#in the tradition of MC kids this MC kid has no idea what he's getting himself into
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PRINCESS AND THE SITH
NOTE guys this prompt got a hold of me, so blame @ofstarsandvibranium for the midnight horrible writing
WARNINGS 1.6K words, violence, death of a non-MC, smut (you freaks), lots of religious imagery and refrences to Qimir being god-like (he is)
PAIRING qimir x princess! reader
you and young jedi qimir fall in love when he's guarding you as a member of the royal family. you're stricken away from each other in the name of duties and responsibilities, and the love is thought to be a lost cause to you...until you see him again, holding a vibrant red saber to the throat of your betrothed.
Oh my stars, he was just as beautiful as the day he left. Even with grim over his face, and sweat glistening over his skin. The red reflected off of him in a way that she could only compare to heavenly. Oh what a horrible ideaâŠ
It was just a mistake, that was all. As a kid, she should have known she couldnât have grown close to any Jedi. As a teenager, she should have recognized her faults, and moved past them. Not whatever happened between them then, puppy innocent love. Nothing tainted, nothing impure, simply just a love that bloomed between them, first love.Â
But it could never meant to be. She knew she had to grow into her royal duties, one day marry into a rich royal family somewhere out there to settle down and provide heirs for that family as she wasnât the eldest.
And QimirâŠhe was a Jedi. He could never have that without forsaking what he has stood for all his life. So once the threat on the royalsâ lives had ended, he was sent away. And she never thought of him againâŠ
That was completely false, by the way. It was like every waking second after his departure was spent in reminiscence of him.Â
Every lesson became a guess if he would like the subject or not. Every lonely stroll became a daydream about his presence. Every late night was spent wishing he was there guarding her room from the inside, holding her in warrior strengthened arms and confessing the sweet love he had for her.Â
As time washed past, the remembrance faded away, until the impending face of reality dawned upon her. There was no point in wishing over something she would never have, something that wouldnât serve her people.Â
She had a royal duty to be bound elsewhere and provide heirs. It was time she forgot about the boy that only stayed weeks, but occupied her mind for years.
But he stood here, grinning like a madman, but at least he was grinning.
âQimir?â She asked softly, not daring to guess if it was him or not.Â
The guard took her by the arm, pulling her away, "Princess, you need to step away. Our priority is getting you to safetyââ
âWhat do you mean- oh.âÂ
She saw it, the reason he was grinning so widely. In his arms he held the man she was meant to marry in the crook of his elbow, squeezing the neck so tightly that the eyes started to bulge out, but her eyes stayed focused on the sheer mass of muscle he displayed. He wore whiteâŠwhite, like her husband was supposed to on the wedding day. White, and red that made him glow in her eyes.Â
âQimir, what is this?â
âI readâŠâ He started off, clearly his throat, trying to soften his voice. âI read about your laws and traditions, princessâŠâ He glanced off at the man he was currently strangling, holding the end of a small dagger like saber, to his head, a look full of disgust and malice. âAnd this idiotsâ laws tooâŠIf I kill him off, I get his wife or his kingdomâŠand to your laws, all you need to provide is a backup heir for your kingdomâŠit doesnât matter who the father is.â
âOf course it does, it needs to be of royal blood,â She answered simply, face and thoughts going more and more blank the longer she spent in his presence. He was really here, and it was flattering he wanted to marry her, but really it could never work out he was a Jedi-
The red saber stared back at, as if taunting her to continue her thoughts.Â
No, no, ok, makes sense, heâs a Jedi anymore, butâŠif he wasnât Jedi, what was he?
Qimir cocked an eyebrow and smirked at the ministry to her right. âIs that so?â
The Ministry looked down in shame. âNo, you are wrong princessâŠHeâŠhe is right. The father does not matter if at least the mother is in direct blood of the throne.â
Her face dropped, looking at them equally with shame and a repulsion, and then panicking, looking suddenly at her fianceâs impending death in the eyes. âWait, wait, Qimir, donât be rash, we donât have to kill him, youâll enable an entire army of attacks, think rationally here-â
âOh princessâŠâ He crooned, a glaze in his eyes that never left her, not even for a second. He tilted his head, turning her fiance in tow with him. âShhâŠIf itâll hurt, you can close your eyes this time. This isnât the first time Iâve killed for youâŠand it wonât be the last either. Shhh, shâŠclose your eyes.â
âYouâŠyou canât do this,â She tried again stupidly.Â
âYes, yes I canâŠâ he whispered, voice impossibly soft when the subject was the murder of a royal in front of her, her supposed fiance⊠well not anymore, a little voice in her head cooed, sounding impossibly like Qimir in that moment.Â
âJust close your eyes, princess, nothing to see hereâŠthe wedding will commence like normalâŠand nothing will come between us again.â
âQimir, please, heâs innocent,â She whispered, tears springing in her eyes.
âPrincess, câmon now, donât make this more difficult for yourselfâŠclose your eyes, and cover your ears.â
She glanced at the man she was strangling, taking a full moment to beg for forgiveness in herself, before she turned around closing her eyes and covered her ears. She thought she could practically feel Qimirâs grin resonating around her, and the second her ex-fiancesâ body hit the floor. After a moment of silence, a hand rested at her shoulder, turning her around.Â
Qimirâs handsome face tugged at her heartstrings, even when she knew that the hands he touched her so softly with were stained with blood. His eyes were alike to a puppy, with hope filling a spark in them that she would marry him and they could love again, the love that never truly fades. His hair framed his face, since when was it that long? Oh she hadnât seen him in that long.
âReady to get married, princess?â
__
After the marriage, no one really dared to come near him after he so simply beheaded the heir to a million count kingdom. Suffice to say, no one would bother them for a whileâŠespecially during their wedding night. When he had face pushed against the pillow while he took his time learning his way around her body once again.Â
âWhen I-â He cut off with a sharp thrust that rendered her useless under him, whining some nonsense about how good everything felt, âsaw the wedding announcement, princess, I nearly killed him that night. Almost consumed him in the force itself, that bastard, trying to take whatâs mine.â
âYours, yours, yours, Qimir, Iâm so sorryââ
âShhh, itâs ok, princess, Iâm not mad at you,â he crooned into her ear, his nose tracing a line up and down her neck in comfort as he forced himself further into her, the mess dripping onto the bedsheets and down her thighs. âYou didnât have a choice, you thought you had to do itâŠI know you would have chosen me if you could, oh poor baby, you thought you were all aloneâŠâ
His voice was so soft onto her, like velvet that soothed all the cuts left behind by the years he wasnât there. âItâs ok⊠Iâm here now, princessâŠâ
She gasped softly when he pulled out just to thrust all the way in again, his fingers coming up to push her head back into the mattress, forcing her hips higher and straightening back out. âStars, princess, I dreamed of this so much when I didnât have youâŠdid you dream of me?â
âAlmost every night, Qimir, missed you so much,â She blabbed, feeling tears peak at her eyes with how long he was dragging this out. âPlease, please, please, need you, need you now, pleaseââ
âShhh, shh, baby, maybe if itâs easier, you should close your eyes,â He whispered, a mockery of the circumstances before their wedding, sending a shiver involuntarily down her shoulder. âI know what you need, just-â he thrusted again, pressing a spot inside her that made her see stars â-relax.â
She practically melted in his grip, while he breathed heavily above her, the sound like a symphony to heavenâs gates to her. Like pure bliss exploding on her skin, ever second he was with her.Â
âFuck, I love you so much, princess, baby, you love me too, donât you? Stars, I did this all for you, I fucking love you.â
âI love you, I love you, Iloveyou, Iloveyou-â The phrase became a mantra on her tongue, a prayer that died the second he started to move on her. Prayers were answered, an alter laid before her. He had the wings of an angel, and the eyes of the devil when he peered at her with such power laid in his hands. His blood-streaked hands, like the acceptance of a sacrifice, sacrifice in her name, if he was god, what does that make her? The worship he gave to her, laying practically at her feet, jumping down from his pedestal for a touch of mortality from her lips, and the dangers of being young forever when they touched.Â
âYouâre mine, princess, no other dirty prince will ever touch you,â He whispered to her, and she knew she believed in faith when his words rang like truth itself in her core.Â
When they both finished, he laid next to her, curling her hair behind her ear and pressing gentle kisses to her forehead, each one like sunlight on her skin. She knew what it was like to be touched by a god.Â
#qimir#the acolyte#qimir the acolyte#qimir x reader#the stranger#qimir x you#the stranger x reader#the acolyte x reader#qimir smut#qimir fic
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Thinking thoughts. In a lot of popular books, usually YA, Iâve noticed that when the mc (usually a girl) goes through Some Shit, at the end of the series or whatever to show healing and growth, the authors often have her married off and possibly with a kid. The ~normal ideal~ and all.
But for me, that donât resonate. I appreciate to hell that Animorphs author K. A. Applegate said, âSometimes the wounds left really fuck you upâ and, like, spoilers for a 30 year old book series:Jakeâs life collapses, Rachel fucking DIES, Tobias fucks off from society completely, Marco is sitting pretty on fame and fortune but that boy had a 50/50 chance of completely cracking and collapsing his own life, and Ax went back to his militaristic, authoritarian by the sound of it war-mongering society of holier-than-thou xenophobes. Cassie is the ONLY one who got out and stayed out, and she had major issues about the whole thing from the start.
Iâm so glad that was one of my formative media obsessions. I didnât really grow up with, in my very personal opinion, was this idea of âA bad thing happened but you just need to get married and have a baby or two and all better!â
And expanding on this (insert Tom Cardy as JRR Tolkien ripping off his sweater), âIâm not even HALFWAY started!â
Astarion. Some of yâall really love papastarion and you go, Glenn Coco. I ainât trying to shame you or say youâre doing it wrong. Yâall seem really happy and thatâs genuinely awesome. I love some of yâallâs work myself.
But for me, I LOVE the idea that, even romanced, Astarion doesnât âsettle downâ in the aforementioned traditional context. That man has been through A Lot, and after the events of the game, so has his LI. I am feral over the idea that he alone, or with LI if he has one, just fuck off. Never married. No kids. Just spending decades and decades figuring out who he even is and what he wants to do with that. Thatâs comforting in the extreme, to me. You donât have to be married and with kids to be happy and fulfilled, and I just really appreciate that.
(For those of you creating absolute gremlin children of his, I do salute you, that shit is amazing and hysterical).
#astarion#bg3#baldur's gate 3#astarion ancunin#bg3 astarion#astarion headcanon#animorphs#what is a happy ending
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If you are free and in the mood, can you write about the M6 or just Asra, lucio, and Nadia reaction to MC donating third of what they make from working in their magic shop, like they donate it to charities or families that need money.
I can never resist adding the slightest bit of hurt to Asra's part (he makes me violently ill.)
I don't really know how I ended up having all of them giving to charities themselves but they all definitely would at one point or another.
M6 with a MC who donates to charity
Asra
He'll offer more ideas on how to donate or give to the charity of MC's choosing. He'll try to slip some goofy things in if they're donating to kids, he wants them to have fun!
They definitely kept this tradition up if MC started it before the Plague, since it was something important to them. Though, he'll always be a little teary eyed while he does it.
Once MC is able to walk and talk on their own, they'll ask them to pick charities every so often to give to. If they pick one they used to give to a lot he gets a sad look on his face they can't understand.
When they go on their trips they make sure to bring enough supplies back to donate a good amount and still have some for themselves.
Asra likes to donate to charities that focus on kids. Especially ones that include orphans.
Julian
He'll mostly tease at first.
Even though he's teasing, he gets a warm feeling in his chest seeing you be so kind to all these people.
Julian gets somber when he sees families struggling to stay together. It reminds him of having to leave Portia.
He'll absolutely want to be part of it but uh, MC, what do you expect this man to give?? He's been on the run for years!!
He likes to donate to medical related charities, but still varies often. His second most donated to is family charities.
Nadia
She loves that MC cares so much for her (and possibly, eventually, their) people so much.
She knows that the time she was asleep and with Lucio, she neglected her people. Even if she never meant or wanted to, it happened.
It warms her heart that they still cared enough to help others less fortunate.
She'd love to join! Just, tell her not to overwhelm these people. Please.
Muriel
He's honestly not thought about charities for...a long time.
Before him and MC get close he'll be on edge about it. He doesn't trust apperances.
Once he gets closer and realizes MC just wants to do it to be a good/nice person, he relaxes.
We've seen this man be so kind when he's finally allowing himself to be his own person. Apply here!
He likes to make things for charities. Blankets, Furs, etc.
Muriel would likely want to donate to charities that focus on family or orphaned children.
Portia
she is ecstatic!!
This woman has donated since she got herself into a good stable position and you cannot tell me otherwise.
She's been donating to charities that revolve around keeping families together or children. She understands the pain of losing family more than they realize.
She would want MC to donate to wherever they wanted, give as many people a chance as you can!
Pre-Upright Lucio
He's genuinely confused
They'd rather give that money away?? They could've spent that on something extravagant for him themselves!
The whole idea confuses him immensely.
Once MC starts dragging him through the magic realms and lovingly forcing him to face his own consequences, he'll start to grasp the concept much more.
Post-Upright Lucio
This is a new and improved man right here!
He'll even participate with you! if you help him decide on what all to give? He's still lost on what is best there
Surprisingly, he's the one to suggest donating to families or children.
He still holds so much guilt over his actions. He knows that he's gonna live with that the rest of his life, but at least he can do something good with his second chance, right?
#asrathearcana#asra alnazar#the arcana lucio#the arcana x reader#the arcana game#the arcana headcanons#the arcana imagines#the arcana main 6#the arcana#muriel of the kokhuri#the arcana muriel#muriel the arcana#the arcana julian#julian devorak#portia the arcana#portia devorak#the arcana portia#the arcana game nadia#nadia the arcana#count lucio#nadia satrinava#arcana game#asra#muriel#asra x reader#asra the magician#lucio the arcana#lucio morgasson#lucio x reader
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Royal Adventures
All Hallow's Eve
Chapter 1
Book: Choices, The Royal Romance Series Finale
A Smoke & Mirrors Series Alternate Universe
Pairing:
King Liam Rys x F!MC Queen Riley Brooks-Rys
Series Inspiration: Royal Misadventures Smoke & Mirrors series 1-shotÂ
Series Premise: 12-year-old Crown Princess Eleanor Rys of Cordonia has officially started her Royal education. Tutors that had been personally selected by His Majesty King Liam Rys and Queen Riley Rys were set to begin her royal lessons, and her days were packed full. The young princess was a natural leader, and the King and Queen could not be prouder.  Â
Rating: M, not Beta'd-please excuse all errors   Â
Category: On-going series, fluffÂ
Warnings: swearing, drinkingÂ
Most Characters belong to Pixelberry StudiosÂ
Chapter Summary: Ellie enlists help from her uncles, Leo and Maxwell to pull off a Halloween prank on her uncle Drake...with two unexpected situations that may spoil her fun...maybe.Â
Words: 2.0 k
Royal AdventuresÂ
All Hallowâs Eve, chapter 1Â
Cordonian Royal Palace
"Ellie, you're so funny," William howled in laughter.Â
"It'll be great," Eleanor insisted, her eyes lighting up with excitement. After describing her plans to her brothers, she was determined to make her idea happen.Â
"Drake will never see it coming," Stefan agreed, giggling.Â
"Okay, now I need Uncle Leo and Uncle Maxwell." Puling out her phone, Ellie tapped -
Ramsford Country Club - Golf course, 11th hole
"Nice swing, Your Majesty," Drake smirked slyly.Â
Liam chuckled, "I can't believe it took us so long to do this."Â
"Yeah, well, ruling a country takes a lot of time," Drake laughed.Â
Handing his club to his caddy, Liam sighed, "So, what do you think of the club?Â
"I have to admit, it's pretty awesome."Â
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."Â Liam took a swig of water.
"I could get used to this," Drake replied, sipping on a cold beer.Â
"We should do this more often."Â
"That would be great, Li"Â
Liam's phone vibrated, and he pulled it out to answer a call from his daughter...
'Hi, Daddy, can you give Uncle Drake a message?'Â
'What is it, Princess?'Â
'Tell him - Gotcha.'Â
Chuckling, Liam replied ...
'Okay, sweetheart. I will.'
He put his phone away, with a puzzled look, and decided not to question her.Â
"Ellie ... wanted me to tell you ... 'Gotcha'."Â
Noticing Liam's expression --"What is it?" Drake asked with hesitation.Â
"I'm not entirely sure, Drake. Give her a call later. Riley is planning a surprise party tonight for the kids."
Drake looked puzzled. "What the hell does that mean?"Â
Grabbing another club from the caddy, Liam shook his head. "Yeah, well ... she has a costume waiting for me to wear."
"Really? ...they are going to enjoy an American tradition...New York style."Â Drake chortled, "Knowing Riley, she will pull out all the stops."
Snickering, Drake added, "I want to hear all about it."
Liam raised an eyebrow, "That's a hard NO! Now, let's finish up our round."Â
"Sure, Your Majesty."Â Drake continued to snicker.
Meanwhile, in the clearing behind Drake's cabin.Â
"Okay, Ellie, you're the mastermind, what do you need us to do?" asked Leo.Â
"We're gonna need a ton of fake spiders, some black cloth, and lots of fake cobwebs."Â
"On it!" Maxwell cheered. I had all the supplies dropped off after he left for the golf course.
"And the fog machine!" Ellie looked pleased, as Maxwell uncovered a cage beside it.
"That's diabolical!" Leo sneered as he opened a box of plastic bats and spiders.
"...and ... la meillure partie."Â (the best part)...
"Perfect," she giggled.Â
"What else, Ellie?"Â
"Hmmm. I know, we can add sound effects for the bats, and the fan will swirl and make the spiders come alive."Â
"How'd you get these ideas anyway, Ell?"
"From the best horror movie ever made," she replied proudly.Â
"Which one is that?" asked Leo.Â
"Nightwing."Â
"That's an old movie, isn't it?"Â
"Yes, it is," she replied, "but it's the best."Â
"I'm surprised the nanny let you watch that," said Maxwell.Â
"She didn't. Mom did, though."Â
"Oh, man, your mother's gonna kill me," Leo groaned.Â
"Don't worry, Uncle Leo, this will be so worth it," Ellie giggled.Â
"I'm still not sure about this, kid. You really want to pull this prank on Uncle Drake?"Â
"Trust me, Uncle Max, I promise I won't tell anyone," She insisted.Â
"If you say so, kid."Â
"All right, Ellie, we're ready," Leo called out.Â
"Awesome, let's get started."
They placed the fake spiders all around the cabin and draped the black cloth over the furniture.Â
"What's next?"Â
"We need to put the real bats in the rafters."Â
"The real bats? How did you find those?" Maxwell gasped. "That is so cool!"Â
"I ...may have asked one of the menagerie guards in Valtoria." she replied proudly.Â
"Damn, Ellie," Leo cackled. "I am so proud of you!"Â
"Thanks, Uncle Leo. Now, let's get started."Â
After their plan was set in motion, they hid behind the bushes and waited outside of Drake's log cabin.Â
As the fog machine began to create a thick haze around the cabin, the lights inside flickered on and off, and the sounds of bats echoed throughout all the rooms inside.Â
"Holy crap," exclaimed Leo.Â
"It looks like the set of a horror movie."Â
"It's perfect," Ellie beamed.Â
"Wait until he comes back."Â
"What do we do then?" asked Leo.Â
"Hide, of course. I'll tell you when to jump out."Â
"Sounds good to me."Â
***
Drake was exhausted after his round of golf with Liam. He couldn't wait to relax by the fire with a cold beer and some good music. Not paying particular attention to the fog outside.
However, when he walked into the cabin, his entire body went rigid.Â
He was met by a sea of cobwebs and fake, moving spiders.Â
The lights flickered, and the sound of bats echoed through the air.Â
"What the fuck?!"Â
Trying the light switch, Drake felt something flutter on his head.Â
"This is not fucking funny!"Â
He searched the cabin but found no one.Â
"Come out, now!"Â
Suddenly, the front door slammed shut, and Drake was trapped inside in the dark.Â
"This isn't funny anymore!"Â
"Whoever did this is going to be grounded until their kids have kids!"Â
"I'm serious, now!"Â
Drake's blood was boiling, and he was fuming.Â
"I don't have time for this bullshit!"Â
Suddenly, the music began to blare, and the fog machine created a thick haze.Â
The sound of bats echoed throughout the area, and the lights flickered on and off.Â
Drake was furious, and he stomped over to the stereo, slamming his fist on the button.Â
The music stopped, and the cabin fell silent.Â
But the real bats kept flying, and the sounds of bat chirps were all around him. He grabbed a broom and began to knock them down.Â
"Fucking bats!" he screamed.Â
"Who the hell thought this was a good idea?"Â
"It's not fucking funny, Ellie! If you're watching this, it's not fucking funny! Your dad is going to hear about this!"Â
Drake was so angry that he didn't notice the front door open, and he was oblivious to the footsteps approaching.Â
"Drake?" Liam called out.Â
"Fuck!"Â Drake jumped at the sound of Liam's voice, and his heart nearly stopped.Â
"What the hell are you doing here?"Â
"I came to check on you. I heard your yells when I dropped off your clubs on the porch. You forgot them in the SUV."Â
"I'm fine," he grumbled.Â
"Why is it so dark in here?"Â
"It was like this when I came in."Â
"I see. So, you're hiding from the spiders."Â
"Fuck no! I'm not afraid of fucking spiders!"Â
"Okay, then let's turn on the lights and get rid of these."Â
"Fine."Â Drake exhaled loudly.
Liam flipped the switch, and the cabin was bathed in light.Â
"Better?"Â
"Yes, much better."Â
"Good. Now, why don't we have a seat and relax."Â
"Fine."Â
They sat on the couch, and Drake poured himself a drink.Â
"So, do you have any idea who could've done this?"Â
"Not entirely sure," Drake sighed, taking a sip of his whiskey.Â
"Well, it was a clever prank."Â
"A clever prank? It's not funny, Li."Â
"Of course not. But, come on, Drake. You have to admit, it was creative."Â
"It was not fucking funny. Someone needs to ground her."Â
"Who?Â
"Eleanor."Â
"My Ellie? She did this?"Â
"That's it?"Â
"I think she had some help from Leo and Maxwell. She sent that message 'gotcha' to me, and I'm sure they helped her pull this off."Â
"Yeah, that's it. And I know for a fact that this was her."Â
"How?"Â
"Because she's the only one who can get away with shit like this."
"Drake, come on, she's just a little girl."Â
"She's twelve, Liam, and she's too smart for her own good. She is just like her mother."Â
"Hey, I resent that."Â
"It's the truth. Your wife is always coming up with some scheme or another, and now, Eleanor is doing the same thing."Â
"Look, Drake, I understand you're upset, but I'm sure she didn't mean any harm."Â
"You're not the one that was almost scared to death by bats."
"It could've been worse."Â
"Yeah, well, it wasn't. It was just a stupid prank."Â
"Look, Drake, I'll talk to her. But, come on, it's Halloween, and she's only twelve. Cut her some slack."Â
Drake breathed out loudly, hanging his head.
"I'll make sure she apologizes to you, too."
"Well, I can't argue with that."Â
"That's all I ask... now, I need a fucking drink."Â
As the two friends relaxed by the fire, Drake decided to let his guard down and enjoy the moment.Â
He couldn't believe Eleanor was able to pull off a prank like that. She had to have had help. He knew she had a mischievous side, but he never expected her to be so bold.Â
"Well, I'm glad you find this amusing," Drake grumbled looking at Liam.
Liam, on the other hand, was amused by the whole situation. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the thought of his daughter scaring Drake.Â
"Drake, come on, the princess just wanted to have a little fun. And, let's face it, you can be a bit of a grouch sometimes."Â
"Gee, thanks."Â
"It's the truth. And you know it."Â
"Fine, I may have been a bit grumpy. But that doesn't excuse the fact that she scared the shit out of me."Â
"Again, she's only twelve, and you were in no danger. I'll talk to her."Â
"Good, thank you."Â
As the two friends relaxed by the fire, Drake couldn't help but wonder what else the princess would get up to in the future.
"Here's to Eleanor Rys and her sense of humor," Liam said proudly, raising his glass.Â
"May she always find joy in life, even if it's at the expense of others."Â
"And here's to you, Liam, for putting up with me," Drake chuckled.Â
"Cheers."Â
They clinked their glasses together and drank deeply, enjoying each other's company.Â
They had no idea that their princess had already hatched a new scheme in her head, and she was determined to get the upper hand on her uncle Leo.Â
It was going to be a long Halloween season.Â
As Drake and Liam enjoyed their drinks, the princess and her uncles were having a celebration of their own outside the cabin.Â
"Did you see his face?" Leo chuckled.Â
"That was epic," Maxwell added.Â
"You were brilliant, Ellie," said Leo.Â
"Thanks, Uncle Leo," Ellie giggled and hugged her uncles.
"Happy Halloween."Â
@choicesficwriterscreations
@choicescommunityevents
đtags in the comments
#tessa liam writes#halloween#the royal romance#royal adventures#smoke and mirrors#choices fanfiction#trr fanfic#choices fic writers creations#choices community events#choices the royal romance#liam rys#drake walker#maxwell beaumont#leo rys
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I'm on Fire: The Epilogue
biker!Eddie x artist!Reader
biker!Steve x Astrid (fem!OC)
masterlist playlist
wc: 14.6k
18+ONLY as always, adult themes, allusions to smut, backyard union/wedding, violence, auto theft, hustling, fist fight, mention of blood, mention of guns and shooting, relationship issues, Eddie is a cat dad, tw: Charlene, alcohol consumption, healing, lots of love.
Summary: If you're one of my ride or dies who have read this far, you know what to expect, but I do mention pregnancy and kids more than a few times, for good reason. We get to check in with what the gang has been up to, and how the families have grown. A little bit of drama, of course, and Coffin Kings mayhem. For the sake of this story, the character Bones is meant to be Tom Hardy from the yet to be released movie The Bikeriders.
A/N: This is reallyyy more of another chapter more and an Epilogue, lmaoo. I love all of these characters so much that I keep wanting to spin off in different directions and write a bunch of niche stories; I can see myself living in this world for a long while. I know I say it all the time, but my IoF readers mean so much to me, and I really hope you enjoy this. Please see a second author's note at the end.
--------
Highway 22 had once been the only main road out of town, but since the freeway came to Hawkins in the 60âs, very few ever took the country road lined with cornfields and alfalfa crops. There were several homesteads scattered about, mostly farmers, and all of them spaced out by several acres; but for the home of the WhittiersâBob and Helenâwho just happened to live across the street from the place once owned by the Fergusons.
The first time they heard the rumble of motorcycles approaching, Helen screamed through the living room that it must be an airplane flying too low, about to crash into them. She nudged Bob awake from his nap in the recliner and then ran out onto the porch, wringing her hands.
What she found was a motorcycle gang, clad in leather and covered in tattoos, crawling twenty deep into the driveway of their newest neighbors.
It was rare for Eddie to invite the entire local Coffin Kings MC and a few of the Hells Belles over, but the ceremony for Steve and Astridâs union was an exception. She was 8 months pregnant with the twins at the time, bursting at the seams, but Steve had this bug up his ass that he needed them to be official before the babies came, and Bones was happy to officiate.
Under an arbor in the neatly manicured lawn of your front yard, flanked in willow trees and cherry blossoms, Robin stood as Steveâs best man, and pretended like sheâd lost the ring during the ceremony when he asked for it. The panic in his face made everyone in attendance snicker when she pulled it from the tiny pocket of her vest with a wink. Steve wore black suit pants with a collared white shirt, rolled up to the elbows, under his Coffin Kings leather. Astrid looked stunning in a hunter green, off-the-shoulder dress with a few pieces of simple, gold jewelry, and a babyâs breath flower crown in her hair.Â
Astrid didnât need a ring, or any traditional symbols, and the material stuff meant nothing to her, but Steve insisted. He took the extra step of getting her name tattooed on his ring finger, which made her roll her eyes and fall more in love with him all at once. Â
You stood at Astridâs side, making eyes at your boyfriend Eddie who was extremely handsome in his leather and a suit in the front row. You were still reeling at the idea that this was your life, as fear kept trying to creep in and tell you it was all a dream, or that something would happen at any second to take it all away at any moment. Â
Youâd barely had the keys to the farmhouse for two months before the wedding, and so things were still stacked in boxes on the main floor, and the plumbing was a mess, but every morning, Eddie kissed you goodbye before work, and then you padded over in bare feet to the empty space with south facing windows that would soon be your studio.Â
Wayne gave Astrid away, and there were tears streaming down Steveâs cheeks. Once the official âI doâsâ were said, everyone, including the bikers and their families in attendance, started to hoot and whistle for the kiss. Steve held her face in his hands, and it was deep and sweet and made the obnoxious howling from the crowd melt into a collective swoon before erupting in applause.
Eddieâs heart swelled with love, not only for his friends who were finally getting the happy ending they deserved, but for you, and the promise of the life you were building together. Neither one of you held the matrimonial traditions of society in high regard and didnât need a piece of paper to prove that you were devoted to each other, but right then, watching you stand with Astrid, he thought about dropping to one knee and begging you to be his wife.
Neither one of you had a family history of marriage keeping people together, in fact, it had mostly only succeeded in fucking everything up. In his heart, it was till death do you part, and that was all that mattered. In fact, he planned on finding you in the afterlife as well.
Steve had Oliver on his shoulders while they cut the cake, but what everyone didnât know was that Astrid was fighting some stomach cramping. She figured it was the two babies kicking from all of the excitement, but the second the music started for the reception, her water broke. Â
âThis canât be happening right now,â Steve was flabbergasted, holding up his wife so that she didnât sink to the ground. âTheyâre not due for another month?â
âOh itâs happening,â Astrid gushed, framing her belly with her hands. âThey are coming.â
âTake my car,â Katie offered, digging around in her purse for her keys. The driveway was full of vehicles, pinning in Astridâs truck, but Katieâs car was further out, near the highway. Â
âWeâll be right behind you,â Eddie shouted, reaching for your hand.
Dustin was the voice of reason, stepping in front of him while the others headed for the vehicle.
âShe could be in labor for hours, and youâve got guests,â Henderson reminded his friend. He was there with his wife Suzie and their daughter Stevie. âI say stay here, man. Robin can call you from the hospital with an update.â
For a second, it had slipped both of your minds that you even had guests; approximately 87 of them. Â
The big speakers Eddie had hooked up to a sound system were playing Hold onto Me by Cowboy Junkies, and the two of you turned to stare at each other, wondering what to do. Â
âDustinâs right,â you looked around, eyes settling on your ex-coworker Jeff who was drinking red wine straight from the bottle. âI donât want anyone to puke in our bedroom or something.â
Suzie handed you a glass of champagne, ring finger heavy with a Princess cut diamond. âI promise you, those babies probably wonât poke their heads out until morning.â
You just hoped nothing went wrong, since Astrid confided in you that labor had been notoriously hard on the women in her family; there had even been a few mothers who didnât make it. What if they needed to do an emergency C-section? What if one of them started to come out sideways? Â
You were about to take a sip of the sweet bubbles when you saw Steve jogging back in your direction.
âKatieâs car is dead,â he huffed, headed for the back patio where his Harley was parked.
Craning your neck down the long row of cars, you saw Astrid sitting on the front bumper of the dark blue sedan with Oliver holding onto her arm while Robin and Katie appeared to be having an argument. You were sure it was nothing personal, but tensions were high.
âHold tight, let me grab the jumper cables,â Eddie jogged alongside Steve, aiming for the garage.
âNah, itâll take too long, we need to get out of here,â Steve was throwing a leg over his bike and revving the engine before Eddie could offer another suggestion.
You ran up beside Eddie. âHeâs driving her to the hospital on that?â
âIt appears that way,â Eddie stepped back so that Steve could roll by the two of you, fishtailing through the lawn before jumping a rock bed and weaving between the vehicles to pick up Astrid.
A lot of pregnant women might have hesitated to go by motorcycle, but Astrid did not. She didnât hesitate to get on behind him, knowing that the sooner they got to the hospital, the less likely things would go wrong. Making room for her ample stomach took a moment of adjusting, but she strapped her helmet on before tapping his shoulder to let him know she was ready.
âYouâre insane!â Robin shouted at him, and then she covered her face in frustration. Â
Bones, Devlin, Van, Ratchet, and a few others went along as escorts, clearing the highway with their own bikes so that Steve could have the road.Â
Across the street, Helen was on her porch with a pair of binoculars. âBob? Where are they taking that pregnant woman?â
Bob was in the living room with the TV on, and he pretended not to hear her. Â
âThe music is loud enough,â she scoffed. âThe whole thing better quiet down by 10 or Iâm calling the police.â
If so, that wouldnât be the first time sheâd called the cops about her across-the-way neighbors. The first time was during the week theyâd moved in, and a couple of the Kings came over to help unload furniture. Helen reported that there was a gang breaking into the Ferguson place to steal things.
âLet me get this straight,â Hopper twirled a pencil between two fingers while he spoke into the phone. âTheyâre stealing things by putting them back inside the house?â
He very politely talked her down from a ledge, and then drove by on the highway to give her a wave so that she felt safe. Â
The Velvet Hammer was closed the day of the wedding, as most of the employees were guests. But the next day, Shana opened up the bar at 10, harboring one of the worst hangovers of her adult life. Â
The shrill ringing of the phone made it feel like a buzzsaw was cutting through her skull, and Jackie leaned over the bar counter to snatch the receiver.
It was you, letting them know that Astrid had given birth to two healthy baby girls named Gracie and Rue early that morning, and that labor had been horrific, but their mother was on the mend.
Poor Steve. When the doctor came out and said there were âcomplicationsâ, he nearly tore down the wall trying to get in there to his wife. The first baby, Rue, started to come out feet first, and he had this terrifying thought of the umbilical cord getting stuck around her neck or something, but once they got her turned around, the rest went smoothly. He did the best he could to coach her through the breathing techniques theyâd learned in the Lamaze classes, but at one point, she politely, yet abruptly, asked him to shut up. Â
Not even three months later, Astrid was pregnant again.
They were certain that the procreation of the twins had been a fluke, a miracle; something that would only happen once in their lifetime. Â
But theyâd been gravely mistaken. Â
Theyâd just transported the whole family to the ranch style home Astrid had inherited from her grandmother. Everyone had their own room, including another living area in the basement, and a vintage Landshark Airstream trailer in the back yard where Steve and Astrid slept when they needed alone time. It was the communal living, and the constant support from Robin and Katie, that kept them from mental collapse when they found out there was another baby on the way.
âWhat is wrong with you?â Eddie chuckled at Steve when he gave the two of you the news one morning over coffee at your kitchen table. âCouldnât keep it in your pants for a few weeks?â
âI told you,â Steve shrugged. âI have a magic dick.â
At that, you and Eddie shared an affectionate eye roll. All joking aside, Steve was ecstatic about the news, bouncing on the balls of his feet everywhere he went at the idea of having a fourth child. Astrid, on the other hand, was trying not to have a panic attack as she breastfed two infants at once. If it happened to be another set of twins, she said sheâd have to give one to you and Eddie.
You were testing paint swatches on the wall when Eddie snuck up from behind on the hardwood floor and put his arms around you, nuzzling his face into your hair. He had on a pair of his âholiestâ jeans that were so ripped and worn, they were about to be shorts, along with his Slayer shirt that now had wide, cut out arm holes, exposing his ribs. Â
âWhich one do you like more?â You asked, slipping your arms over his.
He hummed, kissing your earlobe. âThey all look yellow to me.â
âClose, but one is Summer Sunset, one is Lemon Cream, and one isâ-â
âWhat about black?â He asked in all seriousness. âOr gray?â
âOr we could just keep all of the wallpaper as it is,â you giggled at the tickle of his beard scruff on your neck.
The country rose wallpaper was lovely, but heavy pink floral themes in every room was a bit much for both of you. âYouâre right, I love Lemon Yogurt or whatever.â
âI figured as much,â You turned to search his face. Heâd been growing his bangs out, so they were just long enough to tuck behind his ears. âHow does tofu curry sound for tonight?â
Your lips met, and you could taste that familiar mix of wintermint and Camel Lights that youâd come to love. Heâd cut back to only a couple smokes a day, but he went through a pack of gum in an hour. Â
âMhhmm tofu,â he closed his eyes dreamily. âIs there meat in that?â
Just before the twins turned one, you and Eddie had your first big fight. Â
Big enough that you threw some clothes in a bag and said you were going to stay with Katie and Robin right before you slammed the door so hard, a vase full of daisies heâd bought for you crashed to the ground and shattered. Â
It was over something so stupid, really. The way he left hair in the sink after he shaved bugged the shit out of you, and when you rolled as far away as you could from him in bed, he took it personally. Youâd felt restless and out of your mind that week, and then you started your car to realize the gas tank was empty, even though he said heâd fill it up. You promised Eddie youâd have some quality time with him one night, but then Steve needed you at the Hammer andâŠall of these things started to pile up until the dam burst.
You sat in your car with the engine on for a while, swallowing back hot gasps, unable to pull the trigger and drive away. It wasnât long before you felt his shadow, and a few soft knuckle taps on the window.
âPlease donât go,â he said. Â
âI donât want to go,â you shivered and finally broke out in a sob, tears streaming down your face. âI love you so much.â
Next thing you knew, you were in his arms, and then you were back in the bed you shared, begging him to be so deep inside, until it made you see stars. Â
â-----
âAn inch to the left,â Robin coached you from the ground as you were up on a ladder at the Velvet Hammer, hanging a piece of artwork along the brick red wall opposite the bar while Mother Love Bone played from the jukebox. âAh, right there. Perfect.â
Youâd brought a few paintings over weeks earlier, at Robinâs request, and they all sold almost immediately, so she begged you to bring in a few more. Still an employee at the Hammer, Steve offered you something more of an assistant manager position, but you were honest with him and confessed you didnât want the extra responsibility, but that youâd help as much as you could. Plus, the tips you earned waitressing mostly surpassed what they could offer you as an assistant, and you were under the gun to get a collection of work together for the upcoming show in Marysville.
The same Marysville shows at the airplane hangar where youâd bumped into Eddie and Charlene that one night three years ago. The memory felt surreal to you, as if it were something that had happened in another lifetime. Â
The bar didnât open for another hour, and Steve was hunched over a cup of coffee, popping energy pills heâd bought at the gas station. Â
âGet any sleep last night?â You asked, on your way to return the ladder to the storage room. Â
Steve grumbled something unintelligible, and his head bounced, nodding himself awake as if heâd been drifting off right where he sat.Â
âMae has some serious pipes on her,â Robin quipped, speaking of Steve and Astridâs newest baby girl, Mae, who was barely 16 weeks old. âThe only one of us she seems to want to be around is Oliver.â
The twins were over 2 years old by then, and just as much of a handful as youâd imagine toddlers would be. Now with another baby, the family was running on empty. You and Eddie volunteered to babysit Rue and Gracie for a weekend after Mae was born, and even though you loved the girls dearly and cherished the time with them, you found yourselves counting down the minutes until their dad came to pick them up on the last day.  âIâm glad we decided not to have kids. Steveâs brood is more than enough,â Eddie whispered to you at the window watching Steve drive off. He even considered getting âsnippedâ around the time Steve had the procedure, just as a precautionary measure.
âWhy are you here so early anyway?â Robin asked around a yawn, adjusting the clasp on her denim overalls. âGo home and get some rest. Iâll stay until Shana gets here at noon.â
Steve yawned too, stretching his arms above his head as he stood. He wore a nice pair of blue denim jeans and a sage green pearl snap shirt that was buttoned wrong. âCanât. Interviewing for a new apprentice over at the shop.â
Construction on the tattoo parlor next door took longer than anticipated. So long, that Eddie got frustrated enough to go ahead and do a bunch of the work himself. Theyâd just passed inspection the week before and were anxious to get some bodies in there working. Theyâd decided on the name Velvet Ink, and Wayne found some vintage barber chairs at auction for the reception area aesthetic Steve was looking for.
As of then, Wayne was fully in remission and getting his strength back. Heâd even been well enough to take his 1948 Harley-Davidson Panhead out on a few Sunday cruises with the boys. Rue, one of the twins, took to him like glue, and Eddie remarked that heâd never seen the old man smile as big as he did when she called him âgan-paâ.Â
Taking the last big gulp of his coffee, Steve made his way out, letting in blinding beams of sunlight when he pushed open the front door of the Hammer. He paused for a moment to look at the padded leather stool that was there, the one heâd parked his butt on for many a night. Even though he helped to keep the peace if necessary, most of the past two years had been spent behind the scenes. A weird, secret part of him missed it; missed the simplicity of being a bouncer, versus being the owner of two businesses. Before he knew it, reminiscing on his old life brought his thoughts back to Charlene.
He was sure that she kept tabs on him, and he hoped she never decided to drop in and wreak havoc on his life again, but he was grateful for the fresh start sheâd given him. He hoped that she was enjoying herself with BillyâŠor whoever the hell she was fucking those days. Â
â-----
It was Eddieâs night to make dinner, and you spotted him fussing in the kitchen through the side window of the farmhouse when you drove up that night. It looked like he touched something that was too hot and was snapping his hand in the air to cool it off. Â
You saw his motorcycle parked in the red barn, and wondered if he was planning to do some repairs on it. The Chevelle was no longer around, as heâd sold it to a collector up north so he could get a pickup that would be more useful to your new lives. Youâd begged him not to, as you knew how hard heâd worked on it over the years with Wayne, but he couldnât be swayed otherwise. .
Turns out, your man was extremely stubborn.
âHey there, Dungeon Master,â you greeted him, shutting the back door to take your coat off. Heâd been teaching you to play DnD now that he had a new head mechanic at the shop, giving him a bit more time to lean into his hobbies. Max and Lucas moved back to town, and Eddie was happy to teach Lucas how to operate the tow truck when he voiced that he needed a job. Â
In a black Hanes tank and jeans, your man was barefoot with his hair tied back. Looking down at the pot of sauce he was stirring, he smiled so big his dimples popped. âYou really like calling me that, donât you?â
Calling him Dungeon Master was a new kink unlocked for you.
You set your bag on one of the kitchen chairs and wrapped your arms around him from behind to sink your teeth into his shoulder. âI love finding out what a nerd you truly are. Itâs hot.â Â
He lifted up a wooden spoon full of marinara, cupping his other hand underneath, and turned to blow on it before putting it to your lips. Â
âSmells yummy,â you said before taking a taste. He watched your mouth, but then eagerly found your eyes for the verdict.
âMhmm baby itâs delicious.â
Satisfied, he went back to stirring. âAstrid gave me her recipe. Iâve never made it from scratch before,â he took a lick off the spoon for himself. âI think I used too much garlic.â
Another facet of Edward Munson youâd never realized before was that he was a natural in the kitchen, and found a lot of joy in cooking. One of the first things he made when you first moved in was chickpea patties for burgers, and whenever the two of you went into a bookstore and you found him browning the vegetarian cookbook section. Â
If you werenât working at the Hammer, nights at home were very low key. There was the occasional concert or dinner on the town, but mostly nothing sounded better than curling up on the couch with him, or on the porch swing with a cocktail. Charlie was strictly an inside cat, but you found a stray living in the barn.  All black with green eyes, a recent visit to the vet let you know that she was pregnant, and a litter of kittens was on the way, one of which had already been claimed by Oliver. So, you brought her inside and made her comfortable in the guest bedroom, until just yesterday when you found her curled up for a nap in Eddieâs lap.
He named her Scully because of his love of The X-Files, and you wondered if heâd be able to give the rest of the kittens up for adoption with the way he fawned over his new companion. He bought her a fancy collar with a bell, as well as catnip and special treats that she was forced to share with Charlie.
Later that night, sprawled on the couch with your head on his chest, you were having a hard time keeping your eyes open during an episode of Saturday Night Live when the phone in the kitchen rang. You almost jumped out of your skin, and both of the cats sprang from their perch on top of the couch.
âWhat the shit,â Eddie grumbled, gently sliding out from underneath you just as a second ring shattered the once peaceful evening. Â
âWho would be calling this late?â You said groggily, pulling the blanket up to your chin to turn and watch Eddie disappear down the hall. Â
âI donât know, but this better not be Steve wanting to rant about one of his late night epiphanies.â
Phone calls at midnight were rarely ever a good thing. You sat straight, waiting to hear Eddie pick up the receiver. Had someone been hurt? Were the girls okay? Had something gone wrong at the Velvet Hammer? Maybe it was Bones needing Eddie for something to do with the Kings, and if so, you didnât want him to answer it.
Eddie jerked the white, cordless phone to his ear, frowning. âYeah? This is Eddie.â
You shifted to the edge of your seat, muting the TV so that you could hear him.
âHow did you get this number?â He mumbled gruffly.
That made you get to your feet.
â...what makes you think I had anything to do with it?â
You took a few steps and froze.
You had a very bad feeling that you knew exactly who it was at the other end. Â
Eddie locked eyes with you when you came to pause at the stove.Â
âYou have to be mistaken, thereâs no way he was one of oursâ-,â Eddie said to whoever it was, shaking his head.
You reached out and motioned for him to hand you the phone.
He swallowed, hesitating at first, but then you took it from him and put it to your ear.
âCharlene?â Your tone was patient. âWhatâs going on?â
â----
Earlier that evening at the Harrington residence, Astrid was breastfeeding Mae in the rocking chair while Katie helped the twins get dressed after their bath, and Robin washed dishes with Oliver. The TV was on, but no one was paying any attention to it, and Mae nestled against her mother like she was finally ready for sleep.
God, Astrid was tired.
Exhausted to the marrow of her bones and beyond.
Absolutely in love with her daughters and in awe of the beautiful family theyâd created, but wishing she could have a few hours away from it all, just the same.
The twins were being loud, giggling as their Auntie Katie ushered them across the hall to their bedroom, and Astrid held her breath, worried theyâd wake the baby up.
She let Robin know she was putting Mae in her crib, and then went to take the first shower sheâd had in a while, feeling her stretch marks and all the ways her body had changed after carrying three babies. She never doubted Steveâs attraction to her, but he tattooed gorgeous women every day, not to mention the ones who waited tables in fishnet stockings and danced at the Hammer. She was sure a handful of those young beauties had a crush on their boss and would offer him comfort any time he wanted it.
She hated when her mind went there, when she could feel the walls of insecurity and depression closing in. She wanted to be nothing but grateful for every waking moment, but sometimes she was way too tired to think clearly. She needed to cry or scream or fuck⊠or something.
Between the kids, Steveâs schedule, and having zero energy at night, she couldnât remember the last time the two of them had been intimate. A few kisses and touches in passing was really all it had been. Considering the insatiable hunger theyâd had for each other over the years, it made her worry that he just wasnât attracted to her anymore. But also, she knew that was bullshitâ-but the whispers kept nagging at her. Â
On her way back down the hall to her bedroom, she could hear Oliver reading the girls a bedtime story and she paused to listen, emotions catching in her throat. Rue and Gracie loved him so much, and he was such a wonderful big brother, slipping into the role like he was born for it. Born to be a nurturing, caring soul just like his father. She often wondered if Ollie would grow up to be who Steve wouldâve been, if he had been surrounded with love as a kid. Before Wayne took over his care, he hadnât known much comfort or safety. Â
Steve came home smelling like a distillery, and when he tried to kiss her on his way in, she moved her head away.
âWhere have you been?â She didnât have to ask, it was obvious heâd tattooed late and stayed to have a few drinks. She missed the guy who would spend hours rubbing her belly and talking to the babies inside of it. It was the closeness she missed, not the sex itself.Â
Alarms went off in Steve when he caught the way she didnât want to look at him, the way she shrugged away from his touch. âHey, baby, Iâm sorry. Jake paid extra to have his back piece finished tonight and so Iââ
Robin and Katie had adjourned to the basement, and Astrid was folding laundry at the couch. âYou just thought youâd booze it up with your buddies while I took care of our girls?â
He lowered his arms to hook his thumbs into his belt loops. âI thought about calling but I didnât want to wake theââ
âYour daughters are all asleep. Gracie was asking for her daddy,â she pinned a towel to her check with her chin and folded the ends together.
Steveâs heart tightened, thinking of how heâd missed his baby girl asking about him. Thinking of how he was already letting her down. âIâm gonna sneak in and say goodnight,â he mumbled, heading that way.
âPlease donât,â Astrid snapped. âIt took a long time to get them to calm down, but youâre rarely here at night so you wouldnât know.â
Okay, something was definitely wrong. Heâd fucked up, but he wasnât exactly sure how. Astrid knew that heâd have some long nights, this was something theyâd talked about. There had to be something else going on. Â
He sat down on the edge of the recliner, facing her, and laced his fingers together. âIs there anythingâŠyou want to talk about?â
Astrid scoffed, keeping her eyes on the TV. âWhere do I even start?â
âIâm sorry if Iââ
âJust say it, Steve,â she bit, stacking folded towels on top of each other. âJust say youâd rather get drunk with the dancers at the Velvet Hammer rather than come home and be with me.â
At that, he was dumbfounded. Gobsmacked, even. Â
âHow could youâŠwhat? Thatâs crazy. Shit, you know other women donât even exist for me, Astrid,â he kept trying to catch her gaze, but sheâd avoid it. âNo one has ever meant more to me than you. You're the love of my life.â
âI can tell youâre not attracted to me anymore, Steve. Just say it, I donât float your boat.â
âFloat my boat?â He almost chuckled at that, but immediately caught himself, realizing that it wasnât a good time for humor. Â
There were tears welling in her eyes and Astrid bit her cheek in an effort to keep them at bay; her shoulders were shaking.
âHey, listen, baby, câmere,â he stood and reached for her hand. She let him have it, dropping the t-shirt sheâd been holding. âTell me you love me? Please?â
âHave you fucked anyone else since weâve been together?â She stared at him that time, eyes wet.
Steve didnât hesitate. âNever even crossed my mind.â
She swallowed thickly, lowering her gaze.
âWait,â Steveâs mind raced, realizing that it had probably been months since theyâd had sex. âHave you? Fucked another dude?â
That one pissed her off, and it showed in the look she shot him. âWhen the hell would I have time for that, Steve? I barely have time to pee.â
He let go of her hand. âOh, so, youâve wanted to, with other peopleâŠyou just donât have time?â
âSteve, Iâm going to punch you in the throat.â
He pulled her over so that she was in his lap, and she only fought him a little because then she was crying into his neck, overcome with exhaustion.
âTell me,â he said softly, brushing her hair away to kiss her forehead. âTell me you love me.â
âYou know I do,â she sniffed, letting the tears roll hot down her cheeks, pulling her knees up so that she was snug in his lap.Â
âSay it,â he was pushing it now, tipping her chin up to find her mouth with his. Â
She mumbled her devotion as the tip of his tongue dragged along her bottom lip.
She clung to him as she cried it out for a minute, letting him hold her close and stoke her hair.
âIs she okay?â It was Oliver.
Heâd snuck in from the other room and was watching the scene with a creased, worried brow.
âIâm fine, honey,â Astrid sat up, wiping her eyes. âItâs just been a long day.â
Oliver stared at his dad, almost defiantly. âI donât like to see her sad.â
Steve saw his own tender perception mirrored back to him in his son's eyes. âI donât like it either, come over here,â he motioned for Ollie to get close enough so he could put his arm around his son. âWhy arenât you in bed?â
âI didnât want to miss you again,â Oliver admitted, sending another pang into Steveâs heart.
Heâd gone from working all the time toâŠworking even more, and something had to change. He hated being away from his family so often that he missed bedtime several days a week; they needed to hire more full-time help like Robin suggested, but Steve and Eddie were trying to pinch every penny.
After he talked to Oliver about his day, Steve realized he needed a goddamn smoke. Since the twins were born, heâd tried several times to cut back, but decided to quit cold turkey two days ago, and it wasnât working. He needed to get some of those nicotine patches or something because being irritable with a throbbing head was no way to live in tandem with everything else on his plate.
Two hours later, after heâd tucked Ollie in and everyone else in the house was asleep, Steve made love to his wife.Â
He was about to try for a second round when his beeper on the nightstand started buzzing.
The alert was from Eddie.
Steve frowned at the number and excused himself to use the phone while Astrid pulled her robe on to go and check on Mae. Â
Come to find out, the past was indeed back to haunt him, yet again.
â--------
Hawkins was the last place Charlene ever expected to be on her birthday weekend. Sheâd said goodbye to that place forever, or so she thought, as there was nothing for her there. Her relationship with Billy lasted the better part of a year, but when she found out heâd been cheating on her with their neighbor, it didnât even phase her. Normally, she wouldâve been furious and exacted some elaborate revenge on the two, but at the time, she only shrugged and told him good luck. She was never in love with him, heâd been just another way to pass the time; a way to distract from her deep, soul-sucking loneliness.Â
Just before the separation from John, sheâd purchased a storage unit for sentimental items she didnât want to look at, but also didnât have the heart to throw away. Sheâd considered letting someone from Storage Wars buy it just so they could be disappointed, but there were private letters and photos in there that she never wanted anyone to see, especially not strangers. So, she was back to clean it out and burn whatever she no longer wanted to hold on to. Â
She was in disguise, so to speak, with a new cropped brunette hairdo, and oversized sunglasses. The divorce and the bankruptcy of one of Johnâs businesses made headlines in the paper for weeks, as there was clearly not much to talk about in Hawkins, and for the first time since marrying into money, she didn't want to be recognized. Â
She promised she wouldnât punish herself by driving along the street in front of the Velvet Hammer, but she did it anyway. She picked up her white 1970 Jaguar XKE from the secure garage itâd been stored in, and parked across the street to watch you carry a huge painting in while Robin held the door for you. The neon sign for Velvet Ink was clever, and she sat there for over an hour, until Steve finally stepped out of the main building. He squinted up at the daylight, shaking his fist like he wanted to punch the sun, and went next door to shake hands with a woman who was tattooed neck to foot, before unlocking the door to the parlor. Â
She had plenty of phone numbers for young men who would love to get paid to be her escort, but she was tired of paying people. She wanted someone to want to be with her, and be protective of her, without the money or the status, and she was realizing she didnât know how to act normal when it came to earning someoneâs genuine affection. Â
So, that night, she was alone at a swanky rooftop bar drinking a dirty martini and listening to someone playing a Christopher Cross instrumental on the piano. Â
Eating the last olive, she was thinking sheâd make her way to her hotel when she felt a body sink down for a seat just one stool over. She smelled him first; a familiar mix of leather and nicotine, but this one had superior taste in cologne as she recognized a hint of cedar and honeysuckle from Diorâs Fahrenheit. Â
He ordered a beer and a shot of Jameson and then, to her surprise, he leaned over and pointed at her empty glass. âCan I buy you another?â
Her first instinct was to flat out ignore him or say, âno, I can buy my own drinks, thanks,â but then she turned to see who the voice belonged to, and her tongue got stuck on the roof of your mouth. Â
Maybe ten years her junior, he wore his jet-black hair slicked back, while his full lips and hazel eyes reminded her of someone. She could tell he was tall with broad shoulders, and a couple tattoos exposed where his shirt was pushed up to the elbows. A few chunky metal rings similar to the ones Eddie always wore, and from the insignias on his leather vest, she could see that he was also a member of the Coffin Kings MC. Â
Charlene notoriously had a thing for outlaws, especially pretty ones, and so she let him buy her that second drink, and then a third. Â
He said his name was Nick, and she was relieved to find out he appeared to have no clue who she was. She said her name was Rita, and after that third drink, she invited him back to her room to continue the party there. Â
Inviting a stranger back to her suite was not how sheâd expected the evening to go, but the need to feel the weight of him on top of her overrode any common sense that mightâve tried to dissuade her. He was sexy and he made her laugh, and those were the only qualifications she needed at that moment.
After a few hours of getting to know each other in the biblical sense, and enjoying the mini bar, Charlene excused herself to the bathroom.
âI think I need a shower,â she hummed, lifting an eyebrow. âYou want to join me?â
He was stretched out on the bed naked with his hands behind his head watching an episode rerun of ER. Â
âYou go ahead, babe,â he seemed to nestle further into the pillows after that term of endearment, shooting her a wink. His Coffin Kings leather was neatly folded over the back of the nearby chair. âIâm gonna make us a couple more drinks.â
She left the bathroom door open a crack, just in case he changed his mind, but then she got fully absorbed in how heavenly the steaming hot water felt. She thought she heard him come into the bathroom at one point, so she peeled the curtain back a few inches, but only found her reflection in the mirror. Â
By the time she turned the water off, the steam from the hot shower was as thick as soup, and she realized that at one point, heâd shut the door all the way for whatever reason. Perhaps for her modesty? Him being such a gentleman felt almost too good to be true. Â
âYou could order some food from the late-night menu if youâre hungry,â she said from behind the closed door while brushing her hair out. âPie sounds good for some reason.â
Either he wasnât responding, or he did, and she just couldnât hear him over the audience laughter on the TV. She rubbed in some expensive body butter and then checked herself in the mirror a few times while putting the fluffy, white hotel robe on. Â
âBut if you need to go home Iâd understand, as long as I can have one moreâ-â
She opened the door as she spoke, but then stopped dead in her tracks.
Nick was no longer sprawled on the bed, and all of his clothes were gone, even his kutte.
Nothing wrong with that, maybe he went to get ice or to take a phone call.
The suite was large, with a separate sitting room, and so she checked around for a bit before realizing he had, in fact, vanished.
Anxiety rose in her chest but she pushed it down, taking a seat on the edge of the bed to reach for her lipstick on the nightstand.
But the lipstick was in her purse and there was no purse to be found, just a few condom wrappers and tiny, empty bottles of booze.
Sheâd taken her purse into the bathroom with her, she was sure of it.
After a few sweeps of the place, mumbling to herself in disbelief and horror, Charlene realized that her purse, her money, and her car keys were all gone.
Sheâd been hustled by a member of the Coffin Kings, and the truth of it made her scream into the palms of her hands. Â
She sprinted for the window to yank the curtains back. It was the middle of the night, and they were on one of the highest floors, and she couldnât see the Jaguar from there even with binoculars.
She didnât even bother to change out of her robe or put shoes on as she bolted from the room. She was pissed, sure, but there were sobs catching in her throat, and that old loneliness dropped like a lead weight, threatening to bring her to her knees. Â
By the time she rushed breathless into the lobby, Nick and her car were long gone. Â
â------
For whatever reason, Charlene asked Eddie specifically not to tell Steve; she didnât want to face him under such lame circumstances. But the two men made an agreement a while back that one would tell the other if they ever heard from her, just to keep miscommunication to a minimum when dealing with someone who had a track record for manipulation. Â
âShe thinks one of you put this Nick guy up to it,â you said, standing at the door watching Eddie get dressed. âAs payback or something.â
Eddie frowned, adjusting the strap on his watch. âIf I felt like I needed to get back at Charlene, I sure as hell wouldnât trust someone else with the task. Plus, I didnât even know she was back in town.â
âDid Steve know?âÂ
The last person you ever wanted to feel bad for was the rich white woman who tried to ruin your life, but still, you didnât like the idea of any woman getting hustled and used in that way. Â
Okay, maybe Charlene deserved some payback, but you hated to think that someone from the Coffin Kings was out there making a habit of taking advantage of women in such a spineless way.
Eddie was rummaging through the top dresser drawer. âWe donât even have a member named Nick, so thatâs another whole fucking problem.â
âAnother charter, maybe?â You followed him into the kitchen.
âMaybe,â he put his leather jacket on while Scully wound herself around his legs. He bent down to pet her and spoke to her in a baby voice before finishing his thought. âOr maybe itâs something worse.â
You didnât have to ask to know that impersonating a member of the MC was a big problem.Â
Under any other circumstances, Eddie would wait until the next day to deal with whatever happened to Charlene, but the chop shops worked fast, and if they didnât hurry, theyâd never get her car back.
Why did Eddie even care? He asked himself that on the way to meet Steve at the hotel, rumbling along in his midnight blue, square box Chevy. She couldâve just called the cops and let them sort it out. But Eddie knew that, aside from Hopper, the police force was a joke, and there would be days of paperwork and questioning before anything attempted to get solved. By then, whoever the guy was would be long gone, and the Jaguar on a cargo ship to its next owner. Â
Steve was already in the parking lot, leaning against his bike with a smoke in his mouth when Eddie rolled up.
âHow the hell did you get here so fast?â He asked, slamming the door of his truck.
âLeft a message for Miser down at the chop shop,â Steve exhaled, ignoring his friendâs question. âHe said heâll keep an eye out for the car.â
Eddie had already sucked down his ration of cigarettes for the day, so he shoved another piece of gum in his mouth as they made their way to her floor.
There was a crystal chandelier in the lobby and mirrored elevators that gave Eddie the creeps. Â
âYou think itâs some sort of trap?â Steve had his hands in his pockets, leaning in the corner while they traveled up with a Beach Boys instrumental played from a speaker in the ceiling. âLike sheâs trying to trick us or something?â
âThatâs what weâre here to find out,â Eddie muttered. âIâm not gonna mention it to Bones and the rest until we know what weâre dealing with.â
Still in her robe, Charlene wouldâve touched up her makeup to look presentable, but her Estee Lauder compact, and mascara were both in the stolen purse. Also, she was too upset to care. Sheâd called to cancel the credit cards in her wallet, but there was a bunch of cash that sheâd surely never see again. Sheâd have to contact her bank in the morning, but until then, she was basically squatting in that expensive hotel room.
Eddie did not look happy to see her when she opened the door, but sheâd expected as much, tucking her bob of hair behind her ears.Â
What she hadnât expected, and what made her breath catch, was that Steve rolled in right behind him, scowling. He had what appeared to be baby spit up on the front of his Santa Cruz skate shirt and dark indents under his eyes. Â
Steve didnât acknowledge her, he just breezed into the room and started looking around like he was a seasoned detective at the scene of a murder. Â
Charlene gave Eddie a look, whispering, âI asked you not to tell him?â
All Eddie could do was shrug, as he was still weary of her intentions, and for good reason.Â
Steve couldnât help it, ever since the birth of his daughters, every injustice done to a woman in the world was something that could potentially happen to his girls, and he wasnât having it. Â
âWhat did he look like?â Eddie asked the question just as Steve spun on his heel at the other side of the bed. Â
Hands on hips, she gave the description as best she could, and it sounded like half the guys in the club.
âHe said his name was Nick?â Steve picked up the remote to turn the TV up a notch. Unsolved Mysteries was on and he was suddenly interested, forever distracted. âDo you think he was telling the truth?â
Charlene scoffed. âI had no reason to think he was lying? I didnât ask to check his driverâs license.â
âMaybe you should from now on,â Steve kept his eyes on the screen, sitting down at the end of the bed. âThe way you go through men like a meat grinder.â
âLook whoâs talking, Romeo,â she spit back. Â
Charlene turned to complain to Eddie, but instead he held his hand up, palm out to silence her. âAre you sure he was with the Coffin Kings?âÂ
Charlene tightened the sash on her robe. âOkay, you two can feel however you want about me, but you know Iâm nothing if not observant.â
The two were silent in agreement.
âHis leather vest looked just like the ones you have on now. Black, tooled leather with the reaper holding a coffin on the back. Embroidered insignias on the front as well.â
âDid it have a nickname or rank?â Eddie stuffed a third piece of wintermint gum in his mouth while Steve lit another smoke. The smell of the nicotine made Eddieâs hand twitch and his muscles ache.
Charlene shook her head after a moment of contemplation. âHe didnât have a name on his cut, but Hawkins was the charter, Iâm positive.â
Both men shared a look before Steve got to his feet. âSo you had your car stolen, whatâs the big deal? Donât you have like a hundred of them?â
Charlene shot him a look, reminding herself not to be a bitch. âThat car belonged to my dad. It was special. Heâs the only person in this world who ever gave a shit about me.â She went to the bedside table to grab a half empty travel size bottle of Jameson and drank the rest. âThatâs why I kept it in storage. I couldn't take it with me, and I didnât want to sell it.â
Eddie scratched the stubble on his chin, thinking about how he couldnât wait to go home to crawl in bed with you and the cats.Â
âHow much is it worth?â Steve asked out of curiosity.
Charlene shrugged, leaning against the wall to cross her feet at the ankles. âDunno what it would go for today. Easily 300K.â
Eddie almost choked on his wad of gum thinking of what he could do with that much dough. Â
Steve raised an eyebrow. âYou better hope this Nicky is stupid and greedy enough to sell it locally, or we might be shit out of luck.â
â-----
You felt Eddie slink in under the covers to spoon you early in the morning before dawn, but you were too tired to look at the clock or ask him how it went. Charlie was curled up at your feet and Scully took her pregnant belly over to nestle behind Eddieâs knees and purr. Â
He wasnât in bed with you at quarter to 8 when you finally rose from sleep, and for a second, you thought maybe youâd only dreamed about him coming home, until you saw the note heâd left on the nightstand. Â
Had to run again
Tell you everything later
Left the coffee on
Love you infinity, Eddie
The way he always signed his notes made you chuckle, as if anyone else would be leaving notes for you at the house. You folded it up and tucked it into the shoebox in the closet where you stashed all of his notes to you.
After a half hour of letting yourself rejoin the living on a much-needed day off, you went up to the studio to stare at the two paintings you were working on, but your reverie was shattered when the phone rang.
Breathless, you answered to find that it was Robin. The shrill wail of a screaming child sounded from somewhere in the background. Â
âIs Steve there at your place?â She sounded rightfully flustered.
âNo, um,â you looked around the kitchen as if maybe he was there, you just didnât know it. âEddie was here but then he left again. They might be together?â
A thoughtful silence and then, âSteve never came home last night. We assumed he stayed at your place.â
You were shaking your head but then realized Steve could have slept in the living room and you wouldnât have been the wiser. You walked through the house to see if there was a blanket on the couch, but it was as tidy as youâd left it before bed. Â
âAre you busy right now?â Robin continued, making the executive decision to worry about Steveâs whereabouts later.
That was a loaded question, and even though you had plenty to do, you knew that was Robinâs way of saying she needed help. âNotâŠright this minute.â
âI hate to ask,â it was true, she really did hate to ask for help, but sometimes it was necessary. âCould you come over here for an hour or so? Katie has teacher conferences, I have to go to the Hammer, and as you know, Steve is MIAâŠâ
âSure,â Mae let out another earth-cracking wail that made you fear for your life. âBe there in ten minutes.â
â------
Miserâs underground chop shop operated behind one of the oldest buildings in Hawkins; solid brick, using a mom-and-pop place to get an oil change as a front during the day, but at night, stolen cars were stripped for parts and/or sold on the black market. The building was huge, and had once been a busy hotel and saloon, as it was near the train station.
Miser himself was short and muscular with a gray, handlebar mustache, a rodeo buckle from his old bareback days, and a cowboy hat. Heâd been a pillar of the community for decades, and one of the last few anyone would suspect of illegal activity. Â
That morning, Eddie, Steve, Van, and Devlin rolled into the alley, passed the No Trespassing signs, and settled at the locked garage door. Miserâs Old Lady was one of the head Hells Belles named Jackal, and she came out of the back door with him. A long ponytail of silver hair, she lit a smoke and gave the guys a tip of her chin. Â
âThat car you said to look out for? The white Jaguar?â
Eddie and Steve still had their sunglasses on, nodding once in unison his question.Â
âThe guy showed up an hour ago,â Jackal inclined her head, whispering. âHeâs been here before. Heâs with another crew that likes to scam older women and take their shit.â
Steve and Eddie exchanged a look with the other two members, palms itching to get their hands on him.
âI asked him about the Kings flash,â Jackal continued. âHe said he was from another charter, but he didnât know who Bones was.â
Bones, President of the Coffin Kings Hawkins charter, was one of the first original 9 members of the MC when they first banded in the 60âs. Every CK member from Indiana to California knew exactly who Bones was.
So, this guy Nick just made it to the top of their shit list. Â
âThis might get messy,â Eddie said to Miser.
âWe got you,â Jackal confirmed, waving for them to follow her. Â
At the far end of the building, a door opened, and a guy with slick black hair, wearing a Coffin Kings kutte stepped out.
âShit, thatâs himââ Miser hissed, reaching for the Ruger at his hip.
But it was too late, the guy saw them and bolted.
Steve cursed, letting out after him on foot alongside Jackal, while Eddie and the others pursued on their bikes. Â
Around the next building, there was a car waiting for Nickâa plain white sedanâand even after Steve summoned his high school athlete days, he still couldnât catch up. Nick jumped in the passenger seat and the vehicle peeled out, throwing dust up into Steveâs face as his arms windmilled to a halt.  Â
âFuck,â Steve took his sunglasses off and threw them to the gravel, nostrils flaring as he watched the vehicle flee. Â
Miser sent a gunshot, aiming for the front tire, but missed as the car picked up speed. Â
Eddie and the others continued on in hot pursuit, and Jackal motioned for Steve to get into her truck that was nearby: a lifted navy Bronco with monster tires. Steve had to grip onto the side bar to heft himself up into it, and then she gunned it, skidding out of the parking lot.
The sedan led them on a wild chase over the railroad tracks, skirting the center of town to avoid the cops. Eddie and Van made their way to the side of the vehicle and Van cracked the driverâs side window with the hilt of his knife, making them swerve. The car dove into the nearby alfalfa field, going where they knew the motorcycles couldnât follow.
But, Jackalâs Bronco was made for the mud.
âHold onââ she warned Steve.
âIâm holding,â Steve said through gritted teeth, eyes narrowed on the target in front of them, his fist tight on the grab handle above his head. Â
The sedan almost got its back tire stuck in the ditch, but the Bronco bounced right through the muck like it was a paved road, tractor tread crawling along like a tank. Â
While Steve and Jackal took a diagonal course through farmland, Eddie and the rest took the next side road, aiming to cut them off before they could hit the highway.
â-----
You were on your way to Robinâs when you caught sight of a white car being chased through a field by what looked like a monster truck from one of rallies at the coliseum. Â
âWhatâŠtheâ-â
It was far enough away that you didnât feel in danger, but you slowed down to see if you could understand what was happening.
But then three riders on motorcycles were headed in your direction at full tilt, so you pulled off to the side of the road to get out of their way, wondering if you knew any of themâ-
âEddie?â You squinted, wanting to be mistaken.
Indeed that was your boyfriend leading the pack. Â
He saw you as they passed at lightning speed and picked up his hand in a wave.
You sat there for a while, watching the three of them disappear in your rearview mirror, clearly angling to beat whoever was driving their car through the crop rows. Â
After a heavy sigh, you dropped your shoulders and kept on in the direction you were headed.
Three years ago, you wouldâve freaked out and followed them. But at that point in the relationship, such a scene was par for the course, and you knew it was best to stay out of it.Â
â----
Up ahead was a sharp turn in the bend, and Devlin sped up to angle the sedan away from the street. His approach clipped the bumper of the car, making it lose control, forcing it back into the ditch, but it also made his own bike go flying. Thankfully he was thrown free before the hunk of metal landed on his leg, skidding across the gravel.
Jackal rode her tire up onto the back of the sedan, pinning it there as the two men inside fled.
Steve was on the ground so fast, he could barely find his feet. His legs felt like that of a roadrunner in one of the cartoons, flying in circles. Â
Eddie snagged the driver, throwing him into the dirt with a grunt, followed with a punch of his fist. The driver was gangly, with a prison spider web tat on his elbow and dishwater blonde hair styled in a mullet. Â
Nick climbed up onto the main road and bolted, until Jackal aimed and shot a bullet so close to his head, the heat grazed his ear.
That made him stutter to a halt, just in time for Steve to tackle him at the waist, putting him down hard on the pavement. Van took Eddieâs place, putting his knee into the driverâs back, pinning him there while the rest went to deal with the Coffin Kings imposter.
No words were exchanged for a while, just Nick sputtering in pain while Eddie rolled him over to check his pockets. Â
He found a wad of bills and waved it in Nickâs bloody face.
âCâmon man, thatâs like 2 grandâ-â Nick protested through a busted lip before Steve punched him again.
âYeah, itâs real nice,â Eddie flashed a grin, standing to tuck the money in the top pocket of his leather. âTake that thing off of him.â
Steve and Devlin got the leather vest off, making sure they hurt him in the process, and then Devlin put his boot on the guys belly to keep him there.
Eddie inspected the insigniaâs, noticing there were no rank or name placards, and the material wasnât even real leather.
Eddie gripped it in his fist. âWhere the fuck did you get this?â
âI didnât mean anything by it, I swear,â Nick wiggled, grimacing at the weight of Devlinâs foot. âJust let me go, okay?â
Steve bent down to lap the guys face with the back of his hand. âHe asked you a question.â
Nick looked like heâd rather vomit than tell the truth, but then Jackal stepped up and pointed her gun at him.
âOkay okay!â He squirmed. âM-my mom made it for me, alright? For my birthday a few weeks ago.â
None of them had been expecting that, but they all made eye contact and snickered in disbelief; Eddieâs grin nearly split his face open right before his expression turned dark again.
âTell your mom to come see us sometime, weâll put her to work,â he joked. âBut you? Youâre fucking done, do you understandâ?â
Steve pulled Nick to his feet by his shirt and got in his face, jaw tense. âI should kill you for what you did to her.â
Eddie gave a sideway look, not expecting Steve to still have so much heat under his protectiveness for that woman. Maybe thatâs part of what having daughters did to a man. Â
âB-b-but youâre not going to, right?â Nick blubbered. âWeâre cool?â
âWeâre far from cool,â Steve pulled him close to whisper in his ear. âIâll be coming for you.â
And then Steve shoved him so that he tripped over his feet backwards and fell again. Â
âYou better run, cowboy,â Jackal shot a bullet into the ground at his feet, and he let out a high-pitched scream before taking off down the road on foot. Â
âI see either of you again, youâre dead. Understand?â Eddie shouted after both of them as Van let go of his death grip on the driver.
The two were too scared to look back; too busy scurrying away as fast along the corn field to care about how stupid they looked. Â
âHey, War Machine,â Van brushed blonde hair away from his beard stubble. âWas that your girl we passed back there?â
Eddie checked over his shoulder in the direction of the farmhouse, wondering where youâd been headed, exhaling a long breath. âYeah, it was.â
â-----
You only saw Robin in passing once you arrived at the house and parked behind the Airstream. Oliver was at school, so it would be the three young girls with you and Astrid.Â
The twins were on the floor in the living room, coloring, and you couldnât get over how much Gracie looked like Steve. Since they were fraternal, Rue resembled her sibling, but was also very different. She had Astridâs wild hair and a face that didnât quite resemble either of their parents; Astrid said she was the spitting image of their grandmother, Evelyn. Â
Astrid came around the corner cradling Mae in her arms with her mane of black hair back in a clip, and her eyes were puffy.Â
âPlease take her,â she groaned, handing over Mae into your arms with a sigh of relief. âI canât do this anymore.â
Mae had a pacifier in her mouth, but you could tell she was smiling up at you, lids droopy. You began that automatic movement of rocking her in your arms. Youâd never been around many babies in your life, but the soothing gesture seemed to be ingrained in your dna. Â
Astrid flopped heavily into the kitchen chair with a groan. âDid Robin tell you Steve never came home last night?â
âShe did,â you bent to kiss Maeâs soft forehead. âEddie came home late and left early, so Steve mightâve been with him, and I just didnât know it.â
âItâs not like Steve to not leave a note or let me know somehow,â she started picking at an invisible thread on her peach dress that buttoned down the front. âDo you think he did anything with Charlene?â
You were shocked at the question, but your friend looked like she hadnât slept in days and perhaps wasnât processing thoughts at peak capacity. Â
âOh god no, Astrid,â Mae squirmed, kicking her strong little legs a few times in her Big Bird onesie, and you sat down in the chair next to Astrid. âSteve would never, and I think you know that. Heâd cut his own hand off before he did anything as stupid as cheat on you.â
âMaybe,â she swallowed hard like she was trying to push down a sob. âWe justâŠcanât seem to connect like we used to, and Iâm justâŠjustâŠâ
She covered her face with both hands and cursed into her palms. Â
âHey,â you leaned forward with a free arm to rub soothing circles on her back. âIâll stay out here with the girls if you want to take a nap or something? Slam some beers in the bathroom, whatever.â
Astrid chuckled a bit at that, sliding her hands down her face and into her lap. âMaybe I do need some sleep.â
From where you sat, you could see the twins on the floor in the next room with papers and crayons scattered about. Just then, you noticed that Rue was headed in your direction, curls bouncing around her face. Â
There was a tiny frown on her face, like sheâd been concentrating, and she handed each of you a piece of lined notebook paper that had been ripped in half.
Apparently, sheâd made some drawings, but before you could say anything, she was off again, determined to get back to her work.
âThank you Rue, I love you,â you called after her.
âOne is from meeee!â Gracie shouted.
âI love you too, Gracie,â you laughed, staring fondly down at the mess of colorful scribbles.
âThey want to be like their big brother so bad,â Astrid had tears in her eyes, but for a different reason this time; she was so proud of her little family, so grateful to be a mother.
When you held the paper up to the light, you noticed that there was some writing on the back of it, so you turned it over.
My hot wife â
Slept in trailer, didnât want to wake the girls
Canât wait to kiss you again
I love you
S.
âUm, I think you should see thisââ you passed the note to Astrid, and enjoyed watching the relief spread across her face as she read it. Â
â------
A few hours later, Steve rolled up to Munsonâs Garage in the Jaguar, after giving it a test run around the hills to enjoy how smooth it took corners. He found Charlene already waiting there on a bench in the shade, talking with Wayne who wore a pair of light blue coveralls.
Wayne got to his feet while Steve pulled the sportscar up to the closest parking spot.
âTook you long enough,â Uncle barked at him, crossing his arms. âCab dropped her off an hour ago.â
Heâd left the top down, so his hair was a mess, and he pushed his sunglasses up, eyeing the two.
âNo, itâs fine,â Charlene shrugged, looking relaxed. âI had good company.â She had on a teal, halter top pant suit with matching heels, and she stuck out like a sore thumb.  Â
Steve put one booted foot up on the bench seat next to her. âYeahm, so, that guy Nick, he wasnâtââ
âI know,â Charlene reluctantly held her hand out to take the keys he was offering. âEddie told me. Iâd like to say Iâve learned my lesson, but probably not.â
âNo woman deserves that,â Wayne said, giving Steve a pointed look. âI hope you boys took care of it.â
âWe did,â Steve met his gaze, letting him know without words that the dude wouldnât be hanging around Hawkins if he had a lick of sense. Â
Wayne said a polite goodbye to Charlene before heading back to the shop.Â
âYou never mentioned how charming your uncle is,â she said, running a hand through her hair.
âStay away from Wayne,â Steve grumbled, sitting down across from her.
âI didnât meanââ she got flustered and then straightened. âHe reminds me of my dad, thatâs all I meant. Nothing nefarious.â
âNever can tell with you,â he muttered, fumbling to rip the wrapper off a soft pack of Camels with his teeth. He told himself he wouldnât buy another pack, but he lied.
There was silence while Steve lit his smoke, all but for the sound of faint rock music and an electric drill from one of the garages.
âSo,â she chanced. âI hear you have a big family now.â
âYeah, what about âem?â He scowled at her after a hearty inhale. Â
Charlene lifted both palms out as a sign of surrender. âForget it, I was going to say Iâm happy for you.â
Steve snorted. âYou expect me to believe that, after all the shit you pulled, that you actually give a shit about anyone?â
Sheâd expected that, and she knew she deserved it. Â
âI give a shit about you,â she muttered. âI wouldâve done anything for you.â
The sincerity confused him but then he pushed his shoulders back. âIâve got everything I ever wanted, and I wonât let anyone fuck with that. âSpecially not you.â
âUnderstood,â she said, rubbing her magenta lips together with a nod.Â
âI want you to be happy, though,â he softened his tone. âI cared about you once, and that means I always will, no matter how much I wish that werenât true. I donât want anything bad to happen to you.â
âThatâs probably the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me,â she scoffed a self-deprecating laugh.
âThat sucks,â Steve exhaled through his nostrils. âYouâve got a good heart, Charlene. Itâs just too bad you donât know how to use it.â
A car pulled into the compound and at first, Steve didnât pay much attention until he saw over his shoulder that it was you.
With Astrid and the girls. Â
â-----
Eddie turned the radio up in the garage when Come and Get It by Judas Priest came on, and then wiped his hands on a red rag as he made his way to the office. Although the finances at the Hammer and the garage were handled separately, heâd hired one accountant he trusted to take care of it all, and sheâd just left a stack of paperwork for him to sign.Â
On the wall behind the desk was a framed photo of the two of you together, hugging in the front doorway of the farmhouse the first day youâd moved in. The flashback made his mouth twitch in a smile, as he had so many fond memories of those first couple weeks, back when there was nothing but a mattress on the floor and several leaks in the roof he had to control with various buckets. It was just the two of you, making love and whispering about lifetimes of devotion.
He had a secret place in the metal file cabinet where he kept all of the notes youâd left in his lunch over the months, and he had this tugging need to look through them again just before he caught sight of your car coming through the open gate and into the compound. Wayne was gone, but there on the picnic table sat Charlene and Steve, and before he could think too much about it, his feet were moving, wrenching the door open to make his way across the lot.
Steve jumped up when he saw you angling for a parking spot nearby. Oh shit, Eddie realized you had Astrid and the girls with you, too. The fact that theyâd helped Charlene was no secret, but still, it made him feel uneasy with everyone about to converge in one spot.Â
â------
âPlease tell me that is not Charlene,â Astrid whispered, eyeing the profile of the woman sitting across from her husband.
âIâm afraid that is exactly who it is,â you muttered, suddenly feeling like maybe it wasnât a great idea to bring the girls by to visit daddy at work. It had been a while, and you assumed sheâd be gone by then.
But it was too late now. You recognized the Jaguar parked nearby; it was the same one she brought in for Eddie to fix that first day you met.
All three girls were safely in car seats in the back, and when Astrid went to step out, Steve was right there, blocking her exit.
Funny enough, Eddie did the same, but on your side. He was there so fast, you accidentally hit his leg with the door.
âWhat a sight for sore eyes,â he grinned, pulling you flush to him while tipping your chin up for a kiss. Â
With lips still brushing together, you mumbled: âWhat the hell is she still doing here?â
And then through gritted teeth, Eddie responded: âYour guess is as good as mine.â
Steve went to grab for Astrid right away, hands at her hips, and she let him, but her attention was over his shoulder. Â
âTo what do I owe this pleasure, gorgeous?â He murmured, noticing that sheâd put on some mascara and deep burgundy lipstick after not wearing makeup for months. Â
Steve only shuffled back a few steps to allow her to shut the door, but then he continued to act as a barrier to keep her from going any further. He bent down to knock on the back window, waving to the twins as Mae slept in the car seat between them. Gracie shouted âdaddy!â and held her hand out as if he could grab it through the glass.Â
Steve glanced sideways at Eddie. âSo, should we all go get pizza or something? At that one place with the bouncy balls that the girls like? My treat. If you head over there, weâll meet youâ-â
Eddie was close to telling his friend to shut the hell up, as it felt like his babbling was only making things worse.Â
Astrid kissed his cheek. âPlease move out of my way, Steven.â
â----
Charlene stood up and took hold of the keys to head for the Jaguar. She could tell by the looks you and Astrid were sharing that sheâd managed to make things awkward, and more than anything, she felt embarrassed. Â
But, she took a step away from the picnic bench just in time to see Steveâs twin daughters come bouncing out of the vehicle in matching Oshkosh overalls and her chest tightenedâ-oh god, one of them was the spitting image of Steve.
And why were the two tiny girls headed that way on their little wobbly legs as if they knew her? Â
âSlow down, Rue!â Astrid called after them as Steve fumbled at getting the car seat out that had Mae inside. Â
âSheâs, um, she was just leaving,â Steve grunted, trying to move the apparatus out without waking the baby. Astrid was already rushing to catch up with the girls, making each of them hold one of her hands. Â
For some reason, Charlene was frozen. Locking eyes with Gracie, knowing they were Steveâs hazel eyes, accumulated with the rest of her regrets like a punch to the gut.
Her deep dark secret was that sheâd always wanted children of her own, but John refused. Â
You and Eddie followed them over, albeit reluctantly. If there were ever some serious conversation that needed to be had with Charlene, it certainly wouldnât be done with the kids there, and so you werenât at all sure what could possibly unfold. Â
Although Charlene and Astrid had spent a very tense few moments together the night Craig was shot, theyâd never shared more than a few words with each other. Last night, when Steve got the page from Eddie, sheâd known it was about Charlene before he even said a thing; she could feel her arriving in her bones like some might feel the impending threat of cold weather. Â
Steve hurried to get between the two women and set the baby carrier on the picnic table. Gracie was on her tiptoes with her arms up, begging him to put her on his shoulders, and so he did, and she took hold of his hair like a saddle horn.
âGlad we could meet under better circumstances,â Astrid said to Charlene, sincerely.
Eddie put his arm around your shoulder and you sank into him, wrapping both arms around his middle. You wished you could hide under his blue and black flannel so no one could see you. Â
âYou have a really beautiful family,â was all Charlene could think to say as she caught sight of Steveâs third daughter.
âThank you,â Astrid replied, maintaining steady eye contact.
There were a few strained silences, and you could feel Eddie wanting to fill them, but suddenly he burst out with:
âDid you want to come by the Hammer and see what weâve done with the place?â He chirped, rubbing your arm almost violently.Â
Your whole body tensed at that, and you could see that it was the same physical response for Steve. Â
âNo, thatâsâŠIâm good,â Charlene removed the Gucci sunglasses from the top of her head and put them over her eyes. âThere are several cargo crates of my things being sent to Hawaii right now, and I have a flight to catch. But Iâm sure youâve done well with it.â
But it was Rue who broke the next silence.
Sheâd wandered a few yards over to the fence and back, carrying two bright yellow dandelions pinched between her fingers.
She was right there, blocking Charleneâs path to her car, arm outstretched to offer her one.
âFor me?â Charlene was genuinely confused, and not accustomed to the wholesome kindness often displayed by children. Â
Rue just nodded, tucking the other one behind her ear so that the bloom was at her cheek.
The rest of you exchanged a few baffled looksâall but Astrid, because she knew what was happening. She knew then that her daughter carried the same gift sheâd been born with; the gift of intuitive sight. Even at her young age, Rue could read people and their intentions, and she knew that Charlene was no longer a threat to them. She knew that everyone in that parking lot deserved healing and forgiveness.Â
âLike this?â Charlene put the flower in her hair the same way with tentative fingers, and Rue nodded again, moving around the woman to walk back over to her family.
Astrid scooped Rue up into her arms.
Charlene took one last look over at the group as she drove out of the compound, seeing the way you all smiled at each other, continuing on with conversation as if sheâd never been there. You were all visibly relieved to no longer be sharing space with her, but Rue had been able to see her with fresh eyes, without all of the pain and suffering sheâd inflicted on others and on herself. Thereâd been no judgment or weariness in that childâs eyes; just curiosity and love. It gave her a bit of hope that maybe she couldâŠstart over. Maybe sheâd fall in love again with a guy who wasnât Steve, maybe sheâd adopt a child of her own one day, or maybeâŠsheâd get a dog and call it a day. Â
â------
A few days later, you couldnât find Scully, and the two of you fell into panic mode.
âDid you let her out?â Eddie snapped. âYou know we need to keep her inside this close to the due date.â
Eddie was a mess. Granted, you were upset too, but he was ready to tear the whole house apart looking for her, and then some. You couldnât help but smile to yourself seeing how devoted he was to this once stray cat. Some nights he even made room between the two of you so that Scully could sleep in the middle.
But finally, a soft mewing from the closet alerted you to the fact that sheâd tucked herself away in the dark to have her babies. Â
âHoney, come look,â you whispered down the hall to him.
There she was, snuggled back in the corner in a box of old sweatshirts, nursing four tiny baby kittens. She had one more a half hour later to make the final count five. Two black, one gray, one black and white, and one orange striper.
âDaddy mustâve been an orange guy, hey my darling?â He hummed a conversation to Scully as you picked them all up to put down some fresh blankets, making sure she had food and water nearby. Â
âWhat should we name them?â Eddie asked as you both sat in the doorway, watching them nuzzle together for sleep.
âI think we should let Oliver name the orange little girl, since I know thatâs the one heâll pick,â you whispered, to which Eddie agreed. âMaybe Iâll name the gray one Keanu,â you said, mostly joking, but Eddie didnât seem bothered. As soon as it was possible, Scully would be back at the vet to get fixed, but you were grateful to have this experience with him.
âCan I name the black ones Dio and Vecna?â He asked, hopefully.
âWhat kind of a name is Vecna?â You wrinkled your nose. âShould we call him Vicky for short?â
âThe black and white looks like a Leia,â he continued, eyes sparkling. Â
âLeia is a good name,â you hummed, putting your cheek on his shoulder.Â
You moved Scully and her box of babies into your bedroom so that she would be closer if she needed anything, but then in the middle of the night, she moved the kittens back to the same spot in the guest bedroom closet, so then that is where you let her stay. Â
Later that night, you were in the kitchen cleaning up before bed, when you heard Eddie singing a song under his breath in the next room:
âHey little girl is your daddy home, did he go and leave you all aloneâŠâ
You thought you recognized it as you scrubbed a dish, eyes darting to the window to watch two motorcycles zoom by on the dark highway in the distance.
âI got a bad desireâŠâ
On the refrigerator behind you, secured by magnets, were photo snapshots of the two of you with Steve and Astrid, Robin and Katie, Gracie, Rue and one of Mae when she was first born. There was one of Wayne twenty years ago, standing with Taz and War Machine as two gangly teenagers. There was a long strip from a photo booth at the fair with you, Eddie, and Oliver all making faces for the camera. Â
âTell me now, baby, is he good to you
Can he do to you the things that I do? I can take you higherâŠâ
Heâd been folding the blanket on the couch and blowing out candles, but then he was on his way to you as the mumbled lyrics got clearer:
âSometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby, edgy and dull
And cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skullâŠâ
You finished what you were doing, but then you stayed still, feeling him come up behind. Â
âAt night, I wake up with the sheets soaking wet
And a freight train running through the middle of my headâŠâ
You leaned back, letting yourself be caged in his embrace; his head dipping to kiss your neck. You thought about that day on the side of the road when he picked you up in the tow truck, and how it didnât feel like you were meeting for the first time but more, coming back together after a lifetime apart. Â
His lips ghosted the shell of your ear. âOnly you can cool my desireâŠâ
After that first kiss years ago, you knew there would never be another option for you; Eddie Munson was endgame. Having tasted true love once in your life, you felt like you could die happy.
But not until you rode the highway of life for a long, long time. Even at the end, youâd still be holding on tight.
â...Oh oh oh Iâm on FireâŠâ
â------
The Epilogue of an Epilogue
âYo, Steve. Package for you.â
It was Thumper, working the door at the Velvet Hammer for what promised to be a wild Friday night. Max ended up showing interest in the Assistant Manager position, after deciding that long haul trucking was taking a toll on her need to start a family, and Robin couldnât hire her fast enough. Jeff also came on as a part-time bartender, leaving you pleasantly surprised and wondering what other skill sets he had up his sleeve. Â
Steve had just come through the door to ask Shana for a cup of coffee when the crumpled brown piece of mail flew at his chest. He caught it, but took the time to throw Thumper a dirty look. Â
âEase up, boss,â the burly biker grumbled through a huge grin. âSince when do you have a penpal in Hawaii?â
He stopped in his tracks at that, afraid to look down. Afraid to open it, even. Steveâs newest inkâ-Maeâs name on the back of his handâ-glistened from the recent layer of Aquaphor.
He asked for his coffee with a pound of sugar and sat at the end of the bar, frowning.
The return address was a P.O. box in Honolulu without a name, but he didnât even have to wonder. He was sure he could smell the Chanel through the packaging.
Inside was a ring of keys.
Car keys, clearly, but it took him a second to understand what they belonged to and why they looked so familiar in his hand.
There was also a note:
These are the keys to the Jaguar. Itâs parked in a secure garage at the airport, instructions also enclosed.
Every time I drive it, I get myself in trouble. Hopefully you will have better luck, or maybe Rue can have it when she gets older.Â
The dandelion was a fair trade. Â
C.
â----
I have so much to say, so much love to give to you all, and I hope you can feel it through the words. I'm so deeply grateful for each one of you and this experience. Whether you have left comments, reblogs, thoughtful asks, or edits, I remember you and you are special to me. I would give anything to meet up at the Velvet Hammer for cocktails (and/or tea, of course) but here are a few in particular I'd like to thank:
Huge thank you to @cryptidcurio for being the initial inspiration for this fic in the first place, and for always feeding me the best ideas. Some of the most popular scenes in this series are from her. Our biker Eddie and biker Steve talks seem to have somehow gotten us through the past hellish year, I love you. I'm so grateful for @texasblues and all of our chats about Steve, Astrid, Wayne, and the girls. Truly, the only reason Astrid and Steve are so perfect is because of Jennie and our brainstorming. We chat a lot about what Rue, Gracie, and Mae will be like when they are older, and hopefully we'll have a few blurbs about that someday. Also, I highly recommend her Steve & Astrid writings HERE My beautiful friend @dandelionnfluff decided to do a bind of I'm on Fire for their personal use and I am still choked up about how much work they put in and how gorgeous it is. You can see their amazing work here: book bind
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Taglist: @notsobubblybaby @unfocused81 @aysheashea @etherealglimmer@manicmagicmayhem @dream-a-little-nightmare@chaoticgood-munson @emxcast @rhirojo @bexreadstoomuch @micheledawn1975 @falling-solar-system@secretdryrose
@whatwedontdointheshadows @miarosso @seventhlevelofhell @corrodedcoffincumslut @lofaewrites @goldyghoul @chloe-6123 @kelsiegrin @chelebelletx @stylesxmunson @kurdtbean@dandelionnfluff @hideoutside @truffleshuffle12 @tenthmoon @texasblues@emilyslutface@mmunson86@onegirlmanytales@laylaloves-ed@dashingdeb16@eddiiiieeee @ick90 @dashingdeb16 @polyestermonster @trixyvixx @atomickaratel8dy @kiyastrf94 @allthingsjoeq @eddiesxangel @razzieth @corrodeddeadlydoll @erinekc @angietherose @sllooney @writinginthetwilight @moonbeamsandmayhem @brianamunson92 @joannamuns9n @bellalillyrose @alba8688 @chevelle724
#I'm on Fire#IoF#biker!Eddie#biker!Steve#biker Eddie Munson#biker Steve Harrington#Eddie Munson fanfiction#biker au#Robin Buckley#Steve Harrington
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My Hero Academia Chapter 430 Spoiler Talk: The True End of An Era (Part 1)
This is it, the final chapter of My Hero Academia. A series 10 years in the making has finally ended. It's really insane to think about. This series has done so much good for a lot of people despite the fandom's flaws. MHA was both people's introduction and even reintroduction to manga and anime. It's bittersweet to write about the final chapter, but I will do the best I can to honor the series I love. This is going to be a very long one. Also a lot of screaming.
Now, please, if you want to wait until the official translation releases on Sunday, PLEASE TURN AWAY NOW! Save this post and come back to it on Sunday when everyone has read the chapter. I will be using spoiler hashtags for this, so if you end up spoiling yourself because of my post, that's on you. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING:
Here we go. We first start off with our Final Color page for the series! It's a gorgeous double-page spread featuring all Class 1-A (Now 2-A) kids that we've grown to know and love throughout the past 10 years including Shinso, Aizawa, and All Might of course. Izuku Midoriya AKA Deku, our beautiful MC who I will miss with all my heart and soul đ, is leading the page and his friends towards the bright future they all fought so hard for. It's a wonderful way to conclude the series and I will make sure to get a high-quality version of it to use as my computer wallpaper.
The final chapter is titled "My Hero Academia" because of course it is đ„č. This was truly My Hero Academia.
OH FUCK WE GET A TIME SKIP TO THE FUTURE SOMEONE HOLD ME đ
KOTA IS THE THE UA HERO COURSE AND IZUKU IS HIS TEACHER IT'S SO PERFECT FOR HIM!!!đđ I BET MR. AIZAWA AND ALL MIGHT WERE BIG INSPIRATIONS FOR HIM TO TAKE THIS PATH đ„č
IT'S ONLY BEEN 1 PAGE AND THIS CHAPTER HAS ALREADY ENDED ME IT'S SO JOEVER FUCK
BTW, Deku is saying a more optimistic version of the "Not all men are born equal" narration he told us at the beginning of the very first chapter of the series. Very nice way of bringing the story full circle.
Ok, the next 2 pages have a lot of things in them, so I'm going to try to sum it up as best as I can:
Izuku finally came home to see his mother, Inko, at their apartment and she looks happy đ
All Might is out of his wheelchair and helping old Gran Tarino walk with a cane (how he still survived I have no idea).
All the kids running in their gym clothes in what looks like their second Sports Festival (god, what I'd give to see that in its entirety).
Miriko is very happy with her new prosthetics including one that looks like the Bullet Bill from the Super Mario series.
The kids struggling taking either mid-terms or finals written tests. Bakugo is still using his left arm to write, so I assume his right arm is still barely usable.
Shoji and Kota shaking some prominent mutant's hand I assume from their contributions towards the war.
Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods working together as usual!
Tokoyama meeting up with Hawks.
KOTA AND ERI HOLDING HANDS AND GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL WITH MADALAY'S APPROVAL THAT'S SO FUCKING CUTE đâ€ïžđ€
Endeavor being followed around by his sidekicks and Hawks.
Aizawa and Present Mic visiting what I bet is Shirakumo's grave đą
The fan translator says that the kids finally meet Melissa from the first MHA movie! We don't see her face, but I'll take what they say is truth.
Spinner's book selling and Compress reading it in jail.
Bakugo going through rehab to get his right arm back!
Deku and Ochako spending time in the snow.
OUR KID'S GRADUATION OH MY GOD MOST OF THEM ARE 18 THERE AND THEY'RE OFFICIALLY PRO HEROES I'M SO FUCKING PROUD OF THEM đâ€ïž Interesting though since none of them really look much older except for maybe Iida and Shoto, but it's hard to tell from the scans. And Bakugo and Monoma keep the crazy graduation tradition of blowing things up as their goodbye present to UA!
And finally, we see the embers of One For All slowly fade away in Izuku's hand until there's nothing left...
Oh, god. The time skip takes place 8 YEARS in the future geez. So, if this is 8 years since we left the kids in Class 2-A, they would be about 24-25 years old now damn. We're actually going to see them all grown up that's crazy.
The next page shows us a middle school class very similar to how we saw Deku and Bakugo at the very beginning of the series. The teacher asks them what they want to do in the future and we get to see small glimpses of other characters now such as Hatsume who has her own lab (go, girl!), and LaBrava who seems to own a company with Gentle!
The main kid we focus on in this class is Dai, the young boy with dark blue-ish dotted hair who was looking at the All Might statue in Kamino before the first war started (I don't blame you for forgetting; I had to look him up too). He says he wants to be a hero, but everyone else says that his Quirk is too weak for him to become one. Despite that, he still goes to the All Might statue (which sounds like has been rebuilt) for inspiration. Sound familiar? đ€
Next we see Shoji accepting a prestigious award for his efforts in resolving mutant prejudice-based incidents! He looks SO BULKY HOLY SHIT DUDE đł And his hair got longer to the point of putting it in a ponytail! Also, Koda and the glue Class 1-B kid (I think his name is Bondo or something) are there to congratulate him too! I bet you that Shoji making it to the top 10 in the final popularity poll helped Horikoshi give him a little spotlight and it's a good way of following up on what happened after his bout in the Final War.
Next up, we see Ochako, Tsuyu, Momo, and Iida visiting schools across the country! Ochako has also set up a Quirk Counseling expansion project that's become one of the most essential things in the future society!
Ok:
1: It's hard to tell with Iida, but the girls all look slightly older especially with their hair being a little longer.
2: Their future costumes look great! It's not a 100% match to what we saw in Endeavor's vision, but it's still great! Iida's armor got more detail to them; Tsuyu's frog goggles got gogglier?; Momo is finally coving up her cleavage and showing less exposed skin took you 10 years, but you finally got there, Horikoshi; and Ochako's got updated headwear, the two dots on her outfit are side-by-side instead of on top of each other, and her collar thing looks similar to Deku's hero mask which I know was intentional.
3: Good for Ochako for doing something about Quirk Counseling. Definitely inspired by what happened with Himiko Toga. I hope this means that we won't have another incident like Toga had and that kids are now able to get help with their Quirks as opposed to being villainized. I hope Ochako's making good money out of this too for her family like she originally intended.
We also see a teenage Eri going to her music club with a guitar on her back! She has a normal girl's sailor uniform, so my best guess is that she's either still in middle school (I think she would be 14-15 at this point) or she's not in UA like a lot of us thought. Either way, she wants to pursue music instead of Hero work so I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't go to UA at all. It also looks like her horn did fully grow back, but whether her Rewind Quirk still works the same is up in the air.
And we see that Mr. Aizawa is still working at UA, BUT HE CUT HIS HAIR SHORT đ WHY DID YOU CUT HIS BEAUTIFUL, LONG LOCKS, HORIKOSHI??? OF ALL THE PHYSICAL CHANGES YOU GIVE OUR CHARACTERS THIS IS THE MOST DEVASTATING đ
*BREATHS* But, he shows Deku and us a video of Bakugo SCREAMING AT A CIVILIAN FOR FILMING HIM TOO CLOSELY đđ PLEASE NEVER CHANGE, KATSUKI BAKUGO 𧥠I'm also really glad he still got to be a Pro Hero despite his injuries.
AND NOW WE SEE MY SWEET FAVORITE BOY, SHOTO TODOROKI WHO CUT HIS HAIR A LITTLE SHORTER!!! I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS, I LIKE HIM BETTER WITH SHORT HAIR AND STILL LOOKS LIKE THE BEAUTIFUL PRETTY BOY HE ALWAYS WAS! STAY PRETTY, SHOTO!!! đ©”
Anyway, Shoto patrols day and night and is very nice to his fans! Kind king đ! He's also become his own man to the public now as he's barley called "Endeavor's Son" anymore. That's a real relief because I know for a fact that that was haunting him for years. Also, there's a chance he'll pass Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and even Mirio in the rankings! I'm so proud of my fave! đ©”âïžđ„
GAH! I'm actually hitting a world limit here! I have to make a Part 2!
#my hero academia spoilers#mha spoilers#boku no hero academia spoilers#bnha spoilers#mha 430#bnha 430#izuku midoriya#class 1-A#katsuki bakugo#katsuki bakugou#shouto todoroki#shoto todoroki#ochaco uraraka#ochako uraraka#ejiro kirishima#denki kaminari#momo yaoyorozu#kyoka jiro#fumikage tokoyami#ojiro mashirao#rikio sato#tsuyu asui#mina ashido#toru hagakure#yuga aoyama#tenya iida#sero hanta#koda koji#minoru mineta#hitoshi shinsou
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One of my favorite tropes is cryptic pregnancy (when you donât know youâre pregnant because of your body type/shape, lack of symptoms, and/or because of the position of the uterus making it so that the baby develops towards your back so your bump is way less noticeable esp if youâre plus-sized), and I headcanon that humans are more likely to have a cryptic pregnancy when carrying a demon baby because the symptoms are different and the human body reacts differently to a demon baby than it does a human baby. So imagine poly!mc (specifically in a throuple with luci and dia) going to bed early with period cramps one night, and then going to breakfast the next morning with a baby in their arms lmaoooo. All the brothers are SO confused, and ask where MC got the baby from. Levi and Mammon both pass out when MC shyly admits they gave birth alone last night. They were really scared and disoriented afterwards, and thatâs why they didnât call for help. For extra dramatic bonus points, imagine everyoneâs panic when they get a good look at the baby and realize it looks just like Diavolo, and even has little versions of diaâs wings. Barbatos can only pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh when he finds out whatâs happened. Dia is ecstatic, and even though he knows he canât, at least not yet, he wishes he could immediately throw one of the traditional week-long celebrations for royal babies. He settles for a smaller private celebration between he, MC, and the brothers. Lucifer is slightly less happy than Dia, because he knows how this will complicate things not only for their relationship, but for diaâs rule; dia and MC will have to get married, and the devildom will effectively have a new ruler with mc becoming the princess, and not only that, Lucifer will probably be given the title of consort, so that he can be legally recognized as part of the relationshipâŠthereâs gonna be MOUNTAINS of paperwork for this.
I read this and just canât get pastïżŒ MC giving birth alone in the middle of the night jsksjsk
Like the trope is an interesting one, and this idea is amazing!! Poor Lucifer definitely ends up with a fuck ton more paperwork-
But- Just MC being, like âOh, yea, I had a kid last night no big deal.â I mean theyâre in hell so thatâs probably not the weirdest thing but still-
ïżŒAnd Iâd imagine the first few weeks after the baby is born are the hardest. MC and the baby going back and forth between the castle and HoL a lot and Diavolo constantly asking them and Lucifer to move inïżŒ with him officially.
#anon!#ro rambles#Iâm gonna have to think about this some more but itâs an interesting topic!!!#obey me!#obey me#obmswd#om!#obey me poly mc#obey me lucifer#obey me diavolo#obmswd lucifer#obmswd mc#obmswd poly mc#obmswd diavolo
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hi, can u please do a reading on Yulhee and Minhwan, they are getting a divorce..what happened in their marriage?
There was a lot of tension between the two about parenting. Yulhee felt very tired in the marriage and suffocated. I sense that she was doing a big bulk of the parenting during the marriage. He wasn't often there for her when she needed him. They also have different parenting styles and different ideas about parenting; one is more traditional and strict, believing in rules/more traditional paths for the kids while the other is more open and more relaxed (sometimes too relaxed).
She also felt like he became someone that she didn't see herself with in the long term. Before she looked up to him a lot and felt like he could guide her a lot but after they married for several years, she felt like he was more immature than she thought and he couldn't provide the lifestyle and stability that she needed. Yulhee was quite young when she married and their marriage came pretty abruptly. Now that she has grown up more mentally and emotionally, she feels like she is looking for a different type of marriage/relationship. Yulhee is looking for someone who is more mature, stable, and has a more stable job that provides a certain lifestyle she wants.
There was also some conflict between both sides of their families. I sense some conflict between Yulhee and a parent of Minhwan's. She felt like she was being controlled or looked down by that parent. I don't think they approved of their marriage as they felt she was too young to be married to him.
Also just because she doesn't have custody of the children doesn't mean she doesn't care about the kids. She feels like the situation they have now is the best that can be; she financially is not able to support the 2 kids on her own whereas she feels he is able to and he has support from his side of the family. Yulhee also wants some freedom to live her life more and enjoy the rest of her 20s; she feels she missed out a lot and sort of became a mom too fast. Minhwan feels a bit of guilt too that he was able to hang out more with friends during the marriage compared to her.
There is a possibility that these two may appear on a divorce show together but I highly doubt they'd get back together. If they show up to that show, it'd be to earn some money. I wouldn't recommend that they get back together either. It's possible that Yulhee may show up on some other dating show or be a MC/panel member. He may also do this route too.
#yulhee#minhwan#kpop readings#kpop predictions#laboum#ft island#kpop prediction#love readings#marriage readings#relationship readings#relationship reading#marriage reading#kpop reading
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The 16th Day of G-Witch: Father and Child
Alright, let's get this over with. Look, if you like this episode or Guel, you might want to skip this one because I'm about to be a hater here. Also as a heads up, I decided to avoid the shot of Seethia's body in my screencaps, because as much as I dislike this episode, that's still a tough moment and tough to look at.
This episode pisses me off, and it's IMO unarguably the worst episode in the entire series. It's all so incredible pointless and irrelevant to the main story, and ultimately a gigantic waste of time that should have been spent elsewhere. Olcott and the Dawn of Fold do not play any role in the rest of the series, and the short 5 second scene in the final episode felt more tacked on to try and even remotely justify why nearly an entire episode was spent on them. Guel is not that integral to the main story that he deserved a chunk of an entire episode dedicated to his development and essentially putting him in the main character seat for an episode. The only impact this episode had later on in the show was so Guel could recognize that one kid on Earth who let slip Shaddiq's secret. Which was already a ridiculous coincidence that it could have been replaced with nearly anything.
It's insulting and sexist that in the first Gundam series with a female main character, they completely sidelined her for an entire episode just to let the most popular male character play at being the MC for an episode that has almost nothing to do with the main story and was designed to be more like a traditional Gundam episode than what G-Witch was. It feels like something that staff were ultimately forced to keep in so the executives who feared the show failing could distract fans who hated it with the standard Gundam tropes and a male character in the lead role, like jingling shiny keys in front of someone's face. And the worst part is? It worked. A chunk of the fanbase LOVED this episode because it felt like a classic Gundam episode and made them want to throw away what made G-Witch special and unique for more of the same shit they've had for 40+ years.
And all of that cost the show time it desperately needed to spend on the main story and characters with way more importance than Guel or Olcott. The only good thing I have to say about this episode is that the Prodoros IS a cool mobile suit. I hope it gets a model kit someday.
I've got to agree with Norea here. Nika is incredibly naive about the situation Earthian's face. Wanting to solve problems without violence is certainly a worthwhile goal, but not one that is always practical. Sometimes violence and war is necessary to overthrow tyranny and oppression. It was made clear in S1 than when Earthians peacefully protest their terrible conditions, they're met with violence by the Benerit Group. And when peace is no longer an option, you have to use violence to fight back.
Likewise, I actually think Shaddiq gets a bad rap from a large part of the fanbase. Some of that is rightfully because of his actions towards Miorine, but a lot of it I think comes from the sort of people who just like to yell "WAR IS BAD" and do not comprehend that in some situations, war is necessary to overthrow oppressive groups like the Benerit Group and Spacian Governments.
Giving weapons to Earthain groups is a solid idea that will even the playing field and make it difficult if not impossible for space to opress Earth through force, forcing them to the negotiating table for equality, and if all else fails, kicking them off Earth and reclaiming their resources themselves. My only concern with Shaddiq's approach is that I'm not sure he wouldn't try to lead Earthians even further into oppressing Spacians as revenge.
This is actually the one time I don't fault Guel for trying to do something "heroic." Trying to save Seethia, while probably being ultimately pointless, was a good thing to do. It's just a shame that, despite literally having a child die in his arms due to an attack by the Benerit Group, he learns all the wrong lessons from it.
This conversation serves absolutely no purpose. It doesn't actually make any sense (he was a member of Dominicus, Earthains attacked him and killed his family and now he...works for an Earthian terrorist group?) and ultimately it's a completely meaningless detail that has absolutely no effect on anything.
And finally, the cherry on top, the downfall of Guel's character. I really tried to like him, but this was very much the beginning of the end. After going through a trauma conga line and learning NOT to play the hero, Guel finally sees what his father's company has been doing to Earthians his whole life, and even has an innocent child die in his arms because of the attack.
And the lesson Guel takes away from all of this is that he wants to save his father's company and keep the oppression machine going? I get that maybe Guel being the one to fail and not break free from the shadow of his abusive parents was the whole point of his character arc (Kashtanka), but it's still disappointing.
And after all that bullshit, we drop these incredibly important details in a post-credit scene at the end of the episode. All of this information, from what Notrette intended to do with Quiet Zero and what happened to her, was way more important to the story than everything that happened in the previous 20 minutes. But all it gets is a short scene at the end of the episode and is never further elaborated on.
This should have been the episode we learned more about Notrette and Quiet Zero, maybe even more about Prospera and Delling. Instead we got Guel and Olcott's pointless adventure.
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okay so initial thoughts on honkai star rail after i played like half of the tutorial bit this morning before work
first off, for the record, i have not played or heard much of anything about honkai impact 3rd and i have only played genshin impact pretty much since launch so my expectations were "genshin but sci-fi fantasy" but i can say that's not quite what i got (hereâs a read more if you donât care lol)
- immediately i notice that the graphics fidelity is gorgeous, very sleek and clean - it startled me a bit but also made me happy that the lip flaps are synced to the english dub! it seemed to flow really well even with the expression changes. the dialogue system doesn't seem all too different from genshin or. any other system like that. but it's got a pretty nice polish on the transitions between different states - the animation in the cutscenes and battles are really good, clearly they had a real talented team working on them. the characters feel so bouncy and expressive and it is pretty darn satisfying - the UI and interactive language is pretty much exactly the same as genshin with a sci-fi coat of paint. that's not a bad thing necessarily but like. it's pretty obvious - so the way combat and elemental powers work is very different from genshin, which frankly i should have expected, given this is a turn-based rpg. and i shouldn't have too much trouble with it, since turn-based rpgs are kind of a staple in my game roster, but for some reason i had trouble connecting with it. obviously finishing the tutorial would help, but it didn't feel as intuitive as i expected elements are presented in more of a traditional jrpg type of way where there are clear weaknesses you can exploit on enemies if you attack with a certain element. idk if i fully mean this but i think it kind of ruins part of the fun of discovering an enemy's weakness when the game itself just. tells you what it is off the bat also the types are weird in that they have pretty static effects in terms of what they do, the variability in moves is probably also explained further in character profiles but i haven't found how to look at that yet bkjljl - i'm fascinated by the ideas of Quantum and Imaginary types. what does that even mean. how do those manifest - i think it was a bit of a bold move to start the game off with two random characters talking about the world as if things are normal and known, and then having them influence your player character into. being in the plot not that i didn't like kafka and silver wolf. in fact i love both of them a lot. but i also had no context and had no goddamn idea what was going on so i was thrown pretty off-guard first thing which isn't exactly the greatest first impression lol - why is she named March 7th. does anyone know. is there a joke lost in translation or is it because she's like a pseudo-mascot character or. what - speaking of march actually i really want to like her but so far her character reeks of "hi i'm a girl". her skill is called "The Power of Cuteness" and one of her abilities is called "Girl Power" and so far her personality is cute, kind, and kinda stupid. it's a bit much. but she's neat - i have no big opinions on dan heng except he's neat and people keep saying he's the kazuha of star rail bc windy maple leaf boys but they're wrong bc dan heng has a stabby not a slicey and he can only hit one person at a time while kazoo thrives on the multi-hit AoE damage - i do love that the MC's weapon is just. a future baseball bat. that they get to smack people really hard with. no element, just big smack - oh yeah hyv loves to queerbait i guess cuz that wasn't CPR honey the twitter crowd wasn't kidding - i canât think of anything else rn cuz itâs past midnight but star rail is neat and i like the little train rabbit dog mascot itâs cute and i wanna get past the tutorial hkjbjk
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Kensakuâs Thoughts on Hakodate Division
Kotan Anchikar
âAn Ainu village chieftain? Thatâs really something I never expected to see⊠I canât really joke about him because Iâve had to study some of their culture. The medicinal practices of the Ainu people specifically. A lot of their practices might be considered to be outdated, what with their beliefs being disproven by modern medicine. But they did have some basis in their choices in plant remedies⊠Only a couple though. Iâm sure a handful of my coworkers would like to talk with any healers in their village for new ideas. Personally, I might want to pass⊠Mostly because Iâd rather we didnât try and steal their longstanding traditions just to market them to the rest of Japan. Might upset this little chieftain more than help them in the long run, haha...â
Ted Bridges
âPfftâŠ! Youâre telling me⊠This guyâs name is Ted, his MC name is Teddy, and heâs in a team called Kuma no ie? Oh, this guy isnât going to hear the end of my un-bear-able bear puns! Iâve got enough jokes to break the sound bear-ier with them. Iâm paws-itively ready. Do think heâs the type to get em-bear-assed? Hahah, Iâm killing myself here. I need a second to get my bear-ings for the next member, hahaha!â
Kokomi Morozov
âMy stomach is killing me from laughing⊠Last one here is⊠Kokomi Morozov? Another Olympian like that Nerima girl. Sheâs much older though, so Iâm sure sheâs in Japan to practice. Hakodate has a big ski resort up on Hakodate-Yama, I just canât remember what the name of the place was. Iâve only been there once anyway as a part of a business trip. The marketing team apparently loves skiing so we gave it a try. Letâs just say I was less than graceful out on the snow. The cafe at the peak was great though. After a long ride up to the summit, a hot cup of coffee was great to drink⊠Wonder if the other two would want to go. Not necessarily to Hakodate, but just skiing or snowboarding in general. It would be fun to watch the boys give it a try.â
Kuma no ie
âAside from Teddy, Iâm wondering how exactly the bear motif fits into the rest of their group. I suppose Kotan-san could have a bear as a spiritual symbol thatâs important to him. But Kokomi-san? I donât think a bear really fits her. Sheâs much too⊠How do I put it? Soft and innocent looking. I suppose some people who arenât as familiar with bears might see her as a little teddy bear. Pfft, thatâs funny. Teddy, Kotan-san, and Kokomi-san lining up as the three bears from that kidâs story⊠Oh, is that why theyâre called Kuma no ie?! If so, thatâs a hilarious story for why they picked the team name!â
#hypmic#hypnosis mic#hypnosis microphone#hypmic oc#hypnosis mic oc#hypnosis microphone oc#toyama division#eco boon#kensaku morimoto#hakodate division#kuma no ie#kotan anchikar#ted bridges#kokomi morozov#sorry not sorry for the bear pun overdose#legit had a ton of fun doing that
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The Bangtan Gal Chapter 43- Our First Win
Chapter Summary: Jen joins V, Rap Monster and Jessi in an episode of Hello Counselor. BTS promote their new album and get their first set of wins
Words: 8,000+
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âWe listen to your concerns. National counseling session!â The MC announced as everyone applauded.Â
Jennie sat in between Namjoon and Taehyung as the MCs announced them as special guests along with Kim Kayeon, Lim Yohwan and Jessi. The show Jen attended today was called Hello Counselor and she was excited to see what would happen on the show.
After the MCs asked for Jessi and Rapmon to rap, they turned to Tae. âGood looking V, what can you do? You can imitate an elephant?â
âI have an elephant on my body.â He answered as the crowd laughed. He lifted his sleeve to reveal his arm. âI have two spots on my arm. If I do this, itâs an elephant.â He pinched his arm, showing it off.Â
âLovely, Jennie!â The MC called out.
âYes?â She smiled.
âWhat can you do?â
âI play the guitar.â
âWow, what type?â
âMainly acoustic. Itâs my strong suit and itâs my favorite instrument. I feel as though I can really express myself when I have my hands on a guitar. Whatever emotion I feel, I strum and you can hear it.â
âWhat mood are you in now?â
âHappy.â She beamed as the studio applauded. She was handed an acoustic guitar and made sure it was tuned. âI guess Iâll do the acoustic version of I Need U.â
Once she started to strum the chorus of the song, the studio went silent. After she was finished, the studio erupted in cheers, some were shocked at how precise her guitar skills were.
âBTS released a new song, too. Can you sing a little of it for us?â The MCs requested
âWeâll dance.â Rapmon stood up with Jen and Tae to perform the chorus dance of I Need U. Once they were done, they were applauded
For the showâs concerns, it was listed as, Dad, letâs be happy, My unpretty daughter and My husbandâs change of heart.
The MCs go with my unpretty daughter first and itâs from a mom. She has no idea what to do with her daughter and sheâs embarrassed because of her. She doesnât know what to say when people ask about her daughter, asking if she has a job. The mother claimed her daughter is 38 years old, does rap and is flippant. The mom showed her concern that her daughter doesnât seem to understand how she feels about the situation.
The MC continued to read that the daughter had been rapping for 2 years and her TV audition was cut out from a show and failed the preliminary. Jennie cringed when she heard about that. Mustâve been really bad for them to cut out an audition.
Once the mother, Jeong Chaeok, walked out and slid down the slide, she sat in the middle of the guests and MCs.
âItâs a concern that your daughter wants to be a rapper?â The MCs asked.
âYes. A woman should meet a nice man, get married, have a baby and be loyal to our country.â The mom declared.
âBut not everyone wants to date. Not everyone wants kids or wants to get married. Whatâs wrong with that?â Jennie thought in her head.Â
She had to keep in mind she was from America. Different countries have different standards and traditions. She had a different mentality about dating and marriage than the mother.
But whatâs wrong with being independent?
Personally, Jennie wanted kids when she was married. She thought about it, no one in her family told her that she should, she thought of it on her own. She didnât think it was a big deal if other women didnât want to do that.
âItâs a good thing you came. Thatâs Jessi. Sheâs the queen of rapping.â The MC pointed out.
âHello.â Jessi bowed.
âI donât know her.â The mom bluntly replied, causing the crowd to laugh.Â
Jennie cringed at her bluntness.
âThose young people over there. Thatâs Rap Monster, Jennie and V. Theyâre good at rapping.â
âThe boys are very good looking.â The mother said, causing Jennie and Jessi to have a rain cloud over their heads, feeling shaded.Â
âA clearly different responseâ
âAll righty, then,â Jennie murmured.
The mother goes on about how her daughter isnât ladylike and wears a cap crookedly and wears torn clothes. Jessi immediately hid her legs that exposed her knees.Â
âI donât like that.â The mom looked at Jessiâs jeans.
Jennie held onto Tae, laughing with him and the rest of the studio when the mother performed the hidden dance talent that she found when she was 49.Â
âIâm deceased!â She giggled.
When they met the daughter, everyone applauded her. The daughter revealed that her nickname is ZiZi and wished to release an album in her name.Â
âI want to show people women can rap, too.â The daughter said.
âJessi is rapping a lot.â The MC pointed out.
âShe just became famous.â The daughter replied, earning laughs from the crowd.Â
Jennie dropped her jaw at her sudden statement while Jessi stared at her. It looked like Jessi wanted to write a diss track on the poor girl.
Later, the daughter revealed that sheâs crazy about Zico from Block B, fell for him and wants to meet him in person, so she thought that rapping lessons would help. She received compliments from her teachers and since she likes Zico, her dream is to become a rapper. She wants to perform on the stage Zico stands on. She sounded so determined, wanting to successfully be a rapper.
âHow much are you rapping?â Rapmon spoke up
âIâm reading collections of famous sayings. Rappers write their own lyrics. I listen to songs for about 6-7 hours. Iâm on the internet a lot to see whatâs going on in the world. I want to write lyrics people can sympathize with a lot. I donât want to swear or speak English just because I rap.â
âYour mother wants you to get married. Donât you want to date?â The MCs asked.
âNo.â The daughter answered. âMen are a luxury for me, right now. I made a huge bet with my life. Iâll fail or succeed. Men are a luxury for me. Iâm firm about it.âÂ
Jennie felt kind of bad for the daughter as the mom put her on the blast throughout the show. She stayed quiet watching everyone else talk. Then the daughter came up to the stage to show off her rapping.
âThe title is Strong Eonni.â The daughter revealed and then started to rap. âPeople say I act strong, sorry but Iâm really strong. I donât act innocent. Iâm just honest. My image? Donât judge me like that. I have a lot of affection and tears. I donât express my feelings, so people misunderstand. Even women think Iâm charismatic. Iâm a woman after all. People think Iâm strong and canât talk to me. Fall for my charm and thereâs no exit. Iâm cute just to you. I listen well and Iâm exemplary. I can cook anything just like that. All I know is you. Iâm a fool.â
âYou should audition for Unpretty Rapstar,â Jessi suggested.
âIâve thought about it.â The daughter added.
âI think youâll fail. She lacks in delivery and flow.â Jessi demonstrated a rap for her.
Later on in the show, it was revealed that the daughter didnât attend family gatherings and didnât attend her uncleâs funeral. The mother explained that she envies her friends who have weddings and she wants a son in law, all set for her daughter to marry. She even had her daughter go on blind dates but the daughter turned the guys down.
The MCs decided to ask if the female guests had any love interests and then turned to Jennie. âMiss Bangtan, have you had a boyfriend?â
âNot yet.â She shook her head.
âNo boyfriend?â The MCs go on again, surprised.
âNo boyfriend.â She confirmed.
âHow?â they asked as the studio laughed.
Jennie was kind of surprised by their response. She guessed they thought she would be dating right now for some apparent reason.Â
âA chick is busy. Boys can wait. Iâm still young.â she replied.
"And he'll have to go through us," Rapmon spoke, causing the studio to laugh. It was clear that BTS was going to be protective of who came around Jennie.
âAnd my daughter is getting old.â The mom spoke up.
âWell I mean, love comes in all different ages. I believe sheâs still young although sheâs going on 40.â Jennie added.
âJennie, what are your thoughts on this situation?â The MCs asked.
âI have a different mentality with marriage and kids. Iâm not from here, so I have some cultural differences from you. I donât see as much pressure to marry and have kids where Iâm from. And I see that as long as you work hard, you can achieve your dreams. But I feel as though if you donât want to get married, donât get married. If you donât want kids, then you donât want kids.â She spoke up as everyone looked at her. âI understand the mom wants her to do these things, but at the end of the day, itâs her life. Thatâs my opinion. I donât think she should be forced to do something she doesnât want to do. And I mean, Iâve seen elderly people get married. I donât see what the problem is with age. Sheâs still young, going on 40. Thatâs still young.â
Jennie turned her attention to the daughter. âAlthough youâre older than me, I think you should have a backup plan just in case something doesnât go as planned with the rapping. Iâm not going to be a K-Pop idol forever, and I do want to go to college and major in whatever I think will be right for me in the future. So, I would just keep that in mind as you continue to learn how to rap. I highly advise you to have a backup plan and make sure you are financially stable. And I do think you should still be with your family. Iâm miles away from my family. Itâs always a struggle for me to be away from my family while Iâm here in Korea. I try to contact them as much as I can and see how theyâre doing. I miss birthdays, I miss weddings, births, graduations, and a lot of things. But you, youâre here, in the same country as your family. Never forget your routes. Check up on them at times. Even if they might drive you crazy, because my family certainly does that, still contact them. They love you.â
It was frustrating to her that parents want their children to do this and that. But again, she needed to keep in mind that she held different traditions from others around her in this country. At the end of the segment, the daughter was requested to continue rapping for one year and if sheâs not successful, quit.
Everyone began to vote if it was a concern or not.Â
âShe wants to be a professional rapper,â Jessi spoke. âItâs a long way ahead. In my opinion...itâs better to do it as a hobby. Many people do it as a hobby.â
âItâs a concern,â Rapmon added. âI donât want to stop her but I donât think it would be right to tell her to keep going.â
âI wonât discourage you,â Jen spoke up. âYou should do what you want. If you see that youâre not getting anywhere with the rapping, still keep the rapping as a hobby and go with your backup plan.â
âItâs a concern. Honestly, itâs better to get married. Itâs the motherâs wish.â Taehyung stated.Â
Jen frowned a bit at his statement but kept her thoughts to herself.
In the end, the audience thought this was a concern and the daughter told her mom that she would start dating but wonât give up the rapping. 159 votes were counted, and the mom got 1st place, shocking the crowd as they applauded her. It seems like the mom will be on the show next week.
The next concern was, âDad, letâs be happyâ. It was about a 21-year-old college student talking about his dad working for 17 hours every day. Basically, all he does is sleep and work and the son wants his dad to rest. The dad doesnât even go out with friends and always talks about how he needs to work. The sonâs mom died from cancer six years ago and his dad became more addicted to work after that. The father doesnât even go to the hospital despite having toothaches and knee pains.
They met the son, Kang Jaejun, and Jen remained quiet as he talked about his concerns about his father. His father knows English and still teaches at elementary, middle and high schools. He expressed that he thinks his father works more because he feels a heavier responsibility.
When the son pointed him out, the MCs requested Jessi and Jennie to say hello to him.
âHello, Mister Kang!â Jessi greeted. âWhere are you?â
âHello, how are you doing, Mister Kang?â Jennie spoke with a smile after spotting him.
When he waved at them, he responded in English, âFine, thank you.â
The BTS members stayed quiet throughout the segment until Jennie was asked about her thoughts on the situation.
âThis right here is a serious issue. I know how it feels to overwork yourself. I collapsed from exhaustion during dance practice a while ago and itâs no joke. Itâs scary. And with you being an older man, it may be even worse for you and hurt your body even more. The body cannot run 24/7, itâs impossible. The body needs to rest and you need to take care of yourself.â She responded as the MCs agreed with her statement.
At the end of the segment, the son suggests his dad meet new friends so he can go to the Army without any worries. Jennie thought the situation wasnât that big of a concern because as long as they communicate with each other, they should be just fine. For the results, they got 75 and were eliminated.
The last concern was about a housewife of 10 years with two sons with a husband who wonât leave her alone day or night. He seems to have changed his mind a lot and had ten different jobs in 12 years. He even quit after one day of working.
âYikes.â Jennie thought as she cringed.
He started a business and loved it when business was good but claimed he wanted to quit if the business was bad. The wife claims her husband is too fickle and thatâs her concern. When the wife comes out, she expresses that her husband quits too easily.
âJeesh.â Jen thought, glancing at Rapmon with the same wide eyed expression.Â
They listened to the wife rant about everything her husband wanted and changed his mind. It was a headache.
âThen, he said he needed a bike to go to work. He started again. He rode the bike for a month. He kept it at work. He changed it at least five times.â The wife explained.
âThe bike?â The MCs asked.
âYes, the bike. He doesnât just buy the bike. He buys all the equipment. He doesnât think about that when he sells it. He always justifies it by saying he received more money.â
âDid you see if he got more?â
âThereâs no way he would get more. He spends a lot of money. I donât want to fight, so I just let it go. Then he sold all the bikes. He started a restaurant, so he said he needed a motorcycle.â
âWhy?â
âHe had to buy ingredients at the store. He started it less than a year ago. The one he has now is the third one.â
Jennie and Rap Monster exhale, in disbelief at what she just told everyone. The MCs had their jaws dropped as the studio went silent.
âThatâs excessiveâ
When they met the husband, the wife expressed that he had different excuses when he quit his jobs. As the BTS members remained silent, watching everyone else talk, the husband mentioned that he brought his wife a luxury bag as an apology for the losses but the wife said that she was told to sell it if she didnât carry the bag every day.
âOh, my gosh.â Jessi laughed while Jennie let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head.
âI brought her one after selling the tank. The second one was from selling the bikes. She didnât carry the first one at all. I thought we should sell it and...â The husband trailed off as everyone watched him.
âSell it and what?â
âSell it and get a new bike for me.â The husband stated.
Jennie threw her arms up in the air, earning laughs from the crowd while Jessi was about to throw a pillow at him.
âYo....â Jennie felt as frustrated as Jessi at how crazy the guy was.
âI want to throw this.â Jessi laughed and turned to Jennie. âYou wanna hit him, too?â
âOh yeah.â
âJessi, Jennie, this canât be in the US?â The Mcs asked as they both shook their heads.
Near the end of the show, everyone expressed their opinion on whether it was a concern or not.
âItâs a concern,â V answered.
âItâs a concern. I can understand how the husband feels, too. Itâs too frequent and excessive though.â Rap Monster added. âI think he needs time to endure and heal on his own.â
âItâs a concern,â Jennie answered, pressing the button.
âIâll make it short. Itâs a concern.â Jessi pressed the button.Â
At the end of the voting, the wife received 132 votes, making My Unpretty Daughter the new winner of the show, receiving a prize of $1,000.
âUntil the day Korea has no more concerns, Hello Counselor is here to help. Thank you!â The MCs closed the show
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On April 15th, G-Friend attended Weekly Idol. The girls were seated, going over each memberâs profile.Â
âNext is Hayoon. She is the Shy Girlfriend. She loves to bake, rollerskate, and enjoys acrobats as a hobby. She is well known for her dimples in G-Friend.â Coni read as she showed off a big smile, revealing her deep dimples.
âAre you close to any idols?â Doni asked as Hayoon nodded eagerly. The members giggled at her as he gestured for her to answer.
âThe idol Iâm closest to is Jennie. I love her, sheâs my best friend.â She shyly revealed with a smile.
âMiss Bangtan? BTSâ Jennie?â Coni asked as she nodded.
âShe is incredibly sweet.â Hayoon continued. âShe has helped me a lot, giving me strong words of encouragement before I debuted in G-Friend. She has given me a boost of confidence in myself. She is so patient with me, too.â
The crowd aws at her words. âWell, itâs funny that you mentioned her because she is actually here, right now. Letâs welcome her!â
Jennie walked out, waving as she saw Hayoon immediately rush up to her, to hug her. She let out a laugh and hugged her tightly before sitting with Doni and Coni.Â
âJennie, it seems like you are very loved, by Hayoon.â Coni laughed as she nodded.
âHowâd you two become so close?â Doni asked.
âWell, we go to the same school. SOPA. Met her during the first day. Sheâs shy so I just kept talking to her until she started to talk.â Jen explained. âIt worked out pretty well because now she canât stop talking to me. She canât shut up.â She teased as everyone laughed.
As fans watched the show, they would tweet:
ïżœïżœJen looks so happy! I love seeing her smile.â
âJenHoon! I ship it!â
âThey are so cute!â
After the show, Hayoon and Jen go to Big Hitâs dance studio together.
âI cannot believe youâre making me do this,â Jennie murmured after stretching.Â
Today Hayoon was going to show her one of G-Friendâs dances. The Bangtan girl was skeptical because cute dances werenât her thing. She felt awkward about it, but Hayoon was eager to teach her.
âThis was long overdue. Now watch me.â Hayoon waited for her to press play as Glass Bead came on.Â
Jennie watched silently as she performed the entire dance, dancing in sync with the music. After she was done, she turned to Jennie with a bright smile.
Staring at her with a poker face, Miss Bangtan shook her head. âNo.â
âYes.â
âNope.â
âYep.â
âThere is no way.â
âThere is a way.â
âWhy?â
âWhy not?â
âThis is not me.â
âThis will be you, today.â
âThis is too cute!â
âYouâre too cute! Hehehe. Letâs go step by step.â She gestured for her to stand next to her. As she taught Jen the dance, she giggled at her facial expressions whenever she thought the dance move was too foreign for her.
âI gotta shake my butt, too?â
âYour hips. Do it cutely. Not sexy.â Hayoon demonstrated.
âIâm not really a cute type of person, Yoonie!"
âTell that to Jungkook!â
âWhat?â Jennie turned to the door and saw him watching. âOh my God. How long have you been there!?" She kneeled and covered her face, while Hayoon laughed.Â
âLong enough.â Jungkook smiled, thinking about how cute her reaction was. âIâm meeting with Jimin to practice. I couldnât help but hear G-Friendâs music. I had to see what was going on. Iâll leave you two, to it.â He giggled and left.
Jen felt like she was going to drown from embarrassment. He really just watched her struggle with this cute, well-choreographed dance.
As she continued to dance, Hayoon giggled again. âSmile Jennie! Youâre too serious, this isnât a badass concept! Okay, donât force the smile, now you look scary!â
âYoon, this is my resting bitch face.â
âSmile!â
She forced a smile while she danced.
âOkay, now youâre just faking it.â She playfully scolded.
Jen tripped on her feet and fell. Sighing loudly, and yelled, âI SUCK!â
âYouâll get it, donât worry. You got the dance down, you just need to stop overthinking it because itâs not what youâre used to doing.â
Later at night, Jennie decided to FaceTime her sister, Alani, to discuss BTSâ upcoming comeback.
âHow are you feeling?â Alani asked with a smile.
âNervous. Itâs a highly anticipated comeback.â
âItâs normal to feel nervous. But donât worry, you guys are going to go out there and have a blast on stage. I have a great feeling about this comeback.â
âYou do? We really want our first win. I hope weâre able to get it. We got third place last time when we were nominated during the Danger era. Weâve been trying to work hard to achieve this goal.â
âDo you think you guys can do it?â
âYes.â
âKeep that mindset. Good things happen to those who wait, yâknow. Keep working hard. Itâll pay off one day. Just donât be discouraged and donât give up. Weâll be watching.â
-------
On April 29th, the members were on Star Attack. The members sat next to each other as they answered a variety of questions. Jennie sat in between Suga and Jin.
âWhat are you guys doing lately?â
âI think we can say that weâre in full swing with preparing for the comeback,â Rapmon answered as they mentioned their concerts abroad and how international fans are a driving force in their growth abroad.
âWe will give you 1 question and 1 answer.â The production crew gave the members questions to answer.
âTo Jin, what is handsomeness?â
âIsnât this an extremely important question?â Jimin asked.
âI was handsome from when I was born. My life is smeared with my handsomeness.â Jin confidently answered.
âPff!â Rapmon couldnât hold back his laugh.
âI love his confidence.â Jennie praised. âHeâs such a King.â
âTo Jungkook, what is fragrance?â
âMy skin and flesh, bone...â Jungkook went on.
âWhy is fragrance a part of your body?â Jin asked.
âTo me, itâs that important.â
âSpeaking of fragrances, has anyone seen my perfume?â Jennie brought up. âI had a small bottle of grapefruit perfume. I cannot find it for the life of me. I just brought the thing.â
âYeah, where is it Jungkookie?â Jimin put him on blast.
âPFF!â Rapmon laughed again, covering his face while the Golden Maknae looked down, embarrassed.
Jennie raised a brow. âYou took it?â
âI-it smelled nice!â
âYou couldâve just asked!â
âWould you have said yes?â
âNo!â
âThen why should I ask!?â
âBecause itâs mine!â
The members laughed at their bickering and they got back to the program.
âTo Jennie, what are smarties?â
âWell, Iâll have you know that smarties are a blessing from my Lord and Savior. This God given treat is the best and I canât get enough. I would love to own the company so I can have free smarties for life.â She smiled innocently while the members laughed at her answer. âIâm dead serious, Iâm not joking.â
âW-wait, sheâs not joking?â The members were scared at her serious expression.
âTo J-Hope, what are tears?â
âYah~ why does it have to be this type of question? Itâs another one of J Hopeâs charms, is it not? People canât always be full of brightness only. Reverse charms. It feels like girls find men with tears...â
âTo Jimin, what are abs?â
âItâs homework. Itâs like if I do this, Iâll receive praise but if I donât do it then...Iâll have it for only 10 years more.â
âTo Rap Monster, the end of forgetfulness is?â
âRecently I lost my bag. A while back, after I lost my wallet, I received another one from Suga hyung. But I put that wallet in my bag and I lost that bag as well.â The leader answered.
âMm-mm-mm.â Jennie shook her head.
âTo V, what is the world of outer space?â
âSeems like the questions can go from state of mind to outer space.â He answered. âI think there are rabbits on the moon.â
âTo Suga, what is Daegu?â
âItâs also my hometown, Iâm from Daegu, why didnât I get asked about it?â V protested.
âWhatâs Daegu to the two of us?â Suga asked him and they answered at once. âHometown!â
âIntestines~!â V answered.
âWhat even...â Suga laughed with the members.
Standing up, the members were told to close their eyes and recall which member held grudges the most. Once they open their eyes, they would point their finger to the member and the member with the most points would have to do push ups for 30 seconds. Jennie ended up pointing at Suga, but in the end, Jungkook did the push ups.
As the members watched the Golden Maknae do his push ups, J-Hope requested to get a shot of Jungkookâs thighs, praising how strong and thick they were.
Next, the members were requested to play the one legged fight game and whoever won could reveal the other membersâ secrets.
âWe take this game very seriously,â Jimin warned.
âIndeed. You sure you want us to play this?â Jennie added.
âI can promise that I wonât take it seriously,â Suga spoke.
The members lift up one leg, preparing for the game.Â
âAigoo, my legs...â Suga suddenly dropped to the floor, causing Jennie to laugh loudly with everyone.
âHow!?â She asked as Suga shamefully walked away.
The rest of the members hopped around, while Jen stayed away.Â
âV, no!â She tried to hop back as he aggressively hopped forward, gaining up on her.Â
He giggled as he followed her around the room. He bumped into her, causing her to fall to the floor, eliminated from the game.
âI love you!â He tried to sugarcoat what heâd done as she got up.
âLIES!â
In the end, Jungkook won the game. The members sit back down in their seats to check out the fan comments.
âThe member that has the most cosmetics. Who cares the most about it.â Rapmon read a question.
The members point to Jennie, immediately.Â
âWhat? No.â She shook her head. âNo, no way. Not me.â
âSheâs in denial.â Jin giggled.
âI donât have that many! I donât wear that much makeup!â
âNail polish. Lip gloss. The list can go on.â J-Hope laughed.
Jennie read the question, âIf you were a boy, which member would you date if they were girls? Hm...â She looked at the members. âJ-Hope.â
J-Hope placed his hands over his heart, touched by her answer. âReally munchkin? Me?â
âMm hm. I love his personality, heâs always bursting with positive energy.â
âPlease show us the tough girls through Bangtan Boysâ concept.â Was J-Hopeâs request.
âI think I know what heâll do so Iâm going to cover my ears,â Suga said.
âAh, 5,6,7,8!â J-Hope sang in a high pitched voice, âWhy are you shaking up my heart?â
âAHAHAHAHAHAH!â Suga got up from his seat and laughed in J-Hopeâs face.
âKYAHAHAHAHA!â Hobi returned his laugh, standing up from his seat.
âIâm done.â Jennie laughed against Jinâs arm as she held onto it for support from laughing so much.
------
On April 30th, the BTS members were announced by the MCs for the fan meeting on Mnet Countdown. As they walked out, the members tagged a few lucky hands of some ARMY as they stood with the MCs.
âBTS, based on the mood, it seems like youâve gotten more mature.â
âYes, before we were in our teens and produced albums focused on the theme of school, this album is produced with the theme of mature youth,â Rapmon explained. âSo, thatâs why the mood is a bit different and itâs also natural.â
âMood being different is a very good thing. We think of strong performances once we think of BTS. Did you tone that down a bit?â
âNo, itâs absolutely not toned down. Itâs actually even more powerful. We were afraid everyone would think that so we especially prepared this.â J-Hope gestured as he walked over to the side with Jimin to prepare a snippet of various BTS dances before showing off I Need U.Â
Jennie ended up snickering when she saw how extra Hobi and Jimin were as they moved their hips. They were great.
For their comeback stage, the members lay down on the floor. Jennie was in between Jimin and Rapmon. They wore shorts and white shirts and Jennie wore black suspenders with Yoongi.
Fall (everything)
Fall (everything)
Fall (everything)
Heuteojine
Fall (everything)
Fall (everything)
Fall (everything)
tteoreojine
Sitting up, Suga began to rap.
neo ttaeme na ireohke mangajyeo
geumanhallae ije neo an gajyeo
mothagesseo mwot gataseo
jebal pinggye gateun geon samgajwo
Sitting on V as he sat up, J-Hope rapped next.
niga nahante ireom an dwae
niga han modeun mareun andae
jinsireul garigo nal jjijeo
nal jjigeo na michyeo da sirheo
jeonbu gajyeoga nan niga geunyang miwo
But youâre my everything (Youâre my)
Everything (Youâre my)
Everything (Youâre my)
jebal jom kkeojyeo huh
mianhae (I hate u)
saranghae (I hate u)
yongseohae
I need you girl
wae honja saranghago honjaseoman ibyeolhae
I need you girl
wae dachil geol almyeonseo jakku niga piryohae
I need you girl
The members body roll to one side with a hand on their necks
neon areumdawo
I need you girl
Doing the same body roll on the other side, the members got down on one knee while Jungkook stayed standing.
neomu chagawo
I need you girl (I need you girl)
I need you girl
I need you girl
After the intense dance break, Jennie broke away from the group, shaking her head before looking up at the ceiling. She slowly walked around, placing the microphone to her mouth, beginning her verse, âYou probably wonât care what I have to say, but Iâm still waitinâ for you on my birthday. How many times are you gonna lie, once was enough. Canât you see how much Iâve become undone?â She ran a hand through her straightened hair.
âLookinâ at us now, Iâm wonderinâ why things went so downhill...No Advil can take this type of pain away, donât tell me to chill. I ask myself why do I stay when you always play me for a fool. This situation sucks because I thought everything was cool.â She went on while the members danced around her. Shooting the camera an expression of heartbreak, she continued, âHow could you be so cruel? You used to treat me like I was your jewel. Now Iâm nothinâ to you but a simple tool.â
Walking past Jin, she pressed her back against his as they both turned in a circle and walked away from each other. âI wish we could break through this. All weâve done was fall through the mess that you created. Is this how things will always be? Iâm so frustrated, Aggravated, Devastated...â Her expression turned into a dejected one. âWhat do you gain? To cause me so much pain? Itâs putting a strain on my broken heart. But I canât let go. Because youâre my everything...â
Youâre my
âEverything.â
Youâre my
âEverything.â
jebal jom kkeojyeo huh
âMianhae.â
(I hate u)
âSaranghae.â
(I hate u)
âYongseohae.â
It goes round & round na wae jakku doraoji
I go down & down ijjeum doemyeon naega baboji
na museun jiseul haebwado eojjeol sugaeobtdago
bunmyeong nae simjang, nae maeum, nae gaseuminde
wae mareul an deutnyago
tto honjatmalhane
(tto honjatmalhane)
tto honjatmalhane
(tto honjatmalhane)
neon amu mal an hae a jebal naega jalhalge
haneureun tto parahge
(haneureun tto parahge)
haneuri paraeseo haessari bitnaseo
nae nunmuri deo jal boina bwa
wae naneun neoinji wae hapil neoinji
wae neoreul tteonal suga eobtneunji
I need you girl
wae honja saranghago honjaseoman ibyeolhae
I need you girl
wae dachil geol almyeonseo jakku niga piryohae
I need you girl neon areumdawo
I need you girl neomu chagawo
I need you girl (I need you girl)
I need you girl
I need you girl
The members walked away to reveal Jin on his knees, in the middle of the stage. Jennie stood behind him with her back turned to the crowd, while the rest of the members stood around him.
Girl charari charari heeojijago haejwo
Girl sarangi sarangi anieotdago haejwo
naegen geureol yonggigaeobseo
naege majimak seonmureul jwo
deoneun doragal su eobtdorok
I need you girl
wae honja saranghago honjaseoman ibyeolhae
I need you girl
wae dachil geol almyeonseo jakku niga piryohae
I need you girl neon areumdawo
I need you girl neomu chagawo
I need you girl (I need you girl)
I need you girl
I need you girl
-----
On May 5th, on SBS MTVâs The Show, BTS sat down for a quick interview about their comeback. âItâs a song infused with the feelings of young love,â Rapmon said.
âItâs showing both the brighter and darker sides of youth,â Suga added.Â
The members check out the I Need U film, gushing over Jungkookâs real tears on in the MV.
âStop. Point 1. Tears.â
âI have a lot of feels,â Jungkook revealed.
âFull of emotions, teenager Jungkook.â
âThen shall we see who can get their tears out faster, right now?â V suggests.
âMatch of the century!â
âChallenger V vs Tear Prince Jungkookâ
Jennie tried not to laugh as she watched V gaze ahead and Jungkook fanning his eyes, trying to cry. After a while, the Golden Maknae won yet another challenge, shedding his tears first. As they continued to watch the MV, it paused when it showed the show of flowers on fire.
âStop. Point 2. Fire.â
âWhat would BTS like to burn to ashes?â
âWeight! Weight!â Jimin answered.
âAll of our black history on the internet.â
âSTRESSSSS!â Jimin shouted.
âAnd so! The Show has prepared, the thing that the members want to burn to ashes. BTSâ black history!â
The screen showed Sugaâs audition from Big Hit, which caused everyone to yell and laugh. Suga got up from his seat, freaking out. It showed him when he was 18 years old.Â
âDESTROY ALL OF THIS!â He ran up to the screen.
âNO!â Jennie fell out of her seat before scrambling up to the screen, attempting to block everyoneâs view of her photo. It was her when she was a trainee at the age of 15. âMy hair! What was I thinking with that hairstyle!? DELETE! DELETE!â She cringed at her wild hair.
âAw, she looks so cute.â Jin cooed.
âDo not let your guard down! Who is this boy?â
Jimin lowered his head once he saw two photos of him when he was younger, wearing glasses, at 17 years old.
âHe still looks the same as he did when he still had glasses,â Jin spoke up.
âThis hyung...!â Jimin exclaimed.
âTell them about Jin-hyungâs!â J-Hope suggested.
âJin-hyung wore glasses too!â Rapmon revealed.
âAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!â Jin yelled when they showed his photo when he wore glasses.
âSo everyone, please treat your friends around you, well. Because they might turn out this cool, tool!â Rapmon informed.
âStop. Point 3. I Need U.â
âTell the person beside you something you want them to do with the song I Need U.â
âItâll be great if you can do a better job with the toilet ventilation,â J-Hope said to Jimin.
âI Need U...the money I lent you~â Suga sang to Jungkook. âI donât actually say that but...â
âSuga-hyung to me!â V asked, expectantly. âCome at me with all your heart!â
âTo be honest...I donât really have anything to ask of you.â He replied.
âYou should just return him money, too,â Rapmon suggested. âWeâll continue to show you more cool I Need U stages from now on.â
âPlease show BTS lots of love!â V beamed.
âThe Show! Play!â The members cheered.
At the end of the show, the groups stood on stage while the MCs began to calculate the votes to see who would win first place. As they announced the numbers, Jen felt her heart begin to race as she saw how big the numbers were getting from the other artists they were up against.
âBangtan Sonyeondan!â
Jennie immediately widened her eyes, covering her mouth as the confetti popped out and Namjoon received the trophy.
They had won.
They won their first win.
The members have been dreaming of this day. Every time they were asked, it would be the same answer. âWe want to get first place on a music show.â No matter how many times theyâve been asked. It was their wish to gift ARMY a first win, and now they finally achieved their goal.
âIs this for real!?â She asked, holding onto Jimin who had a big smile on his face while Namjoon said his acceptance speech.Â
All the members bowed to everyone while I Need U came on, for an encore. With just BTS on the stage, Jennie kneeled on the floor, trying to comprehend what was happening.
âDamn, this is really happening.â She thought as Jimin kneeled next to her, rubbing her back. A smile with tears in her eyes was shown as she stood up, grabbed her microphone, and yelled "Thank you!" with the rest of the members.
As soon as they go backstage, theyâre met with their staff congratulating them. Sitting down, Jen dialed up her momâs number, while a Bangtan Bomb camera was filming her. She was immediately greeted with screams, yells and cheers. She figured she was on speakerphone, so she put her phone on speaker too.Â
Namjoon chuckled at her familyâs enthusiasm. He was happy that she was able to hear them tell her how proud they were of her.Â
Jen, still teary eyed, listened to her mom yell, âWe just saw the live stream! You guys did it! Weâre so proud of you!â
âThatâs my niece! Thatâs my niece with those boys!â
âThey killed it on that stage!â
âThis award was meant for them!â
She heard various family members shout. âYour father is crying.â Her mom told her.
âI am not!â She heard her dad say as she laughed. âNie, Nie. Can you hear me?â
âYes.â She sniffed.
âYou have no idea how proud your mother and I are to have a daughter like you. I already knew you were special ever since you held a microphone back in America. And now youâre in Korea, breaking boundaries, and working hard with seven fine young men. I knew you guys could do it. All that time you were talking about how tired you were, and how hard it was to make new songs, look at what the eight of you accomplished. Hard work has paid off. Those sleepless nights were worth it. And I cannot tell you, how proud we are of BTS. You guys deserve it. I may be too old to be called an ARMY but just know that your mother and I, along with the rest of the family will be your big support group.â
Closing her eyes, more tears streamed down her face. After talking to her family, she received a video from her sisters and decided to play it. It showed Vienna and Alani, watching a livestream of the show. Vienna had her hand over her mouth in suspense, while Alani had her fingers crossed, wondering what was going to happen. It was late at night, and it made Jennie so happy that they stayed up on a school night just to watch BTS, in support of her.
As soon as BTS was announced as the winner, the two sisters screamed, jumped on the bed and held on to each other.
âYES! YES! YES! THATâS OUR SISTER! THAT IS OUR SISTER! I KNEW THEY WOULD WIN!â Alani clapped her hands together loudly, getting off the bed, and jumping around.
âI dunno what the hell theyâre saying, but all that matters is that BTS won! WOO!â Vienna shouted at the camera that was filming her.
Jennie laughed and felt more tears form as she sniffed. Her family wasnât with her physically but they were always watching her, sending encouraging messages.
Snapping a selfie with the trophy, Jen tweets, âDreams do come true. Weâve come so far, ARMY! This is so surreal! Thank you, we love you!â
-----
On May 7th, backstage, BTS was given an MPD mission called Beware of the Dog. In a room together, surrounding a table with the dog game, the members begin to take turns cautiously grabbing a bone out of the dogâs dish.
The sound of the toy dogâs sleeping, made Jen nervous as she slowly reached out to pick up a bone.
âRAWR!â Namjoon shouted, causing her to flinch and move her hand away.
âHey!â She smacked him on the arm while the others laughed around her.
âThat was a good one, she was so scared!â Hobi giggled.Â
When she finally took a bone without the dog moving, she sighed out of relief. Suga was the first one to get out as the rest of the members aimed to grab another bone.
âPlease let me survive this...â She murmured and reluctantly went to grab another bone. Peeping at the dog as she grabbed one, she slowly backed up, relieved that she survived another round.Â
Jin was the next one to get out, as the rest of the members tried yet again to take a bone. When it was Jennieâs turn, she decided to act slower this time, as she reached out for the bowl of bones. As soon as she touched the bowl, she shrieked when the dog suddenly leaned forward, aiming to bite her.
âMan!â She sat down next to Jin, watching the others finish the game. In the end, it wasnât a surprise that the Golden Maknae won.
Later, the members stood on stage, kneeling as Boys with fun came on. Jennie wore a white blazer while the rest of the members wore various colors.
ja wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
wasseo wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
ja wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
heung (heung) tan (tan) heung (heung) tan (tan)
nado nal jal molla
Jumping up and down, and then rocking back and forth, the members act hyped up, while the fans chant loud and proud.
ja wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
wasseo wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
ja wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
heung (heung) tan (tan) heung (heung) tan (tan)
heungtansonyeondan saebyeokdari jil ttaekkaji
a wanjeon sinna gasik ttawin jibe gan ji
oraenikka niga eumchi hogeun bakchirado
sanggwaneobseo nunchi ttawin ppalli jwo gaena jwo
heungi nanda heungi heungi heungi na
yeogi yeogi buteora ni eokkaechumi boinda
Letâs ride go with me
jeo wi jeongsangdeuri boiji
ilsange sangeul hana deohae nan isanghaejiji
jeongsangin sangtaeroneun jeongsange mot gayo baby
heung heung, sidongeun dwaetgo
heung heung, sokdoneun kwaesok
da bwara bwara oneureun michil geoya malliji mara
gara gara sirheun nomdeul jibeuro tteonaranara (hwoi)
eumagi heureuneun sungan nan
michyeobeoril geot gata (hey)
nae mome heundeullil geoya neon
jigeum baro i sungan
Standing in the back with Tae and Jin, Jen patted her chest with the rest of the members.
naege mutjima nan wollaebuteo iraesseunikka
nado nal molla cheoeumbuteo kkeutkkaji nan nanikka
Placing the microphone to her lips, she shouted, âSing it!â
Wo~ Wo~ Wo~ Wo~
âOne more time now!â
Wo~ Wo~ Wo~ Wo~
Break it down
ja wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
âWoo!â
wasseo wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
ja wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
heung (heung) tan (tan) heung (heung) tan (tan)
nado nal jal molla
Jennie, V, Jungkook and Rapmon faced off against Jimin, Jin, J-Hope and Suga, while V jumped to the middle, beginning his verse.
chimyeongjeogin naui momjit
michindeuthan naui ttolkki
nae mamdaero da hago sipeo
na geondeulji jom mareo
Jin took a few steps forward with his crew, while Vâs crew took a few steps back.
nan mathyeongijiman
Taking a few steps forward, by herself, Jennie snapped her fingers in front of him, three times. âNo, no, no!â
nareul gatgo noljiman
She ran up to him with the rest of the guys behind her, jumping up to his height to try to act big, causing Jin to smile at her. âNo, no, no!â
mwo eottae nan johke
manjokhae jokhae ok
V walked with J-Hope with a big grin on his face, having an arm around him.
Yo! naeireumeun V
giseoneul jeaphaetji
yayaya stop stop!
ah joesonghabnida
da golla golla hosigi golla
huimangi hamkkemyeon siganganeun jureul molla
ttameuro ssiseobolkka chikichakacho
oneureun naega sullae minimanimo
heossori hajimara a gi ppallyeo
dwitdam hal saenggakdo ma na nunchi ppalleo
neoreul ippallo mureo pi mallyeo
bap meogeotni? junggugeoroneun chwippalleo ma?
eumagi heureuneun sungan nan
michyeobeoril geot gata (hey)
nae mome heundeullil geoya neon
jigeum baro i sungan
Standing in the middle, taking Jungkookâs place, she sang fluidly, patting her chest, again. âNaege mutjima, nan wollaebuteo iraesseunikka. Nado nal molla, cheoeumbuteo kkeutkkaji nan nanikka!â
SING IT!
Wo~ Wo~ Wo~ Wo~
One more time now!
Wo~ Wo~ Wo~ Wo~
âBreak it down!â She winked directly at the camera.
heung tan saram moyeora
da yeogi moyeora
heung tan saram deo itna
da dwiro buteora
heung tan saram moyeora
da yeogi moyeora
heung tan saram deo itna
da dwiro buteora
As the backup dancers joined the stage, the members partied it up, dancing around while Jungkook continued to sing.
naege mutjima nan wollaebuteo iraesseunikka
nado nal molla cheoeumbuteo kkeutkkaji nan nanikka
âSing it!â The 97 Liners shouted out.
Wo~ Wo~ Wo~ Wo~
âOne more time now!â
Wo~ Wo~ Wo~ Wo~
ja wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
wasseo wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
ja wasseo a heungtansonyeondan
heung (heung) tan (tan) heung (heung) tan (tan)
nado nal jal molla
Big Bang had also had their comeback stage with Loser and Bae Bae. Jennie wanted to see if she could find G-Dragon but they both were so busy, they couldnât see each other throughout the show. She was a bit disappointed. She wanted to express how excited she was for their comeback and decided to message him about it and ask for advice on her latest performance.
Not expecting him to reply so soon, he had told her to meet her after the show because he had some time.
At the end of the show, BTS was up against EXID for first place as the MCs revealed the final results.
âTodayâs final results. First off with digital music sales score.â
EXID received 5000 while BTS received 2267
âAlbum sales score.â
EXID had 22 while BTS had 1000. Jennie had her hands in a prayer, by her face as she watched the results with butterflies in her stomach.
Would they be able to get a second win?
âPopularity score.â
EXID received 952 while BTS received 609.
âSocial media score.â
EXID had 572 while BTS had 1000.
âMnet broadcast score.â
BTS received 1000 while EXID only had 100.
âAnd lastly with the live broadcast real time voting score. Todayâs honored 1st place is...â
It was a close battle but in the end, BTS won with a score of 6876.
âYeah!â She celebrated with the members.Â
Each of them had big smiles on their faces while Namjoon made another acceptance speech, thanking Big Hit, ARMY and their families. Jennie felt Jinâs large hand on her shoulder and she turned to him placing red lipstick over her mouth, unevenly.
She laughed and he went to Tae to place lipstick on his lips, next.
âThank you, ARMY! Weâre truly grateful for this! I love you, mom! I love you, dad! Shoutout to my sisters! Donât follow them on Instagram! Thank you, ARMY! We love you! Woo hoo!â She yelled in English, on the mic, jumping up and down with Hobi.Â
She already knew her sisters would yell at her for putting them on blast like that but she thought it was funny.
Going backstage, BTS is filmed for a Bangtan Bomb. âFirst place, baby! Ah!â She clapped her hands, approaching the camera. âMuah! Muah! Muah!â She blew kisses.
They were greeted by MPD who congratulated them and presented them a cake with strawberries on top. Taehyung held onto it and kept eating all the strawberries.
Jungkook and Jennie glanced at each other, equally irritated that he kept eating all of the strawberries while the members expressed their gratitude for getting another win.
âReally?â Jen watched Tae pop the last one in his mouth. He looked at her innocently as she shook her head.
As the members regrouped together, Jennie decided to share her thoughts on another win as she finally got a turn to hold the trophy. She examined it in amazement, shaking her head in disbelief.
âThis right here, success wonât come instantly. You work hard, remain humble and be patient. Weâve gone through a lot, and it was worth it because our hard work is paying off. Thank you for always supporting us. We will cherish this moment forever. Thank you to the fans. Shoutout to my mama and dad for creating me and letting me do this. Shout out to my sisters, I know yâall screaming happily over this win. Good luck on your exams, by the way! I love you! Gosh, Iâm still shaking, you see this? Thereâs so many people I want to thank but Iâll just say thank you to everyone helping us and guiding us.â She felt her adrenaline pumping as she showed one of her shaky hands on camera.
When the members were in the elevator, they continued to be filmed. âIâm too happy that my tears wonât come out,â Jungkook explained.
âI cried so much during our first win on the 5th, Iâm not sure if Iâll be crying again. Weâll see.â Jen added.
âI have nothing to say.â Jimin sniffed. The members heard his voice shake and they noticed him crying.
âChim.â Jennie pouted and hugged him from behind.
âJimin, try saying something,â Namjoon added. âItâs a moment which canât be forgotten.â
âIt looks like my birthday party. Ah, thank you. It seems like my birthday party, like a hidden camera.â Jimin finally spoke up.
âI was really surprised. Our Jimin, here in Bangtan. Bangtan canât be without Jimin. We canât get 1st place without Jimin. Iâm really thankful. I remember that we got a mini-version before and it was great. I thank you again. I love you.â Namjoon said on camera.
As they got off the elevator, Jennie wiped Jiminâs tears. Kissing his cheek, she wrapped her arms around him, for a tight hug.Â
âAh, I canât believe it.â She heard him say as his voice got shaky again.
âItâs okay...youâre gonna make me cry again, stop it.â She sniffed as he held her tight.
âFrom now on, please donât call me a crybaby, the crybaby is Jimin,â Hobi said. âLike a man, even if youâre happy, you have to control yourself from tearing up.
âMen cry too!â Jennie spoke up, releasing Jimin while Hobi grinned at her.
When the show was over, she met up with G-Dragon who was waiting for her, leaning up against the wall. âHey, Jennie!â He smiled.
âHey! Iconic performance with Big Bang!â She hugged him.Â
Sheâll never get used to talking to him. She felt so lucky to be able to speak with someone so iconic as G-Dragon. She was grateful she decided to speak to him at K-Con last year.Â
They leaned against the wall as he talked with her. âCongratulations on your first set of wins. Itâs always a shining moment. Youâll never forget it.â He said as he thought about Big Bangâs first win with their song, Lies. âIâm always watching you even if weâre not always able to talk. I can tell that youâve improved a lot since your last comeback. You know, you can message me, anytime. Iâll try to get back to you when I can.â
âI really appreciate it.â She smiled as he began to give her advice on how she could improve her performance skills.
On May 8th, for Music Bank, BTS was in the waiting room, standing with Irene and Bogum.
âBTS, since your debut this is your first time being nominated for first place at Music Bank, please give us your thoughts about it,â Irene said
âRight, this is our first time as a first place nominee here in Music Bank, finally after 2 years, Iâm really nervous,â Rapmon answered.
âIn the I Need U MV, I heard that BTS expressed youth through emotional acting,â Bogum added.
âThen, letâs see their youth expressions. First anger.â Irene announced. Some of the members made angry sounds as they made angry faces for the camera. âSadness.â
Jennie fake cried with J-Hope as she covered her face.Â
âHappiness.â
J-Hope made a funny sound effect as the members smiled brightly for the camera.Â
âAs expected, theyâre cute. Lastly, what did you prepare for if you win first place?â Bogum asked.
âIf we win first place, weâll exchange parts between rap line members and vocal line members. I need you, girl!â Hobi sang.
âAh, I really anticipate it. At last, will BTS be able to win first place? Please anticipate it a lot.â
âAfter a while is BTSâ stage so...â Jimin trailed off.
âPlease wait a little longer!â Jungkook finished his statement.
Winning yet again for the third time, as promised, the vocal line switched their lines with the rap line. Jin rapped Suga's verse, while Jimin took over Hobiâs.
Taking over Taeâs lines, Jennie dramatically approached him as he giggled. âBut youâre my everything...everything...everything...Mianhae...saranghae...Yongseohae.â
When Yoongi started to sing, the members laughed as he dramatically sang along with Namjoon. Once the chorus transitioned to Jennieâs verse, Tae started to act hype around her, getting in her face as he took over her verse.
âOh my gosh...â She covered her face, trying to control her laughter.
This first set of wins will be the start of something big for BTS as they continue to make music.
#bts 8th member#jungkook x oc#bangtan boys#bts#the bangtan gal#bts additional member#bts fanfic#bts fluff#bts scenarios#bts imagines#bts fanfiction#kpop female oc#kpop black oc
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Etymology nonnie here!
I'm not gonna comment on the poll that is going on (anyone who has read anything I've written knows who I voted for and support). I don't want to make campaign, and unlike the future IF poll, there are no major consequences. So no corruption this time from my part. I've been tempted to comment on the poll, since it's interesting to witness how the results fluctuate as people vote. Yet, alas, I don't want to spam more than I already do speaking about something that has varied so much as the day went.
That said, I've been interested by two things discussed today: The RO's as parents, and Lorcan's long relationship with Orla. In this ask I'll focus on the former, and I'll write another ask for the latter. I don't think I can tie them together well enough to justify including it here. So, take this as an omen for what it is to come.
1) The RO's as parents:
So far, none of them really fit the idea of a character who is ready to have children. All three, plus MC, need extensive therapy before they are in a good place to consider parenthood (which is something you already pointed out). Having that established, they are not the same. In the sense that I could see Nia and Imre being able to adapt to being parents with more ease than Lorcan. Perhaps not in every aspect of parenting, but in plenty.
Nia is logical enough that she probably would find a way to make it work alongside her career. Her family, if I remember correctly, has enough resources than a child shouldn't be that much of a hydrance economically. And, since in all these scenarios we are assuming the RO's is with the MC, then we can expect MC to stay at home while Nia studies/works (depending on which point of the time line we are talking about). That said, I imagine Nia would expect MC to work too (especially if MC is female, for some reason I imagine Nia would prefer another fellow woman to be a part of the workforce, and feel somewhat vindicated if a male MC took a more traditional femenine role by staying home, although I may be entirely wrong on this; yet, I still would expect her to want MC to work, regardless of gender). I imagine MC would probably have a part time job, or one that had flexible hours.
As a mother, I think you established already she would be strict. I believe she would be rather cold, but still affectionate. Like, she will be there for her kids when they need her. But otherwise wouldn't be over them all the time to give them affection. I also believe she would be the kind of mother her children would be scared of. Especially because she wouldn't yell, she wouldn't even raise her voice a bit. She would just give one cold disappointed look, and the kid would live with regret for whatever they've done to deserve such look.
Imre probably could throw money at some of the issues. But I also expect him to try to one up, if subconsciously, his own father by how he raises any child. Money also has the advantage that he can stay at home more than he would be able otherwise. Although I do think he would try to work as a paleontologist, and maybe bring his kid alongside him once the kid is old enough (not much of an option for Nia, if she is to become a doctor). Here again it would make sense for MC to stay at home more than Imre. Yet, unlike with Nia, I don't think Imre would expect MC to work (there's not really a need, after all) unless MC wanted to pursue a particular career.
As a parent, I imagine Imre is affectionate yet a bit distant. In the way some fathers can be. I'm not sure if I can explain it. Interestingly, I think he would be the kid of parent the chidren would love more when they are younger, and grew a bit more desillusioned when they get to adulthood. Simply because Imre, so far, seems more ideal as a romantic partner than as a parent. The kind of person who doesn't really want to settle down (didn't he want to marry MC like in his 40's? I think that would be devastating to many MC's if they were dating Imre since their early 20s). I don't think he would be neglectful, at all. I just see him as the cool dad, who becomes less cool when you realize what his coolness demands from him and his time.
Lorcan is a different story. I think Lorcan would love any kid of his no matter what, but he is not in a situation to have them. He is too poor for it to be responsible. And given that MC wouldn't bring any money, both would need to work. So, forcefully, they are less involved with their children. And I don't know if they can afford a nanny or equivalent as Nia and Imre would, so the situation becomes significantly more complicated.
But there is also the aspect of Lorcan, at least as of now, seems less mature than the other two RO's. Which may be because of his hotheadedness, but also due to him expressing his hatred and emotions with significant lesser control than the other two. Some of his behavior can be a bit childish too. So, at least for me, he would have the hardest time adapting to be a parent. Both due to money and maturity.
Which I think can explain why you see him as someone whose children won't respect him. I see Lorcan as someone who would love them too much, and wouldn't know how to discipline children. Depending on MC for that (which, I don't know how that'll work). So money could be even more of an issue if his kids don't realize early how poor they are. But that's a bit sad to think about.
Overall, I think the other problem when trying to imagine the RO's as parents, is how you fit MC in that image. Simply because MC is too wide of a variable, based on how different you can play them. And the thing about parenthood, is that is something that ideally should be a partnership. And if you can't be sure what half of said partnership may be like... Well, I don't think is easy to imagine how it'll go. For a reader, like me, it's easier since we just put our own MC without considering the other possible ways MC could be and develop. But for you, it probably is hard to imagine MC as anything but a very flexible and varied entity.
I say this adding over the point of the RO's and MC being very young as of now. It's hard to imagine them as parents when they have do much to do before that. Even if in the 90's people married and had children earlier than today (on average, although don't quote me on that, as I have not done any proper research on the matter).
I feel youâre pretty spot on actually. Nia would want mc to work in some capacity, she would like for them to have equal time for work and child raising. Imre would be a bit more distant as the children grow up, I likened him to a father who has his kids when heâs old, heâs a good dad but he isnât as close as he can be when theyâre teenagers and adults. And yeah I did say Imre would prefer to be married in his 40s. And Lorcan, yeah he has too many issues with parenthood, his own self doubts and that heâs not sure if he even wants children.
In the 90s there was a rise in how old people had children, still a bit young but from what I remember itâs 22-24 ish
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Oi! I get it Secrets is cool and great but what about my main man Mauthak? He deserves love especially because we are his second chance!!! Wooooo! So I'm gonna continue the saga and ask how would Mauthak react if he found out the MC was pregnant. (Bows.) Thank you. Thank you I'll be here all week.
Hello, dear.
hahaha Oh, there are still some Mauthak fans here. Alright, let's assume that the MC is a trans man, okay? That's the only way for Mauthak to impregnate someone.
~
You make your way to Mauthak's training ground and witness him effortlessly defeating two recruits without a weapon.
The other recruits appear exhausted, while Mauthak remains hardly perspiring. As you lean on the fence, you continue observing until he eventually notices you.
Dismissing the recruits, he approaches you, grabbing a towel to wipe his face. "Hello, handsome. What brings you here to grace me with your presence?" he asks, leaning on the opposite side of the fence and gently touching your arm. "I have something important to tell you," you reply hesitantly.
"I'm all ears, just tell me," Mauthak says, tilting his head with curiosity as the sun sets behind him, casting a beautiful glow on his skin. You take a deep breath and hold his enormous hand in yours, absentmindedly tracing the creases on his palm. He chuckles softly. "What's on your mind, my love? You can share anything with me. Has one of my recruits been bothering you?" "No, it's not about that. It's something that's happening to⊠me. To us, actually," you say, looking down and nervously biting your lower lip. "Did I do something wrong? Let's talk about it, I can fix it," Mauthak says, tensing up with fear of losing you.
"Oh, no! There's nothing wrong with you, silly. You're perfect," you say, cupping his strong jaw with your free hand. "I just⊠well, what do you think about children?" "Oh, kids? I don't know. They can be noisy and dirty. They can't carry weapons or fight. I actually tried recruiting a baby once, you know? But the little one couldn't even lift a small hammer. It was disappointing, butâŠ" You interrupt him, gently placing a finger on his lips. "That's not what I meant. I'm talking about us having a child, our own child." He smiles at you, his tusks peeking out as his upper lip brushes against them. "In that case, I love the idea of having kids. I want to have many with you. Just imagine! With my strength, your intelligence, and your beautiful heart, they would be unstoppable. Why not?"
"Then you'll love what I have to share. I'm pregnant. We're going to be fathers." "You're kidding me?" His eyebrows shoot up, and he now stares at your stomach. "No, my love. I truly am pregnant." Mauthak grabs your face and presses his forehead against yours, gazing deeply into your eyes. His black eyes resemble a starless night sky, and you notice them starting to water. "You make me so happy, my handsome. I love you so much, and we're going to be the best family ever," he gasps, suddenly pulling back with a panicked expression. "Oh, I need to find earthworm eggs for you! Many of them!" "Earthworm eggs? Why?" you ask, feeling confused. "For the baby, of course! Earthworms eat grass and mud, and baby orcs need to eat earthworm eggs to be born green or grey! Orcs must be green or grey! I'll bring you plenty of eggs, my love. Go back home and rest, don't exert yourself. I'll return with the eggs," he says, dashing off to the training ground to dig for worm eggs. You watch as your silly Orc husband introduces another Orc tradition to you.
#kingsdespair if#interactive fiction#twine if#original character#ask#anon#twine game#twine wip#ROs#Mauthak#lgbtqia#snippet
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hello!
I just wanted to tell u that I'm so excited for the demo!
I like the premise and all the male ROs hooked me!specially Emil,his supposedly daring smile is so enchanting Ig, also it's not much you see an artist RO and that's quite exciting to look forward to so, I think I will go for him first then Selim, he is just my type anddd -the Sultan will be the last since I don't like that he is having a Harem and all but he is still interesting and his endings seem good enough ( I do like the idea of my son ruling over)so yup.
also on a not important point,I really like happily ever after kind of endings so I'm just asking to see if you will have one of those . if not then it's totally okay ,i will play it either way!
anyway, I really can't wait for the demo and to meet them and I can also tell I will annoy you with lots of fan arts for this IF so be prepared !>;)
so yeah that's all,Good luck with your if!
I am literally crying at the momentđ that was so sweet! I am working on the prologue and I hope not to let you down.
ROs
I am glad Emil is getting some love! He is a little shit (affectionately) and I love him for it. Him being an artist will come up throughout the game. For example at the beginning he has been sent to oversee a renovation/painting the walls of the harem, which is why he is allowed in there when usually only eunuchs are allowed inside. He will also get a 'paint me like your French girls' scene later in his route and if you get a high enough status later on, he paints a portrait of you so that later generations will know what you look like. He also canonically fills his sketchbooks with the MC when in love.
Selim is also a little shit, but he is a different kind. Emil hides his worse traits behind his smile while Selim is very honest about not being a good person and not wanting to be one. He very much has a bigger fish eats smaller fish kind of mentality. He only treats the people he cares about nicely (which the MC can become one of, though his route is a slowburn).
While Ahmad does have a harem, it is important to be noted that his route separates in two parts. One where you accept him having a harem and so he just continues doing his thing with you becoming the favourite and receiving the title of Haseki. Or... you can ask him to enter a monogamous relationship and by doing so break like half a dozen traditions and customs*. Which he will do because if you get to that point in his route, my man is fucking whipped. Everyone else will be really pissed at you both cause you just kind of fucked over the whole structure of the harem but like what can you do?
Keep in mind that the harem will not be officially shut down because it serves a practical purpose besides producing heirs. Most servants in the harem don't even meet the Sultan and mainly function as maids and all that cause someone needs to keep this place clean. They even get a salary for it! They are also often gifted to Viziers and Beys as tribute so they provide diplomatic benefits. The difference is that Ahmad won't be sleeping with any of them and basically cut all contacts, apart from his kid cause like that's his son and he lives in the harem so you need some contact. This is the equivalent of dismissing the Supreme Court in all but name for this world basically so he is already stirring enough shit.
Happily Ever Afters
....kinda yes, kinda no?
Here is the thing. It largely depends on what your MC/you ultimately desire. Fairytale 'everyone is happy and singing' endings are not a thing, but you can definitely be happy.
The Zephyran Empire is brutal. The harem even more so. To some extent, you will have to always fear for your life and that of your loved ones because you never know when someone might decide to poison you. The higher up you climb the ranks, the more protection you are afforded, but no one is truly invincible. Not even the Sultan.
The endings that kind of approach happily ever after in the typical sense typically entail leaving the Zephyran Empire. But even then depending on how you leave, if you run away for example, you may live in constant fear of the Zephyran hounds tracking you down and tearing you apart. And some routes don't even give you the option of escaping.
That does not necessarily mean you can't be happy. You can for example romance your RO and then stay happily together for the rest of your lives, till death do you part. You can change the system in positive ways to make the lives of others better. You can have a very good quality of life. You can be a beloved public and historical figure. You can have kids and grow old with them.
You can be happy, but you can't ever be 100% safe. And if you are, that probably means your hands are stained with blood and that is something you will also have to carry with you.
TLDR: you can have happy endings, but not really happily ever afters. There will be some give or take, whether that is always having to look out for schemes or being forced to do immoral things for the safety of the ones you love.
I tried to explain it as best as I could, but do ask me for more clarifications if I did not explain it well enough.
Fanart
Yes, please. Gimme all the fan art in the world. I am probably going to cry over each and every piece like the overly emotional idiot I amđ„șđ
Thank you for the ask and all your support!!! You are the bestđ
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Another hfth drabble đ„łđâșïž I missed the gang and my main couple đ„° The return of Jinnieâs cursed playlist đ Idk but I actually wouldnât mind a car ride with him but I guess I understand Jk just wanting alone time with MC đ And heâs also so cute sulking for not being the favorite anymore, i think itâs MC at this point with Jimin just being a close second lol đ The random petting!!! I also hate it when I see random people try to pet other peopleâs dogs without permission, like theyâre entitled to it or something. And then when they get bitten or what, they act as if as if theyâre a victim đ It just irks me, sorry for the rant đ
And I just love that Jk showed her his childhood diner (itâs a diner, right?) that their family always went to, cause heâs including her in another family tradition đ„ș And can I just say, I love how the drabbles are just how they spend different holidays. Just like how the title states, theyâre always home for the holidays or atleast celebrating it together with friends and/or family. Just love that. Celebrating Easter like this always fascinated me cause in my country, itâs more of a traditional Christian holiday and not this egg-hunting one. Can I ask, if itâs alright, why you guys celebrate it? And is it just like a get-together where you hunt for these eggs? Sorry, the internet just gives so much info that I wanted to ask someone that actually celebrates it or atleast has firsthand experience on celebrating it like that. And excuse me, âalmost-loversâ?!?!? I need more info on this đł And not Yoonieâs âThese are mine!â, acting like a territorial greedy kitten đ€Ł I really miss him đ
And I see you read a story from @/jimlingss, I really like their work too. I just remembered how much I loved their stories cause the story ideas were so unique âșïž
Anyways, I really loved this update, thank you again for sharing it with us. I really love reading about this couple, the gang, and the Jeon family and the happenings after the main story. Itâs fun to see all the shenanigans and the lovey-dovey scenes that it makes me always look forward to it every time you gift us a drabble from this story. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your works and the effort you put in them đ„° I hope you are doing well and not overworking yourself đ
I enjoyed writing them for Easter brought back a lot of good memories of my childhood. This one was very self-indulgent đ
Iâd be down for a road trip with them lmao weâd need a big van and lots of snacks and Jin on with his playlist. Thereâs a tiktok I saw ages ago of where the creator would put the boys and why and if I can find it Iâll link it here later on đ€Ł
But yeah I just wanted an excuse to write âegg-stra specialâ đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
I will eventually get JK and MC on his motorcycle at some point though! I needed him to have his car for the diner đ and definitely MC is the favorite now! Aera loves her and SaraĂ as daughters and Minji adores MC so much bc thatâs her baby now đ„° I always imagined a loving family and in laws so again self indulgent đ
The diner is something I went to growing up. My parents went there before they met and continued to do so after and I took my husband there as well. Itâs also near the church I went to as a child and weâd head there for lunch after.
The part with Luna happened to me and we were both shocked. This random man came up to me 10 years ago and put his hand in my dogâs mouth and asked if she bites. When I tell you I was dumbfounded and so was my dog đ
Ah the Easter thing, I called my mom/family holiday!catholics bc it was the only time we were in church đ
for my family it was about getting together and the Easter egg hunt was for the kids. Weâd either buy the eggs or go to my grandmotherâs house to dye eggs and stuff them with confetti.
I hope I can sprinkle a little more taejin in the next one lol they fight like nobodyâs business but they could be flirting đ
I absolutely loved their story! I have to read more but Iâve been trying to balance reading fanfics and books and writing and video games and tv shows and itâs a lot lol Iâve been trying to read shorter fics for the past few months but I have a long lists of long fics Iâd love to get into đ
Thank you so much! I appreciate it and I always look forward to seeing your reaction đ I hope youâre doing well đ
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