#and that in addition to his demeanor throughout charms me

[vraska-theunseen]

binging the late night show with seth meyers digital exclusive series corrections where he responds to stupid pedantic youtube comments criticizing factual errors in his comedy bits thereby encouraging the stupid pedantry and its like im watching a man fall apart week by week

[imperpetuallylost]

@theniceandaccuratebookshelf i didn't have a better way to share this it wouldn't let me paste it into dms so here ya go

u cant point out any mistakes because it's already submitted

Throughout history, mythology has been shared in different ways, from written work to stories passed down orally, to songs. Many songs tell stories and contain symbolism just like mythology; they are an essential part of ancient and modern cultures. Neil Gaiman makes heavy use of mythology to develop and contextualize the characters in his novel Anansi Boys. Alongside the classic West African mythology used in this novel, Gaiman also uses music to develop and characterize the main characters in this story.

Anansi’s character is developed by his interactions with music and the songs he sings in the book. One of the first things the reader learns about Anansi is how he died- in the middle of singing “I Am What I Am” at a bar for karaoke. The song choice shows how confident and spirited the character Anansi is. Gaiman portrays Anansi as an extremely over-the-top character in several ways, but one way that he repeatedly conveys this message is through associations with music. Anansi is the epitome of a wild and free surface, and when describing the night that he died, Gaiman also describes the way that he captivated the audience with his singing the first time he sang that night as being “in a manner that would have caused Tom Jones to be festooned in flung feminine undergarments, and which brought Fat Charlie’s father a complimentary beer, courtesy of the several blonde tourists from Michigan who thought he was just about the cutest thing they’d ever seen.” (27) Anansi captivated his audience, and in the description of his singing, a characterization of his personality also becomes visible. Anansi’s singing serves as more than just a funny and embarrassing moment in the story, it also uses known media in the form of music to share insight into who he is as a character, in the same way that the excerpts of West African myths that are inserted into the story do. In addition to his night of singing, Anansi appears in the hospital while Charlie’s mother is on her deathbed, along with a jazz band, causing a commotion in the halls while playing her favorite song, “Yellow Bird”.  Though Charlie was wildly embarrassed by these actions, his mother told him that Anansi’s actions “did [her] a power of good last night” (20). Anansi’s over-the-top nature is shown through references to music that serve to portray his character the same way the references to West African mythology do, showing his wild side in the same way that the stories show his tricky side.

Spider is introduced as a perfectly suave character, much like Anansi, and everything Fat Charlie would love to be. One of the first things Spider does in the book is singing karaoke out at a bar with Charlie and Daisy, just like how Anansi died, singing his heart out at karaoke. His smooth demeanor and over-the-top personality are a lot like his father, and his interactions with music show those parallels. “Spider began to sing. It was “Under the Boardwalk.” It wouldn’t have happened if Fat Charlie had not liked the song so much. When Fat Charlie was thirteen he had believed that “Under the Boardwalk” was the greatest song in the world … And now Spider was singing his song, and singing it well. He sang it in tune, he sang it as if he meant it.” (83) On top of the parallels to Anansi singing karaoke and the way that they both charm the crowd, Spider’s song choice also has another significance. Picking this song that Charlie had loved as a child adds to the tension between the two characters, but it also foreshadows the development that the two were the same person back when they were young. By picking this song and having Spider sing karaoke, Gaiman cements him as a character with a lot in common with Anansi, and as a rival to Charlie. Spider is also portrayed as incredibly charismatic, and this is shown through his interactions with music as well. “When people stood near Spider on a day that he was this happy, their worlds would seem a little brighter. If he hummed a song, other people around him would start humming, in key, like something from a musical.” (195) Spider’s ability to brighten others’ days with a song is another parallel to Anansi’s personality and the way he brightened Charlie’s mother’s day when he brought the jazz band to the hospital. Throughout the story, Gaiman uses music and song thoughtfully to create parallels between the two characters that show similarities in their personalities. 

Charlie is initially characterized in a very different way from Spider and Anansi, as disliking music and being embarrassed by it. Gaiman uses Charlie’s relationship with music as a parallel for his relationship and similarities to his father. Charlie is embarrassed by his father’s appearance in the hospital with a jazz band at the beginning of the novel, and when he goes to the bar with Spider he is too anxious to sing. Though he initially decided that he was going to sing, he got overwhelmed and was unable to go through with it. “His mouth was dry. His heart was fluttering in his chest. On the screen was his first word: Unforgettable…” (83) Charlie’s relationship with music to this point is filled with anxiety and embarrassment. Gaiman uses this to show how Charlie starts as a very generic, boring type of person, a huge contrast to his brother and father. Throughout the story, Charlie’s relationship with his family changes, and as he sees how Spider lives he becomes less embarrassed by his father. By the end of the novel, his relationship with music has completely changed, and when he begins to sing in front of a crowd he doesn’t freeze up, he captivates the audience the way the rest of his family had when they sang; “As he entered the last chorus, he began to clap his hands above his head, and soon the whole room was clapping along with him, diners and waiters and chefs.” (308) Charlie has become much more confident, and embraced the parts of himself that are like Anansi by the end of the novel. In addition to this, the song that he sings is “Under the Boardwalk”, his favorite song from when he was a kid. Through this moment he reclaims those parts of himself and in a way proves wrong the things that Spider made him feel about himself by choosing to sing his song, and captivating the room while doing it. At the end of the novel, Gaiman shows that Charlie has fully come full circle both in his relationship with music and with his family; “Charlie’s a singer these days. He’s lost a lot of the softness. He’s a lean man now, with a trademark fedora hat. He has lots of different fedoras, in different colors; his favorite one is green.” (365) In addition to becoming a singer, Charlie has also adopted his father’s signature fedoras. Gaiman uses music throughout the story to show how Charlie’s character develops and changes as he embraces his family and becomes more like his father. Gaiman uses music throughout the novel Anansi Boys to develop the main characters and draw parallels between them. Charlie’s journey from being embarrassed by his father to emulating him is shown by his relationship with music and his ability to get over his fears and sing. The parallels between Spider, Anansi, and later in the novel Charlie are also shown by the similarities in the music they enjoy and the way the crowds react to them. Gaiman’s use of music throughout the story as a form of mythology that is commonly referenced allows him to share details about the characters and how they develop throughout the novel.

[blissfullyapillow]

Hello, this is somewhat-a-tsundere-anon! I’m back for another matchup request. (Seriously, they are so addicting for my delusions. You can’t do this to me D: )

Recently, I’ve been playing a bunch of Honkai: Star Rail so I’d to add the males of this game as an option along with the usual order (aka Genshin males). Choose whatever you feel like writing!

HSR men I’m majorly simping for: Aventurine, Dr. Ratio, Argenti, Luocha, Imbibitor Lunae, Jing Yuan, Caelus, Gepard.

Of course, take your time and you have the right to ignore this request. I hope you have a good day/night! <3

Signed,

~Somewhat-a-Tsundere-anon~ 💕

Notes: We meet again my lovely anon~ lol I always love seeing your name pop up in my inbox! Always a pleasure to write a matchup for you Somewhat-a-Tsundere-anon 

♡(੭´͈ ᐜ `͈)੭ Song here~! 

Masterlist

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

I match you with: Luocha

Credits: @blissfullyapillow

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You two are definitely a power couple in my opinion. He absolutely gets a kick out of your brutal honesty and if anything he encourages it.

He has no qualms about being on the receiving end, he appreciates someone who can be upfront without beating around the bush.

He may or may not have joked about putting you in his coffin on multiple occasions, only to feel appallingly nonplussed when you use it as motivation for writing one of your stories. 

You both are the biggest menaces together. Instead of encouraging you to resist your impulsive thoughts he encourages them and will even assist you. You have to take extra precautions to restrain yourself around him because he will not discourage you. 

Initially, his demeanor surprises you. He’ll act all cool and reserved, only to slip a flower in your hair. You never feel it or even see it until you return home and find your reflection staring back at you, with a new addition adorning your hair.

The only time you’ll receive his honest disapproval is when you’re being too hard on yourself, rebut his compliments, or refuse to hold his hand (he genuinely becomes pouty and upset). Despite his obvious qualms (if you don’t hold his hand) he’ll respect your decision and will make it his personal mission to lift your mood before the day's end. 

He’s one for spontaneous trips around the universe, if you’re up to it that is. If not, his final destination at a day’s end will always be by your side, unless he’s away and time does not permit it. In those cases, expect to be spammed via text. Constantly. Throughout the day. You’ve chastised him for this more often than not, only to get a smug little emoji in reply.

He’ll be head over heels for you if you volunteer to take care of his hair. Even if you simply ask to brush it, he’ll jubilantly sit before you and close his eyes as you focus on the task at hand. 

He’s always fast asleep by the end of it, especially if you spend time combing your fingers through his blonde strands. 

Oddly good at keeping you at bay and easing your worries. 

If he’s feeling a little playful he may purposefully give you convoluted directions so he can watch you struggle to find your way. Not for long though! He’ll eagerly offer to help you find your destination, fully knowing there was no way you’d be able to clearly understand his directions. (Seriously, what does “The door on your right side before your left, after the fourth door past the third window” even mean!?)

He may not initially indulge in overly romantic gestures with you, but if you show obvious approval of them then he’ll go out of his way to do those gestures for you to show you that he cares.

Shockingly really soft with you, guiding you gently whenever you show signs of panic and/or concern about a situation. Offers the best advice as well, very wise and learned through his many experiences (some he may hesitate to divulge).

Together you two make for an adorable couple. Depending on the day you are easily the biggest headache for the people around you, but it’s charming and endearing in its own right so 98% of the time you two get away with it.

When you don’t?

Luocha’s got the both of you covered. You believe the coffin he carries around contributes to his outstanding persuasion skills.

ᐟᐟ☆₊˚⊹⋆

“And why do you believe I had anything to do with it?” Luocha hums, his obvious satisfaction radiates from him in waves; from his relaxed shoulders to the lazy way his eyes meet yours.

He’s currently situated in front of you, his head resting comfortably in your lap as you play with the long strands of his silky hair.

“Because I know you. All of those crazy things happened after you arrived on the Luofu and–” A sharp glint in his eyes and a lazy smirk are enough to steal all the air from your lungs.

You remain silent, choosing to admire his hair to avoid his knowing gaze.

“You’re as smart as I give you credit for. That’s my girl..” His words sound akin to a cat’s satisfied purr, and it takes everything in you to not combust on the spot.

“Th..Thank you…” You murmur the words as you finally meet his gaze once more. He winks at you, motioning with his hands to lower your head. 

You oblige, only to emit a sound of surprise when his lips press firmly against yours.

Your eyes close as you relish the warmth that floods your body; his hand reaches up to gently brush his thumb against your cheek before he pulls away.

“I believe it’s well into the night now. Would you indulge me?” You’re a little confused, but with a swift nod of confirmation Luocha wastes no time in sitting up, changing positions so you now lie in his arms. 

“Thank you.” The words are whispered against the shell of your ear before he leans back, bringing you with him. 

You two wind up falling asleep in that position.

Just as Luocha planned it. 

Dedicated to,

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ somewhat a tsundere anon ⁺˚⋆｡

[rogue-durin-16]

AN UNUSUAL YEAR (Part V/V)

Summary: After having little to no interest on girls for five years, Fred suddenly feels the need to nag the shit out of a certain witch, completely oblivious to the reason behind it.

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Slytherin!Reader

Genre: fluff (+ enemies to lovers)

Tags:

An unusual year: @natural-hearts @manuosorioh @lumos-solemn @westyywifee @whiskeyn-rain @warlock--protection @gossip-girl-ecr @fandomscombine @birdy944 @28cnn

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog

Warnings: a little angst, a little snogging 👀

A/N: maybe a bit longer than I expected but it's alright. Also I might write an addition to this story, not sure tho. I hope y'all enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it <3

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

"Y/n! Come sit with us?" George waved at me from the Gryffindor table as I entered the Great Hall, prompting me to sit across him and Angelina, and besides Fred. "Where's Mathilda?" He asked as I got closer, leaving my books on the wooden surface.

"She's feeling unwell." As I sat down, I noticed George's arm around Angelina and I couldn't help the knowing grin that tugged the corner of my lips. "The date exchange at the Ball turned out well, huh?"

"I could say the same about you." He wiggled his brows at me with the same grin I had.

I felt a sudden rush of panic going through my body. My eyes traveled to the boy by my side, who was oddly quiet, and I found him already peeking at me.

"Meaning?" I decided to play dumb, taking a bite of my golden slice of toast whilst ignoring the intending gazes of the couple in front of me.

"You two were having a great time last night." Angelina jumped in, leaning over her table. "Didn't see you coming back, Fred." She added, redirecting her eyes to the ginger.

"I did." His brother laughed. "I daresay you two had an intense night." I felt my cheeks reddening, not finding enough strength to meet George's look. "It was about time, really."

I was startled by Fred abruptly standing up. "See you in class." The curt reply he offered before fleeing shocked all of us; specially his brother, who, with a polite apology, left me and Angelina to go after his twin.

"I feel like I shouldn't ask." She spoke quietly.

"I don't have an answer."

I feared she would see through me. I hadn't lied, but my gut told me whatever happened had to do with the change of demeanor he had at the end of our night out.

I wouldn't say it out loud but a part of me began to worry.

The worry stayed throughout that entire week, guilt joining it at some point. Fred's attendance in Charms, Astronomy and Potions had decreased; I had only see him attend once to Astronomy. The only thing he did was play with his quill and, whenever he thought I didn't notice, stare at me.

Ironically enough, we started spending most of the time together; after the winter break, George had incorporated both Mathilda and me to their friend group, which, in different circumstances, would have been great.

Alicia Spinnet gained special interest on my best friend; Lee Jordan would joke about Slytherins and Gryffindors getting together, and Angelina— well, she seemed happier now that she could hang out with all her friends at the same time.

Fred was miserable. Everyone could see it, yet they did their best to cover it up.

George would overcompensate his brother's attitude by being louder and paying extra attention to me, but it worsened the situation.

I wanted to ask Fred what was wrong, but then again we weren't even good friends, so was it really my place to ask?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

George had proposed a trip to Hogsmade a couple of days ago and we all agreed on going, but the day came and Fred wasn't there.

His brother alleged he had a terrible headache and had chosen to stay in bed. We all saw through his excuse, and once more no one said a word.

It was that night that George came to look for me.

"—well then, go get her!" His shouts got into the common room when a second year entered..

"What's this about?" I inquired, coming out to the hallway to see the ginger about to throw hands at my prefect.

"I need you." He stated, quickly losing interest on whatever the prefect had to say. I only nodded and motioned him to move with me far from the Slytherin door. "You have to speak to Fred now." He almost pleaded, a frown of worry forming on his face.

"Sure— wait, now?" I stared at him in confusion.

"Sorry, I know it's late" his apology didn't mean he would ask me to do it in the morning instead.

I let out a sigh before inquiring, "Where's he?"

"The Astronomy tower, I believe." He replied.

"Alright," I said more to myself. "I'll go grab my jacket." He murmured another apology and a thank you before heading off to his House.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I came to a halt at the top of the stairs when I saw him sat against the wall, his knees pulled to his chest with his arms around them, and his face buried between them."Hey there, stranger."

He raised his head, letting his eyes and nose be seen."Who gave me away?"

"George."

"Tosser" he muttered, taking his gaze to the levitating bundle of newspaper on fire that was probably keeping him somewhat warm up there.

"Is it that bad to see me now?" I took a couple of careful steps towards the boy.

"It's always that bad to see you."

"Odd for you to say that," I let myself slide down the wall to sit by his side with my legs stretched out. "given how much you stare."

"Touché." He replied, the ghost of a smile breaking through his depressed demeanor. "What are you doing here?"

"What's wrong?"

"I asked first."

"I asked second." He raised his brows at me and it was my turn to avert my eyes from him. "I'm... Worried. About you."

When I shivered due to the wind flowing through the tower, he scooted closer and moved the little fire with his wand for it to be in the middle.

"You're all dejected and sulky," I explained. "You barely attend to our classes together, and if you do, you don't pay attention." I felt him shift uncomfortable by my side. "I'm... I'm gonna regret this— I miss you being a bloody nuisance."

"I knew you loved it." His teasing, though it was meant to be funny, sounded almost painful.

"now, what's wrong?" He shrugged, his chin resting over his forearms. "Listen, if you're not gonna tell me, it's fine, but at least tell George."

"Are you thick?" The bitterness in his tone took me aback. "Y/n, I fancy you." He hid his face between his arms. "quite a lot, actually." He added in a mumble.

"I figured that at the ball, you know?" This time it was me who scooted closer. "Tell me that's not the reason behind this."

"Would you like me to lie?" He questioned, shame slipping out with his voice. "I'm a very good liar you wouldn't even question it." He took a deep breath before looking back up, stretching one of his legs and leaning against the wall. "At the ball, I tried to start something." He began, fidgeting with his hands. "I... This never happened to me, so I wasn't- I didn't know what I was doing, but I thought I was making it clear." He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "But when I left you—"

"You know I fancy you too, right?" I tilted my head, searching for his eyes. "As in, more than a one time thing."

"That I didn't know." I felt a pang of guilt, realizing that unconsciously I had played a big part on this.

FRED'S P. O. V.

We stayed in silence.

It wasn't an unsettling silence, but the air weighed over us due to the tension floating on it; I needed to defuse it, otherwise it would crush me.

My heart hammered against my chest while I extended my arm to hold her hand on mine.

It's not meant to be nerve-wracking, I thought to myself as I pulled her hand away from her lap; we had already made clear we fancied each other.

The moment she put her head on my shoulder, the tension completely dissipated. I didn't notice the sigh that left my lungs when it happened.

"Didn't put you, Fred Weasley, in the I'm-a-bundle-of-nerves-with-girls category."

"Oh, shut it." I threw my head back, laughing for the first time in a couple of weeks.

"Never." She gave my hand a squeeze and I allowed my cheek to rest over her crown. "You could, of course, find a way to shut me up."

It wasn't her words that cracked me up, but the suggestive tone she used, which took me back to that night in the Duelling Room when I accidentally let slip my feelings for her for the first time.

I raised my head from hers. "Beg your pardon?" I played the fool, trying to hide the ghost of a smile when she shoot me a wide-eyed look. "What are you insinuating, woman?"

"Do you really wanna start the teasing now?" She gave me a warning glare.

"You've just said you missed it." I couldn't hold back the chuckle.

"I knew I was gonna regret it." She groaned, throwing her head back. My eyes, finally on her, traveled to her now exposed neck and collarbone. Though they weren't visible, I could see the trail of kisses I had left there just a few weeks ago. "Stop staring and kiss me."

It didn't take anything else for me to throw the levitating burning paper away and tug her closer by her hand.

The moment our mouths met, I slipped my hand away from Y/n's so I could led her thighs to straddle my legs.

A quiet moan escaped my lips when she rolled her hips against mines; my hands automatically traveled up from her thighs to her waist, pulling her flush against me.

The temperature in the high, cold tower had shot up all from sudden. Just as we were about to start discarding clothes, quick steps were heard climbing up the stairs.

"Fuck!" She whisper-shouted, practically pushing me away as she got up. "Move, move, move!" As she helped me up and we ran to hide, it dawned on me that we were way past curfew. That got me moving.

We waited for Filch to get to the top of the tower before running down as fast as we could.

"No time for goodbyes!" she warned as we rushed through the vast hallways with Filch after us. "See you tomorrow—"

Before she could sprint downstairs to the dungeons, I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a side hall.

"You won't make it to the dungeons." I stated between pants, glancing at the path we had taken. I wasn't able to see the caretaker yet, but his pants could be heard. "Take the other stairs I'll distract him."

"You'll get grounded." She observed, her breathing as heavy as mine, if not more.

"Worth it." I curtly reply, feeling the corners of my lips twisting up.

"You know?" She pushed herself off the wall she had leaned against to catch her breath. "Sometimes you're really sweet."

"Quick!" I tugged on her hand, seeing Filch finally turn the corner. "Gimme a good luck kiss!"

She pulled me down and kissed my lips briefly before taking off in the other direction. I had to tell myself to shake off that stupid smile and run.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

READER'S P. O. V.

The next morning I eagerly made my way to the Great Hall with two goals; having breakfast, of course, and checking if Fred had made it to his House without getting caught.

I soon spotted the group, this time sitting on the Slytherin table.

Soon his eyes found me too, and without saying a word to anyone, he got up and jogged to meet me halfway.

"Did you make it?" I asked, standing way too close to him and therefore attracting some nosey looks.

"By a whisker." He responded, taking a look around before looking back at me. "I was wondering if you'd like to go for a drink after class." I raised my eyebrows at him with a smirk. "We can use a passage to get to Hogsmade."

"Are you asking me on a proper date, Weasley?" I teased with my hands on my hips. "How cute."

He avoided eye contact, deciding to take another look around instead. "I swear if you tease me right now—"

"I'm free after four." I cut him off. "Now if you excuse me, I'm hungry." I passed him by, playfully bumping his shoulder, and made my way to our friends.

I didn't get far before his hands spun me around and cupped my cheeks, giving me a surprisingly deep kiss. "Are you gonna kill me?" He murmured, his lips still ghosting over mines.

"Oh, you know me so well." I replied, feeling my face heating up. We couldn't help but laugh when whistles and hollers came from behind me. "I might kill them too." I added, making fall into a fit of laughter as we pulled away in order to walk to where our friends sat. "I wanna have breakfast in peace." I warned them, sitting down with Fred by my side.

Everyone was giving looks at each other and trying to hold back the giggles, so I knew a comment was coming, but not from whom.

I could instantly tell I wasn't the only one shocked by the speaker. "But you just had him for breakfast." My best friend responded, faking confusion.

"I was just thinking about that!" Lee yelled, a bit too excited.

"Mathilda Foxglove—" I began, everyone cracking up.

"You are doomed." Fred finished, shoving a toast into his mouth to stop his laughter.

"It was worth it." She stated between giggles.

Fred gave me a side look with a half smile and I thanked Merlin no one could see the boy's fingers interlaced with mines under the table.

[softyoongiionly]

Portraits of a Tiger || 02

Legends of a great and equally terrifying warrior nicknamed the Tiger have been emerging from your fellow villagers for quite sometime. Stories of his skill, his stealth and his supposed wickedness have been passed around to the point where he is more prophecy than person. You have lived your life with a strong sense of conviction, rarely letting gossip influence your opinion. However, you would be lying if you said that his legacy didn’t intrigue you. When the Tiger and his infamous army arrive in your village to refuel, you come face to face with the man behind the myth.

And no amount of marketplace gossip would ever be enough to capture the true complexity of his nature.

Pairing: Merchant! Reader x Warrior! Yoongi

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Smut (later), Fluff, Angst

Word Count: 7.1k

Warnings: language, depictions of violence both verbal and physical however they are fairly mild, mentions of war and power dynamics, there will be smut in future parts so, (18+ only please).

Current Tag List (let me know if you want to be tagged!): @gldnrecs​ @naajix​ @bluewhale52​ @nikkikenji​ @lustedkisses​ @loveyoongles​ @hear-me-growl​ 

A/N: oh hiiii. I’m a little obsessed with this universe so, I hope you guys are enjoying all the Warrior! Yoongi content. Love you!

Once again, I want to shout out @bulletproofbirdy​ for everything she has done to make this fic possible. I love you so much! 

“I’m just saying, some of the women in this village should at least attempt it. Wedding a solider is an honor, not to mention the fact that it sets you up for life.”  

Jane’s voice sounds beside you and it causes you to smile to yourself; she’s always coming up with plans for other people, attempting to live vicariously through them.  

“Like Y/N- you’re young-” She tilts her head, her frizzy red hair almost twirling above her scalp, “-ish. You would probably be able to convince one of them to take you for a bride.”  

You scoff, “Thank you for having so much faith in me Jane, I’ll keep that in mind.”  

Jane quickly moves on to another girl in the market, throwing the same amount of enthusiasm her way.  

You know she means well, even if she is a little brash at times.  

It’s been two days since the market place was riddled with thieves and soldiers. Things have mostly gone back to normal apart from the same armored men loitering about your village.  

Over the time that’s past, you’ve been able to meet or at least learn more about Yoongi’s fleet.  

Seven men, each of them possessing an incredible amount of skill, made up the group behind the gossip.  

Seokjin was indeed in charge of community outreach (and the cooking) but, he was also an incredible marksmen; his aim was unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed. Whilst you were cleaning up yesterday evening, you saw a few of them practicing and Seokjin through a dagger from nearly 200 feet away only for it to land directly in the center of the target.  

Namjoon, you met in the library whilst you were reading more about a new remedy you were planning to try. He was extremely brawny but very mild mannered. He introduced himself and thanked you for the bread you had delivered and upon speaking to him, you learned of his position in the fleet; psychological warfare. According to Namjoon, he was in charge of depleting the moral of their enemies by various means that he didn’t specify.  His gentle demeanor made it very difficult for you to believe that he was apart of such a dangerous team but you realized that, that was the very reason he was so successful.  

Jungkook, according to Seokjin, was the fleet’s first responder: The first man on the ground during a battle and usually the last one to leave. He had two things on his side: speed and strength. The fleet calls him the Terror Cub which is supposed to be a play on Yoongi’s nickname. You’ve also learned that Jungkook is Yoongi’s younger brother and upon minimal observation, you can tell they have a very close bond.  

Jimin, you met at the tavern during an evening out with Rachel. He was incredibly kind and his beauty was nothing short of offensive. His position in the army made sense; he was known as a Red Herring or in civilian terms: the distraction. Jimin’s beauty and charm was the fleet’s secret weapon and after spending a bit of time with him that night, you could definitely see why. Without a uniform, Jimin looks like a soft and unassuming man. A target would never suspect his true intentions.

Taehyung and you had a lot in common as he too was an Apothecary only- he didn’t specialize in the same type of medicine you did. Taehyung was the fleet’s resident poison expert. You met him at the tavern as well as he was the man Jimin hung off of the entire night. You learned of their romance throughout the evening and, couldn’t help but admire the sheer power between them. The Herring and the Poison Expert, what a duo.

Hoseok was still a bit of a mystery to you as he rarely ventured into the village. According to Seokjin, Yoongi placed him charge of training the new recruits specifically in the art Hoseok was most familiar with: archery. Upon the introduction of his position, you quickly recalled a story regarding the legendary archer.  Hoseok’s expertise had made it into the discourse in your village roughly a year ago when the Royal Army took down invaders in the snowy mountains just west of your home. In accordance with the story, Hoseok defeated their front line from the treetops before they were able to reach the rest of his fleet. You hadn’t had a chance to speak with him much but, he did introduce himself when you brought a second basket of bread to the camp.  

Aside from being their general, their leader and, the most expert swordsman in all of the land, Yoongi was also the fleet’s strategist. He mapped their every move, their every course, their objectives and several precautionary measures should things go sour. He was essentially the brains behind everything but of course, you didn’t learn this from him. The rest of his men had revealed bits and pieces about him throughout your interactions with each of them.  

In addition, you also learned that Yoongi’s army was a defensive force. They were established as a means of protection by the Queens which would mean that the stories of them ruthlessly invading territories around the region were null and void. The seven of them preceded over a much larger fleet; 22,000 men who follow closely behind them but never fight unless Yoongi calls in for backup.

The Tiger’s fleet was the frontline, the brain, heart and soul of the royal army.  

You feel a bit of sadness for them. They have done so much to protect this land and although they are revered and admired, they are also unnecessarily feared.  

The morning passes easily and it’s one of those days where you actually enjoy being out in the plaza.

The weather was nice, temperate and cool just as you like it.  

Clouds encase the otherwise sunny sky which keeps it from growing too warm in the marketplace and, with the slight breeze wafting throughout the atmosphere, you feel content.

A minimal afternoon crowd makes it easy for you to provide accurate and lengthy consultations to your patrons.

“Yes- just apply this three times a day and you should notice a significant reduction in the inflammation.” You smile sweetly, passing a lot the salve to your customer before you notice a familiar color making its way through the crowd.

It’s platinum and the curve of the ponytail its attached to belongs to someone you hadn’t anticipated on seeing.

It causes your heartrate to go a little wonky whilst you attempt to look away.

The salve Yoongi purchased from you days earlier prove to be very popular amongst his crew and now his tin that was supposed to last him three months is nearly gone.  

He may have other reasons for returning to the market as well but, his story was air-tight and would need no further explanation.

He would know, he checked.

“Good morning,” You smile at him and Jane’s train of thought is derailed the moment she sees your next customer. “How can I help you?”

He raises his hand, a large metal tin between his fingers, “Do you have any more of this? I woke up this morning to find that my men have ransacked it. If you have the stock, I’d like to buy 7 more tins so I can have one of my own.”  

You can’t help it but allow your eyes to widen at his request; the profits from 7 more tins would be enough to feed your family for the next month.

But you compose yourself quickly and nod, “I have more than enough- you said 7 right? Did you want the big tins again?”

He lowers his hand and sighs, his eyes flitting back towards his tent, “Please. I don’t trust the younger ones to use it as you instructed so, I want to make sure it lasts as long as it can.”

Snickering, you bend down and grab the requested amount of tins for him and nod in understanding, “Makes total sense. I’m guessing one of the main culprits was Jungkook? I saw him rubbing his hands together for a really long time and, now everything makes sense.”  

Yoongi smirks, his teeth peeking out between his lips, “Aish that kid- he's gonna give me a heart attack one of these days.”

“He’s younger brother right? I can see the resemblance...” You tease, wrapping the tins in paper,  spending a little too much time on each one and, no it’s totally not because you’re trying to prolong your interaction with Yoongi.

“Adopted brother yes- my parents took him in when he was 7. It’s interesting you think we look alike though, you’re not the first person to say that.” Yoongi’s hands have found their way to his uniform, smoothing it out subconsciously.

“Oh really? Yeah I wouldn’t have suspected that, you guys have the same mouth-” His brows raise at your comment and the glint in his eye makes you backtrack, “his lips are a little bigger I guess though so- uh not that I’m looking closely at your mouth or anything but-”

Yoongi starts chuckling then, the shakiness in your tone amusing him “I understand what you mean don’t worry. What’s my total?” He nods to the tins, which you’ve finally finished wrapping.

“Oh! Right, I’m sorry- your total is 24.50...” You slide the tins towards him carefully before Jane’s shrill voice sounds from beside you.

“Give the man a discount Y/N, he’s practically buying out your entire stock!” She urges, gesturing wildly towards your cart.

Your mouth opens as your eyes move quickly between her and Yoongi “O-”

Yoongi raises his hand, “Nonsense. Ms. Y/L/N’s products are some of the finest I’ve come across and are certainly worth the full price-  24.50 you said?” His brows raise again, looking directly into your eyes, not even bothering to turn to Jane’s direction.

The direct way in which he addresses her sends a bit of heat to your cheeks. Jane is someone you have mutual respect for but, her attitude isn’t your favorite nor is her incessant need to put her nose in everyone’s business.  

“Yes, thank you.” You smile sheepishly, bending down once more to grab a paper bag from beneath your counter, “I’ll put in a few bags of rose hip and peppermint tea free of charge; they help with inflammation. I know you all will be training over the next few weeks so, you should get some use out of it.”

He offers a small smile and bows his head, “Thank you. Uh-” Yoongi turns once again back towards his camp, “Seokjin hasn’t stopped talking about your bread, has he arranged for you to bring more?”

Giggling, you accept his payment, tucking it away beneath the counter and nodding, “Yes. I’ll be by this evening with a new batch.”

“Has he offered any payment? We appreciate the hospitality of course but, I do hope he plans on compensating you for your trouble.”

Waving him off, you shake your head and slide the bag his way, “It’s no trouble at all honestly, I’ve been wanting to hone my baking skills for quite some time so, this just gives me an excuse to do so.”  

He grimaces, “Still, you should be-”

“I really don’t mind Yoongi, I promise. This transaction is going to take care of my family and I for quite some time. Not to mention the fact that you all saved my village A LOT of trouble. Take the free bread.” You insist, smirking slightly and if you aren’t mistaken, you notice a light blush come across his cheeks.

Clearing his throat, he steps back away from your cart, moving the smile off of his lips as best as he can.

He likes the sound of his name on your lips a little more than he cares to admit.  

He needs to get out of this plaza before he smiles at you one more time.  

It’s getting a little out of hand.

“Appreciate it.” He mutters before bowing his head once more, “I suppose I’ll see you this evening then?”

Something flutters around in your stomach, “You will. Thank you again for coming by.”

His mouth fixes over a tight smile as he fashions the bag around his wrist, which is quite delicate for a man of his nature.  

When Yoongi is fully out of earshot, you take a deep breath and begin straightening up your cart, trying to distract your mind from his presence

Jane however, has been foaming at the mouth ever since he shot down her suggestion of a discount and quickly rushes over to you, smacking her hand across your arm.

“Ow! Ok- listen we have got to find another way to greet each other because, you’re going to leave some permanent damage on me one of these days.” You admonish, your brow furrowing as you rub your arm.

She ignores you and leans down, her eyes wide with curiosity, “You ARE going to pursue him aren’t you? He’s clearly interested, did you see the way he smiled?! He was quite literally hanging on every word you said!” She whisper yells, her eyes darting around  

This conversation is giving you deja vu and given your flustered state you don’t necessarily have the capacity to argue with her.

“Maybe he’s just kinder than you all gave him credit for.” You answer coolly, giggling as she tugs frantically at your dress.

“He’s kinder to YOU. He barely gave me a second look.” She insists, sound slightly bitter

You quickly move on, waving over another customer, a smile still on your lips, “Aren’t you happily married Jane? I’m sure your husband looks at you plenty...”

She kisses her teeth and rolls her eyes, “Happily is a loaded word dear. Regardless, my point stays the same. You said you were bringing bread over to him didn’t you? Are you planning on using that chance to further this little bond you two have?”

Its your turn to roll your eyes now, “I plan on using that chance to deliver bread.”

With a grumble, Jane reluctantly returns to her cart as she too has a customer heading her way.

The rest of the day passes easily, which you are quite thankful for given that you’re evening plans are a little out of the ordinary.  

It’s hard to get Yoongi out of your mind but, you really do try, he is just a man after all.

Just an interesting, intelligent, handsome-

“Y/N...” Rachel’s voice drags you out of your train of thought and causes you to quickly shift on the stool towards her.

You went to her house after you day had ended because:

She’s the absolute best

and

She has the better oven

“What? Sorry I was-”

She smirks knowingly, sprinkling flour over the dough on the cutting board, “Just thinking about how you plan on charming the Tiger tonight?”

You’d like to deny it but, she isn’t entirely wrong.

Instead, you just go back to wrapping the current loaf of fresh bread in the same paper you use to wrap you wares back at the market.

The cheese in this batch makes the outside of the bread a little greasy so, you always gift it with some wrapping; it also keeps the bugs away.

“You know- you should come with me. It's your one-way ticket to Jungkook, you only have a few weeks to gain his hand in marriage.” You point out, smirking.

Rachel blushes profusely, “I- well- you know?!?! He really is something.” She stutters, swallowing back a bit of her nerves before continuing, “I don’t know if I can do that. You've seen me in social settings...”

You snort and point in her direction, “I have. You’re great in social settings. We panic- in private- together remember? That’s how we bond.” Clenching your fist to your chest dramatically, you continue with the rest of her concern, “Honestly he’s not that intimidating face to face. He was practically hiding behind in his friend when I was there...”

Jungkook had stood out to you for that specific reason; his demeanor at the plaza would have never lead you to suspect his shy and rather docile nature.  

He certainly was perplexing.

Rachel smiles whimsically, staring off at nothing while she half-heartedly kneads the dough. She then lets out a sigh before giggling at the end of your sentence, “I suppose you’re right. He seems gentle underneath that brawny exterior. He’s so handsome too- and such a high rank for being so young. I’m just a village teacher...”

You smirk again, “Gentle is one way of putting it.” Then you scoff, feeling actual offense at her comment regarding herself. To express your distaste, you throw a piece of dough her way, “Stop that. You are literally the most eligible woman in this entire village. You are an artist, an educator and-” You take a bite out of a spare loaf of bread and shove it in your mouth, relishing in it’s doughy, cheesy texture. “- a damn good baker. Don’t sell yourself short.”

She rolls her eyes playfully, “Oh alright...you’re quite eligible yourself you know! How does it feel to have caught the eye of the Tiger himself, hm????”  

“So you’re coming?” You ask excitedly, bouncing on your stool before promptly looking away in denial, “I have done no such thing. He’s just being friendly to me because I cured his dry skin. Soft hands will change a man let me tell you...”  

“Ohhhh I suppose I will.” She sighs with a shrug to her shoulders, “My curiosity will always get the best of me, for better or worse.” She leans closer to her friend, conspiratorially “we can’t have that Tigers paws TOO soft—don’t do your job TOO well, oh esteemed herbalist.”

“In sickness and in health til death do you part...” You finish with raised brows, before giggling “esteemed and eligible? Now you’re just flattering me. I don’t think he’ll need to come back to my cart at least, I gave him enough salve to last the winter.”

Rachel shoves rounds the counter suddenly, heat blooming on her cheeks as she tries to shove you off the stool, “Oh YOUUUUU!!” She rolls her eyes again, looking at you pointedly, “Regardless of salve, you don’t give yourself enough credit. All jokes aside, Y/N, from what you have told me about your run ins with the general, he seems to appreciate your conversation. I don’t imagine people treat him with such frankness.”

Your laughter increases as you hold onto the counter for dear life, “Hey easy!” Biting your lip, you try to think of the right words to say without giving yourself away, “He’s very interesting. I am- you know, very intrigued by him that’s for sure.”

She lets you off the hook, her own laughter dying down as she returns to her place, “He is fascinating...I am a bit surprised at how different he seems to be from the stories...it raises so many questions like- how did he end up where he is?”

“I don’t know honestly. I kind of feel bad that so many people had him wrong- Seokjin said they don’t get a lot of hospitality due to the rumors about Yoongi.”

Rachel pouts before turning to pull one of the last batches of bread out of the oven. As she tugs the tray out of it’s warm resting place her lips tug up into a smirk “Oh it’s Yoongi now? On a first name basis with the nation’s greatest general I see- that was quick.”  

It’s your eyes that roll this time, heat rushing to the tip of your nose, “That IS his name... I can’t keep calling him Tiger now can I? That would be weird...”

She continues smirking but, her eyes hold a bit of sympathy as she addresses the rest of your sentence, “Seriously though, that breaks my heart for them...he handled that raider with more kindness than he deserved. It makes me wonder how many other rumors are unfounded.”

“Yeah it really surprised me- I was expecting there to be bloodshed...I still can’t believe he just let most of them go. I’ve seen soldiers administer worse punishments for lesser offenses.  

“I suppose you are right. Yoongi seems to be shrouded in mystery, but perhaps you will have a chance to learn more about the man behind the myth?” She suggests, brows rising with her inquiry.

“Typical teacher- rooting for me and all my hopes and dreams.” You tease as the two of you load up the bread into the basket, “Perhaps YOU will have a chance to learn more about the man behind the chest plate hm? Are you all ready to go?”

She smiles, “I will ALWAYS root for you!” And as the two of you begin packing everything up she huffs, blushing once again, “You really won’t stop teasing me, will you?”

“Nope.” You smile cheekily, dodging as she tries to wack you, “I can see it now- you, educating the youth and him- protecting the innocent. It’s a match made in heaven.”  

Rachel offers a shy grin as the two of you head out the door, “A girl can daydream...”

The walk to the camp doesn’t take long but within the short period of time you spend walking, your stomach manages to work itself up into a frenzy.

“Ok- the main tent is the one with the flag on the-” You begin, pointing it out to Rachel but your voice is quickly swallowed as you spot him:

The Tiger aka Yoongi, strolls through the courtyard of their camp towards a group of awaiting recruits in the distance.

He’s wearing crème colored linen pants and a matching peasant blouse, his long white tendrils wrapped up into a bun atop his head. He strides through the grass with confidence, his dark eyes observing his surroundings.

“You were saying?” Rachel eyes you curiously before following your line of sight.

Before she can say anything, you rush to return to your explanation, “Seokjin is the one that I made the arrangements with so, we can deliver these in there.” You gesture to the main tent, swallowing back a bit of nerves.

You don’t see many of Yoongi’s men out in the yard with the exception of Namjoon. He’s sitting on a bench, dressed entirely in red, sketching on a piece of parchment.  

As you ring the bell of the tent, Rachel subconsciously shifts behind you.

“Is that my bread?!” Seokjin yells from inside the tent and after a bit of shuffling, he pushes aside the entrance, a bright smile on his face, “Ugh it is. You are a godsent Y/N...” His head cocks as he sees Rachel standing beside you, “Oh hello, you must be Y/N’s friend. Kim Seokjin, did you assist with this delivery?”

He extends a hand to her warmly and Rachel graciously takes it, smiling softly.

“I did. It’s very nice to meet you. You can call me Rachel...”

He returns her smile, bowing his head, “Rachel- that’s a beautiful name. Thank you for doing this, I haven’t seen these men so energized in quite some time.” Seokjin smirks fondly before his teeth tug at his bottom lip, “Would you two mind joining me in here for a moment? I have a question I’d like to ask you.”

You nod despite your confusion, still in disbelief that you’ve made contact with the nation’s most infamous men.

“Of course.”

Rachel nods politely, following behind you as Seokjin holds the entrance open.  

Your hit with the smell of wood as you enter their tent along with a hint of musk. It’s genuinely surprising that the odor isn’t stronger given that multiple men likely share these quarters. There’s several cots on the floor and mini lanterns adorning the ropes holding the tent together. Supplies, personal belongings and various weapons litter the floor and tabletops and, in one of the cots you spot Jungkook, laying down, shirtless.  

In front of his face sits a book that needs no introduction; a famous military strategy guide written by an ancient legend. Befitting, you think, of course they would have their men brushing up on military technique.  

Your brain also hones in on the man holding the book:

Jungkook is truly beautiful. His chocolate locks reach the base of his neck, disheveled but luxurious whilst his tan and soft features are screwed up in concentration. He doesn’t notice your presence at first but, Rachel certainly notices him.

You can hear her swallow beside you, her face turning bright red as her body subconsciously shifts closer to you.  

Her lips part silently and she tries her best to tear her eyes away from his body. The broadness of his chest and the smooth curves of his stomach is enough to capture your attention as well despite the fact that muscle doesn’t normally warrant a reaction from you.

As you the two of you grow closer to him, his eyes finally flit in your direction and, they grow wide like saucers. Hastily, he throws his book to the side before ripping his blanket off the end of his cot and wrapping it around himself.

“Jungkook-ah, make yourself decent. We have guests. I believe you’ve met Y/N already but, this is her friend Rachel...” Seokjin gestures elegantly to both of you, unbothered and unaware of the lingering tension in the air.

“Yes Hyung-” He mutters and grabs his brown linen shirt off the floor and tugs it over his head. He stands, almost robotically and extends his hand towards her, “Nice to meet you.”

Rachel moves in a similar way, her eyes still widened slightly whilst she takes his hand.

“Hi.” She responds, her voice smaller than usual and it causes Seokjin to quirk his brow at the two of them.

Jungkook visibly swallows, his prominent Adams apple bouncing in his throat as his hand sort of lingers against hers.

“I like your- “ His eyes flit to the top of her head, “ribbon. It’s blue.”

Seokjin smirks knowingly at the two of them now and he opens his mouth to break the tension before Rachel speaks up.

“Thanks!” She says a bit too loudly before swallowing the volume a bit, “I like your shirt. It’s very brown- a nice brown.”

Jungkook offers a tiny smile, dropping her hand reluctantly and before their encounter can continue, Seokjin speaks up.

“Uh ok, hooray for first meetings hm?” He nods to the exit of the tent, “Jungkook, I believe Yoongi was looking for you. He needs an assistant for today’s training session.”

Jungkook immediately perks up, nodding in excitement, “Yes hyung.” He pivots towards his cot to collect his armor but turns around once more to glance at Rachel, “Nice meeting you.”

“You too.” She practically squeaks, raising a hand in farewell.

Jungkook’s teeth peek out as he grins before he grabs his armor and practically sprints out of the tent.

Seokjin chuckles warmly and shakes his head before gesturing to the wooden table towards the back of the tent, “You are welcome to have a seat here, this should only take a moment.”

You each take your places at the table, illuminated by the lantern hanging above you.

Seokjin rounds the corner to sit across from you, his prince-like features tightening with a bit seriousness.

“As I said- this will be quick.” He assures you, licking his lips and lowering his voice a bit, “I was speaking with Yoongi earlier today and, he mentioned something that made me quite curious. He relayed a bit of your conversation with him-” He looks at you, “-he said that you told him that raiders were a common occurrence in your region, is that correct?”

You take his lead and lower your voice as well, glancing at Rachel before answering, “Yes. The number of raids has been increasing recently over the last few months actually.”

“I see. Do you have any idea as to why that may be?”

“I mean- our village is known for negotiating with raider clans.” You offer,” Our leaders feel as though it prevents violence.”

His brows quirk, hands clasping on the top of the table, “Has that method been effective so far?”

You look to Rachel for her insight and she tilts her head, considering the question, before she nods in approval which causes you to follow suit.

“I guess so. We have a specific strategy but, we are equipped with defenses as well.”  

Seokjin nods, his brows knitting together in thought. His plush lips part for a moment as he contemplates his next response, uncertainty written all over his face.

“Have either of you noticed any similarities between the clans? Anything at all- clothing, weaponry, language?”  

Your immediate response is to shake your head.

When a raid is occurring, you don’t necessarily have time to observe your intruders; safety is the only thing on your mind.

Rachel however, has noticed a similarity.

“There is one thing I’ve started to notice actually-” She begins, “They all seem to have a similar strategy. When they arrive, they encircle the town first before working their way inwards. It takes them a very long time to reach the center of the village, which is where we wait for them. It’s very strange actually, the center plaza contains most of our valuables- it's almost as if they are trying to take over in a way. However, they always end up leaving after negotiations and, I’ve never seen the same faces twice.”

Now that she mentions it, you recall that similarity as well.  

They do deploy the same tactic but, you just assumed that it’s the most effective way to get the most out of their raid.

Perhaps that isn’t their only intention.

Your stomach shrinks at the thought as you try to push it out of your head.

Seokjin’s features twitch with a bit of unease but, he composes himself quickly and smiles.

“Thank you. I’ll pass that along to Yoongi and see what he thinks of it.” He takes a deep breath, “We really appreciate your cooperation. As I mentioned to you the other day, it’s not very often that we are able to communicate with civilians and it makes our job a lot easier if we have insight from people who actually live in the territories we try to protect.” He eyes you both with a bit of hesitation then, as if he’s contemplating something, “If you wouldn't mind spreading the word that we aren’t a group of vicious demi-gods that would be great. As fun as the legends are, they can be a hinderance to our work...”  

You and Rachel nod in understanding, chuckling lightly at his word usage as the three of you stand.

“I’ll pass along the information. Thank you for having us.” You smile, bowing your head.

Rachel follows suit and, subconsciously her eyes drift to Jungkook’s cot, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Seokjin.

“We appreciate having you very much.” He smirks as his eyes flit to Rachel, “Both of you. I think you should come along with Y/N for future deliveries Rachel, I’m sure Jungkook would enjoy that.”

Comically, Rachel’s eyes widen a bit as she aggressively clears her throat, frantically looking away from Jungkook’s cot.

“What? Why would he? Wh-What do you mean?” She stutters which causes you to giggle fondly at your friend.

Taking her hand, you squeeze it gently and address Seokjin’s request, “Oh she’ll be back, don’t you worry.”

He chuckles and gestures to the door, “I look forward to it. I’ll walk you two out, I hope you have a good rest of your day.”

Rachel mutters something inaudible by your side, towing behind you reluctantly.

After your departure from the tent and a bit of friendly verbal sparring between you and Rachel, you separate to finish the remainder of your day.

That evening, you decide to go against your parent’s judgements and journey to the river once again.

As beautiful as it is in the daylight, the moon provides a rendition unlike any other. She casts her glow on the water like the mother of all spotlights, dancing across the surface with ease.  

The truth is, you often sneak out after your parent’s have fallen asleep to find solace in the atmosphere of there. It’s almost magical and you feel as though you can think clearly here.  

You always bring your wicker basket along as well so you can collect any herbs or ingredients you may need.

It’s a necessity to switch off between plants though and ensure that you aren’t depleting the rivers natural resources too much; a practice you are continuously getting better at.  

The river carries it’s usual orchestra of sounds along with a bit more whistling in the trees.

It’s mating season for the birds here and they are singing to one another in hopes of finding a lover.

You giggle to yourself and think of what the world would be like if humans implied a similar method of finding a partner.

“Should I be concerned that you’re out here alone, laughing to yourself?”

The voice instantly sends energy up your back and you whip your head around to find Yoongi standing a few yards behind you.

He looks a bit worn out, likely from all the work he’s been doing with the new recruits but, his beauty overwhelms you regardless.

The moonlight casts shadows on his face, his mouth pulled up in a smirk, his hair tied back once again into a ponytail.

He’s wearing a set of clean clothes, a white linen top with brown pants, his sword strapped loyally to his hip.

You imagine he never travels without it.

“Should I be concerned that you’re stalking me?” You retort trying to control the smile that crosses over your face.

He smirks, his hand coming up to rub behind his neck, “I’m not stalking you. I’m patrolling the perimeter, common military practice. You just so happen to be along the perimeter.”

“The perimeter is one the other side of the river, there is a path just through those trees over there-” You point to a group of trees to the left of you, “So technically, you’re not walking the ENTIRE perimeter.”

Yoongi smirks broadens enough for his teeth to peak out as he nods, impressed by your knowledge, “Fair enough.” He nods to the river behind you, “I like walking through here, it’s peaceful.”

You can’t help but return a smile of your own as you nod, “It is. I don’t blame you for taking a detour, even if it was to scare the lights out of me again.”

He chuckles, “Are you out here often?”

“Very.” You nod, “This place serves multiple purposes.”

“Oh does it? What purposes are those?”

“Well, I get most of my ingredients from the river or the surrounding forest so, it’s vital to my work and,” You gesture to the space around your head, “It’s the perfect location to contemplate my existence, the meaning of life, the secrets of the universe- you know, stuff like that.”

Yoongi’s expression grows very amused then, his tongue poking out between his lips before he laughs again, “Ah yes- that stuff. Has the river provided you with any answers?”

“Oh yeah- plenty but you know, the answers only lead to more questions. It’s a vicious cycle.” You quip, giggling a bit and feeling very comfortable in his presence.

There is magnetism between the two of you.

It’s something you’ve never felt before.

And deep down within your heart, you hope he feels it too.

He steps towards you subconsciously, glancing towards the moon and then back at you, “I know that cycle very well. Have you found anything worth sharing? My job doesn’t exactly allow me to indulge in philosophy very often, I’d welcome any of your insight.”

It’s perplexing that a famous General would care to know your thoughts regarding the best eateries in your village let alone, for him to care about your philosophy.

It’s incredibly odd.  

You've always been a fan of oddities though so, you don’t think as much of it as you should.

“You’d have to be a little more specific, I don’t think you’d want to sit here whilst I prattle on about the complexities of the universe.” You laugh

He bites his lip in contemplation, his gaze on you softening significantly, “I wouldn’t be so sure...” Yoongi murmurs and the way he looks at you sends your heart on a marathon, “But I see your point; what do you think of the war?”

Taking a deep breath, you attempt to compose yourself and your thoughts in order to accurately address his question.

“I understand it to a certain extent. Historically speaking, humans have consistently risen in opposition of one another for whatever reason. Peace seems impossible at times. With so many selfish people rising to power, it almost incentivizes that kind of behavior. It’s rewarded. Peace is only possible when you restrict the empowerment of those who act within their own self-interest. The cycle always continues though so, war is inevitable.” You speak softly, taking your eyes off of Yoongi for a moment to focus on your choice of words.  

His dark eyes seem to glimmer with fascination as he nods along to your response, the two of you shifting closer to one another.

Unintentionally, of course.

“How should we restrict the empowerment of those individuals?” He licks his lips as his eyes narrow in curiosity, “Do you think there is a way to do that?”

Chewing on your cheek, you consider his question before letting out a sigh, “The power would have to return to the masses. I think the idea that humanity needs finite leadership isn’t completely accurate. Snuffing out corruption is difficult though, especially since it’s already been let loose. I guess there isn’t a linear path but, I’d like to believe it’s possible.”

He smiles, “So would I. My profession wouldn’t really imply that though would it?”

Your hands play with the fabric of your dress to distract from how close the two of you are as you swallow back the instability of your breath.

“I think it does actually. You aren’t tasked with the corrupt objectives; your job is to defend against it.”  

A grimace comes over his face, “I still engage in violence.”

“You do.” You agree, your hands lowering to clasp in front of you, “There is a difference between you and your enemy though isn’t there?”

Yoongi is truly hanging on every word you say, eager to hear the soft twinkle of your voice, eager to understand your mind.

“There is.” He answers tightly, glancing down your hands, “Violence isn’t our objective.”

You notice his gaze on your hands and it causes you to look at his own; they look softer than you remember, which you hope you can take partial credit for.

Amused, you watch as he clasps and unclasps them unknowingly, his nerves starting to creep up inside his head.

“What is your objective?” You ask, smiling softly at him

He bites his bottom lip, nodding as he understands where you’re headed, “Defending the innocent.”

“In times of war, peace also requires an army...” You conclude, hoping to comfort him in some way.

He smiles again but, he doesn’t look up at you, his gaze transfixed upon your fingers, “You should consider becoming an advisor of some sort.”

Your head tilts, your heart rate going crazy in your chest but, your curiosity and it’s need to be sated override your need to be proper.

“Why do you keep looking at my hands?”

He still doesn’t look up but he does blush, nervous laughter emanating from his lips, “Because I want to hold them...”

At his confession, he looks up at you longing, his throat bobbing as he swallows and tries to discern your reaction.

Without thinking you unfurl your fingers and turn your palms so they are facing towards the sky, slightly embarrassed by the way that they shake.

“Then hold them.”

Yoongi’s eyes widen momentarily, shooting down at your upturned palms before he slowly, almost agonizingly places his own shaking hands atop yours.

Simultaneously, the two of you intertwine your fingers, feeling the erratic pulse of one another.

“It’s good to know that my heart isn't the only one that’s pounding.”

Nervously, you giggle and nod rapidly, “Definitely. I thought I was the only one...”

He chuckles in response, stepping towards you a little more so you can feel the heat coming off of his body.

The two of you stand there in silence, enjoying the feeling of one another and the simplicity of the act you’re performing.

Words fall short on your tongue because, you are truly in awe of the way you feel and, part of you worries that you’re actually dreaming.  

A shout nearby, coming from one of your fellow villagers rips the two of you out of your moment as Yoongi suddenly remembers why he came this way in the first place.  

He drops your hands and steps back, feeling slightly regretful that he let go of you so abruptly.

“I’m sorry.” He clears his throat, looking back towards the voice before gesturing to the forest, “I should go- my men will come looking for me if I’m gone too long.”

Quickly, you nod in understanding, stepping a few inches back, “Of course. Thank you for the talk- it was-”

“I’d like to come by the river more often while I’m here- if that’s alright with you.” He interrupts you, his voice a little shaky as he clears his throat again.

Knowingly, you grin, “I don’t own the river Yoongi...”

Your quip breaks the bit of tension between you and he chuckles, his hands adjusting his clothes unnecessarily.

“I’m aware, Ms. Apothecary. I was just implying that-”

You interrupt him now with a smirk rushing to your lips, “You were implying that we should cross paths again.”

Yoongi bites his lip, cheeks the color of summer roses, “Yes.”

“I think we should too.”

This makes him smile and for a moment, he looks like a young man, completely rid of any burdens.

It’s a good look.

“Are you ok to walk back on your own?”  

You want to tell him no but, the light from the main street is yards away and after that, your home is only 5 minutes by foot.

“Yes.” You nod to the forest behind him, “Are you ok to walk on your own?”

He rolls his eyes before chuckling, patting the sword at his hip, “I’ll manage.”

With one last parting smile, the two of you begin to go your separate ways.

Tonight, each of your minds would be filled thoughts of one another and if you were lucky, you’d cross each others path while you sleep.

One could only hope.

“Goodnight Y/N.”

“Goodnight General Min.”

[thatgamefromthatad]

Seen these ads? (Obey Me! Review)

This is a visual novel/otome/gacha card RPG game with the same characters and themes as featured in the ads.

As stated in many of the ads this game centers around seven demon brother love interests (as well as some other potential love interests) although the game has a lot of plot elements other than just romance. Most of the ads that I’ve seen feature real art that appears in the game one way or another, and the ads tend to be focused more on the characters and theme in general rather than specific gameplay. Of the ads that do appear to show gameplay, most of the time it’s not really what you’ll see in the game but still follows fairly close to the actual game (for example, the “kiss, free, whip” ad on the top left doesn’t show real gameplay, but you can kiss or whip that character. But that specific art comes from a gacha card I believe and isn’t what you see when you do the kissing and whipping).

A few notes before I get into the full review:

I’m a lesbian, so I’m definitely not the target audience for this game, but I always try to be objective and open-minded when playing any game I’m not the target audience for (other examples I’ve reviewed in the past are Moments, which was also primarily targeted toward women who are attracted to men, Immortal Taoists, which involved a genre I had never heard of before and really had no interest in, Time Princess, which also wasn’t my favorite genre but was still a great game, and various Genius Inc. visual novels, which are targeted more toward high-school age boys as far as I can tell).

Speaking of lesbians, this game weirdly censors the word “lesbians” but not any other LGBTQ+ terms (that don’t include the word “sexual”) as far as I can tell; I decided it was enough of a one-off thing that it wouldn’t factor a huge amount in my overall review of the game, but I think it’s still something to take note of and not let off the hook since it definitely shows bias and can be offensive to players.

This game is rated 12+ on the Apple App Store, and I was pretty harsh on Crush Crush for being rated that way because I thought it crossed the line with some of its sexually suggestive content. I kept that in mind while playing this one, and personally I don’t think it crossed the line in the same way, at least not from what I’ve played so far; although it does have sexually suggestive content (most often when interacting with the character Asmodeus, who is literally known in the game as the “Avatar of Lust”), it’s much more occasional through tidbits of dialog as opposed to in Crush Crush where it involved a whole section of the game and was more interactive in nature. I would definitely still cringe at the thought of a 12-year-old reading some of this dialog, but I think it fits fairly within the App Store descriptors of “Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity” and “Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes.”

Last note - there is a character in this game (Luke) who has the appearance and demeanor of a small child who you can interact with in a similar way to the other love interest characters, which concerned me for obvious reasons. I looked more into this, specifically reading into all of the different dialog options involving this character, and his responses never seem to be more than platonic, which is good. He still blushes when you give him gifts and stuff, which is kind of awkward, and it seems weird to throw a kid character into an otome game, but all considered I wouldn’t say the game is promoting anything inappropriate (unlike one of the Genius VNs that clearly involved relationships between an adult and minors).

Sorry I know that’s a lot of notes and disclaimers but I just wanted to that all out of the way as general concerns anyone might have trying this game or reading this review!

Without further ado, read my full review below:

***

***

***

(I’m trying a new color-coding system to help highlight some of the main points of my review if you don’t want to read my entire essay word-for-word lol. Pink is a positive aspect of the game, red is a negative aspect/criticism and purple is not necessarily positive or negative but just something I wanted to highlight.)

😈 Is the game actually fun? Yes! Just in terms of production value, this game is top notch: the art and character designs are very appealing, the transitions between characters’ poses and facial expressions during VN scenes are actually animated (which looks much smoother and more natural than switching between still images), the voice acting is great (although the VN scenes aren’t fully voice acted, some parts like phone calls are and the characters say different phrases during scenes and battles as well)(Note: all the voice acting is Japanese), and the music is FANTASTIC and perfectly sets the vibe throughout the game.

The best parts of this game in my opinion are the different personalities of the characters and the overall plot; although some of the characters’ personalities can be a bit one-note at times (for example, one character’s entire personality that I’ve seen so far is that he likes to eat and is always hungry), the characters each have their own charm and play off each other well. I found myself getting invested in each of the characters’ desires and goals throughout the story, even the characters I didn’t particularly like. The story is also chock full of humor which is always fun, and the whole world and backstory built around this game (the “Devildom” setting and the idea of an exchange student program with angels, humans and demons) are also unique and impressive.

I really enjoyed the multiple modes of storytelling i.e. how the VN chapters are supplemented with text messages and phone calls from characters and an Instagram spoof with additional side stories to unlock. I know this isn’t a new thing in mobile games (even Gardenscapes and Homescapes do it to an extent lol) but add the compelling characters and overall production value on top and it’s a really enjoyable experience. Since the home screen of the game is set up like it’s your phone, with the different parts of the game represented as “apps,” the game kind of creates a feeling like you’re really living in this world with these characters where you can freely scroll through their Instagram feeds and check the messages you get from them on your own time. The shop where you can buy items and premium currency is called Akuzon (an Amazon spoof) and the place where all your gacha cards are is called “contacts,” which further adds to the immersive effect.

The “dating” part of the game is pretty cute although I haven’t gotten super far so I’m not sure of the full scope of the romantic interactions. From what I can tell, in addition to the dialog, blushy faces and bedroom eyes you get from characters when you give them gifts and touch different parts of their body (above the belt lol), when you raise your intimacy level with them you get additional phone calls and messages from them (I haven’t played a lot of otome games but I think that’s how a lot of them go). I wasn’t that invested in this part of the game but I think there’s some strategy that goes with using the right combination of gifts and touches to maximize intimacy boosts and get certain dialog, which adds a whole other aspect of gameplay in addition to the main game. I also noticed that occasionally your choices throughout the VN chapters will give you a small intimacy boost with a certain character; I kind of wish this was even more integrated since most of the time I felt like no matter what I chose it didn’t make any difference in my relationship with characters. Also, I don’t think there’s a way to “officially” date a specific character, it’s more about raising the intimacy level to earn more interactions but it doesn’t actually affect the main plot.

As far as the main mode of progressing through the game, which is winning “dance battles” with teams from your gacha collection, this part of the game has its own positive qualities such as the cute chibi forms of the characters that appear on screen and the fact that some of the special attacks show a little anime clip of the character (of course it’s less exciting when you see the same clip every battle but I still thought it was a nice touch). I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a rhythm aspect as the “dance battle” name would imply, and your main interaction during the battle itself is basically just tapping hearts that pop up and tapping the characters when their attacks are ready, but you also have the option to skip that whole interactive sequence and just get a result based on your team’s stats, so there’s not much to complain about there (especially since the battles are sort of a side note compared to the storytelling aspect of the game despite being the main element of RPG-based gameplay that allows you to progress). If you are interested in the RPG aspects, there’s plenty of that to work with (building teams, balancing attributes, managing resources/rewards to level up cards and progress through skill trees of sorts, all that good stuff) although you’re limited to an extent by how difficult it is to get a lot of gacha draws without paying real money. It’s even harder to be able to focus on both strategy and character relationships while playing for free when the same scarce currency is used for both gacha draws and gifts.

👿 Is this a free game or a “free game”? Despite what I just said, I would still consider it a free game - you can gradually save up some of premium currency the game gives out through tasks in order to pay for more gacha draws and other items, and as far as I can tell you can access the main story and the other parts of the game without hitting a paywall. I only got to the fourth chapter so far though so don’t take this assessment as gospel. Like with a lot of other freemium games you might feel pressured to pay (especially when you run out of gifts to give your lover boys, which was the biggest downer for me, or if you’re obsessed with wanting to collect a lot of cards or get a specific card) but since you don’t actually need to pay to progress I still consider it free.

There’s also an energy system where you hit a wall and have to wait if you run out, but I never ran out because of the huge amount of energy the game dumps on you when you first start, and it seems like there are a bunch of other ways to get extra energy as well. There also aren’t pop-up or watch-to-earn ads in this game that I saw.

💀 Features

Main visual novel scenes and storyline (the visual novel scenes come between dance battle stages and there are a few short side routes that branch off but still one main route as far as I can tell, I don’t think your dialog choices really make a different except for in how the characters react to you immediately afterward. Still the main storyline in itself is fun to follow and it’s fun to get different reactions out of the characters based on what you say)

Dance battles (I’m not fully knowledgeable about the minutia of the RPG system at play here but in general the outcome of the battle will depend on the level, rank and attributes of your cards compared against the difficulty and attributes of the stage you’re playing. There also “memory cards” that can be assigned to support your team and expendable temporary boosters called “glow sticks” that boost your stats for one battle. During the battle itself you tap hearts that appear to earn extra points and you can tap your characters when their power is charged up to “attack” your opponent and use special skills. There are guides online that go deeper into stats and strategies and such if you’re interested. Different stages have different rewards for completion and you can quick complete levels you’ve already beaten to mine resources you need)

Gacha mechanic and cards (the gacha area of this game is called “Nightmare” and there are a few different pools along with event pools each with their own odds and sets of cards you can get. For the default pools you get free draws periodically and I believe you get one free draw for each event pool IIRC. You also get a bunch of vouchers for draws when you first start the game which got me handful of SSRs and a couple URs to build a couple of solid teams right off the bat. In addition to drawing directly from gacha pools you can get some cards by collecting card pieces as rewards from stages and events until you have enough to get the actual card. Each card has its own set of stats/attributes, can be leveled up and has a skill tree of sorts that can be progressed through with resources mined through beating stages, although it’s more of an attribute tree than a skill tree since most of the branches just add points onto one of your card’s attributes. Some cards, the rarer ones, have special skills that can be used in battle)

One-on-one characters interactions and intimacy i.e. the “dating” part (there are two ways this occurs: 1) you can set a specific character to your home screen that allows you to enter into an interaction with them, with a refresh period in between interactions 2) the main way, which is through “surprise guests” after dance battles. These surprise guests show up frequently but not always, and they’re always one of the three team members you used in battle, selected randomly. For each one-on-one interaction you can do three actions - either give a gift, touch the character or ignore the character. Sometimes the character will also offer you a high five which counts as an action if you oblige. Different characters have different favorite gifts and touching different parts of the body can get a different reaction depending on the character and your level of intimacy I believe. Your intimacy level with a character increases depending on the combination of actions you perform, and sometimes the character also gives you gifts back like more energy or resources. There are guides for this online as well)

Text messages and phone calls (text messages are the main mode of storytelling outside of the main VN scenes - you get messages from characters or multiple characters in group chats that you respond to with preset messages or stickers similar to how you make choices during the VN parts. Some of the text messages correspond with the main plot as you progress, ex. A character texts you to be in a certain place at a certain time and next VN scene is of you two meeting at that place. I think other text messages also come up when you reach certain intimacy levels with characters. There are certain group messages that you don’t respond to where you’re basically spying on a group chat among characters and just get to see what everyone’s saying. In addition to written messages and emoji stickers characters will also sometimes send pictures. Phone calls are fully voice-acted dialog you have with another character and they seem to pop up when you reach certain intimacy levels - I’ve only gotten ones so far with the two characters I have the highest intimacy with)

Instagram spoof/“Devilgram” (Devilgram is an in-game photo sharing social media app similar to Instagram and the photos on there correspond to gacha cards. When you acquire the gacha card that corresponds to a Devilgram post you unlock a side story, but you also need keys to unlock further scenes from that story, which can be gradually earned through completing tasks and such)

To Do tasks (completing tasks on your To Do is the main way to earn premium currency in the game along with other rewards and resources. There are daily tasks, overall tasks and tasks specific to each character. Examples of tasks are completing a certain stage or number of stages, beating a stage using a team that includes a certain character or reaching a certain intimacy level with a character. There are also beginner missions when you start the game that I think stay available until you complete all of them)

Events (there are sometimes side story events called “pop quizzes” and gacha events that are available for a limited time, or sometimes an event has both a corresponding pop quiz and gacha pool. The pop quizzes are separate chapters with their own dance battles and VN scenes, and the battles will come with reward points that you can spend on different prizes. Sometimes there are unique cards you can only get from an event. Other minor types of events include log-in bonus events and events where you can get special types of gifts for your love interests. There’s also a feature where you can “time-travel” back to old events at some cost but I haven’t explored this much)

Jobs (you can assign characters to passively complete jobs that earn you a small amount of non-premium currency over time and also increases your intimacy with the assigned characters by a small amount)

Customization (you can unlock avatars of different characters to use for your profile and set the name you want characters to refer to you by throughout the game. You can also change the outfit of your homescreen character, change the homescreen wallpaper and change the homescreen background music by making purchases in the Akuzon shop or acquiring certain gacha cards)

⚖️ Ad Honesty Rating: 4/5 (just from the ads I’ve seen, especially the ones that appear to be running currently, there don’t seem to be blatantly fake ads and the ads show real art and do well conveying the theme and characters in the game. However some of the ads are misleading about the actual mechanics of gameplay and may also lead you to believe there are actual romance routes with the characters which is not really the case)

⭐️ Overall Rating: 5/5 (I definitely didn’t want to give this game a great rating just because it’s super popular on Tumblr but I can definitely see why it’s so popular. There are lots of things to do, the characters are very lovable, it’s funny, the art is great, the music is great and the lore and overall vibe are compelling and unique. It’s a high-quality game with a good story and I’ll probably keep playing it)

▶️ Ad Example:

▶️ Gameplay Examples:

Dance Battles

Surprise Guest

If you got through this review bless your heart ❤️ Special thanks to @human-watching-ads-from-devildom which is where I was able to view some of the ads since I was having trouble finding them elsewhere online and viewing some of them on the Facebook ad library.

Follow me for more reviews of those free mobile games you’re always getting ads for! Thanks for reading! 🥳

[book-obsessed-coward]

I understand & thank you! Your time should always be the first priority, my posts can wait. Thanks again Athena! (•́◡•̀)ﾉ

POV: You’re rushing to class & accidentally fall over after bumping into Quiri:

Her!:

Him!:

Totally not not me struggling to draw the Mirror Of Erised sideways for a whole week straight(that Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone is looking pretty good though)-:

So I have recently come to the realization that HP Trios don’t always need to be named after precious metals, for example, the Legend Trio: consisting of Dumbledore, McGonagall, & Snape. Also, the title of “Bronze Trio” has apparently already been taken by either Draco, Crabbe, & Goyle or Draco, Pansy, & Blaise. So as of now, I’m going to be referring to our trilogy of Ravenclaw friends as the Basket Case Trio(or just BCT for short). As for the lot of you who have yet to understand the definition of “Basket Case” , here’s a brief to the point overview of the informal term:

Now now now, by labeling them with this title I’m most definitely not meaning to refer to them as “useless or unable to cope” , it is simply a matter of a person or thing regarded as such. As in, the fandom & even characters within the storyline itself, tend to look down on them with dislike & disappointment due to their apparent nature. Which is a completely unjustified reaction in my opinion- I mean- Sure, Gilderoy isn’t exactly likable on first impressions, but still- He’s just one of those characters that you can’t stand at first, but the more you think about him, the more tolerable he gets. & of course, tolerance almost always leads to likeliness within the storytelling world. But enough of that, I’m completely fine with anyone who’d still prefer to call them by the initial title of “Bronze Trio” , & for those of you who think that referring to them as “the Basket Case Trio” is a wee bit hurtful, then worry not, for I’ve also concocted a third option to call them by: The Sapphire Trio. I’m definitely a fan of this one, not only is it symbolically based off of the official Ravenclaw stone, but it’s definitely a not at all demeaning name to be fully proud of! Much more so than “Basket Case Trio” anyway- Either way, to each their own, call these three whatever you feel suits them best! Just please don’t bring them anymore pain than they’ve already had to endure, especially Quiri. Now then, a second helping of Head Canons, shall we?

-I like to think that Sybs had a tiny “fangirl crush” on Rolanda(Hooch)back when Gilderoy first started playing as Seeker for the Ravenclaw QD team, not much different than Ron’s fanboy infatuation with Viktor.

-Though Quiri was definitely the main target for bullies during his Hogwarts years, Sybill wasn’t exactly free from their wrath either. I’ve always pictured her sporting the same thickly cut spectacles, excessive head wraps, scarves, sweaters, & mystical demeanor throughout her youth, on a much lighter & less exaggerated degree of course, but nonetheless, it was enough to feed the many judgmental minds of her fellow students. Fortunately, unlike her more timid best friend, she stood her ground & used her fascination with the art of Divination as a coping mechanism against any emotional pain that would dare to plague her. An activity that she would later share with both her dearest friends.

-Rolanda didn’t always have short hair, in fact, she kept it around shoulder length until her 4th or 5th year at Hogwarts. During which she decided to use a severing charm on her feather like locks.

-Gilderoy’s forgetfulness wasn’t just another additional effect from his recent “accidental obliviation” , but rather an issue he’s had to live with since youth. As much as his good looks made up for it, his evident lack of memory was never anything to be proud of. Much to the annoyance of Sybill.

Progress shots:

[inkandpen22]

Time is Irrelevant (3/?): The Beauty of a Perfect Rose

Pairing: Eleventh Doctor x Female!Reader 

Warnings: so much fluff

Word Count: 3k 

Part Summary: Y/N finds herself alone amongst the French Court and she’s panicking. Then, she meets a charming young gentleman who becomes quite fond by her. 

Masterlist

The Doctor ran off who-knows-where, so I decided to go on my own little adventure outside for some air. In truth, it’s hotter than the Sahara inside and I was feeling claustrophobic. A major flaw of mine, it doesn’t take much to get me to feel claustrophobic. Large crowds, small cars, closets, elevators, I can’t stand to be in any of them.

I take a breather on the grand terrace that overlooks the massive estate. Everything is so immaculate here. I’m amazed when I stare up at the night sky, in the future stars are too faint to see with all the lights. In 1778, the sky is lit up like a Christmas tree. Hundreds of bright tiny lights scatter the sky and they’re indescribably beautiful. The people who live in this time must take them for granted, unaware of their ancestors won’t have the pleasure of seeing them each night.

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves… ”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a man appear beside me. He admires the starry night.

“You know Shakespeare, impressive," I compliment without thinking.

I swallow hard, I don't know French, at least not well. If we're counting a high school education, I'm an amateur. Wait, how could I understand him? How can he understand me? I spoke in English.

The man chuckles lightly, “what is more impressive is you could identify the words as Shakespeare, shows you know him well.”

I sway my head from side to side. “I suppose you could say I know a lot about English literature.”

“Do you visit England often?”

Aware of the everlasting feud amongst the nations, I deny the chance. Better safe than sorry, right? Especially since there's the American Revolution happening this moment and I’m meant to be a French lady of a higher social status. I must be loyal to France whole-heartedly.

“Not as much as I used to when I was a child. I simply enjoy the art and literature the English produce among other foreign creators," I answer rather diplomatically.

The gentleman snickers lightly, seemingly impressed by my reply. “I take it you travel often? You appear well-aware and educated on world matters.”

I suppress my laughter, the irony doesn't go over my head. I've traveled further in the last twenty-four hours than I have my whole life.

“Yes, traveling is one of my many passions!" I enthuse. "Experiencing other cultures of the world is fascinating to me and I almost need traveling to survive I feel.”

The stranger nods in agreement, “France is home but when there’s an entire world to be discovered, I never feel content settling here when I could be out there. Especially now with the new world across the sea. One day I wish to see them for myself.”

I turn to the gentleman and without a second thought, I encourage him to do so. I may be giving him the chance to survive the French Revolution.

“I’ve heard they’re incredible! Of course, I suggest you plan a visit for the colonies after the war.”

He meets my eyes with a smile. He's young, just a few years older than me maybe. “Definitely, speaking of, what is your opinion on the war between the so-called “patriots” and England?”

In my mind, I’m thinking the revolution was the best thing to happen to the world. America exists because of the revolution and my era wouldn’t be the same without it. However, this is 1778 and I’m supposed to be a French aristocratic woman, so my answer can’t be so blunt.

“My belief is our alliance with the colonists was a wise political move. Economically, the alliance with benefit us greatly, and by being allies we’re hitting England directly where they’ll feel the effects. In addition, the war is not on our land, so the people of France ultimately go untouched. It’s the perfect situation.”

The man smiles brightly, "You know Madame are-"

"You're Majesty," a man interrupts us. He bows to the stranger and I see the smile falter from the young man's face. "You're needed, Sire."

My eyes nearly pop out of my head once I comprehend what's happening. I stare at the gentleman wide-eyed. I've been speaking with King Louis XVI this entire time!

I quickly snap out of my state of shock to curtsy properly. "Your Majesty."

King Louis scoops up my hand as I rise from my curtsy. He kisses the back of it softly.

“Excuse me, Madame,” he requests calmly. “I promise to find you again tonight to further our conversation. It has truly been a pleasure.”

Swiftly, King Louis follows the man back into the palace without another word. He doesn't acknowledge that he never announced that he was the king. This entire time I’ve been speaking with King Louis and had no idea! I thought he was just another noble or something.

“Holy-” I gasp, into the air, covering my mouth in shock. King Louis XVI just kissed my hand, this is unreal! _________________________

I’ve found that if I act as though I know what I’m doing, I blend in and they assume I’m one of them. I've also learned that they think I'm speaking French. I open my mouth and I hear English, but for some reason, they hear my words in French. I'm going to have to ask the Doctor about this whenever he decides to come back.

Look at me go, The Doctor was so worried I would stand out amongst the French court for nothing. Well, pish-posh to that! For a young woman of the 21st century, I'm killing it! I made friends with some of the women attending the party, especially Thérèse-Lucy de Dillon. Everyone here is mainly interested in palace gossip. Having grown up in a somewhat small town where everyone knows everyone else's business, I know how to gossip and make it interesting.

Thérèse is one of Marie Antoinette's closest friends and one of her ladies-in-waiting. The most interesting part, she married her second cousin.

“Yes, quite lovely indeed.” I agree with Lady Thérèse about summers in Paris. I've never been to Paris, but I've watched enough TV and movies to fake it.

Thérèse fans herself, I must agree the room is undoubtedly hot. The idea of air conditioning hasn’t even been considered yet and it’s August according to the women. I hope The Doctor finds whatever he’s looking for so we can leave sooner rather than later. Acting this posh is draining!

A man clears his throat behind me, interrupting the circle from our conversation. I turn around and am met with a familiar face. I find myself frozen for a moment until out of the corner of my eye I see Thérèse curtsying and I do the same.

“Your Majesty,” we greet in unison

“Madames,” he smiles kindly to each of us. “Pleasure to see you again Madame de Dillon," he addresses Thérèse.

"Pleasure is all mine, Sir," she smirks.

King Louis then directs his attention to me with a grin. He scoops up my hand as he did before and plants a kiss there. “I don’t believe we have met Lady…”

I play along. “Benoit,” I reply with the first name I could conjure up.

“Madame de Dillon, would you mind if I stole Madame Benoit for a moment?” He asks.

“Not at all,” she complies, sending me a mischievous look. “If you would excuse us,” she curtsies to the King.

He grants his permission with a slight nod of his head. Once they're gone, King Louis gestures toward the doors leading out to the hall. I stroll with him into the hallway, leaving behind the lively atmosphere and the security of others' presence. Now, it’s just him and I, excluding two of his guards following us.

I admire the art hanging on the walls as we pass stroll. The time it must’ve taken to paint such detail is beyond me. I also think of how priceless these pieces will be in the future.

“Would you like to see the gardens?” He offers.

I jump at the opportunity eagerly, "oh could we?!"

The King chuckles lightly at my enthusiasm. I’m sure he isn’t used to receiving such a genuine reaction from someone. Everyone has to be so uptight around him.

"I'm sorry I-"

"No, no, don't apologize," he waves his hands to ease my nerves. "I'm glad to see your interest." He places a hand on my upper back gently. "They're right this way."

King Lous guides me through two glasses doors leading outside to the gardens. The area outside is lit with tall torches lining the paths throughout the entire estate. If I let myself overthink the fact that I’m strolling in a garden with King Louis XVI then I’ll geek out and ruin the chance of speaking with him truthfully. Thus, I must remain calm and try to not think about the circumstances. After all, I spent almost five minutes with him before without any slip-ups. Then again, I didn’t know I was speaking with the King of France.

“Madame Benoit, tell me,” he implores. “How is it we have yet to meet before tonight? Unless we have, but I believe I would have remembered the pleasure and your beauty would be quite memorable.”

My cheeks become warm, though I think the excessive amount of white powder Joséphine plastered on my face may mask my blushing.

“I’ve been away in Italy.” I make up a story as I go. “My father sent me away from my education. He wanted it to be only myself and my tutor constantly.”

King Louis seems impressed, even fascinated by my tale. The secret to a good cover-up is to lie as little as possible, to basically sugarcoat the truth. That way it’s easy to remember but also simple to discuss.

He glances up from the pebble-covered path to me. He raises his brow slightly. “What are you favorite subjects?”

I notice his body language, his interlocked behind his back. It’s very informal. He must be becoming comfortable around me. I first noticed the shift in his demeanor when we left the crowded party. He almost instantly relaxed once when we were out of everyone’s view.

“I enjoy literature and history above all. Yet, I also find learning to speak other languages such as English, Latin, and Italian all very fascinating.”

I make it a point to name the languages I’m positive His Majesty is fluent in. If this works to gain his approval, perhaps I could use my knowledge on him to gain earn his good graces.

He halts and I immediately dread that I may have said something wrong. Reluctantly, I meet his eye.

“You are quite the fascinating lady, Madam,” he states as if it’s fact.

He’s dropping compliments like candy from a Piñata. Granted, he’s French, they’re known for their romance. Plus, I’m sure Louis is used to charming women in his court. He is a politician after all.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I manage to say though I feel very exposed under his gaze. I mean, he is iconic after all, for good and bad reasons.

The two of us continue through the paths, exchanging facts about one another. I find similarities between us, genuine ones too! Everything I say about my interests and background is practically true, just altered a little, so there’s an honesty in our conversation.

“What are some of your favorite pieces of literature?” King Louis asks as we stop in front of the Fountain of Apollo.

I hum, pretending to be thinking over my favorite when in reality I’m rushing to remember work from before the Colonial Era. I can’t exactly say A Farewell to Arms, it doesn't exist yet.

“I don’t have a favorite piece per se because I prefer to read all sorts of work. Authors, philosophers, playwrights, I will read them all. Including the essays written by Rousseau or Voltaire in particular. Though they challenge the essence of our beloved country's system, I believe it is important to be well-read and educated on all points-of-view to form a legitimate opinion.”

In reality, Rousseau and Voltaire were geniuses with the An Essay on Tolerance and The Social Contract. Yet, I’m a women currently in a male dominated world. I shouldn’t be speaking of philosophers or politics.

He picks up my hand and holds it in both of his gently. My heart starts beating rapidly as my breathing catches in my throat. I’ve spoken out of turn for sure. I suppose my modern views can’t be so easily suppressed despite my efforts. I prepare for any insults he could say.

“You, Lady Benoit, are by far the most alluring woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

Taken aback, I was expecting the polar opposite reaction. I bow my head in gratitude. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

He grins charmingly, “please, call me Louis.”

His request flatters me more than his compliments. It means far more to me that we share a bond rather than his appreciation of my appearance or words. Now, I know he respects which this time is rare to earn from a man.

This entire experience is so unreal and I feel as though I’m on cloud nine. In history books, these figures seems so far away, almost like fictional character. Yet, here I am, speaking to King Louis XVI and he just asked me to call him Louis.

“In that case Louis, please call me Y/N," I request in return.

In exchange for his respect, though I already did, I give him my real name. He is trusting in me by opening up, so the least I can do is give him my real name.

“Y/N,” he repeats to himself.

Boy, it sounds so beautiful with his perfect French accent. I could listen to him speak all day.

“So unique! Exquisite, the same could be said for the woman who possesses it," he smirks.

My gaze falls to the pebbles beneath us as we start to move again. I can feel Louis’s eye on me, but I can’t form the courage to meet his focus. In history, it’s said he is very shy and kept to himself. He certainly isn’t shy at the moment.

Unexpectedly, Louis jogs ahead a few feet and leans over the short perimeter of a small edge. I watch as he picks a flawless red rose from the massive bush.

He hurries back to me, gleaming. “For the girl who's beauty is unparalleled, even by that of the most perfect rose.”

Wow, he’s good, and he just came up with that? Smooth.

I accept the flower with a soft smile. “You’re too sweet.”

The back of his hand rises to my cheek and gently brushes against my skin.

“I see the world in your eyes,” he mutters under his breath, mere inches from my face.

My heart is pounding in my chest from both excitement and mere shock that this moment is occurring. King Louis is totally hitting on me right now. What am I supposed to do? This isn’t just some creep in a bar I can dismiss!

“You’re not what I expected… ” I blurt out in a whisper

It could never be more true. The history books don’t do him justice. Considering many of them were written off the accounts of people who were not close to him the lack of fact makes sense.

He laughs breathlessly, unfazed by my words. “‘expectation is the root of all heartache,’ as Shakespeare once said. What were you expecting?”

I shake my head, unsure in all honesty. Deciding to put a stop to his advances while things aren’t too complicated, I create some distance between us.

“I guess I was prepared to meet the person subject to the rumors and gossip. I was told to expect one person and was met with someone completely different,” I answer honestly.

“If it means anything, you’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met. You don’t treat me like the King, you treat me as you do anyone else and for that, I’m eternally grateful to you. It was that very fact that drew me to you! When we met you didn’t know who I was and I took advantage of that. Yet, hereafter you continue to treat me like the average man.”

“At the end of the day, we’re all human," I reason with a shrug. "Each of us play a role in life and yours happens to be King. You were born into your position, you didn’t choose it. The least I can do is treat you normally for all you do. When I look at you, I don’t see the King, I see Louis. The man who enjoys intellectual conversations, loves to travel, who one day will see the colonies for himself.”

I know the last part not to be true, but I can at least hope that he may listen to my advice and go.

Louis smiles softly, leaning in closer to me. I prepare to turn my cheek and dodge his lips when suddenly the rapid clicking of heels on the pebbles cause both of us to whip our heads toward the castle.

The same man before jogs up to us. He halts and bows to Louis, struggling to catch his breath.

“Your Majesty, you're requested by Her Majesty the Queen to give a toast and begin a dance."

Louis signs deeply, clearly not wanting to return to his duties. “Yes, very well, let us get it over with.” He starts to the palace in a brisk march.

I debate whether to follow Louis as I watch the man frantically tries to keep up with him. Suddenly stops in his tracks and the man nearly runs into him but skids to a halt. Louis turns on his heels and walks back to me, shaking his head.

“My apologizes, Y/N.” He offers me his hand, “accompany me please?”

If I do choose to return to the party hand-in-hand with him then it will be evident that we were alone together. People would have a field day for gossip. That wouldn't exactly count as 'laying-low.' Against my better judgement, I slip my hand into his. Louis kisses the back of it, then interlocks our arms. I place my free hand over his arm as well. Finally, he escorts me inside at a much slower pace than before, evidently not caring if he’s late. 

“Tell me about your family,” he requests, glancing at me with a joyful grin. 

_____________________

Masterlist

[huicitawrites]

“Fighting Spirit”

Yandere! Metal Bat/Baad x Reader

A/N: Honestly, this character deserves more attention.

disclaimer warning: mentions of stalking, obsessive behaviour, possesive behaviour, manipulation, mentions of harrasment, yandere character.

Metal Bat:

The s-ranked hero was too busy to think about his love life.

Metal Bat’s dedication to Zenko - his adored little sister- and to his career as a Hero did not really leave some time for dating.

Badd even considered it as a distraction from his brotherly and hero duties. Getting into a relationship was rather miscellaneous.

Until he laid his sharp eyes on you.

Oh, he fell hard from the sky.

The hero’s entrance in your life was totally out of some random encounter such as during monster attack. you’re so unlucky.

He was entranced by the way you stood up against the beast, for your sake and for others’. The fire of courage ignited within you, the fighting spirit which your eyes held. How your [h/l], [h/c] mane swayed with the wind, emanating a heroic aura around you.

You looked like a proud lion/lioness confronting the ugly hyenas

And damn mami/papi, that was so sexy. (A low, seductive whistle had escaped from his lips, but luckily you didn't hear it)

Yet, at the same time, he could see how fragile you were. The monster was twice in size and mass, your delicate body wouldn’t stand a chance.

He had to do something, he had to save you. After all, he was an s-ranked villain hero.

Once Badd defeated the already awful creature into an even more grotesque mess, he approached you.

It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, you thought. -Oh how silly of you- He was a hero, this was his job. Was it not?

It was kind of an uncomfortable situation when Badd introduced himself, you did know him already and you were shy and awkward yourself.[“Hey there I am Ba-” “The hero Metal Bat! Tha- oh, wait… I am very sorry. Uh, I- I’m [Y/N], ah! I mean, [Last Name] [First Name]. Nice to meet you, I guess?” as you scratched at the back of your head and closed your eyes in hopes to alleviate the environment, the teen before you couldn’t help but chuckle. It was low, yet sweet and goofy, even nearby giggly. Don’t look at his eyes though, you’ll get scared by the madness they hold.

A warm feeling had grown inside him that day. It sprouted from his chest and stretched throughout his body.

“Love”

Since then, he would patrol around the same area in hopes of finding you. ‘Patrolling’ not stalking. Much to his luck, as well as to your bad luck, Metal Bat would bump into you oftenly.

The hero was friendly although he was scary looking.

On the first instances only chit-chats occurred. Then chit-chats turned into 30-minute talks and after a while they had grown into full-fledged conversations.

Each time Badd was graced with your heart-warming smile and joyous laugh. Your very being radiating as angelic to him.

As acquaintance grew into friendship, you had exchanged numbers. A few months by then, you two had grown closer. A more so and you teo became lovers.

It was at that instance; when you had agreed with ecstasy to the first date and as picked your feather-like body in his arms and twirled you around romantically, that you had fucked up.

You had gotten yourself into the hero’s embrace, but much like a villain; he’d keep you locked in his arms.

Badd was not obsessive for he had to provide for his sweet, little sister. (You got to meet her too, ‘Zenko’ was her name. You fell in love with her instantly, motherly/fatherly instincts kicking in right away.) You found it odd when he mentioned the idea of providing for you, of spoiling you rotten. Although his sweet words did cause a heavy blush on your face and made your heart speed up, you could not help but feel uncomfortable. You laughed it off.

Some of his characteristics did raise red flags. Like how he was so clingy during days he had off. So insisting in spending time with him and Zenko, and to postpone the plans you had arranged with your friends or spend extra time on his apartment.

Oh, and let’s not forget about Badd’s possessive demeanor. On public, he did not play softie but did interpret the scary boyfriend. Always strolling around with a poker-face void of interest, but when anyone who seemed flirty towards you or even of near age; he would direct a full glare at them. His built-body and the intimidating face he’d pull off would always work. You found it unnecessary. [“They were looking at you in the wrong way, dollface. I simply did what every caring boyfriend would do.”]

The big no no was how he would manipulate you. As smug as a villain, he’d use his chivalrous charms to pull you in and push you out of any situation he did not like. Metal Bat aimed for the weak spots. [“Wasn’t it that your mother disliked for you to be outside that much? It’s better if you stay in here, with me.” “C’mon babe, Zenko enjoys it a lot when you’re here! And so do I! Just please, consider it.”]

Guilt was the main factor used against you. He’d make sure you’d feel bad for him, and let responsibility take its toll on you.

At the end of the day, you would always end up following his schemes.

Until you’ve had enough.

That goes for you, but for him? Oh no, not even close. Metal Bat will never tire of you.

He will not let you leave him, you have no say in this.

You belong to him, your place is by his side.

Even if it means playing dirty, for you; Badd will go against the rules of a hero.

Will he hurt you? No! Absolutely not, he will never lay his hand of you with hostile intentions. (BUT he will pull you by the wrist when needed)

It is all about threats. Wouldn’t it be devastating if your relatives get hurt or if a couple of friends go missing? You would feel terribly guilty, it’d be on you after all. You were warned of the consequences and there would be no excuses to them.

In addition, wouldn’t it break Zenko’s innocent heart if she finds out her brother’s significant other dumped him? She’d certainly feel abandoned. Tell her about hsi brother’s true colours? She’s far too young to be submitted into such harsh reality, a cruel truth.(The shouts, the arguing, the abuse. All the heavier stuff would happen in her absence, if you misbehaved that is.)

For her, for your family and friends; you’ll play good little girl. It is the lie you will act out.

Let yourself be touched, spoiled and loved by your sweet boyfriend.

If you ever plan to escape, make sure to take Zenko with you and go with various plans in your head just in case.

Or even an easier route, save all your troubles by regaining the love you had for him. It will make the suffering go away.

“Say babygirl, do you love me?” a voice whispered huskily against your earshell, strong arms wrapping tightly around your waist as he buried his nose in the crook of your neck. Basking himself in your soft and tender skin.

“What are you saying? O-of course I do!” you manage to say it, although you stuttered. ‘You have to try harder, [Y/N]. For them’

“Ah, that’s great y’know,” a hickey is drawn out from your bare neck and you try your best to hold back the cringe and the curse words. “I guess I’d get bad if you didn’t.”.

“Maybe I can handle it”

He smirks.

There’s the fighting spirit.

[backandimbamon]

part II

Damon thinks and thinks and obsesses over what happened only an hour ago, with Bonnie now resting peacefully beside him, hair curving to frame her face like a cradle. There’s a little content smile on her lips as if she hadn’t sobbed herself to sleep. Her dorm bed is hardly enough room for their two horizontal bodies so her arms are wrapped around his waist, ear pressing against his chest; she’s warm against him like a furnace.

It is almost as if she never took a bulldozer and plowed through the wall of defense she built for herself throughout the years. Like her breakdown was an illusion. Not a groan of inadequacy or dissatisfaction fell from her lips because she is sleeping now and she’s therefore okay. Mystic Falls is far away and can’t touch her in her dreams.

He never really thought about it so restlessly or even evaluated the effects that his very messy decisions can have on the circle surrounding him.

He never properly pondered the effects that it does have on the person he wears like a shield, Bonnie Shelia Bennett.

The tiny little witch with the huge heart, it is so easy for people like him-narcissists- to manipulate and bait and make expendable without a thought.

And he’s supposed to be her best friend.

Why does she have to be so selfless and caring and, and perfect? The world takes advantage of people like her and feasts on all the loving, generous, kindhearted people it can because there’s not plenty to go around. Damon knows this. Bonnie pours into them like it’s her obligation, like she has to but she doesn’t.

She doesn’t.

How could they have allowed this for so long? Without even asking if she’s okay or... sane? Thoughts of Bonnie and her well-being haunt him and it could be hours or minutes but the swarm of memories and his newfound concern whisk away the time.

He knows it’s later than he thinks when the door opens with a slow creak, announcing Caroline’s return. There’s the sound of tip toeing before she turns on her lamp switch and no, she doesn’t expect to see Damon looking like she has disturbed him or something.

He gives her an accusatory glance, noting her heels in hand the stench of dumb jock on her like an eau de parfum.

“Fun night, Blondie?”

She’s surprised to see him still there, and not pleasantly.

Damon doesn’t understand how she whispers shrilly but she manages to go into an ear-injuring tirade, scolding him about The Real World and how it isn’t the prison world because, for once, everything isn’t about him. The words seem to flow so freely and practiced that he starts to think this is no improvisation and Care Bear has had this thought on her mind for some time. She says he’s holding her best friend back and that Bonnie long left the “Damon Cubicle” when she returned home so he should stop acting like she’s the only person to exist in this world so she can do the same.

Her chest heaves after her rant and she sighs like she just released a burden. It’s not how she pictured this intervention would go, unloading like a floodgate too early or too late in the wee hours of the morning, but not even she can stick to the plan sometimes. She loves her friend too much to allow Damon stagnating her progress, her wellbeing, her life- for any longer.

“What if Bonnie just adores me and my company,” he says, mostly to annoy her.

Dogmatically Caroline replies, “Stockholm Syndrome.”

He feels a sting in there somewhere that mentally makes him go “ouch.”

“You’re just jealous Bon likes me more.” He only replies to have the last word so none of her remarks can sink in too deep. He’s had his fair share of overthinking for the night.

Damon leaves before she can come up with a rebuttal.

——

Bonnie awakens with a hangover and her hair nearly strangling her and it’s the first time that she’s noticed how fast her hair has grown. It gives her a feeling of relief because she can say good riddance to the bob she thought she’d love forever until it almost came to that. Forever.

She fingers a long, dark strand between her long, light nails and feels a quiet satisfaction amidst her pounding head.

Quickly, her memory is back and the feeling of mortification upends her self-admiration.

She spends most the morning trying to hide her moodiness about last night. It lingers in her head all day because she doesn’t do that- it’s not her. Tequila is to blame for her break in character, the sensitivity, the temperament, the peck, the bite. The bite. she violently pushes the flirty advances at Damon into the far recesses of her mind until it’s flimsier than a memory.

Damn that alcohol.

She did want to thank him for everything but he’s gone in the morning and she understands- she does. It’s not like she feels a glimmer of something tug at her heartstrings, it’s not like there’s a smudge of disappointment in the pit of her gut.

She easily loses herself in Caroline’s telling of her sex escapade from the night before, only a tiny bit envious that she doesn’t have one to share with her. But, she tells herself, she would rather have no story than one with Damon.

She laughs on queue at Caroline’s punchline.

When she’s done reliving her adventures, Caroline looks at her with an almost matriarchal love in her eyes because she is so happy to have her best friend back. Her skin is all glow-y and she looks gorgeous, really, with her long lashes and flushed cheeks. She looks alive.

She reminds her of high school Bonnie, right before she discovered her lineage. Her hair was almost as long as it is now, and she has the same fiery look in her green eyes but more complex. Caroline hasn’t seen Bonnie look so light in years- and why did she ever cut her hair to begin with?

“You look amazing, Bon,” she gushes, but there’s something about her that she can’t quite place her finger on.

She knows that look. Bonnie is the only one in their trio that has never worn that look.

It’s the face she herself wore with Klaus, the face Elena wore with Damon. The layered gaze of someone who knows something they won’t share.

She wants to know but she’ll give it some time because, she thinks, the answer may not be as hard as it seems.

——

Bonnie always thought a blind date consisted of meeting someone new; a blank slate of sort so she can decide whether or not this person is a solid addition to her life. If not, she will have her fun, receive another free meal or two, get that itch scratched if she’s brave enough, (she never is.) Beneath it all, a blind date is someone she has never seen.

Caroline’s interpretation greatly differs from hers and Bon thinks next time she asks her friend for help, they’ll communicate effectively. They’ll establish definitions so they’re both on the same page.

Stefan looks almost as shocked as she does to see her, his date, but he gives her a hug anyway and they both laugh and shake their heads in sync.

“Asking Caroline for dating advice?”

“I could say the same for you,” Stefan lifts a heavy brow.

“At first, I was thinking ‘what the hell’ but now...I’m really thinking it.”

“I almost feel insulted.”

They laugh again.

“Geez, Bonnie, am I not up to par?” she knows that he’s joking but she can’t help to think.

Is he not up to par?

Physically, Stefan is handsome in an almost classic way. Almost because something about him is surreal, maybe even sinister, and gives him a bit of an edge to an otherwise generically attractive face.

Could be his height.

Or maybe it’s the quality about him that seems like he’s drawn in smoke. So illusive Bonnie can’t describe him even when looking directly at him. His eyes are green or hazel, his hair blond or brown or somewhere in between.

The sunlight filters in bright and vivid in the Grill yet his features cling to every shadow like a small sign of caution: PRETTY BUT DEADLY. The only thing cemented is the perfect bone structure and the penetrating gaze, the full dark brows, the lips.

Stefan’s the good guy, (compared to Damon anyway.) He does have a crazy side but he’s far better at controlling it than most crazy people she knows. He’s charming. Charismatic but not in a way that’s obvious.

Perhaps she understands Caroline’s logic on this one; they’re both similar in demeanor, more or less the calm ones in most situations, they share a levelheaded nature and a mystery in which it’s hard to guess what they’re thinking.

But a romantic connection? A date? It’s a bit of a reach so she has her doubts. Plus, there’s something that makes her uneasy about the situation because she knows Damon would hate this.

Not that it matters.

The moment is prolonged between them so she tries to recover the banter. “Stefan, be real, how could you not be up to par?”

She needs polishing, she does, because she can’t recall the last time she’s been on a date. Yes, her remark is flirty but maybe it’s too forward. Or maybe she’s just overthinking.

He gives a toothless smile, all stretched lips before raising his glass and making a toast. “To pars,”

“To pars.”

Their glasses clink and the two lock eyes in the moment.

Grey. His eyes are grey.

——

They develop a deeper friendship and Stefan thinks there is something positively different about Bonnie that he can’t quite pinpoint. She even smells sweeter.

It’s remarkable how different she looks and acts because she seems so free and unbothered, and it’s not so much in her speech as it is in her behavior. He’s not even sure if she’s aware of it.

He feels this crush blossoming, the commencement of a stomach-fluttering infatuation. One that will have him journaling like an obsessive school girl. He could deny it, that gut-fluttering feeling, but he’s too self-aware. Stefan is a hopeless romantic, which can be his downfall, so he tries not to project anything on to Bonnie just yet because she could very well be uninterested. That would be devastating for him but he’s experienced worse.

How did Bonnie Bennett sneak up on him like this?

It’s only a week after that first date but this is his third time back on campus. He’s helping her study like a good friend would.

Caroline thinks the couple is a perfect demonstration of her observational skills and how thorough she is in match-making.

Damon is still very much unaware which is good because Stefan knows Damon. He won’t like this when he finds out.

He’s had his head so far away lately, Stefan notices, completely lost in his thoughts which is unlike him. Damon is starting to challenge his title for the brooding brother. Whatever is occupying his thoughts, that he’s already remotely refused to share, must be something serious.

Just as long as it keeps his focus elsewhere to prolong him from finding out about them- this. Their... friendship. Bonnie and Stefan. It has a nice ring to it.

Her nose is buried in a novel by Toni Morrison as Stefan discreetly observes her. His gaze traces the pensive expression on her face, clinging to the curve of her cheek, the tilt of her brows. Lower he drops his eyes to graze those shapely brown legs in the cutoff shorts before he returns to her face. He admires his latest discovery: the cute tension in her mouth that appears when she’s concentrating.

Bonnie is studying literature and the only subject he’s studying is her and he lets himself have this moment while she’s completely unaware so he can drink her in.

The ironic thing is that he has overlooked her so many times, never letting his mind linger on Bonnie for too long because, yes, she’s gorgeous but she’s also Elena’s friend. And Elena used to be his world. But now she isn’t and she hasn’t been for years. His eyes are opened, fully seeing the little witch for who she is, not what she can do or how many ways she can bend.

His cell phone buzzing breaks his concentration, he answers without looking at the caller identification because he knows it’s Damon.

“Yes?”

“Why are you hanging out with Bonnie, brother?” He has an edge in his voice with a tone that is all but condemning.

How could he expect Damon to do anything other than sabotage a perfect moment in its prime?

“Is there a reason I can’t?” Stefan can feel his forehead maze. For the life of him he will never understand why Damon is like this. He knew he would react this way, being jealous and possessive. For centuries his brother makes his biggest insecurity prevalent, poking and prodding to see if the people he loves the most like Stefan more than him. It’s one hell of an inferiority complex.

Bonnie’s eyes are on him now. They remind him of lily pads, offset by her golden brown skin and dark brown hair. Put a Venetian red background behind her and she’s a walking Renaissance portrait. Her eyes shift to a distance behind him and he hears steps approaching.

“Well when you’re making googly eyes at my best friend, it makes me a little sick in the stomach.”

The sound is magnified, once through the receiver, and again in real life as Damon adds himself to the study session, putting a chair between him and Bonnie like a proper third wheel.

Stefan internally groans.

He’s wearing a gray t-shirt and dark jeans that he dusts off before actually seating himself. “What’s on the agenda today, folks?” He gives a tight smile, sending a quick death glare to Stefan. “I knew when I couldn’t get in touch with Bon Bon that she must be preoccupied.”

“Funny how you didn’t take the hint,” Bonnie jokes.

“You know I’ve never been one to listen, bestie. What’s he doing here?” He gestures to Stefan like he’s just a minor inconvenience and not a living, breathing, being.

“...Really?” Stefan lets out a grave sigh.

He goes unaddressed as Damon keeps his eyes on Bonnie.

“I’m studying, and Stefan is assisting.”

“Sure about that?”

“We’re not in the mood for games, Damon. If you want to be involved, stop the interrogation and, i don’t know, be normal for once? I know it’s a bit of stretch.”

“Oh it’s a lot more than a ‘bit of a stretch’, Bon. I’m so far from normal it’s not even funny.” He props his arms behind his head and leans back in his seat.

“Damon. Why are you here?” he wants to extract him like a bad tooth.

“No, Stefan, the real question is why are you here? Last time I checked, I’m the one who gets to visit Bon Bon unannounced. That’s what friends are for. But you, you’re easily an acquaintance. Has something... changed?” There’s a peppering of accusation as he threads an eye line between Bonnie and Stefan.

She doesn’t even hear Stefan’s retort from the wave of thoughts that washes over her.

Everything about this moment is surreal. Having the first-hand experience of this ordeal feels like astral projection in which some godly thing snatched her mid-voyage and squeezed her into a shell of Elena. Only after a few minutes of bickering, Bonnie now sort of knows what it’s like to be put on a pedestal by the Salvatore brothers and she gets it. She finally understands why her sleeping friend would die for a power like this- to be loved like this.

And even angry, even at odds, the boys really are beautiful.

Elena must have felt like the world was in her palm, with two scarily attractive wrecking balls willing to destroy everything if it meant a smile on her face. She must have felt a little less human surrounded by unearthly handsome brothers who would fight for her and over her, changing everyone surrounding them for her namesake.

However, Bonnie doesn’t truly think she wants to be the host that this parasitical Salvatore thing attaches to next- simply being a bystander while it was directed to Elena left her life in ruins. She’s only just put the pieces back together, and god there were a lot.

The boys though.

They’re beautiful.

Stefan in all his chivalry, she can sense his embarrassment to be related to such a hard ass, a slight fluster in his cheek is the one indication that he’s annoyed and frustrated. His Adam’s Apple bobs when he speaks, his jaw clenches a little too forcefully when he’s quiet, defense in those stony eyes; she’s never seen tension look so good. He’s the one you conjure when you think of the perfect knight for your fairytale ending because he fits. He’s what you were dreaming for since you were six and you realized, like your dolly, you need a prince. He’s the reward the heroes get in every story, the American Dream on legs. The fight, the struggle, the blood, sweat, and tears, you trudge through it all for a taste of goodness because it’s worth it. Stefan makes it worth it.

And then there’s Damon, the pain, the asshole who really grew on her because she never thought he could have a heart until he placed her in it. He knows just how to annoy Stefan, taunting him to break character so he isn’t in this word war alone. He always gets what he wants. The one who makes everyone uncomfortable with how effortlessly he flaunts his sex appeal, how carelessly he can trap you in fantasies of him. He awakens an insatiable ache between the legs that leaves you dripping, thinking of all the things you’re forbidden to do because someone like Damon is never yours. He’s the husband of, boyfriend of, best friend of, and it’s never you. A wink from those baby blue eyes is so promising but trying to catch him is like grasping air- he’s everywhere and nowhere at all but you fucking need him.

And she’s Bonnie. Not Elena, just Bonnie.

She would be a fool to think them fighting over her is the same as them fighting over Elena because it just isn’t. With Elena, it was different. They were caught in an intricate web of love, lust, and infatuation which was undoubtedly the recipe for disaster.

With Bonnie, they aren’t in love, they’re only bickering over her friendship.

And the thing about friendship, friendship is manageable, friendship is controllable, friendship she can handle.

Elena must have felt like the god of her own world with two hellish men devoting their lives to her safety and her harm, both the protector and danger rolled into one. How it must have felt to have friends and lovers die over her to come back and die again. To have people care for her like that without doing anything harder than existing.

Her sleeping Lena had heaven on earth while she had hell on wheels and Bonnie knows a friend she made in the underworld would tell her to live it up before she died again and no one bothered to bring her back.

In a truly twisted, ironic way, she misses that friend.

What if it’s time for the scales to rebalance and the things that fell apart must unite again?

Maybe the universe has handed her the baton and it’s time to start running.

[imitheous]

Long Drive | Graves & Miranda | Part 2

After four more hours on the road that, frankly, felt like an eternity, Graves pulled into the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel, somewhere in the middle of Virginia. He cut the stereo and jostled Miranda with his elbow. "Hope you're hungry," he said as his stomach loudly growled. Quickly taking the keys out of the ignition, he threw the door open so he could get out and have a much-needed stretch. "It's lunchtime, let's go." He closed his door and after making sure Miranda was following him, headed up the steps and into the kitschy storefront that served as the entrance to the restaurant.

Since waking up from her nap, the drive over had been full of the Hermes siblings scream singing along to various playlists, as well as Graves chattering her ear off about everything he just had to show her while they were in town.  The closer they got to Myrtle beach, the more Miranda found herself getting excited to see all those things her brother was raving about, though she didn't voice it, instead opting to roll her eyes with a smile on her face.  As Loretta pulled into the parking lot, Miranda wasted no time in getting her bag and sliding her flip flops back on, hopping out of the truck before Graves finished his stretch.  "Thank gods, that breakfast sandwich was not as filling as I wanted it to be.  I need actual food, not that gross egg crap that place was selling." Following his lead, Miranda found herself distracted with all the random stuff laying around, having never been to a restaurant like this before.  Having to be practically dragged towards the dining area by Graves, she quickly looked over the smaller knick knacks, already knowing she was most likely walking out with another bracelet or two to add to her collection.  "I'm confused, I thought we were in Virginia.  Why do I feel like I'm in the deep south somewhere?"

"Gods, yeah. Rest stop food is garbage." He held up two fingers to the hostess when he was prompted, and trailed behind her after corralling Miranda from the shop. When she placed menus on the table and told them a server would be at their table shortly, Graves thanked the hostess and slid into a seat. He chuckled at his sister's question. "Because we're at Cracker Barrel, Monty. Some folks may prefer it's full name: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. It's the gateway to the southern states, and a road trip staple. Y'never been here before?" He asked, even though he could see the answer in Miranda's face and grinned. "You're in for a treat." He shook out his hands, still stiff from clutching the steering wheel for hours; under the table, his left leg had started to bounce uncontrollably - an outlet for all the nervous energy he was feeling. He glanced at the menu, already knowing what he was going to order.

Miranda didn't even bother looking at her brother at his question, knowing the dumb grin that was on his face just by the sound of his voice.  "Oh yeah, the LA girl whose only lived in major cities? I'm a huge Cracker Barrel fan, how'd you guess?" Her own voice dripped with sarcasm, though her eyes lifted from the menu to flicker around their environment.  The rocking chairs, fireplace, and random items strewn throughout the dining area only seemed to support both their claims.  "It's a type of vibe, that's for sure." She joked, eyes going back to scan the menu.

Graves drummed his fingers on the table in time with the bouncing of his leg. "That's perfect," he joked right back with her. "Makes the Cracker Barrel gift card I got you for Christmas even better."  A waitress showed up to the table, wearing a floral apron that reminded Graves of curtains and it took all he had not to laugh as he ordered chicken and waffles with extra bacon on the side. He passed his menu to Miranda so she could stack them up. "Oh, and can I get a coffee? That'd be swell. Thank you, ma'am." He smiled brightly at the waitress, laying his accent on a little thicker than normal, already sure his sister would poke fun at him for it after she ordered.

Hearing Graves, she gave an exaggerated fist pump in response, but the waitress walked over before she could sass back.  At the sight of the atrocious apron the girl was wearing, Miranda quickly raised her menu to cover her face, a terrible attempt at trying to hide her amusement.  Her amusement only grew when she heard how heavy he was laying on the accent, rolling her eyes before collecting herself enough to lower her menu again.  "Shit, please make that two coffees." Quickly rattling off her own order, she closed the menu with a small clap as the pages slapped together, stacking it on top of Graves' for her to take.  Her eyes followed the waitress as she walked away, turning to give him a look of disbelief when she was far enough away.  "What. The fuck is she wearing? I've seen fucking lampshades that are hotter than that get up."

He had made the mistake of taking a large gulp of water as Miranda relayed her order to the waitress and now, as she compared the other woman's get-up to a lampshade, Graves immediately regretted that gulp. Sputtering, he shook his head, trying not to do a spit take. "A lampshade, " he wheezed, thumping his chest with his hand to offset the water that hand gone down the wrong pipe. Accent still heavy, he added, "That's the ugliest damn lampshade I ever did see ." Graves gestures around the room; all the servers were similarly outfitted in ugly aprons. "I think it looks like it belongs on an old lady's couch. Like, that's some good ol' couch fabric right there." Though he was laughing, his fingers continued to drum the table and he scanned the restaurant nervously.

While she had expected him to laugh at her comment, Miranda didn't account for the fact that he would take a drink right before she began to speak.  Not being able to hide the snort as he wheezed, she just watched with a raised eyebrow as he tried to get himself back to normal.  "You good?" She finally asked, but clearly he was fine as he continued speaking.  Glancing around the room, she realized that indeed everyone was wearing the same apron and shuddered.  "Gods, I've never been happier that I don't work in the food business."  Turning back around, she finally turned her full attention to her brother since they walked in.  She hadn't thought much of the tapping when it had first started, but mixed with the nerves she could see bubbling out of him, the humor drained out of her as she leaned towards him. "Everything okay? You look like you're waiting for someone to come tackle you through the table or some shit."

"Oh yeah, it's the worst. I can't picture you as a waitress. Someone would be rude to you and you'd threaten them in a beat." Graves quipped, distracted as their waitress returned to pour them cups of coffee and place down a small bowl of creamers. When she walked away, he immediately dumped several packets of sugar into his mug and began stacking the unopened creamers into a shaky pyramid. At Miranda's comment, he cracked a smile. "Yeah, no, yeah. Everythin's fine. Just a lot of bottled up energy after drivin', y'know?" He lied,  clutching his coffee mug and attempting to calm his jittery demeanor.

“Oh totally. I’m not putting up with that shit.” Miranda straightened herself when their waitress came back, flashing a charming smile of her own as she delivered their coffee. While Graves started jabbering again, she busied herself with making her own coffee, snagging a creamer from his makeshift tower. Indulging herself with a sip - which was mediocre at best, though she wasn’t expecting much, she swallowed before calling him out.  “I don’t understand why you even bother lying to me anymore. You know that I can tell easier than like...anyone else back at camp.”

"Hey!" Graves protested, both to her accusation and to the creamer theft. Adding another creamer to replace the one Miranda had taken, he shrugged one shoulder at his sister. He wrapped his fingers around his mug of coffee, focusing on the pleasant clink of his rings against the ceramic as he clutched it. He shrugged again, "Everything's fine, Monty. I don't keep secrets from you." Quick as he'd told the lie, he accidentally bit the inside of his cheek and a metallic taste filled his mouth. Instant karma, he thought as he took a sip of coffee and wrinkled his nose, not meeting Miranda's eyes.

The additional lies were met with a dead pan stare.  "Yeah, normally you don't, for this reason."  She took another slow sip from her mug.  "You fucking suck at it, Gravy."   Letting out a quiet sigh, she placed the mug back down before leaning forward again.  "Look, it's fine if you don't wanna tell me, I'm not your mom or whatever.  You're just totally killing the vibe right now, you're about to shake the entire table if you keep bouncing like that." She knew that Graves knew her just as well as she knew him, and that he would see this as her way of trying to move past the topic for his sake.

He took another sip from his mug and forced his leg to stop bouncing, before smiling sheepishly at his sister. "Nothin' food won't fix though, eh?" At her mention of 'mom,'  his eyes lit up and he pulled his phone from his pocket, texting Cass an update on their progress. While Graves was preoccupied with his message, the waitress returned with their food, placing their meals on the table. "Thank you ma'am!" He called belatedly, finishing with his phone as she walked away. His stomach was churning even as he looked at Miranda, holding his fork up in a mock salute. “C'mon, dig in."

Miranda watched him immediately get absorbed into his phone and rolled her eyes, half un-surprised and half in disbelief.  Leaning back against her chair once again, she just went back to her coffee.  When the food arrived, she put her nearly empty cup back on the table, gave the waitress another signature Hermes child smile, then turned her attention to her sandwich.  Looking back up at Graves when he spoke, she raised a fry along with him before taking a bite.

A few minute passed and the siblings dug into their respective meals; to Graves, his food was tasteless, the weight of the conversation he wanted to have with his sister taking a toll on his taste buds. It took another mouthful of syrup-covered waffle that tasted like dust for him to set his fork down and take a drink of water. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. "Um, actually...I have something I've been meaning to tell you."

On the opposite, Miranda was enjoying her food, not drinking as much water as her brother. She occasionally glanced up at him, only to see him looking more and more shitty as time went on. While debating how to bring up the question of her taking over the drive, he finally spoke up. Miranda lowered her sandwich, and took a long sip of water before responding. “Oh really? I had no idea.” She said sarcastically before growing more serious to match him. “You look you’re walking into a firing squad, what’s up?”

Graves ducked his head, a sheepish smile breaking through the worried expression he had been wearing. "How do I say this..." He muttered, before finally settling on, "My family isn't really...normal?"

Miranda blinked once, slowly, then again as she processed what Graves just said to her. After minute, she snorted into her cup before taking another sip. Placing it back on the table, she shook her head, clearly amused. Her eyes glanced quickly before leaning in and lowering her voice. “We’re fucking children of a god? None of us are normal, Cabrón.”

"Okay, fair. We're a bunch of weirdo demigods," he let out a laugh, realizing how little he had thought this conversation through despite all the stressing over it he had done. "But like...so is my gran?"

Miranda’s hand paused with her cup halfway to her mouth, and her face clearly showed how much that last statement confused her. “Your grandmother...?” Her hand lowered, the cup making a loud noise as it connected to the table, but Miranda didn’t even notice thanks to her brain spinning. “But...okay.  How does that work? Like, for you I mean?” Another blink, it was clear she realized how little sense her questions made, but wasn’t sure what exactly she was trying to say.

With a pained smile on his face as her cup clattered to the table, Graves nodded slowly. He was silent for a moment, giving Miranda a moment to sort out her thoughts. "Uh," he cleared his throat, twisting one of his rings. "It's...I'm...uh, huh. Let me start again? Do you know what a legacy is?" He looked a his sister hopefully, still fidgeting with his ring. It was one half of the set he always wore, this one emblazoned with a finely etched cornucopia, while the other bore the symbol of a spoked wheel.

Her eyebrows furrowed at the word legacy, her brain trying to place it.  She vaguely registered the term, having heard it around camp in the past, though she wasn't quite sure what it meant.  "I've heard of that before? But what the fuck does it mean?" Even though she asked the question, her brain was starting to put two and two together, especially when her eyes drifted to the ring Graves couldn't stop messing with.  Miranda always assumed that Graves had received as some kind of gift or reward for something in past, not thinking too much about the symbol of Tyche that was engraved into the stone.  Her eyes began to flicker between the ring and her brother's face, starting to put two and two together.

"It's like...when you're descended from a god, but that god isn't your parent - if that makes sense?" Graves looked at Miranda hopefully, watching the gears turn in her mind as she looked at his ring. "So, like, if I had a kid," he made a face at the idea, pushing onto his explanation, "they'd be a legacy of Hermes. Not a full demigod, but, still not fully mortal. That's what my mom is...and me, I guess, but it's a little different for me? Since Hermes is also my dad...I, uh, I feel like I'm doin' a shit job explainin' this." He paused, lifting his mug to take a drink of coffee and grimacing at the now-cold liquid.

Miranda immediately shook her head when he criticized his explanation, though the words were lagging about a minute behind as her head wrapped around it a bit more. “No, I kinda get what you’re saying...I think.” Normally, her response would be way more sarcastic at her brothers expense, but her brain wasn’t functioning properly at the moment. For a moment she thought about Spencer, as the term legacy was starting to latch to a separate conversation she had with the unclaimed girl, though she never really asked for an explanation of what it meant back then. “Yeah, I think I get it.”

The coffee cup clinked as he set it down a little too close to his spoon. Graves cringed a little, looking back up at Miranda. He shrugged one shoulder and began fiddling with the creamers on the table again; his nerves, as always, manifesting into more energy than he knew what to do with. Without looking up, he blurted out, "It's Tyche." Graves cleared his throat, his expression sheepish as he looked at his sister, though at this point, he assumed she had figured it out. "I'm a legacy of Tyche."

The clanging of the cup made Miranda cringe a little, the two siblings reacting to the noise at the same time. Silence stretched between them as she watched him fiddle with the creamer cups, still sorting through the last lingering confusion in her brain. As Graves blurted out what she was already piecing together, she nodded. “Yeah, the rings make a ton of sense now. I always thought they were a reward gift or something like that.” Her eyes lifted from the creamer up to his, and hers narrowed slightly in curiosity. “What does that do for you though? Like, do you have any other abilities or...?”

"Nah, they were my gran's. She gave them to me a few years back. Before college," he explained, making a face. The monster attack that had both ended his college career and led to his arrival at camp seeped into the front of his mind; he pushed it away, putting the creamers down and picking up his fork to stab at his food instead. Slowly, a small smile worked its way across his face. Graves nodded. "I do, yeah. Y'know, I wasn't kiddin' all the times I said I was lucky. I don't fully know how it works but I've got some tychokinesis, just like the Tyche kids at camp."

Miranda thought for another minute, flipping through all the times Graves had said he was pretty lucky. The frequency of those words made her roll her eyes. “You’re such a shithead, no wonder you haven’t ended up behind bars yet.” She smirked at him, but then realized how long he’s kept this secret from her and frowned. “Does anyone else know?”

Graves let out a laugh at Miranda's eye roll. "Luck has nothing to do with it, I'm just that good," he joked. As she frowned, he chewed his lip, reluctant to answer the question. "A couple people. But I wanted to tell you first, swear. It just...didn't happen that way." He began to list them, drumming his fingers on the table again, "The first person to find out was that Athena girl I fought at Fight Night? Ramona? One of her powers is ability sensin' and that caught me off guard. So I told Blue too, since we were fightin' her together and it might've helped us win. And then...I told Tai. I was drunk and braggin' and it was stupid." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking everywhere other than Miranda. "I think that's it? I don't know. I wanted to tell you first but...my family told me to keep it a secret because of some old history that I don't really know about but the cat's out of the bag now, I guess."

The frown on her face only deepened as the list of people to know before her started to grow.  There was a flash of something that ran through her - maybe hurt for him waiting as long as he had? She wasn't sure.  Regardless, the reasoning for Ramona and Blue finding out was sound to her, especially the prior.  As for Tai...well, she always knew her brother was dumb, double that when he was drunk.  She let out a small sigh, looking down at her plate, picking up and twirling a fry in her hand, eating it was the last thing on her mind.  "No yeah, you can't do anything against people with specific ass powers. Power sensing? Who comes up with this shit?"

He watched her fiddle with a french fry and almost sighed. Graves had hoped that spilling his secret to Miranda would have taken the weight off his shoulders but no, it was still there. He rolled his shoulders back, instinctively, the motion blending into a shrug at the question. "Honestly, that's some OP shit. You get strategy and the ability to know what fuckin' powers someone might throw at you? And we get....lock-pickin' and criminal tendencies?" He joked, flicking his eyes upward, "Thanks Dad." It was as if he couldn't bear to sit still, as Graves picked up a sugar packet and began to shake it, giving his hands something to occupy themselves with. He looked at Miranda again, "I'm sorry Monty, I wanted to tell you before anyone else found out."

Despite herself, Miranda couldn't help but laugh at his joke.  "Yeah really, what the fuck, Dad? But also, thanks for the coffee? That's pretty sweet."  Her eyes raised again when he started shaking the packet, then up to his face when he apologized. She let out a sigh of her own, dropping the fry back onto her plate.  "Why are you sorry?  It wasn't your idea to start telling people."

"Fair point, I'll take iced coffee any day." Graves exhaled a laugh through his nose. "I know, but I figured if I was going to start tellin' people, I'd start with you. And then it was a little out of my control. I think," he laughed dryly. "That I built it up in my head and it was this huge fuckin' deal. I don't know. My gran told me to be careful who I told but...it doesn't seem like it's that crazy? The more I think about it, I don't know, man."

Miranda’s features softened at his explanation attempt, and reached a hand out to grab the one still fiddling with the sugar packets. She gave his two quick squeezes, a smile growing on her face as she did. When they started speaking through hand squeezes, she couldn’t fully remember, but it was something that never failed to calm the two siblings when their minds got ahead of them too much. Hopefully it had the same effect now. “It’s okay, Cam. Thank you for wanting to tell me first though.”

The last shreds of Graves' worry faded away as Miranda squeezed his hand. He repeated the gesture, matching her smile; her reassurance had been what he needed. He nodded, "Of course, hermana. You know I tell you everything." Graves ducked his head, hiding his smile. When he looked up, his eyes glinted. "Do you want anything else to eat? Or...do you want to go raid the store for some shit? I think I have a coupon in here somewhere..." He fished his wallet out of his pocket, pretending to look through it for a minute before brandishing a scrap of paper and passing it to Miranda. "Oh here it is, see? It says children of Hermes get that good good five-finger discount."

Miranda held onto her brother's hand a little longer as he spoke, her smile becoming a bit more genuine at his words.  However as usual with their relationship, it instantly changed to one of amusement as she dropped his hand to accept the paper he handed her across the table.  "Oh, nice manito.  No expiration date, I think this ones a keeper." She joked, pretending to read the paper as she spoke.

Stuffing one last fry in her mouth, she stood up, refolding the paper and tucked it into her own pocket.  Pulling her wallet out of her bag, she dropped a random amount of 20s onto the counter - even she was above dining and dashing.  "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go explore whatever the fuck that gift shop is."

[into-crazy]

Man Under the Makeup Pt. 3

Arthur Fleck/Joker x Female Reader series

Warnings- Cursing, mention of carrying a weapon for protection, sad conversation

You can find the other parts RIGHT HERE and through the “Man Under the Makeup” tag lovelies!💘

Come 6pm, you were strolling to meet up with Arthur. Around this time, the sun normally sets, allowing you to walk just before the darkness of the night hits. How thoughtful of him not to have you roaming around too late. He of anyone would know these streets, after all. Although you can handle yourself, never leaving your home without your blade and some mase.

Few people seem to be making their way home after a grind filled day. Also those, who for a fact are heading straight to the bar. Judging by their distressed faces, they're in for a large amount of drinks throughout the night.

You're going through the route you normally take for work, keeping an eye out. Walking around the large piles of garbage scattered on some parts of the side walk. Covering your nose from the wretched odors which littered the air. These streets were disgusting! No wonder everyone in the city is pissed.

As you're nearing the spot you and Arthur encountered, you find him standing there waiting. Still dressed and with make on, Joker stands there with a flower bouquet. You find it quite cute how he's patiently awaiting your arrival.

"Y/n, you made it!" He starts excitedly.

"Of course I have," you reply, "why wouldn't I? Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long."

He offers you the flowers. "Not at all."

"For me? Why, thank you." Taking the bouquet made of various roses and lilies, you catch glimpse over at the crew he has behind him. About 15 members, gathered a few feet back. "You brought your men, I see."

"I did," he nods in their direction, "they're just for precaution. I got a lot a heat on me these days." He states anxiously shifting the weight between his slender legs.

"So I've heard." You reply waving at the crew who acknowledge your arrival. It's only polite to greet those who would be joining you, even if it's from a stretch away.

"I'll have them keep their distance. They won't interfere with our time." He assures pushing his green hair back.

"Oh no worries," you assure, "I have no issues with it."

The place wasn't far from where you'd met. It was a nice, quiet bistro. Well, maybe it was peaceful right now considering everyone left spooked when you and Joker walked in. His men also made sure the staff wouldn't try to leave or call the cops. So you weren't surprised when your waiter was practically trembling coming over to your table every now and then.

"So, Joker," you emphasize the name, "seems like you've made quite the image for yourself."

He chuckles, "It appears so. Ya know you don't have to call me that, right? We're by ourselves over here." Hinting towards his crew behind him- sat on the complete opposite side of the small eatery. They were doing their own thing, giving you both your respective privacy. Seated directly across him in the corner of the place. So you felt comfortable no one was eavesdropping in on your conversation.

"I'm aware," you tell him, "I'm simply addressing your new persona." Smiling, you take a sip of your drink.

"Right," he adds, "I've got so much to tell you."

"Hm, clearly." You reply removing your large coat, as it was increasingly warmer indoors. Revealing a red satin dress that hugged your body nicely.

"Wow." He was momentarily at a loss for words. "I gotta say, you look amazing my dear." Taking your sight in, admiring the beauty beaming off you. Not eyeing you like a hungry dog waiting for a treat- but genuinely appreciating what he's seeing. You're gorgeous inside and out, he couldn't help but think why you had agreed to dinner with him. Dressed up all so nicely, for him. "Red is definitely your color."

"I'm flattered," you accept his admiration, cheeks growing hot with delight. "You're quite charming yourself, Mr. J."

"Charming? Me?" He questions the word, seemingly confused. Unable to grasp the concept of anyone ever thinking such. He's been deemed the worst insults, in addition to horrifying and intimidating. But charming? And what about.. Mr. J? Oh, he can't deny loving the sound of that.

"Yes, you are. It's- you're different and I like it." You tell him. "But I have to ask, what happened since the last time I saw you?"

He sighs placing his hand on the table. "See before, I've got tired of being pushed around and stepped on. People are so awful, I finally hit my breaking point. This city's lost it's way. So I decided to do something.. differently."

"And what is that?" You give him your full attention as the topic becomes more serious.

"To show the people of this city what life really is." He amusingly states. "See, most haven't quite gotten it yet. They believe I'm doing it for a change in who's running the city. That I'm going to fix everything that's wrong." The sarcasm in his tone may try to sound amusing, but his eyes show something else. His eyes are dark with that last statement. Cold and dark.

"And you're not?" Briefly pondering his words. "No. No, you aren't." You say, shaking your head slightly.

"W-what was that?" He asks scanning your face.

"Of course that's what they believe. It's what they want, right? Some bold new guy comes around to make a difference. But from my perspective, that's not your intention."

He taps his fingers on the table, fighting the urge of a laughing fit. Rising up from the pit of his stomach- catching it in his throat, before it has a chance to emerge. "And m-may I ask what you think?"

"I haven't figured it out yet," you start, "but I know fixing the city isn't the case. The riots, the mobs, the brutality- which happen to be chaos you helped reign. I understand that the wealthy politicians and citizens have their fair part in it, too. But one does not simply seek for so called better change, when that's how they choose to take a course of action."

Joker adjusts himself so now he's leaning forward on the table. Closer to you, trying to show he's not intimidated. "That's a good observation," he acknowledges, "and it's got you wondering the real reason, right?"

"Yes," you reply softly. "Look, I'm not judging. I'm interested is all."

He embraces your curiosity. "I want to show them the funny side of the bigger picture. The world.. this terrible city, this life we're living-" he pauses, "It's a joke. And the sooner people realize that, the happier they could be. It's all simply for laughs, my dear." Shrugging his shoulders at the last statement.

All for laughs? Somehow you thought that wasn't entirely it.

Something else had to have happened. How could a man's eyes that once carried so much emotion go completely dark? Grasping the fact he wasn't telling you entirely why. Maybe it was this "Joker" persona, currently preventing him from letting you in. You'd have to ask these questions when you're speaking entirely to Arthur.

"And to make that work, you had to change?" You recall. "Adopt a new identity?"

"Yeah," he confirms. "As Arthur, I could never have it off. They wouldn't take me seriously and use everything to their knowledge against me- Gotham PD, politicians, those that disagree. But not with the Joker."

"No one knows who the Joker is," you almost whisper looking down at the table. If only the rest of the world could see him as you've seen him- still see him. Maybe if everyone wasn't so shitty with sticks fully up their asses, then perhaps they could've seen the man you thought him to be. Could things have turned out differently? Honestly, who knows.

"No one," he adds, "accept you." He brings your face back up to his- which is intensely close. The heat of his body enticing you further into him. The scent of cigarette smoke and soap strong on him. Gazing onto his bright red lips, you thought he was going to kiss you.

Only to be left surprised when he quickly shys back, leaving you in a bit of a haze. He sits completely back in his seat- seemingly entertained with your response to his withdrawal. You scold him for it.

"Nice to see you're so interested." He implies with a short laugh, flashing a killer grin.

Embarrassed, you lean back into the bar seat. Damn him. How could he make you feel so vulnerable when you'd least expect it? Along with the audacity to gloat about it with his ridiculously gorgeous smile. He knows. He knows exactly what he's doing.

"What makes you so sure of that?" You playfully question him crossing your arms.

"Well for one," he states, "you agreed to meet up with me."

"Yeah, and I was half expecting a man with a lot less makeup on then myself." You tease leaning onto the table.

"And yet, here you are. Sitting across, having dinner with me." He winks putting a cigarette in his mouth. "See the point I'm getting at?"

You huff at the remark. He's toying with you, he's gotta be. "Alright then, fair enough. I'll give you that. But don't sit there and act like I'm the only one."

"I didn't say that," he sneers flicking the lighter until it lights the stick. "I know you're wondering what it is about you that's captivating me."

You hum waiting for a response, "I am."

"I like how you're not afraid to say what you need to say. Mindful for others, but you don't take shit from anyone. I admire that. And also- don't mind me saying- your fascination with a freakish man like myself."

"I don't think you're freakish," you interject. "Different yes.. But I don't perceive you as a freak."

"You don't?" His reply comes out softly. His whole demeanor eases- relaxing his shoulders. It reminds you of that shy man he's holding inside. What a shame to think he might not fully come out anytime soon. Joker could not be seen as too much of a "softie" by the public or his loyal crew. Noo. It wouldn't be good for his image. You need to be completely alone with him if that were to happen. For now, your quiet corner conversation will have to do.

"I never have." You make it very clear to him. "I never thought of you as a freak Arthur. Not before. And not now." You lay both of your hands above the table. He melts with you calling him by his name for the first time tonight. Even more so when he's started coming out of it. He puts the cigarette butt out in a small ashtray by the side.

You take his speechless silence as a sign to continue. "I've noticed you were absent lately.. As I walked by that same spot everyday, and not seeing you there- it concerned me."

He moves his hands closer to yours atop the table. Hesitant in getting too close. "You.. looked for me?" Arthur's heart flutters at your caring words. The fact you noticed that he was gone. No one has ever paid attention to his existence like such- before the Joker that is.

"I did," you continue, "and I grew even more nervous after seeing that clip they played of you on the television.. with Murray making fun of your stand up performance.."

He gently lays his rough hands on top of yours, lightly squeezing with awe. Needing to feel that you were real. To know you are really here, and not an illusion of his mind.

You need a second, looking off to the side briefly before continuing. "I had hoped that it didn't destroy you."

"Y/n.." Realizing he doesn't have to put on this persona to impress you. You look past the clown- past the makeup. Because you've already admired him from the beginning, as Arthur. Heck, even as Carnival, because that's how he'd met you. You care for his well being and feelings. He cherishes your shared moment of silent intimacy. Which is he hasn't had the chance to experience before. It feels nice, refreshing. Like he's finally being seen.

He's the first one to break the stillness. "Well, let's not make this evening all about me," he rests back comfortably. "Please, y/n. How about we talk about you?"

He is all questions and ears for you over the next hour. You inform that you're an office secretary, often working the usual 9 to 5. Which is the only thing going on in your life right now. Having moved here some time ago on your own- no friends or even family. Needing to get away from your life before. However, you'd be lying if you claimed to love it here. You feel alone, trapped. Not just in Gotham, but trapped in your own state of mind. There was nothing in your life, you were simply existing. Only staying because you felt you were part of the few inhabitants that brought some form of color into this cold grey city. But things have only gotten worse for you since. Until now it seems.

"What about you, have you got any family here Arthur?" You ask him curiously.

His smile slowly drops while he thinks of an answer. "No.." he shakes his head, "no one." How? How is he supposed to tell you he killed the woman he grew up thinking was his mother? Who only turned out to be an enabler of his previous ongoing abuse.

No. Bringing her into discussion will only put a damper on such a great night. Eventually he might indeed tell you, but not at the moment. He's having an amazing time with you. Listening to the way you talk, hearing your sweet laugh. Why ruin it?

Towards the end of dinner, you notice Arthur has hardly touched his food. His plate looks as if he picked at it a couple times. Not that it was particularly strange. Perhaps he was too caught in conversation to eat.

"Hey, what do you say we get out of here?" He suggests needing a change of atmosphere. "One of my men over there could drive us. We'll get away from the rest of the crowd. Ride through the town?"

"Sure," you freely agree.

Before you leave, Joker pays the check. Actually pays. Leaving an overly generous tip for the waiter who served you both. Criminal or not, he feels that a gentleman should pay for a first date. Mean, come on, you know the money's stolen. But hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

End of part 3.

[spaceorphan18]

Hey I recently asked @midwexican this question. So I am a late addition to this fandom and I came across one of your posts about the characterisation of All the Other Ghost characters based on the early rendition of the characters in the show. I wanted to ask if you were to characterise and give powers to the Glee characters based on their depiction in all six seasons, how will your AtOG look? Disclaimer I love AtOG and hope this doesn't seem offensive to the work.

Hi! Welcome to fandom - it’s never too late to be here :) 

This is a fascinating question! 

So, I hope you’re not too disappointed when I don’t really have a good answer for you.  Also, I apologize up front for the amount of Marvel references I’m about to use.  Unlike Rainjoy (or Stan Lee, or any superhero creator) I’m not that good at coming up with super powers.  I also think that Rainjoy did a relatively good job of making their powers complement their personalities, so most of them would stay the same. 

Santana having something involved with fire is spot on, and would never change.  (Though, as an aside thought - you could do a Black Widow - super assassin thing with her, too, which would be just as interesting) 

Puck being a big brute -- again works perfectly. 

Artie being tech related and resourceful -- and also a kind of Iron Man-esque type character with questionable morals.  Perfect, yes.  

Quinn -- I do think being psychic is perfect for her.  Though you could add an Emma Frost-ish like secondary power set on top of it, like becoming diamond, or something ice related, which would make an interesting contrast to Santana. 

Brittany -- I understand why she did what she did with, a tiny woman with unknown absolute strength and not sure how to use it? Yes, I get it.  But it reflects a little too much on the infantizliation that both the show and ATOG did with her.  It’s also slightly redundant of Puck’s powers, too, and it’s always nice to switch things up. 

I’d actually give her some weird mystic shit -- like Doctor Strange or Scarlet Witch.  Brittany is canonically very weird and claims to have bizarre powers already, so why not let her be the one who is waves her hands and have the entire of reality shift? 

Mercedes -- she’s barely in Grey, which is a shame, and her powers are pretty much akin to Dazzler (from the X-Men).  Which is fine, but maybe add in some vocal power as well into the mix.  

Or, to just bring her out more -- give her extreme powers, like Storm from the X-Men.  Storm is a near goddess, and is treated as such.  Mercedes deserves the same type of respect. 

Sam -- Sam is a fascinating one, because he’s the kind of character whom Rainjoy made ‘fast’ because she needed it for the plot, and Sam really didn’t have much of a character back then.  Fast isn’t necessarily bad (and he does have some The Flash type qualities about him) but I may lean more towards what the show actually did.  The Blond Chameleon was an impersonator.  So, Sam could easily become some kind of shapeshifter, modeling himself to whatever the plot needed ;) 

And thus leaving Kurt and Blaine, whom I’m sure you’re mostly interested in if you’re asking me.  You’ll have to excuse my self indulgent thoughts on this one.  

FWIW - for both Kurt and Blaine, my issues with Rainjoy’s characterizations are more about who they are out of costume, which I’ve openly stated I do not like, and they do not feel like /them/, but in costume, they’re closer to characters I recognize. Because of this, I don’t really take issue with either of their powersets as given.  But there are other things you can do with them. 

Now, first of all, Kurt’s ATOG powers of invisibility and intangibility aren’t necessarily bad for a reflection on his entire arc on the show - especially when it allows him control and manipulation - something that is akin to Kurt’s personality.  

However, when trying to think about how an older, more mature Kurt would handle a powerset, it got me thinking about my favorite superhero - Rogue from X-Men.  

If you’re not familiar with her - Rogue’s main powerset is that takes life energy from skin to skin contact.  Throughout the years, while at first this was a huge hindrance to how she interacted with others, leaving her isolated and lonely, not being able to connect to another person despite being desperate to do so.  However, she’s since learned how to control it.  And on top of that, she’s collected other abilities as well -- such as super strength, flight, and invulnerability.  And the fascinating thing about Rogue is that she’s nearly unstoppable as a physical force.  But her weakness is actually her emotions, and her inability to let anyone in for fear of hurting them.  She’s also a kind soul, which can be hidden deep because it’s not her outward demeanor, you have to kind of discover that about her.  Rogue has let people in over the years, has close friends and is married even. But she’s still fiercely independent, and probably always will be. 

So, the more I thought about this, the more I found it super fascinating to layer onto Kurt.  I mean - take the above paragraph and give it to Kurt, and there are a lot of similarities between Rogue and Kurt’s stories.  So, if I was writing a superhero Kurt story, I’d try that.  

That’s not the only way you can do it - but that’s just what I’d experiment with.  

Meanwhile, Blaine.  

The shields are actually fine, I don’t necessarily have a problem for them.  He is a protector all the way through the series, and his role to defend (and be the sidekick) is kind of always there.  And he is kind of out of that Captain America type mold.   (Oh god - that would make Sam Falcon.  And Kurt would be the freakin’ Winter Soldier, oh dear...)  

You could also go the whole Peter Parker route and ground him in whatever the hell powers you want, but give him the weight of ‘responsibility’ layered on him, and there’s your inner turmoil.  

But thinking about Rogue got me thinking about her canonical husband, Gambit, and how the two of them complement each other.  Gambit’s much more outward - his superpower is giving things (kinetic) energy to the point that they often explode.  Everything about Gambit’s powers and personality are much more outward facing, so I was thinking about that for Blaine, too. 

Blaine is a giver -- and I was thinking about ways Blaine could give off things, whether it be energy or something else.  

But more specifically (thinking about Gambit’s charming abilities) if you took Blaine in maybe a darker way -- you can have him be a major Empath -- or moreso, the ability to influence people’s emotions through his own.  It’d be such a fascinating contrast to how inward Kurt is, Blaine being so emotionally open all the time.  

Anyway, so those are my thoughts -- you could really do a lot of things, but anything I come up with will probably be related to something Marvel-ish, since that’s how I relate to superhero-ish things.  Not sure if this was at all interesting for you, but those be my answers.  ;) 

[chevalierene]

The PRxPRince Experience

It’s been nearly five months so it’s high time I finally wrote up my review ^^; In April of this year I had the pleasure to see Machida Nanoka’s directorial debut show, PRxPRince. This show was also the first solo lead for Snow Troupe’s Towaki Sea (Hitoko). As this was the first bow hall show I have seen the theatre is much smaller than the Grand Theatres with no balcony and holds a little over 500 people. 

The intimacy of the show is doubled with the cast of 30 people who all get to shine during the show. There are enough additional scenes for everyone in the cast to play important roles and it also showcases a lot of the younger actresses as well. 

All bias aside, PRxPRince is a fantastic show and is possibly my favorite Takarazuka show that I have seen yet. With the combined powers of Machida sensei’s writing and Hitoko’s sensual charm onstage they somehow created a show that is both very fun and extremely lethal. Before the show premiered just from the interviews it was evident that Machida sensei knew exactly what she was doing. She had been a fan of Takarazuka for a number of years and it shows in the final result. 

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

The show opens with the three ministers of Pecchieno, the Genovia-like country in which the story takes place, who are trying to figure out a way to get the country out of financial difficulties. Caspar (Kanou Yuuri) and Elias (Ichika Ao) have very different views on how to go about this dilemma with Caspar being very old-fashioned and Elias being a Millennial and very social media savvy. Damian (Yume Maoto) is kind of the moderator between them and the one who ends up suggesting the ultimate way to solve the country’s issues (which will be revealed later on). 

The next scene is a PR campaign video that introduces Victor (Hitoko), the oldest prince of Pecchieno as well as his two younger brothers, Valentin (Aya Ouka) and Valtteri (Ayami Sera). The opening song “Welcome to Pecchieno” is one of the catchiest songs in the show and gets reprised later on, inevitably becoming an earworm for anyone who hears it. What should be noted about the opening is that Victor’s glasses are removed before the start of the PR campaign video so Hitoko’s blue contact lenses and smooth blonde hair are on full display. And it is truly devastating! (Sidenote: I had no idea that the intro song actually introduces the rest of the cast who come onstage briefly until my last time seeing the show because I had my opera glasses focused on Hitoko for the other 6).

The next time we see Victor he is dressed in a parka, tennis shoes, a lab coat, and has large round glasses and messy hair. Victor is the leader of a group of scientists whose goal it is to find a solution to the polluting problems from the neighboring country (though this plotline might have changed since the director’s talk cause there was probably something I missed but I tried my best to follow along with the laboratory scenes). Elle (Jun Hana) is one of the scientists who really likes Victor and Victor really likes her. They are very adorable and awkward together. They are also both incredibly intelligent. Elle is seen as very smart but also fierce and is not one you want to mess with (she does Karate poses).

During another PR campaign tactic the princes are literally being mobbed by fangirls (listed as Fangirl 1-6 in the program) in order to promote tourism. At one point during a struggle Victor’s glasses fall off and he falls to the ground. He then emits a very unsumire moan. Suddenly, the lights change to a vivid bright green and music starts. Victor lifts up his head but his entire demeanor has changed. It is revealed during this song that this is in fact Christopher and he is searching for his goddess. The awkward prince Victor is replaced by Christopher, a very handsome, cocky, and aggressive version who makes every girl around him fall to the ground in delight. This reveal was so secret during the press for PRxPRince before I saw the show that I knew that Hitoko would be both extremely kawaii and extremely ikemen but I didn’t realize that Victor would change into a completely different person!

Through a flashback scene told by Alice (Sahana Mako), the family’s nurse, it is revealed that because Victor was just TOO BEAUTIFUL and maids had to flee the room because they just couldn’t handle it, a hypnotist is brought in to put a spell on Victor that allows his ikemen side to stay hidden when he has the glasses on. However, the side effect is that when the glasses get removed his ikemen side is so extra and over the top that he is literally a completely different person. In the show there are two songs that feature Victor and his Shadow which is the other side of him. The Shadow (Houka Haruna) is distant for the first song and represents Christopher behind him in the background. The second song is started by Christopher and the Shadow comes out wearing glasses. In the middle of the song the Shadow puts the glasses on Christopher. When he turns around he is once again Victor. The glasses are then removed completely and they have a duet dance together. The transitions from one to the other are incredible and it shows off Hitoko’s acting skills in the best possible way. It isn’t just the glasses that make the change. As Victor, Hitoko speaks and sings in a higher register that is closer to her natural speaking voice, she stutters more, her posture is often bent forward, has more outbursts and exclamations and is also portrayed as very sensitive. As Christopher, Hitoko is in full dangerous otokoyaku-killing mode; her speaking and singing voice is deeper, her posture is straight, she is more confident, aggressive, and controlling. Christopher also speaks in a very old-fashioned way and gives off an air as otherworldly in many ways. Another neat thing is that Victor addresses himself as “Boku” and addresses Elle as “Elle-san”. Christopher uses “Ore” when referring to himself and just says “Elle”. 

Elle faces a crisis at one point when Christopher tries to make a move and she slaps him. She immediately panics when she thinks that she has hurt Victor though and tries to figure out what happened to her sweet awkward boyfriend. Her and Victor sing a duet towards the audience in separate rooms. The song is later reprised after Victor admits that he likes Elle and they sing it to each other in a very tender moment. Jun Hana has a very Disney princess vibe to her which is exemplified whenever she’s around Hitoko who has an equally Disney prince vibe. They are characters who could literally be in a shoujo manga. While Jun Hana does not have the strongest singing voice per se, she makes it work here. 

Victor’s brothers, Valentin and Valterri are also rather amusing to watch. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed watching Aya’s performance as Valentin. She was VERY extra. Valentin is a true narcissist and has long flowing locks. He also tends to play with the ends of his hair and is the MOST dramatic person I have ever seen. He pines after a girl he once knew called Diana and throughout the show tries to pursue a girl of the same name played by Seina Nozomi who he’s convinced is the same one he once loved. Valterri is the youngest brother and is obsessed with working out. He’s very impulsive and doesn’t really think things through which gets him in trouble later on (Victor and Valentin silently scold him at one point which is funny since both of them are using big gestures on the side of the stage while other characters are talking). He is also head over heels in love with Marie (Irodori Michiru), the sister of the rival country’s ruler, Queen Lily (Ai Sumire). Ayami Sera did a really good job at playing the bratty younger brother who just wants to have fun. This was probably her biggest role to date so far too so she got to show off her singing as well. 

Speaking of Ai Sumire I need to talk about her because she was one of the most phenomenal parts of this show! She is portrayed as a campy villain with a very extra evil laugh. But DANG the girl has the most powerful voice and even gets the only vocal song in the finale! Catch me singing “IKEMEN! I-KE-MEN!” constantly. Lily is almost always surrounded by her posse made up of Rose (Shouno Chio) who is more or less her secretary who always carries an iPad with her to let Queen Lily know about the latest thing that their neighboring country is up to and Garrett (Kiraha Reo) who is Lily’s erm...really hot boytoy/bodyguard? What was quite surprising for me the first time I saw it was that Garrett does not speak AT ALL in the show. He whispers behind his hands to Lily but other than that he is completely silent and yet, the way that Kiraha (Kari) presents herself onstage even without saying a word is mesmerizing to watch. She just emits the most brooding otokoyaku energy that is mostly reserved for kuroenbis in revues. Garrett smokes, casually checks his watch, and performs a tango with Lily and I cannot stop LOOKING AT HIM ONSTAGE! Even when other characters are talking onstage if Garrett is there (save for when Victor is present) my eyes would float over to him just to watch him stare into the ether and make the slowest and most deliberate of gestures. 

Of course, no true royal comedy would happen without the king and queen themselves. King Anselm (Souno Haruto) and Queen Beatrice (Maisaki Rin) are the parents of the V3 (the campaign name for the three hot princes). King Anselm is very attached to everything he owns especially his expensive collection of various artifacts. Queen Beatrice is just trying to have a nice time and wants everyone to be happy again. They are also IMMENSELY in love and get very lovey-dovey in front of their boys who are all grossed out by their displays of affection. Given that the two actresses are also classmates they play off of each other really well and have a very nice relationship that is enhanced through that. They play an important role to the story and Maisaki Rin (Hime) even gets a moment of adlibbing. 

One of the great things about PRxPRince was actually the amount of adlibs that were included with each performance. There are several moments in the script where adlibs occur for each performance, similar in the way of the adlibs in shows like Lupin III and Bakumatsu Taiyouden occur. Even though you can tell these adlibs are planned out somewhat in advance it’s nice to see the actresses work with things that are also on the spot sometimes since not everything is completely planned out. Some were funnier than others but that’s all part of the fun of the show and just finding a good balance with the audience. Personally I loved the adlibs even though I couldn’t understand some of them sometimes. Other things that were adlibbed were little gestures here and there that the characters would do that were different with each performance. One of my favorites was watching Kari scold Michiru at one point and one performance Kari leaned over Michiru so much that Michiru’s tiara had bounced back onto her head as she came up. The adlibs definitely made each performance I saw unique and lots of fun especially when the show was in the middle of Japan’s naming for the new era and suddenly 平成 (Heisei) and 令和 (Reiwa) adlibs were added to the mix. 

As the ministers figure out the next part in the V3 PR campaign Damian suggests that they host a ball in order to find eligible matches for the princes. A lot of stuff goes down in Act 2 during the ball including Marie showing off her pet bug to literally everyone within range, Elle finding said bug and actually communicating with it, Garrett and Rose playing musical instruments, Valentin doing a slow baywatch walk, and Victor expressing his true feelings towards Elle. At the very end of the show Victor and Elle actually go into the audience to do high-touches with those lucky to be on the aisle seats (alas, I was not one of them). One of the best moments was from the final performance when Top Stars Nozomi Fuuto and Maya Kiho were in the audience and I was able to see Hitoko shake both of their hands in a very sincere gesture since she was so happy both of them could make it to the show. 

I talked a bit about the music before but OH MY GOD this show’s music is incredible! It’s very catchy and pleasing to the ear. A lot of the songs are slightly reminiscent of older Takarazuka shows but are also not too old-fashioned sounding. A lot of brass and strings are used in the songs which is very enjoyable. The finale takes it one step further though and incorporates electric guitar. 

Yes, I am going to spend an entire paragraph just on the finale because it deserves to be talked about. After the happy ending of the show intense rock music is played as the curtain rises to three figures: Ai Sumire, Kari, and Shouno Chio. A rock version of “Lily’s Song” is played and it is THE BEST THING EVER! After my first viewing I always looked forward to the finale because it starts off super strong and doesn’t disappoint. Ai Sumire is the only one who gets to sing in the finale which is appropriate considering her voice is amazing and is one of the best singers in Yukigumi imo (Daikiho aside, of course). After the villainous trio have their number Hitoko sneakily walks onstage to stand on a platform. She is dressed in a dark blue coat with gold trim and a silk wine red shirt on beneath it. Her blonde wig stays on for the entire time. An instrumental rendition of “Two souls” is played as she descends the stairs, dancing fluidly and gracefully like a swan and takes front and center. The “fuu!” that emits from her lips is enough to make the audience shatter into 1000 pieces. They have fallen under their prince’s spell with the lure of Hitoko’s sanpakugan (this was so effective I was unable to watch this part of the finale with the opera glasses because it was THAT powerful). The rest of the otokoyaku join her shortly afterwards in a dance which evolves into an instrumental “Diana” as Hitoko takes off to change into her next costume while Ayana leads. After the otokoyaku dance they scatter and the musumeyaku all appear in lovely pink dresses. Hitoko has changed into a Prince Charming white military uniform and dances in the center, surrounded by beautiful women, which honestly, the dream. A shift in the music starts and one by one the ladies leave the stage until there is one remaining. But even SHE isn’t the goddess that our prince seeks. Jun Hana makes her way onto a small platform in a gold ball gown similar in style to Belle’s from Beauty and the Beast. When Hitoko turns around and sees her it’s like a wave of happiness rolls through them both and they have a classic waltz set to an instrumental version of “Someday My Prince Will Come” from Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is canonically one of the purest moments in the entire show even though the entire time I watched it I prayed that Hitoko would not trip over Jun Hana’s massive ballgown. The only mishap I saw was on the first day when while twirling Jun Hana to the side she slipped ever so slightly but managed to catch herself gracefully. After their intimate dance they exit together and the curtain call rolls. 

This show brought together so many hearts and it was so refreshing to see Yukigumi do a comedy bow hall since it has not been done since the early 2000s. I love this show more than I have loved any Takarazuka show and I feel blessed that I was able to see it live as many times as I did and to be able to share this wonderful experience with others. 

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 22

This is where things start to get a little more serious.  Also, I finally worked the story in a direction that I could introduce the final character from my 100 Follower contest: ‘Maverick’ Okima.  All credit for this character goes to @werewolf2578.  As has happened with both of the other characters from that contest, his appearance is intended to be a one-off, but he is really pushing to become a character that appears again and again (thanks, @baelpenrose and @parisconstantine, you two have a hand in that).

For anyone curious, I wrote Ch. 21 and this one in a single go, and actually had to find a good place to break the two.  Please read and comment.... feedback is favorite thing here lately.

I could feel a hell of a migraine coming on, but desperately tried to ignore it.  The entire Council was clustered together, along with one of the Miys’ bodies and several administrators.  After Grey and Huynh’s revelation that the damage that caused our stop was a deliberate act, we gathered everyone else up to determine our next steps.

“We have two things we need to consider,” Grey started, pushing their glasses up their nose in what I was beginning to think was a decisive gesture. “Fixing the current situation, and determining what caused it in the first place. Do we address these concurrently or consecutively?”

Xiomara raised a finger to speak. “Can we openly prioritize the immediate issue of repairing sensors, while quietly figuring out who the fuck did this?”

“It was quite rude to damage the ship our Hosts graciously supplied us,” Pragnav Ranganathan, Councilor for Information and Data Systems, growled. “I will gladly prioritize resources to the investigation.”  Despite his normally quiet demeanor, Pragnav had very definite ideas of hospitality and nothing offended him worse than the idea of being rude to our Hosts. Huynh nodded firmly, as the only person present who actually saw the deliberate act. The rest of us voiced our agreement at Xiomara’s idea.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at Grey, who nodded that I should take over.  “Xiomara, since this overlaps our areas, you and I need to select crew to navigate and pilot us somewhere.  Grey, your help would be appreciated, since you have access to any medical data that would be a deciding factor.”  To the Miys, “How many candidates do we have and what are we looking for?”

“We have forty candidates present, and while anyone who has Terran certification to fly should be able to fulfill our needs, it would be best if they are someone who has experience with large craft and no – I think the Terran term is ‘zero vector’?”

“With no sensors, what about debris that may hit the Ark?” Xiomara asked.

“Shields are still fully operational, so anything that will not be visible through an observation port would not be a problem, provided we are not attacked.”

“Attacked?”

“Truthfully, it is a less than one percent probability, especially given that it has not happened since we reduced to sub-light speeds.  Currently we are at a full stop, so an attack would have taken place already. Once we determine where we are located, I can provide an assessment of how likely an attack would be where we would need to travel.”

Something caught up in my mind. “You said we have forty pilots present.” I turned to my friend and assistant. “How many should there be, Arantxa?”

A brief pause as she tapped at her data screen. “Fifty-two.”

“Once we account for those present, pass the names of anyone not here over to Xiomara and… Pragnav. They are immediately suspect. All pilots were requested, even if they can just fly a Cessna.”

After that, we were face to face with a crowd of candidates for who would save our asses.  Several betrayed military backgrounds: stiff postures, precise motions.  Cocky grins warred with stern frowns for the most appropriate expression in the face of the unknown.  While I could appreciate the serious expressions given the situation, truthfully my faith was leaning closer to the overconfident ones; I always had a firm belief that pilots and surgeons needed to believe they were in infallible, because they had to be perfect, every time.  I leaned over to Xiomara, who had the most commanding presence of the three Councillors present. “Time to start weeding them out,” I whispered.

Without hesitation, she stepped forward. “Everyone, hands up. We’re going to go through the list of flight certifications from most basic to most advanced. If you don’t have it, hands down. This will not necessarily disqualify you, but we need to know what we are working with.” Nods throughout the crowd, and a forest of hands went up. When she got through the list, only three hands had gone down, although two had gone down about halfway through.

“Okay, everyone up again. We’re moving to the bigger stuff. Experience flying with no zero vector.”

As expected, several hands went down at this, leaving just over ten.  This was expected, since flying without a zero vector was pretty much limited to flying over the ocean or piloting out of the atmosphere.  Anyone who put their hands down was asked to step to the side.

“Military cargo.” Down to eight.

“Bombers” left five.

“Fighters” narrowed it to three.

“VTOL” gave us our pilot.

“And you are?” Xiomara asked with affected boredom.

“Jake Okima, but I answer to Maverick,” he grinned.  I was pretty sure he thought he was charming, but Xiomara and I exchanged a glance and rolled our eyes. ‘Maverick’? Really?

“Certifications confirmed, in addition to EtoL,” Grey’s voice interjected.  

Wide-eyed, I turned to face my fellow Councillor. “Are you serious?”  I half thought he made it all up, honestly.

“Yes, Sophia. Fifteen confirmed combat kills as a fighter pilot, certified in all civilian levels before joining armed forces, selected as one of the cargo pilots to fly supplies and personnel to Lunar Base.”

“And backup pilot for the Padrugoi,” the subject of our discussion added, smirking infuriatingly.

I whipped my head around, eyes narrowed, but before I could say anything, a petite hand held me back. My sister had appeared next to me while I was focused on the pilot selection. “If you were backup pilot for the Padrugoi, why are you here? I saw the Padrugoi explode.”

“I – um,” he blanched, looking down. “I overslept?”

“You’re full of shit is what you are,” Xiomara laughed.

“He is not,” Grey confirmed without looking up. “Jake Okima, Terran Defense force, backup to Aleski Ivanov. Declared AWOL the morning of the launch. Reports indicate he was seen at multiple bars the night before, bragging about his ‘last night on Earth’.”

“Hungover, overslept, same thing,” he shrugged unabashedly. A bestial growl emanated from the small woman next to me, and it was my turn to hold her back. Internally, I didn’t blame her. This is the person who is supposed to save us?

Grey spoke up, breaking the brittle silence. “We have selected our best pilot candidate.  Regardless of what reasons he had not to be in his assigned berth for the Launch, he is still the only human on board qualified to pilot a planetary vessel. Pilot Okima, are you sober now?”

“Hey,” he protested indignantly. “That was the only time I’ve drank in my life, so cut me some slack.  Alcohol is not worth the hangover the next day, believe me.  I’ll stick to caffeine, thank you.  Just show me where I’ll be flying the Ark from, and tell me where I’m going.”

The Miys gave a low buzz, rubbing its fine hands together and betraying its stress. “Ordinarily, the ship is piloted from here,” it gestured to the large space we were standing in. “However, as you can see, there are no observation ports.  I am working to locate such a port that is sufficiently forward viewing, so that I can temporarily install the necessary equipment in there.”

Okima shook his head vigorously, “That’s not going to work, I’m sorry. I’ve seen every obs view on this ship, none of the ports are big enough.  If you want me, or anyone, to fly this boat, we need to see as much as possible.” He looked at the Council members present with pleading eyes. “Please, I want to do this, but I can’t fly while looking through a pinhole.  No one could, not with something this big.”

“I understood that humans can ‘fly’ using dead reckoning, without sensors,” the Miys said, confused.

Before Okima could start again, I held up my hand to stop him. “No – shit, you aren’t Noah – Japeth, we can navigate and steer through visual acuity and instinct, and we do it really well, but the ‘visual’ acuity part of that is essential.  Our brains can reckon and calculate distance and size on a level we don’t even realize is happening.  Our ancestors could do calculus before we even knew what calculus was. But we need to have maximum visual input to supply the information our brains need to make those calculations. It would be like…. Asking you to walk around the ship with only one sensory organ exposed and no connection to the rest of your bodies.”

The enormous hippo-spider shuddered at the thought. “I believe I understand, Wisdom. We will discuss you naming another of my bodies later, but for now, how do we – work around? – work around the lack of any appropriate spaces for Pilot Okima to utilize?”

Arantxa grabbed my wrist gently to get my attention. “Video games,” she said with a look of dawning realization.

Oh, hell yeah.  She was absolutely right. “Get Pranav and Eino.” When she dashed off to do that, I turned to everyone else. Xiomara and Grey looked both confused and curious, while Okima was rubbing his hands together in excitement.  Clearly, he figured out what we were about to do. For the benefit of the other two, I explained. “We may not have a single window large enough to pilot with, but they’re dotted all over the outside hull.  We’re going to wire up a camera to every single one of them, run the feeds in here, and give Jake here the biggest video game ever.”

Suddenly, Xiomara’s predatory grin matched the one on Okima’s face.  Grey however, was still somewhat lost. “And what do Councillors Ranganathan and Wiitala have to do with this?”

“We’ll need Pranav’s people to get everything hooked up correctly, and Eino has access to most of the video equipment on the ship.  He may even have some of the viewports already wired for video, for educational purposes.”

“You are correct, Councilor Reid. Eighty-seven percent of them, actually,” a soft voice came from over my shoulder.  “We can bring the screens here if the signal can be re-routed,” the tall Finnish man glanced at the smaller man beside him.

“If my people cannot do that, I will need new people,” Pranav confirmed. “Although I will need Derek for this, to ensure that the signals are synched correctly.”  When I blanched slightly at the realization that Pranav was aware of the young man’s….hobbies, he gently waved my concerns away.  “Derek is good for the programmers.  He keeps them on their toes, and gives them a strong benchmark for network security. ‘No one short of Derek Okafor could get in here’ they say.  But, for this, I cannot have anyone short of that level of precision.”

“There is a big issue of Derek and crowds,” I tried to explain.  “As in, they mix like gasoline and fire.”

“He would not need to go to the viewports, only get here so he can synchronize everything on this end.”

Still, I was worried. All I could think about was the sheer press of people I had encountered on the way to Level One.  I had a better tolerance for tight crowds than Derek did, by several orders of magnitude, and I nearly had a panic attack before –

“Soph,” my sister said softly to get my attention. When she knew she had my attention, she stood straighter and said slightly louder, so everyone could hear, “I’ll go get him. The Miys won’t be able to keep up – no offense, Japeth.” The Miys only groaned when she used the name I had tacked on to this particular avatar. “I can take Antoine with me. I’ll need at least one more large-ish person.” She looked Eino in the eye. “How well do you know Derek Okafor?”

“Only by name,” he answered, puzzled.

“Won’t work. Conor’s with him, right?”  I nodded. “Okay, Conor will work. Shit, no he won’t. Someone needs to stay with Sam.” She started snapping her fingers, trying to think.

“What if I accompany you, and we have Zachary Khan meet us there?” Arantxa suggested.  “We both are well-known to Derek.  Neither of us is large, but at least with two of us, we can buffer him from the crowds.  If he brings Mac, he should be fine.”

“What makes this guy so special that he needs escorts and the ship’s cat just to set up my screens?” Okima blurted out with a look of disgust.

Before anyone else could react, I whipped around with a snarl, stalking up to him. “That ‘guy’ is a very sweet and funny seventeen-year-old who happens to be the best damned programmer and hacker on this ship.  He also happens to have explosive problems with crowds and noise, and despises strangers touching him.  And Mac is certainly not the ‘ship’s cat’, he belongs to me and my sister, and is literally the only thing that can calm Derek down when he is stressed.  Don’t you dare sneer at him, or act like he’s less than you. We have thirty-nine other pilots to replace you, but only one Derek to make this work.”

The entire time, I had been steadily stepping forward, ensuring I was getting my point across.  Jake had backed up against the wall, hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Geez, calm down, lady.  You could have just told me he was autistic.  I didn’t know.”  When I started to growl, he hurriedly pointed at his face. “Asperger’s! Asperger’s! I’m on the spectrum, I get it!”  Oh god, I thought as I scrambled back out of his personal space.  “It’s fine, I don’t have space issues, other than forgetting other people do,” he laughed. “I’ve never met this guy, but I’m glad he has people like you in his corner. Most of us don’t get that.”  He glanced over my shoulder at Tyche and Arantxa. “Go!  Let’s get this party started!”

With a weary sigh, I turned and nodded to them.  “Let’s get this show on the road.”

<< Prev  Masterlist  Next >>

[darkpetal16]

Pride & Humility - Chapter Two

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Fanfiction

Genres: Gen, Friendship, Family, Adventure, Hurt, Comfort

Summary: “Friends look the other way. Best friends eat the body.” -Selim B. The story about an innocent and disturbing friendship between homunculus and human. Old soul OC. Surprisingly wholesome.

Warnings: Violence, gore, death, excessive child abuse, profanity

Beta: Taintedletter

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Elizabeth belongs to Midnightwishes, but I will be borrowing her for this journey.

Chapter One

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Beta: Taintedletter

✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧

Early spring of 1908

“Hello.”

Elizabeth paused in her studies, looking up to find a boy taller than her. He was a cute boy, with neatly combed black hair and deep purple eyes. He was well dressed, and he had a nice smile.

‘An heir?’ Elizabeth thought to herself, closing her textbook to give the boy her full attention.

No one had approached her in the library for months, after all.

Six months into her alchemical tutoring, Mrs. Delve inquired about Elizabeth’s interests. When Elizabeth admitted her desire to combine alchemy and botany, she expected some kind of lecture, or negative reaction.

Instead, Mrs. Delve made an approving comment, and admitted that she was not well versed enough in botany to assist.

The following day, Grandfather Crow gave Elizabeth permission to study in Central’s military library in regards to botany. Mrs. Delve would drop her off at the library after their lessons, and a butler would fetch her before dinner.

That had been six months ago, and Elizabeth gleefully took to her studies. The library at home was dismal, and unpleasant to be in, but she found the library at Central to be an utter delight.

It had an overabundance of knowledge, a delightful smell of old books, and plenty of lighting to not feel dull. Elizabeth was utterly content at the library, and thoroughly enjoyed reading there.

Reading was always a good way to distract her from the fact that she had no friends.

She hardly had any interruptions, too.

No one paid her any mind.

Until day.

Today a boy approached her, and was holding out his hand to her.

Elizabeth accepted his hand with a shy smile of her own. “H-Hello.”

“I’m new here,” the boy went on, shaking her hand. “I’m Selim Bradley.”

“E-Elizabeth Luxanna,” Elizabeth introduced, retracting her hand.

“I heard about you from my father,” Selim said, his smile widening. “You’re studying to be a State Alchemist, right? A prodigy?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth admitted, wondering why the boy had approached her. Children didn’t come up to Elizabeth anymore, and once they knew what she was there for, they usually left.

“That’s so cool!” Selim crowd, and Elizabeth thought the sparkle in his eyes was charming. “Hey, can I join you? I don’t have school for a while, and it’s boring being left alone.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth’s eyes widened, and a hopeful feeling fluttered inside of her chest. “Yes… please do.”

‘Does this mean…?’ Elizabeth watched with disbelief as the boy promptly took a seat beside her. ‘Is he… wanting to be my friend?’

‘Dear God, please let us become good friends!’

✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧

One month later…

Elizabeth Luxanna sat alone at a table in the far back of the library. At first glance one might find the appearance of a five year old girl reading from books as big as her head strange, but those that knew Elizabeth Luxanna would find the situation perfectly normal.

The brunette kept her thick long hair in a loose side tail that went over her right shoulder. She wore a stylish green and white sundress, accompanied by a dainty bow. She was, after all, a wealthy heiress. That demanded a certain standard to her appearance.

Elizabeth chewed on her bottom lip as she painstakingly redrew some of the more complex designs out of the book she reading from. She was not allowed to take any of the books out of the library, since this library was reserved for members of the military. She was one of the lucky few granted special permission due to her grandfather, and status as potential State Alchemist.

Obviously she was too young to take the test, but her prodigal intelligence, coupled with her intuitive grasp of science and alchemy, marked her as someone special.

This, with her connections through her Grandfather, granted the five year old heiress special permission to study in the library.

Every day after noon—when she would finish up her morning studies with her private tutors—she would take a trip to the library and spend the remainder of her day studying botany, plant science, and human biology.

Again, this would strike anyone as odd to find a five year reading—and understanding—these complex sciences.

But those in the know, simply accepted this fact.

Elizabeth worked with an intense single-minded focus that did not belong with a child. She worked for hours until she was politely interrupted by a boy close to her age.

Selim Bradley was a new addition in Central. The führer and his wife had adopted Selim only last month.

Elizabeth paused in her work, her green eyes lighting up with genuine joy when her friend took a seat beside her. Even though he had been visiting her every day for a month now, she couldn’t stop being pleasantly surprised to see him. Comparing the demeanor of the girl before and after Selim visited her was like comparing night and day. Her sheer glee was plainly apparent to all who could see.

He gave her a saccharine smile, and asked in that cute voice of his, “Whatchya working on now, Ellie?”

Elizabeth showed him the diagram she was currently sketching.

“Nonvascular plants?” Selim repeated, tilting his head in a way that Elizabeth found to be a very adorable.

“Plants that don’t have the tissues to transport water,” Elizabeth oversimplified for him. There was, of course, a lot more to it, but Selim didn’t have the same level of interest in botany as Elizabeth did. She didn’t want to bore her only friend away.

“I see,” came Selim.

“What do you wanna do?” Elizabeth asked Selim, closing her books and turning to him. “Do you like any games?”

“What kind of games?” Selim asked, cocking his head.

“Hmm.” Elizabeth hadn’t really played games before, but she had seen children play them in the streets. “What about hide and seek?”

This made Selim smile so wide it looked almost sinister. “I don’t think you want to play that with me. I’m really good at finding people.”

If that wasn’t a challenge, Elizabeth didn’t know what was.

Childish joy bubbled up inside of her, and confidence she didn’t know she had stepped forth. “I bet I could hide somewhere you can’t find me.”

Selim’s grin stretched even further out, and if Elizabeth didn’t know any better she would have thought there was a darker tone to it. “Eh? Well, let’s find out. I’ll give you three chances.”

“Okay,” Elizabeth agreed to. “Count to thirty, okay?”

“Okay,” Selim agreed.

Unfortunately for Elizabeth, he found her. All three times.

✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧

The library always grew quieter as the day went on. In many ways, the library would remind Elizabeth of her home when it grew too quiet. But the library had something “home” didn’t, and that was Selim Bradley. When Selim joined Elizabeth in the afternoons, Elizabeth would pause in her work to spend time with him.

For the first time in years, Elizabeth had something—someone—to look forward to throughout the day.

She hadn’t realize how badly she needed a friend until Selim stepped into the role.

At home, Elizabeth would count the seconds until she was freed to go to the library. Her tutoring sessions became more difficult to focus on when she started to find herself daydreaming about some new and exciting game she and Selim would play (he was very good at coming up with games).

To her, Selim was the best thing to have happened to her.

To her, he could do no wrong.

So the very idea of anyone disagreeing with this opinion felt like sheer blasphemy. Like someone was trying to argue that the sky was purple, not blue.

“You don’t find me creepy, do you?” Selim had asked her one day, his face blank, and tone flat. The two sat in their favorite little corner in the library while Elizabeth had been reading aloud a fantasy adventure novel for Selim. He was usually an attentive listener—he especially liked it when she did voices for the characters—but that day he felt distant.

“No,” Elizabeth answered honestly, caught off guard by the strange question. As she thought about it for a second more, apprehension rose up inside of her. Concerned, she asked, “Why? Who said that?”

“Oh, just some kids,” Selim answered vaguely, turning his head away from her. “A lot kids don’t like to be around me because of it.”

“Then they’re stupid,” Elizabeth concluded, frowning as she peered at her friend.

‘Did they hurt him?’ Elizabeth worriedly thought. ‘I hope he doesn’t think that about himself.’

The thought of her only friend being upset deeply bothered her. She wished she could do something to take away those awful feelings, and she frantically searched through her mind to think of a way. Most of her knowledge pertained to math, or science, not social interactions.

But then she recalled an earlier scene in the book she was currently reading to Selim, and it was from there she found an answer.

She reached forward and gently patted Selim’s shoulder. This caused her friend to turn his head to look over at her, and she leaned forward to kiss his cheek in friendly manner. “You’re not creepy, Selim. You’re my friend. Don’t listen to those other kids, okay?”

Selim froze the moment Elizabeth kissed him on the cheek, his entire posture and face stiffening as if he had just witnessed the impossible.

“Selim?” Elizabeth asked, realizing that her friend wasn’t reacting. She waved her hand in front of his face. “Selim, are you okay?”

Selim blinked several times before he smiled awkwardly at her. “I’m fine.”

Elizabeth beamed. “As long as you’re okay. Tell me if anyone ever says that to you again and I’ll beat ‘em up for you.”

For some reason this caused Selim to snort before bursting out into laughter.

✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧

“Cat or dog?”

“Cat,” Selim answered. “Red or blue?”

“Red,” Elizabeth returned. “Chocolate or vanilla?”

That got a smirk. “Chocolate. Day or night?”

“Night.” Elizabeth narrowed her emerald green eyes in thought. They had been going back and forth for over an hour, and she was starting to run out of questions. “Fire or water?”

“Fire. Stone or steel?”

“Steel. Fruit or vegetables?”

“Fruit.” Selim’s nose wrinkled. “Who likes vegetables?”

“Vegetarians,” Elizabeth suggested.

Selim nodded, curling his lip back in plain distaste and reluctantly accepting such. “Yeah. Alright… Mountain or ocean?”

“Mountains.” Elizabeth shuddered. “I don’t like water I can’t see the bottom of.”

A dark glimmer of interest sparked in Selim’s eyes. “Oh? Why not?”

“One word: kraken.”

Disappointed, Selim snapped, “That doesn’t exist!”

“We don’t know that,” Elizabeth insisted, but Selim snorted disbelieving at her. “Have you ever been to the ocean?”

Selim frowned, his eyes narrowing. He folded his arms over his chest. “No. But you have?”

“No, but that’s ‘cause I’m too scared. I don’t want to accidentally unleash the kraken,” Elizabeth retorted, then brightened, her eyes sparkling. “Your turn.”

Selim pursed his lips. “Mn. Cake or cookies?”

“Cookies—no, cake. No, cookies. Um… This one is really hard.” Elizabeth scratched her cheek as she thought. “Oh, dang. I guess you win, I can’t choose.”

“I always win,” Selim said haughtily, a smirk crawling across his face.

“I’ll beat you at something one day,” Elizabeth declared before she deflated immediately afterward. “Maybe.”

Selim mockingly patted her back, his tone smug. “You’re welcome to try, Ellie.”

✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧

For the past few months Elizabeth cherished each of her days. Home life was difficult, and hard, but she got to learn alchemy and had a friend.

Time spent with Selim was treasured, and Elizabeth even took to writing about their quiet adventures in the library so that way she could re-read them at home. When she was done writing a week’s work of adventures, she’d give them over to Selim who would then scribble comments in the margins that always made her laugh.

She wished it could go on like that forever.

But time marched on unwavering, and Selim had to start attending school.

When Selim Bradley started school, he was no longer able to visit Elizabeth in the afternoons. He had to return home after class, instead.

Elizabeth didn’t want to lose her only friend—the thought of Selim leaving her for good sent a sharp pain through her heart, and made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn’t have anyone else to talk to.

Selim really, and truly, was her only friend. If she could no longer spend time with him, she thought she might drown in her loneliness.

A bit over dramatic, perhaps, but that was how the girl sincerely felt.

She hated being ignored at home. She hated not being able to connect with her own peers. She hated how the adults looked down at her because of her age.

But none of these were things she felt like she could fix. Making a ruckus at home would cause her to be confined to her bedroom in isolation for however long Grandfather wanted, and she lacked the patience to deal with immature children. She couldn’t make adults respect her, because she honestly had no idea how.

Selim was the only one who voluntarily spent time with her. He listened—and understood—what she talked about.

He single handedly made her feel… not alone.

If she could look forward to meeting with him later that day, then she could stomach the bitterly quiet breakfasts, or the snide tutoring lessons. He made everything bearable.

And yes, she knew it was unfair to put that entire burden on one person, but…

Elizabeth didn’t know what else to do.

Selim no longer being able to visit her in the afternoons was unacceptable to the girl, but she couldn’t very well force him out of school.

No.

But she could visit him for an hour at his home.

Hopefully.

Now, she had never been to Selim’s home, or even met his parents, so Elizabeth knew she had to make a very good impression.

She dressed up in her nicest sundress, cute shoes, and fixed her hair several times before she was satisfied. She had her butler take her to a nearby bakery and floral shop to pick up greeting gifts—her etiquette tutor told her such was essential—and then she was escorted to Selim’s home.

Which just so happened to be the home of the führer in Central Command.

The butler, Gregory, escorted the young heiress to the front gates. He stopped short of going in, giving a stern look to Elizabeth. “I’ll return in an hour, young miss.”

“Okay,” Elizabeth said, a touch disappointed he wouldn’t be escorting her any further. She understood why—ever since it was decided she would be enlisted in the military as soon as possible as a State Alchemist, her grandfather began to enforce “early independence”—but she still disliked it.

Central Command was a massive and intimidating building. It stood tall, clinical white walls looming above all who entered its premise. There were guards stationed nearly everywhere in sight, and patrols roaming along outside.

Elizabeth clutched at her small box of puff pastries, and her bouquet of blue flowers. Nerves fluttered inside the pit of her stomach, and she swallowed back the anxious lump in her throat. Mustering up the little courage she had, she straightened her shoulders, and marched directly down the front road.

She received a few perturbed looks as she walked, but she (with great difficulty) pressed on.

Entering the front doors—the guards stationed there opened them for her, thankfully—she stepped in to a pristine waiting area. There were a couple civilians milling around, and no one paid the small girl any bit of attention.

Elizabeth moved to the receptionist, and the pretty woman behind the counter smiled down at her. “How can I help you, sweetheart?”

“I-I’m looking for Selim Bradley’s home,” Elizabeth squeaked out, trying to calm her stomach.

“Oh, he’s the führer’s new son, isn’t he? Are you a friend from school?” The receptionist asked with a wide smile.

Elizabeth nodded shortly. “I’m his friend.”

“Okay… you see the doorway over there?” At Elizabeth’s nod, she continued, “Go through there, and take an immediate right. Go all the way down the hallway until you reach the end and go left. Go through the white doors, and it’ll take you outside. The building directly across is where the Bradley’s live.”

Elizabeth committed the directions to her head. “Okay. Th-thank you.”

“Of course. Ask any of the guards to help you if you get lost.”

Elizabeth bowed politely before excusing herself. She hurried down the hallways, weaving between the guards. Thankfully, she was able to accurately follow the directions, and she made it back outside.

The Bradley’s home was behind Central Command, and it was every bit as imposing as Command. Elizabeth nervously approached the front door, and knocked.

There was several seconds of tense silence before the door opened up to reveal an elderly butler. “Good evening, young miss. How may I help you?”

“I-I’m here t-to see Selim, a-and meet his parents,” Elizabeth barely managed to say, her voice quivering from nerves. She wished she was back at the library, where it was safe, quiet, and she didn’t have to interact with so many strange adults.

Adults only looked down on her, after all.

The butler’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh, I see. Please, do come in, miss…?”

“E-Elizabeth Luxanna,” Elizabeth hurriedly said, stepping inside.

“If you would please wait here, I’ll fetch the young master and Mrs. Bradley.” The butler excused himself, and Elizabeth resisted the urge to fidget.

It took several minutes before anyone returned. Selim practically rushed into the room, face conveying a perfect sense of shock. “Oh, wow! You really are here, Ellie.”

Behind him was an older woman with kind eyes, and a sweet smile. “Is that any way to greet a friend, Selim? You must be Elizabeth, it’s wonderful to meet you.”

Elizabeth promptly curtsied, remembering her manners. “I’m Elizabeth Luxanna, ma’am. It’s an ho-honor to meet you. These are for you.”

Elizabeth thrusted out the pastry box and flowers, and Mrs. Bradley’s eyes crinkled as she accepted them. “Oh my, these are lovely. Thank you. Elizabeth, why don’t you stay for dinner?”

“O-oh, I couldn’t impose—”

“C’mon, Ellie!” Selim exclaimed, grabbing Elizabeth’s hand and tugging her forward. “Dinner’s the best here. You came to see me, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yes! A-About that, actually,” Elizabeth took a deep breath in, “I was hoping if maybe I could visit after school? S-Since Selim can’t visit the library in the afternoons anymore, I—”

“I don’t see why not,” Mrs. Bradley responded gently. “As long as Selim has his homework finished, you’re more than welcome to come over and play any time.”

Selim tilted his head as he looked at Elizabeth, amusement in his eyes. “Did you really come here to try and spend more time with me?”

“Of course,” Elizabeth said, her cheeks red. “You’re my best friend. I’d be really sad if I couldn’t see you anymore.”

Selim frowned briefly at that before he grinned widely. “Best friend, huh?”

“The very best,” Elizabeth assured him.

For some reason this made him laugh.

✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧

Elizabeth met Selim at his school the following day, excited to walk home with him. Central Academy was stationed close to Central Command, so his home was within walking distance. To Elizabeth’s surprise, Mrs. Bradley was already at the school gates, too.

When Mrs. Bradley noticed Elizabeth, her whole face lit up. “Oh, Elizabeth, did you come to walk Selim home, too?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Elizabeth shyly admitted, tugging at her dress.

Mrs. Bradley glanced around Elizabeth, a small frown marred her face. “I don’t see any escorts with you.”

“My tutor dropped me off at the library at noon, and I walked from there,” Elizabeth answered. The library was nearby, too, after all.

Mrs. Bradley let out a small gasp of surprise. “Alone? But you’re so young!”

“Grandfather Crow wants me to become independent as soon as possible, so I can join the military,” Elizabeth explained. Mrs. Bradley’s face clouded over with blatant disbelief, but Elizabeth didn’t understand why. Everything she said was normal to Elizabeth.

Adults only thought of children as beneath them, or tools to be used. Grandfather Crow thought of Elizabeth as a thing to better the country.

That was natural.

Having Mrs. Bradley show up to escort her son was utterly bizarre to Elizabeth.

Although, now that Elizabeth noticed, there were quite a few other parents milling around outside.

‘Are they all waiting for their children?’ Elizabeth wondered, befuddled by this. ‘Why?’

Before Elizabeth, or Mrs. Bradley, could say anything further the school let out for the day and Selim rushed over to the two. He greeted both with a happy chirp, “Hello, Mother! Hey, Ellie!”

Mrs. Bradley smiled sweetly down at Selim, taking his hand and then holding her other hand out to Elizabeth. Elizabeth stared at it peculiarly before she realized Mrs. Bradley wanted to hold Elizabeth’s hand.

Perturbed, the heiress reluctantly obliged, and Mrs. Bradley began to walk the two children back home.

Elizabeth expected a quiet, somber walk home.

But then Mrs. Bradley did something absolutely absurd.

Smiling warmly, she asked with a downright ludicrous amount of sincerity, “How was your day, Selim?”

“Easy,” Selim bragged.

“Everything’s easy to you,” Elizabeth pointed out, even as she stared at Mrs. Bradley in disbelief.

‘Why does she seem like she genuinely wanted to know about Selim’s day? Am I dreaming?’

That got a big smile from her friend, and a cute giggle (‘Adults can do that?!’) from Mrs. Bradley. “Oh, my! She’s got you pegged, Selim.”

“Not entirely,” Selim responded. “How about you, Mother? How was your day?”

“Lovely, as always,” Mrs. Bradley answered cheerfully. “Elizabeth, dear, would you like to have dinner with us again?”

‘Dear?!’ Elizabeth thought, aghast, before she shook her head to clear that thought.

Elizabeth promptly recalled Grandfather telling her to always accept dinner from the führer’s family. When she had returned home late the night she first visited Selim’s family, Grandfather Crow had been quite cross with her. Until she explained what happened, and then he told her to always accept whatever request came from the Bradley’s.

A part of Elizabeth was relieved to receive blanket permission to spend time with Selim. The rest of her wondered how Mrs. Bradley planned on using her.

She smiled hesitantly at Mrs. Bradley. “Y-Yes, please.”

Mrs. Bradley’s eyes shone brightly. “Wonderful—”

The hair on the back of Elizabeth’s neck tingled, and she abruptly snatched her hand out of Mrs. Bradley’s grip. A car swerved out of control toward the trio, and Elizabeth’s body moved on its own accord, throwing itself on top of her only friend.

Mrs. Bradley also reacted, crying out and immediately grabbing both children and turning around to shield them from the car.

There was a loud screech as the car veered out of the way, crashing into a nearby lamppost. Mrs. Bradley trembled as she held Elizabeth, who was holding onto Selim.

For several seconds there was only tense silence and then a flurry of men and women rushed over to the scene.  Shakily, Mrs. Bradley relaxed her hold on the children and worriedly asked, “Are you two okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Elizabeth answered, too flustered to question the sincerity behind Mrs. Bradley’s question. The brunette heiress addressed a blank faced Selim. “S-Selim?”

“I’m fine,” Selim answered, his tone subdued, and expression unreadable.

Mrs. Bradley breathed out a sigh of relief before she rounded on Elizabeth. There was a painful warmth inside of her eyes that made the young girl deeply uncomfortable. “You threw yourself in front of Selim before I even noticed. That was very brave of you.”

Elizabeth’s face turned hot. “It was nothing.”

Mrs. Bradley’s expression softened and she pulled both children into her arms, kissing the top of their heads (the action made both children turn to stone, completely stiff). “What wonderful children you both are. I’m so very glad you’re safe.”

Embarrassed heat flooded through Elizabeth as a motherly woman hugged her tightly with unwarranted tenderness. Never, ever, in her life could Elizabeth remember a time that she had been hugged.

She had read about it. She had read about kisses on the cheeks, and hugs, and sweet families, but those had been in stories. Fantasies. Make believe.

She tried to be affectionate with Selim, but he never initiated contact.

So having someone hug her tightly with relief that she was okay was—

Ohsoverynice.

And confusing.

Extremely confusing.

And judging by Selim’s expression, he felt the exact same way.

✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧♡✧✧

Mrs. Bradley is an angel that should have adopted the Elric brothers too, and no one can change my mind about that.

Answer: Sure. I’d sacrifice an arm to learn how to transmute plants. As long as I could get a pretty sweet automail arm afterward.

Question: What kind of alchemist would you like to be?

Reviews are love!

Next Chapter