#but its a happy hyper focus this time heh

[renni-yu]

dark mode of earlier one bc i can't decide which one i like more so im posting both wheee

[justanother-unluckysoul]

Working My Way Back To You 7/10

Killian gets captured. When Emma finally rescues him, he’s traumatized and nearly broken from the torture he endured. Angst and h/c galore as Emma helps him through it.

I tried to go easy on the whumpy side of it since it’s supposed to be for Comfortember, but it’s me so I probably failed lol

Happy new year! And good riddance to the absolute mess that was 2020. Here we are back into the angst and the hurt, for the prompts “flashbacks,” and “hot cocoa.”

Warnings for this chapter: referenced rape. (it's super vague though)

Unbetad as always so mistakes are all mine.

Tagging @cocohook38 as requested.

Read this chapter on AO3

Working My Way Back To You

Flashbacks + Hot Cocoa

Christmas wasn’t as bad as Killian had worried. He was careful to ensure his back was never left unguarded, because he was still too easily startled by anyone touching him from behind, and David and Snow White hadn’t brought up any difficult topics, and Killian had only caught Snow staring at his splinted hand once. He’d had a good day, everything considered. They laughed, and talked, and ate good food and exchanged gifts. Though between imbibing a bit too much alcohol and the strain of being so hyper-vigilant for that length of time, by the time their guests had left Killian was barely still on his feet. But it was okay because Emma was there to brace him when he wobbled precariously on his way upstairs. And he thought that was a good metaphor for their relationship, really. Heh. It seemed he was a little drunker than he first believed if he’s getting this maudlin.

 ----

Early in the new year, the doctor declares Killian’s fingers healed enough to have the splints off, and shortly after, Killian concludes that physical therapy is not far removed from torture. His fingers have become too used to remaining straight and flexing them hurts. And his therapist, Stacy, is completely indifferent to his suffering. Her hands on his own are sure and relentless as she coaxes his fingers into different positions and he just barely stops himself from yanking his hand from her grip.

“Bloody hell,” he hisses instead, and at least she has the decency to apologize.

But she doesn’t let his hand go.

“I’m sorry, Captain. I did warn you this wouldn’t be pleasant to start with.”

She had warned him, he’ll give her that. But he wasn’t prepared for how much it would pain him. Or how soon his dark memories would begin to creep out of the cage he’d locked them in. Blood and bone and see how well you can escape now, pirate. He grits his teeth and tries to focus on what Stacy’s telling him.

“See if you can make a fist.”

His fingers don’t want to. He flexes them barely enough to hold a cup instead and Killian’s chewing on his lower lip hard enough to hurt.

“Hey, it’s okay. Just relax a bit, huh? Captain?”

He’s not trembling. There’s definitely not a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. His heart is not beating loudly in his ears. Take some deep breaths, Jones, before you bloody lose it.

“Are you okay? We can take a break if you need to.”

“I’m fine,” he lies.

Stacy sees right through him. Of course. It’s not like he’s making a very convincing effort here. She hands him a squishy ball and tells him to try squeezing it. Thankfully Killian has a little more success with that, although it still hurts and his grasp is weak. But Stacy lets him end the session on that “high note,” and Killian silently fumes all the way back home, his boots hitting the pavement with a little more force than required. The doctor had promised his hand would heal, and when he’d been told it would be “almost as good” as before, Killian had assumed he’d actually be able to make a damn fist.

----

Emma had offered to take the day off work to attend Killian’s first physical therapy session with him, but he’d declined. He didn’t need her to play nursemaid anymore, and he definitely didn’t want her to see what a mess he was emotionally afterwards. And he’s immensely grateful they’d had the foresight to get Henry out of the house for a while, just in case of this exact outcome. Killian had scoffed at Emma’s suggestion, at her insinuation he wouldn’t be able to handle a bit of therapy, but now he’s reluctantly admitting that she was right. Because even once he’s back home, his heartrate still hasn’t calmed down and he can almost feel his captor’s touch on him again, the sensation making him want to claw off his own skin. He takes a long, hot shower and debates whether he should take the pills for his aching hand or drink some rum – rum wins in the end because he hopes it’ll also calm his thoughts. Archie won’t be happy if he finds out Killian hasn’t been using the “proper coping techniques,” but bugger that, Killian thinks he’s earned this. So that’s where Emma finds him when she gets home from work, sprawled out on the couch in dark jeans and a shirt buttoned even less than usual, with a bit too much rum in his blood, bleary eyes watching his fish swim back and forth.

“How’d it go?” Emma asks, before she really takes in the sight of him, “Oh. That bad, huh?”

“S’fine. Just got a little tense afterwards, needed to calm down.”

His voice slurs just a little. He must look a mess, because Emma plucks the bottle from his loose fingers and sets it out of reach before sitting next to him. He doesn’t protest. The pain has settled deep into his knuckles where the rum couldn’t reach it anyway. Perhaps he should have taken Stacy’s advice and put some ice on it. Too late now.

“Does it hurt?” Emma asks, and Killian probably should have done a better job at concealing that fact from her.

But the way his fingers are twitching, and he’s tucked his hand gently into the crook of his left elbow, bracing his right arm against his chest now she’s taken the bottle away leaves no room to deny that it hurts.

“Aye, but not too much.”

Not too much. It’s the truth because he’s felt far worse pain. He can handle a few spasms, a few shooting pains through his fingers. At least he still has any fingers to feel pain in. When his captors had maimed it, and then continued to target it throughout the following days, he’d honestly thought that would be the end of his hand. He can feel his heartbeat quicken again and he tries to distance himself from that memory quickly, and thankfully Emma provides the distraction. She conjures something from somewhere without leaving his side, a bottle of liquid that smells heavenly as she tips some onto her hand and rubs them together. Killian watches her with weary curiosity.

“Let me help?” Emma reaches for his hand and he gives it to her without hesitation.

She’s always so gentle, her hands so soft and careful with his wounds. And now, as she works her warm hand across his in soothing patterns Killian wonders what he did to deserve this beautiful woman. Emma watches his face for any signs that she’s hurting him, and he gives her an encouraging smile. Her ministrations, even without her magic, are pulling the tension from his muscles in a way neither the rum nor the medicine could ever do. He lets out a quiet sigh and rests his head on the couch, closing his eyes, surrendering completely to the pleasant sensations and the feeling of total safety he has with Emma. The scent of the oil washes over his senses, calming and balancing.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Emma asks, her quiet voice a balm over his tired soul.

“Not really.”

He knows she won’t push him. He doesn’t want to think about therapy or trauma or any of that right now and she lets him get away with it, pressing her lips lightly against his temple. He hums a faint sound of satisfaction.

“I wish I could take away your pain,” Emma murmurs, “I hate seeing you suffer and not being able to do a damn thing about it.”

“Believe me, Emma, you’re doing plenty. This is wonderful.”

His voice is barely audible. He feels blissful and content. He’s not sure how much of the feeling is the rum finally taking effect and how much is Emma’s gentle touch and how much is the scent of the oil. Her fingers are still moving steadily over his own, tracing lightly over the still-healing scars.

“Do you want to move this upstairs? And I can do the rest of you.”

As loathe as Killian is to move on from this delightfully tranquil moment, the thought of Emma doing the rest of him is too tempting and he hauls himself off the couch. Though logically, he knew that Emma wouldn’t get to do much more massaging once they relocated to the bedroom. But he didn’t mind that at all. Their kisses are heated and passionate and he knows he’s setting her every nerve ablaze, even though they’ve barely started. He knows all her sensitive spots; where to stroke and to squeeze, where to press his lips, his tongue, where to bite and where to suck, how to roll his hips against her in a way that makes Emma grow wild with desire. She’s losing herself in the sensations, he can see in the darkening of her green eyes, her hands shaking as she frantically unfastens his belt and tugs at his trousers and- Panic claws its way up his throat. Killian’s movement stutters, then stops completely. He closes his eyes tightly, trying to calm himself down, trying to breathe. It’s okay, you’re safe, it’s just Emma the rational part of his mind says, but he could be still in the cellar right now, bent over and they’re about to-

“Killian?”

No. Those are Emma’s hands touching him. Holding his hips to steady him because he’s trembling. But suddenly he can’t, he can’t, his stomach is twisting into a nauseating knot and he pulls away from her touch.

“S-sorry, love, I don’t think I can…”

Killian gestures vaguely, and he can’t even look at her as he scrambles off the bed, his hand shaking as he awkwardly holds up his jeans. His arousal is fading, all his intentions of a moment ago swept away by his fears. By his memories. Just look at yourself, Hook. Can’t even please a woman. You’re broken. You’re a coward. The thoughts don’t feel quite like his own, more like a memory of words spat at him by others, though he whole-heartedly agrees with them. Emma stops him with a gentle hand on his arm before he can move out of reach. It’s altogether too much and he wants to tell her to stop, but the words he wants to say are choking him, because Killian Jones doesn’t beg.

“Killian, look at me,” Emma says, and waits for him to reluctantly lift his gaze to her own, “It’s okay. We don’t have to do this.”

He swallows hard and he’s still shaking, but he doesn’t run. No matter how bad he wants to.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t… I just…” Killian struggles to explain.

She stands and reaches up slowly to stroke his cheek, but he can’t help flinching away from her touch. Emma drops her hands to her sides again immediately and Killian’s heart cracks in half at the look of guilt on her face.

“Sorry,” he whispers.

“It’s okay,” Emma repeats softly, “Just stay with me.”

Killian had never spoken of it to her, but it was no secret what he’d been through during his capture. Emma had probably seen the blood, and the bruises on his hips from where they’d held him still. She knew. Killian swallows hard as he watches the emotions play out across her face. He loves her so much it hurts. But gods, he can’t do this right now, as desperately as he wants to. Because they’ve ruined him, sullied his mind and his body and broke him so thoroughly that now he’s utterly dependant on Emma, and tonight he can’t even give her the one thing she wants in return.

“What do you need me to do, Killian?” she asks softly.

Words fail him. And he’s not sure what he would even say if he was capable of speech. What does he need? He needs to forget, just for a while. To drink until he blacks out. To lose himself in Emma’s scent and her touch. But he can’t. He can’t do anything. He’s helpless. Emma lets her hands drift to his belt again, buckling it again in slow, deliberate movements because his hand is shaking too badly now to do it himself. Killian chews on his lower lip hard enough to hurt, wants it to hurt, anything to feel something that isn’t the blinding terror of someone else’s hands on his body. It’s just Emma, being so careful and gentle like she always is now so why can’t he move past this? Why is he shaking so badly?

“It’s okay,” she assures him, “Don’t worry about this. Do you want some hot chocolate?”

“Yeah,” he says, and takes a sharp breath like he’s been holding it too long, and maybe he has, “But add some rum to mine, will you?”

He laughs on his exhale, a weak and breathless thing. She smiles back, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes – eyes that are full of something akin to sorrow, and far too much sympathy. He hates knowing those emotions are directed at him, he’s not worthy of her compassion and he can’t bear to look at her anymore, his eyes darting away to some point across the room. Emma doesn’t bother putting back on the clothes he pulled off her, just pulls a robe around herself to ward off the evening chill, and Killian trails behind her down to the kitchen, tries to breathe as she fills the jug and sets it to boil. He can’t stand still. Everything feels wrong. His whole body is a tightly coiled spring, aching with a need that his traitorous mind won’t allow him to fulfil. It’s going to drive him mad. And worse than his own need is the thought that he’s leaving Emma unsatisfied as well. Then Emma turns to him, reaches for him slowly, and when he turns his face away and his pursed lips out of reach but doesn’t step back, she changes her strategy, presses a tender kiss to the smooth line of his throat. He’s still trembling, but her touch draws a desperate almost-whine from him. Bloody hell, he needs her like he needs to breathe.

“Stay with me, Killian,” she murmurs, “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. But I need you with me, right here.”

Her hand settles over his heart, and even through his shirt he’s certain she can feel how quickly it’s beating. But she waits for him, looks into his eyes and waits for him to move. When Killian does move, it’s with a rush as he takes her mouth with his, eyes closed, his hand cradling the back of her head. Emma’s hands are light, her touch soothing, letting him take what he needs. And she’s as intoxicating as ever, just the taste of her mouth sending a delicious heat through his body and he never wants this to end. But this is as far as he can go tonight. Killian can still feel the memories in the back of his mind, like a dark chasm he could easily tumble into if he takes the wrong step. He’s been trying to keep them contained in a box, an imaginary cage he can throw all the trauma into, but it seems the strain of physical therapy had loosened his mental lock on it.

“I’m sorry, love.” His voice is rough when he releases her lips and turns his face away again in humiliation. “I want to, but… I’m- I’m sorry.”

He tries to step away, his shame overwhelming, but Emma isn’t going to let him go so easily. Her hand presses lightly against the small of his back, coaxing him back to her, feeling the tremors still skittering down his spine. She lifts her other hand on his face, fingers caressing his tightly clenched jaw as she draws his attention back to her.

“It’s okay,” she tells him again, and he knows she’ll tell him as many times as she has to before he believes her, “We don’t have to do anything tonight. Just breathe, Killian. Just… Just stay.”

“I’m here, Swan,” he says, cursing the way his voice shakes.

His thumb brushes her cheek, before he lowers his forehead gently against hers and breathes deeply, breathing her in, the curve of his hook resting against her hip. Emma gives a soft sigh as he does so. He can feel himself calming, settling into her embrace, soothed by her caresses. The moment is broken by the bubbling sound and subsequent click of the jug as it finishes boiling the water, but although Killian’s hand still trembles a little when he takes the cup of cocoa, he gifts her with a smile of gratitude. She’s too good for him, far more kind than he could ever deserve. And yet here she still is, smiling back at him over her cup, her lips almost hidden behind the pile of whipped cream she’s scooped into her drink.

 ----

(Later, he uses his mouth to satisfy her needs, and at least he can still do that, but for himself? He’s reduced to finishing off in the shower alone, like the coward he is.)

To be continued

[k7l4d4]

Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Crossover Episode 1 Part 3

Hey, once again, Crossover time, with your host, me! Everybody clap your hands!!!

Lightning crashed, and thunder rumbled outside the ominous spire of stone and lost hope that was the Conformatorium. As Luz took in the sight before her, she turned a flat stare towards the smirking Witch next to her. “What was that you said about this place being super fun?”

Ignoring Eda’s chuckle, Luz panned her vision across the area, giving herself a rough idea of the layout for the building, before her eye caught on a poster tacked to a nearby wall. Walking up to it, she yanked it down to see an artistic representation of Eda and King, complete with Bounty. She let out a low whistle at the figure. “Wow, these guys really got the hots for you.”

“Yeah, but they’ve never caught me.” Eda preened with pride, deftly stuffing the flyer into her hair. “King’s got some moves of his own when it comes to giving people the slip.”

“Yeah! Just try and catch me when I’m greased,” King cheered, eager to talk about his skills. “I’m a squirmy little fella!”

“Heh, I’ll take your word for it.” Luz grinned.

Eda smirked, gesturing for Luz and King to come in closer. “Alright, I’ll make a distraction to keep Wrath and his goons preoccupied. You two will make your way to the Vault from above.” She paused to conjure up a platform, the transport they would use to ascend. “I’ll do my best to keep Wrath and the Guards from getting to you, but for that to work, I’ll need you guys to keep your heads down in there. Can I count on you?” She turned a solemn face towards Luz at her question.

Luz made a small show of mulling it over, before grinning brightly. “Don’t worry about it. This isn’t my first time sneaking around somewhere I’m not supposed to be, after all.”

“Ugh, enough with the emotions, let’s just go already!” King complained, eager to get inside.

With a huff of amusement, Luz leapt onto the platform, scooping up King with an indignant squawk, before signalling Eda to send them up. As Luz rose through the air, she calmed the giddy excitement bubbling up inside, letting her face and emotions go blank. She needed to focus, to prepare herself for the fight her instincts were SCREAMING was coming their way.

As the platform reached its apex, just short of the window they needed to get to, Luz dully noted, she once more picked up King, this time with only a slight grumble of protest, and launched them both upwards. As they soared through the window, Luz caught herself in a three-point landing, fist planted in front of her chest, legs spread to catch her weight, a practically superhero-esque look… and then King slammed into the ground next to her with a grunt.

Chuckling sheepishly, Luz pulled the small demon up. As they walked towards their goal, Luz couldn’t help but marvel at the interior; this place may have been an evil den of corrupt tyranny, but she couldn’t deny the place was stylish, in a “step out of line and get wasted” sort of way. One thing that bothered her, though, was how empty it was. Luz had been around the block more than once, and she was fully aware of how much crime could get up to in any civilization, especially one that cared more about preserving things a certain way than helping the people, so the sheer barrenness of the cells was… unsettling to see.

Finally, she broke the silence. “Hey King, where are all the prisoners?”

“Weh? I don’t know. Why do you ask?” King replied. He wouldn’t openly admit it, but he was kind of weirded out by how empty this place was himself.

Luz’s curious look gained a more serious edge. “Because, no prison, whether the prisoners deserve to be in it or not, should be this level of empty unless it’s abandoned.” Luz’s scanning of the surroundings gained a hint of nervousness at that point. “I just can’t shake the feeling that something bad goes on here. You know, besides the whole “imprisoning for failure to submit to societal norms” thing.” Her frank bluntness would’ve been funny, if the situation hadn’t been so grim.

King glanced around, now feeling far more nervous about being here. “Now that you mention it, a lot of people get dragged here, but you don’t really hear much about them afterwards…”

“Hey kid, how did you get out of your cell?”

Turning their heads in surprise, both King and Luz were mildly surprised to find actual prisoners ahead of them. The one who had called out, a Witch-girl with dusky skin, two prominent canines that bordered on fangs, and an almost sleepy look to her, was beckoning them closer. It made sense, no one liked being in prison, and Luz’s gut wasn’t giving her any warnings about her. So, with that in mind, Luz sidled up to the bars.

Luz cleared her throat. “Not a prisoner actually, also, not technically a criminal.” She ignored King’s shout of ‘Not Yet Your Not!’ “Mind if I ask how you all ended up in a dump like this?” Okay, maybe it was cheesy, but Luz wasn’t gonna not ask how a group ended up in prison; what other time would she get the opportunity?

The prisoner chuckled, a bitter sound, the type you hear from someone who doesn’t really expect to be happy ever again and is just going through the motions. “Never thought someone would have the time or desire to ask me that. I got stuffed in here for writing stories about food falling in love with each other.” She held up a notebook with an image of two vegetables kissing on the open page. “And I know you didn’t ask, but the name’s Katya. You’re the first person to actually care about me in a long while.”

“Same with the rest of us.” Commented the prisoner next to the now-named Katya, a pale-blue fellow with multiple eyes. “I got put in here for eating my own eyes.” He then demonstrated, preempting Luz’s question, popping out one of his eyes, swallowing it whole, and then regrowing it perfectly. It was as fascinating as it was disturbing.

A muffled thumping came from the last occupied cell. Turning to it, Luz saw a small, white, ball-shaped creature that seemed to be a head with arms and legs sticking out of it. A cloth gag was tied tight over what Luz assumed was its mouth, the thumping coming from the creature slamming against things as it furiously clawed and yanked at the gag.

Turning a questioning stare to the others, Luz asked, “What’s going with that one?”

Katya snorted, a tired humor in her eyes. “Yeah, she’s big on conspiracy theories. She ended up annoying the guards so much they gagged her to keep her quiet. Which I thought was kinda lame, she had some fun stuff to say. Also, she really dislikes the government, which probably didn’t help her either.”

Luz was furious. No, scratch that, she was beyond furious. She was so angry, all she could show was calm. King could physically feel the rage seeping off of her. Speaking in a voice so coldly furious, Luz bit out. “So, what you’re telling me, is that you guys haven’t actually committed any crimes, and got thrown in here for being different?”

Katya let out a sad sigh. “Pretty much kid. Wrath really likes throwing anyone he considers “unsuitable” for society in here. And we happen to fit his definition of unsuitable.” She gave a soft grin towards the still irate human. “But hey, at least we got the chance to tell someone, right? Not many get that chance.”

Luz hyper-focused on that last part, instantly trying to process that statement alongside her concerns from earlier. “What do you mean by that?”

Katya gave an ominous stare. “A lot of people come into this place, but it isn’t much of a prison. It’s more a waystop before they get shipped off to the Emperor’s Castle; whatever goes on in there, we don’t know, but some people come out, utterly broken… and others don’t come back at all. Because so few people are actually here at any time, there aren’t many guards, but considering how tough Wrath himself is, it doesn’t make much of a difference.”

Luz's blood ran cold. The details may have been sparse, but what little she had been given painted a rather… ugly picture. There was no way she could leave these guys here. Glancing around, she spotted the lever that would release the cells (she honestly wondered how she missed it at first), and started tugging on it. At the slight motion of the heavy piece of metal, Luz was torn between frustration at how slow-going it was, and satisfaction at being able to move it at all. Just as she felt she was making progress, she paused, the sharp rumbling of heavy footfalls approaching in their direction.

“What are you fools yammering about?”

The voice that spoke was sinister, rumbling, and had a grating edge to it that set every nerve in Luz’s body on fire. Just as the figure was about to enter visual range, Luz gave a leap, clinging to the shadow-cloaked walls above. The amazement the prisoners felt at watching her feat was quickly squashed as the source of the voice pulled into view. A hulking, muscular figure, what little of his body could be seen having a purple tone to it. His body was clad in a white tunic, a triangular badge displayed proudly across his chest; the plague doctor-like mask sent chills up Luz’s spine. There was no doubts, this was the infamous Warden Wrath.

The Warden loomed over his prisoners, an almost palpable ruthlessness bleeding off of him. Glancing down, he spotted what he assumed was the topic of their discussion. “Ah.” He pulled up what Luz could see was a copy of that same wanted poster of Eda she had seen before. “The Owl Lady.” He brutally crushed the paper in his grip. “She escaped me before, but soon, she will be within my grasp.”

Alarm bells began ringing in Luz’s head, and as she looked down and saw King, hidden in the dark corners of one of the cells, the blind panic in his eyes made it clear he felt that fear too. Suddenly a sharp gasp drew their attention. “Aiw!!! I can bweathe again!!” It was the last prisoner, having finally managed to work the gag off of her face. Refocusing on the present, the tiny inmate began a tirade at the sight of Wrath. “The voices of independence cannot be silenced!! We will suwvive, we will enduwe, we will cast off ouw oppwessows!! We will neveh be afwaid of you, you big old cweep!!!”

Speech impediment aside, Luz couldn’t help but feel impressed at the courage it took to speak your true feelings, even in such a bleak situation. That admiration turned to dread, however, when she saw the Warden move towards the lever to the cells. While he didn’t see her, she could feel the air hum around him as he easily lifted what she struggled to even budge.

As the doors to the cells opened, the smallest prisoner gasped in delight. “Hooway, I’m fwee!” Eager to take advantage of her apparent freedom, the conspiracy theorist took off like a bullet, only to be effortlessly snagged by Wrath. As Wrath ruthlessly pulped the prisoner in his hand, the resulting squeak more menacing than humorous as he laughed over it, he calmly stated something that would forever infuriate Luz, even years later: “Remember, there is no place for you in society if you can’t fit in.”

As Wrath wandered off, to where Luz didn’t care, still clutching and tormenting the small prisoner, Luz leapt down as silently as she could, King rushing to join her. As she opened her mouth, hoping to say something, Katya raised a hand to stop her. The light that had been in her and the other prisoner’s eyes? It was gone, that little spark of hope had been snuffed out. Still, Katya tried to pull off a smile. “Just go kid. Go and enjoy freedom for us.”

Luz and King traded sad looks, before walking off. King, he didn’t know what to do with this. He was used to feeling unstoppable, weakened form notwithstanding, so feeling… bad for someone was new to him; he didn’t like it. Luz, she was angry, furious, apoplectic, basically every word you could use to describe being angry she was feeling right now. Before everything happened, she was used to feeling like an outsider, like people didn’t want to be around her because she was different from everybody else, but even at her lowest, she was never made to feel as if being herself, that being weird, was unacceptable on par with the worst of crimes. Luz knew one thing; when this heist was over, she was going to bring this place crashing to the ground.

As Luz and King mulled over their conflicted emotions, Eda ran up, a mischievous grin stretched across her face. “Alright gang, the Warden’s distracted tormenting some tiny creature and- what’s with the long faces?” Her grin wiped itself away at the depressed aura surrounding the two.

Luz turned a nervous eye towards Eda. “Hey, Eda? How often do people get sent to this place?”

Eda blinked, a little confused at the question. “Fairly regularly, at least once a week I’d say. Why do you ask?”

Luz gulped, not liking what she was about to say. “Well, how often do people come back out? And, if people come here so often, why are there so few prisoners?”

Eda paused, considering the question. As the possible answer, or answers, dawned on her, she grew grim, face pale. “Okay, yeah, that’s something I hadn’t thought about before. We need to get that crown, and get out of here as soon as possible.”

Luz nodded, a look of concentration upon her face. “Yeah. We overheard the Warden earlier, and the way he was talking? I think this may be a trap to lure you here.”

Eda blinked at that, then facepalmed. “Ugh! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that! Well, we better make this quick then.”

King piped up at that. “Then we better get going! The sooner we get my crown, the sooner Wrath stops being our problem!” With that said, he stomped towards a pair of very impressive doors.

[riceccakes]

Earth, Wind, and Coffee: Chapter Three Analysis

chapter one analysis | chapter two analysis

back again for another chapter analysis. i think ive been looking forward to this chapter the most, it’s where some big decisions were made!!! this analysis is a long one, i hope that’s all right! i kinda got carried away. so, let’s dive right in, shall we?

some fun stuff before we start!

chapter three was supposed to be the last chapter of the fic

idk if any of you were there when i first started writing this fic, but it was only going to be three chapters with a possible epilogue. however, everything changed when i finished the end of chapter two. (lil atla reference there for ya) (sorry i know that was bad, moving on). like i said in my last analysis, i had an idea of what i wanted to happen (the separation of korrasami) so that they could come back together. it was just a matter of what separates them. so, i’m not sure where i got the panic attack idea but once i did, the rest of the story changed. i realized i couldn’t quite possibly finish the story in one chapter so i split the ideas i had and decided on it being four chapters

now, this being said, maaaaajor changes were made in my story outline. most notably: korrasami was going to be a couple in this chapter

this was originally going to be a full fledged “they meet, they get to know each other, they fall in love, happily every after” but the thing was, i planned on treating their romance as korra’s recovery; that being with asami is what made korra better, that all she needed was a partner, someone to love, and that is not what i wanted to portray with this story. i’ve never been a fan of stories that give a character a love interest and all of sudden their problems are fixed and they’re completely happy, and here i was about to do just that. i knew i’d never respect myself if i continued down this narrative, and when chapter two ended with korra’s panic attack, i realized her growth needed better love and attention. so, i changed what happened and gave her some therapy

this change in the storyline also let me explore more of kuvopal !!! (is that their ship name?)

so, back to LOVE WITCH for a second (because that glorious fic really did steal my heart) not only did it make me love kuvira’s character more, it also got me into the kuvopal relationship! and yet again, i wanted my own go at it. with the original timeline, there was just no space for me to include the lil bread crumbs of their relationship. however, however, however; by splitting the ending between two chapters (and adding some stuff in between) i was able to lay some foundation for them, which im very happy about :)

into the chapter we go:

let’s talk about the meeting! the whole reason this fic came to be! i’ll start by saying i always knew the project was going to get pulled out from under asami. 1) because thats some angsty/hurt shit right there and im a sucker for writing angst 2) i didn’t feel like creating a whole ass presentation because knowing my ass i would’ve made a powerpoint about it so i had every detail down to the font asami used and 3) getting the presentation taken away from asami was a pivotal point in her character arc.

i actually started the chapter in two different ways. at first, i’d written her whole entire morning with there always being one thing that was off. like, instead of a perfect omelette, it was going to split and asami would’ve had a scramble, still good, but not her favorite. instead of going through all green lights on her way to work, asami was gonna meet every. single. red. light. i would’ve gone through with this if it hadn’t felt strange; i wanted to give the impression that something bad was going to happen but i felt like having something go wrong with every thing in her morning was gonna be a dead give away that some even bigger big bad was about to happen, if that makes sense. so instead, i went with the picture perfect scenario, almost too perfect, if you ask me. and indeed, it was too perfect, because hiroshi was too much of a coward to tell his daughter any sooner that his board agreed to get a new presenter

im just gonna cite a bunch of my favorite lines/bits from this chapter because i really enjoyed writing it xD

Iroh has already begun but Asami hears no words, only a blaring ring in her ears. Her face feels hot and she wonders how red she is. She stares at the black binder, notes the natural grooves and curves of the material, the plastic covering over top of it, the metal spine peaking out at the bottom. She’s only brought out of it’s dark trance when she feels a hand be placed on her arm; Kuvira. 

when you’re upset, do you ever just, hyper focus on one thing and its like you’re analyzing it under a microscope for the first time? yes? no? well, i do that, and personally, i do because if i focus on my anger/hurt emotions any more, im going to explode and i dont want to explode. so, this instance about looking at the grooves in the binder and each of the components of it just hits with me, idk if does with you too, but like bruuh.

Asami has her hand over her mouth, silently sobbing, feeling as if she’ll throw up. She leans her head on her wheel, her mind wanders to what could’ve been, what should’ve been. She feels as if her car is closing in on her, that the metal is compacting. The seatbelt keeps her locked down to the driver’s seat and she can’t leave if she wants to. The Satomobile holds her hostage and she lets it. Even while it’s hurting her, even while it’s harshly molding itself onto her, she stays at her father’s heel because, what else is she to do?

this is one of my favorite things ive ever done with asami’s character, is using future industries/satomobiles as a sort of vehicle (heh) for her relationship with her dad. this paragraph just kind of hurts, but the good hurt? but also not good hurt? it’s just, (and not me over here boasting about my writing or anything) it’s so poetic that she has this breakdown and she’s so upset with her dad, i mean “what should’ve been” like, asami KNOWS that the shit that’s just happened is more than wrong, yet asami is still somehow wondering how she can please her dad and it’s in the literal legacy hiroshi built for himself. “she stays at her father’s heel because, what else is she to do?” i remember writing that and being like “shit, am i really gonna do this? yeah” ugh, i could go on forever about how i love this section, but i’ll stop here for now.

Asami begins yelling, screaming at the top of her lungs, letting all the thoughts, all the insecurities her father gave her finally be released into the world. Kuvira lets her, simply nodding and following along on the couch while Asami paces her living room. She spews out word after word, about the work, about the presentation, about Iroh, his position, her position, the company, the CEO, and she only stops when she feels the weight of her father rest on her shoulders.

back with more diction; i really love this paragraph because of how we circle back to hiroshi. note how i first say “the CEO” and then a few words later say “her father” because, in a way, this is asami’s confession that hiroshi is CEO first and father second, if i haven’t already explicitly said so. it’s so heart wrenching and sad but my favorite thing about it is this isn’t even about korra. like THIS right here is a prime example about how i realized this fic became more than just a love story. in the planning stages of this fic, asami was going to go through getting the presentation taken away from her, but what was she going to focus more on? the fact that korra wasn’t around anymore. and yes, asami still does think about korra after this, but so much more happens for her. asami gets to know kuvira more, asami gets to know her lab partners more, (and my personal hc is that they’ve all been lab partners for two years and only NOW asami is getting to be friends with them in their senior year, but hey, better late than never!) and to me, what’s even better, is that a bunch of realizations come to asami w/o korra being there. asami is growing and the idea of being able to grow without needing to have a partner in order to grow is so important to me, not only for the fact that growth should be endless and something you do all the time for yourself, but asami literally wants to share it with korra. not boast about changing and growing and becoming better, but just be better with korra. sdlfakds i swear, im fangirling over my own writing, oops

okay, moving on from The Meeting and onto the rest of the chapter

this dock scene was also another part i wrote beforehand and it had a completely different ending in that asami was going to ask korra out on a date. of course, korra would’ve said yes, and then yay yay happy ending. this didn’t happen and i’m glad it didn’t. in one version of this dock scene, asami was actually going to be upset with korra for disappearing, and even worse, mad that korra wasn’t there to comfort her after the presentation. oof, i know. so so glad i didn’t continue down that line, cause it is toxic, and my girls aren’t like that at all.

Once Korra’s eyes meet hers, Asami says, “That doesn’t mean you always have to be on your own.” She smiles at Korra, at the girl who’s turned her world upside down. Her hand remains on Korra’s cheek and she feels the girl sink into her palm. “I’ll be here for you, and it seems like Tenzin will be too, what with saying he was calling you more. And you have his family, and your own family, even though they’re away, they’re here to support you, we all are. You can still be strong and turn to other people for help. It takes great strength to ask for help and I know for a fact you’re strong enough, those bags of coffee beans were nothing for you.”

i like this line of dialogue here for a few reasons, mostly because asami is so soft and so right and the joke at the really helped lighten the mood but didn’t take away from what she’d just said before. i don’t have too much else about the Reunions section, though if you guys have any questions or anything you wanna point out, please do so! i think what i will say is that i tried to be as real and gentle with korra’s progression. i was so nitpicky about everything i wrote because i didn’t want to get any of it wrong or over dramatized or fake. recovery from anything is so important and it takes time and it’s not a straight line so i hope i did a good job with it the rest of the fic. 

moving on, i love the found family trope and this leads me into the next section, New Friends

when i think about this section, i like how soft it is, and i really enjoy the ending bits: korra recounting memories from the south, asami meeting tenzin. i think what i like about the end of this chapter is that, it kind of leaves the question: what’s next?

asami has grown, she’s changed, she sees the errors of her father’s ways but she’s not excusing them. korra has grown, she’s changing, she’s taken the first step in recovery. now it’s just a matter of, what happens with this growth now. and i really loved how i wrapped up the fic in the next and last chapter, so i hope you enjoy it too :))

honorable mentions:

there were a lot of changes in this chapter and one of them got changed twice! korra was gonna get a therapist but then i was like, we gotta get the krew together, and then i was like supppppoorttttt grouuuppppp, because lets be honest, all the krew has stuff they need to work through, and i know therapy isn’t for everyone, but mental health is so vital and important. asami is an advocate for therapy in the chapter but there are also other means to take care of yourself and your mental health and while i’ve never been to a support group, i understand finding comfort in knowing you’re not alone.

i guess what i’m trying to say is please take care of yourself and dont be afraid to lean on others. i know not everyone has the means to get a therapist/psychiatrist and i know that your friends aren’t made to only be your therapist. buuuut, don’t be afraid to reach out, there’s nothing wrong with needing help and support :)

anything i would’ve wanted to change?

honestly, i think the only thing i would’ve wanted to change was mako’s speech during the support group meeting. for me, it was a lil bit too poetically out of character. not to say i want to change the content, but rather the manner in which it’s presented. other than that though, i really loved writing this chapter :)

so this analysis was reeeaaaalllly long, i understand if not everyone made it to end. anyways, thanks so much for reading this analysis and the fic! once again, i’m very much open to questions and any comments, i love them very much! i’ll see you guys in the next analysis of the final chapter :)

[snowflakewing]

Meet you there

So here it is Im nervous as hell to post this cause its the first time I write anything at all but guess its one of the side effects of this quarantine heh .  I may add or change things I don’t know but felt encouraged yesterday to post it so here it is 

Added Cassandra from the Tangled series cause I love her lots and she doesn’t get enough love 

Something else to add , english is not my first language 

“How can you say something like that? of course she is your daughter ! “ at the distance Elsa was hearing the yelling and sounds of things breaking , it was something she had started to get used too , the little toddler hug her knees closer to her chest eyes closed trying to disappear but the sounds of her sister on the crib beside her caught her attention

Slowly she forced herself to crawl out of the bed and between the bars reach for her little sister “It’s ok Anna … ” she said with the softest voice not knowing the storm heading their way that would shake up her world

Iduna rush up the stairs shaking badly , the bruise adorning her face showing it was time to leave she was fighting a lost battle and wouldn’t risk her husband warth reach Elsa , quickly she grab a bag she had ready under the bed , put on her bravest face and went to his daughter’s room carrying Elsa and whispering to be quiet

That night was the last time Elsa saw her sister and father

———————

Elsa cheer at the top of her lungs watching the basketball game in front of her , she wasn’t the sports kind but she had promised Rapunzel and Cassandra she would be here . She smiled big at the sound of the whistle ending the game with the victory of their team

Cass look smug as she approach her friend making the ball spin on her finger “Don’t look so surprised Els “ She said being a little show off and Elsa just chuckled “Im just surprised you weren’t kicked out after the push you gave that poor girl” she said and then smiled at Raps walking over “Thanks for coming Elsa will you join us to celebrate ?”

Elsa was about to decline but then again she had finished most of her homework and lately with all the workload and a part time job she hadn’t spend much time with them “Sure lets go “

She couldn’t help the sigh of relief when their place of celebration was an Ice cream place and try not to look amused at Rapunzel antics ,they were on college yet she was the same free spirit she’d known as a child

They chat freely enjoying each other company , it was odd to see them apart on high school but now that they were on college and each choose different careers it was harder to have this moments so Elsa embraced them

“Sooo little nerd had you thought about what master degree you gonna apply “ Cass asked her and Elsa just raised an eyebrow “With all the dates you have to learn in your history classes you have no right to even call me nerd” she huffed drinking from her milkshake

Their banter was interrupted by their waitress coming over to tell them her shift was ending “Fear not ,you will be in the good hands of my partner here “ she said pointing to a beautiful redhead that took Elsa breath away , instantly caught on her gorgeous teal eyes before moving to the rest of her face catching each freckle adorning her cheeks and nose . She didn’t even hear the rest of what they were saying too absorbed in admiring the redhead till she felt Raps nudge her with her foot and she quickly look out the window to avoid any other embarrassing moment .

Thankfully Cassandra and Rapunzel didn’t say anything , perhaps they didn’t notice , but oh boy she spoke too soon “You at least left her a good tip after how much you were ogling her ?” Cass teased and Elsa groaned wanting the earth to open in that moment “Please don’t “

“Hey no judging she was cute , but maybe on the young side you Wolf “ she said grinning big while Rapunzel was trying not to laugh at her . Finally it was time to part ways and the dark haired girl gave them both a bear hug before climbing her bike

“Heh come on lets get you home” Rapunzel said in a gentle tone to the blonde who was red as a tomato “Wasn’t staring … on purpose” she grumbled on the car making her companion laugh “Elsa sometimes I wonder why you build a wall around yourself like that” she said in a gentle tone  “You are allowed to feel things you know”

The blonde was quiet and look out the window “I know “ she said calm but there was a reason she didn’t , not even her best friend knew it ,and honestly she wasn’t planing on let her know . Once they were parked outside her home she thanked her friend and got inside looking around her face softened finding her mom in the couch with a blanket “Hey mom sorry I took longer “ she said in a gentle tone kissing her forehead but Iduna just wave a hand at her “Its ok dear my nurse had just left don’t worry”

That was a imposible ask considering her mother health but she wasn’t going to argue instead she helped her get comfier and join her watching the tv , strange thing was that she couldn’t really focus on the screen instead her thoughts went back to the redhead wondering why she caught her attention so hard . She should had focused more and at least try to catch her name ‘ Don’t be ridiculous Elsa whats the use , you probably won’t see her ever again so whats the point ?’

—————

Destiny had a funny way to mess up with you through and the next day at school she found herself at the floor with said redhead on top of her papers flying around them “Oh my gosh Im sorry! Im so sorry ! I was in a rush , woke up late , then couldn’t catch the bus “ the redhead was talking so fast Elsa couldn’t even make out , plus she was very much distracted with her still on top of her “Can I get up?”  she managed to saw snapping the girl out of her hyper verbal moment

“Oh right!” she got up fast and help the blondie up “like I said Im really sorry you aren’t hurt right?” she asked and Elsa just shake her head helping her pick up the papers scattered around  to have something to do and not start staring again ‘Get a grip Elsa you acting like an hormonal teen ’ she told herself and gave the girl the papers  “Heh thank you “ the redhead murmured and was about to ask for the blonde name but as fast as she appeared she left “Nicely done Anna” she groaned feeling like a fool ,a quick look at her phone made her realize she was very late “And the day just gets better”

Anna storm into her classroom , in her mind she planned to sneak in quietly but when did things went according to plan ? sighing she found a spot beside Kristoff and sat down hiding behind a book trying to ignore Mr Weselton judging eyes , yup the day was off to a great start she thought bitterly

Once the class was done Kristoff look over “Hey you coming to the party this weekend ?” he asked with a big smile looking forward to it “…Party?” she asked blinking a few times “Oh right Fitzherbert’s birthday , ugh are you sure we won’t be out of place he is older and you got invited cause you both are on the football team “ she murmured feeling she made a fool of herself enough for this week but then Kristoff attacked with his secret weapon and gave her the biggest puppy eyes

“Fine , I’ll be there”

—————

Elsa face couldn’t help but soften at the sight of Rapunzel and Cassandra helping decorate the house . They had chosen to do it at Raps house since well the place was huge and they had a feeling Eugene went crazy inviting everyone

She play around the computer preparing the music playlist for it glad she could enjoy some time with just them before the place was flooded with people once done she put down her glasses not wanting to lose them later she couldn’t afford others , as the time for guest to arrive approach she play a little with her braid social gatherings put her nervous

When the guests arrived she couldn’t be more thankful of Cass helping her avoid any awkward moments with people she didn’t knew ,but also it was unfair for her so she convinced her to go and have a good time , she escaped to the yard that had less people , bless the cold air , she was prepared for it , she had a naby blue turtleneck sweater and a white scarf so the cold wasn’t really bothering her

A freckled face caught her attention through and she couldn’t help to smile ‘ oh well who knew’ she thought to herself as she saw her with a group of younger students . She stare wondering why this girl had her so fascinated , maybe it was the drink she had ,or maybe she had just gone crazy but something made her approach the girl the moment she was alone and do a leap of faith

“Im starting to think you are stalking me” she said with a calm voice making the girl jump and stain her shirt with the punch she was trying to serve herself “Oh my god Im so sorry I didn’t mean to” Elsa said fast feeling bad and was about to turn around and disappear but then the most adorable laugh caught her ears “Oh don’t worry this would had happen sooner or later with how clumsy I am” she said giving her a smile that melt her worries away

“And about what you said , I was at work the first time I saw you , the second time I was going to my class , now you approach me …. are we sure you aren’t the one stalking me?”Anna asked with a side smile making Elsa gap like a fish outside the water making Anna giggle

“Im Anna ” she said smiling big

“Elsa” the blonde replied happy to finally have a name , maybe this party wasn’t a bad idea at all

[gaycey-sketchit]

(Gary anon) Our first crumb of Gary for the year and it's not JN-related. xD If the short ever gets dubbed to English, Veronica seems reprise Ash for it. (Yes, brotherly vibes. It'd be nice if he met Chloe too; the Umbreon thing is still a missed opportunity) Still haven't really played Minecraft yet; I've seen gameplay at least, but I knew since its debut it'd be something that'd resonate with a lot of people just from the style and premise alone. Expanded a lot since then. (It's honestly the

.

(Part 2) way I can see Serena being brought back without steering up too much of a storm. No matter how hard the writers try, having Ash being anywhere near will distract all focus from Chloe. Plus I rather she returns with the aura of being her own character and not shipping content. Though, Serena x Chloe might bring from this. Can't wait to see "Chloe stole Serena from Ash" discourse. :P ) The only big thing about the episode is that Cassidy and Butch had quit.

(Part 3) Some think the Gatcha is finally gone, but having seen the subs, I kinda doubt it. Journeys is still on a mission to showcase every current Pokemon; it's a little over the halfway point now. Otherwise, you can wait for the dub instead. With how fast they've been shooting out these episodes since the VA change to try and catch up, it's impressive no one hit a snafu with their throats during it. It's been a consistent stride. (I will say, on top of them holding out

(Part 4) on 'High Touch' and Cassidy having her old Pokemon referenced, feeling even more good on seeing Gary's other Pokemon again) Heh, just got back from seeing a Snorlax obliterate someone's poor Oshawott with Hyper Beam on Twitter. (For me, I haven't change my mind on Cynda; but Oshawott is VERY close cause I debating on having Arcanine on board or just wing 2 Fire-types)

Ha, yeah. I'm glad for all those little cameos, it's very cool!

The joy I would feel. I love Veronica Taylor as Ash, and I love how much she still cares about that role even after all these years since the recasting happened.

I really do still want Gary and Chloe to meet. The potential!

Yeah, I was pretty late to the party myself with Minecraft--I first played it in 2016. At first I was kind of hesitant with it because I was used to games with plot and objectives and what are you supposed to do?? But the answer is that you do whatever you want and that turned out to be very cool. And it's come a long way, with all the updates over the years and it's still going. My interest in it waxes and wanes but when I get into it again I tend to get really into it, and part of that is discovering what's changed since I last played. A couple weeks ago I came across some glow squids, a newish mob, for the first time while exploring and was taken aback by how pretty they were. I take a very strong "graphics aren't what makes a good game" stance, and a big part of that is just because people tend to not realize a game doesn't have to look one certain way to be beautiful.

Anyway. Affectionate rambling about Minecraft aside.

Yeah, for sure. Serena's return, when/if it happens, will definitely cause some kind of stir but how bad things get will depend on how that situation is handled. I can't remember if we talked about this before (you may have noticed I have the memory of a goldfish sometimes) but Serena would also be really good for Chloe to talk to, since from what I've heard (still haven't watched much of XY) it took her some time to figure out who she was and the path she wanted to take.

Yeah, Serena deserves to get to be her own person outside of shipping, but the ship stuff is inevitable. I think Chloe/Serena could be a good ship though, I'd at least enjoy seeing the fanart.

It seems like a very good episode for Team Rocket enjoyers! A friend of mine who doesn't even like Journeys (and loves Team Rocket very much) watched it and was talking about it in the Discord they and I are both in last night, and they really enjoyed it and I'm very happy for them about it. I'll probably just watch it when it's dubbed though because Legends Arceus has pretty much taken over my life. (A shame that the gacha is still probably a thing, but alas. Can't win 'em all, as the saying goes.)

It really is amazing, despite my grievances with the TPCI dub I really do respect all the talented hardworking people who make it happen (except I don't respect Sarah Natochenny anymore after she defended NFTs on Twitter, but I do think she's a good VA).

Yeah, I think there's hope for seeing more of Gary's Pokemon!

Oh, that poor Oshawott. Ow. My Pokemon have taken some pretty hard hits themselves but not HYPER BEAM.

I ended up choosing Rowlet myself! I thought about shaking things up a bit from my usual tradition of choosing the grass starter on my first playthrough, like how the game itself deviates from the formula, and I almost went with Oshawott but my heart said to choose the grass starter and that's what happened. (Oh, I am a firm believer that having a balanced team is secondary to having as many beloveds as possible. I go through most of my playthroughs with at least two grass-types, and on this one I have Budew and Rowlet c: )

[sapphireglyphs]

EXO Quiz

♦ Pick your top 5 biases and answer the questions

1. Kyungsoo | 2. Jongdae | 3. Chanyeol | 4. Yixing | 5. Baekhyun

♦ What do you like about 4?

I love so many things about Lay... hmm, if I were to choose just one thing that I really like I guess it would be his sincerity. I love how very candid he is with his feelings. 

♦ Is 2 an alcoholic?

I don’t believe he is just because I remember during an interview he once said “I believe that alcohol can make happy times even more fun but when consumed when you are sad it turns into a poison” or something to that extent. 

♦ Can 1 sing?

Is that a real question? It’s his voice I blame for me currently being such K-pop trash. I luv u bby plz come back to me healthy and happy from the military!!

♦ Is 5 in a relationship?

I don’t think so... he was... but I don’t think he is right now. But, what the hell do I know right?

♦ Would you go out with 3?

Probably not (lols!! xD) And I say this in the most loving way: he seems like a lot of work. Channie is sweet and hard working and super sensitive but I don’t think I could date ANYONE in EXO. They are all so amazing and perfect and I don’t think I could ever be good enough for any of them.

♦ Is 2 hot?

Quite! 😘

♦ Can 3 cook?

His tteok-bokki recipe is apparently very popular on SNS. 

♦ What do you like about 1?

I have written a literal essay about what I like about Do Kyungsoo. Please follow the cut for my fangirl feels. 

Ult bias... heh... I will try to keep this as concise as possible considering I can talk about how amazing and perfect he is all night.

My ultimate bias is Kyungsoo. Besides the obvious reasons as to why he's so amazing (from his beautiful, deep, baritone voice which is always so textured and full of emotions to his vulnerable, boundary-pushing, award-winning acting prowess, to his razor focus at perfecting any craft he puts his mind to - whether it's singing, acting, cooking, tap dancing, pronunciation of the English language, or putting on screen protectors!) the 3 qualities that I truly admire in him is his humble and respectful attitude towards everyone who comes in contact with him, his candidness, and his ability to flip it all on its head at the drop of a hat.

Kyungsoo has been praised by multiple people who have worked with him (co-actors and staff members alike) for his warm and caring personality. Whenever the other members are messing around too much, Kyungsoo who would scold them to focus so that the crew could rest or go home faster. When Chanyeol was stuck at home because he had hurt his vocal cords and couldn't sing or talk to anyone for I think nearly a month, Kyungsoo would often stop by and keep him company, sitting there in silence while playing games on his phone. He would show his love by cooking for the members, sending food trucks to member's individual project shoots, constantly asking the filming crew if they had eaten yet and that they should take a break. He’s even left to go and buy food for the staff members and brought it back for them, which is so rare in the industry! During concerts prep, he could often be seen helping staff members move sound equipment or asking if there was anything he could help with. That level of selflessness is so heartwarming to me. He never sees himself as a celebrity, being an insanely shy and reserved guy, he most likely dislikes the idea of "being a celebrity" so to see someone of his status/caliber be so down-to-earth it's an extremely attractive quality.

And yet, somehow, despite his rather laid back approach, Kyungsoo can often be so random in his own quirky way. I love that I know what to expect with him and yet never be bored watching him. He’s insanely caring and yet has a very strict moral code (see EXO Ladder S2 for all the “strict, rule following” Kyungsoo). He often comes off proper and polite but has moments where he would curse on national television (aka EXO Arcade) or say inappropriate or slightly perverted comments (multiple interviews and concert talks). He hates being called cute or adorable (from wearing cutesy hats to doing “aegyo”) and yet, without trying at all, he is often the squishiest human in existence. He has this amazing ability to be so competent at such a variety of things (see list above) and yet when he fails, he fails spectacularly as well. I love that duality about him - it makes him feel multifaceted and relatable AF. 

*sigh* There are so many other things that I can talk about (like how he proves that he’s a hopeless romantic when he was asked if he would choose ‘friendship’ or ‘love’, he candidly said ‘love’ without even hesitating. Or how he confessed about wanting to retire from the idol life and be a simple farmer, living off the land with his lovely wife and kids. Or how when EXO was asked what their ideal vacation destination would be, everyone wrote down an actual place and Kyungsoo just wrote, “I don’t care where we go as long as it’s together.” Or that he considers his two puppies his little sisters rather than pets in the family.) I honestly can go on and on and on but I’ll leave it off with a comment he said during an interview with JYP. The host asked him if he sees celebrity life as a good one or one that is uncomfortable? And perhaps the p.c. answer would have been something along the lines of positive experiences but instead Kyungsoo spoke from the heart and confessed that there are many things about the life that he’s uncomfortable with. That there were so many times that he was so tired of this lifestyle that he wanted to quit it all. I commend his resolve to not shy away from the truth and that candidness made me feel as though I can trust what I get with him: what you see is what you get. He’s not your ideal idol but that imperfection is what makes him so perfect and beautiful to me. Kyungsoo with forever be my penguin prince! 

♦ Has 4 had any solo albums?

Too many tbh, DAMNIT SM BRING BACK LAY TO EXO!! Yes, all of his self produced albums are fucking amazing and he totally doesn’t need SM to prove that he is a world-class artist but I miss Lay touching EXO’s butts 🤣 I love their hangouts and interactions and I just need Lay to comeback and be with his brothers!! 😢

♦ Would you set-up pair 2 and 5 together?

Lmaooooo!!! Chen and Baek would be the loudest, most chaotic pair ever! 

♦ Do you think 3 would be a good parent?

He would definitely be the “fun/cool” parent. xD

♦ What do you like about 2?

Dem vocals tho! OMFG!! 

♦ Would 3 take drugs?

I don’t know. I guess his hyper ass could do with a bit of weed in his life but probably not like... hard drugs. *shrugs* I just don’t feel like he’s the type. 

♦ Would 4 bail you out of jail?

He’s not in jail with me? Hmm, yeah, I think he would then. 

♦ Has 2 ever been on reality TV?

Can we define “Reality TV” shows a bit more? Like does that include competition shows and variety shows? Because if those count then he’s been on "King of Mask Singer” and “Travel without Manager”.

♦ Out of 1 and 5 who would be more likely to ask you out?

Like I said above, I honestly don’t think I am at all worthy of being asked out by any of the members from EXO but if we are going to play the delusional game for a tiny bit... of the 5... I think Kyungsoo would just because I’m not “confident” enough to be attractive to Baekhyun. :3

♦ Is 5 tall?

Not compared to the baby giraffe that is Park Chanyeol. 

♦ Do you like 4’s current hair style?

100%! This look on his is so refined and yet cool and sexy. ;) But, then again, Lay baby always look scrumptious!

♦ Is 2 gay?

It has been confirmed that he is not and is getting married and is going to be a Jongdaddy! :DD

♦ Would 3, 4 and 2 have a cross-dressing show?

Sure... I think they would be game... >_< Or is that just me being hopeful?

♦ Would 1 go skinny dipping?

No, he is waaaaaaay too shy to reveal his body. He said he has a tummy. *blushes* I think it’s cute but then again anything about him I find insanely attractive so... *shrugs*

♦ Does 3 remind you of anyone you know?

Not really. Channie is really playful and competitive and has a shit ton of energy but he’s also sensitive and really sweet.  

♦ Would 5 watch porn?

I 100% believe he does. I say this lovingly but hentai Baek is real. 

♦ Would you marry 1 but then have them divorce you 6 months later; marry 2 but have them run away a year later; date 3 but then lose them in a car crash a year later; date 4 but then break up 2 years later or sleep with 5 and have them or you pregnant?

Wow... Um... none of these options are really great. *sigh* Idk... I guess, I can live with dating Lay for 2 years. What an honor that would be. :3

[v3-killing-harmony-imagines]

‘I pray this doesn't seem offensive, but can I get the guys with an S/O with ADHD? (Trouble concentrating is one symptom of it)’

I pray this doesn't seem offensive, but can I get the guys with an S/O with ADHD? (Trouble concentrating is one symptom of it)

One of my friends has ADHD! So I know somewhat what it’s like heh.

Saihara Shuichi:

Saihara is a very calm, collected person.

And then you on the other hand, are very energetic, barley never running out of energy and not staying in one place for a second.

So things get….interesting at times.

He has to try and get you to focus on work all the time, despite your groans that you don’t wanna.

One minute you’ll be working on a math problem, only to be on your phone the next.

He encourages you to get your work done, and he stays up with you to help get assignments finished.

You really tire him out, having the same level of energy from start to finish in a day.

Oh the other hand, he’s tired when he wakes up.

There’s times when even simple tasks have become a challenge.

To which Saihara helps you, softly whispering words of encouragement to you.

He truly never gives up on you, even if you give up on yourself.

Whenever the two of you go on dates, if it’s at a restaurant you’ll bounce your leg or tap your hands along the table, keeping your mind busy.

Of course, there are times when you do get tired.

Saihara cherishes these moments, as you’re in one place for more than 10 minutes, it’s a relief.

Sleeping is also something a bit unusual.

You toss and turn a lot, sometimes hitting him with an arm of a leg.

You end up keeping the poor boy awake most of the time.

At the end of the day, he still loves you.

Because he likes you based on who you are, not what mental disorder you have.

Amami Rantaro:

He can handle your hyper sides just as well as your calm sides.

It’s really no big deal to him?

He enjoys it, its’ like having a little ball of energy at his side, like a bundle of sunlight by his side all day.

He means that in a good way, of course.

School work can be daunting at times, but Amami does fairly well, so he’s able to help you out when need be.

He’s always able to somehow cope with your issues, addressing every situation with a cool head.

There’s times when his patience has been tested- he’ll admit.

You not doing your work- wanting to fly by the beat of your own drum half the time.

He’ll sigh, rubbing his temples as he tells you that you need to focus.

He knows it isn’t easy for you, but you’ll fail your classes at this rate.

You pout- twiddling with your fingers as he takes your phone away.

Focus. Focus. Focus .Focus.

He runs through the worksheet again- breaking down the solution to simplify it- making it easier for you to understand and remember.

Coming up with clever ways to read the equation; instead of just a long list of words.

Once you’ve got that part, he gives you a few questions, gradually increasing in difficulty until you can (hopefully) remember it for the test.

You thank Amami, he chuckles and pats your head, telling you to get some sleep now.

Ouma Kokichi:

‘A match made in heaven.’ As he puts it.

He can be very hyperactive at some point as well, so he’s more than able to keep up when you do get lively at times.

One of the problems being that school work can be challenging at times.

He doesn’t focus as it is, but add you into it?

It’s a miracle if the two of you even get work done.

It’s all fun and games until the report cards come home.

But at least he doesn’t struggle with simple tasks.

He came home one day to you in a mess of tears and anger, when he asked what was wrong you told him that you were trying to set the alarm clock up and it wouldn’t work with you.

He calls the clock an evil bird before comforting you, telling you that he can smash it if it’ll make you feel better.

Despite him fooling around often, he knows when the line has been crossed.

He knows when you need to really need to sit down and work.

He makes sure you take your meds every morning before a test or an important date.

He knows when he needs to take a step up his game to help you.

On the brighter side, he takes you to get candy after every test.

That ends well.

Kiibo:

His battery gets depleted quite        quickly some days.

The more he has to think about at once; which is similar to the RAM in computers or androids, the more battery he chews up.

So dealing with Ouma, schoolwork, remembering dates and notes, and then keeping up with you at times is a real circus act.

He’s done all his research on ADHD prior, so of course he’s more than aware of how to deal with it.

He’ll try and make things easier for you, or make it into a game as you learn.

There’s been times where you didn’t want to eat- your medication creating loss of appetite.

One day you broke- telling him you just weren’t hungry ,you couldn’t eat when you’d just don’t want to.

He places a hand on yours, informing you that he’s sorry for making you feel upset, however, eating is important for humans to stay healthy and he wants you to be healthy!

He tries not to force you too hard, but he still wants to make sure you’re doing the right thing!

Outings at the pool are fun, although Kiibo can’t go in it naturally…

But at least he can watch you having fun, while he sits and reads under the shade.

It isn’t perfect, but Kiibo is happy with it nonetheless.

Kaito Momota:

The only who can outlast him is you, hands down.

Your energetic nature can beat his flame fueled passion any day.

Sometimes you two have competitions to see who can stay up the longest.

He’s usually the one to loose, much to your excitement.

He actually finds the fact that you can’t focus on 1 thing at a time cute?

He thinks of it as a hamster- running around in a hamster wheel- trying to go further and see more.

Cute.

He does….not too well in school, so he isn’t much help in that department.

But there’s always the option of tutors! So he and you can both study at the same time!

He honestly likes leaning when it’s broken down to make it simpler, it makes his life easier.

One time you’ve gotten so fed up with work- you actually walked out of the room due to the stress.

He was the first one after you- having to pat your back as you tried to calm down.

He tells you you’re doing amazing.

You work so hard.

He’s so proud of you.

You head back into the classroom, apologizing to the teacher before continuing to work.

He takes you out for Ice-cream after school.

 Korekiyo Shinguuji:

He’s met quite a few people that suffer from ADHD.

Though he wouldn’t call it suffering in the slightest.

They are simply more joyful, livelier.

He finds that interesting.

He knows how to handle the condition as well, so he’s a great help when you need to be calmed in public or you need to focus in school.

He’s usually standing stiff, or sitting still while you’re looser and can move and float about.

Like an elephant and a bird.

One day he was explaining a math problem to you, at least he had been trying to for the past hour, when you decided to turn on him.

“It’s so damn easy for you because you’re so fucking smart! Everything is easy for you!”

You’re on the verge of storming out of the room – he has to calm you down.

While learning does come naturally to him, not everything is easy for him.

He tells you this, watching your reaction to see if he’s gone too far.

“How about we take a break, huh?”

It’s not usually his style, but right now he thinks it’s necessary.

He takes you out for a walk, telling an old story as the rustling of trees calms and slapping of shoes on the pavement fills the air.

By the time you two get back, you take another shot at the problem.

He’s happy when you get half of it right-  baby steps towards a bigger goal.

  Gonta Gokuhara:

He’s constantly worrying.

Whether it’s about your grades or your safety or your health, its worries for him.

He wants to see you succeed, so he tries his hardest to help you out.

Getting items from high places, helping you with sweeping, lending you notes that are easier to understand for tests and exams.

He takes it upon himself to be your personal training buddy, making sure you go on a walk daily and eat fruit with your breakfast.

It’s healthy for you! It’s good for you!

He loves taking you out in the forest.

You can run free there- not having to be shushed or told to climb down from places.

He makes sure that you’re safe, of course, but for the most part he’s happy to see you being happy.

He lets you braid his hair with flowers by the stream, pretending to be a princess in need of saving.

He loves playing with you, climbing trees or sitting by a lake.

It’s fun and relaxing for the both of you.

 Ryoma Hoshi:

His life definitely takes a turn for the brighter, I’ll tell you that.

He’s now having someone who’s peppier by his side.

You always can keep conversations, changing from topic to topic as if it’s second nature; that he’s glad for.

During class he had to rally you in, making sure you got all the notes written down

If you don’t he’ll fill the rest in for you.

It actually makes him a better student as he now has someone to try and study for.

P.E is a fun class, he’s sometimes not with you but you’re really outgoing when you want to be.

You do have self-esteem issues; hating how you can’t be normal and just can’t fucking focus.

He reminds you that you’re human, that you’re not going to be perfect at everything. And that’s ok!

He can help with the self-loathing part, he’s gone through a lot of it.

He tries not to worry you with his problems, instead trying to make his life about you.

You always end up making him spill, if he really is feeling down.

He takes you to play tennis sometimes.

It’s exciting for him, to have someone be actually play with.

He teaches you, and you get the hang of it fairly quickly.

It’s now a routine thing the two of you do, head down to the court to play a game before going to get slushies before heading home.

In a way, he likes your ADHD, it makes you yourself.

[tyranttortoise]

Do you think we can get uf sans' pov when he and lady were in the hot tub?

(*I’m always happy to do these!)

“It figures that you’d leave your phone in the hotel room, Red muses as he drums his fingers along the edge of the hot tub, glaring daggers at his unresponsive phone.  He had decided to continue his hot tub selfie tradition by sending you another, this one with the caption “i’m waitin on the roof sweetheart.”  After several minutes pass, he decides to send a text to Stretch.

is y/n still with u?

Of course, the response is immediate.  

ashtray: “yep”

Irritation flashes through him, causing Red to grit his teeth.  Admittedly, he’s been in a rather bad mood ever since he saw that swimsuit on you.  The fact that you chose something Stretch picked out wasn’t what bothered him; it was the fact that you matched Stretch, that he got to rub your skin so intimately, that he had earned a private moment on the beach where the others weren’t allowed to spy.  

Red had eaten with Sans, but he hadn’t been good company.  He had just guzzled mustard and scarfed down a burger, ignoring his counterparts attempts at jokes to lighten his grisly mood.  When enough time had passed, he simply teleported to the roof, comforting himself with the knowledge that you had promised to set some time aside for him.  

Besides, it wasn’t like Stretch was the type to make a move that soon, right?  Even if you were now watching the sunset with the ashtray… on the beach… completely alone… in a rather romantic setting… wearing matching skull print swimsuits that practically announce to the world that you’re a couple…

Scowling, Red angrily types out a reply: “tell her i’m waiting on the roof.”

And then he plays the waiting game, while trying to relax in the meantime.  He shouldn’t be wound this tight–especially over a human girl he hasn’t known all that long.  

But he also hasn’t been able to forget the feeling of your lips against his cheekbone when you leaned in to thank him.  If Blueberry hadn’t butted in….

Those thoughts are pushed aside as you meander onto the rooftop, your expression lighting up when it lands on him.  Grinning wide, Red waves you over, the tightness in his chest uncoiling.  As you approach, he slides over, patting the water beside him with a sharp splash.  

“heya doll.  i saved ya a seat.”

“Guess you did tell me you had room for two.”

When did–oh, that’s right!  The first selfie in the hot tub.  He had sent that shamelessly, not caring that you had a boyfriend after he had experienced just how big of a douchebag he was.  Red knew you were going through a tough time, and as flirtatious as his selfie was, the real point of the picture was to make you smile–to take your mind off things.  That’s all the others wanted for you, too.  They didn’t have many human friends–or friends in general, since Sans was trying to keep the whole “i ripped apart the multi-verse and now there’s multiples of me and my brother” on the down-low.  So, it had been nice to entertain a friendship that wasn’t involved in that mess.

 “heh, you ‘member that, huh?  why not take a load off?”  To his relief, you take him up on that offer, sliding into the water beside him.  He’s unable to keep his eyelights off you, roaming the skin that the suit reveals before its obscured by the water.  Red’s never been a self-conscious guy, but there’s a part of him that’s glad for the dim lighting on the roof and the poor quality of his cell phone’s camera.  His ribs are littered with nicks, cracks, and calcifications from the fights he had been in throughout the years.  His brother’s bones were in even worse shape.  

Leaning back, Red decides to enjoy the moment.  Even if he didn’t win the bet, so one of the others could easily crash their little party, he didn’t care.  He’s content being next to you, his arms spread out… his humerus so close that he can feel your body heat against it.  

Or is that just him being hyper-aware of that fraction of an inch of space between the two of you?

Speaking of which… there isn’t much space between any portion of your bodies, he realizes.  Smirk widening, Red stretches out his legs, shifting so that his knee skims against the side of your thigh.  His focus is on your face, but he can’t tell if your cheeks are just that darkened because of the water’s temperature or from the physical contact.  

Stars, how he hopes it’s the latter.

“Can you even feel the heat without nerves?” you blurt.

*sweetheart, ya gotta lot of nerve bringing this kinda heat in here.*i don’t need skin to tell it’s gettin’ hot in here.*…nah, i better not say that.  

“sure. somewhat. heat and cold don’t really bother skeletons, but this does feel nice.”  He shrugs, and the motion brings his arm down lower–this, of course, being a calculated move.  

*i wasn’t lyin’.  this does feel nice–just bein’ like this.

You don’t move away from his arm or his leg.  You don’t move to break the contact.  It only emboldens Red, who really wants to touch more of your skin.  If he had it his way, you wouldn’t be sitting beside him.  No, you’d be on his lap, arms wound around his neck.  

“Y-yeah, it does feel good. I always loved hot tubs.”

*was that… a reaction?

More perceptive than he appears, Red caught the nervous hitch to your voice. "ya don’t say?“ 

“Mmhmm.” Red notices your gaze drop, focusing on his collar.  You swallow hard, and it only makes his smirk widen.  "Are you having fun so far, Red?“

"more than you know,” he chuckles, deciding to experiment. His fingertips brush lightly over the side of your arm, and you actually lean closer to him, without pulling away.  He breathes a sigh of relief. “i’m glad the hot tub’s on the roof. i wanted to show ya the view.”

You seem distracted. “The view? But we can’t see the beach from here.”

“not the ocean. the stars.”

He nods his head toward the sky, and the furrow from your brow relaxes as you turn your face skyward and take in the view.  The stars have always been his favorite thing–something that kept him going in the Underground, a promise he had made long ago.  The first thing he had done (after the initial freak out and fight he and his brother picked with the others that may have escalated) was stand outside and look up at the stars.  He had felt so small then, but… sitting here, looking at them with you, he doesn’t feel that way.  

His chest feels warm, the tight feeling coming again.  His fingers gently press on your upper arm, and you respond immediately, without even tearing your gaze from the sky.  You lean your shoulder into his, letting him draw his arm around you, where he could leisurely explore the skin along your shoulder and upper arm.  He hasn’t been paying attention to the stars in the slightest.  Instead, his head is slowly lolling to the side, tilting closer to yours.

“Thank you.”

Red jerks, his head snapping back up.  He was so lost in his daydream that t takes him a moment to process the words.  "for what?“

"This. For showing me this. And… for all the other stuff, too, you know.”

Red assumes the other stuff means lending you his jacket and carrying you back to the lodge.  Honestly, he liked the way you looked in his jacket; he liked the idea of you wearing something that belongs to him.  It’s a possessive thought, akin to claiming you, but it sends his instincts into overdrive. 

Your gratitude also brings his thoughts full-circle to what happened last week on the racecar bed…  Smirking, he leans in.  "does this mean i get another kiss?“

You’re so close that it would be so easy for him to just lean in and close the gap between your lips and his teeth.  His eyelights drop to your lips, and he finds himself gravitating toward them, his sharpened teeth just barely parting in anticipation.

And then you shove him away, but at least you’re laughing.  He also notes that your cheeks are definitely darker. "Nope, one time deal.”

*that can’t be true, sweetheart.

Instead of voicing that thought, he says, “now that’s just cruel, sweetheart.”

“Never said I wasn’t cruel.”  Your tone is teasing as you move from beneath his arm to get out of the hot tub. Red’s transfixed by the way the water glistens on your skin–as well as how your rear was practically in his face when you turned to step out.  "C'mon, that’s enough star-gazing for one night. You’ll pass out.“

He smirks, slowly moving to follow. "it isn’t possible for me to over-heat, doll, but i appreciate your concern." 

*but if ya had stayed in the hot tub even a minute longer, i might’ve.

[ask-justin-and-angel]

Jag: Surprise! New format time! (also an actual story post) That speech/action alternating style has been holding me back for a bit. I'll still use it from time to time, but story posts are gonna actually contain some STORY now. Time to let my inner writer out of its cage. So let's go. Time to get this story rolling again. Let's dive in where we left off!

"* *" signifies communication via telepathy or some other nonverbal means.

I'm so, so sorry about the length of it ahead of time.

Justin starts to go down the stairs, but hesitates a few steps down. Angel puts her hand on his shoulder. "*Come on Justin, you can do this. I'm here.*" Justin takes a deep breath, then keeps moving. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he looks over to see Nick and his father Daniel, a tall man with an impressive moustache, talking, while his mother plays with Mimi, the family Eevee. He can hear his mom making silly sounds at her, while Mimi runs around making small, trilling sounds. In the back of his mind, he can hear an approximation of what she's saying, something along the lines of "Play play play play play fun yay wheeeeee!" He chuckles despite himself, causing Nick to turn around. "Hey little bro. 'Bout time you came down. Mom said you wanted to talk to all of us 'bout somethin'?" "Um, yeah. She asked me how the trip to Johto was, and I told her that I wanted to wait until I could tell all of you. "Well then son, come sit down and tell us then." "Okay dad." "Come on Abigail, Justin's ready to talk to us." "Oh, okay, I'll be there in a moment dear!" As they all move to the dining table, Mimi follows closely behind Abigail, still going "Play?" Justin smiles, then sits down next to Angel. Once the rest of his family has finished sitting down, he takes a deep breath. "Okay. So. Um... How to begin... Well, first off, as you can see, both Angel and I are okay, so please keep that in mind while I talk, because this is kinda... complicated..." He is greeted with silence. "I think you freaked them out Justin." He turns to look at Angel, surprised she isn't using Telepathy. "Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best way to start, but still. It's not like I can really start on a happy note, is it?" "You still could have handled that better." "I get that. But how else was I supposed to start?!" "Please don't yell at me." "Well what am I supposed to-" He stops, noticing just how quiet it is, then looks over to see his brother with raised eyebrows, his father with a stern look on his face, and his mother with her hands over her mouth. "Um...." "Bro, were you just... talking to Angel? Without Telepathy? Care to explain?" "What makes you think she wasn't-" "'Cause her eyes weren't glowin'. I'm a Pokemon researcher kiddo. I notice this kind of stuff. It's kinda my job." Justin closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. "Okay, yeah, I was talking to her. Please don't ask how. Not yet. It's... kinda part of the story." "Well now I really wanna hear 'bout your little trip." "Okay. So, the actual story doesn't really start until Angel and I were already heading back home." He then proceeds to tell them about how, when they stopped to have a quick snack, they were greeted by an unknown man, who then proceeded to attack in an attempt to kidnap Angel, when he was interrupted by his father. "I take it that you beat this ruffian then?" Justin rubs the back of his neck. "Actually... no, we didn't. He attacked with all of his Pokemon at once, which wouldn't have been as bad if he hadn't also taken the chance to attack me." At this point, his mother lets out a small gasp. "I'm fine though! I'm fine! See? Still here." "Not gonna tell them you were poisoned?" "Of course I'm going to tell them Angel, I just..." He shakes his head. "Anyways, he attacked me with Toxic, then followed up with a Venoshock, which had me floored pretty fast. Only reason he got Angel was because she turned her back on him when I got hit. Ricky was the only one still up at that point, but the poor guy got taken out as well. Then he grabbed Angel and..." He falls silent, clearly upset. "Anyways, a nearby Picnicker ran over to help me up and give me an Antidote, then she helped me get Ricky, Sandra, and Luffy to the Ecruteak Pokemon Center." "At which point you got medical help and called the police, right?" His mother asked, clearly terrified. "Um." Angel just shakes her head. "Maybe if I had been in the right state of mind, I would have. As it was, the Antidote had only dealt with some of the poison, and I was a bit loopy. So, I might have, in a delirious state, climbed one of the towers nearby in an attempt to get a better view, hoping to see her, while simultaneously leaving all of my Pokemon at the Center?" He said, rather sheepishly. His father just puts his head in his hands. "You've gotta be kiddin' me bro." "Sadly, no. And it's about to get, well... impossible. Strange and impossible." "I'm listenin'." "So, um, you're a scientist, I'm sure you've heard about the Ecruteak towers and the legends around them, right?" "I have once or twice, yeah. What of it?" "Well, what about the legendary trio? The ones brought back to life by Ho-oh?" "...Yeah. Where you goin' with this kiddo?" "So, um, don't ask me why or how, but once I reached the top of the tower, I may have succumbed to the poison and... died?" "...What." "Heh, that's how Angel reacted." "Focus Justin. Keep telling them the story before your mother has a heart attack." Justin looks over to his mother, who has gone a bit pale. Mimi is whining next to her, clearly worried. "Anyways, that's obviously not the end of the story, right? So... why I brought up Ho-oh and the trio is, well, that may have kinda happened to me?" "Son. What exactly do you mean by that? Justin says nothing, but rather gets up from the table, steps back, then summons a glowing blue bone. Nobody says anything, until Nick breaks the silence. "Is... is that a Bone Rush?" "Um... yeah?" "You can use moves now." "Yeah?" "How." "I have no idea." "Wonderful." "So, that's not all I can do. I can use Bone Rush, Flare Blitz, Protect, and Metronome. Oh, and I guess I have an ability too, I think it was Magic Guard? And to top it off, I can understand Pokemon now. Like, they talk, I hear the normal sounds, but I also hear a kind of translation in my head." "That's... impossible." "Didn't I say that?" Justin sits back down, having released the bone. "Anyways, I died, and then I woke up in the forest to the north. From what I understand, Ho-oh returned to the tower, picked up my body, took me into the forest, then revived me. When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything, then to top it off, I was attacked by a group of Magnemite. Long story short, I got upset enough running from them that I used Bone Rush without meaning to, knocking out one of them. When I realized I could fight, I stopped running and dealt with the rest of them." "*It was around this time that I woke up in a dark room with a metal collar around my neck." Everyone turns to look at Angel. "*I had no idea where I was, but I, unlike Justin, had not died, and remembered what had happened just fine. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I decided to do that broadcasting trick I used to do whenever Justin got lost, the feelings one.*" "While I wandered around the forest confused, I felt the broadcast, and it sparked my memories back up. I ran off in the direction of the thought, while the rest of my team was apparently not far behind, having also felt it. It wasn't long before I came up to a small mansion in the middle of the forest." "*At this point, I could feel him, so I opened my mind and told him where I was.*" "That was when I learned I could use Flare Blitz. I kinda football tackled the door down to get in. As well as to open her cell door." "Wouldn't that have left ya fairly hurt though? "...Yes?" Nick sighs. "Go on." "So, after checking on Angel and seeing that she wasn't in any immediate danger, I sat down next to her to catch my breath, since she had told me the others were on their way. Sandra broke the collar, and we all started to leave. We had just reached the exit when the guy attacked us again, this time telling his Tyranitar to use Hyper Beam. That's when I learned I could use Protect. Also, what kind of scorch pattern a Hyper Beam leaves on the ground. Anyways, I told the others to take Angel and run, which she wasn't happy about, but she followed." "Bro, this sounds like a comic book or somethin'." "You're telling me. So, the guy tells me that his name is Midas, and that he's a Team Rocket executive. Go figure. He then sends out all of his Pokemon again, and he tries to poison me yet again. Quickly learned I have Magic Guard. He then tried to send half his team to chase down the others, but I used Metronome for the first time in a panic, which turned into a Magnitude 10. He only has his Tyranitar now, which attacks with another Hyper Beam, I use protect again, Midas pulls out a gun, and I throw him off balance with another Flare Blitz, though I'm almost out cold myself at this point, then I use another Metronome, hoping I get a good one. I used Fissure, which split the land in front of me in two, collapsing part of the mansion." He stops, looking around the table. "I... think I might have killed him. When I made the fissure, he fell down it. He shot me in the shoulder on his way down, but still. I couldn't see the bottom. I never heard him hit the bottom. And he had a servant of some kind in the mansion, who was helping keep Angel hostage. I don't know what happened to him either." He stops talking, unable to look up. Angel leans over and puts her arms around him. He just leans against her, silent. "*Not long after, Officer Jenny found him wandering through the forest, with a bleeding shoulder ready to pass out. She had gone out there due to both the news of the attack on us and because Justin had caused at least two local tremors and set the mansion on fire, causing some concern. She brought him to the Center, where the doctors took care of him, though we didn't tell them everything. Just what they needed to know. And Justin's new... abilities... they didn't need to know about. Nothing else of note really happened beyond that.*" Everyone at the table is silent, still trying to process what they just heard. Daniel is the first to speak up. "Son. It sounds like... like you did a good thing. Well, maybe not a good thing. But I don't think any less of you for what happened. What's done is done." Next, his mother, trying hard not to cry. "I'm just glad you're okay! I... I don't know what I would do if I lost you..." Finally, his brother. "...Justin. This is a lot to take in. For multiple reasons. I'm sure you can guess some of 'em, so I won't bother you with 'em now. But... know this. I'm not sure what I would 'ave done if I was in your place. So I've got no room to judge. However, once your feelin' better, I want to talk to you. 'Bout several things. 'Kay?" Justin is silent. He doesn't move, though he does take a few shaky breaths, trying not to freak out. Nick gets up and heads outside. Angel shifts slightly, then stands up. "Come on. Let's go upstairs." She helps him up, then guides him towards the stairs. As the two of them head up, she can hear Justin's parents talking quietly. She opens her mind, curious. "Sometimes Abigail, I'm not sure if that Pokemon is the best thing to ever happen to our boy, or the worst." "Daniel! You know how much he cares about that Pokemon! He absolutely adores it!" "That's what I'm worried about." "Well, she was his first one after all." "I know that, I'm just sayin' that-" She closed her mind off. She had heard enough. Looks like their decision not to share everything was right. Not that Justin could know. He was having a hard enough time as it was.

Jag: So, for those of you who actually slogged through this, thank you. Question though, did you have any trouble reading it? Anything style-wise you want me to change? Cause I want to make sure people can understand what's going on when I write large amounts like this. Anyways, hopefully this is the start of me being more active again. Thanks to everyone who's stuck around till now, and welcome to any new readers I have, of which there are several (according to my follower count). Toodles!

P.S. Christ this is bigger than I thought. I am so sorry. XD