#i made it in two different sizes in case my friend preferred it smaller or we wanted to shove one in a day bag | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thecandywrites · 2 years ago

Text

Kinktober Day 4- Size Difference

Sorry, another death, and another funeral to deal with. Death number 8 - 8 people in my circle of friends of familly I did not expect or plan on dying while I try to wait for THE TWO DAMN DEATHS I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR AND PREPARING MY HEART AND MIND FOR- FOR A YEAR AND A HALF SO MY LIFE CAN RETURN TO ANY SEMBLENCE OF NORMAL. I swear to GOD I'm gonna lose it.

I know, I'm practically a week late on this. But I will try to make up and I will do EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE because believe it or not- Kinktober is the only thing keeping SANE right now. It's practically therapy for me right now and a creative outlet that will hopefully bring peole joy and bring myself just a few fleeting moments of peace from the dumpster fire that is my life.

So, my regular readers thought I was gonna go orc huh? Surprise! DRAGONS BABY!!

Again, many, many thanks to @starsandskies for sharing Kinktober prompts.

Kinktober Day 4 Size Difference

‘I need to land’ Vivor telepathic told you when he spotted a nearby island.

You had been flying all afternoon and honestly, you needed the break too.

‘Please do.’ You told him back telepathically.

That morning, was yet another frustrating set tryouts.

Vivor was considered to be an adult dragon, slightly smaller than most males his size. But despite him being smaller, he was an excellent flyer. He had more strength in his slighter smaller frame than most dragons twice his size.

But what Vivor lacked in size, he made up for in personality, temperament and sheer beauty. Vivor the the coloring of a peacock. One of the most beautiful dragons that ever been hatched on your family’s farm.

And because of the circumstances of his birthing process, his egg got cracked and you had incubated him on your own chest when you were only a small child of seven. And now 15 years later, both of you were considered adults and because you had incubated him on your own chest, your bond with him was unusually strong than most dragon riders had with thier dragons. And dragons usually took a five year ‘wild flight’ with other flocks of dragons around the world, to really fine tune their own sense of directions around the world and map out the layout of it so they could navigate it in case they had to be carriers to deliver dragon silk, dragon flannel and dragon wool around the world.

And instead, of going along with the other dragons, Vivor wouldn’t go without taking you. So at the age of 17, you did. And for five, wonderful years, you flew all around the world and made your own maps of the whole supersphere as well as make notes of all the other dragon species you discovered along the way. It was the best years of your life so far.

But now, Vivor listened to his own instincts and came back to your home on Neveah- following the urge all native Naveahan born dragons did. To come home and settle back down, usually with mates that they found along their journeys and either come back to the farms they were born on- or could go to any number of other homes depending on which rider they chose. And depending on if that rider was part of the family that belonged to the family that took care of thier parents, or another, that's when the dragon breeders could ask their price for thier dragons from their riders besides any goods they made on their own farms.

But while many other female dragons had shown interest, Vivor had not reciprocated it and they had instead went with other males who were interested.

But what was crucial was- that he was now at the stage where he should be pairing up and finding a mate and while Vivor was on the small side, because he had come home- unpaired and unmated- practically all of the great dragon breeders of Neveah were eager to court both him and you because usually female dragons preferred male riders and vice versa. But because Vivor had chose you as his rider, it also meant that you- as an unmarried dragon rider, you and your dragon were up for grabs. You were average for a Naveahan. Naveahans were humanoid beings on the supersphere, looking "human" but not quite, in fact had many gifts and abilities most humans didn't. Like the capability for telepathy, among other things.

And for the last two weeks, you and Vivor had been invited to every dragon farm on the whole island nation that was your home of Neveah. And Vivor- even for being at the bottom of the pecking order for his clutch, was now the most highly sought after stud because of his coloring and the potential to give his offspring similar coloring. Most of the dragon farmers were practically drooling at the prospect of having dragon plated armor in Vivor's colors which would fetch an enourmous price, simply because not only would it be beautiful, but functional too.

But so far, all Vivor was willing to do was to cover a mechanical dragon, to gain his sperm to inseminate other female dragons instead of pairing with them and becoming their permanent mate which is what he had done at every farm so far. And today, he had gone to the very last one on Neveah and done the same thing. He gave their own mechanical dragon a rut while you held the sleeve to collect his sperm so they could artificially inseminate thier own female dragons when they would find their own permanent mates. And while he could demand the highest stud fee, you were frustrated and you could tell he was too. Because usually native Neveahans who had gotten married and started a family- would look for a pair of already mated and paired dragons.

Vivor and yourself grew up together and came of age together and because of your unusually strong bond, Vivor could actually read multiple languges, just like you could. Which most dragons could only 'talk' telepathically with their riders. But that was it. But instead, both of you got to see more of the world than most ever could. You rode on Vivor as he flew in flocks of all kinds of dragons while they were on their own wild flights and you learned what that flight panttern was. Because of your close connection to Vivor, you gained his sight, you could see air currents, you could see the winds and see and appreciate so much more than the average Neveahan.

But now that you were back at home and Vivor was refusing every other female he was introducted to, all you could speculate was that maybe his mate was another dragon in a moura colony somewhere. Since mouras and dragons also had a strong relationship with their dragons but while it was similar, it was also- altogether differnt too. Or maybe Vivor's mate was just somewhere else in the world that you had yet to find. And you had enough funds on your pack to literally fly anywhere and live comfortably, anywhere, even a moura colony. Which you had visited dozens of them on your five year flight, which the mouran dragons also took, sometimes pairing with a Neveahan dragon and bring it home to the colony they were born in too.

But with Vivor dismissing every other female dragon he had met yet, made you feel like you couldn't move on or settle down yourself because then Vivor would miss out and miss his chance with his life's mate, wherever she would be. But at the same time, you were actually grateful for it. Because many of the sons of the other dragon breeder families had flirted with you shamelessly while they allowed Vivor to be in the arena with all their own farm's unmated females which only led to Vivor initiating play bows but not initiating any kind of pair bonding and rejected any female who did to the point he was stuck in the middle of a circle, surrounded by the raised rears of female dragons dripping their own essences to let Vivor either breed any of his choosing or breeding all of them. But Vivor was having none of it and instead too refuge in the rafters of the pairing barn to escape them before the females noticed he was no longer in their presence.

And so to save face on your account, and especially your own family's account and for Vivor, that's how you encouraged Vivor to at least cover the mechanical dragon to bring in a stud fee and exchange a bit of his own sperm in exchange for a handsome price and the freedom to walk away.

So after the last visit to the last farm and even with no one talking to you at all, he still looked them over and "met" them but still politely refused them.

So you were just hoping that a small flight around Neveah, your home, your large island nation, and getting Vivor up in the air to fly and in the clouds, would perhaps clear his head and once he would get a chance to regain his barings, he’d be able to tell you why he was so frustrated and why he was rejecting every female dragon he had ever met so far.

But instead, he had circled the island once and then flew to a nearby, but uninhabited island, which there were many around Neveah, they were usually used for fishing bases or to gather wild fruits that grew on the islands and not on the mainland.

But he landed and you just took his saddle off and all the heavy sacks of gold and other precious treasures that were part of his stud fee along with your usual pack for day trips. But you still laughed when his whole body shook once he was free of the saddle and the load before jumped up in the air and flew to the highest point on the island, leaving you rather stranded there on the small plateau to make your camp, grateful that you had bought some food stuffs before this flight so you could eat while Vivor too advantage and ate a few seagulls that were flying around the island, so at least he got to eat himself.

But then, instead of returning to you, you felt he was letting his frustrations turn into anger as he angrily started to claw at the rock that was at the top and was using his extraordinary strength to break apart the rocks and dig into the rocky outcrop.

“Vivor? What in the world are you doing up there?” You called to him as you sat on the saddle pad and had some little bits of rubble land over your head and shoulders before looking up to see more before you got up and walked around to see him shoving entire boulders off of the sides of the plateau before they crashed into the water around the island.

‘Venting my frustratoins.’ He answered curtly which made you frown so you began to climb up the rocky cliffside that separated his plateau from yours.

“Vivor, we need to talk about these frustrations.” You insisted once you got up there.

‘No we don’t!’ He answered with a dangerous growl as he pushed a boulder twice his size with his whole body off the side.

“Yes we do! Talk to me Vivor! What is wrong? Are you really so picky that no other dragon on Neveah is good enough for you?” You asked.

‘Yes!’ He finally screamed in your head which made you clutch your head and whimper in pain for how loud his voice boomed in your head that your ears ached as if he had said it outloud. Then he abandoned the boulder to come over to you to quickly apologize for hurting you as he licked and nuzzled at your ears and head.

“Why Vivor? Why are they not good enough?” You asked him as you used his close proximity to hold his own head in your hands and look into his eyes but he put up his mental wall again and withdrew and managed to kick the boulder off off the cliffside and down onto the ground before you realized what he had been doing. He was carving out a cave, for a nest, a good sized one, out of the rockside. He chose a good site too.

“Vivor why are you building a nest when you don’t even have a mate?” You asked him but all you got in answer was him breathing his hottest dragon fire into it partially melt and the resolidify the cave which made you duck behind one of the boulders to shield yourself from the heat of the dragoon fire.

‘You should know! You bred me to! You and your people have bred dragons for characteristics and instincts right?! For thousands of years! You tell me!’ Vivor yelled again. Not as loudly as before, but definitely with much more bitterness and much more rageful and spiteful resentment in his tone than he had ever spoken with you in.

“Hey! For thousands of years Neveahns have changed our entire race and culture to support dragons, so they didn’t die out! We have fed you, cared for you, allowed you to nest and incubate clutches that are usually ten times the size as those in the wild. And while I agree, domesticated dragons do not have the same pure instincts that wild ones do- but don't the advantages outweigh the lessoned natural instincts? If your parents had followed pure instinct you wouldn’t be alive! And that's why I we picked out the name Survivor for you! Because you survived something that naturally- you shouldn't have!” You reminded him as he simply curled up in front of his cooling cave like a cat and pouted as you came over and sat within his coil and put his head into your lap and began to pet his head to soothe him because he was clearly still trying to balance the demands his instincts were making of his body with his heart and his mind and the rest of him and you could sense that he was frustrated that his instincts were telling him one thing but his mind was telling him something else while his heart, he was hiding it from you because he was guarding it closely, trying to protect himself emotionally.

“But I have never once given up on you. I have always given you every chance to succeed. I protected you from your clutchmates when you landed at the bottom of the pecking order. I never once questioned you or your actions that you were driven to do by your instincts. I let you indulge in all of them so that you can enjoy what you are. You are a dragon Vivor. One of the most special and sophisticated and amazing ones I have ever known and anyone who would judge you just based your pretty scales should know that one should not base their opinion based on their looks, but rather judge their character based on their actions." You insisted.

"And I hope that I have proved with my own choices, that I will chose you. No matter how many times I have to do it. No matter what I am choosing between, I choose you, and what is best for you. No matter what I have to do or endure to make sure you are happy and taken care of. And I would hope that you can see that I have proven with my actions that nurture is just as valid and important as nature. And we have done more together in the last five years than anyone else in Neveah has done in the last hundred. You don’t have to choose a mate here and now. Some dragons may not choose a mate until their twenties or even thirties, hell their fourties especially when they're mega dragons the size of cities instead of just slightly bigger than a horse." You tried to reassure him.

"If that’s how long it will take, I’m in. I’ll wait and it will be worth it. Because it’s your life and your happiness that is in your own hands, not mine. I’m just along for the ride, remember? Hell you don’t even have to find a mate at all! You could just continue to be a stud dragon, and that’s perfectly fine. Or if you want to fly around the world again, and see where the winds and the currents takes, us, we’ll do that too. Wherever you go, I will go. That's the way it's always been with us and that's the way I want it to stay if you want it to stay that way too." You insisted.

"Because honestly, after the last two weeks, I get it. I see it. I see how Neveahan's treat dragons like elevated horses. I see how mouras treat dragons and guard dogs. I've seen how others treat dragons as dangerous pests or auspicious blessings. But you have always been my friend. First and foremost and that's all I need. And I like to think that's all you really need from me right?" You asked, but all you got was huff but still silence.

"I don’t care to ride any other dragon than you for as long as I live. When we fly, we are not dragon and rider. You simply share your wings with me so that I fly with you. I let you have your head and chart your own courses and let you follow whichever winds or currents you want to, to either strike out on your own or follow with any flock you want to fly with. And in five years, we went with more flocks than I saw lands on the surface. And I would not trade that for anything. I flew among wild dragons as thier equal. And that's what we are, we are equals." You earnestly professed.

"That has been the way you and I have been since the beginning and it’s worked out for us and we won’t stop now. I don’t need to live here in Neveah. We don’t need to settle down here at all. Lots of dragons choose their mate’s preference of not being on Neveah over their own instincts to stay. And I can only hope that they’re happy with those decisions. We saw it the moura colonies and even in the wild." You reminded him.

"Granted I would like to come back here from time to time to reconnect with family for family reunions and all that and just in case those females produce eggs that your seed fertalized and the males were to try to reject the eggs, because that's been known to happen, I will incubate those eggs with you. It's happened with other dragon riders who own studs. Or other dragon riders who keep a lone female dragon who refuses to pair up too and the only way to let her follow her own instincts is to artifically inseminate them. If I incubated you, I can incubate your offspring with you if I have to. We would just be collecting a lot of eggs from a lot of different farms and make our own special incubation nests, but not too different than the one your clutchmates got to incubate in. And with as much as your connection has opened up my mind to the minds of other dragons, I can usually tallk to other dragons without being their rider, like the way I did with your clutchmates, especially when they would pick on you when they played too rough with you." You proposed.

"But that doesn’t change the fact that you are still my best friend in the whole wide world. You always will be. No matter what. I have your back and you’ve always had mine, both literally and figuratively.” You reassured him before you kissed his forehead and hugged his forehead as he pressed his ear to your chest, specifically to your heart so he could hear it beat. Which was always a sound he found soothing since incubation and even after hatching, he would prefer to sleep with you in your bed, with his head over your chest to keep hearing your heartbeat than sleep in the barn with his clutchmates. To the point you practically potty trained him like a puppy and he practically grew up to be a ‘house dragon’ rather than purely ‘a farm one’. And since his birth as an egg, the two of you had always been insperapble, even as you helped your parents help thier own set of dragons birth and incubate clutches of eggs together, except for this very last one when you went for your five year flight with Vivor instead.

‘But what if there is no other dragon that I could ever find who could…that I would ever…even want…’ Vivor stuttered in his words in your head.

“Then living as a bachelor and pulling in stud fees is what we can do. And we can do that anywhere, not just here in Neveah. Granted, I worry that you’ll eventually feel you’re missing out on actually having a dragon as a mate and going through the courting and mating process properly and missing out on that connection you would have with her or raising your own offspring with her instead of only giving your seed to another to add to other females so that she and her mate can raise your offspring for you if you're not there to raise them yourself in case they get rejected by the father.” You answered him.

‘But if I do that, what will you do?’ Vivor asked and picked his head up and turned it slightly to look you in the eyes.

“If you’re happy and content with whatever choices you make, I will be too. You know me. I'm easily contented. As long as I have clothes on my back, a bed roll to sleep on and food stuffs to fill my belly when I'm hungry. I don't care. I don't need a huge fancy house or farm or anything like that. Just a food and water source and the chance to buy soap when I can't make it myself to wash myself and my clothes. Becuase any man who can't respect my friendship and my relationship with you or be jealous or be intimidated by it, is no man for me. Hell they make dildos. i can ride those when I need my own sexual release and I can always just keep the sleeve I've been using for you at the other farms." You reassured him, but in a more upbeat, slightly teasing tone to try to get him to at least laugh.

But Vivor just dropped his head back into your lap with a depressed and defeated huff which got you to frown and do the same.

"Come on Vivor, just...tell me what it is. Whatever it is, we can fix whatever problem you have. I just need to know what it is first. For the last six months of our flight, you told me that you were both looking forward to coming home but you were dreading being rejected. But so far, you've been the one that's done the rejecting. You've had your pick of all the single dragons on the island and practiclaly in the world, of what we've seen of it anyway. Did you have your eye or heart on another and she got snatched up by another? what?" You asked but all you got in answer was more silence.

"Vivor, if you keep cutting yourself off from me and not talking to me. I get just as frusted as you do. I can't help you find relief from your own frustrations if I don't even know what they are. so just tell me!" You begged of him but all you got was more silence, but this time a sense of fear and his sense of rejection was the highest you had ever felt from him before.

Suddenly, you seemed to realize and connect the dots.

Vivor always withdrew from the female dragons to return to your side the moment any other had ever flirted with you. Even when female dragons had practically gotten into position for him and presented themselves to him so he could start mating immediately. He had done that ever since the two of you came back. He had been doing it- actually- his whole life. He protected you from any who tried to pick on you, but it grew from pure protection to something- much more possessive. Especially when you were ovulating. He was practically like a guard dog and wouldn’t let anyone but a family member even approach you and growled dangerously at anyone and outright wouldn’t even let you leave the confines of his coiled body around you.

“Shit.” You breathed as your eyes went wide and it seemed that Vivor had been listening to your thoughts in your head and his ears pinned back and he grimaced as it seemed, you had figured it out and immediately uncoiled from arund you to coil in the opposite direction to leave you sitting there, leaning against his side but sitting there rather dumbfounded for a moment.

“It’s me! You won’t choose a dragon mate because you want me as your mate! That’s why you’re really rejecting all the other female dragons. You're not too picky about them or their personality or the farms they belong to or where they come from or any of that! You are rejecting them because they're not me! And that’s why you won’t let any other guy flirt with me ever since my body matured enough to ovulate and in theory have enough physical maturity to start to find a mate of my own and have a family of my own. Because you were always so protective. But no, you are being possessive too!” You finally realized as you finally realized he had uncoiled from you but coiled in the opposite direction and had instead withdrew from you completely because he was fearing your rejection. He was afraid that you would take your "unusually strong" connection and view it as "unnatural".

I mean, granted it wasn't exactly common place, but there was a part of Neveah where only studs or only mare dragons and their riders resided if thier own families didn't want them on their own farms or if they wanted their independance from their larger family and thier larger farms. And usually the homes in that community, meant that the dragons themselves could either reside in the "community" barn or reside in the riders home with them. And you'd bet half of his fees that the ones whose dragons resided in the rider's home- that their relationship was the kind of relationship that Vivor was wanting- specifically with you. I mean there were all kinds of tales of riding off into the sunset with their dragons, and returning home from time to time but otherwise were happy to live on the winds and go wherever the currents took them. Or settled anywhere else they wanted to.

But his lack of denying it was enough of a confirmation for you

“Vivor!” Vive!” You got up and went around and tried to untangle him from the rest of himself to get to his head.

"Survivor Lucian Dellavega." You finally said, using his full, whole name before he finally let you have his head and wearily open his eyes to peek at you through them, but fully open them to see that you were smiling so adoringly at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me? If you had told me about this before we ever came back, I would have never agreed to take you to any of those farms to stud you out." You asked him.

"Because I thought that's what you wanted me to do." Vivlor answered.

"Vivor. I don't care what you do, as long as you are not a danger to yourself or others. That's it. That's the one rule I have about you." You reminded.

"Now, granted, studing you out is a great way for me to earn an income, but no stud fee is high enoug if it's uncomfortable for you to do and for you to give your seed to be used to artificially inseminate dragons you have no other attachementst to. It's not worth it to me if it's not something you want to do. So just answer this for me. Do you want to be a stud dragon?" You asked him plainly and simply. But he just shrugged his shoulders and gave an 'eh' for an answer like he could take or leave it which only made you laugh harder and shake your head.

"Vivor, if I had known you wanted me as your mate, we could have skipped studding you out completely. We could have built our own place on my parents farm, which seems to have doubled since we left it last, so at least the family business is good and booming. But we could simply use it as a home base but not much else. We have trade with all the other families in the Dragon Breeder Guild. And the Dragon Goods Guild. Becuase there is always a market for dragon scales for armor and to protect the trades where fire is concerned, like the glass blowers and the metal workers, from the bladesmiths, to the jewelers, to the welders to every kind of blacksmith because dragon scales are naturally immune to fire and shield against excess heat. Because of the Dragon Goods Guild- I have almost limitless supplies to all the dragon silk, dragon wool and dragon flannel to make myself a wardrobe for any and every civilizaition we've ever been to- ten times over. I don't need your stud fees to live or survive or for us to make our own way in the world unless it's something you want to do. And if it's something you want to do- then go for it. Don't let me hold you back. I'm ok with you selling your own seed, but I'm never going to let anyone entrap either of us into any situation that we both don't want to be in." You insisted.

"My family is so rich it's almost stupid. The farm can afford to keep so may pairs of dragons and afford to keep all the herds that we do to both provide meat for the dragons and ourselves. And do so with plenty to spare. Just from the sales of your clutchmates that returned with you- was enough to set my family up for at least three more generations, as if they didn't already have enough set back to ensure it for the next one hundred generations. I could ask for all the funds you can carry and use them to live abroad if you wanted to. And we can be as dependant or as independant from them or Neveah as a whole as you want to be. Because frankly, I don't care. Yeah it's my home and yeah, it's my family, who I love dearly, but I still love you more. But it's not worth losing you and your happiness over.” You reassured him as you pet his head and smiled when he still leaned into your touch before he wrapped around you and coiled around your body and hugged you so tightly it was almost difficult to breathe, but you welcomed it and hugged him back.

‘Yes, I was afraid you'd reject me and I was afraid that you would reject the idea of being my mate even though you have always been my everything. I have always loved you. At first you were like a sister, when I was still in the egg. Then when I hatched, you were like a mother to me. Then as I grew, you were both still those things yet more than those things combined. You loved me and cared for me and risked your life to save mine even when I was just an embryo in a cracked egg that without you- I never would have gotten the chance to live. And we have shared our lives together. And you are always open with me and you don't hide anything from me. And I'm sorry I've been hiding from you. I was just scared of losing you.' Vivor confessed.

"Ooh, Vivor." You cooed as you pet him and hugged him tighter but smiled happily.

'For the last five years- flying with the other flocks, but with you as still my rider, was like the best of both worlds. Still being wild but yet still having you as my friend and my one true rider. But then we came back and now, I realize, how alone I am again. I’m a dragon that my own clutch mates didn’t even want to be with. I was the outcast. But with you- I was safe. And I was in the company of a friend who loved me and cared for me. And now that we’re back, they’re all finding mates and their riders, which to me is ass backwards. A dragon should find their rider then their mate and both should be happy with their choices, not the other way around.' Vivor insisted which got you to snort a laugh.

'But it's true! I didn’t want you to be tied down to any of those other families just because of me. I know you only want me to be happy but I am only ever happy with you. While you are not a dragon, your personality and character and heart and spirit are one with mine. And I don’t want that to ever change and I can’t imagine ever feeling the way I do about another dragon the way I feel about you. And I know it goes against my nature to a degree, but…' Vivor finally confessed before you just kissed him then hugged him again.

'It's not against my nature to love you that way Vivor.' You mentally rassured him as he readily moved to lay down to hold you with all four of his limbs and his wings over you to hold you to himself, the way you used to when he was smaller than you.

“You silly dragon. Why do you think there are so many legends about dragons “kidnapping” fair maidens and flying with them off into the sunset? And those princesses to tell thier dragons to burn any who would try to take her away from her dragon?” You asked him somewhat rhetorically.

‘But dragons are always the bad guys in those stories.’ Vivor frowned but held you just as tightly as he dared so you could still breathe easily as it was your turn to put your head over his heart that you realized beat just for you.

“Not for the maidens. Just the knights who think they have more of a right to the maiden than the dragon does.” You giggled.

“Come on, I know that you know that I can get myself to orgasm by riding the saddle I made to ride you. And I know you like to think you can keep your dirty thoughts about me all to yourself but I still saw what you saw in your fantasy when you mounted those mechanical dragons, you think about mounting me instead, granted it was only bits and flashes but from what I did see, made one hell of an impression. So come on, let’s see if we can make this work in real life and not just in fantasy.” You encouraged.

With just a few careful claw marks, he had shredded your clothes off of you which got you to laugh because of how eager he was to try but he still carefully laid on his back while his cock practically shot out of it’s sheath and was already hard and throbbing as you kissed his chest as you moved backwards to line yourself up to him. You knew exactly how big he was and you ventured that the reason he stayed on ‘the smaller side' was because he didn’t want to get too big, just in case this could ever go from fantasy to reality for both of you.

You straddled him only to get the angled tip in, which was enough to pierce your entrance and start to stretch you out before you really pushed it and the head finally broke your maidenhood but the head was in and the sigh of relief from both of you was audible. You could see and mentally feel, emotionally feel all the tension and apprehension and fear and frustration melt away and get replaced with pure euphoria that you were stradling him and giving him a chance to mate with you. Or even, in your terms, make love to him, and him a chance to make love to you in turn.

You gradually worked your way up and down the shaft, your own essence and his own helping with the lubrication for this to do so but while he was stretching you to your body’s max that your canal could possibly hold but you were doing it. You were succeeding.

And the more you of his cock that you got into you, the more of himself and his mind, his heart and soul were opened up to you too to the point that your physical forms hardly mattered and seemed to fall away. It was a union of two souls, two hearts, two minds, into one on a plane that such things as physical forms didn't exist.

You had no idea how long it took but the first orgasm you had was simply like leaping over a physical hurdle to get you to a finish line that you didn’t know what was at the end, but it was something big and something that you never knew you wanted but you felt you both needed. Each orgasm after that was simply another marker closer to the end goal, that you wanted to reach as each orgasm, you were delightfully drowning in euphoria.

Finally, it was as if you were being pushed faster than your body could ever travel. You were practically hurtled to the end, just as you vaguely felt all of Vivor’s cock including the bulbous knot at the base squeeze into you and your womb began to fill with seed, so much of it, you didn’t know how- by proportion- your much smaller body was going to take it. But it was. It managed to take all of it.

But for a small eternity, you felt truly at one with Vivor in a way you had never felt before. All of yourself was connected to all of him in ways that transcended anything you had ever thought to even try to comprehend. It was a place you could only describe as like a heavenly paradise, but not of this world or physical realm. It was both like the euphoria of flying in the auroria borialis with the heavens spread above you while watched the sunset below you. But instead of the heavenly expanse surrounding you- you were in it. And it came from within instead of being something to be experienced outwardly.

When you finally came back into your own body, and regained your own consciousness within your body, you woke up to find that you were still laying on Vivor but you were in the cave he had carved out. Your gear and saddle were between Vivor and the back of the cave wall. It was raining hard outside, with strikes of lightning and booms of thunder, which you were pretty sure what prompted you to wake up in the first place and somehow, the next day. Or so you imagined since your stomach was the first to remind you that it had not gotten a chance to eat in way too long.

Somehow, someway, between the encounter yesterday and this momsnet now, he had pulled out of you to release his seed which laid in a pool just outside the cave. And the bits of your shredded clothes were haphazardly put over you like a blanket while your heart laid over his chest, over his own heart while your body splayed out over his chest and abdomen. His arms were wrapped protectively around you and his legs, were propped up against the cave wall while his tail laid between his body and the mouth of the cave while his wings were partially extended, also covering you up to keep you both warm, and safe.

‘Well hello there, sleep ok?’ Vivor asked once he mentally noticed you were waking up as you lifted your head to look around and take in your surroundings for a moment.

“Yeah, I slept…better than I ever have before. How long have I been asleep?” You asked as you folded your arms under your chin to look up at him only to see him grin. It was the same, satisfied, somewhat smug but pleased and content grin that you had recognized his parents always wore after copulation. And if this was the norm for sex with dragons, you didn’t think how sex with any other being could ever compare. It was the single greatest experience of your life, well, so far anyway.

‘Me too.’ Vivor smiled, his pearly white teeth almost blinding as were yours as you both giggled before you crawled up the rest of him to sit at the base of where his long neck met his chest and kissed him on the snout before he stuck his tongue into your mouth which got you to giggle before you sucked on it and tried to slide yours alongside his which only elicited an exciting rumble in his chest as his hand came to rest behind your body to hold you up so he could stick more of his tongue into your mouth, careful not to put too much into you for fear he’d choke you.

‘Lay down.’ Vivor urged you before you laid back on his chest as Vivor let his slick tongue taste down your body which got you to mewel and writhe over him before his snout dug into your womanhood and he inhaled deeply before his tongue speared what his cock had done the day before.

His tongue could taste the remnents of his own seed, but the taste he was most excited to taste was you. He had seen his fair share of couples copulating in the barns before, and knew males could put their mouths at the female sex and do something with their tongues that brought the females pleasure. And he wanted to do the same with you.

Much to his great reward to suddenly see and feel how much pleasure his own tongue could do to you as he twisted and moved it in and out of you before finding the same spot with his tongue that his cock had found the evening before and scrunched up his tongue inside your canal so that a portion would rub against it while the middle of his tongue rubbed against your clit had you keening and grabbing ahold of his own fingers since his hands were carefully wrapped around your waist to keep you there while your thighs squeezed his face since he had his mouth open wide enough that none of his sharp teeth would ever touch your delicate skin and hurt you- while your knees hooked behind his horns while your ankles dangled behind his ears.

This time, when you came, your canal seemed to gush a special pheromone thick mucus that he greedily slurped up and only made him hunger for more.

“Please Vive, please, please, I can’t, it’s too much, please!” You whimpered and begged as your body was on the verge of overstimulation but just when you thought you’d go crazy, the second orgasm flooded every fiber of your being and Vive got his entire tongue coated in your nectar to the point, he had to pull it out to swallow it off of his own tongue which only prompted you to snap your legs shut the moment his mouth was closed so that he couldn’t go for round three- not before you could recover from it first. Your sex was buzzing and tingling and your brain was practically drunk with love and lust as you rolled over, only to see that he had made a mess on his own belly which you decided to go tease for tease and lick what few drops were still hanging from the head up which made his cock bob and Vivor shudder which made you lose your balance and land chest first into the pool of his seed on his belly before you slipped off of him onto your side onto his wing.

‘Fuck! Are you ok?!’ Vivor jerked but you just started laughing because you were completely covered in it before you stepped outside into the rain.

‘Sheba what are you doing?’ Vivor asked as you stood in the rain and welcomed the warm rains before you tried to wipe his own seed off of you with your hands before Vivor got into your ruck sack and found your bar of soap and tossed it to you so you could at least bathe in the rain before he came out into the rain and tried to wipe his own mess off of himself which prompted you to scrub his softer belly scales clean before a lightning strike nearby sent you both back into the cave for safety as you used what was left of your shredded clothes to dry off before you got your special quilt out- that you had made for the two of you to sleep on when you were on that five year long flight. You put that down on the floor of the cave so you could sleep comfortably again that night before you got the last of your food from your pack since you had yet to really eat that day, but were happy to lay naked but dry within the coil that Vivor always wrapped himself around you.

‘So now what?’ Vivor asked you.

‘Whatever we want to Vivor. We got enough coin we could head back, get proper supplies like we did five years ago. And then- let’s just see where the winds take us. I can tell my family that you still need more time to fly around, and either find a place that’ll accept us as we are, or we find and make new home, just for us, wherever we want. Or- we do a blend of the two. Come back every two and a half years. If you still want to be a father. We can still stud you out. Then we can do our own thing until it's time for the females to lay their eggs and if any of your fertalized eggs gets rejected, then we can incubate them and raise them as our own on my family's farm, since we'll get the most support there. Or if you want to stick to the single stud area, we can do that too.' You answered him back with your mind.

'Two and a half years thing, just in case any of my fertalized eggs gets rejected by any other male. And let's try that. And if none get rejected, I don't want to take any eggs from any parents who would love them, no matter who fertalized them. But just in case any of them gets rejected, incubating eggs with you sounds like a dream, even if you didn't lay them yourself.' Vivor decided.

'Then that's what we'll do. Honestly I was hoping for that too. You'd be an excellent father, and even if other eggs that you didn't fertalize, if any eggs get cracked, we can always get called in to help incubate those too. All we need is to coat them in more mucus and then wrap them put patches of dragon silk over the cracks to further stabilize the eggs but it would keep the eggs seperated enough that if any egg were to go bad, it wouldn't devestate the others, and we could simply remove it and dispose of it since it had already died, but we could do so with clear conciences that we did everything we could to save it and at least try to give it a fighting chance to make it.' You smiled as you pressed your forehead to his and nuzzled your forehead to his as you could feel how happy and content you both were, and fully and completely at ease too. Which was really wonderful.

‘Gods I love you.’ Vivor cooed to you.

‘Love you too. Want to go again?’ You asked.

‘Yes!’ Vivor practically cheered before you got on all fours and presented your rear the same way you had seen female dragons do for the males.

‘Now that is the ass that I’ve been in love with.’ Vivor cooed as he licked from your clit up your ass, up your back, to your shoulder and your neck before his tongue wrapped around your throat while his cock slid up your backside and then once your legs were wide enough and with you guiding his cock back into your canal, which now welcomed the sensation of being filled to being exquisitely stuffed. And to your mutual delight- the same series of events as last time happened, you and Vivor reconnected and you had never felt more loved, connected, understood, appreciated, desired, wanted and cared for on every level possible in every way concievable in and ways you never could have imagined.

You looked down to see his cock bulge your belly as he drove into with much more force and vigor and zeal than you imagined you had ridden him with the day before, but not in any way that could hurt you but he was eager to see just how much and how far he could physically go with you. You didn’t know how your body could take him, but you didn’t care. This felt so good and so right and you didn’t care where you had to go or what you had to do to support yourself and care for Vivor when he wasn't supporting you and caring for you too.

But Vivor was your mate and you were his. And that’s all that mattered.

#Kinktober #Kinktober day 4 #starsandskieskinktober #Kinktober 2022 #Dragon Boyfriend

47 notes · View notes

jackarthurdavenport · 4 years ago

Photo

Some of my lovely friends asked to show how I do my blending, so here is a very long tutorial! I will explain how to:

Blend GIFs with lots of movement

Blend three or more GIFs on one canvas

You will need:

Any version of Photoshop with a timeline

Basic-intermediate knowledge of GIF making (including cropping, how to use adjustment layers for color correction, applying layer masks, and placing multiple GIFs on one canvas)

Since the way I blend depends on the footage I'm able to work with, I often end up going in a different direction than I first planned. So this isn't a strict step-by-step guide that can be applied to everything you make. These are just some tips!

Read the rest under the cut.

TERMINOLOGY:

(Pretty sure you already know this but I will be repeating these a lot here, so just in case!)

Highlights & Shadows - The highlights are the brightest parts of the image. The shadows are the darkest parts. Remember that just because it's bright doesn't mean it's actually white, and just because it's dark doesn't mean it's actually black!

Negative Space - This refers to empty space around your subject. When there's negative space, it's easier to spot the focal point of the image.

BLENDING GIFS WITH LOTS OF MOVEMENT

Number of GIFs: 2 Main GIF: Closeup of Sam (“big!Sam”) Secondary GIF: Sam flying (“flying!Sam”)

STEP 1: Find the right scenes Since the subject of the secondary GIF is much smaller and basically cuts across the frame, it’s important (but not always essential!) that the main GIF has less movement and a decent amount of negative space.

STEP 2: Make your individual GIFs Make your GIFs like how you usually do (Important: Remember that your GIFs need to have the same number of frames). When it’s time to crop, it’s best to have the two files opened in Photoshop at the same time so you can compare them against each other. It’s absolutely fine for them to overlap because that’s the whole point! The secondary GIF has Sam flying in from the top left to the bottom right, so I cropped the main GIF with him off-center so there would be space to see flying!Sam.

Now we have these two GIFs:

STEP 3: Combine your GIFs Place the secondary GIF over the main one and adjust the blend mode. Setting the blend mode to Screen usually works, but in this case, this is how it looks:

As you can see, the highlights in the main GIF are obscuring flying!Sam in the first frames. You can only see him clearly when he’s flying over big!Sam’s face. This is because the shadows on the top GIF will lighten and/or disappear against the highlights of the bottom GIF when set to Screen. It would be too complicated to fix this with a brush (which we will get to later) because of the movement in the secondary GIF, so instead I set the blending mode to Multiply, which is the opposite of Screen. Now here is the GIF:

We can now see flying!Sam. But the blue of the sky is now a pseudo-filter over big!Sam’s face up until the last frames. So I applied a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer over the secondary GIF to remove those colors. The sky in the GIF is made up of cyans and blues, so I dragged those sliders down to -100. Here is how it looks now:

STEP 4: Erase the bits you don’t want So that big!Sam’s face isn’t covered by flying!Sam’s wings and that pesky airplane up top, we have to use a brush to erase those parts. In the Layers panel, make sure your GIF layers (in this case, groups/folders) are selected and click the Add Layer Mask button. A little rectangle next to the layer/group name will show up like so:

Then in the Tools panel, click the Brush tool, pick a soft brush and set the size to around 180-210px. The larger the brush, the softer the look. I learned this from Becca (@inejz-ghafa) who made an amazing tutorial a while back (will link it in the source at the bottom)! Adjust the brush size if you have to.

Now click on the little rectangle layer mask of the group you want to erase (in this case, the secondary GIF). When you do this, the Foreground and Background Colors buttons in the Tools panel will revert to the default black and white.

Painting with black will erase and painting with white will undo the erasure. So I erased the airplane and the bits of the wings covering his face. I didn’t erase the parts that overlap with his uniform, just to keep the effect of flying!Sam zooming across the GIF. And here is our finished product:

BLENDING THREE OR MORE GIFS ON ONE CANVAS

We will be working with these two GIFs since they use different techniques:

STEP 1: Compose your image Find the scenes you want to put in your GIF and choose which of those is the most important. Once you've decided on that, you can build the rest of the elements around it.

Sam's GIF: Multiple Exposure Effect

Number of GIFs: 3 Main GIF: Bloodied shield Secondary GIF: Closeup of Sam Tertiary GIF: Bucky with the shield

STEP 2: Make your individual GIFs Since the shield is the most important part, I made it the largest GIF and cropped it close to emphasize the star and the blood. I made Sam's GIF the same size, but cropped it with his face off-center so that the star wouldn't completely cover his face. Again, it's totally fine for the images to overlap! The tertiary GIF is the least important so I cropped it smaller. To determine the size of that GIF compared to the shield, I made the Rulers visible (View > Rulers; or Ctrl+R) then clicked the top ruler and dragged down to create a guide to where I wanted the smaller GIF to end. Then I measured from the bottom of the GIF up to the guide to determine the height of the smaller GIF. (Tip: It's better to make the tertiary GIF too large than too small. That way, you have more to work with. So size it larger than it will appear on the final GIF.)

This is only a stylistic choice for this particular set, but I removed the blue from the shield and set the tertiary GIF to black and white, so that the only notable colors in the GIF are red, black and white. Varying up the coloring of each GIF (i.e. color vs. monochrome) adds some spice to the image, so play around with these different styles if you like!

Here are our three GIFs:

STEP 3: Combine your GIFs At first, I made the main GIF of the shield the bottom GIF. Then I placed the secondary GIF over it and set the blend mode to Screen, but found that it lacked depth. So I switched them and made the Sam GIF the bottom GIF (blend mode: Pass Through) and placed the shield GIF (blend mode: Screen) over it. And this is what I got:

Notice how the window behind Sam on the left side is distracting? It also partially obscures the star. So I went back to Sam’s GIF, created a New Layer and painted over the window with a black brush. Now here is our GIF:

This is just my personal preference, but I wanted the area around the star to be a solid black rather than gray, so this time I created a New Layer over the shield GIF and applied a layer of black with the Paint Bucket tool, setting the blend mode to Soft Light. Now we’re done with the main and secondary GIFs:

Now let’s add the last GIF:

STEP 4: Erase the bits you don’t want Lastly, I erased the warehouse rafters over Sam’s face and a bit of his shirt and the warehouse floor on the bottom right corner using Layer Masks and a soft brush (like in the first tutorial). And we’re done!

Bucky's GIF: Silhouette Effect

Number of GIFs: 3 Main GIF: Bucky holding the notebook Secondary GIF: View of the sunrise from the boat Tertiary GIF: Sam and Bucky walking away

STEP 2: Make your individual GIFs To achieve this silhouette effect, the main GIF needs to have a clear focal point, which means it’s better to have negative space around the subject and for there to be minimal movement. In this case, the subject is made up of Bucky’s hands, notebook, and part of his shirt; and there’s some movement but we can still work with that. The other two GIFs will then be placed “inside” the subject. Because the negative space in the main GIF consists of highlights, I chose a secondary GIF which emphasized the shadows. For the smallest GIF, I used a guide like in the previous tutorial to measure its size.

We have these three GIFs:

STEP 3: Combine your GIFs Place the secondary GIF over the main one. In my case, I didn’t measure it right so I had to nudge the top GIF a bit to the right to fit it inside the silhouette. The important thing is that the edge of the secondary GIF should not overlap with the silhouette itself, or else the illusion “breaks.”

Now let’s add the third GIF:

STEP 4: Erase the bits you don’t want For this GIF, there’s a lot we need to erase! Using Layer Masks and a soft brush again, erase the parts of the secondary GIF that extend beyond the silhouette. It’s entirely based on personal preference if you want to keep some parts of the secondary GIF outside the silhouette (like I did here) or if you want them completely removed. And for the small GIF, erase the edges for it to blend with the secondary GIF while also staying within the silhouette of the main one.

Now here is our finished GIF:

And that’s it! If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. I hope this was useful! Remember, there is no definitive way to blend GIFs, so keep experimenting. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes either, because we learn a lot from those. Happy Photoshop-ing!

- Elle

#completeresources #allresources #blending tutorial #photoshop tutorial #userpavi #tusergabriela #usersae #userrex #usertk #supervalcsi #usernums #userringo #userkraina #usersmile #tuserlouise #usersof #mine #my tutorials

2K notes · View notes

random-thought-depository · 3 years ago

Text

Idea for a story I should write someday: a story kind of like the Babylon 5 episode Believers, but it’s obliquely referencing the continuity of consciousness arguments about uploading and teleportation.

The story’s equivalent of Shon is an alien from an intelligent species for whom unconsciousness is naturally super-rare; they don’t sleep, and they have a highly redundant nervous system that makes them very resistant to being “knocked out” by blunt force trauma or drugs. As a result, this species has developed philosophical arguments that a continuous stream of consciousness is constitutive of identity, and hence to lose consciousness is to die, and if somebody loses consciousness and then wakes up later that person has died and a new person who happens to have their memories has awakened in their body. This perspective is intuitive to them, in the same way “if somebody creates a perfect copy of you and then immediately kills the original you, you have died” is intuitive to us, and it’s the view of multiple mainstream religions and philosophies on their world. Their equivalents of the words awake and alive are more-or-less synonyms, their word for being born roughly translates as “awaken,” and their word for death roughly translates as “the cessation of movement and thought” (maybe they classify sessile organisms like plants and fungi as not alive, in the same way we classify viruses as not alive?).

Obviously, one consequence of this is that most surgeries in their society are done with local anesthetic, with the patient being carefully kept awake (”alive”) the whole time. But in this case a child of this species has an illness or injury that will definitely kill them (in the uncontroversial sense of the concept) if it isn’t remedied with an operation that definitely will result in a period of unconsciousness. And the story centers on a human doctor trying to convince the child and their parents that what they’re proposing will save the child’s life instead of just killing them and replacing them with a different person.

The take a third option happy ending would be that the doctor manages to find a way to do the operation while keeping the child conscious the whole time, but I think I prefer something a bit more bittersweet. So I’m thinking maybe they try something like that, and it works in the sense that the child physically survives and is fine, but it fails in that the child loses consciousness for a few minutes during the operation so the parents see them as having died.

Oh, they don’t filicide their own child like in the B5 episode or anything like that. They don’t think they’re an abomination or anything like that. They just think their child has died and been replaced with something like an identical twin. While unconsciousness is very rare among them, there have been cases throughout their history, and their culture has developed procedures for it. When a person dies and a new person awakens in their body, the new person is given a name (different from that of the original inhabitant of their body) and their equivalent of a baptism. The family of body’s previous inhabitant may adopt them. If they’re married, the spouse of their body’s previous inhabitant may marry them. They may adopt the children of their body’s previous inhabitant. They inherent the personal property of their body’s previous inhabitant, but they are not responsible for any debts and crimes of the previous inhabitant of their body, which are considered to belong to the dead person. The “dead” inhabitant of their body is given a funeral, with a small effigy of wood or wax buried or burned as a corpse would be. The “dead” inhabitant of their body is then given the same daily prayers for the dead as other dead immediate family members.

So, before the operation the child prepares for the possibility that they might lose consciousness by writing a letter to the inheritor of their body saying something like “Please don’t feel bad about inheriting my body, you didn’t ask for this, it isn’t your fault.” After the operation the child is given a new name and their equivalent of a new baptism and adopted into the family, as a foundling would be, and is introduced to their sibling as a new member of the family who happens to look like the dead sibling. The child inherits the personal property of the “dead” child, in this case a few toys and video games and the like. The parents arrange for their “new” child’s education to continue where the “dead” child’s left off, as they share the same memories (when they go back to their school - which is a small “neighborhood” school run by and for the community of their species on the space station the story takes place on - they are introduced to their classmates as a new student). The “new” child participates in the funeral of the “dead” child and before every evening meal participates in the daily prayers for the dead, in which the “dead” child is mentioned by name as other dead immediate family members are. The “new” child will celebrate their birthday on the anniversary of the operation, and the day of the operation will be counted as the day of their birth (“awakening”). Basically, the parents are as nice about the whole thing as they can be, but they really believe that they’ve lost a child and gained a new one (through no fault of the new child!), and they and the rest of their immediate community act accordingly.

Some time later the human doctors gets invited to participate in some sort of ceremony for the “new” child, formal acknowledgment of them having finished memorizing some sacred scripture in their school or something like that. They give the human doctor the role in the ceremony that the midwife who assisted in the child’s birth would normally have.

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

Some peripheral notes for this concept:

In the setting of this story, humans are a relatively minor race; Earth is an unusually densely populated world, but on the periphery of known space and relatively backward, humans only developed a high-tech civilization recently and haven’t spread out much and are a small percentage of known space’s population. The human doctor is one of the few humans on a trade hub space station, or at least one of the few humans who’s part of the official staff; most of the humans there are part of the station’s working/lower class, a mix of low-level maintenance and dock workers, small-time shopkeepers, entertainers and service workers of various sorts, homeless people, and petty criminals (with a fair amount of fluidity between those classes).

Sleep is a weird thing humans do in this setting; it’s unique to humans (and other Earth animals), other intelligent species don’t need it or do it. However, most intelligent species don’t have the “unconsciousness = death” belief, because while most intelligent species don’t sleep they are more familiar with unconsciousness as a semi-normal thing from people passing out drunk, getting knocked out in a brawl, etc.. Maybe there’s even one or two intelligent species who don’t sleep regularly but can hibernate in periods of resource scarcity like bears or go into torpor if the temperature gets too low (common alien words for human sleep might translate to things like “micro-hibernation” and “false thermocoma”). It’s just this one species for whom unconsciousness is naturally super-rare so their culture developed in a context where it was some extraordinary, freakish, even eldritch-seeming thing.

In this context, the human doctor experiences some of the limitations of humans as something a lot like a disability. She can’t regularly work the 20+ hour shifts that are normal for her colleagues, because she needs to sleep. She needs more time off than most of her colleagues, because normal alien schedules are made around the assumption of effectively having an extra eight hours every day to get stuff done. Because the aliens are active 24 hours, most intelligent species have much better night vision than humans, so to save on energy and burned out light bulb equivalents the common area and default lighting on the space station is what a human experiences as semi-darkness. She wears basically night vision goggles most of the time to be able to easily work in what the aliens consider normal indoor lighting conditions. A lot of the alien tools and furniture are the wrong size and shape for her, and she gets a friend in the station’s machine shop to recut and otherwise modify a lot of the medical tools for her. Humans are relatively unusual in the wider galaxy and kind of funny looking even by the standards of a relatively cosmopolitan multi-species society (the more typical body plans for an intelligent species are “six-limbed quadruped with four legs and two arms” and “kind of like a theropod dinosaur”), so common alien furniture is really not built for her (the human sitting posture is super-weird and freaky by alien standards, they tend to get uncomfortable just looking at it), and she gets kind of a lot of people (especially children) staring at her and wanting to touch various parts of her and so on, but it’s mostly benign curiosity. She’s uncomfortably aware that she’s a “diversity hire” (the alien polity that runs the station likes to hire members of their various allied and subject races to give them a sense of inclusion) and that a lot of people kind of resent having to do all these accommodations for her instead of just hiring a normal person.

The family of the sick child actually have a kind of parallel experience. Their world is even more marginal and peripheral than Earth and they’re a small minority in the galactic population, and the space station was built by and primarily for beings smaller than them so they have to deal with a lot of uncomfortably small tools and furniture and spaces or stick to special areas and facilities for bigger beings. This is a universe where big alien theory is true, so they’re actually more-or-less average size for an intelligent species, but the most numerous races are around human size so around human size is what gets treated as normal size for a person to be. Note: around human size with quadrupedal or theropod-like body plans translates to the human doctor has to stoop to fit inside a lot of small corridors built for beings substantially shorter than humans, but thankfully the station is designed for a cosmopolitan crowd so at least the bigger public spaces are sized to be accessible to beings up to approximately the size of large sauropod dinosaurs (and the water-filled sections for water/ocean-dwellers are designed to be accessible to even bigger beings).

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

Rough draft/outline for some lines in a conversation that would happen in this story:

Human doctor: I sleep every day. Well, almost every day, anyway. <Laughs a little, then turns serious> Do you think I die every time I go to sleep? Do you think the version of me you talked to yesterday is dead, and I’m... What, the latest in a line of thousands of doppelganger-clones of [her name]?

Alien parent: I... <uncomfortable pause> My partner holds it as a matter of faith that is works differently for Humans, because the Makers would not be so cruel as to create a race that is born in the morning, lives one day, dies that night, passes their body on to a new person who continues their errands and then dies in turn the next night. But I’m a rationalist, and... <uncomfortable pause and squirming> ... If you really look at nature, you see a multitude of horrors. The buzzer-fly’s young tear it apart from inside and eat its corpse. Nature is amoral. I can believe nature would create such a thing as an intelligent race that lives one day. I... Honestly, I try to not think about it much, to preserve my sanity.

Human doctor: I slept last night. I don’t feel like I died. I feel like I’m the same person I was yesterday.

Alien parent: Suppose this question had an objective and testable answer, and it was that I was right. Suppose I could show you I was right, as I could show my ancestors the Red Thirst with a microscope and say “See, it is not a curse, it is a thing like a tiny plant, that gets inside you and grows inside you like a strangling vine.” What would you do? How would you react to knowing that you have hours to live, that you were born this morning and will die tonight and are but one in a long chain of inhabitants of your body who lived only one day, and your whole race is like that?”

Human doctor: <thinks about it for a moment> “I think I’d find some way to tell myself that it wasn’t true, that you were wrong, and then I wouldn’t think about it much, to preserve my sanity.”

Alien parent: “For what it’s worth, I really hope it doesn’t actually work like that. But I’m not willing to gamble my child’s life on ‘I really hope it doesn’t actually work like that.’”

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

On that note: at some point the parents see the human doctor while she’s dozing at work and it’s intensely disturbing and creepy to them. An unconscious person is disturbing to them in the same way fantasy undead would be disturbing to humans: they’re simultaneously dead and alive in a way that seems unnatural in the sense people use when they use that term to refer to something horrible. I think I might have some fun describing human sleep in a way that channels a Lovecraft protagonist: “Alive, yet not alive. Clearly dead, but stirred by inward motion.”

It’s more logical when you remember that their language uses a lot of the same or similar words for life and consciousness and for death and unconsciousness. Like, yes, she is indeed [alive/awake] but not [alive/awake], clearly [unawake] but moving a little, those are totally factual observations, I’m just translating the emotional charge they’d have for these people.

One of these poor people would probably have a breakdown when they see their own child in that state on the operating table. :(

On a lighter note, there’d be comic relief potential in this too:

Alien child: “Are they dead?”

Alien parent: “Kind of, but it’s not as big a problem for them as it is for us.”

And also tragicomedy potential: at one point the alien child asks the human doctor what death is like, saying she should know since she dies every day.

Tangential note: I’m thinking the alien child’s race is hermaphroditic, in which case it’d be appropriate to use gender-neutral pronouns for them ... and they probably wouldn’t have a concept of gender (except insofar as they might have learned that some other species have such concepts), so it would make sense for them to use gender-neutral language when they talk about humans among themselves too; their language wouldn’t have gendered pronouns except maybe specifically as a device adopted for being polite to certain aliens when you talk to them. Not sure how I’d handle pronouns for hermaphroditic aliens in a story.

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

Other character concepts for this story:

When it comes to having to deal with a station built by and for beings that have rather different bodies than you, the human doctor is lucky compared to her colleague and best friend, a giant whale-like being who does most of their work through teleoperation while sitting in basically a giant swimming pool.

This person’s homeworld is a cold planet almost entirely covered by ocean; only a few almost totally barren tiny islands rise above an otherwise uninterrupted sea so deep it drowns all but the very highest mountain peaks (with so little land, multicellular life on this world has never left the sea). Their species (which is hermaphroditic, hence the choice of pronoun) is very much like the filter-feeding whales of Earth. Evolution of their intelligence probably was driven more by social selection than intrinsic stimulation of their watery world; they live their life by The Game, a complex and ever-shifting web of relationships that determines social status, access to resources, and mating opportunities, and that contributes to their survival. They are highly intelligent (their brain probably weighs more than you do!), and they might have tentacles or a manipulatory tongue or something, but before known space society found them and offered them access to space travel their watery world offered them little opportunity to develop technology. It’s unknown how long they’ve been sapient, but their oral history includes accounts of an asteroid impact that happened several million years ago.

This character thinks most of their people are good-natured but provincial. They’re good folks, but once you’ve gotten through the latest permutations of The Game and last year’s migrations and the plan for next year’s migrations and what the krill tastes like in various places these days the conversation tends to just kind of drift there like a sea-plant. They remember the 74th year of their life; the most interesting thing that happened that year was their pod passed close to an island. Why, on Earth, that was the year humans sent their first crewed expedition to Mars! They left their world to find a more interesting life.

They can use their powerful sonar to “see” inside their patients and still swear by this vs. the more advanced high-tech instruments.

The case of the sick child ends up involving a lawyer. He’s a member of another minor species of known space society, an arboreal intelligent species that originally inhabited the forests of a humid world. The evolution of intelligence in his species was driven mostly by social and sexual selection, like the whale people but moreso. His species is highly intelligent, but mostly uninterested in physical problems; in their original society most of their intelligence was focused on socialization, mating strategies, and art (the art was part of the socialization and mating strategies). When wider known space society found them, they were living as hunter-gatherers with a rich artistic tradition but a Stone Age level of technology. Examination of their world’s fossil record indicated that they had existed at that level for over a hundred million years. However, once integrated into a high-tech interstellar society, they became very successful as artists, lawyers, politicians, and business people, and can be found in those professions in numbers greatly disproportionate to their percentage of known space’s population. He is colorful and beautiful, like a peacock, and for the same reason.

#story ideas #my writing #infohazard warning #if you're susceptible to random disturbing ideas #spoilers I guess #when I actually get around to writing this

183 notes · View notes

wizard-hubris · 3 years ago

Note

I think Orym started out as a boring morality check character, but as ExU went on he took a step back a bit and went with the flow and I think that’s where he resides best

I would like Liam to take the character in a direction similar to where Tal took Cad where he has beliefs and value, but shares them when necessary instead of all the time because that can be really irritating as a viewer wanting to see the group make decisions instead of just one character

Interesting perspective, thank you for sharing! The thing is, the way Liam talked about Orym (in the wrap-up for ExU and otherwise), I'm pretty sure he wasn't even meant to be that kind of morality check. It just happened because the rest of the ExU characters were...well, who they were.

An important factor that shouldn't be forgotten is party size. In ExU, they were a smaller group, so everybody appears to be a bit...more? Has to contribute more ? I'm not sure how to really say what I mean in English for this part, I'm sorry. Maybe you catch my drift anyways. But now, we're back to seven/currently eight party members with a moral compass yet to be determined, but from the sheer size I'd argue that Orym's position will be at least a bit different.

Then, there's also the other players. ExU was half new players and, as a lot of other people said, I am sure Liam accomodated that with his playstyle to give them a bit of room to figure and test everything out.

Also, Liam/Orym (however you want to see it in that case) is not gonna make decisions for the group singlehandedly, don't you worry. First of all, Liam is too experienced a player at this collaborative group game to start doing that left and right. Second, Orym is basically allergic to taking the leader position (which I actually hope will be a big part of his personal arc and character growth), why the hell would he make decisions for those people he doesn't even really know yet. Third, do you really think even if Liam would for some strange reason try and get Orym's opinion as the decision making one all the time, that the other cast members wouldn't push back against that if they want to come to other decisions? They're all grown-ups and they all have experience playing and playing together, I'm sure they know how to let one of them know if they want an aspect of their playstyle toned down.

I... this is not meant to sound catty or negative and please know that I love Tal and Caduceus to pieces, but Cad shared his beliefs and values at all times, especially when it wasn't really asked for or helpful to the situation? Cad was that guy. He often thought his opinions and beliefs were the only right way. It was an integral character flaw but one that made him amazingly complicated and fascinating to watch. It was just more pertinent to personal problems than the overarching story/goals of the group, I suppose, so maybe it feels less impactful in comparison? Maybe?

Plus, Orym literally repeats himself over and over again with "I'm not the leader, what is your opinion on this, I'd prefer this but what do you want to do?" In ExU at least, he almost always did what the others wanted no matter how little he liked it with very few but notable exceptions. Or...are we, as a fandom still on about that Poska thing and Orym not wanting to take the deal? Because...personal opinion time...he was absolutely right. Or do you mean that he was worried about his group having the vestige of divergence of a betrayer god? Because that also seems like a reasonable reaction.

Please don't forget that the very first scene we (and very first impression non-ExU viewers) got of Orym in the new campaign was him being exasperated at his friend for pickpocketing a priest and worried that they'll get into trouble. He didn't chew her out beyond a slight scolding. He didn't ask her to give it back. He clearly didn't entirely approve but that's all he did. Dorian was being more of an anxious goody-two-shoes about it than Orym, in fact.

Maybe we should all just wait for the next episodes to really get a feel for the group dynamic, because at this point there is literally no way to get anything but empty speculations about it.

Sorry this got so long, I really appreciate your point of view, but it just got a lot of opinions out of me. Hopefully you find at least some parts of my answer interesting, as well.

#i got mail #hey nonny nonny #orym of the air ashari #cr3 #cr exu #critical role #cr meta #I? guess?#slight character study??#whew this got long sorry for that #thanks for a respectful tone nonny and thanks for sharing! i hope my opinion gives you an interesting counterpoint

39 notes · View notes

extremelyblackandwhite · 4 years ago

Text

invisible string

pairing: mob!bucky barnes x reader

warnings: violence, harassing

a/n: sequel to willow. wanda is a tarot reader and you cannot tell me otherwise. it is canon.

WILLOW - TOLERATE IT

Time, curious time gave me no compasses, gave me no signs. Were there clues I didn't see? And isn't it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?

James was taken aback by her move, watching his black king cornered by both her white queen and king. How had he not seen it? It was right there ever since she moved her queen to lay in F7 right at the beginning of the game. How? It didn’t matter but her naughty smile, pushing at the corner of her chapstick painted lips left no doubt to who had won this game. He bit his lip leaning against the couch, full view of the glass chess board. She had less pieces left than him but she had still managed to won and as such he extended his hand towards her. She looked at his hand hesitantly, her winning grin fading and her usual insecurity returned as a shake hand came to shake his.

- No one has won a game against me in years. - he grabbed the glass black king from the board, handing it to her. - How’d you do it?

- You wanted my king. You wanted it so badly you forgot about your own, so I distracted you with minor pieces. Gave you the false sense of security you had it and then struck down.

- That’s such a dirty trick, petal. - he leaned against the velvet fabric of the armchair, eyeing her up and down. She felt naked under his gaze, almost as if he could see through her walls and clothing. She guessed a man like him needed to have such a sharp eye but it wasn’t any less intimidating, even if she had just won a chess match against him.

He rose slowly from the armchair, his feet moving slowly towards a silver cart leaning against a wall, just under an abstract painting with several glass bottles of several coloured liquids. He took the glass stone from one of them, pouring some of the dark amber liquid onto two glasses before offering one to Y/N.

- Glenlivet. - he spoke out, noticing the confusion on her face. - You’re old enough to drink, aren’t you?

- How old do you think I am Mr. Barnes? I thought you knew everything about your employees.

- And I do, petal. I know where you went to school, kindergarten even, know the name of your friends and that’s all from one of my men following you for a day. - Bucky rose his glass in a small toast before starting to drink. Y/N’s colour drained from her face as she started to wonder if she’d gone to see his father in the precinct. She hadn’t. At least she thought yet her body started shaking and it became harder to breathe. - Y/N? Hey, are you okay?

- Yeah ... I just need some fresh air. - she tried to get up from the couch but she couldn’t, her nerves getting over her. What if he’d heard her speak about the undercover job, she was dead, she was definitely flirting with death the moment she stepped into his home.

- Someone was following you from the bar, petal. I’m not going to kill you, if I were to kill you it wouldn’t be in the comfort of my own home. Blood is a bitch to take out of white carpets. - Bucky once again seemed to read through her. He once again got up from his couch, placing his gun on the marbled island of his kitchen before returning to her. - You’re paranoid, petal.

- It’s not ... I don’t really like being followed. Why were you following me?

- That guy from the bar followed you home and since he got his head smashed against the counter and a drink thrown in his face, I thought better to send Steve after you for that night. You are awfully clumsy and if you had any real enemies, you’d be dead by now. You leave your key under the entry matt and so does your housemate and her lousy brother too. Twins?

- Yes.

- You’re so afraid of me but in all honesty petal, you’re the biggest danger to yourself.

- Has Steve followed me recently?

- No. I’ve been driving you home ever since, park a bit outside campus to ensure you get in. It’s an ugly world out there, petal.

- I know. Trust me, I do ...

After her mother died, the home she had once learned to love lost its homey feeling. Suddenly, the home that always smelled like fresh lemon tarts and gardenias was now dark. His father left his case files all over the kitchen and would sit at the table smoking his cigars with a glass of port as he read through the cases. Her father loved her, he did, just in his own way.

She still remembered peaking by the door, holding onto a blanket her mother had quilted for her with her name embroidered in aqua blue, and seeing the photos scattered around the table of murders, abusers, robberies. She knew there was darkness, she just preferred to ignore it.

- You live inside your head very often don’t you? - he eyed her as she took a sip of the drink he had offered her. Scotch was never her drink of choice, she preferred not to drink at all seeing how it had soured her father. Yet, she guessed a centenary drink was no joke.

- That’s called being an only child, Mr. Barnes. Besides, my ideas are rarely worth listening.

- Hm, I see ... Perhaps you’d like to see your room? - he changed the conversation, offering a hand to her so she could get up.

Her soft fingers wrapped around his cold hand, a stark contrast to her warm hand. Bucky finger lingered over the top of her palm, feeling the softness and plumpness of her skin compared to his scarred, rough one. She didn’t mind, she followed him happily through the halls of his way too big house.

Steve had told him when he bought it that it was too big for himself alone but for Bucky buying a big flat meant he made it, he could now tell everyone else who doubted him to fuck off yet it was hard to come back to it at the end of the day. Always clean and always empty. The staff didn’t stay behind for much longer, having heard all sorts of rumours and he believed if Y/N wasn’t so afraid of him, she would’ve probably left. Yet, he couldn’t find himself to sell the flat so he just slept in hotel rooms. Smaller roomers where it didn’t feel like the emptiness surrounded him constantly.

He led her to one of the guest rooms he had decorated in soft pinks, whites and greys. Bucky guessed it’d make her comfortable, it matched her cardigans and little embroidered dresses she would bring around to the bar despite most of his waitresses constantly berating her on it, saying it would get her no tips.

Y/N peaked through the door crack as he opened it. The room was rather soft with a large king sized bed with white and blush pink bedding along with a grey rug nearby. With so many bedrooms, he probably had enough time to decorate each one with a different colour palette.

- There should be some pyjamas in the wardrobe. Might be a bit big but it’s better than sleeping with your clothes on.

- You seem prepared. Is this where you bring your mistresses?

- My mistresses don’t sleep in my house. - why would you say that, Y/N? Are you trying to get yourself killed? - I’ll drive you home tomorrow at 8AM so you should go to sleep. Goodnight, petal.

- Thank you. Goodnight, Mr. Barnes. - he closed the door behind her and she was left with herself in the bedroom.

She padded around the linoleum floors, phone in hand as she photographed the horizon so maybe her father could locate the house and search for evidence. Y/N couldn’t. She couldn’t find herself to go investigating his house as he was kind enough to offer her a place to stay. Instead she just investigated the room which was so much better. It was a suite with its own bathroom decorated with monogramed fluffy white towels and white marbled surfaces. She wondered why he wouldn’t bring someone here, it was clearly a work of architectural art but yet again, maybe don’t show strangers where you sleep. Maybe he shouldn’t have shown it to her.

At least she was doing something right. At least he didn’t hate her enough not to allow her to listen to his conversations, to the talks of deals that would surely provide her father’s precinct with the clues that they were not insane to think that there were tradings happening under their noses. She was doing good but she felt dirty nonetheless. She didn’t like lying but she also wanted to graduate, to be something other than the Capitan’s daughter.

She ignored her mind and got dressed in the steamed and washed pyjamas that were hanging on the silk hanger of the closet and got inside the bed. She was okay, she was going to be okay.

The daylight ruptured through the night and she was the first one up to get dressed and make the bed as well as put the pyjamas back on their place. Bucky didn’t take long to knock on her door and as she opened it there he was again, polished suit and hair as if looking casual destroyed the whole appearance. It didn’t, he was a handsome man and she was absolutely certain he would look handsome in anything.

- Did you sleep well? - he questioned as she stepped out the room, holding onto her worn out faux leather brown satchel.

- Yes, it’s a very comfortable bed. What about you?

- I don’t have time to sleep, petal. I was thinking about having some breakfast before I dropped you off, if that’s okay with you.

- I just want to get back home. My flatmate might worry.

Bucky didn’t force her. She was like any other staff and he guessed having breakfast with the mob boss wasn’t her idea of a good spent morning, besides, she probably still needed to go to class. He drove her back to her small, unsafe which she saw as safe flat, keeping an eye on her every once in a while. Her posture was rigid or even one that a manner teacher wouldn’t correct, it was slouched over his window, hand under her chin as she observed the early morning light illuminate the city.

Getting to campus during early mornings were always funny to her as she never knew what she would find; some students would be still returning from nights out while some would exit the library with piles and piles of books and notes. Either way, it was always a fun game. He stopped in front of her flat, putting the car on stop, engine slowly lowering its sounds.

- Thank you for bringing me, Mr. Barnes. - she held her satchel against her chest.

- You got an evening dress? Cocktail party maybe?

- So not a black dress? - she teased, biting the skin of inner lip.

- Definitely not.

- I think I might have something.

- You’re not working tonight, you’re coming with me to an auction. I’ll pay you double the salary of a nightshift if you say yes.

- Plus night wages?

- Everything you’d get paid a night, I’ll double it.

- I’ll get to work finding that dress then. - she opened the door of his car, exiting before waving him goodbye.

Getting inside her flat, she could definitely sense the difference between worlds she was living in. Spend time with James Barnes, her father told her. Besides, how bad could an action be? There were several people there and if she knew what he was buying maybe it would prove useful in the future.

She climbed the stairs up to her door which was slightly open. She would’ve questioned why had it not been for Pietro’s voice echoing through the whole hall. Of course. None of them really close the door whenever the other one is around.

- Wanda, I’m telling you, that’s bullshit. - he told his sister who merely rolled her eyes at him. - Shuffle it again.

- It says you’re a fuckboy deal with it. - she crossed her arms, before noticing Y/N had come in. - Hey you, you’re here early. I thought you were gonna appreciate your motel stay for a little while.

- Well, I ... I was just homesick. - she lied. Wanda clearly wouldn’t like to know where she had spent the night. - What are you guys doing?

- Pietro asked me to do a reading on him and he’s upset at the result. As per usual.

- I’m telling you the deck is broken. Do Y/N. - he pointed at the captain’s daughter who sat down by the coffee table where the two were. Wanda shrugged and asked Y/N to touch the deck before she started to shuffle it, three cards falling onto the table as soon as she did.

The Lovers, the Devil and Death. Y/N knew those cards all too well, she loved roaming through Wanda’s deck and marvel at the beautiful pictures and Wanda normally told her that the Death card was not as bad as everyone made it look like as well as the Devil. However, this time, all the colour drained from the brunette’s face as the stared at the cards fallen on the table. She shuffled the deck again, hoping for more cards, this time getting the Six and Nine of Swords.

- Everything okay, Wan? - she asked her friend who was intensely staring at the cards in front of her.

- Yeah ... I guess Pietro is right, the deck is broken.

- See? I told you so. You never listen to me.

- I think I should be getting to class now. - she interrupted the two sibling’s bickering. - I’ll see you later.

She spent most of her classes thinking about the auction. It was harmless enough and her father was over the moon, telling her she should be proud that she was now part of the “inner circle”, whatever that meant. Nevertheless, she was getting paid double which would always help with rent and utilities. The last module took hours of a lecturer going through yet another generic powerpoint followed by a class of over a hundred students rushing out the door the moment it was over.

She took to her bedroom before Wanda arrived to search for the only evening dress she had which barely saw the light of day, mostly living inside the black box over her wardrobe. It was her mother’s, something she had left behind that Y/N had taken a particular liking to once she grew up. It was a baby pink slip dress with the hem in matching lace and she guessed it would be appropriate for an auction.

- Where are you going? - Wanda asked as Y/N stepped out of the room. Shit. Of all the days for her to be home early, it just had to be today. - What are you doing wearing your mum’s dress?

- It’s fancy dress day at the bar.

- Fancy dress day at a mob bar?

- Clearly.

- What are you hid ... - Wanda was interrupted by Y/N’s phone. Mr. Barnes had texted her he was outside just at the right time.

- I’ll see you later, Wan. Have fun but not too much fun.

Before the brunette could question her, Y/N was already out the door, bag in hand. She went down the stairs and outside where Mr. Barnes was leaning against his car, dressed in a navy blue suit which made him look like a model gracing the cover’s of fashion magazines.

- You’re supposed to make me wait, petal.

- I like being on time. - she walked up to him, standing less than an arm’s distance from the posh dressed mob boss.

- I should start by warning you not to go by your real name today. Safety purposes.

- What should I call myself then? Your date? - she asked as he helped her inside the car.

- You can call yourself whatever you’d like, petal. As long as it’s not your real name and I know what name you’re going by.

- Uhm ... I wanna go by Betty.

- Betty?

- Like Betty Draper from Mad Men. She sounds like the type of woman who would go to an auction.

- So you wanna be Betty Drapper? - Bucky hide a small smile as he drove through the dark night.

- No, I wanna be called Betty for tonight. - she leaned against the comfortable seatings of his car.

“You’re part of the inner circle now, darling. Do something about it”, her father’s words echoed in her mind through the faint sound of the radio playing Doris Day. Yet again she had no idea how going to an auction would be a break in the case unless Mr. Barnes was buying weapons or drugs. The fact she was going by a different name didn’t calm her nerves but he wouldn’t kill her in a public setting. She watched the trees pass by from the window of his car until they reached a big white house which could be certainly considered a mansion.

Mr. Barnes got off his car while the engine was still roaring, handing the key to the valet before opening her door. She looked up at him, blinded by the fairy lights all around the mansion and suddenly she got nervous, very nervous. Nevertheless, she took his help in getting off the car, walking to his left as the valet drove away with his car.

- We’re sticking with Betty? - he asked as they climbed up the stairs to the entry of the mansion.

- We are. - she nodded as he knocked on the door. A poshly dressed man opened the door allowing for her to peak inside. The room was full of people chatting to each other, champagne flutes in hand of roaring laughter. This was definitely different from the environment she was used to back at the club.

Without noticing, she clung to his side as he moved through the seas of people drinking and admiring art work which she guessed was what was being auctioned until they got stopped by a slightly shorter than him man dressed in a black tuxedo.

- Barnes, you made it. I saved some of your favourite pieces for you. - he was happily talking until he noticed Y/N by the mob boss’ side. - Who is this lovely lady?

- This is Betty. - he was an excellent liar, even she would’ve believed her name was Betty.

- Pleasure to meet you, miss. - he curtsied which greatly confused her. - Do you want to come see them? I told my Miriam that the Proserpina paintings would be for Mr. Barnes when we started picking pieces.

The mob boss was sweet on art? She curiously followed them into a badly light room in shades of burgundy and dark browns where several paintings. She observed them with an innocent look as Bucky heard about the prices and its overall worth. Of course they were not going into auction, they had been saved for him and him alone. He was important, stupidly important when compared to these other people. She could hear whispering from other people as he passed by, away from the room through other people.

The man, whose name Y/N still hadn’t really heard, left them in the entrance with everyone else, two champagne flutes immediately making their way to them. Yet, she still didn’t know exactly what to do. What would this be of use to her father? Someone liking art was common, something very common. Once again useless.

- Why did you bring me here if you don’t even need to attend the auction?

- It’s a bad look to appear unaccompanied. Besides, I’d like to see the auction tonight.

- I didn’t know you liked art.

- You thought I’d only like to see people dying, petal? - he spoke in a soft, calm manner but she could see his smirk through his strong facade.

- Look who it is. - Bucky’s face switched into an heavy expression, something Y/N barely saw and didn’t like to see. His arm pulled her behind him as someone dressed in what looked like a taffeta black suit walked up to him accompanied by a black haired woman in a skin tight burgundy dress much more sensual than Y/N’s blush pink flared dress. - James Buchanan Barnes, I thought you didn’t visit this part of town.

- Rumlow, I visit whatever part I want.

- You remember my wife Rachel. - he pointed at the woman nearby him. - I don’t think I remember your friend. Care to introduce us?

- This is Betty. She’s Sharon’s niece.

- Pleasure. There sure are lovely jewellery pieces tonight at auction, aren’t there?

- And I believe I should care about those since I’m a woman. - Y/N gave him a forced smile, earning a scoff from Bucky who was trying not to laugh at her quick wit.

- I’m here to bid on the Elizabeth earrings. They’re a brilliant piece, don’t you think?

- Yes, well ... we should be getting to our seats. - Bucky ignored the request for continuing the conversation, instead holding Y/N’s hand and leading her towards the auction room.

That was an odd conversation, one with underlying feelings of animosity. Maybe coming here was worth it, maybe that name “Rumlow” would be of use to her father. However, it didn’t matter as she was rather exciting to be in her very first auction. Sitting down in gold painted chairs she could see the paddles with several numbers and even the odd gentleman with a monocle.

Bucky looked at her with a faint smile, observing how his world seemed to still entice her as for him it had long its spark a long, long time ago. People kept sitting down and soon enough the auctioneer was on the stage presenting pieces and shouting values of high amounts of money. High enough to pay for the rest of her degree, a masters and a few PhDs but she guessed this was how high society lived.

- Finally, one of tonight’s most special pieces. - the man pointed at a pair of earrings on a glass box. - The Elizabeth earrings are made of white gold with two diamonds taken from The Cullinan diamond, one of the most precious in the world whose siblings belong to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Let’s start at 5 thousand.

Brock raised his paddle.

- 5 thousand, does anyone says 6 thousand?

James rose his own paddle, surprising Y/N. She thought he was only here for the painting.

- 6 thousand, 7 thousand? - Brock once again rose his paddle. - 7 thousand, 8 thousand?

Bucky once again rose his paddle, smirk on his face. He always enjoyed the chase and an auction chase was no exception. Besides, he would love to win those earrings just to piss off Brock Rumlow.

- 8 thousand, 9 thousand? - Brock rose his paddle again. - 9 thousand, 10 thousand?

- 5 hundred thousand. - Bucky spoke out loud and clear for everyone to hear.

- 5 hundred thousand, any higher? - Y/N’s gaze moved over to Brock who kept his paddle neatly in the middle of his lap, an upset expression gracing his face. His face moved to look at Barnes but he didn’t care, holding a winning smile on his lips. - Going once, going twice, going thrice ... Sold to Mr. Barnes. Congratulations.

Bucky didn’t low himself down to look at Rumlow instead getting up once the auction was over. Y/N followed him, curiosity once again getting hold of her and every fibre of hers. She had never seen diamonds in person, much less as precious as these ones were so once she went into the back and saw the woman place them into a red velvet box, she was done for. They placed the box on a nice black matte bag and handed it over to Mr. Barnes along with the certification of authenticity.

The auction after party become boring afterwards, with Rumlow giving Barnes a look no one would like to receive and him having little to no care about it. At around 11PM, the time she would end her shift today, he started to walk away, tipping the valet some money to fetch his car while both of them waited outside. It was a cold night, the wind moaning in slow blows and suddenly she regretted not bringing a jacket.

- You should’ve brought a jacket. - before she could roll her eyes at this comment, she felt something fall onto her shoulders. Looking to the right shoulder, she recognised the navy blue fabric of his suit’s jacket. - Did you enjoy being someone else for the evening?

- I didn’t envision my alter ego being Steve’s girlfriend’s family but I’ll accept it. It was nice, thank you for bringing me.

- My pleasure, Betty. - he joked. - I do prefer your name over Betty.

The valet brought back his beloved car and handed back the keys. It had been a rather fun night, one that surely went above and beyond her expectations. At least she had a name to give to her father, one of a contact that would be willing to speak about Barnes. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but feel absolutely dirty about it. He hadn’t done anything bad to her, anything that would consider her betrayal. He’d hurt people, or at least that’s what her father said. He’d hurt people, but she’d only seen him doing it to those who actually deserved it. It was wrong, it was wrong but she had too.

These thoughts kept her quiet, with eyes on the road. This was bad, this was bad, how was she going to betray him but that was the job. Feel nothing, her father had told her before, feel nothing and don’t get hurt. She didn’t want him to get locked up yet again maybe she was too innocent to see what was really happening.

- We’re here, Y/N. - he killed the engine, stopping in front of the building. - You don’t look alright. Do you want me to drive you to the hospital?

- Oh, no, no. I’m just tired. - she lied. Once again lying.

- I’m sorry for keeping you up this late. I’ll double your night pay too.

- It’s not necessary, Mr. Barnes.

- Bucky.

- Pardon?

- Call me Bucky. - he corrected her. - From now on, you can call me Bucky.

- Bucky. - she repeated, a silly smile forming on her face. - Well, goodnight Bucky.

- Goodnight, petal. Don’t forget your bag. - he handed her bag to the young girl before waving his last goodbye.

She stood in the sidewalk, watching his car leave with a silly smile on her face. Why was she even smiling? She should be feeling guilty, not smiley. Yet she was stuck in the middle of those two emotions. She needed to go back to bed, that’s what she needed. She needed to go back to her bed and sleep it through so like every single night, she climbed the stairs up to her flat. Once in front of her old student flat door, she opened her wallet to search for her keys.

Damned keys, always seemed to disappear in the darkness of her bag and as she rummaged through the contents she had been throwing inside her bag over the years. As she kept searching for her keys, something fell from her bag onto the bag.

- Shit. - she mumbled to herself, squatting down to grab what had fallen. Her mouth opened agape as she saw the same velvet blue box from the auction. Looking around and seeing no one around, she opened the box and there they were, the same earrings she had seen on the auction glass along with a note. Maybe Betty will like them. JBB. - I can’t believe it.

Once again, smiling like a fool. She couldn’t believe it, it couldn’t be, it had to be some sort of mistake. These were 5 hundred thousand dollar pair of earrings for a woman who was wearing a hand me down dress from her mother. Before someone else could see them she shoved them back inside her purse, opening the door to her flat.

- We need to talk.

taglist: @lookiamtrying @mariamermaid @sebastianstansqueen @unmagically @buckybarnes1982 @mela-noche @lowercasegenius @randomweirdooo @projectcampbell @sebbystanlover-vk @jevans2 @hollarious @itsallyscorner

219 notes · View notes

misumeaw-blog · 3 years ago

Text

13 Days 13 Fanfics | Counting down Albedo’s Birthday

Pairing : Albedo x GN! Reader

Genre : Fluff | Established relationship

Warning : None

Word count : 1,699 words

note : I can die peacefully now, I believe the entire family can hear me screaming. Day 13 will be based on Albedo's mail. I suck at kissing btw, sooo I tried

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

Day 12 Moment of Birth Part 1: Midnight

Light from houses in the city of freedom starting to turn into darkness; but not all, liveliest place in the slumbering city in the lake still filled with drunkards and music from the bard. Angel share, is night-active with drinks and socializing drinkers.

You have a meeting with your friends to discuss what to give Albedo for his birthday, Although..

“You guys seriously haven’t kissed yet? It’s been nearly a year”

things seemed going in the completely wrong direction “Shhh quiet please, Captain Kaeya. It’s not a big deal, I understand he wanted to take things slow” Still, there are times where you yearn for more than hugs and pecks on your face.

“Our Chief Alchemist has really taken your advice Too well, Kaeya” Lady in purple attire and a large witch hat, decorated with roses spoke up “That little genius never opened up for this sort of relationship” eyepatch man took another gulp to his mouth “I’m still surprised you managed to make him fall for you”

“Kaeya, rude” lightly zapped the one-eyed captain before turning to you “If he doesn’t make the first step, you’d need to do it” she placed her finger on your lips “Alright, alright, stop everyone” you harsh your friends before things getting out of hand “I just wanted a piece of advice on what to give Albedo for his birthday, so how did this turned to-“ Yup, that sparked your idea.

Both Knights of Favonius glanced at each other then back to you “Do you still need our help?”

The following morning you knocked on the Acting Grand Master’s room “Come in” an assertive voice flew out from the wooden door “Good morning, Master Jean. Do you know where Klee is?” “Good morning, I think she’s by the lake near Wolvendom. Oh and if you’re going to meet her, please make sure she doesn’t explode all the fish” she spoke without looking at you, eyes on massive amounts of paperwork

“One other thing, Acting Grand Master. I would be greatly appreciated if you kindly grant Albedo’s leave on his birthday” you figured your boyfriend might need a day off, in case he wanted to spend time with you and Klee “Oh right, his birthday is approaching” she glanced at the calendar “Yes of course, please do send him my regards if I couldn’t inform him myself” Closing the door after thanking her, ‘alright, off to Wolvendom’ you recalled your plan

Explosions can be heard from afar, the little girl should be nearby. Fish flying out in the sky, big splash easily visible. A small girl in red clothing having fun tossing bombs into stilled water. You called for her and she turned around “Y/N! Klee missed you” red coat sprinting to you, hugging you as soon as you’re in her reach By now she sees you as another sibling, despite you’re actually dating her brother. “Having fun today mh Klee?” glancing at the amount of dead fish on the ground “Yup! The kind uncle at the fishing asso..asso..” “Fishing association?” “Yes! the fishing association told Klee there’s a bunch of new fish all over Mondstadt, Klee will blast them all” You know fishing normally is better for the fish, but you let it slide for her happiness “Hey Klee, I have to borrow your brother the day before his birthday; well, tomorrow, is that alright?” You crouch down to the little girl’s height “Aw, but Klee wanted to be with big brother Albedo..” “I know Klee, but by that time you would be asleep. Would you like to help me prepare snacks for Albedo then?” “Yayy, Klee wanna help!” “Alright, keep it between us m’kay?” Holding out a pinky finger for the young one to hook with hers

‘And to keep Albedo busy..’ You head to the fountain plaza to one of your boyfriend’s assistants, Timaeus. “Morning Timaeus, do you know where Sucrose is?” A bit weird to start a conversation about her, since you and Sucrose don’t really get along “Sucrose? I’m not sure. Do you want me to help find her?” “No, no no no, uh, Timaeus, I need you to help distract Albedo tomorrow, mild difficulty experiment, anything” “Is that all? All Right” Scholar alchemist agreed to lend you a hand “Thanks, Timaeus”

You headed off to your next destination ‘Alright, time for a hard part’ the last part of your plan is rather hard, you wondered if he gonna help you

“Mark it as done!” wow that was.. easy, perhaps it’s because of three high-quality bottles of wine in his hands. You asked.. or rather, hired anemo bard to play songs for the night and extra requested to let the wind carry the song to you.

In the evening, you have scouted the area you wanted to give the alchemist your gift and found the perfect place. An area where you can see both the city of freedom and the icy summit, high enough for the gentle breeze to flow, beautifully decorated with flowers and greenery. Starsnatch cliff, also the home of the flower which held meaning, the truest feelings of prodigal son, Cecilia.

The next day everything went according to plan. Light meal fully prepared with the help of the pyro girl, Timaeus kept Albedo busy so he couldn’t come home and caught you and Klee in action.

Quite late night when you knocked on Alice’s door, the blonde, still in his usual attire opened to greet the unknown guests. “Y/N? What are you doing here this late hour?” Judging from the angle of the moon, it's around 9-10 PM “Hey, what about me?” eyepatch covering male’s hand and he placed his elbow on the opened door, the alchemist only nodded to his presence “Evening Bedo, I would like to show you something, could you come with me please?” you don’t normally use the formal language after being with him for so long. He can sense your shyness from the way you speak and your body language “I’d love to go but Klee..”

You pointed to the man behind you “Don’t worry about little Klee, just go enjoy your time” he basically dragged the alchemist out of his house

Chitchat along the way, fingers intertwined with his “Not sleepy yet aren’t you?” you bent down and look at him in the eyes “Not at all, I’m rather excited about what you prepared for me” giggled to his answer “Good, 'cause the night is still young!” you have reached your destination, Large fabric covering the grassy ground, a basket filled with snacks lies atop, along with a flower vase to decorate the scenery. Log of wood has bags and books resting against it. The wind bringing the scent of white flowers and the tune of the harp. Moon and star shining bright, needlessly of other light sources.

“Didn’t know you had anything romantic in mind” he teased your boldness “..well, what do you think?” hiding your embarrassment and teases the alchemist back

Sitting down to the location you prepared, he started to examine the scene “There’s no musician nearby, nor to any instruments.. Am I the only one hearing the melody?” Trying to find a scientific explanation for a strange event “The wind carries messages. Was music not a kind of message too?” He wrapped his arms around your waist, drowning in the love you gave him

“Enjoying it hmm? Here, I prepared some light food for us” slowly getting plates and snacks out from the weaved basket, the fabric is soon filled with various types of dishes "You’re not gonna sit on your seat?” his arms tightened, head bury to your shoulder “..I don't want to move” it’s rare seeing him clingy to you like this “you’re adorable you know” finally commented on his action

“We got your favorite,” one of your dishes has turned to Albedo’s favorite “These are canapés, I chose bread base, topped with different types of savory” bite-sized dishes, you know he prefers smaller portions

Pointing to each topping one by one, explaining what each one is made of. In his eyes, you’re like a professional chef

“Bedo, check this one out” you pulled out Fisherman’s toast with clover ketchup, onions, cheese, and heart-shaped parleys “..Fish-Flavored Toast, Klee’s specialty. You’re so thoughtful, I have to thank her later” he pecked your cheek, definitely in love

“And we got desserts- after savory alright Bedo?” His hand was already reaching for the dish, you have to stop his fast hand Brownies, Berry Mille-Feuille, and a jar of chocolate chip cookies are all making him drool “Shall we dig in?” He suggested, perhaps the desserts engaging him.

Your hypothesis was turned down after seeing him having a high appetite for savory, you figured he actually wanted to savor your cooking

Hours passed and you both are finally full, cuddling against the wooden log, enjoying the melody floating in the air. His platinum hair reflects the elegant moonlight, half-lidded eyes resting against your neck, handheld on yours. You looked up in the sky- its almost time

“Albedo?” He replied with a sweet hum, glancing up at you “Do you know what day is tomorrow?” “..my birthday. but I still don’t understand why you chose to celebrate it tonight” “Wouldn’t be nicer to receive a gift directly after the clock strikes midnight?” Lifted his chin to face you, he’s so close to you, closer than usual

Both yours and his cheek painted rosy, he cupped your face and look deeply into your eyes. “was all this not my birthday gifts?” “nope.. would you like to find out what it is?”

Moon motions overhead, the clock strikes midnight, soft breeze touched exposed skin, the sound of the harp soaring in the sky. stars as the witness, Cecilia as the oath, feelings as vow sealed between the two bodies.

Hand slide by the side of his neck, placing on the backside and pulled him closer, half-lidded eyes slowly closed, chest-pounding hard, tilted your head to the side a little-

sweet lips finally placed on his loving ones, passionated and full of affection, butterflies flying in your stomach. After a while, you break the timeless kiss

“Happy birthday my beloved Albedo”

#albedo x reader #albedo genshin x reader #albedo x you #albedo x gn reader #13Days13AlbedoFanfics #genshin x you #genshin x gn reader

19 notes · View notes

nonbinary-octopus · 4 years ago

Text

Not Just the Two of Us Chapter 6: A Lot of Information

Wordcount: 1.3 K

Summary: Logan likes to talk about his research. Patton likes to listen to Logan, and he also wants to know more. Win win.

Chapter 1: Confession

[Masterpost]

[More of my writing]

Virgil and Roman, having done the least before-dinner work, were given the after-dinner chores. Virgil cleared the table, putting the food away and bringing the dishes to Roman, who filled the sink with soapy water and began the washing up.

Every time Virgil brought him a dish, Roman ‘paid’ him for it with a kiss on the lips. They had stacked the plates and gathered the silverware for easier carrying, but after Virgil had carried over a cup in each hand and received a kiss for their delivery, he brought the rest of the dishes over one piece at a time. It took him quite a while to clear the table in this manner.

Patton hopped up to sit on the counter, and Logan leaned against it beside him. “Logan?” Patton asked.

“Yes?”

“Are there other configurations? Besides Vee and Triangle?”

Logan considered the question for a moment. “Not for three people,” he said. “There’s really only two ways to connect three nodes, provided one assumes that the nodes are interchangeable. Else there’s four, but three of them are Vees, simply changing who is the vertex. I believe that a polyamorous relationship involving four people is called a Quad, regardless of the particulars of the configuration.”

“How many people can you have?” Patton asked curiously.

Logan looked thoughtful. “I think the upper bound would be determined by a person’s time and availability, as well as interest,” he said at last. “It’s important not to neglect any one partner, so resources would need to be considered. However, my research indicated that a polyamorous network could, in theory, be infinitely large and sprawling, containing many smaller clusters.”

“How does that work?”

Logan shrugged a bit. “Well, suppose you’ve got a triangle,” he said. “Three people, all dating each other. And then suppose one of the people in that triangle has a third partner, who is metamour to the other two members of the triangle. Further suppose that they belong to another triangle or a quad, or perhaps that they and their partner from the first triangle are two parts of a triad or quad or other. And someone from that group has another partner, and so on.

“Or you could have a long chain of people with two partners each. Perhaps one person in the chain has three partners, so they form a Y junction. You could mix and match all these things to make a unique and complex system.”

Patton nodded slowly. “Getting everyone together for dinner must be tricky,” he said.

Logan laughed. “That it would,” he agreed. “I suppose they could do a potluck.” He shrugged. “However, they wouldn’t necessarily all know each other. It’s possible even to not know one’s metamour, let alone one’s metamour’s other partner, or those further down the line. And even if they do all know each other, that doesn’t mean that they get together or share meals — though I’m sure there exist networks which do function that way.”

Patton frowned a bit. “I get not knowing your metamour’s partner, but how could someone not know their metamour? Doesn’t that edge on cheating again?”

“No. In this case, the metamours would be aware that their mutual partner is seeing someone else, and are fine with that, but are not interested in knowing that person.” Logan shrugged. “I understand that many people prefer this version, and while I think I personally would not enjoy it, I can see the appeal.” Patton was still unconvinced, and it must have shown on his face, because Logan added, “I have friends whom you have never met, and I’m sure you have friends I don’t know.”

“That’s different!” Patton protested. “You know all of my other Best Friends, and I’d introduce you to my boyfriend if I had one.”

“Yes, it’s different, but the concept is similar.”

“I’d want to know my metamours,” Patton continued. “If anyone’s that important to my boyfriend, they’re important to me too, and I wanna know them.”

Logan smiled. “Yes, as I said, I’m the same. However, nothing is one size fits all, including polyamory, and there are those for whom it is different.”

Patton considered that, then conceded the point. They were quiet for a moment, watching Virgil present Roman with a fork in exchange for a deep kiss that left soap suds in Virgil’s hair where Roman ran his fingers through it.

“Will Virgil be moving in with you?”

“Perhaps at some point, but not in the near future. We intend to discuss it again when his lease draws near an end. We’re not currently set up here to have three people living in the house full-time, either. Roman is vying for a bigger bed.”

“Isn’t your bed the same size as the air mattress we use for sleepovers?” Patton asked.

“Yes, they’re both queens. However, his argument is not without merit. As comfortable as it is to pile four people together in a ‘cuddle puddle’ once a week, it would feel quite crowded if it were a regular thing every night. Besides, at least one person ends up on the floor by morning as often as not, and I would prefer to avoid that occurring with our regular bed, especially considering that it has a frame and a box spring and is thus rather taller than an air mattress set directly on the floor, and would be much more painful to fall out of.”

“Plus I dunno if I’m ready to share a bed all the time,” Virgil chimed in, offering Roman another fork. Roman took it and kissed him. When they pulled apart again several seconds later, Virgil continued, “I haven’t even shared a bedroom since my crib was in my parents’ room, let alone having the same bed. And no,” he added, putting a finger against Roman’s lips in the ‘shush’ gesture before Roman could say something, “sleepovers every weekend don’t count. Six nights out of seven, I sleep alone in my own bed in my own bedroom in my own apartment. Moving in with you guys is a big step.”

Roman grinned. “You’ve already got a toothbrush in our bathroom and a drawer and a hamper in our laundry room and a key to our front door,” he pointed out.

“So does Patton, I’m not special,” Virgil countered.

Roman looked offended. “On the contrary, you are very special,” he protested. “And anyway, what I was trying to say was that you’re practically half moved in already.”

“I suppose,” Virgil said, leaning into Roman, who held him. “Still a big deal.”

“I know,” Roman said gently. “So I’m gonna try not to push you about it until you’re ready. Even if that’s never. Though I really hope it won’t be never.” He scrunched his nose a bit. “Am I being pushy right now? I can’t tell if I’m being pushy or eager or both.”

“A bit of both,” Virgil answered.

“Sorry.”

Virgil was quiet for a moment, then said, very softly, “You know, tonight is going to be the first night we share a bed as boyfriends instead of best friends.”

“Yeah,” Roman agreed with a grin. “Kinda exciting.”

Virgil made a soft, mumbled sound of maybe-agreement, turning his face to press directly into Roman’s chest, and Roman added in a gentler tone,

“Kinda scary too, I suppose. Makes you wonder how it’ll change things.”

“Mm-hm,” Virgil mumbled into Roman’s shirt.

“It doesn’t have to change anything,” Roman said soothingly, spreading bubbles on the top of Virgil’s head. “We can still just all pile on the mattress like normal, and fall asleep during a long and meandering conversation, just like every other weekend.”

“I think I'd like that…”

Chapter 7: Sleepover | WIP

#original #sanders sides #writing #my writing #my sanders sides writing #Not Just the Two of Us #eventually LAMP #polyamory #polyamsanders #polysamderous #prinxiety #logince

68 notes · View notes

kireilixie · 3 years ago

Text

i. Bittersweet Vanilla | Bang Chan x Reader

° 𐐪𐑂 synopsis: Have you ever heard of the phrase, “Right person, wrong time?” You and Chan would have made such a perfect couple had your destinies and dreams not gotten in the way. With no assurance of what you each truly felt for one another you both struggle to keep each other grounded among the different obstacles you face.

° 𐐪𐑂 genre: idolverse, angst, childhood friends, pro swimmer! reader

° 𐐪𐑂 warning(s): mentions of abuse, trauma, insomnia, anxiety attacks, depression, death of a family member

° 𐐪𐑂 8k words

° 𐐪𐑂 author's note: Hello! I am extremely sorry that this was published late, but unfortunately, my other priorities in life came up so I had to push back the release and editing. As you know, bittersweet vanilla is a fic I released a year or so ago. This is a fic I hold dear to my heart, and I was a bit disappointed with how I had written it, especially with the multiple plot holes and gaps. This led me to rewrite and expound on the development of both reader and Chan, this fic will hold the same plot as the previous fic but will be much more detailed compared to the original one. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy and show this fic some love!

series | next | ao3 | Spotify playlist

Such a simple yet comforting flavor

A few blocks from school, two from your swimming club and one from the street you lived on, was an ice cream parlor. Winter’s Star was a place of comfort for both you and Chan, albeit not being that popular for its remote location. It had begun a small tradition and routine for you both.

Ice cream after swim training had become a norm for you both, despite the strict healthy diet your father had established for your growth as a swimmer. You would both intentionally opt not to take the bus and walk to the parlor as to walk off the calorie intake you’d get from the dessert as to get your father off your case.

Every time you’d visit, Chan would dash in, beaming over the glass in excitement at the variety of flavors, selecting a different flavor for every visit, a stark difference to your simple preference of classic vanilla.

And every visit, Chan would tilt his head and pout in confusion, asking why you’d get that every single visit. And each time you’d reply, “I’m paying, and I like it that’s why.” rolling your eyes as he sighs at your boring nature.

Though one evening, after practice had ended a bit later than usual, you can see him deadpan at the sight of the creamy white of your vanilla ice cream. And though he doesn’t ask, you decide to explain, “I’d simply not want to risk trying something new, and honestly I just like sticking with what I’m comfortable with.” You shrug, popping a spoon of the comforting flavor into your mouth.

Chan doesn’t ponder much at your explanation nor does he reply that day, too exhausted to think of one.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

This routine of yours had begun the summer before middle school. Moving a lot at a young age, Chan had found it difficult to get settled into the new atmosphere, with his distinct features, he barely fit in. Therefore he found himself once again in the corner of his new school’s swim club unsure of how to apply and whom to approach.

His eyes wandered around, observing the different children doing laps and warming up. Swimming was a sport he and his father enjoyed, and it had made his father extremely happy that he had taken enough interest in it to compete in the said sport.

“Oi, newbie, what are you doing here?” The smaller boy flinched at the loud voice, turning towards the source. He sighs, here we go again, the nine-year-old boy thought.

“I c-came t-to a-apply for the swim club.” The boy managed to softly stutter out, eyes downcast, feeling intimidated by the difference in height.

“And at your puny size, ya think ya can swim fast-”

“Oi, why don’t ya shut up Jacob? A big dumb bully like yourself can’t beat me and here you are trying to scare the newbie, being all talk. Why don’t you stop wasting your time picking on new people and spend it practicing and trying to improve your times.” Chan widened his eyes as he turned to the female voice that had interrupted the confrontation.

He was shocked to see a girl around his age, twirling her goggles around her fingers as she approached Jacob, as she had called him, and his crew that currently surrounded the smaller boy.

Jacob, quite flustered with the unknown girl’s statement, attempted to come up with a good comeback but failed to do so as he muttered, “Why’re you butting in L/n, don’t you usually mind your business?” Eyes avoiding yours in the process.

“And so, what if I decide to butt in? Does your ego inflate at hounding the new kid? If it isn’t going to make you swim faster, I suggest you get your butt moving.” The smaller girl scoffed, raising her eyebrow at them, daring them to cross her.” I suggest you all get moving before I call the coach and tell him you’re slacking, wouldn’t want to swim extra laps now?”

Before Chan could even blink, they’re all dashing off into their respective sides of the pool. The transferee chuckled at that, in awe at the confidence the girl carried. She introduced herself, (Y/N) (L/N) he had learned that day, specialized in free, though claimed to be preparing herself for Individual medley.

Chan introduces himself as well, mentioning that he specialized in butterfly. At the revelation, her eyes glowed in excitement as she tugged the smaller boy towards her father.

“Dad! He swims butterfly! He can complete the relay!” Chan observed, fascinated by the complete 180 in her vibe, wherein the confidence and intimidation she had carried earlier, now dissipating to something more suited for a fellow nine-year-old.

She bounces in excitement, tugging at the end of her father’s shirt, to garner his attention. “We can finally have a relay!”

Finishing his conversation on the phone, her father turned towards the pair, raising an eyebrow at her daughter’s excitement. Bending down to their height the older man asked for Chan’s name, to which he replied a soft ‘Christopher Bang’ at this the older man’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re that boy that broke the record for the 50 m freestyle swim! Your dad called me earlier to inform me that you had transferred here and wanted to join, fill this up, and (Y/n) here can show you your lockers and the shower rooms to change.”

“Really! What’s your time?! Ugh, I hope it’s not faster than mine.” You had frowned at him, enthusiasm and competitiveness lighting her e/c hues at the revelation of a broken record in her specialty. “Come on, you change, then we race. Loser has to buy ice cream.”

You raced five times and lost all five. It had frustrated you though at the same time had triggered a new type of excitement at the knowledge of someone who would no longer shy away from your competitiveness.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

Since your first meeting, Chan had indeed become a huge influence and development in your already hectic life. It had shifted your dynamics and attitude towards the sport you had dedicated your life to since you could walk.

Before meeting Chan, you had little to no drive when it came to training and warmups, accustomed to the fact that no one could come close to you in your age range and category. Though now, with the Korean-Australian around, not only did it shift your energy towards the sport, but something had shifted in your relationship with your father along the road.

Your father was a loving man, dedicated to his daughter and bedridden wife, he had been applauded far and wide for raising such a talented daughter dedicated to a sport he too had once dedicated himself to.

It may have seemed that way to the public. However, during the early stages of your childhood, your mother had been in and out of the hospital, something that your five-year-old self couldn’t have understood nor questioned. Living comfortably with the income your father had as a coach and your mother’s family inheritance, your father had opted to hand you over to nannies and private chauffeurs to ensure that you were busy and occupied.

Among the multiple extracurriculars your father had enrolled you in, you had been six when your interest in swimming had peaked. At the discovery of your interest, it had only been then when your father had decided to become more attentive and present in your childhood.

In awe of how quickly you picked up the technique and the different styles, your father had enthusiastically enrolled you into more classes and going further as to fix your diet around the sport, proudly declaring he would raise an Olympian in his stead.

At the age of seven, he had entered you into your first tournament, there you had gotten gold, and honestly, that didn’t matter. What mattered was the warm embrace your father had given you.

Shortly after the tournament, you had arrived home, surprised to see that there had been more staff present as well as unfamiliar people dressed in pajama-looking attire and some donning a white coat.

Soon your nanny leads you into a room faintly smelling like medicine and cleaning materials, it made your nose sting. Though what caught your eye was the bedridden figure connected to multiple machines next to her, sunken eyes, and ghastly figure, you had not been able to recognize your mother.

Having little to no memories of the woman that had given birth to you, made you blink back tears as she called you, voice frail and raspy “Y/n? Is that you? My how big you’ve grown.”

You had slept in her room that night, the soft beeping of monitors and machines lulling you to sleep as you dreamed of picnics and beach trips had faith decided not to be so cruel.

It was then when you promised yourself to bring your mom more medals if it meant spending more time with her. Each tournament you’d finish, you would run in, carefully avoiding wires and the nurses, beaming in excitement about the race and how good you did.

“Are you happy?” She had said to you one day.

“Of course! I just wish you could come to see me swim.” You smile, understanding bits and pieces of her condition, you had never been that good in science.

“Do you have friends in school? Spend time with them, instead of here with me.” The statement confused you, remembering how your father had ensured that you were picked up from and to, preventing you from having playdates, with the statement that they would be mere distractions to your training.

“No not really, but I like being here with-”

“Y/n, you should be living your childhood alright, can you promise me that, love?” She raises her hand to your cheek, caressing it softly.

“Okay, I will, mom.”

A few days after that conversation, you had met Chan, a boy who would, later, be your north star.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

Chan was never careless, especially when it came to things like equipment and his stuff in general, he was always so thorough when it came to packing, so it was rare to see him coming back to school to get something he had forgotten.

What he also hadn’t expected was to see you here as well, fully knowing that your father had a private pool in his residence used not only to train you but as well his private students.

“You had been getting too comfortable, look at your weight, look at your times.” Chan hears your father’s voice from the locker rooms, the Korean Australian hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but with how loud your father’s voice echoed it was hard not to do so. “Do you think your mother would be proud?”

“She said, I should make friends-”

“YOUR MOTHER IS SICK.” Chan flinches at your father’s loud voice as it echoes.

“She’s sick, just because she says something it doesn’t mean you should follow through.” Your father’s voice softens this time, exhaustion peeking through.

“Friends? You’d be distracted and before you even know it. You’d be toppled off that little podium of yours.” He pauses, scoffing. “Don’t make me regret allowing you to hang out with the Bang boy. Beat his times, don’t get too comfortable just cause you’re topping your bracket.”

Chan doesn’t realize he’s been holding his breath till he hears both your footsteps as you exit the hall. What he’s heard has left him baffled, you weren’t exactly talkative when it came to your family affairs, you never seemed to be so bothered either.

The Korean-Australian remembers faintly the rumors that followed your persona. All about your reluctance when it came to making friends, never taking into consideration that perhaps your father had played a part in your icy exterior and reputation.

No wonder most of the kids in your academy had been so shocked to see you interact and talk with the transferee, knowing that you had never been the type to prefer company.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

It wasn’t like you to be so careless either, you were quite attentive when it came to maintaining your grades and health as an athlete.

So, the D on your most recent math test, as well as the onset symptoms of cold was something that had made your blood run cold. Your school followed a strict protocol that required athletes to maintain a good record, which included having Bs and upon all tests.

Anything less than that would mean a week of suspension when it came to training as well as being supplied a set of reviewers to “catch up”, which you were required to finish and submit by the end of the suspension.

Not only that but surprisingly, your father was quite sensitive when it came to your physical welfare, a result of your mother’s condition, honestly. Which meant that the man would not let you near any body of water until you would be in perfect health.

Dread seemed to settle into your system as you hand him your slip, which would signify your suspension. “You were coughing earlier, take time off, I’ll call the nutritionist to change your diet. I’ll call the tutor-”

“You’re getting a tutor?” Chan beams behind your father, “I can help you, I’m in advanced remember?”

Times like these the Korean- Australian baffled you with his audacity, as he continued to grow out of his shyness, and despite your dad having explicitly stated that he had preferred you not to spend any time with your fellow swimmer, he still respected the Korean Australian’s talent and dedication to the sport.

“You’re in advanced math classes Chris?” Chan nods at this in hopes that the coach would consider his offer. “Your times have gotten better, you could take a few days off, with her.”

What?

You’re both in the locker rooms packing your bags when you whisper, “How’d you do that?”

“What do you mean?” Chan hums, amused by your intrigued form.

“My dad, your coach, the F/n L/n, agreed with your suggestion. How did you do that?” You’re poking at his sides, determined to make him spill.

“Secret~” He pokes his tongue out, running out of the training hall.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

You had your chauffeur, drop you off in the Bang Residence, surprised to learn that you lived a street down. You’re warmly welcomed by Chan’s parents greeting and smiling at them through your mask.

“Looks like you didn’t my help nor a tutor, Y/n” Chan smiles seeing that you’re almost through seven worksheets, the swimmer knew you were smart and could keep up with your grades. Though for you to be this careless, he knew that something might’ve been bothering you.

“Come on, let’s go.” You’re shocked as he pulls you up to stand, making you drop your pen and papers, the boy barely gives you any room to argue before he’s pushing you out of the doorway.

“But- my work”

“Could be done within the week remember? Not in one go.”

Before you could even argue, you’re flabbergasted to find yourself seated on a bus, on the way to some location that Chan would not tell you anything about. “We could’ve taken the car, Chan.”

“And where’s the fun in that?” He grins dimple popping out.

“Just remember we have to be back at seven before my driver arrives-”

“Yada-yada, we’ll be fine now let’s have some fun, my style, and my treat!” Chan gestures to the mall you’ve arrived at, giggling at your stunned expression.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

Honestly, you’ve never ridden a bus, nor have you been to a mall, or arcade. These are all things you’ve seen in films and movies, living such a secluded life, your father would bust a vein to find out that you were here.

Though there’s a first for everything. It’s also been a while since you’ve had this much fun, laughing, and giggling at every little thing. You’re thankful to have released a little bit of stress, even for just a moment.

Chan even manages to win you a small whale plushie from the arcade. Though you probably think he could’ve saved by just buying you one from the shop across. It amazes you to see teenagers and kids just your age, littered across the mall, you had never thought to come to a place like this.

“Thanks for today.” You nudge him with your elbow, the plushie safely tucked underneath your armpit, digging into the vanilla ice cream you had gotten on the way home.

“Sure, but you’re treating me next time.” You halt, raising an eyebrow at the older boy.

“What do you mean next time?”

“Y/nnnnnn..” He drags your name in a whine. “Fun things are supposed to be done again, you can’t just live your life just swimming and going to school. We’re kids! We’re supposed to have fun and live life and make memories! That’s what life’s supposed to be! Alright?”

You should be living your childhood. Your mother’s voice pierces through your head, at Chan’s words, had this been what she meant?

“Hey. are you crying? Ya! Don’t cry” You hear Chan say something inaudible perhaps in Korean, as he frets over your crying figure, you see him pat himself down, hearing a small “aha!” before he’s reaching over to dry your tears with a handkerchief.

Softly patting down your cheeks, he sighs. “You don’t have to tell me, what’s wrong, but I’m right here, and I will always be.” He’s pulling you into a hug, you feel your body stiffen from the contact, surprised at the display of intimacy.

You don’t question why, but it feels warm and safe. Just like a cup of vanilla ice cream after a nice swim on the beach.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

“Hey, wake up, we’re here” a soft nudge pushes at your side, you hum in response, finding the boy’s shoulder comfortable.

Chan sighs, smiling at how comfortable you were with your head on his shoulder, cooing at your initiation of intimacy. It had taken you a few years before you were comfortable with any form of affection at all, putting two and two together to realize it must’ve had something to do with your family.

The young swimmer was well aware he was never obliged to fix you nor your situation despite his young age, but seeing you glow and smile at the different yet simple aspects of life that had been prohibited by your situation made him feel warm.

Ever since your first hug, albeit its awkwardness, you had become more receptive to little bits of physical affection and verbal affirmation. Chan smiling as recalled the first time you had initiated a hug, mindlessly throwing your arms around your best friend after he had gotten you a present for your birthday. Needless to say, you had become quite flustered at the realization of your actions.

Over the past few years, your father’s complaints about your friendship with Chan had lessened, seeing your continuous development in terms of grades and dedication. And despite being friends, the competitive fire within you had never ceased, holding on to that desire to beat Chan’s record.

The sun has set. You realize as you open your eyes, blinking out remnants of your drowsiness as you yawn. You’re raising your head from Chan’s shoulder when you realize his hand was extremely close to your face.

You’re jolting up in embarrassment before muttering, “Have I been drooling?” Quickly patting and wiping your lips for saliva.

“Uh, maybe, but it’s f-”

“Don’t you dare say it’s fine Christopher! Augh! This is embarrassing you should’ve woken me up!” You’re storming out of the car, cheeks warm in your flustered form.

Chan chuckles, how cute.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

Ever since hearing of your newly found friend, your mother had continuously asked for you to bring Chan over. And since their meeting, your mother had continuously asked for the return of your polite and talented friend.

It amused you how your mother stated he was like an angel with his voice and good nature, well she wasn’t entirely wrong. Your mother had never shared anything about her life before her sickness, you knew that she had been an only child like you, and from the number of books and records on the shelf in her room, as well as the violin and record player on the side, her interests must’ve been aligned with those.

So when Chan had asked, “What’s your mother like?” You didn’t really know how you could respond to the question and before you know it the line of liking music and books had been stumbling out of your mouth.

Chan’s eyes had lit up at the mention of music, proceeding to ask which artist, what genre. Though with observant eyes, Chan could see your aura dim, he decides to drop the topic, he asks you about the latest Pokemon game. That had been the first time, you’d taken note of Chan’s interest in music.

Though it still surprises you when the day he meets your mother, he arrives with a fresh fruit basket and a ukulele.

He had smiled at your mother that day before he began strumming a soft melody you didn’t recognize. It takes him a while before he states that he had made the melody on his own, struggling to find the lyrics to suit them.

You remember your mother’s words; “It should come from here, whatever you do in life, ensure that your heart will beat for it.” She had said.

Your mother at times was an enigma, speaking in poetry that you struggled to decipher. Some days, you were envious when you’d see her with Chan, seemingly sharing a secret they wouldn’t let you in on. Chan would always seem to understand the puzzling lines she’d say.

It’s another afternoon to which your mother had invited Chan over, you’re both stepping into her room when you find her immersed in one of her classics, a thick leather bounded book, you’d be too terrified to try and read, without busting a vein.

She doesn’t look up, when she hears you two enter, she never does, and you know better than to disturb her amidst her reading. Though you admit that there’s this aura about your mother when she’s immersed in a book, it’s as if she takes a step into the world she’s reading about, escaping whatever pain she currently faces in reality.

It’s only until you set the peeled apples on the table next to her when she looks up. “How has your day been, love? Your father hasn’t been overworking you too much?” She sets the book and her glasses on her bedside table.

“I’m fine mum, Chan brought you some apples, and look they’re cut like bunnies.” She smiles as you offer a slice into her mouth, carefully biting onto it.

“That’s good to hear, Chan dear, my you’ve grown look how tall you’ve grown since I last saw you.” Your mother reaches to ruffle his curls.

“Mom you saw him last week-”

“Have I? really auntie!” You roll your eyes at the overly enthusiastic reply at the mention of his height.

A knock halts your conversation, the door opens to reveal your father’s secretary, she calls your name, stating that your father had called you into his office. You take one last look at Chan and your mother, letting them know that you’d be right back.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

Perhaps it’s the thick atmosphere of your father’s office, but at the sight of the envelope with its infamous school colors, it’s as if all the oxygen in the room had been sucked out.

Your father passes you the envelope, “Everything’s been settled, we can get you a flat there, or perhaps you’d like to live in their dorms. You start next semester, you can move after your graduation.-”

“Does mom know?”

“She does.”

“When had this been sent in?”

“Just last week, you really don’t need to worry about anything dear, be sure you graduate and get a good result on next week’s tournament.” Right graduation.

With all the exams you had recently finished as well as training it had completely slipped your mind that you were entering high school in two months.

You faintly recall a conversation you and Chan had after finding out about his interest in music. “(Y/n), What are you going to be when you grow up?” He had asked you during one of your trips to the ice cream parlor, digging into his salted caramel ice cream.

The question caught you off guard. What did you want to do? Eyes downcast you began to finding interest in the vanilla ice cream, as you picked at it. “I’ll probably continue swimming, that’s what my dad wants.”

“Yeah, that's what your dad wants, but what do you want? Like I want to do something with music! I want to use it as a platform to spread messages, to help people find comfort in music the way I do.” He had looked so bright, so gleeful, like a star so far and out of reach.

“Oh, that’s amazing Chris. Though I don’t know what I want to do.” How you wish you were just as passionate as Chan, wishing you could break through your comfort zone to chase after the one thing you loved the most.

“Then I’ll help you find something, something you’ll come to love the way I do with music.”Maybe at that time, I had found something to love, maybe I just didn’t know it yet. “But if you love swimming, then you’ll be the greatest swimmer in the world, you’ll be an Olympic medalist!” He raises his ice cream cup as a toast, you clink yours with him, smiling at how happy he looked.

Chan was your north star, no matter which direction the universe spun, he remained unwavering, shining bright and leading you to home, him, your comfort.

Dazed, you don’t realize you’ve been standing in front of your mother’s room until Chan opens the door, he yelps in shock at the sight of your deadpanned eyes.

He says something in Korean, clutching his heart at the unintentional scare. “You scared me, why are you standing there like some zombie.”

“Oops, sorry just a bit occupied.” Quickly hiding the envelope behind your back, something his eyes don’t miss. “Let’s go, dinner’s ready.”

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

After dinner you decide to take a walk to have some ice cream at the familiar parlor you frequented ever since becoming friends and after you had lost to him the first time you met.

Sitting down you both order, asking for your usual vanilla-flavored ice cream, Chan picks the mint chocolate chip, a special for the week. He’s silent all of a sudden, fixing you with a serious gaze as he takes in a deep breath. It made you uneasy suddenly as if whatever he would say next would change your fate.

And it did.

“Y/n remember when I said I wanted to make music?” He asks, fiddling with the spoon, nervous which was a rare sight for the charismatic boy.

You hum in response allowing him to continue. “Well, my parents and I made a deal, they would allow me to live in South Korea as a trainee, as long as I got into a good company. And well I got in, you’re now looking at the latest Australian trainee of JYP Entertainment. I'm leaving after the tournament next week!” He points to himself with his thumb, smiling and giddy to hear your response.

Korea as in Korea within Asia? That's 6828 kilometers away!

“(Y/n), are you alright? You’re not saying anything, there is something wrong.” Without noticing you had turned your head down, allowing your hair to create a curtain between you two. He reaches out to tuck your hair behind your ears and is surprised to be met by your tear-stained cheeks. “You’re crying.” He says, unsure of what to say and what made you upset. “Are you not happy I got in?”

“No, I'm happy! You’re finally getting what you dreamed of! You’re going to be amazing Chris. I’m crying because of how happy I am for you.” I’m going to be all alone. You’re going to be living 6828 kilometers away, in a foreign country when we barely turned 14. I’m going to be all alone. I want to be happy for you but why does this hurt so much? I’m going to be all alone.

You might as well tell him. “I’m moving, I got into Griffith so I’m moving into the dorms as well.”

“That’s huge! That place is a breeding ground for Olympians! That’s amazing! We’re both chasing after our dreams, after all. Congratulations Y/n.” It honestly didn’t feel like something to be happy of.

All will be alright, with time. We’ll be alright.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

The next following day came faster than expected you both tried to pretend he wasn’t leaving in the next few days, you tried to pretend that you’d still be able to see one another in the next few years and maybe the next few days. A sense of normalcy in the upcoming days of uncertainty. Neither of you had any idea what fate had in store for you both and you could only hope.

And soon enough the day of the tournament finally rolls around. You’re buzzing with excitement as you entered the building. Chan, on the other hand, was nervous at this being his last swim meet, he hoped to make this as memorable as possible. And though you never say it, Chan knew that deep down you loved swimming, no matter how much you tried to make it out that you only did it for your dad.

He sees you glow the moment you step into the pool, he knew you’re meant for this, to be up there with the pro athletes he too had admired. And as much as it hurt him to leave you, he’s stunned and in awe of how much stronger you’ve become.

He loved the confidence that you had as you walked into the competition hall, ignoring the curious gazes, and turning heads at the mention of your name. You have been destined to reign the competitive world of swimming, and he knew he wasn’t as good as you were to reign alongside you. He had accepted that a long time ago.

He walks with you to the locker room to prepare and change, trailing a few steps after you. Observing the looks of both younger and older swimmers in awe at the sight of you, your reputation in the sport was indeed something to uphold.

You turn to him gripping your gym bag tightly, which he had offered to carry but had been rejected along the lines of saying that you were a woman that could carry your belongings or something like that. “Well, I’ll see you later, wish me luck.” You raise your fist to him, initiating your signature good luck handshake before every competition. The handshake brought you a lot of reassurance and strength, taking away any worries you’d have.

You grin at him one last time, turning at your heels to enter the room, but before you take another step, he pulls you in for a hug, squeezing you tightly, your hands awkward by your sides, unsure of whether to hug him back. “You don’t need luck, go wreck them.”

You scoff at his words, finally deciding to wrap your arms around his shoulder. “Of course, see ya later Bangaroo.”

Up in the stands Chan observes you as you take your positions on the starting block, he smiles to himself as he sees you wearing the goggles and swim cap, he had given you during your last birthday. He had saved for it the whole year to surprise you with your favorite swimming brand. You had teared up at the gift, before smacking him for the times he had complained every time you invited him to the parlor.

He had never seen you wear the cap and goggles at practice, you had told him you had to save the luck for competitions. He had asked you to explain though you brushed off the statement by pushing him into the pool.

“It’s nice to see you here, isn’t this your last swim meet?” Chan blinks in surprise as the older man takes a seat beside him joining him to observe his daughter.

“Coach (L/n)..” Chan greets, unsure of what to say. Since, the knowledge of his rough treatment of his best friend, he had preferred not to stay too close to the older man, aware of his dislike for him.

“She’s still as amazing as ever.” Your father whispers in awe more to himself rather than Chan. “I was surprised you know, at her growth and development since your arrival. You’ve been an amazing push to her capabilities as a swimmer, that I have to admit.”

The older man stands up all of a patting him on the shoulder, “Well good luck, and thank you for giving her that push. Hug her for me later.” Chan’s surprised by the time your father leaves is just in time you finish the swim, realizing you had already won.

28.08 He gasps as he sees the scoreboard alongside your name. 28.08 You had broken his 50M Free record by a second, after years of competing and ice cream trips, you’ve finally done it. He sees you shocked as well, he meets your eyes, throwing you a thumbs up from the stands, grin highlighted by his dimples.

You looked radiant, a small voice in his head reassures him that he made the right choice., that you’d be alright. He starts heading toward the locker rooms to prepare. He’s stunned by your father’s words, he knows in his heart he made the right decision, and he knows he shouldn’t let this bother him, especially when he’s about to compete.

He steps into the starting block, slipping on his goggles, snapping them against the back of his head to erase any of his worries. Lastly, he’s putting on his swim cap. Taking deep even breaths, it’s his last swim. Chan wants to make this as memorable as possible.

He closes his palm clenching it, testing to see how shaky and nervous he was, only to see that it wasn’t that bad. His heart rate isn’t so accelerated either. They’re given the signals to take their positions. And Chan is surprised there are no unpleasant jitters in his stomach.

Chan reacts with the beep, kicking off the starting block and then diving into the waters, he feels the pull of gravity just as he surfaces to take his first breath. Rotating from his shoulders, he paces his breathing for the first lap to maintain his stamina. Though once he approaches the end, he gives a powerful kick to the touchpad turning as he accelerates. In the last lap, he pushes himself to go faster, erasing all thoughts and worries. He reminds himself that this is his specialty, the one style in swimming you couldn’t beat him at. He’s slipping his goggles and swim cap before he even realizes he won.

Chris places gold. And it feels exhilarating, he feels so happy he could cry. He sees you in the stands, grinning and he’s sure he mirrors your grin.

You’re taking a few pictures, not missing the chance to take matching iconic pics biting gold medals. A small voice at the back of your head asks what the odds of would be you two doing these pictures at a larger scale.

After dinner, which his parents had invited you to, you’re both walking to that ice cream parlor two blocks from his house. You’re chuckling as Chan waves his wallet, a show that he would be paying for the first time.

You smile as he hands you, your usual cup of vanilla-flavored ice cream. You’re now walking back to his house, soaking up the comfortable atmosphere trying to let the events that happened today sink in. Chan would be leaving tomorrow morning, and you’d be leaving in a few weeks as well.

“So, mister idol, are you excited?” Deciding to break the silence, nudging at him as his ears turn pink.

“A bit, it’s a huge leap, you know, absolutely knowing no one, I still have an accent when I speak in Korean it might sound weird, gosh I have to make friends and all that. But oh god, what if I can’t make any? What if I don’t debut? What if I just don’t cut it? Oh god, you’re not going to be there to treat me to ice cream, to binge on anime, treat me to food and ice cream. I just-” Chan pauses as his voice cracks, footsteps coming to a halt, “I’m just going to miss Australia so so much.”

You find yourself gaping, as you see the taller boy crumble. Between the two of you, it had always been you to be the emotional one, the crybaby, on the other hand, Chan had always been your rock and your shoulder to cry on no matter the situation. Seeing him cry pulled at your heartstrings, soon enough you’re throwing your arms around him, rubbing circles into his back.

“You’re going to be fine, Chris, you’ll be amazing, and if any of them starts anything with you, I’m booking a flight to kick their arse.” Pulling away from the hug, you cup his cheeks, wiping his tears for the first time in your friendship.

Knowing how worried he was with all the changes, it was your turn to be his rock, after all the times he had been yours. Chris was amazing no matter what he was doing, whether it was sitting in class paying attention to a math problem, or asking for your opinion on his swimming, or just talking to you. He was meant to be amazing.

You don’t realize you’ve been staring at him until. “Are you going to miss me?”

You sigh at his red-rimmed eyes, endeared at his sniffles. “Of course, I am, I care about you a lot, what makes you think I wouldn’t, you better not forget me when you’re all famous. I’m just a bit disappointed we’re going our separate ways, we’ve been through a lot, you’ve been there for me no matter what, I’m grateful for meeting you, Chris.” It takes you a while to realize that you’re tearing up.

“I’m really really going to miss you, Chris. It’s going to be different not swimming with you anymore, not going to the parlor to get ice cream, teasing you for how much you eat, letting me win video games, who’s going to teach me math!? If I weren’t good at swimming the teachers wouldn’t be so patient with me!” You struggle to hold back your tears, deciding to reach up and hide your face in the crevice of his neck and shoulder, squeezing him in reassurance.

Chan fixes his arms around your waist, returning the hug, “We’re going to be fine, so long as that no matter what you do, make sure it comes from here, you’ll be alright, we’ll be alright, you’re stronger than ever. Don’t you ever let anyone take that from you, okay? I have something for you. Can you close your eyes?”

With your eyes shut, you can feel Chan’s hands around your neck, you can feel his soft breathing, and the soft click of a clasp. “You can open them.” You gasp at the sight of the pretty mermaid tail that sat on the crevice of your collar bones.

“You were meant for this Y/n. You radiate and glow when you swim, you’re going to do amazing.” Chan presses a soft kiss into your forehead, a reminder of how much taller he’s grown. “I have something else for you tomorrow, but that’s a surprise for you tomorrow, I’ll give it to you at the airport tomorrow, okay?” He presses another kiss into your cheek, wiping the few tears that had escaped.

Soon enough, you’re on your way back home, the previously comforting silence disrupted by distant yet ear-splitting sirens, you pay it no mind until you notice how it sounds closer as you near your house.

You’re gasping at the sight of the bright blue and red lights, frozen still as you see paramedics roll your mother out of the house. Everything blurs as you’re pushed and ushered here and there, calls of your name passing through the other ear.

As everything goes dark.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

“I’m sure it was just fatigue.” In and out of consciousness, you found it difficult to determine which parts of it were real, and which weren’t.

“Mom?” Fluttering your eyes open, you were surprised to see a bright white interior, contrasting the blue hues of your room in your house.

“Y/n?” Turning towards the voice, you’re met by your nanny’s worried eyes, as she hovers a damp towel to your forehead. “You’re in the hospital dear, you passed out after we fetched you last night, your mother I’m afraid, she doesn’t have much time left.”

“Where is she-” You’re rushing to stand, wincing in pain when you realize that you have an IV attached to you. “Bring me to her.”

The nanny struggles to aid you in your haste, pushing the IV behind your quick steps. Luckily your mother had been in the room next to you, had it been any further your legs would have given up.

The soft hum and consistent beeps of machines echoed throughout your mother’s room; the sharp scent of antiseptics clouded your thinking. Your father stands from the side of her bed, you’re surprised when he meets you at the door, softly telling the nanny to leave as he takes your hand in his, guiding your IV in the process.

He quietly helps you up into your mother’s bed, who’s surprisingly awake, and smiles at the sight of you. You can feel tears well up, your heart heavy as you take in her figure, engraving it to your heart. She still wears the blue and white scarf atop her head, something you had given her after receiving your first allowance as an athlete.

You don’t realize you’re shaking as you reach to caress her cheek, carefully avoiding the wires attached to her. She holds your hand to her cheek, appreciating the warmth you brought. “Hello love, I heard you passed out, are you doing alright?”

You could only nod in response, your chest heavy as tears began to drip into the white sheets of her bed. “Now listen to me love, you are the sun, you are my sun, and I know I haven’t been there that much to show you all the love you deserve, but I do love you. You are the sun that brought me warmth in that cold room of mine, you are the light that beams when you step into the room. Don’t you ever let anyone dim your light.”

She carefully pulls you into her chest, rubbing small patterns into your back, in an attempt to soothe the shaking of your chest. “You’re going to be alright, love, live the life you love, and everything will be alright. Mom loves you so much, you're so amazing you should know that. I might not be a part of your bigger achievements, your ups and downs in life, falling in love, and all that. Though I do hope you find someone, who’d be there until the end, someone to hold your hand in this dark and empty world. Though I want you to remember that you are beyond your medals, I will still love you no matter what you choose to do in life, alright? I will forever be proud to be your mother-” Her voice dwindles as she trails off, her arm dropping from behind your back, as her breath stills in the process.

The room goes up in flames as everything begins to beep loudly, you could do nothing but sob harder as you cling to your dying mother. The next few minutes are a blur, in the chaos, you feel someone pull you from your mother’s chest as the room floods with medical personnel.

It takes you a while to realize that it’s your father who holds you, turning you away from your mother’s figure as you continue to sob, unable to say anything but cry. The word I love you lingers on the tip of your tongue, regret weighing heavily on your chest.

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

You hadn’t realized you had passed out once more, eyes adjusting to bright hospital lights as everything feels numb. You’re surprised to see your father passed out on the chair next to your bed, eyes swollen and sunken with everything that had happened.

Feeling a bit parched, you reach for the water bottle that had supposedly been there, but instead, you find a small iPod and some earphones. Chan’s unique penmanship on the iPod catches your eye, intrigued, you reach for it.

Another strike of guilt threatens to pull at your heartstrings, of the realization that you had missed his flight. “The Bangs came by the house to drop that off, they mentioned that Chris had wanted to give you this before his flight.” Your father blinks sleep out of his eyes, stretching before he leaves the room.

It takes you a while to untangle the earphones before you plug them in the iPod with a soft click before you wear them. The small square weighs heavy on your hand as you press play.

“Hello, Y/n!” You jump a bit at the loudness of Chan’s voice quickly adjusting the volume.

“Since that fateful day where you saved me from the bullies, I have forever been in your debt. Kidding! “You roll your eyes amused as he continues talking.

“Well not really, but honestly Y/n you have played a huge role not only in my development as a swimmer but as well as a friend. You had been someone I wanted to protect from all the cruel things in this world, had I not met you I wonder if I would’ve had any friends here.” Says the social butterfly, yeah right Christopher.

“I really wished it hadn’t been this way,” I wish it hadn’t been this way either.

“We had a good run Y/n, I am forever grateful to have met you. Now I don’t have much to say, but in a few minutes, a song will play. It’s a song I made. It's something your mom helped put together. I do hope you enjoy this little gift from us, and please do give her a hug in my stead. I do hope you like this song, and may you continue to shine as you take on the professional world of swimming! With love, Your Bangaroo” With everything that has happened, you don’t really feel disappointed or sad with your best friend’s decision, maybe a bit of regret from the lack of time, but all you could do is hope that time and faith would not be so cruel once more.

Chan’s voice fades out as a soft melody of piano notes begins to play, your heart warms as Chan’s voice begins to sing.

“And take, take her to the moon for me

Take her like you promised me

Say you love her every time like how you told me the last time”

You could understand why your mother had told you that Chan was like your guardian angel. Albeit a bit of an exaggeration for a boy your age, but his soft and giving nature had been your source of comfort and happiness throughout middle school and for that, you will forever be grateful.

“Someday I know we'll meet again

In heaven by the rainbow's end

And I only wish you happiness

Until we meet again”

𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂

#inkidz #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #bang chan x reader #bang chan x you #bang chan fic #bang chan imagines #swimmer! bang chan #idol! bang chan #swimmer! reader #childhood friends to lovers

41 notes · View notes

shera-dnd · 3 years ago

Link

Had to split a simply colossal chapter into two smaller ones, so here is the first of those

Now featuring the faes’ true forms and an ungodly amount of simping

“I believed we had our winner when Lady Polendina got that perfect bullseye,” Weiss retold as she walked with her companions through the festival grounds, “but Lady Rose managed to, and I still cannot believe it, split her lover’s arrow with her own!”

“I’m certain there is an innuendo to be found there,” Ilia commented, earning her an offended scoff from the would-be-knight.

“Must you?” Weiss asked in exasperation.

“Believe me, Lady Gigas, she most certainly must.” Blake assured her, “but please continue. I’d love to hear more about our favorite couple.”

“Well, after they had finished utterly humiliating me in the shooting range,” she regaled, “they decided it was time to do so again in the sparring fields.”

“What is it with you knightly folk and sparring?” Ilia asked, seemingly annoyed, “is this your means of courtship? Were Lady Rose and Lady Polendina inviting you to join them in their tent?”

“It is a means to maintain our skills while coming to better understand each other!” Weiss countered, “and just because I now know where my preferences lie does not mean I’ll fall for the first woman to best me in combat!”

“Of course,” Ilia replied, though Weiss found no reassurance in her tone, “after all that honor would fall to Lady Blake, and we all know her preference is for women two times your size.”

“I have never claimed otherwise,” Blake replied with a shrug, “now would you mind procuring us some dinner, before you make our friend pop a blood vessel.”

“Very well,” Ilia sighed, as if she had been burdened with a terrible quest, “I shall meet you both back at camp. Please, do torment the Schnee in my absence.’

She offered them an over exaggerated bow and made her way deeper into the festival grounds, quickly disappearing amidst the crowd.

“You do know I could have just made us dinner, right?” Weiss asked, annoyance clear in her tone.

“And I’m certain it would have been delicious,” Blake replied, “but I’m not certain it would have been worth your sanity.”

“Of course.”

She hated to admit it, but she did not mind this at all. In fact she quite enjoyed the little trading of barbs that they partook in every day. It made for some interesting entertainment, and it allowed her to know Ilia a little better.

She was also quite enamored with the little laughs that would escape the fae whenever she got Weiss to make a fool of herself. No, she most definitely did not wish to question why she found Ilia’s laughter to be so endearing.

Definitely not.

Weiss decided then to archive those thoughts, and focus instead on the second most embarrassing topic in her mind.

“Thank you,” she muttered as they began making their way back to camp.

“No need to thank me,” Blake waved off, “wouldn’t want you two to strangle each other.”

“No, I meant…” Weiss sighed, “thank you for calling me a friend.”

Blake offered her a soft smile that only served to embarrass her further.

“I’m glad I got to call you that,” she replied, “and I’m sure Ilia thinks the same, even if she’ll never admit it.”

That got Weiss to smile back. Her life so far had been one of isolation, she had barely met anyone outside of the few select guests her father would allow into their manor, and had failed to find anyone who cared for her with the exception of Winter and Klein. But now she had been able to adventure beyond the walls of Atlas and find people who she could call friends.

Without Ilia with them to incite arguments and pester her, the rest of the walk back to camp was held in a comfortable silence. Though Weiss certainly missed the opportunity to get back at her friend for the earlier annoyance.

“If I may,” Blake began as soon as they arrived at their camp, “would you mind if I spent the night in my own skin for a change?”

It took Weiss’s mind a long moment to register what she meant by that request, but when it did she jumped to attention.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She asked, looking around to make sure no one had heard that.

“Our camp is secluded enough,” she shrugged, “and no one ever comes here uninvited.”

“If you’re sure,” Weiss replied, “then I would not mind.”

Blake smiled at her in thanks and began undressing herself. Weiss promptly turned to look away, eyes focusing on anything but her naked companion. What followed was a series of noises that she would fail to describe, though they tempted Weiss to look back at her, if only to make sure that she’s okay.

After a moment of silence she heard the heavy thump of something heavy hitting the ground, followed by Blake’s familiar voice, “you may look again now.”

Where once stood the proud Black Knight of Vale now sat something else entirely. Her form had grown tremendously, now easily challenging that of Lady Xiao Long, and her body had grown completely covered in black fur, with a small white spot on her chest and two others on the back of her now clawed hands.

Her hair too had grown longer and wilder, and the face that hid behind it now took the features of a feline, especially her golden eyes which now reflected the bonfire’s light with an eerie glow. Behind her sway a long black tail, though mostly catlike it was adorned with thorns and purple flowers.

No, not adorned, that plant was as much a part of her body as her tail.

Stunned was perhaps not enough to describe the state in which Weiss found herself right now. She had been raised on stories of the terrifying and monstrous fae that hid in the forests beyond the walls of Atlas, and though Blake’s true form definitely fit that description, she still carried herself with the same grace and nobility that she did in her human skin.

She was still a knight, and she was still Lady Blake.

Unfortunately Blake seemed to take notice of all the staring, “if this causes you discomfort, I could change back.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Weiss assured her, “I was simply unprepared.”

Pleased with that response, Blake began to vigorously stretch herself as if she had spent many hours locked inside a tight space - a comparison that was perhaps too appropriate for her much smaller human form - and behind her her tail swayed happily.

“I haven’t been able to don this form since we arrived for the festival,” Blake informed, “it is good to feel like myself again.”

“It won’t be good for long if the local knights decide to take our hides,” the familiar and ever cheerful tone of Ilia’s voice called as she approached camp and unceremoniously dropping a basket between the two of them, “though do enjoy your dinner while you can.”

“Thank you, I certainly plan to,” Blake replied, seemingly unfazed by Ilia’s usual foul mood, “now come, sit, take off that damned glamour for once.”

Ilia stared at her, as if she was trying to will her fellow fae to stop with this nonsense.

It did not work.

“She will not give in, Lady Ilia,” Weiss said, “we’ll already be in plenty of trouble if we’re found in the presence of one fae, a second one won’t make a difference.”

Lady Ilia was unamused by Weiss’s commentary, “and what, pray tell, is your plan in case they do find you in the presence of not one, but two fae?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” She asked, standing up so she would be on the same level as her, “I’ll have a heroic last stand where I’ll fight off a dozen knights, before rescuing you on horseback.”

“Is that so?” Ilia asked, trying to keep her lips from twitching.

Weiss stepped closer.

“Oh yes, and then we’d ride off towards the sunrise and you’d…” she paused for a moment, trying to remember something, “what was it you said? Swoon and praise me for my strength and bravery.”

“Didn’t you say you held no attraction towards swooning maidens, Schnee?” Ilia teased, her smile slowly beginning to take hold.

“I’d be simply fulfilling my knightly duties, Lady Ilia,” Weiss insisted.

“You know what, Schnee?” Ilia began, with a smile on her face as she closed the ever shrinking gap between her and the Schnee, “I think I will doff this damned glamour, if only so I can watch you get skewered by those dozen knights while I flee on horseback by myself.”

“I’ll make sure to make it entertaining to you, my lady,” Weiss assured her, now face to face with the smiling fae.

A chuckle escaped Blake’s lips, earning her the most terrifying glare from Lady Ilia. The knight was, of course, unimpressed, seeming to consider a comment in her mind before reconsidering and letting it die without being voiced. A decision that Ilia greatly approved.

“Now will you please cast away that glamour of yours and relax for once,” she said instead.

“Very well,” Ilia surrendered with a sigh.

For a moment nothing seemed to happen, but then it was like the Ilia Weiss had known had shattered like glass, and what stood behind the illusion could only be described as breathtaking.

Eyes of light blue turned into pure glowing white, freckled skin turned to thousands of scales woven together into a tapestry of color. On her forehead now stood two large thorns, almost like a pair of horns, though they exuded the same regal air as a proper crown.

Lady Ilia then disposed of her - now much bleeker looking - dress to reveal a growth of leaves and vines covering her more...intimate places. Still it was not her crown nor her naked form that had Weiss in awe, it was her wings.

They were not unlike those of a butterfly, though no butterfly could ever hope to match their beauty. They were the light of her eyes fractured again and again into more colors than Weiss's mortal eyes could see, all of them weaved together in a pattern that could make even the stained glass of Atlas's grand cathedral look plain by comparison.

It took all of Weiss’s will not to fall to her knees in worship of the beauty she had been given the privilege to bask in. Though it didn’t seem she was able to completely hide her reaction, as when their eyes met she saw surprise in Lady Ilia’s face, and for a moment it was as if every fragment of color in her body had turned to the brightest of pinks.

“Should I give you both some space?” Blake asked, tail swaying slowly behind her.

“Absolutely not!” Lady Ilia shouted, sitting back down and refusing to look back at the still stunned wannabe knight.

It was now Weiss’s turn to shift through several shades of pink. She whispered a silent prayer that the gods would return to Remnant if only so the God of Destruction could completely remove her - and her shame - from the face of this world. This gave her some time to recover, at least enough that she could sit by the campfire with her companions again.

Unfortunately for the both of them that awkward tension lingered over the camp like a thick fog. It did not help that neither of them found it within themselves to look at or even address each other. They left it all to Blake to rescue them from their self imposed punishment.

“Ilia,” she called, “I believe you had questions for me.”

Lady Ilia seemed to take a few moments to recognize that she was being spoken to, but bolted up in attention as she understood the opportunity that was being given her.

“You’ve yet to tell me how you came to join the humans,” she reminded, “or why iron doesn’t burn you.”

That piqued Weiss’s interest as well. She knew Blake had to have some kind of magical trick to don her armor without burning herself alive, perhaps if she could share that secret they could use it to help those fae who wished to live among humans.

“This isn’t some trick you can replicate, Ilia,” Blake explained, killing Weiss’s plan on the spot, “this is not a weapon the unseelie can use.”

Ilia let out a sound not unlike a growl, showing that her teeth were much sharper than before.

“Not everything I do is out of spite for humanity!” She almost shouted, and her body shifted into bloody reds and harsh yellows. Though that display clearly failed to intimidate her fellow fae, earning herself only a raised brow, a reaction that caused her to change colors once more, this time to pinks and blues. “You left us. I want to know why.”

“But I have already--”

“No,” she interrupted, colors shifting over and over through her body, unable and unwilling to settle, “you don’t just change your mind like that for no reason. I want to know what happened.”

Blake sighed, tail wrapping around herself as she seemed to deflate, “this story is quite long, Ilia.”

“So is the night,” Ilia countered, “come, tell us.”

Blake looked at her, then at Weiss, who offered her her most reassuring look, “very well then.”

#rwby #prismatic ponytails #nuts and dolts #bumbleby #weiss schnee #ilia amitola #blake belladonna #medieval au #fanfic

21 notes · View notes

old-hyper-super-clover · 4 years ago

Text

Obey me! x Avatar the last airbeder/ Avatar the legend of Korra

I thought about what elements the Obey me characters would be able to bend in the universe of ATLA/ ATLOK, so here´s a list of their elements, sub elements and their preferred fighting style!

If you don´t know the show, here´s a short list of the elements (although I highly recommend watching the series they´re amazing)

Fire bending (can be trained into lightning- & combustion-bending)

Water bending (can be trained into ice-, steam-, plant- and blood-bending)

Air bending (can be trained to fly or project your spirit)

Earth bending (can be trained into metal- or lava-bending and for seismic sense)

Have fun reading and let me know what you think!!

Lucifer

Element: Fire (white-blue flames)

Sub element: Lightning

Fighting style: mainly fighting with lightning, it's more elegant and deadly, and those words are basically the definition of papa Luci. Legends say that once when Lucifer was angered enough, he casted a whole storm to let lightning go down on the whole land.

His white-blue fire is known to be the hottest type of flames, with Lucifer being able to keep their heat on this level for as long as the flames are burning.

"Fire as well as lightning shall be treated with care and used with dignity. Also, if you keep your cool in battle, you can watch as your enemy gets toasted by your attacks, and I personally very much enjoy this satisfaction."

Mammon

Element: Air

Sub element: mild form of flight

Fighting style: "Korra style", basically the more modern way to airbend as shown in the legend of Korra: specifically more forward and for combat (attacking and approaching enemies), for dragging enemies through the air as Mammon pleases.

Although flight is an extremely rare and spiritual ability, somehow the goof Mammon is able to fly short distances without a glider or other tools.

"Livin' like a true air nomad? Nah, that ain't like me. How am I able to fly, then? Well, I'm THE great Mammon after all!"

Levi

Element: Water

Sub element: Ice, steam

Fighting style: prefers to attack with waves of pure water, but when his envy kicks in, he might switch to freezing it (when self-loathing) or boiling it (when angered in envy).

As he loves being engulfed in water, he has perfected moving and diving in the ocean.

"I like being in the ocean... The water wraps around you like a tight but soft hug... A-ah, n-nothing, I would never say anything cheesy like this...!!"

Satan

Element: Fire

Sub element: Combustion

Fighting style: much like his anger can occur in explosive rushes, so does his element as combustion bending shoots a beam of explosive energy at whoever Satan wants to see dead. The explosions become larger the angrier he is, but also harder to control.

Yes, he has this fancy third eye tattoo where he shoots the explosions out of, period.

Technically very skilled in bending fire but dislikes using it (as it reminds him of Lucifer)

"What are you staring at? Do I look this strange to you? Well, if it's that irritating to be near me, I could blast you into pieces."

Asmo

Element: Water

Sub element: Plant bending

Fighting style: not really into fighting, but if he does he uses vines with thorns to whip his enemies asses (preferably in the literal sense hehe). He keeps the vines entagled around his body to always have some with him, and let's them bloom to make it/ himself more beautiful.

Is actually better at bending plants than regular water, even though the pure element should be the easiest to bend.

"Water inside plants is sweeter, which is just like me!", is his explanation for this.

Beel

Element: Earth

Sub element: Seismic sense

Fighting style: Due to his physique he is able to bend massive amounts of stone at once, yeeting those at his enemies. His powers decrease the hungrier he is, but peak once he enters his hungered rage. God help the mountains around him if that happens, they might be pulled of the ground if they are in the way between Beel and his food.

As he is rather calm and dislikes initiating fights, he learned to listen to the earth, his seismic sense helping him detect objects connected to the ground through vibrations.

"If you stay calm and feel your surroundings, you'll find yourself with many advantages in life... For me, it's the ability to detect the nearest food, hehe..."

Belphie

Element: Earth

Sub element: Sand

Fighting style: likes the fast attacks that are possible when bending sand, it's lighter and better to form than solid ground.

Probably his favourite move is to swirl the sand up to disturb his opponents vision while he himself isn't hindered by it at all. If no sand around, he prefers to use smaller rocks and uses them as projectiles.

"Direct combat is too tiring... I'd rather annoy my enemies until they are sick of fighting me. Everyone hates sand in their eyes, right?"

Diavolo

Element: Earth

Sub element: Lava

Fighting style: In my personal AU that is currently forming in my head, Diavolo is the earth prince and thus rarely gets to fight, but oh boy can he beat you up if he wants to. For his size, he is surprisingly agile as he utilizes his earth bending to move. His attacks are mostly through lava bending, a technique which he came up with himself after thinking about how water benders can change their element's state of aggregation. With lava, he keeps his enemies where he wants them to be, to then bombard his enemies with lava projectiles.

"Don't be shy, come a little closer! I might be a prince, but there is no need to be afraid... If I wanted to battle you, you would have already found yourself in a pit of lava!"

Barbatos

Element: Earth

Sub element: Metal, truth seer

Fighting style: This sly mf keeps shreds of metal on his body at any time to be able to shoot them at enemies (kind of like Mai with her knifes). Not an aggressive fighter, rather he waits for the opponent's move, analysing them to then attack with whatever metal is around, or through earth bending, if more effective.

His truth seeing is a form of seismic sense that specialises in sensing another's breathing and heart rate, making him the perfect guard for the earth prince Diavolo.

"I seem to sense an increase in your heart rate... Are you lying or simply thrilled to see me, hm~?"

Simeon

Element: Water

Sub element: healing, spirit bending

Fighting style: Simeon barely ever has to fight, his role in the tribe is a spiritual, not a warrior one. He has magnificent healing skills and is highly spiritual, so fighting is just not his cup of tea. All techniques he is able to do are traditional figures that are passed over generations in the water tribes.

He uses the techniques for 'dances' rather than combat, when pacifying evil spirits or to communicate with and befriend good ones.

Sub element: mild form of spiritual projection

Is able to travel to the spirit world, helps keeping the balance between the human and spirit world.

"Bending is so much more than a weapon to hurt your enemies. Come, I will show you my favourite spiritual place and tell you about the beauty of elements and spirits."

Luke

Element: Air

Fighting style: "Aang style", defensive and keeping his distance. Dodging until finding a weak point, however if you annoy litte Luke, he might switch to a more direct fighting style. With this reckless fighting style, Luke likes to disturb his opponents balance, his satisfaction big when he, a tiny boy, can blow grown-ups off their feet.

Solomon

He loves spirits, so he had always given it his all to get into the spirit world, successfully. Now, he is working on a technique to move his soul unbound by his body. Up to now he can drastically increase his sense (see and hear) through sensing through the wind around him, but he couldn't give his spirit an intangible form yet.

"If you can exist outside your body in the spirit world, it has to be possible here, too! Watch me, I will figure out how to do it one day!!"

Element: Water

Sub element: blood

"You know, technically, air nomads could bend the air carried by your blood cells... Earth benders the minerals and ions in your blood... So basically, blood bending is a really... Huh? What do you mean you're scared of me? I'm harmless, I swear~"

Fighting style: Don't worry, I know blood bending is always treated as the worst thing ever, but Solomon rarely ever relies on his blood bending skill for combat, even though he is able to use it outside of full moon nights, too. He knows a lot about the human body, so he can actually use those skills to heal and help people! (Or well, potentially, he could cause all your blood vessels to burst, but... That is only an option... Maybe... Mostly...)

He is talented with water and ice enough to fight bending those, will use those in the most annoying ways he can.

Bonus: My two MCs Violet and Clover

Element: none

Clover

Weapon: Bow and arrows

Fighting style: Clover tought herself how to use the bow in her free time in case she ever needs to defend herself. Other than that, she wasn't born with any bending abilities, but is, just like Simeon, very spiritually talented and helps him with his work. Wishes to be able to travel to the spirit world one day.

She can hear and see spirits that have escaped into the human world and has made it her task to ensure they return to their home safely.

"H-huh? Ah, don't mind me, I'm not special at all... But wouldn't you like to meet my ghost friends? They have so many fascinating stories to tell."

Violet

Element (learned): fire (mastered), earth (only a little)

Element (yet to learn/ master): water, air, earth

Fighting style: Avatar alerrrt. Yes, this amazing lady would be the avatar of this generation. Born in the fire nation, she has mastered bending fire at young age. Given the right ground (e.g. volcanic stone), Violet has a unique technique of colouring her flames as the bends tiniest fragments of metals and minerals along with the flames. For that she lets the fire touch the ground and burns the metals in her motion. The minerals cause the different flame colorations and showed that she is indeed the avatar. Has yet to learn bending the three other elements.

Lucifer was her teacher for mastering fire bending, and she was taught to fight with a sword, too.

"I may be capable of bending every element, but I still have a long way to go. My homeland has taught me the arts of fire and the sword, but now it is time for me to learn the arts of the rest of the world."

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

Thank you so much for reading!! If you´d like to hear more about this concept I can come up with backstories for each character! Just let me know if you´d be interested~

#obeyme #atla #atlok #obey me #obey me leviathan #obey me asmo #obey me beel #obey me belphie #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me satan #obey me shall we date

61 notes · View notes

nuttystrawberrysalad · 3 years ago

Text

All About Knitted Hats

Quarantine has sparked plenty of new at-home hobbies. Maybe you picked up a paintbrush and tapped into your inner artist. Or, you might have transformed your kitchen into a bakery. For some, perfecting their knitting and crocheting skills even led to a business — which is why you're likely seeing the knit hat trend unexpectedly taking off on Instagram.

For Delsy Gouw, founder of Brooklyn-based label Its Memorial day, crocheting started out as a fun activity. "[It] originally started as an online Depop vintage shop [in 2019] but when Covid hit, I wasn’t able to source any goods," she tells TZR. "I also lost my job and found myself with a lot of time on my hands." Gouw picked up the old hobby of hers and began making items for friends, and then her friends' friends were requesting pieces, too. She then began crafting knit hats because she believed the demand was there. "I started with bags but when I posted them so many of my friends and followers asked when or if I’d be open to making hats and taking customs for hats," Gouw tells TZR. While trends typically fade away and come back later on, Gouw hopes this style will stay long-term. "[I] can’t speak for knitting, but the way crochet is done is truly so intricate, unique, and is made to last," she explains. "Crochet can only be done by hand so I think there is something special about having an accessory that is unique and handmade." Fans of Gouw's emerging brand include influencers like Reese Blutstein, Jo Rosenthal, and Ella Emhoff.

Who knows when the first person decided to put something over their head to keep it warm, but knitters know that knitted hats for women are some of the most fun and easy things to knit.

When they’re worked in the round there is little in the way of shaping, except when you get to the crown.

Most hats are worked from the bottom up, with stitches cast-on and worked in a snug stitch pattern such as ribbing, or in stockinette for a rolled bring hat, using a smaller size needle than is used for the head portion of the hat.

In many hat patterns, the hat is worked straight for the desired length of the crown, then nearly all of the stitches are evenly decreased over the course of just a few rounds.

The yarn is cut, the tail threaded through the remaining stitches, pulled tight, and fastened off to the inside of the hat.

The hat can be topped with a pom pom, i-cord, tassel, or whatever embellishment strikes your fancy.

A great book for learning to make hats is Ann Budd’s Handy Book of Patterns, from which some of the material on this page is excerpted. There are chapters on basic hats as well as the type of hats called “tams.”

There are several types of hats, but the most popular knitted hats for men are beanie-type caps, tams (sometimes called “berets”), slouch hats, earflap hats, and tuques.

Beanies: These hats can be super simple or dressed up with a lace or cable patterns. In cooler climates, they’re wonderful gifts for knitters to make.

Tams/Berets: There are so many different stitch patterns to use in this style. Tams and berets can be plain stockinette or intricate Fair Isle. This style of hat is really flattering on just about every face shape, too.

Earflap Hats: These hats are popular in cold climates. They’re great for keeping ears warm and they’re fun to knit. The knitters of Peru specialize in these hats, as shown in the photo at right.

Often a knitted hats for children will have a finished size that is smaller than the average adult head. That’s because hats meant to fit closely at the brim need a bit of negative ease to help them fit snugly and keep them on the head.

The amount of negative ease refers to the difference between the finished size of the object and the size of body part on which it will be worn. A hat that measures 19″ (48.5 cm) around and is worn on a 22″ (56 cm) head has 3″ (7.5 cm) of negative ease.

A beret-type hat might have negative ease at the brim, but a few inches of positive ease in the body of the hat. The extra fabric is what creates its loose, flowing shape, while the tighter brim keeps it fitted to the head.

Hats are a natural for circular knitting (or knitting in the round). This project for circular-knit adult hats offers three brim styles: hemmed, ribbed, and rolled stockinette. Whichever brim you choose, the directions call for shaping the top. Work this hat in plain stockinette stitch in a colorful or fashion yarn, or customize it by working the colorwork pattern included here. But don’t feel tied to those two options — use this hat as a canvas to express yourself.

If you knit the hat on one 16-inch circular needle, you’ll need to switch to double-pointed needles (or one of the other methods) at some point during the crown decreases because the stitches will no longer reach comfortably around the needle. It is easiest to knit hats using the magic-loop method with one long circular needle.

Choose a size

Determine the circumference you want for the hat. Most hats should be knit with negative ease (. Measure around the widest part of the intended wearer’s head and subtract 1⁄2 to 1-1⁄2 inches from that measurement to calculate the hat circumference.

A hemmed brim is not as stretchy as a rolled or ribbed brim, so it’s best not to include too much negative ease when using this hem.

Choose yarn and determine the gauge

Yarn for adult hats can run the gamut from practical to frivolous and fun. If you want a warm winter hat, for example, choose a yarn that is warm and durable, and knit it at a tighter gauge than recommended on the ball band. This results in a denser fabric that better retains heat. If, on the other hand, you are creating a fun accessory, you might choose a fashion yarn that adds a little flair. Because this hat is such a simple shape, it’s a great way to show off variegated or self-striping yarns.

To keep cool but stay warm during winter, you can’t skimp on great outerwear or outfit-making boots. The same goes for cold-weather accessories too: Because for the majority of the season, coats, boots, and, in this case, winter hats do most of the talking when it comes to bundling up while keeping things stylish. In order to break free from your standard winter-outfit formulas—and to keep your looks from looking like, well, everybody else—consider accessorizing functionally and fashionably this season. Here, find four headwear trends not to be missed, and shop 24 of the best winter hats, inspired by the most stylish women on the streets, from New York to Paris.

Buckets and Beyond

After runway debuts at Fendi and Loewe, the winter-ready hand knitted hat took over the streets last February—and this season the ’90s trend has continued to gain momentum. From shaggy faux furs to fuzzy angoras, from shearling to sherpa styles, the winter bucket hat is one of the cutest and coziest accessories of the season.

The ribbed-knit beanie has earned its place as a winter style staple for everyone from downtown urbanites to alpine skiers. New Yorkers might prefer sleek styles in a neutral color palette like black and speckled gray. Meanwhile, a pop of color would bring the perfect amount of joyous street-style-inspired Scandi chic to any drab winter look. And for those who wish to channel a bit of après-ski flair in their daily commute, look no further than one with a floppy, fluffy pom-pom.

The trapper hat is no longer just for the rugged outdoorsman or Elmer Fudd. Not convinced? The trapper has been deemed stylish enough for even the Parisians—in fact a black faux-fur version was spotted on the streets topping off a geometric-print coat, leather pants, and blue ankle booties for the ultimate in warmth and style. Et voilà! Not to mention everyone from classic winter-weather brands to It labels are backing the trapper trend—Heurueh, Kule, and R13 to name just a few. You heard it here first: The trapper is the ultimate winter hat for women this season.

On the tiny Peruvian island of Taquile, a man's worth isn't measured in his ability to hunt or fish, but in his ability to knit.

Alejandro Flores Huatta was born on the 1,300-person island, which is located on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, a three-hour boat ride from the nearest city of Puno. The 67-year-old learned how to knit the iconic chullo (a tall, floppy Andean hat) as a child, with his older brother and grandfather teaching him by using the thorns of a cactus as knitting needles.

"Most of the people learn by looking, watching. Because I don't have a father, my older brother [and grandfather] taught me to knit. So by watching, I learned little by little," he said, speaking through a Quechua translator.

Taquile is famous for its textiles and clothing, and while women weave and tend to the sheep that provide the wool, men are the ones who exclusively produce the island's knitting cap for baby. The chullos are seen as culturally significant, playing a key role in the island's social structure and allowing men to show their creativity while also displaying their marital status, dreams and aspirations – some men even use it to show their mood. It's a tradition that islanders are working hard to preserve.

Residents were relatively cut off from the mainland until the 1950s, and the island's isolation has helped to keep its heritage and way of life intact. Locals abide by the Inca code of "Ama sua, ama llulla, ama qhilla", (Quechua for, "Do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy"). Taquileans are farmers traditionally; the six island communities take turns to rotate crops of potato, corn, beans and barley in terraces on the mountainsides. They raise sheep, guinea pigs, chickens and pigs on the land and fish in the lake. Tourism kicked off in the 1970s, giving locals a source of income with tens of thousands of visitors drawn to the island annually to tour the villages and surrounding lake. Visitors typically stay with locals in humble, family-run accommodations; lend a hand-harvesting crops; try local specialties like fried trout and potatoes with rice, beans and mint tea; and purchase the island's famous handmade textiles.

Hats reveal men's marital status, dreams and aspirations

In 2005, Taquile's textile art was deemed so valuable that Unesco deemed it an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Alejandro is one of the seven men on the island recognised as a Master of Textiles, along with the island's president, Juan Quispe Huatta.

The tradition has been around for the better part of 500 years, with roots in the ancient civilisations of the Inca, Pukara and Colla peoples. The Inca in particular, used their headdresses in a similar way to the Taquilean chullo, to display the specific insignia of their particular province – but that’s where the similarities end. The Taquilean chullo and the Inca headdresses look vastly different. The elders of the island tell of the chullo design arriving with the Spanish conquest in 1535, and Alejandro's grandfather passed on stories of the early conquerors wearing similar hats that were white with ear covers, "but not the same patterns or symbols," Alejandro said.

2 notes · View notes

quicksilversquared · 4 years ago

Text

The Substitute Ladybug: Chapter 8

After Lila takes things too far and Marinette ends up with a broken leg, Paris is going to have to deal with a different superhero arrangement for a bit. Having to share her superhero identity with her parents before Hawkmoth can be defeated isn’t something that Marinette had planned on doing, but- well, it might end up being a bit of a blessing in disguise.

links in the reblog

Marinette had gotten as far as the gate in front of the Agreste mansion when she realized that, like her house, Adrien's place had stairs. Unlike the Dupain-Cheng household, the mansion didn't have any sort of lifts on the stairs, or an elevator like the school.

She hadn't remembered to consider that. Really, she should have, and then she should have talked to Adrien about it before school let out for the day to figure out what he wanted her to do.

Worrying her lip, Marinette step-hopped forward through the gates as they swung open. She could probably figure out the steps- she had been working on it during her physical therapy, it was just that normally she had people behind her to steady her- or just scoot herself up the stairs on her rear, but neither seemed like particularly good ideas. The first sounded dangerous, and the second-

Well, Mr. Agreste was all about appearances, and scooting up the stairs on her butt wasn't exactly a good appearance. And after it had taken so long for Adrien to get permission to have Marinette over in the first place, she didn't want to do anything that would get her immediately booted out.

With a deep breath, Marinette readied herself to go up the steps. She had only just gotten herself in position to start hopping her way up, though, when two large hands grabbed her shoulders and lifted. Before Marinette could figure out what was going on, she was being carried up the front steps and through the front door as it smoothly swung open. The carrier- it had to be the Gorilla, based both on the size of the hands and the height at which she was being unceremoniously carried- continued forward at an unchanging pace, all the way up the set of stairs in the entryway and right to the door of Adrien's room, where they came to an abrupt halt.

Marinette didn't doubt that if Adrien hadn't been standing in front of his door, cringing as he took in the sight of her getting hauled in by her shoulders, that the Gorilla would have continued straight into his room without missing a beat.

And then Marinette found herself scrambling to get her feet under herself as the Gorilla set her back down, just as abruptly as he had picked her up. He lingered long enough to make sure that she wouldn't fall over, then headed off without a word.

"I am so, so sorry," Adrien murmured as he opened the door to his room, standing back to give her plenty of room to get by. "I mentioned that you might have trouble getting up the stairs, so- well, I was trying to ask about if we have any elevators or ground-level entrances, honestly, but. Uh. He just decided to do that, apparently."

Marinette giggled, unable to help finding it funny now that she wasn't being taken off guard and manhandled up the stairs. "He decided to interpret that as him needing to be a human elevator, apparently. I would have preferred a heads-up, sure, but I know he was just trying to help."

"I think he forgot that even if I'm used to him picking me up and moving me around without warning, not everyone is," Adrien said with a sigh. He stepped around Marinette, pulling out a chair for her so that she could sit down. "Really, I'm sorry about that. We can find some other way for you to get back down the stairs later on."

"It's fine," Marinette insisted. She sat down, scooting up to Adrien's desk. "So, what are we doing first- photos or schoolwork?"

"We should probably at least get out our homework," Adrien admitted. "And get started on it. That way, if Nathalie sticks her head in, we can claim that we've been working on it the whole time. Or that we're just taking a quick break from studying."

Somehow, Marinette doubted that Nathalie would fall for that. Whether or not she would let it slide, though, was another matter. Sometimes it seemed like she was willing to help and cover for Adrien, while other times she ratted him out and interfered with Adrien's attempts to get together with his friends. Which way she went seemed to depend on the day.

How Adrien put up with that, Marinette just didn't know. Having to be around adults who blew hot or cold at random had to be super hard.

It didn't take long for them to set up their things, and sure enough, Marinette heard the quiet click of a door as they started work, giving away that someone- Nathalie, probably- had just poked her head in to make sure that they were actually working. Adrien glanced over at the door at the same time, and Marinette knew that he must have heard it as well.

And she had thought that her parents were nosy. At least they wouldn't care if they were actually doing homework or not.

"We should definitely try to study together more often," Adrien said appreciatively as they worked their way through their science and math homework. "It goes really fast with both of us. If I had to work through these problems on my own, I think it would probably take twice as long."

Marinette smiled and nodded. She had been about to say the same, honestly. When she and Adrien hit a snag with a concept that they weren't quite getting, they would either both toss ideas back and forth until they had figured out what they were messing up, or they would dive into their books and onto the computer to find something that explained the concept better if they really had no idea where to start. They hadn't really worked together that much before, so the ease with which they clicked and worked as a team was- well, a little surprising.

Surprising, but definitely not a bad thing. If they were really productive, then hopefully Nathalie would let them hang out together more often, without so much hassle.

"Okay, we have probably fifteen minutes before Nathalie checks in again," Adrien murmured seconds after they heard the third click of their study session. He paused, listening closely, then pushed his chair across the floor to grab a small photo album that had been tucked alongside his desk. "So my mom made this photo album. It's a secret from my father, technically. It's all of the photos that he hates, for whatever reason, but my mom thought were cute or funny."

Marinette's eyes got wide. That- that sounded like the kind of this that Mr. Agreste would probably destroy, if he found out that the album existed. "And it's not been- well, destroyed or anything?"

"No, I keep it hidden. And I have digital copies, in case anything ever happens to it. I don't think my dad would mess with it, though. My mom thought it was cute, and he-" Adrien paused, swallowing. "I don't want to think that he would destroy anything that she liked so much. But it's better safe than sorry with him, honestly." He took a moment, then scooted back to Marinette's side. "There's- uh, okay, there's a lot of baby photos in here, honestly. Just ignore that. But further along..." He flipped through the pages, and Marinette had to restrain herself from trying to catch a peek of what Baby Adrien (or Toddler Adrien) had looked like. If he wanted her to know, then he wouldn't be flipping through so fast. "Aha! Here's the toga."

Marinette took one look and had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out with laughter. "Oh my god. That- how did you not trip over that?"

"Okay, the first iteration left something to be desired," Adrien admitted. "To be fair, I was nine, and I had no idea how togas were meant to work. And the sheets on my bed- well, I have a big bed. And I wasn't a particularly big nine-year-old."

"The first iteration?" Marinette asked, puzzled. She frowned. "I thought your father would have put a stop to it."

"He tried, but it wasn't like I was just dressing up for fun," Adrien told her. "My mom pointed out that I had a reason for it, and then she got me a smaller bedsheet and looked up how to tie a toga. And she had access to safety pins and everything, so..."

He turned the page, and- oh, that wasn't fair. How did Adrien look so good while wearing- well, just a bedsheet with a belt around it?

"If Father had taken any longer to make cast-friendly pants, my mom and I were planning on ordering some kilts in my size," Adrien told Marinette. "Not for wearing out, necessarily, but to bug Father a bit." He laughed. "I kind of regret that I didn't get to do that, actually. I would have loved trying on a kilt."

...well, now Marinette wanted to make him one. It would be an interesting experience, and maybe she would learn some skills that she hadn't really dealt with before. But that also ran a very real risk of ticking Gabriel Agreste off, and considering that she had already ticked Audrey Bourgeois off this year...

Maybe that was a project for another time. Or at the very least, a project that could not be shown off beyond the confines of her house.

"Maybe Father got mad, but when Mom was here and made sure that he wasn't taking it out on me, it was fun," Adrien told her. "He might huff and puff but there wouldn't be any consequences."

Unlike there would be now went unsaid. Marinette had to wince on his behalf, because that had to be an unpleasant change to get used to.

"Anyway, there were a couple days of togas, and then I had my new cast-friendly pants to wear," Adrien finished, flipping the page. It was another page of him posing in different togas, each made up slightly differently. There were different belts, then a couple brooches to hold the toga together, then a deep red one that was clearly not meant to be worn out, considering that the back dragged out like a royal cape. "But it was fun while it lasted, and it was probably- no, definitely- the best part of having a broken leg."

"There's not much good about being on crutches," Marinette agreed. "I mean, Lila's gone, so that's good. But if I could have just, like, sprained my ankle and gotten a few bruises instead but gotten the same results, that would have been so much better."

Adrien grinned, clearly about to respond, but a noise near the door had them scrambling to hide the photo album and turn back to their books before they could be caught. When they heard the telltale click a minute later, they exchanged conspiratorial glances. Adrien's was tinged with an impish smile, and Marinette was sure that she was no better.

Being around Adrien like this was fun. Marinette had gotten tastes of it before, of course- it was hardly as though she and Adrien never hung out together by themselves- but it had never quite been this side of him, impish and rule-bending and all poorly-concealed grins and twinkling eyes and muffled laughter.

And Marinette wanted to see it more. It was easy to be relaxed around Adrien when he was like this. They could joke around and just hang out and not be thinking too much.

Or maybe she was just more relaxed because she wasn't thinking about asking him out. That had been her mom's theory when they had been discussing Marinette's crush and how it was going a few evenings back, and Marinette had to admit that she made a good point.

(Also, her mom seemed to know a lot more about Marinette's attempts to ask Adrien out than Marinette remembered telling. She suspected that Tikki might be telling her a lot, which- well, normally Marinette would be mad about that, but honestly, Alya could have told them just as much.)

They had brought up another very good point when they said that it might not be the best idea to date while she was still fighting Hawkmoth and Mayura. Apparently her parents had heard quite a bit from Alya complaining about Marinette missing out ("forgetting") on things that they had planned, and translating that to a dating setting...

Well, it wouldn't be a good idea with anyone. And with Adrien, who was already regularly let down by his father promising to show up to things and then simply not bothering- well, it would be borderline cruel, even if she didn't mean to leave him on his own.

Focusing strictly on being friends for the time being would definitely be better, Marinette decided as she re-focused on her work. Next to her, Adrien was tapping a faint beat on his notebook with the end of his pencil as he focused on the next question. She didn't want to lose Adrien's friendship because of her duties as Ladybug pulling her away unexpectedly. Once Hawkmoth was defeated- well, then she would have the time to dedicate to a relationship.

Marinette glanced over at her phone as it let out the oh-so-familiar chirp signaling an akuma attack, then up at her teacher. Ms. Bustier didn't appear to have heard (though maybe she was just choosing to ignore it, considering how many students had that alert on all the time), so Marinette slipped her phone out of her purse and checked the update.

Oh. That- that looked like a difficult akuma. It was flitting back and forth quick as lightning, too fast to spot anything on it that might be the akumatized item.

It would be hard to fight that, even with Second Chance. She just couldn't give out instructions fast enough to keep ahead of the akuma. Marinette puzzled over that for a second, then quickly excused herself to the bathroom and made a break for it, hopping to a supply closet in the hallway instead. One transformation and a Portal later, and Marinette was back at her house.

"Are you getting more Miraculous?" Sass asked as Marinette hopped across her temporary room to the box where she had hidden the Miracle Box. Kaalki was perched on her shoulder, inhaling a quick snack to recharge, and didn't seem at all bothered. "Or are just fighting from here instead of the closet because it's nicer?"

"I want another Miraculous," Marinette told him, pulling the box out. "I thought that the Bee might be a good choice. And- well, I'm not sure if I should give it to Chat Noir or to my mom. In theory, we'll only need one Sting. And if I give it to Chat Noir and he misses, we have Second Chance. But if my mom gets it..." She frowned, pausing with her hand hovering over the Bee's comb. "Actually, Sass, would giving my mom a second Miraculous be a good idea? Master Fu didn't tell us about the fusions right away, so is it not a good idea to have newer Miraculous holders fuse like that?"

"Yeah, it's- well, sometimes it's fine, but new users do have a tendency to tire more easily with fusions," Sass told her. "They're not as acclimated to the magic, and for it to double and for the powers to be used multiple times..."

Marinette winced. "We'll have Chat Bee again, then. I don't want to risk my mom falling ill."

Sass smiled. "That's probably wise."

With that decided, Marinette scooped up the comb and called for Kaalki. With a flash, she transformed, immediately grabbing her horseshoe to find where her mom was. Coccinelle was on the move, which would make catching her next to impossible, but Chat Noir was paused in one place, clearly waiting for instructing while staying a safe distance back from the akuma.

Well. She would just go to him, then. It would be nice to see Chat Noir in person again, even if- well, even if it was only going to be for a few seconds while she handed over the Miraculous.

"And that's a nice flat rooftop, too," Tianma murmured to herself, narrowing her eyes at her map one more time to make sure that she went to the right spot. "Okay, portal!"

The portal shimmered into being in front of her, and Tianma hopped forward on her Miraculous-provided crutches, making sure to jump high enough to clear the (thankfully low) threshold of the portal. She had barely landed when suddenly, her feet were off the ground once more.

"Bugaboo!" Chat Noir exclaimed in her ear, clearly delighted, and Tianma breathed a sigh of relief. He had startled her, but to be fair, she had returned the favor with the sudden unannounced portal popping out of nowhere behind him. "What are you doing out? Is your mom not coming? How's your leg? I didn't expect to see you today! How are you doing?"

"Slow down, kitty," Tianma ordered with a giggle. "My mom is coming, I just had to deliver the Bee. This akuma is super fast, and I think the only way for us to take them down fast is if we immobilize it. And my mom was already headed out when I made that decision, so I came. And my leg is- well, it's healing. Still."

"I wish it would heal faster," Chat Noir told the top of her head. "I mean, the short fights are great and all, and your mom is super cool and helpful, but it's not the same."

"I can't wait to get out again, either," Tianma admitted. "Being stuck at home and not being able to do everything that I'm used to- it sucks. And I have another three weeks before the cast comes off! Initially I had been hoping to have a lot shorter recovery time than more people because Tikki had said that the Miraculous makes us heal faster, but the doctor doesn't know that, so of course he's not going to look at my leg early." She had made that particular realization only a couple days ago, and- well, she still wasn't over it.

Marinette knew that the doctor had said six weeks, but she had really been hoping that Tikki would be able to get her recovery time down to, say, four and a half. Or five. Anything but six.

"Well, it's still going to help you get back out faster," Chat Noir told her, and Tianma pulled back enough to be able to look up at him in confusion. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Bugaboo, you know that just because the cast comes off, that doesn't automatically mean that you're 100% again, right? There's supposed to be several weeks of recovery afterwards, and the bone is still healing. If you didn't have Tikki's healing, you probably wouldn't be cleared to go back to normal physical activity again right away." He shrugged. "Or at least that was what I had happen when I fractured my leg as a kid. It sucked, and it- well, it was just super hard to remember that I still had to be careful after the cast came off."

Tianma's shoulders slumped. She- well, she had been counting down the days to when the cast would come off and she could go out as Ladybug again, but clearly she was being a bit too optimistic. "Oh."

"But like I said, Tikki should help with that part," Chat Noir added. "Maybe she can tell you more later?"

Tianma nodded. She would be questioning her kwami later on for sure. She didn't want to go forward with unrealistic expectations, so- well, she might as well find out sooner rather than later. "Yeah." She let out a long sigh and then, with a start, realized that- well, she hadn't just come out to chat with Chat Noir. She thrust the Bee's box at him. "Oh! Here's the Miraculous. Sass said that it would be better for you to do the combo- I thought maybe my mom could do it, so she would have multiple power uses, but Sass said that she's not used to the magic enough to do combos."

"Right, okay- Pollen, Plagg, combine!" Chat Noir called, and Tianma flinched at the bright flash of the transformation. He grinned at her- and oh, the jagged yellow stripes across his normal outfit would never stop being strange. "I'll do my best."

Tianma nodded, hopping back towards the portal. "Stay safe! And just send the Bee back with my mom. I don't want to have to recharge Kaalki an extra time."

"Of course." Chat Bee paused, then reached out for her, a light hand resting on her shoulder. "Hey, do- do you think we can hang out sometime? Like, for an evening? Not romantically or anything," he added hastily. "But I miss seeing you. It's not the same to just be hearing you."

Tianma didn't even have to consider that before she was nodding, completely on board with the idea. She missed Chat Noir, too, and- well, he was one of her best friends. They didn't get to hang out outside of the suit. "Maybe over the weekend? Not Friday or Saturday, because I don't want to disrupt your patrols with Coccinelle, but Sunday?"

Chat Noir nodded furiously. "Yeah! I'll bring some food- actually, you know what, I'll figure out the details with your mom," he said hastily when a loud explosion went off in the distance. "We've got an akuma to deal with. Back through the portal you go!"

With that, Chat Noir lent her a hand- or, rather, a paw- back through the portal into her room. It closed up behind her, and she detransformed and called on Sass.

"All right, down to business," Vipera announced, settling herself at her desk and getting set up as quickly as possible. She had spent far more time than she had planned with Chat Noir, and now she really had to get going if she wanted to be prepared for the battle.

Still, she smiled. Sunday couldn't come soon enough.

Ladybug (or, rather, Horsebug) Portaled to their secluded rooftop five minutes early, hauling a backpack stuffed with pastries that her parents had packed for her, plus an entire quiche that her mom had made specifically for them. Unsurprisingly, Chat Noir was already there, spreading out a large blanket and fussing with making sure that it was just so.

"I brought more food," Ladybug announced, stumbling a little as she hopped though the portal. Chat Noir was by her side in an instant, steadying her and making sure that none of her weight landed on her bad leg. "And my mom made quiche, she said it's one of your favorites-"

"Ooh, she's the best!"

"I'll not ask how she knows it's one of your favorites," Ladybug added with a sigh as Chat Noir helped her sit down on the ground- or, well, on a pillow on the ground. She released Kaalki and beamed at the kwami in thanks before turning her attention to her partner. "It seems like she knows quite a bit."

Chat Noir winced at that. "I- yeah. I know I've maybe said too much to her about secret identity stuff, but it's just really easy to talk to her, you know? It's kind of like having a mom again- sorry, sorry, pretend I didn't say that bit," Chat Noir added hastily. "But it's nice to have a parental figure that actually listens, so maybe I talk a little more than I should."

...Ladybug was really glad that Tikki had mentioned that she and Chat Noir might be able to reveal their secret identities at some point soonish. If she hadn't- well, Ladybug would probably be panicking about the additional accidental information.

"Honestly, part of it might also just be that- well, what are the chances that she would actually know me?" Chat Noir asked. "Civilian me, that is. She's an adult, she wouldn't run in, like, the same social circles anyway."

"Except my mom known pretty much everyone I do," Ladybug reminded him. "She knows my classmates, she still recognizes my former classmates, she knows my friends from out of class, she even knows a lot of kids . She's not one of those adults that don't pay any attention to kids."

Chat Noir considered that. "...oh."

"I've told her that she needs to be more careful with what information she mentions to me," Ladybug told him, already hating the way his ears were starting to droop. If having an adult who would listen to him made that much of a difference to her partner- well, that could potentially save him from akumatization, couldn't it? That was super-important. "Because she was assuming at first that you and I talked about the same stuff, so she would just refer to it like common knowledge. So she's not going to accidentally tell me anything now. And..." Ladybug worried her lip for a moment, then forged on. "And she- she already knows my identity. She knows that she has to be careful to not get akumatized. If she figures out yours, too, I suppose it wouldn't be the end of the world. It would just be like how Master Fu knew about both of us, right?"

Chat Noir's entire being brightened, and Ladybug knew that she had made the right call. "I- right! Right, yeah, that- that was not the way I thought this conversation was going to go."

Ladybug had to laugh at that. "Honestly, me neither, but I know how much it's helped to be able to talk to my parents about everything in my life. I have Tikki, sure, but it's different, somehow. Tikki sometimes doesn't understand stuff in my normal life very well. And I don't think it's fair of me to deny you that."

Chat Noir pulled her into a wordless hug. Ladybug hugged him back, resting her cheek against his shoulder. She couldn't help but smile, completely content where she was.

"If I ever need to have a replacement Chat Noir, your parents would definitely be my go-to first choice," Chat Noir told her. "I mean, of course I'd rather be out there myself, but if I sprained my ankle really badly, or- heaven forbid- broke something- except I would have to know who they are, wouldn't I? There goes that idea."

"We could make it work," Ladybug told him. "I don't know how, but we could." She didn't mention Tikki's comment, not quite yet. It didn't seem like the time to.

Maybe once she returned to superheroing full-time then she could bring it up. Now, it just seemed too early and like she might be getting her partner's hopes up too early.

It didn't take long for them to settle down and unpack the food they had brought, arranging it across the blanket so that they could see everything. There was a lot- there was no way that they would be able to finish it all- but that just meant that there were plenty of tasty-looking choices. Chat Noir handed Ladybug a plate, and they dug in.

It was maybe a little strange, since- well, she and Chat Noir didn't really do this, hanging out and eating dinner. Patrols- when they did them, when they had the time to spare- doubled as exercise and training. They sometimes came out for speeches or events or dedications, but that was rare and they didn't really chat during those. It wouldn't be smart, not with reporters lurking nearby and ready to pounce on anything personal the superheroes said. And during akuma attacks, obviously they weren't going to be sprawling out on a rooftop and mindlessly chatting.

It was nice, though. Maybe- if they had the time- they could do this more often after her leg was back to normal.

"How's the Snake treating you?" Chat Noir asked as they finished up their slices of quiche and turned their attention to the petits fours that her parents had packed. "I don't think we've asked in a while. We got a few fights in with the Second Chance reset, and- well, now it's normal. But I have to imagine that it's super-tough on you."

"It's gotten easier," Ladybug told him. "I've gotten better at it, rather. It seems like I don't have to reset as often, because I've gotten good at spotting openings and incoming attacks. I've gotten Sass to give me more screens, so that helps. I have more angles to work with and watch."

"You're a regular Mission Control," Chat Noir said admiringly. "I couldn't do it. It sounds super hard."

Ladybug could only shrug sheepishly. "I guess. But I've gotten used to it, and it's a bit of a mental challenge, too. And I like a challenge." And she really, really did. It was like playing the world's fastest-paced puzzle game crossed with a fighting game.

"But aren't all of the resets hard on you? Like, seeing things going wrong again and again?" Chat Noir hadn't touched his petits four, instead fiddling with the end of his tail. Ladybug frowned at the question, puzzled.

Nothing had really gone terribly wrong during the fights when she was the Snake. Most of the time, it was just things not going nearly as well as they could have. So she said as much.

Chat Noir seemed really relieved by that.

Their conversation wandered from there, touching on the different battles and what they had seen from their perspective of the fight, then talking about things going on in the city. At one point, their conversation drifted towards the non-Miraculous side of their life, but they quickly backed off and changed the subject before they could say anything too identifying.

Maybe Tikki had said that they were getting closer to a reveal, but there was no point in running the risk of an early reveal before they were ready just because they got carried away with talking and teasing each other.

"Ah, it's getting late," Chat Noir exclaimed after he went to check his baton for something and caught sight of the time. "We'd better pack up and go home. I'm glad you could come out."

Ladybug smiled, leaning forward as much as she could to help pack up the leftovers. Her parents had definitely over-packed, and Chat Noir had brought more than they could eat, too. "I'm glad, too. This was fun. And it was nice to get out in this suit, too." She plucked at the red supersuit, smiling at the familiar outfit. "I know I've been transforming with the other kwami, and of course it's not exactly the same as my normal transformation, what with the crutches and the cast, but..." She trailed off, not sure how to explain it. Fortunately, Chat Noir knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Yeah, transforming with different Miraculous... it just isn't the same. I can't put my finger on exactly why, because- well, it's a strength boost, and you can just feel the magic, but it's not quite the same magic. It's like..." Chat Noir floundered for a second, his brow creasing. "Like if you're eating something, and the cook forgot one of the spices, or added a new one. But not like a strong spice. Like a really subtle one, and you'd only pick it up if you had it a lot."

Ladybug giggled, reaching forward to poke Chat Noir's stomach. "Talking about food already? You just ate!"

"There's food in front of me, that's why I thought of it!" Chat Noir protested with a laugh, batting her hand away. "Not because I was hungry!"

Ladybug giggled again before sitting back, content to let Chat Noir deal with packing up the food that was out of her reach. "I suppose it's a decent enough analogy. It's something subtle in the magic, not something obvious like the suit itself."

"Speaking of which- your Horse outfit is adorable," Chat Noir told her, pausing in his packing to beam over at her. "That tunic top over leggings? Very fashionable yet also leaning towards comfortable-at-home chic."

Ladybug beamed. "Thanks! I wanted to try something different. My transformation as Vipera has the same silhouette, actually. It's really comfy. And, well, it's not like I'm running and flipping around or anything. I can have a little fun with the design."

"D'you think you'd incorporate any of that design into your Ladybug outfit once you come back?" Chat Noir asked, clearly curious. "I mean, I can't see that particular design getting in your way while fighting. And it's cute."

Ladybug muffled a giggle. He had already mentioned that, which... well, was a clear giveaway that he wanted to see that sort of outfit more. "Maybe? As long as the tunic would stay down. And I would keep the higher neckline that I have now, just for safety reasons." Which honestly might throw off the composition of the entire outfit, since right now, with both the Horse and the Snake, she had a wider square neckline. Getting rid of that would get rid of the loose look that the tunic had. And- "Oh, and the sleeves aren't great for fighting. They're too loose. So- well, I guess that version of the Ladybug suit will have to wait until Hawkmoth is gone."

"Ooh." Chat Noir considered that, then smiled over at her. "Another motivation to take Hawkmoth down as soon as possible!"

"Flirt," Ladybug muttered, her cheeks red. Chat Noir just grinned at her, passing over the Horse Miraculous before helping her- or rather, lifting her- to her feet. "Thanks."

"Only the best for my lady!" Chat Noir chirped cheerfully. He grinned over at her as she put the Horse Miraculous on, the second part of her transformation washing over her. "Sweet dreams, Ladybug."

Ladybug smiled as she called on Portal. "You too, Chat Noir."

With a careful hop, Ladybug left the rooftop behind and landed back in her family's kitchen, her Portal closing up behind her. The basket of leftovers got unpacked into the fridge- except for a couple things set aside for the kwamis- and then Marinette headed to bed, unable to keep from yawning widely.

"It looks like you've had a good time," Tikki commented as Marinette washed up for bed. "Was it nice to see Chat Noir in person again?"

"It was great," Marinette told her, unable to help smiling. "I forgot how fun it is to banter with him. It's not a dynamic that I really have with any of my other friends, and I missed it." She tugged out her pigtails and started combing her hair before pausing mid-stroke. "It seemed different from when I last saw Chat Noir, though. When I last properly saw Chat Noir, before my leg broke, that is. He wasn't really flirting as much- or no, that's not right," she corrected herself. "He wasn't flirting seriously, that's the difference. We always flirt and tease, that's just how we are, but he wasn't trying to confess or ask me out or anything."

A smile flashed across Tikki's face before she hastily hid it. "He's growing up, maybe."

Marinette hummed in response, starting up her combing again. "Maybe. Whatever it is- well, I liked it. I like spending time with him."

"Do you think you're going to do another dinner together before the cast comes off?" Tikki asked. Marinette thought about it, then shrugged.

"If we have the time, maybe. We'd have to end earlier, though- it's super late right now, and I have school tomorrow."

Tikki smiled at that. "So yes?"

"Yeah." Marinette finished combing her hair and started tying it back up for the night, a small smile on her face. "Yeah, I'd like that."

The next morning, Marinette's phone started ringing before her alarm even went off. She groaned, swatting for it blearily, and it shut off. Moments later, it started up again, and this time Marinette sat up properly, picking up the phone and squinting at it to see who on earth was calling her at this time in the morning.

It was Alya. With a groan- she and Chat Noir really should have headed home sooner, she was exhausted- Marinette picked up. "Hello? What's-"

"Marinette! Marinette! Have you heard? Ladybug's been spotted! She's finally back!"

#Miraculous Ladybug #My writing #The Substitute Ladybug #marinette dupain cheng

84 notes · View notes

exactlydeafeningdeer · 3 years ago

Text

The Best Drinking Glasses

When it comes to glassware, the sexier vessels — a coupe, a flute, a wineglass — seem to get all the glory. But a simple glass cup (which can be just as appropriate for juice, wine, iced coffee, or yes, a G&T) gets used more than any of those options — and is just as worthy of praise. Whether you’re in the market for a basic, stackable matching set or for something bolder to spruce up your dinner table, the choices are many. To help you in your search, we asked some of our favorite restaurant, beverage, and interior-design experts how they take their H2O (and more). Below, our 19 panelists recommend their favorite water glasses, including a few restaurant-grade styles sold in bulk (that you may want to go in on with a friend or two since you probably won’t need all 72). To make it easier to find what you’re looking for, we’ve categorized their picks by style and size.

Duralex’s Picardie glasses are a favorite among our panelists. It’s easy to see why: They are available in assorted sizes, so you’ll always have the right one at hand if someone wants water, juice, or a stiffer drink. More important, as Tracie Battle, a senior designer at online interior-design service Havenly, says, their “classic look will never go out of style.” She explains that they are made of thicker tempered glass, which “offers more durability and a more expensive look.” Hudson Wilder founder Conway Liao and author (and former Lucky Peach executive editor) Rachel Khong also swear by these glasses, with Khong saying that her set is “still going strong after many many years.” This 18-piece set includes three sizes and six glasses in each size.

Battle also recommends Libbey’s Polaris glasses for their “super-unique shape,” which has a rounded, weighted base that feels hefty while still being sleek. This set comes with eight drinking glasses and eight smaller rocks glasses, offering the best “bang for your buck, at just over $2 per glass,” she says. They’re BPA-free and dishwasher-safe, too.

This set of Dailyware Bodega glasses from Bormiolo Rocco — which includes eight shorter double wall insulated mug and eight taller highball glasses — is interior designer Katrina Hernandez’s choice. She uses the glasses in both her house in the country and her Brooklyn apartment. “They’re perfect for water or a cocktail. It’s a set of two sizes, but both are relatively shorter and more modern,” she says. Hernandez adds that they’re thin, but not “scary thin where you feel they could break in your hand at any moment.” She also appreciates the rounded edge of the lip as well. The Bodega is also a favorite style of Julie Mulligan, the owner and designer of cocktail lounge and restaurant Lot 15, because it’s “versatile and low maintenance but still chic.” She says that it’s “great for all kinds of home drinking and serving” and can even be used for displaying flowers. “They have a great smooth lip to drink from and the price is just right,” she adds.

If cabinet space is limited, shorter glasses may be the way to go. Both Liao and Amanda Spina, the general manager of Williamsburg’s Four Horsemen restaurant and Nightmoves bar, swear by these shorter, stackable glasses by Japanese company Toyo-Sasaki. “I always want precious, delicate, thin baking glassware at the restaurant, but it’s got to be strong enough to fall onto a rubber mat and not break,” says Spina. “And it must be stackable.” These glasses, which are each about four-inches high, tick all those boxes. “They’re a little more unique and contemporary than the ubiquitous Duralex,” she adds, “but just as practical.” Liao agrees, noting their stackable design makes these “perfect for New York apartments.”

Amazon sells Bormioli Rocco’s 12-ounce Bodega tumbler — which is roughly the same height as the Bodega double old-fashioned glass in the brand’s assorted set above — on its own in a 12-pack.

The CB2 Marta glass has a similar feel as the smaller Bodega glasses above, and comes recommended by Athena Calderone, the founder of lifestyle blog Eye Swoon. She likes that they have “clean, straight lines” and are “made of ultra-thin glass.” She also says that “the price is deceiving — they look and feel far more expensive than they really are,” adding that they’re “definitely a crazy-good bang for your buck.” Not to mention:“They look as good sitting around on the table as they do on open shelving, which is helpful because that’s what I have at home,” Calderone says. Interior and event designer Ken Fulk is also a fan.

Mullligan’s go-to “for something clean and classic,” are these tumblers from Duralex. She likes that these glasses are stackable, but more importantly, that “they’ve withstood the test of time in my home, which is no easy feat.” Made in France of tempered glass, they’re also dishwasher-, microwave-, and freezer-safe.

According to Mulligan, Libbey is “an industry standard for style and wearability in the design world.” The petite Esquire side glass water bottle is one of her all-time favorites, and she says that they’re great for the home but also in a restaurant setting. The thin glass, slightly curved shape, and weighted base make it a little more interesting than your standard, straight-sided water glass. Intended for the service industry, these glasses come in a case of 72, which is more than an average household will ever need. But if these appeal to you, consider splitting a case with a family member or friend (or several family members or friends). The cost-per-glass comes out to just a tad over a dollar, which honestly can’t be beat.

Instead of a glass with straight sides, maybe you’d prefer one that has a tapered V-shape. Paul Malvone, a co-founder of Boston Burger Company, says the style is better for stacking. “At the restaurant, we prefer a 9-ounce old fashioned Endeavor rocks glass,” he says. “They’re a little better-looking than a traditional drinking glass, and are versatile enough for water or a soft drink, or even a hard beverage.”

According to Spina, these roughly five-inch goblets “are billed as ‘wineglasses,’ but they’re really not the best for crystal wine glass cup because of their open shape.” What that shape is great for, though, is good-old H2O. “They happen to be perfect for water with lemon.” The shape and the fact that they’re made in Italy make them even more distinguished. (Pictured as a set of four, the price shown is for one glass.)

Shelley Kleyn Armistead, a partner at Gjelina Group who is in charge of the interior design and tableware at all of its restaurants, is a fan of these simple Riedel water glasses. “I love the silhouette,” she says. “At the restaurants, we actually use them for wine because there’s something about them that feels friendly and approachable, a contrast to how wine is so often served.” Of course, they also work beautifully for water. Not too big and not too small, “they feel like glasses that should be used for daily enjoyment,” as Armistead puts it.

Libbey’s highball Impressions glasses hold more fluid than the brand’s shorter Esquire glasses in the section above, but they have a similar curved look and come in a more reasonable quantity (a set of four as opposed to a case of 72). They’re recommended by Decorist interior designer Katy Byrne, who says they’re her top pick for an everyday glass water bottle. “It’s the perfect weight with an elegant detail that not only looks nice but provides the perfect grip spot,” she tells us.

“At home, I use these 12-ounce Collins glasses, which are tall and a handsome vessel for cocktails” says Nick Rancone, the owner of the Twin Cities–based Twist Davis Group of restaurants. While they’re nice enough for serving drinks like a Tom Collins, gin fizz, or even a mojito, Rancone likes these because “they’re multipurpose enough to use for just plain water, too. I like that it can do double or triple duty.”

These highballs from Luigi Bormiolo come recommended by Battle: “This set is minimal in style and works well for several different drinks, whether a simple glass of water or a mint mojito,” she says. Battle adds that they’re also a great choice if you have kids: “They are a more durable option without having to sacrifice the look of glass.”

If you’re looking for something even more durable, Battle says “this is an almost identical alternate to the Luigi Bormiolo Classico glass, but is made of an acrylic that is BPA, Phthalate, lead and latex free.” They’re another great option “if you want the look of glass but don’t want to run the risk of them shattering,” she adds. They’re also available in a smaller “double old fashioned” style and in a turquoise, which she thinks is “great for summer.”

This stackable highball glass is a favorite of Employees Only co-owner Igor Hadzismajlovic for its convenience. “We use the 9-ounce highball glass by Libbey at home, which is stackable, and is a must for a tiny New York apartment,” he says. “It’s actually the same glass we use at Employees Only, too. They’re thick enough to eliminate breakage, which is especially important for a glass that is most frequently used.”

Sustainable-living expert Danny Seo, the editor-in-chief of Naturally, Danny Seo magazine, loves these glasses that are made from 100-percent post-consumer recycled glass — or “the stuff you toss out in your recycling bin,” as he puts it. Seo adds that “the organic texture and shape lends well to pairing them with clean modern dinnerware.” And we think the slightly bulbous silhouette is a little more interesting than that of your standard highballs.

Anna Polonsky, founder of the food-focused strategy-and-design consultancy Polonsky & Friends, loves to set a dinner table with these drinking glasses. “Hudson Wilder really creates timeless tableware,” she says. “They stand out without being too much. The base makes them special, but they’re also hardy enough not to feel too precious.” She owns a set in amber, which you’ll have to wait till September to get. Or snag these with a just as beautiful smoke-color base now.

4 notes · View notes

dailybeastarsthings · 3 years ago

Text

Chapter 4 - Can This Day Get Any Worse? 4.1. It's Not Easy Being A Bunny

The school’s cafeteria is one of the main areas where all students can meet with each other without any boundaries. The area was designed to be able to serve all kinds of animals regardless of their species and sizes. The main area was dissected into three larger levels, which looked like platforms. They were bordered by wooden walls planted with succulents and tiny shrubs to create a greener atmosphere. The roof was made out of glass to ensure that natural light can always get inside. In the four corners and the middle of the cafeteria, there were large oak trees planted with decks on multiple branches. This served as the dining area for smaller animals, such as mice, squirrels or songbirds. The tree was specially developed so its leaves would rarely fall, in order to avoid any accidents.

The cafeteria was packed for dinner, as usual. Students lined up at the kitchen ladies, who served them the food. The meals were specially chosen and prepared to satisfy both herbivore and carnivore students. Each day, there were separate meals for carnivores and herbivores. Today, carnivores were given steamed soy beans, egg salad, black bean pastries and milk, while herbivores were given vegetables boiled in soy milk, fruit parfaits and orange juice. Of course, if a carnivore student preferred something from the herbivore menu, they could change their meals and vice versa.

In the mass of animals, there was a small Netherlands dwarf rabbit girl. Her name was Haru. Her fur was pure white with no marks or any other colors. Her eyes were pitch black. One could easily get lost in them, wondering what thoughts were being kept secret behind them. She was quite short even for her species so she wore shoes with thicker soles to add to her height. As she walked along the line, her uniform was flowing in the air.

Today’s dinner is my favorite, I just can’t wait to eat it!” she thought. “Now I just need to find a place to sit.”

She paced the area for free seats and found three tables with free seats. First, she walked up to a female mongoose student.

“I’m sorry, may I sit here?” Haru asked.

“Umm… Sorry, but I’m waiting for my friend” the mongoose replied.

Next, Haru walked up to a feline student, who didn’t even pay much attention to her. It seemed like she recognized her and since the situation was too awkward for her, she just went back to eating without saying anything.

Haru was a bit annoyed, but she still had one option, a group of rabbits.

“Hey, may I sit with you, please?” Haru asked them.

But they were so busy chatting they didn’t even hear her question. Haru’s ears drooped but she wasn’t the type of girl to get upset over a situation like this. She walked outside and sat down on the stairs to enjoy her meal.

“Oh well, I’m sitting alone behind the building but at least the food is delicious” she thought as she was eating her meal in silence. She suddenly heard another student calling for her. It was her roommate, Sally.

“Haru! There you are.”

“Oh, hey, Sally. Are you heading back to the dorm?”

“Well… umm… yeah. Why are you eating your food alone in this place? Don’t you think it’s too dangerous for a small herbivore like you to be alone after the incident?”

“Well… It’s better than eating alone in the cafeteria. Anyway, if you’re so worried about me, why don’t we have dinner together?”

“Oh… Sorry, I can’t. I can’t be seen together with you. Everyone in the school knows what you did.”

“Well, that figures” Haru sighed. “Everyone’s been avoiding eye contact with me for two days now…”

“Mizuchi is really mad about it. Take it from your roommate, okay? Try to act less resilient.”

And with that, Sally walked off without saying goodbye, leaving Haru by herself. Haru lost herself in her thoughts…

“Is it just me? When an animal is as small as I am, their body will sometimes shake uncontrollably from the pressure of their own heartbeat. If I were to just follow my instincts, I would just keel over and never get back up.”

Haru sighed. For the first time, she felt lonely. Yet she was determined to not allow it to get to her and stand up from this situation even stronger. She finished her meal and went to the main building. She still had some homework to do for tomorrow and wanted to finish it in the library. As she was going up the spiral stairs for small animals, a walnut shell fell down in front of her. And then a couple others followed, but this time, they landed straight on her head.

“What the…”

“Oops, my bad! My hand slipped” said a high-pitched voice.

“Did you get hurt?” asked another one.

“Oh, you’re probably fine, aren’t you? No doubt some boy will come running to save you!” a third added.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m fine” Haru replied. “Nothing you do can hurt me.”

Haru continued her walk up the stairs, trying to ignore the laughs of the other three girls, but she suddenly came face to face with them. It was Mizuchi and her two allies, a black cat and a raccoon. Mizuchi was a harlequin rabbit and a pretty popular student in Cherryton. If anyone, she could completely destroy someone’s reputation with a gossip in just a few days’ time.

“I guess all of your friends are ignoring you…” she said. “And yet, you’re still holding out quite well. But you do understand your situation don’t you? No one wants to deal with you” she said with the most satisfied smile on her face.

Haru didn’t mind the harsh words Mizuchi threw at her just now. She picked up one of the walnut shells and threw it at her.

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t have time to deal with you or your little friends so bye” Haru said while passing the others without even looking at them.

“Hey! I’m not finished with you!” Mizuchi yelled.

“If you’ve got enough time to spread rumors about me, you surely have enough time to make up with your boyfriend.”

“You have no right to say that! You’re the one who split us up in the first place!”

“I’m sorry, but he’s the one who kissed me. I don’t know what you were told and I don’t really care either” Haru said while turning around with a smug look on her face. “Still, a buck who’d get infatuated over a little kiss isn’t worth much if you ask me.”

And that was it. Right then and there, Mizuchi was destroyed and she knew it. The frustration caused her two-toned face to turn completely red. She picked up the janitor’s water bucket and threw the water at Haru, who fell to the ground.

“Listen well. We were a harlequin rabbit couple. Harlequin rabbits are an endangered species. We’re on a completely different league with obvious pedigree. And yet you, a plebian dwarf rabbit, went and destroyed that couple! How dare you! We’re going to spread rumors that you’re messing with other male students as well.”

Haru was not surprised by Mizuchi’s reaction but she was still a bit upset. Her clothes and fur were dripping wet and the other three were laughing at her.

“Let’s go girls” Mizuchi said. “You should really pick yourself up from the floor, Haru. Or don’t. It suits you anyway.”

And with that, the terrible trio was finally gone. Their footsteps echoed in the corridor for a few moments but with each passing second, they became quieter. Haru stood up and looked at herself. Her clothes were dripping wet. Fortunately, the water didn’t get into her bag, so at least her schoolwork was safe. She looked for the nearest restroom and walked inside. She went inside one of the stalls, closed the door and hung her dress on the door. She sat on top of the toilet seats and started the rest of her homework.

“Well, it’s not the library but at least no one should bother me here” she thought.

It didn’t take Haru to finish her school work. She completed an essay and two multiple choice exercises and was ready to go. She reached out for her uniform, which was almost completely dry. She got dressed, exited the stall and washed her hands.

“I don’t want to go back to the dorm yet… I’ll just spend some time around the back of the gym” she thought.

She looked in the mirror and took a good look at herself.

“When males see this face, they start to approach me thinking »I want to help her« or »I want to protect her«… But when they realize that I’m different from their fantasies, they use me and eventually leave. Right… The winners of this world are the animals who live by their feral instincts. I was destined to be a loser. I lived a life of being used as fodder for other animals.”

It was already late when Haru exited the main building. It was really quiet all over the school and only a few lights were on in the dorms. A thin layer of mist was resting lightly on the ground, deterring from Haru’s way as she took her steps towards the gym. It almost felt to her like even the mist didn’t want to touch her anymore. She reached the gym and headed towards the fountain in front of it.

Haru was always mesmerized by the dancing water. She didn’t know why, but she enjoyed looking at it for hours, enjoying the sight of the little drops being painted into colorful gems by the surroundings or silver tears by the moonlight. It was a place where she could calm herself down in all cases – exams, arguments, family life… But the peace and harmony didn’t feel the same this time. She felt as if someone was watching her. She heard a rustle from the gym’s entrance.

“Someone’s here. But who could it be? Do they know who I am? Do they want to hurt me? Or… can it be the one who killed that alpaca?”

She heard the rustle once again… The other one moved closer to her… Tears started to flow from Haru’s eyes. Her legs were trembling. She wanted to run but her legs wouldn’t move – they were heavy as stones.

“I’ll let you have me… But please… Just once in my pathetic life…Give me a reason to run away in fear… Give me a reason to cry in fear… Give me a reason to value my life…”

With all these thoughts in her head, she started running towards the arches. She couldn’t even make two steps though when she could feel her body being grabbed by large hands with sharp claws… She was trapped. And yet, she felt completely calm.

“Could you understand what valuing your life is?” she thought. “He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t have to. I can feel that his desires resonate with mine. I’m just glad they are not here to see me like this…”

#beastars #beastars fanfiction

3 notes · View notes