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pinetreevillain · 1 year

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Rise Turtle Strength Calculator

Part 2: Purple Bugaloo

Disclaimer: I Am Just A Guy And 100% of this is guessing, googling, and approximation

So!!!! Got a request to determine Donnie’s strength and the journey was an Interesting One.

So let’s start with the most popular

EXHIBIT A: Dumbbell (Insane In The Mama Train)

He pulls it off with ease (relaxed pose, no real effort exerted until he makes the effort of hefting it and throwing it). Going off the size of these dumbbells, they are either 45lbs or 100lbs. This is a big gap! But seeing as the yokai falls over as soon as its removed, we can assume that Donnie is AT MOST tossing a 100lb weight with little to no effort.

UNFORTUNATELY this doesn’t tell us much else since we don’t see the weight hitting anyone/anything other than the traincar door before it teleports away.

So! We must delve further

EXHIBIT B: Donnie’s Equipment

We know Donnie’s tech bō is made from high grade titanium.

TITANIUM IS A LIGHT METAL! Revered for being light weight, flexible, and rust-proof. Used to make medical tools! This make perfect sense as 1) ninjas need maximum mobility and heavy equipment is counter intuitive, 2) melee weapons are supposed to be LIGHT (see reason 1).

However! This does not stop me from calculating the weight of Donnie’s tech bō regardless.

TO DO THAT, i must first calculate the length of his staff (operating under the assumption that both the ninpo staff and the tech bō are the same in size).

BŌ STAFFS ideally are the same height as the wielder. We are going to use this image (cannot find source) as reference, just like i did w Raph (give or take any growth between season 3 finale and movie)

Donnie is 5’3”, and while i’m here, weighs ~140lbs give or take after plastron, muscle mass, and Bones

The average bō staff has a circumference of about 1-1 1/8th of an inch depending on the length. I’m leaning more towards the larger because of the tech bōs gadgetry and hammerspace.

NOW to calculate how heavy a 5’3” metal pole that’s 1 1/8 inch in width of titanium.

Thankfully the internet is Insane and literally has a calculator that calculates this exact thing.

I was able to come to the conclusion that his tech bō probably weighs no more than approximately 1 pound.

Not very heavy!

What about his battle shell?

WELL it depends! For ease, I’m going to calculate it like a backpack.

The average public school backpack is 12-20 lbs full (heavy and 5-20% heavier than a child SHOULD be carrying to avoid back and neck strain).

I’m going to use measurements from this Random Backpack Website I Found and calculate it as a Medium Backpack (larger than standard) with a laptop pouch, and some minor adjustments since his shell covers him from neck to ass (roughly 24 inches, his height is in his legs)

It’s harder to calculate the shell because he has Different kinds and they’re made of different materials.

I am going to give all of these a base of 66lbs + whatever equipment they have

His Mango shell is probably largely padding with minimal titanium lining

Ice Maker shell is probably heavier. Spider Shell, Drone Shell, are all made w titanium so. Assuming Donnie makes EVERYTHING out of titanium

TECH BŌ: 5’3”, ~1 lb

BATTLE SHELLS:

- Mango: ~66lbs

- Drone: ~150 lbs (including whatever is powering it)

- Ice Maker: ~200 lbs (including ice)

- Spider Shell: ~150lbs

🧍

New approach!

EXHIBIT C: APRIL

WE SEE DONNIE CARRYING/SUPPORTING APRIL A NUMBER OF TIMES. A majority of them i am writing off because he is using his tech to assist.

HE IS just holding her up easily in this shot. After some cursory google searches i determined April O’neil to be ~110lbs soaking wet because she’s 4’8”, petite, and the boys fling her around like she’s made of craft foam.

Conclusion: Donnie can lift/throw a fairly decent 110 pounds, and carry approximately 200lbs

This is a small number after raph’s 20,000 lbs, and i can barely lift an 84lbs dog so I’m not gonna sneeze at it. It does however check out for someone who is physically fit and active (and does backflips and parkour and fights enemies four times his bodyweight)

BUT WAIT!!! PINE!!! WHAT ABOUT…

EXHIBIT D: SUBWAY KRANG (The Movie)

Donnie DOES get bonked pretty hard by a subway car and doesn’t Immediately Die. To determine this I had to calculate the Weight Of A Subway Car and the Breaking Point of Titanium.

Subway car: 82,000lbs empty

119,000lbs full

Because the subway car looks like this

I’m gonna call it full.

Titanium has a tensile strength of 63,000 pounds per square inch.

After determining the size of Donnie’s shell off his body, and how much titanium was used, i cam to the conclusion that…

I CAN’T ACTUALLY CALCULATE it because the shell he was wearing was actually mystic/ninpo made and therefore NOT SOMETHING I CAN CALCULATE! It does explain why Donnie wasn’t Rapidly Dispersed upon being bonked by an INSANE AMOUNT OF FORCE.

This very issue crops up again with the other example of Donnie lifting and slapping down the drill on Shredder in the season finale. That was aided ENTIRELY by ninpo/mystic abilities and therefore incalculable.

My counter to the argument that “their ninpo is gone, it’s not mystic anymore” is that Yes They Could Not Access Their Ninpo, but their ninpo-made weapons were still fully intact, and TECHNICALLY still working, the ability to use them had just been locked away

i also humbly believe that Draxum’s Ooze made the boys’ bones EXTREMELY resilient and capable of absorbing force the same way Captain America’s shield absorbs vibrations — my way of explaining why they sustain little to no injury throughout the series.

That being said, it makes the fact that Donnie couldn’t break open a watermelon AND sprains his ankle pretty badly tripping on a fruit EXTREMELY FUCKING FUNNY TO ME.

TL;DR: Donnie can throw ~110lbs give or take, with a lift/carry of maximum 200lb (maybe a bit more before it hinders his movement speed!)

Donnie’s probably not excessively strong but he is CERTAINLY sturdy. Something something rectangles symbolizing stability blah blah metaphor metaphor

#rottmnt #big brain mode #rottmnt donnie #donatello #tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #math and shit #eyooo #if i missed any shells let me know!#references

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linkedin-corp · 2 months

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ok hi im writing down what my ideas were for splatoon au . there is literally almost zero substance and nothing bad is happening in it they just exist here and have fun bcus i said so

mario is ur standard inkling . im not too well versed in weapons so i did not think about his much if at all because the only one i can recall by name is the stinger and thats because im a bow freak. anyway hes just chilling

goombella is a jellyfish . yeah i know theyr supposed to be pretty quiet and not very bright but shes special. to me . she would be friends with sheldon but in a frenemies way . definitely follows mario around because not many can handle how much she talks and also bcus mario just enjoys having a living descriptor for literally everything thats happening

koops is a sea turtle! i could not find anything referencing to sea turtles anywhere unfortunately but they do mention regular turtles at some point in splat2 so. im grabbing that and running. he probably helps manage a shop somewhere with his father

kid yoshi is. a pufferfish . im not 100% since in my head its hard to compare yoshis to any sea animal but i went with this for now. ur average little yapper that follows mario around like a duckling

flurrie is a sea slug! i knew this would be the case immediately bcus like. it works so well . i couldn't Not do this. she runs a fashion boutique as a side thing to her whole "famous actor" thing. vivian helps out at this boutique!

vivian is an octarian, of some kind! specifically of which i dont know! my vague splatoon memory has made me pull up a wiki 50000 times and i am still throwing things against a wall . so apologies there . i love making shit up. anyway .

bobbery is also an octarian, but in a more 'octavio' fashion. hes very fascinated by the ocean and will probably buy seashells and other things off of you. also an avid fan of ink bombs! dont test him he is old and unafraid.

ms. mowz iss a leucistic frigatebird ! gulls are a thing and frigatebirds are kinda related to them being seabirds; they also have a tendency to steal catches from other birds, so i was like. yeah this is perfect. her ribbons are strips of paper from newspapers shes stolen! instead of badges she steals pretty much anything shiny, any currency, and weapon parts. shes very useful if you befriend her!

#this was just a sillyyyy funny idea. i probably wont think about it too much but i enjoyed thinking about this #ill post them properly on my art blog later . eventually .#but for now 👍fisjh #dont judge my lack of splatoon knowledge i Very passively enjoy it im not a freak for it sorry💔#pm:ttyd #splatoon #link's lectures #im bein sillayyyy im having fun

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the-hidden-posts-gt · 5 months

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Sunny & Gideon (Part 1)

Borrower short story (turning into a series) based on a dream I had where the Giant and Tiny switch bodies (Part 1)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Sidebar 1 | Part 4 (WIP)

Sunshine/Sunny (yeah that’s their name, it was sunny the day they were born and their mom was just like, “yeah, that makes sense, definitely!” 😅) is 5”/~13cm, average height by borrower standards. They have brown hair, with a tiny -not so tiny- patch, bleached slightly lighter than the rest of their hair (Gideon is messy with his hair dye/bleach, and somehow it always gets everywhere. Sunny was not spared.) They have hazel colored eyes, thick brown eyebrows, crooked nose, and an ovular face.

Gideon/G/Giddy(when Sunny wants to mess with him) is a 5’10”, kind of a lanky guy, with purple hair (he dyed it), and thin blonde/light-brown eyebrows. He doesn’t look well rest, ever. He has green-blue eyes, his nose is surprisingly button-shaped, (Idk why, but that’s the description that made itself available in my head) and his face is kinda diamond shaped. (Not sure if that is handsome, but he is supposed to be kind of handsome, just underslept.)

POV Sunny

When I opened my eyes, he wasn’t there. The dizziness had subsided, but where was he?! I needed to find him. He was too big to just vanish. He was human after all. I heard my pulse roar in my ears. Why is it so loud? My breaths were shallow, but also too much.

I heard a door open and close and I saw Gideon’s roommate. He could help. Fighting my instincts, I stood up from the couch. Why are my limbs so bulky? As he walked into the kitchenette I rushed over to him. My legs felt weighted and slow, and yet I surged forward.

“Where’s Gideon?!” My instincts urged me once more to hide from this Bean, but I needed Gideon. I needed to find him! I need to know he’s alright! Gideon had said his roommate was kind. I just hope Gideon was right.

“Dude,” the roommate smiled, far too nonchalant for an emergency. “How high are you right now?”

I blinked, taken aback. This was not the reaction I was expecting. What does that even mean? My surprise taking over instead of the panic, and I was able to really tale in my surroundings.

I am taller than him. I am taller than G’s roommate. I looked around, the room was smaller, everything was smaller than I remembered it. It was honestly claustrophobic, like the walls had squeezed in on me. Everything was … my size, I guess.

My eyes found their way back to my hands, only to realize, these aren’t my hands.

The roommate just smiled, taking a step towards me and patting my (is it mine?) elbow. “Oh yeah, you have fun with that,” he said as he guided me back to the couch where I’d been sitting. I let myself be lead, now staring at the arms attached to me, they were familiar, just … not mine.

As I was sitting down, the couch squeaked, no shrieked. I felt my pulse quicken, as the body’s instincts took over, and I was suddenly standing back up faster than I thought possible. I know that sound? No. This body knew that sound.

“You good, man?”

I didn’t respond. I just slowly picked up the pillow I’d almost crushed. I peered down at the couch, careful not to let the roommate see what I suspected was there, but that didn’t prepare me for seeing my own face staring back at me.

POV Gideon

Light blinded me, as the entire space shook, I had been unceremoniously tossed into a dark and stuffy prison, where there was a bunch of panicked mumbling, and then something had just attempted to crush me. Now there’s an earthquake. Great! I thought sarcastically, before I attempted to steady myself against the wall behind me, as I held up my hand trying to block out the light and possibly understand why my world was suddenly shaken.

Instead of usable answers, I saw a shock of purple hair, before realizing I was staring at a giant version of my face. It stared down at me with eyebrows raised high. I didn’t even know they could reach that part of my forehead.

There was no respite from the chaos, however, as I was hastily snatched up into giant hands. I rapidly went from free, to shooting into the air clasped surprisingly gently within giant hands the size of me, to between two cupped hands, like I’d been caught by a kid who wanted to show a critter to their friends.

“Ugh.” My stomach was not a fan of all this jostling.

“Sorry!” My voice whispered down at me, before we slowed down enough for me to get my barrings. This must be what Sunny feels like all the time. My heart stopped, before speeding up again, to twice the speed. Where is Sunny?! If When I get out of this, I need to find them. I just need to survive whatever giant me is up to.

***

Part 2

That’s it for now. I like these two enough that I’ll probably end up writing about them a lot, so idk stay tuned? 🤷

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chronotsr · 6 months

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No. 1 - G1, The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief (July 1978)

Author(s): Gary Gygax Artist(s): Erol Otus, Dave C. Sutherland III (cover), David A. Trampier Level range: Average of 9, preferably 5+ players Theme: Standard Swords and Sorcery Major re-releases: G1-3 Against the Giants, GDQ1-7 Queen of the Spiders, Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff, Dungeon #197, Tales from the Yawning Portal

I'm not sure if G1-G3 are the most remastered adventures of all time, but it's gotta be competitive. I think Tomb of Horrors might have it beat, but I haven't counted. The 4e conversion [the Dungeon #197 one] is really weird in particular because…4e feels like the edition least interested in the legacy of DND? It was boldly doing its own thing. A good quality, actually.

Anyway, it's time to slag off* on a beloved adventure. Note, I am using the earliest copy of G1 I can find, which is from waaaay later when D3 was complete. I apologize.

*And by slag off, I mean "be critical of at all". In practice, this module is actually showing some unusual acumen compared to its contemporaries.

EDIT: I forgot to mention a rather important thing when this was made live -- note the title there! We are officially in ADND land now, so put away your little brown booklets and switch over to the fuck-off awesome player's handbook with the iconic Moloch statue!

Somehow I had gotten my whole life at this point never really…understanding what this structure was supposed to look like? It looks like this.

I honestly think exterior shots of dungeons are critically underrated. Handouts are amazing and being able to flash the back cover art to safely show the party "like this" is actually great, I deeply wish that….any? of the previous modules had done that? I think the only one that did was Tsojconth. Weirdly, the interior drawing is very subtly different. Look at how the logs face:

Not a huge deal but, a kind of weird inconsistency that top one looks like a stockade and the bottom one looks like a log cabin. Side note, we know that the long dimension of this is using 210 feet tall logs, which is to say, the size of an average redwood. These are some big fuck-off trees -- which could be a very interesting detail about the local area.

Now the setup is pretty simple. You were hired to go beat up the giants because they've been raiding the local humans, figure out why they're raiding, and comeback posthaste. The locals have kitted you out with horses, guides, maps, et c -- but no compensation, they have simply omitted a finder's fee (cheap bastards). Also, if you fail, they'll execute you. With friends like these, who needs Giants?

Gary starts with some mild railroading (you accepted the job already, you are already kitted out, you already walked to a nearby cave, you waited til dusk to approach, you notice two guards are missing, and the cave is guaranteed to be moderately hidden. Sure, whatever, I'm going to ignore that if I run this tho. Gary notifies us of a few critical details:

Don't run this stock, that's immoral

Any surviving giants will flee to G2 if they have the opportunity (which, kind of inherently punishes clever play that avoids combat?)

There is a 2% chance per round that the wooden structure will be lit on fire due to chronic rain (why is this a dice roll??)

If you will permit me a tangent, player arson is truly the bane of interesting scenarios everywhere. Whenever a player wonders, "why are all the GM's dungeons underground or in stonework buildings?", it's because doing anything else invites arson as the default and best answer to all problems. Magic items are fireproof and most metal items will not get hot enough to be destroyed, so very often the best solution is to burn the place to the ground and loot it the next day. So, yeah. No wood buildings. Gary's fix is to have all the giants flee into the basement, then waste a week of the PC's time for daring to use arson. Kind of sucks!

Tangent complete.

Here's some random interesting bits:

Gary explicitly states that you can pass yourself off as hill giant kids, which is extremely funny. Minus the implicit child murder.

Naturally there are giant moms doing giant housemaid shit in several rooms. Presumably they have giant curlers too.

The secret door is, literally just a doorway covered by a pelt. I have to hand it to them, that'd trip up most players in 2024 AND make them feel stupid for not figuring it out!

The big reveal that Eclavdra the Drow is secretly behind it all is so lightly teased that it feels downright tasteful.

A giant that uses a ballista as a crossbow (based) and spears for arrows (also based) -- between the prevalence of lightning spears and greatarrows, one starts to think of a certain famous video game. Genuinely I think it'd be a fun exercise one day, for someone who is more knowledgeable than me about Japanese fantasy roleplaying culture, to talk about how anglophone fantasy works made their way into Japan and were interpreted.

One of the cloud giants has hidden a sentient giant slaying sword that speaks all the giant languages, it feels like there's a hell of a story going on there that is only alluded to!

To my knowledge, this is the first official depiction of an orc in DND? Which implies that Gary is team pig-orcs, which is cool. Frankly, I love porcine orcs, or even better just pigfolk in general, they're great.

I think it is actually a rather bold early stance for Gary to hold that, even here in 1978, Chaotic aligned creatures are not automatically friends. Granted, that's how it is in Elric, so it's not THAT bold, but clearly everyone else missed the memo. The orcs are willing to side with you at least in the short-run, and in our previous modules it was very rare to have groups of chaotic-aligned creatures fighting one another. It was always just personal beefs. In fact, the overall theme of G1 so far is that despite the boxy-ass dungeon design, there's already a command of naturalism that even modern dungeons really struggle with. Factionalism truly is the gift that keeps on giving for the GM!

So the big reveal internally to G1 (just think of that -- a reveal internally to G1, and externally to the GDQ supermodule -- we're already getting pacing!) is that the orc slaves have rebelled. And -- hey -- good for them. There's also a kind of…built-in companion refill system going on here? So in oldish DND the way it works is, the expectation is the party is not just 5 guys with swords. You've got companions to help fight, and you've got hirelings to do other stuff (test suspected traps, if you're evil). And you can only hire so many of these guys from town, but attrition is going to happen. So the modules simply provides, automatic replacements should you negotiate worth a quarter of a shit. A dwarf slave here, an orc slave there. Maybe a giant dissenter if you're really clever. One of the potential "rewards" you can get is more dudes to throw at problems.

More interesting bits

There is, what I can only really call an abortive idea going on here where there's a scary temple in the basement? But no one worships there and no information is provided. It is merely a fucked up altar. I think I vaguely recall that it's retconned Tharizdun in one of the remakes? They always retcon things to be Tharizdun. Busy man, Tharzy.

Gary, Gary no. Stop it. Stop this 78 guys bullshit. I thought we had established that giant rooms of giant clumps of guys was bad. I know you have terminal Napoleonics brain but stop.

Wait, Steading is a noun? I always thought it was a verb. Yknow, like "Steading those hill giants", taking 'em down a notch. Apparently, a Steading is a small farm -- same etymology as Homestead. I guess mark that as our first Gygaxism?

Our second Gygaxism is gill, which is "a quarter pint of an alcoholic drink", which is to say a few mouthfuls

Always end your adventures with weird, ominous non-diegetic text. On the flip-side, absolutely do not do what the adventure does, and end on a teleporter that takes you to the next dungeon. That is the worst option.

Anyway, that's the whole Hill Giant situation. Honestly, it's better than I remembered, but in proud module tradition up to this point it gets weirdly filler-y in the basement. There's just something about basements that makes dungeon designers stop giving a shit, I swear. I do need to give the man his due, even though he was a shitass person: Gygax wrote an 11 page module that is of noticeably higher killer-to-filler ratio than any of his contemporaries. G1 is better than any of its predecessors, pound for pound. It is way, way shorter which is I suppose a plus to me and a minus to others, but -- there is a clear internal logic to this place that is tragically missing from (say) The Dwarven Glory. And that internal logic is the beginning of good adventure design. Anyway, we have two fun tidbits to discuss before we end for the day.

First up, we have an of-the-time account of events in Dragon #19! It turns out that in Origins '78 they played G1-G3's prototype. The account is of the winners (mostly West Virginians, a few Michiganders), who used their magic extremely liberally to hide what they were doing as well as to scout. They did opt to light the place on fire, good for them! If you want to check this out, it's on page 3. I will mention G2 and G3 here as relevant later.

Second up, there's a weird interquel hiding in Dungeon #198! Hanging out as an informal G1.5 is "The Warrens of the Stone Giant Thane!" I will not review it in full because my understanding of 4e is, basically just skimming the PHB and reading the DMG, but essentially the Stone Giants are hypothetically aloof and not particularly loyal to their Fire Giant superiors, but someone gave them The Rock That Makes You Crazy and so now they are. Smash the rock!

Man, map design in the 4e era was so fucking bad. It looks fine, but like, this is four circles. And downstairs is, of course, cave as far as the eye can see. Aren't stone giants supposed to be skilled carvers? Anyway, If you feel like G2 would be too big of a jump mechanically compared to G1, this exists. I'm sure you could use it if you liked, and certainly there is a Genre of Grognard who would be kinda tickled at the thought of finding "lost content" for el classico GDQ.

Next week, we cover G2, which was also in July. So was G3! They're triplets!

#1e #chronotsr #dnd #dungeons and dragons #tsr #ttrpg #g1 #against the giants #gary gygax #adnd

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yourecitten · 7 hours

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I am an insecure and average person. I have a hard time manifesting sp, because I try and some of them have girlfriends or never talk to me. On the other hand, I think I don't belong at all to the standard of beauty, which is why pretty boys don't notice me. I tried with affirmation tapes a couple of weeks ago, but I see the 3d and it's overwhelming. My sp was dating the most popular girl and everyone is dying for her, she is antonymous to who I am physically. I don't know how to feel, I'm already tired and sad, I wanted to manifest being as famous as malena and attract everyone. But I don't know, it just doesn't happen. And it depresses me to know that life goes on like this and my self-esteem is low. Thank you for reading me dear

well i know it must be hard at the moment but basically, the loa is about being the person who has their desires. So from now on you going to assume ( assume means , suppose something without physical proof) that you are that bitch , you are def the standard beauty. Walk , act like that person , be confident and literally thats's it.;)

#self concept #law of assumption #manifesting #loa blog #loassumption #manifestation #loassblog #law of manifestation #loa #affirm and persist

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davidchiemcore · 3 months

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transcript for DRDT Prologue Episode Three

Teruko: Why don’t we talk to that person next?

Xander: Hello there, we–

Arturo: Arturo Giles, Ultimate Plastic Surgeon. That’s what you want out of me, right?

Ultimate Plastic Surgeon - Arturo Giles

Arturo: We both have made sufficient introductions, so I’ll be taking my leave now.

Xander: Whoa, wait. Why are you leaving so soon?

Arturo: You two are far beneath my standards and are not worth my time, that’s why.

Xander: Excuse me?

Teruko: Erm, what standards are you talking about?

Arturo: Tch. Do I need to spell it out any more for you two?

Arturo: You two are ugly. And I don’t talk to ugly people. So get out of my sight.

Xander: …

Xander: …I’m confused.

Arturo: What is there to be confused about? I made my point perfectly clear.

Xander: Your standards for talking to people is based on their physical attractiveness? That doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Xander: Also… I’m not that unattractive. I’m not, right, Ms. Teruko?

Teruko: …It’s okay, Xander.

Xander: Wait, what’s that supposed to mean??

Teruko: Anyway, Arturo, you said your talent was Plastic Surgeon? I guess to an extent, it would explain why you’re focused on physical beauty so much.

Teruko: But going as far to say that you won’t even talk to people you think are unattractive is, how do I say, ridiculous.

Teruko: Do you possibly think that you’re so astonishingly attractive that you think you’re above us?

Arturo: Ugh, making me explain things to you… This is why I hate interacting with the hoi palloi.

Arturo: It doesn’t matter what I look like. After all, in the end we are nothing compared to those people.

Teruko: “Those people”?

Arturo: Yes, indeed… Those people… THose celebrities, actors, idols, who adhere so strictly to a beauty code and who have sacrificed everything for their appearance.

Arturo: That upper class who has attained a higher form with their perfect standards of beauty… Their elegant forms! Their stunning grace! Everything about beautiful people is so heavenly!

Arturo: Indeed, compared to those otherworldly gods, average people like us are merely a lower caste meant only to idolize them!

Arturo: That is the true purpose of my talent. I am only meant to serve those who are beautiful, help them attain even more magnificent forms!

Teruko: …

Xander: …

Teruko: Xander, we’re talking to a lunatic. I don’t have any clue what he’s even talking about. I think we should leave, right now.

Xander: Hey, no backing down, Ms. Teruko. Besides, we’re trying to gather information, remember?

Teruko: Something about this guy just makes me want to stay as far away from him as possible.

Xander: Hey, Mr. Arturo.

Arturo: Oh. I forgot I was still talking to you. What do you want?

Xander: First of all, can you stop talking about “attractive people?”

Xander: Second of all, do you know anything about our current situation?

Arturo: First of all, no.

Arturo: Absolutely not. Secondly…

Arturo: Hmm. All I can say is, the infirmary seems abnormally well stocked.

Arturo: Normally, an infirmary for a regular building would not contain surgical supplies, partly because there are not many people who are trained to use them.

Xander: The medical bay has that sort of equipment? I didn’t see anything like that; it must have been in storage.

Xander: Has whoever brought us here anticipated that there would be a surgeon amongst us and brought the necessary equipment?

Teruko: The alternate explanation is that whoever made this place expected that, for whatever reason, we’d be seeing a lot of serious injuries in the future.

Arturo: The latter explanation seems more likely. After all, there is quite a variety of equipment that would serve no use for cosmetic surgery, which is my speciality.

Arturo: …Not that two peasants like you would know anything about it. Run along now and leave me be.

Xander: Peasants? Is that really how he views others?

Teruko: I think I’m starting to slowly understand his worldview the more I talk to him.

Teruko: …No I don’t!! Just what on earth is he going on about??

Xander: If something goes wrong, it’d be useful to have someone like Mr. Arturo around who has medical training.

Teruko: It’s just that…

Teruko and Xander: I wouldn’t want this creep to operate on me!

Teruko: Next person is…?

Levi: Hello. Do you two wish to introduce yourselves to me, now?

Xander: That’s right.

Xander: I’m Xander Matthews, the Ultimate Rebel. And this is Ms. Teruko Tawaki, the Ultimate Lucky Student.

Levi: Hmm, it seems like you’re trying to create a striking appearance with your style of dress but are mostly wearing accessories on top of a school uniform. Do you come from a private school?

Xander: Oh, right, this uniform. It’s my old boarding school’s uniform. It’s pretty lame.

Levi: On the contrary, I think it accentuates your personality well.

Levi: You are trying to make use of whatever clothing or style is forced upon you by society and altering it to create something new and original.

Levi: Just from your clothing alone, I can tell that you are an unorthodox person who doesn’t like to be constrained by rules but knows how to make use of what he’s been given.

Xander: Whoa! You can tell that much by my clothing? That’s incredible! Who are you, anyway?

Levi: Ah, my apologies. I was so focused on analyzing you that I neglected to introduce myself.

Levi: I am Levi Fontana, the Ultimate Personal Stylist. It’s a pleasure to meet you.

Ultimate Personal Stylist - Levi Fontana

Xander: Ah, guess that explains why you know so much about clothes. No wonder you seem like such a cool person. I suppose someone like you knows everything there is to know about style.

Levi: I don’t wish to mislead you into thinking that I am an expert in my field. I am actually a novice when it comes to fashion.

Levi: The truth is, I only turned towards this talent recently. I was quite a different person in my past…

Levi: Although that is not something I wish to discuss, my apologies.

Teruko: He turned his gaze to me.

Levi: As for you…

Levi: Oh, dear.

Teruko: Ah, geez. Are you going to talk about my outfit now? I know that I’m probably dressed a little too shoddily for my first day of school. I probably look like a mess.

Levi: No, it’s not that.

Levi: Judging from your battered outfit and your bandages, you seem like a person who gets injured very frequently.

Levi: I’m very sorry. I don’t know whatever circumstances you were in prior to our meeting, or what caused those injuries of yours. It’s a real shame.

Levi: As long as I am your classmate and acquaintance, I will do my best to keep you safe from now on.

Teruko: A–ah, that’s incredibly nice of you. Thank you so much.

Levi: If there is anything the two of you need, just let me know and I will be happy to help to the best of my abilities.

Xander: I’m relieved; it turns out that Levi’s an incredibly nice person.

Teruko: Right. I wonder what happened in his past, though? He brought it up but didn’t elaborate.

Teruko: It’s probably best not to pry.

Teruko: Hello there.

Ace: Huh? The fuck do you want, bitch?

Teruko: Eh?

Xander: Hey, don’t talk to Ms. Teruko like that. What gives you the right to be so rude?

Ace: What gives you the right to talk to me in the first place, asshole?

Xander: You’re being the real asshole here!

Ace: You wanna fight??

Teruko: …I think this is only going to escalate unless I step in.

Teruko: We don’t want to start a fight, okay?

Teruko: Well, I don’t want to start a fight. Xander may be halfway there already.

Teruko: My point is, I just want to know your name and talent, and maybe a little bit about yourself? We have no negative intentions, I assure you.

Ace: Why should I tell you who I am? Why exactly do you deserve this information, huh?

Levi: His name is Ace Markey. He is the Ultimate Jockey.

Ace: Why did you tell them that–OH GOD IT’S YOU

Ultimate Jockey - Ace Markey

Teruko: Oh! A jockey. That explains–

Teruko: –nothing. By the way, Levi, did you do something to Ace? He seems quite frightened of you.

Levi: I assure you I have not done anything, at least to my knowledge.

Ace: Bullshit! You’ve been watching me ever since I got here! You’re probably, like, planning to beat me up or something!

Levi: I have been watching you because you have tried to start a fight with every single person that has talked to you thus far, and I would like to avoid the chance of an actual fight breaking out.

Ace: Are you just making things up? When is the last time I even did such a thing?

Xander: Are you kidding me? Just now, you had asked me if I wanted to fight.

Xander: Which, by the way, I’m perfectly willing to accept.

Ace: EEYAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

Ace: W–W–Wait, don’t come over here, I was just kidding! Please don’t actually fight me! Y–You look so scary, holy shit, get away from me!!

Xander: So, you talk louder than your fists, huh? You’ve been rude to us this whole time, but the moment you face any sort of consequences you instantly become a coward.

Ace: What was that?!

Levi: Please stop, both of you.

Xander. Tch. I’m not going to get riled up again over the empty words of someone so weak-willed. Besides, it’s clear to me that you’ve got nothing useful to say. Ms. Teruko, let’s leave.

Teruko: Just another minute, Xander. I still want to ask some more questions.

Xander: Suit yourself.

Teruko: …Xander sure is way too serious about this sort of thing.

Ace: What the hell do you want with me?

Teruko: Don’t come any closer. If you do, I’ll curse you with my bad luck.

Ace: Wh, wh, what?! Is that really true? S–Stay away from me at all costs! I won’t touch you!

Teruko: Wait, you took that seriously? I wasn’t serious at all. Look, I just want to have a normal conversation without you starting a fight.

Teruko: …A normal conversation standing 10 feet apart. Why did you back up so much?

Ace: How far is far enough?? Don’t come near me!

Teruko: …

Teruko: I just wanted to know why you’re so aggressive, especially when it seems that you’re unwilling to actually have a confrontation.

Teruko: Isn’t it tiring acting like that all the time? Why do you even want to come to this school?

Ace: Oi, speak up. I can’t hear you all the way over here.

Teruko: …

Ace: …Hm? You askin’ why I came to this school?

Ace: To be honest, I didn’t fuckin’ want to!

Ace: I don’t want to be an Ultimate. Hell, I don’t even want to be a jockey!

Ace: I hate horses and racing is so dangerous, it’s terrifying. What if I fell off and broke a bone? What if I died??

Teruko: Um, why are you even here then? You know you could have just… turned down the Academy’s acceptance letter, right…?

Teruko: …He can’t hear me anymore.

Xander: Don’t waste your time with this guy, he’s not going to say anything worthwhile.

Xander: Anyway, what exactly did you say to him? He keeps moving away from you.

Xander: …

Xander: He’s like, on the other side of the room.

Teruko: I just meant to frighten him a little, I really didn’t think he’d take it this seriously.

Xander: A guy like that will get scared by anything that moves.

Xander: Come on, let’s move on.

Min: …

Teruko: This person looks intensely buried in some sort of textbook.

Xander: Hello there.

Min: …

Xander: Hey, do you mind putting your book down so that we can talk to you?

Min: …

Teruko: She looks pretty engrossed. Maybe we should come back later.

Xander: I’m Xander Matthews, and I’m the Ultimate Rebel. This is ms. Teruko Tawaki, the Ultimate Lucky Student.

Teruko: You never give up, huh?

Min: …

Teruko: Uh, I don’t know if she heard us.

Min: …

Xander: Hey! Stop ignoring us! We’re not going to leave until you give us an introduction, you know!

Teruko: She slams her book shut.

Min: Hmph. Alright, I understand.

Min: I’d really prefer not to be disturbed when I’m in the middle of reading, but it seems that you two aren’t going to leave me alone.

Min: I am called Min Jeung, the Ultimate Student. It’s nice to meet you.

Ultimate Student - Min Jeung

Xander: Ultimate Student, eh? Any relation to your talent, Ms. Teruko?

Teruko: I don’t think there’s any connection between an Ultimate Student and an Ultimate Lucky Student. They just happen to have similar names.

Min: I have finished introducing myself, so…

Teruko: She opens her book and starts reading again.

Xander: Are you kidding me? We’re not done with you, so stop reading! Haven’t you got any respect for your peers?

Teruko: We’ll just ask you one question, and then we’ll leave. What do you know about the situation we're in?

Min: I don’t know anything more than you do. I think if I investigated a little, I could find something out.

Min: But right now, I’m more focused on memorizing this anatomy textbook I found in the medical room.

Xander: Wait a minute. Memorizing?? I’m probably nowhere near as smart as you, but that still looks way too dense!

Min: I can handle it. In a day, I could probably fully memorize the contents of multiple textbooks like this one.

Teruko: That’s incredible. I guess you are the Ultimate Student for a reason.

Xander: Well, that’s not what’s important here.

Xander: You woke up in a mysterious place with all your classmates, not knowing how you got here or what’s going on, and your first instinct is to start… studying?

Xander: I understand that you are the Ultimate Student, but still…

Min: You may disapprove, but it’s a simple fact that I must be constantly working to hone my talent in order to maintain it.

Min: Every single bit of free time I get is an opportunity that I can and should be using to do something productive. That is the only way I can maintain my position as the Ultimate Student.

Min: My school performance cannot be anything less of perfection. That’s the work ethic I live by.

Xander: I would understand if you were studying towards a specific profession, or a particular purpose in life. But just to keep your grades up?

Xander: Do you do anything else in your free time, other than cram?

Min: Sometimes I sleep.

Xander: Do you have any hobbies?

Min: I participate in various clubs.

Xander: Do you have any friends??

Min: Yes, I–

Min: I don’t need to prove myself to you! Just why do you think you have the right to pry into my life, anyway?

Xander: This is messed up.

Xander: See, Ms. Teruko? This is what I mean when I say society is messed up. We’re teaching people that the only thing that matters are useless rankings or grades, not actual talents.

Xander: And for what, to raise an entire generation of kids who can’t even see in front of their own faces, much less their futures?

Min: I can see through my bangs just fine.

Teruko: I think she’s missing the point.

Xander: What do you plan to do after you graduate? What good is memorizing a bunch of meaningless things once you needn’t take tests anymore?

Xander: Have you ever even thought of your own life outside of school??

Min: …

Teruko: She went back to reading.

Teruko: Xander… You may have good intentions in mind, but I don’t think lecturing strangers about how their talent and lives are pointless is necessarily the right thing to do right now.

Xander: Oh.

Xander: Well, when you put it like that… I guess I did come off as too rude.

Xander: Sorry. I just get so worked up over these things; it’s hard to stay calm when I do.

Teruko: You’re a lot to handle.

Teruko: Why don’t we just move on to the next person, then?

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #drdt transcript

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ratsoh-writes · 1 year

Note

S/O tells skele that they sometimes wish his giant pp was smaller

How do the boys of your choice respond to this

Hdhdhdhd thanks to gonny for always delivering. Under the cut obviously for spice~

Sans: he laughs when SO first tells him that. Sans is perfectly average, not tiny of course, but he’s not huge either. He’ll wink and make the standard set of dick jokes though. He’s of course assuming SO is just messing with him. “Heh, not my fault I like to dick around~”

Papyrus: he stares at SO blankly for a few seconds, clearly trying to decide if this is a joke or a genuine complaint. Then he breaks out into a smug grin. “THATS WHAT LUBE IS FOR MY DEAR SMALLER THAN AVERAGE DATEMATE!”

Star: he giggles and playfully shoves SOs shoulder. “YOU SEEMED TO LIKE IT LAST NIGHT! MWEHEEHHEHE” this smug b*stard takes this as an invitation to flirt with his SO now.

Honey: he takes them seriously. His face flushes orange and he puts his face in his hands embarrassed. “…… I can’t fix that, I’m so sorry-“

Red: this guy takes it as a compliment and seems to sit up a bit straighter at SOs “complaint” lol. “If y’ don’t wanna be sore, y’ gotta tell me to slow down doll~”

Edge: he gets a faint blush on his face not expecting that of all things to come out of his SOs mouth. “SMALLER?? AREN’T PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE OPPOSITE???”

Mal: he doesn’t even look up from his morning paper as he retaliated lol. “AND I WISH YOU LASTED LONGER ON IT BUT WE ALL CANT HAVE WHAT WE WANT”. … maybe wait for him to have his morning coffee first

Cash: he cackles at SOs comment and they sigh internally. He’s never gonna let this go. Never ever. “Nyehehehhehe oh darling you’re gonna regret those words~”

Oak: his eyelight quivers in worry and his SO feels him do a soul check on them. He fiddles with his hoodie string as he asks: “ I’m not hurting you am I?” Oh no, he’s worried, better reassure him.

Willow: this is like one of the worst things you could say to him. Being a massive eight foot tall guy, willow is super anxious about being too big for his SO. He is pretty well endowed after all lol. He may laugh it off as a joke, but he’ll be going over that comment in his head for ages

#suggestive #very suggestive #undertale imagines #undertale headcanons #undertale #swapfell #underswap #underfell #horrortale

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bitchesgetriches · 1 year

Note

Hey bitches,

I'm 26, almost 27, and I don't have a savings, IRA, investments, anything. The reason for this is because I was very suicidal for a very long time, so I just didn't see the point of saving or making plans for the future, let alone retirement. I ended up moving back in with my parents because I didn't feel safe living on my own or with people who weren't family. It's only a few months ago that my mental health changed for the better, and ironically, now the fact that I am so far behind everyone else my age causes my depression and anxiety to worsen. Fortunately, finances is something that I know I can do something about, I just... don't know where to start.

Currently, I'm busy paying off student loans, so while I have a savings account, I don't put much into it. My job is fantastic in regards to work environment and coworkers and validating that I'm good at something - it definitely helped me find a will to live again - but it doesn't have benefits and it pays far below the national average for this position. I know finding a new job will help the money + moving out front and maybe even the IRA thing, because don't a lot of employers match what you put in there? But I'm admittedly reluctant/scared to job hunt again, because the jobs I had before this one were horrible and made my mental health issues even worse. I have a Bachelor's degree and everything, but since I was so suicidal all throughout university and up until a few months ago, I just... didn't bother looking into internships or anything, so this is my first job in my actual field. I don't know if it's bad to stay at a job that doesn't have benefits or pay too well while I'm still getting my feet under me and figuring out what life is like when you actually, you know, want to live it. And I know that you are not mental health professionals, so I don't know if you have any input there or not.

But generally speaking, when it comes to finances, I'm just... Not sure where I'm supposed to be. How much should a 26/27 year old have saved? Or in an IRA? Or in investments? And how do you balance all those things while paying for yourself to live on your own? Is it bad to stay somewhere that you know pays well below the national average while you're still figuring this life thing out, and then job search again later, when you feel steadier? Or is that shooting yourself in the foot?

I know this is a lot. Like I said, I'm kind of starting from zero in my late-20s pretty much, so... I don't even know where to start or what to focus on. Retirement, maybe? No idea. But any input/advice/articles you want to share would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for all that you do!

Honeybee... we are SO gd proud of you for staying alive. True--we're not mental health professionals! But we understand mental health struggles and how drastically they can affect your finances. So this is your official permission to forgive yourself for falling behind on money achievements while you were literally battling your own brain for the will to live. That is HUGE. You survived. Don't feel any guilt for that.

Next, stop thinking in terms of where you "should be" at your age. You're starting late by society's standards, and that's society's problem, not yours. Here is our advice on where to get started right now, at your stage regardless of age:

The Financial Order of Operations: 10 Great Money Choices for Every Stage of Life

#tw: suicide #tw: suicidal #mental health

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rubberduckrobin · 11 months

Text

Dreams of the future.

Pairing: Simeon X GN!Reader

Summary:

“ My heart beats out of my chest for them and I just can’t help it. Is it love?”

Y/N has been invited over for a sleepover at Purgatory hall, with Luke, Solomon and Simeon, but Simeon struggles concealing his newfound feelings for them….

Read Simeon’s perspective as he falls deeper in love with them…

Word Count: Around 4k

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49380574/chapters/124613413

Author's note: Heyyy, idk what to say…um….yeah. 🤷‍♂️ Enjoy reading!

TW: Nothing I can think of.

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Part 1: My heart is beating and I know why.

I didn’t get a good night's sleep last night. I guess the issue was anticipation. I have to admit it, I'm so excited. Luke has been so pumped up for this sleepover and I suppose it’s rubbed off on me…

The more I think about it, the more I can’t think at all; all of the words inside my head seem to jumble to form images of what may be the future or what may not be; and I just have to sit there an comfort myself that i’m not going to make a fool of myself in front of them.

Y/N was invited. Is that the reason that whenever I think about it, it's with not only feelings of excitement but also fear? Are they the reason that my heart pounds whenever I think of them staying over, or just the thought of them at all?

I don’t know much about love. In the Celestial Realm, all I knew was to value kinship above everything else. Not once have I felt the sensations I felt, to quite the extent, from just standing near them.

My heart beats out of my chest for them and I just can’t help it. Is it love? I didn't notice these feelings until the idea of the sleepover came up. It was Luke's idea to plan this, and looking back on my motives to go along with it, I now realise that I agreed with the sole purpose of getting to spend more time with Y/N.

It’s unusual how I was so blind to the sensations I felt in my body before. How could I have not noticed my strong longing to hold them in my arms, intertwine our fingers, pepper them with soft kisses.

It’s foolish, I know. Solomon told me the same. He’d noticed long before me, and I only just noticed this now. He’d told me that it was obvious that I held a special place in my heart for Y/N, and that I was a fool in love who didn’t know yet. He said it teasingly, but perhaps it was right.

Perhaps I'm really falling for them. Or perhaps I already have. I’m not used to this. How can I remember what I felt like before? It's like when you're sick, the sensation prevents you from remembering what it's like to be healthy. Oh, that would make more sense of the expression “lovesick” then. I guess I'll need a doctor, hehe.

The doorbell is ringing…my heart is pounding…

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Part 2: I can no longer think without a thought of you.

Luke, Solomon and I welcome them at the door and seeing their smile makes me feel more at ease, remembering how many other days they had spent at Purgatory Hall. Not overnight, however, but it surely can’t be too much of a difference; even though they will be sleeping over, they will be sleeping in Luke’s room once we are all tired enough to declare the night’s events over.

I realise that (in a hidden disappointment ) perhaps it's best that Solomon and I retreat to our own rooms. Luke may be an angel who has lived for more than the average human does, but he is still a child in angel standards, and being an angel alone can also put someone at ease, so I'm sure Y/N would be more comfortable sleeping with just Luke. Luke is overjoyed, of course. He’s really taken a liking to them, and I think he sees them as his best friend. This is the happiest I've seen him and I'm glad.

I wonder how Y/N charms so many people. Solomon has been stolen by their charms too, and being honest, it makes me jealous. He’s much more forward and flirtatious than I am and sometimes I just have to hope that Y/N hasn’t fallen for him before me. If I even had a chance, that is.

If there’s even the slither of possibility that whenever Y/N sees me their heart beats at the same rapid pace as mine, and that they feel jittery at just the slight brush of our shoulders, then perhaps maybe I would indulge in a more open expression of my feelings for them.

When my eyes meet theirs I see the realm of possibility that they share my feelings. But when they look away, I can see it shatter, and I can feel the thumping in my heart when they tell me that they can’t accept how I feel for them, outcasting me. Neglecting me for Solomon, perhaps.

Yet again, my heart doesn't allow this, and desperately tries to pull me closer to them, my lips to part and for me to just…say it. Tell them that i've never felt this way about someone before. Tell them that I want to hold them in my arms, intertwine our fingers and pepper them with soft kisses. Tell them that I don’t want them to smile at Solomon, or Luke, or anyone else, only me, and that we would dance in my dreams forever.

We’ve now made it into the kitchen. Of course, all of the previous thoughts were momentary, however not once has it escaped the back of my mind.

Luke says “Do you guys want to bake cupcakes for our first activity? I brought the ingredients!”

I catch a glance at Y/N and they seem eager, so I reflect that on myself too, hoping that they could find the similarity between us, and want to search for more.

We start to prepare. Luke preheats the oven. I start to crack the eggs that had been left out to set while I watch in the corner of my eye Y/N and Solomon, too close for my own comfort, and they smile at each other and my heart hurts. They take out the ingredients from the fridge and their hands meet as my own clench, not in anger, but regret in knowing I haven't been working hard enough to have a closer bond with Y/N.

I tell myself I'm getting too worked up and need to focus on just having a good time.

So I do just that.

When we are all mixing the ingredients in the bowl, I take the opportunity to ‘flirt’ a little with Y/N. I put my hand in the flour bag and as I took it out, I flicked it on their face. They flinch a little and I start to feel bad, but then I notice that beautiful smile of theirs again, and it gives me courage to keep going - I grab a bigger amount of flour and chuck it at them, but of course not too much to waste it, and this time it ends up all over their face, including right to the tip of their nose, and I find it absolutely adorable. So much as to stupidly comment on it:

On the tip of my tongue, the words slip out and I catch myself saying “you're so cute” mid-way from what seems to be a giggle.

I didn’t intend to make things awkward but an inevitable solitary gap follows. In order to ease the awkward tension, I laugh and scratch at the nape of my neck.

Solomon notices and joins along too, taking some flour and throwing it at me. I inhale the powder and sneeze a little.

“Revenge” he says, with that classic, seductive smirk. If I hadn’t fallen for Y/N first, I'd probably be head over heels for this man.

Luke joins in with the fun too, and takes a dainty amount of flour, presumably not to waste any more, and throws it at Solomon. Solomon turns around and pulls a fake angry face, but Luke takes it a bit too seriously and gulps. I notice this so I step out and gave him a good pat on the head to let him know we were just playing, but little did he know that I had flour all over my hand!

Solomon points this out, we laugh and by the time the cupcake mixture is in the mould, I had forgotten my negative thoughts from earlier.

Y/N still has a bit of flour on their cheek…I lick my finger subconsciously and wipe it off…

Thank the celestial realm that no one else saw…well, except for Y/N…they turn away and their face reddens…I'm worried I may have made them uncomfortable, or even angry.

“Oh…! I-I’m sorry.”

But before I can catch their response, everyone's attention turns to the oven as it pings, letting us know that the cupcakes are ready.

“Guys guys! Look~! They look great don’t they!” Luke exclaims while taking them out of the oven. The cupcakes are a sort of golden-brown colour and they look absolutely delicious.

“Shall we decorate them?” Solomon suggests. I have to agree that they do seem plain.

I turn to Y/N who seems to have decided to ignore what happened, and me in the process, and they seem pretty enthusiastic to decorate the cupcakes.

And I now feel the same.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Part 3: Setting the mood.

It’s been a long day.

I’m not necessarily tired, but it seems as though Luke definitely is - he dozed off within the first few hours of our film marathon. So, we have decided to move to my room, so we don't disturb him.

Once we get there, Y/N immediately makes a beeline towards my bed, and I can’t help but blush. Seeming relaxed, they leap onto it and sigh. I’m glad they don’t feel self-conscious about the fact that they are in my room for the first time.

“Oh…sorry! I see a bed and I run to it, haha…” They go to stand up but I assure them it's fine, and it's exactly what we were doing in Luke's room in order to watch the film on Solomon’s D.D.D.

We all sit on my bed, and lie down with Solomon in the middle, phone in front of us. Every now and then, my eyes drift towards Y/N from across us, and I see them intently watching the movie. I’m not too keen on this sort of movie, but it was their suggestion so Solomon and I thought we should try it; don’t get me wrong, it’s not too bad, but i’d rather admire Y/N…I didn’t intend for that to be creepy in any way, but i suppose it does seem like that.

The film has ended now, and Solomon gets up and stretches. Through a yawn, he says “I’m starting to feel knackered, so I’m gonna go to bed early. Although, I do have a film recommendation for you!”

“But won’t you want to watch it too?” Y/N makes a good point. I sense an ulterior motive to what Solomon is doing…

“Nah. I’m good. I’ve seen it too many times to count. Let me know what you think in the morning. Good night!” And with a casual wave, he’s gone to his room.

That sly sorcerer. I know what he’s doing. You can already tell by the title of the film: it’s a romance.

However, Y/N seems eager to try, and I'm not tired so I suppose I'll do it for them…

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Part 4: Romance movies set the mood. How I would like to kiss you…

We are mid-way through the film now, watching on my D.D.D now, of course, and the romantic progressions are starting to show. The main character has finally admitted their feelings for him, but he is oblivious to his own. (I’m starting to see why Solomon chose this one specifically…)

Now…she kisses him. I shuffle in my position. I’m starting to feel a bit awkward sitting next to Y/N, and my heart starts to beat faster than it was before. I wonder if they feel the same way.

Maybe I should just tell them. In fact…I will.

As the kissing scene gets more passionate, I sneak a glance at them…

They are fast asleep.

I don’t mean to think this in an unsettling way, but they are even beautiful when they sleep…I watch the rise and fall of their breath, only for a moment, despite it feeling like eternity. They look so peaceful. I wonder what they are dreaming of. Of me? Or of a blank canvas.

I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to tell them how I felt. There’s always tomorrow, I guess.

I turn off my phone and we are submerged in darkness momentarily before my eyes adjust. I carefully get off the bed in order not to disturb them, and I just stand there a moment. Only for a moment, I see what could be. I see my hand in theirs, their heart for mine.

I cover them with my duvet.

As much as I wished I could sleep beside them, I know that it would be inappropriate. Despite the fact that they look so cosy and warm, I must fight my desperacy to stay beside them.

I try to settle on my settee, ready to sleep.

I eventually drift into a light slumber…

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Part 5: I’m ready to sleep, knowing i’ll see you in my dreams.

Even in my vacancy of consciousness, my mind still wanders to the thought of them. Their smile, their laugh…

When I close my eyes I think of them, I dream of them. I see them in idle scenarios made of coffee shops and dancing in the rain. They make me feel as though I am in a dream in itself, never wanting to wake up from my lovesick acoma.

My dreams are of what I could have said or done with them, but they are also made of what could possibly be. Dreams of the future.

In the darkness of my shut eyelids I see their silhouette in colours; colours of beauty and gold. I find myself tracing the outer lines of their shadows that stayed with me from the day and the remnants of memories that I spent with them.

Solomon is right…I do hold a special place in my heart for them.

I think I love them.

I love Y/N…

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Part 6: Hazy mornings, hazy dreams.

I wake up - there’s no way to tell whether it's daytime, being in the Devildom and all.

It’s difficult to see, so I tumble off…oh. Right. I slept on my settee. That explains the sudden back ache I have. After I'd lazily slumped off, rubbing my hazed eyes, I stretched a little, and a yawn escaped me.

I go to check the time on my D.D.D when I hear a noise…

“Simeon…”

From under the constraint of my duvet, I can hear their faint lethargic breaths. Y/N seems to still be asleep.

I’ve only just taken in what I had just heard…my name?

I must be mistaken.

But I heard it again. This time, louder and clearer, as though they knew I was trying to listen. Or maybe because they were calling out for me.

Does this mean…they are dreaming of me, too?

Tell me universe, is this a sign? I don’t believe my own heart when it tells me it is. I suppose I can’t trust anything but their own words.

If they are dreaming of me, I wonder what it’s about.

“I…”

Hm…? I listen intently to see if they add anything.

“I really love…”

Love? They love what?

“Please…”

No no, Y/N…finish…I subconsciously make my way towards my bed, and sit on the end. I look at their face; before admiring their features as I normally do, I notice that their expression is content, in a light smile.

“Come closer…”

For a second, I almost believe that they are talking to me.

Perhaps I should stop listening…

“Simeon…?”

Oh lord.

“Why am I in your bed? …oh yeah. Um…thank you…wait…where did you sleep?!”

They leap up suddenly, and it makes me jump a little. I can feel my cheeks heat up at just the thought of what they were implying.

“O-oh! No, I slept on my settee. I promise.”

I hold out my pinkie to them.

“It’s alright…”

And for a moment, I swear they say under their breath, the words I wanted to hear…“I wouldn’t have minded”, but maybe it was my imagination at work again.

They rise out of my bed and I get up to turn on my bedside lamp.

“Thanks.”

We are both wearing the same clothes as last night. Luke was the only one who had put on pyjamas, the rest of us had just remained in our lounging clothes.

Y/N gasps, seemingly looking at their reflection on the camera app of their D.D.D (how did they even get it to face them? i’m not good with technology…).

I take a sudden fleeting moment to look at them under the warmth of the light and I notice their horrendous bed hair…not that it makes them look bad, of course, I'd never even dream it possible…but the hair itself has become so tangled it creates an almost abstract appearance that I’d deem it an entire otherworldly being…okay, that was an exaggeration, but their reaction compliments my description well.

I have a sudden thought. Whilst they are checking their D.D.D notifications, I swiftly open my drawer and retrieve my comb. I remove my own stranded hairs from it, discard them and approach Y/N.

With sudden confidence, I catch their attention by tapping them lightly on the head with the comb.

“Here, you can borrow this.” I say with a polite smile, and they turn to me and my confidence vanishes in an instance. And there it is, their smile…

“…oh! Thanks, Simeon. True lifesaver, I forgot mine.”

I watch them put their D.D.D down and struggle to get the knots out of their hair.

“Um…Y/N…would you like some…help?”

How I would love to brush their hair. I guess sometimes my thoughts escape my mouth before I even realise it.

After some consideration, they say “…yes.”. I’d imagined the opposite. I’m relieved.

They hand me the brush and sit on my armchair and I think to myself “Good heavens…why is my heart beating so fast? I’ve brushed Luke’s hair before and it was alright. Although I suppose the circumstance is different, seeing as I consider Luke a younger brother.

And Y/N…well…I’m hoping I’ll someday have the ability to consider them something more than just a friend…and maybe, that day will be today, if I regain the courage I had last night.

As I stroke through their hair with my comb, we remain in a comfortable silence.

I get the sudden feeling that perhaps now I should tell them. They would be leaving soon, and I most likely wouldn’t be seeing them until the next week…

I’m going to do it. I’m going to tell them-

“Hey…Simeon…”

“Um…yes?”

“Did I…snore last night?”

Oh my god, why did they have to do that to me - I thought my heart would burst out of my chest there and then!

But now I notice my own disappointment and my heart sinks.

Through strained nervous laughter I say, “Haha, no, no you didn't…,” Should I bring up the sleep talking? Too late…”,but you did talk in your sleep…”

“Oh gosh! Really!” They turn to me as I finish off the last section of their hair. I ran my fingers through it to make sure I didn’t miss anything…it’s as soft as I’d thought it would be.

I would say that their hair is one of my favourite things about them..but it’s an impossible choice out of millions of other things…Although, if you’d forced me to pick something of them all, my ultimate favourite would be their smile.

Knowing that they are happy makes me happy. Is that selfish? Or perhaps because it also helps them be their utmost self, showing off their other millions of favourable traits.

“Mhm, yeah…”

“What did I say?! I better not have said anything embarrassing!”

I finish messing around with their hair and go to put my brush in their drawer.

An angel must strive to be honest, so I tell the truth. However, is it okay to admit that I mainly told the truth because I greedily wanted to know what they would say upon hearing that they dreamt of me?

“You…said my name” I nervously rub the nape of my neck again and avoid their gaze, although there wasn’t much left to avoid, as they looked at their feet shyly.

“Wait…really? That’s so embarrassing!”

“If it helps, you didn’t say much other than that.”

“Still!”

They look at me through the dimly lit room, their eyes sparkling and I just melt.

“…do you remember the dream?”

I add a teasing tone slightly, in order not to reveal too much of my interest.

“…no…”

That was definitely a lie; they averted eye contact again…it’s so adorable. However, I still don’t know for sure whether their dream was of the sort I would want it to be…

I won’t push them.

“Anyway, Simeon, how did you sleep?”

I notice that they are trying to change the subject. It shouldn't bother me too much, seeing as they must be doing it because they are uncomfortable, but it irritates me slightly that I will never know what the dream was about.

“That’s very sweet of you, I slept alright, thank you. And you?”

“Um…yes. Very well, thanks. Uhm…I'm sorry I took over your bed last night…”

“No problem. I’m alright with it.”

Before we finish with the conversation…a smell of smoke arises from the halls, and presumably coming from the kitchen.

As though a part of the same mind, we simultaneously scramble outside to find out what's happening…

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Part 7: Why in Celestia did I let Solomon cook?

“Solomon!”

I shout out, half in shock and the other in momentary anger.

“Whoops.”

He slides a cheeky grin as he backs away from the burning pan.

Luke is on the verge of tears and frantically swatting away the smoke with a cookbook.

“It’s alright Luke. Nobody’s hurt, right?”

I observe Solomon and Luke and they don’t seem to have any burn injuries or much affect from the smoke.

Y/N makes a very valid statement of “So, I’m guessing the Devildom don’t have fire alarms? Because of it being hell and all? …Perhaps we should ask Lord Diavolo for a special installation…”

“Good idea.” We need a better warning of Solomon cooking, than smoke. This man…he’s a renowned famous sorcerer, who can do almost anything…but he can’t even fry an egg without creating toxic, hazardous fuel!

“Solomon..step further away fromt he frying pan…that’s it…further…”

Y/N seems to be enjoying this.

It’s a hilarious dilema, I have to admit.

“I was just trying to make breakfast for everyone, but then this happened…”

“How do you manage to do this every time…?” I sigh, knowing that sometimes the impossible is possible with sorcerers.

“No clue. Honestly.”

Luke generously offers to make us a new breakfast, still slightly shaken.

After we finish our luckily non-hazardous breakfast, I sense that Y/N might need to leave soon…

I’ve decided won’t let them until I've told them. Told them how I feel.

Easier said than done, most likely, but I'll try my hardest. Starting…now.

“Hey! Y/N, can we talk for a bit?”

Solomon shoots me an all-knowing glare and discreetly gives a thumbs up. Perhaps I was wrong to be suspicious of him. After all, he’s one of my best friends - he’d only want what's best for me.

“Um…sure!”

Noticing how forward and sudden my suggestion was, I tense a little, but I'm not going to give up just yet.

“…can you come with me?”

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I take them to the garden. I find comfort here, amongst all of the non-judgmental flowers. It also creates a romantic setting, if I were in need of such a benefit…which would be befitting for now.

Amongst the rows of pretty flora, my vision sets on only Y/N under the Devildom’s pale morning moonlight.

Somehow, it makes them even more beautiful.

“What did you want to say, Simeon?”

“I… just wanted to let you know that…”

They sit on the floor under a gazebo, conveniently placed in privacy behind a brush of roses, and I join them.

“I need to tell you this in order to be completely honest with you…I don’t want to mislead myself any longer so I'm relying on an answer, however there is no pressure for one…

I’ve been experiencing feelings that I've never felt before, and I found them in you. I think I’ve fallen for you…”

They’re a little shocked, but under the blue light and the shadows cast by the glare, I see that smile again. The one I’ve made my new joy.

“I feel the same, Simeon.”

My heart flutters but this time it's brought with it a new emotion…of hope.

I’d dreamed of idle scenarios, where Y/N and I would spend our time in coffee shops, dance in the rain, no mind of what others perceive. To hold them in my arms, intertwine our fingers, pepper them with soft kisses.

It will take some time…but perhaps my dreams can come true.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ❀⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ❀⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ❀⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ❀⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ❀⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡

End author’s note: Thank you so much for readinggg! Feel free to send in requests & if you like, lmk if you enjoyed it. Have a great day/night :)

Oh! And a joke before you go…

How do angels greet each other…they say “halo!”

I’ll take my leave… 🏃‍♀️

#fanfiction #fluff #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #ao3 link #x reader #simeon x reader #om! simeon #obey me simeon #obey me #obey me fanfic #obm

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homosexualjavert · 5 months

Note

Hello Javert, man from Montreuil again. Monsieur Fauchelevant despises poor people?! Then how on earth did he take you in...? No matter, I am sure he has his reasons. The Inspector I knew was incapable of telling lies and half-truths, so I suppose I have no choice but to accept this fact. I doubt Monsieur le Maire would have changed so drastically over the years, were he alive. Although I still miss Monsieur Madeleine (or Jean Valjean or whatever his name truly is) and still get the feeling of déjà vu, it is somewhat easier to brush off now. Thank you for assuaging my doubts.

About your coat, I am sure M. Fauchelevant would be charitable enough to purchase another should you ask for it seeing how he bought your current shirt! Perhaps a similar overcoat, but one that is actually tailored to your stature and form rather than a standard issue greatcoat. And maybe a decent dress coat that isn't at least five years outdated. In my completely objective and non-homosexual opinion, I think M. Fauchelevent would benefit greatly from seeing you in clothes that highlight your figure. You have the potential to not be as medium-ugly, Javert! Think of it!

-- M.M. (I hope you are alright with a sign-off for future correspondence.)

I AM NOT POOR! MY INCOME IS AVERAGE FOR SOMEONE OF MY PROFESSION! HE TOOK ME IN BECAUSE HE FELT OBLIGATED TO, THE IMBÉCILE! BECAUSE... UH.. WE ARE FRIENDS!

I... Yes... Lying, that is... Um... Whatever.

As for the coat, I have not yet decided what to purchase. My injury left me both extremely weak and injured, as my left foot has multiple bone fractures, so I have not left his house very much in the last few weeks. It has only been two moths since. I haven't had the opportunity, but I will ABSOLUTLEY not let him buy me one. He has done enough already. But perhaps I will buy a nicer one that is tailored. For no reason in particular. It would just be nice.

AND YOU ARE STILL RUDE, MONSEIUR M.M.!

#les miserables #jean valjean #valvert #cosette #les mis #javert #unknown mm

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dreamyfanfix · 1 year

Text

Chapter 2: It Shouldn't Hurt

Past (2 Years Ago):

Anthony had to admit it. That was the most eventful PTA meeting of all time. After Kate sat down, Portia proceeded to give out more information about the new processes that would be implemented, at Mayfair Girls, at the beginning of the term.

First: The school was going to adjust its classes to meet the standards of their new entries. The classes would now be separated by grade average which meant those who excelled would be able to take AP classes and kids who struggled would be with teachers who were known for explaining better and getting concepts across to struggling kids. Parents were not happy with this but Anthony could see some nodding teachers. The idea that kids would feel less than others was a fear but it became clear that this was also being done by subject as many kids only struggled in one area and the school wanted to make sure the students were well-rounded when they graduated. Anthony, surprisingly, had no problems with this. His sister Francesca had spent so long ignoring some of her subjects that she was behind and catching up was taking up more time than just plain old studying.

Second: All extracurriculars would have reentry tryouts. This one caused the biggest stir in the room as many of the parents in the room bonded over their daughters' mutual extracurriculars. Anthony, again, was actually happy about this. Eloise had been working on her social skills through the break and he hoped that she could have a retry into Debate, Public Speaking and Academic Decathlon.

Third: The school was adding mandatory 'Social Impact' lessons. These lessons funded by a Social Worker most of the time, would be lessons the girls would need in learning about those less fortunate or about social issues of the world. The girls would be volunteering at different organisations for increasing their awareness of social issues again emphasising the need for well-rounded graduates. Anthony thought all the eyes in the room were gonna pop out of their head at the implication of this new lesson plan. Everyone looked surprised, everyone except, Anthony noted, Kate. She sat there with a smug look on her face and Anthony couldn't help but smile, she was enjoying this.

Just then Kate's eyes found his and Anthony felt locked in place by her gaze. He nodded his head in greeting but Kate scowled and immediately went back to listening to Portia.

As parents & teachers dwindled out the door when the meeting ended. Anthony watched as some parents came up to Kate to speak to her. Some of them were congratulatory and offered thanks, others just seemed like they were curious. Kate seemed to handle it all in stride so Anthony hung back, waiting for his turn.

"Quite the entrance there Miss Sharma," Anthony remarked as he walked up to her, Anthony noticed Tom by her side and shook his hand "I'm going to take a guess that this is the lovely girlfriend you were talking about earlier Tom?"

Tom smiled oblivious to Anthony's ogling of Kate "Yes this is her. Is she not amazing?"

"Quite. It seems I am destined to learn that on multiple occasions," Anthony said looking at her properly now.

"Well Lord Bridgerton, how do you feel about the changes to the school mandates?" Kate asked with a quirked brow before Tom could pick up on Anthony's meaning.

"Oh I love them," Anthony said and both Tom and Kate's eyes widened. Anthony smiled "Yeah I think these new processes will help all of our girls including your...?"

"Sister," Tom supplied.

"I think these new processes will help all of our girls, including your sister, be more well-rounded," he looked at her in a challenge.

"Is that so? Cause here I thought you would loathe these changes. I thought people like me and all the parents here today, who took buses and trains to get here should stick to our own schools?" Kate asked sourly.

Anthony's breathing hitched "You weren't supposed to hear that,"

"Why? How could I miss the opportunity for you to proclaim to the entire room how people like my sister have no business schooling with people like your sisters?" she said

"You don't understand-"

"Oh I actually think I do understand Lord Bridgerton," Kate said as she got closer to him, he suspected that Kate being quite tall herself could often intimidate men shorter than her but they were both around about the same height so all it did was bring her face closer to his and Anthony got a whiff of her "You see it seems it is not just the school that has gotten out of touch, it seems the parents and teachers need to start working to meet the standards set by hardworking children like my sister,"

Anthony had to shake his head to get the scent of her out of his mind "If this school is so below your standards, why put in such an effort to get your sister in here?"

"That's what I asked," Tom spoke for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Kate shot him a glare and Anthony felt smug before she spoke "Because a child of excellent schooling history in a fair world would get their pick of schools and that's how things should be," Kate gestured around her "Maybe if the underperforming rich kids and their parents had any self-respect or care for others they would step aside and let those with real goals and ambitions take the lead then the school wouldn't have to lower its standards to meet them,"

"That's a lot of big talk coming from someone whose sister will be enjoying the premium quality of a private school funded by endowments, private donations and exorbitant school fees that I'm sure she is not going to be contributing to,"

"I'm talking big? You literally all buddy-buddy with the Featheringtons as if, despite being in the peerage like yourself, they too are on financial aid," Anthony hesitated, he didn't know that but Kate continued "But I guess a handout isn't called a handout when you have a title,"

Anthony was really frustrated now "Look what does it matter now anyway? Your sister is attending, and the school is changing their mandates. You won,"

"I won I know that much. I'm very good at it if you can recall but I do not like being made to feel like a pariah because I stood up for my sister and did everything I could to get her the best education," Kate was now so close every breath he took he was inhaling her maddeningly distracting scent.

"So I'm supposed to feel bad because I too did all I could for my sisters?" Anthony asked.

"Okay guys you both are good siblings, might want to take a break?" Tom interjected.

It was only then that Anthony noticed that almost everyone had left the room at that point. He looked at his watch and shit, he was late.

On the car ride over to work, Anthony could not help but think about the similarities between him and Kate Sharma. She too was a protective sibling and she clearly loved herself an argument. Despite it all Anthony finally felt like he got a glimpse into who she was and he was curious to know more.

That being said Anthony knew he might have to table those thoughts because she was seeing someone and she clearly disliked him. Despite the intensity of their exchange, Anthony thought staying clear of Kate was a good bet, the idea that they would be at each other's throats for the next few years sounded exhausting and yet compelling but also Anthony felt like getting involved with her would bring up too much introspection about the life he had been living and he was not ready to deal with all of that just yet.

Yeah, he was going to stay far away from Kate Sharma.

------

4 months went by and Mayfair Girls was putting on a recital for performing arts. Select excelling students, like Edwina, had been training for this moment for 2 months. This recital was significant, Edwina had done ballet performances since she had been at Mayfair Girls but this was the first time that a school-wide performance was being put on, especially when she had only been at the school a few short months. Even though Kate felt like Edwina had more than proved she belonged at this school, Edwina felt like this was the first time she could actually shine and Kate was nervous for her sister.

Kate had taken an active role in the school since Edwina's entrance and things had gone relatively smoothly. She did often bump into other parents who were still hostile about the circumstances of their children, things did get a bit tense when the school began to rescind admissions for some students.

The Carrigan twins were the first to go, Vince Carrigan was a prolific alcohol distributor in the country and was thinking of running a campaign for a labour slot. He was not happy when his daughters had to leave the school many thought he would sue but he did not have the grounds so others thought he would use his government connections in the future to change the rules unfortunately, it never got that far. The Carrigans were out and Vince Carrigan was arrested for fraud 2 months after that.

Next to go was Prudence Featherington, this caused quite a bit of gossip because Portia was the head of the PTA.

Up to 5 girls per grade were removed from the school and Kate thought the PTA or someone else would do something to change it but apparently, the shame of not meeting the standards of Mayfair Girls was enough to satiate any possible retaliation from parents. Portia on the other hand was less than friendly whenever she bumped into Kate. Although Kate loved to remind Portia that they were both in the same boat financially so her nose need not be so high in the air. At least Penelope was still at school, she seemed like a smart girl.

None of the girls who left the school were Bridgertons and Kate was finally secure enough to admit that she was relieved. She didn't even believe that Anthony had anything to do with Eloise and Francesca's growing performance despite what she would say in arguments with him.

She doesn't even who starts them anymore. All she knows is that they would get in a room together, eye each other intensely, fake pleasantries and then argue over things. They argued over parking spaces, school uniform, his dating life and her dating life. Anthony loved remarking on her relationship with Tom. Kate hated it. Maybe she did not love Tom but she did not like that despite calling him an old friend, Anthony would mock him. It was not something she liked to see or hear from him. She often wondered if he was jealous but decided against analysing that too much because she was supposed to be staying away from Anthony.

Only they couldn't stay away from each other it seems. Anthony's best friend it turns out: Simon. She remembers when she went with him as his date to an event and was stuck in the middle of their reminiscing of old party days. Kate got quite a bit of insight into how much of a player Anthony was, I mean Simon was too but she knew that. Anthony visibly blushed when Simon brought up the open relationship debacle with Siena. Apparently, despite his being shared, Anthony was not one to share. Kate rolled her eyes at the nerve of it all.

Kate hated herself a bit for wanting to know more. When she and Anthony ended up at the bar by themselves Anthony slid a cosmopolitan in her direction and Kate took it gratefully.

She asked if Siena was a sore spot and he blushed again and said it was complicated. Kate couldn't help herself she asked him if he was still in love with her, and she gazed at her drink the whole time.

Anthony laughed at the question and said "No. I used to think I was but lately, I've been feeling this pull to someone else that can only be attributed to deep devotion. It was never like this with Siena,"

Kate's breathing hitched, she tried to think of people she had heard or seen with Anthony and was drawing a blank. When Kate was with Anthony he tended to be singularly focused on her even if other people were chatting with them. It was exhilarating and dangerous. "Does she know?" Kate asked.

"I thought she would figure it out. I am not exactly being discreet, in fact, my siblings have called me out on it a bunch of times," Anthony said and Kate could feel his eyes on her.

Kate lost the battle she was having with her self-control and looked up at him. Anthony was now gazing at the dancefloor where Anthony's brother, Benedict, was dancing with his boyfriend Henry, in a sweet embrace.

Kate sighed and said "Well I doubt a guy with a title and a pleasing smile would have a tough time getting the woman he adores,"

Anthony looked at her with a giant smile on his face "You find my smile pleasing?"

Kate sighed "Despite being a man who thinks way too highly of himself, I cannot tell a lie,"

"So that is a yes?" Anthony asked inching closer to her.

Kate nodded and giggled at his giant puppy eyes gazing at her "Yes," and then her phone vibrated and Kate saw the message on her smartwatch. It was Tom.

"Don't worry Kate. I won't tell your boyfriend that you pine for me," Anthony said as he made his way away from the bar, from her.

"That's not what I said," Kate said walking after him.

They bickered the rest of the night and Kate felt like crap when she returned home to multiple missed messages from Tom.

Kate snapped herself back into the present and walked into the rented theatre backstage. She had gotten there early and secured a family pass for her and Mary, Kate wanted to wish Edwina good luck before the show started.

I guess Kate was not the only one who had that idea because a couple of parents lingered around backstage helping their girls get ready to perform.

Kate spotted her sister "Edwina,"

"Kate! Over here," Edwina said directing her towards one of the dressing rooms. It seemed Edwina was sharing with Francesca Bridgerton. Kate had reconciled months ago about Edwina's going friendship with Eloise Bridgerton. Both of them were incredible readers and Kate had more than once caught them asleep in the living room, books in hand.

"Hey, you nervous?" Kate asked

"Yes and no. I know I am a good dancer but everyone has bad days, I'm just hoping this isn't one of them," Edwina sighed.

"Bon, you are heads and shoulders above all the other dancers even on your worst days," Kate said hugging Edwina tightly.

"Even during December of last year?" Edwina asked.

Kate visibly shivered "Even then,"

Edwina looked at her, through the dressing room mirror, with scepticism but didn't say anything further.

"Do you need anything before you put on makeup? Water or snacks?" Kate asked.

"No, but you can keep me company for the next hour. Though you are going to have to leave and get to your seat cause you know how mom is terrible at finding her seating,"

Kate nodded, Mary was always losing her place or forgetting her row even when they went to the movie theatre.

A little while later Francesca came in with her makeup done, she was with her older sister Daphne and Anthony. In a lot of ways, Francesca looked like she could be both Daphne and Anthony's child because she looked like a mixture of them both.

The conversation in the dressing room was lively. Kate noted how Francesca was not much of a talker but she got her quips in now again. Apparently, due to the two-per-family rule, Anthony and Daphne had to wrestle with their mother for tickets. Luckily or unlucky their youngest sister, Hyacinth, started vomiting and their mother stayed behind relinquishing her ticket to Daphne.

They talked some more before Daphne said to Kate and Anthony "Why don't you two make your way out and find your seats? I can help the girls finish their makeup,"

Anthony gave Daphne a look she could not decipher and then got up, Kate did too, Mary would be here soon anyway. Kate gave Edwina a light kiss on the cheek and Anthony gave Francesca a kiss on the top of her head. The gesture was sweet it made Kate's heart constrict.

Anthony then led Kate out of the room and down the hallway.

It was quiet while they walked for a bit until Kate finally asked "Hey, did you ever get around to telling your beloved about your feelings,"

Anthony sighed, they were in the seating area now and it was still empty "No, I haven't. There's no point. She's seeing someone,"

Kate’s heart quickened as she realised his implication “Anthony be serious,”

“I am serious Kate. When have I ever not been serious?” Anthony asked.

Kate walked a few steps away from him and Anthony walked a few steps towards her “I’m confused here, Anthony. Last month you called me the 'Bane of your existence,”

“And yet you also the object of all my desires. A maddeningly frustrating combination I tell you,” Anthony spoke and he looked at her with such adoring eyes that Kate felt dumb that she hadn’t noticed his attention before.

“You never said-”

“When was I gonna tell you, Kate? PTA meetings with your mother? Clubs with Simon? When I spot you and Tom on a date?” Kate wondered when the last one could have occurred cause she didn’t remember ever seeing Anthony anywhere she was out with Tom.

Anthony reached for Kate, Kate was going to let him reach her but then her phone rang. It was Mary.

------

Concentrating during this recital was impossible. Anthony had told Kate how he felt and now she sat two rows from him, looking straight ahead. He wondered what she was thinking, what she was feeling. He felt like such a cad because Tom was a good guy, there was a point a couple of months ago when Anthony started to feel bad for slagging him off because Tom was not the problem. Anthony was the problem. He fell in love with a woman with a boyfriend.

He couldn’t even remember when it all started. He remembered first trying to avoid her and then bumping into her at PTA meetings and events. He noticed that when she was around her mother she tried to be on her best behaviour so he started taking joy in baiting her into arguments.

One day he and Kate got into a spat and Mary sent her away to get water.

Anthony felt himself flush when he saw Mary looking at him curiously “You know this is the first time 'the boy pulling on a girl’s pigtails’ story is starting to make sense to me?”

"I don't know what you mean," Anthony said to her.

"Sure, be a dear and tell Kate I went to the ladies," Mary said as she walked away.

Kate came back and Anthony informed her that Mary had gone to the bathroom "You know you and your mom are quite alike in your scrutiny?"

"Sure. Mary is a nurse so she deals with people who have done a whole bunch of weird stuff to their bodies in the hospital. It is quite interesting,"

"Yeah I mean you even look the same. The same discerning eyes,"

Anthony saw Kate go rigid and she said "That would be quite impossible but a nice thought. Mary's my stepmother she married my dad when I was 5 years old. 5 years later Edwina was born. My dad got sick when I was in law school but he didn't want me to take time off to take care of him so I actually doubled down and finished early. He died 3 years ago,"

"I'm sorry. If it's any comfort, it does get easier," Anthony replied.

"How long for you?" Kate asked.

"12 years," Anthony replied. It hadn't even occurred to him how much time had passed.

"Wait isn't your youngest sister 11?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, she was born a few months after his death. It was a tough time," Anthony explained. Usually, he was not forthcoming about his family but gave him a look into her life so he returned the gesture.

"I couldn't imagine. Edwina was a handful but at least she was 13. She could generally take care of herself," Kate responded.

“Yeah, I was the only one above 18 so anything that mother couldn’t do, I did. And there was a lot back then. Signing permission slips, pick-ups, groceries and doctor’s appointments. I kind of think that’s why I’m so organised even now. Despite things running a bit smoother now that everyone is older,” Anthony said only just realising how much he truly had to take care of, Kate put her hand on his arm and Anthony tried to ignore his speeding heart and the heat radiating off of that one spot.

“I mean I only had to worry about the fact that we were one paycheck down. I was still doing courses and training but had midnight shifts at bars and I did a bit of modeling at art studios. Anything and everything to keep us afloat. 13-year-old Edwina did not like having to learn how to take the bus and not being able to go on some school trips but once Danbury Law hired me it was a game changer. A good paycheck, way better than even my dad was providing. We finally could start having nice things again,” Kate said with a twinkle in her eye.

Anthony's heart ached for the Sharmas but mostly for Kate. It never occurred to him how dealing with his father's death would be made much harder if he also was concerned about money. If he needed a babysitter he could pay, if he was desparate he could send a car to pick up his siblings. Tutors, vacations, clothes and cars for Benedict, Colin and Daphne when they all turned 18. He even had his eyes on an electrical car for Eloise when she turned 18. Anthony wondered if anyone had ever actually gotten to spoil Kate like that since her dad had gotten sick and then he remembered Tom.

He remembered every bit of their conversation for weeks.

One night Anthony was drinking at a bar with Benedict when a guy approached him "Hello there cutie, can I get you a drink?"

"No, thanks but see that guy over there who looks similar to me?" Anthony pointed at Benedict dancing.

"Yeah he's like you but taller," The stranger said.

"He'll never let me forget it. You can buy him a drink," Anthony said.

Benedict was going through a rough patch and he needed a pick-me-up.

Anthony on the other hand was actually having a peaceful month. I mean he would still argue with Kate when he saw her but the venom in their exchanges had lessened and they would often end their exchanges laughing. Portia had scolded them on more than one occasion during PTA meetings about their giggling interruptions but Kate's takes on Portia's attitude often made him chuckle even sometimes when Kate was not there.

The bartender had come and given the stranger, Henry, his drinks "You sure you don't want anything?"

"Yep, I'm good. Designated driver," Anthony replied.

"You know there's such a thing as Uber, love?" Henry replied.

Anthony chuckled to himself "This is exactly the conversation I was having with Kate the other day. She was giving me shit because I have drivers on stand-by instead of just taking an Uber, even though she only started taking Ubers this year," Henry smiled at him and Anthony continued "She's periodically late to everything now because she never factors in finding a driver time. The other week she was 30 minutes late to the PTA meeting because she let her Uber driver take her to a gas station so he could get snacks. I was like 'He could have kidnapped you' and she actually gasped and said 'Kaseem would never'," Anthony chuckled to himself "You know for a woman who spent her twenties studying the law she sure as hell does not know about the crimes that can happen to her. That being said if it was her sister-"

Henry cleared his throat “Anthony you’ve been talking about your girlfriend for a while now with no break,”

Anthony could feel the heat rising in his cheeks and gulped his bottle of water "Oh Kate's not my girlfriend. She's not even a friend. Besides she's seeing someone,"

"Oh. Oh," Henry said with the second 'Oh' sounding a bit softer and Anthony looked down not being able to stand the look Henry was giving him at that moment.

"We understand each despite not really coming from the same background. Actually, we don't have much in common really, she likes RnB and Jazz and I like Rock music. We really only connect because we are both the oldest," Anthony rambled.

Henry gave Anthony a knowing look and said "Relationships have been built on less," Henry began to walk away and then said "Look, maybe you guys are not endgame but it seems like she's already taking up your time even if it is just mentally. You should go for it,"

"She has a boyfriend," replied.

"Football teams have goalies," Henry replied walking away for real now.

Anthony remembered sitting in the PTA last month, waiting on Kate he wanted to show her pictures from Hyacinth's 12th birthday party. He wanted to show her she was right about Hyacinth loving the idea of a mermaid theme, he would obviously fake contrition but it worked with their dynamic. Anthony looked at his watch and realised Kate was late again, sometimes he wished he could be linked to her Uber account so he could see how far away she was. There was that option on Uber security to let you share your trip with friends and loved ones...

Loved ones.

It hit Anthony like a brick. He knew he was attracted to Kate before he knew her name. He liked their banter but over the last two months, it had become more.

He was in love with her.

Anthony scolded himself for being so stupid. He knowingly fell for a girl that is dating his friend. And even if Anthony gave himself leeway by saying Tom was not a proper friend it still didn't account for the fact that Anthony was sure Kate despised him. She hated everything he stood for. And for the first time in his life, Anthony felt shame. Shameful for throwing his money around everywhere, for treating people with less than like crap and even the idea that even if he got in a relationship he would not know what to do because he had never been in one.

Anthony sat and watched Kate, barely registering the students that went on one by one. Francesca was last as the instrument portion was last and Edwina was after intermission because the dance portion was second. Now Anthony listened as people sang and then a girl got on and she started to sing 'Dancing On My Own' by Robyn only it was a lot more slowed down, this was obviously in the mix of Calum Scott's version. Anthony felt every pang of the lyrics:

"And yeah, I know it's stupid But I just gotta see it for myself

I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh I'm right over here, why can't you see me? Oh And I'm giving it my all I'm not the girl you're taking home, ooh I keep dancing on my own, ah"

At that moment Kate got up and Anthony instinctively did the same.

"Anthony, where are you going?" Daphne asked.

Anthony didn't even stop to look at her when he said "I'll be back just now,"

Anthony felt a bit like a creep following Kate out of the theatre and down the hall. So he decided to call out her name but she just sped up so Anthony did the same.

Anthony finally saw Kate turn into the bathrooms by the dressing rooms. Not exactly main bathrooms but if the dressing room bathrooms were overflowing the performers could come out here and use them. Anthony knew too much about theatres and bathrooms thanks to the plentiful times he has seen Daphne dance.

He stopped at the door. Took a breath and opened it.

------

Present:

Kate sat anxiously with Daphne on their couch waiting and then Simon appeared "So Anthony is stable. Turns out mixing prescription drugs from different psychiatrists is not a good idea,"

Daphne sighed relieved holding her pregnant belly "Thank you, Si. Did my mom say anything else?"

"Just that he is stable. Although she was concerned about how it took so long for anyone to find him," Simon said.

"You know Anthony. He keeps to himself, everything is so close to the chest," Daphne said.

Kate must have had a look on her face because Simon asked "Is there you might know Kate?"

"Not really. You guys know Anthony a lot better than I do," even though Kate's heart was hammering with relief with Anthony's condition she still felt a pain in her chest ever since she heard the news while having breakfast with Daphne and Simon.

"Kate, I don't think that is true," Daphne said.

"I have barely spoken to the man. We broke up over a year ago," Kate said getting heated.

"Yeah but ever since the engagement and wedding it seemed like you guys were at least friendly," Daphne said.

"Ah yes, the baby shower, where he screamed at me for not finding my own family to be a part of. Where he said I ruined his life and that he wished he had never met me. You mean that baby shower?" Kate asked choking up a bit at the end. Kate always thought the decisions she made were for the greater good. Justice and all that. But as she looked at a dishevelled Anthony during Daphne and Simon's baby shower she wondered if all the decisions she had made since she agreed to be Simon's Best Person was hurting Anthony and in turn his family.

"Kate, Anthony did not mean any of those things," Daphne said trying to calm her down.

"Yeah he clearly was going through a tough time and seeing you always hurts him," Simon said.

"Well thanks for the heads up, Simon. I have been hurting him with my presence for the last 7 months now. That information would have been helpful," Kate said now preparing.

"So you could do what? Not be a part of my wedding? So you could not be a godmother to my daughter? Kate I love you and Anthony is my brother now. I was tired of living separate lives with you two," Simon said with pain in his voice.

"Kate, we missed you," Daphne said softly like she was on the verge of tears.

"Maybe it's all for the best Simon. Daphne. Cause you are right Anthony is your brother and you have to prioritise family," Kate said as she left giving them no space to answer her.

She was sad, heartbroken and overwhelmed without even thinking she drove and drove until she was outside Mayfair private hospital.

#the crazy rich viscount who loved me #anthony bridgerton #bridgerton #kathony #kanthony #kanthony fanfic #anthony x kate #kate x anthony #kate sharma

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