was at the lockers, pulling things she needed to take home for the weekend. 

The brunette looks over her shoulder, stopping her conversation with Connie as she shuts her locker. “Yeah, Jean?”

He pants, leaning on his knees before letting out a deep breath and standing straight up. “Have you seen Y/N?”

She ponders for a while before shaking her head, looking over at Connie, who shakes his head, shrugging. “We haven’t seen her since Art class.”

“You didn’t see where she went at all?”

The events before class ending play in her mind before she gasps, snapping her fingers, pointing up at Jean. “Yeah, I know where she went!”

“...are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to guess?!”

She mocks him for a second before pulling her phone out. “I could have seen her leave with Eren. I think they went to the bench in the back. You know the one I’m talking about?”

He’s taken aback for a moment before shaking his head, retaining the information. “Alright, thanks.”

Why would you even be with Eren right now? You never meet with him after-

“Are we still on for this weekend?!” Connie yells when Jean is making his way down the corridor.

“Yeah, we are!” Jean's voice travels through the air, reaching both of his friends, hands clammy as they’re shoved in the front pocket of his pants. 

The walk to the back courtyard was tiresome. His feet seemed to drag behind him, an aching feeling forming in his gut. Thoughts pounded against his skull repeatedly, trying to force him to stop. He wants to stop, but he has to go.

He has to tell you he loves you. 

He can’t help but smile when you describe the boy you like this week. In his mind and most certainly his heart, he was the king of the world sitting on his high horse as he screamed in victory, letting the whole world know that the person he likes, feels the same way about him. 

The fresh air from the outside meets his nostrils as he deeply inhales, allowing it to enter his body before exiting. The sun is the first thing he meets with as he exits the building, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes away from the harsh light. He mutters something under his breath as he looks around for a second. 

“She’s a,

She’s a lady and I’m just a boy”

His honey orbs finally stop on a bench where you and Eren are seated, that’s not too far away, but his body is hidden from your view. He lets out a sigh of relief, leaves crunching underneath his feet as he walks, not taking long strides, rather walking slow to rethink what he’ll say.

“Y/N, I’ve liked you for a long...no,” he mutters, stopping in his tracks as he looks down at the green grass and leaves, kicking away at them. “I’ve loved- no, that sounds a bit aggressive, goddammit,” he groans, tugging at the roots of his hairs. “Why is this so fucking hard?!” he growls underneath his breath, leaning against the brick wall. 

He never was anything else but honest with you. How could he say it?

What if this ruins your relationship?

...what if you liked Eren?

His breath hitches in his throat when realization dawns on him. His lips part, a soft exhale releasing from within him. His fingers curl around nothing, as if he was holding the air’s hand. The tips of his fingers shake, his whole body stiffening as he stares hard at nothing. 

How could he be so stupid?

It all made sense now. How you stayed behind during lunch that one time without saying anything; in the back of his mind that day, he knew that someone had to be a boy, maybe a girl. Even then, you would always let him know. 

Jean should have known from the beginning that you only saw him as a brother. 

His chest aches as his vision goes blurry, biting down on the inside of his lip to the point where he can taste the bitter metallic on his tongue. He squeezes his eyes shut before opening, wishing he hadn’t at that moment. 

He’s singing

“She’s a, she’s a lady and I am just a line without a hook.”

His heart breaks, stomach-dropping when he sees Eren’s hand brings you closer to his body, lips pressed up against yours; your hand placed on his cheek, cradling his face. Even from where he stands, he can sense the urgency in the kiss, how your bodies move together as one, how your fingers grip onto him like he’ll leave any moment. 

His lower lip quivers for a second, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, clearing his throat. Jean cranes his neck upward, looking at the sky, muttering the words, “Why him?” over and over like a mantra, no other words coming to mind. 

When he closes his eyes, all he can see is you. Not Eren, just you. Those moments where you laugh, cry, or stay silent, those are the moments that flash in his head.

Did he do something to you? Was it something he said?

Did you ever like him at all?

“It’s pointless,” he whispers, pushing himself off the brick wall, immediately making a beeline for the doors. He swallows harshly, legs moving faster than ever, wanting to get out of this hell hole called reality. 

Like every day, you’ll walk down the same pavement you’ve been walking on for years.

Only this time, he’s walking alone. 

Oh, and if I could take it all back

I swear that I would pull you from the tide. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

taglist: @sleepysnk @jaegerbomb20​ @reddriot​ @kkiimmberly​ @kingtamakimurder​ @tamasoft​ @byougen​ @spike-this-ass​ @crimsonbows-and-arrows​ @squidonmywall​ @thicmitten​ (message me to be apart of it!)

[capaimagines]

choi soobin - misfortune pt.3 (final)

Pairing: Choi Soobin x Reader | Genre: angst, fluff, enemies to lovers, best friend to lovers | Warnings: hints at sexual assault, alcohol consumption, reader is a bit of a bitch at times, swearing, mentions of suicide attempt, themes of depression, mental health struggles | WC: 2.5k

part one, part two, part three (final)

A year later

True to your words, Soobin had you back. You two talked constantly either over phone calls as well as facetime or just simple sms. He had filled you in on everything that had happened since you two stopped talking. How he had hoped that you would come barrelling down the stairs to the train on the day he left to tell him you were sorry and that you were happy for him. Or how nervous he was when he was chosen to be in the debuting group that year and wanted nothing more than to call you but he couldn’t. The nerves and anxiety he experienced when they chose him to be the leader because he didn’t think he really had any leader qualities and wouldn’t fit the position well.

How nervous he was when it was finally time for them to step on stage and debut, how relieved and happy he felt after. Though, he was sad that he couldn’t call and tell you all about it, he just wished that you had watched it to begin with. He wasn’t all that surprised when you told him you hadn’t. That you had completely ignored anything having to do with him so that your heart would stop aching.

His schedule was busy and you couldn’t talk all the time, but whenever he did have free time, he was calling you. The two of you had grown a lot closer the past year and it felt like old times. Almost. There was a budding feeling in you that you scarcely felt back then that was hitting you full force this time around.

You had feelings for him. More than platonic feelings.

A large smile would spread across your face when you would see his name pop up in your notifications. Butterflies would erupt all around your stomach when you would watch their performance videos or see his bunny smile on your phone screen.

It didn’t take long for Jisoo to catch on that someone else was in your life. And it didn’t take long for her to break you down and for you to spill everything to her. How you knew him a few years back, with a lot of history, briefly touching on why you two stopped talking, the shock when you saw him again, the day you two had met up to talk and now.

“How can I tell him?” You whined as you rolled on to your stomach and buried your face in your pillows. 

Jisoo snorted at your dramatics and rolled her eyes, “Just tell him, Y/N. Fate brought you two together again for a reason. It’s meant to be!”

You groaned in annoyance. You loved Jisoo dearly, but her belief in all this fate and soulmate crap really got on your nerves sometimes, “Are they even allowed to date? They can’t date! His fans would literally murder me.”

“Heard about a secret relationship? It also makes it that much more exciting,” Jisoo winked at you and you flipped her off. She huffed, “I’m only trying to help.”

You knew she was, but confessing that you have feelings for someone who is supposed to be your best friend? That was scarier than confessing to an absolute stranger. Plus, you were pretty sure that Soobin didn’t even feel an ounce of the same way you did. He simply saw you as his best friend. Besides, the two had just gotten things back to normal. He was finally back in your life and you in his, you couldn’t jeopardize that. Then again, maybe you were just having these weird feelings and emotions right now because you two were finally talking again and you had missed him. That had to be it.

Soobin, on the other hand, was experiencing the same dilemma. He always loved you in some type of way, he just never expected it to blossom to be more than a friend or sister, “You look troubled, my friend,” Beomgyu teased as he handed him a bottle of water. Soobin took it and drank some, shrugging his shoulders.  

“How do you tell someone you like them?” He asked and Beomgyu choked on his drink.

“You think I would know?! I’m just a baby!” Soobin rolled his eyes and the topic was dropped as Beomgyu droned on about how he was too young to know how to like girls or talk to them.

“Who do you like?” Yeonjun asked with a glint in his eyes. Soobin narrowed his. Yeonjun knew about you and he also knew that Soobin was talking to you again. Soobin told him about when you two had met up because he was gushing to tell someone.

“Y/N perhaps?” Yeonjun teased with a smirk.

“The ghost girl? The one we aren’t even sure exists?!” Taehyun played along.

“Yah! She’s real,” Soobin scolded and the others just laughed.  

“Sure, sure hyung,” Taehyun said, Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

For weeks you two tip-toed around the tension. There would be times you’d catch Soobin staring at you when he thought you were too occupied by whatever you were doing. Sometimes when you two had the opportunity to walk around the town, you would catch him going to hold your hand then stop himself and shove it in his pocket instead.

You found yourself complimenting him a lot more than you normally would. When he would change his hair you would tell him how good it looked. Sometimes you’d compliment his clothes even if it was just a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. He’d do the exact same, always compliment you too and a few times he had tucked a few strands of stray hairs behind your ears without a second thought.

“Jisoo!” You whined as you collapsed on her bed.  

“Jeez, did you gain weight? You’re breaking my knees! Get off you piece of lard!” She pushed you off her but you only rolled and whimpered out again.

She sighed at your large puppy-dog eyes, “What can I help you with today princess?” She teased as you scowled at her. 

“I really like him,” You whined again and she sighed. Quite frankly, Jisoo was starting to become really annoyed at your whining. From what you had told her, anyone with eyes would be able to see that Soobin felt the same way about you.

“Just tell him, dammit!” She chided and you smacked her knee.  

“I can’t! You know that,” You exclaimed

 Jisoo sighed in frustration, “No I don’t. Why not?”

“Because what if he doesn’t feel the same? What if I say something and then it’s awkward and then we stop talking and never talk again? I just got him back in my life, Ji. I don’t wanna lose him again. I can’t.”

Jisoo sent you a warm smile before flicking your forehead, “Yah!” You narrowed your eyes at her and she smiled sweetly at you.  

“You’re so naïve and oblivious that I just want to shake your brain around some. Just tell him. Or I will!” She jokingly threatened.

Jisoo got off her bed and skipped away and you groaned again, sprawling out like a starfish. Maybe Jisoo was right. At least if you told him you could get confirmation on what you already believed to be true and could start getting over these feelings.

You pulled your phone out and messaged him.

[ 4:07 pm ] Can I come over?

Almost instantly you had a response and he told you it was fine. They had an off day today and the others were out and about.

[ 4:08 pm ] I was getting bored anyway

You giggled at his message back to you and got ready to make your way over to his. You were about to lay everything on the line and you hoped it didn’t ruin everything you two had built back up.

Soobin ran around the dorm like a mad man as he tried to make it seem like five boys didn’t live there. He was nervous about you coming over and he could definitely tell something was a little off by your message, but he wasn’t sure exactly what. It would also be the first time you two would be alone behind closed doors. Pushing his nerves aside, he grabbed some air freshener and sprayed it around.

Thirty minutes later you were knocking on his door and he opened it with a warm smile, “I thought you were going to blow me off,” He teased as you pushed past him. You rolled your eyes. Maybe it had taken you a little longer to get here because you wanted to look nice.

“Can we talk?” You asked almost immediately as you looked up at him. You didn’t want to sit on this because you knew you’d talk yourself out of it. Then Jisoo might really find a way to shake your brain. Or get his number from your phone and tell him herself. She always loved to play matchmaker.

“U-u-uh, sure,” He stuttered, scratching the back of his neck, “Everything alright?” You followed him to the living room, sitting down on the couch and nodded your head.  

“I think so. There’s just something I need to tell you so shut up and listen,” He chuckled at you and nodded.

“How do you tell someone you like them?” You asked. You were truly out of your element right now.  

Soobin’s cheeks turned red and his eyes went wide, “I-uhm-just tell them?” You groaned at him and threw your head back, feeling the tips of your ears burn.  

“Just tell them? Just like that?” You questioned, wide eyes.

Soobin took in a deep breath and sighed, “Well, you could always start by saying how much you care about them,” You could feel his gaze on you but you refused to look back at him. At least for right now.

“You can just be honest. Tell them how amazing you think they are and how you feel this tingling in your stomach when you see them smile. Or how your heart races when they call your name and smile up at you. How their laughter is like music to your ears.”

You peeked up at him and saw his cheeks were still a flaming red but his gaze was directly on you.  For whatever reason, you didn’t look away.

“How scared and worried you are when you don’t hear from them right away or how you check your phone a million times a day to see if they replied to you. Or how despite being apart for some time, and hearing about the hardships they faced alone makes your heart break being apart. How you love their little quirks like when they pick their nails when they’re nervous or unsure.”

You quickly sat on your hands because you were doing just that right now. You stopped breathing for a second. There was no way he was talking about you. At least your brain couldn’t wrap that sentiment around. Maybe you should let Jisoo shake it a little to knock some sense into you.

“How I want to hold your hand and just kiss your lips but can’t because I’m afraid of ruining everything.”

Your eyes snapped to him again and he was looking down at his lap now, “You want to hold my hand?” You asked and Soobin froze. He had said that out loud. He hadn’t meant to but of course, you would hear it.

“And you want to kiss me?”

He didn’t say anything, clenching his jaw, “You know,” You scooted a little closer to him and placed your hand on his knee, “I pick my nails when I’m nervous and unsure.”

His brown orbs met yours and you saw the fear and worry in them which you sure were mirrored in your own, “And I don’t want to ruin anything either.”

“Y-you don’t?” He choked out and you hummed, eyes fluttering down to his lips for a split second before they went back to meet his gaze, “But at the same time, you gotta risk it to get the biscuit.”

With that, you closed the space between you two and pressed your lips to his. It only took a moment for Soobin to realize what was happening before he placed his hand on the back of your neck to pull you closer. You pulled away after a few seconds, your fingertips brushing your lips.

“Risk it to get the biscuit? Really? That’s how you lead into a kiss?” Soobin teased and you looked at him. He had a large smile on his face and his cheeks were a deep scarlet as his hand was holding yours, you made no attempt to let go even if you wanted to hide your face.

“I-I was nervous! It was the first thing that came to mind!” You tried to defend yourself and Soobin only laughed at you, throwing his head back. He was right; his laughter was music to your ears. After calming down, he gave you a warm look, tucking your hair behind your ears.

“I think I love you,” He said quietly but this time, he kept his gaze level with yours, “I think I have for a really long time,” As much as you were relieved, you were quite surprised, “Probably since we were in middle school,” He murmured and you gasped a little. Was that why whenever he would date another girl it never lasted long? Or why he would turn people down?

“I-think I love you too,” You whispered and he smiled at you, cupping your cheek. 

“Yeah?” You nodded and he smirked, “Well it’s about damn time,” He chuckled as he pressed his lips against yours once again, but this time, it wasn’t awkward or tense. It was full of passion and love.

After kissing for some time, he pulled away to catch his breath as he rested his forehead on yours. You grabbed his wrist, eyes still closed. You were still trying to take everything in, still trying to process everything that’s happened in the last few minutes.  

“So, we’re doing this?” He asked and you fluttered your eyes open.

“We are. If you’d let me that is.”

He smiled, pulling away and kissing your forehead, “Good,” He chuckled, “Without a doubt, no questions asked I’d have you.”

Never in a million years did you think you’d be sitting here right now. Never in a million years did you think that you would catch feelings for Choi Soobin and he actually returned those feelings. Maybe Jisoo was right about her fate talk.

You could believe in that now that you were sitting here, curled up with Soobin. Maybe fate had really wanted you two to be together but needed you two to grow up a little before it could happen.

Fate or not, you felt happier than you had felt in years. And giddy.

You were in love with your best friend and he was in love with you.

You were ready for this next adventure of your life.  

As long as he was by your side, you could handle any misfortune.

[honeymoonjin]

part of the 2020 sapphest fic fest, cross-posted to ao3

pairing: jungkook x hoseok x namjoon

word count: 8.1k  ||  rating: sfw  ||  genre: magical realism

summary: jungkook doesn’t know what she wants in life. but maybe the cottage-dwelling botanist and warlock she moves in with could help. or, perhaps, they might even be the answer.

notes: i apologise if this isn’t up to scratch, i haven’t written an actual oneshot i think since jan/feb (?) so i know i’m rusty. also, this fic contains a trans female jungkook, cis female namjoon and non binary hoseok so i really do hope i’ve done them justice, it’s my first time writing characters with differing gender expressions. please do let me know what you think with a reblog or an ask, it really makes my day and would help a lot as i’m trying to get back into writing. thank you and i love you xxx

------

Jungkook feels the gripping pressure around her heart ease with every step she takes down the street, fading into phantom pangs once the tall apartment building falls out of view.

She had never quite gotten used to it; the relief in a lack of something, the bliss of less. Her family’s worries seeped into her bones, soured her tongue when she was home. At high school, and especially at university, the stress of other students buffeted her like gales of wind. The brief moments of respite when she’d walk to the bus stop always felt so fleeting, like a gasp of air that didn’t quite fill her lungs enough.

Now, though, she didn’t stop there. She walked further, sucking in deeper breaths.

The train station lay close to the centre of town, but it was never that busy in the late morning, something she’d known fully well before going.

Her phone buzzes in her front pocket, no doubt her mother wishing her safe travels again. She doesn’t answer it, though. Happiness is a sweet tang behind her teeth, and her respite from obligation is a welcome one.

Her train is already pulling into the station when she steps up to the platform, and she wastes no time in scanning her card and finding a seat, tucked in the least occupied corner.

It doesn’t take long for the cramped blocks of Seoul to open up into countryside, and with it comes an openness in Jungkook’s chest that she only remembers feeling once before, a family vacation to an island that felt so blurry in her childhood memory.

Her gift wasn’t so strong then, but still Jungkook finds herself, over a decade later, seeking out nature as a balm for the mood pollution of city life.

When she’s as far south as the train allows, she disembarks. Not a single other soul steps foot off into the station, and it seems nobody is around.

It’s more a bus stop with rails than a train station, really. A roughly squareish pad of thick concrete sits beside the old tracks, a steel park bench and signpost the only things adorning it.

Around the lonely station is an open plain with few trees. On the opposite side, vast untended fields sprout daisies and dandelions, rising gracefully to low hills in the distance. On Jungkook’s side, a single narrow path of sun bleached dirt cuts through the wild grass, leading her to civilisation.

It’s a quiet walk. Not that she minds, of course; on the contrary, the remoteness of this place settles her and allows her to appreciate the finer sounds that normally get drowned out. The grass and scattered trees rustle gently in the wind. A few birds that roost in the shade of the branches chirp to each other, and the melodic noise brings a smile to Jungkook’s face.

When the small path she wanders along finally leads her to a series of small, traditionally-built houses, she’s unsurprised to find them seemingly abandoned. There’s no signs of life outside, and no evidence of human mood anywhere in her body. Even more than the rundown appearance of the outpost, Jungkook trusts her natural gift.

So when a tug in her chest leads her past the small crop of houses, she doesn’t hesitate. There is something for her here, something she may not yet have the words to explain, but for the first time she’s letting herself follow the currents that run through her veins, instead of trying to live around them.

The path lifts.

Like the train station was the base of a funnel, the land rises into hills on this side too, the extra exertion heating her calves with each step. Eventually, the narrow spine of dirt becomes overgrown with grass, and she’s forced to trample over it, ducking around low-hanging branches and stumbling over roots as the trees cluster around her, welcoming her into the cool shade of the hillside.

The crest of the hill has a jagged notch missing like a chipped tooth, providing a shortcut to the other side. The sun peeks through worn walls of ancient stone. It glares in Jungkook’s eyes, but even that brightness is overwhelmed by something stronger that radiates from the very ground itself. Euphoria.

Though her gift was still sometimes a mystery to her, Jungkook had learnt to distinguish most moods. In her cramped suburbia, she’d generally just been exposed to human feelings and the occasional animal, but she could still recognise the specific energy that plants give off.

Stronger with every step she takes, her soles practically vibrate with the flow of plant life singing out in joy - the joy of thriving, of being taken care of. Her own excitement wells up inside her, and her feet pick up their pace until the thud of grass changes into the slap of heavy soles on rock. She slips through the narrow crevasse of stone at the peak of the hill, breath catching at what greets her on the other side.

Like some kind of paradise, lush colours and fragrances mingle in the fresh air. The slope is much gentler here, and instead of uneven undergrowth and stubborn shrubbery, graceful rows of trees fill the open plains in front of her.

An orchard of plum trees with their pink blossoms rests to her left, rich purple fruits beginning to grow from them. Beside, a thicket of orange trees brighten the landscape with the bold citrus, only a few white flowers remaining on the branches. The green apple trees in front of her are laden with fruit, the branches hanging low. To her right, she even spots the brilliant pink spheres of pomegranate, though surely her eyes deceive her.

There’s no clear path through the foliage, though each row kindly provides enough space for a person or two to wander through, so Jungkook takes one such gap at random. There looks to be a fairly old though well-tended cottage beyond the trees, and even as the ecstasy of the healthy orchards envelops her in warmth, she feels the tug in her chest still guiding her forward.

Her body adjusts to the strong flow of positivity. It clears her mind, opens her lungs; like breathing pure mountain air. She has no idea what she’s really doing - trespassing and approaching a stranger’s house like this - but already the thought of having to leave here and find a place to stay makes her stomach curl.

Between the line of trees she can make out the front-facing wall of the cottage. Made up of wide planks of wood, slightly uneven with all the knots and flecks left on the surface, green creeping ivy runs lines across the edges of the plants like earthy seams. That’s all she can see, though, and the first sign of human life doesn’t come from what she sees but rather what she hears.

Reaching her ears even around the happy murmur of greenery, a bright voice hums a meandering but cheery tune, interspersed with chirped phrases that Jungkook can’t quite make out yet.

She approaches slowly, but impatiently peeks around the trunks of trees for a glimpse at the individual. The movement, the colour, the tint of energy that she feels off of them is unlike anything she’s felt before. Pure light, just as brilliant as it is tender.

She steps forward again, foot snapping a fallen twig. Suddenly, that stranger’s energy wobbles, the freezes in the air altogether. Jungkook pauses, knows she’s caught.

“A visitor?” the new voice exclaims incredulously, almost as if talking to themselves. “Are you human, visitor?”

Jungkook swallows. Whoever it was must not have been able to see her. “Mostly,” she replies hesitantly.

As if that’s the right answer, a joyous hoot rings out through the orchard, and light thumps skip closer. A smile stretches across Jungkook’s face entirely unconsciously, her eyes widening when the person finally darts into sight, hand hooked on an orange tree at the very end of the row.

“A friend, then!” the apparent owner of the house declares. They’re dressed for gardening, though dressed is perhaps overly generous. With bare feet and cropped, slightly curly hair, the only thing the person is even wearing is a pair of overalls, dirt on the knees, the leg cuffs rolled up to their calves and the front only just covering their otherwise naked chest. Every inch of skin revealed down to the elfish slope of their nose is a warm, rich bronze, like the sun itself has sunk below the surface and is instead shining outwards. It matches the high energy that Jungkook feels off of them, making her heart race.

Used to modest - even prudish - city fashion, Jungkook swallows at the delicate shoulders and collarbones that contrast enticingly with the swell of their biceps. Averting her eyes, she clears her throat and introduces herself. “And sorry for, uh, intruding,” she offers up with a grimace.

But the stranger waves it off, the movement exposing a flash of something gold on their palm. “Don’t be,” they respond easily, “we haven’t had a guest in years. Name’s Hoseok, by the way.”

“Jungkook,” Jungkook replies without thinking, making the other’s eyes light up even more. “I don’t even… I don’t really know why I’m here.”

Hoseok seems to be expecting this answer. “You should come inside, Jungkook. I built up wards against humans about three years ago when we moved in - it’s not even on any maps now! - so if you’re here, you’re here for a reason. Just because you don’t know it yet doesn’t mean it isn’t important.” They state this all like it’s a matter of fact, and Jungkook herself feels instinctively swayed by the logic. Or, perhaps, swayed by the way Hoseok’s back flexes behind the straps of the overalls as they turn towards the house, leading her there.

Jungkook swallows, trying to distract herself from the beautiful being in front of her. “Are you a, um-” but even her first question isn’t so clear. Unsure what to choose, she goes with the statistically more common option. “-are you a witch like me?”

Hoseok cranes their head back with an easy grin, boyish waves framing their face like a dark halo. “That’s up for debate. Technically, sure, but I don’t really like using the term witch or wizard. Lots of non-binary folk just use warlock, mostly. But yes, I have magic. Come see.”

They hold out their palm, then, and Jungkook jogs forward a few steps to catch up, just breaking out of the shade of the orchard as Hoseok tilts their hand towards her.

Like the rest of Hoseok’s skin, their palm is a warm golden shade, though it positively glows, an ethereal brightness resting below the skin, centred in their palm but reaching as far as their fingertips like five tiny lamps. “Sunhands,” Hoseok explains simply, their hands radiating a delicate warmth. “Had them since I was born. Helps me grow things year-round,” they finish, gesturing loosely in front of them.

Finally breaking her gaze from Hoseok’s beautiful gift, Jungkook looks ahead, unable to stop herself from gasping in a breath. “It’s gorgeous,” she offers up, but the compliment feels lame in comparison to the haven she’s met with.

Hoseok hums proudly nonetheless, and gives Jungkook time to take it in.

The house is every bit the rustic, homely cottage Jungkook had envisaged from the glimpse she got, but her heart is taken by the details. The wooden face she’s met with is clearly the side of it, hosting a small woodshed complete with an axe half-embedded in a tree stump and a tiny freestanding barbecue grill. The house itself is two-storied, although the second floor looks much smaller than the first. A round glass window peeks out from the top. Jungkook thinks she sees something move behind it, but her attention is quickly pulled by the glint of glass in the sun off to her right.

Behind the house, taking up almost the same ground space as the other building itself, a glasshouse blooms with vibrant green. Lush ivy trails up the frame on either side of the rounded top like a set of ribs bracketing the plant life inside. Unlike the neat rows of fruit trees, it looked like a dense forest within those crystal clear walls; the only signs of human intervention were the rows of metal shelves housing smaller plants, and irrigation pipes fitted inside.

“Our little sanctuary,” Hoseok sighs happily, seeing where Jungkook’s gaze has wandered. “My wife’s a botanist by trade, her specialty is in endangered species. Most of these only bloom very rarely, or don’t survive well in regular soils. We’ve spent a long time cultivating them. I use my gift to grow them; she uses her gift to study them.”

Jungkook tries to tamp down the ebb of disappointment that arises. “Your wife?”

“In all ways but legal,” Hoseok confirms with a dreamy grin. “She’ll just love you, I know it already. Come on; let’s get out of the heat.”

There’s a swing bench on the porch outside the front door with a lone novel resting atop it, open page-down as if the reader had to leave it there without a bookmark to keep their spot. Hoseok skirts past it, wiggling their feet briefly on a worn mat before stepping inside.

Feeling so out of her depth, Jungkook doesn’t protest, but instead pauses just inside the door, unsure if she should take off her boots.

Hoseok notices and winces. “We don’t, uh, we don’t have any spare house slippers. If you wanna keep them on, you can.”

Jungkook bends down to toggle the zips down anyway, letting her socked feet enjoy the respite of the cool hardwood floor. “You have a really nice place,” she offers up, though it’s quite the understatement.

To the right is a narrow set of stairs leading up to a mezzanine. There’s only one closed door up there that Jungkook can see, no doubt leading to the second-floor window she’d seen earlier.

The other side is a short hallway lined with what looks like homemade artworks and photographs. Down at the far end, the sun shines into a kitchen, but Jungkook doesn’t get a good look before she’s ferried up the stairs, the third step creaking under her socked foot.

“Knock knock,” Hoseok sings out instead of actually rapping on the closed door, squishing their cheek against the frame. A murmur comes from inside, and they open the door immediately, flocking inside. “A new friend, Joon-ah!”

When Jungkook slips inside shyly, her breath is immediately taken away by the beauty of the person inside. Not just their looks, though she’s never seen hair as glossy and graceful as theirs, and eyes as bright. But being near them feels like standing on the bank of a still, clear lake. Deep with wisdom but still teeming with life and curiosity. With a set of tortoiseshell reading glasses almost tipping off their nose, the person seated at the chair feels like the heart of the house, the heart of the whole region.

“Does this new friend of ours have a name? Preferred pronouns?”

Jungkook can’t do much more than blink. She’s dreamt about this, obsessed over this for years, but it may just be the first time anyone’s ever actually asked her in real life. “Sh- uh- Jungkook, she/her. Th-thank you for asking.”

The beauty in front of her smiles, and Jungkook’s knees threaten to give out at the serene warmth and endearing dimple. “It’s a pleasure. I’m Joon, by the way. I use she/her too. I’m sure Hoseok forgot entirely, but they use they/them. Always best to check, don’t you agree?”

Jungkook’s nodding immediately in response before she even processes it. “Yeah, I- that’s helpful, thank you.” Her mind feels hazy. People in the city never felt this vibrant, mixed with the blissful hum on the soles of her feet from the plantlife outside. She fights to wrangle her mind back into something coherent “Um… Hoseok said you had a gift too?”

Joon’s brows furrow delicately, swiveling her chair back to face them fully. She’d been seated at a busy-looking desk when they entered, writing notes into the margin of a yellowed textbook. Now, Jungkook can appreciate her simple choice of outfit: just a loose t-shirt and some thin fabric sweats, she nevertheless exudes pure grace, even as she quirks a brow towards Hoseok.

The latter coughs lightly, scratching their bare shoulder under one of the overall straps. “I mean… I would call you gifted, love,” they state in an imploring tone.

Joon just lets out a breathy chuckle and turns back to their newcomer. “I’m fully human, actually. My history is academic rather than magical.”

“I am curious, though,” Hoseok chirps, hooking one of their legs on the arm of Joon’s chair and draping themself half onto her, “what’s your gift, Jungkook? You’ve seen mine. Elemental,” Hoseok states, patting their bronzed palms on Joon’s thighs.

If Jungkook pauses to process the public display of queer affection in front of her - as well as the unfurling of mutual fondness emanating off the couple - she might just pass out, so she clears her throat and directs her gaze a few inches above their heads. “Sensory,” she explains. “I feel moods from other beings. I think the trees and stuff outside brought me here, actually.”

Hoseok blinks, eyes wide. One of their overall straps has slipped down, exposing one side of their chest, making Joon tut and tuck it back up again, but the gifted one takes no note. “The trees? You can feel the trees?”

Jungkook shrugs, but her insides glow at the impressed tone to their voice. “Yeah, I, uh, I can’t really do much with it, so I studied house magic at university. I rented out house witch services for some extra money, so that helps.”

Joon’s smile warms even further at the mention of study, her eyes crinkled with some bemusing inside joke. “We might just have to keep you, then,” she quirks, “as amazing as Hoseok is, their skills don’t really extend to the indoors. Mind you, I’m even worse myself.”

Hoseok hums, unflapped by the comment. “I never had a knack for fiddly stuff. I much prefer getting my clothes dirty than cleaning them.” Seeing how worn and discoloured the knees of Hoseok’s overalls are, Jungkook doesn’t doubt that for a second.

But her mind can’t really focus on that. Her own nerves rattle through her body, metallic on the insides of her cheeks. “I, um… I could help? If you wanted?”

The tentative flicker of interest reaches Jungkook from both parties, allowing her to get her hopes up. Nevertheless, she bites her tongue and braces herself for rejection. Did she even have enough money on her card for the train ride home? Stupid, she was-

Joon beams warmly, though with a touch of hesitation. “We’d love that, really we would. We just… We don’t have much human currency, Jungkook.”

Jungkook blinks, chest flipping as she rushes to shake her head. “I don’t need it, honest! Do you- If you had a place for me to crash, or…”

Hoseok sucks in a breath through their teeth and jostles Joon playfully on the shoulder. “Come on, love, we could move some of those old boxes up here and she could have the spare room. Don’t you want to keep her?”

Even faced with Hoseok’s all-but-bare back, Jungkook can sense their pleading eyes with the way that Joon melts in her chair. She pats Hoseok on the shoulder. “Up you get, then, sunshine. It’ll need some dusting too.” The curled brunette heaves themself up, peppering a kiss on Joon’s cheek before slinking out the room.

Jungkook isn’t quite sure if the rising ecstasy in her chest is all her or a shared blend of the people around her, but she knows she’s never felt so bright. “Thank you so much, Joon! What jobs do you need help with?” She turns when she feels the tingling, menthol-esque blossom of hope directed at her back. Near the top of the stairs, Hoseok still remains, their cheek squashed against the banister and eyes glistening. “I could always clear out the room for you?”

Hoseok begins to perk up but Joon just tuts. “Don’t be silly, sweetheart, you just put your feet up. We aren’t going to put you to work straight away.”

“We aren’t?” Hoseok murmurs in unbidden disappointment.

Joon tries to hide her smile, but her lips quirk up fondly at her partner nonetheless. “The cleaning spray and broom are in the hallway cupboard downstairs,” she divulges, receiving a dramatic whine in return. “Suffering builds character, dear.”

A sulky, “yeah, yeah… love you,” is heard from the foot of the stairs.

Joon lets out a breathy chuckle and returns the affection, before standing up from her desk and nodding warmly at Jungkook. “Perfect weather for a lunch picnic, don’t you think? I might go down and see what I can prepare. Why don’t you explore a bit, or go rest? The couch in the living room is divine for taking naps.” With that, she departs, leaving Jungkook alone in the attic to process the absurdity of the past hour.

Feeling less like an intruder than before, Jungkook welcomes the opportunity to fully roam the outside of the property, admiring the lush wildlife and vegetation. The open plains go far beyond the opposite side of the house, leading to a sharper cliff face going up. Jungkook even thinks she can spot the thin vein of a waterfall if she squints, but there’s plenty of beauty at her feet for her to discover first.

While the grove of trees flanks the house on one side, the far side boasts rows and rows of garden beds, the dirt a richer brown than the rest. Fat strawberries weigh down their stalks in some plots, leafy greens spill over the sides in others. The vast range of produce is almost unbelievable, with the side of the house itself displaying a maze of herb pots. Most of them were cooking-based, but Jungkook doesn’t miss the orange spots of brewer’s mint, the sharp, wicked-looking leaves of murkroot and even a small terracotta pot of Jupiter sage. She was well-versed in magical ingredients, but had never seen them fresh outside of her university’s greenhouse. She could only imagine there were many more in the tall glass structure behind Joon and Hoseok’s house. Her fingers itch to test them, to wow her new landlords with a pain-reliever salve or the perfect dream-infused tea. It can wait, she tells herself. If they were growing them, perhaps they used them for something else.

A wet huff interrupts her musing, and she jumps when she feels something moving against her leg. Glancing down, she’s relieved to find the new presence is a tubby, short-haired dog with sleepy eyes, back arched as it stretches first its front legs, then its back, before collapsing onto its back, wriggling against Jungkook’s boot.

She lets out a disbelieving laugh, reaching down to gingerly rub the creature’s belly. The dog all but purrs, legs kicking in the air and tail thumping rhythmically against the sun-bleached wooden veranda.

“Where did you come from, huh?” Jungkook crouches, feeling her calf muscles ache but grinning at the way the dog seeks out her attention shamelessly, not hesitant at all about the presence of a stranger.

“Ah, I see you met Cho,” a warm voice comes from above her. Jungkook cranes her neck up, admiring Joon’s tall form. “She’s a rescue.”

A rescue? Paired with the close view of the gorgeous botanist, Jungkook has to bite down hard on the inside of her cheek to push her feelings down. She’d fall in love if she wasn’t careful. “Is that so?” she asks, willing her voice to be steady.

Joon nods, kneeling down to gently run her knuckles behind the dog’s ears, tan fur paling to white on the very tips. “I had to go to a nearby town for supplies, and found this wee girl in an alleyway digging in some bins. My heart broke for her, I just couldn’t leave her there.” She lets out a light laugh. “She was so skinny that Hob-ah called her chopstick. Now, though, she’s built like a barrel, so we just call her Cho.”

Cho wiggles her butt against the veranda, paw hooking on Jungkook’s wrist the moment the petting pauses. Continuing to pat the canine, Jungkook sighs. “That’s really sweet of you. She looks really healthy.”

A spontaneous laugh erupts from Joon’s nose. “She just about eats more than us, she better be. Anyways; I better get back to work. I just came out here to grab some mint for the lemonade.”

Jungkook stays hunched on the floor with Cho - whose nose is burrowed wetly into her furled palm - while Joon approaches the trellis of herb pots, gently plucking some soft green leaves off a plant that’s low enough to make her bend at the waist. Biting her lip harshly, Jungkook averts her gaze from the way her pale sweatpants pull taut around her hips with the movement.

Before long, the botanist returns inside, causing Cho to let out an indignant sneeze and scramble up to join her.

Jungkook exhales until her lungs feel concave. Back in a moment of quiet, she runs her fingertips over the texture of the wooden veranda. The energy from Joon’s unhurried focus feels like the echo of strong hands on Jungkook’s shoulders, but past it is the playful jab of Hoseok’s mock frustration. She grins, picturing the warlock fiddling with an old broom or trying to line up the corners of a fitted sheet. The tang of surprise has long since faded from Jungkook’s mouth, and it’s nice to sit in the warmth of both the sun and their welcome.

She breathes deeply, inhaling the fresh smell of clean air and fresh earth, and smiles.

For such a small house, there really is no shortage of work for Jungkook. Some things are easy fixes, like a permanent polish salve for the heavy mahogany bookcase in the main room or the several anti-dust spells she casts around the house. Others take days at a time to chip away at - she’d forgotten just how long it takes to fully steep a digestion aid tea to cure Hoseok’s raging lactose intolerance - but her two new housemates never nag or criticise. In fact, she’s found a warm foundation of purpose inside her that she hadn’t had since she graduated.

Each evening, when her hands begin to ache or the recipes on her phone look fuzzy, she packs up and joins the two lovebirds for dinner. It’s become a domestic ritual to help them cook, chat for a few hours on the porch as the sun slips below the hills, and then turn in for a restful night of sleep. It’s meant to be a full moon tonight - the fourth one since Jungkook arrived - and their routine is no different, gathered on the edge of the porch facing the open fields behind the house. It’s peaceful, Jungkook thinks. She’s more content now than she’s been in a long time.

There’s something...worrying bubbling within her with every shared moment, though. It’s in the way her pulse leaps when Hoseok beams at her, or the stuttered heartbeat in her chest with Joon’s casual touch. She knows they’re together, can feel the resonance of their affections inside her, yet she can’t help pretending those vibrations are directed at her. Lets herself accept the fond shoulder squeezes, blush at Hoseok’s playful winks.

It’s a dangerous fantasy to indulge in, but…

“Jung-ah, did you change your hair? It’s gorgeous.”

She flushes at the compliment, the genuine tone of Joon’s voice. Joon’s own hair is still a sunkissed brown, so long now that she often ties it off with a ribbon into a lazy ponytail. For a while, Jungkook burned with gender envy, knowing it would take years and years for her hair to grow that long. But a quick text to a friend from uni and an obscure millennial cosmetics spell site helped speed that process up. It wasn’t nearly as long as Joon’s, but the feeling of it tickling her bare shoulders each night made something deep inside of her positively glow. “Thank you,” she murmurs shyly. Hearing Joon notice it and respond well to it ignites that euphoric spark again. “Wanted something different.”

Hoseok reaches a hand up to ruffle their own hair; loose coils springing back around their brow. “Don’t you get hot, ladies? I’m tempted to take a razor to mine and it’s not even past my ears!”

Jungkook can’t manage to suppress a snicker in time. “I’d pay to see that.”

Hoseok grins, but sends a wink Joon’s way. “Hmm... wifey doesn’t seem so convinced, huh? Don’t you think I’d suit the skinhead look?”

Joon tilts her head back to catch the last few rays of orange sun, shadows cast below her jaw. “It wouldn’t be my first choice. But confidence looks better on you than any hairstyle, sunshine.”

Hoseok beams at that, letting the conversation drop as if they never were that interested in shaving anyway. “I think I’m making progress with the vanilla, love.”

That gets a strong reaction from Joon, her dark brows arching gracefully. Jungkook’s interest is peaked, leaning forward so that she’s sitting right on the edge of the porch. “The vanilla?”

Like a proud mother, Joon puffs her chest. “It’s mostly grown in Madagascar these days, and it’s a notoriously fickle plant. The flower only blooms one day a year, and is fertile for only 12 hours. And often, they require human intervention to actually pollinate. Seok-ah here thinks they can get it blooming more often. Have you gotten it, sunshine?”

Hoseok shrugs away the attention humbly, though their eyes glitter with barely-restrained excitement, turning to them both. “For a while I thought my sunhands were my only gift, but I think I must have some type of connection with plants too. I’m really not sure, but I’ve gotten my vanilla crop to bloom three times this month alone! Only two of them produced decent pods, but it’s definitely progress.” Their eyes drop, mouth twisting in thought. “I wonder if I could speed up the fermentation process as well. It usually takes months, but I’ve grown whole trees faster than that. Who knows?”

Joon’s reply is interrupted by a low vibration rattling against the porch. Her smile slips in confusion, and drops entirely when she flips the phone and reads the screen. “It’s Tae.”

Hoseok sobers up too, worry and anxiety emanating off them like a cold tide. “Is something wrong?”

Joon doesn’t reply, brows furrowed as she types something back. Barely a moment later - though it feels much longer as Jungkook awkwardly sits, completely out of the loop - a text buzzes through again, and a surprised laugh comes from the back of Joon’s throat, her lips stretched in a smile. “He’s… he got the job in Osaka.”

Hoseok gasps and claps their hands together once, wiggling in their spot. “That’s incredible!” they begin, but before Joon has even replied to the text, a third is coming through. Hoseok basically jumps in the air, demanding for their wife to read the message aloud.

“Oh my goodness, Tae has a boyfriend, Seok-ah! Says he’s a chef at a Korean restaurant in the city centre.” Joon smiles fondly. “He’s doing well, sunshine.”

Hoseok mulls this over with a slightly put-out look. “Dammit, I didn’t even think of dating a chef.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that I made that dipping sauce from scratch yesterday.”

Jungkook feels the banter whip back and forth on either side of her, impenetrable without the important context. “Who’s, um, who’s Tae?” she asks hesitantly, bracing for them to scold her prying.

Joon just smiles placidly, reaching back to lazily re-tye the peach ribbon that’s threatening to slip off. “He’s our ex.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Hoseok chides, “you know he doesn’t like to be called that.”

A sigh. “Tae’s our husband once-removed. Happy?”

“You… had a husband? Both of you, or?”

“What’s mine is hers, Jung-ah,” Hoseok coos happily, “we like to share. Tae was my… boyfriend, back in the day. We actually got hitched before I even met Joon. Young marriage, we were pretty dumb kids.” They shrug, the soothing cotton-soft acceptance filling the air around them, not a spike of negativity to be held. “He actually introduced us shortly after our honeymoon, and I fell for Joon straight away. I admitted my feelings to him, but he just started laughing. The two of them had briefly dated in high school. Small world, huh? We sort of fell into a trio after that.”

“It was unspoken, really,” Joon mumbles, her eyes in the far distance as blue twilight dims the sky. “It felt as natural as flowing water to us.”

“And then-” Hoseok breaks off roughly, and the air tightens. “Tae went through some personal changes. Identity changes. We all tried making it work, we loved being three, being together, but it wasn’t right for him anymore. He ended up winning a scholarship to a very prestigious photography school in Tokyo, and we all knew that was what was best for him.” They fall silent for such a long time that Jungkook would almost think they were finished talking. But then, only just audible, they whisper. “I’m glad he’s doing well.”

Joon leans over to Jungkook, her sweet scent filling the narrow space between them. “Some of the art in the hallway is his if you want to look.”

Before Jungkook can reply - though her head is swimming with joonjoonjoon that she probably has no coherent comments anyway - Hoseok makes a strange strangled noise and gets up. “I’m so sorry,” they announce stiffly, “I think I left a light on in the glasshouse.”

Jungkook watches in confused silence as the warlock, still barefoot even in the cooling night air, marches swiftly across the field to the pitch-black glasshouse. Joon lets out a gentle sigh.

“Did I do something wrong?” Jungkook asks, voice almost cracking on the final word. “I shouldn’t have asked-”

“It’s okay,” Joon interrupts kindly, a warm hand placed on Jungkook’s knee. “It’s just… This is the first time we’ve had a third person in the house since Tae. I think Hoseok missed it.”

Jungkook bites on the inside of her cheek, feeling a chill run through her. “I can’t replace him, though. He sounds like a good guy.”

A considering hum resonates from Joon’s throat. “He is a good guy. But neither of us,” she gestures first at herself and then the shadowed silhouette of a head poking above some plants in the greenhouse, “are looking to replace him. In fact,” she admits with a rueful laugh, voice dropping to a low murmur, “I think the two of us are quite enamoured with you, Jung-ah.”

Joon’s hand on her knee burns through the thin cotton of her sundress, the tips just grazing bare skin. Jungkook swallows, feeling every beat of her heart thud at her ribs. “I like-” her voice rasps like sandpaper, throat dry. She clears it, swallowing thickly again. “I like when you say my name like that.”

She isn’t looking directly at Joon, but she still feels the broad smile. “It sounds pretty, don’t you think? It suits you.” Jungkook’s lips twitch; she ducks her head even as Joon leans closer. “You know, my parents wanted a son,” Joon explains softly. “They called me Namjoon. I always hated it. Felt like such a tomboy, the Nam was too mascule to me. So I dropped it. Still me, just… better. I know plenty of people change their names entirely, but you don’t have to. I think Hoseok would love to chat with you about stuff like that. I know I wouldn’t understand those feelings as much as they would.” Joon furrows her brows, looking embarrassed at her monologue. “I just want you to feel comfortable here.”

“I appreciate it,” Jungko- Jung-ah says immediately, glancing up to see Joon’s face light up. “I- I’m, um, enamoured with- with you too. With you two, too.” Coughing lightly to clear the awkward phrase hanging in the air, she drops her gaze again, but a single finger pauses her, hooked gently under her chin.

Slowly, Joon lifts Jung-ah’s jaw until their eyes meet. They’re somehow closer now, their breaths mingling hotly together between them. Jung-ah’s lips part, but no words come out.

This close, she can see the way a sheen of chapstick glints in the moonlight when Joon smiles. “Sweetheart, can I kiss you?”

Her stomach flips. She nods, not trusting her voice, and barely has a chance to flutter her eyes shut before a pressure lays across her lips. Joon kisses her slowly, so softly, like she might shatter in her hold.

The air has a chill to it now, but every point of contact feels hot like a furnace, and the keening, pleased energy that blooms from Joon keeps her warm. She lets it sink into her, wrap around her just as Joon’s soft palm encases her cheek, fingers playing with her hairline.

Joon’s lips taste like strawberry, but the real sweetness is her delicate movements, chaste but sensual, passionate but patient. Her thumb rubs slowly over Jung-ah’s cheekbone, giving her the strange feeling of swaying in the sea, entirely unmoored. She leans into it, diving deeper, feeling their noses bump.

Joon pulls away too soon, leaving Jung-ah with tingling lips and a dizzy mind. Her chapstick has all but rubbed off, but her lips are plumper and pinker than ever, pupils blown wide.

It takes a moment for the cloud to dissipate, but when it does, Jung-ah gasps weakly. “Oh my god, you’re married, what am I-”

“Ah, yes,” Joon remarks with a wry smile, “you’ll have to go and even the score now or I’m afraid Hoseok will be terribly disappointed.”

Jung-ah pauses, caught off-guard. “They won’t be...angry?”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Joon coos, “Seok-ah quizzed me for hours last night on the meanings of flowers so that they could grow you some. We’re poly, Jung-ah, you don’t have to stress. Besides,” she quips, inclining her head out towards the field, “it looks like they want to speak with you.”

Glancing in that direction, Jung-ah blinks when she sees the glasshouse, still in darkness, but with a warm yellow glow cast inside, the main door cracked open intentionally.

A fond energy smooths the air between them as Joon stands up off the porch and ruffles Jung-ah’s hair, mumbling a soft goodnight.

After listening to the door squeak open and closed again (she’d have to fix that tomorrow) Jung-ah has nothing left to do but make her way across the grassy plain toward the glasshouse.

The warm glow from inside had dimmed as the moonlight cast her surroundings in silver. Still, Jung-ah could see Hoseok’s silhouette clear as day as they paced back and forth amongst the various shadows of the plant life inside.

It doesn’t take long before her hands are brushing on the metal doorway, glancing inside. “Hoseok? Did you- are you-?”

“Come on in,” the warlock replies easily. There’s a pleased glint in their eyes even as their curls hang heavy over their brow. Overdue for a haircut, though Jung-ah couldn’t deny it made them look even more endearing. “Come here often?” they quip.

With a strange pang, Jung-ah realises this is the first time she’s stepping into the enclosed jungle. Hoseok spent time outside, Joon spent her days glued to her computer or a book upstairs, and Jung-ah wandered around the house with an ever-changing list of ‘Ideas’: to-do jobs that the homeowners were too polite to frame as compulsory. She never really ventured beyond the garden beds for the occasional herb to use. “First time,” she admits with an uneven tone.

Hoseok’s eyes wander, widening. “It is too,” they agree easily, unruffled. “Well, I’m very glad you came. I don’t blame you for sticking indoors. Joon’s far more interesting than me and my leaves.” They reach out and flick at a plant lazily, though Jung-ah doesn’t miss the gentle care in the touch.

“I think you’re fascinating,” she rebuts instead, “I just never wanted to bother you. But it’s… These plants, Hoseok, they’re beautiful.”

A proud beam highlights a smear of dirt on Hoseok’s chin, and Jung-ah resists the urge to reach up and dust it off. Instead, she follows riveted as Hoseok leads her around the deceptively large greenhouse.

“This is where I keep the rarer things. Or, I suppose, the more fickle ones,” they begin, trailing a path along a metal-framed shelf to their left with a single fingertip. “The tahina spectabilis here normally only lives until 50 in Madagascar,” Hoseok explains, and Jung-ah cranes her neck to glance up a trunk, looking much like a simple palm tree. Hoseok’s voice is soft, like they’re in a library, or a place to pay respects. “The tree will flower at fifty years old, and the process is so taxing that it actually dies. This one was passed down through my family’s ancestors, all elementals. It’s over two hundred.”

“Oh, wow,” Jung-ah murmurs without thinking, though she can’t help but view the sturdy trunk and flax-like leaves with a new admiration. “Your ancestors were all interested in nature like you?”

“Absolutely,” Hoseok remarks with a mysterious humour clouding their tone. “I bet yours were, too. Magical folk descend from gatherers and healers right back in the prehistoric age. I bet you would’ve been the healer to my gatherer, Jungkook.”

She swallows, watching the lines of Hoseok’s back move gracefully with every careful step through the lush, almost overgrown glasshouse. “Jung-ah,” she corrects lightly. “It’s, um, it’s Jung-ah now.”

When Hoseok turns, it’s like their fantastical surroundings are cast to grey. All Jung-ah can see is their bright eyes, bold heart-shaped smile and puffed cheeks. She wills her heart to stop thudding in her chest so hard, letting the pleased hum of the plants around them settle her internal rhythms.

“Jung-ah,” Hoseok repeats, and the name sounds even lighter on their tongue. “I like that.”

“I like you,” Jung-ah states and immediately curses her loose lips, wincing harshly at the rich dirt beneath her feet.

A surprised chuckle tinkles the air. “How scandalous, when my wife is just next door!” Before Jung-ah can dissolve into a blabbering, apologetic panic, Hoseok’s hand is reaching into her line of vision, a playful tug on the collar of her shirt. “Good thing she feels the same way as I do,” they continue softly, not lowering their hand.

Jung-ah sucks in a breath, feeling their knuckles bump against her collarbone as her chest lifts. “What way?” she asks carefully, daring herself to look up only for Hoseok to be far closer than she remembered, hand warm and glowing slightly between the two of them.

Behind the earnest smile is a slight hesitation that Jung-ah feels more than sees. Hoseok’s voice is barely a whisper, but no other sound penetrates their green paradise. “I want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up,” they confess, “and the last thing I see before I go to sleep. I want you to stay with us. I want to be yours, and you mine. That way.”

“Do you want to…” Jung-ah pauses, tongue wetting her lips unconsciously. “Do you want to kiss me?”

Hoseok’s smile grows, and the prodding hesitation disappears. “I’ve been waiting a long time to hear you ask that, hon.”

Their lips connect with no time for a reply. Jung-ah doesn’t mind though, letting herself melt into the kiss like there’s nothing else in the world. She feels Hoseok’s hands like twin suns, warmth running over her upper arms, her shoulders, catching gently on her jaw. And further, on a level so deep only she can feel it, those bright rays envelop her, Hoseok’s energy like pure joy. Jung-ah feels them smile into the kiss, lips slanting against hers and teeth bumping as they fail to suppress a grin.

When she finally has to pull away to suck in a breath, chest heaving, Hoseok is still beaming, their eyes dazed and hair rumpled. A strange light illuminates their chin and tip of their nose from below, and Jung-ah blinks in surprise as she sees Hoseok’s hands, completely alight up to their wrists with sunlight.

Catching Jung-ah’s gaze, Hoseok flushes, burying them in their overall pockets even as the light penetrates the heavy jean. “I know it’s bright, it’ll… it’ll settle down soon,” they promise, a sheepish smile puffing their cheeks. “I’m just really happy, Jung-ah.”

Jung-ah can’t help but return the smile. “Me too.”

~

Hoseok exhales dreamily as the sweet smell of strawberries fill the air. Not one for alcohol, they’d gotten Jung-ah to help make them some pink lemonade just the night before. Their wife hovers over the coffee table with the glass carafe, gripping it tight like it might wriggle out of her fingers at any moment.

One arm cradling several packets of snacks and the other holding a plate of slightly misshapen gimbap, Jung-ah makes her way between the two, settling the goods on the coffee table before slipping under Hoseok’s outstretched arm. The two curl up on the couch, Joon’s attempt at pouring the bubbly drink keeping them both amused.

“So nobody is going to help me?” she questions incredulously, grimacing as some of the lemonade doesn’t make it into the mugs she’s attempting to pour it into.

Hoseok’s fingers slip unconsciously under the hem of Jung-ah’s shirt sleeve, rubbing lightly at the skin there. “You’re doing splendid, love,” they assure earnestly. “The table was looking a little dehydrated.”

Joon lifts her jaw with a hard stare, but her lip quirks before she can help it. “I can’t believe this is my celebration party and I’m still the one doing this. I’ll remember this for your birthdays; just you wait.”

“Don’t worry,” Hoseok murmurs into Jung-ah’s ear with a lilting tone, “she always says that but I get breakfast in bed on my birthday every year. I love you, Joonie,” they call out in a singsong voice, reaching out to grab an outstretched mug with the hand not wrapped around Jung-ah’s shoulders.

Taking the other mug and watching the bubbles pop on the surface of the rosy liquid, Jung-ah sends Joon a warm smile. “I’m really proud of you, Joon,” she praises softly. “You worked hard, and the book is amazing.”

Joon raises a brow, taking a swig from the final mug and squeezing up on Jung-ah’s free side, neglecting the second empty couch in exchange for some closeness. “Have you read it?”

Jung-ah pauses, avoiding her gaze. “Seokie and I looked at all the pictures.”

Joon nods somberly, even as her eyes glint in bemusement. “The one thing I didn’t do.”

Hoseok’s hand reaches far enough past Jung-ah to just slightly brush at Joon’s cheek, the human pressing into the contact. “You’re far smarter than us, love. There were lots of very big words that we couldn’t quite understand but we’re proud of you nonetheless.”

Joon lets herself smile then, a warm one that crinkles her eyes and deepens her dimple. “I love you both too.”

Jung-ah flushes, feeling her toes curl at the sentiment, professing her own love for the two on either side of her before dipping her chin to sip at the lemonade. The sparkling water tickles the roof of her mouth, the lemon giving a bright tang, even as the strawberry infusion leaves a sweetness on her tongue long after she’s swallowed. It’s familiar to her, somehow.

As Joon leans onto Jung-ah’s side, beginning to explain to them the elaborate process of getting her third book published, Jung-ah takes another sip, swilling it in her mouth a little longer this time. It’s not until Hoseok’s getting up to pour them all a second glass, making the other two cackle as their hand is even shakier than Joon’s, that Jung-ah finally realises where she remembers that taste from.

It’s not a taste at all, but a feeling, an energy. Most of the senses her gift gave her were from other people, from plants, from wildlife. Very rarely were her own emotions strong enough to come back to her like mic feedback. But she recognised this one. Jung-ah was content.

[bellasweetwriting]

Fix His Broken Heart

Jess Mariano x f.reader

(not my gif)

masterlist

request: Hiii, i want a jess fic🥺 theres not enough jess mariano fics here, how about after rory goes to visit him at truncheon he meets the reader and she helps him move on from rory and he falls in love with reader. 💞💞

requested by: @beautiful-thinking

note: I’m a big literati shipper so this was hard but also fun to write I really love this

warnings: movie references, drinking, gilmore girls s2,s3 and s6 spoilers, some fancy vocabulary, Logan hate

word count: 1,7k

reading time: 7 min

And he saw her walk away to his arms. She found comfort in another guy. She moved one.

He hated himself for realizing that after all these years of knowing this person, still, it isn't enough. He and Rory evolved separately, they don't have the same goals or the same resources. As much as they try, it seemed like destiny didn't want their paths to cross one another.

He realized that he lost her as soon as she walked out of that door. She was gone. What now?

He'll probably see her again at Luke and Lorelai's wedding; hell, he'll even see Logan there also. The way he despited that guy. He cheated on her, and still, there she was, madly in love with him.

Logan is better than him in Rory's eyes, and he couldn't do anything to change that. He was a forgotten part of her story, an item locked inside a box that she opens when she feels lost. She probably doesn' think of him anymore like she used to.

But he thinks of her at least once a day. When he walks through the bookstore and notices the new edition of Dawn Powell's My Home Is Far Away, or when his friends bring coffee and offer to him, reminding him of her slight coffee addiction. Who's he kidding? There's nothing "slight" about Rory Gilmore's coffee addiction, it's concerning.

Any little thing reminded him of her and the fact that now he's sure she doesn't think of him anymore... saddens him.

Everyone was celebrating the success of the event that day, while Jess drowned his sorrows in a cold beer, also glancing over the girls that walked past him.

"I should warn you that if you are planning to Kurt Cobain on my bar, don't." That expression provoked an immediate reaction on Jess's face. "Not a fan of dark humor?"

"Not when it comes from the mouth of a stranger, not," he replied, making the girl chuckle. "Do you always attend your costumers like that, Rick Blaine?" Asked Jess naming the main character of Casablanca, who happened to owned a bar/restaurant in the 1940s.

"Rick Blaine? Don't tell me you are one of those guys who listen to The Clash on repeat and think they are better than the rest of the world because they know references from black and white movies and have read at least one book by Bukowski in the last three months." Jess drank from his beer, making the girl opened her mouth widely. "Oh, God, you are! A living Danielle Steel novel main character drinking alone in my bar." He laughed.

"I used to be that guy," Jess corrected her. "I've changed."

"A girl?"

"A breakup with a girl, to be fairer. I work at a little bookstore called Truncheon. We are all independent writers, and to give you some credit, some of us do look like Danielle Steel's characters. Not that I have read anything by her, though."

Jess wasn't like that. He didn't tell people he doesn't know about himself or his personal life, but for some reason, probably the effects of the alcohol in that beer were making him loosen up a bit with this complete stranger. Yeah, a significant event has happened in his life. The girl he thought he was going to be with forever decided to be with someone else rather than him, and he hasn't thought of anyone else romantically. He's so used to being alone, so used to not having anyone to actually talk to, that, maybe, liberating his internal thoughts and regrets with someone he isn't going to see again is probably for the best.

Not a therapist or a friend, just, someone external who isn't going to dig dipper in his subconscious to understand his situation and actions or someone who is involved in the story; someone who just―listens.

"You read one, you read them all." She commented. "Independent writers, huh? Have you published anything I have written?"

"Probably not," he said with that typical modesty he has earned through the pass of the years. "I just have one book out, is a self-published, so..." She nodded. "I actually did a little road trip, trying to make independent bookstores like mine to put them in the store. Probably, by the end of the month, I'll have twenty bucks and a sticker that says: «keep trying, champ.»"

"How poetic," the barista murmured, and both chuckle.

"Do you have a copy of your book?" She asked, and he nodded, giving it to her. "The Subsect, by Jess Mariano. Truncheon Books," she read before turning it around and reading the back cover. "«A self-published, prominent and dark-humored coming of age short novel following the unique life of J., a seventeen-year-old with no place to call home.» That's dark. How much for it?"

"Twenty bucks and a sticker," she chuckled, "or, a free beer."

"Sounds like a fair deal, Jess Mariano." He smiled at the mention of his name. "I'm Y/N."

"Nice to meet you, Y/N." She placed the book inside her apron with a tiny smile. "So you work here."

"Oh, you said that because of the apron and the fact that I'm behind the counter? No, I'm just a big fan of... college bars in Philadelphia." The sarcasm in Y/N's voice made Jess grin. "My brother owns the place. He lets me live upstairs while I go to college, and I pay rent by working here. The books you see behind me are mine. I study on my break."

"What are you studying?"

"English. I want to be a screenplay writer." He sighed before shaking his head. "What?"

"A film writer? Why?"

"I love films. I love watching them, reviewing them, analyzing them. I want to write masterpieces. What's wrong with that? At least I'm not writing coming of age short novels."

"It's not a coming of age novel, that's just the hideous synopsis that my poet friends come up with for the book. It's actually a lot deeper than that."

"The only way of finding that out is reading it, right?"

"Right."

Both looked at each other for a few seconds before she asked for his glass to refill that free beer she offered him.

"How about... if I come tomorrow, take you out, and you buy me that beer? How about that?" Y/N chuckle before agreeing.  He didn't believe it actually worked. He had tried to ask girls out in the last two years, but they've always said that they weren't interested. But there was something different and intriguing about Y/N that had caught the young writer's attention. "At what time do you finish class?"

"Pick me up at eight here, I'll wait."

"Cool."

"Cool."

...............................................................................................................................

He was nervous.

A date. Jess has never even been on one before. Not even with Rory. He never took Rory on a date like a dinner or a movie before they started going out. He used to tease her, and she fell for him, God knows why.

He took Rory on dates when they were dating, although if you count the car ride as a date. No, it wasn't a date. She was Dean's girlfriend at the time, and he crashed her car.

Why did she even like him? He crashed her car for God's sake. If he was Rory, he would have hated himself.

He hated himself already.

It wasn't like in books. Girls are complicated, and the male writers he is so used to reading about usually don't talk about dates and how to get a girl; the girl is already in love with the main character.

She did mention Danielle Steel. Did she read that kind of dramas, like Nicholas Sparks and John Green, where the characters just die in each other's arms like a shoddy Shakespeare tragedy imitation? Did she like that? He didn't know how to be a "romance" kind of guy. He still used the "bully her because you like her" technique, and maybe that's the only part of him that hasn't changed with the years.

He still didn't know how to communicate and express himself. He still wasn't used to talking about his emotions or being in a healthy relationship where there's no such thing as privacy. He wasn't born to assist to cotillions and balls, wear tuxes like James Bond and use fancy words gentleman-like, such as "Farewell," "Luxury," "Eloquent," and "Hope you had a marvelous evening, thanks for joining us in our humble and splendid gathering."

But that was Rory's world. Probably Logan used words like that without even knowing the meaning of them.

He quickly noticed that thinking about his ex-girlfriend before a date wasn't a good sign.

Maybe he should stand her up? No, that is an old Jess move. He is a changed man, he doesn't treat girls like that anymore. He is better, he is more mature, he wants to achieve something, actually becoming a better and selfless person who thinks about the consequences before acting. He wasn't going to stand Y/N up.

By a quarter past eight, he was standing on the bar's entrance, making eye contact with the barista from the previous day. Y/N smiled at him before saying goodbye to the guy next to her, grabbing her purse and walking towards Jess.

"Thought you wouldn't show up, Romeo."

"Can't believe you took me for a coward."

"In my defense, I saw you drinking your problems away yesterday." He nodded before putting her coat on her shoulders for her, making Y/N smile. "What a gentleman."

"There are so many things you don't know about me. You would surprise yourself."

"Oh, let me guess: you've never been on a date before."

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Well, because we are walking instead of driving."

"I have a dark past with cars and girls. You wouldn't want me to be behind the wheel while you are inside the car after you hear it, believe me."

"Good to know." Both laughed as they walked under the streetlights of Philadelphia. "I've never been on a date either," she admitted, taking him by surprise, but not as much to make a comment about it.

Jess has never felt more comfortable. Next to her, he felt like he was free of judgments. Starting a new story, blank page, blank notebook. He felt safe, and he hasn't felt safe in another person's arms in such a long time.

This was good for him. To finally... move on.

And who better than her to fix his broken heart.

[surveysonfleek]

1581.

Have you ever been to Las Vegas? yes, i have! its one of my favourite cities

What did you have for breakfast this morning? i had scrambled eggs and hash browns

Do you have any loose change in your pocket? no pockets and i hardly ever leave things in my pockets

Do you like Taylor Swift? i dont mind her, she has some catchy songs

What’s your favorite Disney Channel movie? camp rock haha

If you met your favorite celebrity, would you be calm or star struck? id try to stay calm, id probably be super nervous just being in their presence though

Are there any lights on in the room you’re in? nope, its day time

What’s your favorite subject in school? it was visual arts

What’s your favorite holiday? christmas, it always means ill have a week or two off work!

Do you ever have to do yard work? nope

Is your school close to your house? ive been out of school for a longggg time but it was a 5-10 min drive

Speaking of school, how did you get there today? -

Do you think Bad Romance is a catchy song, or an annoying one? its a good song! i dont love it but im not surprised at how massive it got

Do you use perfect grammar online? honestly, in my previous surveys i would but now i cant be bothered. i use perfect grammar day to day when working so i just sorta wna chill and not focus too much when i do these now

Are you currently using a laptop? yes

Do you have any live versions of songs in your music software? most likely, i used to love downloading them back in the limewire days

Did/do you listen to Britney Spears songs? i loooooved britney when she first blew up. and i still do! i dont listen to her stuff too heavily anymore but i still love it

Is it a windy day? nope

In the past week, have you ridden in a taxi? no

What shorthand do you use the most? if were talking about typing, i still text/chat people with ‘u’ instead of ‘you’

Do you ever wish on stars at night? no, ive never seen a shooting star

What color are your eyes? brown

What album is the current song you’re listening to off of? not listening to music, i have the tv on while doing this

What are you doing after you finish this? not sure, maybe another survey

In your opinion, what song is the most overplayed right now? i havent listened to the radio in forever

Are you in a band? no

How clean is your bedroom? pretty clean!

Is there a pen within reaching distance of you? no

Are you sitting at a desk? no, im in bed lol

Does your favorite band have a male or female lead singer? male

Do you normally shut your bedroom door before you go to sleep? of course ol

Have you seen the movie Moulin Rouge? i feel lik ei have once but i do not remember anything about it 

Would you ever dye your hair a different color? yes

Are there any framed pictures in the room you’re in? yes

Have you ever been to a Broadway show? not in broadway... ive seen the musicals lion king and aladdin in my city though

Do you watch So You Think You Can Dance? i did when it first came out

What’s your favorite movie soundtrack? none really stand out to me

Do you prefer group or individual work? individual, id rather just count on myself

Do you have a key to anything besides your house? car

Are you wearing anything with stripes? nope

What time did you go to sleep last night? i think 1am

Did anyone tell you you were beautiful today? no

What show did you last watch? american horror story

Do you think you’ll do anymore surveys today? maybe one more

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? run and raisin

When was the last time you stayed home from school sick? years ago when i actually attended school lol

Could you ever complete a 500-piece puzzle? i probably could, i just wouldnt have the patience

If you could run a red light and not get caught, would you? nah. id rather not risk mine or others’ lives

Do you like to listen to music as you do your homework? i dont have homework

Did you think Adam Lambert’s AMA performance was really that controversial? i dont recall, this survey is probably really old

Do any bands flat-out annoy you? nah, i just dont listen to them

Do you have a mirror in your bedroom? yes

Was today a birthday for any of your friends? yes actually! ill need to greet him

When was the last time you rode in a limo? never been in one :(

Do you take naps daily? no. i wish!

Do you still make Christmas lists? yes haha

Do you watch the show Dexter? i did. apparently theyre rebooting it which is exciting! the ending was pretty trash

What’s the background on your phone? its a dark cityscape of nyc

When were/will you be a a sophomore in high school? -

Are you scared of any animals? cockroaches. also i live in australia so while im not afraid of snakes and spiders, im pretty mindful of them

Have you ever been to any sort of convention? yup! ive been to sexpo and a wedding expo lol

Which song did you last listen to on repeat? probably a kehlani song

Where do you want to live when you grow up? around here still

Are you currently using a blanket? yep

Are there any songs that make you cry? not really

How many siblings do you have? one

What are you doing this weekend? its saturday today. im doing nothing. tomorrow im going on a picnic with friends

Do you prefer swimming at the beach or in a pool? pool, its so much more comfortable than a beach lol

When was the last time you had a haircut? hmm... maybe june?

Which musical instrument do you think sounds the prettiest? a harp!

Are you in band or chorus at your school? no

Do you know what you want for Christmas? nope. i dont ‘need’ anything.

Do you watch fireworks on New Year’s Eve? most of the time!

Is your birthday within the next three months? no

How long is the song you’re listening to? not listening to music

Are you anticipating anything this week? yeah, kinda waiting to see if were going ahead with buying some land

Is your mom or dad the older parent? my dad

Have you taken the SATs yet? -

Do you watch anything on E? i dont have e

Are you going to get off the computer now that you’ve finished this? nah maybe one more survey lol

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh Episode 30 Season 4: The Dead Joey Shuffle

Lets ignore everything happening on planet Earth right now and talk about old ass anime, shall we? Yes, my sky turned a horrible end of the world yellow/orange color for an entire day because of a LOT of fire in my state. But thankfully, the winds have changed, the sky is blue...and I can write about Yugioh again.

Last we left off, Tristan, Tea, and Yami stumbled across two fresh corpses. Now, when Joey died a season or two ago (I honestly can’t remember when), we had my favorite storyboarder at the helm just sweeping emotion all over the field and the intense weeping for Joey Wheeler lasted for like 30 minutes. Yugi freaked out in the puzzle headspace for like half an episode and nearly gave up playing cards again, Yami punched a wall and then put a duel disk on Joey’s arm like a funerary send off to the afterlife, Tea started losing her mind and begged Yugi to drop out of the tourney so Yugi wouldn’t die, and Pharaoh was like “yo Tea, Yugi can’t talk right now can we do this later????” And then Tristan, out of nowhere, just started shaking Joey and screaming at him to wake up (and I think he punched him in the face and it got censored? Yo that episode is wild.) Joey got plugged to some Kaiba Corp med bay that had like 2 dozen weird sensors attached to his chest and feet to keep him alive. Serenity was like hyperventilating in the back, just a LOT of stuff was happening all at once.

But this time, with an ordinary animation team, these three kids are so distracted by the other corpse, that they only cry just a little bit before being like “woah what?”

And like this is their second time. Maybe they’ve gotten used to Joey being dead? Maybe they got it all out of their system and are now a lot more accustomed to the fact that they all must die. Several times.

Confronted with this Agatha Christie brand debacle, Tristan makes an incredible reach that is also completely correct. Like this is such an amazing incredible reach.

Hire Tristan as your detective, hot damn. There are like 7.8 billion Orichalcos-possessed people on this planet right now trying to kill Joey Wheeler and Tristan actually called the right one.

Yami never tells us who he blames, but it’s OK, because the show immediately cuts over to Dartz’ silicon valley fortress to tell us without telling us. So while this animation team isn’t as insanely extra as our previous animation teams, they still know how to edit their cuts to work alongside their dialogue just fine.

(read more under the cut)

Lets take a little while to just take this in. Someone took a while to make it, so rather than look at it for half a second before it passes--please lets count the number of floating streets in this scene.

3.

So before when I talked about the history of San Francisco, I mentioned the old Embarcadero, which was a double decker street wrapped around the peninsula. (we still see parts of this double decker set up on parts of the highway to this day.) But what if--they actually have no idea that the Embarcadero was a thing before it fell down in an earthquake?

What if they just...wanted San Francisco to be vaguely cyberpunk in this universe and that floating freeway was supposed to be futuristic and not just an 80′s throwback?

Because there’s 3 streets stacked on top of eachother right here and yo there is no where in the city built like this. This is a Gotham situation where the poors live on the lower levels and the rich just kind of hang out on the top. We have too many Earthquakes in reality to ever support this setup but Yugioh...wow. They went for it.

Also, our art deco architecture isn’t quite in this style as Dartz’ mansion. Mind you, this isn’t full deco, and the structure has more of an ancient world vibe. But...while San Fransisco does have a lot of deco, it’s just different (sorry you’re not really here for the architecture but youknow, I’m an artist so I do think a lot about why concept artists may have gone where they went)

++++++++++RANT ABOUT SF DECO VS COMIC BOOK DECO FEEL FREE TO SKIP++++++++++++++

So I’m not going to dare say this is a mistake on the Yugioh team by any means, since Deco is Deco and who knows when Dartz built that building. But like I’ve seen the SF skyline many times in this show and it’s got some funky shapes in it that are just sooo off to me. They keep drawing a more Futurist New York. Truth is, we don’t have that many skyscrapers in SF.

Most of the pictures you see of scaling buildings are of this one area around the financial district--everything else is...pretty short. So in those photos they very carefully crop out all the really squat as hell buildings on either side of it, to give the impression that our city is super tall, much like a dating app.

And, as far as Art Deco Gotham-esque skyscrapers go, we got ones like this guy:

Where at a glance it’s like...that’s barely deco (and barely that impressive. This is 1/3 the height of the Empire State building.) Compared to a lot of cities in America, our skyscrapers aren’t as...clearly deco from far away? We don’t have the huge ass humps and long ass gilded lines of the Empire State building or the Chrysler building. You only really get those details when you zoom in.

Our other skyscrapers are kinda understated or modern in comparison. And the reason why we just don’t have many deco skyscrapers is because...our ground ain’t good for building skyscrapers at all, so it took us kind of a while to build up.

Like we got this tower that we built recently (the first skyscraper they built in SF in a good while) and they decided to name it the “The Millennium Tower” which...I know...good job, team, clearly you wanted to get cursed. Well the tower started leaning about 3 or 4 years ago, like well over a foot from it’s original spot, it’s just tilting and sinking away, and people are freaking out because it’s surrounded by other tall buildings so they’re like “damn it we’re gonna dominoes.” The people in charge were like “well...we don’t know why it’s leaning...but I’m sure it’s fine” and it’s like “the ground. It was the ground...you dumbasses” not to mention that it’s clearly cursed by at least one angry Egyptian Ghost but...what do you do?

I would absolutely watch the Yugioh spinoff season about the Millennium Tower and the SF tycoons that got possessed by a ghost and have to play card games to keep their tower from squishing all of San Francisco. Yo you should hire me, Yugioh, I got IDEAS.

Man...Yugioh predicting the future, how did they call the ill fate of The Millennium Tower????

But anyway, most skyscrapers in SF are kind of boring because they have to be sturdy as hell. But, they have some neat modern shapes (like the Transamerica Pyramid--in the shape of A PYRAMID that hasn’t shown it’s face once this entire Egyptian influenced anime)

I mean, come on Yugioh, it’s right there.

Also the hell is this weird UFO on this picture I lifted off of google?

Like I think it’s 4 jets? 

I may have lifted this from an alien website, so forgive me, q-anon for lifting your image, I’m trying to talk about architecture in my Yugioh blog.

In fact the only building I (and google) can think of that is both really tall and deco-ey is this one:

And it’s a Marriot hotel built in the late 80′s. And honestly, it looks way more 1980′s Las Vegas than it does Deco. (It honestly looks like photobashing but made real, this is a weird building.)

And I could be wrong and overlooking a very important structure, but most of the city’s really cool art deco buildings are in the form of theaters, libraries, churches, schools, and houses--which are only a few stories tall. They’re gorgeous buildings with cool and different silhouettes, it’s just not very big.

Like I believe this is an old high school?

also a lot of our “art deco” has no idea if it’s victorian, deco, or art noveau so they’ll just hit all of it to see what sticks. It’s a lot more eclectic than other places where Deco is typically more...straight-lined. I kinda hate defining art styles as masculine or feminine but honestly it’s the quickest way to really hit home the difference between a Bruce Timm art deco that you’d see in a comic book, (which is very New York inspired) and what we have in San Fransisco which is really decorative and decadent.

The Yugioh SF just has no curvy nonsense and that really sticks out to me.

Ornate swirls get shoved Everywhere. Willy nilly. Just everywhere randomly. And it sits next to other structures that are modern and simplistic. It’s very San Francisco to have this old world next to new world.

And it makes sense. SF is the other side of the continent from New York, and about as far West as you can go from the movement going on in Europe. So...we made our own take and tl;dr the art deco in our city doesn’t look like Gotham at all.

And, while it’s not as grand or dark or iconic, it’s a good thing. It’s what helps make San Fransisco look really unique compared to other American cities--the fact that we're...short and eclectic. Our district with the skyscrapers is where it’s kinda boring, actually--the good stuff is when you get away from that. Where every little building has a spunky wild personality.

But in a show like this you gotta make it seem more grand and less homely so--they scaled up the buildings a lot more than we really have and homogenized all the stylings into one (and they axed every Victorian swirl because they don’t want to draw that). They really just turned SF into comic book New York--especially since I’ve only seen like...one steep hill since we got here.

It’s fine, and it makes complete sense why they did it, (I’m more confused as to why most of California is a Nevada desert so I can easily forgive a San Francisco without the right Deco) it’s just a very different energy.

and honestly...it’s an energy influenced by the tone of the show. Everything has a very dark blue-gray palate, and it’s because it’s literally the end of the world, Joey has died, everyone is sad...maybe it would be out of place to have a building that looks like it sparks joy? The harsh and cold lines do add to the gravity of the situation.

Maybe I would have done the same thing? In the end, the legibility of your story matters more than the accuracy of your story--especially when it comes to TV. Which is somewhat a controversial statement, and there’s exceptions when it comes to cultural stuff. But while the culture of San Fransisco was erased (a culture that they did draw in the beginning of the season! they did show alcatraz, a trolly, and the golden gate!), it is at a point in the show where...all of humanity is being erased anyway. Could also be symbolic? Maybe?

+++++++++++++END OF THE ART DECO RANT+++++++++++++

So anyway, stepping away from lovely buildings and into this gross ass abandoned park, Yami decides he’s gotta get himself to this gaudy ass Batman building ASAP.

He can ride a horse but he absolutely will not ride a motorcycle. Or touch Joey Wheeler’s dead body.

Which is wild because apparently there’s a Yugioh spinoff where all they do is ride motorcycles??? But from what I heard, Yami is not in it. Which is the most wild thing.

So uh...you know how much I love art details, lets take a long look at this one.

AH no.

Nope nope nope nope.

I hate this logo. It looks like an emperor penguin’s eyebrow thingies. Like a face with just four huge eyebrows.

Not sure why we randomly have a new logo. It’s nearly the end of the season, we’ve already shown the Orichalcos logo so many times. Was this episode made earlier in development than the rest? Is that why there were like - I dunno, put this random logo here... Maybe we’ll figure out the rest of the logo later?

I don’t know. This weird logo feels so out of place.

And then because I’m thinking about buildings...maybe it’s influenced by our Shell building?

Maybe? Or not? Just saying you got a round thing with radial lines hovering over a trellis...the possibility is there that they were inspired but had to edit it down for animation? Eh, I’m reaching desperately for anything that looks like San Francisco at this point.

Anyways, the front door of this building is an elevator (????) and in a somewhat confusing set of cuts, out of this elevator comes the murderer herself.

And she’s dead.

SO HAPPY I didn’t have to watch that card game but like...c’mon. There’s no way Mai would lose to Raphael.

Maybe that’s why they couldn’t show it? Because she’s the only person on this show who uses a themed deck with cards that actually sync with eachother? (outside of Pegasus’ toon deck and Grandpa’s voltron deck ((sorry it’s name isn’t voltron, I’ve forgotten the name of the robot that you build out of other cards. Exodus? Exodysseus?

It’s Exodia isn't it? Wtv. 2020′s been a real long one, all y’all.)) )

(don’t ask where the smoke came from, we don’t know. Maybe Yami felt like making it to be more aesthetic. It is a fun visual tic to the show.)

So Yami goes into this elevator instead of anticipating that this is obviously a trap. Like most would just decide to take the stairs instead, but Yami loves falling for a good obvious trap every once and a while (or, in the case of this season--each and every single time a trap is placed in front of him) and so this takes him directly to the fightclub roof of yore.

Ah. We started this season on fightclub roof, in like...2010 or whenever I started this season. Feels like forever ago. How long has the year of 2020 been? 20 years of my life? 40 years of my life? Was I in fact never born before 2020 started? I honestly don’t remember anymore who I was before this year happened. Probably because I inhaled just a hell ton of wildfire smoke and now my brain is a bunch of jelly beans rattling around in a jar.

Anyway, Raphael just hands Yami (by hands I mean throws aggressively) Joey’s dragon card.

A little unsure why he’d do this since...this is the weapon to destroy Dartz. Why are you giving it back to the Pharaoh? But apparently, Raphael did that to prove that he is the murderer of Mai, who murdered Joey and...youknow...the stuff that we know but would be pretty difficult for the people in this show to follow.

Mai’s voice actor seeing “Mumbo-Jumbo” and being like “Well if I’m doing this, I’m going to commit.“

WE ARE NEVER DUELING DARTZ.

I refuse that a duel with Dartz, in fact, ever happens in this season.

Kind of surprised whenever I see there’s still people left. SF is basically abandoned in comparison.

Thing is...that’s just SF on a holiday weekend.

And then, because Tristan’s in the middle of the street, the rest of the party has to try and run him over.

It is really funny to me that Seto went out of his way to ditch these people so MANY times, but keeps ending up around them again and again, and each time in a wildly different vehicle, each and every time it’s when these guys need a lift...he’s very quickly turning into the group’s soccer mom. Should’ve gotten a minivan.

And then this happens?

I’ll just leave this here:

I’m sure that fanfic writers everywhere rejoiced when Seto reached out a hand to catch Joey’s face from hitting the pavement. In all this was a bizarre animation and now that I’ve figured out my blender settings for the new update, I can finally cap little segments again.

Just don’t you dare flag me, tumblr. Hopefully segments less than 10 seconds long are fine.

Like there was this part where they had to just drag around Joey’s corpse over this rail, and it was Mokuba and Tristan just prying him up there like he were a potato sack and like...

...Joey’s gonna wake up with so many rail-shaped bruises! They do not treat him gently!

Then back on fightclub roof, Raphael made me do a bit of a double take when he accidentally implied the existence of another bean within that Pharaoh bean.

And no, Bakura did not show up at this point.

I would LOVE IT if Pharaoh biffed it a second time and Bakura suddenly took the reigns and was like “Oi loves! that was bloody easy!” but I...have a feeling that this team didn’t actually watch the episodes where Bakura is just vibing in that puzzle piece.

If this never comes back to bite Pharaoh in the ass...

It might never come back guys...I don’t know. How do these writers have this much self control to ignore Bakura for like a full season. How do you do it? I can’t hold a plot twist in for even like 5 seconds. How....how do you do it?

Anyways, now that Seto has Tea who has a map, they walk up to the entrance (I honestly forgot if they drove or walked because knowing this show, Seto would absolutely ignore the car. Either way, the Ferrari isn’t necessary anymore. Written right out of the script. Cars are hard to draw. Get rid of it)

You know, Mokuba’s seen an awful lot of corpses for a kid! Like 20ish corpses if you count the 2 times the Big 5 biffed it. Really should have left him with Rebecca! Youknow, the other kid the same age as him!

But it’s fine, we gotta train Mokuba to suppress that trauma deep, deep down like a proper Kaiba.

Youknow when I started this series I was like “I don’t get why everyone talks about the Kaibas so much, these two seem kinda like whatever” but now I’m on like S4 and like...I’m SO concerned about the Kaibas. With Yugi...whatever...he’s gonna be fine, but the Kaibas? Oh boy. Either one of them could go completely evil and I’d buy it.

And probably root for them.

And I know they won’t go full tilt, I’m pretty sure--but like...they COULD. I can’t say that about the rest of the cast.

Everyone’s made it!

Even joey’s weird coma/dead body for some reason!

Lol also I love this random sci-fi tech water tower next to Tea. What is that?

My drought senses are screaming, is that a huge ass water tower the size of a 4 story building next to Tea? Chances are, it’s got a jet in it or something because this is Yugioh, but...man. At least it doesn’t look like one of those rusty New York rooftop water towers. This show just completely not getting what SF looks like.

Whatever, he can resurrect the leviathan, maybe Dartz can make water?

Youknow, all you have to do to make California worship you forever is make rain. Screw this lizard nonsense. The man can power water. What’s he doing with this stupid snake?

But youknow, Yugioh just never really figures out how to harness the weather. They CAN and they do it all the time. But, do they use it for their benefit? Like freakin never.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I went on a looong rant about SF but maybe I’m just sick of my own house? Been a lot of fire and quarantine over here. It’s been messing with my head a fair amount so thanks for bearing with me and my weird ass update schedule (remember when I used to be productive? Was that just a dream I once had?)

But if you just got here, here’s a link to read these recaps in order, from the beginning way back in S1.

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

[ibijau]

Worst engagement AU // on AO3

Nie Huaisang finds it's nice to have people who enjoy his company

(Part of this chapter had already been posted a while back for an ask about how the Jiang boys views nhs’s engagement. I’ve added to it and touched it up to fit the rest)

warning for canon typical underage drinking

It was so nerve wracking to stand up to Lan Xichen that as soon as he is out of view of his fiancé’s house, Nie Huaisang breaks into tears. He can’t decide if he regrets speaking so bluntly or not. He half wants to run back and go tell Lan Xichen he’s sorry, that he shouldn’t have said this, that he’ll be good again, that he’ll do his best.

He doesn’t.

He  can’t . As he’s said, he’s tried that already and it was miserable. Everything good he’s gotten in life, he got by being bold and not caring for consequences. Everything from his dear nightingale, to Lan Wangji’s good opinion, and now the company of Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian he got by doing what he wasn’t supposed to do.

He can’t grovel in front of Lan Xichen. Not now, and not ever again. Even if he’s crying now, even if he cries after every time they meet, as long as he stands strong in front of Lan Xichen then everything is fine. Besides, even if he’s sure that his behaviour will be reported to Lan Qiren and he will get a scolding for it, it was all worth it for the shock on Lan Xichen’s face. Just thinking back on it is enough to make Nie Huaisang chuckle through his tears.

Once he manages to calm down, Nie Huaisang dries the traces of his crying with his sleeves, puts on a smile, and returns to his cabin.

It’s a bit of a shock to find that Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian really stayed there and waited for him. Nie Huaisang assumed they would just return to their own cabin. Instead Wei Wuxian grins at him as if he’s truly happy to see him and waves his hand at him.

“We were starting to wonder if we should go rescue you!”

Nie Huaisang snorts as he closes the door behind him, but feels his heart beat a little faster. This is… nice. It might be selfish, but he likes the idea of his company being wanted.

“Wei gongzi, it was just a talk with my fiancé,” Nie Huaisang protests with a smile. “I was quite fine. We’ve decided that we should meet every so often, now that things are getting more concrete. He’ll be of age in just two years after all, and we might marry soon after.”

“Were you really fine?” Jiang Cheng asks, scowling at him. It seems that just his normal expression most of the time, so Nie Huaisang tries not to take it personally. At the same time, his eyes are probably a little red still from crying, so maybe Jiang Cheng is worried.

Nie Huaisang decides to laugh it off.

“Why wouldn’t I be? It really was just a small chat. But let’s talk about something more fun now, right?”

They don’t insist, but as they start discussing again an expedition to nearby Gusu to buy forbidden contraband to make their stay in the Cloud Recesses more fun, Nie Huaisang feels that everyone looks at him a little too much. He tells himself it’s just because he’s the only one who has really visited Gusu before while the others just passed through it on their way here (though Wei Wuxian did still manage to spot several interesting shops) but it might also be that he failed to hide how upset that chat with lan Xichen made him. He’ll have to hide it better in the future. 

There’s no way of being sure that they’ll all leave him behind if they realise he’s not naturally as daring and bold as them, but it’s not a risk he wants to take.

  After dinner that evening (boring, disgusting, bitter… Nie Huaisang is going to starve when he comes to live here permanently) and as they start heading back toward their cabins, Wei Wuxian grabs Nie Huaisang by the elbow and pulls him away from the other guest disciples. He’s grinning in a way that, in only a few days, Nie Huaisang has learned means he has a very awful idea to share.

“Nie gongzi, let’s trade tonight,” Wei Wuxian offers in a whisper. “We send our disciples to your cabin, and you come to ours for a bit of fun with me and Jiang Cheng.”

That breaks a number of rules, of course, and Nie Huaisang is already waiting for the fallout of his chat with lan Xichen.

“I’m not sure…”

“I am. Come on, it’ll be fun! Just bring some of those prints you’ve mentioned, alright?”

Nie Huaisang grins and gives in. Apparently, Sect Leader Jiang’s wife is a very strict woman, so it is nearly impossible for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng to get their hands on that sort of pictures, and they get badly punished if any are found in their things. Finding release outside of dual cultivation is supposedly bad for the flow of spiritual energy, and madam Yu takes these things very seriously, especially with her son.

It makes Nie Huaisang very glad that he has so little spiritual energy himself. He can waste it if he likes, it won’t make much difference. 

With this plan agreed on, they go to their separate cabins to prepare for the night. Nie Huaisang companions don’t seem too upset that the Jiang disciples are being dumped on them. If anything, they seem as excited by the perspective of an evening without their young master as Nie Huaisang is. It’s likely that both cabins will end up doing the same sort of things, drinking and looking at forbidden pictures, but at least this way young masters and disciples can all pretend that nothing inappropriate happened. As soon as he has everything he needs, Nie Huaisang leaves the cabin and heads for the Jiangs’ one.

It is impossibly thrilling to sit down with Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, past curfew (forbidden), ready to spend the night in their cabin (forbidden), with some wine and those artful prints (both  extremely forbidden). They’re all three sitting on blankets that they threw on the floor. Well, Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng are sitting, still clinging to some vague illusion of propriety, while Wei Wuxian is lounging without a care in the world, refilling everyone’s cup with wine as often as necessary.

Giving up on being good is the best idea that Nie Huaisang has ever had in his life, and he’s so glad he’s found people ready to encourage him on the path to fun. Getting to meet these two makes it almost worth the annoyance of another year in the proximity of Lan Xichen. If not for the weekly meetings ordered by Lan Qiren, then Nie Huaisang would be quite happy with this situation.

When Wei Wuxian reveals that along with the wine, he managed to smuggle in some candies, Nie Huaisang decides that this is worth putting up with Lan Xichen. This is going to be the very best year of his life.

That sentiment lasts until the second cup of wine.

“So, you and Lan Xichen really don’t get along, uh?” Wei Wuxian asks.

Instantly, Nie Huaisang tenses. Well, he should have guessed. It’s never about him. And they were there when Lan Xichen came to pick him up for that stupid meeting they’re supposed to have, and Nie Huaisang didn’t think to hide his annoyance, and it must have been obvious that he cried, and now Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian will realise they can’t reach Lan Xichen through him, and…

“You can never trust the nice ones,” Jiang Cheng grumbles. “The better the reputation, the worst they act in private. It’s the same with Jin Zixuan honestly. He acts all high and mighty around adults, but when there’s nobody to see he’s a pest.”

Nie Huaisang chuckles nervously and reaches for his fan, although he doesn’t open it yet. “Right. Your sister too is engaged, uh? To Jin Zixuan… I mean, at least he’s not too ugly, and he has good cultivation.”

Both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian groan in annoyance.

“Shijie says the same!” Wei Wuxian complains, nearly spilling his wine. “She’s always trying to defend him, even though he made her cry last time he came to visit. He said she needed to improve her cultivation before they got married or it’d be embarrassing him. Can you believe that?”

“Peacock,” Jiang Cheng hisses. “Like he deserves her anyway.”

Nie Huaisang nods, and feels himself relax a little though he still fidgets with his fan.

“It’s not like she can help it,” he says carefully. “I’ve not met her, but Mingjue says whenever he came to Lotus Piers, she gave him the impression of a very nice girl, very polite. And he’s not the sort to just say something nice without meaning it.”

That, it turns out, is the best thing Nie Huaisang could ever have said. The instant they hear their sister praised, the other two beam at him as if he’s just told them they’ve reached immortality.

“Your brother is a man of great tastes,” Wei Wuxian proclaims, downing another cup of wine. “You know what? We should work on breaking the engagement between Shijie and that peacock, and see if she can’t marry your brother instead. That way she’ll get a good husband, and your sect gets a good alliance, and so you don’t need to marry some stuffy old Lan kid!”

“Wei gongzi, don’t go tempting me,” Nie Huaisang sighs. “I can’t start dreaming like that!”

Wei Wuxian laughs, and pour some more wine for all of them while Jiang Cheng, by far the one who’s had the least to drink, watches Nie Huaisang like a hawk.

“So it’s not just an impression, you don’t get along with Lan Xichen,” he says. “We’d heard some of the disciples who came here last year say it, but I figured maybe they just misunderstood.”

Nie Huaisang hesitates. This alliance between Qinghe Nie and Gusu Lan is important, and while Yunmeng Jiang is friendly now, they have their own alliance with Lanling Jin, who in turn everyone knows would never have the guts to turn against Qishan Wen. It’s important to make it look like Qinghe and Gusu have strong links, it’s important to make it seem like his future marriage is as certain as the rising sun and the winter snows.

If it ever reaches Nie Mingjue’s ears, Nie Huaisang will blame the wine. But he’s decided already that he was done pretending, and for this too he can take a leap of faith, show a little courage. Politics are politics but he likes Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, who seem to like him back and… and it’d be nice to be pitied a little.

“Your sister isn’t the only one whose cultivation is deemed unsatisfactory,” he admits. “And of course, Lan gongzi isn’t wrong about me. I don’t have a great cultivation level.”

“But you have great porn,” Wei Wuxian retorts, as if somehow, that compensates the rest. “And you’re pretty fun to have around.”

“We wouldn’t have invited someone like Lan Xichen to come here,” Jiang Cheng agrees with a huff, as if it annoys him to admit that some people don’t, well, annoy him. “He’s got a good reputation for sure, and everyone admires him, but he doesn’t sound like someone you’d want to be friends with.”

Nie Huaisang grins, and sips on his wine to hide how giddy he is.

He’s really going to enjoy becoming friends with those two over the months to come.

[soybeantree]

pairing: do kyungsoo x (reader) genre/warning: fluff, hogwarts!au word count: 1.2k-ish description: pre-epilogue era. professor!au a/n: may installment of our ‘trying to write a kyungsoo story for every month that he is in the service’ series. check out the other’s here.

[Thursday, August 12th, 2010; 12:00 p.m.]

Standing in the abandoned train station which welcomes the Hogwarts Express each year, you tap your wand to your robes, changing them from blue to black to green to magenta and back to blue again. The Headmistress has given you the great honor of welcoming and acting as guide to this year’s itinerant professor: Do Kyungsoo, Master of Ancient Oriental Arts.  Professor Do was due to arrive at precisely 11:45 which was fifteen minutes ago. 

As you contemplate a daring combination of gold and mauve, you hear the telltale pop of apparition. A flick of your wand straightens your clothes, and you turn with a bright smile to greet the new arrival. Your smile freezes as you catch sight of the itinerant professor. Your heart, however, decides to work over time, forcing you to breathe deeply as you attempt to calm it.  

“Hello and welcome to Hogwarts.” The words flow easily as you extend your hand in greeting. Being a professor has taught you many things. The most important in this time of crisis is the ability to speak boldly no matter the situation. “I am Professor Y/L/N, and I will be escorting you to the castle and helping to get you situated.”

Kyungsoo’s brows furrow as he reaches to grasp your hand. “I wasn’t aware any of the professors at Hogwarts spoke Korean.”

“None do.” Your smile dims as you clear your throat. “I am the charms professor and am quite skilled at translation spells.”

“I am fluent in English. I wouldn’t have accepted the position otherwise.” He informs you as he throws his luggage on the back of the carriage. 

“I know. I just thought it would be fun to practice the charm.” You shake your head as you climb in behind him. 

[Friday, September 3rd, 2010; 7:37 p.m.]

First comes the deep breath as you prepare yourself to be brave. Next comes the knock. Kyungsoo glances up from his desk, and his greeting smile steals your bravery. You’re already here though, no backing down now. 

“Professor Abkre and I are going to the Hog’s Head to celebrate the end of the first week. Would you like to come?” The grandfather clock which sits in the far corner of Kyungoo’s office announces each second that ticks by. When you have given up hope of ever breathing again, Kyungsoo nods.

The Hog’s Head during your school days had been dark and dingy and frequented by people of questionable repute. Aberforth had owned the pub back then, but when he passed and the pub’s new owner arrived, the pub began a new era. Minseok had opened the windows, cleared the cobs, and kept the old wood polished. He had also expanded the menu beyond alcohol to include teas and coffee. The pub was now an oasis for professors.

Professor Abkre, the Divination professor and your best friend, sits waiting for you, a cup of tea steaming in her hand. 

“Emmaline.” You greet her as you slide into the other side of the booth. Kyungsoo slides in beside you, and the three inches between you steals a large portion of your thoughts. “Emmaline?” 

Your friend’s attention finally snaps to you. “Oh, Professor Do, you agreed to come. Welcome.” 

“Is there something behind me?” Kyungsoo cranes his head, but Emmaline lunges for his robe’s collar, directing his attention back to the table.

“No. Nothing.”

“Minseok.” Your correction earns you a glare and a warning, and you remember who is sitting beside you. You mouth an apology as your eyes plead for mercy.

“Are you two dating?” The question startles a snort from you.  

In response to Kyungsoo’s bewildered expression, Emmaline says, “No, I think he is attractive.That’s all.”

“Have you talked to him?”

The addition of an outsider to your duo always reminds you how odd your behaviors are. “No,” Emmaline continues. She picks at her nails and, with a sigh, explains, “Y/N and I don’t talk to men that we like. We stare at them from afar and do nothing until the feelings go away.”

“Why?”

“That’s a much longer explanation.” You chime in. “And we came here to drink. I’m going to order.” You warn. Emmaline shakes her head, and you flag Minseok down. 

As he approaches your booth, he slows. A wide smile splits his face. “Kyungsoo!” He greets the itinerant professor, launching into a conversation in Korean.

Emmaline’s eyes go wide as all the color leaks from her face. She leans forward, and placing a hand to the side of her mouth, whispers, “What are they saying?”

Mimicking her posture, you respond with “I have no idea. I didn’t cast my translation charm.”

“I am going to kill you.”

“I know.” Both of you lean back as the men finish their conversation.

“You two know each other?” Emmaline squeaks.

“Minseok is the one who told me about the opportunity at Hogwarts.”

Emmaline nods. “Well, I need to be anywhere that’s not here.” And with that, your friend is gone. Minseok glances after her, his brow furrowing. 

“I’d like a Butterbeer please.” You draw his attention away from your friend. “Kyungsoo?”

“I already gave him my order.” Kyungsoo’s voice is soft. Minseok nods to both of you before going to get your drinks. “I didn’t say anything to him.”

“I know.” You sigh, slumping in your chair. “It’s just-” You make a vague gesture with your hands but words fail to explain the sensation elicited from the situation.

“Do you two really not talk to men you like?” 

Your response is immediate, born of endless conversations with your family and Emmaline’s, but you swallow the answer when you glance at Kyungsoo. 

[Friday, December 24th, 2010;  8:53 p.m.] 

Christmas, typically, means a reprieve from students and duties, you had explained to Kyungsoo before the fall term started. He could even return home for the holiday. He had shrugged, explaining that the holiday did not hold the same sentiment for him. 

Halfway into term though, you both learned that this Christmas will be more stressful than classes. The Head Boy and Girl along with the prefects decided to have a Yule Ball. The Headmistress volunteered you and Kyungsoo as chaperones for the ball. Being a chaperone means ensuring that the punch remains punch, the students maintain proper school distance, and that you thwart the inevitable pranks. 

The night before the ball, you stay awake into the dawn. When Emmaline makes a jibe about the reason, you brush it off. While you have spent several of the hours planning your outfit for the next day, you kindly explain to her that the main reason is finishing chaperone preparations. 

The prep is definitely needed. As you hit the ground running once the sun rises. By the time the ball starts, you are ready for bed. Your robes which had started the day neatly pressed sport more wrinkles than a Sharpei, your perfectly coiffed hair fared no better, and you lack the motivation to charm it back in order.

Pulling another set of students apart, you shoo them out of the shadows and back on the dance floor. You remain in the background, pulling a flask you had confiscated from a sixth year not five minutes into the ball, from your robe’s inner pocket. He had attempted to unload the contents in the punch. A quick swig confirms it as Fire Whiskey.

“May I have a sip?” 

You jump, the flask fumbling out of your hand. But it freezes a foot from the floor. The whiskey catches in a delicate amber arc for a moment. Then slowly, it slips back into the flask as it rights itself and floats into Kyungsoo’s waiting hand. He slips his wand back into his robes before taking his sip. 

“Confiscated?” He asks.

You nod. “Not that I’m above bringing my own.” You chuckle, running a hand through your ruined hair and regretting your lack of motivation. The shadows thankfully conceal your wrinkles.

“How many hours do we have left?” He asks as he returns the flask. His fingers brush against yours, sending a thrill up your arm. 

Shaking yourself, you check your watch and groan. “Another three hours at the least. I’m sure we’ll be rounding up students until well after three though.” 

He smiles as he comes to stand beside you, his gaze scanning the hall. “I suppose that’s not so bad. I had school friends who partied until the sun rose.”

The idea pulls your shoulders down with the imagined weariness. You have never – nor have you ever had the desire – to spend so much time away from your bed. “Did you?” He shakes his head. “Did Minseok?” He shakes his head again with a chuckle.

“Minseok and I were the boring members of our group.” 

“That makes sense. After all, you did become a professor of Ancient Oriental Magic.” You tease. 

“And Charms is more exciting?” Despite his level tone, you catch the hint of mockery in the way the corner of his lips quirks up. 

“I never said it was.” You fight the urge to stick out your tongue because you are an adult. “I picked Charms because I am good at it. I’ve never been the adventurous type.”

“Is that why you don’t talk to guys you like?” 

Your breath catches, and you force yourself to shrug. “Like I said that’s a long explanation.”

“You don’t have trouble talking with me.”

“I was forced to talk to you.” The words are out before you fully realize what you're saying. “What I mean is as your guide it was my job to talk to you.” He turns his full attention on you, and words start to spill out. “I had to start talking to you; instead of ignoring you. It’s the starting that’s hard. Once I talk to somebody, it’s easy to continue talking to them. So it’s different with you.”

He nods, his eyes going unfocused, and you wish you had a gift for legilimency. “If you were not my guide, you would have never spoken to me.”

“Yes.” 

“Because you like me.”

“Yes. NO!” But you have already spoken the truth, and the grin spreading across his face buries any hope of convincing him otherwise. With a sigh, you lean your back against the wall, and keeping your gaze on the revelers, continue, “Yes, I like you, but I expect nothing from my crush. I am content to like you from a distance and continue as your friend.”

“But what if I like you too?”

You snort, but swallow your response when you catch sight of his eyes. The candle light glints off them, highlighting his sincerity. “What?”

He steps forward, capturing your full gaze and shielding you from the rest of the hall. “I like you, and I do not want to continue as only your friend.”

“Oh.” You blink. “Well in that case, I guess we could date?” The word feels silly, but Kyungsoo smiles.

“I’d like to date.” He steps back, and the bright lights of the Great Hall flood in along with the sound of song and revelry. 

Your foot taps along to the tune, and your heart leaps to join the dancing.  You content yourself with smiling, and when Kyungsoo slips his hand in yours, you hold tight.

[finding-the-daylight]

So, now that my finals are officially over, I am going to proceed to have a drink or two or three and rewatch Eclipse. Here’s (soberly) what I remembered from the film prior to starting this account (since starting this account, posts re:Eclipse have reminded me of things I’m not going to include in this introduction): 

1. Bella is basically playing tic-tac-toe with Edward and Jacob and her feelings for them. She can’t make up her mind. When I watched it the first time, my dad was in the living room half paying attention to it and said she was very selfish. 

2. Edward tries to control Bella, but it’s “out of genuine concern for her”.

3. Jacob tries to control Bella, but it’s “out of genuine concern for her”.

4. Both fight for her affection and even though she’s engaged to Edward, she won’t let go of Jacob.

5. When the newborn army shows up, Bella cuts her arm with a rock.

6. There’s awkward tension in the tent.

That’s literally all I remember of the movie while sober (aside from what I have relearned from posts about Eclipse on this blog). My drunken thoughts will be below the break:

Okay, so this dude I think his name is Riley is lowkey kinda dumb, no offense. Like he just stood there and screamed “WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?” This is how all horror movies end badly. You don’t talk back. You run or hide or esape.

THE MEADOW IS SO FUCKING PRETTY. IT’S THE PUREST THING WE HAVE IN THIS FANDOM OMG HE’S PLAYING WITH EHR HAIR AND I JUST WANT SOMEOEN TO PLAY WITH MY HAIR. DAMN BELLA, MY FINALS ARE OVER. SUCKS TO SUCK, DOESN’T IT?

I never noticed the CUllen cuff before, but now thanks to this blog it’s all I’m looking @ lmao. 

I FCKING LOVE CHARLIE TOO MUCH AND HE DESERVED BETTER THIS WHOLE TIME. HE IS SUCH A GOOD FATHER AND HE DESERVES THE BEST.

THERE’S A GLOWING RED LIGHT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW WTF I THINK IT’S THE REFLECTION OF A CAR LIGHT BUT I FUCKING SWEAR

NVM ITS GONE

WHAT THE FUCK EDWARD?? YOU MESSED WITH BELLA’S TRUCK SO SHE COULDN’T SEE HER FRIEND? FUCK. I WOULD’VE DUMPED YOU AND LEFT YOU IN THE WOODS BRO.

Edward sitting with Bella’s friends. We can’t help but stan. He’s still a bitch for the truck thing though. 

I love how Alice looks @ Edward and tells him the party will be fun because she knows nothing bad will happen. But then he reads her mind and looks conerned wtf is ognna happen?

Side note: I really like the lighting in this movie. Everyone has a healthly glow. They lokk happy.

The fucking Volturi always gotta ruin everything. Bitch ass hoes. Ol’ crusty asses acting like some outdated monarchy. Why don’t the vamprires start a democratic government?

Charlie really deserved better. Like I know they couldn’t tell him teh truth but they could’ve been slightly less untruthful prbabl.

I WANNA FIND SOMEONE WHERE MY MOM SAYS WE’RE LIKE MAGNETS WITH EACH OTHER. I WANT SOMEONE TO LOOK @ ME LIKE I’M THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. DAMNIT EDWARD. DAMNIT STEPHENDW. 

Y’ALL ARE TELLING ME THE ENTIRE CULELN CLAM COMBINED COULDN’T TKAE OUT VICTORIA? THIS SHIT IS GETTING UNREALISTIC LMAO.

THE MUSIC THAT STARTS PLAYING WHEN JAKE TURNS AROUND IN THE PARKING LOT SENT ME LMAOOOOO. 

Leah is such a badass and I wnat to be best friends with ehr plase. 

ALSO FCK THIE IMPRINTING STORYLINE. 

SAM AND LEAH WERE HAPPY TOGETHER.

NO BELLA YOU DON’T FUCKING WANNA KNOW WHAT IMPRINTING IS. NONE OF US WANTD WTO KNWO. IT NEVER SHOULDVE BEEN WRITTEN.

Taylor and Kristen are such babies in this movie. They’re so young and precious. WHIH REMINDS ME WHY TF DID SPTHEJNFNWFNA MAKE THIS SEIRESO ABOUT CHIDLREN??!?! I STILL SAY IF THE CHARACTERS HAS BEWNNF MORE MATUEE AND IN LIKE THEIR MID OR LATE TWNETIEMS OR THIRTIS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. FIUCKUNG FIGHT ME.

INITING BELLA TO HEAR THE TRIBE’S HISTORIES? THE CULTURAL APPROPRIATION FUCK STEPHEN0AWFJQ. BITCHJ.

SETH IS SO PRECIOUS. AGAIN. THEY’RE ALL SUCH BABIES. THESE POOR CHILDREN.

this hwoel shite is sof ukcing offensie. bitch. listen. why tf did stpehwb fafb have to appropriate cultues like this? BITCH>> you do realize if the legnds are actually like this they’rel ike that because it’s aout defeating yo white as sright? like your’e aware stpehebe ? 

omg bree is so scare d poor baby. literally why did stephenjdbawfbi do this? she just wnated to be ok not hurt anywaon.

exuce me vut CARLISLE IS HOT AS FUCK BITCH

edward is saying some real romantic shit and i sill hate him for the turck thing but like he loves her so much btu he’s stil an asshoel in this smovie

I’M ABOUT TO HATE JACOB I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES I’VE SEEN THE GIFS HOE WE GONNA GIGHT. BITCH SHE JUST TOLD YOU SHE DOESN’T LIKE YOU DON’T PUSH HER LIKE THIS. DUMBAS S HOE BITCH. YOU’RE GONNA FIGHT FOR HER? I’M GONNA FUCKIN FIGHT YOU BTCH. I WISH SHE WAS ALREAYD A VAMPIRE SO RTHAT PUNCH WOULDA HURT BITCH YOU DESERVED IT.

THESE FUCKWITS ARE FIGHTING OVER HER AND NOT LISTNEING TO HER THEY ARE BOTCH CANCELLED. BELLA NEEDS TO LEAVE BOTH THESE HOES AND GET A NEW MAN WHO ACTUALLY KNOWS HOW TO LISTNE. BITCHES.

I love Emmett so much. BELLA SHOULD FINA A MAN LIKE HIM. IT’S WHAT SHE DESERVES.

ROSALIE IS ABOUT TO POP TF OFF. SHE IS A QUEEN AND I LVOE AND SUPPORT HER. the saddest thing about this is that she thought her life was perfect and then some fucking asshoes ruiend it. she was so happy. wtf im gonna cry. fuck. i hate sptehej n so much. these gross ass hoes i’m gonna cik all theyre assses. this is so gross i’m so angry literaluy setthing beithc. BUT THEN SHE GETS HER REVENGE AND IT’S BEAUTIFUL. FUCK THOSE BASTARS. but she;s so sad it breaks my heart. she wants to be human so bad. this scene is so sad and it’s theonly good scene in twilight and nikki reed deserves an ocsa like if you agree.

jane and alec more childrne who should’ve been able to be children fck the volturie

why the hel is jessica the fucking valedinact ion? it should’ve been bella they made her seem so damn smart but now she’s not theo ne? i don’ beliee it. but anna kendrick is a gift and now i wanna watch ptiche perfect. CHARLIE is so pure he deserved better and i’m gona kep saying it.

i love those fucking rose colored lamps hanging at the cullens house int he window at hte party scene can anyone link them to me i need? 

why the hell is the wolfpack athe cullesn hosue? this doesnt make sense and it doesn’t seem real am i too drunk and imabginf this?

jno wait it’s real. jake’s appolgoizng.

how fucking conventinet the woflpakc is there hwen alice realizes there abotu to be attacked. this aint realistc. bitc.

why are these kids being forces to act like audls? “I wans;t asking for permission” hoe you’re like 16 go home and go tib ed and odnt go to war.

these woflies gonan kick yo ass edward get tf out

i’m laughign nrow but nothigng funy is happening lmaoooo

fck carlisle is really hot as fuck his jawline kills me

i hate jasper’s hair here i’m sorry i know we all lovehim bt heis hair is a dam nmess

belal is so fuckign negative all the time no one is gonan get killed exceptsvictoris

THE COWBOOIIIII WHY DOES HE LOOKS LIKE OWNE WILSON IN THIS DAMN LIGHTIN? ALICE AND JASPER LOVE EACH TOHER SO MUCH MY APLOGIZKE MAAM FCK IT UP.

why thfe fuck is hake comparing his situaton with leah and sam and emily? We are nto the same hoe wae are not the same. bella is choosing edward sit yo ass down. but i still thin kyall are both problemastic as fuck in thos movie and hse deserves better.

CHARLIES DESEVRS  BTETER THEY KEEP LYIGN EVEN WHEN THEY DUCKGN DONT NEED TO

reblog if you thought edward and bella wre gona fuc, when she went over to his house in eclipse when yo ufirst read the book or saw the movue

he really oes love her a lot though fkcn i’m so alone 

 he looks si sad wgen he mentind ices tea on the porch poor edward

EVERY DANM MOMENR OF FOREVER BITCG I WANT  LOVE LIK THST 

LITERALLY THIS IS THE SUTPEIDEST PLOT EVER. A WHOLE FUCKIN ARMY TOO ATTACK ONE IGRL? BITCH. THIS AINT EVEM A THING. 

im gettign ral tired yall dik if i waill mke it to the end of this movie but i will tru

i hate the enrgey from jae and efard in this tent. ya’ll are both dumb hoes and she could do better than either ofy ou. 

WRHAT THE FUCK FASTER IF YOUR TOOK YORU CLOTHS OFF BITCH WHAT THE FUCK NOW I AM GONNA FUCKIN PUNCH YOU IB HOEP BELLA OUBCHES YOU WHEN SHES A VMAPRIE STUPID HOE 16 YEAR OLD SHOULD BE AT HOME IN BED INSTEAD OF IN A TENT TRYING TO FIGH A FCUKCN WAR

edward is such an emo boi in the tent and he thinsk she doesn;t lve him any more. yo ua stipiud hoe edearf but she still loves you anwyab ithc.

wheb edward said i’m not gonna force her into naythign ever agin i realized he was hte better man good for you eddie you fickun manned up you win

MY REASON FOR ESXITNST HOE I JST WNAT TO BE LOVED

now edwards bene a fuckboi again trying to hurt jake b ymaking sure he knew they were getting maried edward what the fuck iw was just starting to be on your side agian and you let me down like this

jacob is beign an emo boi now jake go be a child @ home and stop this nonsense you’re not a man go be a chid and take a nap and eat some grilled cheese youkk feel better

now she told him she wants to kiss him wtf bella don’t kead this bitch on he’s already in pain let hom gp home and eat a grilled cheese

mow bella’ supsetti spaghetti because edwards know she kissed jake

this shit is so unenecasialr dramtic wht the fuck yall  like a whole army ofver one girl and then its like all everyboyd trying kill everybody this is bulshittheyre all children who should eb at home eating grileld chesses not at war

victoria is a real bitch lying to this boy telling hin she lvoes him hoe bitch

og shit efward ifs pissed now he’s tauntign ab ithc

i acutaly kinda fel bad for riley he wnet through so mcuh and was manipulated i wish the cullens could have adopted him and bree

oshit is the volutire 

SAM DONT FUCKUGN TALK TO LEAH LIKE THAT EVER AGIAN YOU HOE

CARLISE AND I REPEAT AGAIB IS HOT AS FUCK FUCK CARLISRL

I LITERALLY AHTE THE VOLTURIE FOR KILLIGN VREE THEY WILL NEVER BE FORGIVEN

JASPER KNOWS WHATS GOOD HE DOESN’T TURST THESE HOES

I’M SO PISEED THAT THE CULLENS NEVER FUCKING IFHT THE VOLTURIE LIKE CARLISLES IS SMART AS FUCK AND EHS TILL WONT START A DEMOCRAY LIKE YALL KNOW ROSLAIE WOULDVE FOGUHT FOR THAT SHIT TOO

 I LVOE YOUDADY CARLISLE

THIS 16 YEAR OLD LYING UP HERE BECAUSE OF TE DUMBASS WAR I TOLD YALL TO GO GOEN AND EA A GRILELD CHEDWE

poor jakie he knows hed better good for her but she reallys loves eward jake deserved better than what he got reblog is youf agree he jst said he’s even love her after she’s a vamprie bruh go eat a grilled chease and love yourself

WERE BACK IN THE FUCKING MEADOW ITS LIT AND ITS LOVELY I WANNA FALL IN LOVE IN A MEADOW WITH A HANDAOME MYSTERIOUS MAN WHO LOVES ME UNCODNITONATLY

KIRSTNE STEQARD IS THE WBEST AND SHE DESERVED AN OSCAR FOR THIS MOVIE HER AND NIKKI REED AND NODBOYD ELSE

fianlly this bitch is gonna beh onest with chalrie took you long enough

that was an anticlamtnc ending but i love love

[therootsprojectuk]

Webinar Transcript with HS2 activist Goldilocks - 12.01.21

Webinar CONVERSATION WITH HS2 ACTIVIST GOLDILOCKS 12.01.2021

A transcription of a discussion between Goldilocks and webinar participants. A lockdown fundraising project coordinated between ‘The Roots Project’ and Kirkstall Valley Farm. The fundraising is supporting destitute refugee housing and community intergration projects

 https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-roots-project-1

For more information on The Roots Project links are available via their linktree:

https://linktr.ee/therootsprojectuk?

Seren Oakley(Host): I think everyone who’s come to listen to Goldilocks speak, um I don’t know who’s come from where but Kirkstall Valley farm and The Roots project are kind of the collaborators bringing this together so um there is a link for a Crowdfunder to raise money for migrants and refugees in the chat, if you can at the moment and if you wan to or if you want to share that with anyone interested. Um yeah, so I guess the first question for Goldilocks. Goldilocks is an activist who’s been working with the HS2 camps. Maybe if you go into a bit of what HS2 are doing and who they are.

 Goldilocks: I guess I can talk about like, sort of introduce myself, and a little bit about HS2. Um, I don’t know. I’ve kind of like written something down so, so I want to talk about first how HS2 describes itself, because I feel like if anyone’s heard of HS2 before it’s probably been n BBC news right? Or like something like that. Where it’s been like their angle on it. So HS2 describes itself as like this green solution to like all the economic imbalances we have between the north ad south of the country. A state funded infostructure, and it’s actually the biggest structural project that’s happening in Europe. So, HS2 stands for High Speed 2, so it’s the second High Speed 2, so it’s the second High Speed train line in this country. It’s supposed to connect London to Birmingham, I its first phase of works, which is a phase of works that is happening at the moment, and then it’s going to go like up North, connect up to Leeds and Manchester and to some airports and then Crewe and possibly Glasgow. It’s currently looking like, this might be cancelled, hopefully, fingers crossed.

 So, construction and deconstruction works have already begun for phase one. HS2’s been old as this eco-friendly, like progressive means of transport, that’s gonna fix all of our problems, that’s going to make less cars run, and people are going to fly places less despite the fact that it’s connecting up airports on its way.

Um claims to be creating jobs, one of their biggest selling points, but like we’ve got to think about lik the cost like no matter how sustainable and how progressive it is, like it is just pushing this idea of like endless economic growth, and like always making sure people are like occupied and working hard, I don’t know, it kind of really comes back to like, just a lot of bad ideas around capitalism and what people should be doing with their time. The first kind of, I guess when the first train lines were built in this country, they cut loads of trees down to build the sleeves and we’re kind of seeing that destruction kind of mirrored in HS2 now, that they’re felling loads of woodlands to make way for this line. I can talk a little bit later about the economic and ecological and human costs of things when it comes up.

S: How did you get involved in it?

 G: So I used to live in Leeds, I did some uni there, and then one of my friends was on the camps in like January (2020) and December last year (2019) and I was seeing all this destruction sort of happen like they did like a lot of livestreams o Facebook and a lot of like outreach stuff online, they dropped me a message to e like there’s stuff we’re planning, it’d be cool if you could come and support so I went down, I was just planning to go down and visit for like a few days to help out Harble Rd camp, which is one of he cams just outside London, actually in Boris Johnston city Cambridge, and that was January last year, um it says my speakers not working. But, can people hear me okay? Cool. I might just not be able to hear you back. Yeh I just kind of fell in lov with especially like the community there and the really beautiful area that it was at the time before HS2 kind of moved in, um the Harble road camp now, you used to be able to walk  from like the road camp all the way to one of the other camps at like Denham and ow like everything is boxed off everything has like fencing around, and like cleared or like felled or just not accessible to the public anymore, and there’s like two lake and you used to be able to walk around like the whole of both of them and now you just can’t and for people in that area, that is like just outside of London where people would go to just hangout and have some time in nature, and that’s just kind of been taken away from people. I kind of moved onto the campaign full time, I was very lucky to have to be working in a bar, for it to be closed, for me t be like “Right if I’m going to be in lockdown somewhere I may as well go and do it” like with people I love, like go and do this thing and kind of have ability, and decide whether I was going to stay there forever or not and yeah I kind of decided to stay, um , yeah, that’s kind of how I got involved. Just through kind of word of mouth. It’s really difficult to kind of know about these thigs unless you know people in these circles, and I think we need better outreach as a campaign, yeah.

S: Are most people in the same boat, that they’ve just heard through word of mouth or?

G: A lot of people, yeah, or they’re from other campaigns or they live in the squatter’s scene, everything is really transient which hasn’t really changed during lockdown. I don’t know, make of it what you will, but that’s just a way of life for some people. A lot of people heard about what’s going on through XR, and through HS2 rebellion, and other little groups. Kind of like locals get involved, obviously cause it’s right o their doorstep like what the fuck is happening out there, like um particularly around the celvin-steeple claden camps area there’s like a really strong like community of resistance against HS2, direct action side of it which I’m involved with has only been going for like the last three years, we often don’t really give enough credit to that this is a twelve year long campaign and people have been having their lives ruined for like 10 years, they did a lot of the ground work before we were even there, like especially Calbert. HS2 had pans to go through peoples back gardens and take hoses away from people. Locals kind of rose up and said ‘Nah you’re not doing that!’ but I just wanted to highlight that yeah, they also exist.

S: Yeah, like how have – What’s the min focus been for activists fighting that? How have they been going about it, is it just mainly like taking over the land or have there been many like legal disputes from you.

G: Um I guess, I guess so far, it’s mainly been about the ecology being destroyed and about biodiversity loss so, let me just get the exact numbers up so that I don’t say the wrong thing. But, HS2 is going to destroy 108 ancient woodlands, 33 sites of scientific interest, nearly 700 wildlife sites, 5 internationally designated wildlife sites. Loads of big conservation projects are happening um so a lot of the focus has been about the ecological damage that’s being caused and so a lot of like the narrative so far has been : there’s people and they’re going to go into the woods ad their going to live there and wait for eviction, and save the trees and if that’s what people are passionate about then that’s really important, we do that but this is about a wider network of problems.

Sorry U can just hear my voice echoing downstairs, it’s really funny, there ae people in the house listening to this. But yeah, so far it’s very much been like the tee defenders sort of side of things um but I guess some people are more concerned about like that this isn’t a good use of ta payers money, like particularly when the NHS is suffering and this project is costing what it would cost to build like 300 hospitals that’s also a concern that people have also like about like communities didn’t really get a say in this, this wasn’t democratically decided like it’s a huge chunk of money and a huge chunk of peoples taxes and they just haven’t got a say like it’s very authoritarian of hs2 to kind of come in and be like ‘ No we’re going to build this train line and work for us, and we’re going to take what we want’. There’s been like a lot of take recently about how this isn’t just about railway and I think there’s some like really cool things that we can explore there and like loads of other like movements that’re going on and a lot of the people building these things ae the same people are the people being exploited and I don’t know, solidarity is really important with these campaigns, and it’s something I’d really like to think a lot more about, like tying all these things together. So maybe I guess we can talk about mainly in terms of the pandemic like Hs2 have continued to like work through that and it’s been really quite damaging to like communities that are like especially vulnerable like people in the construction industry have had the highest rates of COVID-19, because they have been forced to go to work without proper PPE and being allowed to socially distance. I don’t like how HS2 continues to mistreat its workers as just disposable and their like ‘Oh we need to continue to do this amazing project that’s going to fix all of our problems even though we’re the ones perpetuating the problems in the first place’. Yeah.

S: Have you seen, because I’ve seen some videos from the cams where I think it’s bailiffs, who are not being COVID-19 – not paying attention to any of the rules surrounding COVID-19, especially towards the start of the pandemic. How has that kind of affected you guys? Has it had an effect on anyone getting COVID-19?

G: Um.. I mean, I don’t want to sound like a COVID-19 denier or anything but we haven’t had, until it got to winter there wasn’t really, like COVID-19 wasn’t really a thing on the camps. So, it was kind of like yeah evictions were still happening and stuff and people were being left with nowhere to go but it’s not like, like the people there all kind of were there out of choice or they new that they had other places to go. It hasn’t, COVID-19 hasn’t really affected how much work HS2 has done and like we re really lucky to have not caught COVID-19 from like bailiffs and stuff who’ve been travelling all over the country evicting people even though that’ something we were talking about at the time. I imagine there being a pandemic has put people off coming here it’s also like I don’t know I wouldn’t be here if that hadn’t happened in the first place. In a weird sort of way.

Yeah, like it’s not just squats, protesters have made tree houses that are being evicted during the pandemic as well, it’s like people are being kicked out of their homes and their farms and like getting their businesses taken away from them like their source of income taken away, and they’re not getting compensation to go ad live somewhere else.  So, say you don’t get as much money to go and buy a new building, you many only be able to rent a place, and it’s really difficult to rent houses at the moment because there’s a pandemic and estate agents are being a bit like “Hmm that’s not really quite on” or like being able to move in with family who are also vulnerable, it’s kind of like this knock-on effect that HS2 is having, they have these things called compulsory purchase orders. Which means they can just buy land off people, and those people don’t get a say in it and they also don’t get a say in how much money they get or when they get give, like you’re not aloud to do all these things, like you’re not allowed to go to the press, you’re not aloud to talk to protesters, you’re not aloud to have protesters on your land, you’re not allowed to talk to certain people or like drive through your own driveway at certain times because HS2 are there and it’s just really, really bad that people are being blackmailed into what HS2 want them to do, and yeah non of that has stopped during the pandemic there’s been absolutely no sympathy for anyone really. It almost feels like they maybe accelerated works because there’s less resistance happening.

S: How has, which laws exactly have been put into play r have they been specifically tailored for hS2 from what they’re doing?

G: So there’s a piece of legislation called schedule 17, which is basically the thing that allows hs2 to go ahead, so included in that is all of the compulsory purchases and temporary purchases, which is when they take a piece of land and they don’t pay you for it and you get it back in X amount of years, for example, one farmer has had , he’s like in his 70s, he’s had his land taken off of him, he’s going to get it back in 17 years’ time, like he probably won’t be around in that time to see the outcome of this. Like, the state that they give it back to you in is like very much up to them. They could cut everything down, or turn it to mud. It’s very much up to them, sorry this is a tangent.

So, yeah, there’s this piece of legislation called Schedule 17 which is HS2 can break loads of environmental laws as well because it’s deemed like necessary for the project and the greater good for this, also in terms of what they’re trying to push on protesters it’d be injunctions which is a piece of law which a private company can buy, and that then means these certain rules which people are meant to follow, and if they don’t then we’re going to put you in prison, ad we’re going to fine you loads an loads of money. I might talk a bit about that later if you wanted me to talk about trespass, and stuff as well.

Things that people have been charged for, for protesting has been like section 241 which is like a trade union act, like oh you’ve stopped works how dare you, things like aggravated trespass, like criminal damage and things like whatever.

Yeah, in terms of policing and actually enforcing the laws, police basically listen to what HS2 have told them to do because HS2 have given them loads of money and they’re all basically working together because it’s all the same state.

S: yeah so, have there been any authorities that have backed what you’re doing and supported you through legal trials or anything, cause I know there’s been like no media coverage of what’s going on , but anyone who’s been like pushing for it within a higher structure?

G: I know that Chris Packham’s tried to take HS2 to court to no avail, because like the court is on the side with HS2. I know that when we’ve been in court for like injunction cases before, HS2 have like hand picked the judges that have overseen that case because the 3 or 4 judges that were proposed before were like too sympathetic to protesters. We had some like a good barrister who gave us some good advice; who does stuff like this for squatters and protest occupation, things like environmental protesters. Um I don’t – There’s not really a lot going on, on the legal side I know there’s a petition happening at the moment, with 1000s and 1000s of signatures, and hopefully that’ll mean parliament will debate maybe postponing or cancelling HS2. But, yeah I don’t know too much about that, that’s not really something my activism involves I guess.

S: within your activism, what have you skill wise gained and what’s been affirmed since joining the camps.

G: I guess being on camps, all the practical skills that come with that like building things, is something I never thought I’d do. Spending not a lot of time outdoors in the past few years you lose that confidence to go out and do stuff, like learning to climb has been really, really freeing as well. I don’t know if you can do that now, it’s pretty fun. Also just learning how-to live-in communities and build communal spaces from like the ground up and make decisions together like learning how to communicate with other people as well in ways that you don’t generally do outside of this. Like this feels like we actually take peoples feelings into consideration a lot of the time and the space around us, and what impact we have on the environment. A lot of skill share and stuff do happen on the campaign. Crackley camp which I near Cannellworth, t the northern end of the line, like over summer. There were lots of people going there for the first time doing like workshops and skill shares, an learning your rights or doing non violent communications or like how to tie certain knows or things or how to cook for big groups and I guess all of these things are skills you don’t really get taught until you kind of put your mind to it in this sort of setting.

A lot of things we were like working on, obviously that’s a huge learning curve. Like I’ve seen people not know what to do to running with ecology work and stuff like that, or doing all the research themselves like talking to other people and learning what they can to do that or like, reading up on all the legal side to it, how to defend yourself in court and like there’s such a broad list of things to do, it’s kind of hard to pin point one thing.

S: I did have a question, I think it was on laws of trespass, and how that kind of affects the protester.

G: Okay trespass is usually like a civil matter, and the government is trying to make it like a criminal act, so let’s keep it civil guys… So, trespass is when you go onto someone else’s land without their permission. So if you’re out hiking and you go into someone’s field or if you’re like living in an empty building or something like that, it’s all encompassed I what trespass means. Like if you go onto someone’s land the owner can ask you to leave. And if you don’t do that whatever. They just ask you to leave it’s a civil matter, as long as you’re not like disrupting what they’re doing then like it’s still civil, if you start disrupting it that’s when it becomes aggravated trespass and that’s when it becomes a criminal matter. So for example like the postman isn’t trespassing because when they come into your garden they’re there to do a job and you kind of it’s somewhat informed , it’s somewhat allowed to happen, so hs2 use the civil injunction to stop their work from being disrupted which is basically like I guess there’s this list of rules which means you’re not supposed to trespass or you’re not aloud to standing front of the gates, and you’re not allowed to trespass on the land and that basically means if you get caught doing those things they can take you to court over it or you can be arrested . There’s been like a case last year were someone allegedly broke an injunction like 17 times and hs2 wanted to get him in prison for two years and like he basically got away with, I think he got a suspended sentence , so between that and going to prison that’s kind of the less harsh end of it. I don’t know, and also because it’s painted as like you know it’s just trespass, it’s just being peaceful trying to defend things, and protect trees and nature. But it very much feels like the kind of issue of trespass comes up in discussions like this a lot and it raises questions like who does this land belong to?

Who gets to decide the right make decisions about it especially untouched bits of woodland, like who gets the right to be there? Who should it be preserved for? Thinking about maybe protecting it for ourselves, or for future generations is really important for some people. In terms of like how it affects protesters like yeah you’re living on sites where you could be evicted because it could be considered trespass, or like the bailiffs will come in like “oh you’re trespassing” line, no “you’re trespassing” like “no , you’ve just walked into our home”

S: yeah, what is like, going back to you said like some people just think it’s about protecting trees and stuff, what would environmental repercussions of everything be in the long term, for these people who do want to look after the land for future generations?

G: S I guess what I’m going to talk about what HS2 are doing in terms of mitigating the damage they’re doing, and then we’ll kind of go from there I guess. So they’re doing really bad mitigation. They’re building habitats in places that these habitats have never existed before. Which for example, near Jones Hill hey want to build a pond, but there’s no pond near jones hill, like what animals are going to go live there or migrate to that pond. They’ve often tried to plant trees but often, said that they can’t afford to water them. But, then also happen to be able to afford security to stop activists from watering them. Those trees, they often plant the same kind of tree which just means that if one of those trees gets sick then they’ll all die. Or like um planting trees that were suited to the environment. They basically just bulldoze anything in their way. Calvert Jubilee was a really beautiful space. I spent a few weeks like helping set up the camp there, and spent a few weeks living there, it’s just so beautiful. There’re these lakes and like loads of ancient oaks around it and loads of birds, and it would be where birds stop off on their migrations over seas and it was just a really nice area, especially during lockdown. That reserve was like a lifeline for people, that was the only way of going outdoors, or being in nature and being able to socially distance from people. I was there the night before we took the camp and there was a lady there who travelled quite far to go and see it before, she knew it was going to be destroyed. She was telling us that she used to go looking for these rare Orchids there, and there were ancient grasslands. You could tell they were ancient because of how the ants had built their nests there.

Another thing HS2 do is they put down this netting over badger sets. So, badgers can’t go back to their sets after they’ve left and they have to leave. They can only do that at certain times of the year. So, it’s like a game with the activists to try and stop them from putting that netting down or disrupt that work before its time for them to fell that woodland. Other things they’ve done before is like putting concrete and stuff down badger sets which has bee really awful to see, or with the bat roosts they put all his wire netting around some of the trees so the bats couldn’t get back in or out. At Jones Hill we now that we had bats still in the wood, and HS2 knew which trees they were in and HS2 shone flood lights on them to stop the bats being able to like nest and stuff, it’s under hand sneaky tactics, to try and stop it happening and to say “oh there’s no bats here” although they’re putting up bat boxes in peoples house and stuff to try and mitigate for that, but it’s not the same as their natural habitat. I was actually talking to - I got arrested – and the lady who arrested me was telling me, she lost her house to HS2, we were just stood there outside the police station just chatting for hours. She was telling me HS2 used to come to her house and pretend to do bat surveys there cause the people who’d been hired to do them didn’t actually know how to do them. They’d just give her £1000s of pounds just for coming and pretending to do these surveys and her house before it was taken off of her, and it’s just so fucked that they can get away with that especially doing that to the police and the police were like hang on. That’s just a brief overview of what HS2  is doing to the kind of ecological destruction.

Yeah, on a more personal level there were these things called blissgliffs which are like large door mice, and they live in all of the beech trees around Tring, because someone let them out and they’re just an invasive species, but they’re so cute. They’re just like these big door mice and I had them living in my tree house, and there were two big nests, and they would keep me up all night and steal my food and break into everything but at the end of the day they were so adorable and I feel really bad that they were made homeless during eviction cause like it’s sad to see the animals dying, not great.

S: No. Do you think there were any actual ecologists working or are working with HS2?

G: HS2 have an ecology coursed school thing. I’m not really sure. I’ve not really looked that much into it really. I’d quite like to a bit more. Often ecologists will show up who aren’t trained properly or they’ll show up and be disguised as security because they know protesters will berate them about how much actual ecology knowledge they actually know. Some of them showed up at Jones Hill and we told them, we know where the badger sets are, we’ve done the surveys, you don’t need to come int the woods. Their way of looking at like badger sets was just like sticking a stick down it and being like ah this one doesn’t have badgers in it. If you were a good ecologist, you’d know it didn’t have badgers in it based on the signs around it show that it hasn’t been touched for a while, because there’s leaves in it. Stuff like that they don’t know their stuff and actually mitigating their damage is not up to the standards you need to if you were going to d a project like this for like. I mean it’s happening anyway so you might as well try I guess they just haven’t really done that.

Other things like about HS2 that they probably should have realised. They made like an Instagram post about how they so many good things for adders. But just the fact that they’re building a train line through the middle of England is just going to divide the adder territories in half. There’s been this happening in the past with building roads, building things like that it means that adders are really suffering and often end up interbreeding with their families which, dividing the country in half with a train line is just going to make that 10 times worse. Any good ecologist would give this the red flag and they’ve done this time and time again, and HS2 just haven’t listened. The woodland and other various organisations have been like HS2 = Bad, and HS2 just haven’t taken that on board.

S; Yeah, that’s awful…

G: train lines are actually really bad for animals as well there’s I think it’s a Spanish study that shows that train lines kill about 36 animals per Km, so if that’s applied to HS2 it’s about 30,000 animals killed on the line per year.

S: They have no plans for like over passes for animals then?

G: I don’t know, probably not I imagine. I don’t know yes or no to that one sorry.

S: What can like, I guess it’d be nice to open up the conversation to everyone else if people want to get involved at the moment?

G: Yeah, Absolutely. I did get sent a few questions on Instagram but I don’t know if the people who asked them are in this call. I’m happy to answer them anyway.

S: Yeah, maybe if you go through those questions that would be nice.

G: I didn’t hear there sorry.

S: I said yeah, it’d be quite nice to maybe go through the Instagram ones.

G: So, the first one was ‘How do we get more activists on camps during felling season? And that’s from someone I know who is on one of the cams at the moment.

So, felling season is generally like October, to march / early spring, I think. So, the question there is basically, how do we get people to stay on camps over winter, it’s cold it’s really grim, it’s a rally busy time for people like Christmas and new year, especially during the pandemic people don’t necessarily want to move outdoors into a community that they don’t know. I understand why that makes people a bit anxious, and why it’s pretty inaccessible as well. Like, getting people into the camps is something we can try and do, someone said to me the other day this campaign very much speaks the language of camps and if something needs defending go build a camp there, or go build a treehouse, go build a community, or whatever, kind of wait for eviction and then you wait for felling to happen.

The James Hill eviction was at the start of October. They haven’t touched like a single tree hardly. They’ve cleared some of the undergrowth. I think they might have even today only just come in with ecologists or Aubryists. Just because you’re protecting one bit doesn’t mean they’re not going to fell absolutely everything around it. They could fell jones Hill straight away; they can use that contract and go and fell like some of the Oaktree’s near by and fell like Grimm’s Ditch which was like another woodland near by with loads of badger sets in it. I don’t know, how do you get people on camps? The camps themselves I guess, building we’re doing spaces with a better infrastructure. Having spaces for people to work. I know there’s a few students on the campaign who are struggling cause they’re like “OH I can’t charge my laptop, I can’t go to my lectures” It can be quite stressful for people.

Especially people who can’t drive themselves p ad down the country. If you don’t live near by, I think personally we just need to start thinking a bit bigger than the cams, and working outside that. Hs2 have bought loads of buildings that are sitting empty. Hello!? As well as that, thinking a bit more, less defensively camps are very much about defending the space, where we could be like, we know where all the compounds are and where all the machinery is. Like c’mon. We know who the people are that are working for them. I don’t know. I’m not on a camp during winter, so I probably should think about what’s made me do that.

Someone asked me: What have the police interventions been like on the HS2 sites?

I grabbed a quote from a report by global diligence LEB, which was commissioned by a group called ‘Not One More’. The report looks at how the UK complies with international civil and political rights things, and the report claims that “The British police have systematically violated protesters rights under international law, targeted individuals based on gender and disability a pattern of behaviour by the police is suppressing environmental protest across the UK through unnecessary, and disproportionate violence, intimidation, and harassment. This appears to be indicative of state policy to deter people from exercising their rights to assembly and expression” That’s the quote from the report.

Basically, it’s just saying that like the police haven’t treated any protesters well but specially to like environmental protesters. They’ve really had the shit kicked out of them. This has always been a thing. It’s quite - kind of when the police show up to things, I get quite anxious cause I know even if I’m not doing anything wrong right now, there’s still a chance that they might nick some people. Particularly Thames valley, can be quite violent, like they’re paid for by HS2. They are the HS2 police. I don’t want to be around them ever. Often, they will over step their jurisdiction, during the eviction at Denham, even though like we were on the metropolitan police side of the ricer, it was the Thames valley police who showed up, and even though it was like, when they were cutting people off the traverse across the river. That was a thing that happened. Even though it was on the met side, it was a Thames Valley operation, so they’re in direct communication with HS2 and very much work for HS2, and happy to collaborate with them. I think the police are just there to protect the state, the capital and big companies, because that’s what they do. We can’t really expect them to be nice to us.

I’ve been pretty lucky with my own interactions with the police because I’m young and white and able bodied and it’s kind of like, I don’t even want to say shocking because it’s kind of like you expect it now with how they treat black and brown people on this campaign has been pretty horrendous. I’ve seen people like being specifically pointed out or targeted or arrested when it could have been any one of us who’s stood there. One of my friends I think he’s put in a complaint, there was a guardian article about it as well. Having his head knelt on by the police, when I spoke to him about it at first, he just kind of brushed it off, and kind of treated it as if as like that’s like the normality, that’s how your supposed to be treated by the police and that’s really wrong.

Especially when the vast majority of the police view it as they’re just there to do good, good lawful things and to protect people when that’s really not the case. It’s never an experience I’ve had, that’s been the case. People are often arrested for really silly things and then give ridiculously harsh bail conditions so there’s a set of bail conditions that people keep getting and it basically means you’re not allowe d near HS2 sites unless you live there and it means you can’t protest freely and you can’t – like you can get arrested for like being in a footpath near where there might be possibly some HS2 works going on, which to activists is fucking annoying.

Then the actual court process means having these fell conditions for like a year because it takes so long to get around to protesting all these ridiculous arrests in the first place and then people end up getting let off, like we all have a one in a hundred rate for people actually being convicted of anything like what’s the word, prosecuted for like anything they’ve been arrested for. The entire criminal justice system depends on how the police interact with us, its kind of comes out with how we deal with HS2 like it’s just bad. Just the police make me angry, I think. I think, there were some more questions but I can’t find them, but if anyone has any wants to send me some questions, that would be really cool.

S: Yeah, just in case quite a few people have some questions, people type into the chat and then we can go in order of who has a question maybe?

I had a question about basically youth and elder’s collaborative activism on HS2. What’s the kind of relationship been like between older activists and younger activists, and who’s taken on what roles, assuming not all the older activists are like up in the trees and stuff, but assuming they’ve got quite a lot of knowledge around it?

G: That’s such an interesting question. I’ve never really given that much thought, I guess, it’s kind of hard to divide in my head who do I see as the younger activists, and who do I see as older activists, and what they do because everyone is very mixed. Age doesn’t necessarily denote that you’ve got experience right? Like people came to this campaign and it might be their first direct action campaign and they might be in their 50s. But, there might be people in their 50s who’ve been doing this their entire lives I guess maybe the interactions between experienced people and non-experienced people, there’s often – it can sometimes feel like especially with men and people who are perceived as more masculine, people can maybe think that they’re someone to look up to or a leader in someway which is really weird because we’re supposed to like; we often like ourselves organising as like anarchists, where everyone has a voice and everyone’s kind of equal and that , but it’s obviously doesn’t play out like that. People have these little biases in our heads, people we think we already have ideas about. Often it can be like older people will. I don’t know, I think maybe the younger people stick together and the older people sort of stick together, and maybe like this assumption that older people don’t want to go and do like mad stuff like climb trees. But, often they’re the ones with the experience as well, I don’t know it can be quite nice to have these figures to look up to but you’re still on the same land with them anyway cause you’re – everyone has their own things that they’re good at, things that they need support with.

         Yeah it was very strange over the summer there was a lot of young people who came to join the campaign, who were really psyched to do actions and it was kind of like, hold up like hand people the wheel let them like let them do the cool thing that they want to, it shouldn’t be for anyone to act like anyone’s parent and be like no that’s a bad idea, like if people have the energy then go for it.

S- I think that someone’s posted a question.

G How do you cope with (broken signal) ? I think it an be rally easy to fall in love with a place, that’s a lie, personally for me I really struggle to fall in love with places that I know are going to be like felled, and cut down, and demolished, but then it also never happens any way because I really love the spaces that we make and the people that I’m with. So Calvern for example, we didn’t know if we were going to be evicted on the first night or whether the place was going to be there for weeks and weeks, like the time I was there I was like this is such a beautiful area and I haven’t been to that site since because I’m like – I don’t know , I did once but it was at night so I didn’t really see much, I haven’t seen the full  scale of the devastation and I don’t know if I want to , because I don’t know if its just going to make me sad and it’s going to make me lose hope , I think it is important for us to face up to the things we’re trying to fight against, cause the perspectives useful and you can do whatever you want really. I think like, at Denham , like when there were still trees there and kind of like, seeing the trees come down was really sad but I was kind of like the fact these trees have lasted a little bit longer ( broken signal ) because we’ve been here, and this whole movement is going to be a series of loses and I think it’s really important to not get lost in that and remember what we’re good at, and the things that are positive, like were building and keeping around and stuff , yeah.

I guess sometimes getting a bit of time away, and like I went to Leeds recently and I was like oh my god, it’s so grey and horrible here. But, that was quite nice cause I could come back and be like, ah I like green things. That was kind of cool.

S- I think there’s another question.

G – What are your arguments against building HS2 in the first place: i.e increasing economy, creating jobs , connecting the north and south , do you think these things will actually happen? I did talk a bit about this at the start. How HS2 describes itself, and I could go through and pick at every argument they make, but there’s websites for that already, and the stophs2.org website has lots of debunking on there, it’s really cool. I guess no I don’t think these things will happen, especially as there’s a pandemic and no one’s taking the train anyway and everyone’s remembering zoom exists, like I can’t imagine all of these people here being in the same room at the same time, but we have the internet, so it doesn’t need to be like that right? I think the kind of North South divide isn’t going to be fixed by an expensive train line that only goes to Birmingham, I don’t see that happening I don’t see it happening under the governments and HS2, I don’t see it happening under any government that exists as we know it.

Increasing economy, what does that mean? More money for rich people, and we will still have to pay taxes and they won’t. I can’t see HS2 being a solution to that. I don’t know the actual facts and figures for the money side of things but I do know that it is not economically viable. For example ‘X’ is how much a ticket is going to cost, and all of the primings that they have done for it, all of the money it will generate for the government despite the fact HS2 LTD is a private company. Despite it being state managed and state funded it will end up being a private company, getting sold off to someone.

 All of the pricing that HS2 have done, are based on the idea that every train that leaves a station runs on time and is full of people, which is unlikely to happen again after the pandemic and we are going to have to continue distancing from each other for years. The line is going to be finished in between 10 to 17 years time. I think in 17 years time tramlines like this will not be necessary. The technology that was designed for it, even 10 years ago, is not relevant anymore, and it is not going to fix the economy.

 I don’t think that creating jobs for the sake of creating jobs is going to boost the economy, it’s just going to waste peoples time.

 Q: Do we need more elders? I’d like to ask if you agree that we have been crippled by Coronavirus because we have not been able to do actual outreach in village halls, meet and greets ect. In past campaigns like anti-Fracking, Sheffield trees etc, they would hold tea and coffee meetings on the high street. Have you got any ideas on how we can combat this?

  Goldilocks - Do we need more elders? Absolutely. The more people the better, whether that’s young people or older people, its still people. I do think that outreach on the hughstreet is something that is very familiar to people and its good to do that because its something that people don’t feel as alienated from. Whereas, there’s people on the high street that would never dream in their lives of coming and moving to a camp and eating Vegan food. But they might want to take a flyer and come to a meeting where they can talk to their parish council for example. All of those things are important, and if its what gets people to start thinking about these big ideas around self organisation and how they can make changes then that’s important.

 I think a lot of that work was done before the direct action campaigns and the anti-HS2 campaigns started, and maybe it has dropped down a little bit, but without that work being done in the first place I’m not sure if people would have picked up the work around buildings camp and stuff so much. I’d love to see what the anti-Fracking campaign worked, I think that would be an interesting conversation to have.

 Also, I think when we think about the campaign its always about stopping HS2, or being as much of a nuisance as possible. Where I see it, its about stopping HS2 very firmly. But communities don’t necessarily need that, if someone is grieving because they have just lost their only access to nature then they need someone to support them through that, and that is what community is as well. That’s what outreach is for, about building networks and communities. Even if people don’t come and move to camps or start stopping HS2, it means that two people in a village meet up and have a cup of tea and decide to get an allotment or something. Anything else which is not directly organising against HS2 is still important and I guess if we can facilitate that in some way then that’s really cool.

 Q: What can someone who can’t go to the camps do to support the work against HS2?

 Goldilocks - Things like this, coming to these talks is really important because we can share what we know about the campaign, the camp side of things. So thank you for attending in the first place. Inviting your friends to these things as well, is really important. Spreading the word as far as possible. Supporting other campaigns. I don’t know where you’re from but there’s things like this happening all around the country and around the world and building bigger awareness and bigger networks of things that are happening can be important. In Leeds at the moment there’s an Armley trees campaign, so network rail want to fell some trees in Armley, and there’s somebody trying to organise people to come for years and hasn’t really gotten anywhere, so if you really do want to do something then maybe get in touch with them. Theres also things like the Stonehenge action group, camps that have been set up and there’s protests happening against Leeds Bradford Airport. Theres a group called GALBER?? who are a group against Leeds Bradford Airport, who are working with XR Leeds to do some really cool stuff. Theres coal mines that are being built. Well, I say being built, they’re being dug and they need support.

 Other things as well, we have a fundraiser, there’s currently a centralised group fundraiser. ((add in link)). Money donations and things like that. Doing artwork and stuff like that, doing reading or bits of research or writing. Theres an amazing website called TINAR.COM, who are trying to gather bits of work or bits of writing, rants, comics and things from basically anyone who wants to speak or share something. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about HS2, it doesn’t necessarily have to be directly related to this but you could write some things for that. Maybe having a read of that and thinking about if you’d want to write anything. Petitions and stuff sometimes help. Writing to MP’s, but I think this is something that Swampy said, talking to the BBC after an eviction he said ‘we’ve got to do this sort of stuff because would you be here if it wasn’t for people like me doing stuff like this - If i had written to my MP you wouldn’t have come along with your cameras today, I don’t think so’.

 Q: Why is the government pushing ahead with HS2 when we have successfully conducted business across the country without travelling, why can’t they stop this going ahead?

 Goldilocks - I think I’ve mostly covered this but I think by this point it is just a vanity project. Its peak, look at this amazing thing that we are going to build even though we don’t have to. It’s the same reason rich people have lawns, because they can have unproductive land, or they can have something pointless just because they can. Also, have you ever tried to tell a tory not to do something? They just want to do it more, they’re just children.

 Q: What can we do to stop HS2 from our sofas?

 Goldilocks - I’m happy to put some links to some cool stuff in the chat at the end of this that might be useful for people to get involved (LINK BELOW). Also organising actions in your own town or city, even if you can’t come to the camps, that’s really important.

 Q: Are you in camps right now and how are you coping with Covid?

 Goldilocks - I am not in a camp right now, I am in a squat instead, which is quite nice because its a little bit warmer and a little bit drier. We have had some concerns with Covid. Obviously now its Winter everyone is a lot closer together and being indoors together more, and its a bit riskier, especially with the other strain and another wave happening and stuff, and businesses being open and then closed again. But in the summer it wasn’t that much of a worry. Maybe we should have taken it a bit more seriously but it didn’t feel like there was anyone with Covid which is really strange to say. I wouldn’t recommend coming down if you have had contact with loads of people or if you are vulnerable yourself, it just wouldn’t be particularly safe.

 If people do want to come down then just keep your distance, bring a mask, just be really sensible about it. Think about who you’ve got to go back to and who you hang out with before you come down. You’ve got to remember these camps are peoples homes, people are in a bubble, a household, and you have to be careful with that.

 I know Ross from Jones Hill was live-streaming this morning and he was talking about the impact on actual HS2 workers, and what risks the things that HS2 are doing pose on them. So, people coming into the site but they weren’t wearing masks and they weren’t keeping their distance from people in their own workplace and people are being so flippant about it, and just treating people like they are disposable, its not on. There was a weird period of time after the eviction of Harvil Road when their way of dealing with us was just saying ‘two metres, two metres,’ and threatening to take their masks off. It was like, who are you? It was just really bad. Really bad practice.

 Q: Do you have any kind of NVDA code when it comes to dealing with the police?

 Goldilocks - So for those of you that don’t know, NVDA stands for Non-Violent Direct Action. I’m probably not the best person to speak about this. I guess it really depends on the parameters. So say there was an action happening and we’d discuss the parameters and what people are comfortable with. So IF there were people who wanted to organise an action, it would probably be best to discuss whether its going to be a non-violent actin or not. Or maybe what their plan is for dealing with the Police. I know in some groups like Youth Strike and XR that I’ve worked with its been like, okay there is someone with an assigned role to be a police liaison, or assigned the role of being a go to wellbeing support person. But it doesn’t feel like that on the campaign, people fulfil the role that they are comfortable with. If you are doing work with your camp or your affinity group then things happen quite organically.

 I have got a lovely bond with my affinity group, and we are starting to understand each others boundaries, and what people are comfortable with. Like non-violence or how we’re going to deal with the Police, or what support we do and don’t want. But if you’re new to the campaign, don’t have the expectations that everyone is going to act the same as they have in other activist spaces. It can be very strange for me when people assume that other people are cool with being around the Police, or that they want to do only non-violent stuff. It feels very strange and there’s a lot to unpack there I think.

 In terms of dealing with the Police, they’ll turn up and they’ll probably just be really horrible to you and then it’ll be really difficult not to be really horrible back to them, and some people have more restraint than others. Some think that others should have more self restraint than they do. But a lot of silly arrests happen because people shout at the Police, but the arrests wouldn’t happen if the Police weren’t there in the first place. Thats what it comes down to. In terms of dealing with the Police, Police station support wise, there’s generally always going to be someone to pick you up from the station, and we try to make sure people are really looked after when that happens. That can be really stressful times for people, especially if its violent or someones first arrest. After the eviction, it was nice, everyone came out of court and everyone was there to greet them.

 If you want to run NVDA training at a camp I’m sure nobody would be opposed to that, its a tactics amongst other tactics and shouldn’t be seen as more or less valuable. It depends on situation as well. If you were wanting to do an action that involved lots of families or lots of locals then probably going in with balaclavas and bolt cutters wouldn’t be the way to go.

If anyone has anymore questions that would be good, if not i have a few more notes of things I wanted to talk about, I don’t know if I’ve said them all or not.

 So, HS2 is planned to come up to Leeds. There will be a second phase of building starting sometime soon. I know they have started some pre-emptive works around Hebden Bridge, a lot of the land they take is not directly on the line. But yeah, HS2 is coming up to Leeds. IF people want to build a camp, now is the time for the reasons i’ve mentioned of Hambi and Germany worked so well is because they have ages to build the camps and establish these communities. They really rally up support from other activists for their camps.

 So yeah if you want to look at setting up a camp that could be good. Especially in South Leeds. I’ve looked at the map and it looks like its all going to be decimated, its very bad to see. It ties in quite nicely with a lot of other movements and I don’t know I feel that Leeds has a very strong activist network, especially in the time that I was there. It would be really cool to have a camp up that way.

 Q: What was your favourite camp?

 Jones Hill, its got to be. I moved to Jones Hill in June or July, and I was like right, I’ll be here for two weeks until eviction and then i’ll move onto something else, and in October, the eviction happened so it’s just lovely to have this amazing community there over summer and be in these beautiful woodlands. There was one camp down the road and you could just pop there for the day and do some painting, then come back up to see my friends and hang out. We ended up with 11 or 12 treehouses. You would go up to everyones treehouses and you could tell who’s it was just by how it was decorated. People put so much time and energy into building that camp. Even when we felt that eviction was imminent, we still did the washing up and stuff. Still trying to just keep being people. It was just a really nice summer. In the winter its obviously a lot colder and there’s no leaves on the trees. I visited the other day and they’ve built a little barn out of an old theatre set and its got a really good woodturner in there. The people there are really solemn and hardworking,  and they’ve been nailing it with all the ecology stuff. There was one or two people working on the ecology things, and they basically bought the woodland a few more months because they were doing so much for the bats.

 Q: Do you have a link to maps that show the route of HS2?

 Goldilocks - Not ones that I can give you.

 (Link to map posted in webinar chat - **COPY IN LINK**)

 I’d love to hear a little bit more about Kirkstall Valley Farm and why they’ve decided to do this series of webinars, it seems like a nice idea.

 Seren - I’ve joined the steering group, so they’re a CSA so they’re a community start up Agricultural project to benefit the community directly. So, they’re all crowdfunded or self funded. They’re going to hire and grower this year and then distribute veg boxes to the local area, but they’re in conjunction with Kirkstall Valley Development Trust, which is another community project which is working towards creating more biodiversity, wildlife and community organisation in Kirkstall. So, three days a week the give out food packages, they run stuff like kids clubs, looking after kids when families can’t do.

 What I’m working with them on is doing more stuff to link them to the Roots Project, as well as stuff for people who have to shield or distance to have some integration into ecology and environmental teachings. So we’re using that as a fundraising platform for refugees and migrants living at Abigail House at the moment.

Goldilocks - That sounds really cool. Some of my friends are trying to get a bit of land at the minute to start something, and seeing all of these other projects happen, we could do something like that one day, and just start really cool things. The furthest we got with growing things on this campaign was we got two different evictions of this tomato plant being moved from squat to squat, from bit of land to bit of land. Then it ended up on a broken canal boat, and then we moved before we were able to get the plants but it would be good to have some stability to grow stuff at some point. It would be really fun.

 Seren - I think its really important. Especially with stuff like HS2 happening, stuff that’s good for the land as well, not just relying on mass agriculture.

 Goldilocks - Being in a community is such an empowering thing and its one more step away from being self-sufficient. Even if you go skipping you’re still living in the ashes of capitalism I guess in some way, or even if you’re not buying stuff all the time its still one further step removed and an extra skill you can bring to this fight in being able to grow stuff.

 This has been really lovely, its been good to catch up and stuff as well.

[seouledbysisi]

A Brighter Dawn

Chapter One

Woozi

Ring…

Ring…

Ring….

He sat and waited for his best friend to finally answer the phone. Usually it never took this long but maybe she was busy.

“Hello?!” Naomi answered seemingly out of breath.

Woozi was taken aback a bit. “What are you doing? Running laps?”

She giggled a bit. “I’m attempting to finish this Zumba class with Elyse.” She sat on a bench in the gym and crossed her leg over the other.

“Oh I forgot you’ve been working out together lately. Are you busy later?” He asked in hopes that she’d say no.

“Don’t we always have dinner on Wednesday? Of course I not busy.” She replied & rolled her eyes a bit.

Elyse snapped her fingers in Naomi’s face. “Are you coming back or what? You can talk to lover boy later.” She chuckled. She spoke the lover boy part under her breath.

Naomi waved her sister away. They were the same age. Most people wondered how that was even possible since they looked nothing alike but it was simply because Naomi’s parents adopted Elyse when she was three years old. She had been in the foster system before that. She had been apart of their family for so long people tended to forget that she was adopted.

“How about park picnic? The guys want to change it up a bit.” Woozi asked.

Naomi was down for whatever. That’s what made their friendship so easy because they both knew how to just go with the flow. “That’s cool. What should I bring?”

“Whatever you want. We’re not picky eaters. We’re ordering some food too.”

Naomi thought for a moment. “Elyse is the cooker so maybe I can persuade her to cook something.”

“Can she make one of those chicken & broccoli casserole’s?” Woozi loves when she cooked that.

Naomi giggled. “I can try.”

“Also bring Laiya too. She’s never around.” He sounded a bit sad.

“She’s always busy with work now. She got a promotion in the company. I’m happy for her though.”

Woozi cleared his throat. “I think someone else misses seeing her too. She’s kinda the big girl on campus now since she’s part of our A&R team now.”

Laiya, Elyse & Naomi met the guys because they were hired by Pledis Ent to tutor the guys in English. After a year Laiya decided to apply for the new A&R position that opened up so she barely has time to hang out because she’s always dealing with the artists of the company.

“Minghao misses her? They were pretty close at one point.”

“Yeah. He said he’s lucky to even get a response from her when he texts her to check in on her.”

Naomi’s heart broke a bit. They all were so close to one another at one point and now the dynamic was so different. She was all for Laiya following her dreams and aspirations but it didn’t make it any less sadder with her presence being almost void.

“I’ll call you when we’re on our way to the park, okay? If I don’t get back to this workout Elyse is gonna kill me.” She spoke and finally hung up.

The park

The girls were able to convince Laiya to take a breather from working and come to the park with them. She fought a good fight till they told her that she had been hurting their feelings because she never had time for any of them anymore. The guilt trip worked perfectly.

Naomi immediately greeted Woozi to let him know they were there. He was playing soccer with some of the other guys so she decided to take a seat on the blanket with Minghao, Wonwoo, Josh, Kayla, and her other younger sister Natalie. “Hey y’all!” She exclaimed as she laid her head on Wonwoo.

Laiya felt a bit uneasy as she sat down next to Minghao. He barely had even looked at her. “Hey everyone.” She spoke with a small smile.

The other guys spoke politely while Minghao simply waved but there was no emotion behind it.

Natalie looked from him to her. “Soooooo…hows everyone been?” She tried to break the ice.

Joshua chuckled. “I’ve been great!”

Wonwoo was always quiet, and especially when the air was so thick that it could be cut.

Minghao’s emotions were rising and he was starting to not be able to control them. He fiddled with his fingers trying to gain control but nothing was working.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve actually been around y’all, how’s the comeback going? I know y’all finally picked a concept, right?” Laiya asked. She stared at Minghao hoping he would take the bait and answer her.

Minghao sighed. “Did I do something wrong?” He finally broke thru his silence.

Her eyes widened. She honestly didn’t even know what to say. “What are you talking about?”

Joshua stared at Minghao like a proud father. “I know this is your conversation and you need it but my God, your English! It’s getting so much better!” He exclaimed and patted Minghao on the back.

Minghao shrugged his hand off of him. “Thanks Shua but not now. Did I do something to deserve your silence?”

Laiya took a deep breath. “None of you have done anything to me I’m just always working. Even when I’m home I have to work. I just don’t have time for anything but the artists. I know that doesn’t make you feel better but it’s the truth. If I had more time I would hang out.”

He stared deeply at her. Fear of his anger boiling over was the only thing he was worried about. “So you can’t make time for the important people in your life? Or are we not important anymore?” His diarrhea of the mouth just wouldn’t stop.

“Of course you’re all important to me, what do you mean?!”

Minghao chuckled a bit. “You fooled me. I really thought you might be the one but how can that be when the feelings are all one-sided!” He stood up abruptly.

Laiya was shocked that he had just confessed his feelings for her. She didn’t see that coming at all. She thought they were just friendly. She watched as he walked away. Her whole body stilled.

Elyse slapped her leg. “What the heck are you doing?” She asked Laiya.

Laiya snapped out of her trance. “I’m sitting here in shock. What does it look like?”

“Well snap the hell out of it and go talk to him!” Elyse snapped.

Laiya simply stared at her with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Do you care about him?” Elyse asked.

Laiya simply nodded.

“Even if you don’t care the way he does you at least owe him your understanding. He deserves that much. He’s hurt and you need to fix it.” Elyse spoke firmly.

Wonwoo simply stared at her as she spoke.

Laiya stood finally and went to search for Minghao. She didn’t know what would happen and honestly she deserved whatever was coming. She hadn’t realized he cared that deeply for her and she felt like she had been a terrible friend to all of them. She was just way too wrapped up in the A&R team. She needed to find a balance some way somehow.

Elyse stood a few moments later after the aura had went down some. “I’m gonna go cheer for the guys with Seungkwan.” She smiled and walked away leaving everyone else behind.

Joshua stood too. “I’ll come with!” He ran off with her.

Natalie looked from Naomi to Wonwoo. “I don’t even like soccer but I guess I’ll go watch too since y’all are so quiet.” She rolled her eyes and ran over to the others.

Wonwo sighed. “That was a lot.” He wasn’t a man with a lot of words but that’s what made him so intriguing.

Naomi rubbed his back. “It was a lot but I understand where Minghao is coming from.”

He nodded. “I do too. He really likes her, I’m shocked it took him this long to tell her.”

Naomi nodded quietly for a moment. “You’re so mysterious, woo. Do you like anyone? Are you seeing anyone?”

He eyed her peculiarly. “Seeing someone? What does that mean?” He wasn’t quite fluent in English but it had gotten a lot better.

She giggled. “Are you dating someone? Or do you want to date someone?”

He cracked a small smile as he looked around at the guys playing soccer. Coups had just scored and as Elyse cheered he engulfed her into a huge hug picking her feet off the ground. “Yeah but it’s just a silly crush.” He turned back to Naomi with a sad smile.

She watched the guys on the field. “Crushes are never silly. Who is it? I can give you advice!” She pushed.

He shook his head silently, praying that she would stop interrogating him.

She stared at him for a moment then looked back at the field. Two things had clicked. Coups and Elyse did have a habit of flirting and being touchy. Also the fact that Wonwoo seemed sad while watching them. “Is it my sister?” She yelled a bit too loud.

His eyes flew open wide. “Can you quiet down?”

“Oops, Sorry. But is it?” She asked again with a cheeky smile on her face.

He debated whether he should say or just walk away from the conversation. “You have two sisters.” He spoke plainly.

“Well I know it’s not Natalie because her and Vernon are dating. Wait- is it Natalie?” She stared in disgust.

He burst into laughter. “Of course not! She’s a bit younger than I would be into plus Vernon would kill me over her.”

Naomi was relieved. “So it is Elyse?!” She jumped to her feet, Getting ready to make a run for it so she could spill the news.

Wonwoo grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with his hand. “You can’t say anything. Promise me!”

She sighed as her laughter died down. “Why? Why would you not want her to know? Give me a good reason.”

He nodded his head in the direction of she and Coups being overly playful. “You see that? That’s why. Whether they ever say it or not something is there and I don’t stand a chance.”

Naomi clutched her heart. That hurt a bit. “Elyse is just super friendly, she’s always been like that. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

Wonwoo chuckled under his breath. “But Coups isn’t that friendly with girls so I know enough about him to know that there’s something there.”

Naomi sighed. “I won’t say anything but if my opinion counts for anything I think you’re a great guy and I wish you actually could see that.” She patted his back and walked over to Woozi.

Woozi sighed as she approached him. “Since when are you so giggly with Wonwoo?”

Naomi rolled her eyes. “I giggle with all of you.”

He simply shrugged. “What was so funny?”

“He lik- I cant say, Wooz. I promised that I wouldn’t say anything.”

He eyed her suspiciously. “You like him?”

“As a brother, yes. Why are you being like this?” She asked with a giggle.

Woozi stared out at the others who were eating. “Being like what? I’m just tired.” He saw one of their managers and stood and met with him without saying another word to Naomi.

The night was approaching fast and it had been an overwhelming day. Laiya and Minghao still hadn’t gotten anywhere and Woozi was acting funny. And on top of all that, Wonwoo had confessed his feelings for Elyse and Naomi couldn’t even say anything to anyone. She always kept a promise.

Elyse interlocked her arm with Naomi’s. “What’s wrong, twin?” She asked as she pouted her lips.

Naomi simply sighed. “I need an entire nap, that’s what’s wrong.”

Elyse smirked. “Me too sis. Me too.”

-Stay tuned.

[sparklerose222]

The Super Girls

Chapter 2

Word Count: 1,847

Characters: Moriah Heart, Noriah Heart, Julia Royal, Lara Lightwood, Vanessa Storm, Folmanus Evermore

Warnings: Minor violence, and I will edit if any more are found.

Parings: future platonic LAMPD

Summary: The Super Girls are formed.

Previous chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1

“You really think that I will accept this. She is a kid.”

“And so are Julia and you, I’m the only adult here. I mean, it is only a three-year difference between 12 and 15. She has been a hero for the same amount of time as us, fighting Folmanus alone when we are meant to be fighting him together.”

“It is not our fault that we were separated. We became heroes, we proved our worth, what has she done. I've heard nothing about Split other than the occasional robbery.”

“That is because Folmanus won't appear in any written history, none will ever be brave enough to write about him, and you know that. We thought that he will come in two more years and we were going to look for him then, but we were wrong. Because of our arrogance, we let the youngest of us fight him alone. Like it or not, she knows the most about him than any of us. You just need to talk to her like the equal she is and get to know her.”

“You guys need to quiet it down, I could hear muffled yelling from the main road, and that’s five miles away.”

“Oops.”

“Yeah, oops, by the way, my name is Moriah. I never told any of you my name last week.”

“Glad you found your way here, too bad I have to leave. My publisher wants my manuscript by tomorrow, and I still have 4 more chapters to write.”

“You’re a writer? How did I not know that? I’ve known you for seven years?”

“Even I knew that and I met her last week. I love your books, I was just too irritated that day to fangirl after you transformed back.”

“Well, good to know I have another fan. Tic, could you please portal me home. I would appreciate it.”

“Sure, even though I know that you are only doing this so that I am alone with Moriah. There you go.”

“Thanks, Tic, and you know I’m not that sneaky. I really do have to finish.”

That’s when a purple portal opened up, and Lara left me alone with TicTock. The very girl who still hasn’t told me her name.

“So, don’t you have school today.”

“I don’t know. Don’t you?”

“Smooth, real smooth. But I’m serious, I’m homeschooled, and my mom knows about me being a Super Girl.”

“Parent-teacher conference, and my mom thinks I have friends.”

“So, you don’t have friends. Maybe you should just stop being a Super Girl so you can have time to make some.”

“Thanks, I needed that, not. You’re never getting rid of me, I am a Super Girl like it or not, and there is nothing you can do about it. The reason why I don’t have friends is that I know I will be dead in two years, and I don’t need anything trying to distract me.”

“Okay, I think I struck a chord there.”

This girl gets me so angry; I don’t know how to handle it. Couple it with her irritation, and it only makes it worse. Sometimes I hate being an empath. 

“Hiya Split Yin, I’m Julia, by the way. Noriah and I were just catching up, what are you two talking about.”

“Nothing much, Nori, do you want to leave. I sure mom is going to be coming home soon.”

“So, that bad, usually my sister is very patient with people. After keeping her powers a secret since she was three, she is good at dealing with her emotions around others.”

“You’ve had your powers for that long and kept them a secret. From how many?”

“Everyone. The hardest part is keeping my powers hidden from my mom, dad, and older brother.”

Though it doesn’t help that my mom would prefer if people just didn’t use their powers at all and deny who they are. If she were to find out that I am a superhero, I don’t think she would ever let me out of the house again. I wonder if any more of these girl’s families know what they are doing or is it just TicTocks. Now an alarm is going off, which means Folmanus is back on earth. That was the best break I’ve had in six years.

“Great, why don’t you two stay here and hold down the fort? Come on, Juli, let’s go.”

With that, TicTock pulls Juli through the portal; she just open, and they were gone. Not even Noriah could run fast enough to get through before it closed. Leaving us behind.

I am going to blowout her eardrums.

Morie, come on, we need to get to the town's square before those girls get themselves killed, grab my hand we need to refuse.

Fine, how do you have a level head

With that, I grabbed Noriah’s hand and relinked our charms. Completing the symbol of balance, refusing us back together, and letting her take control so she can use her super speed. We were able to get the town's square in two minutes flat, cracking our charms along the way so we could transform. The jewelry we whare dampen our powers because they are too strong to handle on a day to day bases. I mean, I can feel the emotions of everyone in the city and pinpoint where they are. Though I’m glad that it doesn’t overwhelm me.

I am going to be giving a birds-eye view of this fight:

Just as Split ran in on the scene, Wonder was falling out of the sky unconscious.

“Yang, go check for civilians I’ll catch her.”

“Got it.”

With a sonic scream, Yin was able to slow Wonder’s fall enough that when she hit the concrete, it only left a few small scratches. Luckily, the low impact jolted her awake, albeit a little sore.

“Why are you just now getting here? TicTock said that you weren’t interested in fighting anymore. How can you think that’s okay? You are meant to be part of the team.”

Yin says nothing as she helps her up, and Yang runs up to them, not hearing what was just said.

“There were a few people trapped in their houses, but I got them out. Let’s get back to the fight and help the other two.”

With a nod, the two girls followed the other. When they got to TicTock and Storm, they were on the ground, struggling to get back up.

In front of them was the elven king, Folmanus. His skin was silver with his ears and teeth pointed. He was also wearing a Victorian like outfit that flattered him well. Almost every Super Girl thought that if he wasn’t trying to take over the world, they would try and date him, accept Morie, who was tired of fighting him. I mean, the guy even knew how strong women can be. He then saw the last three girls run-up.

“Finally, you get here Split Yin, I was getting bored with these weaklings who think they can win. Please tell me that you all together will make this fight fun again?”

“Sorry to bore you, Folmanus. We will do our best to fix that.”

Once Tic and Storm stood next to the others ready to fight alongside them as equals for the first time, not being aware of it, there was a spark that manifested into weapons. 

For Split, a double-edged katana that could break into two. Wonder received a staff that she could use to focus her energy into a blast of power. TicTock got a pendulum similar to one in old clocks that ticked to the time of the multiverse. Finally, Storm summoned a broad sword that can change its composition to whatever element that she wants.

“So you think little toys can help you defeat me? Bring it on.”

Without another word, the girls dove into attack as one. Folmanus was fast and agile, but with these five girls working better together than ever before, he felt himself being pushed back. They were far from perfect, and they almost hit each other a few times, but they were aware of each other this time, and they were winning. See, Folmanus realized there first fight with all of them together, he would have killed them without trying. Where’s the fun in that? So once they got a single nick on him, he retreated and took a break to see if they would get better. They did.

This time they pushed him back into his portal severely wounded. Storm slashing him along the length of his arm, TicTock hitting him in the head twice, Split Yin taking out his legs while Yang held him in place, and finally, Wonder using her staff to lift him and force him through the portal. It will take him a good bit to heal. But he’ll be back and was glad to have something that pushed him to his limit. Maybe he will get stronger without absorbing the Super Girls.

Once back in his house that he made centuries ago for if he needed to hide, Folmanus morphed into his human form that looked unharmed, but he was still in a lot of pain. He still got ready for the job he got six years ago, so he didn’t have to steal everything he needed. One day he will be king again.

“Did we do that?”

“Yes, Yin, we did that. We did some real damage to him.”

“Why is she so out of it? Is she really that surprised that we beat him?”

“We didn’t beat him. We just damaged him a great deal today. He is an eternal Elf that can not be killed so easily. I am surprised because the most damage Nori and I have ever done to him was a scratch. Today we hurt him as a team. That’s a big deal.”

“How do you think that we’re a team? A teammate wouldn’t just pick and choose when they help, and when they don’t.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about how she told Tic that she didn’t feel like fighting anymore and was going home.”

“No, Morie didn’t say that. Your friend TicTock told us to stay here and then left us behind. Some teammates. So TicTock does that mean that you are a liar and a sneak.”

“I’m sorry, I thought you would take the hint and go home, but I was wrong, and I am glad because I realized that we really do need you. I think you should know that I’m Vannessa. I hope you can forgive me.”

“You really did that? Nessa, that’s not okay. Why did you lie to me?”

“Because I thought that we didn’t need them, but we were getting pummeled until after they showed up. I'm thrilled you made it in time, I promise to never pull a stunt like that again.”

“I guess we can forgive you. As long as you finally see us as Super Girls.”

“Definitely”

“Yay, Best friends.”

“I don’t know about that one yet.”

“Agreed.”

————————————————–

Chapter 3 <3

Authors note: I tried to do a small fight scene, and I would really like some feedback on it. I hope you enjoyed chapter 2, thanks for reading.

[kinkymagnus]

hmm let's talk more about twi Malec, like there's just so many endless possibilities

any specifics? no? just kidding, you can’t respond, this is an ask! okay, i’m just gonna throw some random twi malec shit out here then

twi magnus…..hes soft. but also. i feel like since he’s got more Repression™ than canon magnus he’s like WAY WILDER. 

canon magnus a few months into them boning: hey alexander wanna tie me up? ;) 

twi magnus a few months into them boning: hey so i have potion that will give you magical tentacles to tie me up and fuck me with?

(obviously this isn’t just out of nowhere or anything but im saying while they’re both kinky twi magnus is surprisingly a little more shameless when it comes to sex things.) 

twi alec. is HORNY. so horny. canon alec? pretty horny. twi alec? MAXIMUM HORNY. good thing, too, because twi magnus hasn’t been fucked in a few centuries and that has BUILT UP. 

they bone a LOT 

also imagine: twi alec and shitty one-liners/pick-up lines and bad jokes

twi alec says, completely deadpan, “want me to take you to the Bone Zone?” and twi magnus first is like “i am, frankly, horrified and disgusted” but can’t stop himself from laughing (especially once alec is laughing at the cute little face he makes with the scrunchy nose, and it’s so contagious magnus can’t help but laugh too) 

i have a line in one of my twi fics where magnus basically says something like (jokingly/playfully!) “you’re pretty full of yourself, huh?” and alec responds “how you’d like to be full of me, too?” and magnus giggles and it’s ADORABLE AND THAT LINE IS JUST SO FUCKING TWI MALEC TO ME OKAY?

also twi magnus is not innocent of pun crimes. no magnus is innocent of pun crimes. 

twi magnus: [makes a cute bad pun] [wiggles eyebrow a bit] 

twi alec: that was terrible. that was a real stinker. what the fuck.

twi magnus, every goddamn time: gonna PUNish me? ;D

twi alec can and will cook breakfast in bed for his boyfriend

magnus, sleepily blinking: hng? 

alec, with pancakes and eggs and bacon and freshly squeezed orange juice: hey babe :) decided to surprise you :) it’s “i love my boyfriend” day

magnus, still half asleep: ufck did iforget something i dont have anytihnf oryoutgfckkk

alec: oh no babe “i love my boyfriend” day is every day because i always lvoe you and i just decided to do something nice for you :)

magnus: did the dream about wearing acid washed jeans keep you up again?

alec, shuddering: they’re so ugly

okay but seriously he’d totally just be sappy and make magnus breakfast and stuff

and magnus is like “i can make u a sweet dreams potion?”

MAGIC REVEAL does not get TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH. STILL. 

possibility one: alec walks in on magnus making a bunch of chores do themselves fantasia style and is like. uh. what the FUCK. and all the dishes drop to the floor and magnus honestly looks so SCARED that alec’s heart breaks a little even tho he’s also trying to process how confused he is and magnus stutters out something about not being a monster and may or not may not be descending into a panic attack because he’d been so careful for so long not to reveal the truth to ANYONE, only like three people know who and what he is that he actually talks to in the world and a mundane finding out is not good much less his wonderful boyfriend who’ll LEAVE HIM and HATE HIM and he’s–he’s–and alec’s like. oh fuck that. and hugs him like hey it’s okay i’m really confused and i hope you explain later but you could literally never be a monster, especially not for floating some dishes,

possibility two: magnus, scared shitless, tells him, but alec always knew. i love this shit. alec’s just like “babe. babe you weren’t subtle.” because magnus has got a lot of really powerful magic and he’s only jst learning to control it again and it’s waking up, like having a foot that’s been asleep for a long time waking up except if the foot changed the color of the wallpaper when it sneezed and glowed when it was happy. this metaphor broke down. you get the idea. 

there are more possibilities but im tired

ok but when magnus’s magic is revealed. magnus is like. 1. ecstatic to give alec lots of little magical gifts like a little enchanted pendant with protective charms and a magic candy (like a chocolate frog, just a fun little thing that would make him laugh) and the sweet dreams potion and so on. 2. kind of expecting like. he’s more than willing to give, but he kind of lowkey expects alec to like. expect it. to expect magical solutions to his problems. magnus can do the dishes with a wave of his hand, he kind of expects to do the dishes every time now that alec knows he can do that. but alec’s like “what are you doing” “…magic? we’ve gone over this” “yeah but it’s my turn” and magnus is like “i can just do it with a wave of my hand” and alec’s like “you think i dont notice how you collapse in my arms for cuddling and end up dozing off every time? it takes energy. and even if it didn’t we still share the workload even if you can do something easier you don’t have to do everything for me” and magnus is lik,,e,,e,,e,e??? oh. 

like alec appreciates him and is so loving and wonderful and thankful for things magnus does give him but he doesn’t let magnus indulge in the tendency to put everyone else first and take on all the work? he doesn’t take magnus’s magic for granted? 

it’s great

nsfw detour!!! 

twi magnus gets RAWED

u kno how i said that twi magnus is horny and wild? and also lonely and has not had a good hard fuck in possibly over a century? 

magnus has an extensive toy collection.

many, many dildos and vibrators. nipple clamps, magic toys that can fuck him or tie him up… and it’s like all different sizes, types, materials, uses… some costumes and stuff that he bought for himself because they make him feel good/pretty but he doesn’t wear that often because it feels shameful or weird to do by himself.

alec definitely teases him senseless. ties him up and presses the vibrator to his clit until he’s crying, rolling it around and applying pressure and then taking it away again, stimulating his whole clit without mercy

or those. i dont know what they’re called, they suck (literally, not as in “this is bad/this sucks”) and make ur clit/nipples get swollen and sensitive? yes.

fuck his pussy AND ass with various dildos and toys of different sizes and shapes :)) 

sometimes at the same time :))))) 

y’all alec recording him or taking pictures. making him feel so deliciously exposed and watched. amazing and iconic 

also: public sex. twi malec can have fun too

it’s not right away, i feel like twi magnus would be more into things like overstimulation and getting recorded than being fucked in front of people. he still loves the latter, don’t get me wrong, but it’s more canon magnus’s thing? he’s more used to like… showing off ;)

but when magnus does feel confident enough to try that (baby steps–alec groping/teasing him in public, maybe fooling around in a vip booth at pandemonium or its equivalent, until he’s ready to be fucked properly and god once he is, once he lets go, it’s so amazing

he’s used to hiding, hiding under layers both literal and metaphorical, and here he is totally exposed and vulnerable but 1. he’s being taken care of and he’s safe and alec is just making him feel so good, kind of like, forcing himself to express how good he feels and not hide it, making him scream and cry and beg and love it, 2. he’s just? being admired? worshiped? there is nothing demeaning about this, it couldn’t be further from it, he’s exposed and people are fucking basking in it. he looks beautiful, he looks goddamn stunning, he looks fucking amazing and everyone wants to watch and touch and alec’s there holding him and loving him,,, aAAHHh

twi alec becomes immortal, no one can change my mind.

twi magnus: i love you but……i’m…i’m immortal

twi alec: oh. that…. ok.twi magnus, sad: it’s okay… i understand if you want to l–twi alec: become immortal to be with you? oh good i know it’s kind of a dedication considering i haven’t even proposed to you yet–twi magnus: yet? wait-

obviously twi alec doesn’t just completely jump into this with no consideration but look. look. he loves magnus so much, and anyway, it’s not like immortality doesn’t hold any appeal for him anyway. yeah, he knows it’s harder than it sounds, but like, there’s so much potential in things he could learn and do and see, and he could do it all WITH THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE. he could NOT leave him behind when he’s been left so many times before. he has hesitations, but like, in the end he chooses immortality and he doesn’t ever regret it

it’s like that stardust quote. “ I imagine [immortality] would be kind of lonely. Well, maybe if you had someone to share it with. Someone you loved. Then it might be different.” LDKJFLKGJHG YEAH BITCH THAT’S MALEC

also angst: magnus is like. at first. actually against the idea. and alec’s kinda like. hurt/confused/upset. and then magnus explains that if alec’s mortal, magnus will lose him to death–maybe sooner if alec leaves him, but it’s like a letting go thing, it’s inevitable. but if he’s immortal? all of magnus’s immortal lovers… they get tired of him. they get bored. they get annoyed. they stay with him, maybe they’re even in love, for a few years, or if he’s lucky, decades. but eventually they always leave. they drift apart first, they might suggest seeing other people. but they always leave. if alec’s mortal, his leaving is inevitable even tho it will break magnus’s heart. if he’s immortal, then it will inevitably be a choice, and it will shatter him all the more.

of course, magnus wouldn’t stop him even if he was very staunchly against it, it’s alec’s life, but like. he’s worried.

and worse, it’s not just that, but like. once alec grows tired of him, because he will, everyone does, once alec decides he made the wrong choice… he can’t take it back. if it’s soon enough, all his friends and family will be old, and he’ll be forever young, even if he is able to become mortal again it won’t be the same. and if it’s later, they’ll all be dead. magnus doesn’t doubt his ability to make new friends, of course, but the idea of alec regretting his choice, leaving him and being alone or feeling alone, of alec being out in the world lasting forever because of him, cursed with that same lonely immortality magnus has? that thought hurts more than anything, causing alec his type of pain.

so alec is like. no. NO. what the fuck i’m not. i’m not going to grow SICK of you, i’d never be tired of you, or–bored? REALLY? of you? what the fuck. your past lovers suck.

to be clear not every single one of magnus’s exes suck, but they all did leave him in some shape way or form, or else they wouldn’t be exes. you feel. i mean, he’s still friends with dot but it’s been centuries and we dont know what happened between then and now? idk man let me have that angst ok

eventually alec can convince magnus that he’s not leaving and he loves magnus and it’s okay but that little doubt niggles at the back of his head you know? 

on their hundred year anniversary alec kisses him senseless and says “still not bored of you”

same with every other anniversary, but especially the big century ones

they don’t ever break up. they have fights, some worse than others, it’s not perfect, but they always find their way back to each other and communicate and mend their wounds

twi malec cuddling during thunderstorms, thank you.

magnus curled in alec’s arms, face buried in his shoulder

alec’s arms around him

yes

ok but look. twi alec being social media savvy. 

(note: i have never used instagram and i am MAKING SHIT UP.)

alec with an instagram. he’s out here taking pictures of his sweet adorable boyfriend. he’s got a decent number of followers but it goes up a LOT when he starts dating magnus because holy shit who’s this cutie? and then someone finds those god-awful cringey commercials that i still insist magnus made on a dare he lost PLEASE he’s a dork but REALLY?, and they’re like WAIT THIS IS THAT PSYCHIC GUY FROM THE MEME COMMERCIAL WOW HE’S DORKY CUTE AND HOT? and magnus is like (hides face) oh my god

why does this make me think of a twi malec youtuber au–no no no NOT RIGHT NOW