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jq37 · 7 months ago

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The Report Card – Fantasy High Junior Year Ep 16

Kipperlilly Copperkettle and the World's Smallest Violin

Welcome back to Fantasy High where everyone’s graduating with A pluses and we’re *finally* figuring out what the hell Kipperlilly’s deal is!

But, before we get to that, we have some loose ends to tie up. You’ll remember that the Bad Kids just demolished the Last Stand Exam and dropped Gavin Pundle off at the Council of Chosen office in Bastion City. It’s the day before Spring Break so hypothetically they should be relaxing–they don’t have a Spring Break project like everyone else because of the Last Stand–but these are the Bad Kids. They don’t get breaks.

First order of business when they get back to Elmville is to check the crystal they left recording at the crime scene. They see a massive figure--14 to 15 feet--wearing a hood approaching Buddy with their back to the camera. The stones behind Buddy glow with Ankarna-style light so they check to see if Bakur is escaping the gem he’s trapped in. He isn't but Riz using his spy tie can tell it's def something Ankarna related based on the magical mDNA he's clocking. Based on the footfalls, it seems like something big and humanoid (though not like a tabaxi or dragonborn with their digitigrade feet. Giant is def on the table though).

The figure moves closer to Buddy and Kristen thinks they’re about to slap the symbol on Buddy’s chest but Buddy’s body spasms and blood spatters as his organs seem to crush. He jolts awake with a pained roar and then says in his southern drawl, "Dang, y'all. I worship a nameless god of rage." The figure kneels over Buddy and they both vanish.

So, yeah. Good call setting up some CCTV.

Fig right away speculates that maybe all the Rat Grinders died and were brought back to life in that way. Maybe in the Mountains of Chaos, Fabian adds. Kristen points out that KP has been angry since Freshman Year and they all finally get around to digging into the file that Riz stole. Has she always been a follower of Ankarna or was she scouted at some point because of how insanely aggro she is?

Everyone piles on buffs to Riz’s already stupid Investigation score so he gets a 32. I’m going to bullets to organize all of this info:

Her Freshman and Sophomore Year accomplishments are pretty meh. She was doing quests but pretty low level, easy ones

We find out the reason KP hates Riz so much and it’s his tragic backstory. In a meeting at the top of Sophomore Year, they see KP complaining that it’s so unfair that Kalvaxus killed Riz’s dad. She’s too suburban and normal and she hasn’t been able to find any sordid secrets in her lineage that would make for good plot hooks essentially. Her parents went to *Mumple* for Cassandra’s sake! Over the course of Sophomore year she started having rage outbursts. and saying that kids with tragic backstories had an unfair advantage in adventuring and their grades should reflect that.

She talks about how much she loves her party. The way she speaks, she's def the leader (which we kinda already assumed from the vibes). She seems especially fond of Lucy and says that she's the only one who sort of "gets it". Apparently, KP came up with the name "High 5 Heroes" and Lucy was supportive of that because it meant a lot to KP. Rat Grinders was a name that Ivy and Oisin came up with (they're the other pair of besties in the group which checks out because they were the ones hanging out and playing beer pong together). Ruben voted for the change to piss off KP and Mary Ann voted for it as well and refused to elaborate (on brand).

In her Junior Year she gets even more unhinged. She talks about wanting to straight up murder Kristen. She thinks Kristen is going for President as a joke and won't even do the job when she's elected. And she he hates Fig for boxing her out from confronting Kristen.

There's a note that, for Spring Break, they're going to the Mountains of Chaos for the second time. The last time they went was a week or two after Spring Break last year, right before Lucy died. They had a school chaperone because it was too high an adventure for their abilities in the school’s view and no prizes for guessing who that was: Jace Stardiamond.

As we kind of already know, KP has been gathering Bad Kid info via Jawbone--specifically, stuff about the Prompocalypse/Kalvaxus fight and the Yes! Stuff. These questions are coming Sophomore Year, post the first Mountains of Chaos trip.

With a dirty 20 Insight, Fig sees that, starting at the end of Soph Year, there's a change in KP's language where it goes from, "I don't think X is fair"/"I think they get special treatment" to just straight up, "I hate them."

The group wonders if Jace is the mastermind here and scoped out which of the students were susceptible to rage poisoning or if maybe he died during that mountain trip and got taken over just as much as everyone else. As far as they know, he was super chill prior to this.

They take a brief detour to razz Fabian about The Incident in his dance class with some excellent puns and then another brief detour to IRL razz Murph because he makes the grave mistake of saying the phrase, “honor the cock.” And then, Kristen has a brain blast. She wonders if maybe the difference between someone who gets a crystal put in them and comes back as a rage person (eg: Buddy) vs someone who is left in limbo like Yolanda and Lucy is that you get a choice and you can either come back full of rage or refuse and stay dead with the mark on your chest. Brennan doesn't even make Ally roll for it, Kristen just gets it in one. And everyone realizes it makes sense. Yolanda was super principled and Lucy always stuck to her guns according to Ruben. [Note: This also offers a potential reason that Ivy wasn't shocked to see Lucky at the party–maybe she thought she finally took Ankarna’s deal.]

Another list of info just to keep things neat:

They check the tape from the Coliseum and see that there's a ten minute gap between the Bad Kids leaving and the figure coming to rez Buddy so that’s a bit of a timeline established (assuming no chronomancy BS I suppose).

They also get the thing about digitigrade feet I mentioned earlier at this point but I just thought it fit better with the other tape stuff above.

Ruben has deleted most of his social media presence from a little bit before last year but they can see from photos where he's tagged with his friends that the emo thing started after spring break of Sophomore Year, confirming what we assumed from his old Yearbook photo. Before that his vibe was more soft rock/folk pop (based on the musician they reffed who I've never heard of but just Googled--Jack Johnson).

The Bad Kids think they might have to waste yet another Spring Break, this time chasing the Rat Grinders into the Mountains of Chaos, but before that, they have in-town business and downtime to attend to.

Everyone's parents and guardians are so happy and proud of them for their Last Stand victory.

Sklonda asks Riz if there's anything she can help with and he asks if she can look into Bobby Dawn. She says Bobby used to go to Aguefort (info that has come up before according to Brennan though I don't remember it) and asks if Fig knows he's teaching there. It seems like a non sequitur until she reveals (via Emily figuring it out at the table with very impressive swiftness) that Bobby Dawn was at the center of Sandra Lynn's sordid past! For those of y’all who don’t remember, we learned in Sophomore Year that Sandra Lynn joined a party when she was young as a replacement member. There was a married couple in the group who were older and more powerful than her. She fell in love with one of them and when it all came out, she was kicked out and slandered (even though it takes two minimum to tango, as we all know). She was basically blacklisted from adventuring after that which is why she joined the rangers. Well, now we know who that couple was: Bobby and Pamela Dawn!

Which, ugh what an upgrade Jawbone and honestly even Gilear are from Bobby Dawn.

(Also, as an aside, we learn Pamela is the chief paladin of the church of Sol which, como se dice, yikes. That whole pantheon needs better reps. Tracker is doing all the heavy lifting herself.)

Gavin checks in to say that the Council of Chosen is looking into things but the body is missing. The Bad Kids, who already knew this, share their footage because they have to do EVERYTHING around here. Gavin also lets them know that they’re completely free from academic requirements other than filling out a teacher eval and attending graduation (which is odd considering they aren’t graduating but Aguefort is a weird school and Brennan never went to trad high school so shrug–we’ll see if that’s just a weird Aguefort thing or a something suspicious).

Back to Riz and Sklonda, he asks his mom if she's ever heard of Eugenia Shadow and she tells him that she's a granddaughter of one of the founders of the Society of Shadows (which was named after their last name--it's literal AND a metaphor. She offers to drive him to the cemetery in Ashgrove which is about 90 minutes away.

Wilma and Digby are exuberant as always about Gorgug's success. They’ve finally fixed up the Hangvan for him and give him the keys. He thanks them and then asks about why Frosty Fair picked their tree as the new event site. They think it's just because they're heavily in the Frosty Fair circuit and also someone (who we know is Ruben) vouched for them. But they mention that the FF reps had a lot of questions about their tree including whether the tree was a Root Warden. They don't have a Druid or Ranger who would know but Kristen gets a Nat 20 (and Cass is a sylvan goddess so it checks out that she would know some stuff about trees).

A Root Warden is a tree that is so magical that it's a little more alive than a normal tree (without fully being a treant) and has an Int of like 1 or 2 instead of zero. So it's basically the big, old tree that guards the other trees in the area and tells them when to have their guards up and protects them from general bad mojo. Brennan calls it a sentinel. The Thistlespring tree is the Root Warden for the trees in all of Elmville county. Gorgug rolls too low to tell if the tree is corrupted but his parents do tell them that the people who came by to check on the tree dropped something into the roots with eye droppers that was absorbed. Everyone is worried about rage pollen, especially since it’s the middle of spring. And once he’s looped in, Riz can see on a map that Loam Farm is significantly outside the tree network that Thislespring tree is a part of. It seems clear that they were trying to make sure they were not only operating within the network but poisoning its very heart.

Fabian gets a proud message from his dad now that they’re synced up with infernal/material plane communication. Gilear asks Fabian about baby clothes so, naturally, he burns them all. He also gets another 20k gold allowance because his life is full of intense highs and lows and that’s about it.

Kristen’s parents text her to ask her to make sure Bucky is going to his classes. Suspicious! She agrees to check up on him.

Aelwyn has accepted the job at Leviathan so she starts coming by the mansion again since there's a door/portal to the library which saves her the spell slot. Adaine tells her she can just come back home if she wants and Sandra Lynn agrees. Aelwyn asks if all her cats can come and everyone says yes, even if it means kicking out Kristen (which is a joke…mostly lol). So yay, Aelwyn is back in the bunk beds baybee! And during the month of my birth irl and in canon. Ty Brennan. Kristen tries to verbally spar with her because she knows Aelwyn is uncomfortable with people being too openly nice to her but Aelwyn accidentally claps back too hard and sends Kristen running back to her room near tears. Sorry, K! She’s working on her people skills! Fig of course has her President’s back and gives Aelwyn a wet willy which majorly grosses her out but she doesn’t sling any retaliatory spells. Progress!

Gorthalax makes sure that Fig knows he’s always a resource for any help with anything infernal. Meanwhile, Adaine has a couple of spells she wants to cast. She makes a Simulacrum of Kristen, to make it confusing for anyone who wants to go after Kristen. It’s a clone of her with half her HP which is slightly British and slightly straight. She casts Legend Lore on Kipperlilly and gets no info which means she’s a basic ass bitch. (Riz, in comparison, does get a ping but it’s for being the 5th person to summon the Night Yorb so he is keen to do better than that). Finally, she casts Scry on Kipperlilly and doesn't get anything because she has Nondetection casted on her. She realizes that all of the Rat Grinders do at all times which is 18 third level spells a day which is crazy. Clearly, they’re scared.

Graveyard time! On Saturday, they head to Ashgrove and find the grave of Eugenia Shadow who died at the age of 111. Adaine swaps to Ethereal Vision to try and find her but Riz (with his Blindsense) is the one who finds her (she’s carefully ducking behind Adaine to dodge her line of sight). Eugenia is annoyed to have two students find her in one year but very happy to drink, smoke, and do drugs with the Bad Kids(just go with it).

Despite being dead, Eugenia knows a lot about stuff that's going on and congratulates them on passing their Last Stand. Riz asks her about what "the Rogue teacher found her" re: Kipperlilly means and Eugenia says that KP somehow found out that she was dead (despite the fact that as far as Shadow knows, the only records of her death exists in Aguefort’s office) and showed up at the grave with a rented backhoe, threatening to dig her up unless she showed basically. Which, yes, is grave desecration and messed up but is it any more messed up than the concept of a rogue in general? Like, I hate KP as much as the next person but this feels like normal rogue behavior. As Eugenia says in this very scene, rogues do crimes! Anyway, Eugenia reiterates something we already knew about Kipperlilly: that she's obsessed with technicalities and loopholes. We learn for a fact that she's a Mastermind Rogue and Eugenia says that she's a lot like Riz but walking a darker path.

As they're speculating how KP could have gotten into Aguefort's office (via Jace maybe?) Mazey comes up since she's acting principal and Eugenia reminds them that Aguefort is not a normal school with normal positions. Things are set up so that whoever is VP has to follow whatever the Principal says no matter what since Kalvaxus is supposed to be in that position as a prisoner. Equally importantly, Aguefort is more than a school. It's a hotbed of very important magical threads that Aguefort had going and they'll unravel without someone at the helm. That fact and the fact that killing her would mean chaos and not a simple transfer of power to another party is probably the only reason no one has tried to assassinate her yet. At his friends’ urging, Fabian texts Mazey to hang out, to help keep an eye on her.

Eugenia tells them to keep their guards up and that she expects to see all of them in Rogue classes next year. She gives Riz an eval form and Fig asks about a Landscaping Company that KP contacted (which I think must be in cut footage because this is the first time it comes up in the ep. Eugenia says that the name of the company is Loam Landscaping which gives everyone pause for obvious reasons.

Speaking of the Loams, they're on the same death clock as Lucy since it's been a while since they died and Adaine wonders if they can Plane Shift to where they are if they can figure out where that is. Brennan says that the vibe is that Yolanda and Lucy are probably with Cassandra, wherever Cass is.

Downtime before Spring Break!

Fabian is up first.

He rolls a 27 for Popularity. People are hoping he's gonna keep up lofi study nights over the summer and they're so psyched that his birthday is the same day as the election (the 31st). Adaine realizes that THIS must be the bday party/election victory she keeps having visions about and tells him he has to do it. For his second track, he asks Mazey out on an official date to Krom's Diner. She says yes and, on a 20, we get a very sweet scene where Fabian has a nice normal date with a genuinely nice, down to earth person.

Even though she's not supposed to play favorites, she tells him that Kristen's basically demolishing Kipperlilly in the election so far (which she is impressed by because she didn't think Kristen was going to take it seriously). She also lets them know that technically any place (including a big house party perhaps) can be a polling place as long as someone from the school admin is present (which could potentially be Mazey or Riz).

Mazey gives him a goodnight kiss (getting his kisses in!) and we move on to his third roll which he uses to try and mend fences with Kristen for Gertie’s sake. He offers her any satisfaction she wants from an apology to combat and she chooses combat. With a 30 to her 16, he handily defeats her and she considers her honor satisfied. They'll chill now. And he even gives her some tips on flirting with Kristen. Trying to make sure his girl gets her kisses in too I see.

Corsica and Terpsicore find him to give him eval forms. (Also, on a Nat 20, Fig steals RIz's eval and changes his one negative comment about her doing drugs with her students into a positive one because of course Fig loves her). He just barely gets his Owlbears roll with a bardic and that's his last roll.

Adaine is up next. She uses a portent to get a 29 on mystery to learn about the Astral Plane and figures out that when a god is dead in the Astral Plane there's still some level of intelligence, like how a mortal can die but then have Speak With Dead cast on them and answer questions. She also finds some weird linguistic trickery in a passage about how where gods die, where they go, and where they're borne--not born, borne as in carried. Imagine the laws of the universe hinging on a pun. Wild. They wonder if that's what Bakur was trying to do/if the proper location would have been the Mountains of Chaos.

Brennan also says she gets some interesting stuff about the Mountains of Chaos and its history and is left with the question of, "When Ankarna was said to have 'died' in the Red Waste, what does that mean?" Adaine decides to roll to learn some spells to help her party survive in the Astral Plane if they need to go and on a 29 spell she learns one new spell of each level. She also talks to her teacher (Tiberia Runsetaff) who, in addition to giving her an eval to do, says she's been talking to Aguefort (Chronomancy) and when she mentioned that she was having problem getting supplies for wizarding, Ayda left her a geocache. Runestaff gives Adaine the coordinates and she texts Fig so they can go together because she assumes Ayda left stuff for both of them.

Next, she wants to roll Relationships and throws an ice cream party for the whole manor which everyone really enjoys. She chats with Sandra Lynn who tells her that the Mountains of Chaos have been nuts lately and social animals like wolves have been killing members of their own packs as of the last few weeks. That sounds very rage-y to Adaine so she tells Sandra Lynn everything they know (except for the Bobby Dawn stuff so Fig can be the one to break the news).

Adaine asks if Sandra Lynn will take them to the mountains since she knows the area so well from work and Sandra Lynn says they might have to sign some liability waivers but she's down as long as her bosses are down. They also have a very sweet conversation where Adaine says she’s very grateful to them for taking her in and she admits that she's not very good at being a kid. Sandra Lynn says that she's always available for any conversations that Adaine wanted to have with a mom and couldn't (on account of her mom being a raging bitch and also being chased by the Vands of course). Adaine thinks she's about to give her a talk on periods and dashes away, much to Sandra Lynn's bafflement.

Fig does her evals for her teachers including Lucilla who is weeping over her not remembering her name and just calling her "Attractive bard teacher", Porter who is irked to be sharing a sheet with Zara, and Zara who wants to see Fig because she send her a flap of flayed skin with writing on it (the contract from Bill). Valid concern.

Adaine wraps up her downtime by rolling to Scry on Jace and gives him a 1 to make sure he fails. She sees him sitting quietly working in his office where he's Fantasy Googling the Complicated Women podcast. Adaine doesn't see what else he's working on with a low Luck roll but on a 17 Perception, she sees that he's starting to sweat in his toasty office. He takes off his scarf and, as he does, she catches a glimpse of him in the mirror, revealing a deep ragged scar in his chest. He looks at the scar and, for a moment, his eyes flash red.

Detention

Kipperlilly for All Of That

Girl are you KIDDING ME?

“Oh boo hoo. Riz is so lucky. School is so easy for him because he has a dead dad to avenge. Some people have all the luck.”

Man, kick rocks. And she was like that *before* she got involved with Ankarna.

Also, sidenote, it’s not even like Riz ended up killing Kalvaxus because of his tragic backstory. He didn’t even know there was a connection going in. He just wanted to find his missing babysitter and the other missing girls! You’re a Mastermind Rogue. You want a plot hook? Nancy Drew it up, bitch!

You want Kristen dead? You want her DEAD? You’re jealous of Riz who lives in a household where sometimes you have to eat your cereal with water because there’s not enough milk to go around? Truly, get a grip.

Honor Roll

Kristen for Making a Clutch Connection

This should really go to Ally but yeah. What a great leap figuring out that staying dead is an option and that’s most likely what happened to Yolanda and Lucy.

This very likely explains a longstanding loose end from much earlier in the season. Ivy didn’t look shocked to see “Lucy” (Fig in disguise) at the party even though we know she was dead. With this new info, it seems likely that Ivy assumed that Lucy had finally given in and come back as a rage acolyte.

Anyway, baller connection and she got there before I did. I love it when Brennan is so impressed he doesn't even ask for an Insight roll.

Random Thoughts

Here is a super useful timeline of events Re: the Ratgrinders by @ratgrinders.

I’ve seen a lot of people assume that the RG’s died in the Mountains of Chaos but I’m not convinced that happened. Because that was way before Lucy died and we know that once she died, she refused to come back as a rage person. And we know you can take a rage crystal without having to die first. That happened in the mall fight with the wizards. If they TPK’d there and Ankara offered to bring them back, then they would have come back without Lucy because she would have said no.

Here’s my current theory: They went to the mountains with Jace. They either stumbled into information about Ankarna or were led there by Jace if he’s proper evil and not just taken over. They were offered a deal and everyone went for it but Lucy. KP really wanted Lucy to join them–esp cause she considered Lucy her best friend. She tried to strong arm her into it (maybe even forging her god change form) and, when she stuck to her guns, she organized everyone to kill Lucy, forcing her into a position where she’d have to say yes to Ankarna in order to stay alive. In KP’s head, Lucy would do this and maybe be annoyed for a bit but in the end see it was for the best and forgive her–maybe even thank her. But she miscalculated the strength of Lucy’s conviction and voila. Dead Lucy.

Edit: Wanted to come back and edit to note that it is of course possible that in the mountains everyone died except for Lucy and that's when they took the Ankarna deal, but even if that's the case, the rest of the theory would proceed as written. I was mainly thinking that while what we saw with Buddy is a strong possibility it's not the only possibility. If they died then they're a bit more sympathetic because self preservation is an understandable motivator and taking the deal doesn't make them craven--it just makes Lucy and Yolanda extremely principled. However if they just took the deal because it was offered to them then that's more eyebrow raising. Even though I'm skeptical, I'm kinda hoping their hands were forced because I think that's more interesting and we've had straight up petty power grabbing already from Penelope. But anyway, just being thorough.

"Flash of Stupidity” is so funny.

It's not surprising that Ivy and Oisin are one of the pairs of besties in the RG's--they were introduced playing beer pong together--but I'm super curious about what their dynamic is. And ditto for Lucy and KP. Was it like a high strung one/chilled out one kind of thing? I really wish the Bad Kids had been a bit nosier about their whole deal.

Do we think KP maybe wanted to make sure the BK's died in the last stand alongside Buddy and Pundle so they'd all come back as rage people? Maybe that crossbow bolt was laced with some rage mojo?

KP being mad at Riz for trying to pickpocket Jawbone of her file when (1) she’s literally a rogue as well and (2) she pickpocketed Kristen and Buddy of their revivify diamonds is insane.

I love Lou committing to the bit of being appalled at the thought of half-siblings via Gilear because I know he knows that every time he explodes it becomes even funnier which means it’s more likely to happen but he can’t stop because he’s Committed To The Bit. Classic Lou.

Wizards casting Legend Lore on themselves as the in-universe equivalent of Googling yourself.

I love the detail that Mazey’s family lives in a Labyrinth in the Red Wastes.

Kinda bummed we didn’t get to do more with the Relationship track so the special ability never came up and Brennan had to just reveal it (it can reduce stress but also increase it).

I am so stressed about the bylaws and also Bucky. They keep coming up and then falling off of everyones’ plates and we’re running out of runway here.

Adaine really said, “You didn’t just kill your parents? Skill issue.” She really is Aelwyn’s sister.

The VP has to do anything the Principal says, right? And Mazey is the Principal, right? There’s gotta be a way to exploit that, especially now that Fabian is in her good graces.

When did Aelwyn get FIVE MORE CATS?

Answered and Partially Answered Questions

Last week I made as thorough a list as I could about what info we were missing and I wanted to note the answers we got this week.

1) Why the move to Loam Farm for Frosty Faire? (The Thistlespring tree is a Rootwarden)

2) How is Jace involved? Why is he manipulating Ruben? (We know Jace went w/ them on the trip but that's not a full answer)

3) What were the exact circumstances behind Lucy’s death? Who was able to put the rune on both of their bodies and what exactly was the goal there? (We know the mark is from getting a rage crystal but rejecting it but we don't officially know who did it or what the goal was though you know my guess.)

4) How did KP find the rogue teacher? (Threatened to dig up her grave. Info that she was dead was only in Aguefort's office so maybe got that from Jace?)

5) Also what’s her damage? Why is she obsessed with Riz? What are her anger issues about? (She's a petty basic bitch)

6) Why wasn’t Ivy surprised to see Fig in disguise as Lucy who was at the time fully dead? (Most likely because she thought she finally chose rage zombie resurrection)

7) What’s up with the party vision that Adaine has now had at least twice? (We know this is election night and Fabian's bday now)

8) What made the Rat Grinders become the Rat Grinders when they started as the High Five Heroes? (We know it was a vote led by Ivy and Oisin and joined by Ruben and Mary Ann but not the why behind it)

9) Where exactly is Cass right now? (We still don't know for sure but it seemed like a realm within Ankarna’s dead body which is prob in the Astral Plane. We do know Lucy and Yolanda are prob with her as of this ep.)

As an aside, we still don’t know how Oblivati Mori was broken to write Ankarna’s name before the Bad Kids found it but is it possible that the person who wrote it was Ankarna herself? Because Ankarna is still “dead” right now, right? Because she’s been active all the same. Oblivati Mori disallows others from speaking your name but does it disallow the god themselves from speaking or writing their name if mortals find them somehow? Kind of a stretch but I’m wondering if there’s enough wiggle room there to make something happen, especially since this episode Brennan said that gods retain some intelligence even when they’re dead on Adaine’s high roll. I dunno, just spitballing.

(Also, I don’t remember where I saw this but remember how Aelwyn said KP is randomly loaded? The previous best guess on that was money from Oisin–the boy who was just gonna give Adaine diamonds–but is it possible that she’s spending the embezzled Frosty Fair money? We don’t know much much it was so hard to say if it was enough to be funding whatever this is. But wanted to throw that out there since we’re tying loose ends as much as we can.)

Anyway, can’t wait for next episode which I’ve been told will be more than THREE HOURS LONG and Brennan said in the AP that it’s gonna be a doozy. Excited, trepid, and preemptively bracing for another long haul review. See you then!

#Dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #d20 #d20 spoilers #fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #spoilers #the report card

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morimakesfanart · 3 months ago

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Sindria's Prophet #40

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [Intermission] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39]

[AO3] [wattpad]

*Sinbad goes yandere off and on *Sinbad goes to horny jail *Major spoilers for the Adventures manga ~POV Mori~ The King left with the first few fate scrolls and I dropped onto my new sofa. Even after the curtain covering my doorway stopped moving I couldn't look away. 'Does he mean it? ...Actually, what was "it" in that question? His willingness to change his path, or what he pressed me on before that? ... But Sinbad never falls in love or gets married.' I could try to deny which part was hitting harder all I wanted until those feelings made themselves into words I couldn't look away from.

There was no way I was going to get any meaningful progress done for the rest of the day, but I also couldn't bring myself to move. Only the ringing of the Great Bell was able to break the looping conversation in my head. ---

During the meeting the next morning I couldn't stop myself from watching Sinbad. 'How much of the scrolls did he read?' There wouldn't be anything actually useful for him for a few scrolls so that could be why he looked the same. Regardless, my heart couldn't stop racing every time I remember everything else that happened around his request to take the scrolls.

Eventually I couldn't hold back my curiosity and a few days later I asked him what he thought of the scrolls at lunch. He got a nostalgic expression, and put down his food. "I was surprised to see you wrote that much about my parents. I don't have many memories of my father so it was... nice to read about him."

"I see." I wasn't sure how else to respond.

The nostalgic look in his eyes left but I couldn't tell what it was replaced with. It reminded me of when he was analyzing new information to make some type of plan. He moved the conversation along the timeline and eventually asked, "Is what you wrote about Yunan true? He really has the memories of multiple lifetimes?"

I nodded with my answer, "Yes. Having to experience the continuous ups and downs of history first hand is what made him so jaded."

"I see." Sinbad immediately switched topics to the adventures recorded in the scrolls and talked of feeling nostalgic but it didn't touch his features like it did earlier. At least his laugh seemed genuine. "Reading about how I handled Sassan and Artemyra made me realize just how little I cared about the basic rules of nobility. It's no wonder Ja'far was always so stressed."

I almost had a spit take. "That's putting it lightly." He used force to back their leaders into a corner and then said 'Join me in the name of peace.' --- ~POV Sinbad~ The King had hoped for more detailed answers. It was clear that the section about Yunan had been rewritten to remove something important. But that wasn't the only reason. In a later scroll, he read about his own experience in learning what Magi are. When he realized Yunan, a Magi, had chosen him it only made him more certain that he was chosen by Fate, and his gift of the waves was undeniable proof that he was special. His Beautiful Prophet did not hold back when she wrote: 'his illusions of grandeur reached a new height and were undeniably why he would fall into traps made by his own greed just as much as by those wishing for his downfall.' Knowing what would be covered in the next few scrolls made those words hit harder. It also made him hesitate to retrieve them from the Prophet.

Mori was getting better at hiding the aspects of Fate she didn't want anyone to know. If he pushed, it would become obvious what he was actually looking for: clues about the 2nd Calamity as well as his own death. At least Mori's answers confirmed the thoughts he had reading the scrolls. As soon as lunch was over, Sinbad instructed Ja'far to gather as much information as possible on Yunan and, more importantly, any information about the past Kings chosen by magi. There was an important clue there; he could feel it. ---

~POV Sharrkan~ The King dismissed all but the first generation of Household Members from the meeting room. Spartos dutifully left to return to his post, and Yam returned to the Magician's Tower with Mori. Meanwhile, Sharrkan and Pisti roped Masrur into staying back with them to eavesdrop. Ja'far was the first to speak. "We've narrowed down the options to 3 rooms for Mori," he sighed, "but I have a feeling you won't pick any of them." A pit formed in Shar's stomach, 'Wait. Doesn't Mori already had an office?' Their King laughed. "I'm sure they're all good options, but I still say the rooms next to mine would be the best." "Right." Hina teased, "Because Mori's going to be real happy when they realize you put them in the Queen's Suite after they rejected you." 'Nonononono!' Pisti and Masrur both gave Sharrkon pity pats. The shorter of the 2 struggled to suppress her giggles.

When the Palace was made, Sinbad said he didn't want a Queen's Tower or Harem built because he'd never want either. The lack of a Harem was eventually accepted, but Sin couldn't deny that the Kingdom would someday need an official heir so the Queen's Suite was made to placate the voices he couldn't convince. However, nothing short of the threat of war had a chance of putting someone in those rooms, until now. "They confessed their feelings for me first. It'll be fine." Sinbad defended his decision. "In time, Mori will realize that my feelings aren't going to change and all of this will be a thing of the past, won't it? I just want to make sure they're safe and comfortable while I'm out of the country." 'Damnit! If Mori actually likes Sin, then repeatedly coming on to her would definitely prove that his feelings weren't changing.' ((Boy no... (⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠>⁠⌐⁠■⁠-⁠■)) Shar was about to lose the last bet and there was nothing he could do about it. The only bright side was that this could give him the answer of how to finally get Yamuraiha to turn his way. Drakon countered Sinbad's enthusiasm. "While constancy is important, so is respecting consent." The Generals hiding outside pictured his serious expression in their heads. "Forcing them to fill the position in all but name will only make them hate you." "Augh." Sinbad groaned in time with Sharrkon. "I know, but what am I suppose to do then?" The Womanizer of the Seven Seas asked with not even a fraction of the despair his protegee was feeling. "Well, for one thing," Ja'far gave the first recommendation, "you really need to stop asking for call girls and flirting all the time." "I know. That's-" Sinbad started. "A decade and a half of cleaning up your messes is reason enough, Sin." Ja'far continued. "I don't know what Mori told you, but did you forget what they said back in Balbadd? How they'd never fall in love with a womanizer? They might not care while they're just flirting with you, but that's very different from being in a relationship." No wonder the Prophet had brought up Yam saying the same thing to Sharrkan... Sin tried again. "I know. That's-" Drakon agreed with his fellow General. "For a man to prove his character, he must show what type of partner he will be before he ever enters a relationship." "Which is why I-" Hinahoho added for good measure, "Think of it this way Sin: which of us here have actually had happy marriages?" "JUST WHAT TYPE OF MAN DO YoU TaKe Me for?!" Sinbad's voice booming was followed by a thump of him crashing back into his chair. "Don't answer that!" He paused. "I never wanted to get married before so it wasn't a problem until now!" He sighed loud enough to be heard outside the room. "Mori told me directly that they don't believe my advances because of reading my Fate, so I've already been working on it! Ja'far!" He was probably pointing at him. "How many complaints have you gotten about me in the weeks since the Announcement? I know I haven't been requesting any call girls recently either." There was a short silence. "Now that you mention it..." Ja'far mumbled something that Masrur explained was counting under his breath. "There were a few in the days right after, but those were about things that happen at or before the Announcement." Sharrkon wanted to cry. Or at least get a drink. Hina and Rurumu were really happy together while she was alive, and Drakon and Sahel are really happy now. Sin had gotten married by accident a few times and would always flee the morning after, but now that he wanted to get married for real, the object of his affections repeatedly turned him down. Womanizing was the problem all along. This was all Sinbad's fault! ---

~POV Sinbad~ Sinbad talked a big game to his Generals, and he meant every word. He had to completely shake those habits if he really wanted Mori to view him as an option. His original plan was to ween himself off of that vice by the time he came back from the Kou Empire. However, Fate had other plans and made him quit cold turkey early. ~flashback~ After seeing Mori recovered, the King struggled with his new intense emotions. He drank himself into a stupor, and only sobered up when the woman leaving his room said, "So... 'Mori' is the Prophet, right? You seemed really close during the festival." She giggled. "Will you just be calling us when she's on her period from now on?" The memory of his actions attacked him viciously. He had called out Mori's name multiple times. In fact, his memory told him that he thought it was his Beautiful Prophet under him in those moments thanks to the alcohol. "N-no." He shrugged her off with a smile. "This will be the last time actually." Why hadn't anyone warned him that this could happen?? "Aw~ that's a shame. I'll let the others know." Sinbad sighed in relief when she left. He knew the fear of death and injury from his adventures. He had even experienced guilt, and regret due to the weight of others' lives on his shoulders. But love was teaching him the hell of humiliation and shame. He knew that his thoughts were turning to Mori more and more at the mere idea of satisfying his libido no matter how he got there, but how could he call out their name when they weren't the one with him? Even worse, how could he mistaken anyone else for his Beautiful Prophet??? Between alcohol and sex, he knew which would be easier to quit -especially since the later would only be until he got his partner of choice to join him.

~flashback over~ At least he had the Fate scrolls to fill his suddenly empty nights for the time being. They weren't nearly as fun, but he'd rather think about the scrolls than why he had more free time. The King cleared his throat. "There shouldn't be any problem with preparing the Queen's Suite for Mori. But if you really think it will be a problem, prepare one of the rooms you've picked as a back up as well." All 3 Generals showed their disappointment, but this was one decision Sinbad wouldn't back down from. He didn't want Mori questioning the sincerity of his feelings if they were given anything less than the Queen's Suite. They were already insecure because of their ex fiancé and Sinbad's own reputation, so he would do whatever he could to remove any shadow of doubt in their mind. ---

~POV Sharrkan~ Sharrkan hit the Prophet's desk and the sound echoed in her office. She looked up shaken and stirred.

"I'll take you!" Sinbad sabotaged Sharrkan's relationship, so fuck 'im! "But I want you to fix something for me in return." If Sinbad does anything because of this it will only drive a wedge between him and 'his Beautiful Prophet.' "You gotta clear up this thing between Yam and me!" She blinked up at him a few times before jumping up. "What- Is this about the- Can we go right now??" "Yeah! Let's go!" ---

~POV Ja'far~ The General walked towards the Prophet's office only to catch a glimpse of them passing between a few book shelves in the opposite direction. "Mori! Do you have a minute?"

"Ah! Um." Mori's voice called back. They mumbled something and then appeared before him. "Yeah. What's up?"

"I wanted to read the Fate scrolls. It seems like they have been enlightening to Sin so far."

"Of course! They're your Fate too." They started to turn away. "Feel free to take them from my office. I'm on my way to a meeting, so I'm sorry I can't show you this time."

Ja'far thanked them before parting ways. It was actually better that the Prophet couldn't be there. Sinbad had mentioned that the scrolls he grabbed went up to their return to Riem which meant that the ones that remained might include the secret Sinbad was hiding -how he truly knew the risks of siding with Parthevia but agreed but agreed to buy the island anyway. The King might have admitted to that mistake, but he still refused to give details.

The scrolls had notes on the outside to explained what they covered, so Ja'far was easily able to find what he was looking for. He brought them to the guest table to unroll.

Before reading, the illustrations caught his attention. The first was of a teen Sinbad standing in front of a cage full of monsters that Ja'far recognized as victims of Parthavia's experiments. In the second, Sinbad was shocked with drawings behind him -they seemed to be depicting what Sinbad was thinking about in that moment. The biggest showed Ja'far beating sense into Sinbad under him. It looked to be around the time Sinbad was freed from slavery. Even before reading, Ja'far was getting an idea of what this was about.

What was written confirmed what Sinbad had admitted that night a month ago. He knew full well what type of person Barbarossa was, and how he treated his own people. But there was one thing Sinbad was very wrong about: his ability to read the waves had nothing to do with his decision to side with Barbarossa.

...Sinbad was desperate to reach the next step towards his dream after all of his recent failures, but he couldn't ignore the horrible truth starring him in the face. If he denied this opportunity to become King there was no telling if he'd ever get another. But if he accepted, he'd be putting everyone that trusted him at risk to the same treatment as the villagers he had left behind when he was 14. In that moment his mind was sent to the only other time he faced something similar. That time he had made the decision to accept the opportunity -risking the lives of the slave children. When he was freed before his plan even finished, he was finally safe enough to be able to see how needless their sacrifice was. There was only so much he could do to make up for his mistake though. While he struggled with the guilt of that decision he was told "Did you think you could realize your dream while keeping your hands completely clean? This is the path you chose." Ja'far had said more in the moment, but that was the line that stuck with Sinbad. If the avoidable deaths of children were something he needed to accept, than surely siding with a violent fascist was also necessary even if it would definitely lead to more victims...

"What is this??" Ja'far was shaken. He grabbed the scroll that would have the full version of the memory that apparently haunted Sinbad. The illustration that had been behind Sinbad in the previous scroll was drawn bigger in this one. He skimmed the surrounding text until he found what he was looking for.

...Sinbad had done all he could to correct his mistake. Making Madaar sign the agreement she had already promised to the Sindria Company only saved the few slaves that somehow survived the massacre. He turned to the one person present that he could rely on. Ja'far looked at him with obvious disdain. The guilt poured over into Sinbad's words, "I knew this would happen if I caused a rebellion..."

Mori wrote out Sinbad's whole self deprecating rant. He struggled to cope with the guilt that he learned from watching Madaar manipulate the vulnerable and became willing to use the exact same techniques. He lamented the irony of his actions and his goals for the future. The rant ended with Sinbad quoting to Ja'far the exact thing he said when he swore his loyalty to him.

"'If you disappoint me, I'll kill you'... I guess it'll turn out like that, huh? As I am now, I have nothing to say about it..." Ja'far had had enough of Sinbad's pitty party and punched him in the face as hard as he could (which was actually kinda impressive with their height difference at the time). "NO... THIS ISN'T A FUCKING JOKE!! SINBAD!!" It wasn't punishment enough to quell his guilt. "But I disappointed you, didn't I?" The person Sinbad disappointed the most was himself. Ja'far beat him until he lay on the ground bloodied and bruised. "What a fucking joke. Disappointed me? Yeah, you disappointed me. You'll take responsibility for everything? You're not taking responsibility for anything are you? You're letting yourself sink into despair, giving up, and, on top of that, having the nerve to act like it's all over..." Ja'far called out his bullshit. "Listen up!! IT'S YOUR NAIVETY THAT DISAPPOINTED ME THE MOST!!"

This was more like what the present Ja'far remembered. Mori wrote his full rant back at Sinbad. Why didn't Sin understand that his point was that he needed to be responsible for the survivors? Ja'far was what? 13 at the time. His wording of things wasn't great, but he had to pull Sinbad back together -Sin could have his breakdown later. Of course dirtying his hands is unavoidable sometimes. But that-

...Sinbad relented and apologized, and would never admit to the pain and guilt he held from this event ever again. He couldn't afford to disappoint everyone relying on him. He was the one chosen by 'the Magi' to become King. Sinbad grew up having to be the rock of his small village since all the men died in war, and the remaining adults were too sickly or burdened. He had long forgotten how to ask for emotional support and the the first person he tried opening up to shut down his expressions of guilt. Sinbad was unable to understand that the timing and choice of person was the problem. Those feelings would fester every time he made another mistake until he was able to fully replace his guilt with the acceptance of 'Fate' as inevitable. He wouldn't be able to acknowledge his own potential for evil for another 15~ years... If Sinbad hadn't admitted to struggling with this directly then Ja'far wouldn't have believed the opinionated portions of what the Prophet wrote. This was what Sinbad was hiding. This was why he refused to explain anything that had happened back then in detail. That last line hinted at the future they were afraid of. If Sinbad was unable to view himself as human until 15 years after that incident, it would line up perfectly with when the 2nd Calamity happens and he dies. These 2 scrolls gave more credibility to that dreaded theory. It would also explain why Mori would agree to be Sindria's Prophet and help Sinbad. Because he refused to ask for help. Because he hid his pain from the very people that swore to support him. Mori offered the help Sinbad no longer knew how to ask for because she already knew he needed it. Mori was the only one able to get Sinbad to defend that he wanted to change a part of how he did things because she was the only one that knew what parts he meant and what not changing would lead to. He needed to talk to Sinbad. Ja'far grabbed all of the remaining Fate scrolls and headed to out to have a very important conversation with the man he had sworn his life to. ((HiHi!! This past round was pretty okay for me :D I only had a small disability ep! Here's hoping this stays the pattern for a while :3 But even better than that is: While working on the next arc (specifically ch42) I hit a new level of healing from my PTSD with my ex. :D I literally felt my brain rewiring when it happened and recognized it from past times it's happened. For the week afterward I was unable to stop being stupid levels of happy. And now I'm frustrate with Mori because they aren't past it yet XD At least I know what I needed so I can write it))

#magi prophet fanfic #sinbad x oc #sinbadxoc #magi fanfiction #king sinbad #sinbad magi #magi sinbad #magi fanart

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marvelstars · 1 year ago

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George Lucas and the prequel trilogy

"I knew if I'd made Anakin 15 instead of nine, then it would have been more marketable. If I'd made the Queen 18 instead of 14, then it would have been more marketable. But that isn't the story. It is important that he be young, that he be at an age where leaving his mother is more of a drama than it would have been at 15. So you just have to do what's right for the movie, not what's right for the market."(George Lucas)

George Lucas may not be a perfect writer but I really liked to see how aware he is of his lack of skills writing dialogue and the fact he very purposely didn´t make a marketable movie with the usual action formula for blockbuster summer films, he´s trying to make an opera story with elements kids would like to see, I personally do think the prequels could have been done better and the passing and some creative decisions could have been changed to make the story more understable, especially the part where Anakin grows into his own as a adult and general in the clone wars and Jedi instead of telling this story in another format because he took more care in showing his fall. We can´t appreciate the fall if he didn´t see his rise properly.

Still I like the fact that he´s purposelly making unpopular decisions but that have a reason for his story instead of using the same old tired formula for action movies.

Everybody was expecting a teenager darth vader, dark but cool and Lucas goes completely left field and shows a kind and generous slave kid who had to leave his mother to get his freedom, who inmediately gets on the bad side of the Jedi Order Council not for a fault of his own but mostly that he´s inconvenient, his existence is inconvenient, the Jedi don´t need chosen ones because they already got rid of the sith, there´s nothing to change here, nothing at all and he suffers the same rejection Padmé suffered at the Senate when she pleaded for her people´s safety.

I think this is so interesting in how Padme(14) and Anakin(9) are kids given adult responsibilities who try to understand the brutal adult world they live in one as a slave another as the leader of an occupied planet and try to make a difference, not quite managing it but seeing things in a very idealist form, just like their children did in the OT, their tragedy is mainly the fact this adult world still has rules they have to follow and try to work within a system that has become stagnant and corrupt, while their children could burn it all down because everything outside of them and their side was evil, this is not the case with Anakin and Padme, they have to pick and choose a not so bad decision out of many bad choices, their world isn´t good vs evil as it was in the OT, it´s grey vs dark and in the end those choices destroy them both but also give the way for their children to fix what was broken in their world in the first place and honestly this is so much more interesting than the classic story of the hot couple who falls in love and saves the day at the end of the story.

#anakin skywalker #padme amidala #george lucas #the phantom menace #star wars #prequel trilogy #George Lucas on how to be uncool on purpose and that´s ok XD

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bucketsofmonsters · 1 day ago

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Where the Light Enters - Part 15

Cole/Female Inquisitor

cw: unreliable narrator, hurt/comfort, slow burn, enemies to lovers, referenced noncon, happy ending

word count: 3k

ao3 link

Masterlist

The little book Rosemary kept under the floor boards was everything.

It held every secret she’d ever figured out about anyone here, but that was really only the start. It had secrets and weaknesses, it had the little feigned bits of personality people gravitated towards when she put them on. It had favors she could do and things she thought people wanted.

It also had plans. Missions to send certain problematic people on to try and get them killed, targeting weaknesses and sending them with suboptimal support, each name it had worked on crossed through just once. More were crossed out than not. No one could say she wasn’t efficient.

The most extensive part of her book was entitled The Iron Bull. It had all the reasons she’d chosen him, his strength and his training, the way he’d taken a shine to her, the way that he seemed more and more set on protecting her the closer they got. It contained plans for what to do if something went wrong. Places to send him where he likely wouldn’t return, a list of his enemies, those weaker and stronger, and how she could signal them with neither party knowing she’d done it. There were plans of what treason she could accuse him of and get him executed, above board and with no repercussions falling her way.

It was sloppy work, leaving it in a room she never went to anymore, where anyone could find it

She’d gotten too comfortable.

But she was so happy here, so content with food and shelter and with Cole at her side. It was impossible not to.

Everything crumbled to pieces when Bull came storming out of the castle with her book in his hand.

Her first instinct, as always, was to run. But she was smarter than that, knew she couldn’t even make it out the door, let alone survive on her own out there. So she kept her feet firmly planted, did her best to look excited to see him, and tried desperately to find an excuse or a scapegoat or anything.

She thought of nothing before he reached her, picking her up by the scruff of her neck and throwing her over his shoulder, hauling her along while shouting out for a counsel to be called.

She was going to be brutalized or killed, that much was clear to her from where she lay, limp over his shoulder. She prayed to gods she didn’t believe in that she would only be maimed. She’s been beat before, she could survive that.

She was terrified.

She’d almost forgotten what being scared felt like. Really scared. Not the childish thing she felt hiding being rocks from monsters or having to face something she really didn’t like. The kind of fear that came before the worst thing imaginable, facing down the inevitable. The fear of going under knowing that last breath might’ve been the last you would have for a long time without even having realized it until it was too late.

But she’d faced this kind of fear before and if she played her cards right, she would face it again. So she did what she always did and shoved it down so she could start doing damage control.

She was shoved in what was functionally a closet, with the echoing click of the door locking behind her. Being locked in like this was good, it was safe, at least for the time being.

It also gave her time to think.

If Bull had seen what was in the book, all was lost with him. He was too smart to try and pull anything off on him now, finding it had put him on edge and she would not find him vulnerable and easy to trick again.

Everyone else was still fair game. It was her word against his, she could still turn the tides on him, enact one of the plans in that book, say the Qun had turned him against her and he was trying to poison them against their leader. It wouldn’t work on everyone but it would work on some of them, probably enough of them. He was a Qunari, her word against his was an easy contest for most.

She tensed up as she heard footsteps outside the door. They weren’t Bull’s, she knew that much immediately. They were lighter, slower, not enough anger in them.

Cole’s voice sounded through the door, low and steady. “Do you trust me?”

She wondered what he was really asking, what action he was trying to decide for or against. But she couldn't do this, couldn’t play this game with him too, so she answered the question he asked and nothing more. “Yes.”

“Tell them the truth,” he said, and her heart stopped.

“I can’t” she insisted, breathing panicked and unsteady. “You don’t know what you’re asking me.”

“I do. I can see inside their heads, I know them better than you can, always seeing through fear tainted eyes. Trust me.”

“What if you’re wrong?” she asked, hating that her voice was shaking.

“Then I’ll get you out. I’ll kill all of them if I have to, I’ll get you out. It won’t come to that.”

It was an impossible request. He had to know that. There was no way she could listen and make it out alive.

Even if she could, the other way was so much easier, would require so much less of her. All she had to do was pin it on him and everything could return to normal. She could get that calm back, be able to breathe. That was all she wanted, was she really asking for so much? What was one Qunari in exchange for that?

But she knew it couldn’t be like that. If she turned on Bull after what Cole had asked, that peace would not return. It would take a long time for him to forgive her for that, if he ever did.

She didn’t care about Bull, would gladly see him put to death. But she did trust Cole. God help her, she trusted him. And she couldn’t lose that.

It was a long time before anyone came to get her from that closet. It left plenty of time for doubt, for second and third guessing.

When the door opened, Blackwall was there, face almost apologetic for a second before it hardened, hauling her to her feet and pulling her into a meeting room.

Everyone was there, watching her as she entered. She could tell instantly that they’d all read through the book, could see it in their faces.

And she didn’t jump to accuse Bull, didn’t say anything cruel or make her eyes well up with tears. She didn’t lie. She just sat in the chair Blackwall led her to and she waited.

Varric spoke first. “Is it true? Did you write this?”

It took everything she had, but she nodded.

And then everyone began arguing, voices chiming in atop one another, barely discernible.

She caught Varric trying to reason with Cassandra and Bull, her heart breaking a little that he was still trying to defend her. She’d written cruel things about him in there too.

“She’s so young. Come on, she’s only twenty five. She was scared and in a new place and she didn’t know how to fight so she started logging things. Was it smart? No, obviously not. But we all did stupid things at twenty five.”

Bull scoffed. “That shows how well you know her, she’s twenty one.”

She froze, trying to decide how to handle the situation, before Cole helpfully chimed in from his seat beside her, “She’s nineteen."

Varric and Bull both reeled back in shock, Varric immediately chiming in with, “Oh my god, she's just a kid. We gave this emotionally stunted teenager an army, no wonder she lost it.”

Josephine slumped back in her chair. “That only cements it, we need to remove her from power immediately. If any of this gets out, we’re ruined.”

She may have promised to be honest, to trust Cole. But honesty did not paint her into a complete corner and she’d be remiss to not defend herself.

“Do you think you can afford to do that?” she asked, leaning forwards. The ditzy, innocent lilt was gone from her voice, shifting harsh and sardonic. “And how will you get through to Lord Moineau, who now thinks I am the only thing standing between Cullen and the Inquisition becoming the new templars, bolstered and ready to break from the church. Or Magister Tagaris, who needs proof from someone that they trust that Leliana isn’t attempting to bolster the chantry.”

Josephine’s brows furrowed. “I’ve heard nothing of any of this."

“Well, some of them may think your power is superficial at best, a desperate ploy to avoid paying your debts, Madame Montilyet. Who knows where they got that idea.”

“You’ve poisoned them against us,” Leliana spat at her.

“It doesn’t need to hurt you,” she said, her tone far from reassuring. “If I stay where I am, safe and happy, nothing changes.

“Conniving little bitch,” Cullen muttered, and she had half a mind to slap him.

“We can’t allow her back out if she's threatening us,” Cassandra insisted, and Josephine buried her head in her hands.

She popped back up a moment later, trying to recompose herself. “If what she says is true, we cannot lose her. Our public image wouldn’t recover fast enough. I will ask around, make sure this is not a bluff.”

And then Cole decided to chime in, seemingly deciding the most helpful thing he could say was, “And her name is Britches.”

All heads whipped around to face him and Solas spoke first, quiet and sad. “You knew.”

Vivienne’s laugh echoed through the room. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is what you get for placing your trust in a demon.”

“There must be some explanation for this,” Solas insisted.

“Yeah, I know what it is,” Bull said with a grunt. “They’re fucking. It’s why I went poking around in her room, they’ve been beyond suspicious.”

Of course it had been her relationship with Cole that had caught her out. She’d known it would be, had known it was a bad idea the whole way through.

“Oh please,” Rosemary said, or she supposed she wasn’t Rosemary anymore. Not to them, certainly not to her. “Like you know anything.”

“I know more than you give me credit for. I know you’re a piece of shit.”

She scoffed. “We all know that now, keep up Qunari.”

Goading him on was an incredibly stupid idea, but she’d committed to honesty so she figured she might as well go all the way.

He looked like he wanted to hit her. She was shocked he hadn’t yet. In fact, there was a shocking lack of violence, at least so far.

“We welcomed you with open arms," Leliana began, like she was trying to piece together a mystery. “You had something we needed so you had security. We were never cruel. So what was the purpose of this?”

“Oh please, without the hand I was disposable. I was half worried you’d try and rip it out of me. You can’t tell me you didn’t consider it, I know you did.”

Cullen shifted uncomfortably in his seat and she saw it for the confession it was.

“You were a member of this Inquisition,” Cassandra said, not understanding, too caught up in her ideals of loyalty.

“You were the first one’s to grab me. If that guy doing the rifts, god I can never remember his name. I don’t suppose you’d let me check my book.” She chuckled and they all looked back at her like she was insane. “If he’d grabbed me first I’d just as happily be with him right now.”

Vivienne seemed the least upset by these revelations. “You’ve played a good game, my darling. A respectable one. Trusting a spirit wasn’t a good play but I suppose we all have lapses in judgment from time to time.”

“Is that why you saved me?” Blackwall butted in. “You felt a kinship to me?”

“What?” Britches asked, genuinely baffled by what he was asking.

“When you found out who I was. What I did, the people I killed. Is this why you saved me?”

“Is that what you did? I wasn’t really paying attention.”

She heard groans of disbelief sound from around the table and Cullen let out a low, “By the Maker.”

“Listen,” she said, almost defensively. “I had bigger things to worry about. He was an ally, he was fond of me, I wanted him back. It wasn’t that complicated. And who cares if you’re a murderer, half of the people here are murderers. We take all kinds here it seems.”

“For the record, I’ve never murdered anyone,” Dorian said, voice smug and light.

“Oh please,” Britches snapped at him. “The slaver has no room to talk. You’re all pieces of shit, I’m so sorry I’m joining your ranks. How could I not be a sweet little angel? Get over yourselves, we didn’t have an intervention like this when we found out Blackwall was a secret murderer, apparently. No one circled up over known Qunari spy Iron Bull. We've got ex templars and assassins and a smuggler. But I join the ranks of the criminals and liars here and everyone loses their shit.”

“None of us,” Cassandra said between clenched teeth, “are the Inquisitor. And you had plans to kill us.”

She waved the accusation away. “I had contingencies because I’m not an idiot. You’ll notice that everyone in this room is very much alive so I’m either incompetent or I wasn’t actually trying.”

“You’ve never said an honest word to any of us,” Solas yelled.

And nothing was stopping her any longer, so she yelled back, “To some people I did. Certainly not to you, you asinine, condescending, droll piece of garbage.”

Dorian rolled his eyes at her outburst. “Go on, then. It’s all out there now. Tell us something honest.”

“Fine!” she said, something in her shifting. She knew they could never understand, not really, but she needed them to see her. She needed them to know something of who she was, something real. What was all this painful honesty for if they didn’t know a piece of her by the end of this. And so, not directed at anyone in particular, she turned inwards and began to spew out the most rotten pieces of her she could find. “You know, when I was young, this was back before I’d managed to escape the brothel, they didn’t always have enough resources for all of us. When one of us got old enough or caused enough trouble, we’d be taken away. And we all knew what that meant, we weren’t idiots. Anyways, we were all suitably young at the time. I was the oldest there, fourteen I think? And it was becoming clear that they were running low on resources again. They were going to move us, that was always the sign that something had gone wrong. So of course, I was on the chopping block. And I did what I had to do, so I went into the room of the second oldest girl and I smothered her, held a pillow over her face until she stopped kicking and then for minutes afterwards because I had no idea how long it would take. She was smaller and easier to care for and more desirable so I smothered her and because of it I lasted another year before I escaped. The pillow was wet with her tears and I slept on it for another year. And now I’m here, because I survived that. So honestly, how could I not lie and cheat and do whatever it takes? Now I have to keep on living like a cockroach because if I don’t, what was any of that for?”

No one really seemed to know what to do with that, a sullen silence falling over the room.

Eventually, Varric stood and said, “I’m going to go put her somewhere, I think we all need to calm down.”

No one had any protests for that so she plodded off behind him.

Cole went with her and no one thought to stop him.

Varric tucked both of them into an inner castle room, with no windows to speak of. It was roomy though, and well furnished, so she couldn't complain.

Varric entered with them, locking the door behind him. It made her nervous in the way locked doors always did, but she shoved it down.

“So, Britches huh?”

She smiled a humorless smile. “Children can be cruel.”

“Why Rosemary?”

“It’s feminine,” she said, the confession easy after everything else that she’d admitted to. “And it's overly long. It encourages nicknames. Makes people feel closer to you.”

“So it does. I don’t know if it means anything, but I don’t blame you, kid.”

She nodded. “It does mean something.”

“Good. I’m going to go, but I want you to know you’re going to be okay. It won’t be fun, but you will be fine.”

She smiled, though she didn’t believe him. “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. You alright with Cole in here?”

She nodded hurriedly, stepping closer to him. “Please don’t make him leave.” He grabbed her hand from where he stood, just behind her.

“I won’t,” Varric assured her. “Just hang tight in here.”

With that he left.

With that they were alone.

She turned to Cole with an almost manic energy.

“You can pick locks,” she said. “You do the one on the door, we can just leave, run off and never look back.”

He shook his head and she felt her heart shatter. “I like it here. I’d miss them,” he said, and she wanted to scream and cry and throw things at him. She wanted to declare that this was his fault, that he had gotten her into this mess and he’d make her confess and now he couldn't even let her leave.

But instead she sat on the bed, her legs shaky all of a sudden, and looked up at him with sad eyes. “Selfish. Selfish boy. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

He sat beside her and she didn’t have it in her to pull away. “Both turned against our nature. One turns out while the other turns in.”

She supposed he was right. They’d swapped places, her doing something selfless for him only to be met with selfishness in return. If this was how it felt, she didn’t know how he survived it. “Funny how that happens.”

#dai cole #cole dai #cole dragon age #dragon age cole #dragon age inquisition #dai #colemance #where the light enters #In which we reach a breaking point

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streetlight11 · 1 year ago

Text

What Are You Doing Here?

Summary: It's been 6 years since you earned the title of being an Aunt to one of the most beautiful little girl you've ever laid eyes on. She was your sister's daughter and you love her with all your heart. So what happens when you go over to your sister's place to surprise both her and your niece, only to meet the babysitter who has been looking after your niece for a few weeks now?

Theme: babysitter au, ex-schoolmates to lovers

Genre: slowburn, romance, fluff

Warnings: mild language, mentions of irresponsible partner,

W/C: 10.9k

Pairing: Babysitter!Changmin x Fem!Reader

a/n: Hello! I'm back with another fanfic! Apologies for my horrible description about y/n's work and job role because I know nothing about finance and how it works 🤡 Hope you like the overall fanfic though 🙏🏼

6 years ago, your sister gave birth to the most gorgeous little human being you’ve ever seen. She was the reason why you became an aunt. You love your niece with all your heart, promising to be there beside her every step of the way. Reason being the guy who got your sister pregnant who is supposedly her boyfriend of 3 years, had chosen to abandon his responsibilities as a father when he found out she was carrying his child. You were beyond furious with him to the point where you actually went down to his apartment to curse the fuck out of him.

After your niece was born, you made sure that you were there with her as she grew up. She was the reason why you look forward to living everyday. There wasn’t a day where you didn’t spend time with her. When you were in college, you worked as a part time barista to pay off your school fees and monthly expenses on food and stuff. The extra money you had was spent on her toys, snacks, food, anything that would make her happy and lessen your sister’s burden in a way.

She is a single mom after all so it’s only right for you to help out with whatever you can. Whenever your sister has to work or is busy with something, you’re always there to help her out no matter how tired or busy you are. A few years following her birth, your sister had saved enough money to rent an apartment solely for her and her daughter, Lucy.

As much as she was thankful that your parents were okay with having her and Lucy live in your family home, your sister wanted to move out because your parents were already old and she didn’t want to burden them even more. Taking care of two kids was already enough for them. Therefore, your sister rented a place not too far from your campus. During the first three years after you graduated high school, you were still living with your parents.

When you finally saved enough money, that’s when you moved out and rented an apartment that was just a 15 minutes walk from your sister’s place. It was way easier to travel back and forth to look after Lucy and spend time with her ever since.

Sometimes you would go to their place, sometimes they would come to your place. You are pretty close with your sister. You loved her unconditionally so to see her go through parenthood alone, it definitely breaks your heart but you also see how strong she is. Not many people can do this and yet, here she is. You are beyond proud of her.

It’s been 7 years since you graduated high school and you are now a working adult. You are working under a pretty well known company. Your job is stressful but most of the time, you have very codependent team members whom you work well with. You are thankful that your team is a bunch of nice people who you can bond with. The team has a total of 5 people and you’re all really good friends with each other. There was Jieun, who is your team leader, Yoongi, Taehyung, Yeji and yourself.

You have been working with this company and the team for almost 2 years now and you’re still grateful for it till today. Whenever you’re having a whole load of work stress, they’re always there to relieve it. Even your sister knows them because of how often you tell her about them.

However a few months ago, your CEO announced that they were starting this new production line which will be a test to see how well the sales are. If it goes well, they will launch the product for good and put it out on the market. Your job was to keep an eye on the sales and calculate the financial impact of the product. It’s stressful but at least you have a team working with you on it.

Due to this new project, you had to OT more often every week and this has led to you only seeing Lucy on weekends and less on weekdays. It sucks that you have to spend less time with your niece but at least you still see her on weekends.

It was a Saturday afternoon and you promised to bring Lucy to the mall. So it was Lucy, your sister and yourself who are going to the mall to hang out for the day. Jisoo drove so she placed Lucy in her baby chair at the back seat while you sat in front with your sister. Lucy was sleeping so you had this time to have a private chat with Jisoo about life and work. A year ago, you were dating someone you met at university. He was two years younger than you and everything was going well with him.

He was your person.

Unfortunately, with the accumulating fights and disagreements began to slowly build up at one point, a huge argument happened one day and both of you decided to break things off after realizing that it might never work. Both of you had very different perceptions of things and could never come together as one. Therefore, that was the only logical thing to do and this all happened just over 2 months ago.

“I haven’t heard about him in a while. Lucy asked me about him recently too.” Jisoo said, only for you to stare blankly into the dashboard.

It took you a while to reply but when you did, you had to take a deep breath first and said, “We broke up…” Your sister glanced at you briefly but made sure to keep her focus on the road.

“When?”

“2 months ago, give or take…” You said quietly to avoid waking Lucy up.

“I’m sorry.” She said, making you shake your head.

“No, it’s fine. I just feel like we’re too different and we’re no longer compatible with each other. So I didn’t wanna waste my time pining over someone who doesn’t wanna work together.”

“Well, I guess you did the right thing then… What are you gonna tell her though?” Jisoo asked as you glanced at the back seat to find Lucy sleeping.

“I won’t say anything to her until she asks me about him, I guess…”

“Yeah, I think it’s best if she hears it from you instead of me.” Jisoo said. You agreed with her decision because it’s your life so you should be the one sharing, not her. Just then, she changes the topic to avoid the awkward atmosphere about your ex boyfriend.

“By the way, I know I should’ve told you sooner but a few weeks after you started to get busy with your OTs, I started to keep getting night shifts so I decided to hire a babysitter. It’s been a month now. And guess what?”

“What?”

“Lucy loves him! She adores him so much, it’s literally so adorable.”

“Wait a minute… Your babysitter is a guy?” You asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. Young and handsome too.” She said with a cheeky wink, causing you to gag. Your sister then scoffs at your reaction to defend herself before you get the wrong idea.

“Not for me, you fool. I’m telling you that he’s young and handsome.” She smirked teasingly to which you rolled your eyes.

“How young? And I don’t trust your tastebuds.”

“Rude. Look, he’s your age and I’m telling you… He is drop dead gorgeous.” She said but all you did was brush her off.

You still won’t believe her until you see him for yourself. Only then will you agree with whether he’s handsome or not.

You changed the topic again, not wanting to wake Lucy up as Jisoo finally pulls into the mall car park. All three of you got out of the car once it was properly parked and made your way into the mall. You spend almost half a day there, grabbing lunch, going to the clothing store to shop for your things, going to a toy store to buy Lucy new toys and plushies, going to watch a new cartoon movie in the cinema.

All in all, it was a very good day well spent with Lucy after a stressful week at work. Unfortunately, your day was being cut short when your sister got a last minute call from her senior nurse telling her to come down tonight to cover a shift for her colleague who took an urgent leave. You were pissed because today was supposed to be Jisoo’s day off but there’s nothing much you can say. Even if you told your sister to tell them it’s her day off, she would still go down to cover the shift.

Which is why you were now at her apartment to keep Lucy company for the night while your sister left for work. After she left, you showered Lucy and prepared her dinner. You were just feeding her dinner in the living room when she came to you with a sketchbook filled with drawings.

“Wow, did you draw these?” You asked as she sat in your lap to flip through the pages.

“Yeah! But Uncle Minie drew some of it!” She said, making you wonder if that was the name of her babysitter.

“Is Uncle Minie a good person?”

“He is! He’s very nice to me and mommy.”

“Mmm, you must really like him then, don’t you?” You said and as a result, she giggled adorably in your lap.

“I do! You have to meet him… I think you will like him too, Auntie Y/N!” She said so all you could do was smile. You continued to play with her after dinner until she grew tired so you could tuck her into bed. When she was finally asleep, you cleaned up the house a little before taking a shower and went to bed.

Almost a month has passed since you last saw Lucy and your sister. Work got very hectic and your schedule has been pretty off lately. You had to work on weekends for the past few weeks and it was mentally draining. The project has been a success recently which is why you had to work extra everyday but your schedule was starting to simmer down and was now proceeding to launch it for real and properly this time. Nevertheless, it has been really tiring for you but thankfully you had your team with you to motivate each other and give words of encouragement to one another.

It was a Friday evening and you decided to surprise Lucy and your sister tonight after not seeing them for so long. Before heading over to their place though, you didn’t forget to stop by Lucy’s favourite fast food restaurant to get her french fries. It was her ultimate favourite snack that she would never fail to ask for whenever you brought her out or came over to the house. You bought extra food so everyone could eat, including the babysitter just in case he was hungry.

It didn’t take long to arrive at your sister’s apartment so when you made it in front of her door, you gave it a few knocks and waited patiently for someone to open it. The one who ended up greeting you at the door was Lucy.

“Hi baby!” You said as she hugged your hips tightly with his small dainty arms.

“How are you, my favourite niece?” You asked as she let go of your hips to let you walk in. You closed the door behind you as Jisoo came out from the kitchen with her uniform already worn.

“I’m good, auntie!” Lucy said, making you kiss the top of your head before holding out the bags of food in your hand.

“I bought all of us dinner. And I bought you fries, Lucy!”

“Yay!” She cheered as she ran off and disappeared into the living room.

“What time are you leaving for work?” You asked as your sister took the bags from you while you took off your heels by the door.

“Soon. I have to come early tonight because one of the nurses took an urgent leave.” She said.

“Eat something first at least before you go. Don’t delay your dinner.” You scolded her while she quietly took out the fries from the bag. You helped her take a plastic plate from the cabinet, passing it to her. She then took out a handful of fries and placed it on the plate before you took it and brought it to the living room where Lucy was playing with her dolls.

“Lucy, auntie will put your fries here okay?” You said as she ran over to take one and put it in her mouth while excitedly thanking you. Just when you turn to go back to the kitchen, a figure comes out of the hallway only to stop dead in his tracks. His eyes were completely wide from shock.

“Changmin? What are you doing here?” His name slips off your tongue naturally as your sister looks back and forth between you and Changmin. He was speechless and so were you until Lucy ran up to his side and held his hand in hers with a bright smile.

“Auntie, how do you know Uncle Minie? Is he your boyfriend too?” Lucy asked as you glanced over to your sister and then to Changmin. He was still staring at you quietly but his eyes were no longer wide so you looked at Lucy and smiled.

“H-He’s just an old friend, who happens to be a boy. Not my boyfriend.” You explained to her while she let go of his arm and hops over to you when you gestured her to come to you.

“Who is your boyfriend then?” She asked, to which you kneeled down beside the coffee table while you pulled her into your lap.

“Remember Uncle Sunwoo?”

“The one who gave me the stitch soft toy?” She asked and you smiled at her.

“Yes. Do you remember him?”

“I do!”

“That was my boyfriend.” You said while gently cupping her cheek.

“Why isn’t Uncle Sunu here today?” She asked, only for you to accidentally glance up to find Changmin staring at you quietly with no particular expression on his face.

“Because he’s no longer my boyfriend anymore, that’s why he’s not here. But it’s okay, you have Uncle Changmin now right? I heard you like Uncle Changmin a lot.” You asked, only for her to giggle and point to him with a bright smile on her face.

“Yes! I like Uncle Minie!” She said. After you’ve let go of her, she runs back to him only to bring him to her play area in front of the tv.

You’ve known Changmin since kindergarten and high school. You used to bicker with him a lot and because he was your classmate, all the more reason for you to fight with him almost everyday. As much as you don’t like him at the time, you don’t consider him your enemy though. It’s not like you despise him or anything as a person. Sure he’s sort of similar to you in terms of being introverts but other than that, he’s too much of a weirdo to actually understand how he sees things when he was younger. Therefore, the endless amount of arguments with him. And after graduating, you never saw him again.

You went back into the kitchen to help pack the food for your sister, making sure she wouldn’t starve at work knowing how she is when she’s stressed or is thinking too much about things she chooses not to share with anyone. So when you placed the bag of burger and fries in her smaller lunch bag, you reminded her to eat when she’s having her break time and to not skip her meals during work. You then walked with her to the front door only to call Lucy over.

“Lucy, your mommy’s going to work.”

“Okay! Bye mommy!” She said as she ran to your sister to give her a hug and kiss. You were just watching them when Changmin’s voice sounded softly from behind you.

“Didn’t expect to see you again.” He said.

“Me too… Didn’t take you for a babysitter.”

“This is just a past time thing…”

“But you babysit her almost everyday.”

“Because I like her.” Upon hearing his words, this made you whip your head to him with a frown.

“My sister or my niece?” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“What do you think? Not gonna lie though, your sister’s pretty hot.” That’s when you slapped his arm and glared at him.

“My sister is off limits you pervert.” You scolded him, only for him to cackle.

“Fine. What about her sister then? Is she off limits too?” It took you a while to realise what he was saying and before you could even reply to him, Lucy was already rushing to you and waving to her mother.

“Bye sis.” You smiled as you gestured to Lucy to follow Changmin while you went to lock the front door. You came back to the living room to find Changmin teasing her by stealing her fries. You’ve never seen this side of him. Who knew Changmin of all people would be this good to a child especially considering he’s the youngest in his family.

About an hour or so later after you’ve showered and changed into your pyjamas since you’ve already planned to sleep over, you came back out to find Lucy curled up in Changmin’s lap on the couch. Paw Patrol was playing on the screen but it seemed like no one was really watching. You carefully walked closer to find Changmin patting her to sleep in his arms. He saw you from the corner of his eye so he glanced over his shoulder with a small smirk on his face.

“I think she’s in love with me.” He said, making you roll your eyes at him.

“I doubt that.” You walked over to kneel in front of his legs only to gently cup her face.

“Darling, come on. Let’s get you to bed.” You softly said as she stirred awake.

“Are you sleeping here tonight?” She asked tiredly while her tiny head was still against his chest.

“Yes, darling.”

Just then, Lucy looked up at Changmin and asked, “Are you sleeping here too?”

Changmin couldn’t help but glance over to you for a brief second before answering her, “I don’t have to sleep over tonight since your Auntie Y/N is here.” He said but she instantly whined.

“But… I want both of you here.” She said, making you stunned. Both Changmin and you exchanged looks for a second as if to figure out what to say but he beat you to it.

“Alright then. Uncle Min will stay with you and Auntie Y/N, okay?”

“Okay.” She giggled tiredly as she opened her arms to you so you took her onto your waist and carried her to her room. Once you’ve tucked her in, you sang her to sleep. Her favourite lullaby that apparently, only you and Changmin can sing for her. Lucy wouldn’t let your sister sing for her. She would ask your sister to read her a bedtime story instead. You made sure she was already fast asleep before you kissed her forehead and left the bedroom door slightly ajar. You came back outside to find Changmin cleaning up the mess she made with her toys.

While he was doing that, you cleared the kitchen by putting the leftover food in the fridge and throwing away whatever is deemed as trash. Both of you were working in silence, never once talking to each other. After you finished cleaning the kitchen, you went to the living room to find it empty. Changmin must’ve gone inside to sleep so you let out a soft sigh of relief. About half an hour later, you were just watching a tv series on netflix when soft footsteps came approaching you from behind. Before you could turn, Changmin came into your peripheral vision and sat down next to you.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” He asked as a strong whiff of vanilla filled your nostrils. It must be the body wash you saw in the bathroom.

“I could ask you the same question.” You said, earning a click of his tongue.

“I’m not sleepy yet. Your turn.”

“I need a break before I do a bit of work.” You said and he finally turns to you with a frown. You looked at him and gave him a shrug of your shoulders, “What?”

“It’s already after hours… What work do you possibly have to do?” He asked only for you to sigh.

“My work… You wouldn’t know.” You ended off in a whisper while turning your focus back to the tv. A few minutes later, Changmin excused himself quietly without telling you where he was going. Not like you cared or anything. So when you realised he never came back out after an hour, you guessed he was asleep. You stayed up till 4 in the morning just working on the upcoming project you had with the company’s sales.

You were doing your work at the kitchen island with your back facing the hallway. At one point during the night, Changmin left the guest room to go to the bathroom. He saw you seated on the stool with fingers tangled in your hair. He was curious to know what work you had to do that made you stay up all night but he wasn’t going to ask. He saw that it was nearing 4am and it kind of worried him a little. Changmin knew how tiring and mentally draining it is to stay up late to do work so he could only hope you’ll get the rest you deserve.

Days began to pass by fast, making sure to visit your sister’s house a few times a week on days where you weren’t working overtime so that you could spend time with Lucy again. It’s been over three months now and you’ve been to their house almost every week now. Of course not everyday since the project was still going on. And in all the times you came over, Changmin was always around. There are times when he’s oddly nice and kind to you, never once picking on you. Other times he was always being a little ass to you briefly so Lucy doesn’t catch on.

One thing’s for sure, Changmin has never really said something that made you absolutely pissed before so that’s good in a way. It was a Thursday evening and you made it to your sister’s apartment a few minutes after she left. You had to stay at the office for a bit and she had to leave early due to an emergency. Therefore, you didn’t get the chance to meet her. However, it’s okay because you still went over to spend time with Lucy.

You brought cakes for dessert, knowing she loves the strawberry shortcakes that were sold at a nearby cafe. When you reached their doorstep, you gave it a few knocks, only to hear her high pitched voices and soft footsteps rushing towards the door.

“Auntie!” She exclaimed excitedly as she carefully tiptoed to grab onto the door handle. But before she would accidentally wedge her toes under the door, Changmin was quick to hold onto the side of the door while gently telling her to step away from it.

With that being said, she hopped to the side only to hug your leg so you wrapped your arm around her hip and carried her up with one arm while the other was holding onto the bag of cakes. Changmin closed the door while you took off your shoes, only to feel him take the bag from you quietly and bring it to the kitchen. This allows you to properly hug Lucy and playfully swing her around as she laughs against your chest. You then placed her down on her feet, running back to her toys in the living room.

Changmin was just staring at the cakes so you couldn’t help but giggle softly at his sim-like behaviour and asked, “Why are you just staring blankly at the cakes? Is there something wrong with it?”

“No… I just, I’m trying to figure out which cake is Lucy’s.” Changmin said as you came to stand beside him.

“Make a guess.” You said. It took him 3 tries but when he finally got it, he decided to act smug about it like he was just trying to test you.

“I knew which one she liked. I just wanted to see if you knew.” Changmin said, making you mock him with a laugh. He made a silly face to you while rolling his eyes, earning a soft slap to his chest before calling for your niece. She came over to you and was utterly surprised upon seeing her favourite cake.

“Is this mine?” She asked excitedly, making you nod.

“Yeah! Do you want me to feed you or do you wanna eat it on your own?”

“Hmm… I want Uncle Minie to feed me.” She giggled while sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth teasingly. You faked a shocked face and soon pretended to get upset.

“Do you like Uncle Minie more or Auntie more?” You asked.

“Uncle Minie.” Lucy said with a laugh and that was it. You wanted to get back at her for choosing an outsider over yourself. Of course this was all just for fun and games, you weren’t actually this petty. However, while all this was happening, Changmin was actually enjoying this scene in front of him where you were having a playful banter with your niece. He was almost adoring you in a way where nobody else would realise unless someone was there to see his reaction live.

“Fine. Then you can’t have Uncle Minie. He’s mine.” You said as you stood in front of Changmin to shield her from him. Lucy laughed as she tried to go to the side but you followed her to block her. She was laughing till her heart’s content, failing to get to her babysitter who was all the while just standing there with the most fondest smile on his face.

Just when Lucy was holding your hands to apologise for choosing him instead of you, the pair of warm hands sliding over your waist and around your front was enough to catch you off guard as you accidentally crashed backwards into Changmin’s chest.

“Lucy ah, if you want uncle Minie, you have to want auntie Y/N too or else she’s gonna be very sad. Okay?” Changmin said as you tried so desperately hard not to turn your head because if you did, the chances of accidentally kissing him is very high. Not that you wouldn’t want that to be honest. But at least not right now. So with that being said, Lucy giggled and she quickly apologised to you before hugging you. Changmin had already pulled away from you but he was so tempted to keep his arms around you.

After you’ve kissed the top of her head, Changmin held her hand and brought her to the front to play and eat before she went to bed. All the while, you helped to tidy the house a little so that your sister wouldn’t have to do much cleaning when she gets home from work tomorrow. Hours later, you had just put Lucy to bed and so it was time for you to leave since you’re working tomorrow.

You came back out to find Changmin just finished cleaning up her scattered toys and putting them back in her basket. He stood up and immediately locked eyes with you, feeling something tickle your stomach.

“You’re not staying?” He spoke up first while he slowly approached you.

“I have work tomorrow. I have to come early and stay late to finish up the quotas for the project.” You sighed, watching as he stopped right in front of you. All you needed to do was stretch your arms out, grab his shirt and pull him in but of course you’re not gonna do that.

“So I’m assuming that you won’t be stopping by tomorrow evening?” He asked.

“Probably not… Why? Are you gonna miss me?” You couldn’t help but ask as a smirk slowly creeps onto your face.

“Miss you? I think you’re delusional, babe.”

“Am I?” You asked, seeing the way his eyes grew a tad larger for just a split second before it shrunk back to his original size.

“I’d miss you any day.” Changmin teased you back, now you’re the one who’s speechless. He laughed at your reaction, thinking you were hella cute as he watched you take your work bag and was making your way straight to the door. You left without another word said to him, hearing his cackle grow softer the minute the door was shut. As soon as Changmin had locked the doors and was making his way back into the apartment, he caught Lucy standing in the middle of the hallway just tiredly rubbing her eyes and was slightly groggy.

“Where did auntie go?” She asked so he carefully walked to her and carried her onto his waist to bring her back to her room.

“Auntie has to go home, darling. She has to work tomorrow.” Changmin gently explained to her while laying her back onto her bed and pulling the blankets over.

“Uncle Min?”

“Yes baby?”

“Do you like my auntie?” Lucy asked as she yawned but was patiently waiting for his answer. Changmin took no less than a minute to answer her question easily in a heartbeat.

“Yes I do. I like your auntie… I like her a lot.”

“You should tell her. I like you with my auntie a lot too.” She said as she slowly fell asleep again. Changmin unconsciously smiled, remembering this conversation. He definitely wasn’t lying to her about how he feels about you.

If only he can tell you…

A week has passed, as usual, your sister was working a night shift today and Changmin would be at her place to look after Lucy. Since it was a Friday evening, you were okay with sleeping over at your sister’s place since you’re not working tomorrow. So when you went there, everyone was present in the house. However, there is a new individual who is in the house and he was playing with Lucy while Changmin and your sister were in the kitchen preparing Lucy’s dinner.

“Hey! I’m here.” You said after Lucy greeted you at the door. Once you’ve taken off your heels, you made your way further into the house only to lock eyes with the new guy who soon stood up to greet you.

“Hello? I’m sorry but I don’t think I’ve met you before. You are?” You asked politely as he let out an awkward laugh and responded to your question nicely.

“I’m Heegeun. Jisoo’s uh… friend.” He smiled and you could tell he was lying but you never pry any further.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m her younger sister, Y/N.” You said before making your way into the kitchen. She was practically hiding behind Changmin so you pinched her side softly in annoyance.

“He’s not just your friend, is he? Who is he? Your boyfriend?” You asked in a whisper all behind Changmin who was scooping out the rice porridge into a bowl for Lucy. Even then, Changmin couldn’t help but smirk hearing this conversation happening right behind him.

“He’s… ah. I’ll explain tomorrow. I have to go now.” Jisoo escaped despite you trying to hold her back.

“Heegeun ah, let’s go. Lucy, mommy will see you tomorrow okay? I love you.” Jisoo said as she bid her daughter goodbye at the doorway. Meanwhile, you clicked your tongue in annoyance and whispered to yourself, “Ugh. He’s definitely not her friend…” Nevertheless, you heard the door click shut and Lucy soon went back to her toys. So you took this opportunity to interrogate Changmin instead.

“Why are you smiling? You know something, don’t you?” You asked, only for him to shrug his shoulders teasingly.

“I don’t know anything. He was already here when I came about an hour ago.” Changmin said, making you growl.

“There’s something fishy going on here…” You said while narrowing your eyes at him but then changed the topic as you took the bowl and walked over to Lucy to feed her dinner.

Your mind keeps drifting off to the guy earlier and you can’t stop worrying about history repeating itself again. Ever since what happened with Lucy’s biological father, you have gotten awfully overprotective towards your sister that you tend to analyse whoever wants to date her. So the fact that this guy suddenly appears in the picture without your sister telling you a thing about him, makes you feel slightly skeptical.

All the while you were just blankly staring into space with your mind somewhere else, Changmin was actually observing you. He kept smiling to himself knowing you were probably going crazy about who the guy was and all that. When you knew it was pointless to keep thinking about that guy’s relation with your sister, you just glanced to the left randomly with no particular intentions. Unfortunately, that caused you to lock eyes with Changmin but all he did was smirk at you charmingly.

After you’ve fed Lucy, you went to clean up the kitchen while Changmin accompanied her for the next few minutes before bringing her to bed. It took him less than 10 minutes to get her to finally sleep as he leaves her room quietly. Changmin walks into the living room to find you seated on the couch just watching your favourite american youtuber duo on the smart tv.

Changmin soon came to join you, sitting so close to you that you could literally rest your leg on his thigh since you sat with your legs bent into your chest. Still in your work clothes but thankfully you’re in formal pants so it’s fine to sit like that.

“What would you do if that guy is actually dating your sister?” Changmin suddenly asks, causing you to get agitated again.

“I’m gonna make sure he doesn’t break her heart and treat her the way she deserves to be treated or else I’ll come for his throat.”

“Woah. You’re literally threatening him.” He laughed but you frowned.

“After what that asshole did when he found out my sister was pregnant, I’m never letting any guy come near her unless he’s proved to me that he’s worthy of my sister.” You said protectively and he could sense that from you. Nevertheless, he totally understands where you’re coming from.

“So what kind of guys do you like?” He suddenly changes the topic, catching you off guard a little.

“I-I… I actually don’t know… If I like someone, I’ll just know I guess.”

“How would you know if you like someone?” He asked, making you shy all of a sudden. It was difficult for you to answer at first but you managed to do it after a few seconds of buffering.

“W-Well… When I have butterflies while being around them? Or maybe when I feel comfortable and safe around them?” Changmin seemed to digest your answer as you wondered why he was asking you this question. Just then, he got up and said he wanted to go to sleep claiming he’s tired and sleepy. You bid him goodnight as you went to take a shower before going to bed yourself.

The next morning, your sister came home at about 8am as she found you sleeping in her bed. That same afternoon when Jisoo had already gotten her sleep since today was her day off, the four of you decided to hang out at the mall. Changmin was the one driving today so you sat in front with him while your sister and niece sat at the back. All the while, Lucy poked her head through the gap in the middle between you and Changmin. She sang and danced to the songs that Changmin put on his car radio just for her.

At one point, while Lucy was just talking to her mother about something out the window, you glanced back only to smile at the sight. The car gradually came to a stop at the traffic junction so you turned to look in front but instead, you caught Changmin’s gaze on you.

“What?” You asked softly, earning a cheeky little smile from him. One that wakes the butterflies in your stomach.

“Have I ever mentioned you’re pretty?” He suddenly flirts with you despite knowing there’s two other people in the back.

“Shut up.” You dismissed him with a shy laugh, knowing he’s just being playful. There’s absolutely no way he actually means what he said… Right?

Just then, Changmin glared and clicked his tongue at you to show that he was probably disappointed with your reaction. Though, knowing how he is, he was just joking with his reaction and it was true because he then replied, “Ungrateful…” Upon hearing this, you gently punched his arm and he hissed but never got angry for real. How did you know? Because right after he did that, you could see the way the corner of his lips curled up.

In another 10 minutes, you arrived at the mall where Changmin finally parked the car in the parking lot upstairs. The moment the engine was turned off, Lucy was already scrambling out of the car and was dragging her mother into the lobby which leads straight into the shopping mall. She was so eager to go see the toy shops she saw the other day. While the two mother and daughter were walking ahead, you waited for Changmin to get out of the car and locked it before walking with him.

You were going to turn the corner where the slope is when Changmin slid his right arm around your waist from behind to pull you in right as a car was speeding down the slope.

“Watch where you’re going, pretty.” Changmin said, making you blush.

“I-I was about to stop…” You faked an excuse as he squeezed your side softly before letting go.

Both of you made it safely into the mall, not surprised when you saw the two of them entering the toy shop just opposite from the lobby. You walked towards the shop and went inside to find them. Lucy was going around, looking at all the toys and playsets but your sister told her not to get any because she already has a lot at home.

Lucy isn’t the kind to cry and beg her mother for something she wants but you can see from her expression. Your heart breaks whenever you see her like that so when all of you were now at an ice cream shop, everyone had their own ice creams except for Lucy. She was sulking so she didn’t wanna buy anything even when her mother consoled her. With that being said, you looked at Lucy who was seated diagonally across from you and beside Changmin with a smile.

“Hey Lucy darling, mind if you accompany me go see a dress at one of the shops? I think I might change my mind about it.” At first she just shook her head and hung her head against Changmin’s chest. So you got up and went over to her side before you cupped her face and made her look at you gently, giving you the chance to whisper to her something her mother couldn’t catch.

“I’ll buy whatever you want from the toy store but don’t tell mommy.” That was all you said as she finally tore away from Changmin and kept her sad face on but decided to follow you. It was only when the two of you were no longer visible in their sight that you high fived her and she giggled excitedly to you.

Meanwhile, after you left, Changmin was just eating his ice cream when your sister suddenly spoke up from her seat diagonally across from him.

“Changmin, you’re a really nice guy and apparently a very good babysitter.”

“Oh. Thanks? I’m just doing my job.” Changmin said with a laugh, only for her to smile.

“But I think it’s time for me to talk to you about this…” She paused to give him the element of suspense. He was thinking that he was gonna be in trouble for something he did wrong or maybe even fired at this point. Except, the question that came out of her mouth was the least expected question to ever cross his mind.

“Do you like her?” She asked, catching him off guard.

“H-Her who? Your daughter or your sister?”

“I know you like my daughter. But unfortunately, I’m referring to my sister.” She laughed to lighten up the mood and it worked. Changmin felt a little less tense but he was still nervous about the question. Since he was taking too long to answer, she decided to change her question.

“Okay, nevermind. Scratch that. Let me rephrase myself… What do you think of my sister?”

Now that’s a question he could answer in a heartbeat.

“I think she’s an amazing person. She’s smart, kind, and can be annoying sometimes back when we were younger but she’s such an amazing auntie to Lucy and I can see that really well.” Your sister smiled happily at her bowl of ice cream before she spoke up afterwards.

“Now is it easier for you to answer my original question that I asked?” She teased and so Changmin chuckled nervously but he felt ready to give her his answer.

“I do like your sister. I actually like her a lot now…”

“Good. Because I think she likes you too, just that she’s still trying to figure that part out.” Your sister said as he felt something tickle his heart. Do you really like him too? If you do, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself. Just a few seconds after, you came back with Lucy and there was a huge plastic bag you were holding in your hand, paired with a toothless soft toy in Lucy’s arms. Your sister’s jaw drops as Changmin simply laughed at her reaction.

“I knew you were lying earlier, you brat.” She said to you, making you stick your tongue out at her teasingly.

“I know.” You said as you flipped your hair sassily and she scoffed but her smile betrayed her.

“Well, now that you’re here, I’m gonna go check out the home furniture store upstairs.” She said as she soon disappeared. Changmin brought Lucy to go buy her ice cream since she was in a happier mood now. When they came back, Lucy asked Changmin to feed her. He did it without hesitation, paying full attention to her only to abandon his own cup of ice cream that was ⅓ done.

“Lucy, can you eat on your own? Uncle Min needs to finish his ice cream before it melts” You said, trying to make her listen.

“No! I want Uncle Minie to feed me.” She said with a proud smile on her face.

“Can I feed you then? He needs to eat his ice cream too.” You tried to persuade her but she whined.

“Lucy.” You called her name once in a serious tone but she looked at you with a frowning pout. Her eyes started to get glossy so Changmin quickly stepped in and smiled at her.

“It’s okay, Lucy. Uncle Minie will eat later. Come, open your mouth.” He said while slowly bringing the spoon to her mouth. She eats it quietly, avoiding your gaze in case you scold her as she fiddles with her toothless soft toy ears. You let out a soft sigh, which was unfortunately heard by Changmin. You pressed your fingertips to your temples, only to hear him direct his words to you.

“Since she doesn’t want you to feed her, you can feed me before my ice cream turns into soup.” Changmin said. You glanced at him and then his ice cream bowl. It was starting to melt so you took his bowl and scooped a spoonful of ice cream and his toppings before bringing it to his mouth.

He ate it and the corner of his lips instantly curled into a small smile. You pretend you didn’t see that as he turned back to Lucy to feed her. This continued until her ice cream was finished, only then could he eat his dessert on his own. However, when you were about to pass it to him, he simply sat there with his mouth open. You raised your eyebrows at him in question and he smirked.

“Since you’ve been feeding me, you might as well continue.” Changmin said, making you shove the spoon onto the tip of his nose, getting a small blob of ice cream on it. You laughed as he narrowed his gaze at you on purpose but it didn’t scare you.

“It was a perfect opportunity. I’m sorry.” You said, only to feed him the last scoop before handing the rest to him. Changmin ate on his own after wiping his nose while Lucy came to sit next to you and apologised for making you angry. You told her you weren’t angry and that you just wanted her to be independent and she listened. All the while, Changmin was listening to you and it sparked something in him. Not long after, your sister came back and soon, all of you left to head home.

A few minutes upon reaching back at her apartment, you told your sister you weren’t staying over because you have to clean the house tomorrow so she said okay. Changmin also said he needed to go home to do his laundry. So when it was time to say goodbye to Lucy, both Changmin and you gave her a goodnight hug despite her crying, begging for you two to stay. Changmin went ahead and cupped her cheeks in his hands, giving her forehead a soft kiss to calm her down.

“Don’t cry, Lucy. Uncle Minie will come see you again soon. Auntie Y/N too, okay?” He said, making your heart swell.

“Y-You promise?” She asked so he nodded and did a pinky swear with her.

“I promise.”

“O-Okay…” She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck before letting go. She then came to you so you squat down to match her height and gave her a warm hug too. When both you and Changmin finally stepped out of the apartment unit, she gave you one big wave before her mother gently guided her back inside.

You were quietly walking next to him when he asked, “How are you getting home?”

“Bus, probably.” You said, only for him to offer you a ride home.

“I-It’s fine. I can take the bus.”

“I don’t take no for an answer.” He said, allowing you to enter the lift first. Once you got into his car, he asked for your address and so you gave it to him. In the car, his mind drifted back to your sister’s words earlier.

“I think she likes you too”

Changmin’s mind was swirling with questions following those words but he never actually voiced out to you about it. When he finally parked the car in front of your apartment complex, you thanked him for the ride home and bid him goodnight. He simply nodded and so you left his car right after.

Days have passed and it was recently announced that there will be a company event at the end of this week. The event is to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary upon its first launch. Not only that, everyone was encouraged to bring a plus one to the event, be it their significant other, a friend, a family member, etc. Therefore, your friends in your team have decided to invite their partners along since they were all either engaged or in a relationship with someone. The only one who is single between the five of you, is you.

“So, are you guys gonna bring your partners?” Taehyung asked, earning a smirk from Yoongi.

“Hell yeah. I would be glad to show off my fiancè to that girl in the HR department who keeps flirting with me at work.” Yoongi said, making you laugh.

“How about you?” Yeji then turned to ask you, earning a quiet sigh from you. They knew you broke up with Sunwoo a while ago and that you’ve been single ever since. She felt bad for asking you so she tried to cheer you up, “You can go with me. We don’t need to bring anyone to the event.”

However, you knew she would love to bring her boyfriend to this event so you just smiled and rejected her offer. You reassured them that you’ll figure something out and told them not to worry about you. As much as they didn’t want you to feel left out, they knew you wouldn’t be affected by going solo to the event. With that being said, the topic was dropped and Jieun proceeded to talk about something else.

A few hours later, you made it to your sister’s apartment after work to have dinner before your sister leaves for work. You were at the kitchen island eating the kimchi soup your sister made with her while Changmin was in the living room with Lucy and you kept thinking about the company event. Your sister could probably sense your mind being somewhere else so she was the first to break your train of thoughts.

“You look like your mind just did a brain fart over there. What’s going on?” She asked you calmly as you sighed.

“My company is doing a 25th anniversary event this Saturday evening. They invited everyone in the company…”

“But?” She said knowing you were hiding something when you paused.

“But they encouraged all the workers to bring their plus ones. I can’t bring Sunwoo because he’s my ex now.”

“So ask Changmin.” She said almost so easily, causing you to widen your eyes in shock. Just then, Changmin’s voice sounded from behind you as he heard his name in the equation.

“Ask me what?” He said as you glared at your sister to keep her mouth shut but she of course didn’t care.

“She has this company event on Saturday evening and she needs a plus one so I told her to ask you since I’ll be out of town from Friday to Sunday with Lucy.” She said with a proud smile on her face. You just wanted to stab her right now for being so blunt. Nevertheless, Changmin looked at you and gave you his answer with no hesitation at all whatsoever.

“Sure. I’ll go with you. That is if you’re okay of course.”

You were speechless but maybe you were just a tad bit happy that he was okay to go with you considering you weren’t technically friends to begin with. So since he already said he could go with you, that’s one less thing on your checklist to prepare for the weekend.

A few days went by and it was finally time to get ready for the company event. You texted Changmin to ask again if he was really okay with going to the event as your plus one. He sent you the cutest message you’ve ever gotten by someone even though it sounds pretty threatening considering it’s him who texted it.

“You can either accept the fact that you’re going with a handsome lad or choose to go to the event with your lonely ass. You pick.”

It wasn’t a surprise that you laughed upon reading the text but he doesn’t have to know that… For the event, you decided to pick out the most formal yet casual dress you owned which was a simple black fitted lace dress that stops at your mid thighs. Pairing it with your favourite nude open toe heels that were just 3 inches at least. Your makeup was very light and you had your hair clipped up, leaving your bangs down to frame your face. When he texted you at 7pm saying he was downstairs, you texted back to acknowledge him and soon took your necessary belongings.

When you made it downstairs, you saw him lean against the passenger side door looking handsome as ever. Changmin was wearing a black skinny jeans, white button down formal shirt with the first four buttons undone, a black blazer over that and his black boots. His hair was jet black with the slight side parting, hair styled up to show his forehead.

Your heart was beating so fast as you approached him but you quickly maintained your composure when he finally looked up to meet your eyes. Changmin checked you out briefly and pretty much openly, making you feel a little small under his intense gaze. When he finally locked eyes with you again, he smirked charmingly at you and said, “Have you always looked this hot?” His comment was totally unexpected as it awoke the butterflies in your belly.

“Apparently not, I guess.” You said, only for him to laugh. Both of you got into the car and you gave him the address so he finally drove off following the map. In the car, he asked you more about the event and you tried your best to answer every question to your best abilities.

Right after he parked the car in the parking lot, he turned the engine off and suddenly asked, “By the way, what am I supposed to be tonight?”

“Oh… U-Uh… I don’t know. I guess just go with the flow?”

“Good idea.”

With that being said, both of you made your way into the lobby and went up to the ballroom level via the lift. When you arrived at the ballroom, you showed the security your staff pass and soon entered the venue with Changmin closely behind you. The room was filled with your colleagues but only a few were recognisable to you. Changmin scanned the entire room curiously, trying to get used to the new environment until he felt soft fingers wrap around his hand to bring him back to reality.

“Hey, keep walking or you’ll get lost.” You said with a gentle smile on your face, making his heart flutter. Nevertheless, he followed you to a table where your friends and their plus ones were seated at.

“Y/N! You made it!” Yeji said with an excited tone as her eyes soon flew over to Changmin behind you. She smirked at you but Taehyung beat her to the questions.

“Hey, who’s this?” He asked with a teasing smirk, making you blush.

“Guys, this is Changmin… He’s uh…” You paused as your mind grew fuzzy on what to say so you naturally turned to look at Changmin. However, he seemed oddly calm as he finally looked at them and spoke up confidently that it made you slightly shocked.

“Boyfriend… I’m her boyfriend.” Changmin said, causing your friends to make excited sounds that you couldn’t help but laugh, finding it funny.

“It’s nice to meet you, Changmin. You definitely made a good choice.” Taehyung said, making you slap his arm and soon took a seat in the empty chair next to him while Changmin sat next to you. All of you began to chat as Changmin surprisingly got along well with your colleagues and including their individual partners too. The event was going well so far, the CEO gave out his speech and was giving out awards to the staff members in the company. After that segment was done, it was currently a free and easy time. People can mingle around, dance on the dancefloor, etc.

Just then, Jieun noticed a photobooth at the other side of the room so she spoke up, telling everyone at your table to go take pictures for memories. Changmin remained seated at first but when you noticed he wasn’t moving, that’s when Yoongi spoke up to address him.

“You too, Changmin. Come on.” Changmin’s eyes grew wide as he looked up at you and you smiled. You patiently waited for him, seeing how hesitant he was. So to ease him up a little, you laced your fingers with him and he turned to look down at your intertwined fingers. Changmin glanced up to meet your soft eyes staring back at him, melting him into a puddle.

“We’re here together, remember?” You asked so he nodded. Both of you began to make your way to the photobooth where your friends and their partners were already busy choosing props for the pictures.

They beckoned you over so you dragged Changmin with you. Once you’ve chosen your prop which was a cat ears headband, Changmin chose the same as you so that you were both matching. First picture, the girls sat on the bench while the guys stood behind you. Second picture, the bench was taken away as you guys scattered around to stand with your partners. You stood behind Jieun while Changmin was to your left. Right before the picture was taken, you felt his warm hand gently rest on your waist to hold you securely beside him.

Your heart was racing as the picture was taken and they were now deciding how to pose. Meanwhile, you turned to him and saw that his hair was a bit messy. While everyone was deciding how to pose, you reached up and carefully adjusted his bangs so that they weren’t poking his eyes. All the while, Changmin couldn’t help but stare into your eyes even though you weren’t looking at him. When you finally realised he was staring at you, that’s where you giggled and whispered to him quietly.

“What?”

“Nothing. You just look really cute right now.” Changmin said.

You blushed yet again as you gently slapped his chest but he quickly wrapped his arms around your waist, his left hand holding his right wrist to keep you secure against him. Since you were stuck like that, you ended up resting your hands on his chest while you posed for the third picture.

“Okay guys! Should we do a cute photo for the last one?” Yeji asked, only for Taehyung to suggest something very unexpected.

“We should kiss our partners!” He said, making you panic slightly. Changmin noticed the way you tensed up in his arms so he felt the need to calm you down. With that being said, Changmin nudged your cheek with his sharp nose to make you look at him. When you turned, Changmin smiled down at you with his arms still around you.

“We don’t have to kiss if you don’t want to. We can just pretend.” He said calmly, making your heart melt.

Has he always been this sweet?

“I-I… Are you sure?”

“Of course. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything.” He reassured you and it was enough to make you feel a lot better.

Everyone else was already in their positions as they brought back the bench. Two couples were seated while the other three were standing. You were on the left side with Changmin, standing behind Yoongi and his fiancè. The cameraman did a countdown to tell you when he would snap the picture. So you turned to look at Changmin as you slid your hands onto his neck and kept them there.

3…

Changmin smiled softly at you while he carefully leaned down to let his nose brush against yours.

2…

You then saw his gaze fall down south easily as he let out a soft but shaky breath to calm his own rapid heart despite the smile still plastered on his face.

1…

Just two seconds before the cameraman took the picture, you tilted your head up to let your lips crash against his softly. He was still smiling into the kiss when the picture was captured, making you caress his jaw gently with your thumbs. When you pulled away, you struggled to meet his eyes. Butterflies erupted rapidly in your stomach, earning a soft laugh from him.

“Look who’s being brave tonight.” He teased you over a whisper, making you shy.

“It’s the best opportunity I have, I guess?” You said and he couldn’t help but agree. All of you returned the props back to the table and made your way back to the table. About an hour later, the event was finally over so it was time to head back home. You bid goodbye to your friends and their partners before walking back to Changmin’s car.

Both of you remained quiet during the first few minutes, not really sure how to approach the topic of what happened earlier. At one of the traffic junctions, you were just staring out the window, your mind currently running haywire thinking about the kiss when you felt his soft hand slip into yours and carefully laced his fingers together with yours. Changmin brings your hand up only to plant a gentle kiss to the back of your hand before resting them in his lap while he drives. When he made it to your apartment, he didn’t need to be asked because he was already walking with you to the lobby.

You quietly brought him to the lift and up to your apartment level, all in a peaceful silence. When you reached the 12th floor, both of you got out of the lift as you led him to your door. After you’ve unlocked your door, you turned around but Changmin thought you wanted to say your goodbyes.

“I’ll see you around then? Goodnight Y/N.” Changmin said as he was about to walk off when you held his wrist and pulled him back only to cup his face with your other hand and tugged him down to kiss him. Changmin was genuinely stunned this time as he froze when you kissed him. His hands were awkwardly hovering over your waist. Changmin was so scared of making the wrong move but when he felt how genuine your kiss was, that’s when he finally melted against you.

He easily wraps his arms around your waist to pull you into his chest while guiding you back to gently crash against the door. Changmin’s kiss was passionate and needy, his hands squeezing your sides as though he was afraid to let you go. You pulled away first to take a breath, holding his face with both hands and smiled.

“Stay with me tonight…” You whispered over his lips, causing him to go crazy.

“I would absolutely love to.” Changmin smirked as he kissed you again while reaching for the door handle to push it open. You stumbled back into your apartment while he held you to prevent you from falling over.

He then kicked the door closed and locked it before lifting you up onto his waist while kissing you again. He kicked off his shoes while he helped to unbuckle your heels and let it slip down to the ground. He walked deeper into your apartment, guiding him to your bedroom. Once he made it there, he brought you to your bed, gently laying you down as you sat up and watched him take off his blazer and tossed it to the ground.

Changmin crawls up the bed to join you, situating himself between your legs as you pull him down for a kiss. While you were busy kissing him, your hands began to unbutton his white shirt and pushed the material off his shoulders for him. He threw it to the ground as he then pouted to you adorably.

“Why am I the only one with less clothes on?” He asked, only for you to giggle.

“Because mine is just one piece.” You said, earning a playful smirk from him. Changmin kissed you while pinning your hands above your head. He laced his fingers with yours, holding them against the mattress while he kissed you lovingly. Suddenly, he stopped only to look you dead in the eye. You thought he was going to change his mind and that he just realised that this wasn’t what he wanted but then what comes out of his mouth next was totally unexpected.

“I think I love you.”

“What?”

This time, he said it confidently.

“Scratch that… I love you, Y/N.” Changmin said, making your heart swell. With that being said, you kissed him longingly while caressing his cheek. When you pulled away, you slowly fluttered your eyelids open to meet his gaze and smiled.

“I love you too, Changmin.”

That was all he needed to hear before continuing with where you both stopped. Knowing that the feelings are mutual, it felt a little more intimate now. All the while, he was being gentle to you, asking you questions to make sure you’re okay with what he’s doing. He would only go rough when he needs to, etc. That night, you felt so loved and respected. He showered you with so much love that it made you feel so full at the end of it all.

You’re glad he went to the event with you that night because if he didn’t, you probably still wouldn’t know how you felt for each other.

#the boyz scenarios #the boyz imagines #the boyz #the boyz ji changmin #tbz changmin #tbz imagines #tbz scenarios #tbz q scenarios #tbz q x reader #the boyz q #ji changmin x reader #ji changmin fluff #ji changmin scenarios

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viatrix-glow · 7 months ago

Text

new di x warrior cats

name explanations and more info below :3

basic stuff

-each agency is a clan, not each unit. 14-15 clans would be silly and then we would have some clans with 5 cats and some with 2.

-starpro -> lightclan. i couldn’t call them “starclan” for obvious reasons. light is somewhat synonymous with star, so i’m going with that.

-cospro -> nightclan. i don’t think the cats in warriors know the word “cosmic”, but cosmic implies cosmos implies night sky, so we’re going with night

-rhyth lin -> rippleclan. ripple is sort of a synonym to rhythm….? this one was hard

-new di -> fortuneclan. this one is a stretch but neither “new” or “dimension” have synonyms that really fit a clan name. fortune is something that relates to multiple characters in new di though

-starclan still sort of exists, but the cats do not believe in them the way they do in warriors. they are more of a nursery tale than anything, and select cats (ex: tatsumi) believe in them, but it is not written into their code. medicine cats can still interpret signs, but they do not necessarily think of them as coming from starclan.

-medicine cat forbidden romance is not a thing here

-intermingling of clans is ok and common

-there’s like. other cats in their clans besides just the enstars cast i assume

cat names/why i chose them

fortuneclan:

knights

-tsukasa -> scarletstar (scarletblossom) . he is the leader of fortuneclan because he is one of the new di reps for the summits. both scarlet and blossom were chosen bc of his last name (scarlet is a red color… kinda similar to cherry…. and blossom for the cherry blossom).

-leo -> lionheart. ok this one is kind of cheating because lionheart is already an existing warrior, but…come on….

-izumi -> silverspring. sora describes his color as silver, and spring is in his first name

-ritsu -> frostmoon. his first name means cold moon according to the wiki so i just rehashed it

-naru -> goldenroar. since she doesn’t like her first name i didn’t want to use “storm”, and her last name can be read as “thunder” but that’s a little too close to storm? so golden for her hair and roar for her last name

switch

-natsume -> sageeye. a sage is similar to a wizard, and eye is in his first name . also the “dovesong” mentioned is wataru :)

-tsumugi -> bluewing. he is a bluebird. warrior cats probably wouldn’t straight up call a cat “bluebird” so i put wing there instead. deputy cause he’s the vp

-sora -> skyspring . sora means sky. spring is in his last name. i could have used “stream” instead to differentiate him from sena but i think spring is cuter

mam/df

-madara -> tawnystripe . tawny bc it’s like kind of close to calico if you squint. stripe(s) is in his last name

#my art #enstars #ok so maybe we WOULD have 5 clans bc guess what was announced today #a new agency. and a new unit (or fucking 5? idk)#BUTWHATEVER #um i don’t know why i did this it was a joke at first but #then i started getting really into choosing names….#like originally it was just gonna be switch but then i was like hmmm… what if the agency is the clan #i’ve been reading so so much warrior cats i’m about to finish avos and then i’ll be caught back up to where i was #when i started this rereading journey last year #so like i have to apply it to my other interests #i’m proud of the names i chose i think they’re fun #yes leo’s is a cheat but idc #i hope someone else will appreciate this it’s mostly just me doing stuff for fun #i want to do the other units/agencies too but that might be a while cause yall this took #like a week . granted i’m busy rn but god damn picking designs for cats is hard!!#that’s why so many ended up being tabbies i just can’t resist they’re my favorites i’m definitely not biased #but also realistically tabby is a pretty common pattern so it’s fine #my fave design is naru’s btw i wanted to make her really pretty and i think i did ok #ok i’m going to bed bye #also forgot to mention i wanted to keep the names as close to canon warriors as i could so i had to find words similar to things that #the cats in warriors would know #sage is pushing it i don’t think they use sage in medicine . they def don’t know what a fortune is either but i don’t care

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perpetual-stuck · 26 days ago

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INTRODUCTION POST TO THE PERPETUAL KIDS.

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Amie Liatri is a 15 (soon to be 16) year old girl who is the reason why everyone started playing Sburb. Her mythological role is as a Maid of Breath, which she tries her best to uphold.

She loves making & solving puzzles, and views her own friends as puzzles she has to figure out. She's very open with her friends most of the time, but she tends to bottle up certain emotions. Her definition of "freedom" is one of her biggest challenges as a breath player, and it's something that she must strive to change as it has become warped overtime. Despite the fact that she's made to feel responsible for the faults in their session by one particular player, she still aims to be kind and cheerful! She's great friends with Seth and seeks to find validation from Finn.

Her views on how freedom binds her with chains on the ground, rendering her unable to let go. That, is freedom to Amie Liatri.

#🧩

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Seth Streli is a 16 year old boy who joined the Sburb session because he's a good friend of Amie and was thoroughly convinced by her pleading. His mythological role is as a Knight of Hope, a true knight in shining armor!

He loves card games and magic tricks and despite not truly believing in them, he still has fun pretending they're real. He's a great motivational speaker with a natural talent for getting people's morale up. Now, he has a pretty horrible savior complex, but he tries his best to be a good leader anyway. He's the pillar that everyone can comfortably lean on, and despite everything he manages to keep a great connection between him and everyone else. He masquerades himself well, making him seem put together and outgoing. However, Finn has seen what's underneath that mask, and knows the truth about Seth Streli.

A Knight of Hope's duties bound him relentlessly, and he is left to carry the burdens that such a job carries, no matter his desires to just spend time with his friends normally.

#🃏

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Finn Scabio is a 16 year old boy who joined the Sburb session becasue Seth had asked him to and he had a fondness for Amie at the time. His mythological role is as a Bard of Blood which makes it hard for him to truly connect with people.

He loves playing his electric guitar and enjoys pulling pranks. He hates Mira's company and involvement (or lack of involvement) in their session for many reasons. The most apparent of these reasons by far is that he hates how she compares him to her, as he thinks very lowly of her demeanor, especially towards those he deeply cares about. Despite the fact that he cares a lot about his friends, he has a hard time expressing his emotions about it naturally. He has self destructive tendencies and it leads to him sabotaging his relationships accidentally, but even with all that he still tries his best. He's an active player in their Sburb session and is the only one who ends up god-tiering.

His fate was predetermined into the inner workings of Sburb the moment he was chosen as a Bard of Blood, truly he shall never connect with his friends on an interpersonal level.

#🎸

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Mira Narcis is a 16 year old girl who begins playing Sburb after being forced into it by her friends. Her mythological role in their session is as a Seer of Void, however she rarely plays into it.

She values her alone time reading and is extremely introverted. Because of this, she tends to stay offline a lot and inconveniences her coplayers in their session. In truth, she isn't actually very close to most of her coplayers except for Seth, her true closest friend. Mira often fights with Finn and in general doesn't get along with him as they always get into disagreements when it comes to... everything. She believes that her ideals and his match perfectly, yet he sees otherwise, viewing her as an uncaring and callous figure. At times, she can get sentimental and emotional out of nowhere, attempting to hide it behind her large vocabulary of expressive words.

Mira Narcis is a pristinely clean page full of endless possibilities that she's too afraid to taint with a touch that might be her certain failure.

#📓

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#homestuck #🃏#🎸#📓#🧩#Seth Streli #Mira Narcis #Finn Scabio #Amie Liatri #homestuck oc #homestuck ocs

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anangelwhodidntfall · 2 years ago

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I Am Hers, She is Mine: Neyetam Sully

Avatar Masterlist

word count: 1.3K

description: Neyetam has always been yours, just as you’ve been his whether you realize it or not.

a/n: Listen to I Am Hers, She Is Mine from the Game of thrones soundtrack.

*A YEAR AGO*

It was Neyetam's official coming-of-age ceremony that would mark him as the future of the clan, he only had two rituals to complete, find a mate and fight anyone who dared challenge him for the throne. Rumors began to swirl that Neyetam had already found a mate but no one knew quite who it was, including you his best friend. Part of you was glad that you didn't know who it was then it saved you from facing the reality that Neyetam would never be yours, no matter how much you wanted it.

"Papa I have to wear this uncomfortable corset?" You asked your grandfather as Kiri tied you up.

"Yes, you do my dear, unfortunately. But I must say you look absolutely beautiful in it, it reminds me of the first time your mother wore it." He said giving you a soft smile.

"He's right. Neyetam is gonna probably fall at your feet even more once he sees you in this." She said making you roll your eyes.

Soon enough you and your grandfather were standing there alongside Neyetam's family who was basically an extended family as well as the other villagers awaiting Neyetam and Jake's arrival.

"y/n you look so pretty." Tuk said to you making you smile as you thanked her.

Soon Jake and Neyetam arrived and god did Neyetam look good in his ceremony outfit which wasn't helping you move on from him. You listened as Jake and the other leaders explained what was happening today and then it came to the part where anyone could challenge Neyetam for the throne.

"If anyone would like to challenge Neyetam please come forward now." One of the leaders said.

You slowly walked forward earning a few gasps from the crowd as Jake and your grandfather shook their heads not all surprised at this behavior.

"This corset is really uncomfortable, so could please wrap this up and go home?" You said as Neytiri pinched your side and drag you back over to where she was standing.

Neyetam couldn't help but laugh at your antics, that was one of the many reasons he had fallen for you and chosen you as his mate not that you knew yet. You two had been childhood friends since your moms were best friends, so more often than not, you were with the sully's growing up as your dad left you and your mom and you were an only child. Neyetam knew around when he was 15 he wanted to be mates with you and once he was sure of his decision of wanting you as his mate, he went to your grandfather and ask his permission to mate with you knowing how important it was to you, and your grandfather gave him his permission and promised to keep it a secret until you were ready.

*CURRENT DAY*

It was currently the day before your ceremony and you were an emotional wreck between the ceremony planning, your grandpa getting sick, and missing your mom. You were currently sitting by your mom's grave crying and wishing she was here, and praying that she and your ancestors would keep grandpa alive until you completed your whole ceremony when you saw flowers placed on her grave, before an arm wrapped around you as you leaned into their chest.

"Are you okay?" Neyetam asked you.

"Yeah, it's just a lot....between grandpa getting sick recently and her not being here." You said as he ran a hand through your hair.

"I understand...She may not be here physically but she's here with you in here and all around you..." He said pressing a hand against your heart.

"I know I just miss her alot....being able to hear her voice...to see her smile...to hug her...I miss her hugs the most." You said to him.

"I know you do and I wish that you could have those back sweetheart, I really do." He said to you as he squeezed you a little harder.

As he sat there holding you, he silently prayed to Ewya that she would let him be the one like he always dreamed of to take care of you and be with you throughout life...it scared him to think that you could possibly want someone else to take care of you like this because he knew no one who would care for you and love you as he did.

Today was your ceremony, and you were silent as Neytiri helped you get ready for it You honestly just couldn't wait for this to be over, as a kid you were excited about it but now it was just another day to you.

"Y/n, my child can I ask why you've never mated with Neyetam?" She asked you as she finished up your hair.

"What do you mean? Neyetam has mate does he not?" You asked confused.

"No, he doesn't. A year ago he came to us and told us that he wanted to wait for you, and then he went to your grandpa and got approval, so that if you choose him then he would have your grandpa's permission. He's been in love with you for ages, there isn't anyone else for him." She said leaving you speechless.

"I'm scared." You said quietly.

"Scared? What are you scared of my child?" She asked you grabbing your hands.

"Not saying that Neyetam would do it, it's just that I'm scared that Neyetam would leave me and our possible family as my dad did to my mom." You said to her.

"Oh sweetheart, you know Neyetam would never do that because I would kill him first all, but that boy has been in love with you two forever, I've seen the way he looks at you and cares for you, there is no one else for him." She said squeezing your hands as you smiled.

"Just talk to him after your ceremony, and explain to him what you feeling, but trust me my son will understand and still love you as much." She said.

"Thank you, Neytiri. For everything." You said hugging her.

"Of course ma y/n, your family." She said squeezing you as your grandpa came to get you.

Neyetam felt his jaw drop upon seeing you in your ceremony outfit, you were so beautiful, like a goddess. As he was watching the ceremony happen, he couldn't help but notice that two braids that framed your head used beads in his favorite color which gave him hope. After your ceremony, he watched as you made your way over him.

"Hey, can we talk privately?" You asked him softly reaching for his hand.

"Of course." He said as you two ducked out of your ceremony and walked to your favorite spot.

"So what's going on sweetheart?" He asked you.

"I just wanted to talk to you about why I guess we haven't mated yet." You said making him look you in the eye.

"Sweetheart, I don't want you to feel pressured or anything, it's just that I feel that maybe you aren't interested in me which is fine if you are but I just would like to know." He said making you sigh.

"Trust me Ney, it's always been you...I've had a crush on you for god knows how long..." You said as a smile spread across his face.

"Really?!" He asked you.

"Really, there is no one else who cares for me or his family the way you do and so much more. But I've just been scared of what could happen when we mate." You said playing with his hand.

"What do you mean sweetheart?" He asked you.

"I'm just scared that you'll leave me like my dad did to me and my mom which I know isn't fair to you but that's why I've hesitated on completing the mating ritual with you." You said as realization hit Neyetam.

"Oh sweetheart, I promise you that I would never leave you like your dad did, what your dad did was a cowardly move, but I swear to you that I've been yours whether you realized it or not, and I will prove that you every day if I have to. I love you so much." He said cupping your cheeks.

"I love you too Neyetam. I'm ready to give this a try if you are."You said looking into his eyes as you felt him press a kiss to your lips.

#neyetam sully x reader #neyetam sully #neyetam sully imagine #avatar way of water x reader

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okimnerdy · 10 months ago

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Trolls Headcannons (Royal Family Edition)

Peppy

°Peppy suffers from some type of memory loss due to PTSD. It got to the point where he had to trust most of the older trolls to help him keep his mind as they all settled in the Pop Forest.

°Peppy started the chant of "No Troll Left Behind" after finding Viva's Hug Time Bracelet in the rubble. He made those who made it out swear to never mention Viva in order to give Poppy only happiness in this new chapter.

°Peppy became protective over his daughters after their mother was chosen as one of the first Trolls of Bergentown's first annual Trollstice. He became even more protective of Poppy after the split™ because of Viva's presumed death.

°Peppy's memory has started fading in and out, making him believe that he went on adventures that didn't happen or didn't happen as he remembered them.

Viva

°Viva is 15 years older than Poppy, being around 16-17 at the time of The Great Escape™ and around 37-38 at the time of their reunion.

°Viva was a huge fan of Brozone prior to the arrival of the Bergens. However, she didn't recognize Clay when he showed up with the rest of the Putt Putt Trolls. She didn't even know his name until they all settled in.

°Viva quickly took up the role as the leader of this new tribe due to her royal training, but was scared. Thankfully, Clay was there to be an amazing assistant and friend. No one will admit it, but she thinks of him as a co-ruler rather than an advisor or an overseer and gives him the same power as her.

°Viva braided her hair out of anxiety, needing something to fidget with in the early days of separation. She also took up knitting and crocheting, making a majority of hers and Clay's clothes.

°Viva is still wary around Bergentown due to all the trauma and mental scarring they put on her. As much as she wants to go with Poppy, she just volunteers to kingdom-sit for however long they'll be gone.

Poppy

°Poppy essentially started ruling at a young age due to her dad's decline in health, being around 10 years old when people started turning to her over her dad. They never really asked for much, but it was quite overwhelming.

°Poppy started scrapbooking after her dad's memory started to go. The little pictures remind him of the history he told her as she grew up, and ultimately became Pop Village's main collection of history books. She did have help editing them after the World Tour.

°Poppy credits most of her big personal changes to being because of Branch. He has been her voice of reason since the beginning, but never really listened until they both gave each other chances.

°Poppy was around 1 or 2 during the Great Escape™, making her around 21 or 22 during the events of the first film and around 22 or 23 during WT and BT.

°Poppy didn't discover Brozone until the Return to the Troll tree where she found a bunch of their records in what she assumed was meant to be her old room. She later found out it was Viva's old room and collection.

Bonus: Ladies' Night

°Brandi, Poppy, & Viva get together once in a while to just escape the pressures of their jobs. They'll usually stay on Vacay Island, but have gone to Mount Rageous on several occasions. Poppy still keeps in contact with Crimp for visits like these.

<<prev || next>>

#trolls movie #trolls headcanons #trolls poppy #trolls viva #trolls peppy #trolls #trolls band together #trolls world tour #trolls tbt #trolls tbgo #trolls trollstopia

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seriouslysam8 · 1 year ago

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Why do you feel like Harry is so unliked? I thought it showed in OotP how much everyone looked up to him. The way everyone looked up to him for guidance as a leader, showed how likeable he was. Ya some people thought he was attention seekers but not all of them. Lots of people looked up to Harry and liked him. I don’t think he’s as unpopular as you think he is. I think a lot of people saw a different side of him in OotP and I don’t think only certain people got to see the nice side to him. The kid wasn’t rude to you unless you deserved it. He strikes me as polite and kind unless you hurt or insult someone he cares about. I do think Harry was more popular than Ron and although Ron is hilarious he didn’t really have very many friends either. The reason Harry didn’t hang out with Dean and Seamus in GoF was because Ron was with them first, plus Seamus was always a little jealous over Harry so I wouldn’t be surprised if that was something Ron and him bonded over during that time.

Because he really wasn’t.

He was ostracized in second year, fourth year, AND fifth year. People thought the worst of him for three entire years. Not just over small stuff. They legit thought he was petrifying students, cheated to enter a tournament for attention, and that he was a big fat liar. Each time, very few people actually believed Harry. Why? Because nobody really knew him.

I bet, though never stated, quite a few people were just exasperated with Harry in POA because now they had Dementors and Sirius Black breaking into the castle with a knife. Any normal person would be annoyed and bitter that they had to fear for their life because of Harry. Because it’s always something with Harry!

So if he’s on the outs with pretty much the entire school 3/6 years (potentially 4/6 years if you count POA though there’s no solid evidence), how did he become popular? Respecting him in the DA doesn’t mean he’s popular. Believing him in HBP and thinking he really is the chosen one doesn’t mean he’d popular.

And I don’t think it was a case in GOF that Ron got to Dean and Seamus first. I think Ron is more social and likable than Harry in initial meetings. I don’t even recall Harry trying to make new friends in GOF. He just stuck to Hermione. But, you know, I don’t blame him when everyone is wearing Potter stinks badges and calling him a cheat and an attention seeker. Yeah, that screams Mr Popularity.

Seamus thought Harry was a liar in OOTP. He wasn’t a close friend of Harry’s. If he was, he never would have jumped on the “Harry is a liar” bandwagon. Furthermore, he LIVES with Harry. He would have saw a very traumatized Harry in a more intimate way than others after the final task. Yet, he still believed Harry was a liar.

While people may have come to respect Harry in OOTP through the DA, it’s not like everyone was going out of their way to talk to him. He still stuck to Ron and Hermione. It wasn’t until HBP that we saw people taking an interest in Harry (mostly girls) because he was dubbed the chosen one. Romilda Vane didn’t like Harry for Harry. She liked him because he was dubbed as special again. As a bulk of other girls did. Plus, I think, Harry has blossomed from 15 to 16 to being taller and coming into his own. So girls probably legit thought he was cute too.

Harry wasn’t popular with the girls before. He struggled hardcore to get a date to the Yule Ball. It wasn’t like girls were flirting with him and trying to get an invite. He legit asked Parvati, someone he wasn’t close with but knew him enough to know he wasn’t a jerk. But I’m sure after that an abysmal date, she had a slight change of opinion. Parvati and Lavender were gossips. You know that got around the school.

Everyone and their Muggle cousin knew Ron was pissy at the Yule Ball because of Hermione and Krum. While it doesn’t excuse his behavior, it doesn’t linger like a cloud over him either after Lavender sucked his face off in HBP. Meanwhile, Harry had no reason to be a grump. He was a grump to be a grump.

When Ron and Hermione were prefects, Harry had no idea where to sit on the train in OOTP. He chose to sit with Ginny, Neville, and Luna. He probably chose it because of Ginny because he knows Ginny better than the others. It’s no secret that Harry loves all things Weasley. Harry hates sitting there with Neville and Luna. If Harry was friends with Neville, he wouldn’t have been so embarrassed to sit with him when Cho came around. (Though his opinions of Luna and Neville do change after the DOM debacle and he probably considered them friends).

So, if Harry wasn’t close with Neville or Seamus by OOTP (people in his own dorm), what makes you think he was popular in general? He wasn’t even popular amongst the boys in his own year. Furthermore, we can assume even in HBP that Seamus AND Dean weren’t close to Harry or really his friends because they made fun of him enough for falling off his broom that Ginny laid into them. I don’t think Ginny would have laid into them if they were Harry’s friends and taking the mickey.

So maybe you could say that Harry was “popular” in first year. Maybe he did talk to more people than we saw. But nobody stuck by his side in COS besides Romione, the Weasleys, and possibly the Quidditch team since they’d know him better than most. I can’t remember if the Quidditch team was salty against him or not. But if you believe your friend is petrifying students, well, they weren’t really your friend to begin with.

I think if anything, you could say Harry was popular in the sense that everyone knew his name, who he was, and things that he did. I do not think you can claim he was traditionally socially popular. He stuck with the same friends. You never really saw him interacting with very many people outside of Romione, the Weasleys, and the Quidditch team.

Harry is never surrounded by a bunch of people like Cho and Ginny who are described as popular. I look it as who are Harry’s friends and how does he interact with his peers to determine if he was popular. And, well, that’s lacking. Harry doesn’t have a lot of friends and he doesn’t interact with a ton of people all the time. The closest he came to that was the DA but, again, respect does not equal popularity.

That’s okay! I personally like that Harry wasn’t popular. I think it makes him more relatable and human. Given his childhood, it makes more sense that he has a tight-knit group of friends he trusts more than anyone else. I don’t think Harry would want a big group of friends. He likes the intimacy of a small group, knowing they are tight and he can count on them.

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laurellerual · 2 years ago

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Please tell me your opinions on edric dayne!! I see so many fans hype him up for future books but I don’t really see it. Maybe if the five yr gap was still happening but I think he wouldve been mentioned in the dornish chapters if he is gonna get a bigger role. But his one conversation with arya was cute and I always wondered why george didn’t have him stay with the riverlands brotherhood

I agree that if the five year gap had happened Edric's role would have been bigger and probably Gerold Dayne wouldn't exist.

BUT I don't think we've seen the end of this character. Edric is not some accomplished knight, but he's not a child either. Let's remember that when he meets Arya, he's 12 and she's 10. This means that if Arya in TWOW turns 12, the next time we see Ned he could be 14/15.

We haven't heard from him since Beric's death, that's true. BUT I don't think a future involvement of him in the Dorne plot can be ruled out yet.

If he's no longer with the Brotherhood it can only mean that he is either dead or has returned to the South. Now the boy has no reason to stay with the brotherhood because they have chosen Lady Stoneheat as their new leader, their mission has changed and Ned has no history that leads him to pursue revenge for the Red wedding. Like he may be sorry but why would he care personally. Probably he is accompanying what remains of Beric to Blackhaven in the Dornish Marches.

My thoughts on Edric are that he has a good chance of surviving and that at some point someone in the finale will mention that he's back as Lord of Starfall. Whereas Darkstar… do you think it's unlikely that he end up in Aegon VI's Kingsguard as some sort of anti-Arthur Dayne? And then he dies after Aegon's inevitable overthrow?

In a hypothetical situation where the five-year gap had occurred, the idea that tickles me is that Edric could have been the new head of the Brotherhood without Banners, the new Sword of the Dawn and above all I would have paid to see him interact with Jaime Lannister. Maybe an Arthur Dayne-Kingswood Brotherhood style meeting with Ned and Jaime could still happen. It's a fun idea.

#asoiaf #edric dayne #gerold dayne #jaime lannister #arya stark #house dayne #dorne #ned dayne

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roses-for-rosalyn · 1 year ago

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The Patrol Tower

First chapter of my enemies to lovers Abby fic!

Can also be read on AO3!

New patrol posts came out today and you could groan out loud over who you’re stuck with for the next few days. Abby. She was… a specific type of insufferable, she was rigid, cold. She would rarely deviate from her little clique with Owen, Mel, and Manny. Most importantly she seemed to have an unfounded grudge against you. You could not pin exactly what you did to deserve the cold treatment from her. She was friendly enough to those who weren’t in her circle, but it seemed like the day you arrived your very presence agitated her. You were very lucky because you were taken in after the treaty with the scars was broken, and the squad that found you for whatever reason didn’t kill you on site. So you ended up here as part of the WLF. You have to admit you started out with a particularly annoying lack of fighting skills. Training was painfully slow, but you were persistent. You would go back to your room with sore muscles and maybe a bruise or two every day. Somehow you managed to stay determined and eventually you became the person to beat in your class. You had the best sim and the ability to kick almost anyone’s ass. The “almost” is important because unfortunately you could not kick Abby’s ass. You would imagine there were not many people who could touch Abby without her permission.

Abby is one of Isaac's favorites, so everyone trusts and respects her which you can admire, but it’s hard to get over the fact that she just hates you for no reason. Such a shame really because she can be so admirable sometimes. She is incredibly strong and a natural leader, on top of that she’s good at everything she tries. It’s a little annoying honestly…well very annoying. You’re sure her training took half the time and she was twice as good.

You make your way to the cafeteria to get something in your system before you have to leave. You get in line and grab your sorry excuse food, bean burritos (again), and sit down. In the middle of scarfing down your burrito like it was your last meal you feel eyes on you. And big surprise it’s Abby, she’s staring you down, watching you eat. You maintain eye contact and continue practically inhaling the burrito until she looks away, disgusted. You grin as you finish up your burrito and head out.

Abby, unfortunately, catches up to you as you start to sign out your chosen weapons. She nods at you as a sort of brief acknowledgment of your existence and proceeds to request her supplies.

“Hi.” you say almost tentatively, testing her mood for today.

She stares at you blankly for a moment, blinks, and finally responds “Hi.”

You're pleasantly surprised she didn’t grunt at you or just straight up pretend you didn’t exist. Maybe she made a silent agreement with herself to try to tolerate you, but you won’t make it easy.

You and Abby first met briefly in the hallway as you were being led to your assigned room by Mel. She probably thought she was doing you a sort of favor by introducing you to someone on your first day there, but it definitely was not the encounter she had hoped for. Mel introduced you to Abby and you smiled at her politely squeaking out a shy “nice to meet you.” She towered over you, she had to be almost twice your size. Her arms were crossed causing her biceps to be perfectly on display, you could see the veins flowing from her large hands to her forearms. Overall intimidating as hell. All you were met with was a dry laugh and an eye roll. With that Mel decided to start walking you towards your room away from Abby, apologizing for her behavior. You still had no idea what you did to deserve that treatment up front, maybe with a little luck you’d find out within the next couple days.

You make your way down to the trucks walking silently next to Abby praying she doesn’t say anything to try to make conversation. You made it about 15 minutes listening to the sound of the truck's engine and the wind in your ears before the silence was broken.

“Can we make a sort of deal up front about, like, talking?” She yells over the roar of the truck engine.

“What?” you reply, confused.

“Look, we mutually don’t enjoy each other's company. It would make it easier if we don’t try to make small talk or anything. I think it would be best if we only talk when necessary.”

She explains.

You don’t even know what to say to that. She doesn’t even want to try to make this a pleasant experience? She won’t even pretend to like you?

You sigh hoping that it would contain your anger.

“Fine.” you respond bluntly.

The drive takes forever, but you always liked looking out at the cityscape, imagining what it looked like before. Picturing the buildings and streets free of vines and grasses, all shiny and new. You wonder what it would be like with the streets full of people just wandering around, not running in fear. You have no idea what it was like before, you were born a few years after the outbreak, but you had read about what it was like. Businesses used to line the street full of plenty of food, clothing and furniture. People would walk or drive all around the city on their way to work or a dinner date. The carelessness of it all sounded so pleasant.

Your daydreaming is cut short when the truck stops, waiting for you and your new patrol partner to exit. You were assigned someplace pretty secluded with not much activity. You're sure Abby wasn’t super excited about being stuck in such a calm place, much less stuck there with you. She liked to feel useful, she knew how capable she was and felt like she was wasting it when she was assigned patrol somewhere like this. You both make your way to the base of the watchtower. Abby holds out her arm and says “ladies first.”

You start climbing up the ladder praying the rusty metal doesn’t cut into your hand. Dying from tetanus at this point would just be embarrassing. You make it to the top and observe your living quarters for the next couple days. It’s a small square space with a metal floor. There are half walls on all four sides with metal poles at the corners holding up the roof. You are essentially exposed to the elements here with the inability to set up a tent in the small space. There is a metal desk against one of the half walls with a radio and a few extra packs of bullets from the previous watch. Oh and a singular metal chair pushed up against the desk (as if that helped make the space more livable). Everything was cold and metal. How luxurious.

Abby is the first to break the silence, “I’ll take first watch. You try to sleep and I’ll wake you up in a few hours.” The sun was just starting to set, but you can always use sleep. Might as well take advantage of her offer.

“Ok, but how do I know you won’t fall asleep?” It was a genuine question because if no one is left on watch you both get in trouble.

Abby rolls her eyes “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

“Trust you?” you huff. Does she hear how ridiculous that sounds? She should know better than anyone that in the world you both live in you don’t just “trust” people, especially with something as important as your life.

“Look I’ll wake you up immediately if I start to get at all even a little tired. Okay?” She looks at you annoyed. You know what’s going on in her head, you know questioning her abilities is pointless because her arrogance will deny you every time. It was so goddamn irritating.

“Fine.” It wasn’t an ideal compromise, but you were very tired. You laid out your sleeping bag, crawled inside, and promptly fell asleep.

You are woken up by someone shaking you. You open your eyes and it’s dark out but you can make out Abby’s face and it’s way too close to you. You can see the moonlight reflecting off her features.She almost looks pretty. You jerk away suddenly and Abby just sort of stares.

“You mumble in your sleep.” She finally says, “It’s incredibly annoying.”

You roll your eyes and sit up. “You finally get tired?”

“Yup, it’s your turn to try and not fall asleep.” You stand up and sit in the metal chair and grab your sniper rifle while Abby pulls out her sleeping bag and places it as far away from your sleeping bag as possible. It’s an incredibly small space but she somehow managed to put some distance between them.

You watch her curl up inside her sleeping bag and her breathing quickly slows down and evens out. You rub the sleep out of your eyes and look at your surroundings. Abby had left her sniper rifle on the desk with the safety on. You usually used the scope as a sort of pair of binoculars. If you saw any activity it could easily help you identify exactly what it was. Apparently Abby did the same.

You look out as the landscape ahead of you. You were placed on the edge of the city so there’s a lot more greenery than usual. The stars and moon were so bright they completely lit up your surroundings. One might even say it was beautiful, despite it being a graveyard of a past life. Most of the space in front of you is an open field with tall green grass growing as far as you could see. There were cars and crumbling remains of buildings dotting the landscape, but it was still a spectacular view. You could see the city in the distance and you could almost see what it used to look like. The destruction and decay is so far away it almost looked like the old “normal”.

You start to get lost in the details of your surroundings when the peaceful quiet is disturbed by a noise coming from behind you. Someone snoring, Abby snoring. It was quiet, almost cute. The only reason you had been able to notice it was because it was so quiet, otherwise you could easily ignore it. You observe the way the moonlight reflects off her face and hair, making her look almost angelic. What a shame such a pretty face is attached to someone who detests you. As you look at her you realize her arms are wrapped around a section of her sleeping bag. She was…cuddling with her sleeping bag. Her biceps were perfectly on display, the moonlight defining her muscles, the dramatic shadows and highlights made her look like a work of art. You could almost see the brushstrokes. Her face was relaxed and not in a scowl for once. She had long eyelashes and little freckles dotting the bridge of her nose.

She looked adorable.

No, nope, no. She hates you. And for no reason, which is worse. You would at least respect her if she had a legitimate reason for her discontent. At this point you are probably just gonna ask her because the amount of space she takes up in your brain is ridiculous.

Your thoughts are disrupted by the sound of leaves rustling. There was no wind, it was a very calm night. You look at where the sound is coming from and see a shadow move behind one of the cars about 200 feet away. You have an advantage with the distance, but they’re clearly aware that you are watching them. It has to be a Scar, or worse, a stalker. You shudder at the idea and decide to wake Abby up just in case things escalate. You start to shake her gently and her eyes gently start to open.

“Already?” She groans out. You quickly sush her.

“We have company.” you whisper. Abby immediately stands up and grabs her gun, you do the same. As you prop your gun onto one of the half walls you see the shadow dart behind more debris. Three more quickly follow close behind.

“What are our orders? They’re clearly people.” You whisper to Abby. Just as you finish speaking a gunshot echoes from across the field. Both you and Abby respond immediately by shooting back. They try dodging and weaving, using the cars for cover, but it’s no use. Abby is an excellent shot, you managed to take one down yourself. They got a couple good shots in, some you even heard a few whir past your ear, but nothing where you thought you’d been hit.

Once it looks like all of them have been shot down you finally relax a bit.

“I’ll go investigate. You stay here and cover me just in case.” Abby says.

“Alright. Don’t die.” You reply nodding.

Abby makes her way down the ladder as you place your gun back up on the half wall. You watch her jog out into the field towards the corpses and you scan for movement around her. She made her way behind the car they were cowering behind and you immediately heard a gunshot. A second one immediately follows ringing out loudly. Fuck.

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Here is the first chapter of the Abby fic I’ve been working on. She’s enemies to friends to lovers so far. Literally everything right now is subject to change I’m like two chapters in. I really like how it came out let me know what y’all think so far! Let me know if you noticed the Phoebe Bridgers lyric hehe 👻

#abby anderson #abby anderson the last of us 2 #enemies to friends to lovers #the last of us #the last of us 2 #canon universe #Abby Anderson x reader #abby x you

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