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jungkookstatts · 11 months ago

Text

As Thunder Rolls

[Summary]: You know Taehyung is the one. You knew it since the first day you saw him, when thunder rolled through the sky. But your lives don't collide. They might be too different to choose both.

[Theme]: Rich Reader, Law Student Reader, Construction Worker TH, Poor TH, Rich Girl Poor Boy AU

[Rating]: 18+ for sexual themes, sexual content, unprotected sex, kissing, making out, marking, angst, familial separation, topics of class, and triggering opinions of some characters

[Word Count]: 8,296

[A/N]: First TH fic!! I hope it is enjoyable~ This might be my last fic for a little bit. Going to be focusing on school and working really hard until the summertime :)

People say that when you fall in love, your life develops new meaning. They say that your life changes as you fall, and you watch it spiral out of your control over a silly feeling you can’t help.

You can say that the people, whoever they may be, are correct. Love happened to you quite unexpectedly, and completely out of the box you put your goals for the future inside.

Taehyung happened during the city's worst monsoon season in over 50 years. His rain-stained jeans and dirty white construction t-shirt clung to his skin, showing you all of his tanned glory as the rain fell angrily. You stood on the top step of your sister’s corporate building, looking down at him three steps below you.

“You got a spare umbrella, by chance?” he asked you. Caramel-colored, wet hair covered his forehead. But you could still see the discomfort in his eyes due to the harsh rain.

Looking at your own umbrella in your grip, you shook your head, telling him that this was your only one.

“You know a place around here where I can find one?” he asked.

“I’m not familiar with the area,” you explained.

“Me neither,” he smiled as he looked down at his red Converse.

There was an uncomfortable feeling in your chest. You felt bad for the guy, clearly well-underprepared for the season. Your designer coat and accessories terribly clashed with his, an obvious difference in class confronted you in the face. There was a feeling of fear, you remember. Back then, you used to be one of those people who thought terribly of people like him. Thinking that he’d ask for your Burberry umbrella and never return it. You thought maybe he’d pull you aside and forcibly rob you of your money just because his shirt had a few stains and the brand name of the city’s lower-end construction company was written on the fabric. You associated him with the worst of the worst, just because of his class. Or rather, assumed class.

But those eyes captured your soul. They were warm, and his smile sent medicine to your heart, healing all those presumed thoughts and replacing them with the benefit of the doubt.

“I think there is a 7/11 around the block,” you recalled from your memory.

Thunder rolled through the city skies, and you clutched your umbrella harder. You never liked thunderstorms. There was a sense of urgency to get home to avoid any more of this growing storm, and fast. But this guy — you wanted to continue talking to him.

He raised an eyebrow at you, looking to his left.

You raised your chest, nervously pointing in the opposite direction.

“Down there,” you corrected him.

“Ah,” he smiled. It was faint, but you noticed his upper lip formed the shape of a heart before another roll of thunder drummed through the sky. You winced, and his smile faded.

“I’ll let you be on your way, then,” he said. “Thank you.”

You nodded, and he suddenly turned his back, walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the vague 7/11 down the street. He hiked the back collar of his t-shirt over his head, creating a small hat to shield his eyes from the unwanted shower. You watched the exposed skin on the small of his back as raindrops trickled into the hem of his jeans.

Suddenly, your heart skipped in your chest, and you did something your carefully formed character would never allow.

“W-Wait,” you stumbled. The click of your heeled boots rang in your ears as you walked down the small set of stairs and onto the sidewalk.

The man turned around, his posture straightening at the sight of you.

Quickly, you went to him, covering his head with your umbrella.

“I-I’ll come with you,” you offered.

His close proximity flooded all of your senses. Your fingers visibly began to shake, and you had to remind yourself to breathe when you saw how tremendous the height difference was between the two of you.

“Thank you,” he softly said.

At that moment, you knew your life changed. You saw yourself in his eyes, maybe staring a little too long for two strangers who hadn’t even exchanged names yet. But you looked into them, and somehow the raging storm had transferred from the sky into your heart.

You became a jumbled mess after then, as Taehyung had exchanged his name with yours, along with all of his habits, hobbies, and love.

Every day after that was filled with giggles and kisses and sleepless nights wrapped in his sheets. He had shown you the other side of the world, and you accepted it with him by your side. He took things from you you couldn’t imagine anyone else being worthy enough to take. All your firsts, and what you hope, all your lasts, too.

But something had been sitting at the back of your mind ever since you laid eyes on him, creating an unsettling feeling.

He was, indeed, nowhere near the class you grew up in. Living in the worst part of the city with his younger brother and sister and parents in a small, 2-bedroom apartment. He worked overtime on most days; all of his earnings he gave to his mother was to pay rent. His brother had just become old enough to help out. However, Taehyung explained that he caught him a few times slacking — the young boy claiming that he was working but instead at the casino with his friends. His younger sister was 6 years old and by far the sweetest young girl you knew. She became someone like your own sister, someone you chose to connect with on a level you weren’t able to do with your own siblings. His father fell ill a few years ago and became unable to work a demanding job. Instead, he and his wife work at their own small grocery store on the lower level of the building down the street.

His family welcomed you generously, never once commenting on your class, never once making it a topic of conversation. They called you their daughter.

What was unsettling was not the circumstances involving his family. It was the circumstances involving your own.

You hadn’t mentioned him to your parents by choice. You knew how they would react, especially considering your father had already begun selecting the sons of his most trusted colleagues to propose a marriage. Though you are not ashamed of Taehyung, your family would most definitely be. They would never accept him as your love. It would be too tarnishing to their name, too embarrassing to taint the family with someone whose house costs less than their dining room table.

You kept Taehyung out of it, which doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t stop asking about meeting your family. He’s serious enough about you to want to take things further. But it puts you in an awkward situation, like now. Gasping into the sheets of his bed, his dick pulling out of you as cum falls down your thighs.

“Baby?” he pants, hovering over you and kissing up your shoulder to your cheek. He’s still catching his breath, as are you. He just railed the fuck out of you and still begs for conversation? You will never understand this man.

“Hm,” you ask, resting your head on your forearm in a desperate attempt to control your breathing.

“I want to meet your parents,” he bites the shell of your ear gently.

You groan loudly, tired of this topic of conversation. It seems to be the only thing on his mind these days.

In the two years you two had been dating, Tae was finally able to afford a place of his own while still helping his family. His brother stepped up and managed to land a good position at a nearby company that really helped with the family finances. Hence, Taehyung’s newfound freedom from the cramped space with his family. But ever since he moved into his new apartment two weeks ago, he’s been set on (a) “christening” every nook and cranny of his new place with you and (b) meeting your family.

“Baby, can we not talk about this right now?” you press your fingers to your temple before running them into your hair.

“We never have talked about it,” he reminds you. You pause, knowing he’s right. You’ve always swayed him away from saying anything about the topic other than simply asking to talk about it.

“Why would you want to meet my parents,” you begin. You feel him smile a little, happy to start this long-awaited talk.

“Because you met mine,” he slides his elbows under your armpits, resting his chin on your shoulder. You feel secure when he’s holding you like this, his chest embracing your back as he lets his weight rest on your body. If only the moment wasn’t ruined by the topic of conversation.

“I don’t want you to meet my parents,” you finally say. You know his heart broke a little from your words, being such a family man. But you feel obligated to be honest about this.

“What? Why not?” he crinkles his eyebrows together, pressing his nose into your cheek.

“Because, Tae,” you sigh into your palm. “They’re not…nice people.”

He lets the two of you sit in silence for a while, and you know he knows what you mean by that.

“It’s because I have no money, isn’t it?” he finally lets out.

You grab his hand, drawing circles into his palm.

“Essentially,” you sigh. It doesn’t feel good to admit that. Disappointment floods your veins for him, wishing your family was less shallow. Maybe then, your response would have been different. “You know I don’t care about that stuff. But they…they do.”

“Your siblings?” he asks.

“They’re all like that,” you continue, playing with his knuckles. “I’m the only one, it seems, that isn’t.”

He plays with your hand, sliding into your fingers to hold it.

“Do you wish you were?” he whispers seriously.

“No,” you laugh.

Finally, you turn around in his embrace, looking at his face from beneath him. This man is truly the most gorgeous person you’ve ever laid eyes on. Your palm holds the soft skin of his cheek as you search his eyes.

“Growing up, I used to be a little bit,” you admit. “But then I came to university. And I met you,” you rub his cheek with your thumb. “And you kind of flipped my whole world around.”

“Sorry,” he smiles. “Wasn’t the plan,” he pecks your lips. “I just needed an umbrella.”

You chuckle at that, pulling his face against yours to sear your lips into his. He accepts you, breathing into the kiss with chapped cherry lips and a big stupid blush on his face.

“I just want their blessing,” he clears his throat. “I-Is all.”

“For?” you peck his lips again.

“For me to date their daughter, amongst other things,” he laughs through his nose. “It’s also been…a little while.”

You do feel bad, as he had introduced you to his family about three months into dating. It’s been two years, and your family doesn’t even know you are dating someone.

“You’ll meet them when they have a reason to meet you,” you sigh against his nose. “They’re like that. It has to be on their terms, not mine or yours.”

“Hopefully, that’s sometime soon,” he says before kissing you deeply. You let him, wanting his lips to erase the scenarios you’ve let flood into your head of Taehyung meeting your family. You kiss him, asking him to heal you again, to give you the endless positivity he has within himself. But you can’t shake it this time around. You have a bad feeling about it, every time you think about making things just that more official with your family meeting him. You know Taehyung is it for you. But will your parents accept that? Your gut twists and turns at the thought, your answer spelled out for you.

___

Law school used to be interesting.

Back when lectures were shorter and the professors actually cared about their job, you had a fun time. Now, you sit through your lectures with the palm of your hand dragging the skin of your cheek upward as you lean against it. You stare at the oldest fart of a professor talk in circles, “womp wo-womp womp”, like in the Charlie Brown phone scenes. The only thing that keeps you from dozing off is the thought of your date tonight.

Last week, Taehyung had been working at this new site at this development on the other side of the city. They put in a fountain lake, with three willow trees (your favorite). Your boyfriend, of course, knew this and set up the idea of a picnic date along the new Willow Tree Lake. Just the thought alone makes you giddy.

These days, Taehyung has been working terrible overtime in an area near campus. Something about the pipes being plugged with slow-forming concrete from a newer company that started off just a few months ago. They fucked up a lot of the city’s piping, and of course, the company Tae works for has been assigned to fix all of their damage.

Needless to say, you feel like you haven’t seen him in ages. Only quick cell phone calls and tired texts in the small hours of the morning and night. You miss him terribly, and your body springs to life when the professor calls the end of the lecture. It’s your last one of the day, and you nearly run out to make your way to your car, ready to start preparing for your date tonight.

You’re met with a surprise, however, when you exit your dorm.

A chalky hand grabs onto your wrist, intertwining his fingers with yours, before pulling you into his chest.

“Hi, baby,” he smiles sheepishly.

“Tae!” you squeal, letting go of his hand and jumping into his arms. You wrap your arms around his neck, his own around your waist as he spins you in the open air of the campus. You giggle against him, quietly screaming when he goes a little fast. Eventually, he lets your feet feel the ground again, and you feel a strong urge to kiss him. It’s been so long.

“You’re so chalky,” you brush at his face, white powder smearing on his skin.

With that, he shakes out his hair onto yours, white dust falling onto your skin.

“Ah! Tae!” You shield your face from his assault. But he’s unrelenting, wrapping you in his arms and pulling you in for a kiss.

You let him kiss you, his big hands stroking your cheek. You don’t let him go on for too long, still not one to be too fond of PDA like he is.

“Oh, fuck,” Taehyung’s smile fades when he looks at your dress.

“Wha—” you look down at your dress, your white Chanel dress, covered in soot and powder and dirt, transferred from his clothes onto yours. “Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’,” he gulps, running his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, Y/n. I wasn’t thinki—”

“It’s okay,” you smile, holding his hand. “Nothing my dad won’t buy a carbon copy of with a good excuse. To him, I fell. Plain and simple.”

Your words don’t do much, his sorry expression written all over his face still. You cup his cheek, reassuring him.

“What are you doing here, anyways?” you change the subject.

“The pipe issue I told you about ended up going into some apartment building. They sent me up there and the ceiling fell in. Hence all the…white stuff and dust,” he shows you his powdery hands, as if his cheeks and hair weren’t enough to prove his story. “Anyway, the civil engineers ended up needing to go back to the main building and find a new plan to go about it. So they sent us all home early. Thought I would come and surprise you.”

“It worked,” you kiss him again.

“I should probably go though,” he cuts the time short. “I want to shower before our date.”

“That would be nice, you’re right,” you laugh. “I’ll see you at 7, then?”

“Mhm,” he squeezes your hand again before looking down at your dress one last time. You can tell he’s still beating himself up over it when he tightly runs his hands through his hair and sends you a tight-lipped smile as if still saying sorry. You send him one back, letting him know it’s okay. And with that, he leaves your presence.

You’re alone until you reach home a little past 4. When you walked into your house, the last thing you were expecting was your eldest sister, brother, and parents waiting for you in the dining room.

“D-Did I miss something?” you laugh awkwardly. They all seem to be looking at you, disappointment or disgust written on their faces at the sight of your dress. You do your best to hide it with your purse.

“No,” your sister starts. “But we seem to be missing the part where you let dirty construction workers make out with you in public.”

You feel your heart sink to your feet, a cold heat spreading throughout your body.

“Susanna,” you pinch the skin between your eyebrows. “It’s not like that.”

“Please, enlighten us, then,” she snobs.

You take a breath, ready to explain yourself. But your father stops you.

“Invite the boy over,” he calmly states.

“What?” all four of you say at once.

“Dad, are you crazy?” your brother laughs. “He’s a construction worker.”

“Ren, please,” you attempt to control your anger. You don’t like the way they are talking about him right now. Only mentioning his job and ignoring the rest.

“What, don’t like me talking down on your pet?” he smiles, doing his best to get under your skin. It’s working, that’s for sure.

“Seriously, darling, what are you thinking?” your mother puts her hand on your father's arm.

“The boy clearly has feelings for my daughter,” he sets down his brandy on the dining table. “And, if I’m not mistaken, she has the same feelings.”

Your sister looks at you in disgust, wondering how you could ever fall for someone so low class.

“Besides, he owes me a good explanation for destroying your clothes,” he clears his throat. “That was custom designed.”

—

You run to your car after the ‘meeting’ your family welcomed you home with. Your hands shake and tremble, trying to start the car without bursting into tears.

Without even calling him, you race to Taehyung’s apartment, knocking on his door with panic laced in every vein of your body.

He opens it, a big smile warming your heart. But it quickly fades at the pale look on your face.

“What’s wrong,” he pulls you into his apartment.

He’s showered since you last saw him. He changed into his PJs, not yet ready to get into his outfit for your date tonight. On any other day, you would be struck with the comfy boyfriend look, ready to pounce into his arms and hold him close until the sun rose. But not today. Today, you have uncertainty flowing through your veins. Could this be the end? Could this be the start of something new? What will happen between now and midnight?

“Baby, talk to m—”

“My parents want to meet you,” you interrupt him.

“What?”

“T-They want to meet you,” you say again. “Actually, my entire family wants to meet you. Today. Tonight. For dinner. At my house.”

You watch him take it all in, his expression changing rapidly into emotions you can’t really put a label on. You’ve never seen this expression on his face. You’re sure it’s a bit of excitement, as he’s always wanted to meet them. But also a little bit of worry, as you’ve told him what they think of people like him.

“I-Is this about the dress?” he asks worriedly.

“Kind of!” you panic, your hands running through your hair. Frustrated tears flood your eyes. You’re just so frustrated with this situation. With your sister, with your brother and dad. With everyone but Taehyung. He doesn’t deserve this. “My sister saw us today, apparently. A-And she went to my parents, a-and they were waiting for me when I got home, along with my brother. My dad was the one who suggested you come over, and I don’t know why. I can’t read what any of them are trying to say.”

“Hey,” he grabs your shoulders. You start to cry, fat tears falling down your cheeks.

“This is not how I wanted today to go,” you cry-laugh to yourself.

“I know,” he kisses your forehead. “Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

“I don’t know what to do,” you candor as you fall into his neck, sobbing against his shirt.

His big palms rub your back. You’re sure he’s a little shocked right now. You’ve told him about your family. About what kind of people they are. You’re sure he’s scared, too. You hate this. You wish you could just run away and avoid it all.

“Let’s start with figuring out what I’m going to wear, yeah?” he gently smiles down at you.

___

Dinner is awkward. So awkward.

It’s quiet, and your leg bounces rapidly in your seat.

Your parents hadn’t let Taehyung sit next to you. Rather, he sits across from you, unable to soothe your nerves with a hand on your thigh or palm.

Your sister and brother sit next to you, your parents on either end of the table. There are two empty seats next to Taehyung, him being closest to your father.

You’re sure your siblings had interrogated him a little when your mother forced you to change into something else when the two of you got here. Clad in a pink flowy dress and a braid, you nervously made your way down the stairs and into the dining room, only to find your boyfriend in front of his seat, nodding to the space between your siblings as your own.

Since the appetizers came in, no one had spoken a word.

It’s terribly uncomfortable, and you try to distract yourself by silently telling Taehyung to put his napkin in his lap instead of next to his plate. Your brother laughs, and you jab your elbow into his side.

“So,” your father starts. His voice sends a shock down your spine. “I’m sure you have a good explanation for the dress.”

Your nerves spike the highest they’ve ever been. The dress isn’t really that important. Had it been anyone else, maybe someone your father knew or liked, the dress would be replaced without a word the next day. His pressure on the dress with Tae makes you think he will use it against him, causing you to bounce both of your legs up and down rapidly.

“Yes, I—” you start, but your father raises his palm slightly, telling you to stay quiet and let him answer.

“Yes,” Taehyung clears his throat. “I apologize, sir. I was simply being careless. I was excited to see your daughter, and had acted before realizing what she was wearing.”

“That was custom made,” your sister starts. “By Chanel.”

Taehyung doesn’t seem to recognize the name, making your sister smile snottily.

“It’s a brand,” she shoves her food into her mouth with a snobby tug of her lips.

You clutch the end of your silverware, trying to transfer all the things you wish you could scream into the piece of silver metal.

“Enough,” your father stops her interrogation. He has made it clear he would be the one interrogating tonight. “I do have to ask, though,” he turns his attention toward Tae again. “What makes you think you’re worthy of seeing my daughter?”

The table is silent, everyone’s mind empty but your own. You could think of a million reasons, maybe even more than that, as to why he deserves you. But does Taehyung think he deserves you? You thought you made it clear within the past two years that he does, but his silence speaks for itself.

After a few more seconds of being silent, your father laughs a little through his nose.

“I am aware of your financial situation so that already docks a big chunk off your worth,” he starts again.

“Father,” you try to stop him.

“Your occupation is less than fulfilling,” he continues. “Surely, you must know that affection alone cannot support her.”

Taehyung’s mouth is so dry, that he wants to drink the entire ocean. But he lets it sit in discomfort, the truth ringing through his ears like a bomb dropped right in front of him.

“You care for her, son,” he sighs. “I can see that,” your father sets down his brandy, resting his elbows on the armrests of his chair, and latching his fingers together over his lower chest. “So, why don’t we just end this here. Before it gets any deeper than it is.”

You see Taehyung’s heart drop to his stomach. You wish you could go over to him and put it right back in his chest for him, but your father continues to drop it further and further until it eventually breaks in two upon impact with the hard floor.

“I’ll give you an ultimatum, just to be sure you understand,” your father starts. “You go back to your construction work and help your parents with their grocery business. Cut her out of your life. In return, I’ll forget about the dress. About the some 70 thousand dollars you owe me for the destruction of it.”

“Father, please,” you cry, starting to stand. "It was my fault." But your sister grabs your shoulder and pushes you back down onto your seat.

“If you’re smart, you’ll understand how long that would take to accumulate on top of your other finances to return,” he continues. “If you truly care about her, you’d let her find someone who can meet all of her expectations and give her a comfortable future.”

“No,” you start, but Taehyung silences you with his gaze.

He looks to you from your father, feeling the weight of his words. You look at him, seeing how he believes every word your father is saying. You see it ring in his ears, and you know exactly what his next words are going to be.

“Sir, I—” he rasps, defeat flooding his lungs. This is not about the dress. He’d spent the rest of his life paying your father back if it meant he’d let him have you. This is about your future that he knows he can’t support; about the fact that he knows the best he can give you is nowhere near the luxury someone else can. “I just want her to be happy.”

“In this world, love is not enough for that,” Your father stands up, his hand on Taehyung’s shoulder. “I’ll show you to the door, son,” your father says.

Taehyung stills, his attention suddenly transferred to the calluses on his palms. He examines them, then the scuffs on the rim of his sleeves. It serves as a reminder, that even the best things he owns cannot match up to the expectations served tonight. He knows you don’t care. He knows you’re better than this. But surely it might become easier with time for you. Your father would find someone genius, with wealth beyond imagination. You will forget about him with time, and your wounds will heal. You’ll have an army of new cars, go to fancy banquets with designer dresses, a penthouse in the city, a smart-suit husband, and beautiful children with loads of worth to their names. He thinks about what he could give you, and it amounts to close to nothing. He’s already given you everything he has, and it’s not enough to keep you safe.

He thinks about this before standing in his seat. Your breath hitches in his throat, watching him give you up, your father’s hand on his back guiding him through the dining room, neither sparing you a glance.

“No,” you cry, standing up. Your sister tries to stop you again, but you shove her hand away.

“Y/n L/n, if you chase that boy, right now will be the last time you step in this house!” your mother slams her hands on the table.

There are words you wish you could say. So many emotions and slander and curse words you wish you could shout and spit in her face.

“I'm happy with him,” is all you can say. "I love him"

“Love is but a word,” your mother rolls her eyes. “You will forget about him in two weeks! That boy cannot support you. He can be replaced.”

“He can’t be,” you counter. Your chest rises with words, an essay might come out of your mouth, but you’re silenced when your father comes back into the room, Taehyung gone from your sight. You silence yourself, knowing you have to make a choice. Without even thinking, your feet move, and you’re brushing past your father, opening the door to you’re home and welcoming the rain.

Your parents wouldn’t have his presence in your life, banishing him from your home after he showed up in the nicest clothes he owned. They forbid him from ever seeing you again, using the price of your stained clothes as a threat if he ever were to lay eyes on you again. But you ignore that, running after him, soaking yourself in the rain once again as you chase him.

You call his name, shouting it into the street. He ignores you, and you feel you’re going crazy the more you call out his name until he finally turns around in quick anger. By this point, you two had already gone well down the street, far away from your posh, gated house. He grabs your cheeks in his palms, pressing his lips harshly against yours. You kiss him with fervor, letting the rain soak your pink dress and braided hair. He does the same, not giving a care in the world about the time he spent trying to make himself look nice for your family. He kisses you as if it would be the last time he would ever feel your lips against his again.

“We can’t do this, Y/n,” he breaks the kiss. His forehead rests against yours, his eyes close as his jaw clenches from his own words.

“Tae,” you sob, cupping his cheek. He covers your hand with his own, squeezing it tight.

“You know we can’t, Y/n,” he shakes his head, looking into your tear-filled eyes. “They will never accept me.”

“I accept you,” you sniffle. “Please don’t leave me, Tae. I accept you.”

“It’s not enough,” he whispers.

“N-No,” you shake your head.

But he already began letting go of your hand, his heel taking a step back.

“T-Tae, no,” you grab his other hand, but he forcibly makes you let go. You watch him turn on his heel, his back replacing his chest.

“Kim Taehyung,” you sob into the open air of the empty street. He does nothing, continuing his path to wherever he is going. “Taehyung!” you scream, but he doesn’t stop.

Your chest rises and falls so quickly, that you feel dizzy. Panic rises into every vein in your body, watching him grow smaller and smaller as he distances himself from you. Never in your life had you felt like it was between life or death between two choices. But god, was it clear which option had been labeled death, and which one was life.

“Marry me,” you shout. You watch his feet stop, both shoes parallel to each other. The panic in your veins slightly subsides at the fact that his distance stopped becoming larger. And then you say it again. “Marry me, Taehyung.”

He turns around, and you begin walking—running—toward him.

“Don’t say that,” he angrily breathes through his nose once you reach him.

“Marry me,” you say it again.

He looks up, despite the rain, his jaw clenched.

“I can’t go through life without you,” you cry, shaking your head. “I can’t do it.”

“You can,” he denies.

“I’m so in love with you,” you laugh, wiping the tears from your eyes. “I love you.”

His hands clench, balled into fists. God, did he love you more than the world itself. More than himself. But he can’t be selfish. He can’t rip you away from your family.

“And what about them?” he nods his head in the direction of your house.

“They can’t replace you,” you cup his cheeks, forcing him to look at you. “No one can replace you.”

“You can’t replace your family, Y/n,” he says. “I’m just a guy. Probably the least qualified to have you,” he laughs through his nose. “I can be replaced. They cannot.”

“They have given me a choice,” you cry. His words hurt. You wish you could make him see just how irreplaceable he is. You cannot replace your family, but you cannot replace him, either. “I already made it the minute I ran out of the house.”

He looks at you, finally locking eyes with yours. You feel the panic fade when he looks at you, and you can’t help but feel that this is right. That you’re making the right choice.

“Y/n,” he starts, shaking his head.

“I chose you a long time ago,” you go on. “The minute I shared my umbrella with you, I chose you. All your boxy smiles and shy laughs. Your job; your family. You. Your heart.”

A tear falls from his eye, his jaw still clenched.

“I can’t give you this life,” he takes your hands from his cheeks, holding them tightly between your soaked bodies. “I-I will never be able to afford law school or a gated mansion in the city. Or a white Chanel dress,” he whispers the last part. “Your life — I can’t rob you of it.”

“You are my life, Tae,” you rub your nose against his. “That stuff doesn’t matter. I want you. Forever.”

He gulps, the look in your eye speaking nothing but the truth. It scares him because of course, he wants the best for you. But he is unsure of himself, of what he can give you other than his heart. But the way you look at him, as if that is truly enough for you, makes his worries subside. You’re choosing him. Between life or death, you took a side, labeling him as life.

He grabs your waist, his arm pulling you into his frame as he sears his lips onto yours. Big, callused palms cup your jaw, holding you against his lips as if you’d try to escape. This time around, the kiss is hard, so needy and loved. You feel loved like you’ve never felt before. All the panic in your heart fades and is replaced with a need to keep him close. You assume he feels the same, his strong arms lifting you around his waist. You laugh against his lips.

“I love you,” you chuckle, almost in disbelief that you could love someone so much. He’s given you something you thought you’d never receive in the world your parents brought you into. You feel fresh with him, like you’ve been born again.

He kisses you again, confirming he feels the same before he sets your feet back on the wetted sidewalk.

“Let’s go,” he takes your hand.

“Where?” you follow him.

“My place,” he looks back at you.

You come up to his side, holding his arm as you walk in the rain. It was just a walk until thunder struck again, and the rain started falling ten times harsher than it was before. It causes you to shriek, and Taehyung only laughs, beginning a sprint while you follow after him.

You two ran to the bus stop, where you kissed some more, before the bus arrived and you shivered in the air conditioning of the large vehicle until it arrived on the other side of the city.

His place became a little bit of yours. You had unofficially moved in until now, as you stumble in his arms into the elevator, making out like horny teens until the number for the 15th floor rang in his ears and he pulled away.

The kisses you press to his neck make his whole body feel weak, his fingers unable to find the key to his apartment amongst the many in the single key ring chain he owns.

“Baby,” he whispers desperately. “S-Slow down, m�� trying to find the key,” he nervously chuckles.

You only run your hands under his soaked shirt, feeling the divots of his abs under your fingertips. Working at a construction company certainly did have more perks than one.

Finally, he seems to have found the key, slipping it forcibly into the lock and turning it until it opened the door to his apartment.

“Come here,” he lifts you up onto his hips, walking you inside his place and pushing you against the door, making it close all the way. He’s sure to lock it after tossing his keys somewhere on the neighboring kitchen counter as he kisses hot trails up your neck. They’re hasty kisses, and so so needy.

“T-Tae,” you grip his hair.

The feeling makes him groan, his hand forming a fist against the wall in pure self-control.

You slide your fingers under his shirt again, except this time, they go all the way up. You force his shirt off his skin, and he lets you take it off as his hands firmly grip your waist. He uses his new grip to support you when he moves you off the wall, his legs guiding you through his apartment as you kiss his neck once more. This time, to leave marks.

You latch onto his sweet spot so tenderly, and he grips your hips hard enough to leave his own marks on your skin.

With one hand, he pushes open the door to his bedroom before landing you on the soft sheets of his bed. You’re overwhelmed with him. The smell of his clean sheets floods your lungs as he traps you underneath his body.

You gasp when he slides his hands up your waist, his fingers coming to your back to find the zipper of your dress.

He waits for your permission, burying his face in the crook of your neck as he plays with the zipper.

“Please, Tae,” you allow him.

He nods against your neck, telling you without words that he’s going to undress you.

You sit up for him, making it easier for him to carry the fabric down your hips. You’re revealed to him in your soaked bra set. Nothing fancy, just nude colors to hide your undergarments beneath your dress.

But despite the plainness, you watch him admire your body, eyes flicking back and forth, trying to remember what you look like underneath the rest of your clothes. You help him, reaching behind you to unhook your bra yourself.

It falls off your shoulders and your skin perks with the cold air mixing with your wet skin.

“Make love to me,” you ask. “Please.”

Taehyung’s mouth goes dry. He’s seen you naked countless times. Fucked you like a rabbit in heat multiple times in just a day. But god, did hearing you ask him to make love to you settle the weight of your proposal from earlier. You really do choose him. And suddenly, he feels like it is the first time he’s ever looked at you naked. Like it was the first time he was going to enter your body.

He felt nervous. So, so nervous. But never so sure of anything else in his life. He knew he wanted you as his forever. But was too selfless to ask you to leave your prosperous life for his. For the longest time, he thought he was living on borrowed time with you. That one day, his first and only love would eventually leave him. His dreams are coming true, and he doesn’t know how to process that other than following your exact command.

“Tae?” you cup his cheek.

He sits on his knees, each one placed next to your thighs as you sit below him.

You watch his throat bob as he swallows, his face leaning into your touch. You bring him back to life, his body finally moving to trap you against the sheets again.

With soft lips, much less needy than the prior ones you two have shared today, he kisses you. He’s gentle as his hips press against yours. You gasp against his lips, the feeling of his clothed cock against your thin underwear stirring things inside of you.

You wrap your legs around his hips, crossing your ankles to secure his embrace over your own.

Taehyung groans, the friction making his desire uncontrollable as he grinds against your core.

“T-Taehyung,” you gasp, head falling back against the sheets. He takes this as an opportunity to trap the skin of your neck with his teeth, gently biting at your flesh in soft confessions of his love.

Your breasts push against his bare skin, feeling overwhelmed when he takes your pert nipple between his fingers, pinching them slightly, just enough to drive you crazy.

It’s all too much, his lips, his fingers, his hips grinding into you, sending waves of pleasure straight into your core. You just want him already. You want to feel full of him.

Your heels start the process, digging at the hem of his jeans as if you could get them off without your hands when they’re so securely fastened by his belt.

“Fuck,” he moans, finally granting your wish as he pushes off of you and unbuckles his belt.

Dark brown eyes admire you, laying on his sheets, giving yourself to him completely. You stare back at him, watching him push his jeans and boxers down to the floor, stepping out of them slowly before he hooks his slender finger under your panties.

“A-Are you sure?” he asks you, hiking your legs up as your underwear slides off your smooth skin.

“Yes,” you nod.

You hear your panties fall on the floor, joining the rest of your clothes, when he slowly spreads your legs, creating a place for himself as he falls on top of you again. Strong arms come under your shoulders, and you slide your hands up his neck, one arm securing him close to you, the other feeling a rapid heartbeat under his chest. You gasp when you feel the head of his cock brush gently against your thigh, so close to your core, but far enough away to make you want to beg for it. You, too, feel like it’s the first time all over again. When he took your virginity and your heart and wrote his name all over your skin.

“You look like you’re having second thoughts,” he shakily breathes above you, a small nervous smile on his lips.

“No,” you laugh shyly through your nose, looking into his warm eyes. You see yourself in them, and you’re reminded of the moment you first saw yourself in them two years ago.

“Are you scared?” he asks, lining himself up with your entrance. You know he isn’t referring to sex, but rather everything that comes after. Of your parents. Of everything you’ll have to sort out. But you know it is nothing that you won’t do alone. The man above you has made it clear that you will never feel alone again.

“A little,” you admit with a small smile.

“Me, too,” he kisses your cheek softly. With a push of his hips, his face falls into your neck, a small groan coming from his lips as you gasp and claw at the skin of his shoulder.

“Oh, T-Tae,” you moan sweetly, tangling your fingers in his hair as he slides out just to slam back into you once more. You feel giddy, a small raspy laugh coming from your throat as he develops a pace. He’s so perfect for you, fits you like a glove in more ways than one. He fills you completely. Over fills your cup with all of his love and giggles and smiles. You can’t get enough, it’s almost comical.

“Faster,” you whine, arching you back into him.

He obeys, grabbing your thighs and pushing them upwards until they’re hooked on his shoulders.

“Fuck, Y/n,” he moans, slamming into you with a newfound passion. Your nails slide down his biceps, some drawing blood from the feeling of his dick ripping you open. It makes you choke beneath him, your head falling back as he fucks you full of his cock. “S-So perfect.”

His nose brushes against your collarbone, using your neck as support when he leans his forehead against it. He takes a deep breath, breathing in your scent before he takes your hips firmly into his palms and holds you against the sheets. Your legs fall naturally, too weak to hold themselves up. But he doesn’t seem to care, instead using his new grip to pull you into his hips, pushing you deeper onto his length than you think you’ve ever gone before. The tip of his head kisses your cervix, and you wince in pleasurable pain when he slides out and slams against it again.

“A-Ah,” you whine, unsure how to feel about this new sensation. The man above you is sure, slowly but harshly pushing into you. His sureness makes you swell, and you feel like he is truly combining his body with your own the deeper he goes.

“Y-You,” he nearly slurs. Your pussy squeezes the head of his cock so justly, he feels his vision going blurry. Everything about you makes him explode. His dick, his mind, his heart. Everything. He can't even finish his sentence.

He goes faster, slipping past your folds with your slick sliding down your thighs and onto his sheets.

“T-Tae,” you panic, your high coming in quickly, setting warmly at the pit of your stomach just seconds away from release. “Tae, I’m gonna cum.”

“F-Fuck, me, too,” he moves faster, harder. His hands touch you, your skin following in flames the further his hands slide up your waist. He groans uncontrollably when you clench around him, your warm heat spreading down your walls as he makes love to you. “Y-Yn,” he whines.

“Say you love me,” you gasp, your voice nearly a whisper as you cream his cock.

“I love you,” he kisses your lips. It’s wet and so disgustingly sweet, you force him to lean himself into your body again, to use it to cum. “I love you so much.”

You watch him shut his eyes tight, his cock twitching inside of you, begging for release as he fights it, probably wanting to last longer for you, to give you a second orgasm before he lets himself cum.

“Cum for me, sweet boy,” you kiss his cheek.

“A-Ah,” he moans, his nose rubbing against yours. You squeak when he slams himself into you, harsh and raw, pushing past you as he fills you with ropes of white cum. “Oh, fuck,” he shakes, fists gathering the fabric of the sheets tightly as he falls into your neck, dick twitching as he cums hotly in your walls. He can’t control the noises, he’s never felt like this before. Like nothing else matters but his future with you.

His dick slips past your cervix, exiting your walls with loads of cum falling out of your abused cunt.

He falls on top of you, the two of you catching your breath with closed eyes and heavy limbs. Until you start laughing.

“What?” he chuckles with you. Your laugh is contagious.

He comes up to look at you, your cheeks red and your pupils shot with love.

“Nothing,” you shake your head. You look at him, cupping his cheek as he switches his gaze between your eyes and your cherry lips. “I-I’m just so happy.”

He laughs at that. Himself full of the same happiness.

“So?” you poke his cheek, raising an eyebrow.

“So?” he raises his own.

“Will you?”

“Will I…?”

“Will you marry me, silly,” you roll your eyes. Although it doesn’t seem nearly as sassy as it is supposed to, not with a giant smile plastered on your face.

“Oh,” he smiles back. “I guess.”

“'You guess'?!” you pinch his shoulder. He winces but laughs as he pulls you into a hug, switching himself on his back with your hips straddling his own. Cum leaks down onto his softening cock, but that is the last thing on either of your minds. His big hands feel the smoothness of your thighs, as yours play with the skin of his chest. If he didn’t know every one of your quirks, he would have taken it as you being silly. But he knows you’re just a little nervous about his answer.

“Yes,” he takes your hand, kissing your knuckles. “Of course I will. But, let me do it properly.”

You physically relax, and pure happiness floods your system.

“We never do things properly,” you remind him, rolling your eyes with a smile again.

“You’re right,” he acknowledges. “I-It might be a while, but at least let me buy you a ring.”

“Okay,” you bite your lip, hiding a closed-lipped smile. It doesn’t work, of course, and the two of you are left a stupid mess as you start your forever together.

___

[End. Do not copy. Original work of @jungkookstatts , 2024]

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gffa · 1 year ago

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Have you watched the First Okiro's recent Star Wars video? He made a really interesting case about how TLJ Luke was a form of character assassination. When I saw the ask you answered about how Luke treasured Yoda and read the last paragraph, I thought maybe you'd agree.

https://youtu.be/r0I86ii2N_8?si=-oHY6dQsFBsSAfPv

Hi! Honestly, I pretty much refuse to watch any Star Wars video essays anymore because so many of them are anti-Jedi and I don't think it's fruitful for any of us for me to put myself through that, they don't gain anything, I don't gain anything, etc. So I have no idea what the case being presented in the video is, I'm only going on "character assassination" in TLJ and how I actually disagree. I mean, I think it was poorly executed in some ways, but that the basic concepts of it are ones I actually think are the best parts of the movie. My problems with TLJ's Luke story is that I think the extremity of it was too much, that him being on the island for six years without contact with anyone was too long for how I see Luke, as well as I think the structure of having Han die and not showing that deleted scene of Luke mourning his death, of having Luke interacting with Rey but making it all about Ben, none of that worked for me. But what does work for me is that the idea of overcoming pain and suffering is a one-and-done deal is just not how Star Wars or the Force works. Luke very nearly fell to the dark side in Return of the Jedi, that wasn't just put there for the aesthetics, that was something he was genuinely teetering on the edge of, he was raining hell down on Vader when slicing away at his arm, Sidious genuinely felt the anger and rage roiling inside Luke, he had to struggle to turn away from it and embrace what it meant to be a Jedi.

That's not a one time struggle--that's something characters face their entire lives. And if you include the Disney comics (which are really good imo), Luke struggles with loss and pain and anger after the defeat on Bespin, he has to struggle through not falling to the dark side again. And, hell, even MARK HAMILL says that Luke's fall down the reactor shaft on Bespin was akin to him basically trying to commit suicide because he was so devastated. So I think it's fair that Luke could struggle with that again later in his life, I think it's fair that after pouring everything of himself into building up the Jedi again, to have it torn down by someone he loved, someone that he may have bordered on attachment to (as Star Wars and the Jedi define it--love and attachment are not the same thing, attachment is the desire to hold onto something/someone so tightly because you can't live without it and thus you can't see it clearly, which I think I could believe of Luke, that he was so blinded by his desire for what he wanted for Ben that he couldn't be objective about him, just like he struggled with loving his sister so much that rage boiled inside of him when Palpatine threatened her and Luke's friends on the second Death Star), that he retreated because this felt so massive and he felt like he was the only one who could build this school and that he pulled these kids into this life. Like, it's fair that Obi-Wan struggled with Anakin's betrayal and cut himself off from using the Force on Tatooine, so I think it's fair that Luke struggled with Ben's betrayal and cut himself off from using the Force on Ahch-To--they both had to process that grief and it's not always a perfect path when it's someone you love that dearly and were so incredibly close to. Ultimately, the entire speech Luke gives is one that is DESIGNED to be knocked down, he is literally standing in front of the First Order and facing them down with his laser sword at the end of the movie, Rian Johnson literally says that it was Luke's personal failure, not the failure of the Jedi religion, and Luke finds his feet again. And that's my guy!!! The guy who makes mistakes, but is such a core of goodness and compassion and care for others that he eventually gets over these massive hurdles placed in front of him, and so that part of Luke's story worked for me. I'm just not wild about the finer details of how it was actually executed, even if I think it's fair to point out that Rian Johnson was handed a pre-existing situation that he then had to reverse engineer a backstory for with an extremely limited time to do it, because apparently THEY DIDN'T PLAN OUT THE TRILOGY AHEAD OF TIME for fucks sake.

#lumi.txt #star wars #luke skywalker #meta

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phoenixyfriend · 2 years ago

Text

50 Romance Prompts Ask Meme

From my 141 prompts (plus links) post

A mix of normal/standard AUs and a few Funky Ones. Send one or more characters and a prompt, and maybe you'll get a drabble!

Reminder: You send prompts to people in the ask box, not through replies.

ROMANTIC

Met at the Gym

Niche Academic Field AU

Food-based Small Business Owner and their New Regular

Author and Editor

Mystery Author and Serial Killer

Cosplayer and Creator of the series they're cosplaying from (author, actor, whatever)

Made out while in costume at a Halloween Party

Renaissance Playwright/Artist/Artisan/Creator and their Wealthy Patron

One Night Stand but the next morning you learn it's your CEO's kid

Bodyguard AU

Whoops I accidentally became a Sugar Baby

Whoops I accidentally fell in love with the sex worker I've been involved with (OnlyFans, exotic dancer, full-service, whatever)

Rich person pretends to be poor, secures a date with actual working-class person

Celebrity Romance

Con Artist and the person who saw through their grift

We each don't speak the other's language, but we both speak Klingon or Ancient Greek or Latin or something so we're making do

Sexy Repairman

Hot Single Parent and babysitter/nanny

Pilot and Flight Attendant

Model and Designer

Accidental Pregnancy

Fake Dating

Fake Married

Marriage of Convenience

Green Card Marriage

Arranged Marriage

Age Difference Marriage

Mistaken for Cheating

Casanova in Love

Only One Bed

The Perfect Student/Citizen and the one with a motorcycle and tattoos and piercings (and a heart of gold)

"My parents are out of town, you up?"

Just saw an ex at an event, started making out with the hottest person in arm's reach and now we're dating?

There's a ghost here and I'm going to date it

Assassins after the same target

Regency Romance

Late Victorian Dueling Detectives

Silent film stars

Alien and astronaut

Magical/Mundane

Reincarnation AU

Soulmate AU: Matching Marks

Soulmate AU: First Words

Soulmate AU: Timers

Vampire and Hunter

Demon and Angel

Eldritch Being and the person they are being SO normal about

Omegaverse, but it's not Alpha Male/Omega Male

Hallmark Film AU

Disney Princess Film AU

And the other sections of the 141 Prompts list:

26 Family Prompts

37 Platonic/Gen Prompts

28 Setting Prompts

#phoenix posts #prompts #prompts list #romance prompts

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anne-chloe · 6 months ago

Text

Underground | XIII |

The Goblin King/Jareth x Reader

Summary : The Goblin King is constantly there. He offers a gift, a crystal ball, so you can see clearly what your beloved fiancé is up to. And it seems as though Harry is back to his normal ways.

The spotlight shone brightly in your eyes as you advanced towards centre stage with your castmates. The theatre roared in excitement as an instrumental version of the opening song was playing; the cast directed their own applause to the directors, the band, the costume and set designers, and finally to the audience themselves.

Adrenaline filled your body as the applause rang true in your ears. You couldn't help but smile gleefully at the appraisal, bathing in its glow alongside your friends. The way everyone had worked extremely hard for the past 6 months was unreal—every ounce of energy went into this very performance.

You were saddened that this would be the final one, the closing night of the performance. While you mourned the ending, you were joyous that it had happened to begin with.

You exited the stage after the curtains finally fell, and immediately your shoulders dropped. Arms embraced you from all angles, pulling you into one of those joyous group hugs that you loved to savour every second of. You laughed happily in the arms of your friends, listening and participating in words and whispers of encouragement and exclamation of the performance that had taken place.

And out of the corner of your eye, you saw a familiar face.

Jareth.

He lingered in the wings, slightly obscured and hidden by shadows. He looked the exact same as you had last seen him; his mismatched eyes glued to your form. You tensed up at the intensity of his stare, feeling shivers roll down your spine. And in his hand was a crystal ball, which he played nonchalantly with, twirling it in his gloved fingers.

You blinked.

He was gone.

The embrace broke and you followed your castmates to the changing rooms, where makeup and hair care accessories were scattered across every surface. Random articles of clothing strung haphazardly over chairs and the floor, shoes messily piles and sticking out.

"I'm just going to be sobbing for the next year," Penelope joked as she slumped into her chair, focusing her attention onto the mirror that displayed a red lipstick mark of her name in the bottom corner. You slid into the chair next to her and started removing your character's accessories; earrings, necklaces, bracelets...

"Me too," you said in agreement. You blinked at your own reflection, half expecting it to start moving by itself. You scrutinised is closely, watching for any indication that it wasn't truly yours. But it followed your every movement closely, and you tried not to roll your eyes at your own paranoia. "I'll be waking up at 3am singing-crying."

Penelope let out jovial laugh.

You stripped out of your costume and lovingly hung it onto the rack, feeling the material one final time between your fingers before finally letting it go. You always became too attached to your character when playing them; it was part of the job. You felt like a piece of the character always stayed with you. Well, you were going to take a piece of the character's jewellery home with you and maybe a prop from the set, just as a cute reminder of the character you got to be. It would be stored away safely in the box that contained other trinkets from previous performances that you'd done, since you were a child up until now.

"Oooh," Penelope called teasingly from behind as you stepped away from the rack. She held up a small white gift bag, a pink ribbon attached at the top with a small hand written note. She dangled it in front of you to take; you gently pinched it from her fingers and skimmed your eyes over the message. "[Name] has an admirer!"

' Your beauty knows no bounds. Your talent is to be admired. Call for me and I will be there. '

It was a note written in cursive. Harry didn't have the neatest hand writing ever, so you knew that this couldn't have come from him. Inside the gift bag was a beautiful rose and a crystal ball.

It was from Jareth.

"So, who's it from?" Penelope asked tauntingly, sliding into your personal space and taking a peek at the written note. You shrugged her off and held the gifts close to your chest, whether to hide them or protect them you weren't entirely sure.

"It doesn't say," you said quickly, and a familiar heat started to burn at your cheeks. But you didn't need Jareth to write that it was from him, and he knew that.

Penelope scoffed and stepped back, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder and jutting out her hip. "Well, that's a bit silly," she mumbled, "how are you supposed to call them if a name or number wasn't given?"

Because Jareth wanted you to wish yourself away to him. Again. You knew that was the only way to find him, and he knew that too. His magic was stronger in the Underground, inside his own realm; it was possibly very scarce in the human world.

"Magic, I suppose," you replied, hoping that your tone came across in a joking manner. It sounded dry and sarcastic, and luckily Penelope found a hint of humour enough to laugh along with you.

You finished changing into something else after the conversation was dropped. Your castmates were going out to celebrate the closing performance, but Harry was expecting you at home. He didn't come to the closing show because he was busy with work (and because you didn't want him making love-eyes at Casey again, if she happened to be there). You didn't mind his lack of presence; you were strangely more comfortable without him watching you constantly. You felt at ease knowing that he couldn't tarnish your favourite space with his betrayals.

"Just come out for a little!" Penelope begged, her arm locked with yours and tugging you in the direction of the nearest pub. She wiggled her brows and it made you chuckle, but you continued to decline and unwrap yourself from the group.

"I'd love to, but I promised Harry I'd come straight home," you explained, now stepping back.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "I don't know if you guys had an argument or something, but in the last two months something has changed! Is he being kind to you?"

Yes. No.

You couldn't answer that.

Harry wasn't horrible to you. He was actually very doting on your personal needs. He became suddenly too attentive, and it was like he knew your emotions before you ever did. But in a way, his behaviour was somewhat hostile—not violent and abusive, but to the point where you felt like tip toeing around him. You couldn't deny that it was nice not having to deal with particular things at home, but you felt smothered and overwhelmed at times, as though Harry was constantly breathing down your neck and waiting for you to make a mistake.

You convinced yourself that he was scared to lose you again. You had been so close to giving yourself away to the Goblin King, and that must have frightened him. To have lost you so easily. It's what you wanted him to feel; you wanted him to mourn losing you, as a punishment so he'd never dare to cheat again. But that changed when Harry had confronted Jareth and saved you both. You'd given him a second chance.

"Nothing happened," you said with the best of smiles you could muster. "I'll text you all later!"

And so the final goodbyes were said, and you parted ways. You found a taxi to take you home, and you arrived back at your shared apartment within 15 minutes. Traffic wasn't too bad at that late hour, but you'd asked the driver to take his time and to prolong the journey by driving down back roads instead.

You paid and left and entered the shared space, inhaling deeply into the quietness of your apartment. You shrugged off your jacket and hung it up alongside your bag, then entered the lounge where Harry was sitting and browsing the TV. His laptop was perched on the coffee table, displaying a document with thousands of words written. You joined his side and snuggled up, placing a quick kiss on his cheek as a greeting.

"Good show?" Harry asked without looking at you. He seemed focused on the TV.

"Very," you answered curtly, sitting back and resting into the cushions. You felt the ache ease from the heels of your feet, and you stifled a satisfied moan at finally being able to relax. "Pen and the others were heading out to celebrate."

Harry grunted, but he didn't look at you.

You placed your hands into your lap. Your gaze roamed the laptop in front of you, sneaking words from his paper. None of the content made much sense, and you were sure if you'd read it from the beginning then you still wouldn't understand. You'd tried to once, but his company was very intricate and complicated.

"Good day at work?" You asked after a brief pause. You watched in your peripheral as Harry's shoulders tensed. But still, he didn't look at you.

"Yes."

Odd. Normally he had more to say. Whether it was about a meeting he was dissatisfied with, or a moan about a colleague messing up—he always had more to say.

You furrowed your brows at his behaviour. "Did Marcus upset you again?"

Harry shook his head, and he continued to scroll through the channels on the TV. Then, he flicked on the Netflix app, where he continued to browse the selection there. But he wasn't looking for anything in particular; he was just keeping himself distracted. And that made you suspicious.

"No. Marcus was off sick."

"Oh," you breathed, feeling your chest tighten as the tension in the room started to grow. You didn't dare to pry any further. There was a question you wanted to ask, but you knew that it would spark an argument if you weren't careful. Harry was clearly not in the mood to be reasonable with his responses, and you were particularly drained from todays events.

"I'm going for a shower," you told him when he didn't show any indication that he wanted to continue speaking. Harry waved you off and you immediately left.

Once inside the safety of the bathroom, you stripped your clothes and turned on the shower. You splashed your face with water from the sink and began wiping away the makeup that made you appear preciously doll-like. Then, you stepped into the shower and started to wash your troubles away.

Your mind continued to focus on Harry and his strange behaviour. You couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. Something bad must have happened at work, or else he wouldn't behaving this way. Harry couldn't lie to save his own life, nor could he keep a secret very well; he wore his emotions on his sleeves, and that's why you matched well with him in the first place.

You stepped out the shower and wrapped a towel around your hair and body, then moved into the bedroom you shared. It wasn't how you had left it at all—the bed was made, and the sheets were fresh from the cupboard. You dried off and shimmied into your shorts and shirt. You towel dried your hair and plaited it over your shoulder.

You blinked at your reflection.

It blinked back, delayed by a second.

You immediately backed away and pointed accusingly at the mirror. "It's you again," you whispered harshly, watching as the reflection displayed a devious grin, completely the opposite of your irritated expression.

"Yes, yes," she hummed, waving you off with her hand. "Magic is a fickle thing. You chose Harry over our King."

She was direct and straight to the point. You frowned and slid back into the chair. "He was using me—"

"No he wasn't," she corrected fast, shaking her head in disapproval. "Our King did everything you asked of him. And you left. And you still haven't called for him. Why haven't you called for him? You know you want to."

Why hadn't you called for him? Harry told you he was using you for entertainment. You were just another pawn in his sick game of taking advantage of vulnerable wishes. You bit your tongue every time you thought about calling for the goblins to take you away; it was always so tempting to leave this world behind.

"I won't be tricked again," you explained firmly. You drummed your fingers into the surface of your vanity. "I don't belong there, do I? Harry told me—"

"Harry is a liar and a cheat," she hissed, her hands pressing against the mirror. It was almost like she was trying to claw her way out. You were thankful that this wasn't a scene out of a horror film, or else you'd have been screaming in fear. "Don't you think he's been acting strange today?"

"He's probably tired," you defended.

"From?"

"From..." you couldn't find the words to back up your argument. Harry's job wasn't laborious in the slightest. It was an office job that required him to sit, drink coffee, talk to other people via email and meetings, scroll through his phone, type a few words on a document then go home. Sure it could be mentally draining, staring at the same four walls for 8 hours a day, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be tired. Right?

Then, the reflection lifted her finger and pointed at something behind you. You blinked, confused, then spotted the gift bag you had left out in the entrance of the apartment. You whirled around to confirm it was there, and it was. You stood and picked it up, and instinct told you to pull out the crystal ball from the bag.

"He's awfully suspicious," she taunted from the mirror, her eyes glistening something dangerous and knowing. "Take a look."

"That's spying," you muttered, your thumb rubbing over the smooth glass.

"It's checking," she whispered.

A white mist rolled from the centre of the ball, then revealed Harry sitting in the lounge with the laptop perched on his lap. He seemed completely normal, typing away with the TV playing a random film as background noise. But then his phone buzzed, and he immediately discarded his laptop and unlocked the texting app, revealing Casey's contact and an entire history of messages.

You sank down on to the bed as Harry smiled dearly at the messages. He glanced around to check you weren't there, and he texted back. They were flirting—sending kisses and making jokes about their most recent meeting, about how wonderful it was to be in one another's arms again, to explore one another so personally and deeply.

You felt something shatter.

Tears rolled down your cheeks. You zoomed across the room and flung open the drawers, threw on outside clothes and began stuffing random articles of clothing into a duffel bag. You ignored the sly smirk from your reflection, not noticing the way she faded completely.

The bedroom door opened, revealing Harry's mop of messy hair. He peered in, confused, then gaped at the sight of you packing your things. "What are you doing? What's going on?" He exclaimed in panic, rushing to your side to grab your arms and stop you from moving.

You pushed him away, expression darkening at the mere sight of him. "I'm leaving," you spat, bitterly and venomous. "For good. Have fun with Casey. I'm sure you'll both be perfect for each other."

Harry visibly paled, and the clogs inside his mind whirled as the connection was made. "I don't—how did—" He lunged forwards and secured your arms around your body, and you struggled to move against him.

"Let go," you demanded, whipping your shoulders back and forth to try and throw him off. His grip remained firm and secure, his nails digging into your skin.

"No." He huffed, "I want to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about!" You hissed. You tried pinching his arms, but he merely groaned and held you tighter. It was becoming harder to breathe at this point, and a brief fear that he might accidentally suffocate you crossed your mind.

"[Name], please just listen to me," Harry begged, his voice an annoying sound in your ear. Like a fly buzzing around something sweet.

"So you can lie to me again? I trusted you! I believed you when you said you wouldn't see her again! And you're texting her! I bet you didn't want to come to my shows because you were seeing her instead!" You cried accusingly.

You'd caught Harry again. Well, sort of. You weren't going to admit that Jareth had given you the means to discover his betrayal, because that would only add further fuel to the argument. You didn't need him finding out your methods of discovery, it was practically irrelevant.

"She messaged me first," Harry argued, as if that very fact would make anything better.

"Why didn't you block her?"

"She got a new number!"

"Then block that too!" You shouted. It was like he found a thrill in cheating on you; sneaking around behind your back and romancing another woman. He must have found an enjoyment in being involved with Casey, then romancing you as if he hadn't just done something wrong. You felt icky and disgusted, especially now that he'd wrapped you into his arms so you couldn't escape.

"I'll do better," Harry quickly said, his attitude changing from defensive to pleading. He spun you around so you were forced to look up at him. His eyes were glossed over, and his face was rather red. "I won't do it again. I'll phone her now and tell her that I'm finished with her. I'll do it."

His ramblings made you want to be sick.

You needed to get away from him. There was no way you could trust him again, not after he'd cheated with the same girl twice. You felt stupid for ever believing that he'd change. You thought he was afraid of losing you to the Goblin King, that nearly remaining in the Underground would have surely broken his heart—but it was clear to you now that he didn't have a heart.

"Phone her then," you decided coldly. "Phone her. Now."

Harry let go and he bolted for the door.

You crumbled to your knees and began scraping together the shattered crystal ball. You desperately tried to piece them back together, but it was useless.

Your head tilted forwards and a harsh sob left your throat. How could you have been so incredibly stupid? You'd always said that a cheater was forever a cheat, and that if your significant other ever cheated then you'd never forgive them. Why didn't you take your own advice? You wanted to believe that your relationship could remain as it had, but you were so stupidly wrong.

"Goblin King..." you huffed under your breath, tears dripping into tiny puddles on the bedroom floor. You sniffled and rubbed your eyes. "I... I wish..."

The words were stuck in your mouth. You were extremely conflicted. Did you really want to leave like this? You could go back into the city and find your friends and maybe crash at theirs for a few days. They would remain out partying until the sun would surely rise—it was their typical fashion.

Harry returned to the bedroom with his phone fumbling around in his hands. You could hear the tone dial beeping, signalling that he was calling somebody.

"Hello? No. Its over. I don't want to see you anymore," Harry said into the phone, his eyes directly trained on you. You tensed up, feeling like his words were directed to you rather than Casey. "I can't keep sneaking around. It's exhausting. I'm not in love with you anymore."

He's not in love with you anymore.

Your lips parted in disbelief. This is the push that you needed. You suddenly felt empowered. You felt... free.

"I wish the goblins would take me away."

Harry's expression turned into shock as the words left your mouth. He lowered his phone and moved towards you, his hand shooting out to cover your mouth, to muffle the words about to be spoken.

But you were too fast.

"Right now."

#fan fiction #female reader #angst #fantasy #jareth #the goblin king #goblins #labyrinth #labyrinth 1986

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clambuoyance · 1 year ago

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I really like your style. Was it intentionally designed, or did you just sort of fall into it over time?

I wouldnt say I intentionally designed it, as in I haven't sat down and Engineered a specific style, and instead it was more of me finding what I liked and wanted to incorporate into my style.

You could probably trace my style back to its influences. I used to draw really round shapes (I still do but like they were just ovals and circles...I guess i just like that shape) until I started watching How to Draw Anime tutorials in middleschool T-T (shoutout to Mark Crilley lol)

But when I first joined social media back in 2016, I found all these crazy artists with really unique styles that really influenced me. I was drawn towards artists like star_bite/prince_canary and rawrgyle/grassflu who have very dynamic expressions and character poses :0 (also they ended up working on a Batman and Superman project respectively and how wild is it that my icons from forever ago now work on projects aligned with my current interests!!!) And as you get exposed to different artists you get exposed to the many ways you can Draw things and along with your natural affinities towards certain things (such as me being attracted to Bright and Bold colors and Shaped styles) you kind of naturally build a style.

And part of that is also just having fun Trying things out? Sometimes I wouldnt even try to emulate their style as much as I tried to just...do what they were doing? As in making my ocs and putting them in fun poses, and doing color palette trends and such etc.

I hope that helped! If you're curious I can break down some of my style checkpoints over the years. As you can see there was still some major anime influence in my style back then when I first joined social media around 2015/2016

Around that time, I also discovered the fandom around the Cartoons popular at the time, so I drifted away from anime and drew things like gravity falls/steven universe/otgw etc etc so it got Rounder I guess. I really liked how stylized characters looked and got obsessed with Shape Language and assigning characters distinct Shapes (box vs triangle vs circle etc). I also read a lot of webcomics and stuff like that so those played a part I guess

And then around 2019 I saw more artists drawing anime fanart with really sharp angles, which was completely different but so cool to look at so I tried to incorporate more angles into my art. I still had that very cartoony style but tried to push the Sharpness a tad bit more if you can tell. (I think the name of the artist I liked was jeluto?)

I think around this time I also focused a lot more on color as well and did a lot of paintings then and whenever I did more Painterly stuff I tended to switch Styles into something Less Cartoony T-T

Then by 2020, I revamped my ocs, actually tried to break down and study my own style and how I would draw them, and my style kinda fell into a mix of round vs sharp edges I guess. I tried to give myself Rules which I would follow when stylizing a character to keep it more consistent and intentional.

Then in 2021 some of that Fun Part of stylizing characters into something more Cartoony kind of took a backseat as I focused more on Pose Work and Body Expression instead which I think helped a lot :0

And here's some recent stuff from the past year! Still very cartoony, but less so than 2016 I'd say, and still using really bold colors!! Still love my Soft Vs Hard angles B]

And overall have stronger pose work :) I'm sure my style will evolve as I learn more and experiment more, because one thing I want to focus on is backgrounds and environments :0

#clam answers #art tip #art tips #style talk #idk

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tarisilmarwen · 1 year ago

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Rebels Rewatch: "The Honorable Ones"

Kallus starts growing the nigglings of a conscience and also I never want to visit Bahryn ever.

Does this count as Friendship Fetch Quest episode? I mean... we do technically recruit an ally, albeit we make one out of a consistent former enemy, and he is important to things later...

Yeah, you know what, I'm counting it.

Geonosis looks gorgeous.

Oooooof SO many Death Star foreshadowings in this conversation. This is in fact where they started construction on the Mark I, as far back as the Clone Wars. Some time between now and then (Wookiepedia thinks it's between "Breaking Ranks" and now), the project was moved, the orbital stations scrapped, and the entire population of Geonosis genocided to conceal the project's existence.

Just, you know, your ordinary Tuesday for the Empire.

Hi Kallus!

Love Chopper getting to be an absolutely murderous psychopath again lolol.

Ohhhh hey, this cue is from back in "Droids In Distress" when they were about to blow up the ion disruptors. How fitting, lol.

Ezra is still Not Fond of leaving people behind.

He looks so worried. :(

Love how Kallus and Zeb stop fighting for a second when they realize they're about to crash. Matching Oh Crap expressions and everything.

Ngl, I felt that cry of agony deep in the recesses of my childhood.

(I fell off some parallel bars once in gym, didn't break anything, but my first scream? Sounded not too unlike that.)

Lol Ezra banging on Chopper. "Yes, we want him back! Don't be a sleemo!"

Jeez, how terrified Kallus must have been, stuck in the exact scenario that traumatized him so in the past. Lucky for our favorite asshole Zeb is the honorable type.

Yup, yeah, pissing his pants terrified. David does a really good job with Kallus this episode, it's one of the first times they let him show a bit more range and he does shrill and hysterical very nicely, if I may say so.

Kallus is so assured of the Empire's fairness and nobility, aww let's shatter that to pieces this episode. :D

Worried Ezra continues to be worried. <3

He is already shivering, nice little animation here. Also lol @ Zeb pettily pulling the heater closer towards him.

Ahhh the glowing rock of friendship. Love that Kallus keeps it after this.

"You're going to hurt yourself!" <3 See this mother hen behavior right here is why I stuck the Iron Squadron kids with him in my Mirrorverse series, Kallus being a fussy fretful Team Mom is hilarious.

Ah NOPE, nope, nah-uh. Nooooooo thank you.

The bonzami are actually really well-designed. They look like prehistoric dinosaurs of some kind. Definitely evocative of all my childhood nightmares about T-Rexes.

Kallus parroting the Might Makes Right and Social Darwinism of the Empire, leading to Zeb beginning to ask pointed questions.

Oh man there was a really good analysis on here someone did about Kallus's fighting style, how he's better at close quarters than distance/ranged, I wish I remembered who wrote it.

Subtle animation appreciation detail: That pinched guilt in Kallus's expression.

Oooh yeah, that's the good stuff.

Kallus launches into his tragic backstory, possibly to try and remind himself why he personally hates Lasats, rejustify in his head how it was okay for him not to question orders when told to use the ion disruptors--("They deserve it, they're bad people, they kill the injured!")--and the connection to Saw is not a coincidence I think, the writers expand heavily on the whole "It's how we fight that matters." and "The ends justify the means." conflict later on down the line. Numerous characters on this show like Saw and Thrawn and Kallus to an extent represent what happens when you go too far to fight those you consider monsters. I've always loved how firmly Rebels comes down on the side of "The means do matter."

Probably one of the reasons I'm still kind of relucant to watch Andor, I know fandom loves that "I burn myself for a sunrise I'll never see." quote but eehhhhhhhhh.

The exchange right after Kallus's story is a bit clunky, I get what the intent was--that there are people in the Empire who aren't cold and bloodthirsty and evil and the Rebels shouldn't write them all off like they're the same--but it's clumsily executed.

PPFFFFTTTTTT LOLOLOL. KALLUS CANNOT BELIEVE THE SHEER PETTINESS IN ZEB HURLING THE BO-RIFLE OUT OF THE CAVE RATHER THAN LET HIM HOLD IT.

Hey remember when I said I love David Oyelowo's hysterical Kallus voice? Yeah.

Zeb's prehensile feet put to good use again.

Ohhhhh yeah no that's absolutely a terrifying concept for me. Nope.

"Hey we didn't get eaten! Are we friends now?"

There's some debate in the fandom about the inconsistency of the stories Kallus tells from "Droids In Distress" to here. Some parts of fandom point to how he almost gleefully bragged about giving the order to use the ion disruptors and others point out that he couldn't possibly have been high enough in the ranks at that point to actually have the authority to do that.

I tend to fall more towards the latter camp, that he wasn't actually THE one to give the order but he didn't question it and passed it right along due to his prejudice against the Lasat, and only said what he said to Zeb to rile him up. As much as he hated Lasats though, there has been some guilt severely weighing on him since then, and I'm pretty sure it's partly due to his confusion over the Honor Guardsman giving him his bo-rifle. There was a note of aggravated self-defense in Kallus's voice when he explains to Zeb how it was given to him, like he's dispensing with an act and being all, "All right look here's how it really happened."

This conversation is slightly less clear but to me reads like Kallus is detailing his thoughts from the moment he'd been given the order. Like it's mid-battle and it's going harder than they anticipated and the weapons are handed out and he's told to use them and he realizes, "Oh. The Empire is not playing around are they?" and he shoves down his own potential qualms about it and just passes on the order.

Zeb, having had his character development, is dismissive of Kallus's attempt to explain the massacre, saying that it doesn't affect him anymore, basically.

They're so happy to see him. <3

Awwwwwww.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: Zeb's little elbow bump to Ezra's arm as they climb up the ramp.

Ohhhhhh man the behind the scenes had a little plot bit that they should have kept, basically it was not the Empire that retrieved Kallus from Bahryn, it was a scavenger ship, the Empire spent a paltry two rotations looking for him and then wrote him off, he had to make his way back to them on his own.

Konstantine doesn't even look at him.

:((((((

Kallus's redemption is a bit of a polarizing topic in fandom. Personally I'm very fond of it, I like Kallus as an antagonist-turned-Rebel, I think he's a lot of fun post Heel Face Turn and the many myriad fanfics that bridge the gap between "Zero Hour" and Season 4 featuring Kallus slowly blending in to the Spectres are among some of my favorites.

But it's also one of my major nitpicks because it's a bit lacking in legwork. Show👏me👏the legwork!👏 Like 90% of all writing problems can be solved just by expending some effort. Don't just have Kallus as the new Fulcrum offscreen between seasons I need to SEE it.

That being said, this is a mostly tightly written Locked In A Room type episode, well-paced, decently animated. Fandom definitely loves it and I'll still give it fairly regular rewatches since it's another of the husband's favorites.

Next up, we return again to Lothal for Force Weirdness.

#star wars #star wars rebels #agent kallus #rebels rewatch #liveblog

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yanderefairyangel · 7 days ago

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It's interesting seeing all these people saying they refused to pull, because of the lead. All the other avatars are also about the same in popularity so it makes sense they're balancing them out. yeah? And yes some prefer the other gender it's normal to have a preference but they are about equal and that's why they try to treat them as such Alear as far as I know if very equal I don't know who is more popular. The girl is slightly more popular (Byleth) or the boy is slightly more popular (Robin) but it's close right? But *Corrin*? Girl is ten times more popular than the male and they will lose money if they backpack her to the male version, far more than Alear would have cost them, that one I'm very curious on what they'll do tbh will they keep the balance or go for the $$$

Well yes, see Anon the Avatars are all bound to popularity like others characters Kiran being the sole exception because they dont really have a canon appearance outside of the hood

If we take Mark for example they got only 1 alt because 1) Mark isn't really popular 2) Mark was meant to be androgynous and thus gender ambigious so designing alts for them is... well near impossible not to mention the voice actor

This is Mark in official art btw

The best we have is a sprite in the game and the alt duo with kid Lyn which speaking of

Look who's in front despite not being the lead

But that alt aside Mark never got a proper appearance and possibly won't until a long time since Kid!Mark is easier to make appear androgynous than Adult!Mark (not that IS really seems to care in regards to Kiran but still)

Then we have Kris

Since Kris isn't really popular because 1) New Mystery only came out to Japan 2) a lot of people seems to have passionate hatred for them because they weren't in the og and their inclusion's execution is lukewarm

So as a result they have taken quite some time to come back, much like Robin and Corrin despite being customizable IS prefers to use their default appearance for anything alt related

As of now they have only 1 alt, M!Kris seems to be more popular than his female counterpart and I think it's notably because of his ship with Katarina since they often appear in official material together and it's the Plegian alt

So before Robin it seems that Avatar characters weren't really popular and I mean... a good chunk of the fandom hate them and would rather have an non avatar lord but the Japanese fanbase tends to like self insert characters so I guess IS ended up trying one last time with Robin, they saw it worked and iirc they decided to make more Avatars

Anyway so the Robins

Male characters in Awakening tended to be more popular if I recall

M!Robin was third most popular male character after Chrom and Owain and before Gaius, Lonq'u and Inigo

F!Robin on the other hand was second most popular female character after Lucina and before Tharja

So the result in popularity compared reveals that they are fairly of the same popularity that being said M!Robin is more popular than his female counterpart

Male Robin has a total of 7 alts counting his legendary and brave alt, 5 if we count the seasonal/fallen/bride banner

Female Robin has 7 alts however she... well is kinda being used more than her male counterpart to promote Grima as she has 3 alts (legendary, rearmed and halloween) in her fell form while he has 2 (fallen banner and halloween)

This ... has made fans of F Robin unsatisfied because despite having a balanced number we all view Grima has a separate entity from the Robin so if we take out the grima alts this means M Robin has 5 alt whereas F Robin has ...4... and 3 seasonal... and she lost her legendary alt to Grima

So the take away is that even when the number is balanced there can be weirdness like this

Now unto the Corrin.... Oh God

Corrin is a weird case because unlike Robin who seems to be equally liked in both westerns and eastern fandom, most people in the western side seems to hate Corrin while the Japanese fandom loves them

Regarding their popularity, F Corrin was 1st place of the popularity poll while M!Corrin was...5 place after Jakob and before Ryoma

Now compared to the Robin you can see the disparity between the two

And thus Male Corrin has 6 alt whereas F Corrin has 7 alt one including her brave alt, otherwise 6 and both have 5 seasonals

So that's fairly balanced despite the huge gap in comparisons right ? Well... thing is that while in some bases such as Adrift, Ninja and Harvest they are both released at the same time, in other cases F Corrin gets an alt first and her male counterpart has to wait for quite a moment to get one, such was the case for their legendary

There isn't any Grima to hickjack the numbers but this time it's the time period that is unbalanced

Now unto the Byleths

If I recall correctly Byleth was either 4th or 5th place for the popularity poll after the lords, both of them

On the western side tho F!Byleth seems more popular but it also seems to be true as well in the east

M!Byleth has 3 alts and F! Byleth has 4 however... one of them is her brave alt so this means they have 3 alts each

What gets a bit muddy is that M Byleth like M Robin has an additional appearance in duo alt (Sothis/Byleth halloween and Chrobin valentine art) whereas F Byleth is part of the duo with Male Byleth

Now unto the Shez

Hopes was... kinda a bad sell after 3H but people tend to like Shez and they are equally popular it seems

They both have the same number of alt however F!Shez got a new one and for quite some time she was the only one with a Legendary alt

That said they both got their summer alt at the same time which... is quite a surprise from IS as every female avatar got their first seasonal to be a summer alt whereas male was either winter or new year in the case of Corrin

As for the Alear, they are rather equally popular : both got 1st place in the popularity poll which is the most popular an avatar can get

F Alear seems more popular in the west and M Alear in the east

F!Alear released first, then we got no Engage banner until the Brodian banner where Male Alear released

Then they both got their legendary but F Alear got her first

and then their seasonal but again F Alear got her summer alt first so having Male Alear being the lead make it balance

Now thta's for FEH for the outside material we have figures and amiboo : the smash release were even, all male avatars were the main and their female form was the alt

In Warriors, Male Robin and F Corrin were the main, the female and male form were to be unlocked

The female avatars got a figure first but Male Byleth recently got one that i recall ?

And finally we have the drama cds so for Robin and Corrin at least there is balance there as well but Engage didn't got one yet

In the manga's case, F Corrin is the one to be featured for the fates manga however... the protagonist is Leo... aka the most popular male character of Fates

So yeah popularity is a huuuge factor however the Avatar are more or less balanced and in the case of the Alear there is no real debate of "unfairness" or anything like that

(sorry for the long answer)

#fire emblem

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moodooivy · 11 months ago

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So far I've only really done Undertale stuff. I've made Equustale and FnaFtale yeah, but that's not enough for me. I'm into other fandoms. So today, I present to eeryone... My MLP redesigns! (I haven't watched an MLP episode in a year so hopefully these are ok and don't contradict anything)

(I know I'm not the best at drawing, hopefully these designs aren't awful. Also I know I forgot the cutie marks. I'll design them in the future. I also plan to make some anthro designs and of course ship kiddies)

First there is Fluttershy. She is 2' 0'' (Petite to a whole 'nother level) to the top of her head. She is a Pudu Deer pegasus (Mom is a deer, dad is a pony). She is 27 years old. Fluttersy is very small and tiny. She can't fly well because of her thin tiny wings. She was held back in flight school as a filly.

Rainbow Dash next. Rainbow Dash is a thoroughbred pegasus, 5' 4'' to the top of her head, age 26. She has big ol' wings and is very light on her feet. She wears goggles because it helps her fly without the wind blowing in her eyes. Also because it looks cool.

Then Applejack. Applejack is a big and hefty Clydesdale horse, standing at a nice 5' 0''. She is 29. Applejack is weightier in her hooves and has some fluff.

Pinkie Pie! (I had the most fun designing her) Pinkie is the youngest at 25. She likes to paint her hooves, wear bows, and cover her mane in sprinkles and confetti. She parties in her spare time. She is nice and plumpy. A 3' 6'' Shetland Earth Pony.

Rarity is next. She is 29, slightly older than Applejack. She is very elegant and pretty and generally small for a unicorn, and is an Arabian breed. She is 4' 2''. I didn't give her a leonine tail or ancient unicorn horn I know. I just like this tail better.

Twilight Sparky now. She is not an alicorn. She is an Appaloosa Unicorn at 5' 2''. She is 28 years old. She has a feathery leonine tail. Twilight doesn't have really good eyesight and wears glasses. She has white spots all over her body to resemble stars.

Thought I was done? Nah. I also did the male mane six! Rather then make them the same but just boys I tried to make them their own characters somewhat.

First is Butterscotch. He is visually the opposite of Flutters. Tall, at a nice 5' 8''. I wanted to go for a gentle giant effect.. He is a Red Deer pegasus (Father is a deer, mother is a pony). He is 28, maybe a little younger than Twilight Sparkle. While Fluttershy is more in tune with animals and small critters, Butterscotch is better with plants. He knows how to take care of any type of flower, plant, or tree.

Rainbow Blitz next. He is a thoroughbred pegasus. He is 5' 9'' and 28, a little older than Twilight and Butterscotch. He is very feathery and so totaly manly. You can tell by the rainbow hoofpaint. Rainbow Blitz isn't as fast in the air because his wings are small, but he can run quite fast. He can run at a powerful 140 to 170 MPH. That isn't to say he's not a fast flier. He's just not as fast as Rainbow Dash.

Male Applejack. I refer to male Applejack as Applejax, so that's what I'm going to call him so that there's less confusion. Applejax is the biggest at a wopping 6 feet tall. He is a Shire horse and is 29, older than Rarity.

Bubble Berry next. Bubble Berry is an Irish Donkey (Mother is a pony, father is a pony. She gets the donkey from another relative). I saw somebody make Pinkie a donkey and I fell in love with the idea so I had to make someone a donkey. So Bubble Berry is the man. Bubble Berry is 4' 4'' and is 27, slightly older than Fluttershy. He has a super furry body. Bubble Berry likes to make smoothies, parfeits, milkshakes, and other drinks and fancy fruity foods.

Next is Elusive. Elusive is an Arabian unicorn. He is 5' 6'' and 30. He is the oldest out of everyone. Elusive is a fashion designer like Rarity, but while Rarity is primarily a feminine fashion designer who designs dresses and gowns, Elusive designs suits and tuxedos. He primarily designs fashion for the bulkier figures of stallions.

And finally there's Dusk Shine. Dusk Shine is a 27 year old Arabian unicorn, only slightly older than Fluttershy. He is 5' 4''. Dusk Shine is a librarian. He works very hard and puts off other things such as hygene (Hense the messy mane and tail) and eating, 'cause who needs to eat, so he can keep working on his studies in his spare time instead.

Here's a height comparison chart by their withers/backs.

I want to start making more art for other fandoms like My Little Pony and Pokemon, but I'm not sure. Should I just stick to Undertale? Would you guys be interested in other fandoms? Let me know.

MLP: Hasbro/Lauren Faust

#mlp #fluttershy #butterscotch #applejack #my little pony #rainbow dash #rarity #elusive #rainbow blitz #dusk shine #twilight sparkle #pinkie pie #bubble berry #mane six #mlp redesign #genderbend #fanart

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narwhalandchill · 1 year ago

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i swear no one hates the pale princess and the six pygmies more than anyone that tries to make sense of genshin lore for any extended amount of time

like i am starting to feel at least like 85% confident (among many others) that we might FINALLY have our first fucking semblance of a clue as to what the events depicted in it could even be with the 3rd descender lore reveals bc like. 3rd descender being the light prince just Really clicks with multiple beats in there including but not limited to the specific mention of a "curse" falling the six pygmies from the remnants of the prince like. HUH. when the gnoses made from the 3rd are also described as a curse. and thats genuinely incredibly exciting bc it feels actually plausible.

but. because this book is still the actual worst designed to torture us all. that just also makes everything even more confusing 😭 bc one fairly prevalent thing (that i personally found quite compelling) with pale princess theories was her possible identity as the seelie ancestor who fell in love with a human and led to the downfall of their race. which has always been highkey giving the night mother destroying the moonlight kingdom and cursing the people of the pale princess into an "undead state, lingering at the point between life and death forevermore". like thats Way too on the nose with how the pale princess is literally the light princes lover so. yeah seelie ancestor always a strong contender for that one. but also what the fuck does that mean for the timeline

and dont even get me started with the pygmies like. who the fuck are the pygmies it makes me want to morb. obviously a ton of theories have tried to fit the archons as the pygmies but its always been a little ehhhhhh at least when attempting to fit our current archons as a whole (+ the whole. 6 pygmies 7 archons things). but the pygmies = cursed from the princes remains part is also like. very gnosis aligned after the fontaine AQ reveals so go figure. i hate this shit 😭

i also saw a speculation on the pygmies as the sovereigns given its likely scyllas already kicked the bucket at the point the 3rd descender happened (since he was already dead when the shade of life was creating egeria) so 7 lizards turning into 6 remaining pygmies in the story has no numerical dissonance. but that keeps raising questions still bc of how gnosis coded the princes death and the ensuing curse feels!! i hate this book have i mentioned that already. but i do find it a compelling argument solely on account of how much better the sovereigns would fit the timeline of sth that happened thousands of years ago Especially if the fall of the seelie queen is involved in any form. also read a good point that some of the pygmy descriptions could arguably fit the 2 of the ancient sovereigns slash likely candidates better than any archon, specifically apep for the pygmy only caring for its own garden and azhdaha for the blind one.

but then its like. if the betrayal of the 3rd was by the defeated and remaining sovereigns it kinda makes the gnosis thing another question mark. like we still lack so much info on the connections and the timeline between the stolen thrones of authority, the war of vengeance and ensuing weakening of the POs "functions" leading to the establishment of the vision system and the archon war and where the gnoses fall in all of this. hhhhhhhhhh

so like whether the six pygmies are some assortment of archons or the sovereigns or some other group altogether we are still so utterly clueless its terrible 😭

i think the only real theory that i think ppl should just let die is tsaritsa as the pale princess tho like. lmao aintnoway hoyo will ever make a playable character who has a very good chance of being the obligatory bronya expy be someone with a canon male love interest are you hearing yourselves 💀 its not even that i think itd be like shit writing or sth im just purely asking ppl to be realistic with the unfortunate self imposed limitations of a gacha game developer. though the tsaritsa somehow having a connection to the pale princess and the events of the story (assuming its the 3rd descender debacle) would be very fascinating.

also someone noted that the exiled pygmy taking the princes body to a "tree hollow" may not be literal at all and instead imply the 3rd after being killed and turned into the gnoses being integrated into the irminsul and all ensuing samsara rebirth cycles which.... interesting.

anyway. i hate pale princess and the six pygmies!!!!!

#its the worst lore in the game bc you look at it and you just fucking know a massive bomb is in front of u #and once it finally clicks its literally gonna blow this entire mystery case of teyvat and its past just. Wide open #but for now its just this infuriatingly cryptic thing thats CLEARLY a massive deal but like. why. who wrote it. when.#why and how does the abyss order know of its significance to the point where even in 1.0 they show them trying to get volume I at any cost #i mean. to be fair theres a reason volumes 2-7 are still datamine leaks and not available in the game bc of how much of a massive deal it i #and we arent far enough in the endgame to accurately assess the story and what truth its trying to preserve from being irminsul'd #but i genuinely think the case for the light prince being the 3rd descenders story is the most compelling argument weve had ever #genshin #rambles #genshin leaks #technically. everyone and their mom in lore circles have read it but its. still datamine for vols 2-7

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wanderingchocolateeclair · 2 years ago

Text

Fantasy au designs and lore post!!

So~ here are my fantasy au designs and some good old character lore!

There will be another post for plot, but here’s the link to the main worldbuilding and lore post.

Info and more characters are under the cut (it’s gonna get long):

(Can’t remember if I said smth about this but star fae have star shaped markings that these two have and hide)

Jeanist:

So, Tsunagu is half elf, half star fae, and is an elven prince.

His father was an elven king, his mother was a star fae queen.

His father found her fleeing from the village they were destroying, had a change of heart when he saw her (fell in love ooo)

He kept her safe in the palace and tried to convince the others to stop their fae-hunting and let them live in peace but they eventually rebelled against him

They had twins, Tsunagu and his sister. His mother was said to just be a "very magical elf witch" to protect them all

One day, mother got killed and Tsu’s father found her and raised the children by himself

Over time, the king had to tell them about who they were in order for them to hide it so they stayed safe

Unfortunately, darkness took over their kingdom, a dark elf (evil one, very bad) came and killed their father, taking over the kingdom and planting himself as king

Tsunagu follows orders and goes with all the dark and cruel things he says and does in order to keep his sister safe

His sister looked after a crystal necklace, given to them by their mother. She gives it to Tsunagu one day, and tells him to find the piece that it has been split from (it was in a very certain shape, making it clear it had been forcefully split in half - they didnt know what it was)

This means he follows orders to lead an army into a forest to find and raid one of the last big fae kingdoms

He wields incredibly strong light magic, and can summon special kinds of plants and vines in particular. Isn't great at healing, but he is learning.

His star fae marking is on his neck, which he hides with his clothes and concealing magic.

His sword holds a star beacon piece and was giften to him by his father.

He is nicknamed "the blessed prince" bc of his strong magic

Is afraid of revealing who he is because of how fast star fae (even part star fae) get hunted.

Edgeshot:

Shinya is fully Star Fae, and is the King of one of the last biggest Fae Kingdoms.

Born to the last star fae village, fled when it was destroyed. He was a small child and his parents had been captured

He got taken in by a close (regular) fae kingdom, and the king and queen protected him and raised him as their own alongside their daughter. (hana - my pink fairy sister oc)

((i should mention that he had wings. A lot of Star fae do.))

One day, when he was like- a teenager, the kingdom was attacked and the king was killed, the queen fell ill shortly after and died

Shinya lost his wings protecting his new sister, and eventually the attackers retreated

She appointed Shinya as the new king, because he had shown that he would protect their people and that is how he became king (at a young age)

Him being star fae also meant that his magic could create a protective bubble against the dark, protecting his people

He holds the other half to Tsunagu's piece of the Fallen Star crystal. It was split many many years ago, where two star fae lovers were drawn apart. They split the crystal piece into two, so that they could find each other again.

(unfortunately they never did, but ig maybe they had this chance in a new life ;) )

Naturally, he has strong light magic and can use it to heal very well and create flowers and new sprouts.

He seems incredibly cold and kinda harsh at first, but he's just very protective of his people.

His people do know that he is a Star Fae, but there is a sort of like- vow- for it to never be told to anyone else. (and they are more than happy to not say anything, shinya keeps em safe they like him lol)

Short "how they meet" and their dynamic:

Tsunagu stumbles across the kingdom and gets greeted (at knifepoint) by Shinya at the river bordering the kingdom.

Tsunagu does not want to hurt fae, but he is kinda with an army of elves searching for that very village- so he doesn't believe him.

(even though he was actually looking for the village to warn them all)

He gets knocked out and taken to the fae kingdom, and he wakes up tied to a chair in the middle of a hall like “okay- i was willing to come here why did i get knocked out :(”

Cue Shinya making his proper entrance in his regal clothes and Tsunagu maybe stops functioning for a minute bc god damn he's Hot.

Interrogations.

Elves are approaching too close and so Tsunagu begs for him to let him go talk to them and so he (reluctantly) does.

Tsu tells them to return to camp. And so he goes off with them, leaving the fae kingdom safe

their dynamic is basically just:

"enemies to lovers" but they're only enemies because they're supposed to be and - "I don't trust you, get out." "you...you strapped me to this chair- i don't wanna kill you??"

Aizawa:

Aizawa is a human with no magic. He is an assassin and a ranger.

What he doesn't know, is that he has some royal blood - but he doesn't care about that when he does find out.

His mother was a maid in a small human kingdom, and she got pregnant by one of the princes in the palace she worked at. She ran away to be safe

A kind fae witch took her in and Shouta was born, but shortly after, she died of illness

The fae witch raised him enough for him to provide for himself and left him in a bigger human kingdom (it wasn't safe and his mother had asked her to do this)

He grew up not understanding why he had been abandoned and survived by scavenging and roaming around.

He met Hizashi as a kid, and they became friends, until the two kingdoms fell apart and he could no longer see him.

As he grew older, he became an assassin -not by choice- and started going on dangerous missions for the human kingdom.

(i haven't decided what his piece should be yet, but I'll figure it out soon /lh)

Since he has no magic, he fights physically very well and with short sharp weapons.

Mic:

Hizashi is an elven prince, and is constantly kept inside and not allowed to leave the kingdom without close supervision

His fathers are very overprotective but caring, but he gets really bored and wants to explore

(even though he is. terrified. of the outside world.)

When he was a kid, he met Aizawa and they became best friends.

When they separated, he gave Shouta his crystal necklace as their "Promise" that they would get back to each other some day

He grows up and grows into his princely duties, but part of him still wondered if Shouta was still alive.

He wields relatively strong light magic and can use it to manipulate the breeze as his strong point

How they meet in the main plot and dynamic:

Shouta gets sent on a mission to assassinate Hizashi, basically, and he sets off knowing fully well that he could not do this, and that this was the time he runs away

He prays that he will remember him

Climbs into his window and, of course, we have a classic "who tf are you and how are you in my bedroom?????" moment

Until Shouta very quickly reveals his face, they have a short sweet reunion, and he explains they have to leave.

Mic agrees within seconds and just whips out his readily-packed-in-case-of-running-away-emergency bag, and off they go

Shouta returns the necklace in a very emotional sweet moment a few days later when they are safe, and they are now just on the run and out in the wild, happily

Childhood friends to lovers - "You came back...thank you" "I promised, didn't I?"

(aka i give them enough angst in my canon hcs and other aus they deserve this one)

Powerloader:

(if it's not already known, Higari gets all my favourite tropes and design elements all the time- i swear its not favouritism, i swear shush shush /lh)

Higari is half dwarf, half dragon shifter.

He is an exiled dwarven general and a blacksmith :)

His mother was a dragon shifter that got captured by his father (a dwarven warrior). He was an asshole haha a bastard, a complete awful fuck-

Anyway his mother got pregnant with him and managed to run away for a bit and entrusted him to a lovely couple that looked after her before she was captured for good.

Higari was raised as a “dwarf” by the lovely couple that owned a smithy. They told him who he was and everything. He disguised himself as a full dwarf and grew up like that.

Eventually he got into the dwarven army, becoming one of the strongest generals.

(he just claimed that he had distant fae ancestors, which was the reason for some of his non-dwarf-like features)

But, one day they wanted to send them out on a mission to capture dragon shifters to use them to look for gold.

He outright refused in front of the king, the other soldiers and everyone. He refused by basically just stepping down right then and there. Obviously he couldn't say why, but he could not take these warriors to kill/capture innocents (like his mother)

He got ridiculed for this and exiled.

He cannot enter the palace, he cannot fight, and if he leaves the kingdom he can't return

Higari is honestly fine with this, he goes back to the smithy and just lives an easy life. Being half dragon shifter makes that not so easy, but as easy as he could.

Uses very strong and particular dark magic, and can sense magic and treasures and all sorts of those things.

His axe holds a piece of the beacon and he made it himself

When he was exiled, his Axe was taken from him and was gifted to another dwarven king as a "peace" offering

Since he is both dragon shifter and dwarf, he can make The Strongest Weapons in almost no time :)

His eyes give away his dragon shifter self, and he wears those lil metal claw things to cover up dark markings on his fingertips

Is the embodiment of Identity Crisis in this au <3

The soliders that followed him and agreed with him also got exiled. (his two children- i mean, closest friends and soldiers are thirteen and cementoss)

He doesn't know how to shift into a dragon

Ectoplasm:

Oh boy, here we go... /lh

Ecto is an elf, an elven prince to a lovely (and the least problematic) elven kingdom.

He used light magic and was a strong fighter and was often leading any battles that needed to be fought, but well, one day in these battles:

He died :)

They couldn’t find his body, but he did die.

Parents and kingdom are left to mourn him after the battle, and his good ol bestie snipe doesnt wanna believe that hes dead. (this is purely out of denial, he knows he is dead.)

Ecto wakes up in a dark cave-like room, very confused as to where he was and how he got there.

Turns out he got revived by a soulwatcher, but he didnt know why. The soulwatcher simply explained that a time would come where he would understand, but it was important that he was revived.

A few weeks pass and ecto finds out more about himself.

He lost his legs, those apparently couldn't be replaced. He died, but he was now alive. He had skeletal features….

And he was now a wielder of dark magic instead of light magic. A certain type of dark magic too, one that he didn't fully understand.

The soulwatcher taught him the basics and how to conceal himself to look like how he used to.

He was going to go back home and act like nothing happened, and that he was okay.

Snipe found him and was like “okay- man- i know i said i wasn’t believing you were dead but you literally got stabbed in front of me why are you alive???”

He explains everything to him bc….besties /lh and they return home.

Everyone rejoices and everything returns to how it was, except he pretends that his magic is weaker bc of the injury so he doesnt use it (bc haha dark magic now)

The soulwatcher gave him a staff with a certain crystal in the end of it. He simply said “it'll come in useful” and ecto has to just explain that a kind wizard healed him and gave it to him to help him get around.

His usual legs are made of wood but enchanted with dark magic to make them look and act normal. He had to explain that to his parents and they were like ????

And his face appears normal to others bc of magic

But (like in the designs) unmasked Ecto has shadow magic legs and his skeletal face <3

Since he is now a soulwatcher, he gets random visions and can interact with the dead.

How they met and dynamic:

Ecto's kingdom was visiting Higari's and Ecto's sword breaks during training but no royal blacksmiths can fix it bc it's "too difficult" (elvish and magic blade)

He ends up going for a walk and a civilian tells him about Higari's smithy so he goes in

Higari takes his sword and says it'll be an easy fix, and that he should come back in a day. Ecto is shocked but happily obliges.

Higari instantly knows that something is off and can sense the dark magic both on him and the sword

He also kinda fixes it immediately with the help of his own dark magic

They meet up the next evening when Ecto comes to pick up his sword, can't find Higari, walks into a lil training area around the back and almost gets hit by an axe that Higari threw at him on instinct

They have a slightly ??? dynamic, idk how to label it - "You've got secrets, should I trust you as much as I am right now?" "You also have secrets...let's figure them out together"

but also

"everyone thinks i kidnapped you D:" "but you didn't?? This was my idea???"

—

The characters get to go on their own separate journeys and adventures, and they all lead to the same point in the end! The journeys and bonds they make separately all contribute to the shared goal of saving the world from darkness :D

I wanted to do more characters (in particular: all three of mirukyubami, hawks, thirteen and cementoss) but this is already long as it is so just these guys for now!

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sophiie2000 · 2 years ago

Text

She Should Be With Me ~ Ota

Hey!🩵

Finally getting around to posting Ota's story as part of this mini series. 😊

⛔️Trigger Warning! ~ Heavily implied and talks of violence, DV, self loathing. Please be aware of this before reading.⛔️

I really debated whether I would post this version or completely rewrite this entire fic. It heavily implies DV and briefly discusses the trauma/self loathing that comes from such relationships.

However, today marks 7 years of one of my own family surviving DV and making her break with both her and her child, so as it is a topic that really is close to my heart, it just felt right to keep it how it is.

The thoughts of the characters with how DV makes you feel are based on the emotions and beliefs my family member has described to me.

I do not claim to be an expert on DV or trauma. I am no trained expert. All I am aware of, is my own families experiences. ⚠️

As always, I included the link to the prologue below!⬇️⬇️

So far Eisuke, Mamoru, Soryu and now Ota have been posted, leaving just Baba's story to go! 😊

So this is...

Ota x MC

While there is jealousy, this story has much more focus on helping a loved one out of a harmful relationship.

Disclaimer ~ Characters belong to Voltage Inc

~ 4058 words

Everything fell silent. He could see the others lips moving. He knew they were making sound. Probably shouting various comments, voicing their surprise. Yet Ota could hear nothing. Nothing over the thumping of his own heart. The rapid ba-dums ringing in his ears. A throbbing pain started in his chest, as it tightened.

How long had he cherished MC? She had come to him when he was in such a low place, he guessed it was inevitable she would come to mean so much to him. But for him to have fallen in love? That had been the greatest shock to him.

Slapping on his usual angelic smile. Ota began to reminisce on the past few years, and how MC had become someone irreplaceable to him.

It had been months. Months since Ota had touched a paintbrush. Months since he could bring himself to look at a canvas. The media were having a field day with his lack of released works. He could still see the headlines now. “ANGELIC ARTIST A FRAUD?!” and “WILL OTA KISAKI, THE ANGELIC ARTIST, EVER PAINT AGAIN?”.

Despite not painting, Ota still carried a pad and pencil with him wherever he went. Was it habit? Or was it hope that something, somewhere would trigger his spark for drawing.

Ota was always doodling some sort of design. Nothing he would publish. But just random everyday things he saw. Such as the calloused hands of the food vendor on the street. The silhouettes of the happy couple he had witnessed on their first date. The swaying cherry blossoms, just starting to see their petals drop.

His designs, they were all drawings which to anyone else would be perfect. Yet for Ota… they lacked something. They had no depth. Was it his strict parents who were both top of their own fields that had left Ota with such a perfectionist trait? Or was he just hard on himself because he wanted to show his teacher he had been right when he believed Ota had the talent to be the best during this time?

One particular day Ota had entered a coffee shop a short distance from the hotel. He took a seat in the corner of the café, out of the way, somewhere he would be less likely to be spotted. After his coffee arrived, his eyes roamed the café.

Until they stopped.

There, in the opposite corner of the café sat a lone woman. Her hair cascaded down over her shoulder, tucked neatly behind her ear. She was beautiful. To Ota, she was as bright as the sun, or the brightest star in a clear night sky. He was drawn to her like a magnet. He watched as she enjoyed her coffee. She appeared to be doodling on a pad. Her face held a beautifully concentrated focus. Ota felt mesmerised, and before he knew what he was doing, he too was sketching. Forming on his pad, was the beautiful woman who had captured his attention so fully. And for the first time in months, something sparked in his creative mind.

By the time Ota had finished, his coffee was cold and the woman was gone. His shoulders slumped knowing he’d missed his chance to say hello to the mystery woman. But for the first time in months, a genuine smile featured on his face as he gazed at the drawing he had just completed.

For the next few weeks, Ota had similar experiences. He would casually find himself in the same locations as the mystery woman. It was genuine coincidence that he found her again and again. But to him, it felt like fate. After a few weeks, he had pages of various drawings of the woman he had watched from afar.

They were all of her completing mundane tasks. Grocery shopping, buying food from the street vendor, sitting on a park bench doodling, picking flowers, texting on her phone. Nothing particularly special, but yet these drawings, to Ota, were the best he had done.

The next place Ota spotted the woman surprised him. He was walking through the hotel lobby when three employees walked in to begin their shift. As always, he plastered on the angelic smile to greet the maids. But suddenly he froze. Were his eyes deceiving him? There with the other two maids, wearing the same uniform, was the lone woman he had been drawing these last few weeks. She was a maid at the hotel?! All this time she had been right next to him?

He raced back up to the lounge where he knew Eisuke was. He had to find out who this woman was.

When Ota showed Eisuke his drawings, Eisuke seemed pleased.

“Who is she, Eisuke?” He asked, desperate to find out the name of the woman who had reignited his creative flame.

“Her names MC. She’s a good employee. Why do you ask?” Eisuke smirked, testing Ota.

“Introduce us. Please.” Ota practically pleaded with Eisuke, which made his smirk deepen. He pulled out his phone and after 2 short rings he issued his command.

“Kenzaki, bring MC up here for me immediately”.

Ota sat patiently waiting. The 5 short minutes they waited had felt like hours. When the door opened the lone woman walked in quietly. Ota caught his breath. She was breathtakingly beautiful. A natural beauty. And the brightness he had seen before seemed to have grown. He couldn’t remove his eyes from her.

“Mr Ichinomiya, you wished to see me” she spoke. Even her voice, to Ota, was gentle, sonorous like an angel.

“First, coffee.” Eisuke instructed. MC seemed to be accustomed to this command. She even knew exactly how Eisuke had his coffee, which surprised Ota. How well did they know each other?

“Your coffee, Mr Ichinomiya… Sir.” MC placed a coffee in front of both men before Eisuke gestured for her to take a seat beside Ota.

“MC, the man sat beside you is Ota Kisaki, I’m sure you recognise him as both the angelic artist and one of our VIP guests. He asked me to introduce you both”

“Eis—I mean Mr Ichinomiya, w-why me?”

“MC it is ok, you can call me Eisuke when here. Ota state your business.”

“Do you two know each other?” Ota asked looking between MC and Eisuke.

“Our parents were good friends, when MC’s sadly passed away I brought her here to the hotel so she had work and a place to live. So, you could say we are friends” Eisuke replied, smiling kindly in MC’s direction. “Now, MC came all the way up here Ota, state your business”.

“Oh… yes right. MC, I’m Ota and I’d like you to take a look at a few of my drawings before I ask you something. Please, consider what I have to say before you say anything.” Ota pleaded slightly, and MC, confused, nodded.

Ota showed MC his drawings of her from the last few weeks. With each new drawing, the confusion but also surprise in MC’s eyes intensified.

“A-are they all of me?” MC exclaimed, looking up at Ota.

“Yes… you see, whenever I saw you I just had this urge to draw. I haven’t felt this creative urge in months. So please, please would you consider agreeing to be a model for my drawings? A couple of hours 2 or 3 times a week. We could talk pay?”

Eisuke and MC looked at each other and laughed. Ota was confused. Why were they laughing?

“No, we don’t need to talk pay” MC responded, still giggling.

“But please--!” Ota began to beg before Eisuke stopped him.

“Ota don’t beg. She isn’t saying no to modelling for you”

“She isn’t?” Ota looked bewildered, both Eisuke and MC smiled, chuckling again.

“No, she’s a nice girl Ota. She’ll help you out, won’t you MC”

“If you really think I’m good enough as a model for your art, I would happily help you” MC smiled.

And that smile was the beginning of Ota’s fall. As the weeks turned to months, and months turned to a year, then another and another, MC did as she promised. She sat and modelled however Ota asked for a couple of hours, 3 times a week.

As they got to know each other better, their time together wasn’t just spent modelling and drawing. MC had shown Ota her own drawings, and while she hadn’t been too happy with them, Ota could see she was talented, she just needed guidance to reach her potential.

So, Ota taught her. He showed her better techniques, gifted her better utensils, offering her guidance. During this time, she showed him smiles so full and bright, that falling in love with her was inescapable.

Ota could feel himself tensing. He had known about Mason, of course he had. But knowing about Mason was never going to be enough to prevent him falling so completely for her.

And if she was going to move in with him, Ota feared he would lose everything. His best friend, his muse, the woman he loved. All would disappear. All at once.

“No.” One voice sounded above the others. Eisuke’s.

“What do you mean, ‘no’? It is hardly your decision Eisuke” MC responded angrily. She was the only person capable of standing up to Eisuke. Perhaps due to knowing each other since childhood.

“I mean no. MC think about everything you have told us about him. I have tried to be patient and wait for you to end this farce of a relationship, I have kept quiet and kept out of your business. However, if you are serious about moving in with him, then I will step in and prevent that.” Eisuke spoke with authority. He spoke of everything each of the others were thinking but did not say themselves.

The truth was, Mason was controlling and had on occasion been physically violent towards MC. The guys had all at one point had to step him to keep MC from being badly hurt.

Without fully controlling and watching her constantly, they couldn’t stop her from sneaking out to meet him.

The decision to move in together, would prevent them from having any ability to protect her.

It had been Ota who first told Eisuke he suspected MC was being mistreated. Cuts and bruises on her arms, legs and back were visible on occasion when she was modelling for him.

When he asked her about them she brushed him off. “Oh, I’m just clumsy” or “Must have been while I was working”. Typical responses she would give.

“You can’t stop this Eisuke… it’s already happened. Anyway, things will get better living together. He won’t be worrying about what I’m doing all the time because I will be there at home”

“MC… don’t you see how that’s another way he will control you?” Ota tried to intervene, offer a calmer voice. But Eisuke wouldn’t have it.

“Shut it Ota. MC this man has hurt you. He controls you. We care about you MC. Too much to let you go and live with that man. I’m sorry, truly, but I can’t let you put yourself in danger any longer. You are to stay here, until we have spoken about this properly. In one of the suites here in the penthouse. You choose.”

“Dammit Eisuke!” Anger boiled in MC’s eyes, Ota was glad Eisuke was intervening but he hated seeing MC hurt.

“She can stay with me.” Ota spoke up, and everyone looked towards him. MC momentarily seemed to calm down at that thought. “Makes sense, she spends a lot of time with me anyway with the art stuff”

“Fine, I’ll stay with Ota. For now.” MC barked before storming off. Everyone watching after her.

“She’ll understand, I’m just doing what is best for her.” Eisuke stated, his eyes focusing in the direction she left.

“You’re doing the right thing.” Ota replied, following after MC.

A few hours had passed since Eisuke had placed MC under 'house arrest'. Ota had sat on the sofa in his suite silently sketching as he waited for MC to come out of the bathroom she had locked herself in.

His blank page had soon been filled with a silhouette drawing of MC sitting in a windowsill.

He was just beginning to add the finishing touches when he heard the sound of the bathroom lock clicking open.

Looking up he saw MC emerge, looking sheepish. Placing his sketchpad on the table, Ota headed into the kitchen and prepared two coffees.

“Thank you” MC whispered as she gratefully accepted the drink from him. A satisfied sigh leaking from her lips after the first sip.

Ota noticed she had begun to relax and so he silently continued to sketch. He figured he would wait for her to be ready to speak.

Although, he did not have to wait for long.

“I know Eisuke and you guys are only looking out for me…”

“Mhm” Ota replied, letting her know he was listening. Encouraging her to continue.

“I know I need to be away from Mason… I know how he treats me is wrong. But I’m scared, Ota… he knows where I am at all times. When I’ve been around you guys, his behaviour is worse… I thought leaving was the right thing. I thought… I thought I could help him, make things easier for him” MC stuttered, weeping as she spoke.

“MC… there is no way we could rightly let you go back. We have made that mistake too many times. You aren’t safe there. And you’re telling me you’re scared? That alone tells me Eisuke is doing what is best, not letting you leave.”

“But Ota… if I don’t go… he’ll just get angrier…” MC cried.

“That is why it is safest for you to stay here. He can’t get you if you are here. I promise, you’re safe here with me… *cough* I mean with us” Ota hastily corrected himself, dragging MC into a warm, tight embrace.

The scent of her perfume filled his senses. She smelt like cherry blossoms. The smell warming Ota’s heart. It made him wish to hold on tighter. Although, truthfully, it wasn’t the nostalgic smell that he wished to hold on to so dearly.

It was her.

This beautiful, wonderful woman who had come into his boring life, and filled it with so much joy. So much colour.

Someone like her crappy boyfriend, who didn’t know how to treat her properly was undeserving of such an angel. He would cherish her. He would love her how she deserved to be loved. Treat her with the care and kindness she warranted. She should be with him, he thought.

As he felt MC return his embrace, Ota placed a tender kiss to her forehead. Feeling her nuzzle into his touch, he lingered. Bringing a hand up to caress her cheek. The action bringing a blossom pink blush to them. A look that made her all the more endearing.

As MC looked up into Ota’s eyes, he brought his forehead to rest against hers. Everything felt right. In that moment, Ota felt like they were connecting on a deeper level. Her eyes hadn’t left his.

Her wide eyes, beckoned him closer.

And closer…

Until.

“I need to go speak to Eisuke!” MC suddenly pulled herself away.

Out of his embrace. Ota was shocked for a moment. Frozen in place. Before he suddenly nodded, agreeing.

MC hurried from his suite, not before sparing one last glance in his direction.

Was her heart racing like his? He hadn’t imagined that moment, had he? They were… they were about to kiss?

Right?

It had been a few days since Ota and MC almost shared their would-be kiss.

Things had been relatively normal between them. They still spent their free time drawing together, with Ota teaching MC better techniques, while MC modelled for his art.

MC had spoken with Eisuke and apologised for her outburst. She was honest with how she was feeling, and had explained to Eisuke she was actually grateful that they would be helping free her from a relationship which had been making her miserable for a long time.

While they may have gotten her out of the home she had been in. They were having to keep her hidden away in the penthouse.

Particularly since Mason’s anger at her being taken from him was at its peak. He was sending horrid messages. Angry phone calls. Creating disturbances in the hotel.

All the while, Ota ensured MC was with him safe, while Eisuke and the others prevented Mason from getting any closer.

Mamoru had actively encouraged MC to report the harassment she was receiving. However, she blamed herself for his temper and outbursts.

She was the one who was abandoning him. She was the one who had moved in with him one second, and disappeared the next.

Yes, it was unhealthy. Yes, she knew that it was unsafe for her to return. But logic defied her. Logic wasn’t enough to make her feel like she was doing the right thing. For both her and Mason.

She had almost gone back.

A number of times she almost broke down and returned.

See that’s the hold these people hold over you. They are capable of making you blame yourself. Making you think that they need you, to be ok. When in reality they are taking every ounce of your confidence, worth, belief. Destroying it, until you rely on them solely.

This was something Ota and the others had been showing MC she was better than. That she was worth something. That she mattered.

To Ota… she was everything. And he was adamant he would make sure he built her back up. Build her confidence, show her how much she was worth. Help her believe in herself again.

And he would do it in the only way he knew how.

His art.

A few months had passed since the bidders had pulled MC out of her relationship.

After a month and a half Mason finally gave up.

He stopped messaging, calling, showing up at the hotel. He had suddenly become eerily silent.

Ota had had to promise MC that Eisuke and Soryu had not ‘taken care of’ Mason. Although, he couldn’t promise that they had not given him a helping hand in encouraging him to back off.

After 2 months, MC had moved back into the staff dorms. Back into her old room. Ota missed her company in his suite. It was quiet without her. But it did give him the time to work alone on his creation.

After deciding he was going to show MC exactly what she meant to him, he had begun designing his largest art piece yet.

He was creating a time lapse piece. Each canvas displayed a different part of the story.

From a young girl falling in love, to the pain of being trapped in a controlling relationship, to finally breaking free, and ending with the beauty of a woman as bright as the sun, walking to her future.

He was detailing her story. He wanted to show her just how magnificent she had become, how brightly she shone. Show her she was worth so much more than what she had once believed.

He called the piece…

A journey to self-love.

Each stroke of his paintbrush had been filled with his love for MC. Every dab of paint and colour held greater meaning than any piece he had completed before.

Every section had a purpose.

It was his greatest masterpiece. Just as she had become his greatest love.

When Ota had finally completed the piece, he invited the bidder’s to be the first to view it. He could guarantee they would be honest with him. They would tell him if he had captured the essence of what he wanted.

Especially Eisuke. His harshest critic. Particularly where MC was concerned.

Everyone was silent as they walked around the gallery. Moving from one canvas to the next. Ota could see in their eyes they were moved. They were impressed.

Eisuke had stopped in front of the last canvas. His eyes seemed softer as they gazed at the detailed painting of MC. Ota knew he was gazing at her with the care and love of an older brother.

The other bidder’s left, leaving the pair alone in front of the final canvas.

Ota waited with bated breath. What would he say?

“It’s perfect. You truly captured her journey. Thank you.” Eisuke whispered, eyes still focused on the canvas, before he continued. “She’s in love with you, too, you know. She told me, about your almost kiss… that was when she realised” Ota’s breath hitched. He had hoped, but was never certain. “Look after her”.

“I will.” Ota replied, a smile gracing his features. “Do you think she’ll like it?” He asked nervously.

“Mhm” Eisuke nodded, the gruffness back in his voice. Finally, he turned away from the canvas. Placing one strong hand onto Ota’s shoulder, before striding from the gallery.

All that was left for Ota to do now… was show MC. He desperately hoped she would like it, and understand how he feels.

Ota kept his hands covering MC’s eyes. She giggled as he awkwardly tried to lead her into the gallery. He placed her in front of the first canvas. Taking a deep breath, he whispered quietly into her ear.

“This is my greatest masterpiece…” slowly releasing her eyes.

The time MC took to adjust to the light felt like eternity to Ota, as he waited for some sort of reaction from her. Anything.

He watched as she took in each canvas. Spending time to truly appreciate each, and every one. Each stroke. Each detail.

The way she always took her time when observing his art always filled Ota was glee and satisfaction. For her, his muse, his love, to enjoy his creations… well, it filled his heart.

Ota noticed the changes in MC’s features as she went from one canvas to the next.

How she smiled in reminiscence at the young couples love blooming. How her features darkened and her smile faded at the young woman being trapped. The way her eyes shook with unhealed pain as she observed the pain the woman in the painting felt too.

And finally, he saw as her eyes glistened with unshed tears, sparkled with joy, as she observed the final canvas. The canvas which showed the woman as bright as the sun, journeying on into a better future.

MC turned to Ota, but before she could say anything he pulled her into a crushing embrace.

“You are incredible, MC. You have come so far. You are worth so so much. You truly do shine brighter than the sun, and I just needed you to know, just how amazing you are. How much you mean to—” Before Ota could finish, MC interrupted him.

With a kiss.

A deep, all consuming, kiss.

The softness of her lips pressing to his own, filled Ota to the brim. A satisfied sigh escaping his lips as he joined her in deepening their kiss.

Their tongues danced together to the beat of their own song. His hands snaking around her waist to pull her to him. He felt as her body shivered in obvious pleasure.

After what felt like forever, yet not long enough, they pulled away from each other.

“Thank you, Ota” MC whispered, as she attempted to calm her breathing. A single tear drop rolling down her fevered stained cheek.

Ota reached up, gently caressing her cheek, as though to dry her tears. He peppered featherlight kisses to her eyelids, cheeks, forehead, nose. The gesture resulting in a soft giggle from his loves lips.

“I love you, MC” Ota finally breathed the words he hadn’t dared share in the years he had known her. “I always have. Please, please let me continue to love you”

“I love you too, Ota. So much”.

Her honest, heartfelt declaration brought immense joy to Ota. He lifted her up into his arms before crashing his lips to hers once again.

Finally, the angelic artist had captured the heart of his muse. His love. His sunlight.

And like how his art would remain part of this world, he hoped their love too, would never fade.

#kbtbb fanfic #kbtbb ota #kissed by the baddest bidder #kissed by the baddest bidder fanfic #voltage fanfic #voltage inc #voltage otome #love 365 #voltage games #kbtbb #ota kisaki

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rafor · 1 year ago

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Chapter 38 - Lovers - The Glitch

Solara had carried us back to the palace in the night, cradling us gently on her back as we slept. The guards recognized her and let her pass without question. She laid us down in a lavish bedroom that I had never seen before, one that belonged to the royal family. When I opened my eyes in the morning, I saw Freya standing by the mirror on the left wall, putting on her jewelry. She had woken up before me and was already preparing for the day. She caught my gaze in the reflection and paused for a moment.

“Good morning, Freya,” I said, smiling. “Good morning to you too, Raphael,” she said, returning my smile. I tried to make some small talk, hoping to ease the awkwardness between us. “Getting ready for the day?”. “Yeah, as usual. Have you slept well?” she asked. “I have, but I don’t remember getting here yesterday. Thanks,” I said. “Me neither. I guess that we got carried back inside,” she said. “By who?” I asked. “Most likely, Solara. She used to do that for me when I fell asleep outside,” she said with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. “Oh, how nice. So you used to get outside often,” I said, curious about her past. “After losing my soulmate, I found solace in nature. Solara was my only companion then. She would stay with me until it was late, and then bring me back here,” she explained. “So this is your royal bedroom?” I asked, looking around the spacious and elegant room. “Not really. This is the royal chamber. It was designed for a couple, not for a single dragon,” she said, a shadow crossing her face.

I felt a pang of sympathy for her, even though her loss was long ago. “It’s a beautiful room. It has character. I wouldn’t mind living in it,” I said. “Thank you. It was made with love,” she said softly.

As I gazed at our reflection in the mirror, I spotted a new mark on my scales. It matched the one she had on her chest and also on her head. It was on the side of my head, replacing another mark that used to be there. I leaned in to examine it more closely, and she noticed it too. She smiled and said, "Oh, look, you have the same mark as me. It’s a sign that we’re meant for each other.” I frowned and said, “I didn’t have it before. It’s new. I don’t know what it means.” She speculated, “Maybe it’s because we bonded.” I felt a surge of suspicion and asked, “What do you mean by that? We only spent one night together.” She said, “Maybe more than that.” I said, incredulously, “What? We did nothing,” she said. “We had our first deep kiss.” That was a lie. I said, “We haven’t yet.” She tried to persuade me: “You don’t remember? We had fun.” I said, “Not in this reality. Are you confusing a dream with reality? I didn’t wake up at all until now,” she said. “You were sleepwalking then.” I felt a pang of fear and said, “What? No, I wasn’t,” she replied. “Hey, it was nice.” I then said, “So you’re telling me that while I was asleep, you kissed me or something without my consent and used me for things?” She said with an evil tone, “You bet I did. And it was great.” I shouted, “No, that’s wrong. It’s impossible, and it doesn’t work like that. I would have woken up. I feel violated!” I was starting to take it seriously and added, “I’m a human! I’m not supposed to do that, even if I’m not in the body of one now. It’s wrong! It’s sick!” She burst into laughter and then said, “You are so naive. I was joking. Nothing like that has happened yet.” With relief, I said, “Oh, thank goodness!” But she quickly added, “Anyway, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. You’re not a human now. You’re a beautiful dragon. Just accept that.” I said, “I don’t know. I can’t accept that. I’m sorry.” She said, “You will, eventually. You’re still alive. You have instincts.” I said, “Yeah, but they’re buried deep inside. I’m not a wild animal. I’m an intelligent being.” She then challenged me: “Whatever you say, you’re starting to sound like a weirdo.”

I was about to say, “I’m not,” but then realized that maybe I was sounding like one. I had to think like the adult that I was, but it still didn’t justify what she pretended to have done or what had happened. We dropped the subject, and soon after, I decided to leave the room and tell her, “I’m going to see if Kira needs any help,” but she stopped me and said, “Are you not coming with me for breakfast?” I didn’t expect that and said, “I’d love to, but I’m not hungry. I can still keep you company if you want.” She said, “Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen you eat anything while you were here.” She was right. I never had. I said, “That’s because I don’t have to eat. My powers sustain me. But sometimes I still get thirsty.” She teased me: “Aren’t you thirsty for love?” I replied with total seriousness, “Not now. Thanks,” she pretended to be hurt and said, "Oh, come on, you wound me like this.” I said, “Please act like the mature queen that you are and stop acting like a needy girl who wants attention.” She took it somewhat seriously and said, “Alright then, weirdo.” I was more than ready to reply to that and said, “I see that you really love this weirdo, don’t you?” She replied sarcastically, “Oh yes, very much.”. We then headed to the dining room like a couple, as we were becoming one. There, we were greeted by a waiter who told us, “Breakfast is ready. We hope you enjoy it. Take a seat, your majesty.” He let me join her.

The place was humbling for the few around. Just us and the servants working there, waiting for any requests if we had any. On one side, a lavish spread of food tempted our senses, offering delicacies I had never imagined in this world. Sweets and cakes of various shapes and flavors, as well as savory dishes of meat, cheese, bread, and fruit. The only thing missing was eggs, which were taboo here. They considered them akin to killing a child. I wondered how they managed to bake a cake without them. Could it still be called a cake? It didn’t really matter. After a long time, I found pleasure in eating something real. It was great. I had nothing to complain about.

Freya accompanied me everywhere and tried to give me advice on things to choose, saying, “I like this and that. Oh, those are my favorites,” and other enthusiastic remarks. She was really nice and treated me really well. When we returned to our table, she asked me, “Isn’t it romantic to eat together?” I replied without thinking too much about whether I could hurt her feelings “Feels good rather than romantic. Maybe a dinner together would be more romantic.” I felt a bit shy in that moment. If we had to be a couple, I didn’t want it to be an illusion. We had to be honest and equal with each other. She pondered my answer and started scheming. Even while we continued talking about different subjects, she kept pausing.

I finished my breakfast and reached out to Kira, wondering if he required my assistance. He nodded and gestured for me to follow him. I hastened to his side, eager to replenish the dwindling supply of crystals. I marveled at how swiftly I could manipulate them, turning them around in a flash. I didn’t have to touch each one individually. As long as they were in contact with each other, I could transform them with ease.

But then something went wrong. As I was working on a basketful of crystals, I felt a surge of energy and heard Kari exclaim, “Oh no, not again!” I looked down and saw that I had created more of the mysterious crystals that had caused me so much trouble before. “Holy shit. I swear I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.” I apologized, frantically trying to undo my mistake. I managed to extract their element, but it came at a cost. A wave of pain swept over me, and I feared that I was about to shapeshift again. I grabbed a health crystal and held it to my chest, hoping to ease the agony. It worked, but the crystal changed as well. It became another dark crystal, but this one was different from the others: it was smoking constantly and felt hot to the touch. It was a potent crystal.

I dropped it quickly and picked it up with some forging tongs. I placed it in a jar and sealed it tightly. Kari looked at it warily and asked, “Are you sure that’s safe enough?” I shook my head and said, “I don’t know. I think we should get rid of it.” He agreed and said, “We should destroy it.” He reached for a shredding tool that he kept nearby. It was made of shiny crystals that resembled diamonds. I said, “Wait, what do we do with the dust?” He said, “Just don’t breathe it, and we’ll keep it in a jar. It’s less dangerous than a sharp crystal.” We proceeded to pulverize the crystal and collect its dust in another jar. We labeled it with a warning sign and put it in a metal box marked “Danger”.

As we were finishing up, Kari noticed something else about me and said, “Your wings have changed.” I twisted my neck to get a better look at them. They had small, glowing, light blue dots on them, like stars in the night sky. I sighed and said, “Why do I keep changing? Come on. I’m sick of this.” He said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know.” I knew he wasn’t to blame. I was just venting my frustration. I said, “Don’t worry, it’s only aesthetic, luckily. It doesn’t hurt or anything.” We exchanged a stunned look and then parted ways as if nothing had happened.

I made my way back to the throne room, where my soulmate, the queen, was waiting for me. I had to tell her about this incident and also learn something new. She had told me during breakfast that if I wanted to stay as her potential mate, I had to take on new responsibilities. And those included avoiding accidents like this one. I had to be careful and royal.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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