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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years ago

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Corruption

“Corruption” conjures images of bags of cash changing hands in deserted parking garages, but I’d like to propose a simple and concrete definition that goes beyond that: “Corruption” is when something bad happens because its harms are diffused and its gains are concentrated.

Here’s what I mean. West Virginia is known as coal country, but coal is actually a small, dwindling industry in WV; WV’s biggest industry is chemical processing, dominated by Dow �� chem processing, like many industries, is heavily concentrated into a few global monopolies.

WV has a water crisis, with frequent “boil water” advisories. Its origins are in the chemical industry — specifically, in a regulatory proceeding where state regulators sought comment on whether to relax the EPA’s national guidelines on chemical runoff into drinking water.

Dow, acting through the manufacturers’ association it controls, argued the people of WV could absorb more poison than the national average because they were much fatter than the median American, and when they drank, it was mostly beer, not water.

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2019/03/14/the-real-elitists-looking-down-on-trump-voters/

No, really.

Here’s the thing. I’m not qualified to set the safe levels of different kinds of runoff in water-tables. It’s probably not zero (at least, not for most chemicals), but it’s also not “anything goes.”

It’s a question that requires subtle, interdisciplinary expertise: chemistry, health, environmental science. It’s an area where people of good faith can disagree.

These thorny, high-stakes technical questions that cross disciplines are the norm, not the exception.

Even if you have the technical knowhow to evaluate whether wearing masks fights covid, that doesn’t answer questions about vaccine safety, or whether zoom-school will turn your kid into an ignoramus.

Answer those questions and you’re left with still more: should you get in one of Southwest’s recertified Boeing 737-Max airplanes? Is the code specifying the reinforced steel joist that holds up your roof adequate, or is your building gonna collapse?

Should you eat carbs? Will your 401k preserve you through a dignified retirement? Answering all of these questions definitively for yourself requires earning 50+ PhDs, but also, people who have those PhDs don’t all agree with one another.

In a technologically complex world, there will always be official advice whose technical arguments we can’t understand. Our only reassurance is the process by which that advice is arrived at.

We may not understand the arguments, but we can recognize an open, independent process refereed by neutral regulators who show their work and recuse themselves if they have a conflict of interest.

We don’t always understand what goes on inside the box, but we can tell whether the box itself is sound. We can tell judges are financially interested in outcomes, whether they publish their deliberations, whether they revisit their conclusions in light of new evidence.

That’s all we’ve got, and it depends on a balance of powers that arises from a pluralistic, diffused set of industrial interests.

When an industry says with one voice that West Virginians are so fat that we can poison them without injury, it carries a lot of weight.

(so to speak)

It’s a stupid argument. It’s a wicked argument. It’s a lethal argument. It’s the kind of argument that might get you laughed out of the room if it is filled with hundreds of squabbling chemical companies looking to dunk on one another.

That’s the thing about conspiracies (and Dow was, in fact, engaged in a conspiracy to poison West Virginians to enrich its shareholders) — they require a lot of discipline, with all the conspirators remaining loyal to the conspiracy and no one breaking ranks.

The bigger a group is, the more it struggles to keep a united front. That’s why there’s so much billionaire class solidarity. Sure, it’s hard to maintain unity among a clutch of grandiose maniacs, but it’s much harder to maintain unity among billions of their victims.

Monopolization is corruption’s handmaiden — not just because it lets Dow hire fancy lawyers and “experts” to dress up “fat people are immune to poison” as sound policy, but because the industry can sing that awfful song with one voice.

Dow spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to win a policy that will save it millions — and cost the people of WV hundreds of millions or even billions in health costs, lost productivity, and, of course, the intergenerational trauma of ruined and lost human lives.

The reason millions in gains can trump billions in losses is that that the millions are reaped by just a few firms, who can wield them with precision to secure the continued right to impose costs on the rest of us, while the losses are spread out across the whole state.

For Dow to corrupt West Virginia’s legislature, it need only tithe a small percentage of its winnings to political causes and dark money orgs.

For West Virginians to fight corruption in the cash-money world of political influence campaigns, they have to overcome their collective action problem and outspend Dow — all while bearing the human and monetary costs of Dow’s corruption.

America is a land of manifest, obvious dysfunctions, and close examination reveals their common root in corruption.

Take the health-care system: Americans pay more for worse outcomes than anyone else in the rich world.

Their healthcare is rationed by faceless, cruel bureaucracies. They ration their medicine or skip necessary procedures. Patients hate this — but so do doctors and nurses, who have to hire armies of bureaucrats to fight with insurers.

Everyone hates this system. Everyone knows it’s rotten. Everyone — except for a handful of pharma, hospital and insurance monopolists, and the propagandists they pay to busily race through the crowd, busily swapping hats and shouting, “SOCIALISM! BOO! SOCIALISM!”

But while the US healthcare system is terrible at providing healthcare, it’s very good at jackpotting for monopolists. They reap billions while costing the public trillions, and they hand around millions to keep that situation intact.

We can see that in action right now. Nina Turner is running to take over a Congressional seat in northeastern Ohio vacated by Marcia Fudge when she joined Biden’s cabinet.

https://www.dailyposter.com/dems-launch-proxy-war-on-medicare-for-all/

For 30 years, every Congressional rep for Ohio’s 11th supported Medicare for All — a commensense measure to end the long waits, price gouging and cruel bureaucratic rationing of for-profit care. Unsurprisingly, Turner also supports M4A.

https://twitter.com/ninaturner/status/1404793650895331337?s=20

In response, a group of corporate, establishment Congressional Dems have launched an all-out attack on Turner’s candidacy, joining forces with health-care lobbyists to raise vast corporate fortunes to support her primary challenger, Shontel Brown.

The seven Dem lawmakers attacking Turner have collectively taken in $5m from pharma and health-care monopolists. James E Clyburn alone has pocketed $1m from pharma. He’s leading the charge against Turner.

https://twitter.com/TaylorPopielarz/status/1405121330433957888

Before Clyburn accepted $1m worth of pharma money, he co-sponsored Medicare For All legislation. Now he’s its most bitter opponent, insisting that it’s political poison (a majority of his constituents support M4A).

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/live-blog/south-carolina-primary-live-updates-democrats-vote-2020-candidates-n1145296/ncrd1146076

One million people in Ohio lost their jobs — and health care — during the pandemic. The system is murdering and maiming people. It’s a wasteful boondoggle that’s bad for everyone except a tiny minority of shareholders and the corrupt officials who accept their blood-money.

It’s not just healthcare. Think of Exxon Mobil’s crime against humanity and Earth: the 40-year coverup and disinformation campaign to delay action on the climate emergency. Exxon spent millions, made tens of billions, and cost us all trillions.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/30/climate-crisis-crime-fossil-fuels-environment

The megadroughts, once-in-millennium heatwaves, raging wildfires, annual floods-of-the-century and zoonitic plagues Exxon bought with their millions were objectively a very bad deal — but their concentrated gains beat our much larger diffused losses (so far). #ExxonKnew.

But corruption creates policy debt, and the interest on that debt compounds — in a degraded environment, worsening health, precarious work, and a collapse in trust in institutions. The corrupt have a structural advantage, but it’s not a sure thing.

Take Ohio (again). The GOP-dominated Senate passed legislation to ban Ohio cities from offering municipal broadband. Now, municipal broadband is the best internet in America: cheaper, faster and more reliable than anything the telecoms monopolists offer.

There are ~900 (mostly Republican) towns and counties where people get their internet from their local government:

https://muninetworks.org/communitymap

And they fucking love it, just as much as their Comcast-burdened peers elsewhere hate their service:

https://web.archive.org/web/20180808223947/https://www.consumerreports.org/phone-tv-internet-bundles/people-still-dont-like-their-cable-companies-telecom-survey/

Muni networks are better at everything to do with the internet: connection speeds, price, and customer service. There’s only one area in which they underperform relative to telecoms monopolies: generating profits for shareholders by overcharging and underinvesting.

There’s only a tiny minority of people who’d trade good internet service for profitable internet service (namely, the people receiving the profits). But the pro-monopolists have concentrated gains, while the public experiences diffused losses.

That’s why the Ohio Senate passed its budget bill banning municipal networks. But when the budget was reconciled in the Ohio House, the measure was killed, thanks to an all-out uprising led by the people of Fairlawn, who stepped up to defend Fairlawngig, their muni ISP.

The victory for muni broadband is a triumph of evidence over corruption — proof that the diffused nature of corruption losses can be overcome. It’s cause for hope, especially in light of this week’s collapse of the antitrust case against Facebook.

https://www.wired.com/story/ftc-antitrust-case-against-facebook-very-much-alive/

Facebook escaped justice by citing the theories of Robert Bork, Nixon’s chief criminal co-conspirator and Ronald Reagan’s court sorcerer. Bork insisted that anittrust law had but one purpose: to keep prices down.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/28/dubious-quant-residue/#incinerators-r-us

Any other consideration, especially political corruption arising from market concentration, was out of scope.

The court agreed. No surprise; 40% of the US Federal judiciary has attended a lavish “Manne Seminar,” junkets where they are indoctrinated into Borkism.

But the absurdity of ruling that Facebook isn’t a fit subject for anti-monopoly law is the beginning of the end for Borkism, prompting bipartisan calls — led by Elizabeth Warren — to explicitly redesign American antitrust.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/facebooks-surprise-antitrust-victory-could-inspire-congress-to-overhaul-the-rules-entirely/ar-AALCJz8

Corruption has many costs: monetary, human, environmental. But every bit as important is the cost to institutional credibility. Remember, none of us are capable of understanding the technical nuances of the dozens of life-or-death decisions we face daily.

If we can’t trust our institutions — if we don’t believe that regulators are neutral, good-faith experts in ardent pursuit of the truth and the public good — then our very idea of shared reality collapses, as Snowden has written:

https://edwardsnowden.substack.com/p/conspiracy-pt1

It’s hard to overstate the sheer, reeling epistemological terror of institutional collapse. When the EPA allows the chemical industry to poison America, how can you know whether the products in the store can be trusted not to kill your family?

https://theintercept.com/2021/06/30/epa-pesticides-exposure-opp/

Remember, the Flint water crisis came about as the result of corruption: the promises of “experts” that taking shortcuts to save money would come out all right, despite the copious evidence to the contrary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_Water_Crisis

What parent of a permanently damaged child, poisoned by lead deliberately introduced to save pittances for a tiny group of people, could ever trust any “expert” process again?

Michigan Republicans saved millions at the expense of billions, but the gains were concentrated among the wealthy white taxpayers of the state who enjoyed cuts to the top marginal rate, and the costs were born by the Black families of Flint. That’s corruption.

#pluralistic

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doctenwho · 4 years ago

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Ten’s Proposal

Sure can do! I’m not the best at romantic stuff (I’m attempting to learn, and getting better I think), but hopefully it’s what you were looking for! Thanks for the request, and I’m glad you like the content!

Get ready for some Ten being a giant romantic and a bit of a nervous wreck!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3,557

Summary: Read the prompt above!

(Gif doesn’t belong to me, credit to creator!)

“Right then!”

Your body jerked roughly as the TARDIS landed, feet slipping a bit as your hand shot out to grab one of the rails behind you to ground yourself. Not only had you not been expecting to land right then (the Doctor had given no warning), but you’d also been a bit lost in your own head.

“We’re here,” the Doctor continued on with a grin, pushing a few buttons and pulling a lever on the TARDIS’s control panel, “c’mon then, a whole new planet for us to explore!”

You righted your footing, pulling yourself upright in order to glare at the Doctor halfheartedly. He turned towards you with an excited grin, but blinked when he caught sight of your glare.

“Whot?” His eyebrow rose in confusion and his eyes tracked your movements of steadying yourself.

“A bit of a warning would’ve been nice,” you huffed as you moved to join the Doctor at the console, he gave you an apologetic smile before averting his attention back down to the screen on the TARDIS’s console. “Where are we exactly?”

“A small planet just beyond the milky-way. We’re about thirty-four thousand light-years, give or take, away from your earth.” The Doctor explained, turning the screen he’d been studying towards you so you could get an image of what he was talking about. A lot of what was written on the screen you didn’t understand, number higher than you could count and planets listed that you’d never even dreamed could exist.

“Thirty-four thousand light-years away from earth?” You gaped, trying to make sense of what was being shown, “how far is that?”

“Hn,” the Doctor paused, taking a second to do some quick mental math, “a light-year is nearly six trillion miles, and the milky way is roughly twenty-seven thousand light-years away from your earth, so, this planet would be... eh one point nine million nine hundred eighty-seven thousand three hundred twenty-six multiplied by ten to the power of seventeen miles? Give or take, once more.”

You watched as the Doctor ran a hand through his hair, almost as if he were trying to clear away the numbers from his brain, then grinned at you.

“...what?” you couldn’t help but ask. Everything he’d just said had really gone in one ear and out the other. It was like he’d just started speaking Gallifreyan to you, when you knew he was still speaking English, just... really, really smart English.

“Alot,” he simplified for you with a fond smile, “a very, very large amount of earth miles.”

“We’re very far away,” you mumbled, eyes still locked on the screen, trying (and failing) to make sense of the large line of numbers.

“Incredibly far away,” the Doctor agreed with a laugh. “Now, we’re not here to talk maths, we’re here to have a look around, right?”

You didn’t really say anything else as you watched the man stride towards the TARDIS doors and throw them open, he turned back to grin at you, then gestured you over before stepping out of the TARDIS, “it’s just as beautiful as I remember,” the Doctor sighed happily, before glancing back at you and holding a hand out as an invitation, “well, c’mon, (Y/N).”

You barely even hesitated before moving to follow him out, peeking out the doorway before gaping at the scene before you and taking the Doctor’s proffered hand.

He pulled you out, into his side so he could throw an arm over your shoulder, “welcome to Noelani, (Y/N).”

“It’s beautiful,” you whispered, stunned.

It was an ocean, a sandy beach, with a beautiful ocean.

But it wasn’t anything like you’d ever seen before. The water was a rich purple, and the sand a stunning white that could put the Bahamas or Hawaii back on earth to shame. The sky was clouded, but two bright orange suns could be seen shining high above the waves.

“It’s... it’s beautiful,” you stammered, because it truly was. It was like an edited photo from one of the beaches on your planet. Familiar, but completely out of your world too.

“Indeed,” the Doctor nodded, stepping down and dragging you along with him. “I’ve always loved coming here. It’s one of my favorite places in this universe, since no matter when I come the suns are always shining.”

The man paused, thoughtful before he added a slow, “I haven’t come around for a while, but it’s still exactly like I remember.”

“You stopped coming?” You asked as you fell into step with him, barely able to draw your eyes from the world around you. It didn’t look real, but then again, when did anything the Doctor showed you look real?

You couldn’t imagine knowing a place like this and not coming back—as of now, you’d surely want the Doctor to bring you back and you hadn’t even left yet.

“It’s been... fifty-seven years? Fifty-eight?”

“Wow,” you turned to look at the Doctor. The two of you were down by the water now, close enough to touch if you wanted, but you stayed back with the Doctor. He wasn’t looking at you, just staring out to sea thoughtfully.

You stood beside him for a moment, letting him think, or whatever it was he was doing, before you cleared your throat, drawing in his eyes, “is it... okay to touch?”

The Doctor’s eyes followed your gesture downwards towards the water that was slowly climbing towards your shoes. If the water did prove to be safe, you’d probably take your shoes off and walk along the sand—or maybe in the water if it was warm enough to do so.

“Oh,” he looked from the water back to you, “oh, of course! It’s perfectly safe,” then, the Doctor was crouching down and dunking his hand into the water, whether to prove its safety to you, or to test it before you could in case he was wrong, you couldn't tell, “yes, it’s perfectly alright. No different from the ocean on earth.”

“Really?” you asked seriously, leaning forwards to dip your fingers into the purple water. It was perfectly warm—cool enough to be refreshing, but heated enough from the suns that you could jump right in like a regular swimming pool on earth.

“Of course,” the Doctor nodded, standing to his full height and wiping the wetness on his hand off onto his trousers, “well, a bit different.”

“Because it’s purple?”

“No-- well, yes,” the Doctor laughed lightly, “it is purple, but that wasn’t what I was going to say. This planet is really like nothing else in the galaxy.”

“What does that mean?” you asked curiously as you took your hand from the water and shook off the drops clinging to your fingers. The water came off just like regular water would, you’d kinda expected the rich purple colour to stain your hands.

“Everything is clean,” the Doctor explains, “it’s untouched by anything, clean of humans and creatures, and even Gallifreyians. There’re no lifeforms of any sort. No aquatic animals, no fish, or trees, no underwater plant life. It’s created its own ecosystem without really having the necessary components to create one. Technically speaking, nothing that breaths oxygen should be able to survive here.”

“How can it be untouched if we’re here?” you ask before jumping onto the next, more important question, “wait, how are we breathing?!”

“That,” the Doctor turns to you with a grin, “is the fun bit. It cleans its self. Algae unlike any other, on any other planet I’ve seen. It cleans and filters the water and air, turns any carbon dioxide that happens to be here back into oxygen like any other photosynthesizing plant. Even the sand gets cleaned, which I’m still not sure how that happens when this planet is inhabited.”

The Doctor blinked in mild confusion before continuing on, “in two weeks, it’ll be like we never even stepped foot on this planet. It always reverts back to its pristine initial state.”

“That’s amazing,” you grinned, “it’s so beautiful here, why do more people not know it exists?”

“It’s hidden a bit,” the Doctor grinned in return, “a gem hidden behind the universe’s tourist attraction, like the milky way. I only found it because I was looking for it- well, I was looking for nothing, seeing where the TARDIS took me, but found it anyways.”

“The TARDIS made a good find then,” you gave the man a smile, taking his hand again after wiping any of the water that had still clung to you had even after the shake onto your shirt.

“She did,” the man laughed, “as far as I know, no one else knows of this planet, but that’s just going off of that I’ve never seen anyone else here before.”

“More ocean planet for us then,” you laughed as the Doctor started walking, pulling you along carefully.

“Yes,” the man smiled adoringly, “but we can’t stay here too long. We’ll run out of oxygen, since there’s only the algae here to filter the carbon dioxide back into oxygen. That process is a bit slower than us breathing though. We have... I’d say three days between the two of us of fresh air, before we’ll need to head off and let it revert back once more.”

“Three days seems like a good vacation,” you joked. The Doctor laughed, dragging his thumb along your knuckles where he was still holding your hand before he interlaced your fingers together.

“Shall we walk along the shore?” the Doctor offered softly, looking down at you fondly. He had a soft smile on his lips, and his eyes kept scanning your face, “there’s a peninsula a bit away but it has a beautiful view.”

“Sounds good to me,” you gave a supportive one shoulder shrug before smiling at him, “I’m going to take my shoes off though. I’d rather not have my shoes filled with sand.”

The Doctor nodded, releasing your hand so you could kick off your shoes and gather them up so they didn’t get lost or forgotten on this planet.

“I’ll carry them,” the Doctor volunteered, taking them from your hands and holding them by their collars in one hand. He slipped his other hand back into yours, grinning at you before leading you along down the shore.

You’d never seen anything as beautiful as this planet. Not on earth, not on any other planet the Doctor had taken you to in the years you’d known him. It was unique, and lovely and it made you feel special that the Doctor would bring you here. He’d spoken highly of the place since he’d brought you here, and it made your heart stutter in your chest that he thought you were worthy enough to show it to you.

The Doctor looked lost in thought as he led you along. Occasionally he’d glance in your direction, almost as if he were checking to make sure you were still with him, even though he was holding your hand. When you’d catch him staring at you, you’d raise an eyebrow in question, but he’d just smile widely and turn away without a word.

The two of you walked for a while, but you couldn’t complain. The sand was soft and almost fluffy under your feet. It wasn’t as rocky and granulated as it was on earth, but fine and almost like a dense grainy dust. And even with the two suns shining down on you, you weren’t hot or sweating after all the walking.

You were walking closer to the ocean, and every few minutes the water would crawl up and brush against your toes and the sides of your feet, but it was really nice. The Doctor was on your other side, staying on the dry sand since he hadn’t taken his shoes off.

It wasn’t long until the peninsula came into view, just as the Doctor had described it. The purple water crashed softly against the sand; waves small but visible. You hurried your pace, dragging the Doctor behind you this time. You wanted to stand in the middle of the sand and see nothing but water in front of you and to your sides.

You really wished you had a camera of some sort because it really was breathtaking. You knew people on earth who would’ve killed to see something like this. And you really weren’t sure anyone would really believe you if you told them.

“Do you like it?” the Doctor asked by your side when the two of you stopped moving. You turned your attention from the waves, looking towards him and nodding with a wide smile.

“I really do,” you told him.

“Good,” the Doctor smiled, almost like he was pleased with himself. The two of you just stood for a moment, looking out at the sea.

“You know,” the Doctor spoke, “there is a reason I brought you here...”

“Oh?” you looked back over at the Doctor. He’d set your shoes on the ground beside him, and his hand that wasn’t holding your hand was tucked in his suit jacket pocket. “And what would that reason be?”

“There was something I wanted to ask you, I’m just not sure how to do so. I feel like it differentiates between planets, and I... well, I don’t want to do it wrong.” The Doctor turned towards you, tilting his head as he let your hand go. Before you could frown at him doing so, you were distracted by him stuffing the hand you’d just been holding in his remaining pocket.

It looked like he was looking for something. Searching through his pockets—it wasn’t unusual for him to lose something in his bigger on the inside pockets.

“You can ask me anything,” you promised, watching the man closely.

“I know,” the Doctor paused in his searching through his pockets to grin at you, “now, uh, as you know I’ve had a few companions through my life who choose to stay with me and travel through space and time. And as much as I love having companions with me, keeping me company, I’ve learned not to... get attached to humans. For obvious regenerating Time-Lord reasons.”

You weren’t really sure where this was going.

“But I, well, the thing is, I’ve gotten a bit attached to you. Well, more than a bit attached. You’ve been with me for, well, for years now. You’ve been a constant in my life for so long now. I... well, I can’t really imagine my life without you. There have been very few people that... that I love, and you’re one of them.”

You didn’t say anything, letting the man sort through whatever he was trying to do. You were sure anything you said would’ve distracted him. So it was best to just let him do whatever he needed to do before you replied, or touched him or anything along those lines.

The Doctor looked down for a moment before looking back up at you. He pulled one of his hands from his pocket and took your hand into his once more, holding it tight and secure, but soft as well.

“You make me happy, and you’re always by my side, and, well, the TARDIS loves you too. You’re... well, you’re just perfect. You’re perfect and I’ve not thought about you as just my companion for quite some time now. I... I love you; I love you differently than I love my past companions.”

“I love you too,” you whispered, squeezing his hand softly.

“I know,” the man gave you a goofy grin, “I’ve known that all along, but you never knew I loved you in return. I have for... for a long time now.”

It made you smile that the man was saying he loved you. You’d told him you loved him when the two of you first started kind of dating—which was after about a year and a half earth time of space travelling together.

The Doctor would never call it dating, but that’s what it was, whether he liked it or not. Maybe it was more courting to him, but whatever it was, it was as close to human dating as you could get. And you loved every minute of it.

He’d never once muttered the words back to you though, not even the times you were sure he was going to say it back, or when he looked like he was biting his tongue to keep from repeating them back to you. He’d always had a sort of reluctance to saying anything overly fond-- like I love you, which you could understand. He’d probably said it too loved ones he lost along the way.

You knew he loved you—but it was something else to actually hear him say it.

“I should probably get on with it,” the Doctor mumbled. You eyed the Doctor hesitantly, curious but a little afraid of what could be coming next all the same.

He shook his head, as he cleared his throat, “it’s been a very long time since I’ve even thought about asking anyone this but,” the man suddenly dropped down onto one knee, managing to keep his hold on your hand, pull his second hand which had been tucked in his pocket the whole time out, and all without tumbling down, “(Y/N), my brilliantly amazing human companion, will you possibly do me the honors of marrying me?”

And it was then that your brain short circuited.

In his hands was a ring. Small, but perfect. It had tiny little gems that you couldn’t really make out with the suns light casting through them and making them sparkle beautifully. The band was gold, but you were almost certain it wasn’t earth gold.

He’d just asked... he wanted to marry you. In that moment you didn’t know how to speak—how to express your enthusiastic agreeance to the proposal. You weren’t even sure you could form words beyond the unintelligible slur of letters falling from your mouth.

Marriage. The Doctor wanted to marry you.

“I’m sorry if this was wrong for human ideations,” the Doctor mumbled, forcing you to blink yourself out of your excited daze, “I’ve only ever seen one romantic film from your earth, and I really tried to mimic it with the romantic setting and the ring and the monologue but if-”

“Yes.”

The Doctor froze, fingers tightening around yours for a split second before they relaxed. “Yes?” he repeated like he’d heard you wrong. He looked ready for rejection, even if you’d literally already said yes. He was still on one knee, staring up at you.

“Yes!” You gave a sharp, excited nod, which was followed by an almost frantic laugh. You reached your hand up to cover over your mouth, as if you could stop the unvoluntary sounds you were making, “yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Doctor!”

It took less than a second for the Doctor to be up, pushing up into your space and grinning widely in excitement.

“That was a yes!” The Doctor beamed, eyes lighting up in sheer excitement as he bounced on the balls of his feet where he was stood beside you, “you said yes! Oh, (Y/N), my love, you said yes!”

The Doctor slipped the ring he’d held out to you onto your engagement finger (on the wrong hand, but you’d fix it later), then he was cupping your cheeks and pulling you into a kiss you couldn’t be happier to accept.

He pulled back in the same excitement he’d pulled you in with, eyes wide and adorning, and smile as bright as you’d ever seen it. You were sure your smile matched his almost identically. “You said yes,” he repeated, like he almost couldn’t believe it.

“I said yes,” you laughed, eyes watering as you looked up at the Doctor. His eyes were a bit wet too, but he looked more concerned over your damp eyes than his own.

“You’re crying,” he whispered, cradling your jaw in his hands and swiping his thumbs under your eye lids to wipe away the tears.

“So are you,” you giggled, lightly slapping your hands on either of his cheeks so you could dry his tears as he’d done to you. “Happy tears,” you added as an explanation for the both of you.

“Incredibly happy tears,” the Doctor gave a light laugh, “you’ve made me so incredibly happy, my love.”

“We’re getting married,” you dreamily whispered in reply. You still couldn’t believe it. You’d never really though the Doctor ever would’ve wanted something like this. Like marriage. And to a human no less.

“You’ll be my wife,” the Doctor agreed, eyes fondly settling on your face, “my beautiful wife.”

The Doctor pulled you into a hug, and you happily returned it, pressing the side of your face against his chest. He held you tightly, settling his cheek atop of you head, but you could almost feel him smiling above you. His hearts were sped up, excited and happy, and it made your whole being light up with warmth.

“I really do love you,” he whispered lovingly above you, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the top of your head, “I’m so happy you said yes.”

“I love you too,” you reminded for the second time, grinning into the fabric of his suit jacket. “I always have, and I always will.”

<><><><>

Hope you enjoyed Ten’s overly excessive saying of the word ‘well’ while he’s nervous! As always, let me know if it wasn’t what you were looking for! I do hope I did the proposal justice, but I just don’t know with romance.

Oh, and Noelani means heavenly mist in Hawaiian as far as I know (from Google) and I thought it was an adorable name for the ocean planet. Now, as always, thanks for reading and new promps always appreciated!

#Tenth Doctor #tenth doctor x reader #tenth doctor x you #10th doctor #10th doctor x reader #10th doctor x you #doctor who #doctor who 2005 #TARDIS #writing prompt #prompt #fanfiction #fanfic

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kookiesjoonies · 4 years ago

Text

rule breaker — jhs | part ten.

rule breaker | part ten: ramen & froyo.

a/n: this chapter is quite a few days late, but i literally had the worst case of writer’s block of my LIFE. i started this chapter, n then completely scrapped it. and i’m glad i did, bc the first draft was SHIT. LMAO. anyway, come talk to me abt hoseok n yn please. i want to hear your thoughts. especiallyyyy after this chapter! thank u all for reading! xo

main pairing: choreographer!hoseok x idol!reader

side ships: vmin, namkook

word count: 5.1k

warnings: fluff, angst, wet dream (dunno if that qualifies as a warning, but uhhh just in case lmaodskjd), masturbation, squirting

— SERIES SUMMARY

your career as an idol comes first, end of discussion. and to make sure that you stay on track, you implement two foolproof rules to abide by:

rule #1: no distractions. rule #2: no mixing business with pleasure.

and those rules seem simple enough to follow. that is, until you develop a crush on your new choreographer.

Dance practice was over and you felt like you’d just run a marathon. No, wait, scratch that. You felt like you’d run five marathons. Dancing with Hoseok was no joke. He always pushed you to work harder, to do better. And any time you were convinced you couldn’t perfect a move, he’d encourage you and offer you a thousand reasons as to why you could.

Both of you were drenched in sweat. Your grey crop top soaked and dark in certain areas, perhaps revealing a bit too much of what was underneath. Hoseok’s hair was sticky and wet against his forehead, and he’d pushed it back since practice ended.

You’d have been stupid to ignore just how attractive such a simple gesture made him look. Still, you tried your hardest to push such thoughts out of your mind. You shouldn’t be thinking of him in such a way. But you blamed it on the sensual dance routine that you’d just completed with him.

Jimin was just supposed to be late to practice, but he ended up having to skip it all together. Which meant that every single sexy move you were supposed to do with your best friend, you’d done with Hoseok instead.

At first, it was awkward. You didn’t know where to put your hands, and he was hesitant to put his on your body as well. Eventually though, the two of you relaxed into one another. The feeling of his fingertips on the bare skin of your hips was exhilarating, as well as the feeling of his length being pressed against your ass while you pushed back against him.

The way that he watched you in the mirror, the way way his pupils had clearly dilated, sent immediate relief washing over you. You weren’t the only one affected by the routine the two of you were performing. But at the end of the day, it was just that. A performance.

And that’s what you’d keep telling yourself, even if deep down, you didn’t believe it even for a second.

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Hoseok began, lifting the bottom of his muscle tank top up to his face to wipe the beads of sweat trickling down, “but I worked up quite the appetite.”

Your eyes shot down to admire his perfectly sculpted abs that were practically begging for your touch, your tongue poking out to wet your lips at the delicious sight.

“Y/n?” Hoseok was speaking again, this time albeit a little louder, which snapped you out of your trance.

Embarrassed, your neck straightened up so that you could now look at the man towering above you face to face. And you willed your cheeks not to turn red, hoping and praying that he didn’t catch you checking him out.

“Huh?” That was all you could muster up, unsure of what he’d even said to begin with.

To your surprise, he offered you a chuckle in response.

“I said I was hungry. You want to go grab lunch?”

The two of you’d never hung out outside of the studio before, so you were a little taken aback by his suggestion.

He could sense your hesitation, and he stuttered as he tried to play it off nonchalantly.

“Or, uhm— we don’t—, we don’t have to. I just figured—“

You cut him off, a small smile creeping it’s way onto your face. He really was adorable when he rambled.

“Hobi, we can get lunch. I just wish I didn’t have to go out in public looking so gross.” You were half joking, half serious.

Your hair felt greasy, you weren’t wearing any makeup, and your athletic clothes were sweaty and sticky. So, you were definitely not fit to be seen in public at the moment.

“You don’t look gross.” Hoseok was quick to reassure you, matching your smile with a wide one of his own.

“No?” You asked, wanting him to compliment you one more time. Even though, you weren’t sure why you wanted him to do so so badly.

“Nope!” he shook his head, “you look like you’ve been working hard.”

You internally groaned. Not exactly the kind of compliment you were hoping for, but it would do, you supposed.

“In that case, did you have a place in mind for lunch? Or..?”

“There’s this place down the street that has the best cooked ramen!” you found it adorable, the way he was so enthusiastic even while talking about food, “Is that okay? I mean— do, uhm— do you like ramen?”

A tiny giggle left your mouth before you could stop it, and you offered him a quick nod of your head.

“I love ramen.”

“Great!” he grinned, “let’s go then!”

Turns out, Hoseok was right. This place did have the best ramen. You were sure you could slurp up at least ten bowls of it.

Your choreographer was sitting across from you at the small round table. The place was quaint, small, and yet surprisingly busy. Various K-Pop songs boomed through the speakers overhead, and the hustle and bustle of the restaurant workers never seemed to cease. The sound of the other diners mumbling bounced off of the walls, and the aroma of the foods being cooked in the kitchen were to die for.

“So,” Hoseok spoke up after practically inhaling a few bites of his ramen, “do you like the place?”

You didn’t hesitate in answering, “Yes! I can’t believe it’s been so close to the studio for so long and I never knew about it.”

“You’re welcome.” He winked at you, a playful gesture that for some reason, had your heart doing flips in your chest.

You gathered a small bunch of noodles with your chopsticks, bringing them up to shove the food into your mouth.

“Aren’t you nervous people will recognize you?” Hoseok questioned, taking a sip of the soda that was sitting beside of his bowl.

You shrugged, chewing and swallowing the bite you’d just taken before answering him.

“It’s just part of the gig, you know?”

“No,” he admitted, “I don’t know. How do you do it? How do you deal with people constantly invading your privacy?”

“It’s not easy,” you answered honestly, “but I’ve been doing it for almost six years now, so. I’d like to think I’ve gotten used to it.”

“You handle it well. The way you carry yourself, even with all of the pressure you’re under, it’s admirable. And the fact that you’re so— so kind, so down to earth, even with the millions of fans you have.. it’s amazing, really.”

His series of seemingly never ending compliments were successful in creating flutters in your stomach. You were sure your cheeks and the tips of your ears were tinted pink, and your spine tingled as you happily took in every single one of his words.

“Hobi,” you couldn’t hide the grin that was now plastered across your face, “you’re too sweet.”

This time, it was Hoseok’s turn to blush. You’d said something so simple, yet it had the apples of his cheeks tinged red. He’d hoped you hadn’t noticed. But you did, which only made you want to continue your compliments further. If it meant seeing him like that, all flustered and shy, you’d compliment him twenty four hours, seven days a week.

Even if, technically, you shouldn’t be trying to make him blush. But at that exact moment, you couldn’t be bothered to give a single fuck.

“I mean it,” you continued, swirling the few remaining noodles around in the bowl below you, “you’re so kind to me, always. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

He glanced away from you then, turning his attention to watch the waiters walk in and out of the kitchen. You didn’t miss the dark shade of red that had taken over his entire face. And yeah, you found it undeniably adorable.

Before you could say anything else to him, a familiar sounding song blared from the sound system above you. You couldn’t help but to laugh, shaking your head as you listened to the low beat of take me.

Hoseok faced you again, a smirk present as his ears perked up to listen.

“Hey, that sounds kind of familiar.”

“Never heard this song before in my life.”

You kept a straight face, for the most part. But Hoseok didn’t miss the glimmer of playfulness in your eyes.

“Ahh,” he decided to play along, finishing up the last few bites of his meal, “a shame you haven’t heard it. The artist who sings it, she’s truly something special. Insanely talented, an incredible dancer.”

“Maybe she’s just an ‘incredible dancer’ because she has such a good teacher.”

“Nope!” he was quick to shut you down, “she’s talented because she’s hardworking and she never settles for anything but the best.”

If you didn’t know better, you could’ve sworn he was flirting with you. And maybe he was. Or, maybe you just wanted him to be? But then, why did you want him to be? Your brain was scrambled, too many thoughts running a million miles a minute.

The sound of footsteps approaching your table pulled you out of your own head, and standing before you was a tall, lean yet muscular man with dark hair. He had a freckle just under his bottom lip, which you were quick to note was quite cute. You assumed he was a fan, but as soon as he addressed the man sitting in front of you as Hobi, you quickly realized he was here for him and not you.

“Here’s that movie you wanted to borrow.” The younger boy handed a disk over to his friend, and you watched the exchange curiously.

“Ahhh! Thank you, Jungkookie! I’ve been wanting to see this for ages!” Hoseok quickly stuffed the film into his bag at his feet.

“Hmm,” you observed, tapping your manicured nails on the top of the table, “Jungkook, I presume?”

He seemed shock at the mention of his name. Or rather, at the sound of familiarity laced in your tone.

“Uhm, yeah..?” he cocked an eyebrow, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

Your attention turned to Hoseok, and you pointed a finger at Jungkook.

“Is he the one who thinks I’m a diva?”

Hoseok had a mouthful of soda, and damn near did a spit take at your obvious call out.

“You told her?!” Jungkook slapped his hyung’s shoulder, and you watched as Hoseok soothed the abused spot with his hand.

“It just slipped!” The older male was quick to defend himself, and you couldn’t help but to laugh at the whole ordeal.

“Guys,” you said, “it’s fine! Jungkook, I’m sorry that you think I’m a diva. I’d like to think I’m not, but your own opinions can’t be helped.”

“She is not a diva, I promise. She’s anything but.”

You couldn’t help but to smile wide at the sound of Hoseok defending your name.

Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Ahhh, I shouldn’t be so quick to judge, or to assume. I don’t even know you. I apologize.”

He bowed in front of you, and you waved him off.

“I promise, it’s fine,” you assured him, “I accept your apology. Any friend of Hoseok’s is a friend of mine.”

He sighed, relieved.

“In that case, could you get Jimin’s autograph for me? I’m like, his biggest fan.”

Hoseok groaned before bringing the palm of his hand up and dragging it down his face. You just laughed, nodding your head once in response.

“I’ll see what I can do. You should come by the studio with Hobi sometime, you’ll probably run into Jimin there.”

“Really?!” He lit up like a kid in a candy store, and it seemed as though his older friend had had enough.

“Okay!” Hoseok said, shooing Jungkook away from the table, “You’ve fulfilled your purpose of dropping off the movie. Thank you!”

“Awww, but hyung!” Jungkook pouted, “I was hoping I could join the two of you, and you know, tell her a secret of yours since you told her one of mine.”

You perked up in your seat, gaze shifting to Hoseok as you eyed him curiously.

“What secret?” You asked, hearing Jungkook snicker to your side.

“Ignore him.” Hoseok groaned.

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave,” Jungkook held his hands up in front of him in defeat, “but you should tell her, is all I’m saying.”

“Tell me what?” You asked, intrigued and confused all at the same time.

Hoseok shook his head.

“Nothing, he’s just an idiot,” he insisted, laughing the entire situation off, “we should uhm— grab froyo after this, if you’re not busy, I mean.”

“Ugh, the key to my heart.”

He smiled at your immediate acceptance, flagging your waiter down and digging in his pocket for his wallet.

You did the same, unzipping your purse to retrieve your credit card.

“No, no, Y/n. I got it! My treat.”

“Hoseok, I can’t let you—“

Before you could argue further, the waiter was walking away with Hoseok’s money. He was unbelievable.

He paid for froyo, too. Despite your arguing.

The two of you were walking along the river, enjoying your cups of frozen treats. It was spring, nearly summer, so the weather was just right. The sun was shining beautifully on the water beside you, not a cloud to be found in the sky. It truly was a beautiful day.

“It doesn’t shock me that your favorite color is yellow.” You started, dipping your spoon into your birthday cake flavored yogurt.

“Why not?” Hoseok retorted, bringing a spoonful of his own dessert up and to his lips.

“Because it’s a bright, happy color. And you are a bright, happy person.”

He flashed you that big, toothy grin that you’d grown to adore so much.

“Alright then, what’s your favorite color?”

“Red.” You answered without hesitation.

He shook his head, quiet laughter exuding from his throat.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he insisted, “red just matches your personality perfectly.”

You cocked a brow, licking a bite of froyo from the spoon.

“How do you figure?”

“You’re full of fire, full of passion. A force to be reckoned with, you go head first into everything that you do and you don’t stop until you’ve achieved your goal.”

“You got all of that from the color red?”

“Mhm.” He just nodded at you, his smile never once faltering. Your damn heart was doing the flipping thing again and you feared it would leap right out of your chest if he looked at you like that for a second longer.

“Okay,” you said, dipping your spoon into the bowl, “you have to try this. It’s so good.”

You lifted the plastic utensil up to his mouth, and he only hesitated for a moment for allowing the sensation of birthday cake flavor to flood his taste buds. His eyes lit up, and his tone was enthusiastic.

“Mmm! That is good! I’m not usually a giant fan of cake flavored things, but I’d eat that.”

You fake gasped, bringing your free hand over your chest.

“How dare you! Birthday cake is the best flavor!”

“Pffft, no way!” he was quick to shut you down, gulping down another bite of his own treat, “brownie batter is. Here, you try.”

He was bringing his spoon up to your lips in an instant, and you poked your tongue out to give it a test lick. Usually, chocolate flavored ice cream wasn’t your favorite. But this was incredible.

“Aww, man! I like yours better!” You pouted, and Hoseok’s heart sank at the sight.

He knew you were being playful, but still, he couldn’t help himself.

“Here,” he held out his bowl to you, “we can trade.”

You shook your head, refusing the gesture, “I can’t take your food!”

“Yes you can! Please, for me. I want you to enjoy this.” His voice was kind, sincere. How could you say no to that?

“Only if you’re sure.” You said, hesitantly switching your bowl out for his.

“I’m sure.” He smiled at you again, and you felt like you’d been grounded down to the earth once and for all.

You didn’t make it home until the sun was about to set. Having too much fun with Hobi, you decided you could afford to stay out for a bit. He really was wonderful company, he seemed to make even the simplest of things fun. You’d hoped you’d get to hang out with him like that again in the future, the near future, to be exact. It was different than when the two of you were in the studio.

There, you were working. But today, you were out having lunch and enjoying spending casual time together. It felt like it went on forever, yet not nearly as long as you hoped it would last all at the same time.

However, you were happy to finally be in the comfort of your own home. Practice had kicked your ass today, and you were exhausted, grimy, and in desperate need of a shower and a nap.

Taehyung wasn’t home either, so you were home alone and excited by that fact. Very rarely did you ever have time to yourself and yourself alone. Except, you weren’t alone. And you didn’t know that until you walked into your master bedroom and saw Jimin sprawled out on your bed.

He nearly gave you a damn heart attack, had you shrieking like a banshee and clutching your chest.

“Jimin! What the fuck?!”

“It’s your fault for giving me a key.” He was flipping through a magazine, unfazed as ever.

“You could’ve texted me and told me you were coming over!” You scolded, and he just grinned.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“I hate you sometimes.”

“Liar.”

You walked further into your room as you rolled your eyes, picking up a pillow and tossing it forcefully at his head.

“Hey!” He whined.

“Why did you show up here unannounced?” You questioned, lying down beside of him on your king sized bed.

“Wanted to see how practice went.” He turned the page, and you peered over his shoulder to see what he was reading. Of course it was a fashion magazine.

“Fine.” You answered simply, and your best friend was shutting the catalog instantly.

“Damn, one syllable is all I get? Must’ve been better than I thought.” His smile was mischievous, and you had half a mind to smack it right off of his face.

“We danced. I learned the routine, and you did not. Which means you’ll have to work extra hard trying to catch up tomorrow.”

He rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what you were trying to do.

“Dude, shut up. You know I could learn it in my sleep, and you also know the ‘routine’ isn’t what I’m asking about.”

“Jimin,” you groaned, “don’t start.”

“Was it hot? Did you get off on grinding on Hoseok?” He wiggled his brows, and you flicked his nose with your thumb and middle finger.

“Ow!” He cried out, bringing a hand up to rub over the sore spot you’d just created.

“Don’t ask stupid shit like that.”

“Come on, Y/n. It’s me. You can talk to me about this shit.” He tried to convince you, and somewhere inside of you, you wanted to.

Because yeah, maybe you did get aroused from Hoseok’s hands on your ass. And maybe you did get a little wet when you were grinding against his thigh.

But who wouldn’t have? He was a fairly attractive man, after all. It didn’t mean anything. At least, that’s what you kept telling yourself.

“I’m going to take a shower.” You quickly changed the subject, swinging your legs over the side of the bed.

Jimin couldn’t help but to roll his eyes.

“You’re so fucking stubborn.”

“I know. Are you spending the night?”

You heard him sigh, a sad sigh that made your heart clench.

“I would, but... I don’t want to make Tae uncomfortable.”

“I get it. But you’re welcome to stay, you know that. This house is plenty big enough, and we always hang out in my room anyways.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’ve already pissed him off, or whatever. I’m sure me staying here would just add to that.”

You frowned, wishing that you could do something, or say anything to ease his obvious hurt.

“I love you, Chim.”

“Love you.”

Normally, you’d stay up until at least midnight. Tonight, however, you were exceptionally exhausted and were lying in bed by nine.

Your satin sheets felt extra comfortable underneath you, and your eyelids were heavy. Friends played on the big, wall mounted television in front of you, and the sound of your air conditioner running was lulling you right to sleep. Before you knew it, you were slipping into a state of blissful unconsciousness.

You weren’t sure how you’d ended up in Hoseok’s apartment. And you definitely weren’t sure how you’d ended up nearly naked underneath him on his couch. You were squirming below his touch, his blunt fingernails lightly scraping down your stomach, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

His hips were rutting into yours, Hoseok’s hardened length rubbing along your soaked, clothed core. You were a moaning mess, slews of curses and praises spilled out of your mouth, letting him know that you were fucking loving��everything that he was giving you.

“Hoseok, please don’t stop.” Your voice was quiet, barely above a whisper as you clutched onto his back in an attempt to keep yourself grounded. You felt like you were floating, like you were in a completely different time and place.

“God, I’ve waited so long for this,” he was growling lowly into your ear, his fingers descending south and flicking the thin strap of your thong against your hip, “waited so long for you.”

You yelped at the feeling of the string stinging your skin, your shriek turning into a whiny moan as you felt his hand begin to slip into your panties. You couldn’t wait for him to finally be where you needed him most. You didn’t care if his fingers were inside of you, his tongue, or his cock. You just needed some part of him filling you up. You needed it in the same way that you needed oxygen to survive, and you feared that you would die if he didn’t touch you right here, right now.

His head was hovering above yours now, and you were sure he was about to lean in for a kiss. Which had your pussy clenching around nothing. It had just occurred to you that you’d never kissed him, and all you wanted was to taste him. You were sure he’d taste delicious, sickeningly sweet.

Instead of his lips pressing against yours, though, they parted. And he began repeating your first name over and over again like a mantra, gradually getting louder and louder as the seconds ticked by.

One final yell of your name had your eyelids shooting open, the sound of Hoseok’s voice being replaced by the low tone of your brother’s. You blinked once, and then two more times for good measure. It took you a whole minute to realize that you were at home. In your bedroom, not in your choreographer’s apartment.

“Tae?” your voice was groggy, “what time is it?”

“Past ten. I could hear you from down the hall, it sounded like you were in pain so I came to check on you,” he said, cocking his head to the side as he stared down at you, “must’ve been one hell of a nightmare.”

Embarrassment immediately came over you, and you were thankful for the dark lighting of the room because you were sure your face was similar to the color of a tomato.

“Yeah— uh, just a... bad dream. I’m good.”

“If you’re sure.” His voice was laced with genuine concern, and you almost laughed. Such a protective older brother.

“I’m good, Tae. Swear.”

He nodded, mumbling a goodnight to you before turning to leave your bedroom.

You called out to him before he could shut the door.

“Hey, wait a second!”

“Yeah?” He was confused again, and you worried your lower lip before you spoke.

You weren’t usually one to meddle in his personal life, but this time, you felt like you had to. Or, that you at least had to try.

“You need to talk to Jimin. He thinks he made you upset, or mad. At the very least, you should tell him you aren’t angry with him.”

“Noted.”

That was all he said before he was shutting your door, and you couldn’t stop the dramatic roll of your eyes. Typical Taehyung.

You pushed your hair back and out of your face, grimacing as you felt the beads of sweat pooling on your forehead. In your half asleep state, you’d almost forgotten what you’d been dreaming about. You let out a groan as the images flashed through your memory.

Not only were you dreaming about Hoseok, but it was a wet dream. Surely, you hadn’t actually gotten aroused by it.

You bit down on your bottom lip before sliding your hand underneath your duvet, pressing your fingers against your underwear to test for any dampness. You gasped as you were greeted with soaked panties, hissing through your teeth as your fingertips barely grazed over your clit.

Before you really knew what you were doing, your hips were bucking up and into your hand. You pushed the cotton fabric to the side, letting your middle finger drag along your slick folds. You sighed at the feeling, your head tilting back as your eyes screwed shut. It was almost unbelievable how drenched you were just from a fucking dream. And a dream about your fucking choreographer, to beat it all.

You moaned at the images of Hoseok during practice earlier flooded your mind. He was so hot, and so sweaty. The way his fingers curled around your thighs had you wondering what it would feel like if he was the one touching you right now instead of yourself.

Maybe it was wrong, but you didn’t care. You kept yourself focused on Hoseok as you used your middle finger to circle around your throbbing bundle of nerves, whines and praises of his name slipping out of your mouth.

You dipped a finger down to tease your slit, imagining the entire time that it was him. You slipped a single digit into your heat and keened at the sensation. Hoseok’s fingers were much longer than yours, and you were sure he could have you cumming with them in no time.

Still, you decided to work with what you had and began to fuck into yourself until you were knuckle deep. You added a second finger and moaned at the stretch, your thighs beginning to shake already.

“Fuck, Hoseok!”

You picked up the pace of your fingers, curling once you found that spot that drove you absolutely mad. Using your free hand, you allowed your index and middle fingers to vigorously rub at your clit.

It was too much, too soon. Your walls contracted around your fingers, and your legs convulsed. Your thighs were trying to squeeze together and you were arching off the bed as you felt your lower stomach knot up, fire spreading from head to toe and making your toes curl.

Your orgasm hit so hard that you were practically screaming, Hoseok’s name being the only word left in your vocabulary. This was harder than any orgasm you’d had in a long time, and you could feel your juices squirting out and all over your hand and wrist. You squealed at the feeling, using your fingers to fuck yourself through your high.

Your breathing was erratic, and stars were circling above your head. You groaned as you pulled your hands away from your cunt, wincing at the emptiness.

An arm rested over your eyes as you attempted to stop panting. Slowly, you felt like you were back on earth again and the black dots you were seeing went away.

There was no fucking way that just happened. You did not get off while thinking of Hoseok.

You were furious. And you wished that you were mad at yourself, but the only reason you were angry was because you’d had to get yourself off. You wished it would’ve been him doing it instead.

Against your better judgement, you grabbed your phone off of your nightstand. It was eleven now, and although Hoseok was sure to be asleep, you needed to hear his voice. For what reason? You weren’t sure. Either way, you were scrolling through your contacts to find his name, pressing the call button with a bit too much enthusiasm.

When he answered the phone, his voice was raspy, deeper than usual. You were right, he’d been asleep.

“Hello?”

“Uhm, hi.” You said, voice shy and almost inaudible.

“Y/n? What time is it? Is everything okay?” He sounded worried.

“I’m okay! Uhh, it’s past eleven. I’m sorry for waking you, I didn’t mean to.”

Yes you did.

He was beginning to sound a bit more awake now, and you heard him yawn on the other line.

“It’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting you to call. Or, call this late.”

“Yeah..”

It was silent for a few seconds, neither of you knowing quite what to say. You couldn’t exactly tell him that you’d just made yourself squirt to the thought of him. And he wasn’t about to tell you that he was glad you called.

“What are you doing up?”

“Uhm—“ you stumbled, trying to come up with any excuse other than the truth, “I couldn’t sleep.”

You heard him chuckle, and it was as if all of your worries and nervousness evaporated at the sound of his laughter.

“Not that I’m not flattered, but.. why did you call me because you couldn’t sleep?”

You groaned internally. Why did he have to ask such questions?

“I just... I don’t know. I wanted to talk to you, is all, I guess.”

“Okay.” He seemed satisfied with your answer, and you sighed in relief.

“Hobi?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you FaceTime me until I fall asleep?”

As badly as you longed to see him in person, you figured that this would do for now.

“Absolutely.”

He was calling you instantly, and you smiled as soon as you laid eyes on him. His hair was disheveled from sleeping, and his cheeks were a bit puffy. Suddenly, the other side of your bed felt a bit too empty. And you wondered what it would feel like if he were laying beside of you.

↼ masterlist ⇀

a/n: if you’d like to be added to the tag list, just send me an ask, message, or reply to this post! let me know what you think of the series, i love hearing your feedback. enjoy! xo

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a/n: tumblr won’t let me tag certain people for whatever reason. so if you’ve asked to be tagged and don’t see your name, that’s why! i apologize. :/

#hoseok #jung hoseok #hoseok smut #hoseok imagine #bts #bts smut #bangtan #hoseok x you #hoseok x reader #hoseok x y/n #bts imagine #hoseok angst #hoseok fluff #bts fake social media #bts texts #bts fake texts #bts smau #jhope #bts reactions

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velvetthunder1999 · 4 years ago

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All the time on Earth

Part 10 - Confessions

Summary: You start ignoring George, not knowing what to do. After he fails getting a straight answer from you, he decides to pour his heart out and he finally tells you how he feels

(I read the potion idea in a fic a long time ago, it gave me inspiration to this chapter and the whole series :) )

Warnings: Angst, few swearwords, Fluff, Fluff, Fluff

Word Count: 2.9K

George Weasley x Reader

Masterlist

You woke up feeling miserable. After you opened your eyes you didn’t get up immediately; you just lay there, thinking through yesterday in every single detail. You decided to skip breakfast and George had detention today so if you’re smart enough you can avoid him all day. Get food from the kitchen, spend the day in the Room of Requiremnet. That’s it.

You felt guilty for planning on how to avoid George but you had no other choice. You had to think things through. You thought of yesterday’s Hogsmeade trip as a test and you felt like you’d got your answer. You had believed — or at least had hoped — that if something happened, it would be in Hogsmeade. You had spent a whole day together for God’s sake!

But nothing happened. You were talking, you had fun, drank a few butterbeers but nothing more. You were too scared to do anything — but you’d hoped he would do something. Kiss you. Or just hold your hand. Anything. Yeah, you were messing around the snow but that was just a game. A stupid game. A small voice of hope in your head said, ‘But he was calling you all those names. Darling. Love. What was that?’

A horrible thought started forming in your mind. What if — what if he was just teasing you? He didn’t mean it, of course he didn’t mean it. Why would he? He probably has pet names for all the people he talks to. He was just making fun of you. Would that be it? Was he just playing around, not caring about how much it hurts you? How much his wordplays hurt you? Was this just a joke to him?

Well, it didn’t really matter at this point. He hadn’t confessed anything to you. Fred had misinterpreted a lot of things, apparently. But it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter anymore. George had made his choice — did he even have to make one? You felt horrible, thinking about how you were longing for him and he might had never thought of you as more than a friend.

You were on the verge of crying, but you stood your ground against your tears. Instead, you took some deep breaths. You musn’t let things go out of control. You still have your exams. You have to focus on those. You do your best. You will study in every free minute you have, write your exams perfectly, and over the summer you forget about the ginger boy.

Over the summer. The sentence made your heart ache. You closed your eyes. Every spring was like a torture to you. As the weather started getting better and better, the inevitable summer ‘vacation’ was looming over you. After this year it was more horrible than ever. You didn’t want to go home — but you felt like you were also unable to stay here with George.

There was no other way — you had to distance yourself. Right now. It’s gonna be horrible. But in order to get over him, this was the only solution you had.

You spent the day in the Room as you planned — and then the day after, and the day after, and so on. First, George didn’t seem to notice; you were always pretending to be in a hurry, only talking a few words with him at every meal, running to your next class. But as the second week of April had ended, he seemed to be a bit more persuasive.

“Come on, Y/N” he said one day at lunch. “I barely see you. Do you wanna go to Hogsmeade this weekend?”

“I’m sorry,” you said, eating as fast as possible. “I am lagging behind. I need to study.”

“Then go up to the astronomy tower again? Just for an hour?”

“Sorry,” you said, this time more quietly. You locked eyes with Fred who had a very disapproving look on his face.

“You’re avoiding him!” he said one day when he caught you after Charms. “He’s a mess! Driving me crazy, seeing him like that! He thinks he messed up something.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but I have a thousand things to attend to. I have my own life, Fred.”

“At least talk to him, tell him something. Don’t you see he feels horrible?”

Of course you could see it. George seemed hurt. You were hurt, too. Every time you rejected his invitations to somewhere, you saw him break a little. He looked just like how you felt.

And then one day, he had enough. You were studying under a tree by the lake when a shadow appeared on the grass next to you. You looked up and your stomach shrinked into a small ball at the sight of him.

“Hey,” he said. “Can I sit?”

Should you just run away? You put down your books and said a quiet ‘sure’.

He sat down next to you, watching your face. You couldn’t look him in the eye.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Good,” you said. “Bit tired. Studying a lot.”

“Mm,” he said, nodding. Then suddenly you heard the saddest, most miserable voice. “Why do you hate me?”

You jerked your head towards him. You were stunned.

“I don’t hate you.”

He had the saddest eyes you’ve ever seen.

“Then what is it? Because you haven’t talked to me in three weeks.”

“George…I… I can’t.”

He nodded.

“It’s killing me.”

You pressed your lips together tight before answering.

“You’re using such big words.”

“That’s how I feel.”

When you didn’t answer, he continued.

“Please tell me if I did something.”

You kept quiet.

“Did I hurt you?”

Nothing.

“Did I make you feel bad somehow?”

Quiet.

“Y/N. Please. I miss you.”

“You didn’t do anything,” you blurted out. It was true, though, he didn’t do anything. But in terms of how he meant it, you had to keep him in the dark. Otherwise you’d have to tell him everything. “You didn’t do anything, okay? I have a lot on my mind lately. I have all these exams, and when I’m done with them I can pack my stuff and go back to my parents for another wonderful two months.”

“I told you, you can come to us any time.”

“That’s not the point, George.”

“I know,” he said. “The point is that you don’t see that we’re here for you. I am here for you. And you’re ignoring me, because somehow you decided that you don’t need friends anymore? How’s that? At least you could tell me why.”

“Can we talk about this later?”

“No, we can’t.”

He was right, though. It was not nice what you were doing to him. You sighed. At least you can make him suffer less.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “You’re right. I am ignoring you. I was. But it’s not your fault. It’s — it’s something I have to deal with by myself. I just — I cannot tell you what it is. Not now. Maybe later. One day I will tell you, I promise.

“Can I help you with it without knowing what it is?”

“No.”

“Does Fred know?”

You dodged the question.

“Ginny does.”

He nodded.

“Are you sure I haven’t done anything to you?”

Well, technically…

“Yes. You haven’t done anything.”

——

If the talk with George made you change anything about your new routine, it was that you were willing to spend more time in the common room now while studying. Even though you didn’t have another conversation since the lake, he seemed a bit more relaxed seeing you around. It’s been seven days since that day; you weren’t ignoring him anymore, but you still hadn’t made any progress on processing his absence that was about to come in the near future of your life.

You were just about to finish a Transfiguration essay and start a Divination one when you heard the unmistakable voices coming from the Fat Lady. You looked up and a second later the twins arrived. Fred sat down onto the table opposite you, holding a box in his hands, while George took the spot next to you on the couch.

“Do you have a minute?” George asked.

“For what?”

“It’s a new product,” said Fred with mischievous eyes. “We just tested it, but we need to make sure it’s working.”

“I don’t really have time for anything right now ��,” you started, but Fred interrupted.

“It’ll only take a minute. Promise.”

You hesitated. George spoke very softly.

“Please.”

You sighed.

“Fine. But make it quick. I’m not joking.”

“Brilliant,” said Fred and opened the box. He took out a small vial with a wooden cork in it and gave it to you. “Here you go.”

You took it, not sure what you’re suppose to do.

“…Yes? What do you want me to do with this? Drink it?”

“No!” said George, panicking. “Open it. And smell it.”

“Why?” you asked, more suspicious by the second.

“We already tested it ourselves but we need a female’s opinion.”

Fred shrugged like it was no big deal, but you felt that something was up with the two. You looked at the pinkish liquid in the vial. As long as you don’t have to drink anything…

You opened the bottle and held it closer. The twins leaned closer eagerly. You snapped at them.

“What? What is it?”

“Just smell it, Y/N!” said Fred impatiently. “We don’t have all day!”

You shot a sharp look at him then smelled the liquid. You furrowed your eyebrows.

“It’s so familiar. What is this?”

“What would you say it is?” asked George.

You shook your head and smelled the pink stuff again. You just… you just couldn’t wrap your head around it. Was it like… Was it something like fire? But it somehow also reminded you of water. And… you also felt something else… like perfume… or… or…

Or cologne.

You almost dropped the vial as you held it far away from your nose.

“What?” said Fred with great anticipation. Then grinned. “Was it stinky?”

George shot an angry look at him but you didn’t see it. You were staring at the liquid. The pink liquid.

Oh shit. Oh fuck. Oh, fucking hell.

“So?” asked George eagerly. “What do you feel?”

“No — nothing,” you lied. Very badly, actually.

“Don’t lie!” scolded you Fred. “What is it? What does it smell like?”

Oh, no. What should you say? What should you say?!

“I… I can’t,” you said. “I can’t do this.”

“What?” George looked taken aback. “What is it?”

“I can’t do this right now. I’m sorry.”

You stood up without looking at them. You kept your head down as you hurried to the portrait, leaving the common room.

—— George was staring at the part of the couch you were just sitting. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t believe it. This cannot be happening.

“George?” asked Fred in a careful tone. “You’re okay?”

George didn’t answer, didn’t blink, even. He was just staring.

“George?”

Would it have been so hard? Giving an honest answer, putting him out of his misery?

“George, we can talk to her again when she comes back.”

He had enough. He had enough.

“Georgie…?”

George stood up, suddenly. He made up his mind. This was it. Months have passed. It was enough.

“I’m ending this bullshit, right now.”

And he ran.

——

You were leaving behind the corridors like an animal running for its life. You didn’t know what to do. This came out of the blue. Of course the twins did it again. And Fred! Fred knew! Was this just an evil game to them? And what should you say when they — oh, they certainly will — ask you again?

You needed air. You needed to be alone. You needed to get to someplace where you could think.

You headed towards the astronomy tower and ran up the stairs as fast as you could. You were out of breath by the time you reached the top. You opened the door and stepped outside and…

“George!” you yelled, looking at the panting boy standing in front of you. “How — ”

“Hello, love,” he said, a hand on his side. “Give me a minute, I just ran through the whole bloody castle.”

You were stunned. You couldn’t move. What the hell was going on?

“George, I really…” you paused before continuing. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Did you smell me?” he said, standing up. He hesitated. “Or — or did you smell Fred?”

“Wh — what?!” you felt more outraged than emberrassed. “No, I didn’t smell Fred, what the hell?!

“Oh,” he said, breathing normally again. “Good. Was it me then?”

Oh, God. Oh, God, no. It’s over. He’s gonna find out. He already knows! Shit. Oh, shit!

“I… I am —”

“Cause I smelled you.”

First you didn’t even understand what he just said. Then your jaw dropped in confusion.

“Wh… what are you talking about?” your voice barely louder than a whisper.

He stepped closer, not taking his eyes off you for a second.

“I smelled the potion. We’ve been brewing it for a long time now. I know it works cause when I smelled it… it was like butterbeer. And vanilla, which I assume is your shampoo. Also that gummy candy you’re always eating. So… yeah. I wanted to tell you for so long, Y/N. I can’t take it anymore.”

You looked him in the eye, still unable to speak. Was he telling the truth? Was he playing with you? You had to make sure. Because if it was real…

“Are you…” a relieved smile appeared on your lips. “Are you serious?”

George casted down his eyes. He took both your hands and gently squeezed your fingers.

“Please, don’t laugh at me.”

You shook your head.

“No, I mean… this isn’t a joke, right? You’re telling the truth?”

“Why would I joke with this?”

“Just tell me.”

A sad smile appeared on his face. He started nervously rubbing your fingers. And he finally looked at you.

“I’m serious.”

You laughed.

“Alright, then.”

You let go of his hand but only to cup his cheeks. You pulled him down and pressed your lips on his. He let out a surprised moan. He froze for a second. Then he reached for you to welcome you in his arms, closed his eyes and completely melted into the kiss.

It was like all your troubles had faded away in a second. You kissed George with everything you were holding back for the last couple of months. Your heart was beating incredibly fast. He tasted so sweet. His lips were hot. He was holding you so close. You smelled his cologne again and you felt like you’re going mad. You wanted more of him, you needed him, and you couldn’t think of anything but his lips on yours and his hair between your fingers.

When you two pulled away, gasping for air, he rested his forehead on yours. He was panting and you were too. You couldn’t help but smile. You were gently stroking his cheek with your thumb, finally looking at him. He looked at you, dazed.

“Hi,” you said.

His eyes looked like melted chocolate. A smile was hiding in the corner of his lips. He softly brushed his nose against yours.

“Hi.”

You leaned towards him again, this time giving him a small peck on the lips. He was holding you strongly in his arms, making you feel goosebumps on your back. Your heart was really beating, maybe for the first time in your life. You heard your blood running wild in your ears.

“You know…” you said, whispering. He looked deeply in your eyes, drinking your words, “I want you to know I smelled you, too. I… I smelled fireworks and rain… and your cologne which also reminded me of the forest. I’m… I’m so mad for you. I have been for months.”

“What?” he said, dumbfounded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was so scared,” you gently tucked a lock of his long hair behind his ears. “I didn’t wanna loose you.”

“Witty, you wouldn’t have lost me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me then?”

“I wanted to. Really. I was just an idiot. As Fred told me so.”

“Wait — Fred knew?”

“Yeah. He figured it out in a second.”

“He wasn’t lying then?”

“Lying?” he looked at you, confused. “Did he tell you?”

“He knew I liked you. He told me I should talk to you because it might end well.”

You looked at each other in disbelief. If you had just talked to each other months before…

“Well, I guess we have to make up for the time we lost,” he said, leaning closer again.

“You think so?” you asked teasingly.

“Mm,” he said and kissed you again, this time tenderly, like you were a flower that’s about to break. You smiled into the kiss and when he realized, he did too.

After his lips let go of yours, he leaned down and burried his face into your neck. He kissed you gently while still holding you close.

“George…” you said, whispering. You were stroking his hair. You had never felt more alive. He kissed your neck again, making you shiver.

“Do you wanna go to Hogsmeade with me — ?

“Yes…”

“— as my girlfriend?”

“…Yes.”

His mischievous smile returned. All that concern and hurt had disappeared from his face. His eyes were shining under the night sky. He placed a small kiss on the tip of your nose and said,

“Alright, then.”

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anotherkpopvictim · 4 years ago

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Into a New World (Through the Gate) BTS OT7 Fantasy Story Chapter 2

(Picture source)

A/N: Hello...I’m back sooner than I thought. I decided that Hoseok will meet the others a bit more slowly than I originally had planned. I think it will be more enjoyable this way, though.

Anyways, since it’s Yoongi’s birthday, I decided that we’ll be meeting him next...and perhaps someone else as well ;)

Enjoy! And Happy Birthday Yoongi!

Relationship: BTS X BTS

Rating: T (for now)

Words: 3424

Hurt/comfort, fluff, fantasy

PLEASE NOTE: I made an update to the worldbuilding notes about fairies in the last chapter, as well as a few small details changed in the story, so you might want to go back and reread that if you want all the information. Sorry for the confusion.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Chapter 2: Cabin in the Woods

Worldbuilding Note on Immortality and Aging: In this story, every supernatural creature is immortal, though some more than others. No supernatural creature will die from old age, but they can be killed. For example, vampires and witches are the hardest to kill. Vampires can only be killed if they are cut into pieces, and while witches are technically humans, they can gain the magic ability to create many protection spells and reverse their age. Any other supernatural creature holds enhanced healing. There are a few kinds of creature-specific sicknesses that can also kill, but it is very rare. Low magic energy levels are the only other thing that can affect a supernatural creature’s health, though it rarely kills.

As for the ages that creatures appear, vampires will always be the age that they were when they were turned. Witches will often use magic to keep themselves looking young. Most other supernatural creatures have an ageless-looking appearance once they reach adulthood.

Worldbuilding Note on Vampires: Vampires are created from humans. Vampires are not able to have children, so the only way they can come to be is if a human is bitten by a vampire and has venom purposely injected into their bloodstream and then dies with that venom still inside their body. When they are turned, the person that turned them becomes their sire and is lawfully responsible for keeping the fledgling under control until they’ve learned the tools to curb the bloodlust.

Behind witches, vampires are some of the oldest supernatural creatures. While most other immortal creatures are usually killed off before they reach one thousand years old, quite a few vampires have exceeded the age.

Random Worldbuilding Note: Earth has different countries and traditions similar to our world. However, everyone speaks the same language (I guess we’ll say it’s English). Different honorifics still exist depending on the country (hence why they still use terms such as “hyung” and “noona” in this South Korea). Some supernatural species have a special language unique to them, but they still speak English as well.

(A/N: So sorry if this is super confusing, I’m new to worldbuilding lol)

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

“-And this is where Jin-hyungie yelled at Namjoon-hyungie for breaking his vase. I think he said it was like thousands of years old or something...”

The little vamp’s commentary was cute, but Hoseok found himself a bit distracted by the beautiful mansion he’d been led to.

Jungkook had shown him the few miles back to the residence he apparently shared with five others. It was situated at the edge of the large forest Hoseok had been dropped into, an extravagant, nature-inspired mansion just before the tree line. Largely constructed of large logs of wood, Hoseok couldn’t help but admire the details in the craftsmanship. Fairies had an appreciation for nature, so he saw many houses just like this one back in Aurora.

Hoseok followed Jungkook through the front door and into a big entry room where the younger was currently rambling about random memories and his ‘hyungies’.

After switching their dirty shoes for slippers, they made their way up a grand staircase just beyond the foyer and ended up in a lounge room where Hoseok couldn’t help but freeze in his steps at the sight of another person.

A small man with pale skin and a dark, sharp gaze stood only a few feet in front of them with curious eyes. He was dressed in blue velvet pajamas and had matching sliders on his feet. He’d obviously just come through the door on the left side of the room that leads even further into the house. He looked at Hoseok with analyzing eyes. “Jungkook, is this a friend of yours?” the man asked, tone neutral.

“Oh, Yoongi-hyung!” Jungkook exclaimed, an excited smile on his face. “This is Hoseok-ssi, he’s a fairy! I just found him in the woods and told him he could stay here-”

“You what?” The man, Yoongi, hissed, eyes suddenly narrowing in on the young vampire. (Yoongi’s look)

Jungkook became wide-eyed at his hyung’s outburst and repeated unsurely, “I-I found him in the woods...”

Yoongi pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Jeon Jungkook, what the actual fuck were you thinking?” Despite the angry worry in the words, Hoseok could hear the underlying fondness as well. Yoongi dropped his hand and looked at Jungkook seriously. “How many times have hyungs told you that you can’t just bring strangers into our house, especially a random fairy you found in the woods -,” his feline-like eyes cut to Hoseok, “- No offense.”

Hoseok waved him off, understanding. “None taken. It was a little strange that he seemed to trust me so quickly, but I thought it was perhaps just a custom on Earth.”

Jungkook pouted, slouched over next to him. He obviously took the gentle reprimand from his hyung to heart.

Yoongi was still regarding Hoseok with a calculating gaze but remained amicable. “Jungkook is still young, he doesn’t see new people very often.”

The fairy hummed in agreement. If Jungkook had been turned only seven years ago, that meant that he probably still needed to be close to his sire most of the time. Carrying on that train of thought, “Are you his sire?”

“I am,” the older vampire replied, before cutting to the chase. “Do you have any intentions of harming me or any of my pack?”

Hoseok could tell that Yoongi was quite a bit older than him by his aura alone, but the impact the vampire’s demanding words had on him left no room for doubt. His tone was laced with dominance, letting the other know that he really didn’t want to know the consequences that came with lying. Not that a fairy could straight out lie anyways.

Thankfully, the fairy just had to be honest. “I wish no harm to you or your pack,” he replied, hoping his genuine tone got across to him. “I apologize if I’m intruding.”

Yoongi sighed, “Well, Jungkook already invited you in and it would be rude to throw you back out.” The vampire took a moment to think before he said, “Follow me. I think we should probably talk about a few things.”

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

“I’m sure you understand that I need to know more about you before you can stay with us as a guest,” Yoongi said. He’d led them to another lounge room, one that apparently the pack used most often.

Hoseok agreed with a nod as he settled down onto the comfortable, plush sofa, the other two taking the pair of empty recliners across from him. “Of course I understand. We are strangers. I suppose I should be wearier of you as well but I honestly don’t think I have the strength at the moment.”

He’d been slowly feeling the energy drain out of him since he came through the Gate, but now that he was seated, he realized that his earlier tiredness was becoming increasingly greater.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook immediately asked, worry in his gaze. “Did your journey through the Gate take a big toll on you?”

“Gate?” Yoongi asked, eyebrow raised.

“Yes, hyung,” Jungkook replied. “Hoseok-ssi came through the forest Gate.”

“The gate in the Mysterious Forest? Our Mysterious Forest?” At the younger vampire’s confirming nod, Yoongi hummed thoughtfully. “That’s never a good sign.”

Hoseok frowned, “What do you mean?”

Yoongi shifted his gaze back over to him, “Do you think that anyone really wants to go to a place with a name such as the Mysterious Forest?”

Well, he certainly had a point there.

“I didn’t know where I was going when I went through the Gate,” Hoseok admitted. “Unfortunately, it was without my consent.”

The older vampire furrowed his brows in confusion. “If that’s all, why didn’t you simply go back through?”

The fairy sighed. “It’s a bit hard to...”

As he was trying to find his words, a new figure walked through the door to the lounge room. Hoseok watched as a short man with what could only be a dancer’s body walked in. He wore jeans and a black knit-sweater interwoven with bright colors to form random words. He was a sight for sore eyes with his bubblegum pink hair and matching plump, pink lips.

It was the color that first made him realize who the man before him was, then the familiar aura about him confirmed Hoseok’s suspicions.

This was Jungkook’s fairy hyung. What had the young vamp said his name was again?

The man’s eyes were also undoubtedly flashing the same shade as his hair as he took in Hoseok, his expression melting from surprise into an angelic smile. (Jimin’s look) “And just who do we have here?”

“Jimin-ah,” Yoongi greeted, a small but fond smile on his face. The same kind of fondness that he’d expressed towards Jungkook not too long ago. “You’re home early.”

The man, Jimin, replied to the older vampire but didn’t let his eyes stray from Hoseok. “Jin-hyung told me to go home because he says I’ve been working too hard lately.”

Before that conversation could continue, Jimin strutted across the floor with a light confidence about him and held his hand out towards Hoseok.

Blinking in surprise, Hoseok lifted his hand shakily, thankful when Jimin took the initiative to press their palms flat together in a traditional fairy greeting. Hoseok felt a rush of kind and loving flow through him - Jimin’s unmistakable aura. He knew that Jimin was probably feeling his own orange positivity and warmth. As fairies, they could sense each other’s intentions easily.

“It’s nice to meet you,” the pink fairy greeted, relaxed. “I’m Park Jimin.”

“Jung Hoseok,” the orange fairy breathed, relieved to find the reassurance of a kind soul.

Jimin’s eyes widened slightly, “You don’t happen to be one of the Jungs, would you? Aurora’s royal family?”

Yoongi’s eyes cut to Hoseok with that same sharp gaze while Jungkook looked at him with a bewildered expression. If they weren’t so unfamiliar with each other, Hoseok might have laughed at the totally stark contrast between the two.

As it was, Hoseok bit his lip and nodded in answer to the man’s question, unable to lie even if he wanted to. “Yes, I am part of the royal family.”

Jimin quirked an eyebrow at him, “Then what in the world are you doing here?”

“That’s what he was explaining to us before you arrived,” Yoongi said. “Jungkook was in the forest when Hoseok-ssi came through the Gate. He brought him back here.”

“Brought him back-” Jimin looked like he was about to explode as he desperately looked at the young vampire. He seemed to cut himself off before he could start scolding him. “Never mind, that’s not important right now. What is important is why Hoseok-ssi came through the Gate and why his energy levels are dropping. So, while I make some tea to help with that, he can continue his story.”

Hoseok was a little surprised by how forward the other fairy was, but he didn’t question it.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to tell three nearly strangers his personal story, but Hoseok felt all the adrenaline of the last few hours wear off and bone-deep exhaustion take its place.

As Jimin made his way over to the corner of the lounge room, where a small counter sat, to turn on the kettle to boil, Hoseok took a deep breath. “I’m...my older brother is the King of the Fairy Kingdom,” he began, ignoring Jungkook’s immediate little gasp of surprise. “I...We had a disagreement during a council meeting and he...he, ah, he banished me from Aurora.”

Hoseok couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as he took in Jungkook’s shocked expression and Yoongi’s thoughtful one.

Jimin sat down bravely next to Hoseok and place a comforting hand over his own. “Your brother is King Minseok?” At Hoseok’s confirming nod, Jimin hummed understandingly. “He’s a...a bit of a loose cannon, isn’t he?”

Hoseok hummed his affirmation. “No one can predict how he’ll react to something, even the smallest of things. After our father was killed fifteen years ago, Minseok has had the throne.”

“I remember the coronation,” Jimin commented.

Hoseok vaguely wondered why Jimin had left Aurora, and if it had been of his own accord. However, he knew that he was the one being interrogated right now.

“I was under the impression that the current King was a good man,” Yoongi said, his brows furrowed slightly.

“He is,” Hoseok defended, almost instinctively. “I mean...he’s far from the worst ruler the Kingdom has ever known.”

“That’s not very convincing,” Yoongi rebutted.

“He has good intentions, but he is prideful,” Hoseok admitted. He’d never said such things about his brother out loud before, and it honestly felt really good. “He doesn’t like when someone has ideas that differ from his own.”

“H-He banned you just because you had a different opinion than him?!” Jungkook nearly shouted, incredulous.

Hoseok nodded, still a little ashamed. “I’m not allowed back into Aurora. He’ll kill me if I show up there ever again.”

A silence came over the room as everyone digested Hoseok’s story. Yoongi and Jungkook were both obviously lost in thought as Jimin crossed the room once more when the kettle whistled.

Hoseok watched as Jimin pulled a teabag out of a tall, silver container and placed it in one of the available mugs. Jimin then poured the water into the mug as well before adding in a bit of honey and stirring. In the back of his mind, Hoseok wondered if Jimin somehow knew that that was how he preferred his tea, or if it was simply a coincidence.

The pink fairy sauntered back over to the sofa and handed Hoseok the steaming cup of tea. “I could feel your energy levels sinking, so this should help a bit.”

Hoseok inhaled the scent of berries and a hint of citrus. Cautiously, he took a sip. There were floral undertones to the tea that seemed to send a spark of something through his veins, though he couldn’t quite identify what it was.

“It tastes wonderful,” he complimented. “I swear I feel more stable already.”

Jimin giggled, “I would hope so. Our Taehyungie worked on perfecting that blend for years.”

Another one of Jungkook’s ‘hyungies’, Hoseok guessed.

He hadn’t really wanted to admit to himself, but his magic energy truly was dropping low. He’d never experienced it before himself, nor had he heard many others’ stories of it, but Hoseok knew that’s what was happening to him. Low magic energy is one of the only ‘sicknesses’ that could kill a supernatural creature. Though typically caused by overuse of magic, it can also be caused by a spell or come about as a reaction to shock. Hoseok didn’t think that what he’d gone through that day warranted enough shock to cause it, but he certainly hadn’t overused his magic. Perhaps a spell had been cast on him by a witch, though that was highly unlikely. Oh well, that was something for future, not-tired Hoseok to worry about.

“Well, thank you,” Hoseok said. “Both for the tea and for taking me in. I don’t really have anywhere to go.”

“You should be thanking Jungkook for being reckless,” Yoongi replied. “If he hadn’t brought you here, we wouldn’t have been able to help you.”

Jungkook looked up at the older vampire then, all wide, puppy eyes and a pout on his lips. “H-Hyungie, I’m so sorry that I was so stupid. I realize now that Hoseok-ssi could have been a bad person and I let him into our house. I just really liked him and I wanted to help him,” Jungkook muttered, still ashamed. “I didn’t mean to put the pack in danger.”

Hoseok was surprised when, for the first time, Yoongi’s expression shifted into something else entirely, his typically stoic exterior melting completely at the younger vampire’s cuteness and innocence. He reached out and curled a hand around Jungkook’s shoulder, sliding to the edge of his seat so he could be closer to the younger.

“It’s alright, little one,” Yoongi reassured in a smooth, calming tone that filled Hoseok with warmth. “I know you didn’t mean to. You haven’t been in contact with many others besides us in years, I’m sure meeting a new person was really exciting. Just remember to be more careful in the future.”

Jungkook nodded almost feverishly as he melted into his hyung’s familiar touch. “I will,” he promised.

Jimin must have noticed the surprised look on Hoseok’s face because he couldn’t keep in his giggles. “Yoongi-hyung seems all scary, but he is truly the biggest softie in the whole world.”

“Park Jimin,” Yoongi replied, a fake-sweet smile on his lips. “Shut your trap.”

Jimin smirked, “Well, you can’t tell me I’m lying, hyung. I’m a fairy.”

Hoseok blushed a little in embarrassment about being caught staring, but he giggled along as well, albeit a bit more tiredly.

Jimin turned back to him and gave him a knowing smile. “After the day you’ve had, I’m sure you’re more than exhausted. Let me show you to a guest room where you can take a nap.”

“Wait,” Hoseok blinked, “So...you’ll allow me to stay here? Even though you don’t really know me?”

“You’ve been easily honest with us, which is rare, even from a fairy,” Jimin replied. “Plus, your aura has told me enough.” The pink fairy stood up and held a hand out for Hoseok to take. “Come on, you need rest.”

Hoseok looked over at Yoongi, who was now running his hands through Jungkook’s hair soothingly. The older vampire gave a single nod, “I’m cautious, but I trust Jimin’s intuition. I also know that I’m much older than you and that it would be foolish of you to try to take me on.”

Well, at least he was honest, even if brutally so.

Hoseok gave him a small, thankful smile anyways and turned back to the pink fairy in front of him. “Okay, lead the way.”

With Jimin’s hand occupying his right, and his left curled around the warm mug of tea, he followed the pink fairy through a maze of hallways. Unlike Jungkook, who excitedly pointed things out to him, Jimin was quiet, probably because he could feel how tired Hoseok was as their hands touched.

“Just in here is one of the guest rooms,” Jimin announced, pushing open one of a hundred doors they’d passed by. “Though, we don’t have guests all that often, so don’t expect much.”

The room greeted Hoseok with the same wood cabin style walls and floor that seemed present throughout the whole house, the walls decorated with a few abstract art pieces. A king-sized four-poster bed was the centerpiece of the room, with a set of drawers, a vanity, and a bedside table filling up the rest of the space.

Simple, unlived in, and a safe place to sleep.

“It’s wonderful, thank you.”

Jimin smiled brightly at him, his eyes nearly disappearing with the action, before he gestured towards the two doors to their left. “The en suite is through there, and the other one is a closet, though I suppose you don’t have any other clothes with you...”

“Jimin-ssi,” the orange fairy began.

“Yes?”

"Thank you,” Hoseok licked his lips, suddenly feeling parched. “I really don’t know much about Earth and I’m really not sure how I would have faired if the little vamp hadn’t found me. As reckless as it may have been for Jungkook to invite me into your home, I am eternally grateful for his kindness. And yours and your pack’s as well, for allowing me to stay here.”

Jimin’s smile softened and he replied, “I would never leave a fellow fairy in need. Besides, your aura has given me nothing but positive feelings. My pack trusts that I can read your intentions well enough.”

Hoseok took a sip of the tea he’d nearly forgotten about in his hands, soothing his parched throat.

“Get some sleep,” Jimin said. “Hopefully that will bring your energy levels back up some.”

Hoseok nodded in agreement, setting the cup of tea on the bedside table and taking a seat himself on the edge of the bed. Moments after Jimin left the room, Hoseok laid down to sleep. He was out before his head hit the pillow.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

A/N: Props to anyone that really worldbuilds in their story, it is not an easy thing. I feel like mine is kind of a mess, so I apologize. Let me know if you’re confused about something or have any suggestions for me <3

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adrenaline-roulette · 5 years ago

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MASTERLIST

Welcome one and all, to the shitshow MASTERLIST My requests are always open! Currently I write for Queen, the BohRhap cast, Six Underground, Jurassic Park, Until Dawn, Labyrinth, and Night at the Museum. Don’t see your fandom on the list? Hit me up anyways, I’ll happily try my hand at writing for other fandoms!

Smut = 💋 Angst = 👀 Violence = 🦴

Brian May x Reader

He’ll save every one of us -In Progress- Summary: “If you want to kick something, feel free to kick our van, Roger’s been pissing me off all week.” Came a deep voice from behind you both. “I’m sorry Mister, but I have a strict no kicking stranger’s cars policy. You’ll just have to kick Roger’s car yourself.” “Is there any particular reason as to why Roger’s car should be the victim of such abuse?”

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five 👀 Chapter Six 👀 Chapter Seven

Is this just fantasy? -Time Travel Fic In Progress- Summary: "Want me to bring back some ice-cream, and you can bitch about how horrible you day was?” The idea of ice-cream had never been more appealing. “I believe Ben and Jerry’s is on sale at the moment, I could really go from some chunky monkey.” “I never understood why you like that one so much!” “I try to convince myself that because it’s banana flavoured then it must be healthy.” “As a dietitian in training, it is my duty to tell you, that that is not by any means true.” “For a dietitian in training, you eat an awful lot of instant mac & cheese.” “Whoa now, there is no such thing as too much mac & cheese!”

Chapter One Chapter Two

It’s strange but it’s true -One Shot- Summary: It’s 1984, Queen are filming the music video for I want to break free, though Brian hasn’t told his girlfriend about the whole cross dressing aspect of the shoot yet. What happens when she decides to show up to filming one day? “Roger…. What the actual fuck are you wearing right now?”

Chapter One 💋

Roger Taylor x Reader

Love of my life -One shot- Summary: Roger Taylor's girlfriend is heavily pregnant, one night they decide to pick the perfect name for their unborn child, Though Roger has some seriously terrible suggestions. (Domestic Roger is my spirit animal)

Chapter One

Dining at the Ritz we’ll meet at 9 -One Shot- Summary: “I’m telling the truth! I know what – Who I saw!” “Brian, just because the waitress and Roger’s friend have the same name, does not mean they are the same person.” “Friend? I think she’s a bit more than that.” “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean." “A friend who you will not stop talking about? A friend who you couldn’t stop grinning after she agreed to have dinner with you? Shall I go on?” “Freddie, I will kill you if you don’t shut up!”

Chapter One

Crazy little thing called love -One Shot- Summary: “Turn around! Get your arse back in that fitting room right this second!” She yells, waving her arms above her head wildly. “Mary? What on Earth are you doing?” “Roger! The boys! They’re outside, they saw me and are coming in!” “Get rid of them! I don’t care what you have to do, but they cannot be in here!” You plead.

Chapter One

I’m in love with my car -One Shot- Summary: We all know Roger Taylor is in love with his car, but who is the song really about? Who do the metaphor's relate back to? "I’ve only just convinced myself not to walk back to London to see you after realising how long it would take me.” “You were going to walk back to London, just to see me?" “The thought did occur to me.”

Chapter One 💋

John Deacon x Reader

A permanent deal -One Shot- Summary: “Right, just promise me this isn’t going to become the new look for the band alright? I mean, Brian’s got enough hair already, and I’m not entirely sure Roger can even grow facial hair.” John shrugs. “I don’t have that much hair.” “Bri, we could shave you and have your hair turned into costumes for the entire cast of cats!”

Chapter One

Joe Mazzello x Reader

Everybody walk the dinosaur -Halloween One Shot-

Chapter One

Gwilym Lee x Reader

King of the pumpkin patch -Halloween One Shot-

Chapter One

Ben Hardy x Reader

Let’s split up gang! -Halloween One Shot-

Chapter One

Jet Lag -One Shot- Summary: “I use a different name when travelling. One that’s less likely to have people catch on to it being me.” “What name do you use?” “Probably something stupid, like Dinkleburg Flapjack.” “I like to go by a name literally no one will ever now. Joe Mazzello is one of my favourites to use. Shockingly, no one’s ever heard of him?”

Chapter One

Four x Eight (Reader) -Six Underground

Four Eighths -Work in progress- Summary: A tech genius turned freelance hacker, turns to a life of crime in order to make ends meet, and to pay her bills. But what happens when she robs the wrong man? “You’re lucky I only shot your arm, I was half tempted to aim one at your leg too!” “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Do you expect me to thank you for only shooting me once?” “You’re sassy, I like you.”

Chapter One 🦴 Chapter Two Chapter Three 👀🦴 Chapter Four 👀 Chapter Five 👀 Chapter Six 👀💋 (Both are minor) Chapter Seven 💋 Chapter Eight 💋 Chapter Nine 👀 (Very minor) Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven 👀

Ahkmenrah x Reader - Night at the museum

I am flesh and I am bone -Work in progress- Summary: At seven years old, you find yourself lost in the American Museum of Natural History. The magic of Ahkmenrah's tablet unfolds around you, and you find yourself living growing up amongst the people you had only ever read about! “Can I ask how old you are?” “At the time of my passing, I was nineteen. Though if you count my age by the years I have experienced, then I am a few thousand years old.” “So that means in twelve years, I’ll be the same age as you!” “Technically you are correct. There will come a day where we are both nineteen.”

Chapter One Chapter Two

Josh Washington x Reader -Until Dawn

I say no -Work in progress- Summary: Set after Hannah and Beth's disappearance, but before the return to the mountain.Straining your ears, you tried your best to pick up on what some of the surrounding people were talking about, though you were only able to pick up bits and pieces. “Washington sisters…” “-Police didn’t find any trace.” “Think Josh will come back?” “Hannah and Mike got cosy….”

Chapter One 👀 (Minor) Chapter Two 👀 (Minor)

Tim Murphy x Reader - Jurassic Park

Time of your life -One shot- Summary: “Come here for a second.” “What’s up?” “Well, we never got a photo of us on our first day here, but I want to remember this. It’s a big deal ya know, the whole moving out of your family home and all that jazz. So, let’s get a photo now, we can show off my artistic ability in the process too.” “A perfect idea, I’ll grab my camera, and I’ll get the photo printed next time I’m in the mall.” “Welcome home Tim.”

Chapter One 👀 (Minor)

Jareth x Sarah - Labyrinth

Absolute Beginners -Work in progress- Summary: “Remember that chat we had the other day?” “You mean the one where we discussed whether pork was really a type of vegetable?” “No, not that o- Wait, when did we have THAT conversation?!” “Perhaps that was with my advisor Garret, not matter, please continue.”

Chapter One Chapter Two

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gryphonablaze · 4 years ago

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headcanon that the borderlands games take place in the superdistant future so earth did exist and that’s why they still call things ‘tesla coils’ even tho they probably haven’t a remote clue who the heck tesla was.

all of gaige’s pop culture references and fourth wall breaks make technical sense. she’s just like

so like if earth was long abandoned or whatever after humans spread throughout the universe in the style of the Peopling of the Earth chapter in a world history textbook,, .......

some extra shenaniganery below the cut

on a note you might think unrelated, the time gap between portal one and portal two is spectacularly ambiguous.

A SMALL PERSUASIVE ESSAY ON THE SUBJECT OF HOW IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL THE MAGNITUDE OF THE TIME GAP BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND PORTAL GAMES. SCROLL TO THE NEXT HEADER TO SKIP

the facility being overrun with plants? could have taken five years. could have taken ten. could have taken literal tens of thousands; we don’t know how well secured the facility was against the outside world, how long it took for things to deteriorate without GLaDOS’s maintenance. Or even how long it took for them to start falling apart! If the place were virtually vacuum sealed, it wouldn’t be impossible for the things inside to take an extremely long time to break down. There is, however, a datamined line that mentions in passing ‘50,000 years.’ However, by nature of being datamined and not actually used, the degree of how canon that may be is extremely debatable So ultimately, we don’t have any realistic or reliable way to say how long it’s been. The only thing we know with certainty is the maximum number of years being about seven to eight billion, only because the sun hasn’t yet died and consumed the earth.

There is, of course, the fact that Chell was woken up by the facility running out of power. Aperture is powered by a nuclear generator. The average lifespan of an american nuclear generator is about forty years. But depending on the general stability of the materials used and the way it was constructed, it could theoretically last incredibly long--stars, after all, are giant nuclear reactors. Considering the person Cave Johnson was, he would probably not have assembled a nuclear reactor properly. However, with GLaDOS’s incredible expanse of knowledge and her strong distaste of mismanagement, clearly shown when she deprecates the way Wheatley fails to care for the facility, it is very reasonable to assume she would have fixed all of the dreadful mistakes, and more than likely further optimized the generator to a degree far beyond any human could have engineered. So much like every other aspect of the facility, it is virtually impossible to tell how much time it took for the generator to reach the point of producing so little power that it was forced to wake Chell from her stasis. Because it certainly had not reached the end of its actual lifespan of course, because when GLaDOS was resurrected, she was very quickly able to restore its function.

Finally, in the ‘community test chamber’ part of portal two, Cave Johnson states that an infinite number of similar alternative universes exist. This means that anything--any fanfiction, any AU, every individual playthrough by different people with its miniscule differences of having pressed a button before or after activating a switch, even a person’s dream, if it is related to Portal, is canon. So even if there is no way with the information in the game to prove how long Chell was in stasis, anyone can write a fanfiction, offer ‘proof’ of the time passed, and call it canon. Therefor, the statements I’m about to make are perfectly reasonable and have every right to exist as canon.

HERE WE ARE FELLAS. SORRY I JUST SOMETIMES LIKE PRACTICING CRITICAL THINKING AND WRITING SKILLS THAT ENGLISH CLASS TRIED TO TEACH ME, EXCEPT I WANNA DO IT ON SUBJECTS I ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT YKNOW

tl:dr I can fabricate any number of years to fill in the time gap between portal one and two and it will be technical, undisputable canon.

All that said, the time it took for humans to populate the universe, lose and rebuilt culture and technology, and forget the distant past could easily match up with the time Chell was in stasis before Portal 2, and thus these two game series can exist in the same universe.

Portal technically takes place in an extremely similar (or even same) ‘timeline’ as our real, tangible world we currently live in. The borderlands game series could also reasonably exist in the timeline in which we currently exist.

anyway point one gaige is a reverse prophet

point two; i could very reasonably write a fanfiction in which, after finally escaping aperture, Chell becomes a siren

#borderlands sirens #borderlands #portal #portal 2 #chell #portal chell

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naruwitch · 3 years ago

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Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 35: The Bloodstained Alliance

"About this Special Administrative Zone of Japan, there are some...unpleasant rumors going around about Princess Euphemia."

"Yes, and about her connection with this Voltron. Some are going as far as to say they brainwashed or blackmailed her into doing this, as a way to get Britannia to surrender."

Ever since Princess Euphemia's announcement of the Special Administrative Zone, Britannia had been buzzing with theories and rumors about the Princess's motivations behind this. Particularly in the high ranking military. Some believed it to be a ploy for Britannia to let its guard down so that Voltron's forces could finally finish them off.

"It could also be the perfect opportunity to finally put an end to this fighting," Lord Guilford spoke up, his tone firm. Like Guilford and Darlton, who were heatedly discussing the announcement with Bartley and several other officers, others saw it as an opportunity to finally put an end to the bloodshed and constant war ravaging the nation for years. Hundreds of thousands of people had already died, both Numbers and Britannians. If the stronger force (yes, their pride was forcing them to admit that this Voltron was indeed stronger than them) was offering a truce, wouldn't it be foolish to not at least humor them?

"As Viceroy Schneizel himself stated, Zero's goal is to cripple Britannia, not destroy it. We've seen time and again that Voltron could easily do that at any moment. We've been lucky that their patience hasn't run out," the bespectacled knight continued.

"Not to mention that Voltron's success has inspired rebellions in almost all other areas of the Empire," Darlton continued, supporting his fellow knight, "Our forces are spread thin enough as it is. With Princess Cornelia, Princess Euphemia, and even Lady Enneagram, a Knight of the Round, being captured and held prisoner, many speculate that the Emperor is losing his grip. If there is a chance for this to be resolved as peacefully as possible, I'll take it!"

"Pardon me for sounding overdramatic," General Bartley interjected, "but need I remind you that Princess Cornelia has been Voltron's hostage for months now? Besides the fact that she's in enemy territory, this is bloody aliens we're talking about! For all we know, Zero is simply a puppet for these interlopers and are threatening harm upon Cornelia unless Euphemia cooperates."

"Not to mention most of Voltron's forces remain unknown," another officer pointed out, "Yes, Black Knight activity has dwindled to nearly none, but it's clear if Zero's stance is anything to go by, that the group has thrown its batch in with these aliens. None of our spies that we've attempted to incorporate into the group have been successful."

"Isn't that only more reason to end the fighting this way?" Guilford argued, rising from his chair, "With all of these unknowns, it's simply too dangerous to keep fighting them! If we push them hard enough, they'll cut negotiations, and we'll be back where we started! A nation against a power that's only so many encounters away from wiping us out!"

"Voltron and Zero are cowards!" the man by Bartley spat, "If you have such a weapon at your disposal, then use it! You could easily win against any nation!"

"Why you little-"

"Enough!" Bartley barked, silencing Darlton, "While I commemorate you both for your loyalty to the princesses, I think your personal feelings are clouding your judgment. Especially you, Guilford."

"Excuse me?!" the knight exclaimed.

"While you may have answered to your princess originally, there is still one who has the final say in this matter. You may be Cornelia's knight, but the word of the Emperor far trumps her."

Guilford grit his teeth, restraining himself from strangling Bartley in that very moment.

"Speaking of his majesty, is there still no word from him? He's been silent ever since Euphemia's declaration."

"He hasn't spoken to the Viceroy yet either," Bartley muttered, "but with something like this, I doubt he'll stay silent forever."

"Holy quiznack!" Rai gasped as he pulled up a video feed as well as what appeared to be a registration page on his laptop. Suzaku and Euphemia were looking over his shoulder, "Over 200,000 people have applied to join the Japan Special Zone. From the way it looks, that number is only going to grow!"

"That's fantastic!" Euphemia exclaimed happily, "Everyone is rallying because of what Voltron represents."

"It's not just Voltron, Euphie," Suzaku said with a smile, "they're supporting your actions too...I'm glad."

"Suzaku?" Euphemia asked, noticing the Purple Paladin tear up a little.

"Euphie," Suzaku said, "Ever since I became a paladin and seen what the Galra have done, even I couldn't deny the similarities they shared with Britannia. My idea of reforming Britannia from within seemed to grow more and more unrealistic to the point it became just a pipe's dream. But… you may have just proven me wrong."

"Oh Suzaku," Euphie smiled gratefully before her smile faded slightly, "while I appreciate the praise, I fear that they may only be cooperating because there's an even greater threat. The start of this alliance will be shaky at best."

"We can worry about that when the time comes," Suzaku assured her, "I'm sure Lelouch will come up with a plan to keep this peace secure."

"And I hope I can help bring that peace to the rest of the universe as well," Euphemia said sincerely, "Once Zarkon is defeated, I hope all worlds out there can finally be free as well."

"We'll make sure of it," Suzaku promised, "And I'll be right by your side!"

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that? You're a Voltron Paladin after all," Euphemia teased with a giggle. Suzaku chuckled as well.

"And I'm not even here," Rai says aloud, causing the pair to jump. They'd honestly forgotten he was still in the room. However, they could tell from the tone of his voice that he was grinning.

"What's the status on the Knightmare testing, Coran?" Lelouch asked as the male Altean's face appeared on the monitor of the Castle's bridge.

"They're going quite well!" the adviser said with a smile from the castle pod he and Rakshata were occupying within the Solar System's asteroid belt, "Number Seven, my boy, your idea was just the answer we were looking for!"

Rivalz looked down, blushing at the praise. More often than not, the Blue Paladin felt like he didn't contribute much to the team outside of being comic relief and helping out with chores, so it felt nice to know that he made a lasting contribution with his suggestion.

"Is Sayoko okay? In case… you know… something goes wrong?" Shirley asked anxiously. The moment the crystals had entered the lab, Rakshata had insisted that they work them into the Guren Mrk-II first since that was her 'special child.' Since Sayoko had initially been the pilot for it, she had gone along on the test flight, with Sugiyama keeping an eye on Nunnally until they got back. ("It's time for another therapy session anyway," he had said.)

"Not to worry," Coran reassured them, "Miss Sayoko is in very capable hands. Her suit alone will provide her with plenty of protection in open space should she need to eject manually."

"Good," Lelouch nodded, but everyone could hear the warning in his tone. Sayoko had been the closest thing he and Nunnally had had to a mother since their banishment. If something were to happen to her…

"Keep us updated on your progress," Allura ordered, "And we'll be expecting all three of you back here within three Earth hours."

"Understood, Princess!" Coran saluted, but before he could cut the connection, there was a blinding flash through the pod's windows.

Before anyone on the bridge could ask what was wrong, they heard a loud, girly squeal from behind the Altean.

"Splendid! Absolutely marvelous!" Rakshata sang, looking ready to leap out of her seat with a victory dance.

Coran sighed with a shake of his head before cutting the connection.

"Are they going to be okay?" Milly asked, glancing around a little uneasily.

"Well, I mean, Coran did say he wouldn't let Sayoko get hurt, right?" Kallen asked.

"Oh, Coran I trust all right," Milly said, "It's Rakshata I'm worried about. She does tend to go a little… overboard sometimes."

"You say that as if you've never done that yourself, Milly," C.C. pointed out with a smirk.

"Hey!" the Yellow Paladin pouted.

"Either way, I'm sure Coran will alert us if something is amiss," Allura said surely, "Now that it's confirmed that the Balmera crystals are compatible with your Knightmare machines, we still have much to discuss."

"Right," Lelouch nodded before turning to address the rest of the room. Besides himself, and the other four Paladins, C.C., Tohdoh, Kaguya, and Ohgi were also present.

"So it looks like Euphemia's message was fairly well-received," Ohgi observed, "I mean, they're already getting everything set up back on Earth."

"According to Rai, the announcement has gained a great deal of support," Tohdoh said, "Most of it is coming from the Japanese population, but surprisingly we do have several Honorary Britannians backing the project as well. I've heard several members within our own ranks talking about joining the zone as well."

"This is technically a good thing, though, right?" Rivalz asked, "I mean, with so many people joining the zone, that means more support for Voltron, right?"

"Not necessarily," C.C. said, "Just because they choose to support the SAZ doesn't mean that they will support Voltron."

"C.C.'s correct," Lelouch nodded, "There will be those, not just from Britannia, that will never see eye-to-eye with something like this. Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done about it, even with two royal princesses-"

"Technically, three royal princesses, Lelouch," Shirley pointed.

Lelouch abruptly turned to the Orange Paladin, raising an eyebrow, "I'm sorry?"

"What about Cornelia?" Shirley said, "Nunnally did say that she was willing to help us too, right?"

"Yeah, and we have Nonette too," Milly added, "who, according to Rai, isn't even loyal to Britannia. Plus, Cornelia's likely the most influential member of the royal family right now, since she is, or used to be, the viceroy. I'm sure if we can both of them on board, that could garner even more support, especially from Britannia, which is what we need right now."

Lelouch was silent, face contorted in a frown. While it was true that Nunnally had told him about her conversation with their sister, a part of Lelouch still hesitated to trust Cornelia.

However…

If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that no matter what, Cornelia would never betray Euphemia. And Euphie was entirely on board with this plan. Even if Cornelia didn't support some of the things Euphemia did, she never actively tried to work against her either. So long as Euphie was on their side, Cornelia would follow.

And if what Rai said about Nonette was true too...

"...We'll talk to them."

"Sire, pardon my rudeness, but are you serious about this?" Bartley asked Schneizel in the viceroy's office back on Earth.

"Quite so, Bartley," Schneizel answered calmly, "You know I wish for the fighting to stop as much as anyone else. If Voltron is willing to offer an olive branch through Euphie's project, I am willing to humor them and receive it."

"This could easily be a trap too, Your Highness," Bartley protested, "They could be waiting for us to let our guard down before striking us."

"Yes, yes, Bartley," Schneizel nodded knowingly, "I have considered that possibility. However, I highly doubt that that would be the case."

"How so?" Bartley asked skeptically.

Schneizel smiled, hands clasped behind his back as he stood, "As we've discussed previously, it's clear that Zero, through Voltron, possesses more than enough resources to raze Britannia to the ground at a snap of his fingers. The fact that he has yet to launch such an attack is our first clue. No, he doesn't want to see Britannia destroyed. At least, not anymore. Instead, he wants something from Britannia."

Bartley sputtered, "What?! What could Zero possibly want from Britannia besides its destruction?!"

Schneizel sighed, "Unfortunately, I have no definitive answer for that. I have theories at best, but there is too little proof to draw any conclusions. This is partially the reason I am supporting this ceasefire. Once we have the facts of the situation at large, and all the pieces are presented on the board, I'm certain we can… determine our next move from there."

Bartley didn't answer, but he made no further comment as he saw Schneizel's line of thinking. He was just like most other Britannian officials and officers. They wanted answers, and each encounter with the gargantuan robot only brought more questions. Even the partial victory on the island backfired in ways they couldn't have imagined.

"By the way," the prince interrupted his thoughts, "There is still no word from the Emperor regarding this?"

"Um, no sir," Bartley shook his head. At least this he could answer, "The Emperor has been silent ever since Princess Euphemia's broadcast, even back in Pendragon."

"I see��" now it was Schneizel who was frowning. The fact that their father hadn't commented about either the broadcast or the SAZ was concerning. Perhaps Charles was thinking along the same lines? Wishing to hear Voltron's explanation before making a move? If there was one thing he and his father shared, it was their dislike of being uninformed. This could be the one chance they had to gain the information they needed.

Schneizel blinked as the image of that strange woman flashed through his mind for a moment. Despite his brother wearing his mask, it was clear that Lelouch didn't merely dislike that woman but was scared of her. Why else would have lashed out (with a lightning blast?!) the way he had and brought Euphemia with him?

In any case, Schneizel hoped that with this ceasefire order, he could finally, finally, get answers.

"And that's the plan we've come up with, should you both agree to assist us," Lelouch said, standing authoritatively in front of Cornelia and Nonette's cell. Behind him, Nunnally was seated in the hover chair with Arthur in her lap, along with Kallen, Allura, and Tohdoh. The ex-prince had just finished explaining the ceasefire that Euphemia ordered, along with the plans for the Special Administrative Zone of Japan back on Earth, and what they hoped to accomplish with this.

This was only the second time Lelouch had spoken to Cornelia since he and the other Paladins captured her. Despite what everyone was telling him when they talked with the older princess, Lelouch simply couldn't bring himself to face her yet. Even though, via his Geass, he learned that Cornelia had nothing to do with Marianne's assassination and had genuinely tried to find him and Nunnally during the war, that didn't fix the trust that had been shattered during that time nor erase the pain of the royal family's betrayal.

"I understand the need for cooperation, Lelouch," Cornelia finally spoke after a few moments of silence, "but surely you see how risky this plan is."

"No quiznack, what gave you that clue?" Kallen commented sarcastically.

"We know that," Lelouch admitted, "and even without your assistance, we still plan to carry it out, but if you two are willing to cooperate, not only can we likely rally more Britannians to our side, but also build some level of trust between the factions. We're going to need that in spades once the Galra arrive since everyone will be focused on one enemy."

"You do realize that will likely mean cooperating with the Emperor as well, correct?" Cornelia reminded her brother.

Lelouch clenched his fists, "If it means Earth's survival, I will force myself to work with the Emperor. Grudges and vengeance become petty in situations like this."

"And afterward?" Nonette asked, "You know that once the Galra are pushed back that His Majesty isn't likely to change. I learned that the hard way after all…"

Along with the plans for the SAZ, Nonette and Cornelia had also learned what happened to Rai, his sister, and his mother. How they were abducted and taken prisoner by Galran scouts, how Rai had been forced into the gladiator pits, and how he'd been forced to become a living test subject for Zarkon's second in command, who they had learned was named Haggar.

Nonette vowed that she ever saw Haggar face-to-face, she would kill that witch herself.

"If all goes according to plan, should your Emperor attempt such an act, we'll have enough support from your planet's other countries and factions to stop him," Allura said, "Hence why we must solidify a united front against the Galra, and put aside all prejudices before that occurs. This will mean nothing if your world reverts back to what it was before we got here."

"And as Lelouch stated before, the more members of the Royal Family we have on our side, the higher chances we have of gaining the support that the Emperor will lose," Tohdoh added.

Cornelia shared a look with Nonette, who was staring back at her expectantly. Nonette had made it clear that no matter what happened, her place she by Zephyr's side (she was still in shock about the fact that he was a member of the Royal Family and half Japanese). From the very second that Lelouch revealed himself to be Zero, and from what Nunnally told her shortly after, the princess had been thinking and pondering on how she could regain her brother's trust. Nunnally had made it clear that she didn't blame her for what happened during the war, which was a relief. Lelouch was a different story. Even as a young boy, Lelouch had shown that he wasn't one to forgive easily.

The fact that he was extending the closest thing to an olive branch was a miracle on its own.

"I failed you and Nunnally once, Lelouch…"

"I know," Lelouch answered bluntly. Nunnally glanced between her brother and sister anxiously.

"...But it won't happen again."

"Oh, here you are."

Chigusa jumped and nearly dropped the sprinkler she'd been using to water the plants in one of the greenhouses.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" Ohgi gasped, hands up.

"No, it's all right!" Chigusa gasped out a laugh before turning the sprinkler off, "I wasn't paying attention, is all."

Ohgi a little and looked around at the vegetables growing in the vertical trellises. He had to admit, Milly's idea to apply hydroponics to the ship's greenhouse was not only inventive but saved them resources too. All they needed was water and the nutrients the plants would need from the soil. It not only saved space but made growing food cleaner as well due to the lack of soil.

Tending the greenhouse seemed to quickly be becoming Chigusa's favorite job, and Ohgi was happy to see that she was adapting well.

However, despite this, there was still no sign of her memories returning. Ohgi knew that something like amnesia wasn't something that could be forced. They just needed to be patient. Of course, there was always the possibility that her memories didn't return. He honestly wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Plus, there was the stress about the SAZ. So far, nothing seemed to be going wrong, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Sure, they had Euphemia, Nunnally, Lelouch supporting this, but they were only three members (four if Cornelia of all people agreed to support it as well) of the Royal Family vs. the hundreds of other members, plus the Emperor.

"Is everything okay?" Chigusa asked, noticing his frown.

"Hmm? Oh, no, it's nothing important," Ohgi attempted to wave it off, but Chigusa was just as smart as her other identity.

"Are you worried about the zone?" Chigusa asked. It was hard to be in the castle right now and not know about it. It seemed to be the only thing the Black Knights were talking about.

Ohgi paused then sighed, "I-I don't know… I-I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. I know we've taken all the possible precautions, but…"

Chigusa frowned in concern, "Have you talked to Zero about it?"

Ohgi shook his head, "I don't have to. I can tell he feels the same way. I know this sounds bad, but when you think about it, the only reason we're doing this is because we don't have any other choice. Zero has always thought all of his plans through. So the fact that he's practically just winging this…"

Chigusa nodded, "Yes, I suppose that would make anyone nervous. But I'm sure once Earth understands what they're up against, they'll be more likely to cooperate. That's the whole point of this zone, right?"

"That's the idea," Ohgi confirmed, "but… there are people that just won't do that! People like-"

Ohgi stopped himself before he could finish.

"You mean people me?" Chigusa asked, looking down.

"Well, yes, but I mean like how you were like before. Not now!" Ohgi gasped.

"It's all right," Chigusa reassured him, "I understand. But… despite all of that, I can't help but be grateful to you."

"Grateful?" Ohgi asked, looking up in surprise.

Chigusa nodded, "I know I wasn't the best person before I came here. I was an enemy. But you still decided to take me in, to make me a part of all of this. It's like I've been given a second chance to be better. And I'll always be grateful for that."

Ohgi's look of surprise soon morphed into a smile. Her response surprised him, but upon hearing it, he felt a weight of his own lift off his shoulders.

"I'm glad to hear that. And if it means anything to you, I'll be more than happy to be there for you, memories or not."

Chigusa smiled back, "Thank you, Kaname."

It took another three days, but it was at last time. The area around the Special Administrative Zone was packed almost shoulder-to-shoulder with both Japanese and Britannians alike. Military personnel, including Guilford, Darlton, and his sons, on guard also stood on guard, Sutherlands, Gloucesters, and several specialized Knightmare units were present as well. High above in the sky, the Le Fey also floated above the zone.

For those who weren't there personally, everyone was tuned into radio, television, or any broadcast available in Japan, watching and listening. The E.U. and Chinese Federation were also watching, waiting with bated breath for the ceremony to start.

"We're bringing you live coverage from the stadium where the inaugural ceremony will be held for the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. The place is already packed full of Elevens… sorry, I mean Japanese. And those unable to get in are gathered outside the stadium."

"The question still remains, though. Will Zero and his forces truly make an appearance? While Princess Euphemia herself was the one to make this announcement, rumor has it that the princess hasn't been publicly seen for several days. Many are concerned that this ceasefire order is another ploy of the Black Knights… wait, what?"

There was a beat of silence as everyone listening to the broadcast held their breath.

"Oh! Okay-well, our satellites just picked activity in the atmosphere and-!"

A thunderous roar suddenly echoed around the stadium as large shadows fell upon the crowd. All chatter stopped as everyone looked to the sky with bated breath.

With a low sweep, the Black Lion whooshed around the stadium, wind picking flying in its wake. The silence was meet with screaming cheers as the six other lions followed, though none flew as low as the Black Lion. After several minutes of circling the sky, almost like hawks circling prey, the Black and Purple Lions finally descended, with the other five staying aloft in the air, directly above the arena, and to the south, east, north, and west.

The Sutherlands tensed as the Black and Purple Lions landed gracefully on the stage, tails lashing and eyes looming over the military units surrounding them, growling in clear warning. Then the Black Lion seemed to chuff before lowering its haunches and head toward the ground, the Purple Lion following suit.

The roars of the crowd only amplified as the 'Savior of Japan' himself, Zero, glided out of the Black Lion's mouth, helmet, cape, and all. From the other Lion, the pilot clad in his purple and white armor, helmet on and face shield darkened, also exited, only to pause and hold his hand out behind him.

To everyone's shock, Princess Euphemia was gently escorted out of the Purple Lion's mouth, and the Knight of Nine, Nonette Enneagram, exited right behind her.

What truly shocked the crowd, though, was the additional passenger that exited with Zero. It was none other than Cornelia li Britannia herself.

"Princess Cornelia!" Guilford gasped from within his Gloucester, nearly leaping from it to rush to her side. It was only Darlton's cautious but also shocked expression that stopped him.

The same shock was reflected on the Japanese citizens, as their cheers morphed into waves of confusion rippled through around.

A single wave of Zero's arm in front of the former viceroy silenced them.

"Enough!" the rebel's voice exclaimed in admonishment, "This day is not a day for violence or anything of the like. This is a day of cooperation and unity between Britannia and Japan that has been delayed for far too long!"

The crowd's cheers returned once again, even the voices of a few Britannians joining them this time.

Back on the Castle of Lions, now just above cloud cover above the planet. The Black Knights were all waiting anxiously in their newly operational Knightmare Frames, appropriately named Seishins. They were ready to soar out and attack at a moment's notice. From the bridge itself, Allura, Coran, and C.C. observed the ceremony from the screens.

"Are you sure letting Cornelia attend this ceremony personally was a wise move?" Allura inquired from her position at the teludav, frowning.

C.C. snorted, "Well, it's not like we didn't all agree to let her out in the first place. I do recall you were there for that."

Allura grimaced, but before she could make a snarky comment back, Coran spoke up.

"Lelouch and Nunnally are willing to trust her, Allura. And you know for a fact that Lelouch wouldn't have agreed to it if he didn't think it would work."

Allura sighed, "I understand. But…" the princess bit her lip, "...I can not help but feel like something is wrong."

Almost impulsively, Allura pulled up the commlinks connected to the Knightmare bay.

"Ohgi, Tohdoh, what's the status of our troops?"

"On standby, Princess," Ohgi answered.

"We're prepared to launch at any time," Tohdoh also confirmed.

Allura blew out a breath. At least they were ready. She just hoped the feeling of foreboding she felt was paranoia and worry for the Paladins down below.

"People of Japan! People of the world! Welcome to the Special Administrative Zone!" Euphemia greeted shortly after Zero's reprimand.

The crowd cheered once again, and Euphemia waited patiently for the noise to die down before continuing.

"Many obstacles have been overcome to bring this project to fruition, and I'd like to dedicate this zone not only to the Japanese people but also to the Paladins of Voltron, who, along with the Black Knights, have helped pave the way for this day to come to pass."

"However…" Euphemia's tone became solemn, which silenced the beginning of any further cheers, being replaced with murmurs of confusion, "...there is another reason I announced the opening of this Special Zone. It was to provide an opportunity to address the entire planet as a whole and deliver a message. A warning, to be exact. A warning that the entire world must heed!"

The crowd was now getting anxious, many gasping and some even inching towards the exits, as if expecting the Britannian soldiers to open fire on them at any moment. However, none of the Knightmares moved as the soldiers looked just as confused as the Japanese.

Euphemia handed the microphone to Zero, who addressed the masses once again.

"What Princess Euphemia speaks is true!" the rebel leader said, "As you all are well aware, Voltron's purpose is to stand against oppression and dominance, not just against Britannia, but any nation that uses their power unjustly. But there is another threat that is looming. A threat that not only you must be aware of, but every nation of this planet!"

The jumbotron at the top of the stage started to flicker.

"The footage you are about to see is real. They are no figment of one's imagination!"

From inside of Zerith, Rai was rapidly typing on a laptop he brought with him. He wasn't only uploading this to the jumbotron, though, but to every screen on planet Earth.

"Here we go," the Green Paladin muttered before pressing the 'enter' button.

On the jumbotron, recorded footage of hundreds of Galra ships invading on the Balmera they had invaded, and footage of Sendak's ship when they stayed on Arus when this whole crazy adventure first happened. There were several other clips that Rai managed to find through the few times he managed to hack into the Galra in some form or another.

"This is the Galra Empire," Zero said, pointing at the jumbotron's screen, "An alien regime hellbent on the domination of the known universe, with Darwinistic beliefs not too different from Britannia. Their technology is far more advanced than anything Earth has ever developed, and with the way the planet stands now, in such a divided state, our world will not stand a chance against such a brutal force."

This time, it wasn't just the Japanese people who were gasping and even screaming in shock. Several members of the Britannian military had similar expressions. Some even dropped their guns in shock.

Even Darlton and Guilford were speechless and pale, the latter looking towards Cornelia, who nodded.

"My god…" Darlton muttered, "That's what they've been up against?" If Voltron, a force that Britannia was lucky to come out of in one piece of, was struggling against this regime, then what chance did Britannia have?

"But that is why Voltron is here," Euphemia spoke again, "to protect all the people of Earth, regardless of their differences. The Paladins of Voltron are no different from any of us."

The screen shifted again, and low and behold, Milly's bright blonde hair filled the screen.

"This thing on…? Yep, the red light means 'on.' Okay, hello everybody or any alien lifeform that finds this video in the future!" the Yellow Paladin grinned, waving at the camera, "This is Milly Ashford, Paladin of the Yellow Lion of Voltron, or Maeraka as I like to call her!"

From the other side of the settlement, Ruben Ashford felt his pen slip from his fingers as his granddaughter's face lit up the screen.

"Anyway, as you can see," Milly grabbed the camera (or whatever the device was). She spun around with it, showing the inside of one of the Castleship's lounges, "I am not at Ashford academy, and it certainly doesn't look like I'm even on Earth. That's because I'm not. Long story short, my friends and I got kidnapped by a magic blue lion and shipped off into this awesome spaceship! With real aliens too! Crazy, right?! Anyway, just letting everyone know that I'm fine and we're hoping to be back home soon once we take care of the Galra Empire. Wish us luck!"

The video fizzled for a few moments before clearing up again. This time it was Rivalz on the screen.

"Hi! It's Rivalz Cardemonde, Paladin of Polaris, the Blue Lion. Hi, Mom, hi, Amelia. Isla. Ava. I'm here in outer space somewhere. I, um, uh, don't really know what to say. Uh, I miss you guys. I miss you guys a lot. I-I know you'll have a lot of questions, but… I'm doing what I think is right, and… yeah, that's about it. Anyway, I hope you're staying safe, and I'll hopefully be back soon. I love you guys."

"...MOM!" a shrill voice rang through the Cardemonde manor.

The next face to appear on the screen was Shirley. The Orange Paladin bit her lip and twirled a piece of her hair.

"Um, hi. I'm Shirley Fenette, the Paladin of the Orange Lion, Zinnia. Mom, Dad, if you ever see this…' the Orange Paladin paused, eyes getting misty, "Just know I love you and I'm thinking about you and I hope I can see you again soon… whenever that is anyway."

Aurora Fenette gasped, her hand flying to her mouth at the sight of her daughter on the screen. Joseph Fenette could only stare in shock before his wife lunged at him, sobbing into his neck.

"...I'm Kallen. Kallen Kozuki," the Red Paladin said bluntly when her video finally popped up, "Paladin of Aka, the Red Lion...what? You know I'm bad at this sort of stuff!" she snapped at someone behind the camera before sighing. "Okay, as everyone can guess from the last name, I'm half-Japanese, surprise, surprise. Anyway… mom, I'm so sorry I left without saying goodbye. I think of you and Naoto every day. I'm here to finish the fight that he helped to start."

As the last recording switched off (Rai didn't make one as he didn't have family on Earth and the Royal Family didn't know about him), the Purple Paladin stepped forward. Most of the crowd was already shocked to see the faces of the Ashford students that went missing months prior, but it was nothing compared to their reaction as Suzaku slowly removed his helmet.

More gasps filled the stadium, and there were even shouts of protest from several people both in the audience and but more so among the Britannian troops. And while they weren't among those protesting, Guilford and Dalton both shared faces of shock as well.

"All of you be silent!" Cornelia suddenly snapped towards the Britannian soldiers. This shut them up immediately. Even the Japanese ceased speaking, though it was clear the order wasn't directed at them. "I will not condone any form of violence here! You just witnessed proof of a formidable threat, and you're concerned about a soldier's blood?"

This admonishment seemed to pacify the Britannians, but the Japanese were staring at the princess in amazement. This woman, who was known as the Goddess of Victory and had shown little mercy or tolerance for 'Elevens' in the past, was now defending them. They weren't sure if this behavior was due to Princess Euphemia's presence or not, but Suzaku took this opportunity to finally speak.

"Yes, I know, I am Suzaku Kurugui, and up until recently, I was also a soldier in their military. An Honorary Britannian like many others here. When I became a soldier, I believed that if I worked hard enough, if I rose high enough in the ranks, I could help change the system, change Britannia from the inside. I hoped to try and use Voltron for the same purpose. But… I can't do it. Not alone, anyway."

Next to him, he felt Euphemia grasp his hand and squeeze it. She then addressed the crowd once again.

"And right now, we need that change more than ever. I know that our empire has committed countless crimes and atrocities, not just to Japan. And I swear to you, we will take full responsibility and do everything we can to make amends. But we can no longer be consumed by our differences."

Zero stepped forward next to the princess, "Now is the time for us to come together. Race, gender, religion, ideology, none of that matters anymore. We must be united under one cause! I implore the people of Earth: Stand alongside Voltron! The Black Knights already stand with us, as do many members of the Royal Family!"

From behind Zero, Zenobia lowered her head again, and from her mouth, another person glided out.

Nunnally, her eyes wide open, rolled up to Zero on her hoverchair and, to the amazement of everyone, stood up, though still wobbling as Zero steadied his sister.

Seeing the lost princess was shocking enough, but seeing the disabled girl now standing on her own two legs nearly sent everyone into a frenzy again.

"Zero and the Paladins helped to restore what was lost to me, and they can do that for everyone on Earth!" she exclaimed.

Next to her, Cornelia walked beside her, grasping her other hand, with Nonette coming up next to the former viceroy. To Zero's left, Euphemia held his open hand, with Suzaku still standing next to her.

"From this day forward... Voltron and Earth... STAND TOGETHER!" Zero proclaimed, raising his hands high, those with him doing the same. This earned cheers from the gathered Japanese, who became encouraged by his words and began to chant.

"VOLTRON!"

From above the arena, each of the Paladins was grinning.

"Paladins!" Coran's voice exclaimed over the commlinks.

"What's up, Coran?" Rivalz asked.

"Responses are coming in from all over the planet. They've heard us and are offering support!"

"YES!" Milly cheered, fist-pumping in her seat.

"We did it…!" Shirley exclaimed, tears gathering in her eyes.

Then, the screen on the jumbotron abruptly flickered, drawing the attention of everyone.

"Huh?" Rai gasped from his computer as the system he was working through was swiftly hacked into from another source.

"Rai, what's going on with the signal?" Zero demanded from below.

"I don't know!" the Green Paladin gasped, "Someone's hacking in! They're completely taking me over!"

"What? But who could possibly-" Allura gasped from the castle.

"I don't know!" Rai exclaimed in frustration. Looking closer at the code streaming onto his laptop, he suddenly gasped, "Wherever this signal is coming from, it's not coming from Earth!"

"...But, that could only mean-" Zero's thoughts were interrupted when the screen's image finally cleared. What were once cheers of triumph were transforming into gasps of horror once more as Charles zi Britannia's face glowered on the screen.

"A stirring performance, Zero," the Emperor boomed on the jumbotron.

"Father?!" Euphemia gasped, eyes wide with fear, while Suzaku and Nonette glared angrily at the monarch on screen. Instinctively, Zero pulled Nunnally towards him while Cornelia placed herself in front of the vi Britannia siblings, eyes narrowed at the man whose blood they shared.

"It amuses me how you and my foolish daughter continue to spew these ideals, such as unity. You must think that such counsel is wise. But this is nothing but a folly! Such terms as responsibility and peace are nothing but an illusion. Lies created by a childish and naive fantasy!"

"How dare you!" Nonette gasped, but the Emperor drowned out her voice.

"You wish to truly speak of responsibility? Our beloved Britannia has nothing to be responsible for! Our methods are our divine right! Any talk of change is preposterous!"

Suzaku didn't say anything, but he could tell that jab was likely exclusively targeted at him.

"I am pleased that I can finally put faces and names on you so-called 'Paladins,'" the Emperor then sneered, "Now I know who to mark as true traitors of the empire, along with you and everyone else on that stage with you!"

This declaration was met with shouts of protest and shock. Darlton and Guilford looked the most shell-shocked.

"He can't be serious!" Guilford gasped.

"The Emperor's gone mad!" Darlton added.

"Why must Britannia ally itself with that wretched abomination, Voltron, when we have gained an even greater ally?"

Allura, Coran, and C.C. were also watching and listening to the Emperor's speech from the inside of the castle. The Altean Princess was practically seething. Was this man truly that stubborn and shameless? Why did he refuse to see reason when they were extending a hand for an alliance.

The Emperor's last words, though, did catch them off guard, especially C.C. The immortal was shocked and confused as well at Charles's behavior.

'What the hell are you thinking, Charles?!' she thought, 'Making this proclamation will only turn the whole world against you and Britannia! Why would you make such a move if you still wish for Ragnarok to succeed?'

Red warning lights began to blare all over the bridge and throughout the castle. The Black Knights, still on standby in the launch bay, looked around in bewilderment.

"Princess, what's going on?!" Tohdoh demanded through his radio.

"We're not sure-"

"Allura!" Coran gasped, face paling as he turned to the main scanners, "The castle's picking up multiple vessels entering the atmosphere!"

"Pull it on screen!" the princess commanded.

As the castle pulled up its outer surveillance cameras, Allura's blood ran cold. C.C. and Coran also watched in equal horror.

One after another, Galra warships and fleets closed in, surrounding planet Earth.

"No…"

"No…!" Zero gasped as he looked to the sky and saw the same warships descending from space.

Everyone, Paladin, Japanese, Britannian, every citizen of Earth was frozen in terror as the very threat they had been warned of moments of ago came into visibility.

"From this point onward, Britannia stands not as an ally to Voltron, but as their enemy! And our new Galran allies have graciously offered their support in our crusade!"

"WHAT?!" Suzaku shouted, eyes wide and staring at the Emperor, who he could only think was outright insane!

From within the Viceroy's Palace, Schneizel el Britannia felt himself shaking as he witnessed the events unfold in front of him.

"Father, what madness is this?!"

"He…" Lelouch could barely get the words out of his mouth, "He's actually… joined them…?!"

"If you wish for Earth to stand with you, Zero, then you must fight us for it!" Charles challenged, a broad grin on his face, "Will you and your precious friends save this planet or destroy it?! Time to learn the gambles of war! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"

Having heard the final declaration from the nation's monarch, Commander Corza looked over her own forces. Forces that the Emperor had personally requested to oversee this… union.

She sneered at the choice of word, but she was an old Galra, and she knew her emperor well. The only reason he agreed to such an act was because it was more beneficial to proceed down this route. Had Haggar not established contact between this planet's hierarchy and Zarkon, they could have easily rained death and fire upon these lesser lifeforms and took the planet for themselves.

'Oh well,' she shrugged aloofly. The long game was sometimes necessary.

"Commander Corza," a robotic voice rang over the speakers, "all vessels are locked on."

The commander smiled. Let the fun begin.

"Open fire!"

Like wasps swarming from their nests, hundreds of Galra cruisers and fighters shrieked across the sky towards the SAZ. One that appeared to be faster than the rest swooped down and blasted rapidly into the center of the stadium.

Screams of terror and pain erupted as the ground exploded from the blasts.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. For the Paladins, the Japanese citizens, and several Britannians.

Then all hell broke loose as the Japanese panicked and began to run for the stadium's exits, only for many more to be blown away by more blasts from above.

This seemed to snap Zero from his horrified trance, and he leaped into action.

"Paladins!" he all but screamed into the comm in his helmet, "Defend the zone! Take down any Galran ship that you see! NOW!"

He barely heard the acknowledgment from his teammates as the Orange, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Red all roared in unison and rocketed up into the sky. It didn't take long for blue lasers and balls of fire to mix in with the purple, black, and red of the Galran attacks and debris.

"Lelouch!" Nunnally gasps, eyes large and panicked, clinging to her brother like a lifeline.

"We've got to ge-"

Before Lelouch could finish his sentence, he froze, along with Nunnally, Suzaku, Cornelia, Nonette, and Euphemia. It was like someone had hit the pause button on a movie screen.

Off to the side of the stage, a short, hooded figure crouched down, raising a pistol towards the group.

"Targets sighted," he said almost monotonously, his light violet eyes barely showing emotion at all.

His finger pulled down on the trigger.

BANG!

Blood spurted from Princess Euphemia's chest, but she made no move fall from the bullet's impact.

"First target eliminated…" the assassin confirmed before pointed his gun at his second victim, "and second tar-"

Yoru's eyes suddenly sparked to life, and the Purple Lion's head whipped towards the boy's direct, a malicious growl verberating from his maw. With a livid sounding roar, the lion lifted its paw and slammed down mere inches away from the boy's body.

With a grunt, the assassin landed with a gasp on his back, hood flying off his head, revealing light brunette locks and honey peach skin, the wind rushing from his lungs from the impact. He had managed to move out of the way in time before the paw crushed him, but his shock at the lion's sudden movement nearly cost him his life!

Despite this setback, though, he still had a mission, and he attempted to re-aim his gun at Nunnally's vulnerable head.

Then with a mighty leap that shook the ground, the Black Lion leaped into the air and landed directly in front of the adolescent gunman.

The young couldn't stop the scream of fright as Zenobia roared in his face, nearly shattering his eardrums. The lion then raised her tail, the end lighting up with intense blue light.

Any further coherent thoughts vanished as all, but primal instinct replaced the boy's mind as he immediately turned and ran for his life, his Geass flashing reactively as he felt himself be thrown backward from the force of Zenobia's tail laser obliterating the ground where he had been not two seconds previously.

Scrambling to his feet, the Geass assassin disappeared into the crowd of panicking Japanese citizens.

With a stumble, Lelouch regained his senses, Zenobia's roar still ringing in his ears, both mentally and literally.

"Wha-"

"EUPHIE!" The raw, anguished cry of his older sister caused Lelouch to whip around and gasp terror as he saw the princess lying in a pool of blood beneath her.

"NO!" Suzaku screamed, dropping to his knees and skidding to her side.

From the amount of blood already there, Lelouch could tell that Euphemia didn't have long.

Unless…

"Suzaku, get her back to the castle now!" Lelouch ordered desperately.

The Purple Paladins seemed to have the same idea, as he was already scooping Euphemia into his arms and sprinting towards Yoru's open mouth. The lion swallowed her Paladin and his injured cargo up before he was even inside her mouth and shot up into the sky.

"Nelly!" Nonette cried out before tackling the former viceroy to the ground as a round of bullets suddenly rained down on the stage. Lelouch did the same for Nunnally, shielding his sister, his armored back taking the brunt of several bullets.

But just as quickly, the quartet heard the sound of bullets again, but this time being fired away from them.

Looking up, Cornelia gasped to see several Gloucesters, her unit's Gloucesters, firing rapidly back at both Sutherlands and Galra fighters that flew close enough to the ground.

"Princess Cornelia! You must flee now!" Guilford's voice shouted from the cockpit of his Knightmare.

The princess in question stared in shock for a moment before speaking. "Why are you helping me?! You heard your emperor! I'm a traitor!"

"No!" the knight argued back, fervently, "The Emperor's the traitor here! Not you!"

"Our loyalty is to you, and you alone, Princess! Whoever that madman was, he was not the Emperor that leads our people!" Darlton added from his own Knightmare. Close by, the group noticed the specialized Knightmares of the Glaston Knights close by, also firing towards the sky and surrounding their father and the stage.

"...I thank you," Cornelia said softly, "All of you!"

"Lelouch!" Nonette exclaimed, "Get Nunnally out of here! We'll rally the troops down here and form a front here on the ground!"

The sky suddenly flashed with two large laser blasts, melting away several Galran fighters at once. As the smoke cleared, the Le Fey emerged, cannons and other artillery at the ready.

"Hm, an alien invasion," Lloyd Asplund said casually as if he was strolling through a peaceful park, "I'd say I'm surprised, but I'd be lying."

"What Lloyd means to say," Cecile's more frantic voice interrupted from the vessel's speakers, "is that we're in this fight too! We'll provide air support where we can!"

"But… you'll be slaughtered!" Lelouch exclaimed.

The Black Paladin then gasped as Cornelia approached and grasped his shoulders. At that moment, he didn't see the Goddess of Victory, the Witch of Britannia, not even the Second Princess of Britannia. He just saw Cornelia. His sister. His beloved older sibling, he once thought was gone forever.

"I'll be fine, Lelouch. Go, help your friends. Get Nunnally away from here," she said calmly but firmly, meeting his eye through his mask.

Lelouch finally nodded after a few seconds.

"Be careful," was all he said before turning to Nunnally.

"Let's go Nunnally!" he said urgently, gently grasping her forearm and running towards Zen.

"R-Right!" his younger sister gasped, nearly tripping over her feet. With a squeak, she soon found herself scooped into her brother's arms, one of his hands shielding her head as he darted into the Black Lion's mouth. After gently placing her back in the hover chair, now connected to the floor of the cockpit, Lelouch flung himself into his seat.

"Zen, let's go!" he shouted, and with a furious roar, the Black Lion pounced and shot into the sky.

Kallen screamed out a battle cry as Aka flung her jaw blade out. It ripped through several fighters, which exploded seconds later.

Corkscrewing around each other, Polaris with her sonic cannon active, and Maeraka's light bombs flashing, several Galrans suddenly either lost control of their vessels or were blinded enough that they ended up running head-on into other ships.

"This can't be happening… There's just no way!" Shirley muttered as she rammed into a cluster of v-formation ships.

"Well, I mean, I knew there was always the risk of this scenario, but…" Rivalz exclaimed almost hysterically.

"Guys, focus!" Rai snapped, Zerith blocking a barrage of lasers heading for Aka just in time, "If we get distracted, more people are going to die!"

Before anyone could respond, a large form shrieked past them, beelining towards the castle.

"What the-was that Yoru?!" Milly gasped.

"What's Suzaku doing?!" Rivalz gasped.

"Don't worry about him!" Lelouch ordered as Zenobia sliced through multiple ships, fires illuminating the lion's form behind her, "Rai's right! Focus on the enemy in front of you if you want to survive!"

"Lelouch, is Nunnally with you?" Kallen asked urgently.

"Yes, she's fine. We both are. Euphemia though… Suzaku's rushing her to the infirmary."

"What?!" Shirley gasped, "What happened?!"

Lelouch grit his teeth, "Someone-no, the Emperor tried to kill her…"

Seeing the Purple Lion returning to the castle, Allura, Coran, and C.C. raced to the lion's hanger. Shortly after the Emperor's announcement ended, the castle's link was cut. They only had access to the lion's commlinks but had no clue about the specifics that just transpired.

Nearly crashing onto the platform, Yoru screeched to a halt, not even stopping fully before lowering her mouth.

What came out had Allura gasping, hands flying to mouth. C.C. also froze.

"Oh, Alaaran…" Coran whispered as Suzaku held a blood-soaked Euphemia in his arms, his pristine white armor smeared crimson.

"Please! You have to save Euphie!" Suzaku gasped, his eyes wild, "Do something! You mustn't let her die!"

"Coran, prep a cryopod, now!" Allura frantically.

"Right away!" the advisor yelped before sprinting out of the hangar towards the infirmary.

With assistance from Guilford and Darlton, both Nonette and Cornelia managed to procure Gloucesters, both of which had float systems, for themselves. As they soared through the sky, staying close to the Le Fey, the princess saw that not only were the Galra fighters firing at the Japanese and other humans in their path, but several Sutherlands were also firing upon the people.

"What?!" she gasped. That couldn't be right! Euphemia had ordered those soldiers not to attack the Japanese.

Unless…

"You!" she shouted, accessing an open channel to the Sutherlands, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I don't see why a traitor should be concerned with these matters any longer!" came the response from the commanding officer of the units below.

Gritting her teeth, Cornelia didn't back down. "You were given strict orders before we were announced as traitors not to harm these people!"

"Apologies, Cornelia," the officer sneered, "But any orders from the Emperor trump those of any lowly princess!"

Now, everyone knew that Cornelia li Britannia had a temper, so if you wished to survive around her, it was best you didn't provoke it. However, if there was one thing that would instantly earn you her wrath, it was speaking ill in any way towards her sister.

Cornelia dove towards the massacre with a roar of challenge, Nonette and the rest of her faithful knights right behind her.

"No!" Rai gasped as he and the rest of the Paladins also witnessed a large number of Britannian forces turning on the Japanese. Bodies of men, women, and children were strewn everywhere, and neither the Britannians nor the Galra showed any signs of stopping.

"Why…?" Shirley cried, tears running down her cheeks.

"Even our own home?!" Rivalz uttered, eyes shaking.

Milly could only bow her head, feeling absolutely helpless.

"Lelouch, we need help!" Kallen shouted. Aka's head turned towards their leader.

"Yes…" Lelouch nodded, barely containing his own emotions of grief and anger. He promptly contacted the castle, accessing the channel that would speak from every point and room on the Castle of Lions.

"This is my order to all Black Knights!" he exclaimed, "Charles zi Britannia is now officially our enemy! The coward has sided with the Galra and openly declared anyone who sides with us as traitors, even fellow Britannians! All Black Knights and Paladins, wage an attack now! Wipe out all Galra and Britannian forces! Save the people! Hurry!"

#fanfic #code geass #voltron

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homesteadchronicles · 5 years ago

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Beyond the obviously SUPER COOL title of “sealscarred,” I want to know the nitty gritty details! As long as nothing is spoilery, of course: is it an actual scar, or is it more like a tattoo? Is its appearance magical, and does it always result in being crowned a royal? Does it move in families? Is there only one at a time? There are seven seals, right — is there a different scar for each one, appearing on different people? If not, which seal does Royan have? Is it significant somehow? How so?

HOO BOY, I was not expecting such an outcry about this but I am all too happy to share! Thank you for your interest, my friend. Let me dissect this, piece by piece. Buckle up, y’all, it’s gonna be a long ride:

Is a “Sealscar” an actual scar, or is it more of a tattoo?

For the most part, a Sealscar is more of an insignia inherently embedded in one’s skin. It is not necessarily raised, so a tattoo would be more accurate. Unlike tattoos (and the Earthfont runes, for that matter), however, Sealscars glow when in use and cannot be removed by any means.

While it’s true that most “Sealscars” aren’t actual scars, Royan’s is. This is because Royan was not born with his Seal, as all others are. Whatever happened just prior to this excerpt caused this Seal to appear.

Is its appearance magical? Does it move in families?

It’s genetics, actually! Seals are passed down through bloodlines, though it’s not guaranteed to inherit one. It’s quite difficult to do so, believe it or not!

There are rumors, though, that Seals can appear by other means. Some say great trauma can cause one’s dormant powers to awaken. Others say the proximity to a tear in the Veil can do the same. And the last theory is that contact with an otherworldly spirit can either grant or enhance one’s power.

Does it always result in being crowned a royal?

Not at all! In Royan’s case, he believes this because the old king - Sigurd, who bore the same seal as Royan now has - is now deceased. The old king’s heiress, Sigrid, has not yet undergone her coronation. Thus, the crown passes to Royan’s father - Magnus...for now. As Royan is Magnus’ oldest child, he will naturally inherit the throne. And even if he tried to contest it, give it to Sigrid as per her birthright, the people of their kingdom would want someone with a Seal on the throne. It’s more him believing this in fear and grief than anything else, although he has at least somewhat just cause to do so.

Throughout time, those with Seals have become military generals, folk heroes, wandering mercenaries, evil dictators, etc. It depends entirely on the person.

Is there only one at a time?

Now THAT is an interesting question! Technically speaking, no - there could be more than one in existence at any given time. In fact, there could be thousands of them! It was believed that, originally, everyone bore a Seal. However, there was a time - a long time - when Seals ceased to appear at all. After this, it seemed that only one of each ever appeared. Some say this is divine intervention for man’s powerhunger. Others believe it is mere coincidence. Scientists claim it is the adaptive method of the human body to avoid that which is unnatural to mortal man.

Are there seven seals? Do they look differently on different people?

Yes and no. There are seven Divine Seals. These are the original Seals believed to have been borne by the first humans to walk the earth. However, at some point in time, the bloodlines became...tainted. By what is, of course, hotly debated. Some say the Nephilim, some say mankind’s sin, some say simple genetic malfunction.

Seven new Seals eventually surfaced: the Profane Seals. These Seals appeared the same way as their Divine counterparts, but they would manifest upside-down and provide powers adjacent to their sister Seals. For example, the Divine Seal of the Timekeeper (Acceleration) can speed up something’s growth or accelerate one’s healing, while the Profane Seal of the Timekeeper (Accretion) would reverse the effects of one’s healing, cause structures to erode, etc.

Generally speaking, the Seals look distinct from one another. The Seal of the Skywatcher looks completely different from that of the Lightbringer. But two people bearing the Seal of the Lightbringer? No, their Seals would look the same. They may appear in different places on their body, but that’s about it!

The Seven Seals, along with their Divine and Profane variants, are as follows:

The Seal of Genesia, the Landmaker (Earth and Fire)

The Seal of Seleth, the Skywatcher (Wind and Lightning)

The Seal of Eveline, the Seawalker (Water and Ice)

The Seal of Cainan, the Lightbringer (Light and Darkness)

The Seal of Hasan, the Soultaker (Life and Death)

The Seal of Aeonir, the Timekeeper (Acceleration and Accretion)

The Seal of Inos, the Wayfarer (Astronomy and Dimensions)

What seal does Royan have?

Royan possesses the Divine Seal of the Timekeeper, thus possessing Dominion over Acceleration. Interestingly enough, his adoptive sister (and the former king’s daughter), Sigrid, bears the Profane Seal of the Timekeeper.

Is it significant?

I mean, in a book about a Seven-Sealed Vault, any Seal-bearing character is undoubtedly going to be significant lol but yes, it is significant both personally and universally! Personally, it sets Royan off on a journey to discover whether he is willing to embrace this newfound destiny or reject it entirely. Universally, it means that the world now knows of one person who can open a Seal on the Vault.

You see, only Divine Seals can open the Seven-Sealed Vault. Profane Seals have a...different purpose. Thus why Royan’s existence, coupled with the Vault’s discovery, sets Book One in motion.

___

Thank you for all the questions, my friend! If you want to read the excerpt that sparked these inquiries, click here!

#ask #incandescent-creativity #kingdom come #worldbuilding #the seven seals #lore #edenfell lore

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godzillagirl-14 · 5 years ago

Text

Wish Upon an Idol (Ch. 3)

Chapter 3

Pairing: ot7 x reader

Summary: The Bangtan boys have the ability to grant wishes (unbeknownst to you, the brand new addition to their friend group) So when you jokingly wish you had superpowers to “help the world in a way you knew how” what happens when you wake up the next day with extraordinary abilities?

Warnings: Drama, Angst, a lot of Action, smut (later on), and a bad attempt at being humorous

Warning for this chapter: Reader’s boss is a gross pervert.

Word Count: 2,903

Taglist: @mischiefmakerliesmith5 @snowythellama (if you want to be tagged, just let me know) :)

“.... Wait,” Out of every scenario he had prepared for in his head, Namjoon certainly wasn’t expecting you to just up and say how it was ‘cool’. “That’s it? No freaking out? No yelling at how you don’t believe us? Just ‘cool’?” To say they were astonished was an understatement.

“Yeah it’s cool! I mean you guys were just ordinary men and then out of nowhere you get thrust into a life where you can make people’s lives better just because of a simple good deed? That’s incredible!” you were practically bouncing in your seat, the way your beautiful (e/c) eyes sparkled in admiration distracting them for longer than they’d care to admit.

“So, you’re just going to believe that we gave you powers?” Jimin asked, eyeing you cautiously as you met his gaze. You raised an eyebrow at him, “I woke up to my bed being on fire. If this were some sort of elaborate prank, I would have already killed six out of seven of you.”

Visibly gulping as they had witnessed firsthand how brutal you can get when you are angry, they didn’t want to have a repeat event: An incident regarding a Halloween prank in which the boys thought it were a good idea to ambush you while wearing Jason Voorhees masks. Items were thrown and shrill screams filled the room. Once you figured out it was just your friends, they all shared a collection of bruises and angry death glares for weeks to come.

“Now that I think about it,” Yoongi leaned forward, elbows rested on his knees as he observed you. “How could you have possibly gotten your body temperature high enough to start a fire in your own bed?”

You were really hoping they wouldn’t ask you this question as you remembered the intense dream of a certain group of men who loomed over you as you sat naked and submissive. Whispered breaths, lingering kisses, scorching touches. Constant praises echoed in your ear about how much of a good girl you were as you choked around Namjoon’s cock while Hoseok fingered you from behind, the rest of the boys watching intently as you fell apart. Anyone would spontaneously combust after a dream like that!

You nervously scratched the back of your neck again, feeling the heat trace its way from your ears to your cheeks, and you were surprised you didn’t burst into flames again. Avoiding their gazes, you prayed to all the higher being that the boys around you couldn’t feel the heat radiating off of you. “Well, I- uh, I.” you fumbled over your words, wracking your brain for an explanation so you wouldn’t have to explain the fact you had a wet dream about them.

“I-I was dreaming that - uh, I was dreaming that I. . . was abducted by aliens. . . and then they just, ya know, tossed me into the sun,” Even you didn’t believe your story and by the telling of their shit eating grins, they didn’t believe you either. The elders of the group decided to spare you and not coddle you anymore, but you weren’t so lucky with the maknaes.

“Oooh, did our little (Y/n) have a dirty dream about someone?” There was a teasing lilt to Taehyung’s voice, but it barely masked the jealous undertones, that you obviously didn’t pick up on. You crossed your arms indignantly and pouted. You did in fact have a dirty dream about the men who you’ve come to love and trust over the months you got to know each of them. But were you going to admit that? Absolutely not.

“Geez, for someone who’s supposed to be older than me, you sure act like a bunch of children.”

You just realized that they were all older than you, by many more years than you had originally thought. Thinking that Jungkook only had a year on you when you first met, officially deeming you the youngest of your friend group, you didn’t think it were that big of an age gap. Now realizing that he had a couple thousand years on you, you were sorely mistaken. You were like a baby to them.

Ignoring that little sting to your pride, you rolled your eyes. “And for your information, no I did not have a ‘dirty’ dream. Not that it’s any of your business if I had one anyway.” Well, it technically was their business since it was them who were occupying your less-than-innocent thoughts.

They finally dropped the subject after teasing you for a few minutes, letting you breathe. The room was filled with the type of silence that wasn’t awkward, but a little tense. It gave you time to actually think about their words.

You had superpowers.

You could finally contribute into making the world a better place!

As you thought about it, you could even feel the energy of your powers surging through your body, making you feel as if you could fly. You couldn’t stop the giddy smile forming on your face even if you wanted to.

“So,” your voice cut through the silence, seven pairs of eyes focusing their attention on you. You tried to conceal your shaking hands as you practically trembled in excitement about your question.

“What powers did you give me?”

~ ~ ~

“Are you guys sure this is a good idea?” Looking around at all seven men, they gave you encouraging nods.

After explaining to you about the powers you had, the boys thought it would be a good idea to take you to a secluded area in which you could test them out. Deciding on going to a more forested area, away from the city and prying eyes, you found yourself in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by beautiful and tall trees, shielding you even more from other people. The serene sounds of nature flooded your senses and you tuned the boys out to listen some more.

You could hear birds chirping and the wind rustling the branches of the trees and the sounds of the insects crawling through the grass. “Do you guys hear that?” You asked, feeling yourself sway to the rhythm of the light breeze that swept past your face. You felt the tingles of the air from your scalp, all the way to the ends of your toes and you smiled. Looking towards the boys, you found that they were staring back at you with variations of confusion masking their faces. Remembering that you now had more enhanced senses than them, an embarrassed smile graced your features. “Uhm, nevermind.”

You walked to the center of the clearing, sitting down in the grass and listening for more things. You felt a hand grab your own and came face to face with Jimin. You don’t ever think you’d be able to get used to seeing them so clearly now, being able to pick up on every single gorgeous detail. He was smiling at you, and you could hear your heart picking up to an erratic pace, as you managed a smile of your own. “Tell us what you hear,” is all he said and you let out a breath, beginning to explain what you could hear to the best of your ability.

You told them that you could hear the sounds of the birds chirping from miles away, how you could smell the water of a small creek, feel the breeze brush against every pore of your face and the thrum of the earth against your fingertips. “It’s incredible,” you breathed. The twinkle in your (e/c) eyes was mesmerising and the way the sun shone on your (s/c) skin made you look ethereal. The boys were speechless.

Pressing your palms further into the ground, you exhaled, closing your eyes and connecting yourself to the nature around you even more. You felt the pulse of life around you, a strong humming that vibrated your body in a way that made you feel delightfully alive. Opening your eyes, you looked at the grass around you and a sudden instinct possessed you to say only one word; “Grow.”

The grass around you and your group of friends began to slowly rise, growing taller and taller to all of your astonishment. You urged it to stop with a single command and you don’t think you’ve ever smiled harder in your entire existence. “(Y/n)! your eyes!” one by one, seven heads turned toward you and locked onto your face. You stared back, confused and alarmed at Taehyung’s sudden outburst and looked between each of them for an explanation. Pulling out his phone and opening his camera, Yoongi held it out to you and you choked on your breath as you understood why they were so shocked.

Instead of the usual (e/c) color, your eyes were completely engulfed by a piercing, glowing white. Not even your pupils were visible. “Wow,” You examined them even more, waiting for something to happen and after a few more moments, they returned back to their natural color. “Holy shit!”

The boys chuckled and you laughed along with them, standing up in your spot. You contemplated your next move and an idea popped into your mind that had you bouncing like a kid in a candy store. “Ok, I wanna try something,” The look of determination on your face was adorable as you turned to them. “This is either going to work out amazingly, or get me seriously injured. But, that’s why you also gave me healing and regeneration!” You tried your best to convince them - and yourself- that everything was going to be fine.

“Well. . . ok. But please be careful.” Namjoon said, and you turned your attention to him, a cheeky grin on your lips. “I always am.” you sent him a wink, noticing the way his ears turned a cute shade of pink.

Holding your hands above your head, you concentrated on the wind blowing against your palms. You probably looked as ridiculous as you felt, but you continued on, wanting to see this through. Nothing was happening, so you dropped your hands with a sigh, moving farther away from the group as they watched you closely. You knew you could do this, you felt the connection thrumming through your blood. But feeling your powers and actually activating them were two different things.

Closing your eyes once again, you concentrated on the wind blowing around you. Seeking the connection you grasped onto it, taking hold of the wind as if it were a lasso and you felt the potential power in your body.

Blow, Blow, Blow. . .

The wind kicked up, swarming your body from all directions, you maneuvered it to be below you.

Blow, More Power, More wind. . .

As soon as the thoughts processed in your mind, you were suddenly blasted off the ground due to the wind building up beneath you. The shriek that left your mouth turned into a laugh of exhilaration as you were lifted way beyond the tops of the trees. You could see from miles away.

Then you came hurtling back to earth. You shrieked (again) and focused on the wind, manipulating it to catch your fall. You thankfully landed safely, however, not so gracefully as you were dropped on your ass. The boys immediately swarmed you, checking to see if you were ok, and you swat each of their hands away, bursting into hysterics. You were bouncing around, babbling about how you can’t believe it actually worked before you were blasted off the ground again, the sound your whooping echoing throughout the forest.

The boys watched as you twirled around, free-falling, and then catching yourself once again, only to bound higher up, traveling to and fro as you gave off the allusion that you could fly. A smile graced each of their lips, as they watched you land and bound off once more.

“Incredible indeed.”

~~~

You spent a couple more hours in the forest, testing out the extent of your powers before returning back to the city. The next day, the boys returned to the life of idols and you returned to your job at a local cafe. You were in the back, restocking items when he decided to make an appearance. Your manager, Jaehyun, never seemed to get the hint when you tell him that you’ve never been interested. You’ve had to put up with his wandering hands for so long, not being able to do anything but slap his hand away and stay in an open area so he wouldn’t try anything shady.

You would have reported him weeks ago, but you needed this job. And until you could find a better paying job, far far away from him, you were here to stay unfortunately. You did your best to ignore him, but you were never so lucky when it came to him.

“What’s up, sexy?” You cringed at his words. How could someone be so crude, and how could that person be your manager of all people?

“I’m busy, Jaehyun.” You replied, keeping your tone icy and refusing to meet his eyes.

“Awe, not too busy for me, I hope?” when you didn’t answer him, he snatched the cup out of your hand, forcing you to turn around and to meet his smirk with your scowl. “What do you say I take you out to a movie after work? I heard the new Avengers movie came out. What was it called? Final Game or something?”

Snatching the cup out of his hand you sneered at him, “Endgame. And no thanks, I’ve already seen it.” Turning back around you continued your work, but you heard his heart beating in his chest, which clued you into the fact that he was still behind you. “Ok, well, how about dinner? Ya know, wine and dine, then I take you back to my place to show you a good time?” You scoffed, choosing to ignore his comment.

“I have to get back to work.” You snapped, turning so you could finish putting the cups and lids in their places. You thought that he had finally gotten the hint - but of course he didn’t - when you felt a pair of hands place themselves on your waist and not so subtly rub their way down your body.

“You know you want this, sweetheart. So stop denying it. I know that every time you say no, you really mean yes.” His hands began to slide down to the area where you absolutely did not want him to touch.

Was he serious????

You were seething where you were standing and you just hoped that steam wasn’t coming out of your ears as your face practically burned in rage. Snatching his hand before he could unbutton and unzip your pants, you turned around, twisting his hand violently and feeling a tingle of delight when he cried out in pain.

“When a person says no,” you squeezed his hand, listening to him yell and clearly hearing the door opening and a shocked gasp. “They mean NO. They don’t mean ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ or ‘some other time’. Just because you can’t cope with rejection doesn’t mean you get to take advantage of your workers. I. Am not. Interested. And this is the last time I’m gonna tell you politely. So fuck off!”

You pushed him away from you and made your way back to the door when you felt his hand grab your arm, yanking you back and sneering a “I’m not done with you bitch,” in your face. Out of reflex, you quickly brought your fist up and connected it with his nose. Had this happened before you got your powers, it would have just bruised up. But now with the added strength, you were almost certain he would need surgery after hearing and feeling the crunch when you threw the punch.

Effectively knocking him to the floor, you stepped away and marched to grab your bag and jacket as you knew that you had just quit your job in the most violent way. You were a woman on a mission, ignoring the employees who just stood and watched, some even recording the whole thing, and making your way to the front to leave. You had just gotten to the cash register, almost out the door, when you heard a growl and your ex manager came bursting through the door, cradling his bloody nose and throwing a heated glare your way.

“You just lost your job, you ungrateful little slut! Good luck finding someplace else that would treat you the way we did!” You scoffed at that, steadying your breathing so you wouldn’t end up killing this guy.

“As if I want another job where my boss treated me like a piece of meat and constantly groped me even when I said no! I would rather scrub the leaches out of the devil’s asshole than work for you!”

A stunned silence fell over the entire cafe, and with your final and creative choice of wording, you stormed out the cafe.

Alrighty! So, this is probably long overdue, but I have not been able to find the time to update anything. But on the bright side, I have tons of ideas for stories/one-shots, so look forward to those in the far future.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think! Your feedback is always welcomed!

#bts #bts x reader #kim namjoon #kim taehyung #kim seokjin #jung hoseok #min yoongi #park jimim #jeon jungkook #ot7 x reader #hoseok x reader #jungkook x reader #jimin x reader #yoongi x reader #namjoon x reader #seokjin x reader #taehyung x reader #bts series #bts imagines

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thinkersplayground · 4 years ago

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It is really laughable to see what different ideas are prominent in various naturalists’ minds, when they speak of ‘species’… It all comes, I believe, from trying to define the indefinable. —Charles Darwin, letter to Johnathan Hooker (December 24th, 1856)

One of the ideas that still misdirects thinking in much of the world is Creationism: That life and all of its diversity came into being through a supernatural act of God, rather than through natural forces that are gradually developing over time.

Despite an ever-growing amount of evidence, creationists, under the guise of Intelligent Design, still try to oppose the natural origins of life with specious argumentation.

Although nearly every culture had creation myths, the Judaeo-Christian story that God created the Universe from nothing in seven days has thrived for almost three thousand years, and is undoubtably the most prevalent creation myth.

The concept of distinct groups of living things is tacitly baked into Judaeo-Christian belief. God created plants, animals, then humans on different days; The entire sub-order of snakes (Serpentes) was cursed by God to crawl on its belly for deceiving Eve; Humans are considered to be distinctly different from animals, and were granted dominion over them; and didn’t God instruct Noah to take two of every kind on his Ark to preserve them (species is Latin for kind)?

Western philosophy has also played a key role in shaping how we perceive and organise various categories of living things, with Plato and Aristotle being the most notable contributors. Plato’s introduction of Universal Forms claimed that there are ideal forms of each thing, and that all of the real things we see on Earth are merely copies of them. In other words, somewhere outside of space and time, there exists a perfect blueprint for a dog, and your pet dog is an imperfect attempt to copy this perfect dog. This claim presupposes the existence of a particular thing called “dog” that has always existed and will always exist, cementing the species dog for eternity.

Aristotle was, in many ways, a more sensible philosopher than his predecessor Plato. He laid many of the foundations for modern science, including the idea that the Universe is made up of continual and causally connected series of events—everything is part of a single continuous process. However, in an effort to better understand the world, Aristotle named and categorised every living thing around him—which again, enforced the notion of separate and distinct categories of living things.

One doesn’t have to be an ancient philosopher to conclude that there are separate and distinct groups of living creatures. When we look around, we see that butterflies are different from bees, and dogs are different from dandelions. And for most of our history, people would only come into contact with a handful of the different forms of life that we now know of.

It should be fairly uncontroversial then to claim that our personal experience, our shared belief systems, and the roots of our cultural philosophies have all trained us to perceive the natural world as being separated into different and distinct groups of living things.

On the Origin of Species

Until about two hundred years ago, this way of thinking remained essentially unchallenged, but started to shift when a group of scientific thinkers known as “naturalists” began to recognise and speculate over the dynamics of evolution. Most notably, Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species presented an alternative view of life in which the diversity we see gradually emerged over an immense amount of time, and that all species probably shared a single common ancestor.

I believe that animals have descended from at most only four or five progenitors, and plants from an equal or lesser number. Analogy would lead me one step further, namely to the belief that all animals and plants have descended from some one prototype… Therefore I should infer from analogy that probably all organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from some one primordial form, into which life was first breathed. —Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species

Around the same time, fossils of extinct species were beginning to be discovered and studied, and the science of palaeontology emerged. Our increasing understanding of the historical fossil record, and advancements in genetics and microbiology have all tested and validated the essence of Darwin’s ideas.

Still, recent Gallup Polls show that over 40% of people in the USA believe that God created all life on Earth in its present form.

“Intelligent Design”

Religious opposition to the view that life’s origins are natural tends to centre around deliberately misleading claims. Proponents of Intelligent Design (creationism disguised as science) can often be caught misrepresenting scientific ideas in the hope that their audience is not able to recognise the flaws in their arguments.

One of the most common arguments against a natural origin of life, which intelligent designists like to make, is to claim that:

Evolution can only occur within a species, and cannot create new species.

In other words, dogs can be domesticated from wolves, but breeding dogs could never create something that is not a dog. New species, it is presumed, can only be created in the mind of the Creator.

The problem with this argument is that it’s based on a somewhat false premise, and one that was created by biologists.

The problem with species

Many biologists have struggled with providing clear rules for defining what makes a species distinct from another. When scrutinised, the rules for separating the different types of living things all seem to have problems with them. There isn’t even an agreement on the number of different definitions of species, let alone an agreement on a definition (some consider there to be seven main definitions, some twenty-six, some thirty, and so on). This is known as The Species Problem.

This is not a new problem. In On the Origin of Species, Darwin wrote:

Nor shall I here discuss the various definitions which have been given of the term species. No one definition has as yet satisfied all naturalists; yet every naturalist knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a species.

To provide just a few examples of species definitions: The Phenetic Species Concept defines a species as a group of organisms that look significantly similar to each other. The Recognition Species Concept defines a species as a group of organisms that will recognise each other as mates. And the Genealogical Species Concept defines a species by how genetically similar organisms are to each other in comparison to other groups

But the definition that has become the most popular, is what is known as the Biological Species Concept, which describes a species as the largest group that can potentially breed with each other, and share in a gene pool.

No term is more difficult to define than “species,” and on no point are zoologists more divided than as to what should be understood by this word. —H. A. Nicholson

Proponents of Intelligent Design use this Biological Species Concept to argue that natural selection can not explain the diversity of life, since a species can, by definition, only interbreed within its own gene pool, and will only produce offspring that are also of their same species. And so, organisms are perpetually trapped to share genetic information only within the confines of their species. In technical terms, they allow for microevolution (which is irrefutable), but not macroevolution (which may challenge deeply held religious beliefs).

But the slow and gradual process of small changes producing new species (which they deny) can be seen in action in a phenomenon known as ring species—populations that can share a gene pool with a more distant population through an intermediary population.

For example, suppose population A and population B are similar enough to interbreed. And population B and population C are similar enough to interbreed. But A and C are geographically separated, and A is too genetically distant from C to interbreed. In such cases, A and B could be considered the same species, and B and C the same species, but A and C are, by our definition, distinct species.

There are numerous examples of ring species in nature, sometimes with many compatible intermediary populations, but two or more that are incompatible at the extremes. This can be thought of as a geographical example of what has probably taken place over time, for hundreds of millions of years—just replace the geographical barrier separating the different populations for a time barrier instead.

It should be apparent then, that even our best working definition of species cannot accurately model the reality of the diversity found in nature.

The glaring problem with the creationist argument about species is that species don’t really exist—at least not in the way that they would like them to. Rather, they are a construct created by humans to help us make sense of the world.

The concept of a species is a concession to our linguistic habits and neurological mechanisms. —John B. S. Haldane

Often in nature, things change gradually, slowly, and by degree. It’s only when enough changes in degree have taken place that we perceive them to be a difference in kind. In reality, the natural world is a near-infinite collection of individual entities that are more or less related to each other by degree.

To help us organise and make sense of the infinite diversity found in nature, we have to create some system that allows us to identify and describe the differences and similarities that exist at every level of life, and biologists have done well with this Herculean task. But these groupings will always be arbitrary, or suitable for certain purposes but not for others.

The claim that evolution can only occur within a species, and can never lead to new species, can be demonstrated false by recognising that there isn’t such a thing as species to begin with. The bold lines and distinct categories between different groups of species that creationists would like there to be, simply do not exist.

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moviepower · 4 years ago

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Why do people criticize Jojo Rabbit?

We'd say that this is uncharted territory for distributor Disney, but the company did previously give us their futures face. Hmm. I saw Jojo Rabbit in the best place I could for movies, in my opinion.

For this list, we're looking at why Tyco ITTS 2019 black comedy has proven. So polarizing for critics just to clarify the critical reception thus far has been mostly positive and even watch mojo gave the film a rave review following its TIFF premiere.

Nevertheless, we can definitely see why a movie like this. Wouldn't win audiences over everywhere. Hey Joe, Joe, my old friend. Hi adults. Number 10, the controversial premise. I don't think I can do this last. Of course you can simply by reading it synopsis, you can tell why Jojo rabbit has stirred up so much controversy.

In the midst of world war II, a young German boy named Joe Joe dreams of becoming a Nazi upon learning that his mother has been harboring a Jewish girl in the attic though, Jo Jo begins to reevaluate his outlook on life. I tell them you will be in big trouble throughout this coming of age journey. Our titular character is guided by his imaginary friend.

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Is it worth to watch Jojo Rabbit full movie

Who just so happens to be a flamboyantly incompetent, Adolf Hitler, as inventive as the premises, it was guaranteed to ignite passionate feelings. Critics are unsurprisingly split as to whether the film's premise is inspired or irresponsible. I wish more of our young boys had your blind fanaticism. Okay.

Number nine, how it stacks up to other satires and this world is ruined for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way Jojo rabbit. Isn't the first film to satirize Hitler or Nazis 1940 twos to be, or not to be was criticized upon release for its farcical, spin of Nazi occupied Poland.

But today is viewed as a comedy classic. I know you're quite famous in London kernel. They call you concentration camp Earhart. Yes. Yes, we do the concentrating and the poles do the camping Hitler. Technically isn't the protagonist and the great dictator. It's obvious who Charlie Chaplin was parodying. We can learn more about actress playing mother Jojo on Wikipedia.

Arguably the most famous sendup of Nazi Germany is Mel Brooks. The producers. In which two con men put on an intentionally horrible musical entitled springtime for Hitler. Practically a love letter to this own run a week week. Are you kidding display? It's got the close on page four. Some critics are ready to place Jojo rabbit alongside these revolutionary respected comedy.

What do critics write in reviews about Jojo Rabbit?

Others, however, would claim that the film has more in common with the bridge sit-com Hile, honey I'm home, which was so misguided and tasteless that it only lasted one episode. Oh 10 night. You will make an schnitzel. What a joke. You must be real mad at me, honey. I'm a very, very bad Hitler. Number eight, what's going on in the real world right now?

Fuck man. The house, although world war II is in the past. The same, unfortunately can not be said about bigotry. Nowhere was this more apparent than at the 2017 unite the right rally in Charlottesville, which attracted several hate groups, including neo-Nazis. Since prejudice and discrimination remain prevalent in today's world.

It's obvious why various critics would object to a film that makes light of Nazi Germany. Nevertheless, satire can reflect modern times as well as history in ways that straightforward drama can't. Some might argue that now isn't the right time for a Nazi satire, but others would debate that society needs a movie like Jojo rabbit. A great story about the Irishman is here.

Now more than ever, you're not to nuts. Jojo, tenue kids likes dressing up in front of you. If somebody wants to be part of a club. Number seven, the humor, the best weekend ever.

Soundtrack in the highest level of production

Wow. Your enjoyment of Jojo rabbit will hinder on how hard you laugh. Or of course, if you laugh, the film didn't tickle. Roger Freedman. Funnybone who wrote in his showbiz four one, one review Jojo rabbit is actually borderline antisemitic offensive on many levels and not even funny. Sam Adams of slate couldn't have disagreed more proclaiming for Jojo rabbit comedy.

Isn't a means to minimize, but to analyze wise, to pry at the way, hateful ideologies can be embraced as a comfort and how beneath their promise to. Blame how the world really works is an understanding no more sophisticated than a child's it's time to buy some books. Since humor is subjective, we guess there isn't always going to be a clear line between what's offensively funny and what's just plain offensive.

Oh God. Number six. Jewish jokes. Did you know, Jews can Z to each other's mind. So tell us, you know, who saw one? They could look just like us of Tyco. ITT satire is clearly the Nazis. However, the director who's of Jewish and Maori heritage also pokes fun at Judaism. Hi, well, the real Jordan Rumi was horrified by the audience's reception at the screening he attended.

Writing, you have no idea how it is to be surrounded by thousands of people laughing at jokes, specifically directed at Jews. That being said, Rumi seemed to be in the minority of a group that found the film. Hilarious. As with Borat and South park, many would argue that the humor and Jojo rabbit isn't intended to mock the Jewish faith, but to criticize how ignorant and Semites are a cute number five, the life is beautiful comparison, right?

Jojo Rabbit's reaction to mom's death

Yeah. Critics have stocked a Jojo rabbit up against numerous other films. But life is beautiful. Seems to be the one that's invited the most comparisons this 1997, Italian dromedy also presented world war II through a lighthearted lens, centering on a Jewish man who uses humor and imagination to shield his son from the horrors of the Holocaust. It's interesting what they write about this movie on Amazon.

Well, the film won an Academy award for best foreign language film, and even got nominated for best picture. There were those who found the movies comedic tone, inappropriate. Over two decades later, we will continue to debate if the movie is a life affirming fable or a dated misfire. It's actually eerie how much these two films have in common, especially since both one TIFs peoples choice award.

That is the strongest thing in the world. Number four, is it shocking enough? I was your age. I had an imaginary friend come in so much stuff even before the first trailer dropped Jojo rabbit was being built up as one of 20 nineteens most controversial movies. Weirdly enough though, some critics have expressed disappointment that the film isn't more shocking.

Well, audiences have arguably gotten more sensitive with time. There are still patrons who crave comedy that pushes the envelope to its limits. It's time to burn some books. Brian Talarico of the Chicago sun times felt Jojo rabbit played it too safe. Writing the final scenes of Jojo rabbit are too easy for a film that needs to be dangerous and daring.

Are the best scenes already included in the trailer?

Even if the film doesn't go all out with its edgy concept. Seeing Tyco, ITT dresses, Adolf Hitler will be more than enough to make a few jobs drop. What am I going to do? No idea. Going down the house in Glen Winston church one, negotiate number three. It's depiction of Nazis. The playlist Charles romesco took issue with the films, humanization of antisemites writing.

YTT concedes that a good percentage of Nazis really do hold hate in their heart. But maintains that at least some of them aren't you two seem to be getting on. Well, it doesn't seem like a bad cost. How much pain and suffering the Nazis caused many audiences will understandably struggle with this message.

However, if Ron Jones proved anything with his third wave social experiment in 1967, it's that even ordinary people can get swept up in the dangerous ideals of fascism. Likewise, Jojo rabbit poses, a challenging question. If we're not willing to acknowledge the bad and the good in people, how can we ever rid ourselves of prejudice?

Nothing makes sense anymore. Yeah, I know. It's definitely not a good time to be a Nazi. Number two it's message. And mother took me. She's kind me like a person, whatever your thoughts on Jojo rabbit, Tyco ITT clearly wanted to spread an anti hate message. YTT also claims that he started writing the screenplay before Nazis regained relevance in the media.

There's little doubt that why TTS intent was noble, whether or not the final product successfully gets his message across is where critics are split. A doubt of the a V club felt that making fun of Nazi Germany had been done before. Thus taking away from the movies, broader anti hate theme. Peter Howell begged to differ in his Toronto star review writing Taika YTT knocks it out of deer park with the meaningful lunacy of his anti hate satire, which is equal parts.

Adolf Hitler's thread in the movie

Mel Brooks, West Henderson, and own whimsical brilliance growing up too fast. Ten-year-olds and the celebrating war and talking politics. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified a better latest videos. You'll have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.

If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications. Number one it's depiction of Hitler. Well, they call me a scared rabbits. Okay. Let's address the giant rabbit in the room. Tyco YTT spends most of his screen time prancing around in a Nazi uniform and toothbrush mustache. If you want, you can read here about preparations for making a movie and other curiosities.

Without a doubt, YTT, didn't set out to deliver a serious or dignified portrayal of Hitler. Rather YTT aspired to make the fewer look as goofy and idiotic as possible. Oh, . Just painting Hitler as a wacky, even likable buffoon desensitized us to the atrocities. He committed though. Some may say yes while others may argue that it leaves audiences more informed and open-minded.

At the end of the day, everyone is going to have a different opinion of Jojo. Let them say whatever they want. People used to say a lot of nasty things about me. Oh, this guy's a lunatic. Oh, look at that psycho. He's going to get us all killed. Do you agree with our picks, check out this other recent clip from watch mojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

#jojo rabbit #movie #movies #netflix #hbo

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my-miraculous-headcanons · 6 years ago

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The Sorceress AU

In which everything is almost exactly the same... except Marinette was born into a family of sorceresses, and knew about the magical world ever since her abilities bloomed when she was a child.

Background Stuff

• Tikki was honestly baffled by the Guardian’s decision, at first. A Guardian has never chosen someone already in possession of magical talent— it’s dangerous to even consider it. It’s too much power in the hands of someone who already has power to begin with.

• She quickly learns that she shouldn’t have been so wary of the Guardian’s choice. Marinette is an exceptional Ladybug, with a heart of gold, who, despite having such an abundance of power, never lets any of it go to her head.

• It’s not really so much as the Guardian’s choice that she’s so wary about now, so much as how the miraculous will... interact with Marinette’s already existing abilities.

• In the end, both Tikki and Marinette agree to not use any of her magic while in the Ladybug suit. They don’t really want to test anything out, since magic is... well. Dangerous. Experimentation with magic is especially dangerous.

• However, that doesn’t stop Marinette from experimenting outside the mask. In fact, her family is known for experimentation. The Cheng family in particular has a long history of discovering and creating new magic spells, whilst the Dupain family has a book filled with the different potions that had been created with each generation.

• Marinette made her first spell when she was four. She shows it to Tikki— the spell that plucks stars out of the sky and weaves them into your hair, turning it into the night itself. Nearly a decade later, and it’s still her favourite spell. She’s trying to figure out how to alter it so she can use it on a dress she’s making.

• Marinette made her first potion when she was seven. She lovingly calls it the “Muse Potion,” a potion that conjures the perfect image in a waft of smoke that inspires any person who sees it. It has certainly helped her through design slumps.

• Ladybug never tells Chat Noir or anyone that she’s a sorceress (in training). Chat Noir remains oblivious to her abilities, since she never uses it in battle. (Even when she’s really, really tempted to, sometimes.)

• Marinette never tells anyone as a civilian either, not even Alya. There’s strict rules on keeping the nonmagical out of the magical community. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t use magic often— in fact she uses it all the time, sometimes unconsciously. For example, she had accidentally infused the lucky charm she gave Adrien with a minor good luck spell.

• After becoming Ladybug, Marinette had discovered a purification spell completely by accident. She saw an akuma flying about the park, and as it passed her while she sat under a tree, she reached out and grabbed it by the wing. It turned white where the wing and her fingers touched, spread, and suddenly the evil color was just... gone.

• This gets Marinette wondering what other spells from her Ladybug life she can replicate. Tikki usually wouldn’t ever allow this, but as long as Marinette doesn’t record these particular spells, she will let it slide.

• Marinette created almost a perfect replica of the Ladybug Lucky Charm spell, except the items she gets are completely red, never spotted. She also created a Miraculous Cure spell, except it’s nowhere near as powerful as Ladybug’s, and it doesn’t specifically focus on damage caused by akuma. She used it on her room, and it fixed pretty much everything that was broken, soiled, etc.

Story time!

• Ladybug’s secret as a sorceress remains intact, but... it turns out as a civilian, she’s not as lucky.

• Marinette performs a purification spell on an Akuma she finds fluttering about in the school hallway, thinking that no one is around to see her. False. Adrien, who had just got back from a photoshoot, sees her, and nearly has an aneurysm.

• Adrien quickly hides under the stairs and watches as Marinette walks back into the classroom, and has a silent freak out. He asks Plagg if Ladybug can purify akumas outside of the suit, to which the kwami replies hell no, which just makes the whole thing a thousand times more confusing.

• He asks if Hawkmoth can purify his own akuma. Plagg says yeah, technically, and Adrien is even further dying because omg is Marinette Hawkmoth and if she is why the fuck did she just purify her own akuma??? WAS THAT OLD MAN’S FACE AND VOICE FROM THE BEGINNING JUST A COVERUP SO THAT NO ONE WOULD SUSPECT HER??? HOW COULD THE SWEETEST GIRL IN THE WORLD BE A TERRORIST WHAT IS GOING ON???

• Adrien has to walk into class, sit down, and go through the rest of the day pretending as if absolutely nothing is wrong. Plagg, for some reason, finds this entire thing hilarious, but Adrien is not fucking laughing.

• At the end of the day, he transforms into Chat Noir, runs to her place, sees her in front of the bakery, and pretty much kidnaps Marinette. Like, straight up snatches her off the street.

• She has quite a few Words for Chat Noir when he finally puts her down on some random rooftop a far distance away from her home, but he doesn’t really let her start, instead immediately interrogating her.

• “Are you Hawkmoth? What are your reasons for terrorizing Paris? How did you come into possession of the butterfly miraculous? Why on earth would someone as kind as you ever twist the negative emotions of the very people you care about? What—”

• “I’m sorry, but what the fuck?”

• Marinette is furious. Furious enough that she just fucking decks the superhero in the face, and attempts to stomp away, because she refuses to deal with a fucking idiot. Unfortunate, the cat has other plans, so he grabs her wrist and keeps her in place.

• “Let me go!” “Answer my questions!” “I’M NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS OF AN IDIOT WHO’S ACCUSING ME OF BEING SOMETHING I’M NOT WITHOUT ANY PROOF OR REASON!” “YOU ABSORBED THE ENERGY OF A FREAKING AKUMA IN YOUR SCHOOL HALLWAY!”

• Everything’s quiet for a moment while Marinette settles that information in her head. She lets out a quiet, but heartfelt ‘fuck’ from under her breath. Chat takes this as a sign of admission and demands that she hands over the butterfly miraculous.

• So... at this point, if she wants to clear her name, she really doesn’t have any other option than to... out herself. And technically, the rules apply to nonmagical people, and Chat Noir... has magic. So it’s not really breaking the rules, right?

• “Chat. It was a spell. I performed a spell. I don’t have the butterfly miraculous, I’m the fucking real-life version of Matilda here. I figured out a spell replicating Ladybug’s purification magic. I’m a sorceress, Chat.”

• Chat’s response is “You’re a what?” Quite frankly, this is beginning to sound eerily similar to Harry Potter, except the conversation is somehow inverted.

• “The Dupain and Cheng families are two extensive families with a knack for magic, and are both well-known in the magical community. I’m a sorceress in training.”

• Okay. So. He may have a magical ring, and he may run around Paris in a magical skintight leather catsuit, but this is a little too much. So, in response, he demands that Marinette proves it. On a random rooftop. In public. With people down below taking pictures of their local superhero. Yeah, great idea Chat, you fucking moron—

• She proves it by zipping his lips shut and refusing to undo it until he brings her back home. Not before loudly wondering if she would do Paris a favour by leaving him like that. (In her defense, he seriously pissed her off.)

• She undoes it the moment her feet meets the floorboards of her balcony.

• “I believe you now.”

• “I’d call you a fucking idiot if you didn’t believe me at this point.”

• Chat Noir goes home that day and proceeds to scream into his pillow.

Adrien Knows Now

• Turns out, hiding the fact that you know someone else’s secret is, like, a million times harder than keeping your own secret. He can’t help but focus on Marinette wherever she goes now, because, well... What other magic has she been doing without anyone noticing?

• He notices that she talks to her bag sometimes, which would be weird if he noticed that before he found out she’s basically a witch. (Sorceress, she said, but really? She’s a witch. It’s easier to call her a witch. Just... not to her face.) He wonders if she has some magical being in there, or a familiar, or maybe she even enchanted her bag so it has a soul or— or something.

• He catches her conjuring up a mock-up version of Lucky Charm and nearly has a heart attack. The item isn’t spotted, so he knows it’s not a real one, but that’s still... wow.

• He realises one day after leaving his Marinette Lucky Charm at home by accident that his luck all of a sudden got worse... And then he comes to the abrupt realisation that it may actually be fucking lucky. Marinette gave him an ACTUAL good luck charm.

• Does Alya know? He keeps trying to make sly conversation with Alya about what... other things Marinette can do, but he’s come to the conclusion that Alya definitely doesn’t know. In fact, he’s pretty sure he accidentally gave her the impression that he was asking if Marinette can do... stuff in the bedroom, which is why Alya’s been high-key hating him since that conversation. She doesn’t let him go anywhere near Marinette now. (Plagg finds this hilarious. Plagg can shut the fuck up.)

• He corrects the misunderstanding later by saying he was asking if Marinette can crochet, too, and that he forgot the word for it. Alya believes him, but he’s on thin fucking ice now. Watch yourself, Agreste.

• Now every time he tries to talk to Marinette, Alya’s glaring at him over her shoulder. Which makes things infinitely harder, because at this point, he doesn’t think he can keep the fact that he knows Marinette’s secret from her any longer. He needs to tell her but... How is he supposed to do that with Alya always there, silently threatening to skin him alive???

• He finds his answer shortly after. He knocks on the Dupain-Cheng’s front door, gets invited in, and— and apparently, they forgot that they had a floating flowerpot beside their window. He doesn’t need to confront Marinette at all. He just needed to catch her parents in the act.

• They’re freaking the hell out, and Adrien realises now that he doesn’t really need to make up an excuse as to how he figured out Marinette is a witch. (Sorceress. Whatever.) He’s pretty sure if he confronted her about cleansing the Akuma, she might suspect that he’s Chat Noir. Because she’s smart like that. (Lmao Adrien... you have no idea how oblivious this girl is.)

• M. and Mme. Dupain-Cheng give him a lesson on their history and stress the importance of keeping this a secret. In fact, they go into detail about their family and it’s— it’s fascinating. Holy hell is it fascinating. Marinette is, like, magic royalty or something, not just “well known.” And a prodigy, at that. Each member of the Cheng family even have their own titles, all written down in some ancient book with an unlimited amount of pages, including the achievements of each member. Marinette doesn’t have a title yet, she will when she completes an important “test,” but she has... a whole page worth’s of achievements under her name. Apparently, she’s beaten the record for inventing the most spells. “She’s just so creative,” Sabine says. “She’s always coming up with ideas, and she doesn’t like to leave a single one unfinished. She’ll always keep trying until she brings her idea to life.”

• Marinette comes home to find Adrien flipping through her family’s super fucking secret ancestry book in front of her parents and nearly has a straight up heart attack. So. Her crush knows now. Along with the beloved Parisian cat superhero, but her parents don’t know that nor will they ever. She can,,, she can deal with this.

• She can’t deal with this. She has two different blond boys attacking her with questions at different times of day and, honestly, she never thought she could lose her patience with either one of them so quickly and horribly. Especially with Adrien. She’s three seconds away from snapping at him for asking her a question in public again. It’s a secret for a reason, you dumb sunshine child!!! You’re so lucky I love you!!!

• Alya is baffled as to why Marinette is trying so hard to avoid Adrien now. It’s a... very new development. Her suspicions with him grow, like, 100000% and she goes to ask him what the FUCK did he pull with her best friend, and he desperately tries to convince her that he didn’t do anything for fuck’s sake Alya stop scARING THE SHIT OUT OF ME I SWEAR I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING

• Chat Noir is trickier to avoid. In fact, she can’t avoid him. He comes to her and either kidnaps her off the streets or from school, or waits on her balcony and receptively knocks on her glass window until she gets so annoyed that she has no choice but to let him in, for the sake of her own sanity.

• She gets used to Chat Noir leaning his head on her shoulder while she makes potions for her training and tests. In fact, his purring is calming, although she’d never admit that to him. He only really knows for sure that Marinette actually enjoys his company when she invites him to her milestone ceremony, where she finally earns her permanent title through a test. It was an exciting night.

The Reveal

• The reveal happens when Ladybug decides to break her promise to Tikki and perform magic whilst in the mask. She didn’t want to, but it was an emergency situation— her miraculous almost got destroyed. Oh, and, uh, herself too. She almost died along with the miraculous. Obviously, she had to do something. Tikki will understand.

• She pulled the spell off without a hitch, but she does admit that it felt... very strange. She can’t put her finger on it. But whatever, she stopped the time surrounding a destructive beam, suspending it midair. She turns, ready to take on the akuma, and then she sees Chat’s face and— and there’s realisation there. He knows. He’s spent enough time with Marinette to know how a sorceress performs her spells.

• It doesn’t take long for him to piece together her identity. And it doesn’t take long for him to have an absolute freak out over it. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, remarkable sorceress, designer of a Jagged Stone album cover and glasses, winner of a Gabriel Agreste fashion contest, class president... and also, apparently, the fucking superhero of Paris. She is... so ridiculously far out of his league, it’s not even funny. He’s screwed. SCREWED. It’s over. He’s going to die alone, with, like, a million cats. (Hah.)

• Once Adrien gets over his complete meltdown, he and Marinette are able to talk to each other. She sits him down in her room, wraps him in a blanket, gives him a mug of hot cocoa and a plate of cookies, and lets him meet Tikki. Everything is a lot less terrifying and awkward after that. They end up staying up late, Marinette now feeling as if she can share everything with Chat.

• "My lady... Don’t you want to know who I am, too?” “You don’t need to reveal anything right now, chaton. Tell me when you think it’s the perfect moment. I don’t wanna overwhelm you. Or me. Either of us.”

• He tells her after she finally gains her title, and asks her out on a date. Her answer is a resounding hell yes— except he shouldn’t be too excited, because apparently he’s been twice as annoying as she thought he was being, so he’s not allowed to see her at night for the next month. This is what he gets for badgering her as both Adrien and Chat Noir.

• Alya is very, very confused by how Marinette suddenly goes from one day completely avoiding Adrien’s very existence, to telling her she and him are dating. What the hell happened, here?

I hope you guys liked this AU for Spoopy Month. If you’re wondering about Sabine and Marinette’s titles, it’s Sabine the Decisive and Marinette the Creative.

I can see Adrien as being the type to create... huge misunderstandings bc he keeps saying things that accidentally sound offensive, suggestive, or passive aggressive without meaning to. It’s a personal hc of mine.

I had an entirely different draft for this exact AU with a different storyline, one that I may post in like... the far future. But for now, I like the way this one turned out. The other draft is significantly less organised. (Although, the other draft has sorceress reveals for ALL of Marinette’s friends, and it’s great. Uuuugh, I was so conflicted over which one to post. I might call the other one the Witch AU and keep this one the Sorceress AU.)

#Marichat #Ladynoir #Adrienette #Adrinette #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Marinette Cheng #Alya Cesaire #ML #Miraculous Ladybug #Ladybug #Chat Noir #Maximilian Speaks #Sorceress AU

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