#crazy to think we all might have ended up here by accident. or coincidence

[looniecartooni]

tell me MORE (/np)

Oh ho ho boy- where to start? This may get a bit wonky and I might sound a bit crazy.

Okay- so... first off Fanto and Dimitri are a lot alike. They both put on a killer show and crave attention and they both technically can not tell a lie (Dimitri's tail speaks his thoughts, Fantoccio was just said to have it by Katie- I'm not entirely sure why. Could have to do with Pinocchio or how Autistic people or honest or something else). And at a glance, they kind of have some visual similarities. For instance- they both have yellow eyes and a tannish- pallet.

Perhaps it's just an odd coincidence, but it's also been said at some point that Fanto was built to be like his creator. Someone with a flair for the dramatic who can't tell a lie? Seems pretty likely.

Now there are some definite issues revolving around this. We don't know enough about Dimitri to confirm or deny this. He certainly would be old enough to be Fantoccio's dad possibly as he knew Arthur and Aristotle. But this also suggests that at some point Dimitri owned a theater, knows how to carve puppets, can bring them to life, and is possibly Autistic. However, if he was Fanto's dad and owned a theater, why would he bother pretending to be a hero? Why would he use the gem to bring one or possibly more puppets to life? Wouldn't he be exhausted and busy?

I don't think Arthur and/or Aristotle would have created him though nor would I think they'd give up on him if they accidently left him (Ari might- thinking he's dead- but even still). Billie would have been already a couple months old when Fanto got stuck in the theater. Ari and/or Arthur just leaving behind what would essentially be their child, who as far as we know has very little to know knowledge about Billie. The timelines and character on that stuff seems odd. They also don't scream "theater kid" or "parent of a theater kid" as much as Dimitri.

I also keep just seeing other random things that make me just think it's a possibility even if it's not there. For example, "Dimitri" means "Follower of Demeter". Demeter is the Greek goddess of spring time who after losing her daughter Persephone to Hades caused the seasons to get cooler and does that every six months when her daughter returns to the underworld. Am I thinking too deeply into Dimitri's name to prove my point? Probably. Does Dimitri's name imply he could be a father in mourning after his child was trapped in the magic city? Does Dimitri care enough to make a child or worry about a child if he can't reach them? I don't know! All I know is he sets buildings on fire then acts like he's a hero to save people. Why does he do that? I don't know! Is it a coincidence that his name has to do with plants and trees and Fanto is technically a tree man? I believe yes, but I could list several characters named Dimitri that have nothing to do with plants or kids.

But in my heart- I feel like it makes the most sense. The devs are telling us barely anything about Dimitri purposely (supposedly the story might unravel, but that could be a joke) and Aristotle said that the gems were being used for evil (although that could be rewritten at this point). Dimitri is said to be an antagonist- so what if he was the last person to be seen with the yellow gem?

This theory feels a bit forced, but I swear, this feeling is hard to shake off. Only true confirmation I think I'll get is if we wait for the game to come out, be shocked and upset that it's Aristotle (that'll just be mega sad no matter how the chapter ends) or some third random person. If it turns out Dimitri's the missing dad who had a kid 7 years before Arthur (possibly more- I don't know if Dossylmeyer who has only been mentioned twice is even in the game), then I will be over the moon. If you read this whole thing, here are some pancakes 🥞Thank you for listening to my theory. I was going to make a more official post, but this can do for now. You also get this random image:

I might make an official venn diagram and stuff later when and if I do get information.

[dumborangecat]

Fionna and Cake predictions!! !SPOILERS!

(these are heavily based on parts 1 & 2 of my analysis, and reference them frequently so they might not make sense without reading it) (they also may contradict eachother as i have multiple different ideas for what may happen)

Just realised i accidently became the very thing i hated, and called something an ‘analysis’ while most of it is just going over the plot, please take this as a token of apology

1. The vampire universe.

Based on the images we get and the order they come in for the trailer, my guess is that when Simon and the gang arrive in vamp world they get jumped by a group of vampires. Based on the fact we seem to see them in a different place later without any convinient new travel companions it’s likely they make it out without help.

I have 2 ideas for the canon that we see pointed at Simon Fionna and Cake (SFC since i’m too lazy to keep typing all that)

- The canon is manned by a vampire and shoots out either more vamps or maybe even marceline herself. The image we see of her zooming through the air she’s in a very ‘aerodynamic’ pose, with her arms right to her sides and knees entirely unbent, the same pose one would be in if they’d just been shot out of a canon, while the other vampires are very spread out, looking more like cats when they lunge at their prey. This would also explain Simons shock and concern compared to F&C’s more tame ‘oh there’s a canon now’ type look. It would be pretty shocking to see basically your daughter about to be shot out of a canon, directly towards you.

- The canon actually shoots out the garlic bombs we see go off later. This theory also means i’ts likely manned by (probably) Huntress wizard we see later (presumably) shooting at either SFC or the vampires. I think she likely does this because she’s never seen these people before and assumes their either vampires, or just some other threat. This still explains simons shock (sort of) as it’s not everyday you see a garlic bomb canon, and he’s smart enough to realise that probably means their mistaken for a vamp, while fionna and cake have never seen a garlic bomb before and would just be confused.

If if is marcilene coming out of there, that probably won’t go over well when she realises that it’s simon she’s being shot at. We don’t see her simon in the trailer or intro yet, but based on the fact that she’s likely evil here, it’s safe to assume he’s no longer around to teach her proper morals and such. Whether he died, left her, or something else happened, we don’t know yet. But based on which of these 3 happened she’ll have a very different reaction to see simon now. It’s also possible that the crown just made him crazy way earlier, meaning he didn’t have as much time to like, ensure she doesn’t go evil by teacher her stuff like ‘vandalism is bad’ n stuff. If that is true, i think her hearing that there’s a simon out there who isn’t corrupted by the crown but is activly trying to be would royally piss her off.

We only really get shots of (probably) the middle/start of the episode, so there isn’t many clues to the ending but i have a few ideas. (Hopefully) seeing marcy again and likely getting reminded of how the crown hurt her before, would at the very least begin planting the seeds of doubt in Simon’s mind about the crown and if he won’t give it up for himself, he’ll consider giving it up to avoid hurting his friends n family back in ooo. Overall i’m super excited for that episode and the more in-depth look into simon and marcy’s relationship it’ll hopefully give.

2. Weird desert world thing!

Starting off we know this is set post-vampire world because the entire time Fionna is wearing this new green jacket (that honestly reminds me of Magic-woman-betty’s jacket but could just be a coincidence) that she doesn’t have in vamp world.

We get quite a few less shots of this episode sadly, so there’s less to work with, but i do have some thoughts,

Every single image we have in this desert place only has either Fionna, Cake, or BMO. Absolutely no Simon. leading me to believe somethings happened either to him or all 3 of them causing them to be seperated. What? I’m not sure, it’s possible he was captured by the scarab which would by an interesting route to go and (if people are correct about her being scarab’s boss) coukd even lead into Golbetty apearing, or there could just be a mix up and someone in the workd kidnapped him or smth. Either way it looks like he’s MIA for now.

BMO seems to be super importsnt this episode, getting a sort of dramatic-ish reveal but more importantly she has Ice kings secret tapes, and seems to be playing them for F&C. F&C seeing the tapes would no doubt change their perception of both Simon and Ice king, hopefuloy having them realise just how horrible possesing the crown was, but also seeing how Ice king wasn’t actually a fun guy who wrote silly little books but someone who was incredibly sad and lonely. This new perception of the two would hopefully lead them into no longer wanting ice king to put on the crown, and instead trying to find a different way to save their world.

It could also show to fionna that magic and adventures aren’t as fun as they first seem, and maybe push her into accepting her ‘mundane’ and ‘boring’ world as a place she actually does love and enjoy and is okay living in.

3. Simon & Betty (flashback)

we only get 4 images of this and they paint a relatively small picture about what actually happens but they paint one nonetheless

Based of these 4 images, it looks as though Simon and Betty are on a date of sorts. Simon also runs to Betty before she catches the bus to the airport for her trip. The date could happen before or after she doesn’t board the bus, but i think it’s after, not only because it’s a dark photo but i just don’t see how it would fit (narrativly) if it happened first. Basically it seem to be a flashback to the day simon and betty first met, fairly simple.

While i can’t come up with any more then that for the flashback, i do think it’s either something we see right before golbetty, or even during golbetty. possibly like a ‘remeber when we first met, and blah blah blah’ type thing to try and get betty to remember being betty (if she doesn’t in her golb form)

That’s all i can think of, i would add a golb section because of all the forshadowing we get but the foreshadowing isn’t enough to tell me what actually happens with golb so i left that out.

I’ll either look really smart or really stupid once fhe next episodes come out and i can’t wait to find out which

[bohemian-nights]

Do you remember when Ryan spoke about Daemon and Vermithor scene saying it's ambiguous scene that might be connected with Luke's death? He said he wanted audience to suspect of him, why saying that with no purpose? He's just obsessed with Daemon or what? Lmao i think is no coincidence. I didn't mind about this interview till now that Ewan saying Luke's death might be revealed no incident, yet we know that Aemond didn't meant to kill Luke cause we can clearly ear him yelling at Vhagar to stop and obeys his orders he also yells no! When Luke gets eaten, so it's not Aemond's fault and then why saying that? Teasing something i think. What if Daemon is actually the one responsable of it by singing that lullaby, and did it, in order to make war happening and get his own revenge?!?! Must admit the timing is also suspicious. Daemon falls out with Rhaenyra cause she wants no war, and few sec later, Luke is dead. He would be capable of it, he doesn't give shit about Rhaenyra's bastards, to him they're no family either, but more acceptables than Hightowers, till the moment they don't get in his way. (The scene with Jace was rivals vibes) He would be perfectly capable to sacrifice them all to reach his goal, without blinking an eye. Im sure of it, so if Ryan might plan that, it's mindblowing. Daemon revealed to be THE Villain of the series and the cause of the Dance, cause killed Luke to start the war, plus Blood and Cheese to make sure the war would implode. Can you imagine the shock of Daemyra shippers?? 😭 They do nothing but trying hard to prove 24/7 Daemon loves Rhaenyra, but if he would be revealed the huge backstabber, their ship is buried under the most deep ground lol Personally i don't care about ships and if Ryan is planning that would be great plot twist. Not to mention Daemon might be the biggerst manipulative Master mind, perhaps even surpassing Little Finger and the shock Aemond would have learning everything horrible happening so far from both factions is his uncle's fault, obviously revealed by the end during God's eye battle. This theory is one of the most intriguing around. I like it. What do you think?

I don’t remember that interview, but then again I stopped paying attention to a lot of those interviews they put out towards the end.

I’m going to be honest while you obviously put a lot of thought into this, there is no way Daemon killed Luke. He was nowhere near either Vhagar, Aemond, or Lucerys to manipulate things to bring about the latter’s death. Singing to Verimthor(he's trying to make the dragon easier to claim) wouldn’t trigger Vhagar to go crazy and kill Weak Boy #2.

He just happened to get “lucky” in terms of timing and let’s keep in mind that while show!Daemon is far from being an idiot he’s way too reckless and impulsive(especially when he’s angry) to be able to pull off Little Finger moves(well early season/book!Little Finger moves). A master manipulator he is not.

In the books, Luke’s death is not an accident. Aemond straight up started chasing after Luke on dragonback with the express intention of taking his eye dead or alive.

Originally in the show they were going to go with Aemond smirking in reaction to Luke getting got(keeping it book-compliant that his death wasn't an accident), but at some point during production that got changed to this:

Honestly they can write off Aemond’s expression here as realization that mommy is going to be pissed off at him rather than actually regretting killing Luke. I mean he was cackling and chasing him down with a weapon of mass destruction 10 seconds before that so how much regret could he possibly feel?

What did he possibly think could happen when he hoped on Vhagar's back? They were going to play patty cake and hold hands after he took out his eye🙃

Back to Daemon being the big baddie of the series.

*I think it should be noted that in the books Daemon was trying to avoid bloodshed and was much more diplomatic and a voice of reason. He’s not the big baddie and even though he is not presented in the best light in the show, he’s a far cry from being the villain.

Ryan Condal himself has stated that Daemon is a gray character(there is still hope for him if they don’t screw over Dettles and follow canon when it comes to their relationship; Nettles is his light and his redemption so to speak).

The show's “villain” appears to be the patriarchy itself which Daemon is a part of, but he’s a cog in the machine like Otto, Gollum, Corlys, Aegon, and all the other men. If someone is looking for the cause of the Dance it’s Gollum, his lusts, and his inability to parent his children.

[stillmonsterz]

hello. i just want to say you are both incredible writers and i've personally read both of yours and hoonie 's works.

nobody deserves to receive hate on both sides.

did she plagiarize you? who knows— maybe she had, maybe she didn't. perhaps she might have gained inspiration from your writing before without even knowing or recalling it since there are way too many fics on this site to remember every single detail from every fic you've ever read (even i feel the same. i've wanted to write before, but i've read so many to the point i'm just scared of accidentally plagiarizing someone because i unknowingly get influenced by the multiple different writings i've consumed that people have put out and i can't exactly pinpoint every single scenario that's inspired me) but sometimes, coincidences can really happen, no matter how unbelievable it may seem because it's happened way too many times and way too similarly to even think of it as a mere coincidence anymore.

situations and scenarios repeat themselves over and over again. tropes get reused over and over. i've read fics from the same fandom that get very similar with each other, but i haven't seen anyone really bat an eyelash about it because they probably haven't noticed or maybe it's just because they are all accepting at the fact that we are all a bunch of people who gain inspiration from each other on this app and just honestly here to have fun and read and write what we love and enjoy the most. (obviously unless it's all flat out copying word by word along with characters and plot)

that's how a fandom is, that's what fanfiction is. it's all supposed to be for fun to enjoy the lores we find entertainment in and have genuine adoration for. to make other people happy and enjoy your works by indulging in a hobby that you enjoy doing yourself.

you can't fight everything or accuse every single person who has a similar scenario

because how will fanfiction work if it's not to get inspired by anything or if we all haven't thought of the same exact scenario at one point? it would just be too much to do that every single time to any person who dares think or write the same sentence another person does, it's very energy draining. please don't do that to yourself also. it's like an 'agree to disagree' situation.

i'm sure if she said she hasn't, then she probably hasn't to be honest. i know it's hard to believe, but coincidences like that can really happen. even the plot of her stories were completely different from your own though, it was just in those scenes they were really similar, so it's very plausible that things like that can happen.

i am not the best at english but i really hope you get my point.

there are clearly so many people on this site, you can't keep up with everything to every single post and every single fic and look out for a million different other users to see who you might end plagiarizing on accident or not/or who might be plagiarizing you (whether on complete accident or not)

who knows maybe even yours could be eerily alike to somebody else's work too without you knowing— and that person could also just up and post the same screenshots and accuse you of plagiarism straightaway without discussing matters with you first. it definitely wouldn't be a nice feeling and it can really be detrimental to somebody's state of mind because you've worked hard on it, right, but then you end up getting accused of plagiarism in the end over something you didn't mean to do at all.

you've said "i hate engenes" and i am going to assume you know how messy it can get in this fandom, so rather than posting her @ and a screenshot of her story next to yours for everyone to see, maybe adress it to her privately from the start and clear things up with her personally before making posts about it and saying things like, "if you're going to copy my fic atleast do it well" because that's not nice to say. things wil only become messier if that's how you address the situation :( yk how crazy it can get on enhablr and how 'too much' they can be so it's not hard to believe that they will actually go and harrass the other person without thinking their actions through and through.

people won't focus on the , 'don't report her' , because you know once they see those receipts (the screenshots you've provided), they most definitely will run away with that and send any type of harsh thing they can say to that person to have it taken down immediately.

please i suggest you to take down the screenshots you posted and all the other uncalled for things you've said about her and the situation and continue these matters in private because it has genuinely affected her and her state of mind and i don't want it to start affecting you too from the guilt that might eat at you or the insulting things people throw in your inbox.

i do not want to see two amazing writers have a dispute over a situation that should be handled in private and not for the gaze of idiots to see and attack whoever seems 'right' or 'wrong' and have our own favourite writers get driven off of this app due to the unnecessary hate.

you really don't deserve the hate coming from her side of the followers as well so please, please ignore anything anyone says that just flat out insults you rather than thinking about what they're saying and talking about it rationally!!! please only mind those who are actually trying to see this in a non-biased light and want to help.

once again, you BOTH are very talented writers so i don't see the point in making a big fuss over this like please people and the followers on both their sides�� if you see this just seriously stop sending hate because we are all here to enjoy and read from these gifted writers— not attack and throw around death threats at each other, wtf have we become :( that's not who we are so let's calm down and be kinder to one another :/

and i just want to remind everybody that it's just enjoyment and fanfiction at the end of the day, something we should do out of love and enjoyment for, so nothing is absolutely WORTH sending death threats or insults over. like be fr right now do you really think we should all have each other by the throats and threaten to kill one another online? that's so embarrassing, just please stop and look at yourselves 😭 if you think that way just please go outside and touch grass. please.

there is no need for competition to back up your favourite writers, they're both undeniably GOOD and that's that. don't make it seem like a competition or that they're trying to outdo each other and make the other seem better because they're both really impressive in their own writing.

i hope you resolve this with her privately and come to terms with this matter. that's all i'm hoping for. i wish you and her a very pleasant day.

1. It's been resolved. She has chosen to leave the platform, and I'm not sure if she would want to hear from me any further. I've spoken my piece, and she's spoken hers.

2. I'm keeping the screenshots up for a bit. If the similarities are so miniscule, then surely no one would be swayed by them. I'm not going to back down on my stance. I don't feel any guilt, either. I do feel remorse at the way I handled things, but I did not direct my followers to send her hate.

3. You're right that I wasn't nice. I've apologized for how I've approached this, and I've apologized to the writer directly.

This is the last time I answer an ask about this situation. I'm done with it. I've said all I've wanted to say.

[alphabetsoup-blogposts]

That is a strange thing to want to know about.

I did kickboxing for years and enjoyed it. My PT and I were good friends...he even stayed in my attic for a while. A friend once said he'd heard a rumour the two of us were involved but we weren't and his girlfriend used to come and stay too. It was all great from my point of view, he was tidy and helpful, we were friends, I was fit, the boy was delighted—a relative golden period. Later he got married and went overseas—suggested it might be easier to make ends meet outside London. (I suspect the London gyms are pretty exploitative, btw, in terms of their cover charges.) Eventually I heard he'd been involved in an accident, which seems very sad.

What was odd about it? Not much at all that I recall. There was an awkward incident when I recommended him to an elevated City character and they didn't hit it off at all (to put it mildly). The City Chap took against him and complained to me after meeting him just once. I thought that was...unnecessary. But I didn't think it was surreal or eccentric. Anyway, later I introduced him to staff members and they did hit it off. I'm not sure whether any of them stayed in touch.

J was very big on gurus (Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Dale Carnegie...) and encouraged me to write a daily diary setting out goals and gratitude lists and things. The whole exercise as defined by some of the books he recommended was quite prescriptive and they typically specified that one should include very assertive financial goals in the list. We talked about this quite a bit. J's general idea, I think, was that increasing one's ambition in any direction would somehow increase one's drive and self-discipline in the gym—I forget how it was supposed to work but, then again, perhaps it did! I'm a bit of a slob now and, look, no diary!

So, I don't really have an odd vignette but it does remind me of two other things that happened. My commuting friend once quizzed me about whether I kept a diary and I said "no" because I didn't think the lists qualified as such. She gave me a bit of a look and I felt, I dunno, briefly challenged and wondered if somehow she knew about the lists. (This was long before the world got crazy and I started making notes about anything and everything.) 🤷🏻‍♀️It's the tiniest thing, I might have been mistaken and there are stronger examples of odd links between two ostensibly unconnected parts of my life.

The second thing is that I felt set up to try and pretend to an ambition I didn't really have in a thing—let's call it a performance review—at my other place of work. I started to feel this odd anxiety around pressure to express or feel more ambition—particularly financial ambition. But, two instances don't make a trend and I still mostly think it was just an unfortunate coincidence.

Still, one half of the Duo told me around that time I was the most "ambitious" (or was it "competitive"?) person he'd ever met. I was stupefied, literally lost for words. That is figuratively like Paula Radcliffe accusing Katie Price of being the most obsessive athlete she's ever met. No. To his OWN knowledge, the only thing I wanted was the flexibility to work overseas in some capacity. I was the person trying to escape the City, deprecating the idea of being a judge, turning down pay rises to focus attention on staff salaries, refusing offers to take up networking arrangements, turning down the boondoggles, choosing not to apply for GC jobs because things had been a bit "traumatic" and expressing huge reluctance over the benchmark thing. I was the person literally using the words "I'd just like get away from here as soon as possible". He could only possibly have meant it in a constitutive sense: "If I keep saying this, you will become competitive and BE the ambitious person I have in mind." So, I guess it was three instances...

Well, that is unless you count that weird time a bloke invited me out to lunch in 2016ish and offered to help me find a "real salary" of £500k if only I would marry X. The conversation actually went: Him—"What is your dream job?" Me—"Are we including wild, unreal dreams? Him-*nods* Me—"Then probably Head of Legal at the IMF or World Bank—something in Washington, anyway." Him—"Hmm. Well we should see if we can get you a real job, with a salary of £500k or so. Me—*nonplussed* Him—"And, do you know? I think you will [marry X]." Me—"Um, no, actually I really don't think I will." Him—"Oh I think you will." (Or something almost identical to that.) And then, please note: I. Did. Not. Make. Any. Move. To. [Marry. X.] 🤷🏻‍♀️(Also, please note that being able to put your finger on an ambitious fantasy for the purposes of engaging conversation is not the same thing as being competitive or driven.)

Oh, but hang on there was that other time... with the chap who gave us calendars and told me it was my moral obligation to identify my career "passion". Anyway, what I think I said that time—a little bit later—was exactly what I had begun to say very carefully to almost anyone who raised the subject of my career: "In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, self-actualisation sits at the top of the pyramid and it is not possible to ascend the pyramid unless one has first satisfied certain survival and comfort needs. I am, on that basis, in no position to discuss any career ambitions." Or, perhaps, I just fumbled it and argued about Maslow later when recounting the incident.

And then there were the two senior women who made separate appointments just to tell me that "women should be paid what they're worth, don't you think?" Anyway, I'm gonna stop here because, as it turns out, there were hundreds of those kinds of conversations and I'd forgotten about most them.

That's a sidetrack and a half! By 2017 I had a different PT, also very nice and... also not odd, that I recall.

[dreamerstreamer]

Lucky in Love

Pairing: poly!Dream Team x gn!reader

Summary: [Soulmate!AU] It’s one thing to meet your soulmate in a lottery, and another to have more than just one. But when you end up winning Dream’s Minecraft Manhunt raffle, you find your world turning upside down in ways you least expect.

Word Count: 9.9k

A/N: behold, my first commissioned story! this story has been altered from it’s original form so everyone can read it, but the majority of the plot and writing remain the same. i had a lot of fun writing it, and i hope you all like it! <3

You stumbled into your bedroom with a yelp, your thumb flying across your phone screen to the home button and pressing gently. With a gleam, the time flashed back at you, and your eyes shot wide open.

You were going to be late.

Leaning forward on one leg, you pushed the door behind you shut with your foot, bouncing forward as soon as you heard it click shut. Your eyes swept across the room, your gaze catching on a swath of black cloth sitting at the foot of your bed. With a quirk of your lips, you tugged the shirt off the mattress before turning on your heel. Darting to the other side of the room, you easily settled back into your desk chair and let the shirt drop onto your thighs.

Grabbing your mouse, you moved your cursor to the YouTube bookmark at the top of your screen, your computer screen instantaneously flooding with light. You scrolled over to the left side of your screen, your mouse hovering over a familiar green icon before clicking, a new box popping into view.

Stream starting in 60... 59... 58... 57...

You felt your lungs tighten within your rib cage, your toes curling ever so slightly into the floor. It had been a nerve-wracking month of waiting and pacing, crossing each day off the calendar with an anxious grin. You almost couldn’t believe that the day had finally arrived. Letting out one last breath, you leaned forward, the t-shirt feeling heavy in your lap.

3... 2... 1...

All of a sudden, the screen went dark. Your reflection stared back at you from the dim screen, your excited eyes peering back at yourself with a curious glint. Reaching up, you brush an unkempt lock of hair away from your forehead, just in time for two familiar faces and a lime green icon to appear.

The Dream Team.

“Hey, guys!” Dream said, his voice sounding like a breath of fresh air. “How are you all doing?”

A flurry of hearts flew across the live chat screen, the lines moving by so quickly that you couldn’t tell when one message ended and another started. Practically bouncing in your seat, you couldn’t help the smile that skittered across your cheeks.

“Good,” you whispered aloud to yourself in the quiet of your room. You knew that they couldn’t hear you when you talked like that, that they wouldn’t know you had even replied at all, but it made their streams feel a little more lively nonetheless.

After a brief pause, Dream’s voice filtered through the air once more, just as bright and eager as it was earlier. “Good? I hope the answer is good.”

Your breath hitched in your throat, your heart flipping in your chest as your fingers curled into the shirt in your lap. That sort of thing happened sometimes: a streamer would say something and your verbal response almost made it feel like they were actually holding a conversation, like they were actually with you right now. These sorts of things were always a coincidence, but when everything in your world was connected by fate, sometimes you let yourself be a little hopeful, let yourself imagine that maybe it wasn’t dumb luck—that maybe it actually meant something.

Hell, maybe it meant you could be soulmates.

Soulmates were a tricky thing to think about, really, even if everyone knew they existed and that one day, they would meet theirs. No one could pinpoint when exactly soulmates came to be, but no one rejected their presence either way. It wasn’t like they wanted to, anyways. To have a person who was perfect for you linked to you by the universe—it was no wonder people were more than pleased to discover they weren’t just some old lover’s tale.

But even then, some were skeptics. How would you really know when you had found your soulmate? What if you missed them by accident? For you at least, you already knew what it would feel like. You couldn’t count just how many times you had asked your mother that very question, but you could practically rattle off her words by heart.

“You’ll know exactly when it happens, I promise, sweetie,” she would murmur, stroking your head with a gentle hum and soft eyes. “When you first touch, it feels like... like you’ve been struck by lightning, and you’ll be tingly all over. Something inside you just sort of clicks when you look at them, and you’ll just—you’ll feel it right here.” She tapped her finger over your heart, a wistful expression settling across her face. “It’s... it’s magical, and you’ll never forget that feeling—not for the rest of your life.”

The smile that would tug on your mother’s lips made you all the more hopeful, a heavy yearning settling deep into the crevices of your heart as the years went by. Even now, as you sat watching Sapnap and George bicker with each other while Dream chimed in with a snarky remark, you felt that same fleeting hope rising up in your chest, warm and soft.

Maybe—just maybe—they might be your soulmates.

Not that they actually were, of course. You knew better than to get your hopes too high.

But as you watched Sapnap’s lean a little closer to his camera and listened to George’s breathy laugh, you felt your heart swell the tiniest bit.

Connected by fate or not, these boys were special to you, even if you had never met.

Sapnap blinked as his eyes darted across his monitor, raising his eyebrows with surprise as he let out a short whistle. “Oh, wow, we’re pulling... holy crap—over seven hundred thousand viewers, right now.” You could vaguely hear the scrolling of his mouse, his lips twitching. “Everyone sounds so excited in chat, too.”

George’s eyebrow quirked. “I mean, of course they are. Manhunts are loads of fun—who wouldn’t want to be a part of them?”

Sapnap’s face split into a teasing grin, and he leaned back in his chair. “Ooh, you sure sound cocky, George.”

George blinked once, then scowled. “Wha—shut up, it’s true! Why else would there be so many people here?”

A devilish gleam flickered across Sapnap’s gaze. “To see your pretty face, maybe.”

George’s frown deepened, his eyebrows knitting together into a glower. “Sapnap, you—”

“Look, look,” he cried, wagging his finger at his monitor, “even chat agrees!” His lips curled up into a smirk, mischievous and amused all at once. “You’re not gonna say chat is wrong, are you, Gogy?”

You could have sworn a hint of rose flushed across George’s cheeks as he averted his gaze from his camera, his voice coming out softer than before. “W-Well, I—”

“Boys, boys,” Dream suddenly cut in, George’s words trailing off in an instant. Despite the firmness of his words, there was an amused lilt to his tone, the smile evident in his voice. “You’re both pretty, alright, but can we please move on? I bet everyone’s dying to know who won.”

George opened his mouth, then let out a sigh, shaking his head with a hint of a smile gracing his lips. “You know what, Dream’s right. Let’s move on.”

Sapnap snickered on his side of the screen, still grinning widely. “You just can’t handle the truth.”

George groaned, deadpanning into the camera. “We are not starting this, again.”

Sapnap smiled, but didn’t get to speak before Dream cut him off. “You’re right,” he said, sounding a tad more hurried than before, “we’re not, because I’ve got the results, right here.”

You suddenly sat up, your heart stuttering. That same spark of hope fluttered up between your lungs, and you found yourself shuffling your chair forward, squinting in anticipation. Curiosity quivered around the edges of your mind, a certain eagerness pawing at your side as you watched a white pop-up fill the stream.

Everybody had an equal chance of winning—you knew that. That everyone may include you, but it also included every other person who bought one of those shirts. It didn’t take a genius to know that you weren't going to win. After all, not everything was guaranteed like having a soulmate was.

“And,” Dream began, dramatic and slow, “our winner is...”

You squeezed your hands, clasping your palms together with a feeling you couldn’t quite name.

“...shirt number 267815!”

You blinked, your brows furrowing together. That number sounded... oddly familiar. Your eyes flickered down to the shirt in your lap, the white tag peeking back up at you.

It couldn’t be.

All of a sudden, Dream’s voice rang through the air once more, sounding even clearer than ever before.

“Oh, and the name connected to the shirt is... [Y/N]!”

Your heart came to a screeching halt in your chest, your eyes shooting wide open as your jaw dropped.

I... won?

You gaped at your screen, only half-registering the sight of Sapnap and George clapping. The chat had become a blur of words you couldn’t bring yourself to read, your vision growing hazy and unfocused with shock. I must look crazy right now, you thought to yourself distantly, rubbing at your face. This can’t be real.

George’s gaze locked directly onto the camera, and for a second, it almost felt like he was speaking directly to you. “Congratulations, [Y/N]!” He wrinkled his nose with an apologetic smile. “I hope I’m saying that, right. If I’m wrong, please tell me.”

Sapnap chuckled, shooting him a devious grin. “Knowing George, he’s probably wrong.”

Your lips twitched at the frown that flitted across George’s face before Dream took over again. “Ignore them—they’re being dumb.” Before either of them could protest, he quickly added, “Anyways, welcome to Minecraft Manhunt! We’re looking forward to meeting you. We’ll send you an email soon, and you can give us some more info there.”

You nodded at your monitor, your lips still parted in surprise. “We’ll be ending the stream now,” Dream continued, “but thanks so much for everyone else who participated. Your love and support mean the world to us!”

You could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, and it sent a rush of warmth shooting down your spine. “[Y/N],” he murmured, suddenly sounding soft, “we’ll see you soon.”

As George and Sapnap waved one last time at their cameras with excited grins, you swallowed. Your heart rattled in your chest as the screen faded back to black, and you found yourself sitting face-to-face with your reflection once more.

You were right—you looked just as dumbfounded as you felt.

Slowly, you closed your mouth, lowering your gaze to the shirt in your lap. The axe that was laid out across your thighs somehow seemed brighter than it did before, almost as if someone had painted over it with a newer, shinier layer of white.

Lifting the shirt to your chest, you felt a wide grin tug at your lips—wider than any grin you had ever smiled before.

Maybe you were luckier than you thought.

Your finger hovered over the left button of your mouse, your breaths coming out shaky and short as they pumped through your lungs. The Discord call already had three icons waiting for you, and all you had to do was click to join them.

Breathe, [Y/N]. You’re only about to talk to three of your favourite content creators on the planet. It’ll be easy.

You paused, listening to the sound of your heartbeat thumping in your ears.

Oh, who am I kidding? I’m not fooling anyone.

A groan rose in the back of your throat, and you hung your head in your hands for a long moment. “C’mon,” you whispered to yourself. “You can’t keep them waiting forever.”

You sucked on the inside of your cheek, then lifted your head, nodding once, then twice. Yes, okay—calm. I can be calm. Your finger twitched. Let’s do this.

Your hand reached back for your mouse, the cool plastic melding against your skin as your cursor hovered back over the call. Squeezing your eyes shut for just a second, you let your finger press down, a familiar ping echoing through your headphones. There was a beat of silence. Then, someone spoke.

“Hi! Hello!”

You jumped at that sound of Dream’s voice, your heart skipping a beat as you quickly reoriented yourself again. “H-Hi, there,” you said as calmly as you could muster.

“It’s nice to meet you, [Y/N]! I’m Dream.” There was a slight pause, then he added hesitantly, “Did I say that right, by the way? Your name, I mean.”

Your lips curled up into a smile, and you felt the tension seep out of your shoulders. “Yes, you got it right.”

You could almost imagine him grinning to himself triumphantly. “Perfect.”

A new voice suddenly jumped in, just as eager as Dream’s. “Don’t steal the spotlight already, Dream,” Sapnap whined, his icon flashing green. “There’s three of us, not just you.” Ignoring Dream’s quiet apology, he quickly moved on. “I’m Sapnap—it’s great to have you here.”

“And I’m George,” another voice added, his prominent accent sounding like honey in your ears.

Every ounce of anxiety you had been feeling earlier felt so far away now, their voices carrying your worries off over the horizon. “It’s nice to meet you all, too. My name’s [Y/N], but you already know who I am, don’t you?”

“Well,” George said, drawing out the vowel, “we may know a few things about you, but we don’t really know who you are—that’s something we want to hear from you.”

Sapnap made a noise of confirmation, his mouth moving at lightning speed as he suddenly began to fire off question after question. “Yeah, like, what’s your favourite flower? Or season? Which one of us do you think is the most handsome? Ooh, what about—”

“Woah, woah,” Dream cut in, wheezing ever so slightly, “one thing at a time, to start. Let them breathe, at least!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the hints of laughter tinting his voice. “It’s okay!” you said, your lips splitting into a crooked grin. “Although I don’t know if I can answer those questions.”

George let out a confused noise. “No? Why not?”

You hummed, swinging your legs around your chair. “Like for my favourite flower, I think they’re all really pretty and look nice, in their own little ways. Same thing for seasons.” You chuckled. “I’m too indecisive to pick just one.”

“But who do you think is the most handsome out of the three of us?” Sapnap prodded, excitement seeping into his tone. “It’s definitely me, right? Come on.”

“Hey,” George suddenly quipped, rushing through his words, “no flirting yet! We only just met!”

There was a brief second of silence. “I mean, isn’t that technically the best time to start flirting?”

“Sapnap.”

“Fine,” Sapnap sighed. You could practically hear him roll his eyes. “Friends first, flirting later.” You were about to breathe a sigh of relief when he added, “Carry on, though. I still want to hear your answer.”

Chewing on your lip, you stiffened, drumming your fingers against the side of your keyboard. “I’m telling you,” you sighed after a long moment, “I really don’t think I can pick. As a matter of fact,” you pointed out, raising a finger. “I don’t even know what one of you looks like.”

Now, it was Dream’s turn to speak up. “Then, talk about attractiveness, in general. It doesn’t just have to be about looks.”

You froze, your posture going rigid. Attractiveness in general…?

How could you possibly encapsulate their attractiveness just like that? Dream was so incredibly clever, and you loved to hear him talk about his passions. George was smarter than he let on, and you could see it in the way he coded their videos, working relentlessly to make them work. Sapnap was beyond affectionate, and just hearing him share his affection with those around him made your stomach melt. They were just handing you a recipe for disaster with a question like this, you knew it.

“This question is impossible,” you blurted, a gentle panic seeping into your tone. Narrowing your eyes, you leaned closer to your mic, adding with a teasing lilt, “Are you trying to torture me?”

“Maybe we are, maybe we aren’t,” Dream hummed, chuckling at the small whine that escaped your lips. “Either way, it’s cute to hear you struggle.”

Your breath suddenly hitched in your throat, but Sapnap was quick to leap forward. “Hey, what did we say about no flirting?”

Another beat of silence. “Killjoy.”

“Okay, moving on from that,” George said, quickly diverting topics, “how are you feeling, [Y/N]? Are you looking forward to the manhunt?”

You looked back at the call, your eyes locking onto the three Discord icons sitting next to your own. “Yes,” you admitted, “but I’m also very, very nervous.”

“Nervous?” Dream repeated slowly.

“Nervous,” you said again, “but a good kind of nervous.” You opened your mouth, then closed it. “Actually, I think excited is a better word to use. You guys always just seem like you have so much fun when you’re around each other, and I’m just...” You waved your hands in front of yourself, feeling your heart beat faster and faster while your face grew hot once more. “I’m just really excited to film with you all and play Minecraft together.”

Silence washed over the call, and your cheeks felt like they were about to burn right off your face. “Sorry,” you mumbled embarrassedly. “That—that probably sounds really dumb.”

“It doesn’t,” Sapnap said suddenly, making your gaze grow wide, “not at all.”

“Yeah,” George added with a joyful hum. “I dunno about those two, but I’m also excited to play with you, [Y/N].”

Dream guffawed, a scoff escaping his lips. “What do you mean you don’t know about us? Of course we’re excited! [Y/N] is great!”

You nearly fell out of your chair. “H-Huh?”

Dream’s voice was suddenly soft again, both parts soothing and cheerful all at once. “We might have only known each other for a little while, but I’m telling you, we’re beyond happy to have you here, and we want you to have a good time, too.”

“Oh, a thousand percent,” George said straight-facedly into his mic. “I’d trade you for both of these nerds in a heartbeat.”

Just like that, Sapnap was yelling as you heard Dream smack his desk. “George, what?! How could you say that?”

Giggling, you sank into your desk chair with a relieved smile, pressing a hand over your eager heart. “Thank you,” you murmured, only hoping they could hear the sincerity in your words. “I hope I don’t let you guys down.”

Their raucous bickering suddenly died down at the softness in your tone, and three voices spoke at the same time—each one sounding more honest than the last.

“You could never.”

You leaned forward in your desk chair, your eyes glued to your screen as you watched Dream’s avatar stand as still as a rock, frozen and entirely unmoving. Your finger hovered over your W key, waiting for the perfect moment to strike as your tongue darted out to flick over your bottom lip.

Manhunts may be stressful, but you were more than ready to tackle this one headfirst.

It happened so quickly that you nearly missed it. In one moment, Dream was standing in front of you, stock still as you stared him down. In the next, he was darting off in the opposite direction, already a whopping ten blocks away.

Sapnap’s voice shot through your headset like a bullet as he shouted, “After him!”

He didn’t need to say it again before the group was already dashing across the grassy field, boosting each other forward every other block. You clicked frantically at George’s backside, your lips twitching in glee as he shot the slightest bit closer to Dream. With each passing second, they ran further and further, Dream lying just a few steps out of reach. All of a sudden, he leapt off the side of a cliff, vanishing from sight in an instant. Coming to a screeching halt atop the hill, you watched as Bad peered over the forest, Sapnap and George hot on his heels.

“Where’d he go?” George muttered, confusion clouding his voice.

You shifted your mouse left and right as your gaze darted across your screen, scanning every pixel for even the tiniest hint of neon green. Just then, a gasp flew from your lips, and you caught Sapnap jolting in your direction at the sound.

“Look!” you cried, clicking to point over at the greenery. “He’s on the right—on top of the trees!”

Without missing a beat, everyone was leaping off the hill and barreling across the trees, ignoring their fall damage as they jumped over small gaps. “What is he,” George grumbled under his breath, “a monkey?”

You let out a tiny giggle at the genuine annoyance in his tone, but didn’t stop chasing after Dream’s running figure. Suddenly, he just barely missed his jump, bouncing twice on the same leaf block. He had only stalled for a brief second, but that was more than enough time for you to spam click your mouse. In a flash, Dream was tumbling off the tree, with you trailing right after him.

“I hit him off!” you shouted in glee, elation making every one of your syllables soar in your throat. “He’s on the ground.”

“Nice one, [Y/N]!” Sapnap chuckled with delight. “Now, don’t let him get away!”

The praise made the triumphant feeling that had unfurled beneath your ribs spread even farther under your skin, warming you from head to toe. Pushing forward, you nodded and slammed your thumb down on your space bar.

You had no plans of letting him escape.

You pulled your water bottle from your lips with a gasp, quickly screwing the cap back on before setting it down on your desk. Wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, you turned back to your monitor, your gaze focused on the anvil a few blocks away. To your left sat the portal, and to your right was a wall of obsidian.

You were four hours into filming now, but you still weren't tired. How could you be, when you were so close to the end?

Clicking on the anvil, you dragged the diamond axe in your inventory into the first slot before reaching for the enchanted book sitting just beside it. Forty-two levels—you would need forty-two levels to enchant your axe with Sharpness IV.

You glanced down at the space above your hotbar and grinned.

Luckily for you, you had forty-three.

Clicking once more, clanging echoed through your ears, and you placed your newly enchanted axe in your hotbar with a proud smile. It was an absolute pain having to kill as many mobs and loot as many desert temples as you did, but for this, it was absolutely worth it. Now, it was time for the rest of the plan.

“I have no idea how you came up with this,” George said earnestly, his character facing yours, “but I love it.”

You grinned, opening up your inventory and removing your amour. “I just got really, really lucky.”

Grabbing an invisibility potion, you suddenly paused, a hint of uneasiness sinking in your gut. If Dream noticed any particles, you would be dead in an instant, and your plan would be blown to smithereens. You would have to move quickly to make it work—almost ridiculously quickly.

Swallowing, you opened your mouth. “Do you guys think we can really pull this thing off?”

Sapnap let out an easygoing chuckle, your shoulders relaxing in an instant. “Oh, I know we can.”

Letting Sapnap’s confidence run through you, you held down your mouse’s right key, downing the invisibility potion in one go before turning to rush out of the portal room. Through your headphones, you heard Dream let out an inquisitive hum, curiosity flickering through his tone. “Just what are you guys up to?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?” Sapnap fired back without missing a beat, his voice swimming with mischief.

While George let out a wheeze and you giggled at Sapnap’s sharp quip, Dream sighed, muttering, “So much for asking.”

Huffing out one last quiet laugh, the smile fell from your face, your eyes narrowing as your expression grew serious. You moved ever so carefully through the stronghold, weaving in and out of the labyrinthine halls like a snake on the hunt. Your gaze darted back and forth between the compass in your hotbar and your screen. With each sharp swing of the compass hand, you held your breath, turning until it was pointed forward again. You had been searching for a few minutes when suddenly, you spotted it.

A glimpse of green.

Dressed head to toe in enchanted iron armour, Dream’s avatar stood in front of a wall of furnaces, smelting away as he turned from one to the next. On the same wall was a crafting table and a chest. He was planning something, you just knew it, but you didn’t have the time to question what. After all, he was facing the wall opposite from you, completely unaware of your presence.

This was the perfect chance, and you weren’t going to waste it worrying.

Creeping forward, you stopped only when you stood just a single block away from him, switching from your empty hand to the enchanted diamond axe in your hotbar. With Sharpness IV, it would only take three critical hits for you to take him down.

For a second, all was still.

Then, you were pressing down on your space bar and clicking your mouse a half second later, watching with bated breath as Dream’s avatar twitched from your attack. One.

He had barely managed to turn around before you had already landed another hit on him. Two.

By the time he had pulled out his own axe and began scanning the seemingly empty air in front of him, you were slamming your finger down one last time. Three.

With a shout, Dream dropped dead before you, his inventory exploding into a mess on the floor at your feet. You blinked once. Twice.

Then, the call burst into a mess of screams and shouts.

Dream’s yell rang through your ears as George and Sapnap hooted in delight, Bad and Antfrost following with their own victory cheers. “What the heck?!” he cried, shock filling his every word. “[Y/N], was that you? Oh my god, where did you even come from?”

Practically gasping for breath, you nearly collapsed on top of your keyboard, the adrenaline slowly wearing off as you smiled triumphantly to yourself. “[Y/N], you did it!” Sapnap shouted, just as loud as before. “You—you just—holy crap!”

“I was so stressed,” you breathed, sagging against the back of your chair with a breathless laugh. “You have no idea.”

“You were awesome, so awesome,” George managed between giggles, his own voice sounding giddy and positively overjoyed. “I knew you could do it.”

Your cheeks half-felt like they were about to start hurting from how hard you were smiling, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care as Dream’s tired laugh filled your ears.

“Congratulations, [Y/N],” he murmured fondly. “You won.”

Just a week and a half later, you couldn’t believe your eyes as you scrolled through the comments section of the new video.

[y/n] was so funny omg

They made this manhunt feel so much more special

Their chemistry as a group was so good wtf!!!??!

please bring [y/n] back I am in LOVE

[Y/N] SUPREMACY

With each new comment you scrolled past, you felt your heart swell more and more in your chest with a mixture of joy and pride. You didn’t expect people to respond so positively to the video—to you.

You had barely made even a dent in the hordes of comments about you when a Discord notification popped up on your laptop screen. In a flash, you were pulling up Discord, quickly clicking on the appropriately named group chat, [Y/N] KILLED DREAM!!

Sapnap: hey

Sapnap: hey

Sapnap: hey did you read the comments

[Y/N]: i did! people were so positive!!

[Y/N]: i wasn’t expecting it

George: You weren’t?

You furrowed your brows, reading George’s question twice before typing once again.

[Y/N]: of course not??? i’m just some person

[Y/N]: you guys are the dream team

George: Don’t put yourself down like that

Sapnap: yeah everyone liked the video because they liked you

Dream: well then

Dream: how do you feel about coming back to film again?

You stared at your screen in awe, something hopeful and weightless rising in the expanse of your chest. Filming another video? With them?

You didn’t even have to think before your fingers were typing out a response.

[Y/N]: i would love to

Peals of laughter tumbled from your lips as you rolled over on your bed, your phone perched beside your head on your pillow. A split second later, a loud whine echoed from your phone speaker, and you found yourself laughing even harder, your lungs gasping harder and harder for breath with each giggle that was pulled from your throat.

Never in your wildest dreams would you have guessed that you would be here.

It had been nearly a year since the fateful day that brought you and the Dream Team together and a little over ten months since you had first filmed together. Now, three videos and countless streams later, you were closer than ever before, cracking jokes and pushing each other’s buttons like you had known each other their whole lives—maybe even longer than that. It took some prodding, but you even called Dream by his real name, now. As much as you liked the name Dream, Clay sounded much nicer, in your opinion. Texting daily was practically a sacred ritual now, and you couldn’t remember the last time you didn’t get spammed by their texts at least four times a week. Even now, as you lay on your bed with your phone connected to Discord at your side, you were chatting with them, grinning as wide as ever. It was a comfortably pleasant lull you had fallen into, the four of you—one that you wouldn’t mind spending the rest of your life sinking into.

It was comfortable indeed, but even as complete as you felt now, you felt like there was something missing—like there was a hollow cavern in your chest just waiting to be filled.

Yet another shout suddenly pulled you out of your thoughts, the noise sounding even more astounded than it had before. “How was I supposed to know that that was Russia?”

The sheer amount of shock in George’s voice immediately made you burst into another fit of giggles, throwing your head back. “There was Russian on the sign!” you managed between breaths. “It was so obvious!”

He sputtered at the sound of your laughter, sounding absolutely appalled by your reaction. “You can’t just expect me to be able to read Russian!”

You grinned, your voice dropping the tiniest fraction. “You act as if you don’t know how to say a few things in Russian.”

There was a moment of silence. Then, Sapnap whistled. “Touché, [Y/N]. You’ve got him there.”

While George groaned, surely smacking his palm into his forehead, Clay spoke up with a teasing hum. “You should play some GeoGuessr with us more often. You’re way better at this than George.”

“This is bullying,” came a distant complaint from George, his voice coming out muffled through his mic.

“It’s the truth,” you corrected with a cheeky grin. “You cannot deny that.”

There came a snort, followed by Sapnap’s gentle laugh. “Look at you, [Y/N], being so mean all of a sudden.”

You smiled lopsidedly, trying to push back the shiver that ran down your spine at the way his low voice made your insides melt. “You know you guys love it.”

“We do.” Clay’s voice almost sounded far away, muffled and hazy. “We really, really do.”

Your heart leapt into your throat as a soft silence washed over the four of you, your chuckles dying down and fading into the quietness of your bedroom. Sighing deeply, you picked at your nail, silently begging your heart to calm down again. It was right then when George softly piped up.

“Hey, [Y/N],” he said quietly. When you let out a small noise, he continued. “We… you would call us close to you, right?”

You laughed at the hesitancy in his tone. For a second, he almost sounded shy, and it sent butterflies fluttering through your stomach. “Do you even have to ask? We’ve been friends for months—of course we are!”

You could make out the faint sound of shuffling from Clay’s end, his icon flashing green. “Are—” He coughed. “Does that mean we’re close enough to ask you a… somewhat private question?”

You raised an eyebrow at his tone, your curiosity piquing. “Go for it,” you said gently, letting your eyelids flutter comfortably shut.

“Have you met your soulmate yet?”

In an instant, your eyes shot wide open again, and you lay frozen in your bed. In all the time you had known each other, not once had you brought up the topic of soulmates. It was almost as though you had simply skirted around it, too shy to press on about. But right now, with the topic lying right in front of your face, you couldn’t just avoid the topic.

Your fingers twitched as your mouth fell open. “N-No,” you stammered, the butterflies in your stomach going oddly still. “I, um, I haven’t. Have any of you?”

There was a pause. “No, none of us.”

You thought for a moment, your heart mulling over those four little words. Then, you exhaled and let your shoulders relax against the mattress, your nails curling into your palm. “I’m sure you guys have nothing to worry about,” you murmured almost hazily. “There are probably thousands and thousands of people who would love to be any one of your soulmates.” You chuckled, but it tasted bittersweet on your tongue. “Heck, there’s probably at least half a million fans who would be dying to take my place, right now.”

On the other end of the line, you were met with silence, but it was fleeting. “What about you?” Clay suddenly asked.

You blinked, your palm going slack. “Me?”

“You,” Clay affirmed, sounding more serious than before. “If you were one of our soulmates, how would you feel?”

The words left your lips before you could stop them. “Happy,” you blurted, suddenly feeling breathless. “So, so happy. I—”

You suddenly slapped your hand over your mouth, cutting yourself off with wide eyes. Realization struck you like a lightning bolt, and you could feel your blood run cold in your neck. I did not just say that.

“What—” George stopped. Then, a second later, he continued. “Which one of us would you want it to be? To be your soulmate?”

With trembling fingers, you moved your hand away from your mouth, your voice coming out small. “Are you asking me who I like most?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

You almost felt your heart drop, bolting upright until you were sitting atop your sheets. Wrapping your hand around your phone, you balanced it on your lap, uncertainty springing up in your gut.

Who... I like most?

Dream, George, and Sapnap. Sapnap, Dream, and George.

To think that just a year ago, you had never spoken to them—had only ever known them as three strangers through a screen. Yet here you were now, their voices soft against your ear and your heart aching at the sound of their laughter. They made you smile beyond belief, and you wouldn’t miss a call with them for the world, even if it was three in the morning and you were dead asleep. Although you had spent time with each of them individually, just as friends did, you loved spending time with all three of them together far more, and you didn’t want to imagine having them any other way.

George, Sapnap, and Dream.

Who did you like most?

You swallowed, then opened your mouth. “I,” you choked out, “I don’t—I wouldn’t—”

You stopped, your heart pounding like a drum between your lungs. You could feel them waiting for you, as patient and caring as ever. The thought made you want to curl up into a ball and cry. Screwing your eyes shut, you sucked in a deep breath and whispered.

“I don’t think I could ever pick just one of you.”

The silence that filled the air as you closed your mouth was tense. A million unspoken words ricocheted off the insides of your mind, your heart racing within the confines of your chest. The air suddenly felt too hot, and you kicked the covers off your legs, curling your knees closer to your chest and resting your burning cheeks on top of them.

“Maybe this is a sudden thing to say,” Sapnap whispered abruptly, his words coming out slurred as he broke the silence, “but I really, really want to know what you look like right now, [Y/N].”

You felt your arms go limp around your legs. “Me, too,” George added, thoughtful and faint. “I bet you’re beautiful.”

Resisting the urge to bury your face in your hands, you ran your finger along the edge of your phone screen, the glass pressing against your hot skin. “I—um,” you began shakily, “you’ll see when we meet, okay? This way, two of us can stay a mystery.”

Clay’s soft chuckle rippled through your bedroom once more, bouncing off the walls and making your chest ache even more. “Alright.”

You felt your chest constrict with heat, feeling like you were almost about to burst at the seams from the way they were speaking. “W-Well,” you laughed, trying not to sound as panicked as you felt, “on that note, I think I’m gonna go to sleep now.” You opened your mouth to continue when a yawn cut you off, eliciting a string of laughs from your phone speaker. “I’m feeling pretty tired.”

“Sweet dreams, [Y/N],” George murmured tenderly. “Talk to you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” you confirmed with your heart battering against your ribs. “Goodnight!”

Reaching over, you pressed your thumb over your phone screen, exiting the call just as swiftly as you had joined. That had been hours ago now, and while you were tired, you couldn’t shake the churning sensation in the pit of your stomach—twisting and turning as you laid back on your bed. You slipped your phone onto your nightstand, plugging it in in a forlorn haze before lying back once more. Staring up at the lonesome ceiling, you frowned, your heart suddenly feeling like an anchor in your chest.

Without even an inch of doubt, you knew: you liked them—all three of them.

And it was going to be the end of you.

Having a crush was a dangerous thing in a world full of soulmates, especially if they were online—even more so if you had multiple. You could only ever find out if someone was your soulmate if you met them in person, and you had heard far too many stories of couples meeting in person, only to learn that they weren’t fated to be. Combining that with multiple soulmate bonds slimmed the chances even further. Multiple soulmate bonds weren’t exactly unheard of, but they were rare. You had never met anyone who had one, and you doubted that you would be the first you’d know to have one.

You suddenly felt it—that familiar spark of hope you felt all those months ago when you sat at your desk chair with a shirt on your lap. The hope that drew you to them now was the very same hope that connected you in the first place. Your heart leapt, lapping up every last droplet like a man dying of thirst, yet with each new spark that rained down in your chest, the thought clawing at the back of your mind loomed larger and larger.

Just what exactly were the chances all four of you would be soulmates? It had to be next to nothing if it wasn’t zero already.

This wasn’t like the manhunt raffle—lady luck could only be so generous.

Rolling onto your side, you felt something deep inside you reach its hands up and wrap around your lungs, squeezing as tightly as it could. The ache that shot through your insides stung like a hot coal, but you knew there was nothing you could do to soothe its hungry flames. Unshed tears pricked the back of your eyelids like silver needles, and you squeezed your eyes shut, choking back a muffled whine. Your bedroom suddenly felt too big, your bed too empty.

Hope could be beautiful, but it could also destroy you from the inside out.

“Do not leave the call.”

Clay’s chuckle sent a frown skittering across your face, and you let out a small whine as you leaned forward in your desk chair. “Aww,” he crooned, teasing and light, “are you jealous, Georgie?”

“N-No, what?” George sputtered, and you could almost envision the way his cheeks would flush a pretty shade of baby pink. “Just—just don’t hang up.”

“I’m telling you,” Sapnap laughed with a sly lilt, his voice sounding a little more distant than Clay’s, “he’s jealous.” You vaguely could make out the sound of his signal light from inside his car, a muffled car horn echoing from outside. “Or at least if he isn’t, [Y/N] is.”

At that, you whipped your head up, blinking wide as you shot a glare at Sapnap’s Discord icon on the side of your monitor screen. “Well, [Y/N]?” Clay drawled, a flicker of mischief dancing in his tone. “What do you have to say about that?”

You curled your fingers into your hands, a small pout settling onto your features as heat shot across your face. “I—I am!” you said, your voice coming out a fraction louder than you intended. When the other line went quiet, you shuffled back in your seat, your cheeks burning even hotter. “I am jealous, okay? It’s... it’s just not fair that you two get to meet before we do.”

There was a brief moment of silence. You were being childish, you knew, but at least you were being honest. Suddenly, Clay spoke. “We know, sweetheart,” he said gently, not at all realizing how your heart skipped a beat at the pet name. “But you’ll be able to meet us soon. Just wait a bit longer, okay? I’ll buy you both plane tickets if I have to.”

You pouted with a dejected whimper, your finger drawing small circles onto the side of your desk. “Okay.”

“Don’t sound so sad,” Sapnap chuckled with a soothing coo. “As soon as we can get you two over here, we will.”

You let out a sigh, swinging your chair from side to side with a frown. Was it so wrong of you to want to meet them so badly, to want to see them and hug them? Part of you didn’t even care if you were all soulmates at this point—you just wanted to hear them laugh in person. You wanted to make them smile. Was that really so much to ask for?

“I see him!” Clay suddenly shouted. Your head shot up faster than a bullet, and you heard the sound of a front door opening and slamming shut. “Oh, Sapnap.”

“Oh, Dream,” Sapnap called mockingly, his smile shining through in his voice. There was the sound of the car engine stopping, then a car door swinging open. “Holy crap, you’re way taller than I expected.”

You chuckled at the surprise in Sapnap’s voice, hearing George laugh along with you. “Jeez,” Clay muttered, his voice overlapping ever so slightly with the mic on Sapnap’s phone. “It’s so weird actually seeing you in person, oh my go—”

All of a sudden, Clay went silent, cutting himself off with a strangled noise of surprise. On Sapnap’s end, there was a muffled choking sound, then nothing. In a flash, you were upright, your eyes wide and your hand flying to your mouse.

“Sapnap?” George called, his tone soaked with worry. “Clay? Are you two alright?”

There came a gasp, and you could make out the sound of Sapnap struggling to search for words. “You’re—Clay’s my—”

Just like that, it clicked, like a switch had been flipped inside you. You felt something in your chest deflate, and you opened your mouth.

“Soulmates,” you whispered so quietly that you would have missed it yourself, had you not been the one to say it. “You two are soulmates, aren’t you?”

George fell silent. “I think so,” Clay mumbled, his tone coming out as if he were in a daze. “I’ve never felt anything like that before in my life—it definitely feels like what everyone says, you know? Just, really warm, and.... and...” He trailed off, ending with an enamoured sigh. “Yeah.”

Your mouth felt as though it had been sewn shut, like you wouldn’t have been able to force the words from your lips even if you tried. “How did we not know after all these years?” Sapnap giggled, his voice swimming in a mixture of disbelief and affection.

“We’ve never met in person up until now,” Clay mused, his sentence rising at the end. “This is the first time we’ve ever seen each other, let alone touched.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Sapnap murmured back wistfully. The call suddenly went quiet, and a deep, disappointed quiet fell over the four of you. Not a word was said as the harsh reality slowly settled into your hearts.

Clay and Sapnap were soulmates.

Only Clay and Sapnap.

“I’m happy for you two!” George suddenly shouted, startling you in your chair. He sounded oddly chipper—too chipper. “I wish—” He suddenly choked, pausing for a moment to catch his breath again. “I wish I was already friends with my soulmate. Meeting new people is hard.”

“Who knows?” Clay chuckled. His words were teasing, but even they couldn’t mask how crestfallen he sounded. “Maybe [Y/N] is yours.”

“Yeah,” Sapnap hummed in agreement, the hopefulness in his voice sounding just as forced as his soulmate’s. “You hear that, [Y/N]? Maybe you and Gogy were meant to be.”

Your vision was hazy and unfocused, your gaze focused on the window in your room. In the corner of the glass was a small spider web, just barely the size of your palm. You watched with blurry eyes as a fly caught in the sticky web beat its wings in desperation, struggling helplessly as a spider crawled out from behind the windowsill. You distantly wondered how trapped that fly felt—if it knew that there was no point in hoping for anything better, now.

Turning away from the window, you focused your gaze down at yourself, down at the black shirt you were wearing. A clean white axe stared back up at you, and you felt a bittersweet smile stretch across your face as you uttered a single word.

“Maybe.”

A loud beep echoed from the ceiling speakers, and you jumped at the sound. All around you, people were bustling in and out of gates, towing luggage behind them as they rushed down the crowded pathways and between loitering groups of people. You whipped your head this way and that at the sight, your head spinning with all the new sights and sounds.

It was still hard to believe that just a few months prior, you wouldn’t have been able to step foot in an airport like this.

To see people move from one place to the next, seeing loved ones and meeting new people for the first time was almost exhilarating, especially after all that had happened with the world. You liked it, and you certainly hoped that it was here to stay.

You had just started walking down the main path when you felt your phone ring in your pocket. Fishing it out, your face lit up at the caller ID, and you picked up without waiting another second, pressing the cool glass to your ear with a smile. “Hi, George.”

“Hey!” he greeted with a cheerful tone. “Did you get here safely?”

Rocking back and forth on your heels, you curled your fingers a little tighter around the handle of your suitcase with a hum. “Yep.”

“Good.” You could hear the smile in his voice, and it sent a familiar tingle of warmth bouncing down your spine. “How are you feeling?”

You paused, your steps faltering for a brief second as you pondered. “Nervous,” you said after a moment or two, “but a good kind of nervous.”

“A good kind of nervous?” he repeated with a fond tone. “I think I know the word you’re looking for.”

Your lips curled up at his words, your mind flashing back to a distant day from long, long ago. “Yes, George, I’m excited.”

The laugh that fell from his lips sounded like pure music to your ears, and you caught yourself thinking that you wouldn’t mind drowning in the sound. “Me, too.” As you wove between a few sectioned off groups, George added gently, “You know where to meet us, right?”

You nodded with a small noise of confirmation, making a sharp turn down yet another long hallway. “Yeah—I’m pretty sure Clay and Sap are already waiting for us.”

George snorted, both affectionate and teasing at once. “Oh, I know they are. I’ll see you there?”

You grinned, bobbing your head along to the beat of your suitcase wheels rolling across the polished tiled floors. “For sure. See you there!”

Lowering your phone from your ear, you pressed your thumb against the screen before letting it drop into your pocket once more. A sigh escaped your lips as you let the ache you had been suppressing tumble loose, throbbing and gnawing away at the shaky shards of your heart.

How long had they known that Clay and Sapnap were soulmates, now? Five months? Six? You weren’t sure if you could even bring yourself to keep count, anymore. It hurt too much to think about. You were happy for them, you really were. But the selfish part inside you still longed for their touch, even if they wouldn’t ever truly be yours. It wasn’t that you didn’t like George, but you meant what you said—you couldn’t pick just one, and you wanted all of them, as greedy as it was.

Shaking your head, you pushed forward, your gaze darting up to the navigational sign hanging from the ceiling. No matter how painful it may be, you weren’t going to let your own heart get in the way of how amazing today was going to be. You were meeting your favourite people in the world today, and nothing was going to take that away from you.

Not even heartbreak.

Glancing briefly over at a map on the wall, you huffed as you dragged your suitcase up a set of stairs and through the corridor, chewing on the inside of your lip. George’s gate was on the opposite side of the airport from yours, and Clay and Sapnap were waiting in the middle for the two of you. His flight had arrived a bit before yours, so you knew you were just going to have to find all three of them together.

After another few minutes of walking, you found yourself walking into the central dome of the airport, the glass ceiling filtering natural light into the room as you wheeled your luggage in. Your lips parting in awe at the sight, you swept your gaze across the busy room, scanning over every head you could find. You had only been looking for a few moments when a head of dark sepia hair caught your attention. Narrowing your eyes, you shuffled forward carefully. Then, your lips split into a triumphant grin.

There they were.

In a heartbeat, you felt your insides melt at the sight. Sapnap and George looked as handsome as ever, their lips curled up into dazzling smiles as they spoke, and Clay—oh, Clay. This was the first time you would ever be seeing each other’s faces, but you didn’t have to see him to know that he was pretty. With tousled golden locks and emerald green eyes that flashed like gemstones, he was everything you could have asked for and more.

Chatting casually with one another, all three of them were dressed in comfortable clothes, and you wanted to fling yourself at them and bury yourself into their warm touch. Sucking in a deep breath, you marched toward them, slinking around so that you were facing their backs. Hugs could come later—right now, it was time for a surprise.

Treading slowly and carefully, you only stopped when you stood a foot behind them, the giddiness rising in your chest as you finally opened your mouth.

“Sapnap was right. You are tall.”

The three of them immediately whirled at the sound of your voice, their eyes as wide as saucers as their gazes locked on yours. The grin on your face only grew wider as you watched their faces light up in unison, like a set of stars coming together in the night sky.

“[Y/N],” they said at the same time, blinking wildly as you sent them a small wave.

You laughed. “Here I a—”

“We were right, too,” Clay suddenly blurted, bending over slightly. “You are beautiful.”

Your cheeks flushed with bubbling heat, and you felt your heart leap in your chest. “I—ah, um,” you stammered, taking a step back. “You look good too, Clay.”

Sapnap took a step forward, reaching his hand out toward you with a soft smile. “So, we finally meet,” he hummed, a brilliant gleam flashing across his eye. “Does this mean I get to hug you, now?”

You grinned, and with a giggle, you were leaping forward, your suitcase wobbling behind you as you let go. The moment you felt warm arms wrap around your backside, you felt yourself relax.

Then, your skin suddenly felt like it was on fire.

Warmth surged up your spine like a rippling flame, your eyes shooting wide open as you gasped, your fingers curling into the soft fabric of Sapnap’s shirt. In an instant, you were stumbling back, clutching at the space over your heart. You could feel it going absolutely haywire in your chest, pounding like never before. Your entire body felt as light as a feather, and your mind felt strangely hazy.

Impossible—it had to be.

“Sap,” you choked out, your eyes locking onto his own wide ones, “you—”

“George, Clay,” he suddenly said, reaching a hand out toward the two boys, “get over here. Right now.”

The two of them had been standing stock still just a few steps away, their jaws dropped and faces contorted with surprise as they watched you and Sapnap tremble across from one another. Swallowing, George took the first shaky step forward, reaching his hand toward yours. The moment your fingers brushed, the same tingling warmth crashed over you like a wave, and you let out a soft noise, happiness blooming in your throat like a blossom in spring. You watched with earnest eyes as George’s expression mirrored yours, his rosy lips parted in surprise as his fingers latched onto yours. The hope you had locked away months ago came pouring out of your glowing heart like a waterfall, overwhelming every inch of your senses.

“It’s not just us,” you whispered, your voice brimming with nebulous hope. “It’s George, too.”

George lifted his head, his breath hitched as he turned. “That just means...”

All three of your gazes landed on Clay, who was still frozen in place, stock still with shock. Your eyes darted to Sapnap’s, then George’s. You nodded in unison, and without saying a word, you stepped forward. You slipped your hand into Sapnap’s, your heart trembling with adoration at how big and warm his palm was against your own. Sharing one last glance with one another, you nodded. Just like that, you were slipping your hand into Clay’s, George following suit while Sapnap grabbed his.

In a heartbeat, everything felt perfect.

The empty cracks in your heart no longer felt as wide as they once did, instead flooding with burning warmth and something that felt like love. Your head spun with dizzying affection, and you felt your vision grow watery, but for an entirely different reason, now.

God, you loved them, you loved them, you loved them.

At your side, Sapnap’s hand shook in yours, surprise lacing his every word. “I can’t believe it.”

“A four-way soulmate bond,” George breathed, his own mouth twitching up into a lovestruck grin. “I—I never thought we’d have one. I mean, I always hoped but—”

Suddenly, Clay spoke up, his voice hoarse but full of sincerity. “W-Woah, are you crying? What’s wrong?”

In a flash, their eyes were on you, who had let go of Clay’s hand to press your palm against your eye. “N-Nothing’s wrong,” you said, your voice shaking with overwhelming emotion. “I’m just—I’m so happy.” A quiet sniffle bubbled up in your throat, but it didn’t stop the smile from tugging at your lips. “I liked you all so much and I was so scared that only George was going to be my soulmate, because you’re all so important to me, and I couldn’t just give you guys up like that.”

“[Y/N],” Clay choked out, his own voice starting to wobble, “stop, please. You’re going to make me cry.”

Laughing, you leaned against him, soaking into the warmth of his body as his arm instinctively wrapped around you. “Just—just cry with me, okay? We can all cry together.”

You didn’t need to say it twice. Not even a split second later, and you felt two more pairs of arms snake up around you, a nose burying itself into your hair as a cheek pressed against yours. “It looks like you won more than just one lottery then, huh?” Sapnap mumbled from above you, his chest rumbling against your back.

“Yeah,” George chuckled, his fingers lovingly rubbing small circles against your arm. “First the manhunt, now this. Just how lucky can one person be?”

You smiled, rubbing your head against Clay’s shoulder with a loving hum. “I don’t know what the universe was thinking,” you murmured, your eyelids fluttering shut as you gently rocked back and forth together, “but I’m glad I won. You three are the best prize I could have ever asked for.”

You felt a pair of lips press a soft kiss to the top of your head, your heart sighing in your chest. “I love you,” someone whispered, too softly for you to tell who it was.

All around you, the bustling airport kept moving, full of life and bursting with energy as the crowds flowed around you like a river. The world was still moving, the planet still turning beneath your feet as you embraced one another, warm and safe in each other’s arms. But in that moment, none of that mattered. A dazzling spark danced along the crevice of your heart, bright and warm and oh-so full of hope as you opened your mouth to whisper back.

“I love you all, too.”

[rubberchickeny]

@girllaura said she can't stop crying. This post is for you, but also all carylers that are having a really hard time right now.

There are many reasons to be upset, but we all seem to be upset for different reasons, which may or may not all be valid.

1) No Carol in spinoff

2) If there is no Carol in spinoff, that must mean 11c isn't going full acknowledgement (that's the word I personally use cause they are already friggin' canon!)

3) somebody must have screwed someone over

4) AMC is covering for it

Those are the reasons I can think of, keeping in mind the reactions I've seen and what's going on now. Imma tackle these issues one by one.

1) While I personally think Daryl spinoff with Daryl alone is not a good idea (maybe a very limited series with much less than ten episodes), I have to say that I don't mind, as long as 11c ends well and "happy" for now.

In my opinion franchises often spread themselves and the fans' supposed interest too thin, thinking $$$$$$$ instead of quality. Spinoffs rarely have that. I wouldn't want a "Joanie loves Chachi" calibre of a spinoff (look it up!), I'd want a Frasier, which not everyone even realizes or remembers was a spinoff. If you're not going to do the spinoff well and with proper writing, don't do it at all.

(Also, how good can the scripts be if they are supposed to write them now and start filming soon? They must have had a plan b, though, is what I think. If they did a short, very limited season of Daryl doing something somewhere before getting back to Carol, I wouldn't mind that. They just can't erase Carol now; that is my worry.)

2) I have actual fears of TWD pulling a GoT season eight on us, but I choose to have faith. The proper "end" for Daryl and Carol (=Caryl acknowledgement) should happen in the main series anyway, and not the spinoff. Their story is a huge chunk of the original TWD and that is where it should be shown. Any spinoff is just gravy.

Both 11a and 11b tied up pretty much all loose ends standing in the way of Caryl that don't come from their own lack of verbal (!) communication.

(Carol & co. found Connie, alive. Daryl found Leah, and gave her a chance to back away, but now that's done. Ezekiel was operated on, and he had closure with Carol about Henry and their relationship but it was clear even before it was stated by her that yes, that is over now.) That all cannot be a coincidence. Yes, there are several writers to a season, but when and if writing is good, these things don't happen and line up just by accident. They are heading to said acknowledgement, and they'd really have to pull off a GoT S8 to fail that now. (Still possible, but unlikely.)

3) We have no idea about this, and attacking people about it is plain wrong. Also stupid, because we are being painted as the crazies...and with some of the stuff I've seen (not only in Tumblr) I see their reasoning.

We can ponder why it is so necessary to shoot in Europe and we can question how wise it is for them to go ahead with it now instead of just waiting, but I'd hate to put any more pressure on the actors and Melissa McBride especially. She seems to have her own, valid reasons (ailing father, I read somewhere?) and that might also be one reason her role in s11 has been smaller than anticipated/hoped.

And I have a very hard time believing this is all Norman's "fault" either. The rumors and "inside information" sound like they're all made up by people who just want to stir shit, and Caryl shit in particular.

It's important to recognize the source of these feelings and to turn them into actual words. Is it because there is no Carol in spinoff or is it because we feel we have been duped and strung along? (Even gaslighted?) There is still 11c to come. Only after that can we, IMO, say we have been. As of now jury is still out.

4) I don't even know what to say to this one. As a big company I'm sure AMC is used to spin doctoring etc, but I don't see a conspiracy here, at the moment.

Everyone is entitled to their feelings, and that I truly believe in. It's the way those feelings are expressed sometimes that may turn problematic.

I wish you all strength and patience, and hope. Keep on keeping on!

[theregoesmylurkerstatus]

Listen. Listen. The more I think about Essek’s reality the more amused I get. It’s like the Mighty Nein EXISTED to fuck his life over in the kindest way possible. 

One of their first functional (and one of their most defining) actions as a group was when they stole a Beacon -- one of HIS Beacons. A Beacon he took from the Dynasty and gave to the Assembly in an INCREDIBLY risky gamble, so risky it ultimately plunged the continent into war, because that’s how badly he wanted learn something about it.

And the Mighty Nein, on a fucking whim, vanished it from under their noses. NOT ONLY was Essek deprived of further research, but he couldn’t even smooth over the tensions on either side. Essek was probably the only person alive, besides the Mighty Nein, who could know for a fact that neither the Empire nor the Dynasty had what the war functionally started over. By stealing the Beacon, the Mighty Nein made sure neither side could be happy, and Essek was the one stuck in between.

But then, they returned it to the Bright Queen! Surely that’s good for Essek, right? Except, one, now he gets no more of the research he enabled a war for, and two, it wasn’t even traded as a price to stop the bloodshed, which seems to be something he genuinely wants. So, cool! Beacon #1 is certainly out of his hands, out of the hands of the people who might have told him SOMETHING about it, and it wasn’t even for the sake of the war ending. ...Great! Fun. Okay.

But what did the Mighty Nein trade it for? Why, the freedom of Essek’s prisoner, of course! Because surprise! That’s one of their number’s husband. And it’s a complete coincidence.  Were you using one of the poor saps conducting the research as a way to finally learn about said research, Essek? No longer. Yeza’s gone now. Suck it.

So, the Mighty Nein took a Beacon completely out of his hands, made it useless to him in every way possible, and removed his access to his one (1) avenue of information on the Beacon. That’s surely already Fuck These Guys territory for Essek, right?

Well, guess what Essek! YOU have been chosen to be the lucky drow who gets to babysit them! For the entire time! They’re here!

But hey, they’re only visitors, just keep them at arm’s length for a few days and then you’ll never have to see them aga- Oh look, your Den and by extension YOUR MOTHER gave them a house. They live here now.

And Essek just has to sit there like “... :).”

AND ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT, EVERY WEEK OR SO, THEY COME BACK AND SAY:

“Hey Essek! We just thought you should know, we think there’s a traitor in the Dynasty, crazy right?”

“Hey Essek, we think this possible traitor actually GAVE the Empire the Beacons, isn’t that WILD?”

“Hey Essek, did we mention that we have connections not only to the Empire but to the Assembly specifically, AND we have easy access to the Empire in general, so we can totally dig around there AND here as much as we like? Wow, not many people could do that, huh?”

“Hey Essek, did you know our monk is trained to ruthlessly ferret out the truth no matter what, and also she’s super invested in the well being of all these civillians? Boy, she sure seems to want to get to the bottom of things!”

“Hey Essek, did you know that our wizard who knows a lot about the arcane and is super interested in dunamancy and also has a perfect memory was a Scourger in training and speaks Zemnian? He can interrogate another one of your captives for you, wonder if they know anything about traitors or what the Assembly might be up to!”

“Hey Essek, we have a cunning plan to interrogate ANOTHER prisoner of yours! You know, that one who totally sold the Beacons! Aren’t we smart, don’t you like it?”

“Hey Essek! This prisoner seems to be innocent? Like, his memories were planted and he’s almost been... framed, or something? Wild! Let’s go tell the Bright Queen together!!!!”

“HEY ESSEK! Crazy news, we almost single handedly coordinated a peace talks, and we’ll be overseeing all the big interactions on both sides! Wonder what we could learn from those interactions? Anyway, bye!”

IT NEVER ENDS. IT NEVER, EVER ENDS FOR ESSEK. HE LIVES NEXT DOOR. JESTER MESSAGES HIM CONSTANTLY. HIS MUM OWNS THEIR HOUSE. HE’S BORDERLINE AT THEIR BECK AND CALL. 

AND IT’S ALMOST LIKE THEY WERE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO COUNTERACT HIS EVERY MOVE.

WHICH HE HAS TO HEAR ABOUT. CONSTANTLY.

Not only should the Nein by all rights have disliked him, he by all rights should FUCKING HATE the Mighty Nein.

The Mighty Nein were the bane of his existence. He must have laid awake some nights, wondering if they were taunting him. How could they know so much, and yet not realise he’s the last person they should be confiding in? How could he have run into a group with an ex-student of one of the men he’s illegally working with, by accident? HOW could he have kidnapped, out of all the researchers involved with the Beacons, the one married to a Mighty Nein member? Why does the truth-sniffing monk know Undercommon now. WHY is the firblog so fucking perceptive. And please, please, why won’t the tiefling stop messaging him?

Surely, they’re taunting him. They’re his own personal hell.

And they keep inviting him to dinner.

...I think I’ve made the joke several times now that somewhere out there, the big players in the war must fucking hate the Nein, accomplishing so much by accident.

Well I’ve found out who that big player is and his name is Essek. It’s him. Everything the Nein have done of any significance has made specifically his life harder, and on top of all that? 

They don’t even let him hate them properly, like Actual Nemeses™. Instead they gave him a morality crises. 

Because that’s the final, most poetic indignity of them all. 

After all that, he likes them.

[hunterexamcheatsheet]

Explaining how the Mafia functions, Kurapika in the mafia community and why the other “Neon died” theories don’t work from the Mafia Structure perspective

Please read this if you’re interested in how Kurapika in the mafia functions in the HxH world. 

I went to roam around the Chinese forums using Kurapika and Neon's name (酷拉皮卡和妮翁; pronounced as Kù Lā Pí Kǎ and Nī Wēng) to try and find some KuraNeon content in the Chinese fandom. 

I found a Chinese blog that also talks about the dolphin theory that @anotherworldash​ has thought of. You may use Google translate for the link above to read it. You may also view what @u-named​ had summarised here regarding the dolphin theory. I had reblogged it before but I got very excited when I saw that another fan had thought of it. 

I’m so glad that other people from non-English fandoms had also thought of it (and not just the usual theories of Neon dying, but exploring other explanations why it’s possible for her to be still alive). I might be slightly biased, but I disliked how everyone just jumped into the assumption that she’s dead because her name disappeared from Chrollo’s book. From what I see, HxH deaths are often shown or at least heavily implied. We also got false narratives like the one with Kite in CA arc. 

We do not see her dead body. Or any major hints of what happened to her. 

What’s more, Kurapika implied that the previous owners where he had acquired the Scarlet Eyes from did not need to be killed. While this only means that Kurapika did not kill Neon, and it’s possible that other people might have killed her or she had died by accident/natural cause, it’s still something to think about.

The flaw in some of the “Neon’s dead” theories

I think u-named already discussed this a bit, but I’m going to elaborate it a little further. I am actually thinking of posting regarding the mafia theme, but that will take a while. I had been researching the functions of mafia in both reality and media, in order to understand what goes on in mafia families in HxH. 

The theories regarding “Neon was killed by the mafia community”, “Light Nostrade killed her” and “she committed suicide” are possible, but I’m going to need to nitpick on the reasoning. I suspect people who formed these theories don’t know how the mafia works or at least, attempt to understand how it works (not that I’m an expert, I’m still trying to understand it from mafia movies, videos, a book and journal papers). 

Of course there is a discrepancy between the actual mafia and what is depicted in media, but given that Togashi had mafia themes in his previous works like in Ten de Showaru Cupid and in Yu Yu Hakusho, and until now, he is using mafia families in his current arc. 

“Oh, but what if Togashi doesn’t do his research?”

I genuinely think he does. York New City and the Ten Dons could be a parallel to the actual Five Powerful Mafia Families in New York City back then, formed in 1931. The Five Families is also what inspired the five mafia families in The Godfather. (I don’t know, maybe Togashi was a fan of The Godfather or any mafia movies; that trilogy was very influential in the media). Even the family name Nostrade is both a reference to Nostradamus (a French fortune teller) and La Cosa Nostra (a nickname for the Italian mafia). The coincidence is too uncanny. 

From what I gather from resources, the mafia functions like an organisation/corporation, but their services are largely illegal. Their main aim is to acquire money (and also power, but power comes with money). 

Neon’s fortune-telling ability is highly sought after because accurate information in many places (which includes being in businesses) are crucial. If you guys are familiar with The Godfather, information and strategy is important when trying to win over people or crushing your enemies. The concept of knowing your enemy is also a huge main idea in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. 

And it’s even more valuable when these information is from the future.  You will always be one step ahead of the enemy if you have accurate information in regards to the future. 

Now, there are people envious of Light’s climb to power because he exploited his daughter’s fortune-telling ability and they gained influence as she has fans among the Dons. They see Light’s acquiring of power as a threat, which is why Light protects his daughter. 

Another reason (not really stated, I just thought of it) is that information from the future is a disadvantage when your enemy has it and you don’t. You already lose when the other side has information that you do not have. 

By the end of the YorkNew City arc, we see that the Ten Dons are assassinated by Illumi. Therefore, there seems to be empty seats when it comes to the leadership of the mafia community. Not stated, but without leadership, a corporation/business will either crumble or someone else will assume leadership. Be it brutally or by succession of an heir, we’ll never know. 

Neon’s ability is no longer on hers. Who is affected negatively? Light Nostrade because he just lost his way of influence and attaining money/power. His enemies, who are envious of his climbing up the ranks, will see it as an advantage. A blessing perhaps. Because the threat (which is Neon’s powers) are gone. 

While murder among mafia members are not uncommon, killing one’s family member (especially one’s direct children) is irreversible and poses serious consequences. An all out war could evoke and it can be costly. Going back to my point about the mafia community’s main aim and how it functions as a business, negotiations are actually another way to deal with possible disputes.  They do not need to do the killing because her powers are simply GONE. Without her powers, she’s just an ordinary “citizen” who is a family member of a father whose in the mafia community. 

Therefore, “mafia community killed Neon” theory is flawed if you look at how the mafia community functions as businesses and negotiations. The reason why they decided to be brutal and aggressive in York New City is because they were up against the Phantom Troupe. Additionally, the lack of manpower and leadership that follows after their fiasco with the Phantom Troupe is another concern. A girl who no longer poses a threat is the least of their worries. 

Now, onto the “Kurapika let them die off”, “Light killed Neon” and “she committed suicide” theories. 

The reason why I have a problem with these is because it’s based on the big assumption that they became broke. Either Light Nostrade went crazy and he killed her; or they became broke and Neon couldn’t handle the stresses of being poor so she committed suicide. But the thing is, they aren’t broke. 

Even on the Hunterpedia states:

The Nostrade Family survived the loss of Neon's ability and is now led by Kurapika. The organization is exclusively involved in legal activities such as personal security details and gambling.

This is backed by what Linssen has said to Mizaistom in the Dark Continent Expedition arc. 

The reason why they survived the financial slump? Kurapika. 

During the Greed Island arc, Kurapika reassured him that he’ll “take care of it”. And during the Dark Continent Expedition arc, we see that Kurapika’s title is “Nostrade Family Waka-gashira”. Waka-gashira means “Young Boss”. There are many mistranslations to this text where they state that he’s the mafia organisation leader, but in the hardcopy (which I have), the title is “Nostrade Family Boss”. 

In the context of the Japanese yakuza, the Waka-gashira is the second in command, just below the Oyabun. 

The second in the chain of command is the wakagashira, who governs several gangs in a region with the help of a fuku-honbucho who is himself responsible for several gangs.

While it seems that the inspiration of mafia is from the Italian-American mafia families in York New City, the terminologies they used is that of the Japanese yakuza. I think that this is because the original language is in Japanese. 

In Italian-American mafia, the term “mafia organisation” is synonymous with “mafia family”. Therefore, if you say that a man is the mafia organisation leader, he is also by default the head of the mafia family. 

In the context of Kurapika, it does make sense that he is the second-in-command and Light is the oyabun (if you go by the yakuza terminology), or Kurapika is the head of the Nostrade family (if you go by the Italian-American way). 

Now, I’m just going to backtrack a bit because I want to address that theory that “Kurapika let Neon and/or Light die and overtook the Nostrade mafia organisation”. 

If you go by the Yakuza terminology, it already doesn’t make sense because it implies that Light is still in charge, and Kurapika is the second-in-command (wakagashira). The Yakuza also assimilate members into the mafia organisation and “making your own family” (via trust). 

If you go by the Italian-American way, it also doesn’t make sense if you look at the way they appoint the head of the mafia organisation. From what I read and seen in mafia movies, aside from mafia organisations functioning like a corporation, it functions like a family business, where typically, the head of the family is a male. This isn’t just exclusive to mafia families, but pretty much family businesses in [East] Asia. Togashi also depicts this male heir and family business dynamic within the Zoldyck Family. 

While there are actual records of women leading mafia organisations, what is depicted in media is that the mafia community are often populated with men. This is also evident in the York New City arc, where the mafia community is filled with armed men. 

Even among the Yakuza, it is like this: 

The Yakuza is populated almost entirely by men and the very few women who are acknowledged are the wives of bosses

Light Nostrade only have one child, a daughter to be exact. While Morena Prudo is the boss of the Heil-Ly Mafia Family, this isn’t the actual case for Neon. Neon is a young girl who likes to shop and collects dead body parts. She enjoys luxury and materialism. She doesn’t have an interest in the mafia business or where the money comes from. Besides, as mentioned before, a male heir is often depicted. 

In Japanese family businesses, when there is no male heir available, they will have to resort to mukoyoshi practice. Taken from Wikipedia:

When a family, especially one with a well established business, has no male heir but has an unwed daughter of a suitable age, she will marry the mukoyōshi, a man chosen especially for his ability to run the family business. 

This is done to preserve the business and name of the family when there is no suitable male heir, since traditionally businesses are inherited by the oldest male heir. Mukoyōshi is also practiced if there is no capable male heir to run the family business.

This is a centuries-old tradition and is still widely practiced today. Many Japanese companies with household names such as Nintendo, Kikkoman, and Toyota have adopted this practice.

This is why I often liked the whole “Kurapika married Neon for the title” theory because it takes into a Japanese practice when it comes to family businesses + how the mafia family business are run into account. 

We also have to note that Neon Nostrade’s character blueprint is Princess Luna from Level E. Princess Luna is betrothed to the main character, Prince Baka. Initially, Prince Baka did not want to marry her. Arranged marriages do not need to be founded by love or a relationship bond. In fact, arranged marriages are often agreed on because of practical reasons, such as a family business. 

Princess Luna is also why I take the marriage theory more into account, rather than the idea that Ligth adopted him. Kurapika is considered as an adult (or nearly) anyway. 

Side note: Whether or not you agree with this because it seems sexist or the possible sickening idea that Kurapika married a flesh collector, is irrelevant. Me being a KuraNeon shipper also does not make this theory hold any less weight. In fact, I started liking them together because of this theory. This is based on how [mafia] family businesses are depicted in the media, the mukoyoshi practice in Japan and Princess Luna being Neon’s character blueprint. Remember that theories are based on evidence, not based on how you feel. If anything, this gives more depth to Kurapika because it shows how far he’s willing to go through in order to gain power and money for his clan. 

Regardless of how Kurapika had gotten this title, it is via assimilation. Not coercion or force. 

It also doesn’t make sense if he were to function businesses under the Nostrade family name, if he disliked Light and Neon so much that he’d let them wither off. Why would he still keep their family name in honour if he had let them die off? The answer is getting the title via assimilation. Be it through trust or becoming a member of the family (literally or figuratively). 

Neon being uninterested also meant that there is no one to challenge Kurapika for the title, and Kurapika had already reassured to Light that the business during Greed Island arc. 

Therefore, the “Kurapika had let Light and Neon wither off to get the title” is flawed when you look at the way mafia organisations functions as a family business and Neon’s character. 

Why the Nostrades aren’t broke

Linssen stating the Nostrade family gains its income from gambling and personal security detail businesses that the Nostrade family runs, thanks to Kurapika being the head of the family. 

Aside from that, we also see Kurapika obtaining many sets of Scarlet Eyes, with him stating that there are various ways he had done so. 

“I’ve threatened, coaxed and paid people off” - Kurapika (based on the hardcopy Volume 33 that I have)

During the York New City arc, one set of Scarlet Eyes are already worth like what, millions? Not only money, but Kurapika needs influence and connections to gain these Scarlet Eyes. Threatening and coaxing meant that you’ll need to invoke fear or drive them into situations where they are forced to surrender the Scarlet Eyes. How to do that? Creating dilemmas. Give the person two options, both that are undesirable, with the lesser evil option being the one you want. 

Basically, giving an offer they can’t refuse (sorry, this reference was too good to pass up lmao). 

This is why being part of the mafia, and more so being a mafia leader is an attractive pathway for Kurapika because it gives him the resources, in terms of influence, finance and aggressive force. 

Another thing to note is that Kurapika has hired Izunavi, Melody, Basho and Bisky to apply for the Kakin Bodyguarding contract. It’s evident that Kurapika has the money. Therefore, the Nostrades aren’t broke. 

Hence, the idea that Neon was killed because her father could not face financial difficulties or that she committed suicide because she’s no longer rich, falls flat when you consider Kurapika’s involvement with their family. 

“But didn’t Linssen say that gambling and personal security are legal businesses and he told Mizaistom that they are not the crime syndicate? Why is it part of the mafia?” 

Yes. You see, the mafia deals with LARGELY illegal businesses, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deal with the legal ones too. Perhaps the Nostrade family has been legitimised, but it wouldn’t be the case because Kurapika’s title still states “mafia”. 

While these facts seem to contradict what Linssen claimed to Mizaistom that the Nostrade organisation is not a crime syndicate, it can be argued that Mizaistom is a Crime Hunter (aka like a detective). It makes sense for Linssen to tell a Crime Hunter that you are not a crook, and it’s easier to lie about it if your services in the mafia business is legal. 

Also, in actual mafia businesses where gambling is involved, the place of the server where online gambling may be legal, but in the place where the people use the online gambling may be illegal. 

Taken from 10 Businesses Supposedly Controlled by the Mafia: 

But mobsters have adapted to the times and taken their act online. These days, they are more likely to be busted for online sports gambling. In 2008, a Queens district attorney charged the Gambino family with illegal sports and casino-style gambling operations. Players were allowed to borrow gambling money at 200 percent interest [source: Bonner]. More recently, members of the Genovese family in New Jersey were indicted for making millions of dollars each year through illegal gambling operations [source: Ivers].

In Europe, officials have raised concerns over the vast amounts of money being laundered by the Mafia through online gambling, particularly sites based in Germany, where there are no penalties for illegal gambling activities [source: Walther].

Personal security details kind of vague, but I believe it’s Protection Racket. I went to have a look at Wikipedia for a short while and found ties with the mafia: 

A protection racket is a scheme where a potentially hazardous group guarantees protection from violence, looting, raiding, piracy, and other such threats posed by them outside the sanction of the law, to polities, businesses, individuals, or other entities and groups that pay to them in cash or kind. 

Protection rackets tend to appear in markets in which the police and judiciary cannot be counted on to provide legal protection, because of incompetence (as in weak or failed states) or illegality (black markets).

Certain scholars, such as Diego Gambetta, classify criminal organizations engaged in protection racketeering as "mafia", as the racket is popular with both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia.

While this “personal security details” the Nostrade family business provides, the stuff that involves in it may be illegal. 

We don’t really know why Kurapika resorted to these two types of businesses. I have two guesses: 1) He wants to compensate and retain his moral values, therefore he opts for legal businesses, 2) He wants to have a loophole in being in the mafia yet avoiding legal troubles. Either way, it’s a smart move for Kurapika in my opinion. 

Side note: With Togashi liking mafia themes so much, I truly believe that it’s a hard opportunity for him to pass up the idea of making one of his main characters a mafia leader. We get to have our own Michael Corleone, and that’s hot. (Simping hard for mafia boss Kurapika right now). 

What about the Kakin Bodyguard thing? And the fact that Kurapika’s a Zodiac now? Does this mean he’s no longer the Nostrade Family Boss? 

He is still the Nostrade family boss. These three are not mutually exclusive.

In the manga panel where they showed his title, it was slightly after the Zodiacs meeting. Therefore, he still retains his title as the Nostrade Boss. Being part of the Zodiac is a position within the Hunters Assocation, they are the counsellors to the Chairman. Just as when Kurapika is a hunter and the Nostrade Boss at the same time, he can also be a Zodiac and the Nostrade Boss. 

The Kakin Bodyguard thing is like an employment contract. As mentioned, Kurapika hired a few people to apply for being a bodyguard because six Kakin Princes were looking for bodyguards to get close to the 4th Prince Tserriednich.  You can actually see this as a link to his “Protection Racket” mafia business. Being a Kakin bodyguard is a type of Protection Racket. Therefore, he can still be a Kakin bodyguard while holding onto the mafia title. 

Kurapika doesn’t need to be in the mainland overseeing everything in the business, in fact, it’s kind of noteworthy that Linssen was not on board - it is definitely possible that he had left the other parts of the mafia business to a second-in-command (a consigliere, shategashira, or the saiko-komon). He may also leave the businesses back to Light Nostrade. 

Okay, what if Neon committed suicide because she couldn’t take how she’s being mistreated, rather than her being broke? 

That could be possible, but we don’t really have a clear hint of that. Yes, I can see some potential daddy issues because she’s no longer of use to her father and also the possibility that Light favours Kurapika more now and maybe even sold her off to Kurapika, but I don’t find any strong evidence of that. And we don’t actually exactly know how Kurapika will act around her now that he seems to have more power than her. In fact, we don’t really have any insights as to what Kurapika thinks of her, only sweeping statements when it comes to flesh collectors which may or may not apply to her. 

(I know people assume that he hates her, because they like to infer his prejudice on flesh collectors to her, but we really have ZERO clear indication of what he thinks about her specifically. To say that he definitely hates her is inaccurate. I literally just argued with someone on Youtube comments for this. And even if he did hate her, that’s hot if she’s his wife because hate-sex is wow.)

To Conclude: 

The theories surrounding Neon Nostrade being dead falls flat when you look deeper into how the mafia functions. I have also explained more in detail at a possibility of how Kurapika might function in the mafia community and as the Nostrade family leader. 

Other sources aside from above (so that ya’all know I don’t pull this out of my ass):

 New York Mafia Families

What does the mafia even do anymore? 

How to Make an Offer they can’t refuse like Vito Corleone

The Godfather by Mario Putzo [film/fictional book - watched Part 1 and 2]

Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires By Selwyn Raab [book - only read a bit]

When culture matters: succession challenges for Asian business families

Behind the Yakuza: documenting the women of Japan’s mafia

How Japan’s family businesses use sons-in-law to bring in new blood

Pretty much the whole of Hunterpedia LMAO. 

I only wanted to post the Chinese blog but ended up a huge full-on essay about the mafia in HxH HAHHAA. (Because I’m so sick of people talking about theories without taking the mafia structure into consideration). 

[atalho-s]

Light Up The Dark

Part 2 | We are accidents waiting to happen

pairing: bartender!tom x famous!reader

warnings: smut +18 miniors dni, swear words?, drinking, let me know if anything else!

words: 5.0 k

a/n: english it’s not my first language, so i’m sorry for any mistake! I don’t have a taglist yet, but if you want to be tagged in the next chapters let me know!! 

PART 2 if you want to read part 1 click here! 

It was already Saturday. The day Y/n took for herself. Writing was extraordinary, but she loved having a day off to take care of herself. She spent the day doing things she enjoyed, whether it was lying in bed watching a movie or trying to cook something.

After the fateful day of writer's block she started writing like crazy, so she didn't feel guilty about taking a day off without thinking about her characters and how they would get out of the challenges she had created for them.

The fateful day. For some reason she kept thinking about that damned Brit with that accent. For a moment she'd been scared that she'd been seen by paparazzi hanging out with the mysterious bartender, or even some picture of him leaving her apartment. But nothing came out in the news on the gossip sites, which made her relieved.

As much as she deserved to have fun once in a while and wasn't doing anything wrong, she still didn't want to bring attention to herself and even less to a guy who wasn't even famous. She was afraid to put anyone who wasn't famous in the media. Fear that one day suddenly, this person might be persecuted because of her.

Anyway, it had just been a crazy night. Nothing much. And she didn't intend to see him again. So she had nothing to worry about.

Sitting down in the kitchen counter with her familiar cup of coffee she got lost in some thoughts. Why hadn't she stopped thinking about him ever since? It had been a great night, but that was all. She didn't even know him well.

Maybe it was because her creative block had been broken after being with him. But obviously it was just a coincidence. She had just felt inspired after a distraction.

She shook his head away from the thoughts and placed the cup in the sink. She took a deep breath and thought about what to do next. But before she could think of anything else her cell phone started ringing on the counter. She was almost jump by the sudden sound, seeing the screen indicating that it was Milla, her agent, who had become one of her best friends.

- Hi Mil! - she said after sliding the screen.

- Good morning baby. - she said on the other end of the line. - Ready for the party?

- Party? What a party? - Y/n asked confused starting to wash the small amount ofdishes she had soiled.

- How you don't know? I thought I sent you the invitation on your email and I even sent you a message!

- Bestie, I haven't seen my email or message for days. I was super focused on the book, my writer's block finally went away.

- Really? I knew that would go away! You were worried for nothing. What did you do to go back to writing? - Milla asked and Y/n smiled a little.

- Well... I just went out to chill out a bit...Nothing much.

- Y/n getting out on weekdays? And even on the days you're writing a book? That's what I call grow. - she said and Y/n rolled her eyes laughing. - I'm even afraid to invite you to parties, because I know when you're writing you hate to go out... But it's good to know that you're getting out of your routine a little...

- Yeah, sometimes it's good to breathe new air. - Y/n replied drying his hands on a towel. - But what party are you talking about?

- A party of none other than Emma Brown. - Y/n snorted. Emma Brown was a great actress who to tell the truth she didn't know much, she only knew her from a couple of her movies, but other than that she didn't know much about her.

But what she did know was that she had some also famous friends of questionable taste. They were those famous people who only knew about money, women, cars and mansions. But she was tipped for a theatrical adaptation of one of her books and she wanted everything to come out perfect. She was very afraid the movie would end up ruining her work.

- Do I really have to go? - She asked in a tearful voice.

- Yes you have! It's going to be a really fancy birthday party for her, all the famous people in the industry are going to be there. You know you have to socialize with these people. Who knows, you can make some important friendships...

- Milla... I don't know... I don't need important friendships. I don't need anyone to stand up or approach others for interest.

- I know you don't need anyone for that... I just meant that you're very isolated, you need to make connections, understand? I know it's hard because you hate all that fame and stuff. But if you want the adaptation of your story to be good, there's no way... Besides, one of the great directors you left me on the list to research will be there too. So it would be really cool to kill two birds with one stone. - Milla said and Y/n sighed. She was right, if she wanted everything to work out she had to at least have a conversation with these people. It would be weird to refuse Emma's invitation to her birthday. It would just show that she was uninterested.

- Okay... You won ok? - She said and Milla gave an excited squeal. - But I won't stay long!

- Okay, okay... Just for you to go is great! Andrew will be there shortly for you to choose a dress. -Andrew was her stylist and she practically jumped every time Y/n had an important event, because it was rare for her to go. Good thing he didn't just have her as a client, because otherwise he'd be bored out of his mind for a long time.

- Okay Mil, thank you... I love you! - She said and Milla said goodbye hanging up the phone.

It was late afternoon when Andrew arrived at her apartment with several suitcases and bags in both hands. He really had brought up thousands of options. But Y/n ended up choosing a slightly shiny black dress that went just above the knee with a V-neck. Something cute, but nothing too fancy.

He did her makeup. Which wasn't too heavy either, as she hated things that were too heavy on her face. Finally she put on a mid-heeled sandal in the same color as the dress and her sparkly earrings. Before Andrew left her apartment satisfied with the result.

It was almost 7:30 pm when a black car that would take her to the party location arrived in front of her building and she got out enter the backseat right after. She was apprehensive. She hated socializing to tell the truth. Large crowds and cameras really made her anxious.

After almost 20 minutes the car stopped in front of what appeared to be a large gate. Several paparazzi showed up and started taking pictures of her car surrounding her or even tapping on the window a little, asking her if she could talk to them. Which she obviously ignored. The driver introduced himself to the doorman and he opened the gate letting the car pass and stop in front of a luxurious mansion.

Some people were coming in and others were standing in front talking. She saw that there were some familiar faces of the media. Actresses, actors, singers, famous people of every imaginable type.

She opened the car door and walked out towards the large entrance. She smiled at a few people, nodding her head as she passed and found herself in a crowd of people as she entered the place. There really were a lot of people, despite the place being even bigger inside. Many with fancy drinks in hand and chatting. A song playing on the background.

She walked deeper into the room and took a quick look around trying to find the birthday girl. After a few minutes she found her near one of the sofas. Y/n walked over and stopped beside her, causing Emma to stop her conversation with two more people and look at her.

- Happy Birthday! - Y/n said in the friendliest way possible and Emma smirked and hugged her lightly afterwards.

- Thank you! Glad you came! - she said, breaking out of the hug after a few seconds.

- Your party is very beautiful, I loved the decoration. - Y/n said looking around. Indeed Emma had decorated the place in a simple way, but at the same time fancy and beautiful.

- Oh thank you... - she said, still smiling. - I'm very happy that you accepted my invitation, we have a lot to talk about since maybe we'll work together, right?

- No problem, obviously I would come... - Y/n said and almost punched herself because she was very fake in saying that. - But we really have to talk!

- Well, I was talking to Jim just now... I can give you his number later... He's a great director and I think it would be great for your adaptation... - Emma said and Y/n thought that she was really interested in that adaptation, because she was even talking to the possible renowned director, which surprised her. She thought Emma was a little more oblivious to her books and even movie stuff. She thought she was one of those famous actresses who expected others to come after her, not being interested in the work itself, but only on the fame and money. - We love your book! I think it has great potential for a grand adaptation.

- Wow, that is good to hear! Thanks a lot! - Y/n said sincerely this time. - I'll love talking to him too...

- Sure! - She looked behind Y/n and motioned to someone from far away. - Hey Jim! You can come here? - She asked speaking loudly for him to hear and Y/n turned around watching the director approaching after saying goodbye to someone. He wasn't much older than she thought, maybe in his early thirties, he wore a small beard that fit his face and short hair, but with curls that jutted out around his head. -That's Y/n... Y/n that's Jim...-Emma said when he got in front of her and Jim held out his hand with a smile.

- Nice to meet Y/n, we finally met... - he said and Y/n shook his hand also smiling.

- Nice to meet you Jim! - She said and Emma sat in one of the armchairs indicating for the two to sit, which they did next.

- Do you two want something to drink? Champagne?- Emma asked and they both accepted as she motioned for someone from far away to bring them.

- Well, I found your book very intriguing Y/n... I can say I haven't slept for a while... - Jim said laughing a little and Y/n smiled. - It's a very well written story, I loved the plots and it has a great resolution. I think I would make a good 2 hour movie with all this material... - he said and Y/n paid attention until something took her a little out of focus. Something not. Somebody.

It was the waiter, and not just any waiter. It was Tom. He came into her vision and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Maybe it was a mirage or she was mistaking him for someone else. But when he approached she was sure it was him. He came with a tray with drinks in one hand. He was wering a white dress shirt, with black pants. The typical pattern of a fancy party waiter. But he was beautiful. Y/n felt a shiver for a moment and tried to hide it by looking back at Jim who was still talking about his plans for the possible movie.

Maybe Tom didn't even remember her. She was just a one-night stand, he should do that with a lot of girls out there, so it wasn't something new to him. As soon as he arrived, he handed one of the glasses to Emma beside her and Y/n felt her breath quicken a little. She didn't know why she was so nervous. It was just a waiter she had slept with a few days ago.

- Excuse me... - he said and Y/n looked up at him quickly seeing that he was right in front of him. -Here it is miss...-he said looking her in the eyes and then winking at her, wich almost make her shrink in her chair. He held out the tray for her to take one of the glasses and she did, looking away at Jim.

- So, what do you think? - Jim asked taking the glass from the tray and Y/n took a sip of his surprise drink.

- Sorry? - She asked guiltily for having been distracted.

- About us meeting and having a meeting next week? That way I can show you my idea better. - he said and Y/n smiled.

- Of course, that would be great! - she said and Tom walked away not looking in her direction again, which left her disappointed for a second. She would going to love looking into those eyes again.

- Perfect! - Jim replied excitedly and started talking about other things as well as Emma.

They talked for almost an hour, until Emma went to talk to other people and Jim said he was leaving as he had some work in the morning. Y/n sat for a while and finished drinking the last of her champagne and placed it on the table in front of her.

She thought about leaving. She had already done the important interactions for the night. So, she had no reason to stay there. But she kept thinking about the damn waiter. Would it be weird to go talk to him? Maybe just say hi? But she doubted he would want to talk to her. Besides, he was working. She didn't want to get in his way.

Getting up from her chair and straightening her dress, she forced her steps towards the exit, but stopped midway as she saw Tom walking into what appeared to be the kitchen with the tray tucked under his arm. She looked at the exit door and sighed. Okay, if she went to him just to say hi, it wouldn't hurt would it?

Y/n turned and headed in the direction that Tom had gone. She couldn't even believe she was doing it this. She would looked ridiculous in his eyes. But she choose to ignore the little voice of reason again. Passing by a few people, and walking out into a empty hallway, she opening a single door at end. She closed in behind her and turned to see that Tom was on his back piling some boxes in a corner. His muscles in that outfit made her feel tempted somehow, so she swallowed hard. He turned at the sound of the door closing and looked at her with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

- Looking for something madam? - He asked with a smirk.

- Actually... - Y/n thought of some excuse, maybe it would be better, so it would seem that she was there for something else and not for him. - Yeah... I was looking for the bathroom, I think I take the wrong direction...

- Yeah...Actually, the bathroom is on the other side of the hallway... - he said leaning against the kitchen counter and looking her up and down, making her feel completely vulnerable. After his eyes roamed her legs and bust, they came to her face and he grinned.

- Okay, I'll... - Y/n started saying and turned around taking a few steps. But she stopped midway, closing his eyes, tearing himself apart from the inside out of embarrassment. She turned around again seeing that he was still watching her, now with his arms crossed over his chest, wondering what she would do next. - You remember me don't you? - She asked fearfully.

- Of course I remember darling... - he said, practically intensifying his accent in that nickname that was so perfect in his voice. Y/n took a few steps forward also crossing her arms. - How could I forget the famous writer Y/n?- He raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes with his last sentence.

- It really was an...- She looked at her feet trying to find a word. - Interesting night… - she finally said and he chuckled, making her look up.

- Very interesting indeed... - he said putting his hands in his front pockets, pulling himself away from the counter and heading towards her. Y/n wanted to say goodbye and leave, run away as fast as possible. But she couldn't, every move he did was too tempting, so she just stood there watching him get closer and closer to her. He stopped in front of her and looked into her eyes, smiling slightly.

- What are you doing here? Do you work as a waiter at parties too? - Y/n asked curiously.

- My boss sometimes receives proposals for us to work at these rich parties... - he said with a shrug.

- Oh... Nice... - she said crossing her arms. - Well...Now I really have to go... - she said trying to get away from it one last time.

- Why did you really come here love? -Tom asked tilting his head a little to the side and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

- I told you, I was looking for the bathroom. -Y/n looked at his face trying to be firm, but saw that he still wore that smirk. Why did he have to be so confident like that?

- Oh sure... Just like you also looked for some excuse that day for me to leave, but failed miserably?- he asked making a thoughtful face and she still hadn't decided if she wanted to slap him or kiss him.

- Why did you leave without saying goodbye tho? - She asked ignoring what he had said.

- So that's why you came after me? Are you hurt that I didn't leave you a goodbye kiss? - he said pouting.

- Of course not, I just... I don't know, it would be nice to say that you were leaving and that you wouldn't stay for breakfast... - Y/n said looking to the side, avoiding those brown eyes that intimidated her.

- Darling, I'm not that type guy, sorry...

- What type of guy? - she still avoided looking at him.

- The type who stay for breakfeast. -he said taking a hand from her pocket and taking her chin gently, making her look at him. - But if you want some fun I'm at your disposal. -he said and she bit her lower lip lightly making him deviate his eyes towards her lips. - Do you want darling?- he asked quietly and Y/n seemed to be transfixed by her touch. She was surrendered, she couldn't deny it. Maybe even hypnotized.

- I...- she said with a little shaky voice. - I don't know...

- Yes or no?- he asked looking from her lips to her eyes and she felt her breath getting heavy.

- Yes...- she just spoke as a whisper and he smiled satisfied.

- How about you meet me in 15 minutes in the bathroom of the pool house? - He said and she just shook her head slowly. Tom released her chin and backed away slowly, not taking his eyes off her, and then walked away leaving her alone with her heart racing.

Y/n took a deep breath and tried to place herself in what had just happened. Did she really want this? Her mind could try to hear the voice of reason, but it was drowned out by her body's reaction. She wanted to feel him again.

She walked away quickly, passing several people who were talking loudly or who were already drunk. She looked around and saw the door that led to the back side and sneak there, getting out and feeling the slightly chilly night air, closing the sliding door behind her.

She saw the pool that had some people around it and a little further to the right a door that opened into another closed space. Probably the pool house. She walked over there, trying to hide it so no one would see her, and went inside. She closed the front door slowly and headed towards the bathroom.

The place was dark, with only the lights outside. So she was holding her hand into to some stuff until he found the door. She went in and turned on the light. The bathroom was spacious, with a large sink and a huge mirror in front of it. She closed herself off and looked at herself in the reflection.

That was crazy. She had never done that at parties. Not even when she was drunk. And now she was there, looking forward to what might happen. In fact she knew what was going to happen, just as she knew when she invited him up to her apartment that night. But even so, she felt butterflies in her stomach in anticipation.

After almost 10 minutes of waiting she heard the bathroom door open and she turned in the direction, feeling extremely anxious. Tom came in looking over his shoulder and closed the door soon after, looking at her with an opening grin. He locked the door slowly with one hand and came towards her in a hurry.

The next thing she felt was his lips pressing against hers urgently. He kissed her like it was the last thing he would do. Running her tongue over her lips asking permission and Y/n opened it slowly letting him explore her mouth with his burning tongue.

She ran her hand around the back of his neck pulling his hair and he responded by holding her waist tightly. Tom walked forward and she leaned her back against the sink counter. Making him lift her with agility, sitting her down on the cold surface and getting between her legs. She grunted in surprise against his mouth and he broke the kiss for air. Kissing from her neck to her collarbone and she closed her eyes feeling his touch.

- Tom... - she said in a low voice. - You won't get in trouble if you disappear like that? -he now kissed her neckline and squeezed her thigh with desire.

- Not if we're fast darling. -He spoke a bit husky, moving his kisses to her earlobe, biting lightly and she moaned low. - And despite loving your sounds, you will have to be silent. - He looked at her smiling maliciously. - Promise? -He spoke touching her nose with his lightly, looking at her closely, and she nodded making him attack her lips next.

Still kissing her he pulled the hem of her dress up a little and she bit his lip making him smile against the kiss. Her fingers reached her inner thigh and then moved up to her panties. Tom put the fabric aside with one of her fingers and passed one slowly at her entrance feeling her wetness.

- Always ready for me aren't you darling? -He said pulling his mouth away from hers, staying just a few centimeters away from her. She moaned softly again and he smiled as he pulled her fingers away and replaced them around her thighs pulling her closer to the edge of the sink.  He started to finger her really slowly and she bite her lips, trying to control her moaning. Tom keep his pace just watching her face squirm with pleasure. After seconds he removed his delicious fingers making her almost protest out loud, makind him smile even more. If wasn't for the rush he would definitively make his time with you.

Y/n then put his hands on the collar of his shirt and opened the first buttons. Kissing his neck with desire, making him squeeze her thighs in response. Biting her lips he unfastened his belt and then the buttons of his pants pulled them down along with his boxers, revealing his cock. He pulled her in for one more kiss before taking the condom package from his pocket and opening it, meanwhile Y/n was kissing uncovered place she could reach, from his face to his chest, opening more buttons of his shirt.

Tom adjusted the condom on his cock before taking a few thrusts. He moved even closer to her, if that was even possible, and gave her a peck.

- Ready? He spoke softly against her lips and she nodded almost in despair, wanting to feel him inside her more than anything.

He smiled once more and slid his cock easily as she was completely wet. Tom growled low against her ear and Y/n bit her lip so no sound could come out. He started to move, after she was more adjusted to his size, at first slowly and starting to increase his pace with each second.

-Fuck... - he cursed softly against her ear and she pulled the hair from his neck with one hand, while the other squeezed his shoulder. The more he increased the pace she felt as if she were coming off the ground. - So tight darling... - he said between small grunts. - Feels so good...

- Tom... - Y/n spoke and he increased the pace even more making her moan with the sudden sensation of pleasure and he muffled her sounds by sticking his lips on hers.

-Shh… - he said after moving his lips from hers and Y/n tried her best to keep the sounds to herself, but he filled her perfectly and made her feel so good that she couldn't help it. Tom smirked and put his hand over her mouth, covering her moans. - Can't contain yourself? -he said and kissed her neck giving light bites and hickeys. -You're so easy for me, love... Look at you...- he spoke in a low voice, while still holding his hand firm in her mouth and kissing below her ear. - So easy...- he said going faster, as if it were possible, and bit his lower lip trying to contain his own moans this time, touching his nose to her cheek.

- Please…- she managed to speak muffled against his hand, feeling her orgasm quickly building.

- I know sweetheart... - he said making her feel his heavy breath into her cheek. -I got you ...-he finally said and that was enough for her orgasm to release with force, making him also come right after her with one last muffled grunt against her neck. He continued to move slowly for a few more seconds, before coming to a complete stop. The two of them with their breaths out of control. Reaching their high.

After a few minutes Tom took his hand from her mouth and soon after took his member out of her slowly. The two were silent the entire time. Y/n felt empty as  soonTom walked away to clean up, still half dazed from all the pleasure she just felt. He cleaned himself up and discarded the condom, zipping his pants and turned around, buttoning his shirt right away. Y/n didn't take her eyes off every move he made and he smiled approaching her.

- Want some help darling? - he asked standing in front of her and she held in his arms before he helped her getting down from the sink. She felt a little dizzy and if it wasn't for him holding her she thought she would fall. - You're right? - he asked still holding her on her waist.

- Yes...Thank you... - she managed to say.

- Well, I have to go, before they notice that I'm gone... - he said, releasing her.

- Of course... - Y/n said. - Tom… - she didn't know what to say. It might be the second time they'd done this, but it still felt like it was the first and she felt somewhat embarrassed. Maybe because she wasn't used to casual sex.

- See you soon? - He said giving a quick kiss on her cheek, fixing his hair in the best way he could and winking as he walked away, going to the door and unlocking it. He got out and closed it behind him while she back staring into the mirror.

She took a deep breath and was trying to figure out what to do next. After cleaning her up she finally got out of there. She crawled to the door and managed to get through the party without the weird looks she thought everyone would send to her when they bumped into her. For some reason she thought everyone would know, but obviously not. She felt weird doing that at an party, it really wasn't like her. But why did she feel so good?

She looked around before heading out of the house, but she didn't find Tom in her vision and she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She wanted to look at him one last time from afar, but at the same time she didn't. Maybe that was the last time they were going to do that. She didn't think she'd find him like this anywhere else, and she didn't intend to go to the bar he worked at just to get another night with him. Besides, that's what she was, just one night, just a "quickie" in the bathroom. And everything was fine. He was that for her too, so what did it matter?

For a moment she felt his head fill with ideas. Y/n had a perfect plot for her story now. She had to go home and get back to writing right away. Calling the driver from a distance, she practically ran towards the car.

[3wisellamas]

(Spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk if you haven't finished chapter 2 yet!)

Kris is the Knight, Gaster is the Knight, Ralsei is sus...

How about I throw an oddball one at you? What if Dess is the Knight?

In chapter 2, Queen implied that only a Lightner can actually create more dark fountains, and literally any Lightner can if they have enough determination and a blade of some kind. And she was VERY interested in Noelle specifically for the task, touting her strength and potential, without even considering the other three Lightners right in front of her.

Noelle was Dess' younger sister. And from context in this chapter, it looks a lot like whatever happened to her, happened when Noelle was very young -- before her first spelling bee, at least, since that's where she froze up (pun not intended) on the word 'December.' But, the most important part, we don't know WHAT exactly happened to Dess. One could assume she died, either in an accident or of whatever illness Rudy has, but as others have pointed out, there's no grave for her in the graveyard. And, like, yeah, she could've been buried elsewhere, but the simplest conclusion to draw from that is that she's still alive, but either went missing or ran away from home.

She was also stated a couple times to be close to Asriel, even going to the bunker with him, Kris, and Noelle at one point. (Remember, the latter two would still have been very young children at this point, and Dess and Asriel might have been teens, around the age Kris, Noelle, and Susie are now.) And from that one scene with MK and Snowy, we know that something very bad happened there once involving Kris...perhaps this was a reference to that same event?

If so...what if the four of them opened the bunker, and Dess went inside? Or maybe Kris even went in too, and Dess went after them to bring them back? It's pretty much a given that there's gonna end up being a Dark World inside, there's just too much building up to it at this point, so if either of them went in, they'd have a hell of a time getting back out! Kris came back, perhaps even traumatized into the weird kid they are today from the experience, but Dess ended up lost in the dark...a lost girl.

(Hm, wasn't that Noelle's song? I don't think it was really Noelle's at all. Sure, she got kidnapped a couple times, but at no point was she ever "lost"...)

So, here's where I'm going right off the deep end into conjecture. Dess disappeared, and since Asriel was so close to her, he begged his father, police chief Asgore, to find her, which he never did, and might have even tried a few things that ended up getting him fired. Like, maybe even going into the bunker himself, experiencing the Dark World within, and coming back and making all these crazy claims that no one else believed except for maybe his children? That'd definitely be reason to remove him as chief of police, and also affect his and Toriel's marriage.

So, after this, Asriel, a Lightner stricken with grief and Determined to find his friend...went to the dark supply closet at his school, armed with a knife (and maybe his little sibling's old red horn headband, if you want to incorporate the theory that that's where Ralsei came from), and stabbed the ground.

Bam, dark fountain, and Ralsei's kingdom. Unlile Dess, though, Asriel came back, not having found her either, and eventually moved on and grew up, but the fountain he made persisted -- after all, while any Lightner may be able to create a fountain, Ralsei implies very early in chapter 1 that only a human like Kris can actually SEAL them!

But, this is a theory about Dess, not Asriel. Just making one fountain might make you a knight, but not The Knight -- lookin' at Kris here. At some point, Dess, still lost somewhere in the Dark World, either gets desperate to find a way out and return home, enough to try and cover EVERYTHING in darkness despite the danger it poses, or...grows to like it there, a little too much, sorta like what Susie brought up at the end of chapter 2, making more fountains so the whole world can be as fun as it is in there. Whatever the reason, Dess realizes she can create more fountains, and, Determined, goes ahead and does so. And she spends a little time in each of the worlds she creates, manipulating events to serve her desires to reach the Light World again or cover it in darkness, and even telling a few specific people, who are lonely outcasts just like her, about her home outside of that world, and the things she's learned in her time away from it all. Things she may or may not have learned herself from a certain odd man hiding behind trees in secret rooms, and giving away eggs...

Or, another possibility, she's doing it all to try and lure the people she used to know to her by creating Dark Worlds where she thinks they'd be, like, say, her sister, and her sister's friend Kris, and possibly even Asriel -- remember, the first happened to be straight-up connected to the Dark World in the school supply closet. Man, it's 2021. We ALL know just how crazy being isolated from everyone you know for so long can make you, and Dess has been lost for YEARS. But, however lost we feel as we explore all the different Dark Worlds, don't forget, she's with us in the dark...

Also, one last kicker that I couldn't really stop thinking about. The Fun Gang/F$?! Squad/Whatever are supposed to banish the "Angel's Heaven", right? Well, didn't Dess and Noelle make an angel for their dad once, which is in his hospital room? And if everyone speculates she's dead after being missing for all these years, that makes her an Angel...and the Dark Worlds she creates are her Heaven.

Okay, one last LAST kicker, since I was replaying the start of chapter 1 as I was writing this and noticed it. The Knight jailed the other three kings of the classroom Dark World and put King Spade and his "strange son" into power, right? And might have even stayed around the castle for a little while to help steer the King's actions towards the Light World, and mess with Jevil?

Guys, Lancer knows the Knight. Personally. He would have said something by now if the Knight was in our party, or if we encountered them in either of the Dark Worlds we visited. So, the Knight is definitely NOT someone we've seen yet. Furthermore...remember when we first met the kid, and his catchphrase was "Ho ho ho!" And how Susie told him he sounded like a baby Santa Claus? Wouldn't it be a nice little coincidence if he picked that up from someone literally named December, whose entire family is Christmas-themed...

[believinghurts]

Aurora Black-Lupin

Relationship: Percy Weasley x Aurora Black-Lupin

Warnings: Panic attack 

A/N: I thought about making this a series, but I’m not a 100% sure yet. This would be the first part. Let me know what you think. The story would follow the daughter of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, and her relationship with Percy Weasley, the Golden Trio, and her family. Feedback is always welcome! Requests are open!! Message me to be added to me taglist!!

Taglist: @thesweethufflepuff

The World with You

Aurora (Rory) Black-Lupin sat on her bathroom floor staring in disbelief at the two little pink lines on all four of the muggle pregnancy tests she had taken. Pregnant. She was without a doubt pregnant. The sickness started about a week and half after her missed period. She had hoped that it was a coincidence and that she was just coming down with a bug and her period had decided to just be irregular for that month, but when Hermione said that she thought Rory might have been pregnant after she explained her symptoms to her, she knew that she needed to take the test. Which is how she ended on the floor with tears streaming down her face as her best friend rubbed circles on her back trying to calm her down. 

“It’ll be okay, Ro.” Hermione whispered. 

Rory curled into her friend's side, “How? We have never even talked about kids. We are both on the younger side, what if he wanted to wait? How am I even going to tell him this?” 

The thoughts running in her head made her cry even harder. What if Percy didn’t want children? They both were young still; her only nineteen and Percy twenty-three. What if he called off their engagement? What if he was disappointed that she had screwed up all the plans that they had talked about? She placed a hand on her lower abdomen, with all the thoughts of Percy leaving there was one that was sticking out in her mind like it had flashing lights on it. She wanted this baby. 

She knew first hand how hard it was for some people to have children. Her fathers were prime examples. They wanted another child, but never got there after her dad, Sirius, was wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of her late Godparents, James and Lilly Potter. Her dads loved her more than anything in the world and Remus made sure to tell her that all those nights when he was tucking her into bed by himself when she was small. Although Remus wasn’t her biological father, since she was a drunken accident that took place after Remus and Sirius had a fight, he loved her like she was his blood. Her fathers wanted a big family; Remus came from a single child household, and Sirius had a sibling, but they weren’t close at all in fact she had never even met or heard a lot about her Uncle Regulus. 

But even with the blaring thought that she wanted this baby she was still terrified about what Percy’s reaction was going to be. The thought of the disappointment that she would potentially see in his in eyes when she told him made her breathing pickup and her tears to run faster. She felt lightheaded, and like she wanted to throw up much like she had every morning for the past almost two weeks after Percy left for his job at the Ministry. 

Hermione, noticing the change in her friend's demeanor, curled her arms tighter around Aurora trying to ground her from the possible panic attack. She stroked the hair on the back of Aurora's head much like she did Harry’s after he woke up from a nightmare. The war had taken its toll on the close group of friends who were now family. Hermione had to obliviate her parents in order to protect them; Harry had lost his parents during the first war, but later found his Godfather, who was wrongfully imprisoned for twelve years, and his Godsister alone with his Uncle; Aurora got her father back, but lost her cousin, who had been an older sister to the young girl since they met, Nymphadora; and Ron nearly lost his older brother, Fred. 

The war had been over for close to two years, however the damage was done and still haunted them all to this day. The good that they all had in their lives helped balance it. Hermione was sure that this was going to be a good thing just like when Lilly Amelia Potter was born four months after Harry and Hermione’s wedding. Though convincing Rory of that could potentially be hard since she had that Black stubbornness. 

“Listen Ro, this is a good thing. You and Percy are engaged. You were already going to spend the rest of your lives together, and this topic would have come up eventually. This just sped up the process. Percy worships the ground you walk on, and you’ve seen how good he is with Lilly. You both will make great parents. And hey, if he decides to be a total arse when you tell him I’ll hex him and you can come stay with me and Harry till Percy got his shit together. But I know for a fact he won’t be, you wanna know how I know? Cause I’m Hermione Granger-Potter and I am never wrong.” 

Aurora made a sound in between a giggle and a sniffle at her friend's speech before shifting around to look at her, “But how c-can you be so sure? What if he hates the thought of having a child with me?” 

Hermione brushed some hari behind her ear, “I’m sure because I was in the same position you are now when I found out about Lilly. I was scared Harry would be mad. He had just started working as an Auror and I was working in the Ministry, and we weren’t married yet. But then I remembered he loves me and we have an army of people to help just as you do.” She gave her friend a soft smile. “So what I purpose is for us to get off the floor, wipe the tears before Percy gets home, and come up with what you are going to say.” 

Right on cue there was a ‘pop’ from the living room signalling Percy was home. The girls scrambled to their feet, hastily wiping tears, and stuffing the test into Rory’s makeup drawer. “Rory?” Percy called out into the house. 

The girls dived onto the bed trying to act as if they were just talking when Percy entered the room. If the look on his face was anything to go by they didn’t do a very good job. “Oh, hello ‘Mione. Didn’t know you were here.” 

Percy placed a kiss on Rory’s head. Her eyes met Hermione’s as the other girl gave her a small smile, “Oh well, I was just leaving actually. Just needed another adult to talk to before I went stir crazy from the baby talk and my work at home.”

Hermione called out her goodbyes before apperating away. Percy turned his attention back to Rory. “Well that was...odd?” He chuckled. His laugh trailed off as he took on Aurora's full apparence. Her eyes were red and puffy, lip slightly swollen as if she had been biting on it, and her messy dark curls. Percy knelt down in front of her, cupping her face in one hand while brushing  her hair back with another. “What’s wrong, love?” 

Rory avoided his eyes, terrified that when she uttered the life changing words he would walk away. “Percy, I have something I need to tell you.” 

“What is it? You know you can tell me anything, sweetheart.” He placed two fingers under her chin gently making her look at him. 

Rory mustered up all of the Gryffindor courage that she had before she spoke, “Perc, I’m pregnant.” 

She felt her heart fall to her stomach as his hand dropped off her face. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought we took every precaution that we could. Please, please believe me. Please don’t leave me. I don’t know if I can do this without you.” She trailed off as tears ran down her face again harder than ever before. 

Percy sat in shock. The love of his life was pregnant with his baby. He was going to be a father. Tears gathered in his eyes that he quickly blinked away upon seeing and hearing his darling girl apologize and beg him not to leave her. “Sorry? What on Earth are you sorry for, love? And leave you? I wouldn’t leave you if someone tried to drag me away.” 

He wrapped her up in his arms. Rory sniffled confused as to why Percy was hugging her. He was happy about this baby? Percy tucked her head under his chin, rocking back and forth till all of her tears stopped. She couldn’t bring herself to leave his arms in fear that everything would fall apart if she did. Percy heard her mumble something into his chest, “Repeat for me, love?” 

“I said you aren’t mad?” she whispered again. 

He gently pushed her back off his chest. “Mad? Why would I be mad? This is great! I’ve always wanted a family of my own. Especially with you.” He bopped her on the nose eclicting a little giggle out of the girl. “I mean I was thinking we would wait a little bit, however that doesn’t matter. I am so happy, love! My baby is having a baby!” He pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. 

“I thought you would be mad….that's why Hermione was here. I didn’t know what to do and she brought me the test. I would have asked Ginny, but she can’t keep a secret.” They both laughed at that. Rory wiped her face with the sleeve of Percy’s Christmas jumper that she had on. 

Percy wrapped her back up in his arms, laying back down on the bed with her half on him. “Well, we know how I feel about this, but are you happy about it?” He whispered into her hair. 

She tucked herself further into his neck, “Honestly at first I was in shock I think. Then I was panicking about your reaction, but now that I can truthfully think about it and let it set in. I am. I’m happy this happened to us. I want this, Perc. I’m scared as hell, but we can do it.” She pressed a kiss to his collarbone. 

Percy smiled against her forehead before sliding down so that he was eye level with her stomach. Rory’s hand slid into his curls, playing with them. “Hello there darling. I’m your daddy. Me and your mum absolutely cannot wait to meet you. You are going to be the luckiest kid in the whole world because you are going to have the best mum ever.” 

He pressed a kiss to her abdomen just above her belly button before working his way back up towards her mouth. He slotted his lip with hers with such passion it made tears well in her grey-green eyes again. “Thank you.” Kiss. “You’re amazing.” Kiss. “You are to be the best mother.” Kiss. “I love you both so much.” Kiss. 

Rory smiled, “We love you, too.” 

Percy flopped down beside her, “So ‘Mione is the only person that knows right?”

“Yeah besides us.” She said absentmindedly playing with the fingers on the hand that Percy left on her stomach protectively. 

“Well, what do you say that we tell everyone this weekend about her?” He suggested. 

“Her?” Rory’s eyebrow arched at him playfully.  

Percy shot her a smile, and a wink. “Yes. Her. It’s a girl. I can feel it. Fathers intuition.” 

She let out a laugh, “I don’t think that's how it works, but okay whatever you say. I think its a boy.” 

Percy rolled his eyes at his beautiful girl, “How about we make a bet? When I’m right and it’s a girl I get to pick her first name and you her middle, and vice versa if you’re right. Which you aren’t.” 

“Okay, you’re on Weasley.” They sealed it with a kiss. “But back on topic, yeah that’s fine. It’ll be a good chance to catch everyone together.” She smirked at him with a mischievous glint in her eye that looked all too much like Sirius’s. “Including my dads.” 

Percy gulped at the thought of telling Sirius Black-Lupin, an ex Auror, and Remus Lupin, a werewolf, that he knocked up their little girl. 

[ailanera]

Fire meet Gasoline (Chapter 2)

August 1942.

 ----------

It’s been almost 9 months since the attack on Pearl Harbor and Esma Dobrev was finally on the train that took her on probably the greatest adventure of her life.

She sat by the window, her forehead pressed against the window, watching the beautiful landscape of Georgia. It was really wonderful to travel through all that nature, neither in Boston nor in her hometown did she have the opportunity to enjoy pure nature, there was only concrete in a thousand shapes. There was almost no concrete here after moving a little further from Atlanta.

“It’s really wonderful. It's a shame it's so hot“, Esma thought, pulling her hair up from her neck.  She thought most seriously about cutting her hair before leaving because in this heat she would very likely experience a heat stroke under all that hair, but she eventually gave up. She loved her hair and thought that it was the most beautiful thing on her and that's why it was hard for her to say goodbye to it. "Anyway, Gabby will be there and she'll help me cut it off if I can't stand  it anymore," Esma thought with a smile.

She was so glad Gabby and she would be together again. She knew it was an indescribable coincidence and luck that they both got a place at Camp Toccoa and she could hardly wait to see her again. She pushed her head away from the window and reached for the purse containing Gabby's letter. She opened it and read it for the hundredth time.

My dear Esma,

You can’t even imagine how happy I was when you let me know that you also got a place at Camp Toccoa. I can't wait for you to finally arrive. I've already driven all the other sisters crazy with stories about you, but they're all looking forward to your arrival as much as I am.

I asked Donna (my new friend) to swap places with me because the only free bed was next to her, so now you and I will sleep next to each other.

The best thing is that you are coming early so I have the opportunity to show you the camp and places where you will work and of course introduce you to all the wonderful people here.

Oh, I can't wait for you to arrive.

Love, Gabby

P.S. When you arrive I have a surprise for you.

Gabby’s surprises have always been a very fun experience for Esma. They regularly somehow ended up with Esma having either a broken bone or a ruined dress. "I wonder if clothes or body parts will be destroyed this time," Esma thought with a smile.

"Miss, we're here," the conductor said, distracting her from thinking about the potential accidents Gabby's surprise might cause her.

“Thank you for the information, sir.” Esma thanked him kindly and started collecting her things.

"I hope you enjoy your visit," said the conductor.

Esma put her hat on her head with a smile and said, "Thank you, sir, but I'm not here for a visit. I am a doctor who will take care of our boys when they go to the front. ” she winked briefly at the shocked conductor and headed for the train exit.

She was always indescribably amused to see people's reactions when she mentioned that she was studying to become a doctor. Even now, in 1942, it is strange to people that a woman goes to college and is not married at the age of 18 with a child on the way. Complete absurdity, but still fun to see the reaction.

When she got off the train, Georgia's hot, dusty air blew. Esma covered her eyes with her hands to shield them from the rush of dust and heard a voice that was louder than the sound of a locomotive.

“ESMAAAAAA !!!” Gabby shouted and ran towards her. ˝ YOU'RE HERE!!! ˝

Esma laughed and ran to hug her friend.

"Guys, look at this," said a voice in a Southern accent. Esma looked up and saw a group of soldiers watching them. "Darling, come and  hug me like that," said the voice again, which belonged to a tall, black-haired soldier whose smile would probably melt an iceberg. Esma laughed, put her hands on her hips, and said, “Honey, thank you for the offer, but we don't play with small children.” she winked briefly and turned her  back on them.

The black-haired soldier and his friends remained watching with their mouths open as the two girls walked slowly toward the camp.

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"Please tell me there's a cold shower somewhere," Esma said, sitting on the bed.

“Sure,” Gabby laughed as she sat on the bed across from Esma.

They have just entered the barracks which will be their new home for the foreseeable future. There were 20 beds in the barrack, next to each bed was a small tin cabinet, at the foot of the bed was a footlocker, and at the end of the room were metal cabinets. The barracks had many windows, so Esma was sure that the hot nights would be more bearable thanks to them.

She got up slowly from the bed and went to her things to start unpacking. “Great, will you please take me to the shower when I'm done unpacking?˝ Esma asked. "Because I'm pretty sure I could die if I don't cool down."

˝Of course. But please try to be as fast as you can, ”Gabby said, barely holding back a smile.

"Okay, I'll hurry, but please tell me what's going on because I think you're going to explode if you don't spill it out soon," Esma said, watching her friend jump.

“Esma, I'm in love,” Gabby croaked, and jumped on the bed.

“WHAT?” Now it was Esma's turn to shout. In shock, she watched her friend giggle on the bed and cover her face with her hands. ˝You? In love? ”Esma asked, still shocked.

"Yes, darling, I'm totally and utterly in love," Gabby said, straightening up on the bed. As much as she was shocked to hear this information Esma was indescribably glad that her friend who had refused to believe in love for years had finally found someone worthy of her love. “That guy must be something special.˝ Esma thought

“He is perfect. I have nothing else to say about him. He's just perfect. ”Gabby muttered. “Every day with him is the best day of my life. He makes me the happiest woman in the world. ”She jumped out of bed and ran to Esma, grabbed her and started dancing around the room with her. “Now we all can go on a date together. You and your man, me and ... What's the matter? ”Gabby stopped and looked at Esma.

"I'm sorry, honey, but that's not gonna happen" Esma said. “What do you mean?” Gabby asked.

"Well, we broke up," Esma said, shrugging.

“Broke up? Why? When? ”Gabby asked

Esma smiled at her and took her hands. “Darling, we can talk about this on another occasion. You're in love. ”Esma placed a hand on her cheek, which shone with happiness. "I want to know all about Mister Perfect"

Gabby smiled and said, "Okay, you will, but please get ready because you will meet Mister Perfect tonight."

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

˝ Goddamnit, Skinny, where the hell is my jacket? ˝Joe shouted.

“Calm down, man,” Skinny said calmly, handing him his jacket from the closet. “What the hell is wrong with you? You are an asshole every day, but today you are an asshole on steroids.˝

Joe pulled on his jacket nervously. Yes, he was in a particularly bad mood today. First Sobel harassed his ass for a rusty bayonet, which wasn't rusty at all, and then he ran up that damn mountain in this heat and to make the day triple shit  he was  late for the last free night he'll have for the next month.

Instead of sitting in a bar with a cold beer, he fights here with the bloody Skinny who stole his jacket. "Jesus Joe, you really need to calm down," he thought

"I'm sorry Skinny, but I've had enough of  this day and I just want to have a beer in peace," Joe said honestly.

Skinny patted him on the shoulder and said, “Me too, buddy. So please stop stop being hysterical and let's get drunk˝.

“Damn Skinny, that's the best idea you've had since we got here,” Tipper said and got out of bed. "Let's go then, ladies," Tipper continued, opening the door and pretending to be the doorman.

"Ladies, ladies, where are you going?" Said a voice with a strong Philadelphia accent.

"Great," Joe thought, "I just needed shitty Gonorrhea for the end of a shitty day."

“What's up Liebgott?” Bill said, grinning at Joe.

"Fuck off Gonorrhea," Joe said, pushing him away. Bill just smiled, turned his back on him, and started talking to Joe Toye who came in after him.

From the first day they set foot in Toccoa camp, Joe and Bill disliked each other. Joe considered Bill a backward and uncultured idiot, and Bill considered Joe an overbearing asshole. If you were to ask other members of the Easy company everyone would say that they actually judged each other quite well, but of course no one dared to say it out loud. As much as the two of them were different, they both had one identical character trait, and that was that they could both explode like a bomb at the slightest possible provocation. Fortunately for the others they most often exploded right in each other's faces.

"Fuck it!" Joe muttered to himself. "Hey Bill, we're going to get some beer˝ Joe said, “Do you want to come with us? I think we all deserve it after a day like this.˝

The whole room fell silent. Some looked at Joe and waited for the sky to fall on their heads because this kind of behavior from him was equal to a miracle, and others looked at Bill and waited to see his reaction. Everyone knew that two outcomes were possible, a fight or they would all drink together until the morning and be best friends.

"You're right, Liebgott," Bill said with a smile and slapping him on the back. "Let's get drunk."

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Esma and Gabby walked into a crowded bar. They were both wearing nurse uniforms because Esma had not yet received an official uniform as she was not due to report to the arrivals officer until tomorrow so she borrowed a uniform from one of the girls from the barracks for tonight.

Unfortunately, the clothes Gabby wore Esma could never wear. Gabby was short and petite, with little curvature, while Esma had an hourglass figure, quite similar to pinup models. Esma despised her body because she thought everything she wore on her looked vulgar, so she always wore shirts and pants at home. Except when her mother would make her dress up for the guests or some wedding they were invited to.

Esma and Gabby were not only different in body shape. Ever since kindergarten, they have been told that they are the complete opposite of each other and that is probably why they can't live without each other. Esma had curly, black wild hair that fell in waterfalls to her lower back, Gabby had straight blonde hair that she always cut when it reached her shoulder. Esma had large almond-shaped,emerald green eyes, while Gabby had round eyes the color of blue skies. Esma had an olive skin, while Gabby had a skin tone like a porcelain doll. Gabby was elegant, calm and polite, Esma was not. Esma was temperamental, loud and rebellious. Gabby was always a real little lady, while Esma was one of the boys. One was every mother-in-law’s dream, while the other was their worst nightmare.

But their differences never bothered Esma and Gabby. They agreed with people who said that it was their differences that connected them the most. They complemented each other perfectly.

The girl who lent Esma her uniform was definitely more similar in build, as the uniform didn't squeeze her or cling to her body, so she felt quite relaxed, except for a tiny dose of panic about meeting Mister Perfect. She didn't want to mention Gabby, but she had a terrible feeling about meeting him, and she couldn't shake it.

“Hey, there's a free table. ˝Gabby's voice startled her. “Hurry so they don't take it from us.” Gabby pulled her arm.

˝Okay, okay. You see, we managed to take it. You didn't have to pull my arm out, ”Esma said, smiling.

“I'm sorry, but I'm terribly nervous,” Gabby said, wiping her palms nervously on her skirt. “You two just HAVE to like each other. YOU HAVE TO. ”She babbled nervously.

“Of course we will like each other. Just calm down, ”Esma said, but she saw that words didn't help, so she said,“ You know that? I'm going for a drink. We will toast to a happy future with Mister Perfect, and at the same time it will relax you a little. What do you say?˝

Gabby just smiled nervously and nodded. Esma got up and headed for the bar. "I don't think there's enough alcohol in this whole bar to calm her down," Esma thought. "Two beers, please," she told the bartender.

˝Beer? That is not a drink that good girls drink? ”She heard a voice behind her. "Good girls may not drink it, but this girl sure as hell does˝Esma said, turning angrily. A pair of the most beautiful dark brown eyes she had ever seen looked into her. Those eyes belonged to the face of a handsome young soldier with chocolate brown hair. For a moment she forgot that his comment angered her, but she recovered quickly. "And trust me, she'll enjoy it very much." she added quickly.

The soldier raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled crookedly. “All right, doll, what do you say we make a toast to the bad girls. It's my treat." said the soldier, waving at the bartender.

Esma looked at him in astonishment. She hadn't seen such an arrogant and selfcentered man  in a long time, though, she had to admit, a very handsome man. Unfortunately for him, she already had experiences with guys like him, and it never occurred to her to re-engage with those kind of assholes again.

˝Cheap line and cheap beers. Oh, I really am a happy, happy girl," Esma said scornfully. "Thanks , doll, but no thanks." She took her two glasses of beer from the bar and headed back towards Gabby, leaving the shocked soldier behind.

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“What the fuck was that?” Joe thought as he watched the girl slowly maneuver through the crowd. "No one has ever rejected me like that before."

Joseph D. Liebgott did not receive rejections from the girls. He was the one who gave the rejections. And now some girl rejected him like he was nothing. "Great, I just needed more shit like this at the end of the day," Joe said angrily.

˝Hey Joe. What are you doing? ”He heard Luz shout.

"Nothing, I'm coming," Joe said.

“Okay, hurry up. "We're dying of thirst here," Luz said. "Come on. But since you're standing there like a bar decoration, order a round for the boys."

"Fine," Joe waved, lighting a cigarette. He turned to the bartender and pointed to a group of 15 soldiers in the corner and ordered 15 beers. He turned to look once more at where that rude girl had disappeared, and then he saw her.

“FUUUUCK !!!” was the only thought that crossed his mind. He completely forgot what he had promised. "Fucking Sobel," he whispered into his chin. Lately, for every shit that happened to him, it was easiest to blame Captain Sobel, because technically he was to blame for this hell they were going through every day. He and that fucking mountain.

He saw her waving and for a moment he thought her hand would just fly off her shoulder. He took a deep breath, waved at her, and started to walk to her table. Along the way, he decided to make at least one situation in his life easier.

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So you won't believe what an asshole I had a chance to talk to now" Esma said angrily, banging glasses with beer on the table.

“Seriously?” Gabby said, wiping the beer from her hand. "Usually the guys here are very polite."

"This asshole definitely wasn't," Esma said, lighting a cigarette nervously. "Hey, are you listening to me at all?"

Gabby waved like crazy and looked over Esma's head. Esma guessed who she was waving and inhaled deep smoke to prepare. "Perfect, here's the fucking Mr. Perfect."

"Heeey love," Gabby said  and jumped up from her chair. "Come, let me introduce you to my best friend."

Esma drew another long puff of smoke, set a fake smile on her face, and turned to the Mr.Perfect. As soon as she saw him, her smile melted from her face. Gabby's Mr. Perfect was Esma's asshole from the bar. She noticed that Gabby was looking at her worriedly, and she smiled at Mr.Asshole  with her fake smile and held out her hand.

"Mr. Perfect, I suppose," Esma said. "I'm Esma."

Asshole smiled that crooked smile and shoke her hand. “I'm Joe. And thank you very much for the compliment, it's always nice to hear something like that from good girls like you˝

Esma really had to control herself not to slap him. She knew why he said that sentence, but she definitely didn't want to give him satisfaction and react to that little provocation. "What an asshole," she thought angrily. “I can't believe Gabby fell for such a moron.” But Gabby fell for such a moron, and Esma unfortunately saw it quite clearly. She smiled all the time and looked at Joe as if he were the only man in the world. Unfortunately, Esma noticed that Joe didn't look at her friend like that. "I hope that shit won't break her heart," Esma thought anxiously.

Joe lit a cigarette and whispered something softly to Gabby. She stepped back briefly and kissed him quickly, turning to Esma. "Esma, honey, can I talk to you for a moment?" Gabby whispered to her and headed for exit.

“Sure,” Esma said, following Gabby. They went outside in the warm night air. Crickets chirped all around them, and the moon shone so brightly that it looked like it was day outside. Gabby grabbed Esma's arm and led her to a bench at the beginning of the driveway.

"Joe wanted to talk to me in private, so I wanted to ask you if you could leave us alone," Gabby said softly. Esma was shocked. Gabby she knew would never ask for something like this, Gabby she knew would never put a guy before her friend. Probably Gabby noticed her shock so she continued ˝You know, we have really few opportunities to be together, and I see you literally every minute of every day. He wouldn't ask me for something like this if what he wanted to tell me wasn't really immportant.˝

“It's okay, don't worry. I was just as in love once and I just wanted to use every moment with him. ”Esma said and hugged her. “Just be careful.” She kissed her friend on the cheek and headed back to the barracks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Esma was startled by the sound of crying. She rubbed her eyes and listened once more. She was sure someone was crying under her window. She put on her shoes and quietly stepped outside. On a small bench under the window sat a girl with blonde hair with her head hidden by her palms. Her shoulders shook with deep sobs. Esma thought her heart would break from the pain the scene had caused her.

She quickly approached her friend and hugged her tightly. “Honey,” she said softly, “What happened?” She didn't get an answer. Gabby just kept crying, and she cried for another hour. Esma held her in her arms and gently rocked  her and stroked her hair.

When the sobs subsided a little, she asked again, “Gabby, honey, will you tell me what happened?” Gabby looked at her sadly and said softly, “He left me.” As soon as she said that, she burst into tears again. Esma looked sadly at her friend and tried to drive away her own tears. Unfortunately, she knew all too well how something like this hurt. It was Gabby who held her like this when they broke her heart. So Esma just kept holding her friend.

After another half hour Gabby was finally ready to talk about what had happened. “When I got back to the bar he was waiting for me at the table.” She began uncertainly. “He said it would be nice to go for a walk, so we went outside and headed for the grove. We've been to that grove a few times already... ˝ Esma saw Gabby blush when she mentioned the grove, but she didn't think it was the right time to ask her anything about it ˝but we didn't go into the grove, we just kept walking along its edge. ”she sobbed softly

Esma stroked her back gently to give her encouragement to continue. Gabby took a deep breath and continued, “At one point we stopped and he turned me to him and then he told me he thought it was time to break up.” She started crying again. “He said he cared about me, but that I wasn’t  the right girl for him and it's best we don't see each other again, ”Gabby said through sobs.

“Esma, I don't understand. Everything was so perfect, I don't know what happened. ”Gabby sniffed

“Honey, no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to understand how a man's brain works.˝ Esma said softly ˝Who knows what's on that asshole's mind. He probably just drank too much and tomorrow he'll be sorry he said something like that, ”Esma tried to comfort her.

“No,” Gabby said sadly. “When I started crying and begging him not to do that, he just moved away from me and said that he was begging me not to look for him anymore and not to talk to him anymore. After that he turned and left me there alone˝ and the tears started –

Esma was furious. ˝What a disgusting asshole. I could kill him”she thought angrily, but instead of an angry outburst, she decided to say,“ Darling, believe me, I know how horrible it feels to have someone break your heart, but there have been and will be others. He is just one in a series of bad experiences that you will soon forget. Beliv ... 'She fell silent when she saw Gabby's face.

“What?” Esma asked.

“Esma, he was the first and only. And as much as it hurts right now, I don't think I'll ever love anyone as much as I love him, ”Gabby said, and continued to cry.

They stayed like that for a while longer, and then Esma finally managed to persuade Gabby to go to bed and try to get some sleep. She gently covered her friend and sat down on her bed. The moonlight streamed through the window onto Gabby's face full of tears. Esma suddenly felt a rush of indescribable rage, got out of bed and rushed out of the barracks.

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe came out of the bar to light a cigarette in the fresh air. The air in the bar began to stink of spilled beer, cigarette smoke, and sweat, so he could hardly wait to breathe air that didn't make his stomach rise.

He inhaled the smoke and looked up at the sky. "Shit, what a terrible day," he thought. He was sorry it ended up like that with Gabby, but they got to the point of meeting  best friends which meant she thought their relationship was serious, and for Joe it certainly wasn’t, so it was time to run away. "Too bad,  it was good while it lasted."

She really wasn’t a bad girl, she didn’t talk much, the sex was ok, but he couldn’t say that being with her caused him some spectacular feeling. She was just one in a series of handsome but insufficiently interesting girls in his life.

˝Nevermind. There will be others,˝ Joe thought, and then suddenly his vision blackened, and he was on the floor.

His hand reflexively flew to his cheek, and when the blackness receded above him he saw a girl in a white nightgown with wild, black curly hair looking at him angrily.

“What the fuck, woman?” Joe asked angrily, rising uncertainly from the floor and rubbing his aching cheek.

"You disgusting piece of shit" Esma growled. “What a rotten asshole you are. How could you do that to her? ”

“Do what exactly? HA? ”Now it was Joe's turn to raise his voice. “Please, Your Royal Morality, enlighten me.” He glared at her and saw that she was returning his equally poisonous gaze.

"My dear, people brake up  every day," Joe continued. "It's not my fault she's hysterical."

“How can you say that?” Esma asked angrily. “You broke her heart, asshole.” She pushed him against the wall of the bar.

“Are we maybe in high school? We're in camp where we're getting ready to GO TO THE FUCKING WAR !!! "Joe shouted." We're not getting ready to go to the fucking prom. How stupid you have to be to think any of us are thinking about serious relationships right now. We all just want to forget for a few hours where we are and what awaits us˝ Joe angrily kicks a lump of earth and puts his hands on the back of his head.

“Nothing justifies you not telling her that. There was nothing stopping you from telling her that before ... ˝

“Before what?” Joe interrupted. "Jesus, it's not like I'm the first guy in her life." As soon as he said that sentence, he realized that unfortunately  he was.

“FUCK!” Joe shouted. "You don't think she should have mentioned THAT to me, do you?"

"Who are you kiding that would change any of what you did," Esma said. "You would be an equal primitive animal, whether you knew or not that you were dealing with an innocent girl."

“An animal?” Joe thought he was going to explode with rage. "Who the fuck she thinks she can talk to me like that," he thought angrily.

“Yes, animal,” Esma said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I see you obviously have experience with animals like me," Joe said

“What's that supposed to mean?” Esma asked angrily.

"That maybe your friend should have asked you for advice on how to handle animals. Obviously you could teach her a few things," Joe said, feeling the slap landing on his other cheek. This time he didn't raise his hand to try to rub it to make it less painful, he wanted to feel the pain because this was the first time he thought he really deserved this slap. For the first time in his life, Joe felt like shit watching a girl in white disappear into the night.

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Bill fell through the back door of the bar. He landed on a pile of garbage bags, so they softened the blow a little. He got up with difficulty and, holding to the wall, staggered toward the front of the bar.

"Jesus, I'll never drink a drop of alcohol again," he thought drunkenly. It was his usual promise every time he got drunk, but he never kept it.

He dragged himself to a tree that stood a little away from the entrance to the bar. He leaned his back against the trunk and slowly descended to the floor and remained in a semi-lying position.

Through the drunken haze he saw Liebgott on the floor in front of the bar and holding his hand to his cheek. He laughed and looked at the person standing above Liebgott.

"Esma," Bill whispered.

"I don't give a shit about how hungover I will be tomorrow, it was worth getting drunk like this just so I could see her again, even if only as a ghost," Bill thought sadly.

[pinkcurse]

Julie? Really?

I know I haven't posted in about an eternity and a half. That is because my degree program is getting to the actual dissertation part of getting a doctorate. But I have to ask, cause I don't see it. Why, for the love of God, does everyone seem to think Sara (Sarah?) is Julie? The SB Facebook group I am in is positive 100%, without a shadow of a doubt that Sara = Julie. But what actual evidence is there? Not a whole hell of a lot. 

We have never seen Julie's face, so you can't say that they look the same. The only shot of Julie we've ever seen is the back of her head. And her hair is drawn pretty differently there. Her hair is drawn shiny, like Kuon's, when we see Julie and Kuu watching Kuon's video. Sara's hair is not drawn shiny. I would argue it is drawn more similar to how Maria's hair is drawn, suggesting it might be more light brown. 

I think it was Nakamura's focus on Sara's eyes that has led everyone to conclude she is Julie. However, the manga is drawn in black and white, and we cannot confirm that she has green eyes. So this emphasis cannot be considered hard evidence. 

Sara's appetite was an interesting clue to her identity. In my opinion, it seems to suggest more of a genetic relative to Kuu than it does Julie. We have never heard anything from Ren or anyone about Julie having a famous appetite. On the reverse side, we don't know how Julie and Kuu met. Maybe it was their insane appetite that bonded them? The only piece of HARD, FROM THE MANGA, evidence that might even HINT at Sara being Julie based on the appetite is Ren's comment, from a long time ago, that his intake was harshly monitored. Also, it was suggested that he was force-fed (don't ask me what chapter, I don't remember). This comment indicates that mom was trying to feed him more than necessary, I had assumed it was because Kuon was expected to have an appetite similar to Kuu's. However, it makes much more sense if both parents have crazy big stomachs.  

Age. Let's talk about Sara vs. Julie's age. Julie, in my opinion, and basic math, has to be AT LEAST 40. The original Dark Moon was filmed 20 years ago... they film the remake as Ren TURNS 20. I would HOPE Julie was AT Least 20 before she had her first kid. Still, at the youngest, I would say 36, which puts her at 16 when she had Kuon (which doesn't seem likely to me). Sara's looking damned good, almost teenish if she is actually 40ish-year-old woman... Just saying... it makes no sense. She is drawn more along the lines of someone around Ren's age. Even Kuu had some marks around his eyes, showing he is older.

Speaking of makes no sense... this WHOLE SCENARIO MAKES NO SENSE! IF this is Julie, there are two ways we can look at what's going on with her. Either her meeting Kyoko was intentional, or it was an accident. 

Let's think about it being an unintentional meeting. My first question is, not why would a 40ish-year-old woman be assuming a secret identity to visit a theme park (that makes sense since she is famous and married to Japan's darling), it is why she would need to be accompanied by Director Date? She can speak fluent Japanese, and while, yes, visiting a theme park is more fun with someone else, Date doesn't seem like the funnest of company. Now it makes sense that Julie would know Date from when Kuu was in Tsukigomori since Kuon would have had to be a new born right around then (I bet it was fun to film with Kuu while his wife was heavily pregnant...) However, this relationship doesn't explain why she would have asked him to go with her to the park. Also, the coincidence thing is just too big. Now the story has always said that luck is part of show business. This would be a lot of luck. To magically run into Julie. 

If we are thinking about Julie meeting Kyoko intentionally at the park, this gets even more screwed up. The biggest question is, how would she know Kyoko is going to be there? Why would she choose to approach Kyoko in this way? She doesn't know Kuon's exact feelings toward her, and she doesn't know Kyoko's actual feelings towards Kuon. If she just wanted to meet her "son," there are a 1000 ways LESS convoluted she could have chosen to go about meeting her. But instead, she picks a method that has a decent chance of failure. If Kyoko didn't notice Date (if she had been in La La Land), if she didn't approach him, then this whole scenario fails. Could a backup plan have been in place? Probably? But why would Date agree to it? How would either know what was going on with Kanae and her new role and to use learning English cheep would allow them to accept Sara into their outing? Now, if Julie could predict outcomes like Ren can, then there is something to be said for it. However, the difference here is that Ren was acting and could rationally predict responses within the confines of the scene, and he knew his fellow actor. Julie doesn't know Kyoko, and she doesn't know Kanae. Rationally she can't accurately predict their behavior. Kuu could give some insight into Kyoko, but I don't think it would be enough to make this all go off without a hitch. He certainly doesn't know Kanae. 

If someone set this up and just put Julie into position, I bet everyone would think Lory. I can't see us not knowing about that and not seeing Lory scheming something. Buuutttt..... what about someone related to him? What did little Maria look like the last time we saw her? What was going on in the story? It is plausible Maria was able to infer what was going on with Kyoko's mother, and it would make sense if she reached out to Ren's mother to maybe do something to help her friend. It's a long shot, but if this IS Julie and it was intentional, it doesn't have Lory's dramatic flair, you know?

Anyway, my point is there is no way we could say conclusively, based on the data at hand, that Sara and Julie are the same people. There is too much we don't know. It could be Tina, who is younger, and it would explain the melancholy when she was talking about love earlier, but that assumption has holes too. There are way too many unknowns about the American side of the Skip Beat story to say anything with 100% certainty until the author gives us definite proof. 

And before you point to Ren's expression at the end of chapter 290 as of this definite proof, the last word was "Huh?" not "Mom?" All that proves is that Ren recognizes her and knows her. I am sure we will get more info in the next chapter. Especially if he takes the photo to Lory raging about it. THEN I might concede that Sara and Julie are the same people. Until then, I am with Ren. Huh?  

[nenko-dreams]

Ohh, what is moon lovers about?

Hi, thank you for the ask, anon!

The Moon Lovers AU is loosely based on the TV series Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.

It was the worst day in Brienne’s life. People she trusted set her up for public humiliation. She was convinced that nothing could make her life worse. But then, she got involved in a strange accident at the lake which coincided with the full solar eclipse. After Brienne waked up, she discovered that she was transported back over a thousand years ago to the Westeros, ruled by the greatest king of all times, Goldenhand the Just.

She was excited to meet him but when she did, she had to confront everything she knew about him as a historical figure with the real man he was in his time.

 And here is a short fragment I’ve already written:

Something was very, very wrong. It wasn’t the world she knew. This father wasn’t the one she recognized.

               “I’m sorry,” she said carefully, deciding it would be wiser to just listen to him. As strict as he sounded, Brienne was certain that he didn’t mean any harm to her. And maybe if she listened, she could better understand where exactly did she find herself. “I’m afraid I do not quite feel like myself.”

               “I can see that. Do you remember anything?”

               Brienne did actually remember everything until the accident at the lake which this version of her father claimed to happen fourteen years ago. She shook her head, deciding it would be a safer choice than to force her version of events. She didn’t want to appear crazier than she already did.

               “Where are we?” she asked.

               “I already told you it’s your chamber.”

               “Yes, but I meant more general location.”

               “We are at Evenfall Hall.”

               “The museum? How did you arran—”

               Brienne didn’t finish because of the incredulous expression of father’s face. “I mean, yes, of course, it is. But we don’t live here, right?”

               “Brienne, I am the Evenstar and you are my daughter and heir. Where else are we supposed to live?”

               Father has gone crazy. Or it was her. Judging by the surroundings it must have been her.

               The further conversation was interrupted by the entrance of elderly looking man wearing a strange brown robe with a thick chain composed of rings of different colours which clanked with his every step. Fortunately, the woman didn’t return with him.

               “My lord, septa Roelle has informed me that lady Brienne is now awakened but…”

               Instead of finishing, he threw Brienne an assessing look.

               “It seems that the accident might have had some…” Father was clearly struggling with choosing the right words. “…strange effects.”

               “What do you mean by this, my lord? From what can I see the lady seems to be quite well.”

               Because I am, Brienne thought. Physically she was good. Yes, her body felt slightly different than usual but Brienne was convinced it was just the effect of her prolonged diving. What troubled her most was the question of where she was and how did she end up in this place. And how to go back.

               “She is not quite herself.” Brienne heard her father saying.

               “It is normal to be in a state of shock after such extreme experience.”

               “Could it involve memory loss?”

               “I haven’t heard of that but if she stayed under the water for a long time, then yes, it might have happened.”

               “But it is not a permanent effect?”

               “I can’t tell anything before I check out my patient. If you allow, my lord, I would appreciate it if you left the chamber.”

               “Of course,” father said, leaving Brienne alone with the man.

               Without a hurry, he stepped toward her bed.

               “My lady,” he said calmly, sitting on a chair that someone brought to her bed. “Let’s start from the basic question. Do you know who you are? What is your name?”

               “Of course, I know. I’m Brienne Tarth.”

               “Excellent, my lady. But could you tell me, where are we?”

               Brienne hesitated. Father said they were at Evenfall Hall and she could just go on with that even if she didn’t necessarily recognize the place or even believed it was true.

               “I can’t. I don’t know this place,” Brienne said, deciding against the lie.

               “I see,” the man nodded, his long white beard grazed the rough material of his brown robe. “But you recognize your father, is it right, my lady?”

               “Yes,” Brienne simply answered, refusing to elaborate on the differences between her dad and the man who could pass as his identical twin.

               “Do you know who am I?” came the next question.

               Brienne looked again in the man’s face. It was old and covered with wrinkles and stains so characteristic for older people. Everything about him seemed to be old and fragile except for eyes, which were bright and astute, making Brienne feel that he could see right through her.

               “I’m sorry but I don’t. I guess you must be a doctor of some sort.”

               “I am not sure what you mean, my lady, but I am maester Volden of the Citadel. I have been serving at Evenfall Hall for nearly twenty years.”

                Brienne found herself nodding at this information, not sure how she should respond.

               “Do you remember what did you do today and yesterday and the day before that?”

               She did. But when she tried to question father about that she only earned a look of confusion and denial. Brienne shook her head.

               “Interesting,” maester Volden murmured to himself. “Now, I would like to examine you, my lady.”

               Brienne nodded and maester stood from his chair. Before Brienne could blink, he started his assessment, checking her pulse, her eyes, asking her to inhale and exhale on his command, and other things Brienne knew from medical shows that doctors tend to do. Particular attention he paid to her head, touching and watching it closely from every possible angle.

               “Do you remember any kind of head injury you could receive? It didn’t necessarily have to happen during or after your fall from the cliff.”

               “I didn’t fa…” I didn’t fall from the cliff, I was rescuing Gal, Brienne wanted to say but stopped herself before the words left her mouth. “I didn’t have any head injuries.”

               That wasn’t strictly the truth. During the years of fighting training, Brienne got punched multiple times, including her face but she was more than sure that she was fine.

               The maester nodded, however, the expression on his face indicated that he didn’t quite believe her words.

                “Are you sure, lady Brienne? Nothing during your sword training?”

               “No.” I have never held a sword in my life.

               “As you say, my lady. Physically everything seems to be alright, I can’t see anything out of order. Except for your memory. There is nothing I can do for you now but you need a lot of rest and as few stresses as possible. Let’s just hope your memories return to you soon,” he said moving to the door.

               “Ehm… maester Volden,” Brienne called him, not quite sure how she should address him.

               “Yes, my lady?”

               “Can I ask you something?”

               “Of course.”

               Brienne took a deep breath. It was her chance to get some clues about what was going on. If she asked the right questions…

               “Where is Galladon?” Brienne started with the most important one. Despite what her father said, she couldn’t accept that. Maybe father got something wrong, maybe he was mistaken and Gal lived. Maybe… Brienne looked expectantly at the maester but the serious expression on his face killed the last tiny shreds of hope she possessed.

               “He died when you were a child, my lady.”

               No, Brienne wanted to scream. No, Gal was alive. They grew up together, they played together, they shared secrets, they comforted each other. She didn’t know the world without her older brother. She didn’t want to accept any world where Gal was not there.

               “How about mum, Ari and Alys?”

               “They died years ago.”

               Brienne blinked trying to prevent new tears threatening to fall. What kind of world it was where almost all her family was dead? It was worse than any hell she could end up after dying. But Brienne was sure she lived. The intuition, the strange unfathomable feeling inside her was telling her that she was still alive. Her heart was steadily beating under her ribs and her body greedily demanded breath after breath.

               “Where am I, maester?” Brienne asked in a shaking voice.

               “We are on Tarth, my lady. Your homeland.”

               Brienne nodded. “What year do we have?”

               “It is 297 After Conquest.”

               Brienne froze. No, it was impossible. She couldn’t move back over a thousand years ago. If she was told she spent decades in a coma and awaken after some sort of nuclear apocalypse, Brienne would believe that easier than the fact that she somehow traveled so long ago.

               “Lady Brienne, are you well? You became pale all of a sudden.”

               “I’m fine,” she replied, trying to appear unaffected by the unexpected information. “Could I ask you to tell everyone that I would like to be left alone? I think I need some rest.”

               “Yes, of course, my lady,” maester Volden replied, bowing slightly.

               Only when the door closed after him and Brienne was finally left alone, she let the grief and distress take over her.

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Do you know of any sterek fics that involve time travel that gets them together? I dont care if it's the future kids, themselves, etc that time travel. Thank you so much.

Yeah! And here’s the tag for more.

From this moment by Hepzheba

(1/1 I 4,642 I Teen)

Stiles wakes up in a bed that is not his own with someone he doesn't know cuddling him. He has no idea how he ended up there.

Hint: he might have been sent to the future.

Groundhog Fae by scornedmedea

(1/1 I 5,786 I Not Rated)

After uniting the supernatural world to stop the apocalypse, the Hale pack throws a celebratory party that, much to Derek's dismay, will just not end.

A Matter of Time by Ninna_7

(1/1 I 11,254 I General)

He noticed his pack looking at him, and they didn’t seem as relieved as Stiles expected. In fact they were looking in his direction as if he had grown a second head or something.

“I don’t think you should look so surprised, I’ve been training a lot lately, okay?” He said indignantly, crossing his arms.

“Stiles, that’s not...” Scott said, half pointing at his direction.

That’s when Stiles heard that familiar voice again from behind him, “I think they’re confused about me, buddy.”

Stiles then remembered that he had to thank the stranger who had helped them, but... Wait... That familiar voice… Was that his voice? He turned around abruptly, wide eyed. He took three steps back, tripping and nearly falling on the ground.

Or: Stiles accidentally summons his future self who claims they can heal the nemeton. If he helps younger Stiles and Derek to see what's always been right in front of them, that's a pleasant coincidence. Right?

Filter Out the Starlight by skoosiepants

(1/1 I 12,238 I Teen)

“Why are you not more curious about me?” Stiles says when Derek’s got the door half open, sun spilling over the dark wood, dust motes spinning about his legs. Stiles is wearing fabric that hasn’t been invented yet, he’s clutching a smart phone to his chest, and he appeared out of nowhere, like an angel.

Softly, Derek says, “We all have our secrets,” and closes the door.

Or-

A heartbroken Stiles accidentally travels back in time to find his one true love. A harlequin-ish Christmas romance.

Fly a Little Faster by mirrorkill

(1/1 I 32,052 I Teen)

Everyone knows when you go back in time, you shouldn't step on an ant, just in case you accidentally kill your own grandparent or something. But what happens when you go back in time and, uh, accidentally interrupt the one event that apparently made the Grumpiest Alpha in Town into a ball of mindless manpain?

Well, if Marty McFly can do it, so can Stiles Stilinski. All he has to do is get Derek and Paige to fall in love before he gets pulled back to his own time. And before he makes anything worse. That's easy as pie, right? Right?

Now as Ever (All That Is and Has Been) by venis_envy

(16/16 I 52,270 I Explicit)

Stiles can't remember what happened to rearrange the time-space continuum, or how he ended up being pulled into the past. All he knows is that he's there now, in 2003 Beacon Hills, with a teenage werewolf and a possibly-crazy veterinarian as his only allies.

Daybreak by TheObsidianQuill

(10/10 I 70,382 I Mature)

"There . . ." Stiles swallowed and looked down at the bottle in his grasp as he slowly swirled the amber liquid inside. "There's really nothing left. For me. Everyone is . . . gone, and it feels like I haven't thought of tomorrow in years." His words rang in the air like a gunshot, he took another heavy drink. "I would trade every last breath I take to just have another shot—not even a guarantee, just a chance to make things right and bring back even one of them." -----

The pack was gone. He had nothing left. He had no one. With nothing to lose, Stiles puts everything on the line to go back in time to try to prevent the future from becoming his past. Broken, guarded, and haunted by his past, only one overgrown-pup of a wolf seems able to get past his defenses. Changing the future? Easy. Finding a place for himself in the Hale Pack? Impossible.

A Little Lost by exclamation

(32/32 I 73,336 I Mature)

A magical accident sends Stiles back in time. Now he's stuck in New York, living with Derek and Laura, and the only way to get back to his own time is to learn to use magic. Meanwhile, he must figure out how much he can tell them about their future. Can he warn them about the dangers they face? Can he change his own past?

And can he trust the creature known as Bookworm, who seems to know him better than he knows himself?