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pyramidofmice · 2 years ago

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tell us your fluffy gary hc 👀 ps that blank!steve carries a guitar is so important to me ;;

YES! I am NUTS about blank!Steve and his guitar.

Okay, here's a catch-all of my happy Gary thoughts!! :)

1) Gary had a private journal where he wrote poetry and song lyrics. It was very special to him. Gary and his friends often doodled or wrote on each other’s worksheets during class, and Gary saved his favorites in a sleeve on the inside of the journal’s cover. When the sleeve was full, Gary slid the papers between the pages like bookmarks.

2) Gary tried to look out for Peter, mainly by hanging around when Peter was scheduled to be in the same classes/places as Shane.

3) Gary and Andy hung out at Andy's house all the time. They knew each other before secondary, so Gary was a familiar part of the Knightley household.

4) On many school days, Gary would come home with Andy and spend a while there before going to his own house. If Gary had missed sleep, Andy would let him sleep in his bed while Andy himself did homework.

5) After the events of the movie, Gary is a father figure to his blank squad (whom I have dubbed the blank musketeers). I like the idea that he understands their feeling of being lost. Gary tries his best to give them the guidance and comfort he wishes he'd had growing up.

6) Gary encourages the blank musketeers as they form their own identities. Eventually, he doesn't even slightly think of them as copies of his friends, because he's gotten to know the blanks for who they've become.

7) Gary LOVED Mr. Shepherd's class. Partly because all of the boys had it at the same time, partly because Mr. Shepherd taught in a way that Gary enjoyed, and partly for the content itself. Gary became enthralled by the grandeur and sincerity of the texts they read. Some of that is due to Mr. Shepherd putting effort into making the material interesting and engaging for Gary, which most teachers never tried to do.

8) Gary's experience in Mr. Shepherd's class contributed to his occasional use of fancy antiquated words as an adult, despite a lack of general knowledge about literature (The Three Musketeers, King Arthur, etc).

9) Steve and Gary made each other a few mixtapes. Sometimes they’d play them in The Beast while hanging out with the guys, but sometimes they’d listen for the first time at home and talk about it the next day at school.

10) Gary and Andy had a tradition of eating their Halloween candy together. When they got too old for trick-or-treating, they would buy themselves cookies, as well as take the leftovers of what their parents had bought for trick-or-treaters.

11) I believe that Gary had a soft spot for Peter. I mean, really, he calls him the baby of the group! Some of Gary's opening narration implies that he didn't care that much about Pete, but heck, when is Gary honest about his feelings! I think that, over time, young Gary saw glimpses of Pete feeling truly comfortable. He realized that Peter rarely let his personality shine through. So, Gary was really happy whenever he got Peter to let loose and have fun.

12) Young Gary admired Andy a lot. Andy had goals he worked towards (ie rugby and law school) and didn't conceal his emotions as much as Gary did. In Gary's eyes, Andy was just overflowing with ambition and heart. Gary envied that. However, they got along so well that Gary could never dislike Andy. Their humor, values, and personalities matched perfectly, and they had years of happy memories...Gary couldn't help but adore him. So, though Gary called himself the leader, Andy inspired him so much that Gary sometimes felt like he was the one following Andy.

13) Gary has a habit of falling in love with a specific subject--main example being The Sisters of Mercy. However, his first topic ever was Egyptology. It began with picture books when he was a little kid. By the time Gary was in his early teens, Egyptology no longer gripped him like it used to, but he still found joy in anything ancient Egypt-related. He happened upon the ankh and winged goddess necklaces at a store and instantly bought them. Oliver called dibs on getting Gary an Eye of Ra necklace for his birthday, much to the annoyance of Andy, Peter, and Steve.

14) The Golden Mile was also a topic Gary fell in love with. He researched each bar, picking up information about the town in general as he went along. Gary keeps remnants of his favorite subjects, because they always have a special meaning to him, even if he's not especially interested in them anymore. Keeping the map and occasionally testing his memory of the order of the bars was a self-comfort thing for him.

15) One Halloween, Gary and Andy bought a mix for cupcakes and tried to bake them...then royally fucked up. Gary was bad at the math, Andy got frustrated trying to find kitchenware, and they were both distracted by joking around. Laughing at their mistakes only worsened the baking situation. They made up for it by eating all the frosting.

Thank you for sending me this ask!!! I may have gotten a little bittersweet with some of these, but with The World's End that's basically inevitable lol

#albossharuland #<-- aka Super Cool Person #the world's end #the worlds end #gary king #peter page #steven prince #andy knightley #guy shepherd #mr shepherd #andy & gary #blood and ice cream #aka #cornetto trilogy #gary & peter #gary & steven #the blank musketeers #pyra speaks

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loxare · 3 years ago

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Ok so it's been a week since I finished Iron Widow and I think my brain has calmed down enough to talk about it without it just being incoherent shrieking

Guys

Read this book. It is so good. I am not kidding. If you liked Pacific Rim, read this book. (I've never read of seen Handmaid's Tale, but this book is also full of righteous fury about the inbuilt misogyny of the world it's set in, so read it if you like that.) Just do it. Go. And then come scream at me about it cause I wanna hear that

More Thoughts under the cut cause those are a bit spoilery

I have never read a book with such a feral, unhinged protagonist. Wu Zetian is just such an amazing character. Her murder list starts with one person and once it's empty she is very willing to add to it. She really took one look at the patriarchy and said is anyone going to destroy that and then didn't wait for an answer. She is so incredibly bloodthirsty, but as soon as two (2) entire people showed her love and respect and acceptance, she becomes so soft for them, for a given value of soft. Soft for Zetian is still razor sharp for most people. She changes so much over the book but it's her outlook that changes, as she gains more experience. She is rightfully unwilling to forgive the people who try to hurt and use her and once they fuck up their second chance, that's it. They're gone. It is excellent to read

Li Shimin is such a gift too. Poor baby had such a hard life. He can have a little murder, as a treat. And despite everything! He never gets angry for himself!! He could snap a person in half with his bare hands, and would if they threatened Zetian or Yizhi, but not for his own sake! Deserves the world, deserves happiness, deserves some more self esteem. I keep rereading that scene at the end of their first flight because he's just so shocked and tender and I love it. And the more he learns and the more he finds out that what happened to those girls isn't (entirely) his fault, it's the fault of the systems designed to bleed them dry and he's so furious but still manages to be the least bloodthirsty of the trio

And Gao Yizhi. Absolute sweetheart but I am convinced he's secretly a bastard and I am living for it. He's not even doing a good job of hiding it. Boy knows what he wants and he wants to kiss both his sexy roommates. He kinda takes a side seat, both metaphorically and also literally in the Chrysalis, to the other two for this book but in the sequel he is absolutely going to shine, calling it now (sequel announcement when??). He showed a little of that near the end of the book and it is going to be amazing

And the plot is so amazing. Just. Farm girl plans to avenge sister's murder by killing the murderer could be an entire novel by itself, and has been the plot of a few very good books, but the resolution for that comes in the first hundred pages, and there's more plot after than! And there's also giant robots fighting equally giant monsters thrown in! And then the slow progression of Zetian not caring that she was going to die for her actions, to daring people to shoot her because she's valuable now and they can't afford to lose her yet, to doing everything in her power to ensure she and her two boys survive. Survive and also destroy all the systems keeping women down and also maybe the government, another few things which could be entire novels in and of themselves but are so seamlessly woven into this one

I've read a lot of angry literature but this one is the most visceral. It is furious at the state of things and refuses to let them stay as they are. The systems which are inherently unbalanced, designed to be unbalanced, but kept secret so the changes they effect on the female pilots can be written off as natural. "Women aren't as naturally strong. Women don't go into the fields that pay more, or don't do as good of a job, that's why there's a wage gap." The review thingy on the front cover calls this book a primal scream and it is absolutely correct. Reading through it feels like jumping off a cliff, screaming, with a sword pointed at your greatest foe who's on the ground below you, putting not just your entire weight into it but all the force the planet can exert on you, you can't stop, you don't want to stop, and when you land flawlessly you're just breathless with it

Everything I knew about the world I just read changes in the last three or so pages and I am so mad I don't already have the sequel in my hands. I will have to happily settle for rereading this book cover to cover a couple million times until I do. Predictions: Yizhi shows his true bastard side, Shimin gets a fucking break for once in his life, and Zetian kills god

#Loxie has words #Iron Widow #Jade I can and will loan you this book but also if I don't get it back within a month I'm invading your house

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twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat · 1 year ago

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MICKEY i finally got around to answering this PLS KNOW IT WAS SPINNING IN MY BRAIN LIKE A PING PONG BALL THIS WHOLE TIME…

i got so so so happy reading through this!!!! tysm for taking to time to read all the recs and comment on them so thoroughly u r an actual angel 🥺🥺😥 AND MICKEY……. all of ur picks spoke to me we are like THIS 🤝🤝

AAA but!! before i forget to answer this LMAO: im a literature major !!! its a lot of fun :3 LOTS of reading to the point where its just straight up abuse but thankfully the books are usually good!! aaa what abt u mickey? i know u work a 9-5, what kind of work is it? if ur comfy answering ofc !! <33

OH and also!!!!! the poem u linked 🥺🥺🥺 tysm for sharing, i loved it so so much!!! so tender and sweet n achey …. so much yearning wahhh …… dare i say gojo vibes. (i dare) i looovveee domestic poems like that pls

BUT OKOK…… first of all mr siken himself i literally cant tell u how happy i am that u liked his stuff!! his writing is etched into my frontal lobe and he singlehandedly made me insane i <3 him. mr siken owes me financial compensation for all the ache he has brought me

you are a fever i am learning to live with. <- MICKEY THE FACT THAT U PICKED OUT THIS PARTICULAR LINE ….. its my favorite in the entire poem along w and i wake up and i wake up and you’re still dead. i can always trust in ur taste!!! AND UR SO SO RIGHT tbh i think every single poem i sent u reminds me of stsg. he actually knows abt their existence PHDJSBD LOOK AT THIS ……….. 😭😭

AND PLANET OF LOVVEEEE ur so real mickey that poem means sm to me. as a person who has also definitely for sure surpressed all their emotions and feelings at some point in their life ur absolutely right abt everything u say. you're going to die in your best friend's arms. and you play along because it's funny, because it's written down, you've memorized it, it's all you know. also happens to be my fave line from it :3 (+ EXTREMELY stsg coded hello)

AND WISHBONE YES YES u keep picking out my favorite lines mickey our braincells r kissing rn . but i'd rather keep the bullet. makes me INSANE

AND… landscape w a blur of conquerors. ur absolutely right its SO disco elysium. every single poem from war of the foxes is soooo harrycoded to me u dont get it …. ALSO disco elysium aside the entire collection is so kenjaku coded to me <3333 this poem in particular reminds me of sukuna too!!!

AND U GET IT MICKEY U DO U DOOOOO self-portrait against red wallpaper ruined my whole entire life there are just way too many good lines in it …… ur so real i relate way too much to mr sikens poems for my own good LMAO.

and lastly fryderyk and glue !!!!! my personal faves ngl something abt them make me so insane. fryderyk has INTENSE sashisu vibes (my shadow falls across his face, blue milk and pistachio, his eyes shine like wedding rings. my shadow falls across him and it doesn’t go away. makes me think of geto’s death scene 😭) and glue is literally the most kenjaku coded poem ive seen in my life… the quotes u picked out r also so so so valid im in awe of ur taste. the life of the body is a nightmare knocks me out cold every single time. same for but then the worms!!!! i hope u understand i am literally kicking my feet rn mickey it feels like we’re having a lil poetry club meeting <333

MR SIKEN ASIDE ; im so GLAD u like bidart hes my emotional support old man poet <333 i have a parasocial connection to him. SO disco elysium coded too. AND U READ LOVE INCARNATE TOOOO that one’s soo good… love and hunger IS the best combo isnt it….

AND FINALLY FOR M words cant express how glad i am that u liked this one!!!! ur so real too, i totally understand why its ur fave … its just so. something abt it is so….. its so beautiful and human and just . its so comforting to me T_T

AND PLS MICKEY thank YOU sm for reading all my recs 🥺🥺🥺 i totally get a sense of who u are just from ur picks n thoughts + i feel like i resonate w u sm !!! <33 learning to write like a child too ……. u cant just say that. what if i cry.

ANYWAY ANYWAY POETRY ASIDE . grabs ur shoulders. MICKEY I WAS SOOOO EXCITED WHEN I FOUND OUT U LIKE DE…… ive been trying to get my best friend to play it but we havent gotten far at all so i have no one to talk abt it w T~T UNTIL NOW..

ah and!! yes!!! :D i love love love video games but its been so long since i sat down to play one …. my heart belongs entirely to rpgs!! especially jrpgs!!! persona 3 is one of my absolute favorites. lately ive mostly been playing mobile gacha games which is extremely bad for my peace of mind but im a bit of an addict </3 idk if uve heard mickey but jjk recently got a gacha game in japan and im gonna download it sometime this week probably !! geto has a banner up rn so if im lucky i can get him hehe. if i dont im deleting it PDJJDHD

but okok. first of all: SO REAL. harry is also my fave i adoreeeee him to death. hes such a genuine inspiration to me PDHJSJD HE DEF SHOULDNT BE BUT 💔💔 hes so human. i love him. my poor meowmeow. but i also love kim, jean, klaasje and rene/gaston!! the smoker has a special place in my heart too for. obvious reasons im very weak for thoughtful queer rep

INLAND EMPIRE IS A GREAT PICK i love them too!! im a huge huge fan of volition bc they have all the banger quotes but i also love drama!! theyre so funny. AND SHIVERS…. shivers is sooooo cool i love how its basically the city speaking to its citizens. SO good.

AND UR FUNNY MOMENTS PSHDJSJD 😭😭😭 so real…… i put the body in the polar bear fridge too!!!!!! ive played de like twice and not a single time have i managed to shoot it down properly LMAO…

i cant rly remember any funny moments i had at the top of my head so !! instead ill just show u some of my fave quotes!! there are so so SO many that its legitimately tough to pick out just a few but :’3 these all make me insane in the head genuinely

a creature is a creature. i wish i was the wind.

i want to get off now, i like pain and burning light and wanting things from people who don’t want to give them to me.

fine. keep up the charade another day. this could have been so liberating, but you cling to the case, to your partner, to the world… it’s pitiful.

subdue the regret. dust yourself off, proceed. you'll get it in the next life, where you don't make mistakes.

it’s the worst day of all time, harry dear, and it’s coming. she will hear about it on the phone.

killing was his business and business was *good.* did he love it before they made him do it again and again and again?

I'VE SEEN YOU, I'VE SEEN YOU! I'VE SEEN YOU WITH HER — AND I'VE SEEN YOU WITHOUT HER. I'VE SEEN YOU ON THE CRESCENT OF THE HILL.

real darkness has love for a face. the first death is in the heart, harry. see you tomorrow.

the officers go, leaving behind the writing — still smouldering. ONE DAY, it says, I WILL RETURN TO YOUR SIDE.

there is a radio in the distance. a radio of the world. playing sounds: good morning, elysium. soon you will return to the world.

I NEED YOU. YOU CAN KEEP BE ON THIS EARTH. BE VIGILANT. I LOVE YOU.

and honestly mickey there r soooo many hilarious quotes in de that i love love love but here is just one… jean is so fucking funny i love him <33

”you’re too unstable to work for a mob boss. you’re suicidal, harry. no mob boss would take you.”

THIS GOT SO LONG PJDKDJF … average ari/mickey conversation <33 i love talking to u!!!! i feel like our interests n tastes align so much hehe

YOU'VE PLAYED DISCO ELYSIUM AND IT'S YOUR FAVOURITE GAME WHAT IS HAPPENING I LITERALLY DON'T KNOW ANYONE ELSE WHO EVEN KNOWS THE GAME I LOVE IT SO MUCH WHAT THE HELL

- @softgirlgonehaywire

MICKEY???????? THE WAY OUR SOULS ARE LITERALLY BONDED ATP 😭😭😭😭 DUDEEEE im going a lil crazy. plsplspls i need to know ur fave character…. and ur fave skill……. and maybe ur fave quote if u have one……….. its legitimately like my favorite thing ever ever ever that game changed my LIFE

AAAA and. u asked for poetry book recs in ur other ask so i am here to deliver 🙏🙏🙏🙏

first of all!! richard siken…. he has two poetry books out at the moment, crush and war of the foxes!! i used to prefer crush but now i like war of the foxes more. its rly just a matter of personal preference, both are super good…. i said this already but i associate literally every single poem of his w at least one jjk character. mostly gojo or geto or kenny or shoko (i am predictable)

for some reason u can find literally all his poems on genius psjfjs but here are some of my faves from crush (first three) and war of the foxes (last four)!!

straw house, straw dog // planet of love // wishbone

landscape with a blur of conquerors // self-portrait against red wallpaper // portrait of fryderyk in shifting light // glue

but siken aside!!! frank bidart my beloved <333 hes so weird. his style of writing is very unique and can seem a bit very odd but u get used to it quickly!! i love him. my absolute favorite frank bidart poem is half-light, i’m fucking obsessed u dont understand, pls read it. (its so satosugu to me) and then u can find some other poems of his here! coincidentally his writing reminds me a LOT of disco elysium which is. probably maybe why i love it sm in the first place LMAO

AND AND AND…. lastly. ive tried getting into franz wright but i didnt like the collection of his that i bought :’3 HOWEVER hes written this one poem i absolutely adore, dedication. its so so so good. ”it’s true i never write, but i would gladly die with you” // ”although i never write, secretly i long to die with you, does that count?” have permanently altered the course of my destiny

… that was probably a lot im sorry PJDKFB i didnt even mention clementine von radics…. she has an instagram account where she posts some poems i think. ive run outof links so i cant show some i like but </3 her collection mouthful of forevers is super good!!

#DONT FEEL PRESSURED TO RESPOND TO THIS BTW #but i am aaaalways always always willing to talk to u abt poetry / de / jjk / etc etc <33 #IM GONNA GET TO UR MOVIE TALK TOOOO MICKEY I LOVED READING THRU UR RB SM #people who love movies r so cool to me im so jealous <///3 #OH AND AND AND. if u ever have any poetry recs or game recs or anything !! feel free to send them my way 🌷🌷 would LOVE to hear them

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writingsfromthegrave · 2 years ago

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Good morning/afternoon/evening!

First off, my name is AC Apologies in advance for my bad English lol. I saw that you are making matchups with Monster Prom characters and I wanted to give it a try.

I am a cis female (she/her pronouns), I am not sure of my sexuality, but if I had to label it right now it would be omnisexual. I have around 5'3 feet (161 cm), I have ivory skin, brown but also yellow-ish hair (cant label its actual tone) and green eyes. I am also chubby, if that adds something.

I like to read. Quite common thing to say but I really love it. It can be books, news, discussions on internet, anything.... I just like to absorb knowledge, y'know? Same thing for watching youtube videos. I do enjoy watching informative videos but also see people roasting movies. I also am a huge fan of mythology (greek and norse are the ones I know better rn, but I am starting to study chinese mythology). I also am an aspiring artist who mostly draws fanarts of games and animes. And, lastly, Literature and Arts were my favorite subjects at school

Dont let this nerd-ish side of me trick you. I am a dumbass. I mostly dont say things because I am afraid of what people will think (you can tell Im quite shy and awkward), but when I open up I may start saying crap. So, most of the time I dont say nothing, unless I know a bit about the subject, then I open up more.

It is quite hard for me to socialize. I have anxiety issues and they take the best of me. I take time to warm up to people, but once I do it things change, I guess. Most of my friends call me cute and sweet and sometimes even smart.

I guess this wasnt really requested, but I am mostly attracted to smart people. It is not like I am not willing to date people less smart than me, but I cant help but have a soft spot for people with knowledge.

Thanks in advance for accepting my request. And also sorry for the big text lol

wow we have a lot in common lol !!

anyways, i match you with . . .

[⚡] Vicky Schmidt !!

♡ The first time you two had met was probably in the library, most definitely looking for the same genre of book. And no- you didn't happen to find yourself in a cheesy scenario where you reach for the same book. No... Vicky couldn't stop herself from wanting to talk to you!

♡ And with that moving forward, you two were the bestest of friends. She had a similar interest in the genres and books you did, which made for long and riveting conversation! Though you two most definitely looked like nerds to everyone else.

♡ Vicky would invite you over to hang out pretty frequently and would do most of the talking to ease your anxiety- if you so happen to be in public with her; She completely understands how you feel and lets you take your time, even though she may be overbearing sometimes.

♡ She'd sometimes rant to you or just straight up ramble about her interests, knowing you'd definitely listen. Vicky appreciates you being there for her, and constantly lets you know she'd do the same for you too. Any time you want to talk? She's always right there, encouraging you and cheering you along the way, no matter what.

♡ Def buys you things to help your anxiety, such as fidget toys !! She saw them in the store and was instantly reminded of you, hoping you'd appreciate her little gifts and more so hoping it'll help calm you down when she's not there.

♡ Is the biggest supporter of your art, 100%. Will ask for updates and how things are going, even if they're not remotely finished. Has a bunch of praise and compliments ON HAND for you!! Vicky has def suggested you make posters and whatnot for your campus. She'd be so happy to have a lil reminder of u<3

♡ Down for just playing games w/ you and watching anime, she's as into it as you are! She'd probably play something similar to Minecraft or Slime Rancher, although she'd never play solo games with you. Prefers to play creatively and watch your talent shine through on sandbox games!!

♡ Reassures you abt opening up to people and w/ her. Always excited no matter what amount of progress u've made!! Offers to help in any way she can, and if she knows you're overwhelmed, she'll softly hug you until you're ok :)

�� You like smart people? Well, you're in luck. Vicky is the top of her class and shows it. You two are probably known for being the smart couple, always asked for homework answers and test answers ofc ofc.

♡ Offers to style and/or play with your hair. She's very touchy and one thing she does love is giving u random hairstyles she thinks you'd look adorable in !!

♡ Vicky always makes sure to check up on you and make sure you're okay, even if she's busy. Loves you to DEATH and is always patient with you no matter what. You've always got a shoulder to cry on, and a lovely girlfriend to trust and rely on with your entire soul, and she makes sure you're very much aware of that.

#monster prom #monster prom matchup #vicky schmidt

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heyitssmiller · 4 years ago

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Bewitched, Body and Soul

So... this happened. Blame the Discord. Basically, the premise is receiving a note from a stranger about having similar tastes in books, and my first thought was Finn/Leo. And now, around 24 hours later, this showed up in my word document. Hope y’all like it!! And don’t worry, I’ve already got a sequel planned with Logan ;)

All characters, of course, belong to the wonderful @lumosinlove

And, if you’re so inclined, check out my Masterlist if you enjoy this story! <3

CW: food/drink

Leo loved this bookstore. There was a west-facing windowfront that allowed all sorts of afternoon light to shine through, creating a large, warm sunspot right in Leo’s favorite armchair. The shelves were always neatly organized by category, there was a featured book of the week, and there was a coffee shop sequestered to one corner of the building. What else did he need in life? He’d spent countless hours here, sitting with a new book and a cup of coffee or tea and getting lost in whatever world he’d been transported to within the crisp pages and black ink. Being new to the city, there were probably better ways to make friends, but there was something so soothing, so comfortingly familiar about shutting off the worry in his mind and just focusing on the story unfolding in his hands.

But when his stomach growled loudly in protest, he figured he needed to put reading on hold.

There was a wrinkled, jagged-edged scrap of paper sitting on top of Leo’s book when he returned to his table, café pastry in hand. It hadn’t been there a second ago. Curiously, Leo set his food down and inspected the foreign paper. Messy, inelegant scrawl slanted across the page in deep blue ink. The lines were uneven and chaotic; the i’s weren’t even dotted, almost as if it took too much effort to go back and add them in. Leo found it strangely endearing. It read:

Hi!

I don’t think we’ve met, but based on your choice of literature I think we would make great friends. :)

- Carrot Top

Leo smiled, read it again, and looked around for the person who sent it but no one acknowledged him, seemingly lost in stories of their own. So he sat there, a smile still on his face as he got back to his book, using the note as a bookmark.

~~~

Finn couldn’t help himself when, a few days later, he left another note after seeing the guy with good taste in books again at the bookstore. He was at what must have been his usual table, seemingly right where Finn had left him. The only difference besides the clothes he was wearing was the book he was reading. Finn let himself linger on his profile, just for a second – the gentle slope of his nose, the way his curls rested against his forehead, how bright blue eyes scanned the pages below him.

Finn wasn’t one for love at first sight; that was for romance novels only. But instant attraction? Oh yeah. He was definitely there.

He picked up a small flyer from the front desk, flipped it over, and began to write.

And maybe it wasn’t a good way of, as the kids said these days, “shooting his shot”. But it was a start. And it was fun – the thrill of trying not to get caught, the anonymity. Sure, one day he’d maybe get up the courage to talk to him in person, but he was happy with this for now.

Hmm… haven’t read that one. Might have to get myself a copy!

- The Walking Freckle

After dropping the note off while the blond walked off to take a phone call, Finn tried to act casual as he stared sightlessly down at his own book instead of over at the cute stranger like he desperately wanted to.

Don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious…

If he was being completely honest, he didn’t really know where to go from here. Did the blond think the notes were creepy? Or weird? He never seemed to mind much, but… well, a stranger was repeatedly leaving notes for him. What if it was making him uncomfortable? Would it make things better or worse if Finn introduced himself?

A snort came out, unbidden. Yeah. Right. That would go well. Finn could practically see it now: he would be clumsy and awkward, probably spilling coffee all over the guy’s book or – even worse – all over him. He’d scare him off for sure.

But at the same time, Finn wanted nothing more than to meet him. To sit down across the table from him and debate the points of the book he was reading, or give book recommendations, or just talk. About literally anything. Finn wasn’t a picky guy. He could sit there and let him speak for hours, absorbing any and all knowledge about him like a sponge. Did the corners of those bright, blue eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiled? Did his cheeks get all flushed when he was passionate about something, just like Finn’s? What was the story behind the soft-looking tuft of gray hair at his temple?

Who was he?

Finn was overflowing with questions, and desperate for the answers.

But he needed to go about this the right way, didn’t he? The last thing he wanted to do was screw this up. So he closed his book, propped his chin in his hand so that he could stare out the window, and started to plan.

~~~

The next note threw Leo for a bit of a loop. He’d saved his table with his coat thrown over one of the chairs and went up to the New Books section, surreptitiously keeping an eye on his table and hoping that he’d catch his note-sender red-handed.

Leo could’ve sworn that he’d looked away for half a second, but – well, he got distracted by a book, so it easily could’ve been five minutes for all he knew. This note was written on one of the café napkins, the ink bleeding through in some spots and a few small tears in the delicate material.

Nice choice! That book absolutely shattered my heart and then pieced it back together. The way she writes love lost just hurts so beautifully, doesn’t it?

I like your sweater by the way.

Fuck I hope that’s not creepy.

I’m not a stalker, I promise. I just think you’re really cute. And you have amazing taste in books. I’d like to learn more, if you’d let me. :)

But first, you have to figure out who I am! Good luck!

- Your Not-So-Secret Admirer in the Tortoiseshell Glasses

He smiled, wide and happy, and looked around for tortoiseshell glasses, red hair, and freckles. Those were the only three clues he had so far. So he quickly scanned the crowded café, looking for anyone who fit the description. The only one even close was a freckled, redheaded guy at the corner table, but no glasses.

That was a shame, too. He was stunning.

The mystery bibliophile must already be gone, then. Or hiding.

Looked like Leo had his work cut out for him. He did always like a challenge.

~~~

It probably wasn’t Finn’s best idea to take his glasses off. He couldn’t see a damn thing and was left squinting down at his book, trying to determine if what he was seeing was an F or a P.

That smile, though… he could’ve seen that dimpled smile from all the way across the street.

He never thought he’d be pining for a stranger like this, but then again – he wasn’t a complete stranger, was he? After all, you could learn a lot about a person by their book preferences. Finn wasn’t normally known for being a good judge of character – he was too optimistic, too unwilling to see the bad in people. But damn, did he hope he was right about this one.

~~~

Finn had probably been too bold with the note he’d just dropped off, but when he’d seen what book that his new maybe-friend was reading, he knew he couldn’t just pass up an opportunity like that.

He didn’t wait to see the reaction this time – he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He just left the short note on top of the book while the blond was at the café counter and booked it (pun definitely intended) out of there as fast as he could.

You have bewitched me, body and soul. <3

- Bambi

~~~

He should’ve waited. Leo’s reaction, all bashful smile and bright red face and pleased expression, would’ve been worth it.

~~~

Leo went back to the bookstore pretty much every day after that, intent on finding this person. Not only was this a fun little game they were playing, but it would be nice to finally have a friend in the city. He still didn’t know anyone besides his coworkers and… well, he was a little lonely. A friend would be nice, especially one who had a shared interest in books.

The only thing left to do was to find them.

Red hair, freckles, glasses, and big doe eyes.

Leo looked for the only four defining traits he had, methodically starting in the front of the store and weaving through isle after isle of bookshelves. When that proved unsuccessful he moved on to the café, gaze landing on the queue first before lurching to a stop at the glimpse of a shock of auburn hair in the far corner booth. Heart hammering in his chest, Leo used his height to his full advantage and peered over the line of people.

Freckles, Glasses, Big, doe eyes.

If he needed any more confirmation, the stranger – the very cute stranger – was reading the same book Leo had been reading a week ago. The one his anonymous friend said they hadn’t read yet.

It had to be him.

Leo didn’t let himself think about it too much – he knew he’d panic if he did. He just strode over and sat down across from him, setting his book down on the table with a quiet thud. The note-writer jumped a little, then lifted wide brown eyes to look up at him.

Oh, but he was gorgeous.

“So what part are you at?” Leo asked, eyes taking in everything they could now that he was close enough – that messy red hair that just barely curled at the ends, the hint of scruff on his jaw, brown eyes shifting from shade to shade in the afternoon light filtering through the window beside him. Soft, mesmerizing lips curved into the beginnings of a smile that Leo couldn’t help but be transfixed by. “Have you gotten to the part where Patroclus dies?”

Finn stared back, trying to look horrified but he knew he was smiling so much that they counteracted each other because, finally, he’d figured it out. “I can’t believe you’d break rule number one of having a reading buddy: don’t spoil the ending.”

Dimples.

“Oops.”

Finn was done for.

“I’m Finn,” he managed to stammer, aiming for his best smile and probably looking like he’d just tasted something awful instead.

“Leo,” his companion said with a warm smile. Then he frowned. “Wait, no. Go back. You can’t spoil the ending of a story that’s literally thousands of years old.” The blond leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee and watching in amusement as Finn gaped at him in horror. He could feel his cheeks and ears getting red, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“That’s so not the point!”

Leo laughed, then motioned for Finn to state his case. And then Finn was off, forgetting all about his nervousness and tendency to be awkward. He ranted about that topic for… well, he didn’t really know how long, but it was a while. Leo didn’t even bat an eye, keeping pace well and interjecting with his own points calmly and collectedly – the gentle breeze to Finn’s tornado. He was smiling, too, even though sometimes he tried to hide it behind the rim of his coffee cup. And he was smart, Finn learned as they jumped from one topic to the next and the minutes ticked by. He knew a lot about literature, like Finn, but he could also make these random connections to all kinds of different topics that Finn would’ve never thought of, all while keeping up with Finn’s fast-paced brain and tendency to jump down rabbit holes.

It was an instant connection, the likes of which Finn had never experienced before. It was intoxicating. Finn felt like he could never get enough.

During a lull in between one conversation and the next, Leo pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over, looking suddenly and inexplicably shy. Finn cocked his head confusedly, then unfolded the paper and looked down.

Would you like to go on a date sometime?

PS: I’m free tonight if you are. :)

- The Guy Who’s Been Crushing on You for Weeks

Finn’s heart threatened to burst. “Absolutely.” He hesitated, just for a second, then decided to go for it. “Are you free now? I know a pretty great café nearby.” With a wiggle of his eyebrows, he jerked his thumb at the bookstore café and earned a laugh. He wondered what he could do to earn another.

“Sounds perfect.”

They walked over to the counter together, the backs of their hands just barely brushing – it was still enough to make Finn hyperaware of every miniscule movement and get his pulse hammering. Leo was teasing Finn for his terrible eyesight in a soft, southern drawl – something Finn definitely wasn’t expecting but sure as hell wasn’t complaining about, his fingers deliberately playing with Finn’s now, and Finn knew it was going to be a good night. It was already a good night; how could it possibly get any better?

“What can I get for you?”

Leo and Finn looked up at the barista and their eyes widened in tandem as they took in thick chestnut waves, long, dark lashes, and bottle-green eyes. He wasn’t smiling, not necessarily. His expression was fairly neutral, all things considered – except for those eyes. If you stared at then long enough, you could see just the faintest whisper of amusement.

They both looked down slightly, searching for a nametag. There, in bold black letters, read:

Logan.

#lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast #o'knutzy #finn o'hara #leo knut #bookstore/coffee shop au #bewitched body and soul #cw: food #cw: drink

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twinkleallnight · 3 years ago

Text

Littered souls

Book: The Royal Romance AU

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Disclaimer: All characters belong to pixelberry.

Rating: Mature

Prompt: Features @flashfictionfridayofficial

A/N 1: This is a one shot that takes place at the end of book 1. We know that Riley is staying with the Beaumonts and is in immense stress due to the claims made against her, questioning her character. Liam is desperately scouring to find out the culprit.

A/N 2: I am writing a fic after a break of almost 4 months. So please ignore the errors. Thank you to all those who stayed with me as I struggled in these days and thank for pushing me to be a better person.

I wait patiently on my burner phone as I hear the ringtone on the other side.

“Hello.” Her scared voice breaks my heart. What was I thinking? Building castles in thin air and dragging her along into my life, I messed up her innocence, her happiness.

“Hello?” Her feeble voice came again.

I clear my throat. “Hey, it’s me. How are you?”

“…Okay.” A delayed reply came back.

“I am sorry, my love, I have failed you.”

“It’s not your fault. I love you and I can see that you are trying but somehow it is not helping. We are facing a dead end everytime we feel we are closer to finding Ta…. Him” she avoids taking names. Another training she has been put through to be discreet when communicating. I wince at the thought of the pain I am causing her.

She continues, “It feels like someone has woven this web so strong and vast that there is no end to it. I am worried! What if we never find out?”

“We will.” “I will.” There was silence. I cant blame her. What am I expecting? I am giving empty promises. It’s a blessing that she has agreed to stay back and accepted my request. “You are there?

“Hmm?”

“I love you!”

“Hmm.” Just a small assertion.

“Sleep well, dear.”

“Good night.”

“Good night my love!” I keep the phone aside.

I lie down with a heavy heart. I want to be buried in some peaceful place away from this muck. I try to cover my eyes with my left hand but the glint of the ring on my finger disturbs me. The ring I wished was from Riley. I roughly pull it out and throw it on the sidestand. It falls down somewhere on the floor with a clunk.

I get up with a frustrated sigh and crouch down on the floor searching for the ring. I can’t misplace it even if I hate wearing it. It had slipped under the bed. I grab it and bang it on the side table.

I turn to my bed but stumble back with a shriek. There is a silhouette towering next to my bed.

“Drake?”

He moves ahead and as the dim light from the window falls on his face, I gasp.

“King Fabian?”

“A very good evening to you, son.”

I am confused but as if someone has clicked the button inside me, my manners speak up. I bow down with respect. “Your highness.”

“You are the king now, Liam. I am just a story from the past.”

Suddenly a sharp female voice booms behind me. “A story that everyone is proud of.”

I spin around to be greeted by another shadow.

“Olivia?”

She steps ahead in light.

“No, it’s Kenna. But you may listen to what Olivia has to say. That girl has got some nerve!”

“Sorry? I didn’t get you.” I am looking at her dumbfounded as she circles around my bed to join king Fabian.

They both look at each other and then turn to me. “Think son, think!” King Fabian speaks up. “You are going to be a great ruler unlike your father. But as his successor you have a whole lot of entanglements to clear up.”

Queen Kenna cuts in, “One of them is Tariq. Do you think a crime like that can go unseen in front of the monarch? Put yourself in his shoes and search for the man you need.”

King Fabian point out. “Think of whom your father trusts completely. Who is the one to know all his secrets and dirty deeds.”

“Who can that be?” I questioned.

King Fabian says in a harsher tone. “For the love of Cordonia, for the love of your life. Wake up Liam! Step up before its too late.”

Queen Kenna joins him as both of them start walking towards me. “ Act now. Go. Do it now. Stop your old man. For Cordonia. For love. In the name of the loyal Rys blood.”

Their sound starts echoing and they push me into a corner. I am scared, my eyes shut and I shrink down until I can’t anymore.

I throw out my arms to push them away. And my eyes burst open to a dark silent room. I realise I am propped up in my bed, drenched in sweat and my heart is racing.

‘Who is his secret keeper?’ I whisper as it becomes clear to me. I quickly put on my robe and rush to Leo’s chamber.

I finally see some hope. Hope to get back what was taken away from me, from Riley. We will be together again. I will be able to raise myself and Riley above the shambles of these littered souls.

The series of events that follow surprise everyone. I interrogate Bastein with the help of Olivia and Leo. Tariq is nabbed and the truth revealed. My father finally accepts his role in the whole chaos. I call off my engagement with Madeleine and happily marry Riley.

On the official round with my queen besides me, I walk through the family gallery. We come across the lifesize potraits of my ancestors Queen Kenna and King Fabian. Their infectious smiles shines upon us. I smile back with pride.

Eventually I did restore peace!

Tags: @annekebbphotography @alj4890 @anjanettexcordonia @bascmve01 @charlotteg234 @choicesficwriterscreations @cordonia-gothqueen @cordonian-literature @drakewalker04 @gkittylove99 @krsnlove @hopelessromanticmonie @indiacater @jessiembruno @kingliam2019 @lisha1valecha @neotericthemis @ntoraplayschoices @princess-geek @princessleac1 @secretaryunpaid @sfb123 @sirbeepsalot @speedyoperarascalparty @texaskitten30 @txemrn @sweatyrysconnoisseur @theroyalheirshadowhunter @aestheticartsx @yourmajesty09 @lovelyladyk88 @mainstreetreader @choiceskatie @claireloutoo @tinkie1973

#pixelberry #playchoices #the royal romance #twinkleallnight #trr #trr fandom #king liam

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misslovasstuff · 4 years ago

Text

Dazai x reader

Not special. Not unique. Just like everyone else.

”A good book is always good.”- Dazai answers after you question his taste in literature for the tenth time this week.

”I guess. - you stop your pace as a book cover catches your eye. - Look at this.”

You show Dazai the book you picked up from a dusty shelf in the local library.

The cover was completely dark but the word “Special” shined as a title.

“Interesting, - Dazai grabs it from your hands and reads its summary. - this is the longest summary I’ve ever seen on a book.“

Dazai quoted only three sentences:

“I was raised to believe in my uniqueness. What made me special was not how people perceived me, but how I saw myself. And I saw myself differently.”

There‘s a short silence as you both consume these words. Your mind went back to your childhood, your fears, it traveled to your deepest desires and to what made you, you. There were clouds on your eyes and the strong hands that you always took proud of, started shaking lightly.

Meanwhile, Dazai was still holding the book in his hands that appeared colder the thoughts amidst the darkness. His eyes were zoned out, apparently he was spaced out.

Your fingers touch slightly his bandaged hand and he flinches to your touch.

“Dazai, what’s wrong?”- you ask as he starts flipping pages.

“Nothing. I’m really keen on this book.”- he says while pointing to random quotes he found interesting.

“I’ve always thought my writing is special. Writing this book, I proved to myself that I’m an ordinary writer, writing about ordinary things. Is it possible to find uniqueness among words?

... I once tried to confess to my beloved through a letter, thinking that they’d fall for my ‘speciality’. In the end, I was rejected and left alone with my ‘uniqueness’.

Dazai’s expression changed to a lighter one. Perhaps it was the last quote that made him smile.

Love, they said it’s unique. However, until now I’ve seen love in multiple forms, and all of them hurt me the same way.”

You notice Dazai nodding and smiling.

“What do you think of this book, Belladonna?”- he faces you while pointing at the novel.

”Judging by your smile, I think it’s great.”- you grab his shoulder and start walking through the exit.

“Read it then explain it to me, alright?“- you take your library card and give the book to Dazai.

”It’s a promise.“

...

On the way back to work, Dazai was surprisingly quiet.

“What did you like about this book?”- you were eager to know what went through his head.

”It’s different. I like it. - he notices your confused face thus changes the mood of the situation. - For example, this sentence describes you perfectly.”

Page 56, line 23 was something like:

”My beloved is truly outstanding. They can do the bare minimum of trying to make me happy and here I am, smiling like a fool.“

A soft smile of yours warms Dazai’s heart.

“It sounds like something you’d say. Just change ‘beloved’ with ’belladonna’. - you say with a chuckle and Dazai rolls his eyes, a bit overjoyed.

“Ah, so you do remember that...- Dazai whispers to himself, staring to your loving profile, eyes concentrated on your fair skin and beautiful smile.

The book that you randomly picked up was a gift that Dazai made to you long ago, but due to some unfortunate events, you did not remember.

Or did you?

#Dazai bsd #dazai x reader #bungou stray dogs

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chillwithaster · 3 years ago

Photo

SUMMARY: “Wo ho ho there, Kaedehara, where do you think you’re going?” Venti and Xiao moved to grip each of his wrists. If Kazuha had not known any better, he would think they were shackles by how deathly their holds were.

Venti gave him a light smile. As if he’s going to let this bleach-streaked, toothpaste-hogger fiend anywhere close to his date to the-

“Your date?” Xiao started.

Whoops, did he say that out loud?

RELATIONSHIPS : Albedo/Kong | Aether (Genshin Impact) || Kong | Aether/Xiao | Alatus (Genshin Impact || Kong | Aether/Venti (Genshin Impact) || Kaedehara Kazuha/Kong | Aether

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi because im kind of in a need for extra cash to help out my family during the pandemic ! every little bit helps and I'm giving out incentives for donations ! A dollar for a personalized reviewer and study guide or a genshin fanfiction of your choice !

AO3

“Well, this is most unfortunate.”

Venti could already feel the caffeine in his systems fuel his flight-or-fight response as he saw not one but two of his roommates standing outside the library.

He really needed a drink and pronto.

This was supposed to be his shining moment; the ballad to end all ballads; the righteous bard’s claim to a golden prince’s heart after their loveless rendezvous.

Venti had finally gotten the courage to ask Aether out to the Ludi Harpastum Dance – one of the most anticipated events in the entirety of their university. It was known as a Mondstadtian custom that he himself absolutely adored for its flowers, games, cuisines, and especially romantic atmosphere.

It was going to be perfect, really.

But no, Barbatos above and mighty, these – unsultry fiends decided to rain over such a wonderful parade.

“Agreed.” He shot a half-hearted glare at the white-haired male next to him, who had decided to dress-up from his usual plain tees and jeans.

Instead, Kazuha was wearing a half-buttoned black blazer (one that Venti swore was his, mind you) with black skinny jeans and a white polo-shirt. His hair was tied tighter than his usual lopsided ponytail, and Venti swore the other’s glasses had never been cleaner.

Now, though Venti was quite ecstatic to see his friend out of his usual horrendous fashion-style, he was visibly irked by the bouquet of Carnations in Kazuha’s arms.

“Move. You’re blocking the entrance.” The other two broke from their staring contest to find slitted amber hues.

For as long as Venti knew Xiao, even the Contemporary Music major knew his roommate looked good in a turtleneck.

And unfortunately for him, Xiao knew that too.

Sporting a sleeveless dark green turtleneck and a black leather jacket fastened firmly around his waist, Xiao glared from behind the brown, large toy dragon plushie he was hugging.

“Uh excuse me.” Venti chirped, a hand to his hip to assert his dominance as their senior. “I was here first, mind you. Now buzz off.”

Xiao cocked a brow at him. “Don’t tell me you’re bringing in food to a library.”

The braided boy gawked at him before guiltily looking down at the two boxes of doughnuts in his hands. Boxed in pastel green and white, his warm, delicious, better than what his other roommates could ever bake in their entire life, homemade desserts stared back in shame at the thought of being left behind.

“Of course not!”

Kazuha and Xiao did not believe him.

“Of course…” The Inazuman began before moving past Venti. “Now please excuse me, I need to speak with-“

“Wo ho ho there, Kaedehara, where do you think you’re going?” Venti and Xiao moved to grip each of his wrists. If Kazuha had not known any better, he would think they were shackles by how deathly their holds were.

Venti gave him a light smile. As if he’s going to let this bleach-streaked, toothpaste-hogger fiend anywhere close to his date to the-

“Your date?” Xiao started.

Whoops, did he say that out loud?

Venti turned to his supposed ally as he released Kazuha’s hand. However, despite his fumble, the Cheshire grin on his lips still slashed through. “Yeah. My date to the Ludi Harpastum Dance.”

If looks could kill, Venti would be six feet under.

“Isn’t it quite bold of you to assume he’d want … you?” Kazuha began, scanning him up and down.

“I am offended!” Damn, the senior could feel ten years being subtracted from his time on earth. “And yes I do! Unlike both of you, I’ve known Aether the longest. From all the way ever since he moved here, so that makes me his best friend.”

The other two were not convinced.

“Yeah. Friend.” Venti wanted to hurl something hard into Xiao’s smirk. “And aren’t you more mature than that? For such an old man, you’d think you’d be past using the length of a relationship to measure its worth.”

“I agree with Xiao.” Kazuha hissed from behind, and Venti almost held a high grin at knowing why he was so defensive. Kazuha only had a month in his little pool of Aether interactions, so he knew he stood no chance if that was the criterion. “One’s closeness mustn’t be measured by how much – but rather how well – that time spent together was.”

Venti rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever.”

Honestly, he had not expected this. Especially not from these two.

Venti had always assumed that Xiao wanted nothing to do with relationships, especially since Xiao had made it quite crystal clear to anyone that had tried making moves on him that he was not interested. Same goes for Kazuha, who seemed to be more inclined to pour his focus into his studies in Literature rather than pursuing a love life.

But alas, here they are.

“Excuse me.” The three snap out of their heated staring contest to find a mop of kempt blond hair behind them.

Albedo stared at the three suspicious figures with a raised brow. As the junior librarian of the campus, it was his job to make sure students were not loitering outside to cause a mess.

“You’re keeping others from entering. If you have no business here, could you please go back to your dormitories.” His eyes shift to the pastries in Venti’s arms. “No food inside.”

Venti could just hear the snickers from behind him.

“Right, of course.” He started. “Sorry, Albedo.”

The three would have moved to allow the blond entrance had Kazuha not seen the striking figure painted diligently on the canvas in Albedo’s arm.

“Wait.” The albino held a hand to Albedo’s shoulder. “That painting…”

The bright crimson on Albedo’s cheeks was already a dead giveaway.

Venti and Xiao stopped in horror before peering over Albedo’s shoulder. Ah shit.

Drawn with the precision only the famed Kreideprinz could attain was a figure basked in golden locks. The figure’s face was turned away ever so slightly from the viewer, framed by light bangs as soft eyes gazed longingly into the sunset behind them. But even without seeing any other details, the two already knew who this was.

Suddenly, a plushie and a batch of doughnuts just felt sad.

Albedo turned to face the trio, shamefully hiding the portrait behind his figure.

“You like Aether?” Venti began.

“Yes, and what of it?” Albedo brought his jacket’s sleeve to his mouth, covering the bright blush he was harboring. “I don’t believe that I have any reason to be quite ashamed of such…and for you to be so scrutinizing…”

The three stared at him like kicked puppies.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Albedo stopped and looked at the gifts in their hands.

“Ah.”

The weight of the situation just immediately dawned on the four.

“It seems the captor of ours hearts knows no restraint.” Kazuha sighed wistfully.

Xiao said nothing, but a nod was sufficient.

“…Are you all here to also ask him to the dance?” Albedo leaned on the door.

Even without an answer, he already knew.

“We can’t just go in there.” Xiao sighed. “It’ll end in a disaster, trust me.”

“But we cannot just let such an opportunity pass.” Venti saw how Kazuha was almost ready to barge in the doors for himself.

“Right, right, calm down there, he’s not going anywhere.” Venti offered.

Albedo moved to turn around, and the three watched him peer through the library’s wooden doors.

There seated amongst several stacks of books was their culprit. Aether had a textbook over his head and a whale pillow under his folded arms. With how slow his chest was rising, the four knew he was asleep.

“I should scold him next time. The library is not his bedroom.” Albedo smiled fondly at the figure, and the other three could only stare in defeat.

There was no way they could just barge in there and disturb his peace like that. Especially not when he looks so exhausted. Aether would just be overwhelmed by all their invitations, and the last thing they wanted was to be a burden to their beloved.

“So, now what?” Venti moved out of the way, glancing in confusion at the other three.

Kazuha and Xiao shared a look, but it was Albedo that first opened his mouth.

“We should take him to a date. A proper one. One from each of us. And one where we could help him alleviate his stress and show him a good time.”

The three stopped in consideration.

Albedo continued. “Think about it. He’s quite exhausted. If our feelings for him are genuine, then we should be willing to console him when he needs us the most. And only then – perhaps - he can decide who he wishes to take to the dance.”

Venti had wished his first date with Aether were under different circumstances.

But at the same time…he isn’t against the thought of spoiling Aether silly. Even if it is shared sentimentally with three other people.

After a moment, it was Kazuha that gave an opinion. “But we should set ground rules. If the purpose of this date to help Aether unwind, it is imperative that none of us ask him to the dance.”

“Why?” Xiao crossed his arms. “Then wouldn’t that just render our dates pointless?”

“Not quite.” Kazuha offered a smile. “Aether’s happiness should come first.”

Xiao agreed in a heartbeat.

“Okay, let’s go with that.” Venti smiled at the prospect.

Yeah, Aether’s happiness is the topmost priority. And if none of them could provide that for Aether, then Venti thinks that none of them (himself included) are worthy of Aether’s kindness!

“But…” His thoughts blank. “Can I go last?”

“Why?” Albedo raised a brow.

“My paycheck doesn’t come until next Thursday.”

If his peers had one thing in common, it was how stupid they could make someone feel just by staring.

“I had to cut back time for my classes, okay? Sheesh!” Venti argued.

“Then that’s settled.” Albedo sighed.

“May I go first?” Kazuha offered, and though none of the other males seemed to object, Xiao was quick to reply with a sharp ‘why’. The albino bashfully chuckled. “There is a musical I have been meaning to bring him to that is in three days. It would be a shame to miss it.”

There were no objections.

Albedo raised an open palm, only to be met with several blank stares.

“A form of contract. May the best man win.”

The blonds lips were quirked upward slightly, and though apprehensive, Venti shook his hand.

Venti wasn’t the smartest person, but he wasn’t dumb either.

He may not know a lot when it comes to studies, but he knows one thing.

When these three wanted something, they would break the earth just to get their way.

“Indeed! May the winds guide you in your endeavor.”

But it also takes one to know one.

#genshin impact #fanfiction #albedo #albether #xiao #xiaoaether #aether #kazuha #kazuhaether #venti #aeventi

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crimefightingspiderguy · 4 years ago

Text

i remember thinking i had you

Summary: Based on the request sent in by @peter-maximoffsbitch “Hey! I saw your requests were opened and I wanted to ask if you could write a Peter x reader on a lazy Sunday morning? Ya know just some sweet domestic bliss ♡ Thank you!”. I started off doing the domestic bliss/lazy Sunday thing, then I ended up getting carried away because I couldn’t help myself. So this has that sweet domestic bliss side, but it also has a touch of angst and then back to happy bliss.

Warnings: Spoilers for WandaVision

Pairing: Evan Peters!Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver x Reader

Word count: roughly 4,537

A/N: Was I totally listening to August by Taylor Swift while writing this first half? Yes. Yes I was. Also, your powers in this are supposed to be like Rouges, but it was sort of hard for me to describe them without saying her name as an example lol. Also this is my first time writing for Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver, so sorry if it is a little rough in some places. I hope this is what you’re looking for and a little more! Let me know what you think, feedback is always welcome!

Peter woke up laying almost exactly how he’d fallen asleep. His head resting on you, arms tucking behind your back. Only this time, instead of singing a soft melody in his ear as you brushed your fingers through his hair, you sat reading a book. Peter rolled over so he could look up at you,

“Morning.” He said through a yawn.

“Morning.” You smiled down at him, peaking past your book, only briefly. Putting your free hand back into his hair, causing him to melt into your hand and let out a content hum.

“I love it when you do that.”

“Oh, trust me, I know.” You let out a small giggle. He reacted the same way every time you went to touch his hair. A simple sigh of relaxation, a content hum, and a visible relaxation in his body.

“Whatcha reading?” He asked, eyes closed so he could fully appreciate your presence.

“A Tale of Two Cities. It’s for the literature class I’m taking.”

“Is it any good?”

“I think so. It’s pretty interesting, especially considering it’s partially based on real events.”

“Will you read it out loud?” He requests, you nod and pick-up where you left off. He lays patiently while you somewhat stumble your way through the book. It’s written with some older slang terms, making some of it hard for you to read quickly through, but Peter didn’t care. He cared about listening to the fluctuation in your voice telling him how you were reacting to a certain event, cared about your breath going in and out, cared about your steady heartbeat under his head. These were the only moments he could be completely still when awake. When you grounded him, allowing him to take things slow and appreciate every single moment of life. The sun was shining in on your skin, lighting you up in a way that seemed almost angelic. It was pure bliss.

The warm memory of that delicate August morning helped you wake with a smile on your face. The first time you’d genuinely smiled in weeks. It has been too long since you felt the warmth Peter brought to you, too long since you woke to his snoring vibrating through your chest, too long since you got to run your hands through his hair and hear his sigh of content. It’s been about three weeks since he disappeared. No one knows where he is still and how to get in contact with him. The last time you saw him you were sitting out in the front lawn of the school with his head in your lap as he listens to his music through his headphones while you worked on homework. You’d taken a break to stare at a nearby bumble bee landing on a flower. It was calming.

“I’ll be right back” Peter said, getting up with a confused look on his face.

“Where are you going?” You started to ask but was cut off by him zooming away. You shrugged and went back to looking at the bee, he wouldn’t be gone long. You were wrong though; he was gone long. He never came back.

You wiped away the tears forming on the brim of your eyes. You thought you had all the time in the world with Peter. You never thought he would leave you, especially not like this.

“Y/N”

You jumped, scared out of your mind. Sitting up and looking around like a madwoman. It was his voice.

“Peter?” You called out to him. “Jean? Is this some sick prank? Because I can tell you it’s not funny.”

“Y/N help me.” Peter called out to you.

“How? Where are you?” You asked quietly, realizing the voice was definitely not Jean, she could get into your head, but not like this.

“Come to me. I need your help.” Peter’s voice started to fade.

“No… Come back, tell me how to find you!” You start panicking. But just as quickly as the voice came, it was gone. You frustratingly fell back onto your pillow, almost trying to slam yourself into unconsciousness. At least there you would be with Peter. But what was that voice? You ran through the obvious thoughts, ‘I’m going crazy. It couldn’t have been him. Simply me imagining things because I was dreaming about him.’ But something about those excuses didn’t sit right with you. ‘Maybe Peter was reaching out? Maybe he found a way to contact me, like cerebro? Maybe that’s the key!’ You quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the long hallway where the device is kept. Your powers were confusing, in the way that you had no idea what the limit was. You were able to “absorb” other abilities. You wouldn’t take them from them, but you were able to use them if you touched the person and concentrated. At this point you were able to do a lot of the basics that could help you get to Peter. You had Jean’s telepathy, Kurt’s teleportation, Peter’s super speed, and your own strength and skill from training, you could get to him and save him. In your rush, you hadn’t even realized you bumped into Beast.

“Hey kid, what’s the hurry?” He asked you, startled.

“I have to find Peter.” You said, a wild look had over-come you, in your right-out-of-bed look.

He began to question you further, but you just began running. With Peter’s speed, you got there in a matter of seconds. Students weren’t really allowed in this area unless with Charles, but you could care less right now. You were getting Peter back. You broke into the room and quickly put on the helmet, homing in on his voice in your memory. You searched and searched when finally, it became clear again. He was calling out to you again.

“Come on Pete you gotta give me something to work with.” You searched his distant and fuzzy mind for anything that could give you a location. You saw that he was currently talking to a woman named Agnes. You couldn’t hear what she was saying but based on the worry pressing in on you from his mind, you figured it wasn’t too good. “Pete, I need you to look around the room for me. I have to be able to clearly visualize where I’m going.” Through Peter’s eyes you saw the room as he quickly looked away from the woman. It wasn’t much, but it might just be enough. You took cerebro off and clearly visualized Peter, that woman, and the room they were in.

You landed with a cloud of blue hanging in the air. Right in front of you was Peter and the woman you assumed was holding Peter hostage in some way.

“Peter!” You ran to hug him, but he just stumbled backwards.

“Woah there toots. You don’t waste any time, do you?”

“Who are you?” The woman Agnes asked, grabbing your arm.

“My name is Y/N and I’m here to take my boyfriend home, even if it means I have to kill you.”

She began cackling, “Kill me? Honey I’m hundreds of years old. You couldn’t kill me in your dizziest daydreams.” She still held your arm, you began concentrating, seeping her power into your body. Allowing you to feel how powerful she was. But at least now the fight would be even.

“So, what are we gonna do with you? I can’t have you running around telling people who he is. No, I need him to play his part well.”

“What did you do to him? What do you mean play his part?”

“Well, you see honey, I need your little boy toy here to be my eyes and ears.”

“He’s under your control? So, he doesn’t remember me?” Your heart cracked a little at the thought. You didn’t even need her to confirm this, you could see into his mind and see the haze over his memories from home.

“Mhmmm, how about this. I could use you both if we go about this the right way. So, Pietro dear,” Peter’s eyes flickered away from you to her. “Stick to the plan, introduce yourself on the show tonight. And you little lady are going to be the new neighbor in town, introducing yourself tomorrow, so you can keep a watch from a distance, and if Pietro here were to fail, you could swoop in and take over.”

“What am I supposed to be watching for?” You asked.

“I need some information out of his sister Wanda, and you two are going to help me get it, or you’re never going home.”

The next day you woke up in an unfamiliar bed. Looking around, you saw Halloween decorations everywhere, and in your closet a single costume. You were going to dress up as a cowgirl. You rolled your eyes, “how original” you muttered to yourself. While Agnes thought she had put you under the same spell as Peter, she was very wrong. You were able to block her out but played the part of brain-washed zombie well enough she let you and Peter go. You didn’t dare say anything other than a good night to Peter as he went to this Wanda’s house and you went a house over from Agnes’s. You got ready and went down to the first floor of your new home to find a snoring Peter laying sprawled out on your couch. ‘This is it’ You thought, my chance to take him and never look back. But what would stop Agnes from following you? She found Peter once. You knew if you planned on making it out of here, you had to make it through today like she planned. Then you might be able to bargain yours and Peter’s freedom or even just make a break for it. You walked around to the front of the couch and sat cross-legged in front of Peter. You missed him so much, but it seems he’s been unable to even think about you other than the subconscious plea he called to you with. You ran your hand through his hair and saw a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth. He released a soft sigh and you saw his visibly tense shoulders relax.

“You found me” He muttered.

“Peter?” You gasped; does he remember?

“Who else would it be? Jesus?” He laughed at his own joke and you let out a sob that you’d been holding in for way too long. His eyes shot open and before you knew it, he was up and pulling you into his lap on the couch, holding you close. He began drawing shapes on your back, trying to calm you. “Shhh… it’s okay. I’m here now, and I’m not leaving your side until we get out of this hell on earth.” Your shoulders shook with the force of your crying. After a couple minutes, you were able to calm yourself and wipe your eyes dry. “Better?” He asks, pushing your hair back from your face. You nod your head, “Good, because we have a big day ahead of us. Playing along with Agnes’s little game, then getting the hell out of dodge.”

You and Peter headed over to Wanda’s house together. On the way, he caught you up on the things he was supposed to do, pretending to be Wanda’s brother and convincing her to tell him how she created this fake little world. You were holding his hand up to the point of Wanda’s front door. Peter dropped your hand and you felt he warmth slowly seeping out of you again as he turned around and said “showtime” to you.

He rang the doorbell, and it was answered by a small child, probably the age of 10. “Uncle P!”

Peter ran into the house, throwing the boy and the other one nearby over his shoulders. He ran them round and round in circles as they playfully screamed and laughed their heads off.

“Someone better be bleeding or dying.” A woman came down the stairs dressed in a red costume. She stopped when she saw you awkwardly standing in the doorway. You could feel her trying to get inside your head, so you gave her slight access. Enough to see you were new in town and Peter was helping you meet new people after he bumped into you on the street.

“And who is this?” Wanda referenced you, as if she didn’t know.

“Oh, this lovely lady here is Y/N. I met her on my way to your house this morning and she’s new, so I thought why not introduce her to some neighbors.” Peter said as he put the boys down and zoomed next to you, putting a hand on your back to slightly push you forward to greet Wanda.

You felt a blush rise to your cheeks at the ‘lovely lady’ comment, ‘good, she’ll believe our story of being strangers’ you thought in the back of your mind, somewhere you weren’t letting her gain access to. You held you hand out to her and she took it with slight hesitation, but when you showed her you meant no harm, she relaxed slightly. In that brief moment though, you were able to gain even the slightest access to her powers, and you took the oppourtunity.

“Wanda” She told you.

“It’s nice to meet you Wanda. I just live two houses down actually, so we were bound to bump into each other at some point.” You let out a small innocent giggle, “But Pietro here was just bursting with energy at the chance of bringing me to meet you.” Wanda gave a smile to Peter and quickly noticed his hand still resting on your back. You could see in her mind that she was picking up the idea that Peter thought you were cute and wanted to impress you.

“Why don’t you join us for trick-or-treating tonight? You could meet more people around town, and by the looks of it you’re already dressed for the occasion.” She waved at your cowgirl get-up.

“Yeah, I was hoping I wouldn’t be the only one dressing up all day. Love that costume by the way, so cute on you!” You complemented her.

“What are you supposed to be mom?” One of the boys asked,

“Old red riding hood?” The other one seemed to finish the thought.

Peter snickered, “I’m actually a Sakovian fortune teller.” She said forming an invisible crystal ball with her hands.

“That’s so cool!” One of the boys said at the same time that Peter seemed to say “Lame”, the boy quickly fixing his previous statement, and copying the “lame”.

“It’s worse than the costumes mom made for us the year we got typhus.” Then the strangest thing happened. It was a flashback, that all of you could see, playing in your head. Peter did mention that we were on some sort of TV show Wanda created, so maybe it was supposed to be a character flash back?

“That’s not exactly how I remember it.”

“You probably suppressed a lot of the trauma”

Just then the boys grabbed your hands and pulled you away from Peter and Wanda.

“Wanna see our new game?” They asked, even though their determined pulling you away was more like “Come see our new game, now.” But, of all the people you’ve met so far, these two boys had the purest minds. They weren’t clouded by anything or anyone, they weren’t being controlled, so you knew their question wasn’t scripted or forced, just them being kids.

They pulled you to sit down on the ground with them on either side as they showed you how to play with them. You kept an eye on Peter’s mind, and you saw that he was smiling at you and the boys. Wanda’s mind was slightly louder than the clouded Peter, and she was now looking between you and Peter curiously. You looked a little bit deeper into her mind and realized she was suspicious of Peter. He didn’t look like her actual brother, or even act like him. But she was starting to put that aside, since he had given her no real reason to not trust him yet. She was now fascinated though, with his reaction to you. She could tell he acted different when he turned his attention to you.

You quickly left Wanda’s mind, sensing that she was starting to feel someone in her head. Peter zoomed over to you, sitting on the coffee table, resting his legs on either side of your torso. He wrapped his arms around you and helped you play the game by putting his hands over yours.

“Hey! No cheating Uncle P!” The boy who introduced himself as Billy said.

“It’s not cheating, just teaching!” He put his hands up in self-defense. But quickly replaced them over yours to help you get ahead of the boys again.

Just then, you heard someone else come down the stairs. You heard his conversation with Wanda, and gathered he was her husband and the twins’ father. Wanda told him about you being new in town, and you saw in her mind her leaning closer to his ear and saying, “I think Pietro has a crush on her.” And pulling back from him with a smirk on her face. The man named Vision gave a soft “ahh” and nodded in understanding. As soon as Peter had rushed behind you, he was gone.

“Sweet costume bro-ham-in-law. Let me guess, traffic light? Half-shucked corn? A booger!”

“Yes…” Vision said, clearly over Peter, but you couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

Peter pumped his fist in the air and came back behind you and continued to help you play the game, but that was after he handed all three of you sodas and showed them how to shotgun it. “One, two, three, go!” Peter exclaimed as you all tried to down it as fast as you could. You actually finished first and turned around to smash the can into Peter’s head. You were able to do it fairly easy, and you heard the thought run through Wanda’s mind, ‘Wow, she’s pretty strong… I wonder… No. I would see it in her head’. You turned back around making sure to go at a normal speed. The last thing you needed was for her to find out you were a mutant and hiding something from her.

Later on in the day, you, Wanda, Peter, Tommy and Billy began walking through the streets, on the hunt for candy. Peter was running around with the boys, leaving you and Wanda alone to talk. It was then that you felt the presence of Agnes in your mind. You made sure to keep the conversation light, to not make Wanda suspicious, but to maybe hint towards the information you needed.

“So, what made you come to Westview?” Wanda asked.

“I started thinking about moving about a month ago, this was close to the city, but not too close, and it had some good property up for sale. So, I took a leap of faith and ended up here.” You smiled at her, “What about you? How long have you been here?”

“Oh, not long, just came here to start a family and live sort of mundane suburban lives you always hear are so great and perfect.” She laughed lightly to herself.

“How’d you meet Vision?” You could feel Agnes approving of your questions in your head, encouraging you to go on.

“Oh, ummm… We were friends before we got together, so I’ve known him for a while.” Agnes was getting frustrated at how vague Wanda’s answers were. “Pietro seems to have his eye on you.” Wanda pointed out Peter standing behind the kids as they were grabbing candy from a couple, watching you and Wanda closely.

“Quite literally” You chuckled.

“I’ve never seen him act the way he does with you. You… slow him down. Not in a bad way of course, but you can tell from the way he’s been acting around you, it’s like he’s scared to let you go. Like you’ll disappear. Are you sure you just met this morning?”

“Yeah, but he did talk a million miles an hour before he brought me over to your house, so I feel like I got his whole life story” You laughed, feeling Wanda’s suspiciousness suppressing for the time being.

You took over walking with the boys for a bit while Peter tried taking a shot at getting some information out of Wanda.

“You’re very confusing.” Billy said to you.

“Why’s that?” You asked, looking down to the boy staring at you confused.

“You have a bunch of different voices in your head.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, “You can read minds like your mom?”. Great one more person you had to block your thoughts from.

Billy nodded his head in hesitation, “I think, I’m not sure. It didn’t start until just now. It’s like all of the sudden I can hear everything and it’s a lot. It kind of hurts.”

“Here, let me show you a trick” You got down to his eye level and said, “close your eyes, take a deep breath in, then out. Focus on the sound of one voice, my voice. I know you said I have a couple but pick the loudest one and stick with it. Follow it like a string. Open your eyes.” Billy did as you said, “Better?” He nodded and smiled.

“How did you know how to do that?”

“Well between you and me, I have a few tricks up my sleeve too.” You put a shushing finger over your mouth and then cut your thoughts off from him.

“I can’t hear you anymore.”

“I know, because I’m not letting you. If you want to focus on someone else you can, if it helps. Or the voice you focus on is your own. Tune the others out and just think about your own thoughts. It can be hard when you have loud thoughts around you, like your Uncle P. His thoughts are the loudest in the area. But after some practice, you’ll be a pro just like your mom.”

Billy smiled up at you as he realized just how loud Peters thoughts actually were.

The trick-or-treating was going by pretty quick especially with Peter eventually taking over permanently and zooming around the town with the boys. You were walking with Wanda again.

“I heard you helped Billy.” Wanda said to you, “How did you know how to control the mind reading?”

“Oh, just a trick I picked up from a friend of mine.”

Wanda narrowed her eyes at you a little, “You’re lying. You’re blocking me out and hiding something. I can feel it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Really. I have a friend who can read minds and she told me how she controls it and how she focuses.”

“Then why are you shutting me out?”

“Because I don’t like people being in my head. I’ve got too much going on as it is.”

“Who are you?” Wanda stopped you and held you still with her magic.

“My name is Y/N and I’m new in town. I can promise you, I mean you and your family no harm.”

“Then show me your mind. Completely.”

You sighed and let Wanda in your mind. She saw everything, from when you got here, to your life back with the XMen, your life with Peter. The only thing she didn’t get access to were your memories of Agnes. You assumed Agnes herself put a lock and key on them in case this exact thing happened.

“So, you’re here for Pietro or Peter as you call him. I knew there was something off about you two.”

“Please, we will leave with no fuss. Just let me take him home.” You pleaded with her.

“Fine, but I doubt your teleporting power will work to get you out of here. It’s not strong enough.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be able to get out. I also possess some of your magic. The exact type of magic that will let me and Peter through safely.”

“Leave.” Wanda gave you a threatening stare, not too happy with the idea of your magic matching hers. You used Peter’s superspeed to get to him as quick as you could.

“Hey Pietro, can I interest you in a late-night stroll through the park?” You asked him, trying to stay casual.

“Why of course m’lady.” Peter stuck his elbow out for you to grab. “Why don’t you two demons catch up with your mom.”

“Ahhh, really?” Tommy whined.

“Hey, stay cool. When a pretty lady wants to take you somewhere, you follow suit.” He winked at them.

“Dad?” Billy randomly burst out in a confused tone, “Dad!” He started to panic.

“What’s wrong Billy, what do you see?” You asked him.

“I can’t tell, he’s too far away.” By now Wanda had made her way over to her freaking out child.

“Focus. Follow the string. Follow his voice.” You told him

“He’s hurt. There are a bunch of soldiers around him.”

Wanda tensed up and her eyes started glowing red.

“Relax sis, it’s not like your dead husband could die twice.” Peter said, trying to diffuse the situation, only it did the exact opposite. Wanda whipped around and shot a red blast his way.

“I said leave!” She yelled at you. You nodded your head and zoomed over to where Peter landed. He was unconscious, but you pulled him in your arms and using the combined magic of Wanda and Agnes, and your teleportation, you thought of home and pulled the two of you out of there. You were worried at first that Agnes might try to stop you since you weren’t successful in your mission to get information out of Wanda, but she didn’t stop you. You assumed it was because Wanda knew you two were not who you said you were, so you wouldn’t be helpful anyways.

You woke up lying in your own bed at home again. For the first time, in a long time, Peter was lying next to you. He was awake already and was watching you carefully.

“How are you feeling?” He asked as he push your hair off your forehead.

“Better now that we’re home. How did I get in bed?” You specifically remember teleporting you and Peter to Charles’ office so you could tell him what happened.

“When we got back you collapsed from the effort. Charles said your mind was awake, but tired and you used too much magic and power for what you’re used to. I was so scared you killed yourself.”

You shook your head, trying to remember anything after you left Westview, but you just couldn’t, “How long have I been out?”

“About two days. I’ve been so restless, just waiting for you to open your eyes. Poor Jean, I kept finding her to read your mind and make sure you hadn’t died. You were scary still.”

“Well, I’m awake now, and you’re home with me. That’s all that matters.” You pulled his head onto your chest and started to play with his hair. He hummed in content and relaxed into your body.

“I know I just slept for two days, but do you mind if we just stay in today?” You asked him.

“We can do whatever you want.” You could feel a smile forming on his face, against your skin.

“What I want to do first though, is pee.” You rushed to the bathroom, letting Peter’s face flop into the bed as you shut the door behind you. You heard him laughing. It was so good to hear his laugh again. To feel his warmth linger on your skin, and knowing when you returned he would still be there. That’s all you’ve wanted for the past three weeks.

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Thank you, xx.

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loveissupernatural · 4 years ago

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To Love in a Foreign Land

Draco Malfoy x reader

Chapter One: The Letter

[ Read Part 2 here ]

The day had finally come.

It came in the flurry of an owl’s wings, in the nervous vibration of your sweaty palms.

A delicious breakfast had just been served by your mother that sunny summer morning in suburban America, your fourth term at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry only recently finished. Loud, impatient tapping on the kitchen window glass made you choke on your coffee.

“Mom! Ch-check if it’s from H-Hogwarts!” you managed to cough, pointing frantically at the window. Your mother bolted out of her chair at the kitchen table so you can recover.

She squealed for you, letting the gorgeous but exhausted-looking owl into your kitchen as quickly as she could. It landed in front of you on the table, holding out its leg with what could only be described as relief. Your shaking hands untied the cream-colored envelope from the owl’s ankle, and as soon as you did, it fluttered to the large cage in the corner of the room. Your silver-grey owl, Cinna, hooted indignantly at the unexpected visitor that was gulping from her water bowl.

“Now, Cinna, be nice. He’s had a long journey,” your mother said, wagging her finger. Cinna would have rolled her eyes if she could.

“Mom,” you squeaked, “this is it, this has to be it. I’m finally gonna know.”

You’d decided halfway through your fourth year at Ilvermorny that you wanted to take part in the International Wizarding Student Exchange Program, or I.W.S.E.P. It was a decision that you didn’t make lightly – you’d discussed it at length with your teachers and with your mom. You loved Ilvermorny with all of your heart and soul, after all, it was your home. But you also knew that the world was much bigger, that there was so much in the wizarding world that you hadn’t seen and hadn’t experienced. As a newly 15 year-old, you felt somehow ready for things to change.

Of course, you didn’t want too much change, which is why Hogwarts was at the top of your list. Ilvermorny was modeled after it, and you didn’t have to worry about a language barrier. Hogwarts contained four houses, just like your school, and was a large castle in the middle of the mountains, just like yours. You were ready to experience new things and new people, in a new (but somewhat similar) place. You had roots there.

The Headmistress of Ilvermorny, Celestia Pukwould, had one final meeting with all prospective exchange students before the end of term. The day exams ended, you and a small group of upcoming fifth years were invited to her large study. She pressed the importance of upholding your school’s good reputation as you traveled, to be a shining example of what it was to learn magic from America’s impressive magical education system. Only one of your peers was requesting Hogwarts as their first choice too, a quiet girl that you hadn’t spoken to much over the years named Eleanor.

After the other potential exchange students left her office, Headmistress Pukwould requested for you and Eleanor to stay behind for a bit.

“Ladies, I have sent an owl to Professor Dumbledore himself expressing my full confidence in you two,” she had said, standing from her ornate high-back chair that sat in front of her fireplace. She twirled her wand between her long fingers absentmindedly, fixing you and Eleanor with a kind yet serious stare. “You two are some of the brightest witches in your class. I told him so. I have known Albus Dumbledore for many years, and he is by far one of the most talented wizards alive today. You would be very lucky to learn magic at his school.”

You and Eleanor nodded profusely, eyes wide. While Headmistress Pukwould was a kind woman, she was also not to be trifled with, and her word backing your acceptance at Hogwarts held much weight.

“Don’t disappoint me, ladies,” she said, the smile fading from her face. She tapped her wand on her nails once, sighed, then turned back to the fireplace. “Have a wonderful summer. Owls containing your acceptance or rejection should arrive to your homes within the next few weeks.” Her tone was final. You were dismissed.

You flashed back to your bright kitchen, took a deep breath and let it back out in a shaking sigh. Your fingers gently traced the refined emerald green writing. You flipped the envelope over and touched the blood-red wax seal, the crest of Hogwarts. Your hands paused.

“Mom, what if I don’t get in?” You’d spoken your greatest fear aloud.

She smiled at you, almost a little sadly, and came to rest a hand on your shoulder and a kiss on your head. “They’d be idiots not to accept you, Y/N.”

“What do you think Dad would say? If they said no?” you all but whispered, a familiar ache rising in the back of your throat. Your father had attended Hogwarts over two decades ago before he moved to America and met your No-Maj mother.

Your mother wrapped her arms around you from behind, pressing her cheek to yours and rocking you gently.

“He would think they’re idiots, too, honey,” she said, a grin in her voice. Your father loved his alma mater, so to imagine him saying anything negative about the school was enough to make you laugh. But you knew she was right, your father had been your biggest fan.

“I miss him,” you said quietly. Your thumb ran over the wax seal again.

“I know, baby. I do too,” she whispered, kissing your cheek. “But he’d be so proud of you, no matter what that letter says. Okay?”

You nodded. You’d lost your father two years ago, but the wound still felt fresh most days. You’d be lying if you said that going to Hogwarts wasn’t an attempt to feel him again, in some form or fashion.

“Here goes nothing,” you breathed, slipping your finger underneath the sturdy paper and ripping it away from the seal. Your heart pounded in your ears like a bass drum as you pulled out the parchment, catching a glimpse of the neat scroll in the same dark green ink. Your mother’s hands tightened on your shoulders.

Dear Miss Y/N Y/L/N,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

All students accepted to our institution through the I.W.S.E.P. (International Wizarding Student Exchange Program) will be required to travel via portkey on the evening of 29 July. Upon arrival to London, arrangements will be made for you to stay in the Leaky Cauldron before gathering your supplies on 30 July. A representative from the school will assist you in procuring the necessary books and equipment for term, beginning 1 September. You will be expected to arrive at King’s Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾, no later than 09:00 AM on 31 July. Bring all necessary luggage and equipment.

You will find an enclosed list of all required literature and materials for Year Five.

We will expect an owl containing your confirmation no later than 20 July. We are honored to invite you into our sacred halls of magical learning.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

You lowered the letter, disbelief coursing through your veins. It was real, truly real. You were now officially a Hogwarts student.

After at least a solid 20 minutes of dancing around the kitchen with your mother, you scribbled a quick confirmation and laid it by the feet of the tired Hogwarts owl.

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to leave for another few days,” you said, answering the owl’s accusatory glare. He hooted ruefully and tucked his head underneath his large wing, ignoring Cinna’s still wary stare.

Your mother excused herself from the kitchen shortly after, attempting and failing to hide the proud tears in her eyes. You hugged the Hogwarts letter to your chest, breathing in the scent of the still stiff parchment. Slowly, you walked out to the empty living room and paced to the fireplace mantle that contained family portraits of all shapes and sizes, some moving in their frames and others standing still.

With tears tickling the corner of your eyes, you picked up your favorite picture of you and your dad. You were six years old, missing a tooth and laughing hysterically, while your father conjured glowing butterflies that danced around your head. The glow of his happy smile outshined those butterflies any day, you thought. You gently stroked his smiling face.

“Well, it’s official, Dad,” you whispered, a single tear sliding down your cheek. “I’m going to Hogwarts.”

______________________________________

That summer passed more quickly than you would have ever expected. Your friends from Ilvermorny came to visit as often as possible, taking advantage of every moment they could grab with you before you left for an entire year. Many days were spent wandering nearby cities and towns, No-Maj and magical alike, with your school friends. You ate as many cliché American meals as you could and soaked up every drop of sunshine possible by the pool. You always looked better with a bit of a tan, and you doubted that you’d be getting much strong sun at Hogwarts.

“So, what House do you think you’ll be sorted into?” Eleanor asked you one afternoon. You’d invited her to stay a week with you and your mother in early July. You two would be the only Americans at Hogwarts in the upcoming year, and you both thought that building a friendship with one another would be nothing but beneficial. Being so far from home, you needed to have each other’s backs.

You were both sitting on the edge of the pool, drinking fresh lemonade and dangling your feet in the water. You took a long sip through your brightly colored straw.

“Good question,” you said, staring at the rippling blue water in thought. “I’ve heard rumors of what each house represents, but how true is it really? I mean, we know at Ilvermorny that more than one House can pick you, and that you can make the decision for yourself. Do you ever wonder if people pick the right one? Think it’s like that at Hogwarts?”

“I don’t know,” Eleanor said quietly. She seemed a little nervous at the thought. “What if we don’t get sorted at all? What if we’re too old?”

“I mean, surely that wouldn’t happen,” you tried to say confidently. “They wouldn’t subject us to public sorting if there was a chance of us getting rejected, right? Talk about embarrassing.”

“I’m sure you’ll get sorted,” she said with an admiring tone. “Everyone remembers what happened when you stepped up to the Knot on our first day.”

You remembered that day with a strange and heady combination of pride and trepidation. When you stepped up to the large Gordian Knot engraved into the shining marble floor of the circular sorting chamber, everything changed for you. For the first time in over a decade, all four large wooden carvings came to life, and the room went dead silent. You’d never felt so many eyes on you, boring into the back of your skull, wondering what made you so special and what House you would choose.

The gem set into the head of the Horned Serpent glowed, the Thunderbird beat its large wings, the Wampus roared and the Pukwudgie raised its arrow into the air. The carvings themselves seemed to stare a hole through you.

The four Ilvermorny Houses have been described as each representing a different part of the human being; Horned Serpent represents the mind and favors scholars; Wampus represents the body and favors warriors; Thunderbird represents the soul and favors adventurers; Pukwudgie represents the heart and favors healers.

You were overwhelmed in every sense of the word. At the small and awkward age of 11, you truly didn’t feel that well-rounded. You were certain that, somehow, these magical carvings had made a mistake.

“What made you choose Thunderbird, by the way?” Eleanor asked curiously, breaking you from your reverie.

“Honestly… I’m not totally sure,” you shrugged bashfully. Talking about this always made you uncomfortable. “Thunderbird is supposed to represent the soul, right? I guess I think that everything is rooted in the soul. We wouldn’t be human without them.”

Eleanor had been chosen by Horned Serpent, but nodded in agreement. “I guess that makes sense. I don’t know what I would have done if I were you.” She laughed a bit uneasily. “At least my choice was easy – I didn’t have one.”

In many ways, you found yourself wishing that only one carving had chosen you. Sure, it’s a bit less flattering, but much less stressful. The pressure of being that student, the once-in-a-decade student that was supposed to accomplish amazing things, was almost suffocating. As a child, you had a mountain of expectations piled on top of you from the moment those four carvings came to life. You couldn’t make a mistake.

In your second year, when your father died, so many of those expectations crushed you in a way that they never had before. His death weighed on you more than anything ever had, and the strength of his support was gone and left you breaking underneath the heavy cinderblocks of watchful eyes. Your grades suffered, and so did your relationships. You shut down.

Only when a year passed after your father’s death did you begin to find yourself again. With the help of your understanding teachers and a loving group of friends, you were able to establish a better academic standing within Ilvermorny. Not that anyone held your lapse against you – after all, you were a 12 year-old that had lost a parent. But you were still that kid, the one that all four Houses wanted, and you’d proven that you were far from perfect.

“What House do you want to be in at Hogwarts?” you asked Eleanor. She smiled, quiet in thought as she threw her brown hair into a messy ponytail.

“Really, I’d be happy with anything. But I’ve heard Ravenclaw is similar to Horned Serpent, academically focused and stuff.” She took a gulp of cold lemonade and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “What about you?”

“My dad was a Hufflepuff, so that would be nice I guess. I don’t know. Let’s just hope the Sorting Hat doesn’t explode,” you joked, setting aside your now empty glass. With that, you jumped into the chilly crystal water, letting it soothe your hot skin. Eleanor quickly followed.

You enjoyed the last inklings of summer vacation together before your new adventure began. You talked about missing friends and family, what Hogwarts would be like, whether or not you liked hot tea and what classes you would be taking. True to teen girl form, you were both excited to meet cute guys with foreign accents. And with a mix of thrill and nerves, you both realized that you two would be the foreign ones to them, and hoped that it would play in your favor.

“I wonder if British guys will think American girls are hot?” you asked her after the sun went down. You’d both climbed out of the pool at this point, your sun-kissed skin beginning to prune.

Eleanor laughed. “Geez, I hope so. Could you imagine getting a handsome British boyfriend? Talk about the adventure of a lifetime.”

You couldn’t deny that the thought of kissing a handsome boy with an attractive accent at the top of a castle turret excited you, but your mind always went back to connecting with the spirit of your father. Maybe you could feel closer to him there at Hogwarts, and would a boy distract you from getting that closure? You knew a boy would distract you from schoolwork, and you were determined to make such outstanding grades that Professor Dumbledore would have no choice but to write back to your Headmistress. After the academic crash and burn that was your second year, any and all glowing recommendations were not only welcome, but needed.

“It would be fun,” you giggled, wrapping yourself in your pool towel and squeezing the water out of your hair. “But wouldn’t it kinda suck when it’s all said and done? I mean, what if you got close to someone and then you have to leave to come back here?”

“I didn’t say we had to fall in love,” Eleanor shrugged. “I just want a hot piece of British ass.”

You busted out laughing. Eleanor always seemed so quiet at school, but once she got comfortable with you, she really came out of her shell.

“Come on, girls!” your mother called, sticking her head out of the back patio door. “Dinner is ready. I’ve got your salads on the table.”

You both trotted inside, whispering and giggling about the possibility of a grand foreign romance. After a pleasant dinner with your mother, you both went to bed, smelling of chlorine and sunlight.

Eleanor fell asleep before you did. You laid awake for a while, watching the shadows of swaying tree limbs dance across your ceiling. Your mind wandered back to the possibility of finding romance at Hogwarts. You doubted it would happen for you, especially since your priorities were elsewhere, but it wouldn’t be so bad to just dream about it, right?

You drifted into a deep sleep, flashes of colorful magic and the shadow of a boy dancing through your head.

[ Read Part 2 here ]

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zeldasayer · 4 years ago

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I transcribed and translated Pedro’s interview from GQ Germany for all of us. I tried translating as good as possible but bear with me, English is not my mother tongue. By @sixties-loser

Pedro Pascal, the star from “Game of Thrones”, “Wonder Woman” and “The Mandalorian” talks about becoming an adult, film, fashion, corona – and a painful surgery in the exclusive GQ interview.

It seems almost eerie how empty the streets of LA are in the sunshine. Meanwhile a new normality seems to be coming to Europe, most people in L.A. are still cutting their own hair. Many have not seen their friends for half a year. The pandemic is out of control. The reaction towards it too. Inviting someone into their garden for a “distance drink” can cause the same distress as suggesting to switch spouses.

Therefore, it was particularly surprising that Pedro Pascal immediately accepted. He accepted the drink, not to switch spouses. He is one of the rising stars and newcomers this year – if it wasn’t for corona sending the whole film industry into a forced vacation, there would most likely not have been time for said drink. After having his skull crushed in “Game of Thrones” followed the lead role as a DEA agent hunting Pablo Escobar in “Narcos” in 2015 and now he is stepping towards big Hollywood films. From the 1st of October onwards the Chilean-born actor will be starring in the blockbuster “Wonder Woman 1984”. Moreover, the second season of the “Star Wars”-series “The Mandalorian” on Disney+ starring him as the lead is going to air in October this year – but he will be underneath a helmet. Well, we all are under a helmet in 2020 in one way or another. We want to meet the man who a few years ago still worked as a waiter in New York, whose parents were political refugees who found asylum in Denmark and settled in Texas and whose son one day signed up for a theatre group in High School.

Then, the cancellation! While we were in the middle of fixing up the house and the garden for the drink with Pedro and organizing the fashion shoot, which was not easy considering the safety measures in L.A., his management called with an unfortunate message: Pedro – no, not sick with corona – had to get emergency surgery because of a damaged tooth and was lying in bed with a swollen face that was hindering him from speaking and taking pictures. The sun is shining onto empty streets. And our empty garden.

A few days later he nonetheless arrived at our front door without a swollen face but still with threads in his mouth. He was not chauffeured by a limo-service but he came with his own car – he even picked up his make-up artist. He is helping her carrying all of her utensils into the house and declares: “I’ve got time today!”. What a celebrity! It seemed like we did not want to ask him how he made it to the A-List of Hollywood but he wanted to ask us how we made it to the A-list. Pedro Pascal! Yes, what kind of a celebrity?

Pedro Pascal: Sorry for messing with your plans. The surgery was an emergency.

GQ: Really? We were wondering whether the swelling wasn’t the product of a secret visit to the plastic-surgeon. Apparently, they are drowning in work because of the quarantine in Hollywood.

PP: I have to disappoint you. A few days before our appointment I was rushing to the hospital with a fractured tooth and the worst pain in my entire life – a hospital in which treats people with severe cases of corona. I was unable to reach any dentist! Right in front of the parking lot a specialist called me back. The pain was hell despite the ten injections I got. The doctor said I was not an exception because a lot of people are grinding their teeth because of all the stress.

GQ: What are you most afraid of at the moment?

PP: How the government is handling the pandemic is worrying me more than the virus itself. This shortage of intelligent management of the crisis is a moral shame. The leadership crisis in this country is turning us all into orphans – destitute and abandoned.

GQ: How did you spend your time over the last few months?

PP: I spent it with frozen pizza and sweatpants in Venice Beach. I live in a rear house that’s in a family’s garden. Actually, there are a lot of good takeout places nearby but for some reason I just love pepperoni pizza from the supermarket.

GQ: That does not really sound like movie star-lifestyle. What does it feel like being suddenly stopped from top speed to zero?

PP: Regarding what is going on around the world one should hold back one’s own mental turmoil. I would be lying if I was saying that I am not disappointed. The whole team put a lot of heart and work into the production of “Wonder Woman 1984”. We had a lot of fun on set. I wished to travel around the world and introduce the film with the same lively energy.

GQ: You come from a politically engaged, socialist family that fled from the Pinochet-regime in Chile. What do you remember from that time?

PP: My sister and I were born in Chile but I was only nine months old when we first found asylum in Denmark. From there we quickly came to San Antonio in Texas where my dad started working as a doctor at the university clinic.

GQ: Texas is not known as a socialist utopia. How did you assimilate?

PP: San Antonio is not a Cowboy-town but very diverse with big Asian, black and Latino communities. I remember it as a romantic place, culturally open. The culture shock only came as we later moved to range county in California. There the atmosphere was suddenly white, preppy and conservative.

GQ: How were you received in California?

PP: I’m still ashamed of the fact that I did not correct my classmates when they kept on calling me Peter. I am Pedro. Even if I didn’t grow up in Chile the country and the language are still a part of me. I was very unhappy in that environment. However, I was fortunately able to go to another school close to Long Beach where I felt more comfortable. Through the theater group at that school I found my way.

GQ: Were you able to visit Chile as a child?

PP: Yes, when my parents made it to the list of expatriates that were able to travel to Chile without consequences. First, there was a big family reunion and then my sister and I stayed there for a few months with relatives while my parents went back to Texas. They likely needed a break from us. They got us when they were very young, had a buzzing social life and my mother was obtaining a PhD in psychology.

GQ: Was your mother a typical young psychologist who wanted to apply her theoretical knowledge at home?

PP: You mean, whether I was her guinea pig? For sure! I remember strange tests and sittings that were disguised as games where someone was watching me react to different toys. I cannot have been older than six but I was already aware of the dynamic. My favourite thing was being questioned about my dreams. That was a wonderful opportunity to come up with fantastic stories.

GQ: Was that your first performance?

PP: Of course! My mother worried about my strong imagination because I was living in my own fantasy world rather than reality. I hated going to school. I was always categorized as the troublemaker. At one point, the topics at school became more interesting and my grades also went up. There are so many kids that are unnecessarily diagnosed with learning disabilities without considering that school can be abhorrent. Why is it so accepted to be bored in class when there are so many stimulating ways to convey knowledge?

GQ: Considering al that has happened this summer around the world: Do you believe that we can seriously demand social change now?

PP: I Hope so. After lockdown, the first time I went out was to protest for “Black Lives Matter” on the streets. The energy was peaceful and hopeful until the police provoked severe conflicts. Nevertheless, we cannot run from problems like we used to this time and we cannot distract ourselves from them either. It seems like the pressure of the pandemic led to a new clarity: We cannot go on this way.

GQ: The “Wonder Woman 1984” Trailer revives the optimism of the 1980’s. From today’s point of view, it seems almost nostalgic.

PP: That’s right. You really are happy for two hours. The director Patty Jenkins created a film full of positive messages. We shot in Washington D.C., then in London and Spain – this sounds like I am talking of a past time.

GQ: Do you miss traveling?

PP: I’m just now realizing the privilege of just packing up one’s stuff and being able to fly anywhere. An American passport used to guarantee unlimited travel. And that’s why it the small radius of our lives is actually unimaginable. Over the last years I often retreated for a break after shootings because I was constantly on the move and overstimulated. My friends were already complaining I had become too comfortable. We all took social contact for granted and are only realizing now how dependent we actually are on human contact. Over the last weeks I often longingly thought about all the parties and dinner invitations I declined.

GQ: In L.A. people spend more time at home or nature than in other metropolises that are more geared towards public life. Could this city become your second home after New York?

PP: My Real Home are my friends. I have been a nomad since I was little and I do not have a place where I have put down roots. Up until not long ago my physical home was a place in between departure and arrival. Therefore, it was something I did not want to complicate through the accumulation of stuff. On the contrary: Without having read Marie Kondo’s book I have freed myself from excess baggage over the last few years and I lived relatively minimally.

GQ: Is there nothing you collect or something you just can’t throw away?

PP: Books! I even still have the literature I read when I was a teenager and when I was in college. Recently, I stumbled upon a box full of old theatre manuscripts and materials from my time at the New York University. I also cannot part from art easily, just like I cannot part from lamps or old photos. On the other hand, I can easily get rid of furniture and clothes.

GQ: Do you remember roles that were really only completely defined through the costume?

PP: Yes, I am particularly thinking about “Game of Thrones”. At that time I understood for the first time what it meant to be supported by a look. This is thanks to the costume designer Michele Clapton. She created very feminine robes and brocade coats for my character that nevertheless looked masculine when worn and I felt very sexy in them. Of course, Lindy Hemmings power-suits and Jan Swells bleached hairstyle for the tycoon-villain in “Wonder Woman 1984” were very important as well. At first I did not really see myself in the role because the cuts and colors of the 80s do not really fit my body. I’m more the 70s type.

GQ: Do you incorporate those inspirations into your personal wardrobe?

PP: In my free time I choose comfort over a cool look these days. Sometimes I miss the times when I expressed myself through a certain style. It is hard to imagine that I went to Raves as a teenage in the 90s; I was a real club kid with ridiculous outfits: overalls, balloon pants, football shirts and a top hat, like in Dr.Seuss’s “Cat in a Hat”. Later in New York I was hanging out with a group of people that felt it was very important to have a certain style. The fact that I am basically only wearing sweatpants everyday is actually tragic.

GQ: whoever plays roles in comic book adaptations becomes a bodybuilder and eats ten chicken breasts a day. You don’t?

PP:My body would not agree with that. It is hard enough to stay in shape normally. When you’re in your mid-forties you have to live with a lot more discipline. Up until before my tooth-incident I worked out with a trainer in my garden multiple times a week to keep the quarantine body in check.

GQ: Apart from the personal trainer, are you in a steady relationship?

PP: I am not ready for that yet. Maybe at some point I will be but until then I’ll let it be. I can’t even offer you absurd corona dating stories.

GQ: What would annoy you the most if you were your own roommate?

PP: I can be quite controlling. I have to conjure all my humanity to prevent myself from going through my entire film collection. When I don’t want something I cannot keep it to myself or be passive-aggressive, I always have to take it to the frontlines. Other than that, I tend to have tunnel view: when I am not feeling well I cannot imagine to ever feel better again. I have trouble relativizing my emotions or to wave off problems. Method-acting would really not be for me. This is why I try to only work on projects that feel good, where there is mutual support and encouragement.

GQ: When we were trying on the clothes earlier you spoke of a lack of self-confidence. How does that get along with a career like yours?

PP: Isn’t it interesting how these characteristics and circumstamces relate? Self-worth comes from inside but it is also influenced by what society values because we often internalise the public gaze. I have lived in New York for 20 years, I studied there and made a living by working as a waiter until my mid-thirties because the theatre and film jobs I got did not pay the bills. There were so many times I was almost there. The disappointment of having missed the perfect role or opportunity by a hair’s width can be crushing. When should you give up and what is plan B? That is a question that is not only on many actors‘s minds but also on many others minds who struggle for a living – no matter how much potential they have or how close they seem to be to the top. We are seeing now how our narrow definition of success destroys society. At the same time, we are realizing that where we come from and the color of our skin still decide whether we can exist with dignity.

GQ: What are the positive aspects of a relatively late success as leading-man?

PP: I feel like I can decide over my own life without the pressure of having to accept projects or to have to present a certain identity on social media. This is for sure also because I am a man. Regardless of age, Women have to try harder to stand out.

GQ: Life always consists of risk management – now more than usual. For what would you risk losing something?

PP: Generally, when you never risk something you might never get ahead. That is for friendship, love, work and creativity. I have to be ready to take risks for the things that really matter to you.

#pedro pascal #THANK YOU MY LOVE!#submission

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willwriteforhugs · 4 years ago

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the boy in the bookstore (part one)

in which you meet a suspiciously handsome boy in your favorite bookstore- but are not cultured enough to know his true identity.

ateez scenario

yeosang x (fem) reader

word count: 1.5k

g: fluff, angst if you’re a sensitive bitch

warnings: none really, light kissing and possible innuendo in later parts

notes:

there are a few things that may turn inconsistent for you personally (aka the POV being american, bilingual, etc. nothing major tho!)

also: if you enjoyed this, i am 100% looking for requests. can be aus, scenarios, or whatever! (atm i can write for atz, skz, bts, and itzy)

happy reading!!

part one

the morning of november 12th is a dreary one. when you wake up, you have little to no motivation to go to work. it's a downcast, rainy day, and seoul looks as sad as it's probably capable of looking.

work is slow. you work on your current project, but writing today feels like this: you write out a sentence. then you delete it. and then you rewrite the exact same sentence. you do this for eight hours, and by the end of it, the air seems thick with your desire to leave.

as you leave the building, a few coworkers try to spark conversation.

“oh, y/n-ssi, you should come have soju with us later, we-”

“hey, y/n! do you want to-”

you don't let any of them finish. today had not been not your day. actually, when was the last time any day had been “your day?” you are exhausted, burnt out. you miss your family, who are busy living halfway across the world. you miss your father, long dead after a tragic accident when you were young. you miss the fleeting friendships of your childhood. you miss what it felt like to have someone greet you as you came home after a long day. you miss being loved.

as you begin your long walk home, a thought occurs to you. when had you last visited the bookshop? it had probably been a while since you’d seen mrs. seon… maybe you should stop by. after all, a trip to the 30 year old bookshop might brighten your mood.

twenty minutes later, you shuffle awkwardly through the front doors of “bookshop”, careful not to get your dripping shoes too close to the new releases. and yes, the store was called “bookshop”. in reality, the store had simply never been named, but everyone who visited it knew it as just the bookshop. you glance around, hoping to find mrs. seon, but she was nowhere in sight. that was alright though… more time to browse. you scrape the last bits of rain off your boots and wander towards the back of the store. this was your favorite part of the whole establishment, and that was saying something. the whole shop was filled to the brim with battered books- centuries old classics, modern literature, old journals of long dead men… and many of the books were not korean, but european or american. this was possibly the most diverse bookstore in seoul. you adore it. but the back of the store was especially amazing. this was where the seon family kept the american classics. authors like john steinbeck and f. scott fitzgerald lined the shelves, their colorful spines making a bold statement about the content within. most were old, beaten up copies, but many of them were in english- something you secretly love.

letting loose a small smile, you run your fingertips along the book spines. suddenly, you see a blur of movement out of the corner of your eye. you whirl around, swiveling your body to your left. and in front of you, not even six feet away, is a boy. a...a beautiful boy. you feel your breath catch. holy shit, he was gorgeous. pale blond hair frames a sharp, tanned face- the boy has sleek, judging eyes, and higher-than-god-himself cheekbones. for a moment you just stare. you can’t help it. but the boy doesn't look up. you lower your eyes again, shifting your attention back to the books. honestly, you aren't sure why you’d reacted like that. he hadn’t said or done anything. and though he is attractive, you are relatively uninterested. this is a bookstore, after all. this is where people came when they didn’t want to talk to people.

a few minutes pass quietly, and you continue to browse the books. after finally deciding on a collector’s copy of steinbeck’s east of eden, you look up again. and there he is. looking right at you. as soon as your eyes connect with his, though, his shoot back down to the phone in his hand. you blink, wondering if he needs anything.

another beat passes. he glances up again, and this time, you force him to hold your gaze, shooting him a small smile. you see his eyes widen slightly before you turn on your heel and head towards the front of the store.

by the time you reach the checkout counter, an employee is there to assist you. she smiles and makes small talk while bagging your new treasure, then sends you on your way. no longer thinking about the blond boy, you pull up your hood and leave to head home.

only a few minutes had passed since you’d left the store when it happens. you feel odd, like someone is watching you...at first you think you’re imagining things, but as you turn around, you are face to face with the boy from the bookstore. a small gasp escapes your lips.

“oh,” is the first thing he says.

you take a step back. "oh-uh," you stumble to find the right words. "hello."

without a word, the boy straightens his stance and reaches towards you. instantly wary, you take another step back. but his arm stops short. resting in his slim hand is a small brown wallet. wait- your wallet. you hesitate, then begin to dig through your shoulder bag. sure enough, the wallet is absent. you look back up into his brown eyes, startled by the intensity of his gaze.

"you- you dropped this." he says quietly.

his voice also startles you. it has a low pitch, but is painfully soft. it reminds you of something, but you don't know what.

"oh, wow. thank you so much," you manage, reaching for the wallet. as you take it, his long fingers brush yours; the lightest touch. his hands are freezing.

"your hands are so cold!" you remark, surprising yourself. talking to strangers in the street. what have you become, y/n?

the young man's pride must have faltered, and his ears turn an endearing pink color.

"it's getting cold out, you really should wear some gloves or something."

he raises his eyebrows. "you aren't wearing any either."

without missing a beat, you respond: "i run hot."

a smile plays at his lips. "well then, i guess i'll wear gloves next time."

up close, you notice he is even more beautiful than you had anticipated. he wears no visible makeup, and he has a big pink birthmark near one of his eyes. it's mesmerizing. by now, you've completely forgotten about your foul mood from earlier.

"by the way," he continues, still speaking quietly. "are you a regular at that shop?"

you pause. "i guess you could say so. i know the owners pretty well, too. mrs. seon is practically my mom here..." you chuckle.

he tilts his head. "what do you mean?"

"oh, it's just that my own family doesn't live here." you pause, and decide you need to elaborate. "i'm american."

his eyes widen, just the tiniest bit. "oh, are you? i wouldn't have known. your korean is amazing."

"well, it is my first language, so i'd hope so." you laugh a little. "but yeah, my family lives in america. i moved here when i was sixteen- i wanted to be an idol." you admit.

this seems to take him by surprise.

you continue without being prompted. "i was a trainee for a few years, but... it just.. it didn't work out. but when it was over, i realized i just couldn't force myself to leave korea. i love it too much."

he nods. "i think i know what you mean."

"so i'm just a student now. turns out i probably should have planned to go to school even if i had debuted... oops."

he nods again, his face remaining neutral and distant.

realizing how much you had just revealed, your body stiffens. "anyways. um, it was nice meeting you-" you pause. he hadn't told you his name.

"yeosang." he said, reading your mind. "my name is yeosang."

"oh. well, it was nice to meet you, yeosang, but i really should be going."

he hesitates, opening his mouth as if to say something. but he closes it and gives a small smile. "okay."

you give a small bow and turn to leave, but he catches you by the arm. "but wait, i want to know your name, too."

you glance back at him, into his eyes, which are shining with hardly hidden curiosity. "y/n." you say.

"y/n," he repeats, as if committing it to memory. "okay, now you can go."

and with that, the two of you parted, going back home to two very different lives.

edit: part two is up now. thank you for reading!!

#ateez imagines #yeosang x you #yeosang x reader #yeosang #ateez #ateez fics #ateez fluff #ateez scenarios #yeosang scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kang yeosang #kang yeosang x reader #self insert #fanfic #bts #ateez angst #willwriteforhugsfics

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